QOTW-When you disagree with "justice"...
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QOTW-When you disagree with "justice"...
| Wed, 06-15-2005 - 8:19am |
The trial is finally over... Michael Jackson is not guilty on all counts. Another trial was over a few months ago: Robert Blake was not guilty on all counts. Scott Peterson will stay in jail. Martha Stewart is still tethered. These high profile trials put the US Justice system in the spotlight. Jurors write books. Lawyers get rich.
What do you think about justice in your country?
Bink


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Honestly, I am sick.
Shyla
I have been surprised by some of the verdicts in the US courts, and have disagreed with a few, but I have to accept the fact that I didn't hear the same thing the jury heard, and there most certainly is a reason for the decision.
Tough question...I was a little afraid to look at the responses too...because it's pretty clear that certain wealthy people in our country literally get away with murder, sigh. And that's a depressing thought. One needs to have a strong stomach to look upon today's so-called justice system with any kind of reasonable explanation...
You can argue all the fine points, split the hairs, and follow the law to the letter but what it all boils down to is...some folks end up skating. Especially those wealthy enough to keep themselves out of prison. And yet, even though it appears the guilty go free, I don't believe it...what I truly believe is what comes around goes around. You cannot cheat justice, you may be able to fool the jury, the judge, the lawyers but in the end, there will be a time of reckoning.
Anyone who has ever tried to keep a dark secret knows that the knowledge weighs heavily, and may even cause damage. The story that comes to mind is the Telltale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe...in which the murderer is haunted by the victim's disembodied voice...guilt is a powerful mistress indeed...
For those human beings who don't have a well-developed conscience, then I agree with the other poster who said these are troubled souls who must work out their issues in other lives...
In this morning's paper I read a letter to the editor from someone who questioned why the public continues to pay homage to artists and others, etc. who commit crimes...Scott Peterson's girlfriend wrote a book about her affair and defection to the authorities...and people are paying money for this! She is getting royalties from her rather questionable part in a duplicitious relationship...sad irony here. Ditto for Michael Jackson...his music sells very well and this enormous fortune has enabled him to go free...again, what sad and monumental irony.
I've struggled with this post for a couple days now, not really sure how to answer it. My father is in law enforcement, and one of the big moral lessons of my childhood was that following the law was very important. I can remember asking as a small child something along the lines of why Daddy was so strict about legal matters and Mom explaining that he felt he couldn't in good conscience enforce a law that he didn't follow himself. That the law is the law whether we agree with it or not. I realize as an adult that this must be difficult for him at times, having to put his own personal feelings aside to enforce a rule he may not agree with.
I agree with previous posters about the wealthy in this country buying their freedom. It's disheartening to say the least. Examples such as O.J. Simpson or Michael Jackson are downright embarrassing. But... I have to remind myself that I can only be responsible for my own actions and that I know *I'm* doing what is right.
I'll throw in another example that I believe illustrates the same issue from the opposite point of view: the Mayor of San Francisco performing same sex marriages even though it's been ruled against by the courts. I agree with the Mayor that it's unfair to discriminate against these people based on their sexuality. We can't legally prevent them from marrying because of their ethnicity or religion or anything else; that would be unconstitutional. But the prohibition against homosexuality is based on Biblical principles which in my mind breaks the rule of seperation between church and state. Therefore it is also unconstitutional. But it's not MY place, or HIS place, to totally disregard the law just because we don't agree with it. So while I do believe gay marriage should be allowed, I still believe he was wrong to go about things the way he did. (I'm using this as a real-life example btw, not trying to start a debate on gay marriage. That would belong on another board.)
Anyway, I guess you can see why I've got ambivalent feelings on the subject. While I do believe in the importance of the law, I also can't help but see its failings as well. *sigh*
Well, gingercookie, on the whole, I hear you...but, I think it's more complex than just following the law...I think there are times when breaking the law is the best way to make your point and stand up for what is right and just...Rosa Parks (and many others) went down in history for breaking inhumane Jim Crow laws...laws that are completely unethical by today's standards...if not for this kind of bravery, well, how could we evolve? The civil rights movement is predicated on African American folks who sat at lunch counters, used white entrances, marched in protest, insisted on voting, etc. when it was illegal for them to do so.
I applaud what the mayor of SF is doing...treating folks with dignity sometimes does transcends the letter of the law...and the bible as well.
When are we going too far with the legal system too? I am afraid if we push too hard for stricter laws, then we take away our freedoms too. I guess no legal system can be perfect. We have to take the good with the bad. It is an unfair world we live in.
By the way...anyone intersted...the Terri Schiavo autopsy is back and it looks like she was in a persistent vegetative state with only 50% of her brain working and they found out she has also been blind the whole time...What I thought was kind of strange is that her heart was fine and they couldn't find the actual cause of her brain damage although there is no sign of drugging or abuse..I guess nobody will ever know. Of course, the Schindlers' did not like the results and are still going to fight for a civil suit...poor people seem to be very much in denial. I think we should all pray for them to let go and enjoy their lives and their memories of their daughter during her younger years...
Love and Blessings,
R-
I obviously can't comment on the American legal system only the British one. I have wondered what would have happened if Michael Jackson had been British and the trial held here. Us Brits love to support the underdog and like to see people come from nothing and make it in life, but then once they do we just love to knock them down. There have been a few high profile cases of paedophiles in this country where they have been sent to prison, though no one on the scale of stardom that Michael Jackson has. I suspect that those rich enough and powerful enough get away with things that none of the rest of us would no matter what country they are from.
Carol
One of the sad facts about the American Penal system is also that pedophiles seem to meet untimely deaths once they are behind bars.
I just think it is sad how much innocence is being lost on the sexual predators out there...I feel like my kids have no freedom anymore. I am always right on top of them, even just to play in the yard. I know that pedophiles have been around forever, what scares me is how much more violent they are becoming...no conscience at all.
BTW, Bink, I am sorry about your situation growing up too. I think that has got to be one of the toughest experiences to have to go through. My heart goes out to you.
Love and Light,
R-
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