The Michael Jackson Verdict

I was going to avoid this topic but what the heck.

So Michael Jackson was acquited on all charges. I haven't followed the case much, I just don't care, so I don't have a strong opinion if I think he actually did it. My gut tells me that in this instance he didn't. There is no doubt that he behaved inappropriately but did he molest the boy? I tend to think no. The boy didn't seem all that believeable to me and the mother certainly didn't either. I have to agree with the Jury in this case, there is reasonable doubt.

Reasonable doubt is a huge standard to overcome and as OJ, Robert Blake and others have shown us, if you have enough money to hire a good defense team than reasonable doubt is almost an impossible hurdle to overcome. That is why I didn't really think a jury would convict Kobe Bryant.

What really bothers me is that nothing happens when a person is found not guilty or when charges are dropped. The goverment simply says, "Ooops. Sorry, our bad". People spends thousands, and in these cases millions, of dollars to defend themselves. Then, when there name is cleared, but their reputation is destroyed, they have spent all this money and lost their good name but have no recourse to recoup any of it. Seems unfair but not sure what else can be done.