Finding Justice in the American System

America touts itself as the epitome of democracy, human rights, freedoms, justice, and the American Dream. One thing in particular is the focus on finding justice in the court system. While this may be true in many circumstances involving crimes that involve serving a jail term this isn't often the case when it comes to minor infractions, traffic tickets, parking tickets, and other minor incidents. Those of us who have received tickets, whether or not we deserved them, and tried to fight them in court usually find the traffic court judges far less accommodating than we would like. Last week I found myself in one of these courts seeking justice and hoping, just hoping, that somehow I would get lucky.

A little over two months ago, during the middle of December, my buddy Rich and I decided that 12" of fresh powder was too much to pass up, even on a school day. So we packed our gear and drove up to the canyon. Those of you who have driven Little Cottonwood Canyon after a snowstorm know how crazy the roads can get and so as part of preventing people with two door Focuses and Civics from going up the canyon under these conditions the Salt Lake County Sheriffs deputies are often at the bottom screening cars to make sure they have all wheel drive, are 4x4s, or that you have chains and have put them on your vehicle. This was where Rich and I found ourselves on a somewhat snowy day in December. We saw the cops, we knew they were screening, but I had just had brand new studded snow tires put on exactly for these types of driving conditions. (While I recognize studded snow tires are not the same as chains, they are not far off from some of the cars with chains that were traveling that same canyon.) Rich and I thought we might as well give it a try and pulled up to ask the officer if the studded snow tires on my vehicle were sufficient to allow us up the canyon. After all, it never hurts to ask right? Wrong! The man glares at me then asks, "What did the sign say?" Being the smart intellectual that I am and having not read what the sign said since the weather conditions and the placement of the sign make it almost impossible to read coming from the south road I said hesitantly, "4 wheel drive or chains?" At which point he asked for my license, told me to turn my car around and then join him in the front of his vehicle.

Now this is the confusing part. I was baffled as to what he was going to say, why I we were even having this conversation, and what he would cite me for, since I knew I was being cited for something. You never have to sit inside of a police car unless you are going to be cited. They reserve the lectures for the side of the road, usually. As I sat down and watched him pull up my record, I asked why I was getting a ticket and he said it was for failing to abide by posted signs. Whatever. I pulled up to ASK if I could go up the canyon, I hadn't even entered the canyon yet and I'm getting a ticket for "failure to abide the posted signs?" To top it off, the car immediately behind me before I was told to turn around was a Porsche 911, it was allowed up because it was "all wheel drive." I'm sorry but in a snowstorm in a canyon an "all wheel drive" Porsche with only 3 inches of clearance is not going to do so hot, my car would handle just fine, but the officer didn't seem to think that mattered, the Porsche fit the parameters. Ten minutes later I've received my ticket, we've parked the car and just missed the last bus for the next hour up to the blissful powder waiting for us at the Bird. Luckily we were able to hitch a ride, on a vehicle sporting chains, and had an amazing day skiing.

This brings me to last Thursday. I had my court date. I felt the ticket was simply wrong. I understand if the officer doesn't feel that my vehicle is safe to travel the snow covered canyon roads. I can accept that. I can even accept him requiring me to turn around, find a place to park, and find some other way to get up the canyon--even if it takes an extra hour. What I can't accept is receiving a ticket for something that I'm not even sure is illegal. So there I was in court amidst a bunch of other people, most of who were there because they were caught driving on the left side of the road, didn't have a license at all while driving, or didn't have insurance. Also, a majority of these were old, 5-10 years. As I stood in front of the judge she told me my options and suggested that the best option I had was basically a form of pleading "guilty" without actually pleading "guilty." I paused for a moment, asked if there was any way we could talk about having it dismissed altogether or else I would just plead "not guilty" and take my chances at a real trial. Wrong is wrong. Even though the ticket was only $80 and this would take time and effort, I couldn't sit back and let injustice be served. She recommended I talk to a prosecutor and see what we could work out. Short story: I talked to the prosecutor representing the county, he was a third-year law student, he looked at my file and said, "failure to abide posted signs, huh? That usually means running a red light." "Ah, ha" I thought, "that's what that jargon meant." I told that in this circumstance I hadn't run any red lights and wasn't even sure I had done anything illegal. I told him everything I told you and he looked at me quizzically and said, "I'm not even sure that qualifies under that statute." At which point he picked up the 3 inch thick Utah traffic code book--3 inches really, for traffic codes? The one they give you in drivers school is only about 1/4 of an inch thick, at the most. I don't know whether he actually found the section he was looking for or just realized it wasn't worth it, because he closed the book and said, "Yeah, we'll go ahead and dismiss this." I think he realized that if I took it to court there really wouldn't be a legal case.

Back to the Judge. I told her we had decided to dismiss it. She seemed somewhat surprised, the bailiff, also a Salt Lake County Sheriff deputy, voiced some surprise, "what? really." Thankfully, the prosecutor came in, validated what I said. The forms were signed and the two hours I had spent listening to dozens of others voice their concerns and hope for mercy paid off. I walked away free from the ticket, free from any further time commitment, and free from any fines that would have been levied at me. I found justice right where I wanted it to be and in a way it made me believe a little more in our system of government, in our courts, in our judges, and in America. And why shouldn't I? In the end I didn't have to pay for the ticket I never should have received. It all worked.

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem

The city that is often called the center of the world has been on my mind a lot recently. The idea of Jerusalem, the ideal which it represents has finally become clear to me. I was there only 6 months ago and while I was there it was just another city filled with history. To me it was simply another piece of land like any other that exists in this world. It was no different than Paris, Seoul, Tokyo, Moscow, New York, or Cairo. Each has its history; each has its inhabitants, and each has seen its share of violence and conflict. What I couldn’t understand is how so much violence, so much death, and so much conflict has resulted from Jerusalem and from this area of the world. In many ways I still don’t understand but now I at least understand why it happens because now I understand what Jerusalem is suppose to represent. I don’t know why I couldn’t understand it before I traveled to the Middle East, nor understand it while living there and traveling to Jerusalem. However, in the months since being there I have read more about the history of Jerusalem, I’ve talked with others about the conflict that exists, and I’m thought about everything that entails this conflict and this idea of Jerusalem. As I’ve gained a clearer picture of what it represents to each group that has invested itself in Jerusalem it saddens me because it has the possibility of being everything to every group at the same time. It doesn’t have to be a give and take relationship that people view it as. Jerusalem is supposed to be the city of peace. It is suppose to be a holy city. It is suppose to be an example that all people can look to for inspiration. It needs to be all of these again. It can be, if all those invested in it would realize that Jerusalem is nothing without its ideals and when nobody is abiding or living by those ideal then it is meaningless, it is just another piece of land. It is this ideal of Jerusalem that has made it what it is today, a measure of hope for people around the world, but through contorting those ideals to fit specific ideologies it has also become a source of violence and conflict. Jerusalem has the potential to be everything we all want it to be. It has the potential to represent the core values of all people, regardless of ethnicity or religious affiliation. It can once again be the center of the world if all of humanity will work to make it such. I pray that we do.

What is a far-off-place?

I've been back in America for a month now. I don't know if I should continue to write about my experiences and observations now that I'm no longer in a "far-off-place." After all I am just spending another year in Provo studying and working to graduate. I have learned from my summer experience and am trying to get more involved in my weekend life here so that I have more fun and do more exciting things. So far that has worked fairly well for me, a weekend in Bear Lake, an almost weekend to Texas except that Hurricane Ike ruined that for me, and most recently a weekend spent at a cabin in Fremont, somewhere 1.5 hours southeast of Provo. So overall I think I will post the occasional thing that feels fits someway into the topic of my blog, or else maybe I'll just change the topic. For the few of you who actually read it, give me your opinion and that could have a drastic affect on whether or not I continue for the next year.

Until then here's something fun, see how many you can name.

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Created by OnePlusYou

Baptisms in Jordan?

I knew the church had a presence in Jordan but I never thought I would spend the summer witnessing baptism after baptism here. All together I've seen 5 and only one of those was for an 8 year old child of an United States ex-patriot. The rest were all Arab individuals, 3 men who have been attending the branch here in Amman, and one woman from Syria, who had to come to Amman to be baptized. One in particular, Samir, will be a solid member of the church and begin to take more and more leadership roles in the next few years. I admire him greatly for his insight into the gospel, for his dedication, and for the positive influence he has already had on other members of the branch. In particular, I believe the other two men who were baptized reached the point where they wanted to only after seeing Samir take that step and realizing that despite different misgivings they might still have they too could take that leap of faith and be baptized. Seeing all of those has made me so happy and excited about the growth of the gospel here in Jordan, even if it is slow, consists mostly of non-Arabs, and is only one Christian at a time. It's growing.

My favorite was the Syrian lady because it was such a distance she had to travel and she was really nervous about the experience. For her, church had consisted of 4 individuals, herself, the senior missionary couple, and a BYU grad who was studying Arabic in Syria. Coming to Jordan to be baptized was a huge step for her in accepting the gospel but she was concerned about how well she would be accepted, if there would be people there to support her, and if what she was doing would really make a difference. She was surprised to find so many people there, so many of them young Americans, and so many who were excited for her and spoke to her in Arabic. The actual baptism was the best one I had ever seen. In many ways it reminded me of time spent in the Southern United States of America where Evangelicals and other Christians have a sense of excitement about the gospel that exceeds the conservatism of the LDS faith. However, one thing I have realized is when something is excited and needs expressing, even a group of American conservative Mormons will deliver. The minute she came out of the water the entire group of about 50 people who had crowded around the outdoor font in order to get the best view broke into an unadulterated applause reserved for the best music performances. If there could possibly have been an encore to this number one would have been delivered after the applause of the audience but since this was the culminating moment it simply received the praise that it got. I can't really describe the excitement and happiness I felt in the moment when she came up. I knew it was a big step for her but the spontaneous applause made me want to shout for joy and had me thinking of the descending of the Holy Spirit on the people as recorded in the first chapters of Acts. It was a marvelous event and one that will not soon be forgotten amidst my tales of Middle Eastern adventures and experiences.

Hitchhiking

I spent Sunday night and Monday at the Dead Sea enjoying the ultra clean filtered rays of the sun at 400 ft below sea level and the healing properties of a sea filled with far too much salt and other minerals. It was a great end to my summer seeing as the very first weekend I was here in Jordan I went to the Dead Sea, and now on my last weekend as well. It was a fitting end to the summer. As with any trip in that part of the country it is easy to get there because of the bus and taxi situations, but a little more difficult getting back without paying too much money. Our solution is to stand on the side of the highway and hitchhike. My experience with this has been completely positive, not quite what I expect each time, but positive nevertheless. This time we managed a small van with a driver, his son, and another man hauling diapers. They said they were going to Amman and since we were going there too, we climbed in. It turns out that our route to Amman wasn't very direct, but it provided us with some interesting experiences, some great scenery, and one more memory of the people and place that has been my home during the last 3 months.

We started off making a few turns that obviously weren't in the direction of Amman. When I realized this I started paying closer attention just as a precaution but they turned around and talked to us and told us what they were doing. Unfortunately, we don't actually speak Arabic, between the four of us we managed to figure out that they were telling us we had to make a detour before going to Amman. As far as what they actually said, we don't have a clue, but the message was communicated nevertheless, probably mostly by the fact that we weren't on a main road. We ended up in a smaller village and turned down an even smaller and dirtier alley to come to a stop outside a store, at which point we all got out and a few of us helped unload the few bags of diapers that were in the back and then waited for the next step of our journey. A few short conversations and after a bottle of water went around the group we loaded up and were off again. This time we headed up a canyon road to that would eventually bring us into Amman from the North.

Most of this trip was uneventful until our driver suddenly slammed on his breaks and swerved to the right of the road where he sat impatiently for 10 seconds while a half-dozen cars passed us before he put the van in reverse and haphazardly started back down the road we had just come. I looked around trying to figure out what he was doing when I noticed a crate of cucumber looking things sitting out on the side of the road by themselves. Sure, enough our driver jumped out of the car and barely paused to check for traffic as he darted across the road to get the vegetables. Now they were sitting on the ground just waiting and as he picked them up a woman came to the gate of the house, they exchanged a few words but it was obvious that they were extra and just up for grabs. As he returned we had pseudo-cucumbers for everybody, and although they were getting a little too ripe they were quite good. About 30 minutes later we pull over to the side of the road next to a stream. Our three Arab escorts immediately begin washing their hands and faces in the stream and motion for us to do the same. Being the obedient American hitchhikers we were we figured, “hell, why not?” And followed suit. It turns out the stop had another reason equally as valid besides just cooling off the face and head, but they used the stream to fill their water bottles to pour all over the radiator and parts of the engine. Something about being in the middle of a blazing hot desert while driving up a steep winding canyon road required the old van to be cooled off partway through its journey, I can understand that. I found the whole unexpected nature of the stop amusing. The stop, the stream, the washing, and then the cooling off of the car, all during which nobody attempted much conversation, neither them nor us.

In many situations I find that it is just easier to sit back and observe rather than trying to engage in conversation. Likewise, I think they assumed our Arabic wasn't good enough to warrant the effort a conversation would require in attempting to speak words that would be understood by all parties. After our refreshing pit stop, it only took us another 40 minutes and one more stop for some more vegetables, this time at a small roadside stand, before we arrived back in Amman and they dropped us off. We gave them a small amount of money, which they tried to decline, and then we thanked them graciously as we got out of the car.

All together the people in Jordan are more than willing to help out, some more than others, and some for more money than others, but more than willing. My hitchhiking experiences in Jordan have taught me a couple of things. The most important is that people are generally good and very few have ill intentions for you. Sure, they may want something out of the exchange, but since they are providing me with a service I'm more than happy to pay them some money to compensate them for the extra time, gas, and effort that was required to pick me up off the side of a highway in the middle of the desert.

Did I ever wonder if I was completely safe while I was in the car of a complete stranger? Sure, but then I realized that's ridiculous, I get in cars with complete strangers all the time, they are just usually yellow and say “Taxi.” Those experiences aren't always pleasant and they are suppose to be legitimate businesses. Hitchhiking tends to have such a negative connotation associated with it, especially among Americans, and I've realized that it isn't any different from getting in any other type of car, be it a taxi, a bus, or a person willing to pick you up off the side of the road. If you get in enough cars you are bound to have some bad experiences, regardless of whether the drivers are part of a “legitimate” business venture. Hitchhiking just happens to be a way where the interaction is more interesting, and in the end sometimes you end up with a free ride, something you'll almost never get from a taxi, especially along the lonely desert roads. So do I support hitchhiking, absolutely, but it is situational and like any aspect of life when you are about to get into a car with someone you don't know you need to judge the situation and decide if it will be safe whether that be with “public” transportation or “private.”