Democratic Fundamentalism
The Thought Behind the Idea

from The Verdict by Barry Reed

Well, you know so much of the time we’re just lost.

We say please God, tell us what is right. Tell us what is true.

When there is no justice, the rich win, the poor are powerless.

We become tired of hearing people lie. And after a time we become dead. A little dead.

We think of ourselves as victims. And we become victims. We become, we become weak.

We doubt ourselves, we doubt our beliefs, we doubt our institutions. And we doubt the law.

Well today you are the law. You are the law.

Not some book.  Not the lawyers.. Not a marble statue or the trappings of the court.

See. Those are just symbols of our desire to be just... They are in fact a prayer, a fervent, and a frightened prayer.

In my religion they say “Act as if you had faith.. Faith will be given to you.”.

IF.

If we are to have faith in justice we need only to believe in ourselves and act with justice.

See, I believe that there is justice is in our hearts.

From the movie:  The Verdict, by Barry Reed
Screenplay by David Mamet
Summation by Frank Galvin, attorney for the plaintiff
Played by Paul Newman (best actor nomination)
Produced: 1982, 20th Century Fox