[video]

[glassinine]

[BUCKLE YOUR SEATBELTS IT'S GONNA BE A BUMPY RIDE
by which I mean no, Edgeworth just has a quiet, calm, thoughtful little tirade for you all]

Good day. I'm acquainted with some of you already; for those whom I do not yet know, my name is Miles Edgeworth, and I work as a prosecutor here. I hope that you will indulge me in listening to a bit of a speech.

I understand that here, as in the previous city - and as in the homes of many of you - there is a tradition of vigilantism. I do not come today to decry vigilantes as criminals; I know that those of you who engaged in such practices almost certainly did so out of a desire to protect your homes, to fight crime that could not otherwise be fought, and the like.

But anyone who is considering returning to such practices here - who is considering becoming a vigilante and acting outside of the law - I beg you all to take a step back for just a moment and examine your actions with a critical eye.

I know that it is easy to resent the law. We like to think of the government as some meddling busybody keeping us from doing what is fun. But laws are never written out of spite. They're written for protection: of you, of your neighbors. At times, they're written to protect people from one another; at times, they're written to protect citizens from the government itself.

Laws are in place to protect people. So if you choose to act as a vigilante, to break the law, what are you doing? You're trespassing against others. You're resisting things that were put in place for the protection of yourself and your neighbor. Police cannot act as freely as vigilantes, but for good reason: they're held in check so that they are answerable to the people and to they cannot do harm to the people.

So I beg of you, any who would turn to vigilantism: consider instead working with the police. Particularly given recent events, the police force here needs those who have remarkable powers to help keep the citizenry safe. You will not be able to act as freely, perhaps, but you will be helping the city - and helping it in a way where you will not run the risk of overstepping your bounds and causing hurt.

Thank you very much for your attention. I welcome any disagreement or debate, and will freely and gladly engage any who wish to speak about this.

Comments

[glassinine]

And that is perhaps sensible. Yet no one can be disarmed.

[beenwaitinglong]

Exactly.

Trigger-happy kids running around with sticks tied to their arms.

[That got really, really mixed somewhere along the line, man.]

[glassinine]

Hm. Yet ultimately - they're not kids, are they?

[beenwaitinglong]

No, worse. Many are adults-- grown men and women full of fear and pride and hope and hate and love and a hundred other types of bitterness, all flavoring their better judgment.

Pretty spooky stuff.

[glassinine]

But also full of maturity and wisdom, with impetuousness tempered with better judgment. For my part, I think I will trust all of them to act intelligently and well.

[beenwaitinglong]

Ha...!

Funny thing for a prosecutor to say.

[glassinine]

There's a saying: "Trust, but verify." I think my personal philosophy is not dissimilar. I will, if necessary, act in my capacity as a prosecutor to bring those who have done ill to justice.

But in the meantime, I will not spend my days being suspicious of those around me. That is a bad way to go through life.

[beenwaitinglong]

I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm suspicious. Merely...

[You get to wait until he's done sipping his coffee.]

[beenwaitinglong]

[Gulp.]

... seasoned with healthy cynicism.

[glassinine]

[Was it truly necessary to drink in the middle of that?]

Comprehensible - and, indeed, rather logical. People falter and fail quite often; to expect them to do so again is reasonable, based upon past patterns.

[beenwaitinglong]

Thanks.

[Totally, Edgeworth. You have no sense of dramatic timing.]

I imagine, in my current position, I'll be representing more than a few of them.

[glassinine]

Indeed so. Are you more confident in your ability to do so now?

[beenwaitinglong]

Just because you choke down a bitter brew doesn't mean you'll order another one.

[glassinine]

I take it that is a no?

[beenwaitinglong]

It's complicated.

Public defense is quite a bit different than being a private defense attorney.

[glassinine]

...I'll confess curiosity, since I've never worked as a public defender. How so?

[beenwaitinglong]

As a private attorney, you have the privilege to accept or deny clients. As a public defender, your clients are assigned, and you generally get two types-- those who can't afford to retain a private attorney, or those who no other attorney will touch.

As you might imagine, one type is usually a lot more palatable than the other.

[glassinine]

...Those whom other attorneys have refused to help are still entitled to a defense.

[beenwaitinglong]

You don't need to tell me that, Mr. Edgeworth.

However, you might understand some hesitance in defending those whose crimes are both evident and occasionally heinous.

[glassinine]

Well. You are speaking with someone who chose to go into prosecution rather than defense. I do understand that.

Have you argued your first case yet?

[beenwaitinglong]

Some men can march in and do it regardless. Some can stand up and say without the slightest hesitance that yes, these people deserve a voice, despite whatever despicable things they may or may not have done. Some men have it committed to heart that though this one may indeed be guilty, the next may not.

I knew such a man once. But I'm hardly so noble as he.

[There's a pause before he answers.]

Yes. The trial is tomorrow.

[glassinine]

Hmph.

[No comment on that first part; Edgeworth knows exactly whom Godot is talking about.]

Who's the defendant?

[beenwaitinglong]

Your average run-of-the-mill bank robber. Caught red-handed in the lobby when he tried to carry too many bags at once and twisted his ankle.

[glassinine]

Ah, yes. I'm acquainted with that case. I hope he's going to plead guilty?

[beenwaitinglong]

Believe me, I tried to convince him. He wants to fight it.