Perhaps a change in jury system needed

Rod Blagojevich was found guilty of only one of over 20 charges and denies even that one. This case is not really over. Eleven out of 12 jurors felt he was guilty on serious charges. Is he really that blind to reality, counting on charm and ego to convince the public? Abraham Lincoln said, "You can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all the time, but not all of the people all the time." Blago has been an embarrassment to Illinois. There are too many charges against this man to be dismissed.

While it may be better to let 100 criminals free rather than convict an innocent person, it is also true that where there is smoke there is fire. Our jury system has served us well for these many years, but the phrase "justice is blind" also comes from experience. In this case maybe 11 out of 12 people were wrong, maybe the many witnesses erred and lied, maybe the public isn't interested in any of this, but also maybe one juror came to the jury room with a mind already made up. Maybe this person was too timid to find anyone guilty of a crime. We don't know.

Attorneys spend millions to study and learn about prospective jurors and how to choose them. It makes one wonder if a unanimous decision should be changed to require only the votes of 10 or 11 in favor or against a conviction.

This Blago fiasco is not over. The taxpayers will now spend millions to defend this man. The actions of this man cannot be swept under the rug. Now we wait until next year to see how this story ends.

Wiliam McNutt

Des Plaines