Americans Protest NATO'S War in Yugoslavia -- June 5, 1999
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"Our modern revelation may be a depressing revelation, but at least it is a demythologizing revelation. If the world is terrible, at least we know that our fathers were fools to think otherwise, and that everything they believed and cherished was a lie, or at best superstition" (Hilary Putnam, Human Face, p.136).
"If we believe in the creative effect of contact and collision, connection and exchange, then we require a medium, a way of writing which will live with the impact and conflict of communication between ideas" (Myerson, Rhetoric, Reason and Society, 1994:4).
From: Nancy Gonzalez
Date: 5/1/01
Time: 10:58:46 PM
Remote Name: 64.12.105.153
What ever happened to "innocent until proven guilty?" I thought that was what our country "prided" itself on. It was disgusting the way the McMartins were "hunted." It seems that doing things "in the interest of public safety" often results in innocent people losing their freedom. That is what happened to the McMartins and even worse than that, there was no credible shred of evidence to support any of the accusations.
The media (though not entirely to blame) fueled the fire and had everyone believing the McMartins were child molesters--guilty even before they said one single word in court. The film portrayed the almost insane irrationality that is often the case when something happens. It seems like people just want to believe bad things and convict, hang, lock up, etc. anyone and don't listen to a single piece of evidence.
I was surprised they were able to find jurors to actually listen to the evidence and make the right decision and not cave into "making an example" of the McMartins, which is what everyone seemed to want.
Why wasn't the District Attorney's office sued? Why weren't they brought before the ABA? How is any of what they did ethical? How can they so arrogantly ruin people's lives and just walk away as if nothing happened and continue to practice law, without any kind of consequence?
God help anyone accused of a crime!