Archives April 2013
Criminal Justice, General
DR. JOSEPH H. DAVIS, M.E., REMEMBERED
by Marshall Frank	 April 2, 2013
Some people make a huge difference in the lives of others without ever knowing.
I was a rookie cop in 1960 when I was first introduced to the dreaded Medical Examiner's autopsy room in Dade County. This is where the fainted-hearted drop like flies, while doctors and technicians dissect real human bodies, probing for clues that will determine what caused this person to die. It was an ominous moment, first walking into the room, with naked bodies in all directions lying on steel trays, all ages, races and genders, some with bloody trauma, others without, and the smell of blood filling the room.
While the staff doctors were stereotypically studious, in walked a quick-stepping young fellow wearing a bloodstained smock, black hair combed back and a smile on his face. His face lit up at the site of newbees, as if to say; "Welcome to Disneyland."
He immediately put us at ease, narrating his procedures as he went along, developing in us an instant fascination with forensic pathology, as though he was a kid playing with his erector set. "Lookee here," Doctor Davis explained after opening the stomach lining of a middle-aged woman, "the stomach is empty."
"So?" asked one of the young cops.
"Well, the husband said they had just had a big steak dinner before going to bed. Then she suddenly collapsed. No food there. He lied."
It wasn't that Doctor Joseph H. Davis made an astounding discovery. It was his delivery, his sheer enthusiasm in sharing an item of forensic evidence. He enjoyed teaching and showing us all how it's done from the inside out. (If you'll excuse the expression)
Doctor Davis passed away in March of this year at the age of eighty-eight. He had served as Miami-Dade County's Chief Medical Examiner for forty years, between 1957 and 1996, conducting over 10,000 autopsies and mentoring hundreds, maybe thousands, of other pathologists, forensic technicians, cops, lawyers, politicians and media personnel around the world. Among some of the most famous cases, he was consulted for his opinion in the assassination of President Kennedy. He had testified in thousands of criminal and civil cases. Without question, he was among my most admired human beings ever.
What set him aside was his humble sense of humanity and an utter joy in a labor of love, not to mention a brain bursting with knowledge and innovation that eventually made him one of, or perhaps, the most esteemed medical examiner in the world. Prosecutors loved him; Defense lawyers feared him…yet admired him enormously.
Usually, when we are in the presence of an intellectual giant and a man of so many achievements, a certain awe comes over us causing a fumble for words, especially to cops, many of whom were lucky to hold an Associates Degree. But with Doctor Davis, we were all one and the same. We were all part of a team with our special skills working toward two objectives: Truth and Justice.
He was just as respectful and friendly to a rookie cop as he was to a state governor. I seriously doubt there is one human being on the planet – though he was known by thousands – who ever had a negative word to say about Doctor Joseph H. Davis.
During one of my homicide investigations, I was visiting in the good doctor's office when he smiled, "Hey, Marshall, let's go grab a sandwich."
Wow, lunch with Doctor Davis. We stopped at one of those Miami Cuban cafes and chatted for an hour, drinking beer – on duty. He came with me to the Miami violin shop where I picked up my newly repaired fiddle. With an amazed expression, he insisted I play for him. Moments to remember.
Even in our retirements, we stayed in touch through e-mails. He often had poignant observations about my articles, sometimes disagreeing and making me see another side of the proverbial coin. Despite his waning years, the wise old man never lost his ability to cut through the crap and get to the heart of any matter.
Two years ago, I knew Doctor Davis would not be with us forever, and I thought about his eventual services. How nice it would be when scores of people would come to the podium and recite great memories and tributes to Doctor Davis – tributes he would not hear.
So, I teamed up with another old retired police buddy by the name of Jack DeRemer and we organized a special tribute luncheon during life, not far from his retirement home in Tallahassee, Florida. Some eighty-plus of his lifelong admirers, students, fellow pathologists, lawyers, cops, forensic experts, etc., came from all over to honor Doctor Davis in person. Doctor Jay Barnhart – one of his retired assistants – joined me on piano as we played music for the most colossal figure I ever knew in the field of criminal justice.
Some may find it morbid, giving a man a service before he had passed away, but I'm glad we all had the chance to let him know how much he has been loved.
He leaves behind six daughters and a son – and many grandchildren, all of whom have much to be proud of. His wife had passed away. My deepest condolences to all his family.
For more about the remarkable life of Doctor Davis, please read the Miami Herald article linked below.
Below that, is another older link with a video of Doctor Davis expressing his frustration with the tsunami of crime associated with the Mariel Boat lift in 1980…mincing no words.
Click here: Dr. Joseph Davis, long-time Miami-Dade medical examiner, dies – Obituaries – Miami-Dade – MiamiHerald.com
Click here: Dade County Medical Examiner Joseph Davis on the Mariel crime wave WTVJ, 1981 – YouTube
Photo below taken in 2011, myself chatting with D.r Davis at an M.E. Conference.
FROM WITHIN
by Marshall Frank
This article was bravely published in Issue 27 (April) of Vero's Voice Magazine
While conducting exhaustive research for my book "Militant Islam In America" (Published 2006) I learned more about the threat of Islamic extremism in this country than I could have imagined. With word-count limits, this article will barely touch on the subject.
Americans should understand is that Jihad has two faces: Violent and Stealth. Our government, under President Bush as well as Obama, freely addresses violent jihad (terrorism) but never acknowledges the stealth aspect of radical Islam impacting the future of our nation.
They're here, pretending to be the good guys.
Defined, jihad means "Struggle." To a "Jihadist," it means struggle for world dominance.
Americans should also know is that Islam is not just another religion. In its purist sense and where Islam dominates other countries, it is a political ideology, a culture of social and political mores with a system of laws known as Sharia.
The Muslim Brotherhood is the most powerful and dominant example of Islamic extremism in the world, having orchestrated the so-called "Arab Spring" in 2011 from which we lost one of our more staunch allies in Egypt's Hosni Mubarak. Today,Egypt is under the cloak of Islamic radicalism far more sinister than Mubarak ever imposed.
The Muslim Brotherhood is omnipresent inside our own shores, with tentacles reaching our infrastructure through more than thirty front organizations, the most significant of which is the Council on American Islamic Relations, (CAIR) an army of lawyers working to strengthen Islamic law wherever possible so that Sharia will be accepted in our legal system. Here is the unwavering motto of the Brotherhood: Quran is our law; Jihad is our way; Dying for Allah is our highest hope.
Discovered hidden in a prominent Islamist's Virginia home in 2004 by the FBI during an investigation of the Holy Land Foundation, (funneling money to terrorists) a massive document was unearthed, written in Arabic, spelling out the goals of the Muslim Brotherhood in America. In part, it states: The Ikhwan (Brothers) must understand that their work in America is a kind of grand Jihad in eliminating and destroying the western civilization from within and sabotaging its miserable house by their hands so that God's religion is made victorious….
Note: From Within
In 2001, another lengthy document authored by the hierarchy of the Brotherhood was found by Swiss authorities hidden in a prominent Islamists home inSwitzerland, titled: "The Project." This document enumerates the game plan (or war plan) by which the Muslim Brotherhood intends on deploying their plan, including:
Use deception to mask the goals of Islamic actions (lying)
Collect funds and indefinitely support jihad around the world
Instrumentally, use existing western institutions until they can be converted to the service of Islam
Maintain the appearance of "moderation."
Implement a watchdog system for monitoring western media
Keep Muslims living in America in a jihad frame of mind.
The Prophet Muhammed was quoted in the Hadith: "War is Deceit."
Sadly, for our grandkids, this may be a war we never really knew how to fight.
Vero's Voice link, see page 48:
http://www.verosvoice.com/images/vv_issue_27_web.pdf