Quiet the Masses

Judge Stan Strickland has determined that the question of whether or not to invoke the death penalty against Casey Anthony should be left up to the jury. How very deflective of him. Really side stepped that one, didn't he? That should help him sleep at night. He didn't actually decide anything, really. He left the truly big decision up to the as yet undetermined, nebulous jury.
Or did he?
In his defense however, he probably couldn't have made any other decision that would have pacified EVERYONE. I make no secret of the fact that I think that the death penalty is 100%, unequivocally WRONG in an advanced society. There is however ,an angry, dangerous, hate lusting public demanding Casey's blood out there. I'm sure Judge Strickland thought he would be keeping the peace with this type of ruling. In the interest of public safety, it is probably the only decision he could have made, to avoid the inevitable riots that would have ensued had he dismissed the death penalty from the case.
It is absolutely abhorrent to me, that it is still legal to kill someone under certain government guidelines. The initial 'safety' of mitigating circumstances being necessary for the death penalty to even be considered in a murder case should have been a good check and balance system. There are arguments to prove and disprove everything.....hence, the appeals process. To murder someone is wrong, whether it is an individual or the state who commits the act....it is no less appalling either way. To those of you who do believe that Casey is guilty of murdering Caylee, try to remember what we all learned in kindergarten....two wrongs do not make a right. Killing Casey will not bring Caylee back, it will not serve justice. It will only serve revenge in it's rawest form. This type of hate mongering only results in more and more frequent blood lusting . There will never be an end to the senselessness.
To those of us who believe in Casey's innocense, this cuts far deeper. This is yet another indication of how the public outcry to punish Casey has overshadowed the questions surrounding Caylee's fate. The public no longer truly cares about what happened to Caylee. Their only obsession is revenge against Casey. They profess to care about Caylee, but their hate for Casey is far more overwhelming than the love they claimed to have had for a small child they never knew. Once again.....hate far surpassing love.
The fact that Casey did not report Caylee missing for 31 days is the most troublesome part of the case for the public, the state , the defense and for Casey herself. I won't profess to have any answers here, but I will say that I don't think the number '31' is correct.
Cindy hadn't seen Caylee for 31 days.This is where the #31 originated. The '31 days' segment of the scenario, was mentioned by Cindy on July ,16, 2008,and the state and the media just latched on and took off with it. I don't think Caylee was 'officially' taken on day #1 of those 31 days. I think for a least 2 weeks, Casey thought that Caylee was in good hands, being cared for by someone who loved her.I think Casey was communicating with this person on a daily basis. I think she thought that Caylee was enjoying herself and although she may have missed her, she knew that Caylee was being treated to experiences that she could not currently give her, so she just let the babysitter continue to take her to the beach and the theme parks, etc. When Casey started to ask (and later...demand) that the 'baby sitter' return her child, after the first couple of weeks, and the person denied her requests....that was the point at which, in my opinion, Casey started to panic and fear for her daughter's safety. At that point, at least 2 weeks had gone by. She knew if she went to her parents, they would be livid. If she went to the police, she would suffer repercussions from the kidnappers, and she worried the police would probably implicate her(which is in reality exactly what happened). I think she was trying to solve the problem herself and was just way out of her element. I also think that she probably shared her problem with at least one confidant (and I do not think it was Lee....I don't think he knew anything....which is why Casey had been avoiding him....to deliberately keep him out of it....maybe protectively?). Casey wouldn't have been suffering through this alone....someone else knows what happened....the authorities need to figure out who that person is. God knows, they had ample opportunity to investigate that person. They most likely already interviewed him or her, but in their inimitable 'revolving door' style of witness interogations.....gleaned absolutely nothing because that's exactly what they were looking for....nothing. Throughout the investigation, their main focus was on Casey....no one else. They missed many golden opportunities when they could have actually found answers, because they were too consumed with trying to make what little circumstantial evidence they had fit their theory rather than actually searching for the truth.
So, all in all, yes, I'm disappointed that the death penalty was not dismissed as I thought it should be, considering the way the law to include it is written. On the other hand, I don't think Judge Strickland had any other choice, than to 'claim' to let the jurors decide.
Let's all remember, though, in the state of Florida, the judge still has the final call in matters of the death penalty, regardless of whether or not the jury asks for it. I really don't think this trial will end with Casey receiving the death penalty. I think this is just a temporary pacification of the public made by a judge who realizes he has to quiet the masses in a manner they'll understand.