Sue Hartigan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
NEW YORK (AP) -- An angry and tormented man -- that's the only
Fred Goldman we have ever known.
Whoever he was, before his son Ron was found hacked to
death
alongside O.J. Simpson's ex-wife, is lost to history.
Before June 12, 1994,
when Simpson was still just a former football great,
Goldman was
comfortably invisible.
Never again. Indeed, Wednesday he can be seen in his
own TV special,
``Search for Justice with Fred Goldman.'' Airing on
the UPN network at 8
p.m. EDT, the program profiles four instances of what
seems justice gone
terribly awry.
For instance, an HMO denied an Oklahoma woman the
costly procedure
her doctors recommended to beat her leukemia. She
died. Yet under a
federal law, the HMO couldn't be sued for withholding
care that might
have saved the woman's life.
Or what about this: In New York, a career criminal
allegedly strangled a
nursing student after he received early release from
prison -- this, despite
his record of violence.
``A government's first responsibility is the safety of
its people,'' Goldman
declares, ``and as long as its courts are allowing
monsters to go
unpunished equal to the crimes they commit, then
government isn't doing
its job.''
But besides shining light on the wrongs, ``Search for
Justice,'' befitting its
title, reports on how victims fight back.
``We hope that when people get done watching the show,
not only will
they be frustrated and upset by the injustice, but
they'll also see the
opportunity for a change,'' Goldman says. ``People
often don't understand
how they can make a difference, and I think the show
will give them some
alternatives to doing nothing.''
It just may. But this much is for sure: Seldom has the
essence of a TV
program been better represented by its host.
Not that Goldman is a natural-born TV personality. He
doesn't come
across as a tough guy or a charismatic advocate. He
projects no special
warmth. In fact, he voices the things that mean the
most to him in a flat,
doleful tone that undermines as much as underscores
his message.
No matter. Before he ever opens his mouth, he is a
nagging reminder of a
double homicide thus far unavenged -- and, if Goldman
is wrong and
Simpson is truly innocent, of an unknown killer who
remains
unapprehended.
Without uttering a word, Goldman speaks volumes to
anyone appalled, as
he is, by the legal system's shortcomings. By now an
icon, he went from
anonymity to universal notice in an instant, when,
early on, he began to
claim his share of the Simpson spotlight.
``TV was there, all the media was there, so that when
we yelled and
screamed we were heard,'' says Goldman. ``Typically,
the families around
the nation that go through the same thing we did, they
walk out of court
frustrated and angry, yelling and screaming -- and no
one hears them.''
Now Goldman is ready to rally them, and all
sympathizers, to make
themselves heard in less clamorous ways.
``We will prove to you tonight,'' he says, opening in
a still courtroom,
``that if you stand up for what you believe, you CAN
make a difference,
you WILL find justice.'' In the ensuing 60 minutes, he
makes good on his
pledge.
With its possible return as a fall series, ``Search
for Justice'' could take its
place as a judicial offshoot of the couch-potato posse
that's been catching
bad guys for years, thanks to ``America's Most
Wanted.''
This would mean a new career for the former salesman
of in-store product
displays, and a high-impact outlet for him to promote
judicial reforms.
And though Goldman insists his objective is reform,
not visibility, a TV
series would ensure him the viewers he feels he needs,
continued
prominence for this sad man with the oddly happy
mustache.
``A lot of people were growing them in the '60s,''
recalls Goldman,
explaining his distinctive facial feature, ``and most
of them turned
downward. I remember thinking that a mustache down
makes you look
like you're frowning. So I curled it up.''
But does its jauntiness clash with its owner's solemn
crusade?
``I never thought of that,'' says Goldman, allowing
himself a smile. ``And
no, I'm not shaving it off.''
--
Two rules in life:
1. Don't tell people everything you know.
2.
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