Mark Fuhrman on Terri Schiavo

Among the more astounding recent volumes churned out by the rightist propaganda mills is Mark Fuhrman's insta-book Silent Witness, which cashes in on the Terri Schiavo case. Since Fuhrman saw fit to offer pronouncements on the woman's medical condition before the autopsy results came in, perhaps I may be excused for offering a response to his work after giving it only a cursory skimming.

Fuhrman insinuates, but never states directly, that Terri's husband may be responsible for her condition. These insinuations rarely rise beyond the level of "evidence" routinely offered up by those propagandists who hope to prove that Hillary Clinton had a lesbian affair with Barbra Streisand (or whatever it is they want us to believe these days). We are told that he conducted his "investigation" with the full cooperation of Terri's parents.

This fact tells us much about the Schiavos. Why would they want anything to do with the likes of Mark Fuhrman? And what does it say about our countryman that such a man could become a semi-respected "true crime" writer?

Let's remind ourselves of a few facts that conservatives would prefer to flush down the memory hole:

Former LAPD detective mark Fuhrman came to prominence as a result of the O.J. Simpson trial. While on the stand, Fuhrman perjured himself and, worse, took the fifth when asked if he had tampered with crime scene evidence. Tape recordings proved that, contrary to his initial claims, he held viciously racist views.

Somehow, these sorry events transformed Mark Fuhrman a conservative poster boy.

Although Fuhrman later dismissed as "talking trash" the tape-recorded conversation which made him notorious, author Steven Singular (a real true crime writer) uncovered evidence that the man's bigotry runs deeper than most know.

Singular's 1995 book Legacy of Deception describes a disturbing 1987 incident involving another LAPD detective named Walter Purdie, who married a Jewish woman. Purdie returned from his honeymoon to discover swastikas adorning the interior of his locker. Fuhrman was found culpable, since his fingerprints were found in the locker.

This was not the only such incident. During his stint in the military, Fuhrman painted swastikas on the lockers of fellow Marines who happened to be black. Legacy of Deception portrays Fuhrman as a man so fascinated by Hitlerism that he acquired Nazi memorabilia and founded a white supremacist group called WASP -- White Anglo-Saxon Policemen.

Singular also reports that Fuhrman told one Tia Morris, a black LAPD officer (later a detective) that she should leave the force and become a dancer on Soul Train.

Are Singular's claims correct? Obviously, I am no eyewitness, and I have not spoken with either Purdie or Morris. But the book containing these claims (which, if untrue, are actionable) was published some years ago; so far as I know, Fuhrman has made no effort to sue for libel.

After retiring from the LAPD, Fuhrman moved to Sand Point, Idaho, a place often considered friendly to white supremacists. In his retirement, he has achieved success and respect for his literary endeavors.

Just what does a guy have to do to achieve pariah status these days?