Posted on 06/14/2005 7:32:32 AM PDT by Asphalt
Michael Jackson's fans were cheering and hugging each other Monday outside the courtroom where he was acquitted on all counts in his child molestation case. But it was impossible for us to get excited over the verdict. You could feel relief that this case was over and the 46-year-old "King of Pop" had gotten his day in court, but no number of "not guilty" pronouncements could erase the taint of the "lifestyle" choices that got him into trouble.
As Jackson was driven away in a funereal black vehicle, under the gaze of a now standard-issue helicopter camera, we wondered how he will respond to being freed of accusations some experts were sure he would be convicted of and even those who thought otherwise acknowledged came dangerously close to criminal behavior. Will the owner and aging lost boy of Neverland continue to insist he is pure of heart and spirit, did nothing wrong in sleeping with underage boys and faces no greater challenge than being misunderstood? Or will he respond to his brush with years in prison by facing up to his psychological problems and seeking help for them?
In saying "the healing process must begin," Jesse Jackson may have been talking about recovering from the grueling trial and its coverage. But Michael Jackson has deeper personal issues to deal with -- including, possibly, being in a state of denial. His strange appearance at the courtroom in his pajamas, his stomping on the roof of his SUV, his mystery trips to the E.R. certainly did nothing to establish his stability.
He will live with the knowledge that he owes his freedom to the prosecution's haphazard case as much as his pleas of innocence or any skillful turns by the defense to support them. This was a case, built and rebuilt over a decade by Santa Barbara County District Attorney Thomas Sneddon, undone by prosecution witnesses seemingly hired by the defense. They included a young accuser who kept changing his story; the accuser's mother, who came off as a gold digger and, in allowing him to sleep in Jackson's bed, a derelict parent, and an ex-wife of Jackson's, Debbie Rowe, who was brought in by prosecutors to testify against him but spoke of what a wonderful father he was. This despite being involved in a custody battle with him.
In the end, even as this verdict is applauded for showing you're not guilty until proven so in this country, it will, for some, confirm the notion that celebrities get their way in the justice system. Will Jackson's biggest media moment since "Thriller" recharge his career, which was on an artistic and commercial decline before the molestation charges were raised? Perhaps if he stops blaming other people for his misfortunes and starts taking responsibility for them. But if he continues living in his fantasy world, any buzz from this trial will wear off as fast as cable news can find another scandal to obsess over.
Then go listen to them. I don't think you can fully participate in this debate without hearing some of these morons "discussing" the case. You have to hear it for yourself. And if you're honest, you'll admit that there are few, if any in that group with a triple digit IQ.
His MO seems to be
hispanic boys.....
so, I'd bet on a
Latin country.
I agree, it's an excellent analogy. Poor Linda Tripp - pilloried for telling the truth.
Actually, there seems to be different versions of events among the jurors re: whether they took a straw vote. The foreman insists that they didn't, while others said they did. The fact that they can't agree on such seminal events worries me.
Actually, there seems to be different versions of events among the jurors re: whether they took a straw vote. The foreman insists that they didn't, while others said they did. The fact that they can't agree on such seminal events worries me.
That does seem to be the case. I think that's why he didn't bother Macauley Culkin - blonde white kid, not his type. I think that was just a case of celebrities hanging out. The kids he really goes for seem to be dark Hispanic types. Maybe he'll start becoming an advocate for Aztlan.
You say that because they disagree with you.
You would never have been selected for an MJ jury in the first place, due to your extreme bias.
I would say with that fantastic "boy-trap" (Neverland), that Jackson might very well molest more than 20 in his lifetime. Just my hunch.
And don't forget--Jackson used Pelican's services before he got locked up--think he continued to use his firm without Pelicano once he was locked up. Many similarities!
I dunno about that. How about these people being biased in FAVOR of MIchael Jackson from the outset. DO you think that several of these jurors (6 I heard) who describe themselves as fans of MJ, should have been seated as jurors? Is that okay? Should that old broad who has the sex offender grandson have been seated? How about people who have been to Neverland - should they have been seated?
The bottom line - which you seem to keep eluding - is that Michael Jackson is a 45-46 year old single man who has admitted that he routinely sleeps with young boys who are unrelated to him in the same bed? Should this be allowed? How is this to be stopped? SHould it be stopped. I say it is unacceptable - the mere fact that he does this and has admitted it publicly PROVES that he is most assuredly a child molester as what else would a grown man be doing with these children in his bed all the time? Can you actually defend this practice? Because that's what it comes down to. It doesn't come down to me assuming or thinking or guessing anything about Michael Jackson. It comes down to what he has personally said and done. He should be stopped. This jury had a chance to do that and didn't. Several of them have admitted that they believe he IS a child molester. And yet they let him go. His future victims are on their heads.
Sounds like someone's lying--wait, isn't that why they voted "not guilty"--because they felt the mother was lying? Uh oh. Double standard.
I actually think that Jackson did "bother" Culkin. I have a hunch Culkin was lying. Watch for his wall of denial to crack in a few years.
DA Sneddon must have thought so, since he could have struck them, but didn't.
Should this be allowed? How is this to be stopped?
If Jackson is so prolix in his pedophilia, there have to be other victims who don't have gold-digging mothers. Go find them and encourage them to come forward.
I wouldn't be surprised. It sometimes takes decades for people to be able to deal with these types of issues. Look at how long it took many of the victims of the pedophile priests to come forward. The other issue that many of these young victims may be dealing with is that Jackson is a man and they may be afraid of coming out as gay, or as being seen as gay. This would be an additional problem or stigma for many of them, especially in the Hispanic culture, which I understand is very conservative in this regard.
I'm sure that like the ones he bought off, others will come forward over time. He'll probably buy them off too as most of them would probably want money rather than a trial considering how painful a trial would be and what the end result of this one was. Furthermore, the kinds of parents who would take a child to Neverland have to be pretty dysfunctional at this point and it pretty much amounts to pimping your kid. He'll have some more paydays to make.
You're absolutely on target about victims being afraid to come forward for fear of being branded as gay. I have a friend who is straight who was molested by a child psychiatrist as a kid. The main reason he was afraid to come forward was because he thought people would think he was gay. Luckily he has overcome that. There is going to be a trial against this child psychiatrist in - yikes - California next month. There are six other victims that we know of and once the news starts covering it, we expect many more to come forward.
Yeah, I caught that, too. I don't think they know what a "Straw vote" is.
The more they talk..... the more I don't think they took any votes.
They just filled in the verdict documents.
Interestingly enough, this is one aspect of this case I almost never hear mentioned. Yes, I know most pedophiles aren't gay and most gays are not pedophiles, but in this case we ARE talking about a gay pedophile, and that would make it even more difficult for his victims to come forward. Either they might label themselves as gay when they don't want to be seen that way, or they might not want to "out" themselves if they are.
Come forward and be destroyed by the MJ machine? Never.
Very, very, sad day for any past or future little boys that MJ might decide deserve his "love".
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