I think, therefore I write. (我思,所以我写。)

Cogito ergo scribo

Thursday, June 16, 2005

"Not guilty" x 10

The hottest news all over the world now should be Michael Jackson's acquittal of child molestation and conspiracy case. I bet hundreds or maybe thousands of people have been blogging about him these few days. So how can i possibly miss the fun huh?!

It was reported that "not guilty" was echoed 10 times for the charges, and his fan went crazy over his vindication. The details of the trail were all over the Internet and newspaper/tabloids, as if no others news are worthy of the world's attention but the perverted case of a dethroned King of Pop whose face is so artificial that it looks more like a badly-made mask than a human face.

This morning the DJs of Class 95FM Morning Express were also talking about the case and asking the listeners to call in to voice out their opinion. Many callers thought that MJ is not at all innocent. A poll conducted in USA also showed that almost half of them did not agree with the verdict.

Personally, i'm uncertain of my view on MJ's case. On one hand, the jury has ruled that he is not guilty and thus in the eye of law he is innocent. However, the testimonies of the so-called victims and witnesses were really disturbing, and MJ's eccentric behaviour (and look) also cast doubts on his innocence.

However, if i were one of the jurors, i think i may also acquit him of the charges. Well, just as the jurors had said in the post-verdict news conference, the judgement should be based on the facts presented and not personal beliefs or thoughts. The law assumes that everyone is innocent unless proven otherwise. The burden of proof is on the prosecutor to provide evidence that are beyond reasonable doubt. This was exactly what happened: there wasn't a hard and concluding evidence against MJ. On the contrary, the testimonies of the victims and witnesses were contradictory and the defence was successful in casting doubt on the character of the victim's parents. When the evidence presented could not remove all reasonable doubt, then sorry dude, no conviction!

So, is this a show of the jurisdical system working well, or is it a proof of the failure of the whole system? I guess only time can tell...

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Wednesday, June 15, 2005 @ 1:06 am: I think, therefore I write
Tuesday, June 14, 2005 @ 1:23 am: Ouch!
Monday, June 13, 2005 @ 2:12 am: My random thoughts on the day i turned 30...