Zen Curmudgeon
09-28-2005, 08:04 PM
Many of you might recall Ashley Smith, the young Atlanta woman held hostage last spring by Brian Nichols after he escaped from the local courtouse in a lethal spree that claimed the lives of deputies and a judge. After spending considerable time with him, and reading passages from a Baptist self-help book, the fugitive surrendered to authorities without further violence. Smith was hailed as a heroine by many, including Peggy Noonan, speechwriter for the first President Bush (she penned the "thousand points of light" speech), who in the Wall Street Journal wrote:
"Tuesday evening on the news a "hostage rescue expert" explained that she "negotiated like a pro." Actually what she did is give Christian witness."
As it turns out, she also gave Nichols some crystal meth. As reported in today's New York Times, her new book about the events of March 2005 includes some confounding details, "But in a memoir released yesterday, Ms. Smith also recounts that she gave the kidnapper some of her supply of crystal methamphetamine during her captivity and that she did not tell the police for some time afterward."
Alls well that ends well, though. She'll get to keep the $72,500 in reward money she collected. "Richard Kolko, a special agent at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, said in an interview yesterday that the disclosure about Ms. Smith's supply of crystal meth was unlikely to affect her reward."
Well, good for her, I guess. But I can't help but wonder if Tommy Chong would have done any time in jail for selling bongs if he'd been reading "A Purpose Driven Life" when they served the arrest warrant.
Links are here:
http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pnoonan/?id=110006429&ojrss=frontpage
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/28/national/28purpose.html?th&emc=th
Take Care -
ZC
"Tuesday evening on the news a "hostage rescue expert" explained that she "negotiated like a pro." Actually what she did is give Christian witness."
As it turns out, she also gave Nichols some crystal meth. As reported in today's New York Times, her new book about the events of March 2005 includes some confounding details, "But in a memoir released yesterday, Ms. Smith also recounts that she gave the kidnapper some of her supply of crystal methamphetamine during her captivity and that she did not tell the police for some time afterward."
Alls well that ends well, though. She'll get to keep the $72,500 in reward money she collected. "Richard Kolko, a special agent at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, said in an interview yesterday that the disclosure about Ms. Smith's supply of crystal meth was unlikely to affect her reward."
Well, good for her, I guess. But I can't help but wonder if Tommy Chong would have done any time in jail for selling bongs if he'd been reading "A Purpose Driven Life" when they served the arrest warrant.
Links are here:
http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pnoonan/?id=110006429&ojrss=frontpage
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/28/national/28purpose.html?th&emc=th
Take Care -
ZC