there's a line in robert newman's history of oil where he explains that the british are easily manipulated by bad propaganda because they are truly uniquely ignorant of their own history.

but, he meant recent history.

there's such a rich legal tradition in the common law, and it really is truly ancient, the last relic of a civilization that was ravagef by conquest and colonialism. conservatives like to be silly and claim we're under ecclesiastical law (which was still roman....) or even straight biblical law, but when liberals point to the romans they're only half right.

the truth is that we have our own damned law, and it's as old as any code is. but, we've passed it down orally over generations, through waves of persecution and destruction.

if we are to reconstruct what we were, tort law is a good place to start.