Law, order & I can't get no satisfaction ....

There are lawyers and there are lawyers. Some of my personal favorites have been the assistant district attorneys on the television series, "Law & Order." Clockwise from the upper left are, Alexandra Borgia, Connie Rubirosa, Jamie Ross, Claire Kincaid, Serena Southerlyn and Abbie Carmichael.

Legal beagles come in all shapes & sizes ....

We have here a possible culmination of days and weeks and months of serious thought. The only television program I watch with regularity is "Law & Order." The original series, I mean. Until I started watching "Law & Order," when I thought of lawyers, I thought of gray-haired, old men. (If they were full of themselves, they also wore their hair long and probably in a ponytail.) I did not picture attractive, young ladies as attorneys.

As I review the many episodes of "Law & Order," it becomes obvious that even deciding which young lady -- I mean, which attorney -- to interview as a candidate for a position on my "personal legal team" would be a very difficult task, for sure.

But, with the current atmosphere of sue here, sue there, sue anywhere, I have been thinking that it might be beneficial to have a beautiful, brainy, sophisticated, female attorney on retainer. Please understand, I am thinking in a purely practical sort of way. I'm trying to be intelligent about this which, as anyone who knows me will testify is extremely difficult for me. (Did that come out right?)

I know at least one person who occasionally stops by my blog has been inside a court room. Maybe others have, too. I know for sure that I have been. While the person who stops by here has worked in a court room, my presence was not by choice. I was among a group of people sued, collectively and individually, for $44 million. Yeh, really. Can you believe it? My reaction upon being served the papers was laughter, but the case actually went to trial.

Never fear. (Or should that be, no fear?) The day of my appearance on the stand, I donned my best suit, carried reading glasses and a copy of "War and Peace" in my left hand, and brushed my teeth twice. I practiced my smile in the mirror for 30 minutes, with an occasional wink or two. Consequently, thanks to my dignified, intellectual, good natured appearance, and to my eloquent, confident, forceful testimony, we won the war. Or, perhaps I should say the plaintiff 's lawyer struck out entirely, completely, with finality, when he interrogated me. (How many ways can I say that?) What I mean is this: Imagine how the case might have turned out had a stunning, gorgeous, vivacious young lady been the attorney for the plaintiff rather than a bald, grumpy-looking, chubby, old man who was vain enough to think he actually could rough me up on the stand? Please, be honest.

Another true tale, but now back to our discussion for today. If I were to choose from among the many assistant district attorneys who have appeared on "Law & Order" in recent times, which would be the wisest to pair up with, at least for an initial interview? They all are radiant, smart and not afraid to stand their ground. I suppose it just might come down to whichever one lists canoeing as her favorite recreational activity.

Rock & roll blues: Part I

I once ended up at a particular location on the map because a friend of mine from the Marine Corps lived there. He had grown up in this town, and we thought it might be good for us to hang out together for a while. He had been shot through his legs, and spent a few months in a body cast. He gets around all right now, unless he tries to run or to walk any real distance.

He still is living there, in the town where he grew up. I did not stay very long. A career beckoned to me, and also more than a little restlessness. You understand? We continue to exchange notes and photographs via email.

Neither one of us is satisfied with the way things are. How do you explain that? I am moving around and experiencing and learning. He is hunting and fishing and getting drunk on Saturday nights at the Veterans of Foreign Wars club. I really do not know which of us is better off. I really, really do not, in terms of personal contentment, satisfaction, achievement -- all those sort of things we grade on our personal score cards.

Other than that, Semper Fi, and keep your kids at home. No, I did not say those last few words. I did not mean that. To each, his own, but make certain each of your kids understands the possible consequences from earning the privilege to say the words, Semper Fi, and is prepared to pay the piper if he comes calling. The burden, for some, is heavy.

Music Note: Listening to Chicago ....
Specifically, "The Very Best of: Only the Beginning" ....
("Searchin' So Long," et al)

Daschle, Geithner & Holder. The same or different?

Like many, I have a difficult time being silent when it comes to politics. In a philosophical sense, I tend to be more conservative than liberal. In a human sense, it frequently is not difficult to like even those you oppose philosophically.

For that reason, I was disappointed when former U.S. Senator Tom Daschle withdrew his name as Barack Obama's nominee to be the next Secretary of Health & Human Services. I know Daschle and I like him. He obviously made some serious mistakes regarding his tax responsibilities. He should lose points in his standing on the integrity scale. But, the way I see it, that does not mean I should like him less. We all do dumb things and dishonest things. It is a matter of degrees.

There are flaws in my argument, I would admit, but we each are who and what we are, not characters in a novel designed to fit an author's narrow scheme of things. Two other Obama nominees, Timothy Geithner for Secretary of the Treasury and Nancy Killefer, for White House Performance Officer, also had tax issues. Geithner was confirmed by the Senate; Killefer, like Daschle, withdrew her name from consideration. Then, there is Eric Holder. When he worked in Bill Clinton's Justice Department, Holder, the new Attorney General, advocated pardons for convicted terrorists and for the No. 2 fugitive on the FBI's most wanted list, who had fled the U.S.

Neither Geithner nor Holder withdrew their names from consideration. The subsequent confirmation of their nominations by the Senate really does bother me. Geithner is a tax dodger whose duties now include leading the Internal Revenue Service. Holder, a man who promoted pardoning convicted terrorists, is now the head law enforcement officer in the country. This, to me, is not right. Daschle's confirmation to run Health & Human Services would not have bothered me to any great extent. Is this simply because I (probably most people) tend to excuse individuals I know personally, even politicians who are supposed to be "public servants," for their lapses in judgment and honesty? If so, I suppose this makes me guilty of poor judgment, too.

Music Note: Currently listening to Fleetwood Mac ....
Specifically, "The Dance" ....
"Go Your Own Way" is a fantastic song ....