Monday, January 10, 2005

Lucy?

The new searchable PDFs (they're new to me!) are a God-send and make the "index" a relic of the past. Browsing through the report, I'm shocked to find almost no reporting on whether or not the mysterious "Lucy Ramirez" exists.

You'll remember that Burkett claims he was contacted by a Lucy Ramirez, who arranged to give the documents to him. One would have hoped that the Thornburgh-Boccardi panel would have investigated the existence and/or whereabout of this woman.

Didn't happen. So far as I can tell, "Lucy Ramirez" is references just seven times (on three pages). Is she real? A figment of Burkett's imagination? Here's what the report says: "First, [CBS News, after the story aired] sent personnel into the field to attempt to find Ramirez and thus possibly to confirm the new account. This effort proved unsuccessful."

That's it. Exit Lucy Ramirez, stage left. If the panel did any investigation of their own on Ramirez, I can't find it. She's a major component of the story, and if she doesn't exist it's important information, no?

No comments: