"Vengeance is Mine"

Today, even atheists are believing in a Higher Power.

For anyone who has watched the Greek tragedy we call "the case against Casey", there is nothing left to believe in but the wrath of the Almighty.  I call the Almighty "God", but your mileage may vary.  Because this is neither the Wild West nor the Roman Colisseum,  we live by the rule of law, and even when the Law seems to fail us, it is not our place to show our displeasure by breaking some of it's most fundamental rules.  We are not, for the most part, vigilantes.  We are not part of a mindless, murdering mob, nor terrorists, nor stone-cold killers.

Today, in the wee hours of the morning, Casey Anthony was released from jail to go free in a world that does not welcome her or even want her.  Aside from the threats against her, there is no place she can go to call her home.  Despite the uncomfortable interviews of her parent's attorney, Mark Lippman - and how that poor man squirmed! - Casey cannot go home to her family.  She burned that bridge in the most public way possible.  She accused her father of the most heinous crimes imaginable, and willfully exposed her entire family to searing public scrutiny, to save her own scrawny neck.  Her mother may forgive her, because that is what mothers do, but as long as Cindy and George Anthony remain together, their only daughter cannot come to live with them.

There are no loyal friends who will take her in.  There are no employers to give her a job; even Hugh Hefner said she won't get a topless photo shoot in Playboy because "we don't reward that kind of behavior."  She walked out of jail with just over $500 in her pocket, hardly enough to support her for more than a week or two.  She cannot go into a restaurant or even buy a cheap hamburger at McDonald's without some kind of public outrage being thrown at her.  And even assuming that the majority of this country's population are good people at heart who would not actually raise a hand to this woman, despite the consuming anger, grief, and disappointment, there are any number of severely disturbed individuals, the Jared Loughners of this world, who have no such self-control, and whose internal demons may demand the most terrible action.

There is no one to give her shelter except her own defense team, the hired guns.  I do not think she would ever be welcome in the home of Jose' Baez, unless his wife has rocks where her brains ought to be.  Cheney Mason, that old fool with the bird-flipping middle finger, might allow her to stay with him and his wife, as he has publicly announced that he thinks of her as a granddaughter.  My advice in that situation is "Cavaet Emptor", and lock up your checks and credit cards, Cheney.  She stole from her best friend, from her mother, and from her grandpa ... don't think you are immune from her larceny.

I would hate to think that there are people out there who are seriously impressed by the courtroom theatrics of Jose' Baez.  Before you run out to hire him, remember that he has no compunctions about ignoring court orders, about making promises he can't keep, and about throwing your loved ones under the bus.  He was neither brilliant nor effective in the courtroom, and the end did not justify the means.  As an attorney for close to 20 years, I can tell you that I cringed at his performance, as did so many others. 

The members of the jury, fools that they were, have spoken, and a baby-killer has walked free.  But this isn't the Bella Vita you envisioned, is it, Casey?

For nearly three years, she fantasised about a life beyond prison bars, dreaming about taking long road trips in a camper van, going shopping and renting movies.

''When are we going to sit on the beach, drinking cocktails and planning our future business?'' the accused child killer Casey Anthony wrote to a fellow inmate at Orange County Jail in Orlando. She expressed a longing to go for manicures, get her hair done and ''be a part of society''.

Never, baby, never.

Happy Sunday, everyone.  I did not have any shelter hearings this morning, which was good for me and good for the children of Orange and Osceola Counties.  I like to think it indicative of the children having a good weekend, unmarred by any abuse or neglect.

I have started preparations for the mousstitsio, which I will record in faithful detail and share with you on my recipe blog.  I can assure you the final result is derived from three separate recipes for two different dishes and is delightfully fussy to make.  Your friends and family will love it.