The Anthony verdict

Folks everywhere are screeching their heads off in outrage over Casey Anthony being acquitted of Capital Murder.  Let me see if I can break this down for you.

In order to obtain a conviction for the crime of Capital (1st-Degree) Murder, it is incumbent upon the prosecution to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the accused did knowingly, willfully and with premeditation, take the life of an innocent person.  The prosecution having failed to present sufficient concrete evidence to establish this trifecta, the only possible verdict was, "Not Guilty."  Suspicion is not proof.  Hearsay is not proof.  There simply wasn't enough actual, proveable evidence to establish guilt.

Yes, the whole thing stinks to high heaven.  Yes, my gut feeling--along with, I'm certain, the jurors and most of America--is that she did it.  But the law demands objective facts.  We do not sentence people to death based on a 'gut feeling.'  To do so is not justice, but vigilanteism.

Any system designed by man is necessarily imperfect, because man is imperfect.  Therefore, sometimes, the system fails.  And it sucks when that happens.  But without it, we return to the law of the jungle, and no sane person wants that.

And, hopefully, that's the last thing I'll ever have to post about this whole affair.  Prayers for the souls of all those involved would likely not go amiss.

Meanwhile, 'Project Gunwalker' aka 'Operation Fast and Furious' aka 'WTF Were You Assholes Trying To Accomplish' continues to gather steam.  And it apparently goes very, very high up, and into very illegal territory.  My prayers are with little Caylee, but also with the uncountable numbers of innocent people murdered by drug cartels...with the full consent and collaboration of the United States government.

Chew on that.


(HT for badass Dexter image iOTW)