Posted on 07/12/2002 7:06:01 AM PDT by MizSterious
By Kristen Green
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
July 12, 2002
Denise Kemal was fired June 28, more than two weeks after her nationally televised testimony, because the company has a zero-tolerance drug policy.
Losing her job has ruined her life, Kemal said yesterday. "I've always wanted to fly," she said. "It took me years to get my job."
She said she is appealing the dismissal because smoking marijuana "wasn't an everyday thing." While she waits for an answer, Kemal, 28 and recently divorced, watches the Westerfield trial from the couch of her new Florida apartment.
Kemal was called to the witness stand by the prosecution June 10. She was at the van Dam home Feb. 1, the night 7-year-old Danielle van Dam was last seen, and spent the evening with Brenda van Dam, the girl's mother.
The two had become friendly through their husbands, who both work at Qualcomm. A spokeswoman for Southwest confirmed that Kemal had been fired, but declined to elaborate. She said company policy states that the "illegal use of drugs, narcotics or controlled substances off duty and off company premises is not acceptable and may result in termination because it can affect on-the-job performance and the confidence of our customers in the company's ability to meet its responsibilities."
Kemal said she was just answering questions posed to her during Westerfield's trial because "I want to make sure he gets convicted."
"Because of him, it's just ruined everyone's lives," she said.
Kemal testified that she went out with her Tierrasanta neighbor Barbara Easton and Brenda van Dam to Dad's Cafe & Steakhouse in Poway two Fridays in a row, Jan. 25 and Feb. 1. They were celebrating Kemal's upcoming move to Baltimore, where she had been transferred for work.
The second night out, Feb. 1, she was introduced to Westerfield, whom she has described as "creepy." Westerfield is charged with kidnapping and murdering Danielle. If convicted, he could be sentenced to death.
Kemal said the three women first celebrated her move Jan. 25. Kemal and Easton, who lived in the same apartment complex, shared a bottle of wine before driving to the van Dams, Kemal testified. She said she smoked some marijuana in the van Dams' garage before they left for the bar.
The next week, the three women decided to spend that Friday night partying at Dad's again after Damon van Dam canceled plans to go out of town and agreed to stay home with the couple's three children.
On Feb. 1, they smoked pot in the garage a second time, Kemal testified, and she and Easton shared a beer. Later in the evening, they partied at Dad's, where they ran into Westerfield. At one point in the night, they went to van Dam's sport utility vehicle to smoke marijuana again.
Kemal said her supervisors learned that she had smoked pot because customers mailed newspaper articles about her testimony.
She had never had problems at Southwest before the trial, she said. In fact, she regularly received letters of commendation from airline passengers since she was hired in November 1998.
Once, a Texas couple she had met on a flight sent a box of candy to her home. Kemal, in turn, shipped them a set of candles for their living room.
Kemal said that even after Sept. 11, she didn't have any reservations about flying.
"I did it because it's my job, and I love my job," she said. "I get to travel and meet different people. I like to serve the public."
sw
Yep I think so too...so let him fly the DE Knees air line ...they don't need no plane to fly ..and crashes are nothing new to them
Us sober folks will fly SW
Yea I think a stoned school bus driver is just what your kid need.....go for it libertarian KIM
sw
Are you saying none of them ever smoked weed?
DUDE LOOKS LIKE A LADY
(Parody title: That DAMON Dude Is Crazy)
Chorus:
That, that Damon dude is crazy...
That, that Barb is looking hazy...
That, that Duh-knees flys for South West..
That, that Brenda's wearing kick pants..
Cruise into Dad's Cafe in Pow-way
Shooting pool and acting all goof-ey
A tight red blouse...two sizes too small
A cue stick held tight, gonna boogie down tonight.
That's right
That, that Damon dude is crazy...
That, that Barb is looking hazy...
That, that Duh-knees flys for South West..
That, that Brenda's wearing kick pants..
Back home in Sabe Springs it's quite late....
Pizza party staying up late....
The blinking lights are tripping them out....
But Barb and Dam, really jamming it away. Yea.
That, that Damon dude is crazy...
That, that Barb is looking hazy...
That, that Duh-knees flys for South West..
That, that Brenda's wearing kick pants..
Dam and Barb on the covers....
Keith thought she would soon be his lover...
Duh-Knees toking hard on a joint....
Brenda getting mad..time for good boys to be bad..AD!
That, that Damon dude is crazy...
That, that Barb is looking hazy...
That, that Duh-knees flys for South West..
That, that Brenda's wearing kick pants..
(Remainder of song works just fine...no words altered!!)
So baby let me follow you down (let me take a peek dear)
Baby let me follow you down (do me, do me, do me all night)
Baby let me follow you down (turn the other cheek dear)
Baby let me follow you down (do me, do me, do me, do me)
Oo, what a funky lady
Oo, she like it, like it, like it, like that.
Oo he was a lady!
Chorus
Chorus
Dude, dude, dude, dude looks like a lady
Dude, dude, dude, dude looks like a lady
Dude, dude, dude, dude looks like a lady
Dude, dude, dude, dude looks like a lady
sw
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