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.

Happy New Year

Well it is the new year and we will try to start out with all the good intentions in the world to see if we can post on a regular basis.

The pup is 5-1/2 months old and 87 pounds. He is becoming more and more refined and able to be in company out. He's well on his way to becoming a service dog. More updates later.

Them Brown People Down South

Oops.

OK lets try that again. Chavez in Venezuela and the recent elections there.

Around and around in this country people seem happy that the guy lost and that it appears that he will not be able to run for re-election. Also that his other reforms lost.

It seems to me that whatever happens in any country south of our border is generally negatively affected by the heavy hand of America and our corporations. I mean lets face it the New York Times cheered when Chavez was overthrown (temporarily) a few years ago. At the time they claimed that the plotters were re-installing democracy by over throwing an elected president. How can we believe what they tell us now. We they say it was a victory for democracy that his reforms were defeated.

I wonder how much money was pumped into that election by us (U.S.?) to distort the process. Just askin.

Them Brown People Down South

Social Security or How the Democrats Will Screw Us Again

Once again, almost like clockwork, the Democrats have managed to drag defeat from the jaws of victory.

Obama says that he needs a bi-partisan study group to "fix" social security. It does not need to be fixed, but those inside the beltway seem to think it does. Why do you suppose that is and why do you suppose that the "leaders" (scare quotes) of the Democratic party buy into that idea?

Glad you asked. Damned if I can completely figure it out. Well I do have an answer, but I really don't like it. It is that our rulers (note no ironic quotes) are in the same mental place as the patricians in the ancient Roman Republic at the end of that republic were.

They are on the whole not too bright, not too creative and in love with their own privileges. Their government is a combination of a plutocracy and a kelptacracy with a fair amount of incompetence thrown in. So in the end they will continue to steal from the poor. But what is more important to our country they will steal from the middle class and make them either poor or make them into people who are reasonably paranoid about losing what they have. Turning them (us?) into 21st century fascists. Kicking those who are worse off than we are to try to keep what little we have left after the super wealthy take theirs. Of course, the final result for the patricians was some pretty nasty personal endings once the various Caesars took power. In the end, for those folks the Caesars didn't even come from their own class.

I don't quite understand it, but I can see it. Why can't they?

Global Warming or Climate Change Attitudes if you will

I've been thinking about the arguments about climate change and whether or not human beings are responsible.

Here is my take on the whole thing:

Assume that those who believe that we are responsible for global warming are completely wrong and we are not responsible, but we do what they suggest anyway. What is the end result?

The air is cleaner, people with allergies and asthma and such are not as sickened by the pollution, we cut back on our use of non-renewable natural resources like gas and oil, we create hundreds of thousands of new jobs to produce non-polluting fuels. The air is cleaner, the water is cleaner, and the earth is just a more pleasant place to live.

Now assume that those who believe that we are not responsible for global warming are completely wrong and we are responsible, but we do what they suggest anyway. What is the end result in this case?

The air remains as dirty and polluted as it is now and perhaps becomes worse. People with allergies and asthma and such simply continue to get sick from the polluted air. We continue to to extract non-renewable resources until they are all gone. There are no new jobs in new industries because there are nearly no new industries to supply renewable energy. The air is not cleaner, the water is not cleaner and the world is not a more pleasant place to live. In short we poison ourselves, and maybe destroy humanity and most of the rest of the world.

Just too frustrated

Just too frustrated to post. An attorney general who doesn't know if water boarding is or is not torture. He's voted in by all the Republicans and a not insignificant number of Democrats. None of the senators who are running for president can take the time from their busy schedules to come to the Senate to vote against him (even though they all spoke out against him).

I feel like I am shouting into a very loud wind. What I can see so clearly from my little town in Southeastern Ohio, those incredibly wealthy senators seem to have no clue about. What I am trying to say is that the Democratic congress seems to have lower poll numbers then the President. Still they will not take a stand and try to fight it out. Why in god's name is that?

I would think that they would at least want to follow the votes to more power. They don't even seem to want to do that. Let alone fight for what might be right.

If this is indeed the second time it certainly doesn't seem like a farce.

Further thoughts on cowardly congressmen

I've had a further thought concerning my (Democratic) congressman's response concering giving telecommunication giants retroactive immunity.

That defense comes mighty close to the old German defense: "I was just following orders." I mean lets face it they were just following the president's orders right?

Cowards in Power

I wrote the following to my congressman based on his response to my plea that he not vote for retroactive immunity to the telecommunications industry.

Dear Congressman Space:

I received your response to my request that you vote against retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies.

Quite frankly I am chilled by your response. When you write: "I understand your concerns regarding rewarding companies who may have acted unlawfully, but I also understand the need to protect companies who acted out of compliance with what they believed to be the best interests of our national security" you seem to ignore the great truth upon which our country is based. That truth would be that the rule of law, not of men control.

The president and the companies could have come to the congress and asked that the law be changed. They could have gone to the FISA court and ask for warrants (not a single request for warrants has ever been denied by those courts, if the reports I read are accurate). Instead they chose to break the law because they thought that they knew better. But it goes even farther then that. They thought they could do what they wanted and they did not have to ask permission.

What retroactive immunity would do is not even permit these matters to be investigated and litigated by individuals. We (you and I) are not permitted to know specifically all they did. By granting retroactive immunity you and the rest of congress would effectively close the door on any real investigation of what currently appears to be years of law breaking by this administration and these massive companies. I know that congress could, if it chose investigate, but right now that doesn't appear likely.

I am incredibly disappointed in you and your attitude towards the laws of this County. Those laws are what made our Country great and I see the Bush administration and its allies and enablers in congress breaking them down. I used to wonder how the Roman republic degenerated into the empire of the Caesars. I no longer wonder.

Wars of Peace

I've been thinking about all the wars that the USA has been involved in since I was born in 1946: Korea, Vietnam, Panama, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Sudan, Lebanon, Croatia, Iraq (I'm thinking that there may be more that I haven't remembered).

OK technically they weren't all wars. OK none of them were technically wars. All most all of them were to maintain American hegemony in various parts of the world.

Why is it that we keep thinking that we are defending anything other than our hegemony? Because we are just too exceptional, of course. We would not do that, therefore, we don't. Ergo.