RE: George Takei (original Star Trek Sulu) Accused of Sexual Assault
November 12, 2017 at 11:54 am
I would rather let 10 guilty go free than to falsely convict one innocent person. The rich and famous whom are accused have the means to defend themselves. I take this attitude more for the no name people in the middle class and especially the poor. Not just on the issue of sexual assault, but any crime.
The Rolling Stone article about the college players proves that the innocent can be falsely accused. We should take any claim of sexual assault seriously, but it is still up to law enforcement, judges, lawyers and juries.
My mom was a teacher for 30 years. Even outside the issue of sexual assault, she could tell you how easy it was for kids who were mad at her, when they were scolded or given a bad grade, the kid would go home and tell their parent she said or did something she didn't do, only to have the parent come in and have a meeting with her and be angry at her.
No this is not about blindly defending men. Rape and sexual assault are real things and unfortunately happen every day and everyone wants those events to be reduced and for those who do those things to be held to account. But as with ANY CRIME be it theft, or murder, it is extremely important to get the facts correct and not allow law, judges or juries to be poisoned with a mob rule mentality.
In totalitarian states, in theocracies, accusations and propaganda lead to state murder and mob rule. Our systems in the west while not perfect, are designed to be a filter so that the right person is held to account, and not just anyone. The issue is long term, not one person, or one case, or one type of crime. But in the long term attitude of what kind of society do we want to live in? Our courts are there, not to protect the guilty, but the innocent as well.
We can all say what we want in media about the accused but ultimately due process is what protects us from becoming oppressive states.
The point being, is that you don't protect the accused because you like them as individuals, you protect them because you should want a long term society where if the state falsely accuses you, you have recourse.
In countries like North Korea, not even on the issue of sex, if your neighbor suspects you of going against the state, one word and you could end up in prison, or dead. In Saudi Arabia and Iran too, things like open apostasy even if you didn't say it, someone accusing you of it, could get you hurt by a mob or the state itself.
Nobody is against or should be against going after criminals that is why we have police and investigators, but we should also want the process to be strictly about provable fact, and not base judgment solely on the nature of the charge.
The Rolling Stone article about the college players proves that the innocent can be falsely accused. We should take any claim of sexual assault seriously, but it is still up to law enforcement, judges, lawyers and juries.
My mom was a teacher for 30 years. Even outside the issue of sexual assault, she could tell you how easy it was for kids who were mad at her, when they were scolded or given a bad grade, the kid would go home and tell their parent she said or did something she didn't do, only to have the parent come in and have a meeting with her and be angry at her.
No this is not about blindly defending men. Rape and sexual assault are real things and unfortunately happen every day and everyone wants those events to be reduced and for those who do those things to be held to account. But as with ANY CRIME be it theft, or murder, it is extremely important to get the facts correct and not allow law, judges or juries to be poisoned with a mob rule mentality.
In totalitarian states, in theocracies, accusations and propaganda lead to state murder and mob rule. Our systems in the west while not perfect, are designed to be a filter so that the right person is held to account, and not just anyone. The issue is long term, not one person, or one case, or one type of crime. But in the long term attitude of what kind of society do we want to live in? Our courts are there, not to protect the guilty, but the innocent as well.
We can all say what we want in media about the accused but ultimately due process is what protects us from becoming oppressive states.
The point being, is that you don't protect the accused because you like them as individuals, you protect them because you should want a long term society where if the state falsely accuses you, you have recourse.
In countries like North Korea, not even on the issue of sex, if your neighbor suspects you of going against the state, one word and you could end up in prison, or dead. In Saudi Arabia and Iran too, things like open apostasy even if you didn't say it, someone accusing you of it, could get you hurt by a mob or the state itself.
Nobody is against or should be against going after criminals that is why we have police and investigators, but we should also want the process to be strictly about provable fact, and not base judgment solely on the nature of the charge.
