| | Brant,
To the extent that this repeats what Ms. Branden had said in her book, I will refer folks to my own book. I will only repeat that poor Eloise, Ms. Branden's best witness, and the only one named in her biography on this subject, was angry at Ms. Branden because of her accusation against O'Connor. The number of those bottles she found might have been helpful to indicate, since this witness was convinced that O'Connor was not an alcoholic and is the sole source for the report. These may have represented his life's worth of consumption, in any event. My own ever-sober grandmother used liquor bottles in her painting work, so...
But witnesses are not those who are "aware" of something, such as those made "aware" of it by Ms. Branden herself. Witnesses are those with evidence.
Now, if this Elayne and Weiss account is merely an elaboration of what was claimed in the book, then the differences are remarkable. If this is wholly new evidence, then it is equally dubious. In her biography, Ms. Branden had said that a then-unnamed "member of the newsletter staff" came to the door an undisclosed number of times with papers for Rand to sign, only to find O'Connor incoherent. At that time, i.e., when she could have been disputed effectively, Elayne was not named as a direct witness to the drinking, just as being someone who was "convinced" (without the specified foundation here) of O'Connor's drinking, nor, it seems, did Elayne immediately tell Mr. Branden--her brother, remember--either, who had to learn of the alleged alcoholism from Ms. Branden herself only "later." Now, we are told that this staff member was really these two women. Now, we are told they found him drunk inside the apartment... etc.
And, of course, the reports of Elayne and Weiss are again exclusively confined to O'Connor's "last days just before the final illness" when he was suffering the disorienting mental effects of severe arteriosclerosis--something Ms. Branden was aware of and might of mentioned to you in her email--and a period in O'Connor's life totally dissociated from his wife's affair, the alleged cause of his emotional anguish and resulting alcoholism. Ms. Branden claims the drinking began much earlier, but can cite you no evidence to this effect. In her book, in fact, Ms. Branden specifically tells us that none of these people, or any of their other friends, was at all aware of any such excessive drinking at that time.
The only newly identified "witness" is named only after her death. Thanks.
(Edited by James S. Valliant
on 9/11, 1:15pm)
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