Overzealous Porn Prosecution Tramples Accused's Rights

[madmusic]

Rarely, even FoxNews gets it right:

Tuesday , January 23, 2007

By Wendy McElroy

Matt Bandy is the Arizona teenager who, until recently, faced 90 years in prison for having nine images of child porn on his computer. Matt is also a reminder of why the Bill of Rights championed due process--the procedural rights of a defendant in the legal arena.

Due process was not championed as a protection against false accusations by a victim but as a shield against abusive prosecution by the State. The Founding Fathers knew that people sometimes lie but their focus was to limit the power by government.

Power corrupts. The ability to arrest and imprison another human being is an immense power that is held in bounds by principles based on common sense and common decency. The principles allow an accused to defend himself: for example, the right to confront witnesses.

Why should Matt Bandy's case serve as a reminder of these protections?

For two years, he endured a legal prosecution that cost his family over $250,000; they are now broke, and their nightmare is ending only because the case caught the attention of the media. ABC News program 20/20 covered the story, likely spurring other reporters to take interest.

http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,246060,00.html

For a long time many objected to the coming police state at the risk of being accused of condoning or justifying sex offenses. That of course was never the reason. Now that is plain.