Fort Knox

So Amanda Knox is home now. Her conviction was overturned by an Italian court and she came back to the U.S.

My thought is this. Why is it so impossible for people to think that an American could commit a crime overseas? Anyone remember Michael Fay? He was convicted of theft and vandalism in Singapore and sentenced to a caning. "Oh, that's horrible!" people cried. It's too bad this happened in the pre-Internet days, otherwise there would have been Facebook pages and online forums declaring his innocence. In any event, there was a public outcry against this "barbaric" form of punishment. Apparently people got caned in Singapore all the time. But they weren't American, so no one gave a shit.

The Iranian hikers. They said they hadn't crossed into Iran, the Iran officials claim they had, and Americans were in an uproar. "Free the Iranian hikers!" was the battle cry. But here's the question. How do we know they didn't illegally cross into Iranian territory? Because they say they didn't? Why don't we let a country's system of justice play itself out before passing judgment in the court of public opinion? If some Mexicans had crossed into the U.S. while hiking, would the government of Arizona give them a pass?

I am not passing judgment on the guilt or innocence of any of these people. I am merely asking the question. Why do we automatically assume the American is innocent? Why do we only care when an American is involved? Take terrorism, for instance. Terrorist attacks have been going on for years. Our country only decided to start giving a shit when it was our people that did the dying. Now we are at war against terrorism, a war that people are rabid about fighting to the end. But if a car bomb goes off in Lebanon, and there are no Americans around to hear it, does it make a sound?

Kind of tired of American hypocrisy. But that's just me.

---The Man