I'd like to start out with a request: If you disagree with me on anything I say here, please feel free to speak your mind but be intelligent and respectful about it. The internet seems to have made people lose their ability to disagree while still respecting each other.
Those of you who don't live in a hole (which, seeing as you're reading this on the internet, I'm guessing is all of you) have no doubt heard by now the verdict of the Casey Anthony trial. Based on the reaction I've seen on Facebook and Twitter, people are livid about the verdict and seem to think that justice has not been served.
I'd argue, however, that justice was served. Now before you all lynch me, a common misconception needs to be cleared up. Many people assume that "not guilty" and "innocent" are the same thing when, in fact, they are not. A ruling of not guilty does NOT imply that the jury thinks the defendant is innocent. What it does mean is that the prosecution did not prove their case that the crime in question was committed. In lay terms, these two may mean the same thing but in legal terms, they're not. I liken this to the scientific concept of a theory and the lay conception of a theory. The two are COMPLETELY different and the lay conception of a theory is actually closer to the scientific term "hypothesis."
In this case, the prosecution really only had circumstantial evidence and they could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Casey murdered her daughter. In other words, there are possible other explanations that are not completely out of nowhere ("The devil made her do it!!!!") that cannot be dismissed based on the evidence presented. The burden of proof rested on the prosecution and they failed to prove their case.
Some have accused this as being a flaw in the legal system and, again, I'd argue the opposite as it protects the innocent from being accused of a crime they did not commit and being incarcerated for it (***Special note: I am NOT implying that Casey Anthony is innocent***). This is where the concept of "innocent until guilty" comes into our legal system. If we had the opposite, guilty until proven innocent, people could be accused of any crime that they did not necessarily commit and be thrown into jail.
Believe it or not, we actually had this system at one point in our country. Think back to Salem, MA when people were being accused of being witches and then burned unless they could prove their innocence (which, in most cases, they could not). This is an example of the "guilty until proven innocent" system and it was essentially chaos.
To continue the science metaphor I brought up earlier, in science, you can't just make a claim and expect people to find evidence to disprove it. The opposite is true: You have to find evidence showing that your hypothesis is likely beyond a reasonable doubt and the same holds true in our legal system.
So did Casey Anthony get away with murder? Maybe. But we can't say beyond a reasonable doubt that she's guilty. As upsetting as it may be, the system worked. The prosecution needed to step up their game to prove their case and they didn't. But the way the system is designed, the most functional system we've been able to develop as a species so far, worked.
Am I saying that this is not a tragic situation? No. Regardless of how she died or if she was murdered, it is a tragedy that Caylee's life was cut short and this is a wake up call to all of us to take better care of our children and be wary of suspicious behavior that could put others in danger.
Showing posts with label death. Show all posts
Showing posts with label death. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Day 24: A song that you want to play at your funeral
What... a depressing topic. I don't have one song that I have on reserves in case of death (although I guess it doesn't really matter because I wouldn't be able to tell anyone to play it because of the whole being dead thing) so I'm not sure if I actually want this song played at my funeral or not... But I do think it's a pretty appropriate funeral song.
"It Just Is" by Rilo Kiley is the last song on their More Adventurous album, one of my absolute favorite albums of all time. This album is fucking genius. Rilo Kiley is kind of weird in that they straddle the line between country and alternative and it actually works really well. It doesn't hurt, however, that they are fronted by the adorable Jenny Lewis whose voice is almost as amazing as she is.
"It Just Is" is a lot like yesterday's song, "Love is a Place," in that it's very simple ("Love is a Place" is a lot simpler, however, in that it's basically an acoustic song). The lyrics repeat themselves and there's nothing overly fancy about the music, although it is a really climactic way to end the album. The lyrics are very fitting for a funeral, too...
This loss isn't good enough for sorry or inspiration
It's such a loss for the good guys
Afraid of this life
That it just is
'Cause everybody dies
It gives me chills every time I hear it. It's weird to think that everyone in the world right now that we know or see or that is alive will someday die. You, me, celebrities, politicians, the janitor at your place of employment... Everyone. Kind of depressing, but it's something we need to accept. Existence is finite. Yeah, it sucks, but denying it won't do us any good.
"It Just Is" by Rilo Kiley is the last song on their More Adventurous album, one of my absolute favorite albums of all time. This album is fucking genius. Rilo Kiley is kind of weird in that they straddle the line between country and alternative and it actually works really well. It doesn't hurt, however, that they are fronted by the adorable Jenny Lewis whose voice is almost as amazing as she is.
"It Just Is" is a lot like yesterday's song, "Love is a Place," in that it's very simple ("Love is a Place" is a lot simpler, however, in that it's basically an acoustic song). The lyrics repeat themselves and there's nothing overly fancy about the music, although it is a really climactic way to end the album. The lyrics are very fitting for a funeral, too...
This loss isn't good enough for sorry or inspiration
It's such a loss for the good guys
Afraid of this life
That it just is
'Cause everybody dies
It gives me chills every time I hear it. It's weird to think that everyone in the world right now that we know or see or that is alive will someday die. You, me, celebrities, politicians, the janitor at your place of employment... Everyone. Kind of depressing, but it's something we need to accept. Existence is finite. Yeah, it sucks, but denying it won't do us any good.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Day 7: A song that reminds you of a certain event
FYI: I added the playlist that was on the first post to the right side of my blog. Have a listen to the songs I've been writing about!
I know this song has lot of special meaning to many people, but to me, "Angel" by Sarah McLachlan holds something different for me. Most people associate it with that sad puppy commercial, and let's be honest, I do too, but more than that it reminds me of something that happened when I was in 7th grade.
Every New Years since I was little, my family has had a tradition where we invite some family friends over and they spend a night or two here celebrating. The year I was in 7th grade was no exception. New Years day my friend, Tara, and I were up late watching TV when my brother came into the room and asked, "Joe, do you know Jessica Mayer at all?" I said that yes, I did just not very well. We had band and gym together, though, and her locker was right next to mine. I asked him why he wanted to know and he said he was just wondering so I brushed it off.
The next morning, I was playing Beyond Good and Evil on my Gamecube when my mom came into the room and told me to turn it off because she had something she needed to tell me. I asked if I could just pause it and she said that no, I needed to turn it off and come sit down at the kitchen table. I did as I was told and she began to tell me something that would change my life forever.
The night before, Jessica and her two sisters were driving to the bachelorette party for their brother's wedding when they were involved in a car accident. Jessica was killed instantly and her sisters did not survive much longer. This was my first real encounter with death. I had pets that had died in the past but this was the first time that a person I knew had died.
A few days later winter break ended and we returned to school, not knowing how everyone would be reacting. I came into school and everyone was tying white ribbon on the locks of their lockers and Jessica's locker had a picture of her up on it. People were sitting in the halls and classrooms talking to each other, crying, hugging... each one trying to make sense of what had happened. We talked about it in every class that day (except math... our math teacher still tried to teach us a lesson but we were honestly too upset to really comprehend it). Teachers cried. The one that has stuck with me most was my band teacher crying... Actually, pretty much everyone in that class cried. Some were just paralyzed and sat in silence. In gym, we just sat in groups and talked about what happened. None of us could believe that Jessica was really gone.
The moment that it really hit me the most was the end of the day when I went to my locker to get my things and head home. Normally, Jessica would be there smiling and ask me what homework we had but not today or ever again, for that matter. It was strange how something so little was what affected me the most. It really made me stop to think about the little things in life and how I shouldn't take anything, or anyone, for granted.
By now you're probably thinking, "Okay Joey, that's really sad but what does this have to do with the sad puppy song?" Well, I'm getting there. Don't get your panties in a bunch.
Fast forward a week or two. Jessica's funeral, my first funeral, had come and gone, with 90% of the 7th grade class along with most of the St. Anthony Middle School staff attending. It was now time for everyone's favorite awkward middle school event, the Friday night dance (or, the P.C. version that my middle school referred to it as, the "activity night"). You know that anything starting at 7 and ending at 11 is going to be a GOOD TIME especially when coupled with a bunch of hormonal pre-teens who were just discovering the magic of grinding.
During this dance, however, something different happened, something profound that's memory still lingers with me to this day. After the DJ got done playing "Get Low" or some other raunchy generic rap hit of 2003, he stopped the music and said, "Okay guys, we're going to slow it down for one song. We'd like to dedicate this song to Jessica Mayer. We'll never forget you, Jess." And he was right; we never have.
The song he played was "Angel" by Sarah McLachlan (bet you didn't see that one coming!!!). At first, everyone just kind of stared at each other. None of us knew what to do. Then, slowly, people began to sit down. Soon everyone was sitting down and many of them, including myself, were crying. I had never heard this song before but it seemed to so perfectly fit the situation we were in. It was encouraging to see everyone, even complete strangers who had never spoken to Jessica, being so respectful and mourning such a loss with us.
Now, every time I hear this song I am reminded of that cold January night and, more importantly, of what Jessica's death taught us all: Be grateful for the simple things because you never know when they'll be gone. Take the time to appreciate those around you, no matter how well you know them, because they may not be in your life much longer. And, most of all, live your life the way you want to, never wasting even a single day, because you never know when it'll all be over.
I know this song has lot of special meaning to many people, but to me, "Angel" by Sarah McLachlan holds something different for me. Most people associate it with that sad puppy commercial, and let's be honest, I do too, but more than that it reminds me of something that happened when I was in 7th grade.
Every New Years since I was little, my family has had a tradition where we invite some family friends over and they spend a night or two here celebrating. The year I was in 7th grade was no exception. New Years day my friend, Tara, and I were up late watching TV when my brother came into the room and asked, "Joe, do you know Jessica Mayer at all?" I said that yes, I did just not very well. We had band and gym together, though, and her locker was right next to mine. I asked him why he wanted to know and he said he was just wondering so I brushed it off.
The next morning, I was playing Beyond Good and Evil on my Gamecube when my mom came into the room and told me to turn it off because she had something she needed to tell me. I asked if I could just pause it and she said that no, I needed to turn it off and come sit down at the kitchen table. I did as I was told and she began to tell me something that would change my life forever.
The night before, Jessica and her two sisters were driving to the bachelorette party for their brother's wedding when they were involved in a car accident. Jessica was killed instantly and her sisters did not survive much longer. This was my first real encounter with death. I had pets that had died in the past but this was the first time that a person I knew had died.
A few days later winter break ended and we returned to school, not knowing how everyone would be reacting. I came into school and everyone was tying white ribbon on the locks of their lockers and Jessica's locker had a picture of her up on it. People were sitting in the halls and classrooms talking to each other, crying, hugging... each one trying to make sense of what had happened. We talked about it in every class that day (except math... our math teacher still tried to teach us a lesson but we were honestly too upset to really comprehend it). Teachers cried. The one that has stuck with me most was my band teacher crying... Actually, pretty much everyone in that class cried. Some were just paralyzed and sat in silence. In gym, we just sat in groups and talked about what happened. None of us could believe that Jessica was really gone.
The moment that it really hit me the most was the end of the day when I went to my locker to get my things and head home. Normally, Jessica would be there smiling and ask me what homework we had but not today or ever again, for that matter. It was strange how something so little was what affected me the most. It really made me stop to think about the little things in life and how I shouldn't take anything, or anyone, for granted.
By now you're probably thinking, "Okay Joey, that's really sad but what does this have to do with the sad puppy song?" Well, I'm getting there. Don't get your panties in a bunch.
Fast forward a week or two. Jessica's funeral, my first funeral, had come and gone, with 90% of the 7th grade class along with most of the St. Anthony Middle School staff attending. It was now time for everyone's favorite awkward middle school event, the Friday night dance (or, the P.C. version that my middle school referred to it as, the "activity night"). You know that anything starting at 7 and ending at 11 is going to be a GOOD TIME especially when coupled with a bunch of hormonal pre-teens who were just discovering the magic of grinding.
During this dance, however, something different happened, something profound that's memory still lingers with me to this day. After the DJ got done playing "Get Low" or some other raunchy generic rap hit of 2003, he stopped the music and said, "Okay guys, we're going to slow it down for one song. We'd like to dedicate this song to Jessica Mayer. We'll never forget you, Jess." And he was right; we never have.
The song he played was "Angel" by Sarah McLachlan (bet you didn't see that one coming!!!). At first, everyone just kind of stared at each other. None of us knew what to do. Then, slowly, people began to sit down. Soon everyone was sitting down and many of them, including myself, were crying. I had never heard this song before but it seemed to so perfectly fit the situation we were in. It was encouraging to see everyone, even complete strangers who had never spoken to Jessica, being so respectful and mourning such a loss with us.
Now, every time I hear this song I am reminded of that cold January night and, more importantly, of what Jessica's death taught us all: Be grateful for the simple things because you never know when they'll be gone. Take the time to appreciate those around you, no matter how well you know them, because they may not be in your life much longer. And, most of all, live your life the way you want to, never wasting even a single day, because you never know when it'll all be over.
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