Bonds’ case
Before the media convict Barry Bonds in the public forum of these allegations of perjury and obstruction of justice, keep in mind that a grand jury indictment means only probable cause has been shown that a wrongful act has occurred.
To use a football analogy that I am sure most can understand, “probable cause” means that a kickoff runback by a runner from the goal-line places the ball at the 30-yard line.
“Preponderance of the evidence,” used as a legal standard in civil cases, means the runner carried the ball 51 yards from his goal-line to the opponent’s 49. In criminal cases, a “beyond a reasonable doubt” threshold must be achieved, meaning the ball must go at least 95 yards to the opponent’s 5-yard line in order to meet that requirement.
As one can readily deduce, “probable cause” is a long way from reaching the “beyond a reasonable doubt” standard.
Perhaps those in the public eye should be reminded that it is the trier of fact, the jury, that makes a determination of one’s guilt or innocence to felony charges.
Earl Beal
Terre Haute, Ind.
Learning while poor
The letter you highlighted in the Nov. 16 Voice of the people, “Schools’ biggest enemy,” started off on the point, then made the usual detour when talking about education and students.
The writer says, “Education alone, no matter how innovative, cannot break the chains of poverty; we need policies that tackle that problem head on (like a living wage ordinance so that these students, and their parents, can earn reasonable pay for a hard day’s work; and unionized pay scales with affordable health benefits; and retirement security that includes stable pensions).”
If we look back 50 years, the record will show that family poverty was never an excuse for not learning in school. There is some truth in the old saying, “If the student comes to learn, a teacher will be there.”
In fact most parents told their children: “Study and learn so that you won’t be as poor as your parents.”
Lee H. Walker, President, The New Coalition for Economic & Social Change
Chicago
