“The truth can be a lot of trouble for those who are not supposed to know it.” — Agnes, The Testaments, Margaret Atwood
I have a great idea for those 12 Alabama students at Jacksonville State University accused of statutory rape.
The story just came out. It seemed they invited some girls up for a party. The girls were “over 12 years of age, under the age of 16” according to the indictments. They were charged with felonies for the sexual conduct involved. Girls of age 15, 14 and 13 have some protection from sexual predation. Alabama may be similar to Michigan, with higher level felonies for sexual conduct with children younger than 13.
If I was in a position to advise those guys, men ranging in age between 18 and 22, I might suggest that they approach Roy Moore to represent them. You remember Roy, don’t you? He ran for the Senate a couple of years ago, and lost a close one to a Democrat.
Roy, of course, was the former judge, who lost his judgeship for defying the law in by insisting on having a 10 Commandments monument on public display at the courthouse. He’s also the guy that “dated” teen-ged girls when he was a prosecutor in his mid-30s.
Moore presumably still has his law license, his ticket to do lawyering in the Great State of Alabama. Of course, his task would be easy: All he’d need to do is convince the jury that the defendants were not violating the law, but were were merely “dating” the girls, just has he had “dated” girls of tender ages himself. He was younger then, a prosecutor in his 30s, and single. Some of the girls he “dated” were under the age of consent. As a prosecutor, he would seem to have known about laws concerning the age of consent and statutory rape. He was never charged, despite credible reports of some — let’s say daring — behavior.
Another approach might be to have President Donald Trump pardon the Jacksonville State guys. Trump has expressed some sympathy for those with similar difficulties, of course. He was himself accused of abusing multiple women, and admitted doing so in the well-known Access Hollywood tape. Trump urged the people of The Great State of Alabama to vote for Moore, though not enough did to get him elected. Trump also called Jeffrey Epstein a “great guy” that likes “beautiful women as much as I do,” although noting that he likes them “on the young side.” With that sort of assessment of Jeffrey, can he not muster some for the Jacksonville 5?
Trump likes to dangle pardons. Right, Paul? Right, Michael? Right, the other Michael? But maybe this time he’ll stop dangling, and start pardoning. He can be a little hard to read. Remember the Central Park 5?
Of course, if they are guilty as charged, they deserve to suffer the consequences.
We’ll see what happens.
