Peggy Noonan: Hippocratic Oafs

Opinion Journal ^ | 09/20/2002 | Peggy Noonan

[Pokey78]

The story is over. It's yesterday's headline.

Everyone involved has begun to recede back into normal life insofar as they had normal lives. But before it becomes just another strange memory of 2002, a worthy wave goodbye.

Eunice Stone of Georgia is reportedly recovering from the chest pains that led her to check herself into a local hospital. The diagnosis was stress. The three young Muslim men with whom she had her now-famous encounter have reportedly announced they will not sue her, which is certainly gracious of them.

[tictoc]

I [HEART] Peggy!

[Maximum Leader]

Yes it would be,
and if you do falsely confess to murder, make sure you don't do it to a federal agent.
Under federal law, lying to a federal official is the same penalty as perjuring yourself in open court-- maximum 10 year sentence. In fact, lying to a federal official is a $10,000 fine and perjury (last time I looked at the statute) was only a $1,000 fine.

As a practical matter, most cases of false confession are due to either (1) mental condition or, (2) ahem, overzealous police interrogation. In either case, it would be unusual for a prosecutor to indict such a case. However, if someone falsely confessed to protect someone else, then they probably would go for a conviction.

Actually we have moved into an alternative world... most convictions (in the neighborhood of 90%) result from a plea bargain. Every day criminals lie in open court and confess to a minor crime they didn't commit so they don't face trial on a more serious crime they did commit. In those cases, the prosecutor is their accomplice. What a country!
:o)

[lainde]

BTTT

[Ruth A.]

Hooray for Peggy Noonan for saying what everyone knows.

[RottiBiz]

Peggy hit the nail on the head, again!

"Hippocratic oafs." Nice choice of words. LOL

Thanks, Pokey.

[AmishDude]

I liked this line:

Hell, we're the only nation on earth that is now nostalgic for paranoia.

It is so jarring because it doesn't fit in with her writing style yet it fits right in with the tone of the column.

[joyful1]

Bravo, bravo, bravo!!!

I'm printing this one and putting it on the kitchen bulletin board!

[RikaStrom]

Bump for self search and later printing.

[Drawsing]

As for Sikh, Saudi, whatever, she probably didn't know. She probably knew as much about Muslim culture as the three young Muslim men knew about American Indian culture. Which is to say: probably nothing.

This may be the only inaccuracy in an otherwise excellent essay. I thought I heard or read somewhere that Eunice Stone had once sponsored some Muslim students in her home...or something like that. Anyone else remember this?

[7thson]

I liked this essay. A couple things. One, I saw on the news last night, that the two cars did indeed stop and paid the tolls. I thought that strange. Why would they state that they did not pay the tolls?

Two, sometine during this week - Monday, I believe it was - listening to WMAL in the morning - Jane, Andy Parks, and - BARF - Bill Press. They were discussing why it took 17 hours to do this search and why the highway was closed so long, etc. Press and one female caller - she said she was Indian ancestry, India not American Indian - stated that the three men and any other American does not have to allow the police to search your vehicle. I thought, that is true BUT if you tell the police "no, you cannot search my car," you are not going anywhere until a search warrant is issued and then they will search your car. That is probably why it took 17 hours. Bottom line, they are going to do it anyway. If you are innocent, you can have it done in a few minutes and be on the road.

Several years ago, I was involved in a vehicle incident in Norfolk, Virginia. I struck someone crossing the street with my vehicle. Now - here I am, a white sailor, in Norfolk. I struck a black male. The police officer that showed up was black. The two female witnesses were black. I had some beers in my system. I thought I was going to jail. What happened? Well, the police officer asked me several times what happened. Each time I told him the truth and my story never, never changed. He questioned the witnesses - their story matched mine and never changed. He questioned the black guy I hit. His story changed from moment to moment. Bottom line - I was not charged with any crime and the police officer told the black guy that he could be charged but the officer was not going to do so. (An aside - I always thought the police officers in Norfolk to be much fairer to sailors than the Shore Patrol. To me, the SP's were a bunch of alpha hotels.)

This incident that happened to me came to mind the past week as I listened to these three guys change their stories from moment to moment. To me, these guys are guilty of something. I just hope that their names have now been added to some sort of ping list.

[Salvation]

Thanks for the Ping!

[MozartLover]

Thanks for the ping kay.......great article.

[baseballmom]

"Why might a people who had just been attacked by young Muslim males feel a heightened sensitivity and awareness in the presence of young Muslim males? Discuss."

Ahh..shades of Linda Richmond on SNL. LOL

Sweet, gentle Peggy must have been REALLY angry for her to use the HE!! word in print. In my opinion, this is exactly what happened - and who knows, maybe more.

[4CJ]

They are likely, being Southerners, Americans who take a rather protective and even loving interest in their country. They are painfully aware that America had, just one year before, been brutally attacked by groups of people who were young Muslim males. They left 3,000 dead--innocent people, civilians, young people just starting out. It grieved a great country. It grieved them.

It still does.

[Utopia]

If you asked me to pick Anne Coulter over Peggy Noonan.
I'd go Noonan every time.

Me too.

[SuziQ]

I thought, as I watched this: It has a reputation for patriotism, too. It's why Southern men and women join the armed forces in such high numbers, and why, if the sister were ever attacked by a terrorist, they'd risk their lives to save her sorry, sanctimonious little . . . Well, as I watched I got a little mad.

Thank you, Peggy, for not succumbing to the 'South bashing' attitudes of some in the major media who have been kissing the asses of these three so-called 'students'.

[katherineisgreat]

Peggy hits the nail on the head!

[anymouse]

Is there some special reason why the three muslims should not be deported?

Um, well because they are US citizens and they have not yet been convicted of anything.

Should they be tied to terrorism, then they could possibly be exiled (instead of being incarcerated or given a dirt nap), but we know how unlikely that is, even if they were shown to be directly connected with the Sept. 11th attackers.

The Constitution and our willingness to defend and uphold it is what keeps us from becoming like what the Islamo-fascist wish for. Sometimes we do have to suffer fools.

[anymouse]

Ms. Stone indicated early that her family included at least one relative of Palistinian extraction along with at least one of African-American extraction. It is clear that Ms. Stone is not a racist. It is also equally clear that these 3 perps are, but have been "lawyered up" to not appear to be.