Public Opinion: The Modern Day Lynch Mob

[tweetmeme source=”TheFrogBlogg”]

Did you know Caylee Anthony?  Were you a lawyer in the murder trial against her mother?  Were you a witness to any of the alleged events?  Were you presented with the facts and evidence in the case to deliberate with 11 other jurors? Are you a judge?If you answered, “Yes” or “You bet your sweet ass I am” to any of the aforementioned questions, than feel free to disregard the entirety of this post.  Everyone else, have a seat over there, we need to talk.

Have you ever seen the film “Frankenstein?”

No you haven’t you fucking liar that movie came out in 1931.

However, it is a very distinct possibility that you’re aware of the story.  In this archaic tale, a misunderstood creature is assumed to be evil and persecuted by the community.  Obviously, this poor beast isn’t awarded a jury of his peers, but rather the wrath of a lynch mob complete with pitchforks and torches.

Now, let’s be clear, I’m not trying to convey the notion that Casey Anthony is simply a misunderstood person who has been vilified without any justification.  I’m making a point about public perception, and how quickly an individual feeling or opinion can escalate into instant condemnation.

Condemnation is an expression of unfavorable or adverse judgement. Condom Nation is a "Club Med" style resort for people with Sexually Transmitted Diseases.

There’s a reason we have a legal system, many actually, but the most obvious reason is to ensure our society allows its citizens an opportunity to properly defend themselves against possibly slanderous accusations. We have a justice system so we can completely isolate emotional reactions and baseless judgment, thus negating the likelihood of corrupted verdicts.

I suspect most people, including myself, would react completely differently than Casey if their child went missing.  However, as long as you aren’t infringing on the rights of another individual, making stupid decisions isn’t against the law.

Did someone say stupid "Decision?"

If I go to a party while my child is missing, it makes me a despicable, possibly mentally ill human being, but it doesn’t make me a murderer.

Sure, a great deal of evidence presented in the case did seem to incriminate Casey Anthony for a multitude of potential wrongdoings, but guess what, we don’t tar and feather people in the middle of the town square anymore.

Because we built a Starbucks there instead.

Human beings make mistakes.  Think of the countless people who have lost years of their life, or even been sentenced to death, only to be later found innocent.  A popular phrase that’s been attributed to many people, but mostly Thomas Jefferson goes as such:

 “I’d rather see a hundred guilty men go free than see one innocent man convicted.”

Yes, in your mind, you might be SURE that she’s guilty, but that’s just as ambiguous as being SURE you’ve chosen the right religion when countless others are SURE their religion is superior.

I'm SURE of it!

If this case was so cut and dry, so obvious, so one-sided, than how come the prosecution couldn’t preset the right amount of facts and evidence to convict her?  I hear people saying they should have tried her for a different crime, but than we’d be hearing cries from people who think it’s unfair that she was tried for a lesser crime.

Bottom Line: Casey Anthony was awarded a fair legal trial in front of a jury of her peers, a liberty every American is awarded as granted by the Constitution of the United States of America.  The prosecution had every opportunity to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that she murdered her child, but they didn’t.

Go ahead and scapegoat the “flawed legal system” if you must, but the blame should rest on the shoulders of the prosecution.  I’m sorry, but if you leave reasonable doubts, you don’t get a conviction, it’s as simple as that.

On another note, while the public was busy convicting this woman in their own minds, they apparently neglected to realize their focus shouldn’t be on some stupid bitch who made terrible decisions, but an innocent child who lost their life.

Oh yeah, remember that little detail?  So while you’re fuming in anger and making wild proclamations about what should happen to Casey Anthony, just remember that you’re wasting your precious time being angry, instead of showing remorse for the loss of a life.

I hate to break it to you, but Casey Anthony receiving a lethal injection wasn’t going to bring her daughter back to life.  There aren’t any winners and losers in this case because EVERYONE has already lost.  The world has lost an innocent child, a family has lost their sweet little girl, and yet, all people can worry about is their unfulfilled thirst for vengeance.

You’re allowed to be pissed off with the fact that a child was murdered and the perpetrator hasn’t been brought to justice. However, how many people have you heard making that complaint?

If Casey Anthony had been legally convicted of murder, I’d had no problem with her receiving a lethal injection.  However, an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind, so perhaps we can use this moment as an opportunity to keep an eye on the realities of our legal system.

I’m not sure what truly happened on the day Caylee Anthony was brutally murdered, I do however know one thing:

 “It’s not what you know, it’s what you can prove.”

The only thing that’s been proven is the American public’s ignorance to a legal system instituted by the men who founded our nation.  If you really think our justice system is so heavily flawed, send a postcard to Benjamin Franklin.