Pop! Bang! Quashed!
Leonard’s Law: The Binding Backfire
They wanted a vote to break up the West,
To put their separation to a grand public test.
So they opened the playbook, sat down with a grin,
And lowered the bar so they’d certainly win!
“Ten percent!” Danielle cried, “It’s a beautiful plan!
Just sign on the line, every woman and man!
“They stripped out the vetting, they rushed it right through,
An automatic pipeline for the chosen few.
But Mitch and lawyer Rath forgot one little thing:
When you automate a law, a trapdoor you spring.
By giving their petition a guaranteed path,
The Crown’s legal duties came rushing right back!
Up stepped Judge Leonard, with the law in her hand,
To point out the treaties that govern the land.
“No vetting? No caution? No checking the route?
You forgot to consult; your petition is out!
“Pop! Bang! Go the guns! Oh, the irony’s sweet,
They aimed for a triumph and shot their own feet.
The shortcut they crafted to hasten the day,
Is the very same trap that blew them away!