Als krantenlezer ben je natuurlijk wel wat gewend, maar soms lees je toch nog iets dat je voor onmogelijk had gehouden. Zoals een artikel in de New York Times van afgelopen maandag over duizenden rechters in kleine stadjes in Amerika die met weinig meer dan een highschool diploma mensen tot boetes veroordelen of achter de tralies stoppen. Citaat:

Several people in the small town of Dannemora were intimidated by their longtime justice, Thomas R. Buckley, a phone-company repairman who cursed at defendants and jailed them without bail or a trial, state disciplinary officials found. Feuding with a neighbor over her dog’s running loose, he threatened to jail her and ordered the dog killed. “I just follow my own common sense,” Mr. Buckley, in an interview, said of his 13 years on the bench. “And the hell with the law.”

Nog een citaat: Decade after decade and up to this day, people have often been denied fundamental legal rights. Defendants have been jailed illegally. Others have been subjected to racial and sexual bigotry so explicit it seems to come from some other place and time. People have been denied the right to a trial, an impartial judge and the presumption of innocence. (met dank aan Retecool)