There ought to be a law against that!

I was travelling for business in a large city in the southern U.S. earlier this week, and found myself standing on observation deck of a large building taking a break by surveying downtown development. The attorney standing next to me pointed out that a very large yacht docked the pier right below us was owned by a visiting eccentric. He proceeded to tell a story.

Apparently, this gentleman was in a business meeting a while back and asked to be excused. "I left my cat in the car and I don't want him to get overheated. I'll be right back." The gentleman returned with a full-grown lion in tow. The beast got a bit animated, mounted the table, and began to roar--much to the alarm of the others present.

The attorney went on to explain that the gentleman has, in fact, several lions which roam around his (very large) yacht. I reacted with incredulity. "Isn't there a law against that?" Apparently not. "Well, there should at least be a local ordinance or something!"

A fellow employee reacted strongly in turn. "Well, I suggest that people who think like that should move to countries--where there are more jails!" (My fellow employee is an ideological conservative deeply involved in the Republican party and the Federalist Society.)

Suddenly, I realized that my law school experience has made me unconsciously "liberal." Something of an epiphany.