Carol O'Connor's Libel Suit
I don't have all the facts on the case, just the basics, and I want to comment on them. Carol O'Connor's son committed suicide a while back while under the influence of drugs at the age of 32. Mr. O'Connor has been quite vocal about his opinion of the person that was selling his son drugs, calling him a murderer.
And now the drug dealer is suing him for libel. Is it just me, or does this fall into the same category as criminals suing a business owner for the cut they received when the fell down while robbing his store?
Mr O'Connor sat on the stand yesterday and reiterated his belief that anyone that sells a deadly substance to an addict has a part in the death of that addict. I have to agree with that statement, but not with Mr. O'Connor's conclusion based on that premise.
Now I have to step back for a moment and admit that I have a rather liberal attitude towards drugs. I think there is such a thing as a recreational drug -- alcohol being only the most popular and legal variety -- and that today's laws towards drugs ignore reality. The aspect of this on which I agree with Mr. O'Connor is that a drug dealer does have some part in the death of the person to whom he sells the drugs. What I do not believe is that the drug dealer is responsible. Some might say that the bartender is responsible when someone drinks and drives and is killed, but that's not correct. Did he have a part in the situation? Surely. Did he cause the individual to kill himself? No.
If the bartender serves to a minor, he is responsible for that action. If he serves to an adult, the assumption society makes is that the customer can make up his own mind, is responsible for his own actions, can make informed and mature decisions on what is and isn't appropriate. If a drunk then gets behind the wheel, it wasn't the bartender that put him there. The same holds true for the addict. If a dealer sells drugs to an individual, the dealer is not responsible for how much the individual uses or what the user does while under the influence of the drug.
On the other hand, should the dealer sue the grieving father for voicing his grief? Absolutely not. What a jerk…
Westboro Baptist Church and Versace
Say hello again to your favorite group of incestuous, bigotted, hatemongers, the Westboro Baptist Church. Check out my past OOTD's for my warm and fuzzy feelings on this cult. What a fun group this is. The same folks that protested outside of the funeral for Bill Clinton's mother, calling her a "Jezebel" and a "whore". The same folks that protest every year at any public gay function, thanking God for AIDS. The same folks that stand on the graves of non-heterosexuals, defiling and defacing the grave site and proclaiming that another "fag" just fed the fires of hell.
Real party animals, no?
Enter Mr. Versace. His recent and untimely demise sent the flock of Mr. Phelps, founder and pastor of the Westboro Baptist Church, into an absolute spasm of righteous euphoria. And, of course, he gathered up the congregation and bussed them out to protest the funeral of Versace with the usual placards proclaiming that, per the Westboro Baptist Church slogan, "God Hates Fags".
To Mr. Phelps: Y'know that group that committed mass suicide so they could meet the mothership hiding behind the comet? Well, they had the right idea, but the date was off. God wants to you bring the flock home. Head down to your local grocer, buy a little Koolaid and the poison of your choice, and have a little "Last Supper" of your own. God's-a-waitin'…
Now, in case he isn't listening, someone pass the ammo…