Juries just haven't been the same since OJ, have they? This time, a jury of morons in New York acquitted Cheryl Crow's obvious stalker:

"This could have been better handled if it was recognized for what it was — an honorable man trying to court a good woman, and a simple 'no thank you' from her or her duly or authorized agents would have been satisfactory," Kappos said after the verdict.

[Actually, simple fist to the face from her or her duly authorized agents would have been more appropriate. --bhw]

Kappos, who was discharged from the Navy for medical reasons in June 2003 after 16 years of service, testified on Monday that despite an expired order by the Navy to stay away from Crow, he said he felt he had "to do anything I could to send a message" to Crow "telepathically about the way I felt about her." [emphasis bhw]

The week before his arrest he "spent the whole weekend singing songs to her from my parents' (porch) to get something out there," Kappos said.

Hello, jury? Did you somehow miss the tinfoil hat on Kappos' head? He has been stalking Crow, and not just telepathically. He called Crow's sister and stopped at her father's house, in addition to breaking into a ballroom where Crow was rehearsing for a show last year. The jurors needed to believe that Kappos "had intended to stalk Crow and break into the ballroom" in order to convict him of stalking.

But for some reason, they didn't. Nobody will be able to explain to me how someone doesn't intend to break into a place they break into. Does it happen accidentally? When you're sneaking around and avoiding detection by security guards, are you doing it unintentionally?

Stick another finger in the eye of American justice. We have people rotting in jail for years on marijuana possession convictions while potentially dangerous — and mentally ill [what do you think those "medical reasons" for Kappos' Navy discharge were?] — stalkers walk around free to harass celebrities and former spouses/significant others.

Of course, since Kappos was found not guilty, he can't be compelled to receive treatment for his mental illness, so Crow can expect to hear from him again soon. That's how this type of illness works: the stalker gets bolder and bolder as time goes on. The obsession does not abate — it deepens. And the jury has just validated his behavior, so now he will think he not only has love on his side but also the law.

How can we expect the few stalker and harassment laws in this country to be effective if jurors won't convict an obvious violator like this guy? He needs help, and Crow needs protection from him. She will simply have to increase her personal security and hope that her bodyguards can keep her safe, because the jury refused to let society help do it for her.

But Crow is lucky: she can afford the private security force. What about the citizens who can't? They're the ones who end up as stories in the local paper with their neighbors and families asking why nothing was done to protect them from a known danger.

[Also posted at Bitch Has *Word*.]