The Truth is not Always What it Seems

I am interested in tales of injustice and of crimes. Especially ones that involve both of these and apparent racial prejudice. I have my own reasons for this which I won't go into because even I do not really understand them and, therefore, cannot explain them adequately to you.

One such case involved a man named George Whitmore Jr. A man accused of murder, rape, attempted rape, and assault back in 1964. George, an African-American 8th grade dropout with an alleged IQ of 90, was horribly mistreated by New York's police and its justice system. I came across this case through a story in the NY Times, an opinion piece actually, about his plight.

Reading the Op-Ed piece, a few things bothered me. One of them was the mention of his asking about choices for execution....

Depressed, frightened and alone, he pondered his imminent demise at the hands of the state. He asked other inmates: “If you were going to be put to death, which would it be? The chair? Lethal injection? What’s the least painful way to die?”

In fact, he wouldn't have asked the questions. Lethal injection wouldn't be an option until well after 1977 [link]. Therefore, it would not have been an option available to him (or anyone else) which means the author made it up. I dislike when authors make up "facts" because I then begin to wonder just how far would the author go to advance whatever agenda he or she might have.

So I dug a little further and found this. It's interesting though difficult to follow because it covers more than Mr. Whitmore's case.

Why do I relate all this to you? Because I want you to view everything you read or view with the eyes of a skeptic. Because I believe we are always being manipulated and because I think the best way to counter that manipulation is to be a skeptic.