I can see how CSI series can make viewers expect unrealistic level of evidence, but Matlock usually won his cases by finding the real criminal and not by any legal arguments.
I used to believe in the FBI, and remembered the FBI Story, the TV series, and the like. I thought the FBI was an independent and trustworthy agency. Incorruptible.
Lois Lerner, Eric Holder, Comey, et al, have disabused me of those notions.
I used to think the DOJ was interested in Justice.
(See above.)
Sorry, I am no longer a believer.
I love the old Perry Mason shows. I usually watch two a day on METV. I don’t think it is a good example. For one thing it did not show the defendants as being treated unfairly as much as victims of circumstances.
The first show to really push the liberal agenda was “The Defenders”
BTW, my favorite character was Lieutenant Tragg. He was the only character in the show who could always hold his own with Perry. He was also usually kind to the defendants, guilty or not. Also Erle Stanley Garder struck me as pretty conservative.
Earle Stanley Gardner was a good read.... Problem with the thesis is it is incorrect. Ironsides, dragnet, law and order, CSI and countless other shows portrayed cops as generally good This piece represents the simplistic thinking of too many people
They be slammin’ yer man.
About ten years ago there was a short lived series called Justice. It was a typical defence attorney show with one twist: in the last segment the viewer was shown what really happened. Sometimes the accused was 100% guilty and the “heroes” of the show got him off. It was an interesting twist on the typical legal drama where every defendant is falsely accused.
Howard Beale: So, you listen to me. Listen to me: Television is not the truth! Television is a God-damned amusement park! Television is a circus, a carnival, a traveling troupe of acrobats, storytellers, dancers, singers, jugglers, side-show freaks, lion tamers, and football players. We’re in the boredom-killing business! So if you want the truth... Go to God! Go to your gurus! Go to yourselves! Because that’s the only place you’re ever going to find any real truth.
If you want to have fun, track down some of the original Perry Mason BOOKS at the library or wherever. I lucked into a box of the paperbacks for five bucks and had a great time reading all of them. They’re creative, intelligent and lots of fun.
I notice Perry Mason never defended any of Lt. Columbo’s perps.
I can’t recall the year, probably late 50s or early 60s but Erle Stanley Gardner wrote a good article on survival in one of the Outdoor magazines. It may have been Sports Afield as Daddy subscribed to it.
One thing I remember was he thought one should own a Smith & Wesson K-17 or it’s predecessor with a 6 inch barrel. Store lots of .22 ammo.
Most ADA’s, DA’s, and AG’s are political animals consumed with resume-building and acquiring power. They couldn’t care less for “justice” - yet are SJW’s to the nth degree.
Trump is not a lawyer. He does not talk like a lawyer. That is one of the best things about Trump.
The law profession seems to attract a certain type of person who lacks a value system. Then the law schools explicitly teach that it is not about the truth. In fact, most law schools teach that truth is relative and hence truth does not exist.
Perry Mason always won, but the reality is that the prosecution wins the vast majority of cases. And as the author of the Perry Mason novels - a guy who practiced law - noted, the prosecution has all the power of the state at its disposal. The defense lawyer does not.
Heck, even the BLM folks don’t REALLY believe the courts are unfair. They merely say that to get power. But if they have a problem with a thug, they will call the cops...
In truth, the law can best be described as both having little foresight, and being quick to judge.
The police, usually the first on the scene, try to divine what has happened typically with minimal evidence. Often the first person they talk to establishes their framework of the event, which they then try to flesh out. But if the second person they talk to has a completely different framework, they are far less inclined to believe them.
While if you are a person the police are disinclined to believe, the best rule of thumb is to refrain from talking to them; sometimes, as in the case of George Zimmerman, he saved himself by talking at length with the police, being as helpful and forthcoming as possible.
In his case, he totally convinced the local police beyond any doubt his version of events, and that he was in the right. So when those who wished to persecute him sent in the state and federal police, the first people they talked to were the local police, cop-to-cop.
Nothing is as persuasive as talks like these. From then on, no matter what their political masters told them to do, the state and federal police were convinced of Zimmerman’s righteousness. Getting a conviction in such cases is next to impossible.
William Kunstler was an internationally known lawyer who defended many of the most politically radical groups and individuals in America in the 1960s and 70s.
He was quoted by several associates as saying:
“They're guilty. They're all guilty.”
Looks like this thread turned into an “I love Perry Mason!” Thread. (My husband and I watch an episode every night.)
I think the point of the article is very important: that the media/entertainment complex has distorted reality, and that has been extremely detrimental to society.
I wouldn’t blame Perry. I often wonder if the demise of his show was caused by the Miranda warning. No more dramatic courtroom confessions.