http://www.ocweekly.com/ink/06/14/diary-lowery.php DIARY OF A MAD COUNTY
Vol. 11 No. 14 December 9 - 15, 2005
by STEVE LOWERY
Thursday, Dec. 1
Alleged public safety/personal illumination menace
Theresa Dang is found not guilty of stealing a Garden
Grove police officer’s flashlight during a May
demonstration protesting the appearance of Minuteman
founder Jim Gilchrist. The cops say they have
videotape of Dang taking the flashlight, but some
question why DA Tony Rackauckas would go to court over
a $100 flashlight, especially since the trial and its
buildup cost taxpayers somewhere in the neighborhood
of $50,000. Defenders of Rackauckas’ decision say that
the moment we appease flashlight takers is the moment
the terrorists, torch-carrying terrorists, win. It’s
right there in the Bible, people, St. Paul’s Letter to
the Everreadians, as well as the classic O. Henry
story “The Gift of the Maglite.” (“My stars, I sold my
batteries to get you this flashlight.” “But dearest, I
sold my flashlight to get you these batteries . . .
Hey, is Tony Rackauckas getting this on videotape?”
“My stars, what’s a Tony Rackauckas videotape?” “About
$50,000.”) Now, I’m not saying the DA thought a guilty
verdict was in the bag, but his underlings had already
scheduled several people to speak at the trial’s
sentencing phase, including the flashlight’s owner as
well as some of the flashlight’s friends, who were
going to talk about its work with troubled teens.
