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August 15, 2006
Pity the poor victim criminal
Patterico points out yet another L.A. Times article skillfully eliciting sympathy for the victims of terrorism.
Gotcha!
Actually, the Times has produced an article highlighting how hard it is to be a leftist moonbat murderess being oppressed by The Man in his inhumane prison system. The article claims that Olson became "invisible" when she became a guest of the California Department of Corrections.
According to Patterico, the Times, in its eagerness to show Sara Jane Olson to be a reformed, repentant person, omits relevant information from the history of her case.
Here is what the story doesn’t tell you: this vaunted “taking of responsibility” is not quite all it’s cracked up to be. From Wikipedia:
Immediately after entering the plea, however, Olson told reporters that she was innocent and that her plea bargain was a lie forced on her by the climate after the September 11, 2001 attacks. “It became clear to me that the incident would have a remarkable effect on the outcome of this trial … the effect was probably going to be negative,” she said. “That’s really what governed this decision, not the truth or honesty, but what was probably in my best interests and the interests of my family.”
Angered by Olson’s announcement that she had lied in court, Superior Court Judge Larry Fidler ordered another hearing on November 6, at which he asked her several times if she was indeed guilty of the charges. Olson, rolling her eyes and sighing theatrically, replied “I want to make it clear, Your Honor, that I did not make that bomb. I did not possess that bomb. I did not plant that bomb. But under the concept of aiding and abetting, I plead guilty.”
Then, on November 13, Olson filed a motion requesting to withdraw her guilty plea because “I realize I cannot plead guilty when I know I am not.” She acknowledged that she did not misunderstand the judge when he read the charges against her. Rather, she said “Cowardice prevented me from doing what I knew I should: Throw caution aside and move forward to trial. … I am not second-guessing my decision as much as I have found the courage to take what I know is the honest course. Please, Judge Fidler, grant my request to go to trial.”
On December 3, 2001, Fidler offered to let Olson testify under oath about her role in the case. She refused. He then wondered “I took those pleas twice … were you lying to me then or are you lying to me now?” — and denied her request to withdraw her plea.
And from an earlier linked article:
“I did not have anything to do with those bombs. If I did harm, I did not mean to, and I want to apologize. I am truly grateful for all that I’ve had in my life.”
Amazing, the way she took responsibility, isn’t it? The remorse just oozes out of her, huh?
The paper doesn’t tell us about that.
Nor does it have a hint of the perspective of the families of any of the victims of Olson and her confederates. Where is the family of Myrna Opsahl, killed in a bank robbery that Olson helped plan and carry out? Marcus Foster, a school superintendent in Oakland, was also killed by SLA nutcases. But, like Opsahl, we do not hear from his family members. Apparently, they “turned invisible.”
Do you still subscribe to the L.A. Times? Why?
Posted by Mike Lief at August 15, 2006 07:50 AM
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