Roger Clemens found not guilty on all counts of perjury

[ccbird]

Obvious outcome. I hope he never gets in the HOF, at least as long as he keeps denying he took roids. Admit your guilt and people will eventually vote you in. I'm convinced McGwire will get in one day because he came clean. Heck, even ARod even though didn't really come clean on his own. It's clear the only reason Clemens continues to lie about usage is to protect what he thinks is his legacy. The slap in the face to him should be that you don't get in the HOF until you come clean.

[byrdz]

Not surprised at all. Good money buys good representation.

[scOtt]

Roger Clemens is a PUNK!

*spit*

[OFFNY]

Roger Clemens is a PUNK!

*spit*

Kick his ass, Scott.

[Tx Oriole]

No, and total waste of money. I'm convinced Clemons lied and that he took steroids, but at the same time, I don't think you can convict him in a court of law on either count. Nice to see the government making us all safe by spending millions of dollars trying to prove a baseball player lied about taking steroids. Give me a break.

I agree Tony. Pretty sad the government will waste money like that.

[Skeletor]

Not surprised at all. Good money buys good representation.

Yeah. The US Government, with its lacks of resources, barely stands a chance.

[scOtt]

Kick his ass, Scott.

Pass. He's WAY bigger than me.

[Frobby]

I have no issue with the government prosecuting people for perjury.

I don't either, if they have a realistic chance of winning.

Yeah, this is where I come out. All this trial did was show people that even if you lie under oath, it will be very hard for the Government to prove it. Of course, the Government did see to it that Roger Clemens' wallet was lightened by several million dollars, as well, so those of us who think he probably lied can take some solace in that, I suppose.

[tennOsfan]

Yeah, this is where I come out. All this trial did was show people that even if you lie under oath, it will be very hard for the Government to prove it. Of course, the Government did see to it that Roger Clemens' wallet was lightened by several million dollars, as well, so those of us who think he probably lied can take some solace in that, I suppose.

Darn right it's hard to prove perjury. I had three defense witnesses lie their rears off today, but proving them guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of perjury would be amazingly difficult. The judge or jury watching the testimony is the one best positioned to determine perjury, but it's a different judge or jury that makes the call. Perjury to Congress is a different animal, but still a difficult one nonetheless. And its an impossible logic puzzle to figure out how you prove Clemens was on the juice when there was no legitimate testing during the period in question.

[Gurgi]

OJ was found innocent also. Casey Anthony also. Go figure.

[JDubs]

OJ was found innocent also. Casey Anthony also. Go figure.

Not guilty is not the same thing as innocent.

[Frobby]

Not guilty is not the same thing as innocent.

You're certainly right about that. The system is set up to allow some guilty people to go free to protect agains the chance that innocent people will go to jail. If I had to guess, I'd guess Clemens is guilty, but there was enough doubt that the jury didn't convict him.

[OFFNY]

You're certainly right about that. The system is set up to allow some guilty people to go free to protect agains the chance that innocent people will go to jail. If I had to guess, I'd guess Clemens is guilty, but there was enough doubt that the jury didn't convict him.

In theory that's true, but in reality, it protects the wealthy and the upper middle class, who can afford the best lawyers in the country, who can subsequently kick the asses of the prosecution in court. If you're poor and you're indicted for a felony, and the only thing standing in between you and a lengthy jail sentence is the overworked, underpaid public defender, your ass is (most likely) grass, regardless of your innocence or your guilt.

[tennOsfan]

In theory that's true, but in reality, it protects the wealthy and the upper middle class, who can afford the best lawyers in the country, who can subsequently kick the asses of the prosecution in court. If you're poor and you're indicted for a felony, and the only thing standing in between you and a lengthy jail sentence is the overworked, underpaid public defender, your ass is (most likely) grass, regardless of your innocence or your guilt.

I can't speak for every location in the country, but I've seen plenty of times where appointed attorneys have done outstanding jobs representing indigent ?lients. Meanwhile, I've ran circles around highly paid lawyers.

As a person who works in the criminal justice system, I totally disagree that the system works better for the wealthy. In reality, the wealthy make better clients. They follow instructions, they look respectable to juries and they might have more sense to testify well. Not always, but sometimes it's that way.

[OFFNY]

I can't speak for every location in the country, but I've seen plenty of times where appointed attorneys have done outstanding jobs representing indigent ?lients. Meanwhile, I've ran circles around highly paid lawyers.

As a person who works in the criminal justice system, I totally disagree that the system works better for the wealthy. In reality, the wealthy make better clients. They follow instructions, they look respectable to juries and they might have more sense to testify well. Not always, but sometimes it's that way.

In reality, the system is and has always been loaded in favor of the wealthy. If what you were saying had substance on a large scale, the wealthy defendants wouldn't even bother spending the loads of money on expensive attorneys that they do. They do it for a reason, and it isn't because they would do just as well with the public defender. They pay a lot of money to the best lawyers, and those lawyers have track records and reputations for winning cases. The public defender has limited resources in terms of both time and money. The private attorneys that are hired by the wealthy are not.