On 10/29/97 10:06 AM, Tim May (tcmay@got.net) passed this wisdom:
At 5:38 AM -0700 10/29/97, Brad Dolan wrote: "Michael Hays" is a new CBS series about a U.S. District Attorney. Last night's episode was about how a radio talk-show host incited a listener to kill a BATF agent and was brought to justice. DA convinced a jury that some things were "more important" than the first amendment.
I was just about to mention this show, in connection with the Waco incident.
I was truly disgusted by the show. None of the relative balance and realismthat "Law and Order" has, by comparison. For starters, very unrealistic. Even Freeh and Company understand the role of the First (to give them theirdue). Just plain bad writers.
I really disagree with your overall assessment, but yes it definitely wasn't in a league with L&O and the script was somewhat uneven
Some of the slimy stuff: (all quotes are rough paraphrases)
* references to Waco followers as crazies: "they seem to show up everywhere"
* a black assistant to Hayes talks about the chat rooms and online discussion groups that the "extreme right wing" people are in: "And this stuff is completely unregulated!"
these were out of line and sort of to be expected these days
* the First Amendment is seen as a minor obstacle to prosecution. Hayes congratulates his assistant at the end for finding a way around the First as a defense.
Thats not how I viewed it, I don't remeber the words, but I saw it that he was not going to 'go after' the first amendment and cautioned them about how unwise that was.
* the talk show host has apparently done nothing more than many of us havedone on this list
* he is convicted because he claimed not to have ever met the murderer, buta tearful witness (girlfriend of the murderer) says they did meet, briefly.
(No evidence is presented that the talk show host participated, supplied weapons, encouraged the murderer, etc.)
maybe I am dreaming about something else, but I think they clearly showed that he had met with the guy and was fully aware that he was a crazy and could be pushed over the line
* Oh, and to add to the sliminess, the DA's office promises the tearful girlfriend that her boyfriend will get a life sentence instead of death if she testifies, but "whoops."
definite slime
After the assistant to Hayes talks about the Net being "completely unregulated!," and after finding the "Pentium II with 48 megs of memory," I was expecting some mention of encryption. As a way to further show how evilthe online community is. But I saw no mention.
well gee maybe we should arrest everyone with a pentium/ppc and more than 16 Megs of RAM for possesion of 'cyber-terrorist' tools
I will admit to a guilty pleasure: the opening scene, where the BATF agentgets shot in the face, was delicious.
I looked at it with mixed emotions ... BATF is made up of guys and gals just like us, some good, some bad, some sheep. The problem with BATF is that their leadership sucked and the bad ones got their way. Just like years ago, when Philadelphia elected Frank Rizzo (former Police Commsisioner) mayor ... he wasn't a bad cop but ran a little rough shod over the Bill of Rights from time to time ... with him as Mayor, the Philadelphia PD went to hell in a handbasket because all his old cronies could get away with murder (often literally!) Brian B. Riley --> http://www.macconnect.com/~brianbr For my PGP Keys <mailto:brianbr@together.net?subject=Get%20PGP%20Key> "...error reading WinOS. (A)bort, (R)etry, (M)acintosh?"