Comments | fpb: You couldn't make it up dept. no.80: justice not so much blind as cross-eyed

fpb

You couldn't make it up dept. no.80: justice not so much blind as cross-eyed

Jul 12, 2008 14:57

Italy's Court of Last Appeal (Corte di Cassazione) has already featured once or twice in these pages for its, shall we say, interpretative approach to the law. They seem to feature on the front pages of newspapers every third day, and rarely for their wisdom. Now a journalist has just made a collection of the most interesting sentences. Here are ( Read more... )

italy, justice, human folly

Comments 9

sartorias July 12 2008, 14:39:52 UTC

Wow, food for thought...and for stories here.

tashmania July 12 2008, 14:56:56 UTC

You know, as I was reading through this entry, I was getting ready to comment and let you know about the jeans story if you didn't mentioned it, as I figured that no mention would mean it wasn't included by the journalist and that you yourself hadn't heard about it. It is truly horrible, and just plays into the whole area of the victim of such an attack being somehow responsible or consenting in some fanciful way. Ugh.

On a lighter note, I enjoyed most of the others! Especially this: A priest who says Mass at the wrong time must reimburse the faithful who turned up too early or too late. How, it is not clear. I was baffled at this - exactly how would the reimbursement work? Ideas, anyone? :-)

Goodness, I am such a nerd for legal trivia it is untrue. Probably for the best though, I would imagine, all things considered!

fpb July 12 2008, 15:15:06 UTC

The one that struck me was the one about the husband being convicted of calling his wife a "whore" even though she had been one. Suppose we decide - as the writers of jokes already have, it seems - that the word "blonde" means empty-headed and ditzy ("how do you make a blonde's eyes light up? Shine a light in her ear"), would it become illegal to call your Swedish friend a blonde?

verity_forsooth July 12 2008, 17:13:58 UTC

To have sex in an elevator is not public obscenity,

Good heavens. Remind me to take the stairs.

fpb July 12 2008, 20:50:56 UTC

Hmm. I am pretty sure that the presence of a third party would make it public. The point of the sentence is that if two or more (I suppose?) persons have it off in a closed space where nobody else can look, it is not public and therefore does not fall under the heading of public obscenity. Broom cupboards would probably be similarly protected.

rfachir July 12 2008, 22:27:24 UTC

Stairs won't save your innocence - but they'll strengthen your heart against the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, and the odd fried dinner. Watch your step.

fpb July 13 2008, 05:23:22 UTC

Me, I got no choice. I live on the second floor, approached by an outside stair and NO lifts. Which is why my disabled brother can never visit me, even if we both wanted him to - and we would love it.

lyssiae July 12 2008, 17:27:35 UTC

The last two actually made me laugh. Bitterly.

norwyn July 18 2008, 04:34:16 UTC

I would comment on the jeans, but I will have to wait for my blood pressure to stabilize.

OK, if your jeans are tight because you have put on a few pounds & can't buy new ones...are pretty much stuck (no pun) wearing what you have...does this ruling then not discriminate against the poor?

Anyway, thanks for the reminder that America has NOT cornered the market on judicial stupidity.