One indication that the system is indeed an "odd" System is the fact that, popularly, it is believed not to be so, and is portrayed in films and TV as being quite clear enough for Bruce Willis to put it all togther in the nick of time.
Another Odd System is the Justice System when looked at from the angle of rectification and re-establishment of Justice after Justice has gone awry; i.e., pardons being issued to those wrongly convicted.
Texas has pardoned a dead man, a Mr. Cole, for his rape conviction after his death eleven years ago and those DNA tests we hear so much about.
As for the actual perpetrator:
It transpired the man had confessed earlier. He had sent letters to court officials four years before Mr Cole died - but the admission was never followed up.
This seems to be based on the "odd" and well-known truth that if one does not wish to speak to penetrating personal questions posed by law officers, one has something to hide; similarly, one would not be in jail, if one were not somewhere, sometime guilty of something. Proof to the contrary is "odd" in this type of system.
Again, this is portrayed in popular culture as being the exception, not the rule: the confession of the true guilty party leads to heroic and selfless devotion of cold-case cops and Justice prevails.
Instead of outrage, perhaps we should express an abiding interest in why we have "Odd" Systems in place that seem to work oddly, and ask whether we should change them.
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