Re: \"Stepped up enforcement\" of seat belt law
SteveBenson:
Actually, the term is useage and custom, i.e. a law becomes valid through useage and custom, as opposed to fiat or edict. This is actually written into some state constitutions (Missouri for example) but ignored (obviously) by state functionaries. The reason Louisiana is different is its French heritage.
This English legal concept was the first real "improvement" to legal concepts since Justinian codified Roman law around 550 AD (Iustiniani Institutiones was actually published 533AD). This concept (the common law) was one of England's gifts to the world - inherited from their Saxon tribal background. Lest anyone think such issues are not of importance, take a look at ex-English colonies and their conditions today as compared with ex-French, etc. colonies. The English concept of the common law is a very important reason you have whatever freedoms you have today. The best introduction is Erlich's Blackstone Commentaries (should be available at any large bookstore).
Of course, it is being erroded greatly. Besides the corruption of education, the rise of the **** mentality, the decline of reasoned debate, etc. etc. (all part of a matrix) the self-empowerment and puffed up self importance of the mob in its franic efforts to "level" everything (played to by envy driven politicians) is destroying what was built by the enlightenment. I feel sorry for anyone with kids and grandkids who cares about them. They have no idea what's coming.
JEH
P.S. If you are really interested in the evolution of the law, Iustiniani Institutiones (in latin with english translation) was published by Cornell University Press in 1987. Going back even further the Law of the 12 Tablets is available in the Loeb classical library series (in their original latin with english translation). The original laws of the Roman Republic were engraved on 12 bronze plates that were set up in the roman forum so that all citizens could come and read them and there could be no argument about what they said - how different from today's "laws" which are so complex and convoluted that the average citizen can't even read them. The tablets were destroyed in a sack of Rome, but what they said was quoted by many writers and thus the body of them has been preserved.
JEH
