Let’s assume we want civil lawsuits to end sooner. If that’s true, Connecticut could make an easy start by placing the request to revise out by the curb near the recyclables. The often months-long saga of the request to revise puts me in mind of the erudite dictionary drafter Samuel Johnson’s pronouncement on the cucumber. Dr. Johnson said it, “should be well sliced, and dressed with pepper and vinegar, and then thrown out, as good for nothing.”

Good for nothing may go too far for the request to revise, but whatever benefit it offers is far outweighed by the time it wastes.