I am not taking sides. Really, I’m not. There is a bit of a tug of war going on in the interweb and I want to maintain a somewhat neutral presence without being called a cheerleader or a phony. Perhaps it’s time to let that go by the wayside and say this, and please, Jamison Koehler forgive me for using this phrase, but can we all please stop whining?
I don’t know when being a criminal defense lawyer was easy. Was it easy when a federal judge would tell us he would love to look at all the reasons why he should sentence a client outside the guidelines but he was ‘constrained’ by them and had no choice? No, it wasn’t. Was it easy before we had instant access to hundreds of true believers who could answer a question at any time of the day or night? Was it easy when the sex offender registry laws were first implemented and we had no idea how to fight them? I don’t recall that it was. I think it was very, very hard. And yet very, very worthwhile.
I love my little blogosphere. From Scott Greenfield to Norm Pattis, Rick Horowitz, Jeff Gamso and yes, even Brian Tannebaum. I think Mike Cernovich at Crime and Federalism is one angry mofo and I love reading just about everything he writes. I sit down each day with a cup of coffee at my messy desk (sitting upright and in bad shoes) and take it all in. I love the emotional posts and the substantive ones and the ones that call for revolution. But I’m not digging this last round of boohooism. Sorry. I love you all. I think you are stellar and supreme lawyers. But I just got back in the game and to hear you all saying it’s just not worth is, well, it makes this girl a little weepy.
And, if you think almost three years at home with twin boys was a rest you are sorely mistaken.
Perhaps we didn’t pick this life. Maybe it was chosen for us. In our culture and religion, we believe in Kismet – fate. We cannot say “if only” because there is only this, here, now. The way it was meant to be is the way it is, like it or not.
Yesterday, I got this magnet in the mail from Carole Dee of Public Defender Revolution.
If you’ve signed up for a lifetime of pushing this rock up this hill, then let’s just get on with pushing it. I’ll help.
Guilty as charged. I'll stop whining, and threatening to give it all up and go try my hand at playing poker for a living.
I whine about a fair number of things: life, the weather, clients, the price of gas, my doctor and my wife and my kids all telling me to lose weight, effing Microsoft Word, incompetent (and almost worse, indifferent) criminal defense lawyers. I never (well, almost never) whine about defending people against the power of the government.
Jeff, I'm with you. There is a ton to complain about and what we get to do each day shouldn't be one of them. And John, I hope it's true that you'll stop. You do what's right for your people and we'll all be here to keep pushing you forward.
Sorry. I enjoy writing about my feelings, and then watching others whine about it. Folks are always free not to read me. Why those who find my topics and sensibility offensive keep coming back for more is a mystery.
Norm, I find you far from offensive. And everyone is free to write about whatever anyone wants. I agree with you on that as well, but if the people we look up to think the work is shit, what's left for the rest of us?
No one said this work is shit: merely that it is hard and we all get through as best we can.
Right, no one said that.
Later. These discussions about style rarely go anywhere I want to be.