Judge Alex

As I was eating lunch today, the TV was showing one of the many reality court shows. I never really warmed up to Judge Judy, who is apparently the highest paid TV personality, but some other ones I can take ... but I digress ... The case was about a lady whose car had been stolen and totaled by the next door neighbor's son, well actually they had a teenage boy visiting from out of town who had apparently driven the scenario. The conversation was something like:

• Judge: well how did they break into the car?
• lady: the door was not locked. where we live we don't even have keys to our front doors, all the doors are open.
  
• Judge [with a smile]: in Florida the only reason you would leave your doors unlocked is that you want to shoot the thief inside the car! well how did they start the car then?
• lady: they turned the keys and started the car.
• Judge: so you had left the keys in the ignition?
• lady: yes, everyone does that. even the police officer who took my statement said he leaves his keys in the ignition when his car is in the driveway.

The judge looked amazed and so did I. But she was telling the truth; the defendant confirmed what she said. He admitted that he had asked his son where his cell phone was and the son had told him what they had done with the car and said that he'd left the phone in the car. A little into the trial she starts crying and when the judge asks why she replies: "well if car theft is their first crime what is their second crime going to be? break into someone's house and put a gun to their head?"
What they described and how they reacted to everything was like a fairytale. So far from reality in my mind! I grew up being told not to forget to lock the second lock on the door. I had heard stories of how my grandparents never had to lock the door but that was by far my closest encounter. Just think how much more tolerable our lives would be if we could just go back and live as peacefully ... I hope these people and their little towns don't go extinct any time soon. Maybe we should preserve them as treasures ...