I SAID I would eventually do another hypothetical, didn’t I? No more polls, I am afraid; they are too hard to set up without working eyes, even using accessibility software.
Today’s story takes us back into the world of BOB X, the Black, bisexual superhero & former slacker with the powers of Superman, no known weaknesses, and a kid in college. But it is not Bob’s actions you are being asked to decide today. For purposes of this hypo, you are a juror in a murder trial for which Bob is the star witness.
Here’s the sitch. A few years back, Bob began spending time with the lovely Ashley Brown, a CNN reporter already famous in her own right. About a year ago, while Bob was occupied stopping a series of volcanic irruption’s in Iceland that, left unchecked, would have plunged the earth into a new Ice Age, Ashley disappeared. She had been kidnapped by some criminals who thought she knew the secret of Bob’s kryptonite and intended to torture it out of her. That was impossible, of course, as there was no such glowing green rock for Ashley to spill her guts about. But knowing that Bob’s current mission must not be interrupted, she refrain from calling for help for as long as she could. She was right to do this, as the volcanoes were the results of some ridiculous super-villain plot and the distraction of hearing her pleas for rescue might have been lethal for him and thus the Earth. But at last – as her guts were LITERALLY spilling — she did cry for him. But as he was in the middle of hefting an enormous MacGuffin into space, all he could do was listen as she died.
The most super human thing Bob did that week was refraining from dismembering Ashley’s murderers. This he did out of affection & memory of her, as she had already told him that she didn’t like killing. But, being neither a police officer nor a trained detective, he did cut some corners in tracking them down.
Which brings us to the day’s issue. Months have passed, and the criminals who murdered his lady friend are now on trial. You are one of the jurors, which is not sequestered. Listening to Bob’s testimony, it is pretty clear that he is not being allowed by the court to speak of everything he knows; clearly some evidence has been ruled in admissible, at least in your opinion as and inveterate fan of “Law & Order.” From what is allowed to be discussed in his testimony, you feel that the state has not met its burden of proof. But you trust Bob. He has never saved your life specifically, but he is by far the most famous man in the world, and his probity is beyond reproach. You are inclined to believe him if he says someone is guilty.
And that’s not all. Remember what I said about the jury not being sequestered. One day, during the trial but after court has been recessed, you catch a snippet of an interview with Bob about how things are going. He was clearly depressed during his testimony, and now he looks absolutely miserable. The reporter interviewing him inquires what he will do if the defendants are acquitted. Will he stand for it? Or just kill them himself, as nobody can stop him? Crying at that suggestion, Bob shakes his head. “Ashley hated killing, and I won’t dishonor her memory by doing that in her name,” he says. “But I am not sure if I will stay on this planet either. There are other worlds out there. I’ve learned how to go there. If the motherfuckers who killed Ashley go free because of some technicality, I am not sure whether I can bear to stay here any more. I am not saying I will leave Earth; I just don’t know.”
Bearing in mind Bob’s credibility regardless of what the rules of evidence say, his years of service to humanity The fact that, at last count, he has saved the entire earth from destruction at least twice and prevented the deaths of literally millions in smaller incidents, and the fact that no other hero even remotely approaches his power level (the second-most-powerful super is about as strong as Buffy the vampire slayer), would you be willing to overlook your qualms about the prosecution’s inadequate case?
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