Open-and-Shut
More law, less justice. — Cicero
“A straightforward case,” says the public defender assigned to me. “We’re going to settle this one easily. Don’t you lose a wink of sleep over it.”
“That’s good to hear,” I tell him, “but frankly it’s somewhat disconcerting that the law I am supposed to have broken is only identified with symbols and numbers, not words.”
He smiles. “No sweat, young fella, it’s the new thing. Hello, welcome to the 21st century! In case you haven’t noticed, everything is computerized now.”
“Yes, I know about computers, but when you are arrested by the SWAT team the minimum you expect is that they tell you why. All they did, they barked a few numbers and symbols at me, no real explanation.”
“I fully sympathize, it must have been frightening when it happened. Back to the reform, it was long overdue since we have a myriad of laws in the books and many of them are quite similar to one another. Also, symbols and numbers are easier to enter into the computer than long words and long sentences.”
“Even then, shouldn’t they give an account of each law in plain English?”
“Of course they should, and the good news is that they do,” he says. “When I have some time, I’m going to look this one up and let you know right away.”
Good man, my lawyer. He’s trying to allay my fears, but I am even more worried now.
*****A short sketch of this article was published in Paragraph Planet on June 10, 2024.*****
