I am an actress in local theatre here in Virginia (and in Tennessee when I was younger).  Calling it amateur, community, or regional theatre makes no difference to me.  I love participating, but every day I thank God I never made a real career of it like I wanted to when I was younger.  I’ve done a few commercials, a music video, and LOTS of (my first love) stage work.  I’ve known plenty of people who’ve moved on and moved up in the acting scene (probably no names anyone would recognize, but a few with their names in the credits and playbills).  Anyway, while most of what I perform is for self gratification (building my ego and self image), occasionally I get involved in something that I feel really contributes to society (at least as it exists in rural Virginia).

 I’ve come to realize that as much as I love theatre, I think making it my job would (unfortunately) diminish that love.  I’ve played so many great roles and I realize that if I had to compete with THOUSANDS of others for those roles, I’d never triumph.  I think I’m a good actress and have the potential to be better; It is a little depressing to realize I may never reach my full potential as an actress, but when I do walk on stage (usually to pretty good crowds even in rural Virginia) I am still performing the same words that are performed on Broadway or were performed at the Globe.  I think community theatre gets a bad rap from other outlets as amateur and second-rate, but there is GOOD theatre everywhere.  So what if I don’t get paid the big bucks?  I bet I could’ve portrayed Roxane better than Jennifer Garner did recently.  (See?  Even without the big bucks my ego is intact.) (Anyone see Cyrano by the way?  The show was very good, but I thought she was AWFUL! I am sure she is crushed to know that.)

 So, recently I’ve been performing in an original show called The Bluest Water: A Hurricane Camille Story.  If anyone is interested you can find out more here http://www.endstationtheatre.org. I returned to the show (after sold out performances last year) for the 40^th anniversary of Hurricane Camille.  This storm devastated the east coast in August 1969 and Nelson County, VA was one of the hardest hit places.  Many were killed, several people were never found, and some bodies never identified after the storm battered Central Virginia on the night of August 19, 1969.  The show is beautiful and the cast is talented and a pleasure to work with. I will probably get as emotional at the end of the run as I did last year.  We’ve heard from so many that were touched by this piece.  It has become a kind of closure for those who survived.

 Having been born 10 ½ years after this event, It really brought home how crazy the world was in 1969 (I’ve been immersed in this time period for what feels like a year now).  It occurred to me the other day that another 40^th anniversary occurs in August of this year.  Sharon Tate, Paul Polanski, Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, Voytek Frykowski, Steven Parent, Leno LaBianca, and Rosemary LaBianca were murdered by members of the Manson Family. Sharon was 8 months pregnant with Paul when she was killed.  I always include Paul as a victim (though there was no statute at the time to prosecute for his death. Re: Laci and Conner’s Law). The fact is: he could have survived had help arrived in time after Sharon was killed. Here are some thoughts I have on the Manson/Tate/LaBianca case. 

 First and foremost, I think Charles Manson is exactly where he needs to be.  The only apprehensions I have with his life sentence are: a) he really should be dead by now (but his death sentence was reduced) and b) prison is where Charles Manson wants to be.  He has often said that the clink is the only home he’s ever known.  I get so angry when I hear people use the “he never murdered anyone” argument.  I always retaliate with, “Neither did Hitler, but millions of deaths are attributed to him anyway.”  I’m sure someone can find a way around that argument as well, but I maintain that Charles Manson is in the best place for him and society.  The only pity I have for him at all is what he could have contributed to society had he not had the evil intentions he thrust upon his followers.

 I do not use the term followers lightly.  I honestly believe that those in his “family” were brainwashed.  Manson is not a brainless personality by any stretch of the word.  I feel he would have made a damn fine psychologist had he not needed attention so badly.  Brainwashed or not, though, I do feel those that actually committed the murders are exactly where they need to be as well.  There comes a time where you have to start taking responsibility for your actions.  Being weak willed and easily impressed (not to mention drugged out their minds), is no excuse not to serve the time that was handed down to them by the People of California.  As a matter of fact, they have already been granted leniency, because their death sentences were reduced to life when California repealed the Death Penalty in 1972.  I feel even Susan Atkins (aka Sadie Mae Glutz) (who supposedly is on death’s door with brain cancer) needs to stay in prison.  Personally I feel compassionate release is one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard of.  The idea is that a person who brutally murders another (and in this case 8 others) should be shown any compassion is ridiculous to me.  I don’t buy the “I could serve society better out of prison by telling my story” fairy-tale either. Everyone seems to be doing pretty well talking to the press as it is, so why do you have to be out of prison to warn others or do good works?  I appreciate that someone is genuinely remorseful for things they have done in their past, but does that mean they stop being dealing with the situations and consequences they created?  In my opinion? No.

 It has been 40 years since 1969.  The golden dreams and visions may have been shattered for many (on two different coasts) in August of that year, but the survivors are still dealing with the aftermath.  Can anyone be blamed for a natural disaster? No, but the people move on.  How can we move on from Tate/LaBianca if stories are constantly changed and one is always trying the newest thing to get out of doing time earned?

“The image was included in the game years ago and without any knowledge of the
crime, which occurred in the UK and was minimally publicised in the United
States.”

While I suppose I can accept that, I tend to disagree that the case was not highly publicized in the United States. I was only 12 at the time and remember it VERY well (when I mentioned it, my husband remembered it as well). Although, I know I cannot expect everyone to recall the incident 10 years after it happened (the game was released in 2003), I can expect for someone who is developing a game about crime to be extra sensitive when pulling images (probably from the internet) to be used in the game. It is baffling to me that a CCTV image about a crime ended up in a CRIME GAME without ANY knowledge of what the image actually was. Seems just a little too convenient, if you know what I mean. But Legacy Interactive has agreed to remove the image in all subsequent versions and there is a downloadable patch for games already purchased. All copies of the game have been pulled from the shelves in Britain.

Once again, however, the real victims here are (wait for it)…the actual victim’s family. Poor Denise Fergus, James’s mother. This woman has been through the ringer more than a wine stained toga, and now 13 years after her son’s murder, she is still fighting for respect of his memory. He would be older now (at 14) then his killers were when they murdered him. Maybe that is the problem here. James was almost three years old at the time of his death. When the story broke we seemed to know painfully little about the actual victim. Older victims have had so much life to share. (Think of Laci Peterson’s endless photographs and videos.) We can learn about them, through their likes and dislikes, how they spent their time, how they grew up. With James, there was a blank slate in front of us (for the most part). I am not suggesting that he had no personality, or was not his own person, but we found out very little about him.

Today’s world is more connected than 1993, and when news broke of the killer’s ages (both 10 at the time) it seemed to overshadow everything else. Yes, it was unfathomable, yes, it was shocking, but James should have remained the primary focus. His family should have been protected at all costs. James seemed to become everyone’s child. Many dubbed the case as “every parent’s worst nightmare”. While this undoubtedly IS every parent’s worst nightmare, we have to remember that in this case, it was a nightmare come true for Denise Fergus and her husband (at the time) Ralph Bulger. James was not everyone’s child. James had a mother and a father. If he had lived for 10 more months he would have become a big brother. I find it interesting, that everyone felt the need to protect James, but not to protect his family. (Do some reading on the case and you will see how terribly the system has failed them.)

The media constantly referred to James as “Jamie”. “Little Jamie Bulger” was written daily in any number of accounts of the murder and subsequent trial. However, family had said countless times that James was not called “Jamie,” he was called “James”. I find it disrespectful to write about this child in endearments that we created for him. He was not our child to endear. (His killers did not even know his name until after the fact. Even in some of their questioning sessions afterwards they referred to him as “baby,” “the baby,” or “that baby”). Denise is still fighting with the public about using her son for their own purposes. A spokesman for Denise Fergus said this on her behalf:

“It is something that she feels quite strongly about, that images of James
should not be used and abused in this way as if he is some kind of public
property. It is as if it dehumanizes James and it seems like his death enters
into some kind of myth or legend. To her it is very real and an ever-present
emotion that she lives with every day of her life.”

It speaks volumes to me that she is not asking for any money from Legacy Interactive. Anyway, those are my feelings on the subject. Along with the fact that I think the killers should still be in prison, and not compensated or protected in any way. But that is a blog for another time.

*NOTE: I thought long about posting a picture of James Bulger on this blog. I decided to go ahead since I do not feel it is being used disrespectfully.

Here is another article out of the UK on Rutka Laskier. Much of the information is the same, but there are some different details.