‘Comic Relief’ Seems Unlikely to Keep Defendant Out of Jail

The city that knows how (also who and where).

* Your criminal justice system at work.

On their trek northward, 21 citizens of a country that borders the United States are traversing a barren stretch of land near the border.

Suddenly, there appear four men bent on relieving the 21 travelers of their valuables by force or threat of force.

One pretends to have a knife. One waves a broken beer bottle. Threatening and-or hostile words are hurled.

The 21 are relieved of their coats, jewelry and clothing. But as the four miscreants begin to depart, the area is bathed in illumination, possibly from a U.S. federal government vehicle.

The four try to run. Some of the 21 chase after them.

One of the four is caught and subjected to multiple applications of fists to his body. Some of the 21 hold him down until authorities arrive.

Now he is in court, where his defense is this:

He was standing in a God-forsaken area minding his own business when two dozen people rushed by him and dumped their coats, jewelry and clothing on him for no reason whatsoever and then started beating him.

Prosecutors call this explanation the “comic relief” defense.

* It’s not unusual for people to buy extra copies of a newspaper with the obituary of a relative or famous personage.

It’s a way to preserve the good memories and honor the departed.

But Joe Este, 76, of Clairemont, had a different motivation when he came to The Times to get papers with the obit of reputed Chicago mob boss Tony (Big Tuna) Accardo, who died last week at age 86.

Este, Chicago born and reared, was a special agent for the Illinois liquor control commission. He knew firsthand of Accardo’s expertise as an extortion enforcer and how his prowess with a baseball bat got him the (secondary) nickname of Joe Batters.

He says his uncle Joe was an “associate” of Accardo. He says Accardo never forgave the younger Joe for not joining the “business.”

So why did Este want Accardo’s obituary?

“I’m going to celebrate. I was happy to see his demise. Every time I read the obituary, it makes me happy.”

The Magic of Politics

It says here.

* Elections come and go, but litigation is forever.

Magician-writer-agent provocateur Loch David Crane has no intention of disappearing after Tuesday’s election.

He filed suit Friday in Small Claims Court against rival mayoral candidate Tom Carter. He claims Carter owes him money damages because Carter’s campaign brochures claim Carter is the only Democrat in the race.

Crane, too, is a Democrat, even though the party isn’t quick to claim him.

* Deep background.

“Not surprisingly, the myth of Watergate-in-journalism, journalism transformed by Watergate, serves two masters: the government, which can employ it to portray itself as unfairly besieged, and journalism, which can use it to present itself as a brave and independent social force.

“Both usages veil the fact that the relationship between public officials and the press in Washington is, for the most part, comfortable and cooperative.”

From an article (“Watergate: A Study in Mythology”) in the current Columbia Journalism Review by Michael Schudson, communication professor at UC San Diego.

Excerpted from Schudson’s book to be published next month, “Watergate in American Memory: How We Remember, Forget and Reconstruct the Past.”

* There’s always a local angle.

The largest sand sculpture ever done in Europe--47.9 feet tall--was completed Sunday in the Netherlands. Featuring replicas of European monuments: Big Ben, the Colosseum, the Arc de Triomphe, etc.

Done by Gerry Kirk, owner of Solana Beach-based Sand Sculptors International.

* Generations of high school teachers who thought comic books were the devil’s work must be spinning.

The Sylvan Learning Centers in La Jolla and Encinitas will soon use a Marvel comic to hook kids on reading: “The Amazing Spiderman Battles Ignorance.”

A Thought to Build On

Bumper sticker in Rancho San Diego: “Beer Is What Keeps Construction Workers From Ruling the Country.”