Re: In defence of Krugman and against Alexander Cockburn: choice of targets

[andie nachgeborenen <andie_nachgeborenen@xxxxxxxxx>]

Silverstein might bother to learn something about the
law before he starts to mouth off at lawyers who
aren't doing what he thinks they ought. Postconviction
capital defense is noble, but totally gruelling,
emotionally exhausting, and extremely expensive.

 To give you an idea, in a non-capital case I am
working on, it took two big time law firms with
unlimited resources who devoted eight lawyers to the
task four months to research and write a habeas
petition for a prisoner. I am certain we (both firms)
have spent at least three quarters of a  million
dollars on this case so far. This is all pro bono. And
although this case is somewhat more complex than the
usual habeas petition, it is far less complex than any
capital case. I would be surprised if just getting to
the petition stage in a capital case -- and doing it
right -- cost less than mill and half on average. And,
of course, you almost always lose, sow hen youre
client dies after you have abandoned your family and
spent years working 18 hour days to save him, it's
sort of hard to keep doing it after a while. Ask David
Boeis -- Clinton's former lawyer -- he was a capital
defender in Florida, and an old anatgonist of Bob
Graham.

 So I don't blame Dees or anyone else who has given up
capital defense -- I honor them for ever having done
it.

I think that it is erronenous to say that capital
defense plays poorly in direct mail or the public eye,
btw; the ACLU and Amnbesty doesn't find that it's a
loser for fundraising purposes.

As to the rest of SPLC's work, I am quite happy that
they are shutting down the KKK and Ayran Nations.
Silverstein may not regard them as a threat, and I
agree that they are not going to take over the
country, but they are worthy targets. Maybe it's a
hangover from Greensboro days, but I regard them as a
menace.

jks

--- Doug Henwood <dhenwood@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> andie nachgeborenen wrote:
>
> >Dees doesn't -- but maybe they don't like up to
> Kenny
> >Boy's high standards.
>
> Ken's beef with Dees is that the SPLC has
> accumulated a large fortune
> which it hardly spends on anything but doing more
> direct mail and
> adding to the fortune. It refuses to take on capital
> punishment cases
> because they don't work well in the mail.
>
> I like Ken a lot, so I bristle at the "Kenny Boy"
> epithet. He's
> serious and very careful. He's not one to shoot
> before aiming, unlike
> his former collaborator.
>
> Doug


__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Exclusive Video Premiere - Britney Spears
http://launch.yahoo.com/promos/britneyspears/