Casey Anthony

So, I am probably the last person in this country to write my opinion on the "acquittal heard 'round the world" but there has been a development in the story. Early this morning, Casey Anthony was released from jail, given $537 from her jail account, and sent on her way to live a free life. There have been endless Facebook and blog posts about people angry at her, the jurors, and the legal system in general. One of her lawyers recently confirmed that they had received a number of threats including an email with a modified image of Miss Anthony with a bullet in her head.

By the way, the picture to the right is of a mother partying while her daughter lies dead and decomposing in the woods.

This type of desire for vigilante justice is as old and the court system. If the court fails to prove somebody guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and the public disagrees, this type of thing happens. Does anybody remember OJ Simpson? Yes, we have all heard a million comparisons, but this case seems a little different in my mind. First and foremost, there is no racial tension to deal with in this situation. She's white and her child was white. Secondly, there was no dramatic chase that lead many to imply OJ's guilt as he was running (if you call that running) from police. For Casey Anthony, it was just lies about her missing daughter and a non-existent nanny that she claimed abducted little Calyee. Either way, the justice system seems to have failed to provide justice for the victims of both crimes.

So, what are we to do about it? We can complain, sure. We can make new laws that, if they had been in place, would have kept Casey in jail for a few more years, but it won't fix the problem. The problem is that we have an imperfect system. Everything is governed by money and lawyers. The video footage of Casey Anthony's defense team celebrating with drinks and dancing to their victory is disturbing. Sure they won, but who in their right mind can believe that Casey Anthony is completely innocent. The verdict said it best; the jury found the defendant NOT guilty. So, why should she be allowed to go free you may ask? Well, that same justice system that allowed the defense team party like it was 1999 also allows guilty people to go free if enough evidence can't be found. Guilty beyond a reasonable doubt is something that is very hard to prove.

Now, I don't know all the specifics on the Brian David Mitchell trial or why it took so long (I refer anybody wondering to ask Ben Wood as he covered the sentencing process) but the man was guilty as sin. He was discovered WITH the girl he abducted, she testified in court of what he did, and yet there was still the possibility of him NOT going to jail for life because the court couldn't determine if he was sane enough to stand trial. What does that say about the legal system? People that are insane can't be held accountable for what they do? The defense in the Casey Anthony trial claimed that she had been abused by her father while she was young and used that to justify her not reporting the death of hear daughter. What? First let me say that I have never had to deal with anything as heinous as abuse. I have no idea what any of those poor souls who experience that have to go through and I feel eternally sorry for them. However, sane or insane, you should have to pay the price for your crime just like anybody else. I could go on and on about how much I hate the legal system and how I firmly believe it is largely to blame for the current financial crisis and any issues with healthcare. If people weren't allowed to sue surgeons for being human and making mistakes, or sue doctors for not being absolutely perfect, healthcare and insurance would not cost near as much. You know what, I will go as far as saying that any problem in this world can be blamed squarely on lawyers, lobbyists, and politicians. There you have it. Now, back to the subject of this rant.

Casey Anthony should be allowed to go free because that is how the justice system works. We can't make an exception just because somebody managed to hide something so well that investigators couldn't find enough evidence to allow a jury in any good conscience to hand out a guilty verdict. I feel very bad for the jurors. Some of them have reached out claiming that they felt sick to their stomach the day of the verdict. They may believe she is guilty, but all they did was their civic duty in weighing the evidence and making the hardest decision of their lives. As for Casey Anthony, she may not have been proven guilty of murder, but she has proven herself guilty of being a bad mother and overall disgraceful human being. Who knows what demons she has been fighting all her life, but I am sure she will have several to fight for the rest of this life and well into the next. If she is guilty, she will pay for it eventually. If she does happen to be innocent to some degree, she will have to answer for lying in a life and death situation. Either way, the future looks pretty bleak for her. Who would hire somebody like that? Who would want a person like that living in their neighborhood? I have no idea, but the whole story just leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. I hope you have all enjoyed my little rant on the current legal system and I would love any and all commentary on the issue. I suppose what I am asking is: does anybody disagree with me?

Fieldhouse Blues

It has recently come to my attention that students who pay full tuition during the fall and spring semesters at Utah State University do not have access to the exercise or recreation facilities during the summer unless they pay a seperate athletic fee similar to the one paid by summer students. This is garbage! Since my entry into Utah State University in the fall of 2009, I have paid around $1600 in student fees, a large chunk of which goes to athletics. In one of my articles last year, I blasted the art department based on principal for increasing general student fees so they could improve. Many people used athletic fees as a cop out saying "we spend all this money on athletics, don't the arts deserve a little more?" I fiercely defended the student athletic fees saying the amenities are wonderful, and they reach a larger audience. However, now that I see that full-time traditional students can't use the athletic facilities while spending their summer in Logan desperately trying to earn enough money to pay tuition, I must cry foul. Shame on whoever made this decision to punish those that have to work during the summer to pay for their education.

A recent change went into effect that may kick the billiards club and all billiards classes out of the fieldhouse in favor of a cross-fit class. I wrote an article condeming this change and hope that the new leadership at ASUSU heard my plea, as well as the petition signed by hundreds. It seems a little ironic that the same University would deny these facilities to most of the student body during the summer months when they make such foolish changes in the name of better physical fitness for the students. For me, I have more time during the summer to work out than I do during the school year, so that is when most of my working out takes place for the year. While this is not the best work out schedule for my health, I have a feeling many students have the same prediciment.

So, in essence, the school is denying us the privileges that we pay thousands of dollars for just because we aren't paying for any classes during the summer. This is lame and unfair. I hope you all feel the same.

Discuss!

Here it is!

So, I learned yesterday that my beloved opinion column for the Utah Statesman known as The 'Low Down will not be running for the 2011-2012 school year. That column became my defining identity at Utah State as it was my main contribution to the University as a whole. As a student in Computer Engineering, there is very little that I can do to contribute to the University besides staying out of trouble, attending sporting events, and paying tuition.

As a consequence of my misfortune of not being able to write for the Statesman in my previous capacity, I have started this blog to be my outlet. I still have opinions and, as the school year rolls around, I assume there will be things that I agree or disagree with strongly. That was essentially what fueled my opinion column last year. If I found something that I disagreed with or wanted to pitch, I would write an article about it to express my opinion and see if others felt the same way. Sure a blog doesn't have the glamour of the physically printed word, it gets the point across.

Another reason for starting this blog is the fact that I have some time on my hands. I have recently acquired a job that gives me 6 hours of essentially free time during an 8 hour shift. This can be nice, but it can also be a little boring. It gives me time to surf the internet, looking for the latest deal on electronics, reading the news, and generally passing the time before I resort to watching a movie or something.

As this is simply an introduction for the blog, it will not be bursting with opinion on current issues but rather filling up some space to make the blog look like a blog and not an empty shell created on a whim. I do hope to keep up with this blog as I failed to keep up with the ill-fated Stuff of the Week blog (a doomed resurrection of the Stuff of the Week newsletter I did in high school). Anyways, let's hope this one sticks, and that any and all reading it will get some enjoyment out of their time spent reading my thoughts.

enjoy!