Why I'm Relieved Casey Anthony Was Found Not Guilty of Murder

As I grow older, I'm realizing that individuals, like organizations, often come to misguided conclusions when they take an ahistorical view of an issue. The Casey Anthony trial, I believe, is one such example.

Long forgotten are the days when British law enforcement officials could search homes or property on a whim, without cause. Long forgotten are the times when condemnation in social circles led to condemnation in the court of law. These are the memories that the founders of our country had at the forefront of their minds when writing The United States Constitution and Bill of Rights. Our country was founded on a set of ideals that our founders felt should be implemented. Our legal system was established in such a way so that the government, and not an individual (who may or may not have resources, power, and connections) would carry the burden of proof.

I don't know if Casey Anthony murdered her child or not; I wasn't there, neither did I follow the trial closely. The court of public opinion says that she did it, but the court of law couldn't prove it. And in the end, that's all that matters. Innuendo and probably should never lead to a conviction. Not only is it illegal. It's immoral. I won't begin to go into the statistics of how many people (especially African American men) in the U.S. have been falsely convicted and imprisoned because jurors (or witnesses who decided to fudge "the truth") thought that they did it, even when there wasn't enough concrete evidence to support the belief.

Probability is meaningless; Proof is everything.

I'm relieved Anthony got off. A conviction, without evidence, would be proof that our country has turned completely away from the hopes and promises of our founders. Happy Independence Week!