Stories That Change Your Life – Part 2
(Part 1: 3/27/10)
The young woman’s attacker, John Paul Mack at first denied he was The Smasher Slasher. But evidence proved otherwise. He was arrested and convicted of “malicious wounding with intent to kill.” He was sentenced to fifteen years. His reason for the vicious attack: he was under stress. He said he “lost his cool.”
Mack the Knife was never sent to the state penitentiary. Instead, he served time in a county jail in Fairfax County, Virginia. (From what I recall, he had the job as a cook and the sheriffs liked his cooking.) Mack the Knife was released after only twenty-seven months. Why the cushy treatment?
Mack the Knife’s brother was married to a woman named Kay. Kay was the daughter of a congressman—who “wrote letters for Mack and promised to give him a job even though Mack the Knife had neither Hill experience nor a college education.” (Washington Bulletin, May 2000)
The congressman was Jim Wright, at the time a twenty-year veteran from Texas. He hired Mack the Knife as a file clerk in his Washington, DC office. Over the years Mack the Knife rose in prominence to become a top congressional aide. His salary of $86,000 in 1989 (the equivalent in 2009 is $147,000) was paid for by the U.S. taxpayers.
When Jim Wright became Speaker of the House in 1987, Mack the Knife became one of the most powerful staffers on the Hill. He became friends and golfing buddy to Tony Coelho, a CA congressman and the Democratic Majority Whip. The Smasher Slasher also got married. EEWWWW!
Mack the Knife’s job was to schedule bills to be debated on the House floor. It was a stressful job—the kind where one could “lose his cool.” Also, how ironic that a guy that arranges for votes on legislation himself CANNOT VOTE in any election because he is a CONVICTED FELON of a brutal crime.
In 1989, sixteen years after the Young Woman had her skull bashed in (and more or less pieced back together), she was working for a Northern Virginia company. There was a chance that by conducting her business—lobbying visits to Capitol Hill—she might have run into Mack the Knife—who incidentally, had not even bothered to apologize to the woman he tried to kill as a way to relieve stress. Consequently, “she avoided such visits out of fear of encountering Mack.” (NY Times, May 1989)
It was then that the Young Woman decided to talk to the Washington Post—for the first time, on the record.
When her story appeared in the paper, the reaction was deafening. Mostly it was a LOUD OUTRAGE. There were however, people who defended Mack the Knife: like Tom Foley, House Majority Leader and his golfing buddy Tony Coelho, who said Mack the Knife “owed his debt to society, not this young woman.”
It was Congresswoman Patricia Schroeder (Democrat, Colorado) who screamed the loudest for the removal of Mack the Knife. She was incensed that such a violent and abhorrent person (not to mention convicted felon) could be part of the workings of the U.S. Congress. She would not let up. She rounded up support. She called for the resignation of Mack the Knife. He finally resigned (in 1989).
I remember thinking at the time, “Thank God for Pat Schroeder!” And I hoped Mack the Knife vanished from the Planet Earth.
At the time, Jim Wright was being investigated for 69 violations of House Rules. He also ended up resigning in disgrace in 1989. In his resignation speech he made ridiculous excuses for the hiring of Mack the Knife, saying that he was not aware of the crime that Mack the Knife had committed. Oh puhleez. Make that 70 violations: Blatant Lying in a speech.
Tony Coelho was accused of using his influence to obtain an illegal loan to buy junk bonds. Although never indicted, he also resigned in 1989. You don’t quit your job if you’re innocent, are you? He went on to become the Campaign Manager for Gore for President in 2000—until he got sick. (Shame on you, Al Gore. Couldn’t vote for you on that association alone.)
I read later in the paper that Tony, Jim, and Mack the Knife became business partners. Who wants to do business with crooks, liars, and attempted murderers?!
1989 was a great year to get rid of despicable scum in Congress—although having worked for a political action committee for a short time, I knew that plenty more of it existed. That’s why I was grateful for the moral integrity of Congresswoman Pat Schroeder.
Yet at the same time, because this whole sordid tale made me ill, I knew that I could never live in a town like Washington, DC.
That’s how I know stories can change your life.
