I Owe France a Tip of the Hat

The kidnapper of the Dugard girl was a registered sex offender. He was checked on by careless people and was allowed his horror for eighteen years. On my TV set almost every night are pictures of those accused of sex offenses. Anyone who knows these people or remembers their names will forever think of them in that roles, whether the offenses are proved or not. France has already shown us the shame of the Perp Walk, handcuffs and all, for people who are simply accused of a crime. We have become completely inured, over years of seeing it. The Public’s Right To Know is not the public’s right to be voyeurs at someone’s loss of a basic freedom guaranteed by our Constitution. We are so deep into trial by media that irresponsible rumors get told to us as fact. Half the “facts” in the Jon Benet Ramsey case weren’t facts at all.