I Told You So

Eleven days ago I wrote the following about John Mark Karr:

The man is a pedophile obsessed with the death of JonBenet Ramsey, and think it highly unlikely his confession will hold up once DNA evidence is tested. Despite all the talk, we never really left square one on this case.

I was right.

Since the prosecutors have declined to file charges, John Mark Karr can be returned to California to serve his time for possession of child pornography. His release from jail for that charge will probably be heavily covered by the media, so we can then learn whether he really is planning a sex change.

The media's insistent belief that not only had the JonBenet Ramsey murder been solved, but that the Ramseys' deserved all manner of mea culpas for ever having been suspected of the crime, only proves that the media is full of pompous, preening buffoons. In no way did Karr's sudden appearance exonerate the Ramseys: if he were guilty, given the facts of the crime, he would at least have to have been inside the Ramsey's home, making the parents possibly complicit; if he were innocent, then his appearance in no way relieved the parents of suspicion. After they had rushed to a judgment about Karr, they rushed to decry their prior rush to judgement about the Ramseys. We'd have all been better off if these reporters had chosen a career in janitorial science instead of journalism.

As I noted previously, Drunkablog has been covering the case more than is healthy,
as he now admits. I'm sure his friends and family are happy to have him back. But before he returned to his senses, such as they were, he did find this nugget of wisdom from the World Socialist Web Site. It is rapidly becoming axiomatic that while all idiots may not be leftists, all leftists are idiots.

Upon being cleared, one of Karr's lawyers, Seth Temin, advocated so zealously on behalf of his client that he nearly managed to defy the laws of physics:

"We're deeply distressed by the fact that they took this man and dragged him here from Bangkok, Thailand, with no forensic evidence confirming the allegations against him and no independent factors leading to a presumption that he did anything wrong," Temin said.

Let's see, what's insane in that statement?

1. He was returned to California because he violated laws against child pornography in that jurisdiction.
2. He confessed on international television.
3. Champagne and fried prawns hardly constitute "dragging."
4. He confessed on international television.
5. He was returned Colorado because he refused to challenge a duly legal extradition warrant in a California court.
6. He confessed on international television.
7. He alluded to his guilt to two different sources, who each kept records of his statements.
8. He confessed on international television.

Yes, his arrest makes no sense at all.

One last point: I heard a few of my friends say things like this about Karr: "Why would he confess if he didn't do it?" For the record, I've never heard anyone ask a question like that when it actually made sense. Every time I've heard someone say, "Why do x, it makes no sense," that person has only succeeded in displaying naivete and ignorance. There is always a very solid reason that someone would do something that seems crazy, and its because that person is crazy. Karr confessed because he had a broken mind to begin with and somehow convinced himself he was guilty. It's called human nature, and it isn't always sunshine and moonbeams. The next time you hear someone say, "Why would somebody do that?" remind them of that fact.

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