[Jay Howard Smith]

Pedophilia tends to be a chronic condition, and recidivism is high. Its a compulsion. Sometime down the road, probably in some resort in Bankok or someplace, MJ is going to be caught in this type of thing again.

[snarks_when_bored]

A link to a short story by Sherwood Anderson (1876-1941):   "Hands"

[Caipirabob]

One of the jurors who acquitted Michael Jackson on all counts said he believes the pop star is "probably" a molester, but the prosecution didn't prove it.

And that is it, fellow FReepers... In America, "probably" is not enough enough to deprive even a circus freak of it's freedom. This in itself is a good thing, believe it or not, even in this case.

It's the judgement and performance of the prosecutors and the defense that has lead to this, not Jackson's actions, IMHO.

The defense was able to adequately cast enough doubt on the case due to the lack of credibility of the witnesses. As I learn more and more, the whole case appears more and more shakey.

Is Jackson a pedophile, child molesting freak? Is the sky blue?....

Did they prove it in court? If they couldn't prove it beyond a doubt given Jackson himself, you know there's a major problem here.

If nothing else, this case came down to the grifter versus the pedophile. This time the pedophile won. If it's commentary on our society, I don't know what sort of message that it is, I don't think the message has been completely spelled out yet.

If pedophiles in this nation think it's a green light to "go to town" they will have an entirely unexpected response waiting for them.

[EdHallick]

I guess MJ will now put out an album called VINDICATION and will make videos of himself as a 50 foot super hero with little kids saying "We love you Michael" and nasty Tom Sneddon as the villain which Jackson destroys..

[bd476]

"...In an interview on CNN, juror Raymond Hultman questioned the way Jackson has shared his bedroom and bed with young boys. Hultman said "that doesn't make sense" to him.

But, he said, that didn't make Jackson guilty of the charges presented in this case..."

What... did the jury need to see a thriller type video to believe it?

[BigCinBigD]

The jury was "star struck" You could see it in their eyes,especially that Red headed woman. A celebrity can not be convicted of a crime in California. It's just not possible. Helen Hunt(not that she would do such a thing) could kill the Pope with a ice pick at high noon on Easter Sunday on Rodeo drive and she would walk.
Michael Jackson is a molester. I pray the next time charges are brought it will be outside California.

[Racer1]

Being odd never made anybody guilty of anything. IMO

[cvq3842]

Yep, it's two different questions.

Did he "do something" to at least one kid? Probably. And it goes without saying that he is beyond strange and no one should ever let their kids anywhere near him.

Did the prosecution prove Jackson did what he was accused of IN THIS CASE, BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT? I wasn't in the courtroom. The jury decided that the prosecution did not.

All in all, it comes down to a fairly "bloodless" question of evidence. The prosecution plays the hand it's dealt, like in the Robert Blake case.

The jury does not have the option of saying "probably guilty, but not proven" or "he's innocent." All the jury does is answer that one evidence question.

Ultimate judgment comes from elsewhere . . .

[SkyPilot]

What this jury did was shameful. They bought into the lie of the defense that there had to be a steel tower of proof built as high as the heavens before they could convict.

Only God dispenses absolute justice. It was this jury's job to bring a sliver of justice on this earth.

They didn't do that.

"We the jury feel the weight of the world's eyes upon us." The jurors asked to be allowed to return to "our private lives as anonymously as we came." ,

Except for the book deals and paid interviews, right?

[R. Scott]

…but the prosecution didn't prove it.

And that is the basis of our court system. With a really good defense team, the question of reasonable doubt becomes preeminent. We also have to remember that many in California accept “alternate life styles”, so the burden of proof might well be higher than in places like Hampton Roads Virginia.

[Conservatrix]

So this guy is the type of dunderhead they picked for a juror?

If I had any question a man was a pervert intent on raping little boys, there would be NO QUESTION how I would vote. These perverts need to be removed from society. Dear Lord! Where is the sense of duty and common sense thinking here? A case is not about the defense proving something, how well they prove it; it is about evidence. I think there was more than enough evidence, if you take the stupid mother away even, to prove this case.

But I am not a dunderhead. What is going ON with the jury pools of California? (Peterson excluded).

I sometimes think that maybe people don't like seeing a black man on trial by a white lawyer (though calling Jackson a "black man" at this point is a stretch) but I think that even if O.J. had tried this case, they would have acquitted him.

IDIOTS!!!!!!!!!!! They probably did terribly in math when they were in school, since Mathematics requires reasoning skills.

[ZULU]

Hultman said "that doesn't make sense" to him.


Very little about Jackson makes sense.

[niteowl77]

Jackson: Jurors 'Probably' Enablers

If the jurors had kept their mouths shut, I might feel different, but they didn't, and I don't. Twelve angry situational ethicists got their fifteen minutes of fame... and they sure showed that trashy mom what they thought of her.

[GOP_Proud]

Has someone been telling jurors "leave your common sense at the door"?

I think some people don't know the definition of "reasonable".

[JarheadFromFlorida]

[[One of the jurors who acquitted Michael Jackson on all counts said he believes the pop star is "probably" a molester, but the prosecution didn't prove it.]]

PROBABLY a molester? There ain't no probably about it. Anybody that doesn't want to believe at this point that this freak is not a child molester just doesn't want to believe it. I hope this juror can sleep at night knowing that he put Jackson back on the street to molest another day.

[BibChr]

Another juror said she wonders why the accuser was allowed to stay with Jackson so long -- saying no mother "in her right mind" would let her child just go off and sleep with someone, Michael Jackson or anyone else.

Yes, and this proves that Michael Jackson — you know, the actual accused — was innocent because...?

Dan

[SMARTY]

is the entire state of California star struck?

[Dawgreg]

Deja Vu all over again. One of O.J's jurors said he probably did it but the prosecution didn't remove reasonable doubt.....(he could have left his drivers license at the scene and that bunch of morons wouldn't have convicted). So now we have MJ, free to have overnighters at Neverland, stupid, idioic parents that will allow their children to go and the list goes on. Pedophilia, is NOT treatable, cannot be cured and these people NEED to be locked away. In MJ's case, even if he isn't a pedophile, needs to be locked up for disfiguring his face! That shows some nutso problems right there..(sarcasm). *~*

[AppyPappy]

I bet they'd have found him guilty if he was black

[MinuteGal]

What got me was the bizarre emotional behavior of the "fans" in the crowd.

Yesterday after the verdict, the "fans", many of them ADULTS, went bonkers, hugging, kissing and crying as though their whole lives hinged on Jackson being released.

An interesting theory is that the current lack of religion in people's lives has created a vacuum......a vacuum filled by worshiping public figures. Jackson is a god to these aimless and immature people. Their very existence and salvation depended on Whacko being set free after an "unjustified" crucifixtion. It's very cultish.

When you believe in nothing, you'll soon believe in anything.

Leni