Growing

Since the laptop I was to receive has some sort of problem with the wireless card and a new one must be ordered, you are just going to have to take my word on this stuff. Johan is growing famously. At 2 and a half months, he now weighs 13lb 11oz. and is 24.5 inches long. 75th percentile for weight and 90th for length. He either has inherited the tallness of the Scandinavian men in my family, or maybe he's taking after me- I was always the tallest kid in my class until I was about 11 years old. Then I quit growing and everyone else caught up. Johan's doctor is particularly impressed that he gained a pound during the last two weeks while battling ear infections and a nasty cold and cough. Finally, he is officially wearing 3-6 month clothes. I have packed away all of his almost-new, barely worn newborn 0-3 month clothes in a small box and put them in the basement. Don't worry, Johan is not in the box with them.

"That Hurts My Feelings."

It hurts Hillary's feelings when people suggest she is not likeable. And it hurts my feelings when Barack Obama says that he was "committed to public service" and that is why he decided not to be a trial lawyer. (from the Wall Street Journal Law Blog). I feel pretty strongly that the plaintiff's bar and trial lawyers are public servants and that the bad reputation we have is unjust. Trial lawyers are the reason Ford Pintos are no longer driven. We are the reason there are seat belts. We are the reason cancer-causing hormone replacement therapy is no longer standardly prescribed for menopausal women. We give the little guy a voice in a world dominated by powerful insurance companies and lobbyists. The civil justice system is a strange animal- it's hard to explain just why money is used to compensate for physical and mental injuries. No amount of money can make someone's back feel better or give them their leg back or make cancer go away. But it's the remedy the law provides for victims. It also serves as risk management- the looming possibility of a lawsuit makes manufacturers and insurance companies behave more responsibly.

Last night on the news there was a story about a little baby just 12 hours old who was in a warming bed at the hospital. The bed caught on fire and he is now in the ICU trying to recover from 3rd degree burns. Somebody dropped the ball here. Whether it was the manufacturer of the bed or the hospital staff or a combination of both, isn't it justice that the little baby and his family be compensated for their suffering? And isn't it public service for them to have an advocate in their corner, when it is certain that the hospital and manufacturer are going to have powerful advocates in theirs?

There are lots of ways to be involved in "public service." Teaching constitutional law and being a community organizer are admirable occupations. But Obama suggesting that trial lawyers are somehow not public servants is an unfair accusation, plays directly into the misplaced disdain of trial lawyers and the interests of insurance companies, and has made me decide that I will not be voting for him in the primary. In fact, it kind of makes me want to vote for Edwards, as a co-member of ATLA. Power to the people, even those that seek justice in the civil system.

Inexplicable technology

If anyone has an explanation for why some of the photos in the previous post are half-white, besides the fact that Johan is also half-white, I would love to hear them. Also weclome are suggestions how I might fix this (the pictures being half-white). Cheers. Fucking technology.

Some "new" pictures

These are actually not new, but are from New Year's Day. My new laptop should be safe and warm with me in my house by next week, so posting pictures on a regular basis will be a much simpler task, or so I'm told. In other news, it's currently -4 degrees and about -20 wind chill. Not ok.

Like, we are seriously going to get some peace, for real.

In what I can only imagine is a last ditch effort/hope to leave a presidential legacy other than mounting debt and poverty, a generation of young men and women with missing limbs and severe post-traumatic stress disorder, and a government surveillance program that makes the 1950s look like a walk in the park, GWB has announced that he expects to bring peace to the Middle East before he leaves office. I know the prez isn't much of a history buff, but SERIOUSLY. It's been thousands of years. I laughed out loud at hearing GWB's prediction that a millenia-old war would be brought to its happy conclusion by the end of 2008, led by none other than the Champion of Never Ending Military Occupation. Maybe by the end of 2008 I'll have a billion dollars in the bank, Johan will be able to cook dinner for us, and we will declare our national language to be Dutch. These things are just about as likely to happen as Bush leading the way to peace between Israel and Palestine.

Actually, I take that back. Johan held a spoon in his hand for 30 seconds yesterday, bringing him one step closer to cooking me dinner. Thus, of the aforementioned list of things that will NOT happen by the end of 2008, it is more likely that Johan will be able to cook dinner than that Bush will make peace. Although, maybe if Johan can make a really nice dinner and we invited the Israelites and the Palestinians to the table to eat it, they would be so happy that they would forget all about the years and years of fighting and turmoil. While this plan may seem one-dimensional and simpleton, I imagine that it's more complex than anything GWB has up his sleeve.

One thing is for sure. GWB will certainly have a presidential legacy of being the president who made the most absurd, ridiculous, and inane comments during his 8 years. Cheers, you smarmy little idiot.

Civil Procedure...

was the bane of my existence my first year of law school. I didn't find it terribly interesting and I thought the professor was unnecessarily harsh and well, my grades in it were shitty. In fact, after first semester of law school, my Civ Pro grade was the only one posted for awhile and I spent about a week wondering why I had even gone to law school in the first place.

This morning one of the law clerks at my office told me she got a B+ in her Civil Procedure class. This is amazing. I mean, a B+ is an absolutely respectable grade for any law school class, but this girl is Polish- English is, like, her third language or something. I can't imagine taking law school classes or exams in Spanish or any other non-native language. It was hard enough in English. So, major props to the genius who sits in the cubicle down the hall from my office. Now I know who to ask if I ever need to know Civil Procedure or if the world calls my bluff and makes me re-do law school.

Let the Games Begin

Presidential election season. My favorite time of year, or, rather, every 4 years. I am so thrilled about the massive turn-out at the caucuses. Could it be that the citizenry is actually engaged? I so hope that turn-outs at the primaries and the general election are also double what they've ever been before.

I feel so excited for Barack. That a mixed race dude whose middle name is Hussein can win the Iowa caucuses is so incredible. 1965 was not that long ago...I wonder if Johnson ever could have imagined that a mere 43 years after the Voting Rights Act stomped out Jim Crow, a black man would actually be the front runner for president. On MSNBC, the collective thought seemed to be that this was big stuff; an historically important moment. As I watched the returns and looked at my little brown baby Johan, I thought how incredible it would be if the first president his is cognizant of was Barack Obama. (Yes, Johan is smart but I don't think he is quite aware the quagmire that is GWB).

While I love Hillary and will always love Hillary and the rest of the Clinton gang, I will happily acknowledge that there is something special about Barack. He is an amazing speaker in the tradition of Bill Clinton, JFK, RFK. That's something Hillary lacks- despite eloquent words and some good ideas, she lacks that inspiring something that makes shivers run down people's backs when they hear her. I have given her time and money, and I will be happy if she is the nominee.

But I am inspired by Barack. Or, better said, I am inspired by what he has been able to bring out in my fellow Americans. Civic engagement, passion, inspiration.

It's an exciting time. Who needs scripted TV when there's MSNBC? I can't wait for the next 11 months, and then, god-willing, the next 8 years.

Some Truth for the New Year

There is no cause of action against another person just for being rude.

This means that you cannot sue "an Indian from India who sells insurance," even if he was rude to you.

This is not to be construed as legal advice. But, it's the truth, I swear.