We were in the midst of discussing a loophole in the legal system in our local community. More than one criminal has attempted to use the technical issue to go free. He was defending the use of technical issues as a “get out of jail free card.” I was saying that the law needed to be changed.

My counter point to his comment was simple and sincere. “If there is a picture of the man holding the gun, firing the gun and killing the guy then there should be no loophole in the world that gets him off.” If you have ever been on the losing side of a loophole then you are probably feeling the same way.

When we parted ways he warned me that we would “talk more.” That’s simple lawyerese for “I’m going to make you change your mind.” He is welcome to talk all he wants, but I still say that is you can’t do the time then you shouldn’t do the crime. Loopholes are the wimp’s way out and must be eliminated!

1. Ms. California miscount – the tallies of the judges was done by hand and also don incorrectly. The wrong girl received the crown, but the correction was made in just a couple of weeks. Instead of accepting the apology of the officials, their generous gifts to settle the situation and a chance to compete in next years competition for free the runner-up decided to sue for one half million dollars.

2. Dry cleaner company loses man’s favorite pants – the judge refuses their offer to buy him new pants and chooses to sue for one million dollars. The dry cleaning company is forced to close one of their two stores after all the expenses of the lawsuit (which was eventually dismissed).

3. No smoking in your own apartment – a women is sued by a person in her apartment building for smoking in her own apartment. The two apartments are over 50 feet from each other and the woman has invested in sealing her apartment and also in large air filters. The couple suing both are lawyers. They did not complain when they bought their apartment (and the woman has been in hers for forty years).

It is time to take drastic action. Make the loser lawyer pay. I bet that stops a lot of the non-sense that goes on in the court system (and it will probably help relieve the congestion of many courts throughout the country).

A little yes and a little no.

They went too far because he was not really a threat.  It was more that he was deluding himself into believing he could be a threat.  After 9/11, the world of air travel completely changed.  Just the hint of a problem will bring the wrath of fellow passengers down on your head.  If that young man HAD tried to do something, there would have been plenty of people to put a stop to it.

Also, the pilots or more equipped and better protected today.  The cockpits are reinforced and the pilots are licensed to carry weapons themselves.  Oh- and let’s not forget the occasional, unsuspecting air marshal that is on some flights.

The kid didn’t stand a chance.

They didn’t go too far because this is not joke.  Threats of any kind need to be taken seriously, and the kids need to know that they will be.  That boy also needs to learn responsibility for his words and his actions.

It is likely that very little will come of the ordeal.  Probation and counseling seem to be the norm these days.  And since there is a history of mental instability it might be the best way to go in this matter. 

The one thing that we did learn is that times have changed and will continue to change as long as people are out there doing stupid and dangerous things to harm others around them.

However, it also leaves it cluttered up in many places, leaving some really obsolete and silly laws in place.

Thanks to the BBC they’ve highlighed a few here: UK chooses ‘most ludicrous laws’

so I’ll list those and a few more here:

Silly UK laws:

1. It is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament
2. It is an act of treason to place a postage stamp bearing the British king or queen’s image upside-down
3. It is illegal for a woman to be topless in Liverpool except as a clerk in a tropical fish store
4. Eating mince pies on Christmas Day is banned
5. If someone knocks on your door in Scotland and requires the use of your toilet, you are required to let them enter
6. In the UK a pregnant woman can legally relieve herself anywhere she wants, including in a policeman’s helmet
7. The head of any dead whale found on the British coast automatically becomes the property of the King, and the tail of the Queen
8. It is illegal not to tell the tax man anything you do not want him to know, but legal not to tell him information you do not mind him knowing
9. It is illegal to enter the Houses of Parliament wearing a suit of armour
10. It is legal to murder a Scotsman within the ancient city walls of York, but only if he is carrying a bow and arrow
11. It is illegal to hang washing in the street
12. It is illegal to beat a carpet in the street
13. It is illegal to fly a kite in the street
14. It is illegal to be drunk in charge of a horse, cow or steam engine
15. It is illegal to fire a cannon close to a dwelling house
16. It is illegal to bet or gamble in the library reading room
17. It is illegal to use any slide upon ice or snow
18. It is illegal to drive cattle through the streets of London
19. It is illegal to sing any profane or obscene song or ballad, or use any profane or obscene language
20. It is illegal to light a firework! (seriously: Section 28 of the Town Police Clauses Act 1847)

Silly laws from around the world:

1. In Ohio, it is illegal to get a fish drunk
2. In Indonesia, the penalty for masturbation is decapitation
3. A male doctor in Bahrain can only examine the genitals of a woman in the reflection of a mirror
4. In Switzerland, a man may not relieve himself standing up after 10pm
5. It is illegal to be blindfolded while driving a vehicle in Alabama
6. In Florida, unmarried women who parachute on a Sunday could be jailed
7. Women in Vermont must obtain written permission from their husbands to wear false teeth
8. In Milan, it is a legal requirement to smile at all times, except during funerals or hospital visits 9. There is no age of consent in Japan
10. In France, it is illegal to name a pig Napoleon
11. In Calgary in Canada, one must have a hitching post outside of their business establishment.
12. Still in Calgary, if one is kicked out of the city, the accused is entitled a horse and a day’s worth of rations to see them to the next city. (Old Cowboy rules)

As everyone who as ever bought a cell phone knows, you have to use the service where you bought the phone.  The cell phone service providers are so determined to get your money that they lock the phones that they sell so that the phones will only work for them.  If you didn’t realize that, then I’m sure you heard about it when the iPhone came out.  It was a race to see which hacker would be able to unlock the iPhone first.

Some owners have been hesitant to try and unlock the phones they have purchased.  Many figured it was illegal.  The truth is that it is NOT illegal.  The Library of Congress announced that there are six exceptions to DMCA rules - including one that declares breaking SIM locks will not be considered a violation (at least for the next three years).

This is almost good news.  While it may not be illegal to unlock your phone, Apple has already found a way to make it almost impossible.  Update programs for the Apple iPhone are designed to (and even if it wasn’t specifically designed that way) shut down any unlocked phones. 

 

 

The couple that was accused of being too distracted by online games to care for their children is just bad parents.  It doesn’t matter what their excuse was - that fact is that they were not caring for their children in the best way possible.

It seems that our whole society has become on of putting the blame somewhere else.  Even the prosecutor in the case mentions that the parents were too distracted by the game - like the game magically came on and taunted the parents until they played.

Forget about why people are doing what they are doing.  If it is wrong, take the punishment.  It is simple really.  Then you can tell me why you did what you did and if someone else had done something wrong they will get punished as well.  That’s how it works in out house.  I just don’t see why it can’t work that way in real life.

 

Things don’t always go my way.  There have been times when a store didn’t follow through on its ads or a job was given to someone not as qualified as I was.  Even when bad things happen, my first thought is not to sue.  If I can’t work it out (especially when it comes to stores) then I just take my business elsewhere.

There is an easy way to curb the lawsuits in the United States.  If the losers had to pay (and the loser’s lawyers had to foot a piece of the bill) then lawyers wouldn’t sue just hoping that companies would settle instead of going to court.

We are a long way from that happening.  As long as so many of the government leaders have ties to the legal community, no one is going to put a stop to that gravy train.  Until we can get the officials on board, maybe “the people” could use some common sense, communications skills and some patience instead of jumping on the lawsuit bandwagon every time things don’t go the way we think they should.

 

 

It’s high time the justice system quit trying to tell people what to do.  That’s not supposed to be their job.  It is supposed to be congress (i.e. the people) that makes the laws.  The justice system is simple there to make sure the laws are CONSTITUTIONALLY sound.  It doesn’t mean the laws have to be something that is agreed with - agreement or better yet, disagreement - is not a valid reason to say a law is wrong.

Granted, the Attorney General of the Untied States doesn’t really play much of a part in deciding the fate of legal issues that move their way up the court system.  This position is about law enforcement (think more along the lined of government police).  He also handles cases in the Supreme Court where the United States is involved.

Still, it is always fun to know that government officials have a head on their shoulders.  Any one that can find a way to make a brief interesting (even entertaining) has a lot going on between his ears.

 

 

When I read that Texas was thinking about making it legal for legally blind people to hunt, I thought it was a joke.  I should have known it wasn’t.  This is a perfect case of taking political correctness too far.  It is a shame that people who can’t see any more aren’t able to enjoy the thrill of the hunt, but that’s life.  There are things that everyone has to give up or forego for one reason or another.

The real fun will be for the Parks and Wildlife enforcement officers.  It’ll be interesting to see how many “legally blind” hunters pop up.  Some people will find a way to take advantage of this loop hole.  Good intentions have gone awry.

Maybe it’s time to stop making laws that will “help a few” and to focus on enforcing the laws that are already in place.  If there is time left, then the states can spend some time revamping the constitutions that have outdated laws (like a person with a lighted lantern must walk in front of the vehicle after dark).

 

 

The state of Alabama is not exactly known for it “clean” politics.  It wasn’t a great surprise to most residents when the investigation into Governor Siegelman first began.  Nor was it a surprise when he was indicted.  The reading of a guilty verdict probably shocked Siegelman the most - especially since he had been crying political foul all along.

Instead of saying “great, a bad politician is going down for what he did,” the great conspiracy folks pointed fingers at a Republican president.  It didn’t matter what the evidence said.  All that mattered is that the investigation was politically motivated.

Being from Alabama, I don’t care WHY the investigation was started.  My thoughts are simple; if you want to be in politics then you need to keep your closet especially clean.  Political foes will always try to find a way to take you out - it’s part of the game.  The law doesn’t have a political party, but you can be sure that it is used by both sides to its fullest extent.