The following article was seen on page one of the RhyDin Post, the tenth of November, 2009.
The Only Way to Be Safe: A system sorely in need of mending Senior Columnist: Darien Fenner
It has been a bad year for the RhyDin Watch.
Since only January of 2009, RhyDin has seen a shocking .07 percent increase in the rate of malicious crime*, a dramatic example of political upheaval, embarrassing displays in the court of law, and overall constabulary fallout in the enforcement personnel itself. Proposition 37, while incredibly controversial, did indeed beg the question: "What kind of security are the citizens of RhyDin guaranteed in a nearly anarchical society, if any at all?"
A renowned thinker back in Earth claimed, "the only way to be safe is to never be secure." The mismanagement and authoritative depreciation of the so-called law enforcement in RhyDin renders this statement as less of a theory and more of peculiarly solid advice. What is security without a foundation of authority' And what is authority without an accomplished system of law"
Take the courts, for instance. The case of Aleta v. RhyDin in September of this year was riddled with humiliating setbacks. Set aside the fact that the defendant's counsel was haplessly without a law degree, or that the co-counsel for the defense lacked even an undergraduate diploma, and was nothing more than a romantic interest. The trial itself might well be considered a farce. Sources indicate that the passing of notes and chatter took place during witness testimonies, which in any other court of law would be directly prohibited and be grounds for a mistrial based on juror bias. All that aside, what ultimately complicated the prosecution's case was a set of tapes that were rendered inadmissible due to the fact that they had been declared doctored by a member of the RhyDin Watch. Apparently the lack of education or of integrity does not only permeate the judicial system, but the law enforcement system as well.
Jamar Finn, arrested for the murder of renowned Prop 37 supporter Diedra Vall, was recently released with a financial damages award. Authorities claim the evidence he was tried with was entirely circumstantial. How appropriate is it, then, that Finn was not only tried, but also convicted, and sentenced to fifteen years in a maximum-security prison' Inside sources claim that the magic signature used in Vall's murder was detected on another victim following his incarceration. What was initially regarded as a triumph for the RhyDin Watch soon turned into an embarrassing display on the part of its employed arcane analysts and state prosecutors.
So with the fumbling ineptitude of the RhyDin courts, just how safe is it in RhyDin" To the Governor's credit, the launch of the RhyDin Air & Space Guard (R.A.S.G.) has been a resounding success.
"Governor Simon has, in his first and second terms, done marvelously for the celestial well-being of RhyDin. The 103rd Vanguard Space Defense Squadron has undoubtedly reduced the amount of pirating and malicious attacks on incoming trade ships," said Frederick Xertian, ten-year pilot of the R.S. Wanderer, a dual-thrust raw material freighter.
Yet, citizens find it difficult to focus on the overall improvement when trouble still persists closer to home.
"That's all well and good that the skies are safe, but what about us" The roof of my business got torn off in the freak thunderstorm of last week. Who's going to pay for that?" exclaimed one concerned RhyDin shop owner.
True, two days after the wake of that devastating storm, it seems the local authorities are still struggling. Volunteers have been called in to account for the Watch deficit. Meanwhile, Governor Simon is nowhere to be found.
"I get the feeling something's going on here," Adrian Benefete, Brighton University Creative Writing professor and mother of three, said. "First with those terrible, unexplained fires, and now this horrible natural disaster" RhyDin hasn't seen something like this for years, and now they are happening one after the other" I'd say the authorities are lying to us."
The authorities do seem to have a lot to answer to. Several murder cases, including the Vall and the lesser-known murder of Geoffrey Stantin are still under investigation by the Watch, which is, sorry to say, still hideously understaffed.
How does RhyDin manage to survive despite the Watch's and judicial shortcomings" Volunteers, apparently. Self-proclaimed and certification-less Watch members patrol the streets on the state's payroll, crutching an already overtaxed system.
So with all the extra help, why is RhyDin still a hotbed of dissension and crime" Crimes such as the serial murders of a one "Masked Man," who has yet to be brought in by police" Criminal behavior such as the thriving drug trade that has yet to be regulated" Already this month, two alchemy shops have opened in the Marketplace without a license; it seems much like the pre Food And Drug Administration years back on Earth, where any charlatan with a "miracle salve" could call himself a doctor. So why, then, are pharmaceuticals still being handed out in the Red Dragon Inn like candy"
The fact of the matter is, authority is a minority in RhyDin. The Town Watch is understaffed, overworked, and the influx of seedy applications is outnumbered by the hasty resignations. Now while Terran government is far from perfect, perhaps the Governor should take a note or two from company regulations. To ensure an adequate and capable trial-by-jury, educated and certified parties are required to argue and preside for a case. Licenses should be granted to alchemical and pharmaceutical vendors on the basis of strict guidelines and scrutiny to prevent the furthering of an already detrimental drug trade. And most importantly, new and better-qualified police are required to keep a better place to live.
Until then, stay scared, RhyDin. We're still a long way from being secure.
*based on a study conducted by the University of Westplace, RhyDin Proper. October, 2009.
The Only Way to Be Safe: A system sorely in need of mending Senior Columnist: Darien Fenner
It has been a bad year for the RhyDin Watch.
Since only January of 2009, RhyDin has seen a shocking .07 percent increase in the rate of malicious crime*, a dramatic example of political upheaval, embarrassing displays in the court of law, and overall constabulary fallout in the enforcement personnel itself. Proposition 37, while incredibly controversial, did indeed beg the question: "What kind of security are the citizens of RhyDin guaranteed in a nearly anarchical society, if any at all?"
A renowned thinker back in Earth claimed, "the only way to be safe is to never be secure." The mismanagement and authoritative depreciation of the so-called law enforcement in RhyDin renders this statement as less of a theory and more of peculiarly solid advice. What is security without a foundation of authority' And what is authority without an accomplished system of law"
Take the courts, for instance. The case of Aleta v. RhyDin in September of this year was riddled with humiliating setbacks. Set aside the fact that the defendant's counsel was haplessly without a law degree, or that the co-counsel for the defense lacked even an undergraduate diploma, and was nothing more than a romantic interest. The trial itself might well be considered a farce. Sources indicate that the passing of notes and chatter took place during witness testimonies, which in any other court of law would be directly prohibited and be grounds for a mistrial based on juror bias. All that aside, what ultimately complicated the prosecution's case was a set of tapes that were rendered inadmissible due to the fact that they had been declared doctored by a member of the RhyDin Watch. Apparently the lack of education or of integrity does not only permeate the judicial system, but the law enforcement system as well.
Jamar Finn, arrested for the murder of renowned Prop 37 supporter Diedra Vall, was recently released with a financial damages award. Authorities claim the evidence he was tried with was entirely circumstantial. How appropriate is it, then, that Finn was not only tried, but also convicted, and sentenced to fifteen years in a maximum-security prison' Inside sources claim that the magic signature used in Vall's murder was detected on another victim following his incarceration. What was initially regarded as a triumph for the RhyDin Watch soon turned into an embarrassing display on the part of its employed arcane analysts and state prosecutors.
So with the fumbling ineptitude of the RhyDin courts, just how safe is it in RhyDin" To the Governor's credit, the launch of the RhyDin Air & Space Guard (R.A.S.G.) has been a resounding success.
"Governor Simon has, in his first and second terms, done marvelously for the celestial well-being of RhyDin. The 103rd Vanguard Space Defense Squadron has undoubtedly reduced the amount of pirating and malicious attacks on incoming trade ships," said Frederick Xertian, ten-year pilot of the R.S. Wanderer, a dual-thrust raw material freighter.
Yet, citizens find it difficult to focus on the overall improvement when trouble still persists closer to home.
"That's all well and good that the skies are safe, but what about us" The roof of my business got torn off in the freak thunderstorm of last week. Who's going to pay for that?" exclaimed one concerned RhyDin shop owner.
True, two days after the wake of that devastating storm, it seems the local authorities are still struggling. Volunteers have been called in to account for the Watch deficit. Meanwhile, Governor Simon is nowhere to be found.
"I get the feeling something's going on here," Adrian Benefete, Brighton University Creative Writing professor and mother of three, said. "First with those terrible, unexplained fires, and now this horrible natural disaster" RhyDin hasn't seen something like this for years, and now they are happening one after the other" I'd say the authorities are lying to us."
The authorities do seem to have a lot to answer to. Several murder cases, including the Vall and the lesser-known murder of Geoffrey Stantin are still under investigation by the Watch, which is, sorry to say, still hideously understaffed.
How does RhyDin manage to survive despite the Watch's and judicial shortcomings" Volunteers, apparently. Self-proclaimed and certification-less Watch members patrol the streets on the state's payroll, crutching an already overtaxed system.
So with all the extra help, why is RhyDin still a hotbed of dissension and crime" Crimes such as the serial murders of a one "Masked Man," who has yet to be brought in by police" Criminal behavior such as the thriving drug trade that has yet to be regulated" Already this month, two alchemy shops have opened in the Marketplace without a license; it seems much like the pre Food And Drug Administration years back on Earth, where any charlatan with a "miracle salve" could call himself a doctor. So why, then, are pharmaceuticals still being handed out in the Red Dragon Inn like candy"
The fact of the matter is, authority is a minority in RhyDin. The Town Watch is understaffed, overworked, and the influx of seedy applications is outnumbered by the hasty resignations. Now while Terran government is far from perfect, perhaps the Governor should take a note or two from company regulations. To ensure an adequate and capable trial-by-jury, educated and certified parties are required to argue and preside for a case. Licenses should be granted to alchemical and pharmaceutical vendors on the basis of strict guidelines and scrutiny to prevent the furthering of an already detrimental drug trade. And most importantly, new and better-qualified police are required to keep a better place to live.
Until then, stay scared, RhyDin. We're still a long way from being secure.
*based on a study conducted by the University of Westplace, RhyDin Proper. October, 2009.