I was blessed today in two ways:
1) there are moronic people in Georgia
2) my last name begins with "L"
I had the unique experience of the Fulton County courts in Atlanta, Georgia today. All day, I realized how frustrating this experience could have been, but for some reason I kept seeing so much blessing in it. Just like you might not think that it's a blessing to be unattractive... it can sometimes be a blessing to have people who are morons. Take this lady I encountered today. From the time she entered the building she was talking to anything with ears. She was actually "shushed" twice by the bailiff while in court because she was talking with the guy next to her, and the last time he said, "this is the last time I'm going to tell you". For a moment I wasn't sure if I was in kindergarten or a public courtroom. Since her name began with a letter before mine, she went first. The conversation went something like this (we were to stand and tell the ladies how we pleaded...plead?)
"Guilty"
"You're fine is $200. Do you have that in cash with you?"
"Well, I... well... I don't want to.... I....is there something I can.....someone I can...."
"Do you want to change your plea?"
(In a thick southern accent) "well, I'm guilty of speedin'... I just want to...oh.."
"If you want to speak to judge you have plea not guilty"
"well...I.. um"
"if you want your day in court you have to plea not guilty"
"not guilty"
Imagine that before all this we were told to stand when our name was read, and then we were to say... whatever... standing. So the lady is alternately standing and sitting during this whole charade. The best part about it? It wasn't me.
But I loved being there today. I loved being around such a diverse group of people. When we were going in, one lady was talking about turning off her cell phone, and she said, "I remember when Whitney's phone went off, and the judge made such a big deal about it." Her son was like, "Who?" "Whitney Houston." I chortled to myself. She looks up and me and says, "You remember that?" "No, I just thought that it was funny that you said "Whitney" like you were on a first name basis with her... like she was your homegirl." And we had a good laugh.
We have been talking about constraints to getting out of welfare in my social policy class, and one of the things that we talk about is the web of bureaucracy that so many people face just to get something accomplished. I kept thinking about that today as I spent literally half of my day just going to traffic court. And this was after talking to about ten people about what I should do. I am a fairly smart person, and still, I was just as confused as old foot-in-her-mouth-talk-nonstop girl about what my options, or what the procedure is.
The law makes following rules so hard.
More than anything, though... today, sitting in that courtroom, I kept thinking about sitting before the throne. For some reason that image just kept coming to my mind. As people's names were being read, and they were stating "guilty" or "not guilty" I just couldn't help but get a little over whelmed thinking about what it is going to be like to hear the words, "Don't worry, her name is here in this book. The Lamb's book of Life." When the measure of life is over, really, those words are all that will matter.
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