"...WE CANNOT CHANGE THE INEVITABLE ... THE ONLY THING WE CAN DO IS PLAY ON THE ONE STRING WE HAVE, AND THAT IS OUR ATTITUDE...." Former American POW

The retired U.S. Air Force colonel who uttered those profitable words about attitude, put them and a lot more like them, on an inspirational tape. He was right, of course—as right as if he’d said, peace is good, and left it at that. In the late 1970’s or early ’80s, a friend, concerned about my grim preoccupation with Indochina and the war of images that I was still resisting with letters to the media about unchecked genocide, gave me a copy of the tape.... Yeah, I copped an attitude.

Dable, the universally loved and respected OJU, who sent us an excerpt from the colonel’s speech nearly a generation later, accepted it for the good sense it contained without knowing the whole story. I sent an e-mail letter to the group telling what I knew of the man and his message. I got back a blistering attack from Chameleon, equating me with her war-mongering brother, accusing me of living in the past and losing sight of reality in a blind quest for vengeance.

When you read the following letter from Bull, I want you to remember that the thrust of my letter to the group was directed toward the power of images and image makers in the American mass media. One reason I was so interested in the O.J. Simpson case, was the role his image played in his fate, and the unchallenged power of ONE NAZI to shape it for mass consumption.

With that background in place, it’s time to introduce you to Bull M, an OJG I didn’t know on the CTV boards, but one who made it his personal mission to harass Hhhana. More about that later.

For now, there is one more editing change I should mention for the record: The e-mail group members who corresponded most often found it irritating after awhile to read the same copied messages at the top of their letters over and over again. They decided that all of us should put our current messages at the top. Not everyone got the word at the same time, so the responses were not uniform and stayed confusing for several weeks. For your sake, I’m putting everything in chronological order whenever possible, with the quoted text of the earlier letter or letters ahead of the latest one without quotes. We have no need, here, to repeat them.

Subj: Attitude/The whole world is watching

Date: 97-02-06

From: Bull M

To: Trooper

Trooper1 wrote:

"Chameleon— I have no idea what you’re talking about. I know only that millions of people were allowed to die in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and then in places like Iraq, Somalia, Bosnia, Burundi and Rwanda with the whole damn world watching. They watched just long enough to calculate the possible cost to them of trying to stop it, to recall the lessons of Vietnam and to bow out.

"I have no interest in revenge for what people like Jane Fonda did to people like me and Dennis Hammond. I just want others to know that we existed, that we cared about others, and that we fought with a clear idea of what the costs would be in life, liberty and "attitudes" about the unopposed slaughter of any ‘out-group’ anywhere if the peace movement won the war of images it fought so effectively.

"I have a strong interest in preventing genocide. I’ve worked at it whenever I could since I was a child—since I learned about my Jewish uncle and the lessons of Munich. We can all feel good about ourselves and the world by ignoring the things that bother us. If that’s what you want to do, fine. Whatever gets you through the day. But please don’t insist that those of us who care enough about the NEXT war of extermination or the NEXT uncontested use of death camps to raise a cry of alarm are crazy people looking for revenge. "That has already been done by experts.

"It worked in ’75 when we screamed about what we knew would happen in Cambodia if the Khmer Rouge were allowed to take over. It worked when we jumped up and down about the slaughter of the Kurds and Shiites in Iraq. It worked against us in Rwanda and Bosnia and Haiti. There is no question somebody, somewhere will try to be another Hitler or Pol Pot or Saddam Hussein. The question is what will we do about it BEFORE it is allowed to run its course. It all boils down to a question of ‘attitude.’ —Trooper1"

Trooper1— It’s possible that I, or other family members might have known your Jewish uncle. Once, about 15 years ago, I was electrocuted while working on the AC in my attic. Knocked me out for 17 minutes. I came to as the paramedics arrived at the bottom of the ladder calling up to my wife and neighbor. I woke up in Munich, in an attic. The Gestapo were coming up the ladder to get me. I was back there for 10 - 20 seconds... I also am vigilant.

Now let’s see, what lessons did I learn from Munich?....I learned that a sane population can be swept away on emotions aroused by crowds chanting hate slogans. Brother can be turned against brother by rhetoric that instigates and incites. Sure, the monsters of the world (like OJ ) are out there and waiting their chance to do their evil. All they need is a boost and somebody else to blame things on, and the crowd will follow blindly.

This country is built upon the causes you so eloquently espouse, and on balance it’s the greatest place in the history of mankind. Our system, admittedly not infallible, is also easy prey to self-serving abuse. I prefer to focus my vigilance upon these problems and allow my elected representatives (who I put there with said vigilance in mind) the room to help ease the world’s burdens. —Bull M

Subj: Re: Lynching

Date: 97-02-07 00:16:15 EST

From: Trille

To: Trooper1

Trooper1 wrote:

"Christine— "You said it. I will do everything I can to help. —Jasper"

Great, Jasper— I sent faxes to the Baker law firm and I said that I would fax more to request information of how we can really help, what can be done. What is happening to Chameleon? I have asked her not to write to me anymore. Has she turned into another person, or was she always OJG. What is with these people? HAS EVERYBODY FORGOTTEN THE GLOVES? WHOSE GLOVES ARE THEY SUPPOSED TO BE? WE KNOW THEY DON’T FIT OJ. SO HOW DOES THIS JURY EXPLAIN THAT? OR THEY DON’T BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN INFECTED WITH THE SAME VIRUS OF HATE THAT THE MEDIA HAS CONTAMINATED THE COUNTRY WITH.

What is this crap the Bull is spouting—or is it Tiger—of how hate can infect us anytime? Don’t they realize they are REFERRING TO THEMSELVES? THEY ARE THE VERY ONES WHO HAVE SUCCUMBED TO THE DISEASE OF HATRED AND VENGEANCE. See you later. Tomorrow I hope to have more info. —Trille

Subj: Re: Attitude/The whole world is watching

Date: 97-02-07 02:09:34 EST

From: Tiger

To: Bull, Trooper1, Chameleon

CC: Petlady, Crowe, Lion, Bear, Hhhana, Rhino, Trille.

Just in case you want some first-hand information, my birth certificate has the swastika of the Third Reich stamped in great clarity all over it. We haven’t learned very much since then, have we? —Tiger

Subj: MFG Scenario

Date: 97-02-07 16:59:31 EST

From: Crowe

To: Trooper1

I was having e-mail problems and did not get yours until this evening. I have read it all over and the only flaw I can see in it is where MF was at the time of the murders. I’ve never been convinced he was at some function. The only place I heard that was from Lion and I don’t think much of her information. We all know what a racist pig he was so a lot of the stuff fits.

What about the door of the condo being open. Could OJ have left stuff there and someone took it at the time of the murders? He wouldn’t have had to go through the garbage if the gloves and hat etc. were at Bundy. I found it funny that Park did not see the second car in the driveway [editor’s note: Park did see a second car. The trouble was, it hadn’t been there when he was] or the Bronco when he came or when he left. I read somewhere (call it gossip I guess) that Park was smoking marijuana while waiting for OJ. I realize there’s no proof of this, but there’s no proof for a lot of this stuff.

I have no problem with Fuhrman setting OJ up because he was a black man with a white woman. This to me just makes sense. He said in, I think it was 1982 or 1983 when he wanted to get out of the LAPD, that he was afraid he might kill someone. This way he gets to kill someone and frame someone he hates—a black man with a white woman.

Don’t mind some of my flights of fancy as there are things I have been thinking for a long time but was too chicken to post on the boards because of people like Lion and Tiger. We know Nicole was going out a lot, with a lot of different men. Could MF have been one of them? What if he was? And Nicole blew him off when she was thinking of going back to OJ??? I know that sounds a little strange, but I have thought of this for awhile. Of course, there’s no way to find out. I think Fuhrman was screwing around with Laura Hart McKinny so why not Nicole??? I know I’m probably throwing out more questions than I’m giving you answers but that’s the way my head works. Well I think this is enough for now.

Will write more later. —Pat (Crowe)

Though none of us realized it at the time, exchanges like this were leading the OJI e-mail group to a vicious little war with the OJG’s. This wasn’t the war of ideas we had pledged ourselves to fighting on behalf of OJ Simpson and his family—and, by extension, on behalf of the very principle of justice in the United States and Canada. This was personal. Though it was old hat for veteran OJI’s to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous OJG assaults on our intelligence, our adulthood and our character on the CTV threads, this would be the first time Chameleon would side with the OJG’s in the communication network she set up.

It should have been obvious, but only in retrospect did the pattern of her discontent with the OJI’s emerge in full relief. I doubt that Chameleon saw it herself for what it was.

And what was it? A primal need that was going unfulfilled, the need to be appreciated. She wasn’t looking for anything she hadn’t earned. That was just it, she shouldn’t have had to look for anything from us. Without her, there would have been no e-mail group. She conceived it. She set it up. She worked harder than anyone to make it work. We took her for granted. We told each other how much we appreciated what she did, but we didn’t always get it across to her. On the other hand, when we didn’t agree with what she did or wanted to do, we weren’t always as diplomatic as we could have been in telling her so.

Hidden motives in our dealings with each other in our "search for truth" about the Bundy murders, had to have been a part of what all of us did. Perhaps that’s why we are forever attributing motives to the behavior of others with or without the evidence to support it. In Chameleon’s case everything came to a head in the waning days of the CTV Discussion Group with Jamal’s refusal to come on board with us.

Most of us were still posting on the CTV boards when we could get in, and Jamal was unquestionably one of the most influential opinion leaders on the OJI side. Jamal’s active participation in any group gave it instant legitimacy. When the rest of us posted, we didn’t know if anyone would bother to read our posts or not. When Jamal posted, there was no question about it. Unlike the young e-mail group with no clearly established leaders, everyone knew that when Jamal spoke, things happened. Jamal was about to speak in a loud, clear voice. Not everyone was going to understand what he said, why he said it, or why he said it the way he did. For others, me included, the mystery was going to lie in how so many people could miss it. Another mystery for me was how Hhhana could have missed Jamal unless she was newer to the threads than I thought. A moot question now. Their paths were about to cross.

Subject: MAD AS HELL

Date: 97-02-08 15:49:06 EST

From: Hhhana

To: Trooper173@aol.com

Hey Jasper— You finally got my missing letter...glad I don’t have to try to do it again. I am in the process of deleting all of my posts from the CTV threads. Been working on it for an hour and will probably take all night. I also am sending this only to you because 1. you are my sounding board 2. you don’t send copies of your mail to other people. I wouldn’t want this out for public consumption. Who do these people think they are? I can call some members of the LAPD liars and bigots; it doesn’t mean I’m calling anyone on the threads anything. They have a right to their opinions. But when I express my opinion, "I’m stupid, a puppet, ignorant, a wimp."

I don’t have to take it...I really don’t. I am 50 years old, have seen a lot in every one of those years. I know what you call it when it smells like doo-doo. I will never accept the public crucifixion of OJ Simpson after he was ACQUITTED. I haven’t written a ton of books; never been counted among the most intelligent in the country as some of the others claim to be. I do have a master’s degree in psychology; I don’t toot my horn about it, because it doesn’t mean anything. That makes me no better and no smarter then anybody else. I can say one thing that the OJG’s cannot.....I HAVE NEVER INTENTIONALLY HURT ANYBODY IN MY LIFE....NEVER WILL.....

Thanks for the ear and the shoulder...guess I am a crybaby after all. I’m furious.... —Paula