Posted on 06/14/2005 7:32:32 AM PDT by Asphalt
Michael Jackson's fans were cheering and hugging each other Monday outside the courtroom where he was acquitted on all counts in his child molestation case. But it was impossible for us to get excited over the verdict. You could feel relief that this case was over and the 46-year-old "King of Pop" had gotten his day in court, but no number of "not guilty" pronouncements could erase the taint of the "lifestyle" choices that got him into trouble.
As Jackson was driven away in a funereal black vehicle, under the gaze of a now standard-issue helicopter camera, we wondered how he will respond to being freed of accusations some experts were sure he would be convicted of and even those who thought otherwise acknowledged came dangerously close to criminal behavior. Will the owner and aging lost boy of Neverland continue to insist he is pure of heart and spirit, did nothing wrong in sleeping with underage boys and faces no greater challenge than being misunderstood? Or will he respond to his brush with years in prison by facing up to his psychological problems and seeking help for them?
In saying "the healing process must begin," Jesse Jackson may have been talking about recovering from the grueling trial and its coverage. But Michael Jackson has deeper personal issues to deal with -- including, possibly, being in a state of denial. His strange appearance at the courtroom in his pajamas, his stomping on the roof of his SUV, his mystery trips to the E.R. certainly did nothing to establish his stability.
He will live with the knowledge that he owes his freedom to the prosecution's haphazard case as much as his pleas of innocence or any skillful turns by the defense to support them. This was a case, built and rebuilt over a decade by Santa Barbara County District Attorney Thomas Sneddon, undone by prosecution witnesses seemingly hired by the defense. They included a young accuser who kept changing his story; the accuser's mother, who came off as a gold digger and, in allowing him to sleep in Jackson's bed, a derelict parent, and an ex-wife of Jackson's, Debbie Rowe, who was brought in by prosecutors to testify against him but spoke of what a wonderful father he was. This despite being involved in a custody battle with him.
In the end, even as this verdict is applauded for showing you're not guilty until proven so in this country, it will, for some, confirm the notion that celebrities get their way in the justice system. Will Jackson's biggest media moment since "Thriller" recharge his career, which was on an artistic and commercial decline before the molestation charges were raised? Perhaps if he stops blaming other people for his misfortunes and starts taking responsibility for them. But if he continues living in his fantasy world, any buzz from this trial will wear off as fast as cable news can find another scandal to obsess over.
? Don't kknow, I didn't write it.
Fox reported the same thing and I wondered if he had hoped to be convicted.
Does double jeopordy mean he can't be convicted of molesting that particular boy again, or anyone in general
I can't help but think of his own children and how much danger they are in now........let alone the weird costumes he makes them wear.
If a child has a mother with a history of bilking companies and celebrities, he likely won't be believed.
That's too bad, but mama's background had "reasonable doubt" all over it, even before she made a fool of herself under cross examination.
"but it was obvious he thought the same thing I did--he was molesting the children. YET, he voted "not guilty" on all counts."
That's how it works in America. The jury was taken by MJ's celebrity. It's entirely possible, (probable?), that some jurors will benefit financially from this decision. If you have enough money, you can do anything in America.
If this was an average joe on trial, he'd be locked away so long, he'd forget his own name.
Sad, and sick.
Another California jury , what did you expect ??
Mikie should go to Amsterdam and join NAMBLA where they turn a blind eye to child molesters . lol...
Some people are saying exactly that. It's the "person of privilege" argument: only those who come from the best, most prosperous families should ever have the right to bring a case to court. All others will be threatened, spied on, and smeared by the Pelicano thugs (same company the Clintons hired, btw). And the stupid peasants will believe it all--after all, it came from a person of privilege.
Well, guess what? It was JC Pennys' dumbass decision to settle with her! If they thought they were in the right then they shouldn't have settled. They settled so she got paid.
This post says it all.
D.J. means just this one boy. However, it's going to be very difficult--maybe impossible--to try him again given the outcome of this trial. Plus, states and communities seem to have limited financial resources, while even allegedly bankrupt "superstars" manage to continue coming up with millions to pay off lawyers--and perhaps witnesses. (One magazine has the Jackson defense team offering a "blank check" to the 1993 accuser, if he would agree not to testify at this trial.)
Maybe you meant "naive"?
Anyway, I heard that the very first vote, taken immediately after selection of the jury foreman, was a unanimous "not guilty" on all counts.
IOW, the entire jury left that courtroom convinced that Sneddon had not proven his case. Apparently they spent the last week talking through each count to make sure they hadn't overlooked anything (or to convince themselves).
There were no subversives on this jury. The prosecutor simply did a horrible job, and has allowed a pedophile to walk.
That jury foreman is as disgusting and low a degenerate as Michael Jackson. HE KNOWS that Jackson is a molester. HE KNOWS THAT and he found him not guilty. I couldn't live with myself if I let a child molester go free. What a disgusting bunch of cowardly, witless, pervert-enablers!
Exactly!
O.F., YES, I think so too. In fact, I've often wondered over the years if he was simply growing his own abuse victims, the kind no one can take away from him.
Average Californians, helping dumb down the reputation of the populace.
Laureen Applehead, left, and Fred Maze, both from France, hold a newspaper with a "Not Guilty" headline outside Neverland Ranch in Los Olivos, Calif., after Michael Jackson was acquitted in his child molestation case Monday, June 13, 2005. Jackson was cleared of all charges Monday after a bitter four-month trial. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)
As Nancy Grace put it, "Not guilty by reason of celebrity." You know, someone should tell Arnold that the state can save a lot of money by just not trying celebrity cases in the first place--the juries will just cut them loose, so why bother?
As far as I know, double jeopardy only applies to this particular boy. If he molested someone else, and it comes out, they should be able to try him for that.
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