Tuesday marks the 20th anniversary of one of the more televised criminal acts in history. Former professional football star turned actor O.J. Simpson took us all on his adventure in his white Bronco as he “evaded” authorities prior to his arrest for the double murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman. Continue reading The Chase
Category Archives: Information
The heroes of Memorial Day
Of course when you think about Memorial Day, you think of the heroes who served our country and are no longer with us. But there’s a reason why the United States of America takes time off to honor the fallen year after year — and it’s due to a certain group of individuals, who we all need to thank for honoring and remembering. Continue reading The heroes of Memorial Day
Top 10 Manhunts in History
A manhunt is over. The last remaining suspect of the Boston Marathon bombings has been taken into custody. Much of the city of Boston was on lockdown hours after the FBI released photos of the two suspects, now identified as 26-year-old Tamerlan Tsarnaev and 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the two suspected of the bombing that killed three people. In the early morning hours, suspect Tamerlan was wounded and killed in a shootout with police. His younger brother, suspect Dzhokhar escaped and a near 20-hour manhunt ensued.
There was a point of time where one could have been led to believe that this could go on for a while. But in light of Friday’s events, let’s have a look at some of the best manhunts in history.
10. Christopher Dorner
The man suspected launching an assault on police officers and their families in February 2013. Two police officers were killed, and several others were injured. Like some of the infamous killers, Dorner’s story came complete with a manifesto. Dorner’s time on the run ended nine days after the first murder he’s accused of committing. He was cornered in a cabin in the woods of Big Bear Lake. Deputies set fire to the place but he likely ended himself with self-inflicted gunshot wound.
9. Adolph Eichmann
Known as the architect of the Holocaust. After World War II, Eichmann fled Europe for Argentina and lived under a false name as a factory worker. He had been high on the list of war criminals for Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad for close to 15 years. He was eventually brought down by his son bragging to his girlfriend that his father was a Nazi big-wig. The Mossad came went to South America and retrieved him. The man responsible for the imprisonment and death of millions of Jews was tried, convicted and hanged.
8. Saddam Hussein
President (and dictator) of Iraq for over 20 years. In 1991 he kicked off the Gulf War by invading Kuwait. In 2001, terror hit us on September 11, and President George W. Bush lumped Hussein in the hunt for those responsible, and accusing him to have weapons of mass destruction. Iraq was invaded by American and United Kingdom forces. Ten months later in December 2003 he was found literally hiding in a hole. He too was tried, convicted and hanged.
7. Eric Rudolph
The man responsible for bombing the Olympics in Atlanta in 1996 as the highlight of his deviant behavior. In other bombings across the south over the next two years he’d kill two more people and injure over 150. Rudolph made the notorious list of the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted in May, 1998. During his time on the run he became a mountain man surviving in the wild. Five years later he was caught behind a grocery store by a rookie cop. We can now find Rudolph in Supermax, only getting an hour and a half everyday out of his cell.
6. John Dillinger
One of the most dangerous and daring of criminals in the prime years of criminal activity, Dillinger made bank robbery, shooting at law enforcement and escaping prison look like a walk in the park. His name is essentially synonymous with criminal activity and he partly help the FBI become what it is today. For a good two years, public enemy number one terrorized the mid-west. Despite the heat on him he’d still have his fun at ballgames and theaters. The latter of which is where the law finally caught up to him in July 1934.
5. John Allen Muhammad & Lee Boyd Malvo
These two reined terror over two states and the District of Columbia for three weeks in October 2002. In that time Muhammad and Malvo planned and executed ten people and wounded several others. The Beltway was terrified and the intense media coverage and manhunt flooded everyone’s daily activities. Victims were all random, seemingly no one was safe. Twenty days later the two were found sleeping in a rest stop. Muhammad, the father-figure to the younger suspect, was put to death. Malvo remains in prison for the rest of his life.
4. Ted Kaczynski
A name and an image that will likely represent domestic terrorism forever. The Unabomber made several home-made bombs, usually mailing them out to unsuspecting victims. He killed three people and injured a couple dozen. His story is remarkable because he was near genius before he turned psychopath. His manifesto led to his brother recognizing his ramblings and turned him in. It took the FBI one of their costliest investigations and 17 years to bring him in custody. He made and plea and is now in Supermax. 
3. Zodiac Killer
The only person on this list that unidentified with no arrest for his crimes. A serial killer in the late 60s and early 70s, he murdered several young adults and teens in northern California. He sent cryptic letters to press in the area bragging of his crimes and motivation. He called himself Zodiac in some of the letters, some of which still have not been figured out to this day. Several people were suspected of being Zodiac, including number four on the list, but the case remains open and no one has been arrested. Fortunately we’ve seen no more victims in the past 40 years. In his last letter in 1974, he claimed, though likely considered to be false, “Me=37, SFPD=0”.
2. John Wilkes Booth
Easily the most famous assassin in United States history, he shot and killed President Abraham Lincoln. Originally planning to kidnap the president, Booth, a well-known actor at the time, shot President Lincoln in the back of the head in the Presidential Box before jumping to the stage revealing himself to the crowd. Nearly two weeks after an escape from Washington, D.C., and having his co-conspirators captured Booth was cornered at a barn. Union soldiers set fire to it and he was later shot and killed after not surrendering. 
1. Osama bin Laden
The leader of a network of terrorist, Osama bin Laden, appropriately deemed “the most wanted man on the face of the Earth” by many orchestrated the bombing of the USS Cole, terror attacks on September 11, 2001, a U.S. Embassy bombing in 1998 amongst other acts. It would take the death of 2,996 people for the country to realize that he was a problem long before that. An exhaustive military campaign effort from 2001 to 2011 was led in Afghanistan to find him. Long to have thought to be hiding in caves, he was eventually located in a compound residence in Pakistan. Navy SEALs led an assault and shot and killed him. His death was as celebrated as well as any other 4th of July holiday. Not for nothin’ but, they fought the law and the law won.
Politics and a Terrorist Victim
As I return from Arlington National Cemetery visiting the gravesite of my brother Cherone Gunn and his shipmates who were killed on board the USS Cole 12 years ago on this date, I reflect on a lot of what has transpired over the course of the past day, week and month. Yes, today a lot of the focus was on the anniversary of the bombing of the USS Cole, but there are others who see a sad opportunity to push their political agenda at the same time. I can’t help but to think how has the memory of my brother and his shipmates been honored among those who wish to use the day as a platform for their gain? Aside from today being the anniversary of the attack, there are other attacks and victims of terror whose memory may be taken advantaged of for political gain. It’s all an ironic tragedy.
The trial of one of the suspects held responsible for the attack on the USS Cole is set to get underway in just over a week. It has been 12 years and this is the first such instance where our country is holding someone responsible to answer to the crime. It would seem that this would be a time where everyone could come together to see justice carried out, but while it may or may not come out with a positive outcome some people already are laying ground work on the how’s and why’s things could go wrong.
There is finger-pointing going, specifically with conservatives who say that our president is soft on terrorism. A direct reference is usually made to what happened last month in Benghazi, Libya where Americans were killed in an attack on the U.S. Embassy there. Some are calling out the president saying he took too long to address the incident as a terrorist attack and that he neglected to do anything to prevent it from happening. This was even brought out in the vice-presidential debate from Thursday evening. True or not, it’s not doing anything to remedy the problem.
We essentially have two problems. The first problem is bad people do bad things. Sometimes they get stopped and sometimes not, but if they are determined enough they will unfortunately find a way. Are you going to want to blame a rape victim for being raped? A shooting victim for getting shot? The other problem is using someone’s death to prove your point and make your statement. On October 13, 2000 the only political statement I wanted to hear was, “we got the sucka” and I really would not have cared who or which side of the aisle it came from. And I doubt the family of Ambassador Chris Stevens and the three other American who were killed are drawing any comfort in knowing if it was a riot response to a movie or a planned terrorist attack or bad foreign policy. Get the guy who did it and figure out who left the gate open later.
Not for nothin’ but let’s not forget the reason why we’re arguing this point. Do not grandstand on my brother’s grave, or anyone else’s. This is not about your politics. I don’t care if you could have done it better than the other guy, or if the other guy has no experience, or if either of you have your facts straight. This is not your time to bicker about that. Today is my time. Today is our time as victims. Not to get hypocritical, but if anyone should make a political point out of it, let it be us. I think we deserved that.
50,000 Page Views
If you look to the left-hand side of the page, scroll down a bit, you will see a new milestone that Not For Nothin’ has reached. Not For Nothin’ has reached 50,000 views to the web log! What started back in August 2008 as a way for me to write down my thoughts on various news stories and bits of information, it is still going strong, 50,000 strong.
I’d like to take this time to thank a few people. First I’d like to thank you, the viewer and the 50,000 times you have viewed one of my pages on this blog. I’d like to thank my employers over the past few years. All of whom have kept my interest in news. I’d also like to thank all of the crazy people out there in the world who have given me tons of material to write about. I’d like to thank the dozens of interesting topics that strike my interest enough for me to write about and for people to want to know more about. And I’d also like to thank God, for which no page view is possible.
Yes, back when I first started I was consistent, posting something new and fresh everyday of the week. Yeah, it got a little tough over the years, may have been burnout, who knows. There may have been maybe a year where there was nothing new at all. But I do have a refocus and I want to continue making this website something informative for more than just the 50,000 that have already clicked on it. From a tropical storm slamming a man against a building, to the Casey Anthony case, to presidential elections, to what the chief of staff does, or even just to find out what “not for nothin'” is, I am glad that my product has been entertaining in some aspect. I know some people click here on accident, some search for some kind of purpose here, but hopefully all can come away with knowing something they didn’t know before.
Not for nothin’, but it’s now on to 100,000!
