Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Ya Gotta Love the Law... Right?

Supreme Court in 1968
Saw this over at the View From The Porch. Did my standard "Say what...?" then did the Wiki-thing. Found this:
Haynes v. United States
The National Firearms Act of 1934 required the registration of certain types of firearms. Miles Edward Haynes was a convicted felon who was charged with failing to register a firearm under the Act. Haynes argued that, because he was a convicted felon and thus prohibited from owning a firearm, requiring him to register was essentially requiring him to make an open admission to the government that he was in violation of the law, which was thus a violation of his right not to incriminate himself. 
In a 7-1 decision, the Court ruled in 1968 in favor of Haynes. Earl Warren dissented in a one sentence opinion and Thurgood Marshall did not participate in the ruling.
Um, okay. Apparently the Supremes "fixed" that later on. (Sure they did.)

All I can think to say is that sometimes the interpretation of the law makes no sense. But when it does, count on someone coming along and over-complicating things. (See 2nd Amendment national "discussion". Yeah, right.)

Can't have everyone understanding the law now can we?

Then we wouldn't need lawyers.

Wait a minute...

Read me that last bit again...

Now there's a thought!

8 comments:

  1. There's a thought indeed. What a world that would be.

    Lennon should have started "Imagine" with a line about not having any lawyers. 2nd verse would be no fuzzy thinking liberals. 3rd verse no half assed rock singers who think they're philosophers. Then I might have liked the song.

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    Replies
    1. Lennon wouldn't have been Lennon had he written "Imagine" that way, because verses 2 and 3 certainly applied to him! As much as I enjoy the Beatles music, I always had a great disdain for their politics.

      I like your version better.

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    2. Sarge, I always liked their music too. But I remember saying stupidly to a class in my second year of teaching (in 1964, after a student had asked what I thought about them) that their lyrics weren't very impressive. All I'd heard at that point was the song "She Loves You" ... yeah, yeah, yeah. Little did I know that their lyrics and music would come to define a generation.

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    3. Their lyrics certainly improved over time. I can still remember the first time I listened to the album "Revolver". I still listen to that album (CD? what does one call it now?) and enjoy it a lot. But that first time, kinda blew me away. They'd certainly gone way past "She Loves You" and "I Wanna Hold Your Hand". But thinking about it just now, it was the rhythm and the harmonies on those songs which got your attention, not the lyrics.

      Okay, time to trot out some Beatles. Thanks Dan!

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    4. There's not a single song I detest more than "Imagine." TSMP and I spent the evening Lennon was killed sitting on our living room floor watching the Beeb's tribute to Lennon while crying our eyes out (yeah, we WERE emotional)... but all that came to an abrupt and FINAL end when they began playing that smarmy piece o' crap.

      Delete
  2. And now, back to our regularly scheduled program...

    Can't have everyone understanding the law now can we?

    Then we wouldn't need lawyers.

    Wait a minute...



    All:
    God save your majesty!

    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.

    Cade:
    Nay, that I mean to do.

    Henry The Sixth, Part 2 Act 4, scene 2, 71–78

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    Replies
    1. I was gonna use that line from "Henry the Sixth, but then I saw a couple of lawyer sites explaining that that particular line actually supported lawyers. And not being one to encourage the legal profession, I refrained.

      But I'm glad you brought it up Buck.

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Just be polite... that's all I ask. (For Buck)
Can't be nice, go somewhere else...

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