The Week

■ No mail strike that leaves John Lindsay at a loss for platitudes can be all bad.

■ The trial of the Panther Thirteen is stalled—perhaps forever. Pretrial hearings were halted back in February when the defendants refused to behave. Judge John Murtagh said things could get underway as soon as the defendants signed good-behavior pledges. They declined, and demanded that their bail be reduced. The Judge said nope, nobody gets out of jail regardless of how much he pays, until he signs the pledge. No way, said the defendants. Now the prosecution is petitioning for a resumption—and offering to spend $6,000 on closed- circuit TV gear to be used if defendants again misbehave. That raises all sorts of complicated legal questions about the right to confront witnesses and such. But then the whole mess raises questions about a defendant’s Sixth Amendment right to a speedy trial (presumably, even if he doesn’t want one). Poor Judge Murtagh—what’s a fascist-pig to do?

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■ No mail strike that leaves John Lindsay at a loss for platitudes can be all bad.

■ The trial of the Panther Thirteen is stalled—perhaps forever. Pretrial hearings were halted back in February when the defendants refused to behave. Judge John Murtagh said things could get underway as soon as the defendants signed good-behavior pledges. They declined, and demanded that their bail be reduced. The Judge said nope, nobody gets out of jail regardless of how much he pays, until he signs the pledge. No way, said the defendants. Now the prosecution is petitioning for a resumption—and offering to spend $6,000 on closed- circuit TV gear to be used if defendants again misbehave. That raises all sorts of complicated legal questions about the right to confront witnesses and such. But then the whole mess raises questions about a defendant’s Sixth Amendment right to a speedy trial (presumably, even if he doesn’t want one). Poor Judge Murtagh—what’s a fascist-pig to do?