XPost: rec.sport.skating.ice.figure, alt.skate.figure   
   From: e-mail_@ddress_classif.ied   
      
   "Louis Epstein"  wrote in message   
   news:lc0o25$d63$1@reader1.panix.com   
   > In rec.sport.skating.ice.figure Terry Hall   
   >  wrote:   
   >>   
   >> "Willy Beano"  wrote in message   
   >> news:52cd2136$0$32789$c3e8da3$dbd57e7@news.astraweb.com   
   >>> There is no doubt that Tonuya had at least SOME   
   >>> involvement in th attack, how much we will never   
   >>> know, otherwise she would have never taken the   
   >>> plea bargain.   
   >>   
   >> One could equally well say that there was no conclusive eveidence of   
   >> Tonya's involvement that would stand up in court, and that's why the   
   >> D.A. OFFERED her a plea bargain because he knew he couldn't win.   
   >   
   > Timing also played a factor...she settled just in time to be   
   > kicked off the team for the world championships,which was the   
   > last possible opportunity to make her pay a penalty in terms of   
   > her skating career.   
      
   My God, Louis, you're still around? I thought it was just Chuckie and one or   
   two others left here.   
      
   Why would the District Attorney be interested in kicking her off the world   
   team? As a prosecutor he would only be interested in the legal side of things.   
   If that was his aim, then he grossly abused his authority - yet another   
   example of how everyone had it in for Tonya.   
      
   It's more likely that he knew that he couldn't make his case convince a jury   
   to the "reasonable doubt" level. His only "evidence" was the testimony of   
   liars and fantasists (like Shawn Eckardt) who had changed their stories   
   several times and some scribbles on a piece of paper. His "experts" say that   
   the juicy stuff was in Tonya's handwriting, but he knows that Tonya would have   
   got her own experts who would have said the opposite. Handwriting analysis is   
   not an exact science - it's not a case of chucking it into a computer which   
   then spits out an answer saying "guilty" like it's portrayed on CSI. As an   
   experienced D.A. he knew this, which is most likely whey he decided to cut his   
   losses and do a deal.   
      
      
      
   Terry Hall   
   Head of Special Duties Section   
   Portland Ice Skating Society - New Zealand's Tonya Harding fan club   
   http://www.pdxiss.org   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)