Cell 2 Soul: The Humane Health Care Blog

Marginal Notes: A Silly Millimeter

When I was a boy, tobacco advertisements on television were ubiquitous. Such ads worked to introduce millions of young people to the smoking habit.

 

During those years Chesterfield brought out a new cigarette one millimeter longer than the conventional brands. It was christened “101,” and marketed as “a silly millimeter longer.” To this day I can still recall the jingle inside my head.

 

What difference does one millimeter make after all? In the world of contemporary tobacco sales one millimeter counts for little (the brand was retired long ago), but in the world of medical science a millimeter is anything but silly. >>more

 

Brian T. Maurer has practiced pediatrics as a Physician Assistant for thirty years.  His "Marginal Notes" column appears periodically in the Cell2Soul Blog. The title "Marginal Notes" is taken from a quote by Henry David Thoreau: "I love a broad margin to my life."

Witch Hunt: When the Justice System is Criminal

Witch Hunt is coming to a TV near you!

MSNBC:  Sunday night - April 12, 2009

10 p.m. Eastern, 7 p.m. Pacific

This documentary produced by Dana Nachman and Don Hardy and narrated by Sean Penn chronicles the unraveling of a small town's justice system. The main characters in this new non-fiction film are working class parents, moms and dads, who were all wrongly convicted of child molestation in the early 1980s in the town of Bakersfield, California. Each of these falsely convicted people was recklessly pursued by the same Kern County District Attorney who remains in office today. "Witch Hunt" is a true crime drama, where the real criminals were the authorities, themselves.

Starting in 1984 at the height of child molestation hysteria, the local District Attorney used this sensational crime in order to get himself elected by preying on these innocent families and convincing an easily swayed public of their crimes. These innocent citizens served unwarranted lengthy prison time from 6 years to 20 years in some of California's most horrendous prisons, ultimately resulting in tremendous hardships for themselves and their loved ones leaving everyone emotionally and psychologically damaged for life. Miraculously, after lengthy court battles and the uncovering of evidence left out of the initial trials, each person was finally exonerated. However, they have yet to receive an apology from those who wrongfully convicted them. "Witch Hunt" promises to be a heart-wrenching story about wrongful persecution, an unbalanced justice system, coercion, and at the same time, endurance and hope that this type of injustice can be stopped.

  It is the story of John Stoll, Jeffrey Modahl, Brenda and Scott Kniffen, Marcella and Rick Pitts, Jack and Jackie Cummings and their children and families whose lives were ruined and turned upside down for decades by a system they trusted. John Stolll and Jeff Modahl have now dedicated their lives to helping other falsely convicted innocents to get their day in court.

"Witch Hunt" is directed and produced by first time feature filmmakers Dana Nachman and Don Hardy. The film is narrated and executive produced by Oscar winner Sean Penn ("Mystic River").