Monday, December 27, 2010

24: The Series

I am not a neo-con.  I don't think it is a good idea to base public policy on a fictional television show.  However, that is what it is contended the Bush administration did when basing it's policy on what it deceivingly described as "enhanced interrogation" on the exploits of Jack Bauer in the Fox television drama 24. 

Instead, I believe the question of whether an "enhanced interrogation technique" is torture ought to be based on the answer to two simple questions.  First, is the technique (for example, waterboarding) something the United States has previously considered to be torture and/or prosecuted people for having engaged in?  Second, would the American public consider the technique to be torture if engaged in by a foreign regime against an American soldier or citizen?  Waterboarding qualifies under both tests.

Despite my criticism of the former administration and my philosophical opposition to Jack Bauer's techniques, my wife and I are addicted to the show.  But we never watch it when it is aired on television.  Instead, we have watched every episode of every season (usually in marathon sessions of several episodes at a sitting) on DVD. 

Now that the final season is out on DVD, we are a few episodes into the latest version of Jack Bauer saving us from the end of the world as we know it.  Before we hit the end of the series, it is interesting to reflect on what you don't see when watching 24.

No one ever sleeps.  No one ever eats.  No one ever goes to the bathroom.  No one ever spends money.  No place where Jack Bauer needs to go is ever more than 5 minutes away where Jack is when he needs to go there.  It may be our favorite "anti-reality" show.  Escapism IS Jack Bauer.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Police Ethics

Parma, Ohio is a mid-size city of around 85,000 citizens.  Since 1995, David Ferrante served the Parma police force as a sergeant.  He had been a police officer for 18 years.  On the Parma force, Ferrante was the field training sergeant who oversaw the training and evaluation of rookie officers.  He also served as lead advisor for a youth group of police explorers. 

Ferrante is also an author, having published a book on police practice called "Police Ethics - Not an Oxymoron."  The book jacket contains the following in its description of the contents of the book. 

"Police Ethics is Not an Oxymoron is great manual to guide Police Officers, Police Supervisors, Chiefs, Security Directors, and Training Coordinators. The keys to successful hiring, training, and retention are clearly presented. Law enforcement agencies typically neglect what they take for granted-ethical behavior. A strong foundation begins with this book!”

Why is this significant?  Yesterday, Ferrante was arrested and appeared in Parma Municipal Court charged with two third degree felonies.  News reports describe the felonies as tampering and falsification.  These same news reports said another investigation (of Ferrante?) led to evidence Ferrante cheated on the examination process that led to his hiring by the Parma police force in 1995.  When his cheating became known, Ferrante resigned from the force on May 13, 2010.  Articles leave it unclear whether either of the current criminal charges are based on his cheating during the examination process.

So, a man who literally "wrote the book" on ethical behavior for police, who trained police, and who police held up as a role model for youth, resigned in disgrace over unethical behavior and stands charged with criminal behavior as well.  If the title of his already discussed book is not ironic enough for you, consider his next book.  A website describes this "soon to be finished" book as bearing the title "To Protect and Abuse."  The description does not indicate whether it is an autobiography.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Finish for Favre

Now that the streak is history, there is speculation we have seen Favre play his last game - not only for the year, but for his career.  He may even be placed on injured reserve to remove any doubt of a comeback this year. 

Before this most recent injury, Favre announced several times this would be his final year.  While we all have a right to be skeptical about that, this time it rings true.  He will have completed his two year contract with the Vikings and the universe of teams willing to pay Favre to quarterback the team which Favre would deem Super Bowl contenders that might tempt him appears to have shrunk to zero.  There is no more big money left on the table and no teams clamoring for him to come in and save them.

If Favre's career is indeed finished, it ends with more than a few interesting tidbits of trivia.  First, he will be going out of the game like he entered it.  Favre took over as Green Bay Packer quarterback during the 1992 season when starter Don Majkowski got injured.  Majkowski never started another game for the Packers.  The bookend is that like Majkowski, Favre ends with an injury. 

Favre is a career leader among NFL quarterbacks in numerous categories.  This includes consecutive games started, yards passing, touchdown passes, and more ignominiously, interceptions.  If this is truly the end of Favre's season (and/or career), his final pass of the year would have been an interception in 3 out of his last 4 years (including this year, last year - his first with the Vikings - and his final year with the Packers).  The only one of those final years he did NOT end the year with an interception (his year with the Jets) he threw an interception on his second to the last throw.

UPDATE - 12/22/10 - The ever unpredictable Favre did not end his career with the injury in the game against Buffalo after all.  Just his consecutive games played streak ended then.  After sitting out a game (against the Giants), Favre miraculously healed sufficiently to start the following game against the Bears.  This time, he left with a concussion suffered on a sack.  On the upside, while he threw an interception, it was not his last throw.  It is unclear whether he will be medically cleared to play in the last two games of the year.

Friday, December 10, 2010

The Confession - Book Review(s)

What I\
I began reading John Grisham novels back before "The Firm" came out as a movie.  For years, I couldn't wait for the next one, and read everything he published.  Beginning with "The Chamber," my enthusiasm began to wane.  While I still read all the books, I found them uneven in appeal.  Some I liked as well as ones previously read, but others began to strike me as more and more preachy on social issues and more formulaic in the plot development. 

In fact, before "The Confession," my favorite more recent Grisham book was "Playing for Pizza" which is a significant departure from the legal thriller Grisham is famous for.  In "Playing for Pizza" a career backup NFL quarterback enters a game when the starter is injured and loses the big game through spectacularly bad play costing his team the playoffs.  His NFL career thus down in flames, the quarterback (who has no other marketable skills) leaves the US to quarterback an American football team in the Italian league.  The book is an interesting amalgam of sports with a "fish out of water" story of an American who knew nothing of other cultures being immersed in the very different lifestyle in Italy and coming to love it.  It is a quick and interesting read.  Now, for my thoughts on "The Confession." 

In "The Confession," Grisham returns to the legal milieu.  But while there is some suspense, it is not exactly a legal thriller in the same vein as his others.  Like so many of his more recent offerings, it is a book with a social message.  Grisham uses the novel form to address the subject of false confessions, police misconduct, and the death penalty.  Maybe it is just me, but in this book I found the writing to be less preachy, but perhaps more effective at getting his point across because of it.

Those who have followed real life cases involving these subjects will recognize Grisham's novel incorporates events from many different real life cases, obviously with fictional characters and fictional details added to the mix.  If Grisham keeps this up, he will work himself back into my - can't wait for the next one - author list.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Tapas Bar Review

This past Saturday evening, Debbie and I made a quick visit to 4 Sisters, a new Tapas Bar in downtown La Crosse on the corner of State St. and Front St. opposite Riverside Park.  If you tell other people about it, be sure to enunciate clearly because you can say tapas, but a lot of people hear "topless" if you aren't careful - and that would be an entirely different experience than what is going on there.

Putting a title on this post gave me pause.  It wouldn't be right to title it a restaurant review, because 4 Sisters is not a restaurant with a full menu.  While they serve a limited selection of sandwiches and soup at lunch, at dinner time there are only tapas (a spanish word broadly translated into the English idiom as appetizers or "little bites").

It also is not exactly a bar, or at least not a tavern.  Based on my experience there, I would characterize 4 Sisters as an upscale wine bar with more varied alcohol options including a nice selection of specialty beers and premium liquor.

The food selections are fairly priced, attractively presented, and the one we sampled was delicious.  While the wine selection was generally pretty good, I was surprised to see only one merlot being sold by the glass and that one was at a higher than average price point. 

The night we were there 4 Sisters seemed to attract a middle class and middle age crowd that was dressed a bit nicer than what seems usual at the average La Crosse restaurant, but not overly formal.  The bar features tables and comfortable chairs in conversation nooks.  There is room for quite a few patrons without leading to a feeling you are cramped and is not so noisy as to interfere with conversation. 

I am sure it will be a popular spot for after work get togethers for the downtown crowd.  Once the weather warms back up in the Spring, expect the patio overlooking Riverside Park to be a local favorite.  We are sure to return. 

Monday, December 6, 2010

Wrong Coach Fired?

Several days ago I posted about how Mike Singletary's job as coach of the San Francisco 49'ers might be in jeopardy.  I raised the possibility because the two of the Packer's previous opponents (the Dallas Cowboys and the Minnesota Vikings) had fired their coaches after their teams suffered big defeats to the Packers in games two weeks apart. 

While the 34 - 16 loss to the Packers did raise even more questions about Singletary's future, it appears he survived the day after the loss with his job intact where Wade Phillips and Brad Childress did not.  On the other hand, Denver Bronco head coach Josh McDaniels, was fired on Monday.  So, on three of the last six Mondays, on alternate weeks, an NFL head coach lost his job.  Who will it be in two weeks?  Stay tuned for developments in the NFL (Not For Long).

UPDATE - 12/27/10.  Singletary was fired yesterday after the 49'ers were finally eliminated from contention for post-season play.  Singletary is a good man.  As a coach, it appears "not so much."

Friday, December 3, 2010

Death of Priest Leaves Questions Unresolved

On November 30th, the former pastor at my local church died.  He had been suspended as a priest because he had been arrested and charged with possession of child pornography.  While there was significant doubt in my mind whether he was guilty of the crime he was charged with, circumstances about an earlier incident at a water park in Lake Delton, WI that became public after his arrest were disturbing.  My review of the police reports of that earlier incident caused me to be highly critical of the lack of any action by the La Crosse Diocese when they learned of the water park incident long before he was arrested.

My dismay at that lack of any appropriate response by the Diocese to the information made available to it about the priest culminated in the following Guest Editorial I wrote on the subject that was published in the La Crosse Tribune on August 9th.   The article, as published, follows.

The article “Diocese defends its response to Lake Delton police report” (Aug. 5 Tribune) calls for a response. When reading this criticism of the diocese, consider my background. I am not a Catholic-hater. I am a lifelong Catholic who has lived in the diocese most of my life. I attended Catholic schools for grade school, high school and my university education. I also have two children who went through catholic grade school and high school here.

I first met the Rev. Patrick Umberger when I visited Ireland. He was among the tourists in our tour group. I am a member of St. Patrick’s Parish in Onalaska where he served as pastor before he resigned. While I do not know him well, I suspect I know him as well as most people. He appeared to me to be a good man and a respected priest.

I am also an attorney, one who frequently represents people accused of committing crimes. I am familiar with, and hold in high regard, the presumption of innocence people who are accused of crimes are entitled to when the state prosecutes them. Nevertheless, in my opinion, the response from the diocese was woefully deficient.

First, let me be clear the legal presumption of innocence only applies when the state is attempting to convict someone of a crime. The law does not hold private entities or individuals to evaluate the actions of people by the same standard when making decisions in daily life. In fact, we should, and do, hold individuals who deal with what is important to us (our children, our spouses, our finances) to a much more rigorous standard every day. If we have reasonable suspicions, we do not risk what is dear to us.

We should expect the Catholic church to make decisions about priests it puts in positions of authority and trust using that same more rigorous standard, but it is clear it does not. In this situation, the diocese had plenty of reason to have reasonable suspicion.

The diocese knew its 59-year-old priest was observed repeatedly following young boys into restrooms. It knew individuals who observed that were sufficiently suspicious to bring it to the attention of security at Noah’s Ark. The diocese knew security at the park found it disturbing enough to remove the priest from the park and to revoke his season pass. The diocese knew Lake Delton police found it sufficiently disturbing to report it to the diocese.

How is it everyone else who knew of the circumstances concluded it was of great concern, and yet the diocese didn’t? A reasonable investigation by the diocese might have focused on attempting learn why a 59-year-old priest had a season pass to a water park about 90 minutes from his home and was spending his entire day by the kiddie pool area and bathroom, apparently without going in the water.

In its initial public statements responding to Umberger’s arrest, a spokesman for the diocese said the diocese took no action to restrict Umberger’s activities upon learning of the Noah’s Ark incident from the Lake Delton police because “we’ve never had a complaint about him.”

They just don’t get it.

The report to the diocese from the Lake Delton police was a complaint about him. The Lake Delton police report that was shared with the diocese is available to view at the Tribune’s website. I encourage those who wish to evaluate the response of the diocese to read the report. It is disturbing.

According to news reports, when state investigators finally interviewed Umberger about the incident at Noah’s Ark, Umberger made disturbing admissions.  He admitted being sexually attracted to young boys, to having viewed adults engaging in sexual activity on the Internet, to visiting gay chat rooms and having had anonymous sex with adult men and women on various occasions. If Umberger was so open as to make such admissions to police, how is it the diocese was not able to obtain similar admissions from Umberger during its investigation? Did they try?

The diocese, and the Catholic church hierarchy, are in denial. The priesthood is in crisis. Respect for priests is significantly diminished by the wrongdoing of a minority.  Priests are the main link between church hierarchy and its members. If the priesthood loses the respect and trust of catholics because the hierarchy is unwilling to be protective of its members, it isn’t just the church that suffers, it is the faith of its members.

There is no other way to put it. The diocese dropped the ball. We have a right to expect better of it. Own up to your mistakes. I hear confession is good for the soul.
Copyright 2010 lacrossetribune.com.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Is 49'er Coach Mike Singletary Next?

On November 7th, the Packers played the Dallas Cowboys.  While the Cowboys were a popular preseason pick to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl set to take place in Jerry Jones new mega stadium, their season was in serious disarray by the time they took the field against the Packers.  Despite that, Jerry Jones repeatedly stated he had no plans to fire head coach Wade Phillips and, during the week before playing the Packers, said Phillips would remain as coach for the season.  But shortly after being blown out by the Pack 45 - 7, Jones fired Phillips. 

Two weeks later (after their intervening bye week) the Pack played the Minnesota Vikings.  The Vikings were another popular preseason pick to get to the Super Bowl given their close loss to the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Championship game last season.  However, like Dallas, Minnesota's season was slipping away with a 3 - 6 record entering the game with the Pack.  While head coach Brad Childress was believed to be in danger of losing his job, owner Ziggy Wilf did not bow to pressure and decided not to fire Childress after he cut Randy Moss only 4 weeks after he was acquired from New England for a 3rd round draft choice.  But Childress didn't survive a crushing 31 - 3 loss to the rival Packers and was fired the next day. 

Which brings us to the Packer's next opponent, the San Francisco 49'ers.  While not considered as strong a candidate for the Super Bowl in the NFC as either the Cowboys or Minnesota by preseason pundits, they were a popular choice to win the NFC's West Division.  However the 49'ers have also been seriously underperforming with a 4 - 7 record to date. 

So, will the Pack keep its streak alive of having an opponent fire its head coach after a pasting by the Packers every other week?  I am not expecting it, but it wouldn't be a shocker either given that dissatisfaction with head coach Mike Singletary seems to be growing day by day.  If it does happen, expect the streak to stop there though.  Two weeks after the Pack plays the 49'ers they play the Patriots.  I don't expect Bill Belichick to be fired after playing the Packers, win, lose or draw.