THE JUSTICE OF JUSTICE

While great issues about the philosophy of the law have been raised by Senators questioning the NEW nominee to the Supreme Court, not much is being said there about the everyday law. For that you have to spend some listening time at your local barbershops and beauty parlors....!

In a democracy like ours, we are proud to say this is a land of laws not of people. When properly understood, that's a flag-waver of an idea. But, then, things all depend on how some of the people choose to use the laws.

The rip-roaring frontier-minded days of Buyer Beware have given way to the settlement-mindedness of a litigious society. Court records show that these days just about everybody sues just about everyone for just about anything they can find a lawyer for. And while this beastly accusation can be disputed, here are a few representative examples.

Fifteen-year-old Alexa Longueira of New York City fell down a manhole while she was busy texting on her cell phone. Naturally, every good law-abiding citizen can appreciate Alexa's lst Amendment right to text when, where and what she chooses.

But here's the kicker. Lovely Alexa's parents are now suing the city for "the trauma she experienced from landing in one of their filthy sewers." As Mamma Longueria succinctly put it, "Oh my God, it was putrid down there..."

Modern litigiousness of course knows no borders. A Polish woman is currently suing an Egyptian hotel claiming, "Your swimming pool made my teenage daughter pregnant...." Her German lawyer's argument is that "stray sperm in the pool must have impregnated the girl." In the mother's impassioned testimony she added, "I know my daughter did not meet any boys while we were in Egypt."

Inasmuch as no young, sperm-ed men have stepped forward, the case has yet to be decided. Reports from Cairo indicate the mother would be satisfied with a settlement that would cover the expected costs for the birth and education of this virgin birth. Hotel officials could not be reached for comment.

And so, yes, a society of laws and not people. Only where do we find the people who are willing to understand this law?