Slander huh? I wasn't going to go there. I was going to leave it to other people- blogs, newspapers, TV reporters, etc... It wasn't that I didn't have anything to say, I just figured it was probably best if I didn't say it. You know, kind of hold my tongue and wait for the outcome. Then I realized that way too many people are holding their tongues as concerns Amanda Knox- people in positions of power- People who could make a difference. Well that sure isn't me- all I can do is sound off about things. I don't have to worry about if it's politically correct, or if the prosecutor's office in Perugia is getting bent out of shape because someone is voicing their opinion on the matter.
I kind of have a feeling though that the powers that be in the U S are paying attention to the Amanda Knox situation. Just being quiet and waiting for the outcome of things. It is completely understandable that Hilary Clinton did nothing as concerns Amanda's conviction last December. What could she do? Butting into a murder conviction that was handed down in another country is not 'politically correct'. Not unless the conviction was so plainly biased that even the average person on the street is complaining about it- and the average person in this instance, knows very little about Amanda's plight. I do have to give credit though to some people who did defend the principle- politically correct or not, and that would be a certain judge and junior senator from the state of Washington.
However, this is not a murder conviction this time. This is a case of slander that Amanda is charged with. Something where in the U S the average person is free of such nonsense. People are free to grumble about the police and politicians in America- we do it all the time. And people are free to say what they want in their own defense in court without fear that the local prosecutor will file criminal charges and the police try and sue you for money.
All because Amanda actually had the 'nerve' to say the Perugia police were getting aggressive with her- including a couple cuffs on the back of the head. And she actually had the 'nerve' to say this in court in her own defense. She must have thought she was back home in the land of the free, without realizing that in Italy one does not talk against the police (does it actually warn you of this in travel guides?).
So this Friday, October 1st, Amanda goes to court for slander, and faces a judge that has dealt harshly with her in the past- one Claudia Matteini. Despite Amanda's defense objections to this judge sitting in on the case- she refused to step aside and she was confirmed by a higher court to be qualified. So I guess we can rest assured that there will be no bias from Judge Matteini.
And it keeps getting better- Amanda's parents are also charged and have a court date for October 15th. It appears that they repeated what Amanda had told them about that night at the police station to a British reporter and Mignini charged them also. No wonder they want to make a movie out of the Amanda Knox case- it beat's the hell out of fiction.
As surreal as all this appears I still can not imagine, how exactly does one lose a case like this in court. That night in question was never taped by the police in breech of Italian law, so how would the police prove Amanda was lying (as they contend) and how would Amanda prove that she was telling the truth? Does it in fact come down to who the judge chooses to believe? Does she take the word of a dozen cops or does she find Amanda is being truthful? As concerns Amanda it seems there is never much evidence against her- yet evidence has never played much of a part in finding her guilty. Is this time going to be any different? I can only hope that if things go badly for Amanda that the powers that be in this country are watching, and are prepared to speak out and defend the principle.
12 comments:
"As surreal as all this appears I still can not imagine, how exactly does one lose a case like this in court."
This is a 6 million dollar question.
The way the stars have aligned has something to do with it perhaps? That's as good an answer as any because it does seem there are supernatural forces at work; all the conjuring is coming from the prosecutors side though; Amanda's witchery - which is what initially was suspected of motivating the murder - has nothing to do with it.
This young lady went through the looking glass long ago my friend but the rabbit's been chasing her not the other way around; the word "surreal" doesn't even begin to cover it and this whole pitiful mess is about as sad as anything I've ever seen.
Great blog.
For those unfamiliar with the devils in the details there's a lot of information here:
http://www.injusticeinperugia.org
Thanks for the comment- Yes I have the injusticeinperugia link under "Other sites on Amanda Knox" on the main page of the forum.
I know the names of the devils in this horror story and the list keeps growing. Still there is one main character who stands out from the crowd- the main devil's advocate in this mess- I am sure you know his name. The others such as the judges who wrote the motivation report had this case dumped on them and they didn't do a great job of it either but at least- hopefully - they called it as they saw it. They missed the beam of course but at least they probably believe in what they have done- Can Mignini say the same? Who knows what motivates some of these people.
Well we won't have to wait long to find out how this so-called slander case will turn out. I just hope Amanda can keep it together under all this pressure- She's catching a lot of flax- none of which is deserved. You have to give that girl a lot of credit- some people would have snapped by now. Personally I think she is pretty amazing.
Thanks for your input.
"Butting into a murder conviction that was handed down in another country is not 'politically correct'. Not unless the conviction was so plainly biased that even the average person on the street is complaining about it..."
Or the convict was Chelsea Clinton. Can you imagine how this case would be different if Amanda Knox from podunk Washington state were the Clinton's own child, or the child of any privileged family? The US government executes Saddam Hussein for misbehavior within his own sovereign country, but it will not raise an army and invade Italy to free an American citizen who has done no wrong and has clearly been railroaded by the Italian judiciary to some other purpose? I guess it's left to the American people to raise that army and invade Italy. I've already volunteered, what about you? We've got to do what we can to bring Amanda home.
She does not stand a chance, the Americans and thier press have seen to that.
You know it's not easy to tell if someone is joking or not, but what you are suggesting falls more under an act of terrorism. The problem is not Italy- One court in Perugia is not the Italian legal system. I can certainly understand your frustration with this case but I think a more practical solution is called for- Amanda still has an appeal coming in November and just because things have gone badly for her so far does not mean things can not change around. I can understand your point but, come on, get a grip.
As far as Amanda's chances- the old expression "Things Change" come to mind. As far as the slander charge goes- we'll know more tomorrow (Friday) than we do right now. We'll have to wait and see which way the wind will blow on this. I figure she is due for a break.
This makes me sicker everyday it goes on she will have been there 3 years in November. this has to be fixed and I really have a good feeling that it will in her appeal, because there is absolutely nothing of her putting her there at the crime scene. If things don't get fixed we all have to do something to fix this because I can't see an innocent person doing time in prison for something they had nothing to do with. It;s hard for me to think that poor littlen thing has done 3 years already. Keep staying strong Amanda everything is going to work out.
Thanks for your comment. A lot of people feel the same way- 3 years is a long time to be sitting in the can for something you didn't do. Hopefully her appeal in November will turn this thing around. The good thing is she has a lot of support in the U S and other countries as well, so it's not going to be one of those things that gets swept under the rug. Too many people are paying attention to what happens to her. Thanks for your input.
The real shame of this mess is that Knox is all mixed up culturally. She should be in prison for that alone! Why didn’t she do an exchange in the country of her ancestors? Knox should be escorted out of Italy and sent back to her own country to suffer in a cultureless tradition and a lily-white existence. Moreover, she should speak her own language! Stop leaching off of cultures that is not her own! This is karma! Karma for pretending to be something that she is not.
I posted your comment even though it did not have anything to do with the appeal or even the case. I certainly can not agree with what you are saying but you are entitled to your opinion.
If what you are saying was true that would mean that no one should travel to a country they have no ties to- It would also mean that all the the students in the U S who are from overseas shouldn't be here and that they are leaching off the American culture. I don't find any of that reasonable.
I do agree however, that Amanda should be escorted out of Italy and that they will do when her conviction is overturned- and that will be sooner rather than later. To your comment on she should speak her own language- where is the sense to that- she is in Italy. She speaks Italian to Italians, and English to those who understand the language- seems rational to me.
Amanda did what she did in Italy and should be judged for that according to Italian low not American one.
Let me take a wild guess- you are from out of state. In this country we have what is called freedom of speech and the right to defend ourselves in a court of law. In Italy one can not speak out against the police, therefore the police in that country can abuse people and get away with it. In this country ( U S ) if the police abuse someone and the person abused speaks out about it- they are not charged with slander- Instead, we put the police in jail, and that is how it should be. Just because that is the law in Italy does not make it right. Amanda is in Italy and will be judged by Italian law- but again, that does not make it right or just. Some laws need to be changed simply because they are bad laws.
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