Out of the Ashes

“We have doctors from the outside begging to come in here. Here, a physician may not become wealthy, but he or she will, in most situations, work regular hours. Ob/gyn people are exceptions. We don't have malpractice suits in the Tri-states. Not as you people know them. A doctor might amputate the wrong leg and get sued—he should be sued. But it has to be something major for a lawsuit in the Tri-states.

“Here, doctors see patients who need to see a doctor, well-trained paramedics take care of the rest. That eases the load quite a bit. You people could have done the same had not the majority of your doctors been mercenary and the people they served sue-happy.

“We have the finest organ bank in the world. I have preached for years that it should be against the law for a person to be lowered into the ground with precious organs intact. That is not permitted here in the Tri-states. Every part of the human body we can use, we take at the moment of death.”

“The patient has no choice in the matter?”

“None.”

“Death with dignity, doctor—is that allowed in this semireligious society?”

“I'll let the sarcastic ‘semireligious’ part of your question slide, sonny. I am not a religious man, personally. Yes, euthanasia is allowed in this society. And it's nobody's business but the patient's—as it should be anywhere. Not all doctors agree with it, naturally; we have diverse philosophies in this society just as you do in yours. Those doctors that don't like the idea don't take part in it. But the right to die, with or without dignity, is a personal choice and right. And no one else's goddamned business.” He walked out of the room.

“Very blunt man,” someone observed.

“But a compassionate one,” Charles Bellford said.

“Mr. Bellford, you used to be a federal judge. You don't look like a judge now.”

Bellford was dressed in ranch pants, western shirt, and cowboy boots. He smiled. “I don't have all those lofty decisions to hand down here, Mr. Charles. I'm a rancher/farmer first, legal officer second. Lawyers and judges don't have much to do in the Tri-states.”

“Sir...” A reporter stood up. “I don't mean to appear ignorant ... but I just don't understand your system of justice here. Surely you have decisions to weigh.”

Bellford shook his head. “I realize this state must come as a shock to most of you. But I have very few decisions to ponder. The people we allow in here are almost always amazed at how smoothly our system runs. It almost runs itself. And it's easily explained: we simply brought the law back to the people.

“You see, I believe—and have for years—that the legal profession tried to keep the law, and themselves, on a plane far above the average person's level of understanding. And they—we—did it deliberately. Gods on high, so to speak, uttering pronouncements in a verbiage beyond the grasp of the nonlegal-educated majority. It was arrogant of us, and that is not the way it is done in the Tri-states. Governor Raines believes that lawyers perpetuate lawyers. I agree with him.

“Our trials are different from those on the outside, but I assure you, one and all, they do not make a mockery of justice.

“You see, we don't believe it's fair or just for the state—as in your system—to throw millions of dollars, highly trained investigators, and fine legal minds into a case, when the defendant is left out in the cold with one attorney and all the bills. That is not justice for all. Even if the accused is proven innocent, beyond the shadow of a doubt, in your system, many times he or she is ruined financially and publicly humiliated—by the press. We just don't believe that is true justice.

“There are no fine points of law here; no tricky legal maneuvering; no deals; no browbeating of witnesses. If a question cannot be fairly answered by a simple yes or no reply from the witness stand, we allow that person to elaborate. Or, one of the judges may stop the witness and take him or her into chambers, along with the attorneys; they'll hash it out there.” He laughed. “You can all see I'm rusty with legal jargon. And so very happy about it.

“As you all know, polygraph and PSE machines are much more accurate than, oh, say ten years ago. And they are used in every case in the Tri-states. Every case. If they leave any doubt, we use drug-induced hypnosis. But a case will seldom go that far.”

“What if I don't want to be subjected to that type of treatment?” he was asked.

“You don't have a choice,” Bellford replied. “By your very refusal, you're admitting a certain amount of guilt. Look, we're dealing, in some cases, with human life; certainly with careers, with families, with dignity, and we want to be certain the right person is punished. And I know, and you people should know, that eyewitnesses are notoriously unreliable. I wish we had a case being tried somewhere in the Tri-states so you could all see our system in action.”

“Sir ... are you telling us that in all of the Tri-states, you aren't trying someone?”

“That is correct. Sorry.”

“That's impossible!”