Posted on 06/10/2005 10:49:03 AM PDT by My Favorite Headache
Rush Guitarist Alex Lifeson Breaks Silence on Arrest and Trial
Douglas Maher-All Headline News Staff Reporter
June 9,2005 1:47 EST
Toronto,Canada (AHN)-The guitarist for the rock trio Rush has responded to the events leading to his arrest on New Years Eve 2003 at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Naples,Florida.
Lifeson issued the following statement today appearing on Blogcritics.org:
"In like a lion, out like a lamb. These words appeared in a Naples Daily News editorial on April 27, describing the outcome of the criminal charges against my family and myself. After fifteen months of living in fear and anxiety, and the enormous physical and emotional toll that it took from all of us, the prosecution's case began to crumble as the truth emerged and witnesses came forward to expose the behavior of these Collier County Sheriff's Deputies and certain employees of the Ritz Carlton, a resort hotel reputed to be one of the finest in the world.
"As that part of this ordeal came to a close, I thought to myself that more than anything, I wanted to get my life back on track. I thought I could accept the fact that I was punched in the face so hard it ripped the cartilage from my nose, fracturing the bone and shattering my septum. I thought I could accept the incredibly painful nasal surgery and weeks of recovery, and the discomfort I feel every night when I go to sleep. I thought I could accept the fact that I was Tasered six times, twice while lying face down in a growing pool of my own blood, and so severely that it burned bloody holes in my back. I thought I could accept watching my son get electrocuted numerous times as well, and erase the memory of his screams of pain and terror.
"I thought I could accept being imprisoned for two days without a phone call for over fourteen hours. I thought I could accept the innuendo of those who don't know me and believed I was just some spoiled, drunken rock star. I thought I could accept watching my daughter-in-law, through a crack in the prison door, as tears streamed down her face because she was unlawfully jailed and separated from her two months old son. I thought I could accept the deep depression my wife, the woman I love without measure and who shares my soul, struggled through for months, fearing for her husband and son ... what was I thinking?
"Out like a lamb. All of that for nothing. All because of the bitterness of a few Ritz Carlton hotel employees on the most festive night of the year and their incredibly discourteous, arrogant and aggressive behavior of which I had never experienced in thirty years of travel. All because of three confrontational, intimidating, enraged deputies who wouldn't even consider dialogue, who were so quick to reach for their Tasers and handcuffs when no crime was committed. All because of a prosecutors' office blind to the reality of instances of excessive force by police and the horrendous destruction of innocent lives forever changed...what were they thinking?
"In like a lion. The legal action we are embarking on now will hopefully bring attention to the fact that people cannot and should not be treated this way. I was fortunate to have the resources and will to fight to the end, but there are many who don't and they will forever suffer from the forced compromise of an unfair plea bargain or the threat of sentencing guidelines that demand imprisonment, that hang over one's head like the sword of Damocles. If some good is to come of this, then let it be that the actions of a tiny minority of aggressive, Taser wielding police officers don't tarnish the reputation of the vast majority of officers who proudly serve their communities with honor and sacrifice. I sincerely believe they deserve our utmost respect, but respect is something that must be earned and not demanded with a closed fist or an electrifying weapon ... that's what I'm thinking."
Lifeson will do his first televised interview relating to the arrests on the Canadian music network MuchMoreMusic with Bill Welychka on Saturday June 11th at 1 pm EST.
i love the groups music. i hadn't heard about this. exactly happened? sorry to hear of this episode.
i'll check out the posted links.
See ? !
the plea agreement doesn't necesarrily mean he's guilty. it could have been a situation where an innocent plea would have been more costly.
i don't know whether the father and son are guilty or not, but i do know that one of the most dangerous things to the civil liberties of americans is to assume that the police BY DEFINITION cannot be wrong.
Then by all means, do not do so. But you also shouldn't assume that a person who pleads guilty is actually innocent.
actually, if it's in court then, yes, we should.
insofar as personal opinion i think it is wise to refrain from pre-judging either way without a solid basis for doing so.
this is a wise course which seeks to protect the innocent, not the guilty.
always remember, the innocent have suffered greatly when such principles have been ignored or discarded.
just because we are "tough on crime" conservatives does not mean we should neglect the protections of the innocent by being hasty.
my proposition above is in reference specifically to criminal court.
"In April, Alex and his son pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge and received a year of probation.
Oh, he pled guilty. I guess he is innocent then."
A no contest plea is not the same as a guilty plea.
Oh no. He was innocent. That's why he pleaded "no contest" to the charges rather than "not guilty".
that very well may be the case. believe it or not, it happens.
ESPECIALLY when defendants (not speaking of these guys here) are ill advised by over worked public defenders who don't have a vested interest.
it also happens when people are "scared" into thinking something worse can happen if they stick to a not guilty plea even though there innocent. surely you must know this.
True. But that doesn't excuse what happened.
I am surprised...it was pretty big news around the time it happened.
"Too bad the jackboots here could'nt wait to praise the cops when this was first reported."
Sometimes it takes a long time for someone to realize there are ALWAYS two sides to a story.
You perhaps have never dealt with a malignant narcissitic, ego-maniacal cop. Yes, usually if you can usually avoid problems by being charming and polite.
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