Loopholes

There is a story that in his last days, W. C. Fields was found reading a Bible. When asked about it, he replied, "I'm looking for loopholes."

It's only human. Show me a rule or policy in a large organization and I will assure you that someone has searched for loopholes. The loopholes can be written or human. The other day, I remembered an informal but elaborate system of surveillance that informed soldiers when a drill sergeant who rigidly inspected rifles was going to take a coffee or bathroom break. That brief period permitted them to get rifles inspected by one of his peers who was either less thorough or less harsh.

So it goes. The loophole in some cases arises when a rule is so poorly written that no one wants its strict enforcement. As a result, it is informally repealed or watered down.

People move around some rules as smoothly as water flows around rocks.