(CNU Lecture Hall. Special Lecture, Saturday. Must remember to thank librarian for the pleasant time and great info. Special thanks to the students for the lunch.)

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XK-wHSqus9g]

Whew... Thank you for showing up. Heh. I'm honestly that so many of you showed up, but then I remember that those comedies based off the American Legal System are always being performed. I mean, I honestly don't know how much more ridiculous they can make the same plot over and over, but the funny thing is it wasn't that far off from the truth.

First off, you have to understand that the American Empire had no unified legal code. It was divided into many little spheres of influence. What was legal and moral in one area, might be dire heresy and worthy of the death penalty not several miles away. It tended to keep American slaves docile and in their own little spheres, lest they come afoul of one of the spheres of legality that they were ignorant of and be pressed into local service at a work camp.

At the top was the Imperial Law, which were the whims and desires of the rich. Accordingly, they were paid the highest importance in Imperial propaganda. Any soldier who rode with the authority of the Empire had the right to impose this law on the locals. Often this law would contradict local custom, but Imperial rule trumped all in this case. This law tended to shift with the whims of the Senate, who were the hereditary rulers of the various states.

Below that lay the Senatorial Law. This was instituted by the Senators in their various States. Sometimes a Senator would directly oppose the Imperial Law, and it was only in the late Empire that such things became commonplace, but only because popular support was so low for Imperial decrees. The Presidents in particular were a major cause of this, as they began to descend into madness and obsession with pageantry and being worshiped as a god.

Below that was Representative Law, which supposedly was the Common Law. At this level local authorities had the final say, although they were subject to being overridden by anyone who represented the other two Legal tiers.

Finally, below that was the Social Code, which was was a final way that the cults controlled the discourse. The social code was the underlying framework under which anyone not able to be punished by the other legal tiers could still be punished, shamed and tormented. While Social Codes are usually designed to enforce behavior through social pressure, however, American Social Codes were able to enforce compliance through financial, and even forced work camps, all the way up to the death penalty in some cases.

What this lead to is a bewildering variety of laws, customs and enforcement, almost as complicated as American English itself. Whoops, I'm getting a little ahead of myself. What is this strain we're enjoying? (Pause) Hobbit Leaf? Well whatever it is, it's excellent. I think I'm almost out of time, because I'd like to enjoy this lunch with you all, and answer questions while we eat. I'll continue on with how it worked with a few examples next time. We're doing this again, right?

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkbadvaMuXo]