BOB GARFIELD: And now for a few of your letters. A couple of weeks ago Brooke spoke to John Alan Schwartz, director of the cult film Faces of Death about what was real in the film and what was staged, and how the faking of segments affected the overall message of the film. Some of our listeners actually found the revelation of fake segments a relief.
A listener named Don emailed us to say, “Thank you for the Faces of Death piece. The depravity of the monkey brain scene has haunted me for 25 years, and I’m relieved to hear it was a fake.”
BROOKE GLADSTONE: But a number of listeners criticized my skepticism about the practice of monkey brain consumption. Listener Edwin Kay wrote, quote, “I have heard of monkey brains as food. My googling the topic makes it reasonably clear that monkey brains are eaten as food in some parts of China and Indonesia.” Listener Maeve agrees. She says, “It’s not only possible, it is true. In ‘That's Disgusting’ by Rachel Herz she writes that, quote, ‘chefs can serve you monkey brains from a living monkey sitting at your feet with its skull carved open.’” Duly noted. I will never again express surprise at the practice of monkey brain eating.
BOB GARFIELD: On an episode that aired on the weekend of February 10th, I interviewed lawyer Mary Prevost who was representing a man arrested at a sporting event after swearing at the opposing team’s fans. Prevost said his arrest for resisting arrest was a violation of her client’s First Amendment rights. And Prevost asserted this:
[CLIP]:
MARY PREVOST: You have the absolute right to resist an unlawful arrest. So if whatever precipitated the arrest was wrongful to begin with, then what flows from there as far as charges go, generally speaking, should be thrown out.
[END CLIP]
BROOKE GLADSTONE: Several listeners wrote in to tell us they didn’t agree with that interpretation of the law. Listener Daniel E. Ciora wrote, quote, “I’ve been a practicing criminal defense lawyer for over ten years and in most jurisdictions you do not have the right to resist an illegal arrest by a police officer. The only time you have a right to resist arrest is when the police officer uses excessive force.”
BOB GARFIELD: We appreciate the legal advice, and everything else you have to say, so keep your letters coming to onthemedia@wnyc.org. Or comment on our website at www.onthemedia.org. And tell us where you live and how to pronounce your name. Okay? Please?
