As a younger man, Judy Clarke’s father probably would have baffled me. Harry Clarke organized and was president of Western Carolina Industries, which provides services to businesses. It is, so it speak, in the business of doing business. Seemingly true to type, Harry Clarke was a Republican and friend of Jesse Helms. Even after Clarke’s sudden death in an airplane accident, his wife remained in contact with the Senator.
Mrs. Clarke, Patsy, had more than one tragic loss to endure. Her son, Mark, had died of AIDS at the age of 31. As hard as it was to lose him, it must have been equally as difficult to hear the horrible things her friend Senator Helms had to say about gay people. She knew that if she were to write to him and remind Jesse of her son’s story, he would change his rhetoric. By his stark response, Helms succeeded in changing Patsy Clarke from a political observer to a political activist.
Her group, Mothers Against Jesse In Congress, worked for his defeat in 1996. The work also brought her to question her own bigotry and work for respect for all people. She experience a process of education not unlike the one her husband sought to encourage when he established, through his estate, a scholarship for students seeking college degrees in North Carolina. Their open-minded quest to preserve the dignity of every person has been instilled in their daughter as well.
Judy Clarke is a lawyer, but not THAT kind of lawyer. She’s a criminal defense attorney, but not THAT kind of defense attorney. Or maybe she is, depending on what kind of lawyer you are thinking of. Judy Clarke defended Ted Kaczynski. She defended Eric Rudolph. She defended Susan Smith. Judy Clarke is now defending Jared Loughner, who shot 18 people in Tuscon on Saturday.
Ms. Clarke’s presence means it will be significantly less likely that Jared Loughner will receive the death penalty. I’ve said before that I don’t know what the solution is, but I’m fairly sure that the death penalty is not it. In the cases she has defended, which often begin with strong calls for capital punishment, Ms. Clarke shows just how complicated these stories can be. And I’m sure this woman from Asheville will help us understand how this shooting which took place in front of the Tuscon Safeway where my mother-in-law shops has a lot more to it that we can readily comprehend. I’m sure it will baffle me.
You should read this story about Patsy Clarke and this story about Judy Clarke. You can also find out a little something about Harry Clarke.