When I Met a Murderer

People used to ask if I met any famous people while working in the security industry. Yes, I met many famous people. Some of the most notable are Kid Rock, Senator John McCain, Stevie Nicks, NBA players, and Major League Baseball players. The famous person I met that holds the distinction of being the most bizarre though is a cold-blooded murderer.

Remember Stephen Grant? Yes, the guy in Macomb County that killed his wife in 2007, cut her body into pieces at his father's shop, and discarded them into a Stoney Creek Park. Well, not all of the pieces. The imbecile put her torso in the garage of the family home. Believe it or not, I met Grant just a few days after he committed that horrendous act. I've only told a few people until now.

The reason I never told many people is because I met Grant in the spy shop I was managing. My former employer didn't want law enforcement, the attorneys, and the media to know that he had been in our store. He didn't want himself or his business dragged into the situation. The day that he came in was only a few days before he fled for northern Michigan. As you will recall he was apprehended in freezing temperatures later in the evening.

When Stephen Grant entered the store I was helping another customer and I didn't recognize him at first. As time went on his face and clothing began to become more familiar. If you watched the news coverage of his wife's disappearance you might remember that Grant was often wearing a heavy red jacket. Well, he had that same jacket on in my store and that is what was catching my eye. The other customer eventually left and I asked Grant if I could help him, still unsure of who he was. He explained to me that he was interested in voice recording devices. As I shared information with him about voice recorders he came right out and told me that he was "the guy who has been on TV lately." I instantly realized why he looked familiar to me.

The reason Stephen Grant was asking about voice recording devices was because his attorney instructed him to purchase one to record his telephone calls. At least that's what he told me. You may recall that one of the things that made Grant look bad in the public eye was the revelation that he had been communicating with a former girlfriend via the computer and the woman had supplied the emails to the media. Grant was very flirtatious with the woman and this, of course, made him look really bad in light of his wife missing. Remember that Grant was adamant about his innocence in his wife's disappearance, even though anyone with half of a brain knew there was something not right about his demeanor. Well, Grant told me that the former girlfriend had called him to apologize for sharing their personal emails. He, of course, had no way of proving that. Hence, the need for a telephone recording device. The voice recorders that I sold can record telephone and cell phone conversations.

Stephen Grant left my store without purchasing a recorder. He claimed that he was going to tell his attorney what he found out about the devices and that he wanted to find out if his attorney wanted him to buy a tape recorder or a digital recorder. Some judges don't like to accept digital recordings because they can be easily altered by computer software.

So, there it is. I looked into the face of a murderer for 15-20 minutes and had a normal conversation with him. It wasn't known until a few days later that he had actually committed the crime but, come on, it was pretty certain that he had done it. I still can't believe to this day that that happened to me. I'm sure I'll never forget it.

March Madness

I love the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, but I have no idea why. I guess it's because I'm a sports fan and I'm supposed to love it. I find that when I turn the games on I pay very little attention. It's as if I turn the TV on just for the noise. Mississippi State beat Oregon this evening in the first round and I actually sat through it. If that game was being played in January I wouldn't have spent 30 seconds watching it. The tournament has this weird way of drawing sports fans into watching something that they would give very little time to during the regular season.

I suppose it's similar to my interest in the NFL. I always liked football, but I've become much more interested the last five years due to playing fantasy football. I know that's silly, but it's true. I've gotten to know who many more NFL players are because I'm one of those goofballs who pays close attention to many games on Sunday because the players on "my team" are on multiple NFL teams. In addition, I have money riding on the success of those players.

That's where the correlation between the NFL and the NCAA tournament comes. So many of us fill out tournament brackets, choosing who we believe will win it all. Some people do it just for fun while others pay $5 or more to enter a tournament "pool" or "challenge." We all know that we put more interest into something when we put our money into it. Even if we don't though, we still have that inherent desire to win or be successful. I didn't spend any money on the tournament this year, but I did fill out two brackets and I certainly want to win as many games as possible. Why? I have no idea! It's just some silly thing to do that I got in the habit of doing many years ago.

It's nice to forget about the daily grind and the troubles that each day can bring. Things such as the NCAA basketball tournament do just that. Enjoy March Madness. Forget about work, family problems, politics, money, and everything else. Even if you aren't a basketball or sports fan, do it anyway. Watch these young men work their butts off while they chase their dream. It's fun to watch and, in a way, can lift your spirits.

A Different Primary Season

Boy, my theory about how presidential candidates win their party's nomination may be going right out the window in 2008. I used to tell my government students, and anyone else that would listen, that the Democratic candidates had to go as far left as possible and the Republican candidates had to run to the right. We refer to that as "playing to the base."

With Super Tuesday fast approaching it looks as if Sen. John McCain may lock up the Republican nomination. That's shocking to me for more than one reason. First, a sitting U.S. senator has not won the presidency since John Kennedy in 1960. I think Americans largely shy away from voting for members of the House and Senate for president because they are seen as the Washington crowd that creates all of our country's problems to begin with. So, why would we choose one of them to try to turn it around? Interestingly, three of the four candidates who appear to have a chance to win the general election are currently U.S. senators.

Secondly, McCain has built a terrible reputation for himself amongst many conservatives in this country. Many conservative icons have either said that they will never vote for him, or they would basically close their eyes as they voted for him and try to pretend like they didn't. McCain has not shown his conservative side when it comes to legislation he has co-authored with liberal senators regarding campaign finance reform and illegal immigration. That sealed his fate with a lot of conservatives.

McCain is very conservative on some issues, but he is viewed as a moderate Republican. Some people have argued that he has a better chance against the Democrat in the general election because he would garner more votes from independents. But there's a huge problem that those people aren't considering. If McCain is the Republican nominee, then numerous conservatives will not show up to the voting booths in November. Many have made it clear that they will not support him, even if that means not voting at all.

The next few days are going to be extremely interesting. I really hope that Mitt Romney does well on Super Tuesday. I'm just more comfortable with a successful businessman and governor with an impressive track record being my next president. As conservative as Romney appears to be, I have been very surprised that he hasn't emerged as the clear choice for Republicans.

McCain, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama represent the Washington establishment that we've all grown to despise. Romney can become part of the establishment, but let's give him four or eight years to do so.