Blow Back

I get a fair amount of blow back along the lines of “why are you looking back when it can do no good? “  Here’s why and here’s why my blog is ultimately an ok thing, no matter if you agree with what I post or why I do it:

We never forgot our brother/son.  

We never denied what he suffered through.

Because there is nothing wrong with searching for the truth, even when ignoring it is easier.

Because facing the truth is important.

Because integrity is important; preferably relentless integrity.  (I know that’s asking too much.)

Because we did not stay silent in the face of evil, lies, corruption, shame, and incredible ego.

Because when you don’t look back at what went wrong, there is not only no healing, history can more easily be repeated.  

Because victims of sex crimes often do not have a voice and because sex crimes are still often treated as “not that bad” and therefore worthy of ignoring or diminishing.  Think there was only one Jerry Sandusky running around all these decades? 

Because crime victims deserve far better than they got/get in Oakland County, Michigan.  And, apparently, so do some defendants: http://www.theoaklandpress.com/general-news/20130129/prosecutors-more-than-a-dozen-drug-cases-dismissed-in-oakland-county-after-learning-investigator-lied-under-oath.

Because if you have nothing to hide, you should embrace complete transparency in your dealings with others, to the extent allowed by law.  And don’t manipulate the law so you can hide behind it.  

Because you can never count on somebody having a conscience if their ass is on the line for whatever reason, no matter the egregiousness of the crime or situation. 

Because I think the Michigan State Police suck.

Because I also think Oakland County sucks. 

Because a number of people totally skated for almost 40 years and have lived/live their lives as if not a goddamn thing happened.  Children were tortured and died, people and communities were broken.  There were a lot of us who had to crawl on our hands and knees to be able to walk again.  And I don’t have to keep my mouth shut about that. 

As I’ve said all along—if you don’t like it, don’t read it.  This is a pass/fail gig.  And I’m giving myself a pass.  We dared to speak up and it made a difference.  Not much, but a difference nevertheless.  What happened in these cases can most definitely happen again.  Don’t say I didn’t tell you.

 

 

Documents from Genessee Co. Criminal File on Christopher Busch

Documents from Genessee Co. Criminal File on Christopher Busch

Check out this letter in the Genessee Co. Busch file sent by Genessee Co. Prosecutor Robert F. Leonard to Montmorency Co. Prosecutor David F. Tibbetts on April 6, 1977, some two weeks after my brother’s body was dumped in a ditch in Livonia. I’m sure you will forgive me for my editorial comments, added when I first read the document a few years ago. Leonard states the obvious—that effective investigation of child sex crimes necessitated information sharing; something none of the agencies were able or willing to do, even in the face of this “tragic, acute and widespread problem” in Michigan at the time. I will next post the meeting agenda.
Leonard tried to do the right thing. I don’t know if the meeting ever took place or who attended. And there are more interesting documents in the file about the disposition of Busch’s pending CSC case, even in the face of the prosecutor’s and the assigned judge’s obvious concern with these types of crimes. But Leonard didn’t last long. Two years later he was in the Big House after being convicted of embezzling $34,000 from a fund his office used for undercover operations. See http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1987-09-28/news/8703130190_1_white-collar-white-candidate-seven-candidate-field

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