Saturday, November 23, 2002

The constitutional basis of litigation? The New York Times publishes "Is Litigation a Blight, or Built In?", which features law professors who say, in essence, that litigation has become a necessity in a nation where the central government has been hamstrung by a constitutional system which artificially restricts its otherwise all-reaching power. (Link suggested by How Appealing) While countries like Britain, Germany, France or Sweden have a centralized government with powerful regulatory agencies to provide safeguards and with generous social welfare benefits to cushion life's blows, Professor Burke argues, the decentralized American system forces Americans to take their problems to court. So instead of national health care, he says, Americans get proposals for a "patients' bill of rights" that would allow the sick to sue their managed-care companies. They just never quit, do they? 9:15:27 PM     Us and them Here in America, someone raises the question "What kind of car would Jesus drive?" and most of us enjoy a good laugh about the fact that someone would ask such a silly-ass question. In Nigeria, someone asks "What would Muhammad do if he attended the Miss World pageant?" and thousands of yahoos are rioting in the streets, leaving more than 100 people dead.  The contrast could not be more striking. 12:04:57 PM     Why don't we have gods like this? "Followers of the Dalai Lama fear that worshippers of a wrathful Tibetan deity, which often is depicted as a three-eyed warrior riding a snow lion through a sea of boiling blood, are determined to kill their spiritual leader."  (Washington Times) All we have is a Creator and a quiet itinerant teacher.   "The Shugdens worship the 350-year-old deity Dorje Shugden, who typically is depicted wielding a sword, wearing a necklace of 50 severed human heads and baring four fangs as sharp as the ice of a glacier." Jesus. I bet no one messes with these people. 7:49:43 AM

© Copyright 2002 Franco Castalone. Last update: 12/2/2002; 7:49:29 AM.