September 08, 2003
CAN'T WE ALL GET A JOB?
Rodney King, awarded $US3.8 million after his LAPD beating, is broke:
Let's say, for the sake of this example, King had to pay his lawyers a million dollars in legal fees. If he had put the remaining money in the bank in a long-term savings account, it would have netted him a six-figure income for the rest of his life -- without requiring a stitch of work to get it. But if you give money to a self-destructive lout like King, all you are going to get for your money is trouble.
Well, he wasn’t entirely self-destructive -- the LAPD doesn't use Nerf batons -- but David Horowitz has a point.
Posted by Tim Blair at September 8, 2003 03:38 AMHuh? Did anyone ever argue that King was a figure of virtue? The rule is: police aren't supposed to beat people up. It's not waived for assholes.
"If Rodney King had obeyed the orders clearly given and had laid down in a 'prone position' on the night of his famous encounter with Los Angeles police, 58 people would be alive today ..."
So it's all King's fault? That's a pretty unhelpful counterfactual. 58 people would also have been alive if he'd been at home painting pictures of his favourite cat, too. Or, if he hadn't been hit.
Posted by: Michael S. at September 8, 2003 at 11:53 AMKing was so wasted on PCP they could have been using 2x4s and the cretin would have kept on getting up. The Rodney King thing was a disgraceful bit of media manipulation; all the events prior to him getting whacked upside the head were conveniently ignored.
Posted by: Habib Bickford at September 8, 2003 at 12:25 PMHe wouldn't have been awarded $3.8 mil - or blown it - if he'd been home painting his favourite cat either.
Posted by: pooh at September 8, 2003 at 12:30 PMWhen the police tell you to get down on the ground, you get down on the ground. The passenger in the car did.
Posted by: Sandy P. at September 8, 2003 at 12:48 PMEveryone should watch Derek Vinyard's rant about this topic in the movie "American History X". Yes, Vinyard was deranged, but he did put forward a compelling argument.
Posted by: Dan at September 8, 2003 at 01:02 PM
On the bright side, I'm sure Milton Grimes, the attorney who represented King and received half of Rodney's settlement -- and then sued Rodney for unpaid bills incurred while visiting the premier of "Malcom X", among other things -- is duing just find.
From what I've read of Mr. King and what I know about lawyers, I'll bet the lawyers got it all.
Posted by: Theodopoulos Pherecydes at September 8, 2003 at 10:32 PMWhat?! He was stimulating the economy, fine upstanding fellow that he is.
Posted by: BH at September 9, 2003 at 02:10 AM