VIEWPOINT From the Lebanese Student Association The Michigan Daily - Monday, July 24, 2006 - 5 A fairly firm shadow in murder trial TINA HILDRETH WECO.ME M To M BUBBIE BY RYAN JABER, SERINE ABOU- CHAKRA, ZEINAB MACKIE AND FATIMA MAKHZOUM In the midst of a hostile atmosphere in the Middle East, the people of Lebanon have long struggled to maintain a sense of peace and security in their country. In fact, Lebanon has still not fully recovered from a 15-year- long civil war (1975-1990), one which soiled the streets of its cities and vil- lages with blood and death. Overlapping with this civil war was the two decade long Israeli occupation, which ended in 2000. In an effort to move forward, the Lebanese population of just less than four million began their reconstruction efforts. In the last six years Lebanon has been on its way to building a solid democratic government supported by the United States and a stronger economic capital. Beirut, the nation's capital, was beginning to lay claim once again to its title as the "Paris of the Middle East." With the revitaliza- tion of the country's industries and the beauty of its natural landmarks, Leba- non anticipated more than two million tourists this summer, many from the United States. On the morning of July 12, Hezbollah forces in southern Lebanon and Israeli troops clashed on the shared border, which sparked the escalation of violence that has claimed the lives of hundreds of civilians and threatens Lebanon's very infrastructure. The beauty of Bei- rut, once shining along the shore of the Mediterranean Sea, is now littered with debris, smoke and ashes. At the peak of tourist season, many of Lebanon's visi- tors are stranded due to the destruction of airports, roadways and bridges. Busi- nesses and public places have been shat- tered by Israel's long-range missiles. As each day passes with bloodshed, both Lebanon and Israel taste the bitterness of the ugly realities of war. As the world examines the intensi- fying situation between Hezbollah and Israel, many fear the recurrence of yet another war that could possibly tear apart Lebanon and its people. While countries are condemning Hezbollah's actions, they're simultaneously describ- ing Israel's defense as "disproportion- ate" and "excessive." To date, 500,000 Lebanese civilians have been displaced. More than 300 have been killed, and more than 1,000 wounded. At the same time, dozens of Israelis have been killed, and more have been displaced and wounded. As both Hez- bollah and Israel draw heavy criticism from the internationalcommunity,more crucial is the increasing toll on innocent civilians on either side of the border. One death is often one too many, and this situation is certainly no different. The Lebanese Student Association stands together as it watches this situa- tion unfold with concern. Many mem- bers are at unease as they worry for friends and family members currently in Lebanon and the surrounding areas. We hold hope for a ceasefire along with a peacefulresolution to the conflicts in the Middle East,as we condemn violence on both sides. Despite the massive amount of damage that Lebanon has taken, we have faith that our country will rebuild its cities and roads through its strength and historically proven determination. Jaber is an LSA senior and a cartoonist for the Daily. Abou-Chakra is an LSA senior, Mackie is an LSA junior and Makhzoum is an Engineering graduate student. The writers are members of the Lebanese Student Association and are writing on behalf ofthat organization. T here's some- evidence, thing strange eyewitnes about the way never eve] .4 4, our justice system So what e operates. In a crimi- Here's wh nal trial, jurors are the jury b asked to determine the night< whether a defendant Pelley anc is guilty "beyond the had argu shadow of a doubt." 17-year-oh That's a great phrase to go by, but the prob- erend sayi lem isit's not very clearly defined. After all, home afte what does a "shadow of a doubt" look like? other teen Is it a gnawing gut feeling? Or is nothing too strict more than a fleeting thought that maybe this and to ast guy didn't do what the prosecutor says he prosecuto did? I'm inclined to think it's closer to the to make th fleeting thought. After all, shadows are not The 17 finite objects, but slight possibilities.If a rea- also, alleg sonable person can present a coherent argu- tims were ment that the defendant might be unjustly between t charged, then the glove doesn't fit. the house The jurors in a well-publicized quadru- which the ple murder case in northern Indiana obvi- that Pelle) ously disagree with me. They must think various te that "beyond a shadow of a doubt" means friends an the defendant had opportunity and a differentn motive and, well,is "probably"guilty.Last and Pelley Friday, after deliberating for 31 hours, five testifiedhi men and seven women decided 34-year- al). Some old Jeffrey Pelley, a former resident of and sever Lakeville, Ind., murdered his father, step- the timelir mother and two stepsisters in 1989. Pelley, Since t who was 17 at the time of the crimes, now paper and faces up to 260 years in prison. the mid-si There was no physical evidence pre- engulfed i sented at his trial, which took place in people th South Bend. No murder weapon, no DNA completel Partypooper.com JOHN STIGLICH STIGGY SAYS no fingerprints. There were no ses and no confession. Police n considered any other suspects. vidence did they convict him on? at the prosecution presented, and ought: The murders happened on of Pelley's prom, April 29, 1989. id his father, Rev. Robert Pelley, ed ferociously that day over the d's post-prom plans, with the rev- ng his son was required to return r the dance. The son, like many nagers, felt his father was being and insisted on going bowling Jeepover afterward. According to rs, that disagreement was enough his young man kill his family. 7-year-old had the opportunity ed the prosecution. The four vic- killed in a 20-minute window the time pre-prom visitors left - a parish of the local church at reverend served - and the time y left for his prom. There were stimonies from friends, ex-girl- d prom party members, detailing memories on their own activities y's mood during the dance (each e was calm and did not act unusu- of their stories didn't match up, al (including Pelley's) contradict ne prosecutors tried to establish. he start of the trial and the news- television coverage that ensued, ze town of South Bend has been n discussion over the case. Some ink he did it, some think he's y innocent. Rumors have flown about Pelley's character, background and extra curricular activities; everyone says they know someone who knows someone who knows that the defendant did or did not shoot the gun that killed his family. Prob- lem is, none of this was presented in court. What was presented is no less troubling. Why could police not find the murder weapon? How could Pelley have blown his family to bits, cleaned himself up and left in a shining prom tuxedo all in 20 min- utes? How could a 17-year-old have been so calm if he had just murdered his fam- ily? The defense, to be sure was not stellar. After all, who else would have committed these crimes? Who had the opportunity or the motive? Police did not consider any other suspects, so we might never know. My point is not that Jeff Pelley is inno- cent. I don't know him, I wasn't there on the night of the murders and as far as I'm concerned, it's possible that he is the assailant. But that's not supposed to be enough in American court rooms. Pos- sibilities are possibilities, and this case's probables leave blankets of doubt on the reasonable mind. The defense is considering an appeal, and perhaps in the meantime someone can discover firm evidence to prove the case one way or the other. But until then, this jury's decision is a shame to our courts. "Innocent until proven guilty" and "beyond the shadow of a doubt" are both mantras in our ideals of justice, but too often trampled by probability. Hildreth can be reached at childret@umich.edu. LETTER TO THE EDITOR Bush must be held accountable for irresponsible veto TO THE DAILY: This week Democrats and Repub- licans, in the rare spirit of bipartisan- ship, passed legislation that would expand federal funding for stem-cell research. In Congress, a total of 231 Democrats, 68 Republicans and two Independents voted for the legislation, which would allow embryos that would otherwise be destroyed or discarded to be used for scientific research. With a stroke of his pen, Presi- dent Bush could have given hope to millions of Americans. He could have allowed researchers to use stem cells potentially to cure Lou Gehrig's disease, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, spinal cord injuries, diabetes, osteo- porosis, cardiovascular disease and even cancer. Instead, the president decided to abandon these Ameri- cans, choosing to ignore the hopes and prayers of Nancy Reagan, Michael J. Fox, John McCain, Jenni- fer Granholm and thousands of other American citizens, celebrities and politicians who called, wrote letters and signed petitions urging him to sign the bill into law. By using his first presidential veto, Bush disregarded the wishes of 238 representatives, 63 senators and more than 70 percent of Americans. He ignored one of the few bipartisan pro- posals a strongly divided Congress has managed to pass. President Bush and his extrem- ist right-wing allies must be held accountable for disregarding Ameri- can lives and opinions. Michigan gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos also openly opposes expanding stem cell research, which could bring thou- sands of jobs to Michigan in addition to saving millions of lives. I urge everyone to contact Dick DeVos and President Bush and make sure they are held accountable. Travis Radina LSA junior f ever there were an issue that could motivate young Americans to leave the safety of their couches and head to the polls, I think Washington just found it. About two weeks ago, House Democrats and Republicans joined hands in opposition to an industry that they claim threatens to cripple our pre- cious youth. No, it wasn't Hezbollah; the evil dragon the House of Representatives decided to slay was Internet gambling. The popularity of online gambling has blossomed in the last decade. Nearly one million Americans engage in some form of Internet gambling every day and, according to the CBS News, online gam- bling is now a $12-billion industry. Noth- ing this popular and this profitable could ever escape the grasp of Congress. Republicans heeded the calls of the "family values" lobby, comprised of con- cerned parents who are comfortable with the fact their sons and daughters are stay- ing at home on Friday nights counting cards but uncomfortable with their latest credit- card statements. Democrats, always look- ing for new ways to churn out tax revenue, realized that since free-trade agreements prevent American regulation of an indus- try based primarily offshore, they might as well kill the industry. They'd rather have no industry than no tax revenues. The House legislation essentially broad- ens Justice Department powers under the 1961 Wire Act to include online gambling forums. Congress originally wrote the Wire Act with the intention of banning telephone bookmakers, but with the World Trade Organization ruling that the Wire Act does not apply to offshore Internet gambling sites, it's time to update thetlaw. By banning the use of credit-card payments to Internet gambling sites and perhaps access to the sites themselves, the House intends to stop the flow of money into offshore coffers. The Internet gambling lobby was impotent in the face of Congressional opposition for two reasons - Jack Abramoff is behind bars and their colleagues in Las Vegas lined up against them. Back in 2000, when Congress last tried to pass the legislation, Jack Abramoff lead a coalition on behalf of online lotteries to prevent a complete shutdown of Inter- net gambling. With Abramoff in jail and state lotteries and betting on horse racing exempted from the new legislation, the "brick and mortar" gambling industry gladly supported Congress's ban. With their primary competition potentially ruined by congressional mandate, riverboat and land casinos expected to see more business. I am aware of all the negative effects gambling can have on a person's life - from owing creditors to destroying fami- lies. I recognize the government's right to tax an industry that generates revenue off of the citizenry. But I cannot agree with the government essentially engaging in rank hypocrisy. First, the idea that Internet wagers on state lotteries and horse racing are exempt tells us all we need to know about the pri- orities of our legislators. They have no problem if your gambling leads to more revenues for your state and they turn a blind eye to a popular activity in the states of two powerful senators - Tennessee (Bill Frist) and Kentucky (Mitch McCon- nell). But don't you dare come home for work and play Texas Hold 'Em against people from halfway across the world. Second, one issue that most Americans tend to agree on is that investing money - whether in the stock market or govern- ment bonds - is a good idea. But is the act of investing your money any different from placing bets? After all, both offer profits based on the expectation/perfor- mance relationship and you can lose just as much money with a bad investment as you can by catching a bad run of cards. For those who argue against Internet gambling on the grounds it can become an addictive vice -why tolerate alcohol con- sumption? Drinking alcohol in abundance can ruin families and lives just as easily as degenerate gambling, but American soci- ety learned that prohibition was not worth the trouble. Furthermore, I think we real- ize people can drink a sensible amount of alcohol and notruin their home lives in the process. Why can't the same be true with Internet gambling? The Senate can still make up for the House's mistake by passing legislation that allows the government to regulate Internet gambling - via taxes and regulations - without shutting down the industry. Oth- erwise, I fear millions of American college students will be forced to learn that their computers have more useful purposes. Stiglich can be reached at jcsgolf@umich.edu.