Justice?
What is justice? Should we all just compulsively wash our hands? The American system of trial by jury is not about justice, it is about the rule of law. In that sense, the case of the state of California vs. Michael Jackson was a sterling example of the rule of law. The rule of law requires that an charge be proved beyond a reasonable doubt before you can convict someone of a crime. This means that you need to build a case based on witness testimony, and physical evidence. While it is possible to convict on the basis of witness testimony, the witnesses have to be almost unimpeachable, and relate well to the jury. In the case of Micheal Jackson, the chief witness was a child who had flip flopped on his testimony, and then did not do well on the stand, and a parent with a reputation for participating in frivolous lawsuits. Additionally the parent was abrasive, and did not communicate effectively to the jury. I think if you are going to talk about scum bag lawyers, which is a phrase I have seen and heard bandied about, you should throw the prosecutor into the mix. The prosecutor did not have a strong case with strong corroboration going in. Apparently his handling of his witnesses was not always as good as should be expected of a litigator with over 3 decades of courtroom experience. Also I think he knew he had blown the case, as he let one of his lesser chairs present the closing argument. What kind of message does that send to the jury? So Jackson was acquitted, do you really think that is the end of this, given the history of the parent? There will be a civil suit, and if it goes to trial, we will see Jackson testify, though perhaps as a hostile witness. If the family accepts a settlement, then we will also know that part of their motivation was monetary, and not about the truth.
Oh, and on to the family. Since 1993, anyone who has not spent the last 30 years in Antarctica knows that Jackson is very weird, and has some odd behavior patterns with regard to children, to say the very least. To allow your 13 year old son to be alone with this man, or worse, to spend the night in his bed is totally and completely irresponsible. I have known parents to lose custody of the children because they engage in consensual BDSM, not around the children, not even in the house, but at all. But here we make a victim of a parent who pretty much gave her child to a man who has been suspected of being a child molester for 15 years. My sympathy for the child knows no bounds, his mother gets nothing from me. I would be pleased to see CPS, or the equivalent California agency investigate the quality of her parenting, and the safety and welfare of her children.
Did Jackson molest the child? I don't know, no one knows except for Jackson and the child. Was justice done? Justice is a question for theologians, and other philosophers, it has nothing to due with American legal system, and never did.
Oh, and on to the family. Since 1993, anyone who has not spent the last 30 years in Antarctica knows that Jackson is very weird, and has some odd behavior patterns with regard to children, to say the very least. To allow your 13 year old son to be alone with this man, or worse, to spend the night in his bed is totally and completely irresponsible. I have known parents to lose custody of the children because they engage in consensual BDSM, not around the children, not even in the house, but at all. But here we make a victim of a parent who pretty much gave her child to a man who has been suspected of being a child molester for 15 years. My sympathy for the child knows no bounds, his mother gets nothing from me. I would be pleased to see CPS, or the equivalent California agency investigate the quality of her parenting, and the safety and welfare of her children.
Did Jackson molest the child? I don't know, no one knows except for Jackson and the child. Was justice done? Justice is a question for theologians, and other philosophers, it has nothing to due with American legal system, and never did.