Three Educated Men, Three Bad Choices

Over the past several days the newspapers have carried three stories of three learned men who failed miserably at Life 101. The three might have scholarly wisdom as far as having a degree or degrees of sorts, but the plight they find themselves in today show the lack of plain common sense that has passed them by. Book smart yes – street smart no. Change the names and places and their stories seem to have been written by Anton Chekov.

Story number one finds a local former MIT professor, John Donovan, who finding himself embroiled in a battle with his son over the control of a $180 million trust, decided to stage an attempt on his life in order to frame his son.

Like something out of a Hitchcock movie the father thinks and plans all the details probably while having a meal at a ritzy place. He even writes a to-do list on the back of the Algonquin Club menu. The to-do list however misses one very important task, and that is to destroy the to-do list.

This incriminating list was found by police in a pocket of Mr. Donovan’s sport’s coat. If this wasn’t enough, police found the following inconsistencies with the investigation of the alleged crime:

The sport coat had two bullet holes in the left sleeve and three in the right sleeve; but the blue winter overcoat he was wearing had three bullet holes in the left sleeve and two bullet holes in the right sleeve.
An identical blue winter jacket was discovered in Donovan's van, which was undamaged, leading prosecutors to believe it ``was likely worn by Donovan prior to the time he reported the shooting, at which time it was switched with the other jacket that had already been shot through several times at another location."
Police recovered 14 .22- caliber cartridge casings but ``there were no bullet holes to the interior or exterior of the van . . . other than the broken driver's window."
Doctors removed a piece of glass that was lodged in Donovan's right ear. ``This injury was interesting because, according to Donovan, when the shot was fired through the driver's window, he was facing forward . . . one would have expected . . . glass to be lodged in the left ear."
Donovan reported that his metal belt stopped bullets, but the doctor told police there was no sign of any injuries one would expect from the impact of a bullet.

The case is so pathetic, that I start to feel bad for the desperate old man who’s slated to be in court on June 20.


Story number two finds the president of Caritas Christi Health Care System, Dr. Haddad, in the midst of various sexual harassment accusations. At first four women came forward and now as the story grows legs more are adding their names to the list. It now appears that at least ten to fourteen women have complained that Haddad had hugged and kissed them, both in public and in private.

This story has gotten a lot of local coverage because of the ties with the Catholic Church and the apparent insensitivities shown to victims of sexual abuse. Dr. Haddad has been privately reprimanded by the Cardinal for his actions but the spotlight will not be turned off until he resigns.

I can’t figure out how in today’s workplace climate a man in the position such as Dr. Haddad would place himself in such a position. Doesn’t he realize that even looking at a female the wrong way could be construed as sexual harassment?

He said that the behavior for which he was sanctioned was merely an extension of the Lebanese culture in which he was raised, and has been misinterpreted.

At first reading of the case I thought that things were being blown way out of proportion and that some of the impetus was being fueled by the tie in with the Catholic Church. But some of the evidence submitted described Mr. Haddad of doing the following, ``hugs subordinate female employees, kisses them on the lips, rubs them on the back, calls them late at night, and asks them about matters that are highly personal to them."

If these allegations are true, I can’t see how this man can stay on the job and shield himself with Lebanese culture. Sorry Mr. Haddad, in your position you should know better.


Story number three is about Rep. William J. Jefferson (D-La.), the target of a 14-month public corruption probe, who was videotaped accepting $100,000 in $100 bills from a Northern Virginia investor who was wearing an FBI wire.
Mr. Jefferson maintains his innocence despite the FBI’s finding $90,000 of the cash in the freezer, in $10,000 increments wrapped in aluminum foil and stuffed inside frozen-food containers inside his home. "As I have previously stated, I have never, over all the years of my public service, accepted payment from anyone for the performance of any act or duty for which I have been elected."

How can someone deny a wrongdoing when it was videotaped? How does he explain the money in the freezer? I’m surprised he’s not playing the “race” card.
I know that he’s probably not the only congressman on the take. He just got caught in the act.

As this story unfolded, administration officials sought to quell a growing uproar among Republican and Democratic lawmakers, many of whom view the Saturday night search in the Rayburn House Office Building as a clear violation of constitutional language and case law protecting lawmakers from intimidation by the executive branch.
Why are congressmen above the law? I wonder what other searches would find.

Three educated? men, three bad choices.

“Do the crime, do the time.” I say.