As the case of Casey Anthony (the murderous mom) clearly shows, our justice system is in shambles. It's original strength - the jury system - has become its undoing. A 5 year old with any common sense would understand that what she has admitted to (30 days delay in reporting a missing child, lies, etc. etc.) deserves a severe punishment. As is, she is close to walking out free. Why??
I believe that there are several core reasons in play here. First, the juries of ones'peers has become to mean 12 people well versed in reality TV, Jerry Springer Show, and other "wonderful" cultural fare. Certainly these are folks who have been educated through the "moral relativism" of the public education of the last 40 years. So, anything can be "ok" under certain circumstances.
Second, just like in the OJ case, the actual facts of the case are ignored for a greater political "cause". In OJ's case it had everything to with the racial "payback" and in this case the philosophical opposition to a death penalty was front and center. The defense attorney said as much in his statement after the verdict.
The result is a grotesque miscarriage of justice. The kind of outcome which damages everyone's belief in the "fairness" of the system. Which is the core prerequisite for it working. In the end we are paying the price for our educational and cultural mistakes of the last 50 years. We reap what we sow.
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