subject: Biggest Prison Population "under The Rule Of Law" [print this page] The law is a funny thingThe law is a funny thing. Nobody knows when early man first began to create rules for day to day life, but Hammurabi is the 1st law-giver noted by history. This ancient Sumerian king codified the laws governing his realms on stone tablets which were prominently displayed in places of public gathering such as markets so that citizens would know what was anticipated of them.
It is generally assumed by the men and women that laws should reflect justice and morality, but the record of human society has been one where laws are used to subvert justice. Modern-day America is a nation that prides itself as being a country under the rule of law, however it boasts the largest prison population in the world. Are Americans just more criminal or could there be an issue with the laws?
Respect for the law is so embedded in American jurisprudence that outright absurdities abound. One could literally sign away one's rights, as long as it is in a contract! While it's not yet the case that you could simply give somebody permission to kill you, as with assisted suicide and euthanasia, it is still feasible to be mislead into giving away your rights and have the courts back it.
As an example, a scandalous practice now commonplace amongst many vehicle dealers is to outline in a contract something by the name of the mandatory binding arbitration agreement. Precise terms can alter, but in general it is intended to let the auto seller pardon himself of any responsibility.
Of course, you can hire a lawyer to check the language to reflect your own interests but why not just refuse to conduct business with any business that doesn't respect your business enough to try such a trick on you? Some of these mandatory binding arbitration agreements will even strip you of the privilege to sue, even in cases of crime, yet subject you to a suit if, as an example, you refuse to pay for a lemon!
