Crim Law Stinks and New Links!

If your wife/husband ever kicks the bucket, don't make the mistake of grieving the wrong way. I don't know if you defense attorneys (I don't know if guys even read this blog anymore) have seen this case yet, but it's pretty crazy.

Basically, there is no evidence that Cynthia Sommer killed her husband. He died of arsenic poisoning. The only evidence that she might have done it is that after he died she went out and partied a lot. She got some breast implants and had a good time. While I admit, this is suspicious grieving, how can anyone say that this is guilty beyond any reasonable doubt? I have lots of reasonable doubts.

I am hosting a poker game at my place this Friday. Ever since my trip to Vegas I've been obsessive about poker. I've read several books on it and I watch it on TV whenever I can. I have poker games on my computer that I play pretty regularly. I thought I would be able to pool together a good number of 2L friends to play with me...but alas that is not the case. Most people are either too busy going out and drinking or just flat out aren't interested. Whatever.

I've fixed my template. Enjoy the long overdue links to these blogs:

GrewUp Rural: The story about a girl, a ferret, and one hilarious secret.

Meg over @ Life, Far Away: This blog details everything you've ever wanted to know about every actor to ever appear in a Tums commercial.

Sadie M Beagle: This is a photo blog devoted entirely to discarded bananas.

My So Called Law School: A blog about a girl in law school that recently learned she is the next in line for the crown of Denmark.

Parens Binubus: The enthralling story of an ex undercover CIA agent who was outed by the President...of the local yacht club.

The Namby Pamby Law Student: This law student won the highly coveted "Mr. Universe" title in the late eighties. Now he's looking to claim the "Mr. Namby Pamby Supreme Court Justice" title. Good luck to you sir.

Not For The Monosyllabic: A blog that documents this brave woman's quest to eliminate all words that contain more than two syllables. I admire her devotion.

Amy @ Buddhastic: Amy writes about what it's like to live in a world full of people that can't get past the fact that she's a bloodthirsty cyborg. Put simply, for her, dating can be hard.

Fast Food Poetry: I don't have to make up something funny for this blog. I kid you not, this is the finest collection of poetry about fast food restaurants you will find online. Read the post from January 27th. This is a writer to watch.

Legally Obsessed: This blog is written by the girl that invented the pencil sharpener. She used most of the royalties on extra toppings at Pizza Hut, now she's using whats left to go to law school.

Okay, I just threw these links down. I'm going to add some more soon. If I forgot you, just let me know and I'll take your request to the committee (the committee is me sitting in front of the TV with a beer).

aLs

Tug O' War Theory

I am, for the first time in my life, dating someone who has a rather strong jealous streak. She is suspicious of most of my female friends and likes to take shots at them whenever they come up in conversation. At first I was flattered. I mean, who doesn't enjoy someone being jealous? However, I quickly realized it's no fun.

I'm tired of being suspected of cheating when I've done nothing to warrant that. I'm also tired of defending my female friends, especially when they have done nothing at all to warrant Girl's ire. She admits that she has a jealous streak, but why doesn't she use that self-knowledge to tone it down a few notches?

I realize that no one is perfect. I also realize that I have plenty of annoying traits myself. However, this is just driving me up the wall.

Tug O' War Theory

I have a theory about the influence of friends and significant others (SO's) when dating is going on. I think that when I am dating, sometimes I feel the struggle between my friends and my SO as a tug of war. Both groups want my time and attention. However, with law school and life, there is only so much time to go around.

Normally these groups will generally get a long and there won't be any tension. Inevitably though, someone starts to feel like they are getting short changed. Then the tug of war begins. The friend or the SO begins pulling in one direction and suddenly a weekly lunch or movie night with a friend gets canceled. The friend gets irritated and begins exerting influence and now a date night is getting dropped in favor of a bar night with friends. This can go back and forth. It's painful for me because I'm in the middle.

Why Girlfriends Lose

Think about it. My friends are entrenched on the other side. They've been building up their influence with me for years. They are time tested and approved. Girlfriends aren't and haven't been. In my book, it takes a girlfriend a long time to be able to out-influence my inner circle of friends in a lot of things. Why would a girlfriend risk alienating friends? Doesn't everyone know that if all the friends start giving a SO the thumbs down, the relationship is almost surely doomed? If dating is a Roman Colosseum, then my friends are the emperor and everyone else who gets to do a thumbs up/thumbs down thingy. It's a good analogy.

In this case, my friends haven't started it, but if the tug of war keeps going, they will be the ones ending it (actually, they're too nice to do that, but I'll do it for them as a proxy).

This is alien territory for me. Can someone with a jealous streak (or has experienced a jealous streak person) give insight?

aLs

The True Cost of War

The True cost of war.

This story choked me up.

Democrat or Republican, many of us have become numb to the war in Iraq. This story reminds us that our friends, neighbors, and relatives are dying over there in that Godforsaken desert.

It's never too late to change your mind. If you are still supporting the war, I suggest you rethink it. Forget and who was right and who was wrong. What is best for America and the troops? Do you really think our best move is to hang out in Iraq for another ten years? You can still be Republican, but join the ranks of Republicans that have regained their sanity and oppose this stupid war.

aLs

JIM WEBB PWNS DUB YAH!!!

Forget the State of the Union. The rebuttal by the Democrats has taken everyone by storm. Nobody can mess with Jim Webb.

Because posting the youtube video directly onto my page slows the loading time for some people, I'm just going to make this a link directly to the page.

Here is a copy of the speech (and a link to the video) that seems to have captured the hearts and minds of the Democratic party and the America that speaks truthfully, honestly, and directly. Good job Jim Webb. Have you considered running for President?

Follow this link for the video.

Good evening.

I'm Senator Jim Webb, from Virginia, where this year we will celebrate the 400th anniversary of the settlement of Jamestown – an event that marked the first step in the long journey that has made us the greatest and most prosperous nation on earth.

It would not be possible in this short amount of time to actually rebut the President's message, nor would it be useful. Let me simply say that we in the Democratic Party hope that this administration is serious about improving education and healthcare for all Americans, and addressing such domestic priorities as restoring the vitality of New Orleans.

Further, this is the seventh time the President has mentioned energy independence in his state of the union message, but for the first time this exchange is taking place in a Congress led by the Democratic Party. We are looking for affirmative solutions that will strengthen our nation by freeing us from our dependence on foreign oil, and spurring a wave of entrepreneurial growth in the form of alternate energy programs. We look forward to working with the President and his party to bring about these changes.

There are two areas where our respective parties have largely stood in contradiction, and I want to take a few minutes to address them tonight. The first relates to how we see the health of our economy – how we measure it, and how we ensure that its benefits are properly shared among all Americans. The second regards our foreign policy – how we might bring the war in Iraq to a proper conclusion that will also allow us to continue to fight the war against international terrorism, and to address other strategic concerns that our country faces around the world.

When one looks at the health of our economy, it's almost as if we are living in two different countries. Some say that things have never been better. The stock market is at an all-time high, and so are corporate profits. But these benefits are not being fairly shared. When I graduated from college, the average corporate CEO made 20 times what the average worker did; today, it's nearly 400 times. In other words, it takes the average worker more than a year to make the money that his or her boss makes in one day.

Wages and salaries for our workers are at all-time lows as a percentage of national wealth, even though the productivity of American workers is the highest in the world. Medical costs have skyrocketed. College tuition rates are off the charts. Our manufacturing base is being dismantled and sent overseas. Good American jobs are being sent along with them.

In short, the middle class of this country, our historic backbone and our best hope for a strong society in the future, is losing its place at the table. Our workers know this, through painful experience. Our white-collar professionals are beginning to understand it, as their jobs start disappearing also. And they expect, rightly, that in this age of globalization, their government has a duty to insist that their concerns be dealt with fairly in the international marketplace.

In the early days of our republic, President Andrew Jackson established an important principle of American-style democracy – that we should measure the health of our society not at its apex, but at its base. Not with the numbers that come out of Wall Street, but with the living conditions that exist on Main Street. We must recapture that spirit today.

And under the leadership of the new Democratic Congress, we are on our way to doing so. The House just passed a minimum wage increase, the first in ten years, and the Senate will soon follow. We've introduced a broad legislative package designed to regain the trust of the American people. We've established a tone of cooperation and consensus that extends beyond party lines. We're working to get the right things done, for the right people and for the right reasons.

With respect to foreign policy, this country has patiently endured a mismanaged war for nearly four years. Many, including myself, warned even before the war began that it was unnecessary, that it would take our energy and attention away from the larger war against terrorism, and that invading and occupying Iraq would leave us strategically vulnerable in the most violent and turbulent corner of the world.

I want to share with all of you a picture that I have carried with me for more than 50 years. This is my father, when he was a young Air Force captain, flying cargo planes during the Berlin Airlift. He sent us the picture from Germany, as we waited for him, back here at home. When I was a small boy, I used to take the picture to bed with me every night, because for more than three years my father was deployed, unable to live with us full-time, serving overseas or in bases where there was no family housing. I still keep it, to remind me of the sacrifices that my mother and others had to make, over and over again, as my father gladly served our country. I was proud to follow in his footsteps, serving as a Marine in Vietnam. My brother did as well, serving as a Marine helicopter pilot. My son has joined the tradition, now serving as an infantry Marine in Iraq.

Like so many other Americans, today and throughout our history, we serve and have served, not for political reasons, but because we love our country. On the political issues – those matters of war and peace, and in some cases of life and death – we trusted the judgment of our national leaders. We hoped that they would be right, that they would measure with accuracy the value of our lives against the enormity of the national interest that might call upon us to go into harm's way.

We owed them our loyalty, as Americans, and we gave it. But they owed us – sound judgment, clear thinking, concern for our welfare, a guarantee that the threat to our country was equal to the price we might be called upon to pay in defending it.

The President took us into this war recklessly. He disregarded warnings from the national security adviser during the first Gulf War, the chief of staff of the army, two former commanding generals of the Central Command, whose jurisdiction includes Iraq, the director of operations on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and many, many others with great integrity and long experience in national security affairs. We are now, as a nation, held hostage to the predictable – and predicted – disarray that has followed.

The war's costs to our nation have been staggering.
Financially.
The damage to our reputation around the world.
The lost opportunities to defeat the forces of international terrorism.
And especially the precious blood of our citizens who have stepped forward to serve.

The majority of the nation no longer supports the way this war is being fought; nor does the majority of our military. We need a new direction. Not one step back from the war against international terrorism. Not a precipitous withdrawal that ignores the possibility of further chaos. But an immediate shift toward strong regionally-based diplomacy, a policy that takes our soldiers off the streets of Iraq's cities, and a formula that will in short order allow our combat forces to leave Iraq.

On both of these vital issues, our economy and our national security, it falls upon those of us in elected office to take action.

Regarding the economic imbalance in our country, I am reminded of the situation President Theodore Roosevelt faced in the early days of the 20th century. America was then, as now, drifting apart along class lines. The so-called robber barons were unapologetically raking in a huge percentage of the national wealth. The dispossessed workers at the bottom were threatening revolt.

Roosevelt spoke strongly against these divisions. He told his fellow Republicans that they must set themselves "as resolutely against improper corporate influence on the one hand as against demagogy and mob rule on the other." And he did something about it.

As I look at Iraq, I recall the words of former general and soon-to-be President Dwight Eisenhower during the dark days of the Korean War, which had fallen into a bloody stalemate. "When comes the end?" asked the General who had commanded our forces in Europe during World War Two. And as soon as he became President, he brought the Korean War to an end.

These Presidents took the right kind of action, for the benefit of the American people and for the health of our relations around the world. Tonight we are calling on this President to take similar action, in both areas. If he does, we will join him. If he does not, we will be showing him the way.

Thank you for listening. And God bless America.

Viral Videos

Every one of these is great. Don't miss out.









aLs

I H8 Valentines Day and Michigan Judges Suck

Valentines day sits off on the horizon somewhere. I have a better name for it. I like to refer to Valentines day as "Girlfriend/Wife Tax Day." It is not an equal holiday. It is a holiday in which men are taxed for the pleasure of having a girlfriend/wife. And Why? Nobody can tell me why Valentines day should matter at all. The only reason anyone pays any attention to it is because the ladies (excuse my generalizations) like to be able to say to their lady friends "my billy bought me a million roses and read poetry to me on top of Mount Pearl while he shoved chocolate strawberries in my mouth." Sheesh, I wonder what he'll do next year.

There are too many holidays. For the married man, off the top of my head, here is when he has to buy presents, and God help him if he forgets about any of these days.

1. Valentines Day
2. Birth Day
3. Easter?!
4. Anniversary
5. Christmas
6. Mother's Day (if she's a mom)

That's a present every two months! I'm going to start buying people memberships in the "salt of the month" club.

In other news, CNN sums it up real well when it says "The notion of black-robed judges as symbols of decorum and civility seems almost laughable these days in Michigan." The members of the Supreme Court of Michigan are hitting each other with gag orders, calling each other names, and squabbling in front of the public. The ones doing the infighting are the flaming republican Justices of the Court. The two democrats appear to be sitting on the side lines rolling their eyes (and maybe asking themselves if they could get onto the Supreme Court of Maine or Wisconsin or anywhere else at this point). Anyways, all this is to say, everyone involved should be absolutely ashamed. Why hasn't the bar punished these judges? Is it because the Justices control the bar? What is going on here?

Ciao, school time.

aLs

The Spring Lineup

I'm not a fan of the death penalty. I'm not for it, but I can't make myself totally come out against it. If I was judge, jury, and executioner, I think this asshole would find himself in front of a firing squad. The crimes that I have no remorse for are sexual crimes. F*ck this guy, I hope he burns in hell. I would never, in a million years, be able to defend someone like this. Mind you, I am not taking a shot at defense lawyers, I'm just saying that I am totally incapable of being around someone like this and keeping my sanity. Thanks to Elle for the link.

A democrat in NY is trying to protect me from the dangerous video games out there. Representative Keith Wright believes that minors should not be allowed to purchase any game that depict, advocate, or glamorize commission of violent crimes, drug use, suicide, sexual violence, violent racism, or religious violence. The bill would also require stores to create a special "adult" area to house the games that this bill covers (all games basically). Furthermore, all game buyers that appear to be under 30 will have to be carded.

I guess this is something that the ultra conservatives and those few asshole democrats out there can get together on. Beat up on video games. I mean, it's not like movies have drug use, sexual content, or suicide...right? I mean, the normal kid can't see this stuff on cable any time of day, am I correct?

I hope you fall in front of a bus Mr. Wright. Your bill couldn't pass legal muster, not in a million years. Why don't you go do something legitimate and leave us gamers alone.

Here are my classes for this semester and my thoughts:

1. Evidence: There's a reason this class is feared by most law students. As I sit in this class, I fear that I have awakened a giant and filled him with resolve (where did I get that from? I hope someone knows). Anyways, there is no doubt in my mind that this will be the most difficult course of my semester.

2. Labor Law: The professor is a knockout. The class is off to a very interesting start. Did you know that the governor of Idaho was murdered by an angry union in the early 1900's? It's true. My favorite moment so far in this class:

Professor: So, when you want to start a union, who you gonna call?
Me and Law Student Sitting Next To Me: GHOSTBUSTERS!!!
Professor: Ummmnnn, no....not ghostbusters, but good guess.

3. Zoning: There are two professors in this course. They are both very nice people. The guy who seems to be in charge has an ultra soothing voice. When he starts talking about zoning all I can think about is how comfortable my desk looks. I'd like to zone my desk into a pillow only area.

4. Landlord Tenant Law: I originally took this class to help me at my job...the job I no longer have. I was let go, did I tell you that? Anyways, the professor seems nice and the class comes off like it will be ultra low pressure.

5. Legal Writing: This class is My enemy. I have teamed up with Eggs Bennedict, another law student whose legal writing abilities supersede mine by quite a lot. My strategy for this semester will be to tackle this paper as soon as possible and have it out of my way. I'm glad that I will never see this class again after this semester. Legal Writing makes me want to jump off a bridge. Maybe I'll like it more in the real world than in a classroom setting, but for now, I hates it good.

Ever been in a relationship and had trouble dealing with the other person having friends of the opposite sex?

aLs

Oh No He Dih'hint

Cry Havoc! And Let Slip the Landlords of War!

My Landlord must have shoved another piece of coal (that's how he makes diamonds) up his ass. A few weeks ago I put a sign on my door that said, "Warm Beer, Cold Food, Come On In!"

This morning I found a "10 Day Comply Or Quit The Premises Notice" stuck to the front of my door. It claimed (correctly) that my lease forbids placing any signs on my door or windows. In fact, it forbids me placing anything on any of my door or windows pretty much. I noticed, as I was reading the notice, that many of my neighbors doors still had wreaths from Christmas that they had not taken down yet. I glanced at my lease, and those wreaths are just as against the rules as my sign was. Yet, they are allowed to be up.

I won't be warring this time. My LL has me, though it annoys me that he actually cared enough to post this warning. I have no doubt that he's trying to antagonize me.

I'm going to give a description of all my new classes here in a day or two.

aLs

Some News! And, Namby Pamby Is Correct

A mom is accused of putting her child in an oven and turning it on. She then left the apartment to go fight with her boyfriend. Now, liberal as I am....I just want to punish the hell out of someone for something like this. I think an extended stay in the pokey would be appropriate for this gruesome attempted murder.

Maybe at the end of her stay we can have a roundtable discussion about feelings and shit.

Ranking much higher on the stupidity scale is Andrew Erickson. Mr. Erickson turned in a CD that was supposed to have his final paper burned onto it. When his professor examined the CD, he found child porn. Erickson later attempted to retrieve the CD from the professor, but failed. The police raided Erickson's apartment and found "more evidence."

I would think that one of the most important rules for being an accomplished pedophile would be to keep everything clearly labeled and organized. That way, silly little mixups like this don't happen. Oh well, I'm sure when you get out of prison (as a newly minted sex offender) you'll remember this lesson Andrew.

Namby Pamby is right of course. Alaska does not have a "slight" majority of republicans. It has a large majority. I would say 3/5. In Alaska's defense, most of those republicans live in Anchorage. Anchorage is different from the rest of Alaska....in that...it's not....like the rest of Alaska at all. People like to call Anchorage "North Seattle" as a joke. It's where all the 48ers move when they come to Alaska. If only it was something like Seattle, then atleast it would vote intelligently. Oh well.

aLs

Alaska Should Be Ashamed

Alaskans (the slight republican majority of them atleast) are busy being greedy again. The Bristol Bay Fishery has been opened to Big Oil. We are going to risk one of the worlds most important fisheries just for a few million barrels of oil. It'll only take one screw up to ruin the entire thing...It's too bad that Alaska has just enough people who don't care about its long term future (they're just carpetbaggers from the 48's there to make quick cash). Anyways, these quotes put it best...also, here's the story.

Bristol Bay is one the most important fisheries in America and in the world, Sierra Club director Carl Pope said in a statement. "It's incredibly reckless to risk such an outstanding natural resource just to satisfy Big Oil."

It's outrageous. It's a sad day for Bristol Bay, added Eric Siy, executive director of the Alaska Marine Conservation Council.

It's one of the largest and most valuable commercial fisheries in the world," said Siy. "And precisely where they intend to drill and site rigs is the critical habitat, feeding grounds of the North Pacific Right Whale, one of the most endangered on Earth.

Enjoy the extra cash in the budget, assholes.

aLs

Where Have I Been?

As several of my friends have pointed out, I haven't been very available. Girl has been over here a lot, making blogging/chatting impossible. I don't want her to find this blog and I think chatting is risky because who knows what people are going to say to me online.

I haven't said anything bad about her on here, but I'd rather the site remain anonymous to her for many reasons. First off, she's a law student. Second, I like her, but I don't want her to have a portal into my head. Thirdly, I don't know how long we're going to last. Maybe we'll be together a year from now, maybe not, but I can't risk letting her see this blog and then ending up in a messy lawschool breakup.

So my grades came back. Remember when I said "A chill wind blows?" Well I was wrong. I swear to you that I wasn't crying wolf, but I was wrong somehow. I may have scored the top grade in my Con Law II class. I did very well in Wills & Trusts, ditto for Community Property. My grade in Professional Responsibility was good and my legal writing grade wasn't that bad either.

Actually, it was the highest gpa I have had so far in any semester of law school. Yay for me.

I'm thinking of getting a new car. My car George is dying. I want to sell him before he dies all the way.

My brother got a job as a paramedic in Tulsa. They are paying him a sign-on bonus and he's getting a moving stipend. I'm really happy for him. His wife M was pretty cool too, I met her over break.

Tomorrow is my first day of classes. I think it's a zoning class. Doesn't that sound exciting!

Question: Is it weird to put up a personal for a good friend?

Wait a Second

But I might be able to say "I love you" to her. She's a great girl and I really enjoy being around her. It's just that, after the gut wrenching pain of ending the last relationship, I have kind of closed myself off to this kind of stuff.

I think that as long as I think there's a possibility that I could fall in love, it is not wrong to keep things going.

What do you say to that?

aLs