Imagine, for a moment, that you are an alien intelligence. Your civilization is sufficiently advanced to explore other planets in your galaxy. Between systems of stars like your own, you have detected life. Intrigued by the biosignatures you’ve picked up from across the cosmos, you decide to study Earthlings. One question looms over all your others: How do these creatures not only survive a harsh environment but thrive in social groups that seem to be constantly at each other’s throats? You are not a social scientist. You are a philosopher and so you begin by thinking of the problem broadly. What is it about a given culture that allows its members to live side by side with minimal conflict? Inevitably, you find yourself having to consider not only what is common across populations, but also the things that vary between them. Their Earthly justice systems, for example, which you dub legal assistance in Pueblo, touches on all the things you wished to study. From their origins in tribal societies to their modern iterations, legal aid of the pueblos are easy enough to understand and do much to explain how so many cultures avoid falling into chaos – most of the time. Below is a summary even you would embrace with delight.
What is it that makes people trust and respect their systems of justice? The question is as old as civilization itself and indeed, it is something that you’ve spent most of your time contemplating. Globally, Earthlings use a variety of methods to resolve their conflicts. From those who merely whisper, “Let’s talk this out,” to those who go so far as to imprison entire segments of their populations, their solutions to what you perceive as a universal problem is one that can only be solved by looking at how they group themselves. Consider, for example, a Roman justice system that requires a citizen to swear an oath before a group of men tasked with enforcing their laws. For those who wish to leverage the peacekeeping powers of the government, the penalty for an oath broken is the heavenly avenger, the goddess that brought down the house of Troy to punish the Trojans for breaking their truce with the Greeks. It is no wonder then that humans have such a poetic perspective of justice. To this end, let us focus on the modern concepts of ‘law’ that prevail in many Earthly cultures today.
I would describe ‘legal aid pueblo’ as the acts of ensuring that those with less wealth get access to guidance from someone versed in their legal venue. Literally, it is open to everyone, even if many hurtle through their society like meteors made of metal, body, and soul. One part of this loosely organized group of people I find fascinating. It is but one of the many ways that, despite differences, they resolve their conflicts with the least possible harm.
Despite the ease with which one can navigate the complex structure of human governance, as long as there are sentient beings, there will be conflict. Your studies have shown that there are three major obstacles to accessing justice among Earthlings: Governance Structure, Resources, and Illiteracy.
Much like their galactic counterparts, human governments are broadly organized into three categories: Anarchy, Oligarchy, and Federations. In my observations, anarchy ultimately results in violence while oligarchies are quick to devolve into selective justice. Therefore, in your anti-social evaluations, you choose to center your studies on the models that seem to work best. Even then, as consistency in law is crucial, it is not without error. In the United States, for example, the Supreme Court’s decisions have led to more than a few surprises. One of my more memorable examinations was also one of the more painful. Taylor v. Louisiana and Jim Crow’s remnants allowed for a legal loophole that gave some fathers, the same rights as their nation’s sexual slaves. Even today, in a system that allows for legal aid of the pueblo, the Supreme Court’s rulings show that there are still burdens that my less-fortunate Earthlings are forced to bear.
Assuming that you, like me, value cooperation in the midst of difference, perhaps you would like some practical and earthbound notes on how to benefit from one of legal aid’s greatest experiments in resolving conflict – a legal aid pueblo. In a few simple steps, you can begin to engage with legal aid in a manner worthy of your not-quite-alien status:
As you likely noticed, legal aid pueblo is only one of the many ways that Earthlings organize themselves. If you wish to learn more, I recommend that you read the Frugal Engineer’s post on how legal aid works in Pueblo. The article is a fairytale that will lead you, in concise terminology, to the surreal space where law and order meet human decency.