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As a Christian, I consider my existence on this earth "vapor," but even vapor has opinions! As an American citizen, I am free to voice my opinions in a venue such as this. Watch out, though! I plan on writing about everything from U.S. Politics to Trials by Fire--all from the perspective of an American activist Christian. You are free to comment on my views, of course. Though, when you do, please be civil and refrain from using abusive or offensive language. Oh, and try to stay on topic. I will do my very best to provide interesting fodder for intelligent thought--and, at every feasable opportunity, source links for those who wish to either test my veracity, or obtain more information. I hope you, the visitor, will enjoy reading my blog, and perhaps, learn something in the process!

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Monied injustice--"getting away with it?"

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Contributed by: Catherine Bird on 10/25/2007

Does having a lot of money make one "above the law"? Does being rich make criminal activity any less heinous? Does money buy impunity?

It certainly seems so, at least to my eyes. After all, from what I've seen rich folks get away with, I get the impression that the rich believe they are "untouchable;" and can do literally anything their depraved little minds think up, without offering so much as a "by your leave" to their victims--or society--for their behavior.

An excellent example of this attitude is how O.J. Simpson literally got away with committing 2 counts of bloody murder: His money bought him a crack team of defense attorneys.

A more recent example would have to be David Copperfield's belief that his money makes it perfectly OK for him to engage less-than-gentlemanly pursuits.

Unless you live in a vacuum, you've certainly heard the reports that an unidentified woman from Seattle has levied sexual assault charges against illusionist David Copperfield, claiming he raped her during an encounter while in the Bahamas.

Initially, I had trouble believing this woman's story. Instead of reporting the alleged crime to Bahamian authorities immediately--as any rape victim should have done--she returned home to Seattle before bothering to make allegations against the illusionist. If I were a cop investigating this report, I would first have checked out this woman's financials--since she may have just made this claim to extort money from Copperfield.

Except, I found out that Mr. Copperfield had already offered the woman $2 million dollars to keep quiet--and she'd refused it! Makes Copperfield look that much more guilty, by my standards. If there weren't some truth to the woman's story, I'm sure he could afford defense attorneys who would make mincemeat of her claims.

And, if history is any indication, David Copperfield is rather thrifty when it comes to spending his money. After all, he did give his bride, Heidi Klume, a five-carat CZ engagement ring instead of splurging on a diamond for his "beloved." When you're that cheap, offering $2 million dollars for someone's silence is no small charity gift!

Apparently, David Copperfield owns a "cluster of islands" in the Bahamas--worth some $50 million dollars--but, does that mean he's above the law if he commits a crime on one of his islands? And, would $2 million dollars make up for the physical and emotional violation suffered by a rape victim?

Perhaps he thought it was "restitution" for his behavior towards the woman.

While restitution is an idea that has its benefits, it certainly does not excuse the offender's behavior, nor release him or her from prosecution for their crime(s). So, Copperfield's attempts to pay off his victim to prevent his prosecution is more akin to obstruction of justice than it is restitution.

Then, while watching Fox News this morning, I heard that Copperfield--like many entertainers--uses a secret code to identify (to his staff) certain women in his audience that he would like to meet after his show. This technique certainly makes Copperfield appear a typically desperate male entertainer mooching for female groupie affections.

However, what of his behavior with those women who agree to meet the illusionist after the show? What if this Seattle woman is only the first to file charges against Copperfield? Just how big is this story going to get? The answers will come in time, and perhaps more will be revealed about this secretive illusionist than we want to see or hear!

I don't know about the rest of you folks out there, but I am getting quite sick and tired of hearing about rich people " getting away with it!" Growing up, I always thought that--at least here in the United States of America-- no one was above the law. After all, isn't that what our country is about?

Remember this pledge?

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

What do you all think that last phrase means?

Here, I have pasted the text of Section I of the 14th Amendment to our U.S. Constitution:

" All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."

So, how is it that rich people somehow have more protection from prosecution for their criminal behavior than the average citizen, based solely on the fact that rich people can afford a better defense?

After all, isn't that--by its very definition--unconstitutional?

Should we, as a society, demand some change to the way civil and criminal cases are defended? Perhaps requiring all defendants have access to the same quality defense, regardless of their abililty to pay for that defense?

What do you all think? Sound off, America!

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Showing 1-6 of 6 comments

Submitted By: Catherine Bird

posted on 10/27/2007 @ 3:13:09 PM

(Not Rated)

Michael, the purpose of this entry was to point out the corruption inherent in the current system (which causes this ineqity), and to ask others for ideas on how we, as Americans ("We The People") can solve this issue. The U.S. Constitution does not guarantee any "rights" to equal tree service, but rather to EQUAL TREATMENT UNDER THE LAW. Something many Americans don't get--unless they can AFFORD it. Don't you think it's wrong that poor, yet innocent people end up in jail for things they didn't do; and filthy rich folks "get away with it" when the evidence says they're guilty (ref, OJ Simpson case, and others)?

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Submitted By: Michael Rule

posted on 10/27/2007 @ 6:34:55 AM

Rated Blog Entry

As a former cop you should understand the need for the court system to decide guilt or innocence. Oh wait, you're a former cop, so maybe, like some cops, you feel you have the knowledge or experience to assign guilt on your own. Pro-bono? Are you serious? I own a tree service. Should I do tree work pro-bono to ensure everyone gets the same level of tree care? And who will pay my expenses? Oh yeah, the filthy rich people I charged up the ying yang so I could do my free thing for the masses. I am glad you are writing, Catherine, because this site needs more writers, but you lost me on this one.

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Submitted By: S Obiiski

posted on 10/26/2007 @ 1:10:18 PM

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To suggest that Copperfield is guilty or that he paid off this is not fair to anyone. He has not been convicted and the FBI has in fact announced that rumors that they seized bribe money are false. Let's let the facts speak for themselves before we deem someone guilty (whether they are a celebrity or not). Has it occurred to anyone that celebs who make this kind of behavior common practice are found out fairly early on. Cooperfield has been plying his trade for decades with a squeeky clean record. I don't think it is fair to judge him before the facts are known.

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Submitted By: Catherine Bird

posted on 10/26/2007 @ 1:22:49 AM

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By the way, Michael, as a former cop, and having studied criminal behavior, one of the PRIMARY indicators of guilt is the behavior of the criminal after committing the crime. The fact Copperfield tried to buy his victim's silence is a clear indicator of two things: 1) He knew he'd done something wrong, and 2) He believes throwing money at his victim will make her go away. If he were INNOCENT, any attorney (even a public defender!) could get him off, so there would be no incentive to pay her.

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Submitted By: Catherine Bird

posted on 10/26/2007 @ 1:05:06 AM

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Gee, I was talking about the FILTHY rich--or didn't you understand when I was referring to the likes of David Copperfield? I believe I even mentioned their ability to BUY impunity. And, by EQUAL QUALITY, I was not referring to the government paying attorneys' fees. I was referring to attorneys working PRO-BONO. I AM a Repub after all.

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Submitted By: Michael Rule

posted on 10/25/2007 @ 9:41:09 PM

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Golly, you're writing this in the middle of one of the richest counties in the country....! If by rich you mean monetary wealth, that is. I am tired of apparently non-rich people like yourself being judge and jury on cases where you can't possibly know all the facts. Maybe it was cheaper for Copperfield to spend 2 million to the lady rather than 2.5 million on defense. By your standards we could just eliminate the legal system and ask Catherine what she think! And, how can you possibly give all defendants access to the same level of defense without totally busting the budget? I, too, occasionally speak out without thinking, but this takes the cake.

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Showing 1-6 of 6 comments

CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Catherine Bird

Castle Rock , CO

Catherine Bird has posted 4 blog entries and 25 comments since joining on 9/14/2006. Catherine Bird 's average blog rating is 3.28.

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