They Got Him

This was not the sleek, nattily-dressed superstar of "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit" fame. This was a graying, beefy but not exactly in trim, and -- most importantly -- humbled man who has been living in a kind of limbo for years, and who has finally been served his due by the slowly-grinding wheels of justice. And I'm not saying that the recent trial and sentencing of O.J. Simpson was without its tacky aspects. I mean, when's the last time you heard of a "victim impact statment" being made at a trial for a completely different crime? Well, that didn't happen in this case either, but the presence of Ron Goldman's father and sister in the room made it clear that we were expected to consider their point of view. But hey, isn't that really what criminal law is all about in this country -- emotion, impression, impulse, and (where appropriate) political power? The first time around, O.J. stood as a national hero -- not only in athletics but in that now-very-politically-incorrect sense of having been "a credit to his race". He was a celebrity who could do no wrong, and in fact the murder of his ex-wife and her male friend was considered, in many quarters, to have been a perfectly valid "political statement". He was tried in an extremely public manner, with a presiding judge who had all the eccentricities of a late Medieval inbred monarch, and defended by a superstar team of slick lawyers who could, without a doubt, have gotten Joseph Goebbels off with a small fine and "time served". He was lean, mean, immaculately dressed, and, basically, he owned the world at that point. He was the black Bill Clinton. His attitude was one of, hey, knock yourself out, I'm above the law -- you know it, I know it, and the world knows it. And -- perhaps most importantly -- he had the "lumpen proletariat" outside the courthouse just waiting for an excuse to set fire to the whole city, which, IMO, was the main reason he got off. What jury (whether of his "peers" or not) would have come back with a guilty verdict knowing full well that the result would be a conflagration that would last for days or weeks, with -- perhaps -- much that they personally owned going up in smoke?

But by the time of his sentencing this week, O.J. was basically alone, except for a few cronies and hangers-on who were at least as big losers as he was. And really, the crime for which he was convicted... well, technically it was a big deal, but in the scheme of things was it really? Wasn't it just another minor scuffle in the twilight, sleazy world of sports has-beens and the people who exploit their name and image? Are there any who are pure at heart making deals in a Las Vegas hotel room? I doubt it very much. This is a world where clear-cut criminality and traditional legitimacy both merge into a kind of gray fog. And for all I know, O.J. had a right to reclaim his property -- but his method of doing so was frowned upon by, all of all people, the legal establishment of Las Vegas, which was a tool of The Mob for many decades, and, for all I know, may still be. But the judge put a good face on it, and took pains to point out that this case had nothing whatsoever to do with the earlier one in L.A. Right. And the threatened impeachment of Richard Nixon after Watergate had nothing to do with Alger Hiss. Sorry folks, but I don't buy it. People's memories can be remarkably acute at times, especially where there are unresolved issues. And people do -- even at this late date -- have a residual sense of justice. So in the aggregate, O.J. not only got what he deserved, but actually less. But hey, it was a whole lot better than nothing, and at least we won't have to watch him smugly cruising around golf courses for a few years.