Why would I be the least surprised that potentially critical evidence turns up missing in another Arkansas murder case?
After all, I spent four years sprinting in a futile circle while writing more than 200 columns about the 1989 death of 16-year-old Janie Ward of Marshall.
Readers likely recall the missing and flagrantly altered evidence in what many easily recognized as an officially "undetermined" case of Janie's homicide.
Don't get me going on the blundered cases and bogus evidence in the cases I pursued concerning David Michel, Shelby Barron, James Dean Walker, Millicent Lynn, Marvin Williams, and Ronald Carden.
Now we learn of crucial evidence missing in a Carroll County murder case. We're expected to believe that evidence must have sprouted legs and escaped after Deputy Greg Lester traveled to the state Crime Lab in Little Rock in 2000 to bring it back to the sheriff's office?
Tell me how evidence from a 20-year-old murder case kept in a secure place can simply vanish. If I put fingernails and hair found on a homicide victim in an envelope, then placed the envelope in a safe place, shouldn't it remain there?
Perhaps more to the point: Why?
In this instance, ace reporter Bill Bowden writes that fingernail and hair samples, along with other evidence collected in the investigation of Stephen Goff's bludgeoning homicide in 1994, haven't been found since their return from the Crime Lab.
Records show Lester apparently signed for the evidence at the Crime Lab, but no documentation could be found that proved they were returned to the Carroll County sheriff's office.
And that obviously means a judge's order to allow those hair and nail samples analyzed for DNA can't possibly take place.
Private investigator Michael J. West searched and concluded in October: "It is my opinion that items of evidence relating to Goff have been lost and not accounted for, intentionally or otherwise."
The only thing potentially at stake (if there's blood beneath victim Goff's fingernails) is the possible innocence of his wife Belynda, who's imprisoned for life despite steadfastly maintaining her innocence, even refusing a plea bargain during her 1996 trial.
Another fine mess. Sounds to me as if the federal investigators badly need to be summoned to get to the truth in this latest example of the foibles and fallacies of Arkansas justice.
'Stupid' us
Those with Internet connections likely have heard about that newly surfaced video in which Jonathan Gruber, an Obamacare architect, actually admitted that a "lack of transparency" helped the Obama administration and congressional Democrats pass the laughably labeled Affordable Care Act.
The conservative group called American Commitment posted Gruber's remarks, reportedly from an Oct. 17, 2013, event, on YouTube. You can Google Gruber's admission for yourself. Enabling media types, obviously on Gruber's protection team, haven't shared it across the nation.
"Lack of transparency is a huge political advantage," the economist from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology said on camera. "And basically, call it the stupidity of the American voter or whatever, but basically that was really, really critical to getting the thing to pass."
Finally, a smattering honesty about this phenomenally bad system! I suppose I could offer some quippy response here. But what remains to say when Gruber has publicly revealed what so many among us have known from the beginning?
Remember what former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi infamously told Americans when our Congress rammed this grossly flawed and expensive nightmare down America's throat: "We have to pass the bill so you can find out what's in it."
And who among us can forget the presidential lie of the year: "If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor."
It took a few days for national media to mention Gruber's stunningly arrogant and highly pertinent remarks. His concession sure seemed mighty relevant and newsworthy to me.
I did hear that Gruber since has said he "spoke inappropriately" and apologized. Anyone surprised by less-than-credible backpeddling, especially since, in another public talk, he also referred to the stupidity of voters?
Does this intellectual giant in his own mind not understand and speak simple English?
Yet this is the kind of government we in the "land of the free and home of the brave" have assigned the sacred responsibility of honorably steering all citizens of our nation. And by that I do mean all, including we the stupid.
The only way out of Gruber's concession was to claim error and apologize. Yeah, well, good luck, Professor Gruber of MIT, in convincing the taxpaying, voting (see election results) Americans that you weren't honest about your intentionally opaque and deceptive tactics behind Obamacare and our collective stupidity.
So pleased I'm not basking in the condescending classroom glow of your self-perceived enlightenment.
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Mike Masterson's column appears regularly in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Email him at [email protected].
Editorial on 11/15/2014