Dems can learn a thing or two from McCain

I don’t think he can run the country, but he can run his town hall meetings:

PHOENIX - Sen. John McCain met with an angry crowd at a town-hall meeting about health care reform Wednesday, sometimes having to fight to talk and telling one woman who wouldn't stop yelling that she had to leave.

The Arizona senator hadn't yet opened up the meeting at McCain's central Phoenix church to questions when one audience member continuously yelled over him.

"You're going to have to stop or you're going to have to leave," McCain told the woman. When security guards approached to escort her out, he told her "Goodbye, see ya" to a round of applause.

Source: McCain evicts angry woman from town hall - Health care reform- msnbc.com

Note to Dems: When you’re faced with screaming/shouting/disruptive citizens, kick them out.  There’s a difference between a spirited discussion and a shouting match.  Welcome the former, and refuse to engage in the latter. 

Sure, Fox News will accuse you of trying to censor the opposition, but the only way to please Fox would be to resign.  So take a page from John McCain and refuse to allow angry asshats to ruin your town hall meetings.

Curious About Tort Reform?

One of the topics that keeps coming up again and again in the health care debate is whether or not we need to change the civil justice system. Many people proposing these changes call it tort reform. Others, like myself, call it tort "reform" or tort deform, because we believe that the these so-called reforms have more to do with protecting profits than reforming anything.

I've put together a website that explains what many of the words mean. For example:

Statute of Limitations
Summary Judgment
Damage Caps

Or, follow this link to learn more about tort reform.

Tips For The First Day of Law School

I know that law school starts for some schools tomorrow, and for others on next Monday.  The first day of any semester is always the most important because it determines who you’ll end up sitting next to.

I know you’re probably over-eager to be a superstar, but take my advice: Find a seat near the back of the class.  We all have off days, and on those days, it’s nice not to be four feet away from the professor.  He or she can easily tell if you’re goofing off or just out of it, and will therefore call on you.

It’s also nice to sit near the back so you can see what other people are doing on their laptops.  One girl I had in several classes did nothing except for surf TMZ and Perez Hilton.  Another person spent a lot of time perusing Match.com.  And half of the class spent at least part of the time using Facebook.  Being in the back means that (a) you can see them goof off, and (b) they can’t see you do it.

You’ll also want to try to find a seat somewhat near the aisle.  Some people take an inordinately long amount of time to pack up and get out of class, and you don’t want to be stuck waiting for them.  If you’re one of those people, don’t sit near the aisle and hold everyone up.

Try not to sit next to anyone you find yourself attracted to.  You don’t need that kind of distraction.  And while you’re at it, make yourself this promise right now: “I don’t care how hot or rich my fellow law students are, I will not date them or sleep with them.”  It will save you and everyone else a lot of drama and hassle.  Think of how uncomfortable it will be if you nail the person you’re sitting next to, break up, and then have to sit next to them for the rest of the semester.

You know what I wore on my first day of class?  Jeans and a t-shirt along with a pair of nice shoes.  Don’t over think your first day wardrobe.  It’s law school, not a fashion show.  If you’re a guy and you show up in a suit, everyone will think you’re a d-bag.  If you’re a girl and you show up in a short skirt and/or a tight blouse, everyone will think you’re a slut.  Yes, it matters (to some extent) what your classmates think of you.  But it matters more what they think of your legal ability than your fashion sense.  And for God’s sake, don’t worry about impressing the prof.  You’re paying hundreds of dollars for every hour you’re in class – he or she should therefore worry about impressing you.

As for trying to impress everyone with your class prep?  Don’t bother.  Here’s how it works: If you see someone who obviously spent less time than you preparing for class, that person is an idiot for not taking law school seriously.  If you see someone who obviously spent more time than you preparing for class, then that person is an idiot for taking so long to “get it.”  Don’t worry about impressing anyone.  Especially since everyone is going to either (a) lie to you or (b) refuse to tell you about how they did on the final exam anyway.

My last and most important tips are these: Don’t show up late on the first day, and make sure your cell phone is off or on silent.  You really don’t want to show up late or have your cell phone go off in class.  If you do both on the first day, you may as well drop out.

Lawsuit filed against college for allowing a culture of drug and alcohol abuse

The lawsuit is against Utah State University:

Utah State University officials long tolerated "a culture of drug and alcohol abuse" at a fraternity house where a teenage freshman pledge died of alcohol poisoning after an alleged hazing last fall, his family claims in a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Logan's 1st District Court.

The Sigma Nu fraternity chapter had long been the scene of misconduct, including an alcohol-related suicide by hanging, underage drinking, arson, thefts, vandalism, false fire alarms and assaults, contend lawyers representing the teen's parents, Jane and George Starks, of Salt Lake City.

Here's the rest of the article.

Isn't the whole point of joining a fraternity to become part of a culture of drug and alcohol abuse?

Legal Reader Reborn!

My name is Justinian Lane, and I've been a fan of LegalReader.com for many years. When I saw a few months ago that John's interest in the site had waned, I offered to take it over. The two of us procrastinated taking it any further, but he's now officially passed the torch to me and I'm proud to be pick up where he left off.

If you have comments, suggestions, etc. for me, I'd love to hear them. My plans are to continue this site as an irreverent blog focused mainly on the law, and as John said, "Other Fancy Stuff."

It will take me a little bit of time to learn the ins-and-outs of Moveable Type, but I anticipate adding goodies to this blog like a Google Reader widget, etc.

I plan on keeping all of the content on this site, but if there's anything here you really love, you might want to make a backup copy "just in case." Some of the ads and the "I plan on voting for Obama" button will go away, though. (Although the latter may come back in 2011.)

I'd like to personally thank John for the hard work he put into this, and hope to continue providing the fine content he did.