The Freedom of Innocence

With the death of Michael Jackson we have seen the best and worst of many people, but the one thing that struck me negatively was how many people still held him accountable for crimes he was never convicted of. I understand you may feel he was guilty, but in the Land of the Free where one is innocent until proven otherwise: I find it very hypocritical. How many regular lives are ruined by lies or misconstrued motives, only for the truth to come out and they STILL live in shame of the looks from those who still think they know better? How would you feel with circumstancial “evidence” piled up against you, convicted as guilty in the public’s eyes and know you are innocent? I have a few things for you to add to that thought process:

1. As a parent, would you ever let your child spend the night alone with a non-relative or stranger? For me, the answer is HECK NO! I would not trust anyone overnight with my child at their mercy, I’m sorry- not gonna happen!
2. If someone hurt your child, what is more important: Justice, or money? Money is nice, but if I am truly convinced you hurt my children there isn’t enough in the world to make me walk away and allow you to do that to other children.
3. Is it okay to punish YOU [yes, you] for a crime you were found not guilty of committing? I know I would not want to continually be held responsible for something a jury found I had no responsibility for.

At the end of the day, we all have a right to the Freedom of Innocence. To be able to go back to our lives and not be continually plagued by the pundits and naysayers who insist they know better. It happened much worse for OJ, and barring discussion on whether he actually committed any crime- he was found not guilty yet continued to suffer. Even to this day, going to jail for something you or I would have done to retrieve our own property [this is for another blog, be patient]. At what point is enough and enough, do we move on and leave an innocent person to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives? Clearly, death is not the end of it and Michael Jackson’s death has shown. There is a very distasteful joke circulating here in OR that I will not repeat, but seriously people- when will it end?

Many things come to my mind when I think of MJ: music, a search for acceptance, dancing and LEGEND. These are all tangible things he has affected in my life, and for that I will continue to give him the benefit of the doubt- especially in death. R.I.P. Michael Jackson