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Presumed Ignorant! : Over 400 Cases of Legal Looniness, Daffy Defendants, and Bloopers from the Bench

Presumed Ignorant! : Over 400 Cases of Legal Looniness, Daffy Defendants, and Bloopers from the Bench

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A eye opener for all!
Review: This book has helped me realize how irresponsible I have been towards our government. I used to believe the media when I heard that tax increases will help. I now realize that if any business were to operate like our government, it would have filed bankrupcy a long time ago. We need to become active in our gov. and if it were not for this satire of truth, I would have never learned that. I am also now researching somethings and would like to know where to look. If I could somehow ask Mr Leland H. Gregory, III where to look, that would be tremendously helpful. Thankyou and I hope to hear from ya!~

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Somewhat disappointing
Review: While this book indeed includes many funny or absurd courtroom showings or legislation extracts, it falls short, far short of my expectations towards careful referencing. I would really like to threaten to sue the tea shop in Wisconsin that serves me an apple pie without cheese, but where do I find the actual law? Is it still in effect or has this particular incongruity been dropped? And if I want to sue the friendly Georgian who just slapped my back, where do I find it? If Mr. Gregory really researched and found these absurdities, why didn't he reference them? In effect, I remain ignorant.

Then, not all inclusions in this book are really funny. Apparently, in Cleveland, OH, it is illegal to ride a bike with your hands off the handlebar. Why is this funny? It is a necessary law: riding a bike with your hands off the handlebars is possible, is done (at least here in Switzerland) and is, of course, more dangerous (braking takes much longer and sharp turns are impossible). This law is neither absurd nor unnecessary and only says something about Mr. Gregory's grasp of bicycling, not about the grey matter of whoever passed the law.

Having said all that, it still remains an amusing coffee table book or bathroom reader, and does point the finger at human irrationality gone rampant in US law. (I however believe other nations are not exempt of similar bloopers - they just don't have a market for this type of literary offerings.) If a law against throwing onions at people is the worst gaffe in the US legal system, all is well; but one specific example of an inmate being saved from execution 13 hours before they flipped the switch reminds us of the more serious problems with the US justice. Unfortunately, Mr. Gregory's book deflects our outrage from the important to the frivolous issues - its entertainment value is the only reason I rate it at three stars.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Somewhat disappointing
Review: While this book indeed includes many funny or absurd courtroom showings or legislation extracts, it falls short, far short of my expectations towards careful referencing. I would really like to threaten to sue the tea shop in Wisconsin that serves me an apple pie without cheese, but where do I find the actual law? Is it still in effect or has this particular incongruity been dropped? And if I want to sue the friendly Georgian who just slapped my back, where do I find it? If Mr. Gregory really researched and found these absurdities, why didn't he reference them? In effect, I remain ignorant.

Then, not all inclusions in this book are really funny. Apparently, in Cleveland, OH, it is illegal to ride a bike with your hands off the handlebar. Why is this funny? It is a necessary law: riding a bike with your hands off the handlebars is possible, is done (at least here in Switzerland) and is, of course, more dangerous (braking takes much longer and sharp turns are impossible). This law is neither absurd nor unnecessary and only says something about Mr. Gregory's grasp of bicycling, not about the grey matter of whoever passed the law.

Having said all that, it still remains an amusing coffee table book or bathroom reader, and does point the finger at human irrationality gone rampant in US law. (I however believe other nations are not exempt of similar bloopers - they just don't have a market for this type of literary offerings.) If a law against throwing onions at people is the worst gaffe in the US legal system, all is well; but one specific example of an inmate being saved from execution 13 hours before they flipped the switch reminds us of the more serious problems with the US justice. Unfortunately, Mr. Gregory's book deflects our outrage from the important to the frivolous issues - its entertainment value is the only reason I rate it at three stars.


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