As luck would have it, my phone service has gone haywire just as we move into the court phase of events in Memphis. My phones still work, except they don’t ring. On your end of the line, you might hear my phone ringing on and on, but on my end all is blissful silence. This is not a good thing.
I didn’t realize I had a technology problem until last Friday when my neighbor stopped at the road and asked me accusingly, “Don’tcha ever answer your phone anymore?” She told me she’d been calling for a couple days. Another friend sent me an e-mail this weekend scolding me for leaving town without telling them so they wouldn’t worry. God only knows how many other people are pissed off with me.
On Saturday a repair manager at the phone company told me they couldn’t find the problem at the main switch, that this was a rare problem, and that they’d have to dispatch a repairman into the field on Monday to troubleshoot the issue.
So it’s a quiet Monday morning here, and I’m taking comfort from the fact that it’s only jury selection day in Memphis. There’ll be no breaking news today, only a late-night report (presumably after the phone’s repaired) so I can create tomorrow’s post.
I’m also taking comfort from the fact that the non-ringing phone is no reflection on me after all. I was beginning to suspect I was becoming a forgotten man.
۞
Groove of the Day
Listen to The Fifth Dimension performing “One Less Bell to Answer”
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(Postscript)
10:30 am Here is the latest report from Memphis, a place who’s “justice” system obviously has its own way of working.
Last week the prosecution applied a full-court-press to get James to accept a plea deal calling for a 15-year sentence without the possibility of parole, and the addition of James’ name to a sex offender registry. The prosecution basically offered a “your-life-is-toast” deal and James, after praying and thinking upon it, decided to reject it. “I am not going to admit to something I didn’t do,” James told Stephen.
The prosecution (or somebody) is still applying pressure. This morning James was awakened at 4:00 am to be taken to a holding cell at the court building, even though his presence is not required in court today. This move appears designed to raise James’ stress level and place him incommunicado, cut off from Stephen’s steadying and reassuring influence.
The jail is also preventing the delivery to James of a new pair of prescription glasses that James will need to observe events in court and assist in his defense. This is dirty pool. Curiously, James’ attorney is doing nothing to help us rectify this situation.
Stephen has told me that the court is not allowing him to attend jury selection. This is another curious development. We will have no firsthand assurance that the jury selection process has been an honest one.
I hope that aroma I’m smelling is not rotten fish. (If I were living in Tennessee, I’d suspect my phone had been sabotaged.)
11:35 am The phone guys just showed up, and we discovered that somebody has apparently entered my home and turned off the ringers on both telephones. This alarms me to the possibility that someone is “sending me a message.”
3:00 pm Stephen has just called, exhausted. He has been walking all over town on his prosthetic leg trying to solve the eyeglasses thing.
He says jury selection began at 1:30 pm. It is hard to imagine they will finish up today, but they do do things differently in Memphis.
Before jury selection commenced, Stephen stopped by the courtroom to check it out, and he stumbled on some sort of hearing in which James Prindle was cuffed and jumpsuited and being questioned without his attorney present. The judge and the prosecutors were not present, either. Stephen was immediately kicked out by a uniformed cop who shut the door in Stephen’s face. We will not know until James calls what that was all about.
7:10 pm Stephen is still waiting to hear from James about that interrogation. “I don’t know what it was about, but James looked scared,” Stephen said.
Claiborne called and said that a jury has been seated. “He said the jury seems open-minded,” Stephen said. The trial begins tomorrow at 1:30 pm.
Among the first witnesses the prosecution will call are James’ mother Monica Sanders and her mother, James’ grandmother, Pam Croft.
Our discussion is cut short by a call from James…
8:00 pm Stephen had got it wrong. According to James both prosecutors were there. So was the investigator our lawyer got the court to appoint. Our lawyer out of the room on a short break when Stephen looked in; however, he was present at the interview. James said they were going over testimony from his juvenile hearing, deciding whether it was or was not relevant. James is tired but in good spirits.
Well better to catch it now than later in the middle of something incredibly important. Technology you got to love it somedays
Sounds familier to my telephone, its been so long since i stoped it ringing, it must be 7 or 8 months since i had a call
Its only an entrance point for salesmen over here anyway
I hope the jury are ones of comon sense who actually realise that most people shouldnt be alloud to keep their brains when born, let lone be given any power over people.
You 2 on having ring tone dial, i don’t even get to call out and if you or whoever wants to call me all they get is ring ring ring and i don’t know it. I HAD went to phone like last night sunday and all sudden nothing GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR. Need my home phone cause don’y wanna use cell phone everytime, neeed home phone at times and if emergency if don’t have cell phone on me. I have serious medical health and mentl issues. Hope you get your phone working And yes court for JAMES PRINDLE TODAY. HEY I STATRED PARYING MORE THIS WEEKEND AND WHEN 8AM CAME I PRAYED AGAIN FOR JAMES PRINDLE, HAD IT ON CELL PHONE REMINDER TONE, SAYS PRAY HARD FOR JAMES PRINDLE., HE BE A COOL BROTHER TO HAVE FOR ME, NOT THAT I LOVE MY REAL BROTHER HES COOL TOO. BUT JAMES ID VERY COOL, POLITE AS CAN BE. LET’S ALL KEEP POSITIVE ATTITUDES AND PRAY. MAYBE PRAY AND FAST IF WHOEVER CAN DO SO. PRAY PRAY PRAY. I TOLD STEVE IM GONNA PRAY FOR JAMES AND HIM. PRAY THE ANOINTING OF GOD TO SURROUND THAT COUT AND WRATH OF GOD TO EXPLORE AND SEE TO IT JUSTICE BE DONE FOR JAMES PRINDLE AND JURY, COURT, PROSECUTOR WILL SEE THAT JAME IS FULLY INNOCENT AND THE REAL PERSON WHO DID WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT TODDLAR WILL STEP FORWARD AND SEE JAMES PRINDLE BE TOLD INNOCENT AND CASE DISMISSED AND JAMES GETS TO GO SOMEWHERE SAFE TO LIVE.
So they are starting to intemidated James into taking a plea for a crime he did not commit. Not surprising coming from a bunch of…. I think I will leave it there. Let’s just hope the prosecution don’t put pedophiles into the jury pool. something tells me you can expect anything from those individuals from the “law enforcement”. they seem more worried about protecting child rapists than finding the truth.
About someone entering in your house I can only say just be careful Dan, after all you are fighting against the scum of the earth, you never know who can come to you and in what purpose.
I truly hope justice is served but I like you can smell that disgusting odour , that it looks like rotten fish.
steve tell James to be strong don’t let those cowards to intimidate him.
I just read the last update, what i say damn cowards, how can that be even legal. Are maybe they threatening James life, why they can go a day before the trial and intemidate a kid without consecuences, what kind of twisted and disgusted justice system operates in Memphis? I’m without words this is really despicable.
Im wondering if the trial is similar to the UK for under 18 year olds where its kept in secret but only direct family may watch in the gallery and not any public person or media
He’s being tried as an adult in regular adult court. The constiutions of the United States and the state of Tennessee both require open court proceedings. That Stephen was excluded from jury selection is an egregious violation of the basic rule of law. Again, federal intervention may be necessary to prevent an old fashioned KKK lynching of this innocent boy.
I feel for James, its real sad this can happen, his mom may be a hopeless go nowhere help, but id hope his grand mother would at least be his angel awaiting.
I was playing on black ops on xbox live earlier, ive jst come off it at 3.45am and some kid added me from north carolina that i was in a game with, i actually thought it was some lil girl playing with the high pitched voice but he said he was called Bri, and anyway i wasnt talking tht uch but he was like a bush on fire talking about this game and all sorts of stuff i didnt know how to do and i was struck, the joy he was having as a 13 year old kid playing computer games and it made me think of james, how could such a innocent childs play voice like this i was listening to be put through what he is getting now, it makes my heart weep
Could be grounds for an appeal if he had no lawyer to represent him during questioning.
Thinking of James during this time.
I just saw this, http://www.abc24.com/news/local/story/Testimony-Begins-in-Teens-Child-Rape-Trial/bMFbzG6iyECRoeymh5lJhw.cspx?rss=59
from the short clip it seems his lawyer isn’t the greatest, as reading his story on here it says he didn’t tell the police the truth straight away because he was scared… but his lawyer says because he was high! I hope his lawyer does a better job during the rest of the trial.
after seeing another clip he seems to of mentioned it….. I now think it was just bad news reporting..
Lou Lou,
Just bad news reporting. I am at James trial. Our attorney is doing very well defending James, and James is doing very well also, aiding in his defense. I am very proud of James for the way he is handling himself.