Richard Jewell: A Well-Made Cautionary Tale

If you want a reminder both of why you should both lawyer up and shut up if you're being questioned about a crime as well as what happens when law enforcement and particularly Federal law enforcement abuse their roles, go to see Clint Eastwood's Richard Jewell . Actually, even if you don't want a reminder of those facts, go to see it anyway for an excellent example of both.

The basic story is well-known, at least for those of us who remember the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. . Richard Allensworth Jewell was a heavyset Georgia boy who lived with his single mom and aspired to be a lawman (he had, in fact briefly served as a Deputy Sheriff [and, as depicted in the film, a portrait of him in uniform really did hang in his mother's apartment]) and is fired from his job as a security guard at a small private college when he actually enforces laws against underage drinking in the dorm. Since the Olympics were coming to town there will be, as a friend points out to him, plenty of security work and so it was that Jewell found himself at Centennial Olympic Park on the evening of 27 July 1996.

Jewell, who was very diligent (to the point of being a bit of an eager beaver) in his job as a security guard and wanted to be accepted into the law enforcement fraternity of which he'd once been a member, discovered a backpack and reported the same. While police initially dismissed it it turned out that there were three large pipe bombs therein (a threat had been telephoned in to the Atlanta Police Department at roughly the same time, but it was one of numerous, most of which turned out to be hoaxes -- his was not). The bombs detonate, directly killing one person (another died of a heart attack as a result of the panic) and injuring 111 people.

I found that the coverage of that brought back many memories.Although I was living in South Carolina I was also spending a good bit of time in Augusta, Georgia, and it was impossible to be in the Southeast and not be aware of the Olympics -- while I didn't follow them closely as the political correctness that had accompanied them had turned me off -- the coverage was everywhere. I remember being up late, possibly preparing a sermon (I was in seminary t the time and preached most Sundays [more than I do of late, sadly]) when coverage of the explosion came over the television.

Richard Jewell was intially hailed as a hero but that quickly changed when the Atlanta Journal Constituion reported that he was being investigated by the FBI as a suspect with the suggestion being that he had palnted the bomb in an attempt to engineer an incident where he could be the hero, a so-called lone-wolf. Jewell's life changes forever.

Over the next three months the case is tried in the media and the FBI engages in questionable practices in order to press their case. It is at this point that the film takes a bit of license with the historical record. First of all, there was no agent named Tom Shaw (portrayed by Jon Hamm of Mad Men fame), although he may have been a composite of several individuals. Furthermore, white there really was a reporter for the AJC named Kathy Scruggs who was an attractive blonde -- she'd dated Lewis Grizzard (but then I'd imagine a good number of attractive single women of a certain age in Atlanta dated Lewis Grizzard, particularly if they worked for the AJC) -- and was known as a hard charging reporter, she died of an overdose in 2001 and her family and friends have disputed the portrayal of her as exchanging sexual favors for the infomation that Jewell was a person of interest.

However she got the information, she did and in the race for a scoop he found himself hounded by the press. Ever wanting to cooperate with law enforcement,Jewell repeatedly talks to the FBI against the advice of G. Watson Bryant, his attorney (another point of license, for most of the case Bryant, whose practice focuses on real estate law, and really did marry his assistant Nadya), wisely sought the assistance of Jack Martin, a more experienced criminal defense lawyer who does not appear in the film), Jewell is eventually exonerated (Eric Rudolph, a true lone-wolf who later bombed an abortuary, later confessed to the crime), won several lawsuits, married, and worked in law enforcement prior to sadly dying a the early age of 44 from complications related to heart disease and diabetes

There are several take-aways from the film:

--Paul Walter Hauser, who plays Jewell, does a masterful job. Jewell's mother Bobbi, who is still living and was portrayed by Kathy Bates, commented that despite the fact that she and her son had never met she had her son's mannerisms down to a tee.

--I am not a lawyer but have a number of friends who are and have also taken classes on legal considerations in the event that I, as a Concealed Weapons Permit holder who often carries have to defend myself, and the advice from both has been consistent: If you're being questioned by law enforcement shut up and lawyer up, even if you're innocent. Jewell disregarded that advice even after being bluntly told to do so by Bryant and the consequences are dire indeed.

--Finally, there legal and journalistic ethics come seriously into play. I'm about as pro-law enforcement as they come, but if the portrayal of how the FBI took advantage of Jewell's naivete and desire to cooperate with those whose acceptance he craved -- and apparently it is -- then the conduct of those agents was beyond the pale.

The thrashing he took in the media was at least as shameful. Ridiculed for his appearance and circumstances, they created and tried a caricature of the man and once the toothpaste was out of that tube it's awfully hard to make right. 

Go and see the movie and take note of the lessons to be learned therein. Centennial Olympic Park is still in Atlanta and if one visits one will note thousands of  engraved bricks that mark those who made donations to the construction of the park and a plaque commemorating the 20th anniversary of the games; I think they need a statue commemorating a good man who did his duty to the best of his ability, saved numerous lives, and paid dearly for doing so. 

Postscript: The Atlanta Business Chronicle will honor Jewell with a plaque in Centennial Olympic Park next March. That;s a long overdue start, but I still think a statue would be in order.

Baron Fain: A faithful friend and a friend of faith

Published in the September 2019 edition of the  Carolina Compass section of the Charleston Mercury.

by Charles A. Collins, Jr. 

(N.B., this ordinarily would have been posted here a month or more ago but since it was prepared for publication in the Carolina Compass I waited until that was published as a courtesy. -- DC)

      When Earl Fain IV, better known to most who knew him as “Baron,” died suddenly on July 31 it was a loss to many. His lovely wife Courtenay and fine son Tradd lost a devoted husband and loving father, many – myself included – lost a close and trusted friend, a host of fraternal, historical, and social organizations lost an enthusiastic member and active participant, and the Ben Silver Corporation – and I don't write this lightly – lost a great talent who was able to take his interest in heraldry, vexillology, and history and combine it with a keen eye and creative imagination to design items representing a host of schools, societies, and other organizations (on more than one occasion I complimented Baron on being able to take his interest in those fairly esoteric subjects and actually make a career out of working with them).

     My aim here, however, is not to examine Baron Fain as a husband, father, son, friend, etc., but rather to consider the relationship out of which all of those other relationships sprang, namely, his relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

     One thing that Baron and I had in common was the fact that we were raised Presbyterians and made a mature decisions to become Anglicans in our 20s, similarly attracted by the Reformed Catholicism of the Anglican way as well as the soundness and beauty of the classical Book of Common Prayer. I knew Baron only as a friend and never as a parishioner – he was never a member of a parish that I served –but would've counted it a pleasure to because he took his Christian faith seriously and had bothered to not only figure out what he believed but to know why he believed what he believed.

     I remember discussing the weekly Bible Study that he led with considerable enthusiasm. Baron enjoyed the opportunity to open up God's Word and discuss it with other men. When the ESV Study Bible came out I remember telling Baron about it and showing him my copy as well as the fact that purchase of it included electronic access and him being enthusiastic both at the quality of the tools provided but also with the possibilities to incorporate it into his teaching.

     Baron also took advantage of the opportunity to learn more about his faith and to take a stand for Christian orthodoxy. When changes were introducing themselves into The Episcopal Church in the early 2000s he drove out to Plano in early 2004 to attend the conference that would lay the groundwork for what would later become the Anglican Communion Network and finally the Anglican Church in North America. Baron was a frequent attendee at the conferences first known as SEAD, and later known as Mere Anglicanism and also enjoyed and participated in the conferences sponsored by the Prayer Book Society at St. John's Church, Savannah.

     And speaking of the Prayer Book Society, of which Baron was a longtime supporter and for which – not surprisingly – he designed a very handsome tie, my friend was an enthusiastic supporter of the classical Book of Common Prayer, most prominently represented in this country by the 1928 Edition ofthe Protestant Episcopal Church. Baron was a leader in the establishment of the 1928 Book of Common Prayer Morning Prayer service at St. Philip's Church – sometimes called the “Miserable Offenders” noting a theologically significant clause in the Prayer of General Confession that is sadly either omitted or watered down in later revisions –each Wednesday morning and would also regularly attend the 1928 Prayer Book Holy Communion service at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke and St. Paul at noon on Thursdays while that was still held; he sincerely wanted to support any offerings of 1928 Prayer Book worship that he could. When he and Courtenay were married it was out of the 1928 Book of Common Prayer, when Tradd was baptized it was out of the 1928 Book of Common Prayer and when Baron was laid to rest in August it was out of the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.

     Baron would be the first to tell you, though, that his preference for the 1928 Book of Common Prayer was not primarily aesthetic. Although he would freely admit that the attractiveness of that Liturgy was a tremendous drawing card for him the chief attraction remained its soundness and fidelity to earlier versions of the Book of Common Prayer. Baron counted it a joy to carry on that legacy.

In Deuteronomy we read:

"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise” – Deuteronomy 6: 4-7 ESV

When Baron and Courtenay were blessed with a child of the covenant they took their responsibilities to raise Tradd up in the fear and admonition of the Lord seriously. He was baptized by his grandfather, the Rev'd Haden McCormick, and regularly brought to church to hear and and learn about God's Word but he was also instructed in what the Rev'd Dr. Jay Adams has called the milleu, taking advantage of everyday opportunities to train their son in the faith. In addition, every morning he was able from a very early age Baron would read Morning Prayer with his son,kneeling at a prie-dieu borrowed from his grandfather, thus imparting a spiritual discipline and love of God and his Word from a very early age in that young man's life.

     Baron Fain is gone – it still seems hard to believe. Nearly every day since then something has happened that I wanted to share with my friend or some point has come up about which I wanted to seek his counsel because he'd usually have the correct answer. While my email in-box continues to fill up there haven't been any of the regular reminders to fly this or that flag in commemoration of an oft little-known historical event (I used to reguarly tell him that he should publish Fain's Calendar of Obscure Observances),but his legacy will live on in a variety of ways: friendships formed, organizations participated in and in many cases founded, neckties designed, but most importantly in the faith implanted in his son which will bear fruit for many years to come. We must not grieve “...as others do, who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, God, through Jesus, will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13b-14 ESV). I give thanks for the life, faithful friendship, and lasting testimony of my friend.

     The Rev'd Charles A. Collins, Jr., is an Anglican priest who serves as Chaplain for an area hospice. He may be contacted at drew.collins@gmail.com

     

Thoughts on Russell Moore at the ACNA Assembly

The Rev'd Dr. Russell Moore, President of the Ethics and Religious Life Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention spoke on Tuesday, 18 June, to the 2019 Assembly of the Anglican Church in North America. I wasn't thrilled when I learned that he was scheduled to speak -- although I had at one time been a fan of Dr. Moore's some of his advocacy of social justice has been of serious concern, and not only for me but for many of my Southern Baptist friends -- and following his approbation for Resolution 9   which stated that Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality, concepts that had their roots in radical feminism and have been adopted by cultural Marxists, could, under the authority of Scripture serve as useful analytical tools, at last week's Southern Baptist Convention thought the he should be disinvited and stated so. I didn't really think that would happen, but still find question his participation and the imprimatur that his speaking appeared to give. I determined that I would listen to his remarks (which can be found here at 53:10) and so these are my thoughts.

I will say at the outset that there wasn't a whole lot in this address that I could disagree with. While he has been a vociferous and untiring critic of Donald Trump (an area which, in the interest of full disclosure, I largely agreed with him in 2016) he made no mention of the President. He criticized the notion that Christianity could be a "hood ornament" to Southern or Mid-Western culture and I would agree with him that if it is only that then that is largely problematic. At the same time, I would caution against too greatly depreciating the effects that Christianity formerly had on those cultures (as Flannery O'Connor pointed out the South is "Christ haunted") -- however imperfect. He noted that the notion, largely prevalent in society that one need be at least nominally associated with a church to be a good person, is passing away due to increasing secularism. He is correct. I remember asking an Englishwoman who had relocated to South Carolina from California in 1981 what church she attended and being somewhat surprised when she said that she didn't; in my work as a hospice chaplain I regularly meet new people and in the course of my conversation ask them about their religious affiliation and increasingly note that they answer the same way that she did so many years ago. 

He rightly noted that secularism can present opportunities for the Church to present a unique message to the culture and cautioned against being co-opted by either poltical party, telling a story of seeing a truck with a bumper sticker that read "If Jesus had a gun he'd still be alive today." I am an life member of the NRA, have a Concealed Weapons Permit, enjoy shooting, and am a passionate advocate of the Second Amendment but I find that sticker stupid and fairly blasphemous. He also noted that it would be an error to use the Church to advocate the opposing view as well, although that happens far more frequently. 

Somewhat out of nowhere he mentioned that the Church should be the kind of place where a person with Down Syndrome is treated not a a charity case but a valuable part of the body. I couldn't agree more. For 2 1/2 years while I was in seminary I served as the Student Supply (more or less the de facto minister, although not yet being ordained I had to bring in clergy for baptisms [we had some] and Holy Communion) at Waccamaw Presbyterian Church in Bucksport, South Carolina. One of the people that joined that small rural church (and I seem to recall him being baptized there) was a young man with Down Syndrome named Alvie. Alvie enjoyed ushering and so he did exactly that and did so with enthusiasm. During my time there the decision was made to clear out and repair the educational building and use it for that purpose and as a parish hall. One day the Clerk of Session (kind of the Senior Warden in Anglican parlance) walked in to find Alvie sanding the floorboards and when he asked him what he was doing Alvie responded that he was "working for Jesus." His simple but very real faith was an inspiration to the rest of us and I am thankful for it. Furthermore, inasmuch as I have often said that my philosophy of ministry is that as a cleric I am essentially a coach whose job it is to develop and enable the flock to minister as God has gifted them that certainly includes the handicapped. 

Moore's call to live out an authentic Christianity in the midst of a secularizing culture was a valid one. As I mentioned, there is little in this address with which I can disagree.
I still have serious concerns about Russell Moore, his adoption of the social justice agenda, and his approbation for a seriously flawed resolution and still wonder why my Province feels the need to cozy up to Big Eva. Whether that continues remains to be seen.