Monthly Archives: April 2013

North Korea’s Leader Kim Jong Un Is Certifiably Insane

Posted on by Patrick Ducharme

Kim Jong Un considers Dennis Rodman intelligent and entertaining. This could possibly be true if one defines those terms in relation to one another, as in, Rodman is entertaining based upon his distinct lack of intelligence. Un’s praise of Rodman as an intelligent statesman is more likely a sign of Un’s own mental illness. North Korea’s Supreme leader, annointed on December 30, 2011 after the death of his enigmatic and unstable father Kim Jong-il on December 17, 2011, lands squarely on at least 12 disorders in the DSM-IV Code of recognized diagnostic mental disorders.

Un this week ordered his missile units to be ready to strike the United States and South Korea. In fact, he apparently called an emergency meeting to advise his military commanders and the leaders of his artillery units to be on the highest alert. He is said to be contemplating retaliation against the joint military exercises of South Korea and the United States. This, any good shrink would tell you exhibits distinct elements of extreme grandiosity and a total break with reality. It may also be that he is also suffering from transference, juxtaposing in his mind his country’s military strength with that of the United States.

North Korea’s Scud missiles are of the same variety utilized by Iraq in its very brief and very unsuccessful encounter with the United States–once fired, no one, absolutely no one, not even those responsible for the firing of the Scud missile, has any clue where it might land. Scuds are the antithesis of today’s “smart bombs”. They instead epitomize the concept of “dumb bombs”. Scud is apparently short form for ‘pot luck.’

To give North Korea’s Supreme leader his due, he also has a few Musudan missiles. If his military commanders drive them to the very edge of North Korea’s borders they might actually have a range sufficient to place the West Coast of the United States at least within target range. But no one really knows, because they’ve never been tested at that range or any range. As of the date of Un’s ascension to power the world has had no indication that this missile system has ever been tested or is actually operational. In military terms it might be wise for North Korea to test these missiles in some fashion before they are launched in the direction of the world’s only superpower. History tells us nothing ticks off a superpower quite like launching a missile at it.

Once ready to launch, Musadan missiles must be launched within a few days or not at all because failure to do so will lead to tank corrosion caused by the red fuming nitric acid used as an oxidizer in its fuel/oxidizer combination.  Failure to launch a Musadan missile promptly could lead to North Korea blowing itself up. The likelihood of corrosion in the Musadan also means that these missiles must be transported by land and fueled at launch site. With today’s satellite surveillance, by the time the North Koreans get these missiles in place for launch, the United States could, and probably would, obliterate all of North Korea’s missile sites with actual smart bombs—you know the kind that land somewhere in the vicinity where those that launch them intend them to land.

In any event, Kim Jong Un would never initiate a 1st strike missile launch against the United States  for several reasons. First, he knows his friend Dennis Rodman lives in the United States.  Launching a nuclear missile at the home of your friend is definitely a recognized mental disorder in the DSM-IV Code.  Remember that Un is trying hard to avoid an official certification of insanity. Secondly, Kim Jong Un knows that the United States is home to the Harlem Globetrotters.  In fact, Un believes, and should not be dissuaded from this erroneous thought, that the Harlem Globetrotters are a real professional basketball team.  Lastly Un, despite his mental state, suspects that a 1st launch by North Korea would likely lead to his own untimely death. Kim Jong Un probably suspects that he is more likely to play in the NBA than to have any meaningful impact on United States as the world’s only superpower.  If he doesn’t, Kim Jong Un is definitely certifiably insane and the world is about to witness some more Shock and Awe.

Prosecutor’s Swashbuckling Bravado May Have Caused HIs Death and Death of His Wife

Posted on by Patrick Ducharme

The words of Mike McLelland, the District Attorney of Kaufman County Texas, as he stood before the cameras promising to find the murderer(s) of his colleague, Assistant Dist. Atty. Mark Hasse and that he would, “pull you out of whatever hole you’re in” to bring the full weight of our law to bear on you were probably soothing to the residents of Kaufman County. Their District Attorney was not going to let the senseless murder of his friend and colleague Hasse go unpunished–and impliedly McLelland would personally see to it that the punishment was severe, commensurate with the dastardly deed that took his friend’s life. As District Attorney McLelland might be in a position to do exactly as he promised. District attorneys are given considerable power to affect the outcome of trials and the sentences that follow conviction.

Mr. McLelland’s words, however, were sadly reminiscent of another law official’s swashbuckling bravado several years ago in Fort Myers Florida. There, a sheriff’s deputy promised to bring some drug dealers to justice. He would hunt them down. They would not be allowed to roam in his district or place the citizens of his area in jeopardy because of their criminal ways. I remember thinking as I watched the not very subtle threats of this sheriff’s deputy that he was either wittingly or unwittingly making himself the target of the very people he threatened to hunt down. That same evening the police station in Fort Myers Beach was burned. Officials estimated millions of dollars of damage. It struck me that law-enforcement officials, although imbued with significant power, are ill-advised to speak of that power in public as though it were a personal device that can be ratcheted up when they are personally affected by crime. They are, after all, public officials, only entrusted with these significant powers because the public sees fit to entrust them.

This is not to say that Mr. McLelland brought about his own death and the death of his wife. It is only to say that he was an experienced prosecutor. And, as such, McLelland would know that the business of prosecuting crime is not personal. He represents the people of the entire District.The District belongs to the people, not him.

Any eventual prosecution would not be about McLelland’s  personal feelings for his colleague Mark Hasse. Instead, the prosecution would be about a fair representation of the evidence gathered by investigators without regard to his personal relationship with the victim.

Otherwise, Mr. McLelland’s public duty would be to turn the case over to another prosecutor, one less involved and less impassioned by the identity of the victim. Only then does the system operate fairly. Professionally Mr. McLelland would have to exercise a duty of fairness toward the accused, presenting evidence both favorable and unfavorable to the accused as long as McLelland concluded that the evidence was true.

The criminal justice system is not supposed to be about vengeance. Members of the bar, both prosecutors and defense lawyers, are taught that they have a duty to the court. Their duty requires fairness and balance. It requires that they never knowingly mislead the court in any fashion, either factually or in law.

The criminal justice system is therefore never meant to be personal. It is to be just the opposite, fair and impartial. When lawyers find selves in positions where their personal feelings prevent calm reflective independence, they are well advised to disengage themselves from the proceedings. They are unable to fulfill their duties professionally.

There is a well known saying in law. It is: “Justice must not only be done, but be seen to be done.” This phrase encompasses the idea that even the appearance of injustice is not to be tolerated. A prosecutor who threatens to make persons pay heavily for their crime, even before the accused are apprehended and charged might be seen by the court as presenting the appearance of injustice in the role of prosecutor at a later trial.

Unfortunately Mr. McLelland may have paid for his lack of professional distance with his life. But the circumstances of this case will hopefully remind all lawyers functioning in the criminal justice system that they have a duty of dispassionate professionalism.  Nothing less will suffice.

Melky Cabrera and the Toronto Blue Jays

Posted on by Patrick Ducharme

Team chemistry is key to team success. It requires assembling a group of talented players of substance and character. Obviously Cabrera is talented but he lacks substance and character. Melky Cabrera, unfortunately for the Jays, is unlikely to assist in delivering the World Series to Toronto. But on November 19, 2012 Toronto signed Cabrera to a two-year $16 million contract for precisely that reason.

That is a lot of money for any player, but particularly for Cabrera, a Bible toting mama’s boy, more likely to implode from within rather than explode with timely hits when he will be most needed. Melky’s given name derives from Melchior, one of the 3 Magi or wise men from the East who allegedly delivered gold, frankincense and myrrh at the birth of Jesus. Cabrera says he keeps a Bible in his locker and reads from it before every game. Perhaps his biblical heroes are Cain or Judas. His heavily tatooed arms suggest, however, he sees himself more aligned with Jesus and his own mother. Neither are likely proud of Melky lately.

Melky no doubt glossed over those portions of the Bible that warn against deception (Proverbs-24-28) and bearing false witness (Mark 10-19). He signed with the Jays this off-season following a tumultuous 2012 season with San Francisco. He was the All-Star game’s MVP. He was batting .346 when he was suspended by the MLB for violating its drug policy.  His suspension turned out to be a total of 50 games. His supporters credited him for his prompt and honest admission of using a banned steroid that dramatically increases the hormone testosterone. Cabrera was anything but honest. Melky’s form of “honesty” was brought about by the exposure of his deceptive cover-up scheme. It was just more dishonesty.

Melky, with the aid of a friend, created a fake website. He then claimed that his positive test was caused by an unknown substance that he purchased through that website. MLB investigators, mindful of the stain on baseball’s reputation by the likes of Barry Bonds,[1] decided to investigate further. The investigators traced the website back to Cabrera. Busted. All the kudos given to him for his alleged prompt admissions of guilt were as phony as him. His admissions were fueled by the fact that he was caught red-handed in an elaborate scheme of deceit.

The Blue Jays No Better

What does one make of the Blue Jays organization signing Cabrera to a two-year contract for $16 million in these circumstances? Obviously, the concept of winning for that organization trumps sending a message of rewarding honesty and shunning dishonesty. Cabrera’s contrived news conference at the behest of the Jay’s organization was difficult to stomach.

Cabrera first announced that this was the only time he would ever make reference to his troubled 2012 season. Then, he dealt with none of the specifics of his tawdry effort to cover his cheating. He read haltingly from a prepared statement, undoubtedly contrived by his lawyers. What he said, of course, lacked any sense of sincerity, as most prepared legalistic documents sound upon delivery.

This press conference was so devoid of any recognition of wrongdoing it was tantamount to a less sophisticated whitewash than his earlier use of a fake website to hide his guilt. He referred to his “difficulty” as “a mistake”. Singular! He has now received a World Series ring “for his efforts on behalf of the team before his scandle.”

The question is: should the San Francisco Giants even be World Series winners since their season had the benefits of his efforts before his cheating was discovered? The use of performance-enhancing drugs did not occur when he was caught. It occurred all year long when he gave himself a chemical advantage over all his competitors. The San Francisco Giants benefitted from his cheating.Their self-imposed penalty was to not use him in the playoffs. Big deal!

So what does the Blue Jay organization stand for? They took advantage of Cabrera’s availability on the market because of his cheating. What message does the organization send out by snapping up the cheater? In the realm of integrity, honesty and fair play, their organization stands for not much at all. Their message could best be described as: Cheat but don’t get caught. If caught, there will always be some organization like ours more desperate to win than conerned about principles of fair play. So, go out there and read from a prepared text that admits nothing, then promise to never speak about it again.

My prediction: The Blue Jays and Melky will fall flat on their two-sided faces. They will not challenge for the World Series. In their tough Division they will be dead last. They will be lucky to play 500 ball. This will be the Toronto version of ‘cheaters never prosper’. Nor should they.

 


[1] MLB’s current all-time home run leader, and probably its all-time greatest steroid user, who had just recently escaped with only a conviction for obstruction of justice while avoiding a conviction for perjury in relation to his testimony for his use of steroids during his career. MLB obviously believes he lied under oath because it continues to deny him entry in the Hall of Fame.