They smell bad and give me indigestion (no, not my errant allies — see one-breath punditry below). Yet,
I always smile and think deep thoughts when Canadian haijin DeVar Dahl writes about them:
. . .. . .
it’s not swearing
it’s the only language
those cows understand
my best moo
all the cows
stop and look
harvest moon
somebody’s cow moos
and moos and moos
from the (wonderful) anthology A Piece of Egg Shell
(Magpie Haiku Poets, 2004, to order email
cover art by Ken Richardson
by dagosan:
the stale air
of an old man’s home —
opening my front door
[Oct. 21, 2004]
An Admission by the Editor: I expect more integrity and fairness from my allies than my opponents. That has often left me quite disappointed, even if no longer surprised. Here are first examples that made big impressions on me:
+ The first time I ever saw the use of character assasination — fellow anti-Vietnam-War protestors, 1965.
+ The first time I ever saw closeup the skewing of a statistic to exaggerate the extent of a problem —
domestic violence opponents defining domestic abuse to include “verbal abuse” (a dozen yers ago)
+ The first time I ever heard hissing to drown out a teacher’s unpopular opinion — feminist law students, 1974.
Of course, I see more transgressions by liberals, since I hang around them more. Because I continue to hope my political allies will use evenhanded analysis and tactics, TalkLeft‘s decision to cut off only long-winded opposing views irks me –as does my web-buddy Mad Kane‘s decision, like TalkLeft‘s, to only post from the anti-Republican side of the “Mary Cheney debate” debate. Hat tip to Rick Klau for calling it likes he sees it. [Prof. B is also abashed by antics of his allies.]
I’m also embarrassed by the lefty Television Luddites who think it would be so cool to use the off-button-only, universal remote TV-B-Gone to turn off other people’s television sets. (interesting commentary and comments at Stupid Evil Bastard; via Inter Alia) The arguments of the anti-TV crowd about the value of TV content would equally apply to publication media of all types — seen any Best-Seller Book Lists lately?.
Pit Bull Update (6 PM): Marc Chandler reports that Pape & Chandler received notice today (Oct. 21) from the Florida Bar that it would seek review of the decision in Florida Bar v. John Pape and Marc Chandler. The stubborn and misguided Bar is being as tenacious (nasty?) as a pit bull.
Good News: Legal Reader posts on the $1.8 million dollar fine imposed on California lawyer Harpreet Brar for filing frivolous “nuisance suits” against small businesses under California consumer protection law. (details)
Denise Howell, Walter Olson and Martin Grace (who quotes Justice Douglas on trees, and frets over mosquitos in “Dang!“) I just finished Stephen J. Cannell’s Runaway Heart, which deals with the standing issue for non-humans, and features a rumpled, tree-hugger lawyer, his gorgeous paralegal daughter, bad-guy Big-Business and Government, a hard-boiled private eye, and more. Fun read. If Cannell got the standing law wrong, please let me know.
If you like real-life lawyer-government intrigue, check out Declarations & Exclusions and a tort et a travers on the California insurance brokerage litigation situation.
Apologies to any visitor who tried to click my broken link to the full version of “synonyms ain’t sins.” It’s fixed.
Media Recon Project for Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Every October, in media throughout the country, both old and new, two statements are repeated so often they’ve almost become a mantra for domestic violence:
“95% of the victims of domestic violence are women,” and “every nine seconds a woman is battered.”
Often, they take a prominent place in an article or website, and have even been used as a headline or lead. The problem with both of these statements is that they simply have no basis in fact.
Reporters believe them, because they are usually stated by a spokesperson for a women’s shelter, or other service in aid of domestic violence victims. The fact that these statements seem to have taken on lives of their own does not make them any more credible. They are untrue, which is misleading to the public, and ultimately misrepresents the real picture of the issue.
These urban legends are debunked here:
http://desertlightjournal.blog-city.com/read/867130.htm
and here
http://desertlightjournal.blog-city.com/read/867233.htm
Comment by Trudy W. Schuett — October 21, 2004 @ 5:21 pm
Media Recon Project for Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Every October, in media throughout the country, both old and new, two statements are repeated so often they’ve almost become a mantra for domestic violence:
“95% of the victims of domestic violence are women,” and “every nine seconds a woman is battered.”
Often, they take a prominent place in an article or website, and have even been used as a headline or lead. The problem with both of these statements is that they simply have no basis in fact.
Reporters believe them, because they are usually stated by a spokesperson for a women’s shelter, or other service in aid of domestic violence victims. The fact that these statements seem to have taken on lives of their own does not make them any more credible. They are untrue, which is misleading to the public, and ultimately misrepresents the real picture of the issue.
These urban legends are debunked here:
http://desertlightjournal.blog-city.com/read/867130.htm
and here
http://desertlightjournal.blog-city.com/read/867233.htm
Comment by Trudy W. Schuett — October 21, 2004 @ 5:21 pm
Thank you for the information, Trudy.
Although I hope it does not need to be said, but I’ll say it anyway: Real domestic violence is a serious social problem and needs to be addressed continually. As a Law Guardian, I always believed that making sure the custodian is protected from physical abuse and threats is a very important way to protect children.
Comment by David Giacalone — October 21, 2004 @ 7:21 pm
Thank you for the information, Trudy.
Although I hope it does not need to be said, but I’ll say it anyway: Real domestic violence is a serious social problem and needs to be addressed continually. As a Law Guardian, I always believed that making sure the custodian is protected from physical abuse and threats is a very important way to protect children.
Comment by David Giacalone — October 21, 2004 @ 7:21 pm