I believe that there is a direct correlation between equality and justice; empirically proving that belief is something that has thus far eluded me. It stands to reason that for justice to truly exist, everyone must be on an equal basis (perhaps this is why the scale of justice is the icon of the judiciary). Too often, it seems, the notion of preferential treatment being the determinant of so-called justice downplays the importance of equality.
I first started to really ponder this issue when I was in law enforcement and was exposed to the concept of “professional courtesy.” The thinking was that I should look the other way when a witness to an infraction if the perpetrator was able to produce a badge. Only when the violation is so extreme—as in the instance of a Nevada Highway Patrol trooper who recently slammed into another vehicle at 119 m.p.h., killing four, while en route to “dinner”—that it makes cover-up an impossibility does the practice fail to be honored. There are a couple of pictures on my “photos” link showing local Metro and NHP squad cars parked with impunity in no parking zones. When one begins to sense that she or he is above the law in minor matters, what keeps that attitude from generalizing to more major issues?
Because I am employed by the District Attorney, I find myself at the epicenter of Las Vegas’ legal population. Well-dressed attorneys jaywalk, make rolling stops, and do so, I think, in the belief that the law doesn’t apply to them. We’re learning of what happens when this same attitude finds its way into our Congress and White House. Much of what is being done immorally and illegally in our country is by those who really believe that they are above the law. They don’t see themselves as equals with the rest of the population, and their arrogant notion that they are superior to the rest of us corrupts any sense of true justice for the masses.
Oh, I know, I’m just doing some sour grapes rationalizing because I’m not a member of the Bar.
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