Since Sunday's essay on the unsolved mystery of Betty Van Patter's murder in 1974 appears to have sparked a lot of interest, I have a recommendation for people who want to read further on the subject.
Berkeley-based journalist Kate Coleman has written extensively on the case and you can read her work at <https://colemantruth.net>. I have deliberately not repeated certain salient details yesterday or today because she deserves the credit for her work.
Probably the most informative of her pieces is "Death in Berkeley" in Heterodoxy in 1994. <https://colemantruth.net/kate15.pdf> In it, she details many additional facts about Betty's disappearance and death, including the names of the Black Panthers most probably responsible for her murder.
Kate is an example of how conscientious journalists work relentlessly to uncover facts, regardless of the consequences for themselves or the political ideologies they may identify with. Kate is a self-described leftist radical, yet she has worked with conservative firebrand David Horowitz closely on the Van Patter case over the years.
Their relationship transcends their political differences as they both seek to obtain justice for the Van Patter family.
Kate has endured repeated death threats for her work, and has had to take extraordinary measures on occasion to protect herself. But she has always returned to the central reasons we do this kinds of stories -- because they need to be told.
I hope anyone interested in this case will read Kate's article and reflect upon how critical it is that we have reporters like her keeping track of the abuses of power that result in tragedies like Betty Van Patter's murder.
In the end, Betty was an honest, idealistic employee who tried to warn her colleagues out of loyalty and a belief in their cause. What she got in return was to be killed and, shamefully, to be posthumously defamed by Elaine Brown, her boss.
The key that binds Betty the victim and Kate the reporter together is they are the kind of people who fearlessly speak truth to power. This killing and this story are not about race at all, very much like a sexual harassment story isn't about sex.
It's always about power.
[NOTE: I, too, have done some independent work on this case and will be publishing new details I've uncovered in a future essay.]
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Today's news:
* What Happens When a Superspreader Event Keeps Spreading -- A February conference by the drug company Biogen was initially thought to have infected 99 people. By the end of October, it was feared that the number had grown as high as 300,000. (NYT)
* ‘The last wall’: How dozens of judges rejected Trump’s efforts to overturn election (WashPo)
* In India, Facebook Fears Crackdown on Hate Groups Could Backfire on Its Staff -- The company balked at removing a Hindu nationalist organization after warnings from its security team that its business prospects and local staff might face harm. (WSJ)
* ‘An Indelible Stain’: How the G.O.P. Tried to Topple a Pillar of Democracy -- The Supreme Court repudiation of President Trump was also a blunt rebuke to Republican leaders who had put their interests ahead of the country’s. (NYT)
* A pandemic side effect: Used masks polluting California coastal waters (WashPo)
* Afghan Forces Kill Dozens of Taliban Fighters Following Break in Peace Talks -- Afghan government forces killed at least 51 Taliban fighters as the two sides look for an advantage on both battlefield and the negotiating table. (WSJ)
* Treasure Washes Up on Venezuela’s Shore, Bringing Gold and Hope to a Village -- Venezuela’s economic meltdown had pummeled a proud fishing village. Then jewelry started mysteriously surfacing on its beach, easing the pain of an economic crisis. (NYT)
* The Major League Baseball team in Cleveland, Ohio, will drop "Indians" from its name, according to a report from The New York Times and later confirmed by other news outlets. (CNN)
* Can our democracy survive if most Republicans think the government is illegitimate? (WashPo)
* Parents pray for hundreds of students kidnapped in Nigeria's Katsina -- Parents converged on a secondary school in Nigeria's northwestern Katsina state on Sunday, begging authorities to save hundreds of boys abducted by gunmen (Reuters)
* As War Goes On in Ethiopia, Ethnic Harassment Is on the Rise -- Ethnic Tigray people all over the country report an increase in discrimination and abuse from the authorities. (NYT)
* After 47 years, the owners of the San Francisco Cliff House say they are closing their doors permanently. They lay blame @GoldenGateNPS for delaying a long term contract, but the pandemic played a role. (KQED)
* Vandals tore down a Black Lives Matter banner and sign from two historic Black churches in downtown Washington and set the banner ablaze as nighttime clashes Saturday between pro-Donald Trump supporters and counterdemonstrators erupted into violence and arrests. (AP)
* ‘Free Papua Movement’ Intensifies Amid Escalating Violence -- West Papua was annexed by Indonesia decades ago, leading to a prolonged conflict. A tribal chief who lives overseas recently declared himself president of the embattled territory. (NYT)
* Hijacking the electoral college: The plot to deny JFK the presidency 60 years ago (WashPo)
* Donations soar but nonprofits still struggle with pandemic (AP)
* Female Workers Could Take Another Pandemic Hit: To Their Retirements -- Unequal job losses now will translate into smaller nest eggs and Social Security benefits down the road. (NYT)
* Doctor Informs Patient Weird Lump On Neck Nothing He Can Afford To Worry About (The Onion)
***
Rain won't lift
Gate won't close
Railings froze
Get your mind of wintertime
You ain't goin' nowhere
Tomorrow's the day
My bride's gonna come
Oh, oh, are we gonna fly
Down in the easy chair
How many letters they sent
The morning came and morning went
Pack up your money
And pick up your tent
You ain't goin' nowhere
Tomorrow's the day
My bride's gonna come
Oh, oh, are we gonna fly
Down in the easy chair
And a gun that shoots
Tailgates some substitutes
Strap yourself
To the tree with roots
You ain't goin' nowhere
Tomorrow's the day
My bride's gonna come
Oh, oh, are we gonna fly
Down in the easy chair
He could not keep
All his kings
Supplied with sleep
We'll climb that hill no matter how steep
When we come up to it
Tomorrow's the day
My bride's gonna come
Oh, oh, are we gonna fly
Down in the easy chair
Tomorrow's the day
My bride's gonna come
Oh, oh, are we gonna fly
Down in the easy chair
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