The Presumption of Innocence

by Brent Johnson

The world has literally become an insane asylum, where basic values have been turned upside-down, wrong has become right, and lies are treated as truth.

In today’s world, almost all governments are acting like dictators, viewing their citizens as subjects who must obey the despotic edicts of frequently unelected individuals who seek to rule the world, or at least their small portion of it.

Whatever the power-hungry tyrants want is declared to be the truth, even though it is a lie.  The world exists in a constant state of emergency in which the people are told they must sacrifice their freedoms to accommodate the emergency state of affairs that exists.  The world is ruled by emergency powers, and authoritarian dictates are enforced by unlawful mandates imposed on ordinary people by frequently unelected individuals.

One of the most significant casualties of this insane behavior is the individual right to be presumed innocent unless proven guilty, which was made an integral part of the American justice system after the extensive abuses perpetrated against the people by the government of old England.  This fundamental right has all but been discarded in favor of the presumption of guilt that today attaches to everyone.  In the Fascist Police States of Amerika, the police are actually trained to regard everyone as guilty of something, thereby justifying whatever they choose to do when they interact with an individual.

Terrorist cops have been caught on video throwing innocent women out of their cars and onto the public highways just because the woman did not immediately obey the cop’s “orders”.  Judges run their courtrooms on the assumption that everybody is guilty of something and so it is acceptable to manufacture reasons to render a guilty verdict, regardless of the evidence (or lack thereof) in the given matter.

Media publish or broadcast allegations or even just suggestions that someone may be guilty of some crime and the general public pounces on that as an opportunity to judge and sentence the individual, who may be completely innocent of the supposed crime.  Never mind innocence… just treat them all as guilty.  This is the attitude of media, government and by extension, the general public in today’s insane world.

William Blackstone, after whom numerous legal treatises and books that are regarded as foundational to the American system of law are named, stated, “It is better to have ten guilty people go free than to incarcerate one innocent person.”

Thomas Jefferson considered it better to let 100 guilty people go free than to deprive one person of his or her freedom.  The American system of jurisprudence is founded and based on the presumption that everyone is innocent until and unless he or she is proven guilty by a preponderance of evidence and/or witness testimony.

This means that everyone is to be treated as innocent in every circumstance unless there is actual evidence that an individual is guilty of some crime.  The presumption it always that the person is innocent.

However, in today’s twisted world, the presumption is almost always that the person is guilty of whatever he (or she) is accused of doing.  This means the court system is both impotent and incompetent to render justice.

In America, plea bargains are the norm.  If someone is arrested for a crime - any crime - the prosecutor will threaten the accused party with outrageous and dire consequences - life in prison, death, losing parental rights, etc. - unless he or she agrees to plead guilty to a lesser crime.  Most people are afraid of the government and therefore will agree to any plea bargain that does not result in incarceration.  This results in the “justice” system notching another guilty verdict on its belt; another guilty verdict that means both the system is “working” and that everyone is actually guilty of something.

Both media and government will then promote the manipulated statistics to reflect that we have a terrible crime problem and that the government is doing an effective job at combatting it.

Meanwhile, the foundational presumption of innocence is left to wither away and die, which is just what the tyrants who seek to control everyone want.  They established a self-justifying cycle.  This is an incessant problem that is horribly destructive to individual liberty and fundamental rights.

If we are to reclaim our land as a place where individual rights are respected and the Rule of Law reigns supreme, then we need to start by regarding all people as innocent until and unless they are proven guilty.  Once proven guilty, it is appropriate to impose just punishment on the guilty parties.  However, it is equally if not more important that we start out assuming that all parties - regardless of the accusation - are innocent.

Only with the presumption of innocence do we have any chance of restoring our land to a place where there is truly Justice for All; where we build the world into a planet where the fundamental rights of all people are respected by everyone, and especially respected by the government.

The next time you read, hear or watch a story about someone who is accused of some crime, ask yourself if you have actually seen the evidence supporting the accusation.  If you have not seen such evidence, then remember that the accused party is always considered to be innocent.  Do not be swayed by the presentation by media and/or government that implies that the party is guilty.  Stand true and strong under the presumption of innocence, even in the face of public pressure to find the accused party guilty.

Your role as an American - or any freedom loving individual - is to force the government to prove its claims rather than jump on the guilty-by-assumption bandwagon because so many other people are doing it, too.

You are the watchdog of justice in America or anywhere else where in the world where individual freedom is valued.  You are also the watchdog of justice in countries where the government trods on individual rights and personal liberty, because if you do not stand up for freedom, then nobody else will.

Each of you is an Arbiter of Freedom.  That is a precious and invaluable role that we all share.  You each must display the character to stand against those who seek to destroy the presumption of innocence and replace it with their insane, deranged and tyrannical efforts to rule the world.

Brent Johnson is Director of Freedom Bound International, a common law service center dedicated to the preservation of personal freedom, privacy rights and the principles enshrined in the Declaration of Independence.  He may be reached at 1-888-385-FREE or on-line at www.freedomradio.us.