The rest of this work week is gonna be a doozy. You know how it is when you are taking a vacation, and plan on being out of the office for more than a day or two ... the good news is that I'll be leaving my office Blackberry at home, because no one is going to be able to reach me out there on the high seas ... the bad news is, no one is going to be able to reach me, so when I return I'm going to have to deal with a couple of hundred emails. Normally, I check the Blackberry several times a day, whether it is a weekend or a local vacation, because I don't like surprises and would rather take a few minutes to deal with any issues right there and then. But starting Saturday, and for the entire following week, I am going to be in a Dead Zone, sort of like that strip of Irlo Bronson Highway where almost all of the restaurants and businesses have closed down. Now that's a cheery thought. No really, it is.
The other good news is that I do not practice in Orange County and therefore have no reason whatsoever to be anywhere in the vicinity of the Orange County Courthouse, because Tuesday is the day that the Casey Anthony murder trial begins. If you are a local, you know more about this case than you ever wanted to know. If you are not local, consider yourself lucky, because this has been dragging on for almost three years, sucking the life out of the court system and the media. Also consider yourself lucky that you are not one of the 17 people who are going to be sequestered for the next two months. This jury of 12, with alternates, was chosen from a pool out in Pinellas County, in an attempt to find jurors who had not been inundated by the never-ending news reports. It took eleven days to complete jury selection under the watchful eye of Ninth Circuit Chief Judge Belvin Perry. Now these folks are coming to Disneyworld, so to speak, except they're not going to be able to see Mickey Mouse. Or the evening news, for that matter.
I have two half day trials of my own this week, involving no juries and no media blitz. That's the way I like to practice law. Flying under the radar. That doesn't mean I won't be following the Casey Anthony trial ... it just means I'm damn glad I'm not one of the participants.
Which moves me towards another topic - television ads for lawyers. I hate them. Same thing with billboards. Call me old-fashioned, but I don't think attorneys should involve themselves in that sort of advertising. It just seems so very demeaning to our profession, which has already taken more than a few shots over the years. Some of those attorneys develop a REALLY big head over time. If you live in Orlando/Kissimmee area, I think you know exactly who I mean. You simply can't miss his REALLY big head.
Back to attorneys with REALLY big heads - well, Jose' Baez has given his opening statements in the Casey Anthony murder trial. Let me just say that there was nothing reasonable about the doubt he was trying to create. It was a fairy tale for the jury, but if he can't prove his assertions, his client is going to the Big House. The only way I think he can even try to prove what he claimed he could prove during opening would be to put his client on the stand. Which would open her to cross examination by one of the state attorneys. Which would guarantee she'd be going to the Big House. Incidentally, I loved the grades that commentator/attorney Mark NeJame gave to Baez ... A- for the first part of his opening, C- for the second part, and an F for his cross examination of George Anthony, the state's first witness. How the hell does an experienced attorney get an F in cross examination? Cross is every attorney's dream ... you can ask leading questions, for one thing. According to another commentator, Baez was all over the place with his cross, and seemed to be totally unprepared. Oh, great. So now Casey is going to have a grounds for appeal: incompetent counsel.
There is no doubt in my mind that my dogs are all geniuses. After all Woody can talk and also takes taekwando. Tuffy spoke two languages! Teena was capable of raising six kittens! And now, Indiana has proven his skills as a spectacular judge of character. We were all sitting and watching the news. When Casey Anthony's face filled the screen, Indiana started to growl and snarl. When the picture changed, he stayed quiet. A few minutes later, they showed a close up of Jose' Baez in the courtroom. Indiana growled and snarled again. When the picture changed, so did his attitude. I told you, that dog is SMART.
Does Harold Camping think we are all idiots? Apparently so, and he has revised his apocalyptic calculations to push the Big Day off until October 21, 2011. Hey Harold, you don't get a do-over! This dude is making a mockery of Christian Biblical prophecy, and making fools out of certain believers.
Oprah Winfrey's last show ... since I never watched her, not once in 25 years, I won't miss her. TV personalities. Feh. They start to believe all the hype about themselves. And in a country where Hollywood performers and sports figures are considered royalty, they can get away with it.
And that is a sorry state of affairs.
The other good news is that I do not practice in Orange County and therefore have no reason whatsoever to be anywhere in the vicinity of the Orange County Courthouse, because Tuesday is the day that the Casey Anthony murder trial begins. If you are a local, you know more about this case than you ever wanted to know. If you are not local, consider yourself lucky, because this has been dragging on for almost three years, sucking the life out of the court system and the media. Also consider yourself lucky that you are not one of the 17 people who are going to be sequestered for the next two months. This jury of 12, with alternates, was chosen from a pool out in Pinellas County, in an attempt to find jurors who had not been inundated by the never-ending news reports. It took eleven days to complete jury selection under the watchful eye of Ninth Circuit Chief Judge Belvin Perry. Now these folks are coming to Disneyworld, so to speak, except they're not going to be able to see Mickey Mouse. Or the evening news, for that matter.
The grieving mother
I have two half day trials of my own this week, involving no juries and no media blitz. That's the way I like to practice law. Flying under the radar. That doesn't mean I won't be following the Casey Anthony trial ... it just means I'm damn glad I'm not one of the participants.
Which moves me towards another topic - television ads for lawyers. I hate them. Same thing with billboards. Call me old-fashioned, but I don't think attorneys should involve themselves in that sort of advertising. It just seems so very demeaning to our profession, which has already taken more than a few shots over the years. Some of those attorneys develop a REALLY big head over time. If you live in Orlando/Kissimmee area, I think you know exactly who I mean. You simply can't miss his REALLY big head.
Back to attorneys with REALLY big heads - well, Jose' Baez has given his opening statements in the Casey Anthony murder trial. Let me just say that there was nothing reasonable about the doubt he was trying to create. It was a fairy tale for the jury, but if he can't prove his assertions, his client is going to the Big House. The only way I think he can even try to prove what he claimed he could prove during opening would be to put his client on the stand. Which would open her to cross examination by one of the state attorneys. Which would guarantee she'd be going to the Big House. Incidentally, I loved the grades that commentator/attorney Mark NeJame gave to Baez ... A- for the first part of his opening, C- for the second part, and an F for his cross examination of George Anthony, the state's first witness. How the hell does an experienced attorney get an F in cross examination? Cross is every attorney's dream ... you can ask leading questions, for one thing. According to another commentator, Baez was all over the place with his cross, and seemed to be totally unprepared. Oh, great. So now Casey is going to have a grounds for appeal: incompetent counsel.
There is no doubt in my mind that my dogs are all geniuses. After all Woody can talk and also takes taekwando. Tuffy spoke two languages! Teena was capable of raising six kittens! And now, Indiana has proven his skills as a spectacular judge of character. We were all sitting and watching the news. When Casey Anthony's face filled the screen, Indiana started to growl and snarl. When the picture changed, he stayed quiet. A few minutes later, they showed a close up of Jose' Baez in the courtroom. Indiana growled and snarled again. When the picture changed, so did his attitude. I told you, that dog is SMART.
Does Harold Camping think we are all idiots? Apparently so, and he has revised his apocalyptic calculations to push the Big Day off until October 21, 2011. Hey Harold, you don't get a do-over! This dude is making a mockery of Christian Biblical prophecy, and making fools out of certain believers.
Oprah Winfrey's last show ... since I never watched her, not once in 25 years, I won't miss her. TV personalities. Feh. They start to believe all the hype about themselves. And in a country where Hollywood performers and sports figures are considered royalty, they can get away with it.
And that is a sorry state of affairs.
I never had the time to follow Oprah closely but we have to admit she did a lot more good for the hoi polloi than the rest of the TV celebrities such as Donald Trump et. al.
ReplyDeleteAS to Reverend Camping...he conjectured the rapture did not occcur because there was no one worth saving or no one ready to be saved. DUH, what about yourself Reverend????????