Tuesday, June 14, 2005

Jackson verdict makes me sick


In my previous life as a lawyer, I spent three years as an assistant district attorney in charge of prosecuting child abuse and neglect cases on behalf of the county child welfare agency. My experience was that pedophiles were intractable, incurable and would continue their behavior despite counseling, drugs and prison. We don't know how to cure them.

Interviews with the jurors in the Michael Jackson case revealed that they believed he was a pedophile--they just didn't believe the mother of the accused and seemed to have been convinced by the defense attorney that because she deliberately placed her son in Michael Jackson's way there was reasonable doubt that he molested him. But then the jurors say that they also believe Jackson is a pedophile. Huh?

The trial itself had aspects of Dante's Inferno with its seven layers of Hell covered by swarms of demonesque press representatives and featuring ghoulish fans on the side. And Michael Jackson has a spooky resemblance to one of the grotesques of Heironymus Bosch. If I were a premillenial dispensationalist I would start quoting some dire prophecies from Revelation. But I'm not, so I won't.

6 comments:

John said...

My prediction was conviction on giving alchohol to a child and a hung jury on the other charges.

Unknown said...

It's amazing they didn't at least convict on the alcohol charges. They seemed to be saying, "We hated that mother, and we blame her for anything bad that may have happened."

Anonymous said...

It is too bad that someone can't level charges against the boy's mother. Would that have made the jury feel like they didn't have to "punish" her. I admit that I followed none of this trial, however with the little that I've gleaned from hearsay the whole lot of them should be embarrased and in therapy.

spookyrach said...

I too thought they would find guilty on furnishing alcohol to a minor and acquit on the other charges.

As for Revealtion, had dinner next to a group of premalinealists last night. Sure enough, the Jackson verdict was discussed and many prohphesies from Revelation were quoted. (And I had fun eavesdropping!)

Anonymous said...

I don't know . . . whether you're premilennarian or not, the dire prophecies from Revelation still seem apropos here.

Jody Harrington said...

Will, I am sorely tempted!