Ethics

Went to an ethics training over the weekend. They are always fun because you find out what you shouldn't do by what outrageous stuff others have done. Fore instance, I discovered that I should not assault the judge, at least while the trial is in progress. If one does one can get suspended. I should not tell my client or their family that their gene pool needs a better filter, at least not in writing. I shouldn't tell the judge to shut up in court either. Also, I should at least try to appear sober when I go to court.

Good to know.

Its just raging hormones

Well its always interesting to handle juvenile cases. This week I had the case of a couple of lovers -- both juvenile -- both girls. The step father of one filed a trespass action against the other.

Oh how I wish I'd had the nerve to tell the judge it was "just a case of raging teenage hormones." But I didn't.

Not bad

This may be the year when we finally come face to face with ourselves; finally just lay back and say it — that we are really just a nation of 220 million used car salesmen with all the money we need to buy guns, and no qualms at all about killing anybody else in the world who tries to make us uncomfortable.

Hunter S. Thompson

Special Plates and the Scarlet Letter

In Ohio the court's can issue special licence plates for people who are found guilty of OVI (what was drunk driving). I started to wonder what the purpose of those plates are. In reality the only purpose is to humiliate the driver.

You need to understand that it doesn't matter who owns the car. Whatever car the person who is convicted of drunk driving has to have the plates (absent a corporate car). So if a husband and wife only own one car in order for the drunk to drive it, it must have those special plates.

Therefore the person who did not commit the crime also has to drive with those plates.

Now all cops have immediate access to the history of the license plate by on car computers or by calling into the dispatcher. Therefore, what is the purpose of the plates? Merely to humiliate and nothing else. I even read that one of the state legislators actually said it would be like a "Scarlett Letter." Of course that would mean that no one in the legislature has actually read or understood the book.

Clearly, our legislature wants to go back to those early days of public humiliation so they can feel all warm and cosy about their brave stance against all things not acceptable to the middle class church goers.

How wrong for so long

This post lays it out (the title I mean). I have always been an admirer of General Butler and his thoughts about the inability of active duty soldiers to think. Apparently the inability to think independently has spread from just active duty military men to all sorts of inactive and never active individuals.

Given our current situation and the way it reflects on our inability as a nation to learn from Vietnam I believe that I can safely quote a very great philosopher (myself): We're fucked.

Stalinist fantasy

"Hello you have reached 1-800-rat-fink. The state of Ohio toll free line for all of you who have a need to turn in your neighbors, friends, family members and just those who have irritated you today.

"Press one to turn in someone you want to accuse of drunk driving.

"Press two to turn in someone you want to accuse of miss treating their children.

"Press three to turn in someone you want to accuse of smoking where the state disapproves.

"Press four to turn in someone you want to accuse of getting high.

"Press five to turn in someone who is not wearing a flag lapel pin.

"Press six to turn in someone who is just not All American enough.

"Press seven to turn in anyone anywhere who might be having a good time."

Yes a one stop phone line for anyone who misses or never got to experience the good times to be had in Stalinist Russia or Red Scare America. Let's not just stop with all those above certainly we can think of many other reasons to turn in our friends and neighbors to the cops.

God bless America.

More Client Follies

It's always interesting when doing custody matters to have both parents with felony drug records. One on probation and one on parole and finally to have one pregnant.

However, the bestest thing of all is when they decide to inform American about their life through the Maurie Pauvich show. Of course that is a step up from Jerry Springer. Although I have had clients on the Springer show too.

There are some clients that make me want to wash my hands when they leave the office. Those would be the sexual predators.

More later.

I got Nothin

No really nothin at all.

Yet More Election Stuff

In looking at how this election cycle is playing out I am reminded of the line from the immortal movie Blazing Saddles: "They are the salt of the earth, the people who made this country. You know morons."

Just thinkin.

Polls and Idiots

So according to the news media Obama has lost about 15% points versus McCain in middle America with white voters. All because of the Rev. Wright's sermons (of course this was before Obama's speech, no polls since the speech).

What idiots we white folks are. How frightened and sad and insecure we are. The great Undecideds can apparently be shoved in whatever direction the current ruling class wants. That ruling class includes the malefactors of great wealth and the media. Oh sad.

We are fucked.

Paragraphs

Ok, what am I doing wrong? Why do the spaces between the paragraphs not appear when I publish? They are here in the create section.

Arrraghhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Speech

Read but haven't actually listened to "The Speech" by Obama. Really good. Most of the criticism of Obama's speech sound like the criticisms of some of Lincoln's speeches. Kind of tinny and not really supported by anything, but the writer's unwillingness to really listen to what was said.

I have read also read the snippets of Rev. Wright''s sermons that caused such a who ra. I don't even care what the rest of the sermons contain. The parts that were presented to show you what a terrible man the rev. is just do not seem all that unreasonable to me. Of course the way he delivered his ideas was certainly abrasive, and probably purposely so; to force people to think and talk about the issues.

He, of course is right: people flew planes into our buildings because of our neo-colonial actions in the mid east and racism is alive and well in this county.

Of course speaking truth to power is never appreciated.

stupid client tricks

Well today I've been watching a video provided by the local sheriff's department courtesy of the local K-Mart Super Store. In it my client pushes a cart filled to over flowing with various items around in circles for a time then right out the front door. Some fun.

Once again if she had only painted an orange "Arrest Me" sign on her back she would have called less attention to herself.

The Preachers

Well I am not at all surprised about the whoha (is that two words?) concerning Obama's preacher. After all you can't really speak truth to power here in this country. You have to be white and a reactionary bigot with a mega church to attack this country ---- safely. You also need to be a reactionary white politician to listen and approve it without any down side, except dirty hippy bloggers pointing it out.

Ah well, to go sort of OT. Do you suppose that McCain's "experience" (it really does need to be put in quotes) consists of dropping napalm on civilians, being tortured (or was that harshly interrogated) while a POW, having his second wife buy him a senate seat, and using that senate seat to back (after pretending to speak truth to power) every reactionary thing the current president wants?

Incidentally, weren't the guys who got us into Vietnam and Iraq just chock full of experience.

Just asking.

God Damn Monday

It started out well enough. I was alive when I got out of bed. From there it went rapidly down hill. First there was the coffee tragedy. Then the fan in the car wouldn't work so while I was driving and screwing with that I took off the neighbor's mail box (and my mirror).

Then to work where I spent two hours trying to install the new Quicken and then transport my files from my old computer to my new one. Is it a surprise to say that didn't work? Now I only have a short cut to Quicken, but I cannot move my file.

Bad juju, karma no good today.

Banks and getting fucked again

Just went over and read Greg Palast at http://www.gregpalast.com/elliot-spitzer-gets-nailed/. Interesting stuff about the unusual take down of Spitzer, which happend at the same time we were bailing out the mortgage companies.

Why do I have to go to a blog to see this shit. Its not even in a blog that gets a great deal of hits. It is certainly in no news paper of note.

What the hell are politics after all

What are politics after all. I mean if I think that you should get a warrant before you listen to my phone calls and you think that you shouldn't, then where is the compromise. Or for instance, if you think we should invade another country and I don't then hey we ought to have a discussion about that whole thing don't you think.

It seems those kind of discussions writ large are what is called politics. So I really do think that bringing issues of war and peace and other important matters into the political area is really what living in a democracy or republic is all about.

If I think my country should go one way and your think that it should go another, then the way we decide the direction of our country is through the political process. Right? Otherwise, one side simply controls the power and doesn't let the other side put forth their position.

Oh wait.

Iraq again

Well I seen that the pentagon report is out and there is no link at all between Iraq and Al Quida. Although, apparently they both did know someone who knew someone. What a surprise.

Why do you think that I knew that sitting here in this little town in southeastern Ohio and none of those big shots in Washington did? Is it just possible that they just wanted to go to war because they wanted to go to war?

You know as cynical as I am I would have thought that they could at least have beat up on a 4th world power without screwing our entire country up in the process. Well it just goes to show how wrong I can be.

Well let's face it at least half of the voters in our country voted for a guy who has screwed up everything he has ever touched. And yet "reporters" still think he is just the greatest thing ever. How is that possible? I mean how stupid can they be and how can I get some of that money?

More Client Fun

"You know its really probably important that you not get arrested fighting your husband's girl friend in the school parking lot. While the custody case is pending. Just saying."

Governors and Senators

So why do you suppose that Spitzer is out and Vitter stays in? Is it just that the cost shocks the morals? It could not be that one is a Democrat and the other a Republican do you? No of course not.

Clients are I guess necessary

An unbelievably stupid and irritating group of clients today.

On the other hand the guy who was charged with assaulting a police officer because he tased the cop and himself should be entertaining.