SP0R1S
y, June 23, 2003
^is
nued from page 3
idence he took as m»
s as he gave. The Itf
s badly bruised undenij
id blood was trickliji
is cheek.
Klitschko lookedlikei
in many ways. He worn
ins with a gutty showing
he belonged among fe
eight elite and posi
himself for some bij
own the road,
of those could be i
with Lewis, assumii;
3C champion doesDi
r go after a proposal
th Roy Jones Jr. in lit
ope there will be i
Klitschko said.
; would have been n
ite rematch if Klitscbit
i because it was in lit
for the fight. Lewis I
10 obligation to figli
o again, though he si
t do it.
happy to give hims
,” Lewis said. “Tbei
up the other side ofte
> came into the figli
ie ready-made excuses
’t fought in a yearsinct
Mike Tyson and bai
o weeks to adjust lo
a bigger fighter after bis
opponent, Kill
was injured. He was
soft around the middle.
16 1/2 pounds the heat-
s career.
act remains he is a 37-
heavyweight whobas
;ome wars and may be
he clock begin to click,
s not on Lewis’ side; in
only two heavy weigh
is retained their titles
36.
what makes Klitschkc
to get Lewis back inlo
is soon as he can.
.ennox it is a differeni
because time works
lim,” Klitschko said,
ay Lennox will get one
ibledon
aed from paged
who won the grass-
up at Eastbourne fortbe
aight year, never made
he fourth round ai
n.
take a look at the
career records againsi
en ranked in the top20:
cl 161 -39, an .805 win-
ntage. Indeed, only one
a winning mark againsi
ster. That’s Vera
, 1-0 against Venus
her fourth-round stir-
French Open,
mid meet at the same
mbledon.
lefinitely learn more
ose,” Venus said. “To
ling during your whole
nost impossible.”
ers have won six of the
Hams.
featured in the WTA
keting effort unveiled
it a cottage in
village. Thenewslo-
i touch with yourfem-
tething new and fresb
ind it’ll draw atten-
iati said.
iur CEO Larry Scott
)up isn’t prepared to
3 in exploring altema-
tents for players who
i a Grand Slam if dis-
with the majors about
■y and other issues
ed.
'e a different agen-
•seeded Magdalena
i
1 his tour’s main con-
ig all Grand Slams to
prize money to men
(the U.S Open and
Open do). At
the men’s champion
about $965,000, the
Z5,000.
radition Scott said is
principle than pay-
o modernity, playeis
1 be required to curt-
ward the Royal Box
ut.
semifinalist Tint
one, was a bit cha-
ways worth a break
me,” said Henman,
o become the fust
e champion since
)f the opponents that
J on Centre Court
s about getting it
i we finally got it
: with, they were so
missed a few first
Opinion
The Battalion
Page 5 • Monday, June 23,
Contaminated
DNA specialists failing to take responsibility for sloppy science in HPD lab
O n March 12, 21-year-old Josiah Sutton was
released from prison after serving more
than four years of a 25-year sentence for
rape. Sutton was convicted in 1998 based on DNA
evidence analyzed by the Houston Police
Department's crime lab. At the time, an HPD lab
JENELLE WILSON
employee told the jury that the DNA evidence
in the rape absolutely came from Sutton. Recent
tests, however, have contradicted the earlier
results; the new tests show the DNA could not
have been his.
Sutton's situation was one of more than 1,300
cases under review after the HPD crime lab was
shut down in December following an Internal Affairs Division
investigation. The investigation found the lab infested by sloppy
science and an untrained staff. The report described the lab as
ripe for contamination, according to The Houston Chronicle.
The roof had leaked for more than five years, bringing evi
dence in contact with water, evidence in storage freezers was
not properly sealed, and the equipment to analyze forensic evi
dence was not even properly calibrated. The IAD investigators
could not find evidence of the staff following written procedures
in the lab; they could not even find evidence of staff members
wearing gloves to prevent contamination. The IAD also found
that officials knew of these problems but did little or nothing to
remedy them.
Unfortunately, there has been little accountability for the
massive problems in the HPD lab. Only seven people have been
disciplined for their parts in the fiasco, and this “discipline” —
which ranges from ineligibility of future employment to 14-day
suspensions — amounts to little more than a slap on the wrist.
James Bolding, who directed the DNA division, and Assistant
Chief of Police Milton C. Simmons, who oversaw the lab, were
allowed to retire before they could be fired for their negligence.
Bolding and Simmons have simply walked away scot-
free with their pensions from this mess, even though
their actions could have potentially ruined hun
dreds of lives.
The case against Sutton proceeded solely
because of the DNA evidence against him,
according to the Chronicle. With this kind of
reliance on DNA evidence in criminal trials, the
carelessness and complete disregard for proper, sci
entific procedures displayed by the HPD lab offi
cials and employees is unacceptable. The roof
in the lab leaked for more than five years,
but instead of fixing it, a bucket was
placed on the floor to collect the dripping
water.
The so-called discipline they received is unacceptable as
well.
Bolding and Simmons knew evidence was being contaminat-
T
i
T
Qourt
DNA
Sample
ed, yet they did nothing. They knew that some of the evi
dence being analyzed in the lab could potentially be used in
capital punishment cases, yet they did nothing.
And now Bolding and Simmons are walking away without
accepting responsibility for their massive derelictions of duty.
More than 1,300 cases are under review due to this mess.
More than 300 new tests are being ordered on DNA evidence
because of the grave and pervasive problems in the DNA divi
sion, according to the Chronicle. Hundreds of people have been
convicted in this state because of potentially shoddy evidence.
The city of Houston must do more to discipline those
responsible. The examiners who contaminated or manipulated
evidence should be fired, not just suspended for 14 days. They
do not deserve a second chance on this. They have already
proven themselves to be incompetent.
Bolding and Simmons knew of the shoddy work being done
by their examiners, yet the two let it continue for years. They
should be brought up on criminal charges. They were responsi
ble for the lab, and they are responsible for the mass corruption
that permeated the lab. They set the examples for their employ
ees to follow. Letting them just walk away without accepting
responsibility amounts to condoning their behavior.
Forensic evidence in criminal trials can make or break the
case. The case against Sutton was based solely on DNA evi
dence, and a juror in that case admitted he would not have voted
to convict had the evidence not been there.
The work that is done in crime labs is too important and too
powerful to allow such a display of massive
i , incompetence to go unpunished. The lab officials
and forensic examiners held the fate of hundreds
of people in their hands, yet they knowingly
let evidence get contaminated. They made
their beds, now they have to lie in them. The
city of Houston must make them take respon
sibility for their actions, especially the offi
cials who let this absurdity continue unabated.
Evmence
Jenelle Wilson is a senior
political science major.
Graphic by Ivan Flores.
France’s new tourism campaign ridiculous
Woody Allen commercials, Serena Williams debacle only discourage tourists
A ccording to the
New York Post,
the French
Tourist Board has
responded to an esti
mated 15 percent
decrease in American
tourism with a series of ads featuring
none other than America’s favorite
performer — Woody Allen.
This is the same Woody Allen who
married his former lover’s daughter,
the child he helped raise from a young
age. Of all the publicity hounds who
could have possibly been recruited to
go to bat on behalf of France — and
as we all know, Hollywood is chalked
full of publicity hounds — the FTB
picked a man who is one step above a
child molester to court America’s
favor.
In the ads, Allen expresses his
hope that the United States and
France can “put it all behind them”
and “forget about our differences,”
according to NYPost.com. And what
is the logic Allen offers as to why this
reconciliation would benefit America?
Because, Allen argues,
he doesn’t want to “free
dom” kiss his wife, he
wants to French kiss her.
What an incentive.
But enough about
Woody Allen. As the
adage goes, don’t shoot the messen
ger, and Allen is just that — a mes
senger. For many Americans, it proba
bly wouldn’t matter who was chosen
to be the FTB’s mouthpiece. The mes
sage conveyed by France is clear: for
give and forget, and let the cash begin
to flow.
The fact is that those Americans
who chose to cancel trips to France or
to boycott French goods based that
decision on well-founded political
frustrations with France. For this
American at least, nothing short of an
apology from Jacques Chirac would
regain my monetary support.
The ad hosted by Allen should be
seen for what it is, an attempt by the
FTB to make up for lost tourism dol
lars and not any real change in
France’s general attitude of anti-
And what is the logic
Allen offers as to why this
reconciliation would
benefit America?... he
doesn't want to freedom'
kiss his wife, he wants to
French kiss her. What an
incentive.
Americanism. A good case in point is
the turn of events at the recent French
Open.
Enter Serena Williams. Cocky,
irreverent and a powerhouse in the
realm of tennis, Williams probably
seemed the quintessential American to
many French spectators. In a semifi
nal match against Justine Henin-
Hardenne, the tide of public sentiment
at Roland Garros turned toward
Henin-Hardenne. But instead of
cheering for Henin-Hardenne, the
unruly French Open crowd of about
15,000 cheered brutally against
Williams, booing her successes and
applauding her mistakes, reports
ESPN.com.
Booing and hurling criticism at
contestants may be standard operating
procedure at, say, a WWE wrestling
event, but such behavior is certainly
not considered socially acceptable at a
tennis match, which is traditionally
associated with tea, crumpets and
other upscale niceties. Tennis players
who exhibit behavior that is consid
ered unsportsmanlike by the code of
proper tennis etiquette, such as throw
ing a racquet or using obscene lan
guage, have committed a faux pas that
is taken very seriously by the tennis
community. So for fans to make such
a blatant breach of acceptable conduct
suggests that they must have been
driven by a relatively strong emotion.
Many have argued that said emotion
was anti-Americanism.
Williams herself denies that anti-
Americanism was a factor in the fans’
behavior. She attributes the crowd’s
hostile behavior to wanting to root for
the underdog, reports ESPN.com.
That argument would make more
sense if the Roland Garros crowd had
merely been cheering for Henin-
Hardenne, but that was not the case.
The spectators at the French Open
were willing to break a respected,
age-old code of etiquette to achieve
their goal, which was not for Henin-
Hardenne to win, but for Williams to
lose. And 15,000 to one isn’t a fair
match. It was personal, and Williams’
American citizenship had at least
something to do with it.
Perhaps the expression “actions
speak louder than words” would be an
appropriate message to send across
the Atlantic.
If the FTB is serious about regain
ing American dollars, it should a) lose
Woody Allen, b) use its ads to address
issues instead of Allen’s bedroom
preferences and c) treat our visiting
citizens with some modicum of
respect. Anything less and the French
fry may be in serious danger of
becoming extinct.
Lindsye Forson is a junior
journalism major.
LINDSYE FORSON
MAIL CALL
Canada's decriminalization of
marijuana comes at high price
In response to Timothy Gilbert's June 19 column:
Before praising Canada's marijuana decision,
look closely.
The penalties for growing and distributing mari
juana will double. Life imprisonment sentences
would become possible under the new proposal,
while they are not currently used for marijuana
production. No allowance is made for medical use
and the ticketing process for users still allows for
arrest and formal criminalization at the discretion
of police.
Very little changes under the proposed new
laws. Doubling criminal penalties for production
while dropping use to a fine won't discourage
casual use nor heavy users. It will scare off some
of the more benign, generally law-abiding pot
growers and leave only the most violent criminal
elements willing to risk harsh jail sentences for the
lucrative market.
Current police practice for small amounts is
often to confiscate, warn and do nothing else.
There is generally no record of any kind.
Yet ticketed offenses can be recorded and
known to agencies wishing to do a background
check and discriminate for employment, insurance
or housing based on someone's recorded history
of marijuana use. Many casual users will actually
receive a harsher punishment under this "decrimi
nalization" than they do today.
As long as marijuana remains in the criminal
domain, the criminals and police agencies are the
only winners, as they both can look forward to
lucrative funding to fight their war over an inebri-
ant which is more properly sold and regulated as
we do for alcohol.
The title of the article has it right, as did our
Canadian Senate when the conclusion of their
exhaustive study declared that legalization and
regulation were the proper course to control mar
ijuana.
Mack Mcleod
Thornhill, Canada
Benefits of marijuana ignored
by U.S. but not other countries
In response to Timothy Gilbert's June 19 column:
The recent column subtitled, "America should
follow Canada's planned decriminalization of
marijuana" is informative but does not go nearly
far enough to admonish the critics of this
nation's current drug policy.
Since the passage of the Marijuana Tax Act of
1937, the United States has been incarcerating
its citizens for the possession and "manufactur
ing" of a plant that has for years been a mainstay
of other countries.
When one looks through the hysteria of the
risks associated with the Cannabis plant, one
finds all kinds of beneficial uses, none of which
get to see the light of day when compared to the
single "drug" aspect of the plant.
Furthermore, real problems such as the envi
ronmental impacts that continue to occur
because of our continuing dependence on
petroleum-based products is ignored.
America has not been telling the truth about
the benefits of the Cannabis plant for years now.
And I ask you, how do we expect to be a nation
of law-abiding citizens when the very leaders of
this country themselves are often lawless?
A Grandma For Ganja
Mrs. Jeanne Marie Black-Ferguson
The Battalion encourages letters to the edi
tor. Letters must be 200 words or less and
include the author's name, class and phone
number. The opinion editor reserves the right to
edit letters for length, style and accuracy. Letters
may be submitted in person at 014 Reed
McDonald with a valid student ID. Letters also
may be mailed to: 014 Reed McDonald, MS
1111, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
77843-1111. Fax: (979) 845-2647 Email: mail-
call@thebatt.com. Attachments are not
accepted.