Futurelawyer

Now Dr. Fauci Wants Us To Wear Goggles?

Dr. Fauci Urges Americans To Wear Goggles For Protection. You watch. Next, the powers that be will want all of us to stay out of the weather and the sun because Covid-19 molecules can be carried by rain and sun rays to our skin. At some point, we have to ask ourselves how much we are willing to do to live life germ free. As George Carlin once put it, more than a few of us grew up eating dirt, and playing in streams that doubled as septic tanks. There are millions of viruses. Granted, Covid-19 is a bad one; but, stopping living because of it is not rational. In the meantime, I will try, to the best of my ability, to follow the latest recommendations, which seem to change every 24 hours. I am posting a picture of today's mask, which seeks to meet Dr. Fauci's current requirements. Check back with me tomorrow when he walks it back.

The Shorter My Remaining Life, The Less The Temptation Of Sin Bothers Me.

Hey, I get it. Sin can create real problems with our future lives. But, I am old now. I don't have much time left, and I have wasted so much of it in banal laziness. I'm with Rat on this one.

Miller Willams Was A Poet.

Miller Williams Was A Poet.

Miller Williams, American poet and my professor in College at Loyola University of the South in the late Sixties, passed away recently. I was thinking recently about my writing, both poetry and otherwise, and remembered what he used to say: "Every word you add dilutes the meaning". He believed in simple, conversational tone, and realized that most meaning derived by a reader comes from their own heart; not from a bunch of words. He also was a gentle soul, and hated war and violence. We once spent two weeks analyzing a single poem, Randall Jarrell's "Death of the Ball Turret Gunner", the last line of which stays with me today: "When he died, they washed him out of the turret with a hose". Miller Williams didn't teach me how to write. He taught me how to live.

No New Thing Under The Sun

Time Is A Flat Circle. Marcus Aurelius would not likely be compared to the early Christians. But, some philosophical truths span the centuries. One of the most important is the recognition that human history doesn't really change much. Sure, the tools change, the tech changes, the manner of dress changes; but, human weaknesses, foibles and inclinations don't. This article surmises that Marcus would have agreed with the passage in Ecclesiastes:

“The thing that hath been,” we read in one part, “it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.” In another: “The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits.” In another: “That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.”

When I get caught up in the passions of the day (right now, I am railing about free speech and the violence of those who are trying to curb it), I sometimes forget that this has all happened before, and will again. This is why we should be even tempered about what we perceive to be good things, as well as bad things. Good football coaches know this. They counsel their teams not to be upset by defeat, nor over confident about victory. Vince Lombardi called it a striving for excellence at all times. “Winning is not a sometime thing…it's an all the time thing. You don't win once in a while…you don't do the right thing once in a while…you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit.” He wasn't talking about the score of the game. He was talking about excellence regardless of the situation. We have seen political upheaval and plagues before. Our descendants will see them again. I am reminded to temper my passions about current problems, and concentrate on wisdom, morality, courage, and moderation, the principal virtues. 

Free Speech Is Dying And No One Is Doing Anything About It.

Firing For Speech Becomes Easier. I was struck by the title of this article, because it immediately called to mind the slippery slope analogy. Speech is being strangled, little by little, and we are frogs in a pot of water. The temperature is rising one degree at a time. This NLRB ruling, by a Trump appointed Board, holding that an employee can be fired for "derogatory" speech, is another step in the wrong direction. Some current examples from the post: A Black security guard was fired (and later rehired) for using a racial slur to tell a student not to use the same racial slur. A Starbucks employee who called the company out on its labor practices was fired for "racially insensitive" comments. Former Google engineer James Damore was fired over criticism of the company's diversity problem, which the NLRB later deemed justified. Facebook and Google can censor what you say on social media. Local governments can expand the police power to regulate just about anything. This problem crosses political lines, so it really is about power. If I can regulate what you say, and when you say it, I can control your behavior. If I can control your behavior, I can control everything. The cancel culture is a symptom of this disease. Stand up to it before it is too late.

#PoetryFriday - Laughing All The Way

Laughing All The Way

I cried when I saw the damage,
and I frowned when I saw the broken hearts.
I fidgeted while I watched the parade,
souls looking for another way out.
I wanted to run
when I saw the weapons,
aimed as they were
at other human beings.
Clubs and chains,
attacking the fences,
guarding those who guarded us.

They were laughing
as they tore into the cars
parked on the street
and smashed windows
and doors.
They had better armor than the police.
The police were missing in action.

When do we get to make them stop
laughing?

Hilary Clinton Offers To Host An Email Server For Mail In Ballots

Hilary Clinton Suggests Server For Mail In Ballots. I don't care who you are, this is hilarious. Alleged quote from Hilary herself:

"I would be more than happy to provide a server that could handle all the email votes," Clinton said. "I'd guarantee no votes sent in by email would be lost. They'd be safe and secure. Our security systems are to die for."

#WhyIAmASolo. Lawyer...Represent Thyself.

Ransomware-how-clicking-on-one-phishing-email-left-a-whole-business-in-big-troubleDo you know what your BigLaw employees are doing at their desks? Do you know what emails they are opening, and what attachments they are viewing? Of course not. This is a cautionary tale about one employee at one company who opened a phishing email, and almost brought down the entire company. This could happen to your law firm. This could even happen to the FutureLawyer; but, since I am the only one here, I have a pretty good idea what is being clicked. If I ever got zapped with a phishing or ransomware attack, I have no one to blame but myself.

#TBT - FutureLawyer's First Crush

Cultsirens. In 1958 I was in love with an actress. Her name was Allison Hayes, and she was the sexiest, most beautiful woman in the Fifties. Why she spent her career doing B movies has more to do with the times than anything else. But, I was smitten before I understood what that meant. Who was your first crush? Not talking real people here. Fantasy people on the big screen.

 

Gray Hair Or Highlights?

For this Throwback Thursday, I am posting a current photo of my graying hair. Or, are those just highlights from the overhead lights? I report. You decide. Hey, at least I still have hair.