Susan Powell has been missing for more than 10 days, and "the-husband-did-it" lynch mob is out in full force. This is not a defense of Josh Powell. I have no knowledge of his guilt or innocence.
What I do know is that he was suspected from the very beginning - no, I don't believe the lines the police give about persons of interest. It's just as intentionally deceptive as the smoke and mirrors used by magicians.
Where is the evidence of foul play in the house? or of a clean-up? or of drugs or poisons used to kill her? of her body being dragged out of the house? As a parent and grandparent, I know how notorious children are for tattle-taling, and they don't have to be intending to do it, either, they just mess up on the story, or say something unexpected in answer to a question (recall the balloon family escapade, not long ago?)
I assume there is no such evidence, and the 4 year old has said nothing incriminating towards his dad, or the dad would have been arrested.
What is it about these cases that compels otherwise decent human beings to turn with a vengeance on someone they don't even know? Oh, everyone justifies it by pointing out the behavior that is peculiar. And they justify it by claiming they want justice for the victim. In truth, they are no better than the persons who tried and convicted the innocent men and women of Salem Mass for witchcraft -- all because their behavior was a little peculiar. Posting a hateful, ugly, mean-spirited mobocratic message on a message forum or in the comments following an article is no less dangerous to our civilization, and no less anti-Christian and immoral.
Whatever happened to Susan Powell (and I still pray for her safe return), and no matter what the involvement or non-involvement by her husband, nothing justifies this hate-filled rush to judgment by the general public, before even one shred of evidence is produced.
"I'm afraid he may have something to do with it," is not the same as saying, "He did it, they just don't have the evidence to prove it."
How horribly unjust is that last statement? Think about it! How many people in America would be perfectly satisfied to take Josh Powell out to the nearest tree right now and hang him? Without one shred of evidence.
I wonder how many people want him to be guilty, to satisfy some voyeuristic need to see into the private relationships of other people. Are our own lives so boring?
If Josh Powell proves to be involved, everyone will justify their anti-Christian, mobocratic attitude towards him in these initial days. Even if he isn't involved, and proven not to be involved, I doubt that anyone will learn any lessons from this. We didn't seem to learn from Richard Jewell's witch-hunt, nor Elisabeth Smart's. In fact, I dare to say people were disappointed that Jewell was innocent, and that Smart was kidnapped by someone other than their suspect. As Nancy Grace is so prone to say, "they were the logical suspects," so no apologies and certainly no change of behavior required.
As a civilization, America is fast sinking into a cesspool.
