We think it was Dwight Macdonald who said that what gave him the greatest hope for the future of the country was the deeply ingrained tradition of lawlessness. Consider the following:
Justin Greene, a handyman in Chambersburg, PA, attempted to pay his $25-dollar parking ticket with pennies because he deemed the fine high for parking on the wrong side of the street for 10 minutes. Town officials refused to accept the payment on the grounds that federal law designated pennies legal tender only for debts not greater than 25 cents. Greene still hasn’t paid the fine, and is looking for another way to inconvenience the town. (AP, August 14, 2015)
Took down our Rebel flag and peeled the NRA sticker off the front door. We’ve disconnected our home alarm system and quit our candy-ass neighborhood watch. Bought two Pakistani flags on eBay and raised them in the front yard, one at each corner, plus a black flag of ISIS in the center. Now the local police, sheriff, FBI, CIA, NSA, Homeland Security, Secret Service and other agencies are all watching the house 24/7. I’ve never felt safer and we’re saving $49.95 a month. (Facebook posting, February 2016)