60th Anniversary of Hiroshima

August 6th, 2005 marked the 60th anniversary of the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima. Over 200,000 people died in the bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The debate continues, 60 years later, as to whether or not the action was truly necessary to bring the war to an end. For a CNN special report on the anniversary go to http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2005/hiroshima/. There are some pretty interesting galleries, eyewitness accounts, videos, and articles.

Also in the news has been coverage of two jurors in the Michael Jackson trial that have recently come out voicing their opposition to the acquittal they voted for. Is it no coincidence that these two jurors have book deals in the works? These two jurors should be completely ashamed of themselves. They have made a mockery of the American justice system and have completely let down the American public, of whom they are trusted to be representing. One of the jurors, Eleanor Cook, has recently stated that "I'm speaking out now because I believe it's never too late to tell the truth." Ummm.....excuse me Eleanor...were you SLEEPING while your duties as a juror were explained to you? Apparently so, or perhaps she was too busy scheming about how she could milk out her own publicity stunt throughout this ordeal.
Let me make sure I am being clear: I am not attacking their opinions about the innocence or guilt of Michael Jackson. I am attacking their utter lack of responsibility as participating jurors in one of the most publicised trials of our time.
I was recently engaged in a discussion with my boyfriend regarding the pros and cons of the trial-by-jury system. Eleanor Cook and Ray Hultman have unfortunately personified the flaws in the system. It is people like them that should not be allowed to engage in the privilege of jury participation.