How fucking far can you abdicate responsibility?!

[kellinator]

http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/Midwest/09/23/video.child.beating/index.html

"The woman caught on videotape repeatedly striking her 4-year-old daughter in the rear of a sport utility vehicle is due in court this afternoon. Despite admitting the beating and saying there was 'no excuse' for it, she's expected to plead not guilty to felony child battery charges."

Is the state of society so bad that this moron thinks she can admit to a heinous crime on NATIONAL FUCKING TELEVISION and STILL claim she is innocent in a court of law?

Comments

Re: Interesting how emotionalism can take hold

[atomicnumber51.livejournal.com]

Heh, emotionalism. I agree with you how the media presentation of this event differs wildly from what will and should happen inside the courtroom.

Fair and impartial trials, and basis on British common law instead of Napoleonic Law are some of the foundations of the "american way of life" - They *are* important, and are some of the most major lines of defense in protecting our rights.

In the end, her guilt or innocence on this charge of felony battery should be decided by a court of law.

No matter what the world thinks of her parenting skills, or whether or not child protective services should step in, is a completely different matter.

She can admit publicly that she needs counseling and help learning parenting skills, etc. She can also, without any hypocracy, plead not guilty to commiting felony battery as defined by the law in this case. The two are entirely different questions.

This whole thing seems to be a really sad story, but denying her a fair trial would be an even wider reaching tragedy.

Re: Interesting how emotionalism can take hold

[kellinator.livejournal.com]

If she's so concerned about her right to a fair trial, then why is she making all these statements in the media?

Re: Interesting how emotionalism can take hold

[not-hothead-yet.livejournal.com]

Because people who feel as you do would be jumping all over her even worse than you are now if she kept her trap shut and said nothing. In light of the video evidence, what the hell else do you expect her to say?

As it's been said SEVERAL TIMES, it is her LAWYER who has plead her not-guilty and HER LAWYER is concerned about her getting a fair trial and HER LAWYER who probably wishes she'd shut up to the media. That is the JOB of a lawyer - like it or not.

As I noticed, she didn't say anything about getting a fair trial or whether she was framed or what-ever-other excuse many criminals come up with to mollify the media. She seems to be overly concerned with owning up to her behavior, admitting that she did wrong and correcting it. She is also concerned for her daughters well-being.

Re: Interesting how emotionalism can take hold

[not-hothead-yet.livejournal.com]

wow... you are certainly reading a lot into a very short story.

And yes, I believe if a bruise heals completely in only eight days then it was not deep tissue damage. You disagree that's your right. You needn't be nasty about it.

Re: Interesting how emotionalism can take hold

[cynical7.livejournal.com]

She goes on TV, sheds a few crocodile tears, and apologizes.... Suddenly the jury pool is swimming with apologists, people who think that "a bruise that heals in eight days is not a bad bruise".

Well, that can also work AGAINST them...

most juries are picked by both attorney's asking questions to weed down people they don't want (its called vois dire, or something to that affect). generally, a big number will be called, the court will pull 15 or so names out of a hat and the attorney's ask questions like "were you beaten as a child" "do you approve of capital punishment" and eliminate those that have a bias towards the other side. I once witnessed this for a stupid little tort case involving a relativly minor car accident. The questions they asked ranged from "have you ever been hurt in a car accident" to "how familar are you with that exact strech of road?"

so...i wouldn't neccesarily speak of media spin being a lawyer's job because in the vast majority of cases (and there are exceptions --::cough:: OJ! ::cough::) this isn't at all true.

Re: Interesting how emotionalism can take hold

[darkerdays.livejournal.com]

the same fucking reason anyone does. because once you get in the medias eye, you get trashed left and right and treated like shit and you get to the point where you just wanna scream at them and try to make yourself seem like a normal person.