Category Archives: Opinion
Advice and Jobs
The Not So Legal Show – what happens when you hit a biker and should honest recovering drug addicts still get hired for a job?
The Gold Rush Club and other body parts
Getting too drunk to be obligated to pay your bar tab is not a good excuse…
Client 9
In a strange twist, the man I think of as being a total slut of a governor, actually does have a spine. Eliot Spitzer is in a movie. Client 9 is a documentary about his rise and mainly his fall from grace. I have watched the trailer and interestingly enough, Mr. Spitzer actually does talk about what happened and from what I can tell, his views on his mistakes. I am curious to see how much more Mr. Spitzer has to say other than what I saw in the trailer. It is oddly refreshing to see him be able to actually address what he did, rather than running away from it.
I noticed on the Huffington Post today that they are dedicating a site to being divorced. I know a lot of people are divorced and I guess it is a helpful site but I wish there could be a site dedicating to getting people back together (I am sure there is one but nothing is coming to mind at the moment). When I started practicing law, I always said I couldn’t practice family law because I would always help the people get back together. I know there are those relationships that are not meant to be but I wish there could be more information dedicated to people staying together and how to make a relationship stronger, rather than ways to get out. Even though I find it stunning that Eliot Spitzer’s wife was able to stand next to him as he apologized at a news conference, she was somehow able to make it work. I don’t agree with the choice but it was still her choice nonetheless to stay together rather than break apart. Interesting I think. Very interesting. I am hoping they interview her in the movie.
Weed lovers
I am against Prop 19, as in, I don’t think the use of marijuana should be legalized. Why can’t we just leave things how they are? If you need it for medical reasons, then fine. And, even in those instances, there are those fake “prescriptions” but better than just letting everyone use it whenever they want. At least there is some kind of gating process, even if it is sometimes shady. There are those that may think this sounds “high and mighty” but for those who argue that weed is harmless, I am not really getting the argument. Everyone I talk to always has some reason for smoking weed. It makes them feel more relaxed, they get more done after smoking, they are not as stressed out, etc, etc, etc and they always seem out of it to me. I know everyone needs an escape route sometimes so do what you need to do but I am hopeful this law doesn’t get passed.
I get that weed grows in the ground, it’s “natural” and there are people who really need it to relieve pain. I was in Venice Beach this weekend and this medical marijuana guy handed me his card. I started asking him a bunch of questions and the only thing he really said (and he was missing a tooth — just adding visual images for you) was that “weed really can help everyone”. I tried to ask about the process to determine whether someone really needed a prescription for marijuana or not and I really couldn’t get a straight answer. He asked me for a hug, which I politely declined and then I was on my way.
I am just not a fan of adding more laws to condone the use of a substance that makes people seem slow and out of it. It isn’t that I think marijuana is worse than other substances. I know that alcohol and tobacco are not any better but why do we need to add to the mix? There doesn’t need to be a law to help encourage the use of it. People will still use the drug but at the very least, it means that person is taking it upon themselves to endure the consequences — which by the way, in California, sometimes can mean just a fine and no jail time for a first time offender. I would rather have someone want to smoke weed bad enough to want to take that risk than to just make it legal and who knows how many people will start smoking.
Privacy, what privacy?
GO RANGERS. Sorry, I know this isn’t a sports blog but a fan is a fan. So let’s see, what is top of mind this evening. I find it quite interesting that so many websites are dealing with privacy concerns these days. As if they were not thinking of these things when they started their companies. It just seems that their concerns are public now whereas before, perhaps people just hoped that they could get away with squandering all of our information without us realizing it.
However, it is not an easy line to draw in all cases when deciding when technology is working against us in the privacy realm. For example, having zero sense of direction myself, a cell phone provider which offers GPS tracking on a cell phone might be quite helpful. The FCC ruled in 2005 that at least 95% of a cell phone provider’s devices needed to be trackable, for the purpose of helping in emergencies, etc. I see how this type of tracking can be helpful but there are numerous documented domestic abuse cases where a husband has been able to track down his wife with the use of this technology and unfortunately, not because he was just trying to say hello.
So where do we stand on all of this? While I am appreciative of being able to get directions and have the ability to find a friend who perhaps is lost in a forest, I certainly am not an advocate of creating additional ways for domestic violence to increase. Unfortunately I don’t think AT&T will be able to offer a survey anytime soon that asks “Are you prone to domestic violence?” “If so, we cannot accommodate your need for GPS at this time.” It would be nice though.
T.I. Saves Lives, Who Knew?
Rapper T.I. talked some 25 year old kid off of a roof today in Atlanta. The news reports say that T.I. appeared out of “nowhere” and I feel bad thinking that this was some kind of planned stunt. I am a big fan of T.I. and for those that know me, I am a big fan of hip-hop in general. I would love to believe that T.I. really just showed up and helped to save this kid’s life. I would love to believe that as I am an optimistic person but it just seems a little strange. Given that T.I. himself is in a bit of trouble for being arrested recently, it would seem that this act of kindness might bode well at a sentencing hearing.
We will see how this story develops but for some reason I am just questioning the validity of all of this. But, at the very least, I am happy if he was really able to save that guy’s life! I saw It’s Kind of a Funny Story, has anyone else seen it? I never understand it when they call a movie a “dramatic comedy”. I feel like it should either be a drama or a comedy but nonetheless I decided to see the movie. It addresses issues about depression and this kid who thinks he wants to kill himself (if you want to see the movie, stop reading this). He ends up in an adult psychiatric ward and learns that things are not so bad after all. It touches upon ideas surrounding people who have suicidal tendencies and it makes you want to tell people who may feel that way that things will get better. Life is worth living! Perhaps that is what T.I. told that kid on the roof, in fact, based on the news reports, I am thinking that is exactly what he said…and I am also starting to feel bad that I was saying that it was all a made up story. We will see.
On one other note, I find it interesting that despite the joy and magnitude of how all of the Chilean miners were rescued, there is already drama surfacing. There are already reports about whether a miner’s wife or mistress was there to greet him. Really??!! I guess the celebration only lasts so long before that isn’t interesting anymore.
Facebook Edit
Who has seen Social Network? I haven’t seen it yet but want to know your thoughts. Facebook is really random. You connect with people and then that’s that. Although, I did connect with a college friend of mine who I probably never would have talked to if I hadn’t been on Facebook. If you are noticing the past tense sense of that sentence, yes, you are correct. I am not on Facebook. I was on Facebook and decided I didn’t like it anymore.
I’m Stephanie. Attorney at Law.
Let's make the law entertaining, shall we?
