The Law is the Law

The law is the law for a reason.  Mostly, it's because, as a whole, people are stupid and can't reason their way out of a paper bag, so they expect the government to do their thinking for them and tell them what they should and shouldn't do.

"Wise people, even though all laws were abolished, would still lead the same life." - Aristophanes.

But that assumes people are wise.  Mostly, they aren't.

Like there's no posted speed limit back in here.  The wise person knows enough to drive slow (25-30 max), but there are some numbnuts who think because there's no posted speed limit, it's fine to drive like a bat out of hell.  I had one gal who couldn't stand the fact that I was driving at a reasonable rate of speed pass me in here.  Then a couple days later, there's her husband riding my ass in an area where a curve was coming up and he couldn't pass.  I pulled over so he could joyfully get the hell away from me.  One of these days, one of them is going to hit a deer, I swear.  Or the neighbor's grandkids who like to ride their bikes in the road.

Going back to my point about 'people', lest you think I'm talking about you, another great quote is...

"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." - Agent K, Men in Black

Individuals have a great capacity to be smart.  In a group, people tend to be stupid herd animals.  And they generally don't pay a whole lot of attention to who's doing the herding.

So we have laws.  Most of them are pretty good laws that keep people from doing stupid things and that punish the super stupid who weren't smart enough to obey the law and avoid punishment.  Occasionally there's a stupid law - like the one where it's illegal in some places to marry a donkey, as if anyone would want to marry a donkey -  and we ignore it or the people work to get it changed.  That's the way it's supposed to go.

Except there seems to be a culture rising that thinks laws are made to be broken, that laws don't apply to them, and that there shouldn't be any consequences to breaking the laws.  Depending on who you are, of course.

There's a reason Justice wears a blindfold.  It's not supposed to matter who you are.  And she's carrying scales because justice should be doled out equally among us all.  What goes for a plumber goes for a celebrity or a politician or an athlete.  Right?  Pretty simple stuff.  Not sure why there is a certain segment who don't understand this.

Facts and evidence are supposed to be the rule.  Hearsay?  Nope.  Feelings?  Nope.  Conjecture?  Not really.  Just the facts, dude.  Without facts and evidence, anyone can say anything and you'd find your ass in jail.  "I heard from Joe who heard from Mary that she felt this person killed Fred.  And since Mary is certain, it must be true."  Which, in a bizarro world, would then land that person's ass in jail.  Without facts and evidence, lies rule the day.  And your freedom hangs out there in the breeze generates by other people's whims.

Is that really the kind of world people want to live in?  Probably not, but they aren't thinking about it that way.  Because, you know, people are stupid.  Be a person, not a people.

Just something to think about.