Morning Edition - 8/17/07

Fast Forward; ‘Til Death Do Us Part
Stanley Reimer was stressed and tired, but also financially strapped when he decided his wife’s $700-$800 weekly medical bills were draining him as badly as her uterine cancer had deteriorated her to 75lbs. So, Reimer allegedly walked wife Criste to their fourth floor balcony and threw her over the side to her death below. Now, he’s being held at a Kansas City, Missouri prison on $250,000 bail pending his trail for murder.

Entrapment or Facilitation?
In criminal law, entrapment basically means that you are induced or persuaded by law enforcement to commit a crime you had no previous intent to commit. Now, 12 residents in the Rehoboth, Maryland beach area are trying to prove that they are being entrapped by local law enforcement and charged with lewd conduct, indecent exposure and other petty crimes. One group of gay men says that a 21-year old officer, dressed in shorts, approached them after the local bars closed at 1 a.m. As the officer made small-talk and flirtatious comments, several in the group became interested and found themselves dateless and with a court case when the officer allegedly labeled their reciprocal banter into an unsolicited advance incident. Local gay groups have not addressed the charges by the community that they are being targeted.

The ‘L’ Word
I’ve never been comfortable with tossing the ‘I love you’ line around freely. Even with friends, the line is said with great caution and only if I really feel it. I’m a firm believer that if I use the words in an empty attempt to ingratiate yourself with someone, the words will somehow lose their validity. I need them to mean something – to me and to those I say them to. That said, BD and I are dancing around the words like finalists on Fox’ aptly name show. A couple of days ago while at the gym I was pushing him really hard to complete his dip sets and when he came off the equipment he gave me a dirty look and said, “I’m hating you so much right now.” In an attempt to lighten the mood and as a knee-jerk reaction, I heard myself say, “Awww pa, don’t be mad, you know I love you.” I never looked in his direction again and simply jumped on the equipment to take on my last set of dips. Since then, I never mentioned the incident and hope that, unlike me, he’s not thinking of it. I want the first time that I say those words to him – and hopefully it will be soon – to be special (even sweaty) but not as a means to encourage him through a strenuous workout at the gym.

On Blast
In your opinion which of these constitutes entrapment:
1. A $100 bill is left at the bank counter when you approach the teller to make your transaction. It is clearly unattended and within your reach. You take it and place it in your pocket. You are arrested for bank robbery. (Entrapment?)
2. While using the bathroom, a man makes idle conversation with a man at the urinal next to his. He casually looks down at his urinal-mates penis, but never makes a comment about it. The urinal-mate reaches down and touches the man’s penis. (Entrapment?)
3. Your partner disrespects you in front of your friends and family while at a dinner party completely humiliating you. Since you are sitting adjacent to your partner, your reaction is to slap them across their face, busting their lip. They call the police and you’re arrested for assault. Your partner had the incident planned all along. (Entrapment?)

Keep passin’ the open windows…