Good morning. Trial starts at 9:15 CDT, 10:15 EDT, 8:15 MDT, and 7:15 PDT — or earlier if the Judge wants a chat with the attorneys.
Welp, what can I say about yesterday’s expert, retired MD medical examiner, David Fowler? Not a damned thing good. He came across as arrogant even on direct; squirmy and angry on cross. He spoke in medical terms that were beyond the normal grasp of most of us mere mortals — and this jury has had an introduction to many difficult terms. The jury has had the benefit of prosecution experts who immediately translated into plain American words.
The latest cause of death or contributing cause at least is carbon monoxide from huffing the squad car tail pipe. Ignore the fact that Mr. Floyd displayed no symptoms nor was there any evidence in the toxicology report. According to Fowler, Mr. Floyd died from everything except Chauvin and two other cops crushing him into the pavement.
His testimony requires the prosecution to call at least one rebuttal witness since David Fowler, minister to dead people, assumed the roles of pulmonologist and toxicologist without any special training. We have at least one witness today then we’ll see where we go from there. I’m sure the prosecution’s experts have been following the defense’s direct examination and are prepared to fly back from wherever they are but that may require a bit of leeway. There is a potential we will use up Friday on witnesses.
For a full write up of yesterday’s proceedings, please read Lauren Floyd’s Forensic pathologist named in lawsuit for his medical opinion is best Chauvin defense can do. belinda ridgewood sent me George Floyd: Weak As Kitten, Also Strong As Entirely Different Kitten by Stephen Robinson at “Wonkette.” Short but very good summary of the defense’s and cops’ views of the scary big black man in general.
During an interrogation after Floyd's death, former officer Tou Thao, who's facing charges as well, also claimed he thought Floyd might have “superhuman strength" as a result of a drug overdose. There are no issues of Action Comics where Lex Luthor kneels on Superman's neck for page after page as our hero cries for his mother. That would frighten the kids. Floyd obviously wasn't demonstrating superhuman strength. These cops were either incapable of human empathy or had it trained out of them with BS “excited delirium" conspiracies.
____________________________________________________________________
Thanks again to the incomparable belinda ridgewood for her updates of the links.