re: This freeze briarcrest thing is BS

Hearsay, as you note, is a very complex area of evidence law. It has application only in certain situations, most particularly in trials, and it is actually fairly difficult to master. Most non-lawyers have no real idea of how it works. Moreover it is a uniquely common law rule. Other legal systems do not have comparable rules regarding hearsay because they don't use lay juries. The hearsay rules were developed out of concern about whether jurors would give undue weight to third party statements not present in court, should such statements be admitted into evidence. Nevertheless, there are all sorts of exceptions to the rule.