Demise of justice, legal systems
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In My Humble Opinion
Jodi McDade
As I said in last week’s column, today marks the eightieth anniversary of D-Day on June 6, 1944 – the beginning of the end of World War II. God bless our own Joe Collins and the few remaining veterans of that war.
Predictions are that this will be the last year that veterans of World War II will probably be able to attend the commemorations at Normandy. Also this year, some of the actors from the “Band of Brothers” series are parachuting in just like the soldiers they portrayed did in real life.
On a personal note, this would have been the anniversary of my marriage to my best friend, Larry McDade. We would have been celebrating 32 years if he were still here on earth. He has now been gone 3 years and 5 months.
So, now on to the current “news.” We have now started the process of the demise of our justice and legal systems. It hasn’t hit Alabama yet, but we usually are one of the last states for new things to get to so be ready. Prepare yourself for the possibility of being arrested and prosecuted for something that is not really a crime but enough twisting and twining of information can make it seem that it is.
If a former president of the United States can be tried in a state court for what was supposedly a violation of FEDERAL law, any one of us could be placed in the same situation. The sitting judge in the trial of Donald Trump for a supposed crime that happened 18 years ago (long past the statute of limitations) did just this.
We don’t really know what the actual decisions by the jurors were and, by the Constitution, if even one juror voted not guilty then President Trump had to be either found innocent or a mistrial should have been called. But this judge issued instructions to the jury that they did NOT have to reach a unanimous decision on each count but could just decide if there was a crime somewhere in the charges. And, they still didn’t have to all agree on a guilty verdict.
This was in direct violation of the Sixth and Fourteenth amendments to our Constitution that require a unanimous verdict to convict a criminal defendant.
Of course, all this will more than likely be reversed on appeal because of the way both the judge and prosecution stretched limits of judicial rules. If not reversed by appeal first, it will probably go to the Supreme Court of the United States for a final decision, and the obvious violation of the Constitution should reverse the verdict.
Based on the charges that were leveled against President Trump I would be mostly concerned about the heads of major companies and/or corporations who rely on their accountants, bookkeepers and a Chart of Accounts to maintain the records of their income and expenses. But that could also change now that the precedent has been set by this trial judge.
This case was the big banana, but there are all types of violations within our judicial systems around the country. In many of the large cities where police departments have been cut back or defunded, anyone who is arrested is almost immediately released with no bail. This includes people who have attacked other people, killed other people, attacked and killed police officers, and committed all types of property crimes. There is no longer any deterrent to crime. Then, add in all the illegal immigrants who are committing these crimes and they aren’t even held in custody for being here illegally!
For those of us who believe in the rule of law it is very difficult to recognize our country right now. The old saying “crime doesn’t pay” has become “you won’t have to pay for your crime.” What message does that send to our young people?
I totally agree that no one is above the law and that anyone who has been charged with a crime should receive a fair and timely trial. But I also believe that the judicial code of conduct should be upheld to ensure the person charged is treated as “innocent until found guilty.” It is up to the prosecution to prove that guilt is BEYOND a reasonable doubt.
Politics, positions, race, and religion should never be the basis of why someone is arrested and prosecuted for anything. Unfortunately, these things are being used against people at all levels. Our country needs to return the rules of law and order. Too many innocent people are being killed, injured, or robbed by people who have absolutely no regard for the laws of our country. And now we have to fear the very agencies that were established to protect us.
Now we will see what the outcome will be on the trial of the son of the current president of the United States. What standards will that jury be instructed to follow? We are in uncharted waters where we were never intended to be. Our founding fathers are rolling over in their graves.
Don’t think this only happens to “other people” – it could now happen to you or a family member.
Thank you to all of the law enforcement members and first responders who continue to put their lives on the line for us. God bless you all.