How do I sleep at night?

I am an ADA. A faithful servant of the People and an instrument of Justice capable of surgical precision. I'm the guy who keeps bad people away from you, the law-abiding model citizens. I could have been a millionaire had I used my license differently but here I am, working hard for you on a meager salary. So yes, I am more than a little bit disturbed when some of you question my career choice. My friend Billy (a privileged cokehead turned still-privileged prison rights advocate) regularly asks me how I sleep at night after condemning people to hell on earth. On whose authority do I get to inflict such pain?

Absolute morality

My job would be a lot easier if actions had inherent and indelible moral characters. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Most of us are endowed with a moral compass, but yours and mine often point in different directions. One man's freedom fighter is another man's terrorist, right? I do not pass a moral judgment when I seek to convict someone. Granted, I sometimes have to act as if the defendant is an evil person guilty of undoubtedly evil deeds, but I would be downright delusional to believe that he/she has actually violated a higher law which transcends the limits of human relativism. That was medieval times. This is now. The defendant is going to jail because he/she broke our rules.

Social Contract

Natural State v. Illusory Human Construct

Conclusion

-- PeterPark - 26 Feb 2010