Comments on: This page is not illegal

By: Grandad

Grandad — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 00:46:23 +0000

Cap'n Con - Sorry...you got stuck in Moderation. I entirely agree. All these rediculous laws are there purely to paper over the cracks. All they do is make the government feel better [Look at us - we're doing something while we're collecting all those lovely fines] and keep in load of lawyers in business. Let's scrap the lot [lawyers, laws and the government]!!

Kate - Maybe it's time to implant some spines then??

Welcome, Mizzy! I think we can all agree there is a common moral ground for all society. We all agree that murder, theft and the like are wrong? Then there are personal morals, such as one's attitude to abortion or assisted suicide for example. They are just as valid and should be respected. Just as I think common morals are the cornerstone of society, I think that private morals should equally be respected. If someone thinks that abortion is wrong, then who am I to argue provided they don't try to impose their private morals on anyone else? If someone's private morals mean they kill animals then I don't honestly think I have any right to stop them, no matter how hard that might be for me. Having said that, there are grey areas, and of course there have to be laws.

The general gist of my argument though is that for every 1000 laws on the statute books, I can guarantee, 950 or more could be scrapped.

One rather oversimplified example - suppose all laws pertaining to driving were scrapped and replaced with just one .... dangerous driving? Wouldn't that cover 99% of the others??

By: Mizzy

Mizzy — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 18:50:24 +0000

And exactly whose morals are we looking at? If we were dependent on that, everyone would say something different as to what is right. Should a woman choose to kill her fetus or not? “Hey, we follow this religion where it’s moral to sacrifice a live animal”.
People have the freedom of speech to say whatever unmoral thing they want in society because that is…wait…protected by the law. I admit, most of it is a bit silly and unnecessary, but it doesn’t mean it should be done away with altogether. I mean, what’s really the purpose of paying a fine because you stayed in a parking space too long in the city? You got there first! Bollocks to everyone else.

By: TheChrisD – Rant Central » Rants » Random Shit – 16th July

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 14:42:28 +0000

[...] This link is not illegal. Or at least I hope it’s not. [...]

By: Kate

Kate — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 13:52:40 +0000

Hiya Grandad – I think it all went wrong when they started removing spines at birth – there’s no saving us now!!!

By: tt

tt — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 12:51:43 +0000

Which part of Maid Marion ?

By: Grandad

Grandad — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 12:46:59 +0000

Flann – You would probably find somewhere that it’s illegal to sing from a hymnsheet.

Kirk M – A classic example of why the law is an ass. Having said that, a mate of mine was once done for drunk driving. The cops said they knew he was drunk because he stopped at red lights at four in the morning with no traffic around. You just can’t win.

By: Kirk M

Kirk M — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 11:46:36 +0000

“Signs, signs, everywhere signs. Blocking up the scenery and breakin’ my mind. Do this, don’t do that. Can’t you read the signs?”
And that was written over 30 years ago.
I was once issued a traffic ticket for running a red light in the middle of nowhere that absolutely refused to change (cop was hidden in the woods). There was no traffic as far as the eye could see in any direction. I took it to court and won but that’s not the point. It never should have happened in the first place and that cop never should have been there wasting money that was paid by my taxes. You couldn’t convince me even today that the cop hadn’t jimmied the traffic light switch box so that it wouldn’t change.

By: Flann O'Coonassa

Flann O'Coonassa — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 11:18:36 +0000

We’re singing from the same hymn sheet on this one Granddad.
Is it a crime to take responsibility for one’s actions? Is it a crime to think for oneself every now and then? Is it a crime to accidentally murder a stripper on a stag do in Vegas and hide her body in the Nevada desert? Let he who is without sin…
Let not our legal system be our judges, but our own consciences. If I want to import a metric tonne of grade A heroin direct from Guam (cutting out the middle man), that should only be a matter between me, myself and my Scientology handler.

By: Cap'n Con

Cap'n Con — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 09:13:29 +0000

I think its partly a result of having too many lawyers in government and partly a complete misunderstanding of the function of the law.

Lawyers naturally think making a law makes a perceived problem disappear. That is nonsense of course as for example abortion is illegal in Ireland but 6,000 Irish women a year go abroad to have one.

This is using the law in Ireland to ‘pretend’ that no abortions happen. Similarly a lot of laws get passed on drugs or alcohol or example because people disapprove of them, not because the laws will make the problem disappear.

My theory is that an awful lot of laws get passed every year and its purely so the government can look as if they are doing something about a problem when people see the laws passed in the newspaper. Doesn’t make a blind bit of difference to the problem but just pushes it into the shadows where the middle class won’t see it.

Its just a gigantic PR trick and its been going on for decades now. I’ve never yet heard of a law successfully quashing any behavior the middle class doesn’t like but it never stops the clamour for more laws.

Ban it. If that doesn’t work ban it twice as hard. Gah.

By: Grandad

Grandad — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 23:06:07 +0000

Thrifty – Sorry. Forgot to welcome you to Free Wickla.

Brainf – There is always the faint hope that someone will read this and it will make them think, but I doubt it. No harm in trying?

RWG – I am rapidly learning to live the Outlaw. As I write, the news is on – new laws here, amendments there. Madness. Pity you had to stick that joke in though.

TT – Are you applying for the part of Maid Marian?

Cooper – If it isn’t laws, it’s regulations. Fuckit. I have had enough. From now on I’m doing my own thing, and they can go whistle.

Mick – The Missing Words do it through some weird natural instinct or something. We are doing it becasue we have been conditioned to obey, whatever the cost.