Word: meaninglessness
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...central conflict, that between social standards and rights of the individual. On the toughest and touchiest of legal ground, accused is pitted against accuser in a private realm where testimony is merely personal, and a victim's deposition is easily manipulated and abused without corroboration. Even written confession becomes meaningless because it is given under extreme duress where relief is desirable at any price. The accused fights to save name and face without offending societal standards, but there is no way to win. It's either sell out or lose out, and the weak save themselves while the good...
...Secretary Frank Carlucci, blasted Bill Clinton for a "posture of moral and political abdication," and called for further NATO air action. And barely hours before Akashi released word of the accord, he issued a statement calling a halt to the U.N.'s Gorazde venture. "I believe it would be meaningless in present circumstances for ((the U.N. peacekeeping force)) to fulfill its activities in Bosnia and Herzegovina," he said. A U.N. official in Zagreb made the point more forcefully: "Either we close up shop or we come back with a huge army...
ACLU lawyer Harvey Grossman protests that "doing searches of apartments is a meaningless gesture. Weapons come back." Tom Sullivan, a lawyer for pro- sweep residents, agrees that the searches are only "a Band-Aid." Even Vincent Lane, chairman of the Chicago housing authority, thinks a long-run solution would have to be really drastic: "We ought to be looking for ways to get rid of the Robert Taylor Homes of the world and provide ((different)) housing for poor people...
Winona Ryder's unpredictable acting is at its worst in "the House of the Spirit." Love scenes between Pedro and Blanca are meaningless; true passion is completely absent in their relationships. Pedro's attempts at fiery speeches intended to stir the peasant workers into revolt are equally uninspired, and we are left to puzzle over this sudden attempt at a political message...
...Gainesville court that one reason he committed the slayings was that he wanted to be a "superstar in crime." Says Florida prosecutor Rod Smith: "It's frightening if someone who craves attention can get so much by doing something so horrible. How many others out there with meaningless lives are looking to get their 15 minutes of fame...