« check, and mate. | Main | You the jury »
Justice is lost. Justice is raped. Justice is gone.
by ezy at 02:22 PM on August 06, 2003
Is it just me or has the Kobe Bryant fiasco been one of the most lopsided, unfair presentations of our justice system you’ve seen, in a while? Don’t get me wrong; I am all for seeing women, who have been assaulted, protected from the media, when the charge has been proven. That’s my ire with this whole thing. Kobe Bryant has been charged, but not convicted, of rape. Why is he plastered all over every newspaper nationwide, with his life under a microscope, while we don’t even know his accuser’s name? That’s right. Because he’s famous. But wait. We don’t want the privileged to have any preferential treatment do we? Shouldn’t that go both ways? Oh, I forgot. He held a press conference so anything, from that second forward, should be public knowledge. Well, according to the accuser’s friends, she held a press conference herself albeit his was on TV and hers was at a keg party. I just feel that if this woman is telling the truth then why keep hiding and not get all of the cards on the table? Maybe I am being insensitive, and I don’t mean to, but this just seems wildly unfair to me. I just don’t think you should protect one person’s privacy and subject another to the amount of scrutiny Kobe Bryant is having to endure. The judge first has him appear at an arraignment then allows cameras in the courtroom? Will they be there during the trial when the accuser is in the room? If things hold true to form; I think not.
"This already extensive media coverage has erupted into an intensive media campaign to expose every detail of the alleged incident," prosecutors wrote in arguing to keep the evidence sealed.
Shouldn’t every detail be exposed? If you want the truth I think there is no other way. If you are going to allow the media and prosecutors to pore over Bryant’s past and look for dirt, without issuing a gag order for that, why not look in to the accuser’s past? There may be things there that could be relevant to the case. Her state of mind may be of some importance. Maybe she has accused someone else, in her past, of the same thing. Maybe she has some mental problems that would make her falsely accuse someone. Maybe not. That’s the thing. No one knows.
Kobe Bryant is an adulterer, for now, fine. He should’ve loved his wife more. Punish him for that. And if he is guilty then fry him. I wonder if the accuser is hot? After seeing Kobe's wife; I hope so.
comments (13)
I don't think the woman accusing Kobe should be revealed. Bad precedent.
I do thing media is a blood-sucking commodity always yelling for the truth and squashing any chance for it. Breaking the story is all their interested in, even if it means twisting the truth, manipulating the evidence and ruining the reputation of good journalism everywhere.
Too bad for Kobe, too bad for his wife, and perhaps too bad for the girl who went back to his room. The media won't allow for someone so famous to do anything, especially sexually, without close scrutiny.
Is it fair? Hell no.
But what are you going to do? Reveal the potential victim's name? I don't think that is a good idea for all the real sexual assault victims out there.
Vilify Kobe? Well that' rushing to judgment and not good politics.
Turn of the TV? Now, there's an idea.
by sydney at August 6, 2003 3:52 PM
You see. That's just it. I think if you're going to protect the potential victim's name shouldn't you, also, protect the alleged offender's name? If the alleged offender is convicted, by all means, drag his ass through the mud, take him outside, and shoot the bastard. I just don't think it's right to ruin someone's name and cause them harm until they've been convicted of the crime.
by Ezy at August 6, 2003 4:04 PM
As usual we are tracking. See my post. Also, the accuser's name and pix are plastered all over the Net. I thought better of linking to one of the sites.
Oddly she looks a little like a young Nicole Brown Simpson the last victim in an overly sensationalized fiasco.
by anna at August 6, 2003 5:00 PM
EZY- just FYI... incorrect use of the semicolon here:
"After seeing Kobe's wife; I hope so."
It would be better to go with our old friend the comma. The first clause ("After seeing Kobe's wife") is not a full sentence in its own right, so you can't go with the semi-colon.
by Eviltom at August 6, 2003 8:07 PM
If a girl wants to ruin a guy’s reputation all she has to do is screw him and then later bruise herself and cry “rape”. Her identity is protected while the guy’s reputation is irreversibly ruined. He risks life in prison if a jury is sympathetic to the girl. If she gets caught lying I doubt the punishment is anywhere near that. I’m with EZY, if you protect one, you should protect the other.
by MrBlank at August 7, 2003 9:39 AM
Thank you Evil One you grammatical beast.
Anna, a young Nichole huh? Not too shabby.
MrB, it's good to know I'm not alone in this belief. It's very tragic that some women, and men, have tried to use the system for a payday. It takes credibility away from women, who have actually been raped, and that's just disgusting. I think if someone accuses another person of rape they should be looking at the same sentence, as rape carries, if they're lying. I bet that would make some people think twice before they cried wolf.
by Ezy at August 7, 2003 11:21 AM
I have no interest in kobe. In fact, I haven't watched television directly for about a month now.
by lockheed at August 7, 2003 2:12 PM
Yea, I really don't give a rat's ass about Kobe but the fact is that this treatment is unfair and unjust.
What's up Lock? How are you doing? You ok?
by Ezy at August 7, 2003 3:25 PM
ezy, i like where your headed with that previous comment. i say double or nothing. if the rapist is guilty, good riddance for forty years (for example). if the woman (or man i guess) is found to be lying. the accused and defendant get to switch sides, halftime-like, and then the trial begins anew. on her (or him i suppose). if that fucker's lying...eighty years! and no jello!
by lajoie at August 7, 2003 4:33 PM
...of course the accused IS the defendant. i meant, aww shit you know what i meant.
by lajoie at August 7, 2003 4:36 PM
Yea Lajoie, I think there needs to be a burden of responsibility on the accuser as well as the accused. You shouldn't be able to accuse someone, of a crime this serious, and walk away with community service and a mental evaluation. The accused was staring at hard time, in our prison, system so the accuser should have to face the same, in my opinion. I believe it would, definitely, make someone think about the consequences of their actions.
by Ezy at August 8, 2003 10:25 AM
One of my neighbors hacked off her husband's dick, while he was passed out, and threw it in a gutter. She went the old years-o-abuse route and was sentenced to counseling. When he went on trial for abusing her, he too walked. How can that be?
by anna at August 8, 2003 6:52 PM
I don't get our legal system sometimes. I mean, there is a dick in the gutter and someone cut it off. On the other hand, there is the abuse that perpetuated the attack. Maybe the judge thought both had paid a debt, of sorts, to society. Well, they found OJ's blood, at a murder scene, and he walked just becuase of shoddy police and legal work. Go figure.
by Ezy at August 11, 2003 5:18 AM