Innocent is Still Innocent

I came across a piece today on ABC News by Terry Moran. As I often am I was appalled by the mainstream media. I encourage you to read this. It illustrates everything that is wrong with the MSM today.

He makes the point that the Duke Lacrosse players recently exonerated were no angels and come from privilege and affluence. I will assume everything he wrote is factual. I have no reason to doubt the facts he put forth. What I will dispute is the very premise that because they were not perfect they were less deserving of sympathy or compassion. These young men were innocent, and whatever else they did that is the main, and only salient point. In our system we are innocent until proven guilty. The prosecutor is being investigated for prosecutorial abuse. This needs to play out.

This column leads me to the story I recently read in a book (true story) by John Grisham. The book is The Innocent Man. Please either follow the link, or get it from your library. This story must be read. In this story a man who admittedly is also no angel is wrongly accused of rape and murder. He is convicted by a prosecutor that also went too far in a case without any physical evidence. Ron Williamson is a man who had mental problems and many difficulties in his life. He was twice previously charged with rape (neither time convicted). Because he was no angel and seemed guilty the prosecutor was able to get the conviction. He was five days from the death from legal injection when his request for Habeus Corpus was accepted. He was eventually freed using DNA evidence. This is a chilling story of what can happen when the legal system does not do its job. I am a law and order guy, but this story frightened me. The Duke story obviously is not of the same magnitude, but the attitudes are the same.

The ABC piece also is reprehensible for its use of class warfare to make its point. The young men, while again no angels were charged with a crime falsely and the writer is treating them with disdain for being 'privileged'. Make no mistake I do not condone their behavior on that night, but again they were falsely accused of a crime. People of privilege sometimes do stupid things. That does not mitigate being falsely accused of rape.

Lets hope the young men from Duke will learn a hard learned lesson. They have the opportunity now with their freedom. Many innocent people in jail don't have that opportunity.

Journalists like to consider them to champion of the oppressed. Sorry in this case the oppressed is of the very group Mr. Moran seems to hate. Mr. Moran needs to find an oppressed person this time. Class warfare for the sake of class warfare does not sell here in this case. By the way I am still waiting to hear the apology of Mr Sharpton and Mr. Jackson to the Duke men. I'm not holding my breath.