AND JUSTICE FOR ALL

I'm not proud to admit it, but I've been watching some of the gavel-to-gavel coverage of the murder trial of Casey Anthony, the young Florida woman accused of killing her two-year-old daughter Caylee in 2008. Most of the expert testimony is beyond my realm of technical understanding, and the questioning of so-called witnesses is interrupted so often with objections that even the interrogating lawyers lose their train of thought and can't remember what they just asked.

So, why am I watching the trial AND the daily summaries on news shows each night? I guess I'm waiting for some answers. How did this cute little girl die? Why? Who is going to be held accountable, if anyone? Why does Casey keep changing her story? Will she take the stand in her defense? There are so many unknowns, and I keep wanting Perry Mason or Ben Matlock to save the day and tidily wrap up this case with an "Ah-hah! Gotcha!" moment like they always do on TV.

But this is real life...or death, to put it in more appropo terms. If Casey Anthony is found guilty of killing her child, accident or not, this trial will drag on forever with appeals. If she's found not guilty, then I sure hope she can explain why she didn't contact the police the very first second her daughter went missing. What kind of parent doesn't go totally ballistic when he or she discovers a child is gone? Heck, when I once had a wayward cat I was out on the same day canvassing the neighborhood, putting up photo flyers, and calling the animal shelter. Wait 30 days, and then only when pressured? That's what totally blows my mind.

An innocent person just doesn't behave like Casey Anthony. I hope she has a good explanation because, otherwise, she's going to have a lot of time on her hands to think about what she did.