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Bless the Due Process
Feb. 8th, 2011 03:47 pmThere is a beautiful scene in a book called Outlander, where the heroine, who was in Scotland in 1946 but got magically transported back to 1743, is about to be hung as a witch by a near-hysterical mob. Just as things seem direst, her knight in shining armour comes to rescue her.
No, it's not her handsome, courageous, strong and sensitive young lover Jamie Fraser of the fiery red tresses and deep deep blue eyes and murmured Scottish endearments; it is the middle-aged little lawyer who works for Jamie's uncle. He sweeps in and begins a spirited defense and pulls out all the stops and goes into legal technical minutia that eventually does more than merely calm the frenzied mob: it bores them to sleep.
I think I'm witnessing the same thing right now. I'm at a murder trial, and falling asleep as the accused is being questioned on the stand. Oy vey.
Yes, attention to minutia is necessary when dealing with serious issues involving loss of life and/or an accused person's civil rights. It shouldn't be any other way. But OMG. Coffee. Must. Have. Coffee!
No, it's not her handsome, courageous, strong and sensitive young lover Jamie Fraser of the fiery red tresses and deep deep blue eyes and murmured Scottish endearments; it is the middle-aged little lawyer who works for Jamie's uncle. He sweeps in and begins a spirited defense and pulls out all the stops and goes into legal technical minutia that eventually does more than merely calm the frenzied mob: it bores them to sleep.
I think I'm witnessing the same thing right now. I'm at a murder trial, and falling asleep as the accused is being questioned on the stand. Oy vey.
Yes, attention to minutia is necessary when dealing with serious issues involving loss of life and/or an accused person's civil rights. It shouldn't be any other way. But OMG. Coffee. Must. Have. Coffee!
