On Tuesday, October 18, 2005, at 11:32 AM, P. J. Alling wrote:
Yes, but Jefferson lived in the days of the duel. It was much easier to get satisfaction, or plead self defense if some evil doer released by the courts decided to attack you or your property. Today the state is considered to have failed if it can't perfectly protect all it's good citizens, in spite of the impossibility of the task.
When I had a legal dispute with someone back in the 70s, I wrote to him and suggested we resolve it like all good Virginia gentlemen with a duel. For some reason he didn't like that idea. I never understood why.
Bob
