Doc's DIS-patch
Doc's DIS-patch
Rogue "independent" counsel slapped down for a second day in a row!
SATURDAY, JUNE 6th 1998 --- New York (APJP) -- Here's another on that seems to have evaded the press and media radar!Late Friday, America learned that ex-judge turned prosecutor-gone-berserk Ken Starr had suffered his second court loss in as many days. He was double-teamed by common sense and the primacy of privacy.
US District Judge Norma Holloway Johnson has ruled that Barnes & Noble Books is not required to fork over sales records pertaining to books purchased by Monica Lewinsky -- information desperately sought by Starr in his bid to find any bit of evidence he can use to "get" the President in the legal system of (more likely) the court of public opinion.
The court order, written May 22 and released to the public and press yesterday, forcefully "threw the book" at Starr, concluding his request to be spurious and entirely irrelevant to his witch hunt --- er, excuse me -- investigation into an alleged "relationship" between Lewinsky and President Clinton:
Hold it -- this is about books, so the "sources" is probably none other than ultra-conservative literary agent Lucianne Goldberg!
In fact, about the only people with a "compelling interest" in this information being made public are Baker and his publisher -- talk about free publicity for his "controversial" novel!
Well, for what it's worth, The Doc has read bits and pieces of "Vox." Yawn. Don't believe the hype.
Being a gambling man, he is willing to bet that if the alleged Ms. Lewinsky bought the alleged POTUS an alleged novel, she'd have the alleged common sense to stick to Grisham or Roger North Patterson, or maybe Michael Crichton's "The Lost World," in which scientists land on an isolated island and discover Jurassic relatives of Strom Thurmond.
But I digress.
In a related story, The US Court of Appeals in Washington scheduled oral arguments to begin later this month on the two outstanding issues Starr tried to "fast-track" to the Supreme Court. Secret Service confidentiality arguments begin June 26 and attorney-client privilege arguments commence June 29.
You can look for Starr to lose on these two counts by the end of August -- and for him to run with his tail between his legs to the Supremes a day later!
Add to this the fact that because of the upcoming Congressional recess and fall elections, Starr's window of opportunity to report to Congress is shrinking faster than a House member whose Viagra has worn off -- and you have a recipe for failure by Starr.
Funny that he should push for "fast track" so darned close to his window of opportunity slamming shut! It only makes The Doc wonder if he really "has" anything on the President beyond what Matt Drudge has told us -- you know, "semen-stained dresses" and the like that just don't exist.
Meanwhile, defenders of privacy issues are savoring a rare victory over your tax dollars at work -- attacking your rights! Austin Campriello, a lawyer for Barnes and Noble, told AP yesterday "In [Judge Johnson's] view… there was no compelling need" for Starr to see the material, "…so, in essence, we won."
You did more than that -- you helped throw the book at a politically motivated zealot who would trash the privacy of citizens to "get" the President.
Judge Johnson's ruling did not affect a separate request for purchase records from a second book store, Kramerbooks, but based on Johnson's ruling -- and Kramerbooks' legal efforts to quash the subpoena -- Starr is well advised to duck.
…since he has neither the humility nor the respect for citizen rights to turn the other "cheek."
'Nuff said!
- Dave "Doctor" Gonzo
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