You know what I don't understand? I don't understand the vitriol being spewed over Casey Anthony being found not guilty of murdering her daughter, Caylee.
Casey Anthony Acquitted on Murder Charges
Let's try to break this down, shall we?
First and foremost, I shall not engage in any discussions/debates about Ms. Anthony's guilt or innocence. The reason for this is quite simple. I have no way of knowing whether Ms. Anthony committed this crime or not, which brings me to one of my major concerns with how people have reacted to the verdict. The fact of the matter is this. I do not not know if Ms. Anthony is guilty. As near as I can tell, neither do any of the people, including that windbag Nancy Grace who continues to pollute the airwaves on HLN, who are shrieking nonstop about this on Facebook, Twitter, My Space, etc. Bluntly, with the exception of Ms. Anthony and the Almighty Himself, no one knows if she killed her daughter.
My problem with the way these hundreds of thousands of people have reacted to this decision is quite simple. Unless they were in the courtroom, listened to every word of testimony, and reviewed every piece of evidence, how are they reaching the conclusion that Ms. Anthony is guilty of this horrific crime? Are they basing their opinions on what was presented by all of the shrill media circus surrounding this case, including the aforementioned Ms. Grace? Folks, the accused are thankfully not tried in the media in this country. The media and public opinion tried and convicted Gary Condit for killing Chandra Levy. There was only one problem. Mr. Condit was not responsible for Ms. Levy's death.
Who Killed Chandra Levy
How can the court of public opinion be so sure about Ms. Anthony's guilt?
In the United States, we have a Constitutional right to a trial by a jury of our peers if we are accused of a crime. We are not tried by the media. We are not tried by a majority vote of local or state government officials. Although a bench trial can be requested, our guilt or innocence is normally not determined by a judge. Let us not forget the awesome responsibility placed upon jurors in a murder case. Twelve citizens from various walks of life hold a person's freedom, or even their life, in their hands. We can only hope that this grim responsibility is taken extremely seriously by those entrusted with it. Is a trial by jury a perfect system? Absolutely not, but, much like democracy, it is terribly flawed; but it is better than anything else that has been tried.
The burden of proof in a criminal trial rests with the prosecution (ie the government). Again, would we really want it any other way? Would we want the defense to have to prove innocence? Would we want governmental prosecutors having the ability to take away our freedom without holding the burden of proof? In the Anthony case, the prosecution clearly did not meet this burden. Again, only Ms. Anthony knows if she killed her daughter; but if she did, the prosecution did not prove their case against her beyond a reasonable doubt. Again, is he system perfect? No. However, what are the alternatives?
On a side note, I truly do not understand why the prosecutors in this case brought first degree murder charges against Ms. Anthony. Proving murder one is extraordinarily difficult as well it should be. It involves proving premeditation and myriad of other things. I cannot help but wonder if a second degree murder charge would have been a better option.
Further, we are presumed innocent until proven guilty; proven guilty by the above mentioned jury of our peers after the previously noted government prosecutors make their case beyond a reasonable doubt. In the Middle East, some governments practice sharia law with barbaric punishments and no jury trial. In Mexico, the accused are assumed guilty until proven innocent. Think about that for a few minutes. Would anyone here want to live under either of those legal systems? The American system is flawed, but I would certainly not want to deal with anyone else's system.
The bottom line is this, friends and frenemies. Those of you who want to hang this young lady from the tallest palm tree in Orlando have absolutely nothing upon which to base your assumption of Ms. Anthony's guilt. (And incidentally, if any of my readers did sit through the entire trial, I would be very much interested to hear your thoughts on this case.) Plainly, the prosecution did not meet their burden of proof. Is a child killer about to walk free? Perhaps. Again, only Ms. Anthony knows the full truth. I don't, and you don't. I find it very distasteful that she is being tried and convicted in the court of public opinion, and I find it even more distasteful that the American justice system, which has been in place for 235 years, is being vilified in the same manner as Ms. Anthony.
I would rather seen thousands of the guilty walk the streets than to see one innocent lose his freedom.
Peace and love, my brothers and sisters.
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