Miracle Day and the Unexpected Career Choice

[sariagray]

That sounds like a really bizarre children's book.

Anyway.

Earlier this past week, I had my New Employee Orientation. This is extra hilarious, as I'd been a temp there for the past 2.5 years and no one even bothered to show me how the copier worked, let alone the intricacies of policy and grants management.

It started with some lovely stories and speeches from remarkable people. There was a brief history of the agency, too. Finally, a gentleman stood up to have us go through an activity. We would have to go through a host of grant proposals and choose which three we would bid on. I got our group organized and we decided after I did a bit of pro-education persuasion. I loved it; it reminded me of the foreign policy course I took, and the model UN event up at Yale (I was Ireland and in the World Health sector - I had to play around a lot with the WHO). 

 

Then we had a lovely bit of fun going over the policies (child safety, harassment, etc) of the agency. Again, we were given an activity - review a situation and discuss how to manage it based on our policies. Well, one line said something like, "While talking to Paul, you smell alcohol on his breath."

 

The following discussion took place:

 

Coworker 1: Fire him!

Me: There is absolutely no proof that he'd been drinking.

Coworker 2: There could've been an event, he may only have had a glass of wine.

Me: Right. Also, there are diseases that can make one's breath smell like alcohol. Or maybe he used mouthwash. Or maybe we just aren't smelling the right thing.

Coworker 1: What does the policy say?

Legal: *Something about "under the influence"*

Me: Define "under the influence," though? What blood-alcohol levels are we looking at, here?

Legal: Are you a lawyer?

 

I  laughed it off; my ex was in law school and, while I helped her study for her LSATs, edit her briefs, lobby for SBA president, and talk through some of the more ridiculous Law Review articles, I do NOT want to go through that! I am such a lazy ass when it comes to Work I Have To Do With No Immediate Benefit To Me. And I NEVER read textbooks. I couldn't handle those damn monstrosities they expect you to read cover-to-cover in a weekend. Besides, I am an artist! *Flings scarf over shoulder*

 

Then I watched Torchwood last night, and became IRATE when the PC (or whomever) implied (by which I mean "flat out informed") that they were no longer booking for murder because people weren't dead; they were booking for assault, instead. I don't know how the legal system in the UK works, and despite my previous history of the law (mostly centered around the dog bite statutes in Connecticut and the legalities of gender when applied to transgender individuals in sports), I'm still iffy on US law, too, but I have some major issues with this.

 

1) This is a decision for the courts to decide. There would have to be hearings, at least, but most likely a definitive court case brought about by a specific instance. The law would then have to be changed, and this would take time, as the court case would most likely be long and arduous.

 

2) Assault is a very broad charge. Even IF Murder is off the table, there is still Attempted Murder. 

 

3) I can see some forms of manslaughter being taken off the table, as there is no intent. But Murder and/or Attempted Murder? And that's just the vague scope. First-Degree Murder (willful and premeditated), Second-Degree Murder (willful, not premeditated, but also not in a moment of passion), Voluntary Manslaughter (willful, moment of passion), etc. And each state has different terminology and slightly different interpretations (in the US, at any rate). 

 

4) Even if all of the above are removed, new laws and standard procedures would be immediately adapted. There has to be a defining line. If a specific injury, applied with intent, would cause fatality in a victim prior to the miracle, it needs to be treated differently than Assault. Maybe we call it something else, but it needs to be separate and it needs a higher penalty than Assault. This would be seen to with relative speed, I should think.

 

I understand the implications - overcrowding in prisons and police stations caused by a lack of consequences, general anarchy, etc. But the situation just didn't strike me as generally...accurate. 

 

And then I realized that I should probably go to law school. Eventually. Because I love this stuff, and kept wanting the show to go back to it rather than rambling about medical claptrap all of the time. Unless it was the legalities of certain medical practices, or debates brought up on the ethical treatment of patients by law.

 

And then I realized I should look into politics, too.

 

Bachelor's first, though, yes? *Sigh* And can I go to law school without the law school culture? Does that exist somewhere?

 

(I also didn't know that lemonade could ever be...fizzy).

 

 

 

Comments

[miss-bekahrose.livejournal.com]

I kinda knew lemonade could be flat, but yeah... Everyone needs to come visit me and we will have fizzy lemonade!!!! (What else do you guys mix your vodka with, I mean... aside from Orange Juice and Raspberry soda?)

And I love your break-down. At the very least, these attempted murders and non-murder-murders are still creating victims of abuse, and in some cases (like the one we saw last night), patients that will only serve to drain the resources we've got faster.

[sariagray.livejournal.com]

Oh, we mix vodka with tequila, rum, and gin. Or whatever else goes into a Long Island Iced Tea. ;) And...raspberry soda?? I mean, I'm sure it exists, but I've never seen it! I've seen Strawberry and Pineapple, though....

Thank you! You're absolutely right, too, about draining resource. And honestly, to "kill" someone with no one dying seems more like long-term abuse, almost worse than death if they do some crazy damage.

[lawsontl.livejournal.com]

We mix vodka with EVERYTHING, darling. I even use it to make my pie crusts.

[eldarwannabe.livejournal.com]

FIZZY LEMONADE WAS MY FAVORITE DRINK IN THE UK. THEY USE IT FOR MIXERS AND I USED TO JUST BUY BOTTLES AND KEEP THEM BY MY DESK.

It's like sprite, but lemon flavored instead of lemon-lime flavored. It's just a soda, really. I called it "carbonated lemonade" in my head and LOLed a lot. (Lemonade here is really just lemon juice, like apple juice or orange juice, if you really think about it.)

And the sheer amount of legal!fail this show is accumulating is massive. But I theorize that they came up with a concept and sat around a table and brainstormed "what would the end of death change in the world?" And someone tossed out "no more murder charges!" And then they never edited their brainstorm. Classic mistake, silly writers.

[sariagray.livejournal.com]

I DON'T GET IT! When I want fizzy, I have soda! When I don't want fizzy, I have lemonade or iced tea! This breaks my brain!

Yep. I like this brainstorm idea. And I actually want them to get more into legality. And then Martha can come over in her Law & Order : UK capacity. It would be a wonderful crossover! Like, what happens to Wills and Trusts?

Look what I just found! http://law.jrank.org/pages/5982/Death-Dying-Defining-Death-in-Law.html

In the eyes of the law, death is not a continuing event but something that takes place at a precise moment in time. The courts will not wield authority concerning a death. The determination of whether an individual has died, and the way in which this is proved by the person's vital signs, is not a legal decision but rather a medical judgment. The opinion of qualified medical personnel will be taken into consideration by judges when a controversy exists as to whether an individual is still alive or has died.

This has me SO EXCITED!

[eldarwannabe.livejournal.com]

It is soda! Lemon soda! Special British lemon soda that we don't get!

I would like them to discuss the legality in a way that actually makes sense more often, yes. Of course, most of the production staff is British, and they don't get our system so well, bless.

Oooooh, I like your find! Of course, it might not help in this particular case, because not only will doctors probably totally disagree with each other, but there is no way we can pull out a new jury for every case. Of course, if they quickly establish a precedent, they could start applying it pretty quickly...hmmmmm.

[stlscape.livejournal.com]

Of course, most of the production staff is British, and they don't get our system so well, bless.

Honest question here: Are they really? I know several of the writers are American, plus Starz is an American company and is paying the majority of the cost of the show, plus, it's mostly being filmed in the US. I'd really have expected a lot of our WTFs re legality to have been caught before the scripts were approved. (Obviously, I'm wrong in my expectations! LOL)

[eldarwannabe.livejournal.com]

I strongly suspect that a lot of things were developed by British staff (who seem to be far more in the higher-up levels on this) and the Americans were brought in to write episodes. (I have not researched this enough to confirm, it just seems that way to me so far.) Which means that probably the writers were handed plot points (*coughOswasldcough*) and had to deal with it in the show.

Of course, the line that actually sparked this post probably wasn't well-researched by anyone, because it was just supposed to be a throwaway line to introduce conflict and character for Vera. So whatevs, American law system! Anarchy! Hand in the air!

I'm just goin' with it at this point. :)

[fiwen1010.livejournal.com]

My mind is boggling at the fact that you have unfizzy lemonade. Apparently you can get it over here, but I have never seen it. It's the 'posh' version, and in my head the 'posh' version is cloudy lemonade. It's a whole other world.

And the legal fail of Miracle Day. So far we've had legal fail, medical fail, canon fail and weapons fail. Has RTD got a bingo card or something?

[miss-bekahrose.livejournal.com]

I wonder what the prize is for filling out said bingo card... hmmm...

[sariagray.livejournal.com]

A fail!bingo banner to stick on the future DVD covers>

[fiwen1010.livejournal.com]

If he gets the bingo and thereby kills Torchwood, he gets to produce 'Improvised Sex Toy'

(It's a vegetable, but it's one of those vegetables. I cannae remember)

[sariagray.livejournal.com]

Well. I am quite posh! :)

As for all the fails...well. Okay. I am ashamed to admit that even with my mother being a nurse and my father dealing in antique weapons, I don't ever notice the other fails. But I bet he does have a bingo card!

[fiwen1010.livejournal.com]

The things I never knew about you *shakes head* You really have to come and visit and see me do student afternoon tea. It's quiet amusing.

I haven't even see it, so I'm going on rants I've read by People Who Know. Basically the fact that arsenic doesn't work like that and is stupid to use and people can't feel pain if their nerve endings have been destroyed, and the helicopter scene and something in there... I can't remember now, but it was an interesting rant.

[lawsontl.livejournal.com]

Oh, and IT fail. And OpSec fail!

[fiwen1010.livejournal.com]

I forgot those. There was a bit of British Geography fail as well (Cardiff has an airport too), and I'm tempted to give the scene with the steward a point for 'not being homophobic fail'. He must be near a bingo by now, surely?

[eldarwannabe.livejournal.com]

*raises hand*

In all fairness to the show, Cardiff airport doesn't fly planes to the US. I checked the first time I came to the UK. :D

So it might have taken them less time to drive to Heathrow than it would have taken them to get a plane capable of transatlantic flight to Cardiff International. This isn't to say that all of them running off to Cardiff after the beach!attack wasn't completely nonsensical. *shrug*

[stlscape.livejournal.com]

In all fairness to the show, Cardiff airport doesn't fly planes to the US

No, you'd have to take a transatlantic flight from the US to Ireland, then hop over to Cardiff on a smaller plane. It's only 3-3.5 hours on the UK version of an Interstate from Cardiff to Heathrow Airport, so I didn't have any trouble with them driving to Heathrow (and handwaved them emptying an entire overseas flight for four people).

Believe it or not, there're also no direct commercial flights from Cardiff to London (at least not the last time I checked!)

[eldarwannabe.livejournal.com]

Believe it or not, there're also no direct commercial flights from Cardiff to London

That, I didn't know! I mean, it's an awfully short distance to bother with a plane, when the train is probably shorter when you calculate in lines and distances from city centers. But still, somehow I thought there would be one anyway....

I did think it would make more sense for them to commandeer a slightly smaller flight, though. Or maybe sit in the first class at least?

[lawsontl.livejournal.com]

I think our lemonade is more like what you would call a squash over there. It's not sold as a concentrate, though it is sometimes a powder (which I think has very little in common with actual lemons).

Here, a squash is only ever used for categorizing vegetables.

[fiwen1010.livejournal.com]

My mind is honestly blown. Is it just like fresh juice, but faked?

[eldarwannabe.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's like lemon juice, with lots of sugar.

You have no idea how mind-blown I was the first time someone shoved a cup of lemonade in my hand in the UK. o.O

[stlscape.livejournal.com]

Unfizzy lemonade - it's like orange squash, except lemon. Basically some lemon juice with lots of water and sugar.

ETA: as so many have responded above. Guess I should read the whole thread before posting, huh?

[lawsontl.livejournal.com]

AH, been there, done that. I dated a lawyer, then married him despite having far more sense than that :) He did do prosecution work but found it too emotionally draining, moved into domestic relations (not sure that's better, IMHO, but he seems to like it, and it makes us feel insanely functional by comparison to the people on his docket).

It's all byzantine and complex, and it's fascinating teasing sense out of the knots. I can understand the appeal. Who says you can't be an artist as well as an attorney?

[sariagray.livejournal.com]

Yes, prosecution work (from what I've seen) can be draining. Domestic relations sounds interesting. *Googles*

Honestly, you're right - I enjoy writing and acting and, while legal writing is not really my cup of tea, I can completely see the connection between acting and legal work. I think it was more of the perception I once had about law.

[coldwater1010.livejournal.com]

Isn't Sprite just basically fizzy lemonade?

[sariagray.livejournal.com]

Nooo! It's chemically enhanced lemon-lime soda! Lemonade is lots of lemon juice, water, and sugar! TOTALLY different. ;) I swear! lol

[coldwater1010.livejournal.com]

I guess I've just been too distracted by the fact that it's hard to find non-soft biscuits (sorry, cookies)to realise that lemonade wasn't actually fizzy in America (although I still call challenge on the whole Sprite and Mountain Dew thing. They may not want to call it lemonade, but we all know the truth). I guess my priorities are just screwed. But see as much as I rag on Torchwood it does manage to teach something worthwhile every once in a while.

[analineblue.livejournal.com]

I like this law school idea a lot. :D Once, I entertained this possibility, but decided that the idea of bar exams scared me so much, that I could never deal with the pressure, lol. @_@

I actually think I like the idea of understanding laws and researching legal stuff way more than I like the idea of actually being a lawyer though. If you did this, would you want to be like, a criminal lawyer or something? Or... well, I'm still sort of clueless on all the possibilities, but I know there are different things you can do with a law degree these days, so... I wonder what you would do with it. :D

...And fizzy lemonade is still very strange to me. *__*

[sariagray.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the whole studying and being tested bit is putting a major damper on my hopes and dreams.

I think I would go into...legislation, maybe? IDK. I may want to combine it with my non-profit experience, maybe do a bit of International Law. Other than that, I'd probably use it to become Empress of the World a politician? So that you can all bow down before me argue about whether or not I'm doing a Good Job. :D

Fizzy lemonade. First law as Empress a politician will be to abolish the stuff! ;)

[bloodredroses1.livejournal.com]

I'm so with you on the whole they thought it was a great idea but never bothered w/ the research thing but I think that's just kinda RTD's style (and why he ends up with the ginormous plot holes). Would it really hurt to take a little bit of time to get the facts straight so the viewers aren't dumped out of the story because they're going o.O ?

Love, love, love the idea of RTD trying to fill a FAIL!bingo card!

That's 25 squares right? And in just this post y'all have hit on 8 'em. Someone needs to make one so we can keep track or see how good our guesses are as to what else is coming.

And I just remembered another but one that,s so common in TW it barely worth mentioning - editing continuity! fail for the two different hands taking away Rex's phone.

[sariagray.livejournal.com]

It's funny - as I said before, I'm usually clueless about the gaping plot holes until someone points them out to me. But this, for some reason, set off red flashing alarms with sirens in my brain. I didn't even notice that the hands were different. *Headdesk* Oblivious Saria is oblivious, I suppose.

I would like to see this bingo card, and I would definitely like to see the banner he gets if and when he wins!