Doomsday Conspiracy? No, But We'd Better Watch Out !

As a follow up to my previous post I had one of those real life encounters today that causes one to question whether the system really is broken.

I was on a dock getting loaded and talking with another driver. During our discussion of current events, he told me of a recent personal expreience.

There was a demonstration he was attending in which an emigrant was hoisting a flag of his home country in one hand and setting fire to the American flag with the other. Being from a fourth generation military family the driver calmly walked up with lighter in hand and set fire to the foreigners flag.

At that point the police stepped in and hauled the driver off to jail. In due time he appeared before a judge and was charged, fined and sentenced to six days in jail. When he asked for a jury trial, the judge denied it because the offence was only a misdemeanor. Had the driver landed a punch causing injury then he could have appeared before a jury. So he paid the fine, did his six days and went back to work.

There are two things that disturbed me about his discourse. First , he still doesn't understand why he got fined and jailed. I suggested that in the eyes of that particular judge, the demonstrator was expressing his right of free speech. The driver, on the other hand, was inciting a riot.

The second item however, is the one that causes me the most angst. He appeared not the least bit concerned after the fact. He did, the judge did and it's back on the road. Admittedly he had no recourse at the time but the apathy that followed is my greatest fear. It is why I feel we must become informed and involved at least to the point of going to the polls and writing to our elected representatives to voice our views. Government of, by, and for the people only works
if the people speak.

Speak loudly and often!