Honie Briggs

Odin and Frigg had a son named Baldur, the sworn enemy of middle-aged men. Zeus’s first wife gave him a terrible headache and when their daughter was born, Zeus’s skull split wide open. Jupiter, Neptune, and Pluto walk into a bar…

That one doesn’t end well either, something about Uranus.

See how things get twisted? One ass can ruin it for everyone.

This one may be more believable:

Ma’at and Thoth may be responsible for the phrase, Well, isn’t that a feather in your cap. Ma’at was the wife of Thoth. Yeah, she said I plight my troth to thee, Thoth.

It was Thoth who created picture writings known as hieroglyphs that show Ma’at wearing an ostrich plume in her hair. Thoth was also the local star counter and recorder of all knowledge. Thanks Thoth! Say that ten times fast. Anyway, the judge in Egyptian courts of law, called the priest of Ma’at, began court hearings wearing the feather of Ma’at and gave the feather to the person who won the case. Allegedly.

The history of belief systems and how they influence everything from the measurement of time to the laws that govern human behavior is fascinating. The merging and purging of beliefs and how laws become distorted over time is intriguing. In researching major and minor gods of antiquity, the Code of Hammurabi, the Ten Commandments, even observing the modern obtuse electorate who abuse power, it is clear that being buried alive, burned at the stake, or publicly stoned to death was par for the course for women throughout recorded time. Where’s Charlton Heston when you need him?

Wars, warriors, heroes, evil empires, self-sacrifice, self-preservation, self-righteous pomp, tragic circumstance, pride, prejudice, all part of the modern human vocabulary, all give conquerors the power to carve out exemptions from the law for themselves and whoever submits to the status quo they establish. To the victor go the spoils, an incontrovertible truth, but the muscle flexes only as far as the reflex allows.

What does it mean to flex and reflex when it comes to law? Is the current judicial system working for or against us? Sloppy philosophy suggests we should accept the notion that it’s all good. But is it all good? Does the law serve us or has it become twisted to serve the corrupt? To examine these questions we must recognize how closely legal systems are tied to belief systems. Strongly held beliefs and widely varying points of view stand between law breakers and law makers. We see the carriage, and miscarriage, of justice every day. Which verdicts are which depends on who you ask, but it seems to me we are missing a common understanding of right and wrong.

Modern elected, appointed, or purchased powers-that-be are no different from those of ancient times. Well groomed, their addictions are well fed, some think themselves above the law. They have world-class healthcare, highly trained security, even psychic advisors if they so choose. In other words, us mere mortals, dude, we’re screwed.

I am not the reincarnation of Socrates or Thomas Paine or Charlton Heston. I’m just a person who knows how to read. A person who sees what is and tries to figure out what to change and what to accept. How do I tell the difference? With a calendar.

Disclaimer: If you are some kind of friggin scholar, please don’t bust my chops. This is just for fun. I am in no way stating that any of this is factual. Well, except for the stuff I believe is factual. Good luck trying to figure that out! You might want to have a magic 8 ball handy.