Some rules are best followed precisely, and others are best looked upon as a mechanism for controlling the most egregious violations.
For example, "no alcohol on the beach". OK, so I'm walking down the beach, quietly with my wife, and in my Yeti cup I have a gin and tonic. I'm minding my own business, I'm bothering nobody. Was that ordinance really aimed at me with the idea that there would be patrols out, spot checking quiet people who aren't causing any problems?
Or, was the ordinance enacted to provide law enforcement with a means to break up loud, raucous gathering, fueled on cans of beer that now litter the sand?
Any rule, foolishly enforced, can become oppressive beyond it's intended effect. People calling in violations simply because they lie outside of the written rule, which are in fact not bothering anybody, are going beyond the scope of what was intended.
|