Do You Feel Lucky?

(and feel free to comment! My older posts are certainly no less relevant to the burning concerns of the day.)

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Go Find Me a Jury of My Peers

Crimes that can only be understood by trained professional jurors do not deserve to result in convictions.

I consider myself a patriot, but if we drop the jury system, then this country really deserves to die. Experiment over. That will represent the death of the last vestige of a country "by the people for the people." We'll be a country by some people, who decide for us all which people matter, and which people don't.

I mean, we're already there in some ways. People are clamoring for that: "Take my individual rights away I don't want them! The greater good is more important!" They don't say it in those words, but that's the net effect. But the problem with the greater good is, no matter who you are: it ain't you. The greater good is defined by those who have - by us - been given the power to determine it - and they define it how they please for their own purpose and benefit.

The fact that our justice system overseers know they can't make something fly unless they can convince 12 ordinary folks that it's right is the single greatest bar we have against the tyranny of the elite.

What tickles me is that all the self-styled well-meaning, principled elitists all like to think that if a trained elite decided everything of importance, it would all be decided in their favor. Hell-no.

Come the revolution, the well-meaning and principled elitists will be the first up against the wall.

2 comments:

Sean Scully said...

Personally, I would prefer to have my case decided by a jury of tranny hookers. That would add a delicious element of camp to the proceeding.

dogimo said...

Well heck, I'd still consider those my peers. I'm not stuck-up or something.