A verdict on The Verdict

I made some comments on Twitter yesterday about the Casey Anthony trial and I'd like to take a minute to elaborate. To which you say:

"Hey monkey boy, we ain't payin' you for your insights on the judicial system or pithy perspective on the ills of society at large. Get back to dancin'!"

Well, if my Google AdSense stats are any indication, you aren't paying me for anything so I'm going trudge along. Thanks.

Parents who work hard and struggle to be responsible and raise their children are understandably upset. And nobody likes seeing somebody commit a crime, lie, cheat and get away with it, especially when they're stupid ("You have a nanny? What's her name?", "My nanny? Her name is, uh, Zanny"). To a large degree, I truly empathize. Beyond that though, many of you are being full of shit and you need to know that about yourselves.

• "Justice must be served!" - Listen, you blowhard. You're not going to go out and get revenge. You know it. You're just not. So why waste time and energy talking about it? Caylee Anthony was one of 1.494 kids who were murdered in the United States in 2008. Can you name another? If you're serious about doing something about this situation, try getting involved with a program in your community that helps at-risk moms and kids. You can't get justice for Caylee Anthony but you can play an active role in preventing an injustice committed against some other kid somewhere. If you're not willing to do that, fine. But quit spewing pointless rhetoric, flip the channel and find another lurid tv show to watch, because ultimately, that's all this was to you.
• "Let's make a statement!" -  Wait...people don't like it when children are murdered? I guess not; look at all the porch lights left on! Who knew? Okay, noted. Thank goodness for "movements" like this. Of course, an alternative is getting out of the house, knocking on a door or two and learning what is going on in our own actual neighborhoods. Just think; we could save kids and lightbulbs!
• "Casey Anthony is going to write a book and make millions off of this" - The only way Casey Anthony gets millions of dollars to tell her story is if the corporations who publish books think you're willing to pay many more millions to read it. What say you?
• "The justice system is broken" - No, it isn't. The prosecution failed to prove their case and the jurors followed their instructions and did their job. And if you're ever accused of a crime, whether you did it or not, you're going to be glad it works the way it does.