On July 5, 2011, the case of Caylee Anthony was finally buried and done with?

I was not going to get into this latest child victim case. I did not follow the trial of her mother. The pictures that I saw of this child showed a pretty little girl with luminous eyes. I found it difficult to comprehend that someone, whoever it was, could look this child in the face and extinguish her life, and then apparently dump her body. I also found it incomprehensible that a child disappears and is not reported missing for one month.

When I heard about the verdict, I immediately thought of JonBenet Ramsey, who was also murdered by that person called “nobody.”  We adults are going to have to be on the lookout for Mr. or Ms. Nobody, who is going around murdering children in their homes.

"Media frenzy" gives a vivid description of the aftermath of the trial of Caylee’s mother. Mr. Lucas Shaw’s conclusion is that ratings are the reason for the wall-to-wall coverage. He is, of course, correct. This was a classic “if it bleeds, it leads” moment. Does the following statement mean that we in America have evolved into enjoyment of the “Christians fed to the lions” type of society?  

“Don’t think of it as a momentous occasion in American jurisprudence,” Wald said. “It’s a play, a B movie. Why do people go to see things like this? Because it is entertainment.”

 I do not get all of those cable channels so I missed the “entertainment.” Maybe, even more importantly, I failed to see the entertainment value because the picture of an innocent little girl, keeps floating across the television of my mind. I also fail to relate to the defense lawyer's breaking out the champagne and breaking out the Spanish language for the celebration. When the report of the lawyer’s dual English/Spanish celebratory speech came over the airwaves, a commentator wanted to know if the defendant is Spanish, and why the need for the lawyer to give his victory speech partly in Spanish. The commentator should be relieved that the Spanish version did not translate to something such as “once again, we made the gringos look like idiots.”  

There is another positive. This lawyer should be an inspiration to anyone else who fits the profile of “a high school dropout, a former bikini salesman, and a deadbeat dad who barely made it into the Florida bar.” By the way, Mr. Baez, this country that you claimed “kills its citizens,” saves millions more than it executes for crimes. Maybe if it did step up such executions, adult perps would get the message that killing children is verboten, or as you would say in Spanish “esta prohibido,” (is forbidden).

The list of jurors certainly reads like a very eclectic, diversified, representing society group. Wait a minute. I misspoke. It appears that white males dominated this group! Those who keep track of forced diversity, I mean ensuring “diversity” had better get on the case – a different case, of course. 

We have since learned who was juror #5.  Her version of events is as follows:

Casey Anthony juror Jennifer Ford said today that she and the other jurors cried and were "sick to our stomachs" after voting to acquit Casey Anthony of charges that she killed her 2-year-old daughter Caylee.

I don’t envy those jurors the job that they had to do. “Sick to their stomachs” could turn out to be the least of their physical and emotional ailments. Still, it is good to be living in a country where trial by a jury of one’s peers, is still normal – whatever the outcome.

The prosecutor’s version for what some consider to be the jurors’ “outrageous” decision is:

Prosecution was hampered by the fact that Caylee Anthony's body wasn't discovered until six months after she disappeared. She was found lying in a swampy, wooded area. Her body was so badly decomposed that the autopsy could not determine a cause of death and stated only that she was a victim of homicide by undetermined means.

And what of the defendant, besides gaining her freedom? What awaits her? According to this MSNBC report, “Anthony is likely to be inundated with offers, some with big money attached.”

People magazine is taking a divergent path from the "Anthony as potential millionaire" tack:

Helling said that People will not pay Anthony or her family for an interview because their readers may boycott the magazine.

The boycott already began Tuesday as user Mar4L posted on Twitter, "Start it now. Boycott all books and movies about Casey Anthony. No one should profit from the death of Caylee Anthony."

Of course the comparisons to the OJ Simpson case have been proffered. I would advise Ms. Anthony not to look to that case for inspiration. There is an “Al Capone” comparison floating around that case. In the end, it was Mr. Capone’s withholding his IRS withholding on his ill-gotten gains, that did him in. Were Mr. Simpson available to grant interviews, he would probably tell Ms. Anthony to be aware of the “memorabilia” business. On second thoughts, maybe she should look at this case and emulate Mr. Simpson?

What of Caylee? In death, she has her own shrine.  The reaction of one young neighbor is described thus:

Logan Swain, whose backyard is next to the memorial, was an exception. Not only was the 15-year-old high schooler happy to talk, he allowed a television crew into his house to film him watching the verdict being announced. He wasn't surprised.

Looking at the more than half-dozen media trucks near his house, Swain said, "I kind of find it entertaining."

The “circus came to town”  atmosphere was summed up:

She said, "It's something big; It's something huge."

Two Florida lawmakers are now considering proposing Caylee's Law , which would “make it a felony for a parent or legal guardian to fail to report a missing child in a timely manner.” I admire the intention behind this proposed law. But, are we going to end up having a law for each child’s name in the country? A heinous crime is committed against a child. We come up with a law with the child’s name.

Whatever happened to the notion of moral “responsibility” – not having to be enforced by legal force? All of us, especially parents, are responsible for the nurturing of children. Instead, we are turning into a society where kids are not safe in the wombs of their mothers, and frequently in their own homes. I know that commonsense is a rare commodity, but can we use what little of it remains, when it comes to caring for our children?

I am not going to give Ms. Anthony a second thought other than what I have shared in this article. I don’t know whether or not she is guilty. If she is not guilty, may she enjoy the remainder of her life. If she is guilty, she may want to become acquainted with that word “karma.” I also wish that her family who had their reputations shredded by the defense team, will gain some measure of peace.

The anchors who shed tears in reporting the verdict were suspected of playing the ratings game. I am not yet totally cynical to not believe that they were genuine in their expressions.  Ms. Grace, the devil is not doing a dance, and dragons don’t always win.

I have to give credit for the latter expression, to the television show “The Big Valley.”  One plus of not having the usual cable channels is that I get to escape the reality of present day America, by getting my fill of the old Westerns, such as The Big Valley, The Rifleman, and Bat Masterson. In any of those shows, Caylee’s killer would have been “dispatched” by the end of the show.

As far as I am concerned, Caylee is the real winner in this sordid saga. She is in Heaven and her murderer, whoever that was, meant her harm, but in effect, shortened her existence in this sometimes despairing world. Caylee will be spared adult trials and tribulations. She has been spared from further growing up in a “fractured family,” one in which, she was dead for one month, and her own mother apparently did not care enough to report her being missing “in a timely manner.” Caylee has left the losers behind. The duct tape with which she was reportedly bound, has been replaced by a heavenly tiara. I hope that Caylee can whisper in God’s ears to not judge this country as harshly as we deserve. Caylee, I dedicate the Squire Parson’s song Beulah Land, to you.

Addendum:

I originally submitted this story for publication at another source. It was turned down, as I fully expected it to be. As I was advised, it was not a constitutional issue, just the story of a “poor, little girl.” It is precisely because the story is about “a poor little girl” – who was robbed of her life by an adult, why I chose to write about Caylee’s story. This case is at the point where only God can administer justice, and He will. Ironically at my church, the Scripture of the month is a portion of Mark 10:14:

Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.

We adults may want to abide by this instruction in our dealings with children, even those not our own. I am deeply concerned that we are allowing this country to become numb to the loss of the individual life, be it child or adult. An individual troop dies in battle – nothing here – move on? Another child is murdered – there is something there – the frenzy about the suspect, not much about the murdered child? Alexis de Tocqueville concluded:

America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.

Are we still “good” enough that the value of the life of that child, is of sufficient import? I leave you with that question, my fellow citizens. Oh, there is another verse in the Bible that states “God shall not be mocked.” I believe Him.