Saturday, November 07, 2009

What Seattleites Are Thinking: A Sample Of Views On Meredith’s Case

Posted by Professor Snape





I am a Seattleite, and I feel very passionate about supporting the quest for justice for Meredith Kercher and her family. 

I usually never wander up and intrude upon people. But I have been tending to pick Europeans out of crowds and talk with them about the case. I have also inquired about how people feel about the case while waiting in long lines at Disneyworld in Orlando and at Disneyland in California and most recently at Whistler in British Columbia on the gondola. 

Recently I have found myself apologizing for my even being from Seattle. I have a real sense of community, and I am embarrassed by how low the Knox PR campaign actions have brought Seattle.  And I am sickened over the mischaracterizations of the lovely and spirited Meredith and of how she was brutally and excruciatingly murdered. 

Seventy-five percent of the people I have talked with elsewhere expressed zero knowledge of the case. The other twenty-five percent indicated they knew of the people in the case, found it shocking and were sympathetic to the murdered girl’s family and wondered, as we all do, how anyone could do such a horrible thing. Some expressed opinions as to guilt and others didn’t.

Ever since Edda Mellas first hung up the phone with Amanda very early on the morning of 2 November 2007 Seattleites have been the main subject of the aggression of the Knox campaign and its plot to spin webs around the media in a grand attempt to discredit anyone who speaks out against their (to me seemingly immensely disturbed) hero and, in too many cases, meal-ticket.

When the likes of the fatuous Linda Byron of Seattle’s KING 5 have propagated their ill-informed stories on the case, too many Seattleites have concluded at a very superficial level that they know everything there is to know about the case. And so they look and think no further. “Those meanie Italians… ”

I don’t believe most of the people I talk with in Seattle actually outright support Knox. It is a shallow thing, and most people claim to be reserving their judgment.

That was of course also the case with OJ Simpson. Many thought OJ was probably guilty and yet they wouldn’t say it, and then it was devastating when he got off. Then everyone proclaimed they just knew he was guilty, and what a joke about the decision. They blamed the injustice on a shoddy judicial system, not on their poor monitoring of the system and the case..

While I cannot reveal who the Seattleites were, to avoid their becoming targets of payback (names are changed), I would like to share the following comments. These were made by colleagues, service providers and friends around Seattle who fell into the same percentage of interest as the other citizens and non-residents I also spoke with, so this is something of a valid sample.

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Seattle Editor Harry Perkins said, “My impression of the Amanda Knox trial is one of mystified amazement “” the willingness to give her the benefit of the doubt at an elevated level because of her youth, her background, and her physical attractiveness shouldn’t have taken me by surprise…but it has.”

Washington State Certified Public Accountant John Dutch had a strong opinion about the case and listened fairly to what I know about it.  He wanted me to keep him up on the case and he had this to say,

“A few weeks ago I read an article in a national newsmagazine that indicated that the Italian prosecutor in another case had issues around evidence and even accused a defense attorney of being guilty of withholding of evidence when, in fact, he wasn’t. My impression, based on the article, was that the Italian process around crime scene investigation was poor and that, based on their legal tradition of Napoleonic Law, that it would be hard for a defendant to get a trial that we, in the USA, would consider fair. So, how does that relate to the Amanda Knox case? Same prosecutor, same legal tradition, ergo Amanda Knox is probably not getting a fair trial.” 



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Washington State Juvenile and Criminal Psychologist Calvin Richardson wrote, “I’m not sure how average I can be with regards to being a Seattleite. While I’ve lived in this state my whole life, I’ve never really considered myself a Seattleite - although I’ve worked in downtown Seattle.  I can recall the first moment I heard about the Amanda Knox case.  My memory of hearing about this incident is when it was reported that the foreign media was calling her Foxy Knoxy.”

“It made me think of how Michael Jackson was referred to as “Wacko Jacko”.  And, quite honestly, that turned me off to the entire matter.  The rest of the information I have unfortunately absorbed is that there was some sex-crazed, multi-partner-swapping party that ended with a girl being stabbed to death and American Amanda Knox is a bi-sexual, homicidal nympho.”
   
“At the point of the story reaching a sensational level where a catchy headline or title is used, the story becomes about entertainment.  My proof? Didn’t the story have a little spot on the TV. show “Entertainment Tonight”?  Help me out here: when did horrific murder scenes become entertainment (excluding Steven Segal breaking someone’s arm at the elbow - which, come to think of it, isn’t entertaining either)?”

“There can be no bigger disservice to Meredith Kercher’s family, the Knox family, or the Italian system of justice, than to turn a horrific crime into a sassy, Dr. Seuss catch-phrase so that papers can be sold.” 

“I don’t know what the “evidence” is that damns Ms. Knox; I don’t know the circumstances which profess her innocence.  And I certainly know nothing about the judicial procedures of the Italian court system.  But I do know that if Ms. Knox is found guilty, she will have to suffer the consequences of her actions.  It will be a verdict that I will probably not lose sleep over. If Amanda Knox killed Meredith Kercher, then she absolutely deserves whatever comes her way as a consequence.”

“Moreover, if Amanda Knox killed Meredith Kercher in some sex-play game gone wrong, then I am thankful that she’s being tried in Italy.  My perception of foreign judicial systems is that they keep their punishments punishing.  In my opinion,  American justice is like spending the weekend at your grandma’s house: it’s not your favorite place to be, it’s not really fun and exciting, it seems to last forever… but in the long run, it ain’t so bad.”

“I feel American Justice has lost sight of the importance of punishment.  “Justice” must maintain its punitive element of retribution, else it ceases to be just. If Amanda Knox didn’t kill Meredith Kercher, then a small part of me wants to say “That’s what you get for going to a foreign country!”  And yes, I admit, that’s not a fair statement.  But I have to be honest: I’m sick and tired of hearing about citizens from one country going to another country and then complaining about the treatment they receive.”

“Would I like to travel to Italy?  HELL YES!  It looks fantastic, I have distant family that originated from Italy, and the whole romantic aspect of Verona is very fetching.  Will I go to Italy?  Probably not: I don’t know the language, or the customs, and I would probably screw something up, get in trouble, and then I’d be just another crass American complaining that a foreign country is not more accommodating to my personal desires.  And I’m pretty sure the entire World is sick to death with hearing about it.”

“Which makes me think there might be another crime happening because of all of this.  I think that Americans are being presented as loud mouth, over-weight, egocentric, self-righteous Imperialists who feel that it is their birth-right to be entitled to Diplomatic Immunity the moment they step off their front porch.  Deserved or not, you have to know that our biggest calling card as of late is a government that manufactured evidence to gain approval to invade a foreign country and “liberate” the people with Democracy - whether they wanted it or not.”

” I can’t think of anything more offensively pretentious… unless you want to consider Benito Mussolini’s quote: “Let us have a dagger between our teeth, a bomb in our hands and an infinite scorn in our hearts”.  In which case, I appeal to the people of Italy: I forgive your Mussolini, if you forgive my Bush.”

“And I’m sure the press will find a way to make that as salacious as possible.”



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Ian Kendrick, an aerospace compliance officer stated, “The difficult part in understanding the trial is the sensational and sound bite manner in which it is presented.  The limited information I have seen regarding the facts on TV is encapsulated into a 3 minute sound bite at best.  The focus is then on the lurid details, and as the trial progresses it is only the oddities (she smiled in court - gasp!) that are reported not as facts, not as information, but just sensationalism.”

“This gets to the deeper point of news is it truly news any longer?  I’d argue it is simply reality show entertainment now broken down to the most sensational bite sized stories possible.  You only focus for 2 minutes on any local horror, then off to the next.  The follow up is limited and becomes ever shorter as the story grows older.”

Twenty year law enforcement veteran, Jack Bishop, summarized, “Although my law enforcement experience is limited to here in the United States and I have little knowledge of the Italian processes for jurisprudence I do believe I can comment to some degree on the phenomenon of what I call narcissistic innocence.”

“Although I believe it to exist almost everywhere it seems to be quite prevalent here in the Seattle area. When the world rotates around your mere existence and others reinforce that belief how could you be guilty of a crime? Of course not everyone gets it that you are special so you only choose to be with those who worship or at least appear to worship you.”

“These days I have both the good fortune and misfortune of working with people much younger than me. Their energy level is something I willingly try and tap into when mine is low but their level of self absorption is unbelievable.”

“This just feeds into their justification for their inappropriate actions and although I am treated with respects our culture of overvaluing youth is quite apparent. Unlike many Asian cultures that value the older members of the family here we have turned our children loose with the keys to the castle and then spend much of our time justifying our failings by justifying theirs.”

“That the Knox family would try and raise the level of the conversation on a political premise should come as no shock. In fact I would almost be surprised that they wouldn’t, what else could they do? That a community of like-minded narcissists would fall in line behind them is also not a surprise, I have seen it before when someone of affluence or power is charged with a crime in this environment.”

“People of affluence are determined to get their way; they always have and believe they always will. Only in this case they won’t. I can all but guarantee that Amanda Knox will be found guilty of this crime. The sad part is that much of the world will once again be exposed to what we should be most ashamed of, our arrogance.”

“I say let the Italians handle their own affairs. If they can make a clothes processor that serves both functions of washing and drying in one then I’m confident they can sort through the Amanda Knox trial without our help.”

“So what do I think about the case? Nothing.  I do not have enough in depth information to make a reasoned statement about it.  Instead it only serves to illustrate how poorly what we call “news” informs us.”

Karen Reid, a veterinarian working for a rural animal hospital said, “What do I care about the trial? Nothing except for the way the girl died was so shocking. I would hope the Italians will lock up whoever had anything to do with it.  It’s as bad as all the kids being killed by their own families, sick.  I hope the Italian courts are better than ours.”

“I’ve only seen news reports about the girl from Seattle. Her father is like always looking like he’s going to cry, it seems pretty staged if you ask me.  And why is she always smiling?  Geez, who has a big grin on their face in court particularly when charged with murder?  That’s pretty spooky though I don’t think that alone makes her guilty.”

“And I heard there were no finger prints in the house.  Come on, that’s a no brainer how that most likely happened!  I think whatever the outcome Italy should not be bashed, it’s not like pro Italian and anti American.  It’s a horrific crime and someone did it.”

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My own conclusions from all of this?

Most share a common thread of perceiving the Seattle media as being nothing short of a farce. So it is not surprising that few can form a true opinion of to the trial. 

If it is also the Seattle media who are on trial here, then they are seventy-five percent guilty of dishing out slander and uninvestigated PR spin, and only twenty-five percent reporting accurately and fairly. 

That is not a good ratio for a city that is meant to make a good living from its smarts.

Comments

11/7/09
Seattle, with its “Frasier Cranes,” is sensible enough to know they don’t have solid information and must suspend judgment on Amanda. I’m sure they blush at the mention of Foxy Knoxy’s life abroad, a harsh representative of Seattle.

The U.S. is home of road rage. I concur with the law enforcement vet about self-absorption of American youth. Mimi commented about the Annie Le murder in a college lab as a sign of growing degeneracy, even among the higher classes. Anger is everywhere.

One kind deed can renew hope. One businessman gave me attitude this week, despite the fault being his. A few hours later, one gave me a genuine apology for a small delay and a $10 gift card. 

Violence is an American heritage.  What held it in check was respect for God and law, but the mantra is now NO RULES!!!  TV has fueled violence. The beast is barely below the surface in many Americans. Group events are rude or dangerous. People spit right in front of you, pop their gum, mouth-off and curse at the restaurant table beside you, children run wild through the stores, clothes are immodest, for the slightest irritation people give the finger.

Meredith had no idea who she was dealing with in Amanda Knox. It was “the enemy within”, the Trojan Horse. Meredith was so careful to prepare her rent money, to study for classes, to maintain ties with her family, to date discretely, and she was thrust into a cathouse of thieving thugs, high on drugs and alcohol and insane attitudes.

Parents, guard your children from “group” housing. You can’t imagine! My daughter’s roommate at a conservative Southern college tried to bring her boyfriend into the bed in the same room where my innocent daughter slept, 5 feet away! We soon nixed that, but it is hard to find a safe place with co-ed dorms and NO RULES, JUST ANARCHY. Lovely world.

The young need rules and a lot of love, or it’s “fox to guard the henhouse.”

Posted by Hopeful on 11/07/09 at 02:47 PM | #

Snape, you never have to be embarrassed by where you live. If Yahoo wouldn’t haven’t put Ms.Knox in the headline a few months back, I wouldn’t know of her either.

I agree with the self absorption as well. today’s children think they’re entitled to everything. I will take the news quote one step further and say that I think American news is a joke. IMHO, I believe that the State Department has already looked into this and seen the evidence and that is why they are looking the other way.

Having had the good fortune to travel to Italy, I can truly say that we were treated with only kindness and respect, which we returned in kind. This trial would never change my love for Italy. It is truly an amazing country, and I very much dislike how the Knox/Mellas clan and our “news entertainment” shows have tried to paint it as a third world country.

Posted by tigger34 on 11/07/09 at 02:57 PM | #

How very interesting to read a sample of local views on this case!

It’s very sad but not surprising that the news of the case has been simplified and sensationalised as the business of the news media is to sell by attracting viewers/ readers and the story of “pretty home girl wrongly accused by bumbling Third World Europeans of a murder which was really carried out by an African immigrant” contains “standard” themes that “sell” better than the more complex truth.

If the victim had been an American I wonder if the story might have been presented slightly differently.

I wonder how much the FOA PR campaign has affected the story’s reporting. I found many elements of that abhorrent.

Posted by lilly on 11/08/09 at 10:11 AM | #

Speaking to the comments about narcissim, there is one factor of this case that really illustrates the level of self absorption and self-interest of the defendents, and that is how willing they are to continue to create misery in the lives of everyone involved, especially Meredith’s family. 

By not admitting to the crimes, Amanda Knox allows her parents to financially ruin themselves defending her.  They may not be very likable, but surely they don’t deserve that.  I assume other family members are contibuting heavily too.  RS’s father may be more wealthy, but this has to be devastating to him too, and I’m not sure they care.  They allow their family and supporters to be tormented, most probably really believing that their Amanda could not have done this.  I read quotes from Amanda’s grandmother that were heartbreaking - she really believes in her granddaugher’s innocence.

There is the cost to the city of Perugia in handling this huge case, and the time and energy of all of the prosecutors, judges, jury, investigators, personnel, etc that have to deal with this.  And of course, the huge disservice to Meredith’s parents, in not allowing them to know what happened to their daughter, and the other family and friends that loved her and are further victimized by having to listen to the defendants deny everything.  All in the name of self preservation, and just a complete lack of integrity. 

This is hardly the only case out there where a defendant has denied wrongdoing in the face of overwhelming evidence, and I find this intriguing.  Is it really just complete narcissism?  Or just an extreme case of magical thinking, like “if I pretend it didn’t happen, it will go away”?

Posted by Mechele on 11/09/09 at 05:32 AM | #

This quote taken from The Daily Beast is illustrative, too, of Knox’s unwillingness to take responsibility for her actions: She was being questioned at the time by Patrick’s lawyer.

“Did you ever apologize to Patrick?” Pacelli asked. “No,” said Knox, passing up what seemed like a good opportunity to make the apology in front of the court.

“Did you ever offer compensation to Patrick?”asked Pacelli. “Who, me?” she laughed. “No.”

Posted by pensky on 11/09/09 at 08:49 AM | #

Finn posted this amazing post on the Amanda-Edda interactions which seem to suggest a pretty precise point in time when Edda may have realized with a sinking heart that Amanda really was hiding something - and not just a little something.

By the end of Finn’s story-line there, you can see how Edda has come full circle and is now really fighting for her daughter absolutely regardless. Her description on the stand of all she said was in the 88 second call did not exactly sound un-invented. 

Amanda’s strident, callous, flippant second day on the stand, which our posters Fiori and Nicki wrote up on TJMK,  and which Pensky quotes from just above, seems to have been the, ah, Eureka moment for just about everyone in the court.

We got report after report of close court watchers in effect thinking right there and then “wow she really does sound like a dangerous girl” and from then on not being in doubt.

Posted by Peter Quennell on 11/09/09 at 03:19 PM | #

Do we know if the Knoxes or friends have contacted the American Embassy or consulate? Seems to me that there is a “silence speaking volumes” here ....

Posted by Patou on 11/09/09 at 07:30 PM | #

Hi Patou. The sliming of Italy and the Italian authorities looks to have been a stupendously wrong move that has angered many in Washington and backfired enormously in Italy. We dont know how much David Marriott drove all this, but TV network people here say he is way out of his depth on this case. 

We know the Embassy checked things out in the early days and found nothing wrong. We have heard lately through the grapevine that they are not wanting to touch this case again with a very long pole. One reason is the trial of America CIA operatives which matters a lot more officially. And another is, well, all of the evidence.

The senator for Washington State said early last year that she’d get involved but she faded fast. Ann Bremner and possibly Judge Heavey have said they would take it to State if there was a conviction. Ann Bremner loudly boasted that on an LA7 documentary just broadcast all over Italy.

We are told she comes across in Italy as a vacuous grandstanding clown who is utterly lost on the evidence and the system, so nobody in Italy exactly trembled. Not a smart move. None of the moves have been smart. They seem to have burned their official bridges pretty thoroughly.

Posted by Peter Quennell on 11/09/09 at 08:18 PM | #

I think that some people in America should understand that Italian magistrates enjoy much more independence from the executive than in most other democracies. As we’ve seen with the trial of the CIA and Italian Secret Service operatives who kidnapped Abu Omar as part of the rendition program, the efforts of the Italian Government to impede such prosecutions went nowhere.

Maybe most people don’t know that prosecutors in Italy, unlike practically all other countries, do not respond of their actions to the Executive. Magistrates in fact are regulated and disciplined by the Superior Council of the Magistrature.

Such body, chaired by the President of the Republic and the vice-chaired by a Vice President elected by Parliament, consists, for one third, of law professors and lawyers elected by parliament, and for 2/3, elected by the magistrates themselves (judges and prosecutors). In addition it includes two members De Jure: the president and the procurator of the Supreme Court of Cassation.

Such structure, which guarantees enormous independence (and power) to Italian magistrates was devised in the Italian Constitution to avoid the abuses of the Executive during the Fascist regime, where magistrates where used by Mussolini to prosecute political opponents, and, when in agreement with the regime, severely punished and pressured by the dictator’s regime.

In such situation, where not even the Italian government can control magistrates (to the chagrin of Berlusconi himself) I don’t see how any foreign entity or government could apply pressure to Italian magistrates to influence their decisions.

Don’t these people read newspapers? I mean, Italian magistrates just convicted a few Italian Secret Service officials, along with several CIA members, and continually try to prosecute Berlusconi on many grounds.

Do people in Seattle think that the media from a foreign country or even foreign government officials can scare these people? Do these people in Seattle think that they have more power on magistrates in Italy than Berlusconi, who has himself a hard time to get them off his neck in spite of being the richest man in the country and the head of the Government?

Talking about arrogance!

Posted by Commissario Montalbano on 11/09/09 at 10:03 PM | #

Thank you Snape for a different slant on this. It’s good to know that people in the US don’t all buy this totally biased reporting that they are being fed day in day out. The reporting and the repulsive tactics of the Friends of Amanda give Seattle an undeserved reputation. Really good to know it is not full of FOAKers.

I would also like to concur with an earlier poster and say that I too have visited Italy and found nothing but warmth and kindness. The Italian people are delightful and caring by nature, very open, emotional, thoughtful and family orientated. I would not have the slightest hesitation in suggesting to any American that they should really visit this beautiful country once in their lives. You will find nothing but real genuine kindness from the people there. It is the cradle of civilisation.

Posted by TT on 11/10/09 at 09:48 PM | #

Thank you Commissario for the very enlightining post. These are basic facts that any US journo wishing to be regarded as a professional should be aware of, before attempting to write even a single word about the case. Ignorance combined with arrogance is a deadly mix that can only generate missinformation,and with a very few exceptions, wrong and twisted facts it’s all we’ve had from the US press.

Posted by Nicki on 11/11/09 at 12:13 AM | #

Below Commissario Montalbano and Nicki’s post, I’d like to recall in a link how, most often in history, the only successful way to control magistrates by the government was to kill them. A youtube video of Paolo Borsellino’s last interview would express more than any comment, for those who sell themselves as experts of “corruption”, or “media pressure”...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeGtZbtMamU

Posted by Yummi on 11/11/09 at 01:24 AM | #

Patou, the FOA do not have friends in high places nor low places - they have to buy every inch of their way because they are total losers and they would be dumped like a sack of garbage into the can.  I believe they are the bigger of the fools because they are being used by others with their personal agendas. The Knox/Mellas families aren’t too bright nor concerned these days about any of this since they are going to cash in on the “fringe benefits” and Chris will buy a new boat while Edda heads to Vegas.

I think most people in Seattle and those I have spoken with in Canada and around the US really do not care about the FOA or the trial.  That seems like a pretty cool thing since it means FOA are nothing.  Big zero.

I think it is a shame the light the FOA shines on the US.  Surely we have our share of bad eggs but I know a lot of really nice American’s - they just don’t go around waving their arms and crying foul play like others who have nothing which means they have nothing to lose.

Ask me a year ago if I would ever know something about Italy’s legal system and I would say, sha-right!  I have learned a lot thanks to those who share.  I’ve been to some of the best cities in Italy and absolutely love the people and country.  My friend, “oh, yes, shop here….your husband will NEVER forget you!!”  Classy, fun and very real people.  So sorry you have to stomach the FOA and our dazzling media circus. Hang in there and hopefully we’ll be out of your hair soon.  The real “monster” is headed for the paddy wagon.

Justice is coming.  RIP Meredith Kercher

Posted by Professor Snape on 11/11/09 at 09:41 AM | #

Hi,

I am a new member to this site and have never posted before so excuse me if my question has already been discussed or if it sounds a little silly. I have been following the case as much as I can from all different angles and perspectives but I know very little about the FOA organisation. It is not really reported on so much here in the UK and I have tried myself to look for info but find their website (and those pages on facebook) a little weak and without much information of their intended actions. Its their intented actions which worry me.

Recently I heard that this organisation FOA had quite a following and were intending to petition to get Amanda extradited back to the US depending on the outcome of the verdict. I was wondering if anyone could help me with two things. A). is this actually true? and B). is it actually possible and therefore something to be aware of and worried about? With regards to your comment above the FOA don’t have as much power as it has been suggested to me, but after watching clips of the Larry King show (which was such an awful interview, and which never even used Meredith’s name!) it does seem that Amanda and the Knox family have friends in high places.

So I’m just asking for any info on this rumour that the FOA are planning to petition to get her extradited, or just any info on the FOA would be most helpful to me in understanding more about this group. Sorry again if this is a repeated thread of discussion. Thanks

Posted by medievalist on 11/11/09 at 12:56 PM | #

Hi medievalist. You are not the only one in the UK or Italy for that matter that is having trouble figuring out what this misconceived campaign is achieving!

Nothing positive for Knox that we can see. Widespread irritation in Italy, growing anger in US TV networks that they have been played for fools, and Knox herself feeling encouraged to take the witness stand (where she really chilled the court with her callous flippancy) are all huge net negatives. 

The comments above yours starting with the 1-liner by Patou on 11/09/09 at 12:30 PM are the best short overview of the FOA in a single place on TJMK,  including the very hands-off attitude of US officialdom. (No way she is going to be sprung if convicted.)

And if you want to write the doctoral how-not-to-do-it thesis on PR campaigns, read all of the long posts in this category starting from the bottom on page two and working up.

Posted by Peter Quennell on 11/11/09 at 01:37 PM | #

Prosessor Snape -

Great article 😊


Medievalist -

Hi Medievalist. The FOA are in essence Amanda Knox’s friends and family (unoficially of course) fronted by their poster girl lawyer Anne Bremner, a serial high profile ambulance chaser out of Seattle. There are also more insidious members helping control things from the shadows in order to serve their own agendas. Are they powerful? Only if you consider their access to an ‘old school tie’ network in various media outlets in the US (and occasionally the UK) that enable them to get Knox friendly articles printed.

But these will have absolutely no effect on the process and the Italian judiciary, other then perhaps to guarantee there will be no chance of house arrest while awaiting an appeal. Other then that, it will make no difference at all to the verdict and if found guilty, the sentence.

As for extradition, I think if convicted, there will be zero chance of that. The Italian government are allies with the US but the Italian judiciary are completely independent from their government. Between the Italian judiciary and the US government, relations are at an all time low. Most notably for the recent trial of numerous CIA agents in Italy for kidnapping (Extraordinary Rendition) who had to be tried in absentia due to the US goverment refusing to hand them over. They have now been found guilty, but still the US is refusing to hand them over to serve their sentence. This row will likely rumble on for years. Moreover, there has been a marked lack of interest shown in Amanda Knox by the US State Department whose silence throughout this case has been deafening. A guilty verdict will see Amanda having to serve out her sentence in Italy.

Posted by Michael on 11/15/09 at 07:44 PM | #

Hi Medievalist,

Please refer to Commissario Montalbano’s post about the independence of the Italian judiciary. There is no way the FOA are going to sway the jury, nor the US State Depertment will interfere with a sovereign EU country criminal trial.

If Knox and Sollecito are going to be found guilty, the decision will be independently made by the judges-who will not be influenced by external factors. Just like the Kerchers, I have faith in the Italian system. Justice for Meredith is coming.

Posted by Nicki on 11/15/09 at 10:40 PM | #

It is my opinion the Knox/Mellas family and their so called shirt tail “friends” are nothing more than a bunch of cry babies stomping their feet declaring, “It’s nooooot fair!!!” They have no substance; they have no legitimate issue; they have no leadership; they have no money and they have no class.

What they do have is: a big, filthy mouth since they have nothing substantial to say; a big ol’ lying she-bitch attorney who has nothing else to lose; a foaming pit-bull stepdad; a sniveling dad in full denial; a money hungry mother with a starring role in her daughters pitiful movie; ditto for the “glamour girl” sisters; back stabbing buddies who will drop them like hot cakes once they have what they want and the “I-am-going-to-piss-my-pants-when-they-read-the-guilty-verdict” psycho killer daughter for which they are all so proud (well, at least she is the spring board for the movie they are all so eager to participate it).

The FOAKers are nothing more than a bunch of desperate souls on the good ship “Amanda Knox” about ready to sink.  Funny thing is – no one is going to toss them a life preserver as they go under.

PS. Michael – you hit the nail on the head when you said Bremner is an ambulance chaser – the kind you find in Burien!

Posted by Professor Snape on 11/16/09 at 03:52 PM | #

Hi Medievalist-
The FOA have certainly been loud enough in characterizing the Italian justice system as corrupt and third world, and the like.
And they have worked hard to drum up sympathy for their poor innocent daughter enduring a summer heat wave in primitive Italian prisons that have no AC, and being kept in prison with criminals (eek), etc.
But while all this plays well with the home team, I don’t know whether, push-come-shove, they would actually want her to be doing prison time in Washington state rather than Italy.
While certainly they could visit her more conveniently in a prison nearer home, it appears to me that her actual day-to-day life would be much harder in a US jail.
The question is, I guess, to what extent they are taken in my their own anti-Italy PR.

Posted by lauowolf on 11/17/09 at 09:06 PM | #

Great post. Just going backwards a bit, but I’m a native Seattle-ite, as well, more particularly, West Seattle (but from more towards the Admiral District end than where Amanda is from),I have followed this pretty much from the beginning, but as someone who doesn’t watch a lot of television, I got most of my news from the BBC online and a few co-workers have followed it as well that also leaned towards the prosecution of the accused killers of Meredith, but so many more were indifferent either way and I was also recently struck by how it seems that quite a few people in Seattle have never even heard of Amanda Knox or this case at all. On the day of the verdict I was in a grocery store and I asked the teller, who was a young woman probably in her early twenties, if she had heard the verdict and she looked at me and asked, “What verdict?”, “The Meredith Kercher/Amanda Knox verdict”,“Who?”. Luckily, we also have Charles Mudede, who I don’t exactly always agree with in his Stranger column, but at least seems to want to know the truth and actually went to Perugia for research. So yeah, I believe that there are more supporters of justice for Meredith, her family and the truth in Seattle than what the Knox/Mellas clan and their hired guns would have people believe. I really don’t post a whole lot because I’m a terrible typist and so many more people say things that I agree with much more articulately than I can. But thanks to all here and on PMF. You all enlighten and inspire me on a daily basis and remind me that Meredith’s memory is one worth honoring and protecting. Amazing how one person that we’ve never met can touch our hearts like that.

Posted by mortytoad on 12/12/09 at 03:08 AM | #

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