Jackson trial

A couple of things before the Jackson Trial Lets out.

One: I think he's Guilty. Based upon the history of previous allegations, I think if he did not have a problem, his handlers would have reigned him in by now and told him to quit having kids over. Then there is the porn and other evidence seized at the Ranch. I think with out the testimony of the kid there would still be enough there for at least a conviction on conspiracy.

Two: He's Gonna walk. And this is the part that gets me. Take a look at the Jury. Notice how many people on the jury have ties to the Ranch. This reflects poor jury selection on someone's part. Either the defense or the prosecutor. The defense has done a good job of discrediting the witness and there is always the defense's Ace in the hole of reasonable doubt.

This brings me to some thing I really dislike about the American Legal system. That problem is that the richer you are the more you can get away with. If this had been Chester the Molester living in a trailer and having kids over and these allegations had come out, it'd be a slam-dunk case. Whether or not the man was innocent or not. But this is a Media Elite, and they're not treated as we are. They can Hire specialists, witnesses, attorneys, some times bring in more firepower then a local DA can bring. All to get their guy off the hook.

If O.J. had been a poor man, he'd have been executed by now. The guy from Beretta would be in Jail and that Kennedy guy would probably just be getting out after his rape charge. But this is America where you are guaranteed the best defence your money can buy.

In some cases, your defense can be help buy people collecting money for you. The Case of Sgt. Patrick Haab, who allegedly was almost jumped by a bunch of illegals down on the border. He drew his gun and held them until the cops showed up. I thought this guy was toast, but after a defense fund was started, the local DA backed off. I think it was a combination of public support and the fact that bail had been posted by a anonymous supported that caused the DA to back off, not the facts of the case. If it had gone to trial, it would have been a circus.

So how do we fix this broke system? I suggest this. Disallow private defense attorneys. All defenses will be handled by a Public defender. This insures a fair level of competency across the spectrum when it comes to individuals being charged with crimes.

I also would like to see a change in the professional witness programs. Where I can hire a DNA or other expert to fly out and dispute the findings of the prosecution's witnesses. These professionals are simply priced to high for a average defendant to be able to use one in his defense. But, if there was a neutral third body, that simply gathered and supplied the evidence, and gave testimony to that. Then you would have a better chance of receiving a fair equitable trial.

This is all just a thinking out loud essay; I just wanted to get in on paper before the Jackson Case lets out. I have not really been following it and I am more interested in the effects of the case then the results.

On naming vehicles of War

A couple of days ago there was a couple of emails from Marines to Andrew Sullivan posted on his blog. Andrew had gotten upset because of the name of this Marine Tank.

For some reason this really bugged me and I felt it necessary to send him an email about it.


Well Andrew I think your Blog has sunk to a new banal low.

After reading the two “Emails of the day” from marines, I reread through your blog to find the topic of such shattering import that generated such responses and found nothing more then a picture of a tank.
A tank named “New Testament”
That’s it?
Warriors have been naming their implements of death and destruction for eons. Somewhere is the past some soldier of UR probably named his spear ”Sally” or something like that. It’s what people do. And the names will reflect the personality and culture of their owners/operators.
I take it that your response is due to the biblical meaning behind the name. Fair enough. But please point us to the sudden change in the universe that requires such a reaction.I served as a Marine LAV crewman in Desert Storm. Our vehicle’s name was “The Seventh Sign” A biblical reference to be sure, even though I came up with the name and I’m not a Christian. In fact during my deployment I was studying Zen and I currently consider myself s Taoist. But naming our vehicle “Joshu’s No” probably wouldn’t have been supported by the rest of the crew. The name simply was a reflection of our personality. We made no political statement; we simply meant it as a moral booster, since naming a vehicle helps to form pride and attachment to a 14.5 ton piece of metal. I don’t expect you to understand. But when you’re sitting down with what has been termed your “Band of Brothers” the simple thing such as picking a name can have a big meaning to you. It’s a bragging point a chance to show off and basically a way to show how much of a badass you are to the Marines around you.

I sincerely hoped that any Iraqi close enough to read and understand “The Seventh Sign” truly realized that judgment had come for him, and that he should repent of his sins and throw himself upon the mercies of the Marines.

And I’m quite sure that the Arabic script on the side of the destroyed and captured Iraqi vehicles had equally creative phrases and ideas behind them. Perhaps “Sword of Allah” or “Infidel Slayer”

I know the whole song and dance about winning the “Hearts and Minds” of the people of Iraq. But why are you getting all bent out of shape over a few minutes of bravado by scared men thousands of miles away from home?

This IS a more PC and sensitive military. Could you see a vehicle being named “Kraut Killer” or “Jap Smasher” today? How about “Towelhead Terror” or “DuneCoon Dawg”

To get all bent out of shape about something as trivial this is really beneath you, and frankly less then what I have come to expect out of your blog. But I also see it as another symptom of what I perceive as a decline in the quality of your postings. I really think your getting silly about the Christian Right, getting worked up about little things like this.

You can of course tell me to fuck off. It’s your place. I’ll just go read Maureen Dowd. At least from her I expect it.