I have a background in law. Both law and history have always appealed me...from reading legal non-fiction to legal fiction/dramas, to having been in the legal system as a client, it sparks lots of interest. Law is ever changing, yet always staying virtually the same. And, law can't seem to keep up with a continually changing environment and upgrading technology. It's also remarkable to learn how landmark court cases have shaped our country and interpretations of our founding documents. Stare Decisis - the principle interpreted from Latin to mean "let it stand on it's own," -- which means court cases, unless unprecedented or overruled by a higher court (like the Supreme Court throwing out legalized racial segregation - Plessy v. Ferguson), are decided by prior court cases. Things don't always stand the test of time. However, Stare Decisis works because you don't have to rehash everything every time or "reinvent the wheel."
The title of this post, "Let's Kill All the Lawyers," is from William Shakespeare's Henry VI, Part 2, Act IV, Scene 2 (the exact quote is bolded below). The scene is a bunch of really bad dudes, traitors to be exact, discussing what they are going to do when they finally get the political power they so desire. DISCLAIMER: Shakespeare is a bit hard to read (I took a whole semester on it...whew):
ALL. God save your majesty!
JACK CADE. I thank you, good people:– there shall be no money; all shall eat and drink on my score; and I will apparel them all in one livery, that they may agree like brothers, and worship me their lord.
DICK. The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers.
Jack CADE. Nay, that I mean to do. Is not this a lamentable thing, that of the skin of an innocent lamb should be made parchment, that parchment, being scribbl'd o'er, should undo a man? Some say the bee stings; but I say 't is the bee's wax, for I did but seal once to a thing, and I was never mine own man since.
So, circling back, lawyers CAN draw inspiration from a quote which seemingly is inciting their death. The inspiration being -- that they are the heroes standing between society and people like Dick the Butcher. Because, again, basically, these murderous "traitors" in Shakespeare's play are affirming that in order to circumvent the "red tape" of "law and order" on the road of complete tyranny, you have to first kill the very personification of "law and order."
We often hear a lot about bad lawyers prompting some pretty good lawyer jokes (like, "what's the difference between a lawyer and a gigilo? A gigilo only screws one person at a time.") But, we usually only hear about the bad seeds of society (albeit any profession) because it's sensational and unusual. But, there are many great lawyers. I said it. EVEN though Washington DC is chock full of lawyers turned snake politicians (currently over 40% of Congress are {drumroll please]...LAWYERS.)
"A Lawyer with a briefcase can steal more than a thousand men armed with guns." - Anonymous
I love Wikipedia for those who follow me on Instagram. I'll screenshot random shit I've looked up out of sheer curiosity. Yet, as much as I use it, I'm so shitty. I've never donated a dime to their little gig they got going on. However, my brother gave $20 one year. So, yeah, I was a part of that, because I'm related to him. Anyway, this quote, according to the Wikipedia author, has been interpreted in other ways: "[the quote]...is criticism of how lawyers maintain the privilege of the wealthy and powerful; implicit praise of how lawyers stand in the way of violent mobs; and criticism of bureaucracy and perversions of the rule of law." Can it be both criticism and praise?
Lawyers are like insurance: a necessary evil. Because, criminals have rights in our society, and this is not a popular conception. As such, lawyers are unpopular with BOTH tyrants and "normal" people. Why? Because rapists and pedophiles get represented and given "due process." In our "JUST" society, criminals get representation even if they cannot afford it. Also, if you tell the truth, and thus do your job greatly, it'll always be unpopular. Why? Because, it's always going to be unpopular to tell a mob they should put away their preconceived notions, intolerance, bigotries, prejudices, and hate and behave like civilized humans. Also, one day you may find yourself a defendant in the court and law, and at that moment (innocent or guilty) you'll profoundly appreciate the system of "innocent until proven guilty," and that a mob cannot decide your fate. I personally though the Kyle Rittenhouse case was legal theatre, but if real, he was being railroaded. We were told a narrative that was completely false in order to propagate a social agenda to take our guns.
Aside from the Dick the Butcher characters of society...let's take a look at our current butchers of real science and the Constitution. Speaking to the large quantity of lawyers in DC, it has been said: "Contrary to prevailing theories, voters do not reward candidates with backgrounds in law. Rather, lawyers win because of sizable competitive advantage in early fundraising, owing in large part to their professional networks." It's also been said: "There is an overrepresentation of lawyers in Congress (40%). While lawyers enter politics at higher rates, self-selection provides a partial explanation. Conditional on running, lawyers win at twice the rate of the candidate from other backgrounds." Further, it's too bad that outsiders can't run a third party ticket viably. People view it as a wasted vote. That's how we got Mitt Romney and John McCain. These were the weakest candidates to ever run. In summation: Our society doesn't kill lawyers, we ELECT them!
Also, I would like to leave you with this after a conversation with my little brother earlier today. It's actually a compliment if your boss or your customer doesn't know exactly what you do. It first means that things are running so smoothly, they don't even hear about you or what you do (until shit goes south, you quit or have to take sick leave). It also displays that they don't know what they're doing. A successful captain will always know the role of each sailor on his or her ship. This prevents tyranny.
Have a wonderful holiday, friends. I was going to do a video remake of something, but I needed a sunny sky and it's been cloudy skies all day (it's a song about the sun that I lost when my Facebook account got permanently deactivated). So, I changed my mind and made soaps instead. I'll be going off grid for a wee bit and working on other things.
Until some time in December, be good in real life, not just on social media!
Kimmie
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