»

[Berserker]

According to the jury he's innocent on all ten accounts. What do you think? And what do you think about the jury-system as a whole(cause in my country there's a politician who wants to introduce it here).

[Faile]

I'm doing Jury service soon. Ity'll no doubt be a fun experience for all. As for MJ, I don't think he is innocent. I think he's in need of serious help regarding his mental health and I also believe that if he were not a celebrity then they would have sent him down in an instant. I dislike any judicial system where you can pretty much buy yourself out of guilt...

[IcyMourdor]

You see, its all money. With money, you can kill a guy (Ray Lewis), kill your family (OJ), or even touch little kids (MJ).

I am on the circuit to go to jury duty. If they call, I go. It ends in September, so I hope nothing happens until then. I trust our judical system to an extent, I just don't just people who allow themselves to have a price for their decisions. I'm sorry, but if I think you are guilty, you are guilty. You want to give me money, fine by me, won't change what I decide however.

[kamari-ice]

He is innocent, but everybody knows he is guilty. *(even I know he is truly guilty)*

[fantasytiger]

you know the glorious thing about life is in the end no matter what you believe in everyone will pay for their sins. I don't think its our right to start saying what is right and wrong justice is a fickle thing. You see if i was raped and the guy walks away scot free and i kill him was i right or wrong? Some would say its murder other would say its justice being served its all in who looks at it one judge may condem me and another may release me. Despite the fact that judges are suppose to only base their descion on facts and data presented it is almost impossible not to let your personal feelings get in the mix of things. Also money talks so does fame and popularity. weither he did it we will never truely know. Honestly was everyone paying attention to the evidence? or did most of us base our descions on our personal feelings towards him? Frankly i am a fan of MJ music wise i don't know anything about him as a person only what the media makes him look like. There for i cannot say YEAH! HE IS GUILTY BURN HIM AT THE STAKE!!! the family did look shady but then again MJ has gotten weird over the years. All in all my posistion on this is pretty much neutral the jury was right the testomony was shakey there were holes and the story was switched around many times. So ya not saying he is innocent or guilty.

[Berserker]

I think the bad thing about a jury is that you let personal feelings guide the verdict, judges are supposed to look at the evidence and with the law in mind do the right thing. But how abut a group of random people, they can be influenced in soo many ways...what if there's a MJ fan between them, what if there's a racist between them, what if there's a retard between them...what if...etc.etc.
And saying that he was pleaded(???) innocent because he's rich and famous isn't entirely fair IMO, cause maybe that's the reason he stands there in the first place. With the history of the parents and all, I think it's a very dirty game that has been played. But I guess it's hard to really know the truth about what happened in the end.
This feelings of people say he's getting away with it because he's famous, is one of the flaws of a jury-system I think.

[Harry]

Originally Posted by beserker

And saying that he was pleaded(???) innocent because he's rich and famous isn't entirely fair IMO, cause maybe that's the reason he stands there in the first place. With the history of the parents and all, I think it's a very dirty game that has been played.

I do think the same. For some reason, I do not think he was guilty - and the kid and his parents' behavior was way more sinister than MJ's. Jackson molesting children he invited to come to his ranch/themepark? It just didn't sound plausible to me. Anyhow, one thing is certain: Micheal Jackson has always acted in a weird way, and this turned him into the perfect puppet/monster to distract the public opinion from more important issues and probably to serve the purpose of companies that hate him (like Sony) because of the power he gained in the music industry.

[Berserker]

Indeed, fact of the matter is that california is in great difficulties since the governator took over(probably before that) so this is a great way to keep the public mind busy...it makes you think.

On a side note I saw on some news programme over here that they've got some civil guard patrolling armed around the border looking for mexicans??? How sick is that? I saw an interview with some of the civilians and they're some dangerous folks! Does anyone know more about that situation, is it only one state or is it the entire US-Mexican border?

[goodman]

Well, Berserker, the borders are where illegal immigrants cross over by the hundreds of thousands. The United States doesnt employ enough people to keep them from crossing so there have been a few militia types to take on the job, although they arent there to shoot anyone, they are part of a long standing group of people dedicated to keeping the peace, and they are all volunteers. I live in texas where we get thousands of illegals every year, there are people all over the place with no drivers licenses or insurance but they drive its very dangerous, but hey ive lived here all my life. I dont think the situation in california regarding that is as bad as the media has made it...

[Faile]

Originally Posted by goodman

Well, Berserker, the borders are where illegal immigrants cross over by the hundreds of thousands. The United States doesnt employ enough people to keep them from crossing so there have been a few militia types to take on the job, although they arent there to shoot anyone, they are part of a long standing group of people dedicated to keeping the peace, and they are all volunteers. I live in texas where we get thousands of illegals every year, there are people all over the place with no drivers licenses or insurance but they drive its very dangerous, but hey ive lived here all my life. I dont think the situation in california regarding that is as bad as the media has made it...

The real irony is that whilst all the Mexicans come over looking for work, all the American companies are exporting factories to Mexco to take advantage of cheap labour.

[goodman]

Yeah the U.S. exports jobs constantly to Mexico and China and other countries, a lot of IT jobs are going to India nowadays. Our companies cant make enough money it seems like so they exploit other countries markets... thus leaving many people here out of work...

[happy_doughnut]

And not just here in the US, but in the countries where the jobs are being exported to in the first place. The problem is that everyone is looking for a job, regardless of nationality, and there just aren't enough jobs to supplement. There is a greater need than there is a given in every country. And quite frankly, I believe that jobs that include being janitors, garden keepers, office cleaners etcetera are just as needed and in some ways just as important as jobs that include being doctors, lawyers, or business wo/men. However, I find it nearly an impossible task to rid this nation of all illegal aliens; there are too many of them to make them go poof, and whether the US governement wants to admit it or not, their contributions weigh heavily on the economy. Not all of them are here to leech off others.

As for these "minute men" (as I think they are called), I find the whole idea to be wrong. These people, as goodman said, are a militia type of people. Their name exemplifies it; men, ordinary civilians, that were asked to become "minute men," ready for immediate combat back in the olden wars of America. If anything, I think it makes the American government look imbecile. Now other nations can point and say, "Hey, look: the USA governement can't even take care of its own country."

I think that if these people really want to patrol and control the borders, they should enlist in whatever governmental program takes care of it. They should be official border patrolers, not just ordinary folk. I don't see how they have any right. And yes, thank goodness this hasn't happened here, although we are neighboring Arizona, where the situation is getting really though. Who knows?

As for OJ: I don't think he is guilty. I just don't, and I'm not a fan of his in any way, either. Yes, he's a strange man and like Harry pointed out, he is the perfect type of person to put under the negative light. Yes, he started out as something completely different than what he is now, and this has to some degree scared people and has made them prejudiced against him. He is an unconventional someone who prospered and some people dislike him for this. Maybe he has some issues, as I do believe he has, but I highly disbelieve that he would go as far as to molest children. It is just that, since he is already so eccentric, it is that much easier for the media to conjur fake stories and twist things around to suit their monetary benefits.

Also, this may sound crude, but this is my opinion: I think that, supposing Jackson was a deprived individual, the parents of the children are cheifs at fault. If I was a parent and knew, or even as much as heard rumors, that he liked to do the things he was accused of doing, then why the hell would I let my child go to his ranch? It makes no sense to me. This accusation is not something that the public knew of yesterday; it is something that has been rumored about long past and still parents are stupid enough to let their children go unsupervised? This makes no sense to me. I wouldn't allow my child. If he really wants to he Jackson, I'll take him to one of his concerts. If it's his ranch they child wants to visit, I'll take him to anothe amusement park.

Honestly, if the parents know this and still let their children go, then they should shut the hell up because it was their fault something happened in the first place. This type of thing can be avoided.

Personally, I think that this family's child had nothing happen to him. They were probably doing it just for the money, in which case is even more disgusting.

[Redpyramidhead]

Whether he was guilty of this particular instance or not does not mean much to my feeling that he could still be guilty of other instances of molesting children. Everybody wants to give micheal jackson a hug because of his rough childhood and his seemingly so wonderful and charitable heart to have this place where kids can go and just be kids so he can surround himself with them and be the kid he never got to be when growing up. Fine, if you guys want to give this grown man a teddy bear and a choo choo train for christmas so you can sit back and think "oh how cute, its just like a heartwarming disney film" watching this so called story of innocence. Let me tell those of you from around the world who cannot concieve Jackson ever doing anything wrong. Society in the U.S. is SICK. Things go on next door or within the homes of so many americans its an epidemic. EVERYBODY has skeletons in their closet and Micheal Jackson is certainly not exempt from that suspicion simply because I would rather believe otherwise. THE MAN HAS CHILDREN SLEEP IN HIS BED!!! THIS SHOULD NOT BE EXCEPTABLE IN TODAYS SOCIETY!!! THAT ALONE IS DISGUSTING!!! THE MAN NEEDS HELP!!! It would certainly be much more questionable behavior if micheal jackson were not famous.

And Some of you are saying that some people are just jealous because he's so weird and still gets to be famous? COME ON!!! How many musicians, movie stars, and other artists are extremely accentric and nobody is going after them in this way? Maybe its because they are not exhibiting such questionable behavior in which the safety of children is involved? LET ME REMIND YOU! THE SAFETY OF CHILDREN IS INVOLVED! The state of california has EVERY right to go into the so called neverland ranch and investigate what the hell is going on in there if they believe the safety of children is at stake!!! Oh poor micheal jackson so many people say, but this is the same thing that is done in any case of a possible sex offender. They are brought to court to face charges whether they did it or not! WHY? IN THE NAME OF CHILDRENS SAFETY EVERYWHERE!!!

I am not saying I assume there is any guilt on Micheal Jacksons part, but he had to go to court and what happened happened. It's as simple as that. I do not agree completely with the american justice system, in fact there is much that is wrong and unfair due to the way people are treated based on social status and race, but the point is jackson went to court. Should he have gone to jail if he didnt do the crimes in question but had done others not brought to this courts attention? No. That's not how the justice system works. Its over now. Let us hope he is not really a child molestor.

OK I am done with my ranting for now.

_RED_ stuff