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]
http://insider.espn.go.com/ncaa/insider/news/story?id=2563683&action=upsell&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fncaa%2finsider%2fnews%2fstory%3fid%3d2563683
Months later, unanswered questions haunt Duke
newsobserver.com | Durham County
Bulls will hold NCCU-Duke night
DURHAM -- The leaders of Durham's two universities will be on the pitcher's mound for the first pitch at a Durham Bulls game where faculty, staff and students will be invited to get to know one another.
The N.C. Central-Duke night is on Wednesday. The game starts at 7 p.m.
"We're looking forward to spending an evening at the ballpark with our friends from NCCU," Duke University President Richard Brodhead said in a news release. "We're neighbors as well as colleagues, and recently we've taken several steps to strengthen the ties between us."
James H. Ammons Jr., the chancellor of N.C. Central University, said, "I think it will be a great opportunity for our students, faculty and staff to socialize with our counterparts at Duke."
Tickets for the game between the Bulls and the Columbus Clippers are available by calling Tim Seaton of the Bulls ticket office at 687-6510. Callers from both universities should ask for tickets in the NCCU-Duke night reserved section.
from the wabc board:
http://forums.go.com/abclocal/WTVD/thread?threadID=128010
Re: Re: Why did Gottlieb need to hire a lawyer? Author: roper53668
From those on the inside... the word is that Gottlieb is in deep trouble. He has set in motion events that can no longer be controlled, that will lead to his disrobing.
Stay tuned. The show is just beginning.
Posted: 8/28/06 2:08 PM
I still believe Gottlieb was a major manipulator from the beginning.
A good cop does not get up one morning and suddenly find himself corrupt.
He has to have a history of this. None of his investigations have had this type of exposure or scrutiny. His report may be business as usual.
The question is will he be the only one that goes down or will he take his partners in corruption down with him.
Unfortunately Nifong couldn't care less but I think Abb is right that this helps us. Now people will see that the charges have been dropped in a major case when the DNA didn't match up.
I'm not that surprised the DNA didn't match Karr because the guy seems like a screwball.
I agree with both of you:
1. The Boulder DA was blinded by the lights and should have done this in a much more low keyed way. [I will admit that all it took was a low level leak to get the cable heads on this.]
2. The Boulder DA has been much more cautious than Nifong. She did not criticize this guy, she only announced this thread of the investigation. I was glad to hear him crticized on FNC today when someone was talking about the Boulder DA.
3. I also agree she had to investigate this guy's not very believable claim. She just did not need to use it and therefore the Ramsey family to seek publicity.
The j professor clown (who's writing a book, btw) who emailed back and forth with karr probably started this whole mess...
I guess he'll have to change the ending of the book...
anyone hear anything about the cabbie? wasn't he supposed to be in court today?
my bad. court tomorrow for elmo...
Looks like Nifong is getting ready to drop Gottlieb over the side. . .
(Gottlieb was the brains behind the rape charge, he fooled Nifong into accepting it, and Nifong only did his duty
by bringing the charges--for which he relied upon his investigator.)
"court tomorrow for elmo..."
We'll have to find out who the judge is.
If they sentence him, we should ALL be on the PHONES
to our congressmen.
And to the DOJ about the judge.
Ya think? Have you heard something?
How about a "FREE ELMO!" campaign?
It's recognizable enough that it might catch on.
People will wonder what it means--and then it can be explained to them.
And what about a few catchy bumper stickers for the Duke 3?
"They're innocent!" (big letters)
www.friendsofdukeuniversity.blogspot.com
Might get some attetion (maybe some unwanted attention, if you're in NC); but maybe useful elsewhere.
(of course, you get rear-ended as folks try and copy it down . . .)
From that forum:
Re: Re: Why did Gottlieb need to hire a lawyer? Author: krddurham
Great question, bucket. Also, I wonder why Gott'lies would look into hiring an attorney from Jerry Clayton's law firm? Nifong's nemesis, Freda Black, is an attorney there, too.
In Nifong's own words: "And one would wonder why one needs an attorney if one was not charged and had not done anything wrong."
You are correct, sir!
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1684229/posts
Trial date set for Duke lacrosse witness (DukeLax Cabbie to be Nifonged)
Raleigh News and Observer ^ | August 15, 2006 | Staff
DURHAM, N.C. -- A cab driver who has supported an alibi offered by one of the three Duke lacrosse players charged with rape had his own court appearance Tuesday for a larceny charge.
Moezeldin Elmostafa, 37, appeared briefly before a Durham County District Court judge who set a trial date of Aug. 29. Prosecutors also changed the charge against Elmostafa to aiding and abetting misdemeanor larcency.
Elmostafa was arrested in May after he surfaced as a potential alibi witness for Reade Seligmann, one of three players charged with raping a woman at an off-campus party the night of March 13.
The 2003 warrant accused Elmostafa of stealing five purses worth about $250 from a Durham department store. Elmostafa denies the charge, and has said he helped store security locate a woman after he picked her up from the store and drove her home. The woman later pleaded guilty to larceny.
Durham prosecutors said in May the warrant for Elmostafa's arrest was discovered in a routine background check of witnesses in the Duke lacrosse case.
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