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News: Schiavo memo writer fired

The Right to Life movement shamelessly exploited Terri Schiavo's tragedy for its own ends. Conservative politicians, including Senate Majority Leader Tom Delay (Texas) were eager contributors to the hysteria. Not that most Senate Democrats proved admirable either. Afraid to offend a constiuency that largely ignores them, they signed an unconstitutional bill authorizing intervention in the case by the federal courts. But, perhaps the most exploitive person of all has been identified and dismissed. The Seattle Times has the story.

WASHINGTON — The legal counsel to Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., admitted yesterday that he was the author of a memo citing the political advantage to Republicans of intervening in the Terri Schiavo case, the senator said last night.

Brian Darling, a former lobbyist for the Alexander Strategy Group on gun rights and other issues, offered his resignation, and it was immediately accepted, Martinez said.

The senator said aides had assured him earlier that his office had nothing to do with producing the memo. "I never did an investigation, as such," he said. "I just took it for granted that we wouldn't be that stupid. It was never my intention to in any way politicize this issue."

Martinez, a freshman who was secretary of Housing and Urban Development for most of President Bush's first term, said he had not read the one-page memo. He said he inadvertently passed it to Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, who had worked with him on the issue. Other Senate aides then gave the memo to reporters for ABC News and The Washington Post.

I'm skeptical about whether Sen. Martinez knew what the memo said and where it came from. However, his damage control effort is understandable. As for the aide, the gun lobby often fabricates evidence in favor of more arms in American homes. Their manipulation of public opinion is legend. Darling (pictured) was likely just doing what he does best. There may be trouble ahead for Sen. Martinez. Not because he was among those who used Ms. Schiavo's death to pander to the extremists of the anti-abortion movement. That was the status quo for his party. But, admitting error by taking responsibility for the memo may damage his relationship with fellow Republicans. They had claimed Democrats had created and disseminated the memo as a smear campaign.

ABC News has provided the full text of the memo.

S. 529, The Incapacitated Person's Legal Protection Act

• Teri (sic) Schiavo is subject to an order that her feeding tubes will be disconnected on March 18, 2005 at 1 p.m.

• The Senate needs to act this week, before the Budget Act is pending business, or Terri's family will not have a remedy in federal court.

• This is an important moral issue and the pro-life base will be excited that the Senate is debating this important issue.

• This is a great political issue, because Senator [Bill] Nelson of Florida has already refused to become a cosponsor and this is a tough issue for Democrats.

• The bill is very limited and defines custody as "those parties authorized or directed by a court order to withdraw or withhold food, fluids, or medical treatment."

• There is an exemption for a proceeding "which no party disputes, and the court finds, that the incapacitated person while having capacity, had executed a written advance directive valid under applicably law that clearly authorized the withholding or or (sic) withdrawl (sic) of food and fluids or medical treatment in the applicable circumstances."

• Incapacitated persons are defined as those "presently incapable of making relevant decisions concerning the provision, withholding or withdrawl (sic) of food fluids or medical treatment under applicable state law."

• This legislation ensures that individuals like Terri Schiavo are guaranteed the same legal protections as convicted murderers like Ted Bundy.

News: Local weekly wins Pulitzer

A weekly newspaper in Portland, Oregon, has made history. This week it became the first medium of its kind to win a Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting. The New York Times reports.

Willamette Week in Portland, Ore., an alternative weekly with a circulation of 90,000, won the award for investigative reporting. Nigel Jaquiss, 42, who began his newspaper career seven years ago and is one of four reporters on the staff, exposed the long-concealed sexual abuse of a 14-year-old girl by a former governor of Oregon, Neil Goldschmidt, almost 30 years ago.

A small paragraph for a large achievement. WW's staff of four reporters competes with the Oregonian, which has the power and resources of the Gannett Corp. behind it. More often than one would expect, the weekly breaks stories that the Oregonian has missed. One reason a shoestring operation can best deep pockets is that said chain newspaper avoids controversy like the plague. The most famous example is the saga of former U.S. Sen. Bob Packwood. The Oregonian ignored a major story in its backyard while the Washington Post scooped it. Packwood was a powerful person and the 'O' defers to the powerful. Packwood's long history of sexual harassment of women was well-known among the upper crust. He was forced to resign from the Senate in 1995. The same characteristic explains why there are smiles in the cramped offices of WW this week, and consternation in the spacious quarters of the 'O.'

I blogged the situation that has won Willamette Week its prize last year. Let's revisit that entry.

Goldschmidt betrayed all

A regional story I'm following is about a former Portland mayor, Oregon governor and member of President Jimmy Carter's administration. Neil Goldschmidt carried on a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl while he was in his thirties and mayor of Portland. The local alternative weekly finally reported what happened last week -- 30 years after the events. The Oregonian, known for its chummy relationship with the business community, provided a platform for Goldschmidt to try to wriggle out of responsibility. Once he learned another medium was about to publish a well-researched article about the sexual predation, Goldschmidt hurriedly 'confessed'. The crafty old power broker used the Oregonian to color the molestation an 'affair.' He masterfully spun the episode and coverup so that he appeared to be the victim. Molestation of a minor is a felony in Oregon.

The woman's life went down the drain after the three-year period of molestation and a subsequent rape. She is permanently mentally disabled. Meanwhile, Goldschmidt prospered, becoming an extremely wealthy lobbyist for big business.

The effects of the exposure continue. Goldschmidt had been the local henchman for an ill-conceived scheme to sell Portland General Electric to a firm in Texas. Their plan was apparently to loot the assets of the Enron subsidiary and resell it in five years, leaving ratepayers much worse off. Without the silver-tongued Goldschmidt to finesse the deal, the plan failed to pass scrutiny by the Oregon Public Utility Commission last month.

I have mixed feelings about the reporter who won the award. Nigel Jaquiss worked doggedly on the series of articles exposing Goldschmidt. Despite his own liberal politics, he was not reluctant to reveal the dirty laundry of a Democratic politician. Having stopped participating in an Oregon blog partly because of its refusal to be evenhanded regarding pols, I applaud Jaquiss' willingness to go where many a liberal fears to tread. But, I also have found him opinionated and partisan toward causes, if not political parties.

WW has redirected attention to what even a paper with limited resources can accomplish. My hope is that newspapers, large and small, will recall that what is being swept under the rug by the powerful is fertile ground for newsgathering. In the current atmosphere of cautiousness, many a similar expose is likely going unreported.

Read the award-winning series at Willamette Week.