Posted on 08/26/2006 9:33:29 PM PDT by Ken H
Tony Soprano Channeling Sam Spade
I don't mind a reasonable amount of trouble. If I did, would you find me in those dark hours, eyeing some broad at Blinco's, about to find myself in the middle of the biggest story to hit town in years?
I'm Tony Soprano of the Court TV discussion board fame. No, not the guy on that TV show. I just took his moniker cause it gave me cover like a cheap toupee when a fella's follicles are few. I'm not afraid of cops like Gottlieb. I was there the night the caper with the fry cook went down.
Did I see it? No.
Gottlieb and I rub each other the wrong way, like a cheap wool suit you've had one year too long. Things were tense that night, my friends. I shot off my mouth a few times.
As Gottlieb passed my barstool, he leaned in close. I could see the oily sweat on his shiny bald head. "Keep riding on me and they're gonna be picking iron out of your liver." He straightened up and, with his posse following him, sauntered out the door into the alley. What happened next, well, that's the most baffling mystery story in years.
A friend of mine, a newsie, was in Blinco's a few nights later. "Tony, Have the barkeep pour me some of that booze you're drinking, and I'll tell you a story you might want to hear." "Good booze makes any tale you're going to tell one I want to hear." I motioned for him to pull out the barstool beside me. We waited till the dame serving us gave me a wink and sauntered back to the bar.
"Did you see Gottlieb's picture on the front page of the local rag. Did you read the piece saying his boss Nifong should be worried he's going down for the Blinco's gig?'
"Yeah, me and half the town saw that. What's your beef? Gottlieb's days as a Big Shot Bully are as numbered as a Currier and Ives calendar. The cook ratted him out, said the "Bald guy" was the instigator. Of the coppers here that night, Gottlieb fit that description like a Hong Kong suit you had made to order. He's as finished as a Dame from an East Coast Boarding school. He's going down.
The newsie smiled, took another sip of his drink. "Not so fast, Tony, Gottlieb may have hired a lawyer, but he ain't gonna take the fall. Our big story tomorrow is two young cops will take the rap for him. No way bossman Nifong will let his boy Gottlieb go down till the Dukies are duked out." I took a drag on my cigarette and watched the smoke curl across the table. The newsie leaned in and pushed copy of the morning's paper my way.
Our eyes met again as I glanced at the photos of the two cops charged."
But they have hair! Their heads look like lucky sheep who ran from a careless shearer. No way they fit the Cook's description. And Gottlieb lawyered up faster than a railroad car on an icy stretch of track!"
"Exactly. Nifong's the boss. He ain't gonna let no stinking fry cook ruin the best campaign strategy since Washington rowed across a frosty river in Delaware. Gottlieb's the chief investigator. Three months later, he turned in ...pages of notes. His recollection of events added details to Nifong's case like a New York seamstress adds sequins to a songbird's gown. Gottlieb's in solid with the boss."
I sat in stunned silence, not even a come hither look from the comely barmaid could stop my thoughts. The newsie took another sip of the bourbon I bought him.
"It ain't the first time either. One morning. around 6AM, Gottlieb ran a red light and rammed his car into another guy's ride right here in Raleigh. When the smoke cleared, Mr.Nobody's car had $7000 worth of damage. Our man Gottlieb didn't even get a ticket. Tony, if that was you or me, think the Raleigh cops would let it slide like a fried egg on a greasy stove?"
I leaned back. The newsie smiled a knowing smile. "Ain't gonna happen, Tony. Watch and see. The guy with the smashed car, the poor fry cook here that got knocked around? They are NOBODYS, Tony. And NOBODY cares." My beat can be ugly, my friends. The night can be cold. But this story chilled me like a eager bridegroom's champagne waiting to be uncorked. But it's not over yet. Tony Soprano doesn't go down easy.
******Footnote: Unlike some OTHER fiction writers LieStoppers feels the need to distinguish fiction from fact. Should the NYT wish to carry this story, LieStoppers will insist they disclose the difference. Tony Soprano was NOT in Blinco's the night of the Fry Cook beating, but we link to the basic facts of the story that ARE true.
[Links are at Liestoppers, and will be listed in posts to follow]
Lol, PBR, I can hardly keep up with all the bookmarks I have now. Which is good, though. For a while, Free Republic was it.
If you see something there we need to see, link it.
thx, abb...
You should see my bookmark folder for this case.
I have it bookmarked, so if we need to pull out an old doc, I know where to go.
The words must appear Greek to the liberal ear. The courage required while under assault by what appear to be overwhelming odds is also a mystery to the "it takes a villagers."
These words by Churchill give chills of pride and envy to those with something unheard of in many so called leaders today... a personal code or honor...
To again paraphrase Churchill in his war time speech to the students at Churchill's old public [private] school, Harrow, he said, “Never give in--never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.'
8 Charged In International Prostitution Ring
POSTED: 1:08 pm EDT August 28, 2006
DURHAM, N.C. -- Federal and local investigators have arrested eight people in connection with an immigrant smuggling and prostitution ring.
Several brothels around Durham were broken up over the weekend following an investigation by Durham police, the FBI and U.S. Postal Service inspectors.
Authorities said a well organized operation arranged to bring women from Mexico and Central America and keep them in indentured service as prostitutes to repay their transportation expenses. The operation stretched from New York to the Triangle and included several brothels in Raleigh that were broken up last month, authorities said.
"A lot of them are promised jobs in the area, either in cleaning services or restaurants. They incur substantial expenses as a result of being transported across the southwest (U.S.) border and ultimately to Raleigh," FBI agent Greg Baker said. "Once they get to this area, of course, there are no jobs."
Reporter: Julia Lewis
http://www.wral.com/news/9748683/detail.html
they were cutting into the Bunnyhole's business...
She hadn't paid any restitution before all this, so I don't think it's a valid nexus to claim she doesn't have to pay because she's Nifong's fair-weather friend in all this. That's not to say he didn't deal her a break on her bail and so on, but there is a court order in place for her to pay. All he can do is refuse to violate her probation or not ask to have her jail sentence imposed for not paying, but his office has proceeded with that case. There's no doubt in my mind that he, perhaps through one of his many minions, may well have promised to drop the probation revocation case against her after she "performs" in the Duke case, but he can't simply make the court-ordered restitution disappear. A judge would have to order that.
http://durhamwonderland.blogspot.com/2006/08/times-open-letter.html
Times Open Letter
I sent the following email to Times executive editor Bill Keller and news editor Jill Abramson. Perhaps unsurprisingly, no response was received.
Just heard Hannity say no DNA match to John Karr (sp?) in the Jon Benet Ramsey case.
If that's the case, we got another crazy ass DA on our hands - blinded by the tv kleig lights...
Brothels in Durham, who would have thought?
Brian Taylor (tight with the NCCU crowd) may have seem his competition cut in half.
Good news for him, he can raise rates and cut quality.
OT:
Dan Abrams giving Wendy Murphy a bitch slap!!!!!
I've not followed it closely either, except that two weeks ago when this latest flap started, Mary Clary (Boulder DA) was whole hog to bring this guy back from Thailand and charge him. Then within a day or two, as things began to fall apart, she did a presser and threw cold water on her own case.
You are correct that she realized her mistake and did the right thing, but at first I think she was cocked and loaded. And I think she saw her name in lights...
Your right, Clary like Nifong handled their high profile cases wrong from the start. Be it inexperience or just the chance to make a name for themselves. I am not a voter of either city. But if I was, I might be willing to give Clary another chance. Nifong on the other hand is a POS and should be in jail.
Right and maybe someone should send a memo to Wendy Murphy and the rest of the MSM. Like I said I haven't been following this case. But they had DNA they tested Karr against. I never knew that. Yet Murphy and others have been saying the Ramsey's have done this for years.
Watching CTV now. the DukeLax case was mentioned in relation to DNA. This JBR case can help us, IMO.
No DNA match and exculpatory evidence clears Karr ... DA drops charges.
NIFONG ... ARE YOU LISTENING!
it was just in passing, but count on hannity to raise the issue...
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