Time and CNN, today, have jumped to defend the reputation of deceased anthrax researcher Bruce E. Ivins. It is an interesting contrast to their anti-defendant, sensationalistic handling of similar, DNA-related “evidence” that the State of Texas seeks to use in prosecuting the men we might call the Eldorado Five. Click on either headline shown here to read the full story.
You could argue, I suppose, that the public is more immediately threatened by the possiblity that the real anthrax killer is still at large than by constitutional violations by a small-time Texas judge in a CPS case. Still, it’s interesting that the focus seems to be on exonerating Ivins, not discovering the identity of the real killer.
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
ztgstmv 08.06.08 at 7:20 am
Will it become a trend, these investigation-caused suicides? First the DC Madam, now Ivins. Were they really suicides? Even if they were, could it be that the enormous investment going into prosecutions, looking for any little bit of incriminating evidence, regardless of the strength of relevancy (in Ivin’s case a psychoanalyst or dream interpreter’s word was their strongest evidence), is what drove them to the brink and caused them jump off due to the pressure? I’m seeing a lot of irresponsible prosecuting these days, a lot of which seems to serve political ends more than actually searching for the truth. And the sad part is people are getting hurt (the Duke 3 case in point).