Jackson Circus Finally Leaves Town

Well, finally the Michael Jackson fiasco is over and none to soon. I know it is well worn, but I have to say that on the day it was announced that a verdict had been reached and was to be read around 4:30 in the afternoon, it was an absolute carnival of reporting. I was in the kitchen cooking dinner while my wife was in the living room watching Fox News. It provided me a step of removal from the visual of what was on the screen and enabled me to simply listen to the reporting.

“We now hear that the black vehicle with Michael Jackson is 15 minutes away from the court house…” “We now hear the vehicle with pop star Michael Jackson is 8 minutes away from the court house…”

I walked into the living room and said to my wife, “What a circus!” She said, “It really is.”

Then we were treated to the incessant commentary and speculation from all the experts of the possible scenarios of guilt or innocence on each of the ten counts as well as psychologists and attorneys all certain that Jackson would be found guilty based on the fact that the jury, when they entered the courtroom, did not look at the accused but stared squarely at the judge. “He’s going to be found guilty.” “The jury never looks at the accused when they return a guilty verdict” stated another expert.

It all sounded plausible. The only snag in the whole thing is that the experts were wrong. As you know, Whacko Jacko from Neverland ran the table of not guilties on each and every charge.

And as distasteful as it may be at times, our system demands that it isn’t common sense or intuition that is supposed to bring a verdict of guilt, it is evidence that must give a picture of guilt beyond reasonable doubt. And that just wasn’t the case.

Bottom line? Say what you will about the singer; but any parent that allows their children to spend time with this bizarre person ought to be charged with child endangerment and schooled by “The Nanny!”