A THREATENING LETTER

I read the summons over carefully and concluded that it was nothing but threats and intimidation. For example ... "You are hereby summoned to be and appear at the court room before the Honorable Judge Orr, Long Valley Judicial District." A time and date for the appearance was given, and then in larger and bolder type: "HEREIN FAIL NOT, UNDER PENALTY OF LAW ... EXCUSE CANNOT BE GIVEN BY THE CONSTABLE, ONLY BY THE COURT."

I decided to treat the summons for what it was, a threatening letter. I called "the Court" and asked for the judge.

I should remind you that I live in a very small town where everyone knows everyone else, and especially me, due to my radical views on just about everything. So when I called the Clerk of the Court, she said "Hi Lorne," and we chatted amiably for a few minutes before she asked what I needed.

At this point I changed my voice to a more serious tone and I said that "Something very alarming has happened ... a friend of mine received a very disturbing letter in the mail."

She immediately expressed concern and said "Can you tell me more about it?"

"Well," I said, "It was obviously a threatening letter ... the sender demanded, under threat of severe reprisal that my friend be at a certain place at a certain time."

So I continued ... "The letter says 'SUMMONS.' You are hereby summoned to be and appear..." At this point I was unable to go on because the clerk was laughing so hard. When she regained her composure she said "Oh Lorne! You prankster, that's a summons for jury duty!"

"Wait!" I said, "when I told you that my friend had received a threatening letter you were very sympathetic and concerned. Now that you know the letter originated from your office you are no longer concerned ... in fact, you think it is quite humorous!"

I chided the clerk a little more since she was in such a good mood.

I asked "Is this what you call justice? If my friend had received a threatening letter from anyone else you would have felt duty bound to refer the matter to the Court or the County Attorney's office for action. But since you are the sender of the nasty letter you are laughing. This doesn't make any sense!"

Since I had made my point, I let the matter end. I argued for my friend's excuse on the grounds that he was allergic to courtrooms and judges. Excuse was granted and the matter ended. But not in my mind.

This example of government hypocracy is so typical that I like to use it to illustrate the problem. Why is there a double standard for people who are in "government service?"

Normal people in private endeavors wouldn't dream of doing the things they would readily do as agents of the state. It is sad that most of us accept this mystical and irrational arrangement without contemplation.

How is it that some among us can order others around? What is the basis for this special power and how is it assumed?

COMMENTARY contends that criminality can be consistently identified and defined. A threatening letter is a threatening letter, regardless from whom it is received. When this apparent dichotomy is understood we will begin to know freedom.