Al Capone of our times

T.V. News is having a frenzy with the coverage of ex-Football hero O.J. Simpson’s arrest and subsequent release from jail. (It is a welcome change from the unpleasant Gen. Petraeus hearings in the Congress last week). Most people believe that O.J. got away with the murders of his ex-wife Nicole and an unlucky waiter who came to ‘see’ her. Now the police have got him again, and this time they mean business. O.J. is charged with ten felonies including armed robbery and kidnapping. He is looking at a jail term of nearly 100 years -- all because he tried to take back some of his sports memorabilia from the people who stole them. It is O.K. in this country to kill a thief who breaks into your house. But it is a big crime if you corner and threaten a thief who stole from you! Just like the gangster Al Capone was locked up in jail until his death for tax evasion, O.J. is going to be jailed for good for being too aggressive in getting his stuff back. There is justice after all!

Justice by Jury - another poppycock!

I just completed one-week stint as a juror in a civil case. I am now convinced that with a good lawyer you can get away with murder in this country! The concept of the fellow citizens determining ones guilt or innocence may sound great on paper. But in reality, it is a poor way of dispensing justice. Most of the people decide ones guilt or innocense, based on their ‘gut feel’. They do not have the capbility or patience to understand the implications of the rules of law. For example, the case before us jurors was that of an employee claiming compensation for the time she was sent home from work because her company could not accommodate her disability. The defense (company lawyer) never argued that she was not disabled. However, many in the jury did not believe that she was disabled, as they have heard stories of people misusing their disability benefits. Nobody knew about the Disabilities Act, which requires organizations to accommodate disabilities of employees unless they cause ‘undue hardship’. I think the case would have been won if the lawyer played on the emotions of the jurors (‘how would you feel if a company treated you like this?’), instead of submitting evidences of mistreatment of the employee. In criminal cases, the verdict has to be unanimous. This means that if a lawyer can plant a shred of doubt in a single juror, the defendant is going to be found innocent of charges. No wonder, ‘O.J.’ was let go. Instead of defending against DNA evidence, lawyer Johnny Cochran focused on the perceptions of the mostly Black jury, reminding them of the past injustices done to the Black people by the Los Angeles police. The trial of music director Phil Spector is in jury deliberations now. For many, this may look like an open and shut case with Mr. Spector even admitting, ‘I think I killed somebody!’. But I will not be surprised if the jury finds him not guilty, as he had excellent lawyers who argued that the victim had shot herself instead!

The generosity of Indians

The local Indian newspaper (India Currents) today had a story of the Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani building for his family of six, a house in Mumbai which is estimated to cost over 500 million dollars! The house is described as 27 stories high, with parking for 168 cars, so on. I wonder if Mr. Ambani is hoping for an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records, which is a fascination for many Indians. The rapid economic growth is creating many millionaires and a few billionaires in India. Their extravagant spending for weddings and parties, often create news. But I seldom hear anything about their philanthropy. I guess it is not fashionable to be generous in India. Here in USA things are quite different. Americans are the most charitable people in the world. They take pride in their contributions to their church and other charities. The rich strive for recognition through their philanthropy. Happily, this trait has rubbed off on the Indians who have been living in USA for many years and making money. India Currents often has news stories about affluent USA based Indians making substantial contributions to the hospitals and other charitable organizations in India. This is a good thing. I hope the rich in India who follow the fashions and trends in USA, will copy this style also!