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The Daily Dose/January 17, 2008
By Gaylon Kent
The Writer's Shack
   
Notes from around the Human Experience, as we suppose it was inevitable that America's Defendant, OJ Simpson, returns to his natural habitat - the courtroom - before his trial actually begins. Plus significant On This Date action, Trivia, plus the Column Four Foto, Monica Lewinsky, a nice girl who deserved better than to have her last name become a euphemism for a sex act.
All OJ, ALL THE TIME: After spending five days in a Las Vegas jail for violating terms of his bail, OJ Simpson was shipped home to Florida Wednesday.
American's Defendant: Simpson was back in jail for leaving a voice mail with his bail bondsman telling him to tell codefendant Clarence "C.J." Stewart he is angry about Mr. Stewart's testimony during a November pre-trial hearing. As one of the conditions of his bail, Simpson was to have no contact with either witness or his co-defendants.
Throw The Book At Him!: Prosecutors had urged judge Nancy Glass to either revoke Simpson's bail, set it at more than $1 million or have him held under house arrest. Glass opted to double Simpson's bail to $250,000.
To Review: Simpson, along with other, non-famous people, are awaiting trial on April 7 on a variety of charges stemming from a September armed robbery of two sports memorabilia merchants at a Las Vegas hotel.
ON THIS DATE: In 1806, James Madison Randolph, son of Martha Jefferson Randolph and grandson of President Thomas Jefferson becomes the first child born in the White House.
Hey, What About Me?: On 1/17/1915 President Woodrow Wilson's daughter, Jessie Sayer, gave birth to a son in the White House.
I'd Prefer To Be Shot: On this date in 1977 executions resumed in the United States as Gary Gilmore was shot to death in Utah. Gilmore, condemned for the July 20 murder of a motel employee. (The day before he had murdered a gas station employee, but he was never convicted of the crime.) It didn't help that Gilmore shot himself in the hand and left a trail of blood after the second murder. Given the choice between being shot and being hanged, Gilmore chose the firing squad.
Uh, Can We Speed This Up Please: Gilmore was adamant that he be allowed to die, was frustrated at those who tried to prevent it, namely the ACLU who fought to within minutes of his death to have the execution stayed, and he also had to order his lawyers to drop all appeals on his behalf. Twice, in November and December, he had tried to commit suicide, failing each time, which can't be good for morale, although the fact he was going to be shot to death sooner or later had to provide some comfort.
Let's Get This Party Started: The night before his execution Gilmore had a party in the prison's mess hall with assorted family and friends and may very well have been drunk because a few shots of booze managed to find their way to him.
Oh Yeah: Gilmore was 36 when he died. He had spent 18 of his last 21 years in prison.
I Do Solemnly Swear: On this date in 1998 President Bill Clinton becomes the first US president to testify in a criminal or civil trial when he answers questions from lawyers of Paula Jones, who had accused Clinton of sexual harassment.
Recent History: The Supreme Court protected Oregon's assisted-suicide law, ruling that doctors there who helped terminally ill patients die could not be arrested under federal drug laws. This ruling is also in accordance with official Writer's Shack policy which states, in part, that people who want to do die should be allowed to die.
Real Recent History: The Doomsday Clock, a clock set by a group of zany scientists to measure how close the world is to nuclear annihilation, is moved up two minutes to five minutes to midnight on this date in 2007.
Previously, the last time the clock had been moved was 2002, when it was moved up two minutes to 11:53, mainly because the US had announced plans to either reject or withdraw from various anti-missile treaties.
Three…Two…One: The closest the Doomsday Clock had ever gotten to midnight was two minutes in 1953 when the Soviets and the US tested thermo-nuclear devices within nine months of each other.
Christ, It's Cold Down Here: On this date in 1912 a team of five led by Robert F. Scott reached the South Pole. There they found a tent, some supplies and a Norwegian flag, giving Scott some idea that he wasn't the first to reach the Pole. The stuff was left a month earlier by Roald Amundsen, who also left a letter for the Norwegian king, in case Amundsen had not made it back alive.
Oh, The Irony: Scott and his party were the ones who didn't make it back, as illness, malnutrition and weather led to the entire party dying. Scott's final diary entry is on March 29.
Bonus, Rhetorical, Trivia Question: Why The Hell Is This Column So Short?: Uh, we have dinner reservations or something like that. We're not entirely sure though. Rest assured our commitment to give you, our treasured reader(s) the very best in whatever it is we do here remains more or less unwavering!
Answer To The Last Trivia Question: Of the nineteen men awarded two Medals of Honor, fourteen have been awarded the award for separate actions; five were awarded both the Army and Navy medals for the same action.
Today's Trivia Question: Who was the only president to have a child born in the White House? - Answer next time!
Threats? Recipes? Trivia question answers? Email The Writer's Shack Here!
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