We make laws. We enforce laws or try to enforce them, anyway.
We’ve done such a great job trying to enforce stupid, meaningless laws while doing such a poor job enforcing more important laws, we’ve got millions of people in prison for doing nothing much — while corporate killers laugh among themselves.
Laws don’t apply to them.
In fact, we do not and could not actually enforce every law we make. The only way a nation can exist is when the population — which is to say most of its citizens — have a fundamental regard for law and carry with them the belief that order is a good thing.
Without a citizenry who respect the law, you have chaos, disorder, disunion and ultimately, the worst kind of tyranny. No country can maintain a police force to make everyone do the right thing. Most people do the right thing because they understand it’s right. That’s all the reason they need.
I don’t need enforcement. I get it. I understand. Probably, so do you. That’s the basis of a free society.
We should be crying out for mature, educated, reasonable men and women who can work together even when their parties utterly disagree about pretty much everything. We need people who care about the people they represent. When governments don’t care for people and stop believing the good of the nation supersedes their personal squabbles, it’s the end of democracy and freedom.
After that, the only way to maintain order is for everyone to be afraid, which is the definition of a police state.
If we can’t find bridges to cross, we have no government. We can make all the laws we want, but unless people believe in law and for the most part, live within it, life as we know it is over. The reason this — or any country — works is that most citizens do “the right thing.” They don’t need a gun pointed at them. There aren’t enough cops, guns, or prisons to make everyone obey if no one cares.
We either learn to behave like civilized people or it’s back to the dark ages — a world where only “might makes right.” But this time, we’ll have mobile phones!
I’m sure that will change everything.
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Categories: justice, Law, Legal Matters, Marilyn Armstrong, Music
SERENDIPITY - SEEKING INTELLIGENT LIFE ON EARTH 
Good to know. I’ve heard versions of your question, only from the perspective of ‘let’s do AWAY with law and order and rule ourselves’ type thinking. I’ve always thought that was really really stupid thinking too. I told the person blatting on about that stuff that personally I LIKED knowing I could call the cops in if one of the lawless (and ethic-less IMHO) tried to beat me up for my water supply or food stash (not that I have either, but that’s the idea) or tried to steal my car or break into my home. I liked the idea that there was a fire brigade in case the extremely dry grass near my home caught fire in a high wind. I mean there’s sense and there’s senseless. Those lawless fools are on the latter side in my opinion. Thanks for sharing this sensible post.
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Pretty much ALL of us feel that way. Which is why with all the idiots signing “let’s succeed” petitions, NO state has actually tried to succeed since the Civil War. Real people like having a stable government with basic laws and courts and all that. Anarchy is one of those “it sounds better in an argument” than it could possibly be to live. it. IF we lived in a world where everyone believed that the rights of all their neighbors were as important as their own rights — and that means EVERYONE — in theory, it could work. But there is no such place on earth, so it DOESN’T work and never will.
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I saw a movie the other night called Guilty by Association. Boy you have some really bad laws. There are a lot of innocent people in jail.
Leslie
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Yes, there are … and some of them are in jail for laws which no longer even exist. There’s a pretty big movement to try to get many of these people freed — and to get private companies out of the “prison” business.
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It can be devastating on families….
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Yes, you have made a good point here, Marilyn. Parts of Africa are lawless because no-one respects that law. It is broken down and children are taught to ignore what is right and wrong from a young age. They grew up to be heartless criminals.
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I suspect far too many people have a vastly over-inflated idea of how much “enforcement” can really do. It only works with a population that believes it OUGHT to work. Otherwise, it’s just words.
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Excellent!!!!!!!!!
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I think WE are becoming lawless ourselves. Very dangerous stuff!
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It is. People are becoming desensitized to what is acceptable and what is not. A great deal of “not” is allowed when it was a black or gray area. Now anything goes, people accept too much they shouldn’t.
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