Our Courts Have Become a Flying Circus
I was watching one of my favorite movies, Monty Python and the Holy Grail today. Whilst laughing, I noticed a scene that seemed oddly similar to today's court system. First finishing the movie (since thought gets in the way of enjoying Monty Python), I pondered this further. The scene I'm referring to is Sir Bedevere and the "witch."
In the scene, a mob of townspeople carry a woman that looks like a witch up to Sir Bedevere, claiming that she is a witch. When Bedevere asks what proof they have, the townspeople state that she looks like one. But the "witch" says that they dressed her up like that, a fact that they admit to. One of the men then proceeds to say that she turned him into a newt, then, after Bedevere looks at him questioningly, sheepishly states "I got better." But the townspeople still demand that she be burned. So, Bedevere uses some incredibly odd logic involving wood, a giant scale, and a duck, to conclude that she is, in fact, a witch.
Like Bedevere, the judges take cases that are better left untouched. The plaintiffs, like the townspeople, use some paper-thin "evidence" to argue their case. The defendants, like the "witch," use solid evidence to argue their case. Then, the judges proceed to use some weird logic unbeknownst to normal men to award the plaintiffs what they sued for.
I find Monty Python very funny, probably among the best. But similar to a branch of our government? What's next? The executive branch imitating the Marx Brothers? I'm sorry, but Monty Python is not something I want our government modeled after.