We have not been told what considerations were taken into account as a result of the autopsy. Perhaps it is gunshot residue as Ronald Riml suggests, but we haven't been told this. And I think the residue might be something that could be faked. I think this case should be more thoroughly investigated, as I think if this conservative columnist had decided to take his own life he would probably have left a message behind explaining his action.
I don't know of any way that an autopsy can prove that a shooting death was a suicide rather than homicide. This man was a writer, and yet he didn't leave a final message. How would other conservative spokespeople feel about having their own death assumed a suicide in this way?
Thank you, Kerry, for sharing your knowledge about methadone treatment. Your question, "How many have driven anyhow when they were tired?" is a good one and should caution us against judging others. I myself am usually tired, but I never fall asleep at the wheel because I have the kind of nervous system that just doesn't fall asleep easily, even in bed (if it were easier for me to sleep I might not be so tired--sigh). Others may be wired differently. Not driving is not a very practical option for many people.
I would be sorry to see this incident used to handicap people who need methadone.
The SJ notified me of Jeff Johnson's comment, although it is addressed to Dan Breton, not to me, but here are a few thoughts of mine. Jeff writes,
> Why would the SJ not follow up with the victim's wife, and create
> some controversy in the story... that would sell more copies, and
> get more views.
I don't know why the SJ often tells only one side of a story that cries out for more views, but this is not the only instance of that tendency. My guess is that when they get a packaged report from some government agency it is easier just to publish or summarize the report than to do investigative reporting.
> Why would the SJ try to bury the arguably most exciting part of
> the story? Are they deliberately trying to cover for Northstar?
Again, I think it is just easier to ignore the part of the story that hasn't been put in their lap. I don't know whether the SJ would deliberately try to cover for Northstar, but I do think the Maine EMS office is doing that.
> Is the governor somehow involved?
I doubt it, but Dan would probably disagree with me. My own impression is that Franklin Memorial Hospital is used to being treated as if they were God, and this goes back long before the election of Paul LePage to the governorship. How we got into this situation I don't know, as I have been living in Maine only 7 years.
Since my first comment Scott Thistle, speaking for SJ, has said that "we did try to contact Mrs. Morse in Nova Scotia" but "we were unsuccessful in these attempts." It might help if I knew more about what these attempts amounted to.
Thank you for your response, Scott Thistle--I would like to know more about your attempts to reach Dana Morse. Is it your impression that she is deliberately ignoring inquiries? Or how seriously did you try? She seemed very determined, when this incident first occurred, to make her story known; but since then it has been impossible to learn her reaction to developments. I tried writing to her c/o the Chronicle Herald in Nova Scotia and asked them to forward my letter, but they did not reply, and I have no way of knowing whether she received my communication. I don't know her address.
I have no opinion on the political-partisan aspects of this. My beef is that Franklin Memorial Hospital/Franklin Community Health Network has way too much power and isn't meaningfully accountable to anyone. It's been that way as long as I've had any dealings with them, regardless of who is in office in Augusta. I want to get Dana Morse's reaction to this report, but somehow no newspaper has managed to include that in their story. Can someone please tell me her address? You can reach me at 299 High St., Farmington 04938, or at licia@qhpress.org, if you don't want to post it here. Thanks.
This is just outrageous. We are asked to believe that the only reason the ambulance crew dumped Dana Morse by the side of the road in a snowstorm, after she requested to sit in back with her dying husband, is that they thought she had said she wanted to be with her children! Her children weren't by the side of the road, and if this had in fact happened it wouldn't have taken the ambulance crew 3 months to come up with the story.
Where are the facts on the basis of which Maine EMS concluded that Ms. Morse's story was untrue and the EMTs' story was the truth? None are presented.
What is Dana Morse's reply? Didn't it even occur to Sun Journal reporters to ask her?
This is a delightful story. No wonder that Google should blow it now and then, as the saying goes, "To err is human; to foul up completely takes a computer!" What saddens me, however, is the pointless and irrelevant string of words spouted by the "Google spokeswoman," Deanna Yick, who shows no trace of a sense of humor or any understanding that she is not addressing a mere "inaccuracy," or that it isn't relevant (in this case) whether "the world is constantly changing." She is saying what she has been programmed to say. Let computers say what they are programmed to say: human beings should say something human, and organizations should stop programming their employees with "official lines." I run into this every day, and many cases of official-line-spouting are not as harmless as this one.
Not another!
Sad. Too many good Farmington stores have been closing.
Still think it should be investigated
We have not been told what considerations were taken into account as a result of the autopsy. Perhaps it is gunshot residue as Ronald Riml suggests, but we haven't been told this. And I think the residue might be something that could be faked. I think this case should be more thoroughly investigated, as I think if this conservative columnist had decided to take his own life he would probably have left a message behind explaining his action.
Should be investigated
I don't know of any way that an autopsy can prove that a shooting death was a suicide rather than homicide. This man was a writer, and yet he didn't leave a final message. How would other conservative spokespeople feel about having their own death assumed a suicide in this way?
I wonder too
And why are we suddenly getting so much more detail about this encounter than we ever got before? Where was the information hiding?
The fact remains that there were no witnesses to this encounter besides Ryan Rosie and Justin Crowley-Smilek.
Thanks
Thank you, Kerry, for sharing your knowledge about methadone treatment. Your question, "How many have driven anyhow when they were tired?" is a good one and should caution us against judging others. I myself am usually tired, but I never fall asleep at the wheel because I have the kind of nervous system that just doesn't fall asleep easily, even in bed (if it were easier for me to sleep I might not be so tired--sigh). Others may be wired differently. Not driving is not a very practical option for many people.
I would be sorry to see this incident used to handicap people who need methadone.
Re: Jeff Johnson's comment
The SJ notified me of Jeff Johnson's comment, although it is addressed to Dan Breton, not to me, but here are a few thoughts of mine. Jeff writes,
> Why would the SJ not follow up with the victim's wife, and create
> some controversy in the story... that would sell more copies, and
> get more views.
I don't know why the SJ often tells only one side of a story that cries out for more views, but this is not the only instance of that tendency. My guess is that when they get a packaged report from some government agency it is easier just to publish or summarize the report than to do investigative reporting.
> Why would the SJ try to bury the arguably most exciting part of
> the story? Are they deliberately trying to cover for Northstar?
Again, I think it is just easier to ignore the part of the story that hasn't been put in their lap. I don't know whether the SJ would deliberately try to cover for Northstar, but I do think the Maine EMS office is doing that.
> Is the governor somehow involved?
I doubt it, but Dan would probably disagree with me. My own impression is that Franklin Memorial Hospital is used to being treated as if they were God, and this goes back long before the election of Paul LePage to the governorship. How we got into this situation I don't know, as I have been living in Maine only 7 years.
Since my first comment Scott Thistle, speaking for SJ, has said that "we did try to contact Mrs. Morse in Nova Scotia" but "we were unsuccessful in these attempts." It might help if I knew more about what these attempts amounted to.
Contacting Mrs. Morse
Thank you for your response, Scott Thistle--I would like to know more about your attempts to reach Dana Morse. Is it your impression that she is deliberately ignoring inquiries? Or how seriously did you try? She seemed very determined, when this incident first occurred, to make her story known; but since then it has been impossible to learn her reaction to developments. I tried writing to her c/o the Chronicle Herald in Nova Scotia and asked them to forward my letter, but they did not reply, and I have no way of knowing whether she received my communication. I don't know her address.
What's her address?
I have no opinion on the political-partisan aspects of this. My beef is that Franklin Memorial Hospital/Franklin Community Health Network has way too much power and isn't meaningfully accountable to anyone. It's been that way as long as I've had any dealings with them, regardless of who is in office in Augusta. I want to get Dana Morse's reaction to this report, but somehow no newspaper has managed to include that in their story. Can someone please tell me her address? You can reach me at 299 High St., Farmington 04938, or at licia@qhpress.org, if you don't want to post it here. Thanks.
Outrageous
This is just outrageous. We are asked to believe that the only reason the ambulance crew dumped Dana Morse by the side of the road in a snowstorm, after she requested to sit in back with her dying husband, is that they thought she had said she wanted to be with her children! Her children weren't by the side of the road, and if this had in fact happened it wouldn't have taken the ambulance crew 3 months to come up with the story.
Where are the facts on the basis of which Maine EMS concluded that Ms. Morse's story was untrue and the EMTs' story was the truth? None are presented.
What is Dana Morse's reply? Didn't it even occur to Sun Journal reporters to ask her?
"Official line"
This is a delightful story. No wonder that Google should blow it now and then, as the saying goes, "To err is human; to foul up completely takes a computer!" What saddens me, however, is the pointless and irrelevant string of words spouted by the "Google spokeswoman," Deanna Yick, who shows no trace of a sense of humor or any understanding that she is not addressing a mere "inaccuracy," or that it isn't relevant (in this case) whether "the world is constantly changing." She is saying what she has been programmed to say. Let computers say what they are programmed to say: human beings should say something human, and organizations should stop programming their employees with "official lines." I run into this every day, and many cases of official-line-spouting are not as harmless as this one.