Never mind the legal issues around Michael Jackson, there is another legal scandal hopefully working its way to a conclusion in Mississippi. The scandal is that it has taken 41 years for the state of Mississippi to bring a murder prosecution against one of the white supremacists who it is alleged murdered three students and dumped their bodies in a swamp in 1964. The killing of the 3 civil rights workers was chillingly recorded by the late Phil Ochs within months of the murders with the chorus of... "Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of -- Mississippi, find yourself another country to be part of!" Later attention was brought to the killings when Gene Hackman starred in a Hollywood film based on the murders.

For all those who believe that the US is a civilising force, bringing democracy to dark and shady areas of the world, take the time to remember that this was US democracy just four decades ago.