Podcasters Get Their Sendup
We have been tangentially aware of the series, “Only Murders in the Building,” starring Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez. My first thought was, “oh, yuck,” another podcasting spinoff. My reservations are personal, as informed by my experience that podcasters can — and do — spew disinformation like a firehose. Yes, of course, there are conscientious practitioners. But that’s not what “Only Murders” is about. It’s about three doofuses, stumbling their way toward justice, all in the name of fame and fortune (ok, it’s more complex than that, but you get my point).
I love it for that. Count me in. I’m a fan. (And, of course, the underlying comedy makes this one extra special.)
And if you haven’t caught it yet, let me remind you of the Series, Mind of a Monster: The Butcher, Baker, which premiered January 9th on all podcasting platforms, including Google, Spotify and Apple podcasts. The podcaster contrast is palpable. In a comparison of amateurs vs. pros, Mind of a Monster is all pros.
Meanwhile…
Lies on the Rampage
Like many (most?) Americans, I was dismayed by the Presidential Debate — if it can be called that — between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. My first “oh, shit” utterance hit the air as soon as President Biden shuffled toward the rostrum. His deer in the headlights performance following that entrance only multiplied the angst. It should be duly noted that I’m not the only one who was struck this way. The murmurs and mumbles of trepidation are widespread, at least on one side of the aisle.
Which, unfortunately, means that the “other guy” has gotten what amounts to a free pass. His torrent of lies, disinformation and dissembling — “I did not sleep with a pornstar” — beggar credibility. Stormy Daniels has explicitly described the man’s penis. How would she know? [1]
“He knows he has an unusual penis,” Daniels says in her recent book. “It has a huge mushroom head. Like a toadstool.”
Stormy Daniels, Full Disclosure
Yeah. That’s only the start of Trump’s mendacity. Count ’em. He wasn’t alone, but… There are murders here. Murders of the truth. The former guy can fix it all with one simple act.
POSTSCRIPT On July 1, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the President has immunity for Official, but not private, acts. Does that mean, as the Appellate Court asked in oral arguments, that a President is immune if, in his official capacity, he has his rival candidate assassinated? Maybe so.
When he uses his official powers in any way, under the majority’s reasoning, he now will be insulated from criminal prosecution. Orders the Navy’s Seal Team 6 to assassinate a political rival? Immune. Organizes a military coup to hold onto power? Immune. Takes a bribe in exchange for a pardon? Immune. Immune, immune, immune.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor, dissent on Presidential Immunity ruling
Thus, even a hypothetical President who admits to having ordered the assassinations of his political rivals or critics … or one who indisputably instigates an unsuccessful coup … has a fair shot at getting immunity under the majority’s new Presidential accountability model.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, dissent on Presidential immunity ruling
But, wait… Doesn’t Trump already believe Biden has sicced the Justice Department on him? Kind of an awkward ruling this close to an election, don’t you think? Or not.
[1] The use of anatomical references is well established in criminal investigations. A distinctive tattoo, a birthmark, a scar… All are indicators that the accuser has intimate knowledge of the accused. In the Robert Hansen case, which I wrote about in Butcher, Baker, one witness described the perpetrator’s penis in graphic terms. The police hoped a second witness could confirm that ID. It was a momentary setback when the second witness had no recollection of that intimate detail.
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You can order my latest book, “What Happened In Craig,” HERE and HERE. True crime on Epicenter Press about Alaska’s Worst Unsolved Mass Murder.
