A recent letter draws some dubious conclusions regarding the story of Les Misérables, the
recent high school musical.
The writer states of the gendarme (policeman) that, “Javert is committed to enforcing the law
no matter how sympathetic the situation might be.” He also notes the lawlessness of the
Thernadiers and the gang activities on the streets of Paris, both of which are met with a blind
eye from the committed Javert. Instead, he is committed heart and soul to pursuing Jean
Valjean whose crime was stealing a loaf of bread, a crime for which he was imprisoned at hard
labor for 19 years.
This illustrates a fundamental disconnect of logic, purpose, empathy and reason. Of course, the
law is important, and should be enforced. However, not all crimes are coequal, and as Gilbert
and Sullivan noted in the operetta “The Mikado,” the punishment should fit the crime.
I believe in the law, but I also believe in moral justice. Doggedly pursing a petty thief while
casting a blind eye to serial felons and prostitutes isn’t the sign of a dedicated public servant. It
is arguably the sign of an individual who has lost any sense of a moral compass and has crossed
over from a rational application of the laws into the irrational madness of a personal vendetta.
It is somewhat ironic that this letter would appear on the opening night of the show, and in the
same issue that an article detailed CCNO’s decision to hold illegal immigrants, in part to “ensure
the regional jail’s financial solvency.” I am afraid that here too, the law is being used less as a
rational correction and more as a rationalization for irrational action.
Personally, I do not support indiscriminate mass deportation. The act costs approximately
$12,000 per individual, and offers no guarantee that once deported they won’t illegally re-
enter. In the current context, it also unjustly lumps asylum seekers in with illegal immigrants.
We seem to be lacking in empathy, compassion and basic reason in addressing many of the
legal problems facing our country.
At present, many seem willing to adopt simplistic solutions to complicated problems, much like
a police officer spending a lifetime chasing a criminal whose crime was to steal bread to feed
his sister’s starving children.
The law should be about justice. When we willingly mistake retribution for justice, everyone
loses.
Brian Barnett
Glendale, Mass.
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We are all descendents of immigrants searching for a better way of life unless your ancesters are Native American.
I would hope the area sheriffs would already be arresting recent immigrants who commit crimes. So… money outranks morality in our area following the lead of the current Administration of this nation?