This is not a defense of former Keyport Mayor John Merla. I wouldn't defend him, just as I would not defend all those many Democrats US Attorney Chris Christie has arrested.
I do have a question about this photo, and the other photos, and the video the Asbury Park Press ran, all showing Merla smiling.
His smile so infuriated the Press that they even ran an editorial about the grin.
So now I wonder - is the smile really a story, or is the Press making something up here?
Certainly ever since Tom DeLay put one over on the Dummycrats by smiling in his mug shot so they couldn't use the photo during a campaign, the order of the day is to look good during your perp walk.
Perhaps that is what Merla had in mind, and he grinned from the Courthouse to the car. If that is the case, then the smile is the story and the Press is right.
However, what if the smile didn't last that long? I've been to the Federal Court in Newark for clients, and know that the walk to the car is a long one. What if during most of that walk Merla did not wear a huge smile? Considering the length of the walk, he would have to look mentally deranged to keep a constant grin like that. What if the grin was short, but during most of the walk he wore a more sober face?
If that is the case, the Asbury Park Press is creating news. Every day they showed that giant grin in a picture, made it picture of the week and editorialized about it. If the grin was fleeting, then they were basically creating news where there was none.
I wonder if the Asbury Park Press would share with me all the photos taken and the full length of the video. If it is nothing but smiles, hey, I'll apologize. If Merla is mostly sober, then it will be another example of the Press fabricating a story.
A guilty plea can be an emotional catharsis. It ends a very harrowing experience. I've seen many people plead to more serious crimes, only to look relieved that it is all behind them. Not really a story.
