Mid-morning randomness….

  • My prediction for a Germany-Brazil World Cup final has proven accurate. Turkey and South Korea will play for 3rdplace.
  • It seems that I know someone who works for a subsidiary of the financially beleaguered WorldCom. What? $3.8 billion in expenses? Us?!? Surely, you jest. First Enron, then ImClone (and Martha Stewart) and now this. Who’s next?
  • The O’s beat the Yankees! ::: happy dance :::
  • According to the New York Times, the federal judge in the WTC attack trial rejected Zacarias Moussaoui’s no contest plea. It seems that Mr. Moussaoui was under the impression that “no contest” meant that you were not entering any plea of guilt or innocence.

    Mr. Moussaoui, who had earlier won the right to represent himself, has since balked at every motion, pleading and other development in the proceeding and has been eager to use the courtroom lectern to inveigh against America, its justice system and, especially, anyone assigned to help him prepare his defense.

    He has brought to the trial an articulateness along with a sketchy knowledge of the law and legal terms apparently gained from popular films and books, the combination of which Judge Brinkema has clearly found frustrating.

    For her part, she has been obliged to play the role of patient but stern teacher as much as that of judge.

    Today, Mr. Moussaoui refused to enter a plea of guilty or not guilty to a new version of the indictment against him. Instead, he wanted to enter a plea of “no contest.”

    Judge Brinkema explained that he should not do so, as that was equivalent to pleading guilty to the six-count indictment, four of which carry the death penalty.

    “No, in your system, if you plead nolo contendre, that means you enter no plea,” he told her.

    She explained that he was mistaken and that a plea of “no contest” would almost certainly mean that he could be found guilty immediately.

    “I will assume you are pleading not guilty,” she said, invoking her obligation to protect a defendant who is representing himself from making a fatal error.

    “Do not assume anything,” he responded with great agitation. “I will plead no contest.”

    When Judge Brinkema overrode his objections, Mr. Moussaoui, dressed in a dark-green prison suit, complained: “You are interfering with my rights. You are undermining my position.”

    Mr. Moussaoui’s demand that the lawyers appointed by the court to represent him be dismissed and that he be allowed to represent himself produced a series of defeats for him today as Judge Brinkema rejected several handwritten motions he had filed.

    As she ruled against him, he railed, “You are putting me in my cell and just running your show.”

    Complaining that the judge was undermining his dignity, he said, `You are just preparing me for the gas chamber.” He then accused her of using “every trick in the book to prevent me” from mounting an effective defense.”¹

    Amazing. That’s really all that I can say about that. I’m not sure what he was expecting of our legal system (and “yes,” it does have its flaws), but this is rather incredible.

  • I [heart] my GameBoy Advance. And, I have beaten Jess @ Tetris for the past two nights!

And for today’s Atypical Question of the Day: If you have one (or more), what’s your middle name? To start today’s bidding, mine is Alonzo.

Peace.

¹ Excerpted from The New York Times‘ website.