Infinity Goes Up On Trial
for release 06-15-05
Washington D.C.
In the last day or so, since the Jackson acquittal we have heard every possible pun and pedophile joke, all starring the King of Pop. Regardless of the outcome of his trial, Michael will remain forever and always a child molester in the minds of most. This is a sad thought, but true.
Even though twelve good and true men and women found him innocent of all charges, pedo-feel-a-ya is one of those accusations that is impossible to wash off, it's indelible. We can forgive murder or High Treason before we forgive child rape. And even if a jury says it wasn't so, mothers will forever gather their children closer to their knees when he is around.
I'm happy and sad about the Jackson affair. I'm glad that a jury could see beyond rumor and innuendo and sensationalism to return a verdict on the merits of the facts. What I'm sad about is that a black partnership between a con-woman celebrity stalker and an ambitious district attorney can throw anybody's life into rack and ruin, no matter how rich and famous or poor and obscure they happen to be. Every district attorney loves a good snitch, even when the snitch has vested interests and no history of veracity. The Poet's Eye would like to see Sneddon and the predatory biatch mother of the 'victim' prosecuted for perjury and for bringing the case to court in the first place.
It's gratifying to see that Jackson's faith in our legal system was justified. If Jacko had been guilty and had an adult cynicism about our courts, he would have escaped Neverland one dark night in disguise and been spirited away to an awaiting private jet and by morning he could have been safely in Bankok kicked back with hot and cold running little boys.
It must be just the Peter Pan in me or else the Pollyanna, because I don't think Michael is anything other than exactly what he says he is, a guy who loves children and identifies with them. Letting a child sleep in his bed is no more proof that he is a child molester than letting his chimps sleep with him is proof of beastiality. He surely didn't hide the fact that he had pre-pubescent bed mates, in fact he advertised it. Aren't child molesters supposed to skulk around and maintain a veil of guilty secrecy about their nefarious deeds?
The American court system exacts a great toll on its victims. Families and fortunes are destroyed by it every day. I have seen it with my own eyes. And I'm not talking about Martha Stewart. I'm talking about anybody whose freedom is at stake. Just having to deal with a court case, especially a criminal case, even if you are innocent and win it, should qualify you for treatment for post traumatic stress disorder. If you are unfortunate enough to be a typical citizen and not fabulously wealthy or famous, the expense and burden and trauma of being tried for a crime, no matter how small, can be devastating to not only the life of the accused, but to their families as well.
I have not only seen this, I have experienced it. In my college days, I was charged with possession of a small amount of marijuana. Did they find this marijuana on my person? No. Did they find it in my room or my apartment or my car? No. They found it somewhere in a basement of an apartment building where I lived. They had no way to connect this little bag of herb to me. There were no fingerprints on it or witnesses to testify that they had seen me put it there. But I was the long-hair in the building. Did I smoke pot? Sure, I did. Was that particular pot mine? No.
The charge was completely spurious but this was happening in the day and time when Texas was meting out thirty year sentences for possession of pot. There was a considerable amount at stake for me in this case.
After two years of traumatic turmoil and expense, the case came to court. The judge listened to about two hours of testimony and argument and then I heard the gavel come down. BANG. The judge said, "I've heard all of this I can stand." Then he handed down an instructed verdict of not guilty. The judge saw immediately that the charges were bogus, the same way the jury in the Jackson trial did. He dismissed the charges and sent me home, but it had still cost me two years of pain and suffering and thousands of dollars for which I was entitled to no compensation.
Oh yes, here was one small compensation. About a year later I was pushing my shopping cart down the aisle of the local A&P. I looked up to see the assistant district attorney who had been the prosecutor in my dismissed case. When he saw me he got a sheepish look and came over to me and said, "I just wanted to let you know that I am not doing that anymore, I'm in private practice. And I also wanted to apologize. That case should have never come to court."
Can you imagine Mr. Sneddon meeting Mr. Jackson in the supermarket and apologizing? Nah, never gonna happen.
"Inside the Museum
Infinity goes up on trial.
Voices echo
this is what salvation
must be like after awhile."--
Visions of Johanna, Bob Dylan
Bonus!
Lrod's version of Visions of Johanna
http://www.studioeight.tv/musicpost/visions.mp3
