Nation of Laws

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Check out the pictures posted today — the photographer is Laura Ingraham. She just returned from a week in Iraq with the 4th ID and took a bunch of pictures while she was there. If you want to see the rest of her pics, go to www.lauraingraham.com.

You might wonder how I happen to post her pictures since she does not work for FOX. Here is how it happened: I was sitting in my office yesterday and she stopped by and told me she is just back from Iraq. When I found out there were pics, I asked permission to post some. She gave me permission and voila!

Despite all the heartache in the Gulf States with Katrina, New Orleans is planning Mardi Gras festivities. They are using Mardi Gras to help raise money and to revitalize that New Orleans spirit. We have been to New Orleans many times since Katrina hit, so we are headed back there soon to cover the festivities and to bring you an update on the progress of reconstruction. If you have any important stories that you think we should cover while we are there, now is the time to e-mail us so that we can plan.

And yes, New Orleans is not the only place in the region that has suffered and continues to suffer. Perhaps what is even more troubling right now is that we are just three months away from the start of hurricane season (June 1.) Are we ready? If not, will we be?

Before I post your e-mails, I need some help. Here is a problem, which I expect to solve quickly: For 24 years, there has been a French restaurant in the building, which houses FOX in D.C. (and other media outlets.) Attached to the restaurant is a carryout, which has been feeding all of us lunch for years (well, at least the four years I have been at FOX.) The restaurant is closing and the three women who have been running the carryout are surprised by the sale — to put it gently. They are out of work as of the end of this week. I would very much like to help them find jobs. They are wonderful women. They want and need to work.

If you read this blog and if you live in the Washington, D.C. area, and if you know of possible employment for these three women, please e-mail me (and put the notation "possible job" in the subject line so that I am sure not to miss it.) Each woman is very ambitious, hard working, charming and eager to do any job (and capable to do many jobs.) I suspect that the way they learned about the closing did not give them much opportunity to save or prepare for the shock of no job. One woman lives in Montgomery County, Maryland and is willing to do housework, childcare, care for the elderly or food service in the region. Another lives in Prince George's County (has a car) and likewise is anxious to find work in the area. This woman has, in addition to the carryout, worked another job in the actual restaurant greeting patrons. Note also that her son is a Marine and has served in Iraq. The third woman lives in Arlington, worked the cash register and is looking for part-time work. These women are terrific.

By the way, as soon as Bill Gertz sat down on the set last night to do the segment on Iran, he mentioned the restaurant closing. In the minute or so before the segment began, I told him about the three women in the carryout needing a job and he said that he would try and help, too. I figure if we all work at this, we can help them. This is an easy fix... if we want to help.

Now for some e-mails from you:

E-mail No. 1 — The first e-mail is from my colleague, Sean Hannity. Tuesday night he did their show, "Hannity & Colmes," outdoors in San Francisco. I sent an e-mail to him in a commercial break during his show which asked how he was. His e-mail answers the question:

Freezing!!!
Sean Hannity

ANSWER: If you watched Sean carefully during the show, you could tell he was getting colder and colder and colder and colder and colder as the hour marched on.

E-mail No. 2

Greta,
I am so damned sick of defense attorneys. Regarding the Entwistle case, this hump may as well wear a, “I killed my wife and baby” T-shirt. Sometimes a crime appears obvious but isn’t. Well this one can't be any more obvious, and yet FOX showcases an endless parade of defense attorneys trying their hardest to make it look like he may not have done it. It seems to me that defense attorneys claim that “nobody did it.” Makes me want to hurl. I know we have a system, and need to go through all the motions, but they should just drop this turd over the Atlantic. Love your show.
Sincerely,
Carl Rosen
Charlotte

ANSWER: Carl, your suggestion is tempting, but what separates our country from so many other countries is that we do things methodically to try and make sure we do it right. That means we give people trials (the Constitution demands it) and we give them lawyers (the Constitution demands it) and don't summarily punish. We make decisions when we have cool heads and not when we are mad — although it is hard to cool down on this one.

This crime is deplorable — one of the worst — and I admit I think he is guilty. I find him deplorable as a result. But if asked to be his lawyer by the court, I would accept the responsibility and do the best job I could. I would not want to do it, but I would do it if the court called. I took an oath when I became a lawyer and while the oath does not specifically require a lawyer to take "unpopular" cases, most lawyers feel the oath requires it since it includes the agreement to uphold the Constitution and all its rights. Someone must represent him if we are to uphold our Constitution and that lawyer must provide "effective assistance of counsel."

As noted, I would not want the case, but I understand the responsibility to our system, to our Constitution. Of course I would hope while I was doing my job ("effective assistance of counsel"), the prosecutor was doing an effective job so that in the end justice is attained... whatever justice be in a given case. And yes, regrettably our system is not perfect — and terrible mistakes occur — but it is the best in the world. DNA test results have driven home to all of us the imperfection of our system... and it works both ways — some innocent get convicted and some guilty are acquitted. But I just can't come up with a better system than we have.

Bottom line: We are a nation of laws and trials are where guilt/not guilty verdicts are decided. We should not make these important decisions when we are gripped by emotion. It is tempting, but not right.

E-mail No. 3

Greta,
You and all your armchair lawyers/detectives keep me in a good mood. I find all of you very comical.
Ralph
Joplin, MO

ANSWER: I am not sure if this e-mail is an insult or a complement.

E-mail No. 4

The news reports that I have seen — which include his telephone interview with investigators — reveal that after discovering the bodies and ruling out suicide by knife, that he drove to Carver to inform his in-laws of the death of their daughter and granddaughter. He claimed he didn't have their telephone number — isn't that a bit strange? Then he drove to Logan and ultimately boarded a flight to England.
Now, what about his passport? If his scenario of where he was coming and going to is correct, he must have had his passport with him when he went to Carver. That would certainly be pre-meditated and meant flight — figuratively and literally.
Clark H. Billings

E-mail No. 5

Hi Greta,
I was watching your show at 3 a.m. on satellite last night and maybe I'm crazy but I was sure I heard Jennifer's boyfriend say that he talks to Jennifer every day. That sent chills down my spine because, if you remember, the last man to say that when his wife was missing was Scott Peterson! I'm not making any accusations against the boyfriend, but that just made the hair on my neck stand up. If you don't remember Scott P. had the sign made up and on it he said something about I talk to Laci every day.
Creepy huh? Just wanted to let you in on my thought,
Sharon

E-mail No. 6

Greta,
I am a huge fan of yours and rarely miss your show. I have been meaning to e-mail you but always catch the show on TiVo after a long day of work. One thing that my wife Lissette brought up that I have not heard mention is this: The chair being pushed up against the railing could suggest a man “urinating “over the side. We only say this because we have actually been on a cruise and saw someone doing it. He could have then lost his balance.
OK, thought I would share this bit of info.
Take care,
Alex
Big fan of "On the Record."

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