Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Might as Well Sue All the Doctors If They Don't Get It Done

One of the really odd things about religious folks, to me, is how they see an omniscient God's benevolent hand in disasters when they suffer a fate less than death, but won't provide the same credit for all the bad that happened. If God is all-powerful and can spare you from dying in the tornado that hit the trailer park, doesn't He bear some blame for your neighbors being sucked away to Oz as well?

Well, finally, one Nebraska state senator - no doubt familiar with tornadoes himself - has had enough and has done what one of my professors advised when somebody hurts you: sue the bastard! OK, so the bastard in this case is God and it's nothing more than a publicity stunt, but still I think it's worth congratulating the senator for aiming high!

Oh, and as Eugene did over at Volokh Conspiracy, I am ethically required to point out that in 1971 a Federal court in Pennsylvania tossed a suit against a similarly unlikely defendant - "Satan and his Staff." The money quote:

We note that the plaintiff has failed to include with his complaint the required form of instructions for the United States Marshal for directions as
to service of process.
Yes - the one-person court used the Royal We, which raises all sorts of other issues

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