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Show Daily Utah Chronicle May 10, 1974 Foot Pcj; OBseRvations ,-- fRom getting Justice vs the inside out Truth by Bryce Carey Catching up with O Makrom O. Sillars and his wife are staying with Richard Rieke, Choinr.an of the Department of Communications this week. Sillars has accepted the job of Dean of College of Humanities and he and his wife are looking for a house. His position is not final, however, until Institutional Council votes its approval on Monday. O Forgive and forget department: The parents of Mary Jo Kopechne. the girl who was drowned in Sen. Edward Kennedy's car. say they will support Kennedy if he runs for President. O Coincidence of the week has to be the news that John Wesley Dean Ill's home in Alexandreia, Va.. was bought by none other than Sen. LowelT'Go Get 'Em" Weicker of the Senate Select Committee on Campaign Practices. O Salt Lake isn't all that provincial. Or is it? We noticed a full pagt- ZCM1 ad in Yesterday's Trib promoting kitchen appliances as gifts for Mom on Mother's Day. Aren't all you women glad you know your place in this valley? former ASUU O We would like to congratulate Vern Della-Pianvice president and presidential hopeful, on his appointment as Union Board Chairman. He will succeed former Union Board chairman Ieonard McGee. who is now ASUU president. Maybe Della-Piancan continue to follow McGee's footsteps. O We're wondering what the result was of a chase between a gorilla on a bicycle and an Irish setter on campus Thursday morning. O Wondering out loud: The best of WHICH two worlds are Wayne Owens and Robert Redford supposed to be representing? If they are the best of the worlds we think they mean, then we feel sorry for everyone else. O Scientific breakthrough of the week award goes to two Utah scientists who have identified six new species of mosquitoes in the Bear Iake area of Rich County. The discovery brings to 19 the total of known kinds of mosquitoes in the country. All we'd like to know-is- . is there any way to get rid of them? l O Wouldn't it be nice if we could all receive such cards? in is Richard the 71, Chicago Mayor hospital undergoing Daley, treatment for high blood pressure and diabetes. The city council of Chicago approved an increase from $35,000 to $00,000 in the mayor's salary Wednesday. The $25,000 increase had been under consideration for several weeks. - a, a get-wel- O Is it possible that the French, the Germans and the Canadians are trying io tell President Nixon something? They've all either lost or canned their top men. And by the way, each country is still on the map and each office is still in existence. st tnek ARIES: Be sure to cash your paycheck before the banks close. TAURUS: If you wear shoes you won't have to spend so much time looking down. GEMINI: Ain't business if you do. nobody's CANCER: Your Payday. will be creditors looking for you. LEO: Quit weekend. smoking this VIRGO: Get your studying done before sunrise on Saturday. It looks like an interesting weekend after that. LIBRA: Time to start slowing down because of the heat. SCORPIO: Nobody believes your excuses anymore, so there's no need to make any. Your new SAGITTARIUS: like a sounds good idea. hobby Stick with it. CAPRICORN: The world has forgotten you exist. Make yourself known. AQUARIUS: You are in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes. PISCES: You have the power to hurt. Don't do none. and Maurice Suns acquitted of charges of perjur and influence-peddlin- g last wtck. The charges involved a $200,000 contribution to CREEP made by fugitive Robert Jihn " ichell Vesco. Apologists for the malfeasance of the administration, notably William Safire. are hailing the verdict as a vindication of Nixon against the charges of John Dean. Their jubilation arises because the jury was not w illing to convict the defendants solely on the basis of Dean's testimony. the This, aplogists claim, establishes that Dean cannot be believed, that he is a liar accusing the President to save himself. the What apologists conveniently overlook is the nature of truth in a courtroom. In law, the truth is whatever an attorney can persuade the judge and jury to believe it is. It is precisely because American recognizes jurisprudence the pragmatic subjectivity of truth that American justice is as good as it is. Rather than setting up capricious tests for truth, such as trial by ordeal, American jurisprudence relies on strict rules of procedure to assure citizens of a fair trial. In theory American law gives the defendant the benefit of the doubt: it ususally does when the defendant is wealthy and white. The jury's role is to weigh evidence presented in court to see if it is sufficient to confirm or refute charges. Rules of evidence a and maxims such as defendant is to be presumed innocent until proven guilty are designed to lend a measure of objectivity to a the whether defendants were liars or whether Dean was a liar. The jury was told to weigh the evidence determining as been vindicated. Two ironies involving Dean's testimony have emerged from the trial. While his testimony provides ground to suspect perjury and quite properly led to the grand jury indictments, it is obvious that his testimony is not hard evidence and is not sufficient to make charges stick in court. The prosecution must uncover and residue of a present the tell-tal- e lie, such as the length of Pinnochio's nose. The second irony is that the jury doubted Dean's testimony because he admits to perjuring himself earlier when he was If trying to protect the cover-up- . he lied then he must be telling the truth now, but because he admits to having been a liar, some now say his present testimony cannot be believed. If nothing else, the verdict makes a mockery of the apologists' bleatings that the defendant could not get a fair trial. One wonders if the A presented by the prosecution and decide whether, under specified restraints, that evidence was sufficient to sustain charges of perjury and conspiracy. The difference is crucial. According to the jury foreman that the initial feeling was Mitchell and Stans were guilty. However, when they began deliberating under the restraints of the judge's instructions they decided that the evidence was not sufficient to establish perjury "beyond a reasonable doubt." Reasoning that if they could not establish perjury they could not establish conspiracy either, the jury voted to acquit. The prosecution lost because not enough hard evidence was presented. Robert Vesco, the central witness in the case, is still hiding out in the Bahamas. This brings up the question; what is hard evidence to prove perjury? It is already clear that justice and truth do not necessarily entail each other in court. defendants thought their own Nixon's statement to his measures to subvert justice henchmen (recorded in the would be used against them. 5-2- -5 daily utah chRonicLe Published daily, except during test week, by the Publications Council University of Utah. The opinions expressed on the editorial of the Daily Utah Chronicle do not necessarily represent the pages views of the studentbody or the University administration. of the Subscription rates $4.00 a quarter or $12.00 for the school year. Send check or money order to the Daily Utah Chronicle, north wing of the Union Bldg., University of Utah, Salt Lake City. Utah 84112. jury's K. Roulhac Gam deliberations and assure justice. The jury in the Mitchell-Stan- s trial was not charged with Believe it or transcripts) that perjury is safe because it is very hard to prove Editor-in-Chie- f John Cummock Business Manager nutz On the RAC "Hubba hubba," sez Hoyo one fine spring's morn as he entered the cafeteria to join me in our s bottle of traditional has "but you been caffeine, outside? It is like walking through the centerfold of by Jim Walrin I sez, "and what makes her incompetent?" "Steve Philo," sez Hoyo, pausing in his bandaging to make an obscene remark. "Another strike against her, " sez Derail, helping Hoyo by Playboy." cutting the bandaging with his "If you did that you'd tear it," sword and only taking three I sez, putting down my cup and fingers in the bargain, "for she I has "but coffee, has been known to consort with picking up my noted the predominance of flesh known males." outside. Most of it, thank God, is "Horrors," I cries, "we all owned by those of the opposite in the least know that anyone gender." way normal is unfit for work in "Yadda," replies Hoyo, "and a ASUU." lot of it is on girls, too. But "Something like that," sez is who the subject, Derail, proving his point by his changing those dudes in the armor, very presence, "and further, marching down the cafeteria Double Dunce is a stumbling towards the Center of the block. She usually voted against Union?" the bills in the Assembly." "Allow us to introduce "Maybe that is because the ourselves," sez the lead crusader. bills were stupid," sez Hoyo, "or "I is Derail Fisheart, and these is perhaps because she thought that the money or time could be my trusty men the Review and We is Committee. used better by doing something Appointments fighting a holy war against else." "What did I say?" continues ineptitude in ASUU." "Man, you don't look like Don Derail, "she was a stumbling Quixote," sez Hoyo, "and block. That is the only thing to compared to yours, his was a call someone who thinks about what they are voting on in the possible dream." I adds, watching "Further," Assembly." Derail rap Hoyo across the "It's good to see," I sez, "that knuckles with a mace for his little the Assembly has so few joke, "how does you plan to stumbling blocks." succeed in such a monumental "You bet your life," sez Derail, job?" driving home his point by "To start with," sez Derail, lunging at me with his dagger, "we is gonna keep incompetent "and not only that, but when she people off ASUU committees. was on the Traffic Appeals We is gonna be tough, and not let Board, all she ever did was anyone through like this listen." she is "Then incompetent Double Dunce." really "I think that is Debbie Dunn," incompetent for ASUU, I sez, I-- pre-clas- cleverly parrying by hitting Derail in the head with a "for anyone who would listen rather than just speak is an absolute menace to the ASUU way of life." two-by-fou- r, "Further, the appointment was political," continued Derail, not slowed down a minute by the blow to his empty recepticle, "and was just done so that the Board could Chairperson dominate Double." "Heaven forbid that the Chairperson dominate," sez Hoyo, "after all, that would mean that the Chairperson would have to be a leader." "Can't have that," I adds, "for if that happened, the board in question might actually do something other than have internal squabbles." "I'm glad to see that you two have such a firm grasp of the situation," sez Derail, sheathing his sword and getting ready to ride off into the men's room, "for you have given me the courage to go on." "That makes me sez Hoyo, "that feel awful," we would encourage such a simple turd." "Don't worry about it," I sez, "them kind is easily encouraged, for by not listening anything will He is them. encourage consistent, though." "How's that?" sez Hoyo, his Bill Gannon doing impression. "Well," I sez, "using his own criteria, he deserves to be the of head some ASUU committee..." |