Today, Michael Jackson was found not guilty on ALL 10 counts brought against him in the widely publicized molestation trial.
However, I can't help but wonder if there's a difference (legally or in the court of public opinion) between “not guilty” and “innocent”. In my mind, they're different, but I tend to be a little more cerebral in forming my views. For those that are subject to emotions, caught in the glare of celebrity, or simply apathetic, there's likely little difference between those concepts, if most people even think about it at all.
The deal is, in my mind, that while our judicial system places the burdon of proof on the prosecution and sets a standard of NO reasonable doubt to achieve a guilty verdict, all that a not-guilty verdict indicates is that there was reasonable doubt - which I COMPLETLY agree with. Something less than 100% of the stories presented pointed to MJ being what the prosecution said he was. Therefore, not guilty.
That said, it absolutely does not mean that MJ is innocent of the charges. MJ very likely had (at least) borderline inappropriate relationships with these kids. You could, with a liberal view, say that he's just odd and tender and childlike himself; naive. On the other hand, you could, with an extreme view, say that he's a freak and deserves to be put behind bars because he's weird - whether or not there's substantial evidence to make him to be a molesting pedophile. Being weird is enough to some.
The jury did the right thing. Personally, I think this case should NEVER had made it this far under the current configuration. The plaintiffs had an OBVIOUS history of making money from lawsuits, fraud, etc. The child changed stories frequently. The lead prosecutor had some kind of “issue” with Jackson that was something other than just trying to get a pedophile off the street - he didn't like Jackson WAY before this trial. He was hunting for Jackson. On the other hand, MJ's stunts with the pajamas, hospital trips, tardiness, etc should have resulted in him being in the klink to clear his head and figure out that this was not a game or circus. The judge was WAY too tolerant of MJ's antics.
I also wonder why the DA decided to prosecute MJ on ALL of the counts that he did when he MIGHT have been able to pick the strongest ones and get a conviction. Again, I think that guy had it out for MJ and wanted an “all or nothing” result. Makes no sense.
Finally, I think MJ is a sad, pathetic, shadow of a lonely man. He has obvious issues with seeking genuine acceptance, either that no one does or that he thinks they don't. Sure, maybe children are more accepting. His family seems supportive. He still (shockingly) has fans that go crazy for him. He has children that probably idolize him, not as “Michael Jackson”, but as Daddy. But he doesn't seem content; never has, to me. Sad.
I truly hope that the children that said they'd been molested by Jacko were lying. They need to be diciplined for it, but at least that's fixable. Their parents, if they allowed those children to lie - or wose ENCOURAGED or COACHED them to do so - should be drawn and quartered. At minimum, they shouldn't be allowed contact with other influential lives. They're part of the reason we have the backed-up legal system that over-pays for every ridiculous case.
Anyway, it's over. I hope MJ has learned something. I hope he's a little less naive than I think he is. Most of all, even at MJ's expense, I hope the whole thing was a lie.
Later.