The world is a scary place. It is especially frightening if you are a God-fearing person who regularly contemplates the battle between good and evil, and you worry that evil too often seems to prevail. Baby Boomers have witnessed magnitudes of evil during our lifetime; among them the senseless killings during the civil rights era, the Oklahoma bombing and 9/11. Some Boomers even believe that the most recent triumph of evil on a lesser scale occurred this week in Orlando, Florida at the trial of Casey Anthony, the 25 year old woman accused of murdering her two-year old daughter, Caylee.
Many of the people who anxiously followed the six week long court proceeding, and were watching on Tuesday as the verdicts were read, were convinced of Anthony’s guilt. The disappointed staggered under every metaphorical right hook to the jaw each time they heard “not guilty.” And, as the shocking verdicts reverberated nationwide some locals were caught by television cameras chanting “OJ2” referencing a similarly unexpected outcome of the sensational O.J. Simpson trial in 1995.
Hours after the Anthony trial adjourned, the masses were still reeling, stunned and punch drunk from the unexpected blow of the woman’s acquittal on the most serious charges. And before the smoke had cleared following the devastating knock-out, Prosecutor Jeff Ashton announced his retirement.
Former prosecutor and television host, Nancy Grace, commenting on the shocking outcome of the Anthony trial, provided the best remark for those pondering the issue of good versus evil when she said “The devil is dancing.”