The O.J. Simpson book debacle.

News today of The Goldmans and Denise Brown appearing on Oprah on September 13th got me thinking about the whole "If I Did It" fiasco. Several other times along this long and windy path the scandal took I was compelled to write something about it. Now, I feel I just have to.

First of all, the idea of the book was even thought of being publish I find repugnant. Here, you have a man accused of a double homicide, found innocent by a jury of his peers, writing a book on how he might have killed them if he actually did. Am I the only one who sees a problem with it? If he did it or if he didn't do it, he, and the book publishers, are exploiting a horrible loss of life for a profit. If O.J. is guilty, he got away with murder and is making a buck of it over a decade later (although, O.J. might not have had that money for long" 

Judith Reagan's defense of the project, summed up here, essentially said that she is publishing the book so O.J. could finally confess his crimes and his victims, and all victims of spousal abuse, could have some peace and closure.

This is the stupidest defense of all time. IT WS NOT A CONFESSION! If the book was a confession, it would be titled "I Did It" not "If I Did It". That "If" adds plausible deniablilty to the book and allows O.J. to keep, however slim it might be, an air of innocence. The "If" gives O.J. an out.

So, public outcry is so great that book was cancelled. I thought that the case was closed, and the whole thing was over and done with.

Then, it was announced last month that a bankruptcy court gave rights to the book to the Goldman family. You'd think the family bought the rights so no other company would pick it up and try and publish it, sparing the family grief and sorrow.

Instead, the Goldmans are going to try to publish the book and try to get a TV or Film project done in efforts to recoup some of the $33.5 million dollars in damages they were awarded in the civil case against Simpson.

Oh, and to get justice for their son Ron, as per this quote from Goldman at the time of they were awarded the rights:

"After 13 years of trying to get some justice for Ron, today's the first time that we had any sense of seeing some light at the end of the tunnel."

Justice? Justice? How is publishing this book justice?

Wasn't it enough justice when the wrongful death trial was decided in your favor?

Wasn't it enough justice when O.J.'s plans to get the books on shelves failed?

Isn't it justice enough to sit on the rights so the book will never see the light of day?

Goldman wants us to think that he is hurting Simpson by publishing the book, that he will be making money of the rights so O.J. doesn't. That's just stupid. O.J. wasn't making anything off it anyway. And I doubt that anybody would have fought for the rights if Goldman didn't scarf them up. The book was dead and toxic. I'd argue that if anybody besides Goldman got the rights, the book still would not see the light of day.

If, somehow, that by publishing this book that the case against Simpson would be reopened and he might actually be convicted of the slayings, then I would say that Goldman's justice argument might hold more water. But that can't happen due to double jeopardy and the pesky "If" in the original title.

So, what this all comes out looking like a ploy for the Goldman's to get money. Perhaps they truly believe that they are getting justice against Simpson by doing this, but in reality, they're not. Is it a shame that the Goldmans are having such a hard time collecting the funds from Simpson? Yes. And if there was something I could do to fix that, I would. But the money they make after the portion of the proceeds goes to the Ron Goldman Foundation for Justice will assumedly go right in their pockets. And that looks like they are after financial gain more than anything.  

I hope Oprah asks the hard questions on the 13th. I'd like to find out what really is going on here.