Posted on 07/12/2009 6:09:43 PM PDT by Stoat
Oh, yes, that was a great HBO movie (Indictment) too. I mean, it’s awful what happened to the McMartins and that was the era of paranoia about Satanic cults abusing children.
While there ARE truly evil people in this world (and there probably was some massive conspiracy in Belgium and parts of Europe) the laws of justice and presumption of innocence was suspended during the 80s thirst for vengeance against an imagined foe.
It’s also the time in our history where we actually believed in the nonsense of repressed memories, which were almost exclusively invoked in THESE cases but never in cases of savage brutality and trauma (other than those involving obvious blood loss or head injuries that might cause memory loss or distortions.)
Reminds me of Janet Reno. Prosecutors are very often the scum of the earth. They stop at nothing to destroy the lives of defendants. If the evidence exists, so be it. But to lie, cheat and suppress countervailing proof should be punished severely. Sharon Krause should now spend the 20 years the man she railroaded served.
Based on personal knowledge, I can assure you that the prosecutors in Clark County, WA, make even the scummiest defense attorneys look like paragons of virtue.
Here in MA, Gerald Amirault, his mother and his sister, were sent to jail for sexually abusing children at their Fells Acres Day Care. Gerald was in jail for over 17 years, several of those after his mother and sister were released, and his Mom died waiting for him to be released. One reason he wasn't released, even when it was CLEAR that he was innocent of the charges was that the prosecutor who tried the case, Scott Harshbarger, was, at the time, in a higher office which he'd gained largely on the weight of having won the Amirault case. He didn't want to admit that he was wrong, so the Amirault family suffered.
This case in WA was even MORE disturbing because of the ultimate betrayal; the mother egging the kids on against their father. It also points up the ability of psychologists to manipulate children to get the testimony that the prosecutor wants.
Want to know just how corrupt the courts are in the State of Washington? Look at this link:
http://www.astonisher.com/archives/gary_little.html
http://www.doug4justice.org/Shielding/Little/Gering.ABAjournal.htm
Check this link for a good look at judicial corruption in Washington state.
http://www.doug4justice.org/Shielding/LaundryList.html
This is why I keep telling people when accusations like these are made that we should reserve judgement. We have public trials with the right to cross-examine witnesses for a reason.
On a somewhat related note, that sort of thing is why everyone who hasn’t should watch this:
Don’t Talk to Cops, Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8z7NC5sgik
You certainly can’t count on the judges being fair, so you had best CYA every way you can!
I’ve seen it many times. Every HS civics class should show it.
There was also a rash of hysteria about "Satanism" and rock and roll at the same time.
Thanks for the link.
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