So,this morning I was watching the news. I always do when I’m having my ritualistic morning cup-o-joe.
This morning though I was insulted even more than usual. They were continuing their coverage of the Sandra Cantu case with the courtroom appearance of her accused killer. The insulting part was when the news anchor described the scene when they brought Melissa Huckaby into the courtroom to face the charges.
“Here you see Melissa Huckaby, in the red prison jumpsuit with shackles, as she breaks into tears when the judge reads the charges against her. She faces charges of Rape with”…..lewd…with a minor..kidnapping…blah blah oh yeah and murder.
They then went on about the death penalty and what not, but the part that insulted me was the description of Huckaby.
I’m sure I’m nit picking, but does he really have to point out that she’s the one in the prison clothes with the shackles? I mean does he think that I’ll confuse one of the bailiffs with the woman who’s been in the news more than the president? It kinda plays into how stupid the news assumes we are. Whenever they mention OJ Simpson they always throw in the bit about him beating the rap for killing his wife. Do they think I’ve forgotten? They even remind me about the Sharon Tate murder whenever Charlie Manson is in the news. What? Charles Manson is in Jail??!?! When did this happen?
Majic Johnson has AIDS? Bobby Brown is Whitney Houston’s estranged husband? Lovell Mixon did what?
I mean at some point a person’s celebrity becomes durable. Lets assume that there is a certain amount of collective memory and deductive reasoning. If you don’t get it, you probably shouldn’t care.
Side note: I hear the radio personalities saying the horrible things that should happen to Huckaby, whipping their listeners into a reddened, blood thirsty froth. I hear that the Tracy police have all but called of the search for any leads for another killer. There are no other suspects. With the pubic outcry and pouring of sympathy, I hope the law enforcers weren’t too hasty in giving us all a head on a stick. I hope for Huckaby’s sake that she is the killer, and she’s getting what she deserves. Because nothing could be more hellish than being railroaded for a crime like this. I hope for the sake of all the nice little girls, that the focus is being aimed in the right place.
