Aug. 22, 2002 - 21:55 MDT

THE WONDERING JEW

Golden

Sometimes I can see common sense at work in one case, but the same action in a different case common sense seems to be absent.

Very often when a lawsuit is settled, it is over and most of the time both sides are bound to be silent. In some cases that might be the right thing to do, but not all.

What torques my jaws are what is shown by the headlines in the Rocky Mountain News, "Jeffco sheriff's office escapes accountability." (Sanders' Lawsuit on Columbine Settled)

Sanders' daughter brought the wrongful death lawsuit. The Jefferson County Sheriff's officer's were accused of letting teacher Dave Sanders bleed to death on that dreadful day in April 1999.

Its been obvious to me that the handling of Columbine has been a total fiasco from the get go. Too many fingers in the pie, too many agencies to spread the blame, accusations and counter accusations have flown like a scattered flock of birds startled by the sound of a gunshot.

Early on seems that law enforcement failed to properly investigate reports about the two perpetrators engaging in illegal activities in regard to firearms and bomb manufacture. Along the way there have been reported indications that the two murderers were mentally unbalanced. So the problem goes quite aways back.

"After being shot while leading students to safety, Sanders collapsed in a science classroom. Even though students with him hung a sign from the window reading, "I am bleeding to death," law officers not only stayed outside for more than three hours but also refused to allow anyone else to rescue him."(direct quote from article)

Since April 1999 this whole thing has been drug through the dirt, efforts to find out anything out about any of it has been blocked.

I guess the thing that bugs me the most is the refusal by the authorities to admit that there was any slip up in procedure, any cross communication problems. To my way of thinking it is complete denial by tight arsed officals.

Dave Sanders' daughter settled for $1.5 million dollars (which will be paid by the insurance company which is covering, to my mind, an incompetent bunch of, "servants of the people."

Now Angela Sanders' LAWYERS SAID THEY CAN'T EVEN DISCLOSE INFORMATION THEY LEARNED WHILE PREPARING THEIR CASE."

"Meanwhile, Jeffco Sheriff JohnStone, who could answer those questions and would no longer be in legal jeopardy if he did, remains as unctuously uninformative as ever. He hopes the settlement, "serves a greater purpose" - what does that mean ? - and calls it an opportunity to "honor the victims by remembering their lives as fully as their deaths."

Say whaaaaat ? ? ? ? ?

"Acting Jefferson County Atorney Bill Tuthill was busily denying any fault. "There is no admission of liability or culpability in this case," he said, laying the blame entirely on the Columbine killers. "It is far wiser to invest these resources, both emotional and economic, in healing."

So those in power in Jefferson County stay in power, admit to nothing, the insurance company paid the claim. Who the hell paid them ? ? ? ? The taxpayers of course.

If the whole thing hadn't been so tragic I would be tempted to say something on the order of, "The Keystone Kops Ride Again In The Twentyfirst Century."

The Acting Jefferson County Attorney and his organization will not admit liability or culpability in the Columbine case ? So to keep secrets of mishandling Sanders' daughter gets $1.5 million dollars as a settlement for her dad's death - - - - but silence will rule forever it seems. There are still many questions unanswered and it looks as if they will remain so.

In the case of Jefferson County authorities whose lawyer negotiated the settlement silence is truly Golden . . . . . . . . .

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