CHARLIE CRIST SEEMS TO HAVE OPENED THE DOORS OF PERCEPTION-- PARDON FOR JIM MORRISON?
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Last year, Florida Republicans rejected the hard right posture of Bush's self-indulgent brother Jeb and chose moderate Charlie Crist over right-wing loon Tom Gallagher, even after it was clear that Crist is another GOP closet queen. So far, Crist has been a far better governor than anyone would have imagined. He's been governing from the point of view of trying to help his constituents, the citizens of Florida, rather than the way Jeb was running the state, as an off-shoot of BushCo, the family firm, every move meant to further narrow partisan aims and enrich political supporters at the expense of everyone else.
A couple weeks ago I was knocked out when I read that Crist was going to actually deal with the disgraceful situation whereby Florida has been disenfranchising thousands of ex-felons. Under Crist's compromise plan-- the legislature, after all, is still dominated by far right maniacs and racists-- "cuts down on the time and paperwork that ex-convicts need to get their civil rights restored... Under a draft of the plan, felons would be divided into three categories upon their release: nonviolent offenders, criminals who haven't committed murder or sex crimes, and those who have committed the more heinous acts. The nonviolent offenders, who account for 80 percent of the crimes, would be eligible for the swiftest restoration of their rights to vote, sit on a jury or obtain occupational licenses, according to a draft the Miami Herald obtained under the public records act." It was approved by the Florida Clemency Board last week.
Last week I mentioned in a Crooks and Liars Late Nite Music Club that Crist is also considering a posthumous pardon for native Floridian/Door lead singer Jim Morrison. After a rally with Sheryl Crow at the University of Florida on Monday to stop global warming, "Crist got on a plane for the capital and seemed lost in thought. He then turned and said he is seriously thinking about pardoning Morrison's 1970 indecent exposure and profanity convictions stemming from a Miami concert the year before. 'He died when he was 27. That's really a kid, when you think about it, and obviously he was having some challenges. There's some dispute about how solid the case was,' Crist said."
I wasn't at the show, but Morrison was a friend of mine and I remember the incident well. He was a real superstar and youth hero at the time. And "the time" was very explosive since VietNam was front and center and young people were overall very alienated from the Establishment. Many people felt Morrison was being crucified unjustly. There was no evidence that he had ever exposed himself and he died before the appeal. Some think the conviction led to his death. "Who doesn't do things that maybe they wish they hadn't done when you're that young?" Crist said. VH-1 did a sensationalized report on the story a few years ago:
Labels: Charlie Crist, Doors, Florida
posted by DownWithTyranny @ 9:36 AM
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Inside the Jim Morrison Pardon Quest: Going Back To Miami
By Dave Diamond
There is an effort underway by the Doors Collectors Magazine, a popular online Doors fan site, to request the Governor of Florida Charlie Crist to consider an unprecedented full and absolute posthumous pardon for the late famed Doors lead singer Jim Morrison, a citizen of Melbourne Florida. The effort was initiated in 1996, when several infractions about the September 1970 conviction of Jim Morrison stemming from the now infamous March 1969 Doors concert put on at the Dinner Key Auditorium were discovered upon re-review of this case.
Over the years, efforts to make the general music media and many elements of Florida government aware of these infractions and trying to shed new light on evidence never before heard or having not been allowed to be presented at the initial trial, have been met with basic apathy, misinformation, rumors, speculations and public "arm chair" jurying. The end result of the unchallenged convictions have come to be accepted by most Doors fans and the mainstream press as nothing more than the typical myth and mystique that surround most of the legendary bands from the Sixties, often retold as facts to generation after generation. Many in the music press over the years have cemented Jim Morrison's "iconic" outlaw image largely due to the notoriety of this particular case, thus diminishing his true contribution to popular American music and literature.
In a true twist of irony, Morrison's actions on that abysmal evening in Miami served to end what has now become accepted as his "Lizard King" stature, thus attempting to change his image into a more simple poet weary of the public excess. Ensuing years saw many fans and historians come to accept him as a martyr for the 1st Amendment, an outlaw who fought the law, a pure symbol of freedom against the oppresive and turbulent times of the Sixties. Many longtime Doors fans, including the band members themselves, saw this particular concert as the end of all that was legit with this band and their live performances, an innocence gone. On the other hand, some fans latched onto the notoriety, largely due to the music press & politcians who were hell bent on making Morrison the cherry on the cake of the Sixties' excess.
When the image, the music, the Sixties, Vietnam, the press, individual historical interpretation, the general apathy and all of those other elements are stripped away, what's left is the law and the Miami case itself. The effort of the Doors Collectors Magazine has been examining the 1970 Miami trial for 11 years, without thought to anything outside of the case itself. Upon in-depth review of the case, several well documented Constitutional violations were found, violations that very simply denied true justice in this case. Morrison's defense was barred from presenting key evidence and witnesses who could have clearly exonerated him. Morrison had the right to confront his accusers, but the then-Mayor of Dade County and the officials who brought the charges on did not appear for testimony. Many of the witnesses that were present had no real consistent recollections of the Miami concert. Witness accounts varied and memory lapses were frequent.
Forget for a moment that he IS Jim Morrison. We looked at this from the standpoint that he was a citizen of Florida who was denied true justice for several reasons. It was a politically motivated case to begin with. There are musicians, bands and performers over the years who have done far worse that pop off some profanity onstage and they were never arrested and charged. The officials involved in the Morrison case were under pressure to act. If Jim Morrison had INDEED committed the offenses at hand, he would have been arrested that night during or directly after the Miami performance just as he was during the now infamous 1968 New Haven concert, where he was maced in the eyes by a police officer before the show. During the Miami performance, the police had no probable cause to arrest Jim Morrison and they didn't. In fact, it was proven that many of the police officers in attendance that night were seen laughing, joking and hanging out with The Doors before, during and after the show. If there was no cause for arrest during that timeframe, then the ensuing charges only underscore the political pressure that followed.
With regard to the now legendary question of the alleged exposure, there are no credible witnesses, photographs or any film/video that can prove with 100% certainty that this incident occured. Under oath in the Dade Couty Court, during his 1970 trial, Jim Morrison testified that he did not expose himself. The jury found him GUILTY of this charge even though the State of Florida could not & did not LEGALLY prove this incident happened beyond a reasonable doubt!
Further, the charge of public intoxication is mind boggling in how the jury handled this. There are several audio CDs out there that clearly demonstrate that Morrison was intoxicated. Morrison was found NOT GUILTY on the charge of public intoxication by the jury! What exactly was WRONG with this jury? How exactly did they base their findings? Why didn't the Florida press pick up on this right then and there?
It is common knowledge that Jim Morrison remained free on bail, pending appeal. He died July 3rd, 1971, but that's NOT where the story ends! His appeal was never heard! THAT point right there is what led to the formation of this current pardon effort, in light of two legal precedents that have come to light in the last few years, that when compared and applied to Morrison's conviction, paint a much different picture.
1. December 23, 2003- New York Governor George Pataki issued an official Pardon to famed Sixties comedian Lenny Bruce. Pataki called his decision, the first posthumous pardon in New York state history, "a declaration of New York's commitment to upholding the First Amendment."
2. On October 17, 2006, Enron founder Ken Lay died prior to exhausting his appeals, his conviction was abated. Precedent in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, the federal appellate court governing the district where Lay was indicted, indicates that abatement had to be automatically granted. When abatement occurs, the law views it as though he had never been indicted, tried and convicted. The government opposed Lay's attorneys' motion for abatement, and the Department of Justice issued a statement that it "remains committed to pursuing all available legal remedies and to reclaim for victims the proceeds of crimes committed by Ken Lay."
Jim Morrison himself had this to say in 1971, months before his passing to LA reporter Bob Chorush about the Miami verdicts: "I got acquitted on everything else. We were trying to get this erased because it's not good to have something like that on your record. It's just if something really serious happens then you have a record and it looks a lot worse. The trouble with all these busts is that people I know, friends of mine, think it's funny and they like to believe it's true and they accept it; people that don't like me like to believe it because I'm the reincarnation of everything they consider evil. I get hung both ways."
It doesn't matter if one is a fan of Jim Morrison or not. What matters here is a citizen of Florida was convicted in the Dade County Criminal Court in a case where due process of law was not properly applied. These facts, in light of the newer precedents, can no longer be ingnored by the State of Florida. It is the intention of Doors Collectors Magazine to provide Governor Crist with all resources available to seriously consider a pardon and finally after almost forty years, bring this case to a close once and for all. If it could happen to Jim Morrison, it could happen to any one of us! In the interest of true justice and closure for the Morrison family, it is being asked of Governor Crist to issue the pardon and abate Case# 69-2355 State of Florida vs. James Douglas Morrison off the current and future Florida law books.
I agree with Diamond. The central core Constitutional violation is that his appeal was never heard. Under the Constitition, if an appeal is not heard the case must be abated, or dismissed. Again, it doesn't matter if it's Jim Morrison or your next door neighbor. Governor Crist has to act on this now, whether you and I like it or not, out of respect for the integrity of the Florida justice system. Otherwise, the state of Florida's entire parole/probation department & the courts are complete jokes and cannot be taken seriously.
We wrote governor Crist in January. we have over 300,000 signatures we hope to gather one million by next January. We hope this campaign is successful. for more or a copy of the petition email wcraft@zerobooks.net
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