mc.risingsun-第28章

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　I　said　nothing。
　〃The　question　was；　does　serving　as　a　police　press…officer　make　an　individual　a　public　personality？　As　in；　a　public　personality　who　can't　sue　for　libel？〃
　I　said；　〃Jesus。〃
　〃Right。〃
　〃And　the　answer？〃
　〃Who　cares　about　the　answer？　You　know　how　this　works。　All　the　Weasel　has　to　do　is　call　a　few　people　and　say；　'Hi；　this　is　Bill　Wilhelm　over　here　at　the　L。A。　Times。　We're　going　with　a　story　tomorrow　that　says　Lieutenant　Peter　Smith　is　a　child　molester；　do　you　have　any　ment　on　that？'　A　few　well…placed　calls；　and　the　story　doesn't　even　have　to　run。　The　editors　can　kill　it　but　the　damage　is　already　done。〃
　I　said　nothing。　I　knew　what　Ken　was　telling　me　was　true。　I　had　seen　it　happen　more　than　once。
　I　said；　〃What　can　I　do？〃
　Ken　laughed。　〃You　could　arrange　one　of　your　famous　incidents　of　L。A。　police　brutality。〃
　〃That's　not　funny。〃
　〃Nobody　at　this　paper　would　cover　it；　I　can　promise　you　that。　You　could　fucking　kill　him。　And　if　somebody　made　a　home　video？　Hey；　people　here　would　pay　to　see　it　on　video。〃
　〃Ken。〃
　Ken　sighed。　〃I　can　dream。　Okay。　There's　one　thing。　Last　year；　after　Wilhelm　was　involved　in　the；　ah；　change　of　management　over　in　Calendar；　I　got　an　anonymous　package　in　the　mail。　So　did　a　few　other　people。　Nobody　did　anything　about　it　at　the　time。　It's　pretty　dirty　pool。　You　interested？〃
　〃Yeah。〃
　Ken　took　a　small　manila　envelope　from　the　inside　pocket　of　his　sport　coat。　It　had　one　of　those　strings　that　you　wrap　back　and　forth　to　close　it。　Inside　was　a　series　of　photos；　printed　in　a　strip。　It　showed　Willy　Wilhelm　engaged　in　an　intimate　act　with　a　dark…haired　man。　His　head　buried　in　his　lap。
　〃You　can't　see　the　Weasel's　face　too　well　in　all　the　angles；〃　Ken　said。　〃But　it's　him；　all　right。　Action　snap　of　the　reporter　entertaining　his　source。　Having　a　drink　with　him；　so　to　speak。〃
　〃Who　is　the　guy？〃
　〃It　took　us　a　while。　His　name　is　Barry　Borman。　He's　the　regional　head　of　sales　for　Kaisei　Electronics　in　southern　California。〃
　〃What　can　I　do　with　this？〃
　〃Give　me　your　card；〃　Ken　said。　〃I'll　clip　it　to　the　envelope；　and　have　it　delivered　to　the　Weasel。〃
　I　shook　my　head。　〃I　don't　think　so。〃
　〃It'd　sure　make　him　think　twice。〃
　〃No；〃　I　said。　〃It's　not　for　me。〃
　Ken　shrugged。　〃Yeah。　It　might　not　work；　anyway。　Even　if　we　squeeze　the　Weasel's　nuts；　the　Japanese　probably　have　other　ways。　I　still　haven't　been　able　to　find　out　how　that　story　ran　last　night。　All　I　hear　is；　'Orders　from　the　top；　orders　from　the　top。'　Whatever　that　means。　It　could　mean　anything。〃
　〃Somebody　must　have　written　it。〃
　〃I　tell　you；　I　can't　find　out。　But　you　know；　the　Japanese　have　a　powerful　influence　at　the　paper。　It's　more　than　just　the　ads　they　take。　It's　more　than　their　relentless　PR　machine　drumming　out　of　Washington；　or　the　local　lobbying　and　the　campaign　contributions　to　political　figures　and　organizations。　It's　the　sum　of　all　those　things　and　more。　And　it's　starting　to　be　insidious。　I　mean；　you　can　be　sitting　around　in　a　staff　meeting　discussing　some　article　that　we　might　run；　and　you　suddenly　realize；　nobody　wants　to　offend　them。　It　isn't　a　question　of　whether　a　story　is　right　or　wrong；　news　or　not　news。　And　it　isn't　a　one…to…one　equation；　like　'We　can't　say　that　or　they'll　pull　their　ads。'　It's　more　subtle　than　that。　Sometimes　I　look　at　my　editors；　and　I　can　tell　they　won't　go　with　certain　stories　because　they　are　afraid。　They　don't　even　know　what　they　are　afraid　of。　They're　just　afraid。〃
　〃So　much　for　a　free　press。〃
　〃Hey；〃　Ken　said。　〃This　is　not　the　time　for　sophomore　bullshit。　You　know　how　it　works。　The　American　press　reports　the　prevailing　opinion。　The　prevailing　opinion　is　the　opinion　of　the　group　in　power。　The　Japanese　are　now　in　power。　The　press　reports　the　prevailing　opinion　as　usual。　No　surprises。　Just　take　care。〃
　〃I　will。〃
　〃And　don't　hesitate　to　call；　if　you　decide　you　want　to　arrange　mail　service。〃
　
　*　*　*
　
　I　wanted　to　talk　to　Connor。　I　was　beginning　to　understand　why　Connor　had　been　worried；　and　why　he　had　wanted　to　conclude　the　investigation　quickly。　Because　a　well…mounted　campaign　of　innuendo　is　a　fearsome　thing。　A　skillful　practitioner　…　and　the　Weasel　was　skillful　…　would　arrange　it　so　that　a　new　story　came　out；　day　after　day；　even　when　nothing　happened。　You　got　headlines　like　GRAND　JURY　UNDECIDED　ON　POLICEMAN'S　GUILT　when　in　fact　the　grand　jury　hadn't　met　yet。　But　people　saw　the　headlines；　day　after　day；　and　drew　their　own　conclusions。
　The　truth　was；　there　was　always　a　way　to　spin　it。　At　the　end　of　the　innuendo　campaign；　if　your　subject　was　found　blameless；　you　could　still　mount　a　headline　like　GRAND　JURY　FAILS　TO　FIND　POLICEMAN　GUILTY　or　DISTRICT　ATTORNEY　UNWILLING　TO　PROSECUTE　ACCUSED　COP。　Headlines　like　that　were　as　bad　as　a　conviction。
　And　there　was　no　way　to　bounce　back　from　weeks　of　negative　press。　Everybody　remembered　the　accusation。　Nobody　remembered　the　exoneration。　That　was　human　nature。　Once　you　were　accused；　it　was　tough　to　get　back　to　normal。
　It　was　getting　creepy；　and　I　had　a　lot　of　bad　feelings。　I　was　a　little　preoccupied；　pulling　into　the　parking　lot　next　to　the　physics　department　at　U。S。C。；　when　the　phone　rang　again。　It　was　assistant　chief　Olson。
　〃Peter。〃
　〃Yes；　sir。〃
　〃It's　almost　ten　o'clock。　I　thought　you'd　be　down　here　putting　the　tapes　on　my　desk。　You　promised　them　to　me。〃
　〃I've　been　having　trouble　getting　the　tapes　copied。〃
　〃Is　that　what　you've　been　doing？〃
　〃Sure。　Why？〃
　〃Because　from　the　calls　I　get；　it　sounds　like　you　aren't　dropping　this　investigation；〃　Jim　Olson　said。　〃In　the　last　hour；　you've　been　out　asking　questions　at　a　Japanese　research　institute。　Then　you've　interrogated　a　scientist　who　works　for　a　Japanese　research　institute。　You're　hanging　around　some　Japanese　seminar。　Let's　get　it　straight；　Peter。　Is　the　investigation　over；　or　not？〃
　〃It's　over；〃　I　said。　〃I'm　just　trying　to　get　the　tapes　copied。〃
　〃Make　sure　that's　all　it　is；〃　he　said。
　〃Right；　Jim。〃
　〃For　the　good　of　the　whole　department　…　and　the　individuals　in　it　…　I　want　this　thing　behind　us。〃
　〃Right；　Jim。〃
　〃I　don't　want　to　lose　control　of　this　situation。〃
　〃I　understand。〃
　〃I　hope　you　do；〃　he　said。　〃Get　the　copies　made；　and　get　your　ass　down　here。〃　And　he　hung　up。
　I　parked　the　car；　and　went　into　the　physics　building。
　
　？
　I　waited　at　the　top　of　the　lecture　hall　while　Phillip　Sanders　finished　his　lecture。　He　stood　in　front　of　a　blackboard　covered　with　plex　formulas。　There　were　about　thirty　students　in　the　room；　most　of　them　seated　down　near　the　front。　I　could　see　the　backs　of　their　heads。
　Dr。　Sanders　was　about　forty　years　old；　one　of　those　energetic　types；　in　constant　motion；　pacing　back　and　forth；　tapping　the　equations　on　the　blackboard　in　short　emphatic　jabs　with　his　chalk　as　he　pointed　to　the　〃signal　covariant　ratio　determination〃　and　the　〃factorial　delta　bandwidth　noise。〃　I　couldn't　even　guess　what　subject　he　was　teaching。　Finally　I　concluded　it　must　be　electrical　engineering。
　When　the　bell　rang　on　the　hour；　the　class　stood　and　packed　up　their　bags。　I　was　startled：　nearly　everyone　in　the　class　was　Asian；　both　men　and　women。　Those　that　weren't　Oriental　were　Indian　or　Pakistani。　Out　of　thirty　students　only　three　were　white。
　〃That's　right；〃　Sanders　said　to　me　later；　as　we　walked　down　the　hallway　toward　his　laboratory。　〃A　class　like　Physics　101　doesn't　attract　Americans。　It's　been　that　way　for　years。　Industry　can't　find　them；　either。　We　would　be　up　shit　creek　if　we　didn't　have　the　Orientals　and　Indians　who　e　here　to　get　doctorates　in　math　and　engineering；　and　then　work　for　American　panies。〃
　We　continued　down　some　stairs；　and　turned　left。　We　were　in　a　basement　passageway。　Sanders　walked　quickly。
　〃But　the　trouble　is；　it's　changing；〃　he　continued。　〃My　Asian　students　are　starting　to　go　home。　Koreans　are　going　back　to　Korea。　Taiwanese　the　same。　Even　Indians　are　returning　home。　The　standard　of　living　is　going　up　in　their　countries；　and　there's　more　opportunity　back　home　now。　Some　of　these　foreign　countries　have　large　numbers　of　well…trained　people。〃　He　led　me　briskly　down　a　flight　of　stairs。　〃Do　you　know　what　city　has　the　highest　number　of　Ph。D。's　per　capita　in　the　world？〃
　〃Boston？〃
　〃Seoul；　Korea。　Think　about　that　as　we　rocket　into　the　twenty…first　century。〃
　Now　we　were　going　down　another　corridor。　Then　briefly　outside；　into　sunlight；　down　a　covered　walkway；　and　back　into　another　building。　Sanders　kept　glancing　back　over　his　shoulder；　as　if　he　was　afraid　of　losing　me。　But　he　never　stopped　talking。
　〃And　with　foreign　students　going　home；　we　don't　have　enough　engineers　to　do　American　research。　To　create　new　American　technology。　It's　a　simple　balance　sheet。　Not　enough　trained　people。　Even　big　panies　like　IBM　are　starting　to　have　trouble。　Trained　people　simply　don't　exist。　Watch　the　door。〃
　The　door　swung　back　toward　me。　I　went　through。　I　said；　〃But　if　there　are　all　these　high…tech　job　opportunities；　won't　they　begin　to　attract　students？〃
　〃Not　like　investment　banking。　Or　law。〃　Sanders　laughed。　〃America　may　lack　engineers　and　scientists；　but　we　lead　the　world　in　the　production　of　lawyers。　America　has　half　the　lawyers　in　the　entire　world。　Think　of　that。〃　He　shook　his　head。
　〃We　have　four　percent　of　the　world　population。　We　have　eighteen　percent　of　the　world　economy。　But　we　have　fifty　percent　of　the　lawyers。　And　thirty…five　thousand　more　every　year；　pouring　out　of　the　schools。　That's　where　our　productivity's　directed。　That's　where　our　national　focus　is。　Half　our　TV　shows　are　about　lawyers。　America　has　bee　Land　of　Lawyers。　Everybody　suing。　Everybody　disputing。　Everybody　in　court。　After　all；　three　quarters　of　a　million　American　lawyers　have　to　do　something。　They　have　to　make　their　three　hundred　thousand　a　year。　Other　countries　think　we're　crazy。〃
　He　unlocked　a　door。　I　saw　a　sign　that　said　ADVANCED　IMAGING　LABORATORY　in　hand…painted　lettering；　and　an　arrow。　Sanders　led　me　down　a　long　basement　hallway。
　〃Even　our　brightest　kids　are　badly　educated。　The　best　American　kids　now　rank　twelfth　in　the　world；　after　the　industrialized　countries　of　Asia　and　Europe。　And　that's　our　top　students。　At　the　bottom；　it's　worse。　One…third　of　high　school　graduates　can't　read　a　bus　schedule。　They're　illiterate。〃
　We　came　to　the　end　of　the　hallway；　and　turned　right。　〃And　the　kids　I　see　are　lazy。　Nobody　wants　to　work。　I　teach　physics。　It　takes　years　to　master。　But　all　the　kids　want　to　dress　like　Charlie　Sheen　and　make　a　million　dollars　before　they're　twenty…eight。　The　only　way　you　can　make　that　kind　of　money　is　in　law；　investment　banking；　Wall　Street。　Places　where　the　game　is　paper　profits；　something　for　nothing。　But　that's　what　the　kids　want　to　do；　these　days。〃
　〃Maybe　at　U。S。C。〃
　〃Trust　me。　Everywhere。　They　all　watch　television。〃
　He　swung　another　door　open。　Still　another　corridor。　This　one　smelled　moldy；　damp。
　〃I　know；　I　know。　I'm　old…fashioned；〃　Sanders　said。　〃I　still　believe　that　every　human　being　stands　for　something。　You　stand　for　something。　I　stand　for　something。　Just　being　on　this　planet；　wearing　the　clothes　we　wear；　doing　the　work　we　do；　we　each　stand　for　something。　And　in　this　little　corner　of　the　world；〃　he　said；　〃we　stand　for　cutting　the　crap。　We　analyze　network　news　and　see　where　they　have　been　fucking