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(Page 2 of 2) Quoting Protagoras by Dan Bieger
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If every question has two sides, then every resulting response has another two sides and those two new responses have another two sides. Arabian Nights, you know.
"The less-than-Honorable MacTonaka attempts to cloud our minds with extraneous miscellany. It does not matter how many combinations and permutations derive from any given decision, DeepBlueThroat's or our own. Those are for future court's to decide. Our task to simply decide between the two sides of this issue, this current issue, this instant case."
From the far end of the bench, the youngest of the court, he of a mere 64 years, asked in his most innocent voice: "So, the grandchild of this court gets to pay for the sins of its forebears?"
"Ah, Petbe, you old horse," this was the crone again, "you know better than to mix religion and politics." The court had a decent chuckle from this exchange but the Chief was irritated: "Let's stick to the point."
Petbe, unimpressed with the Chief or the crone, came back immediately: "Okay, Chiefie – the Chief Justice winced at this familiarity – let's here you play Solomon. You decide for the plaintiff; you get to figure out how to police the internet and make it stick, how large a Justice Department you want to be able to track and persecute...no, prosecute apparent offenders. You decide for the defendant and you get to figure out how to equitably compensate artist for their labors, if from browsers, than how and to what degree; if from pirates, the penalty and the proof required. What, pray, tell, are you going to do?"
"First, Junior, I am going to make a decision. Then, I am going to tell the Attorney General and the Congress that implementation of the decision is their problem. Then, Junior, I'm going to go home to a good martini."
"But, the people are asking for some guidance, here, Chiefie, old buddy. They are expecting us to act our respective ages and take some responsibility for what we do."
True anger flashed across the Chief's brow but he buried it just as quickly as it appeared: "Well, then, Junior, I suppose we must remind them that we are not the government; they are. ‘Of the people, by the people, and for the people,' remember?"
...
"Okay, now that we've decided, who's going to write the majority opinion?"
The crone cackled but did not volunteer though the four dissenters all had their hands in the air volunteering to write the minority opinion. "Okay, then," the Chief snarled," if all you wusses are wettin' yore pants over this, I'll write the damned opinion but, I'm telling you now, you're all going to stand up to that mike and tell the press why you think I done good. You got that?"
Four heads nodded uncomfortably.
"Who gets to take the question about enforcement?" the Junior Judge asked, a disarming naivete appearing on his countenance. The five judges-in-the-majority looked at each other waiting for a volunteer. Not waiting for a conclusion, the Junior Justice continued:
"How about the follow-up question to that answer: "is the government going to nationalize the web?"
"What the hell are you trying to do, Junior?" There was no tolerance evident in the Chief Justice's question.
"Simply quoting Protagoras, Chiefie, just quoting Protagoras.".
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