J. Tyler wrote:
> Not that it really matters. I firmly believe that most guilty
> verdicts are returned based solely or, at least, primarily, on the
> mere fact the defendant was chosen for prosecution. In other words,
> verdicts, by and large, aren't based on evidence; most rest solely on
> the jury's subservience to the State and obedience to authority The
> prosecutors wouldn't even need to say anything. Simply by virtue of
> the authoritative position he or she occupies, his or her selection of
> the defendant for prosecution conveys to the jury that the defendant
> is guilty and jurors almost always accept that to be sufficient
> evidence of guilt.
> ___________________________________
Yes, yes, yes....to everything you wrote. My eyes were totally opened to this when I was in cop shop -- to become a state park ranger. That's where I learned that cops have absolute discretion. They can basically manufacture any evidence/story they want and they can make it stick if they want to. That's why it's very important to be extremely polite/deferential when dealing with cops and to avoid dealing with them if at all possible.
Joanna