Welcome to HackLawyer.net

For purposes of context, I responded to Chuck’s request that I withdraw my post concerning Dawson with an e-mail intended for his eyes only.  So, now that he has made public what was initially private, let’s discuss this canard that I have somehow ”self-censored” my critics.  That’s a pretty serious allegation.  If he had read closely and carefully, Chuck would have known that I indeed elected not to publish certain comments for two reasons: they were vulgar and chocked full of profanity.  And, if Chuck has spent any time reading this website over the past three years, he would know that I have conscientiously attended to decorum and style.  He would know that I have never tolerated abusive posts.  He would know that I have never posted in the venacular nor have I ever accepted it from anyone.  And finally, he would know that I made clear, in private e-mails sent to each correspondent, that I invited them to redraft their e-mails, sans the profanity, resubmit them to this website and they “shall be published.”  How can I make myself any clearer?  No one is being self-censored.  Mr. Mallard seems to  be confused about what free speech really is.  I yield to no one in my respect for self-expression but at the same time, I’m no masochist.  Exercising free speech doesn’t mean that I have to tolerate what passes for many people as comment when, in fact, it is unintelligible, mean, vindictive gibberish. 

If people want to take a virtual swing at me for what I wrote previously, let them.  This website is here for that purpose.  That’s why I took the time, money and effort to make it available.  But there’s such a thing as class and the posts I got rid of had none.  And they violated the very rules I established back in February of 2007.  That’s not censorship; it’s responsible web journalism.  I could have quashed every single post that came in, including yours, Chuck.  I did not do that and I will not do it.  And I’m a little surprised that you responded the way you did but if you’re looking for a scrap, you picked the right lawyer. 

Parenthetically, I point out that after having requested that those individuals who sent unacceptable emails resubmit them in proper form, not a single one obliged.  So just who’s being “disrespected” if there is such a word? 

I received some comments on yesterday’s post regarding Joe Dawson and the wake held at Burberry’s yesterday evening.  These posts will not be published in their present form for obvious reasons - they are ad hominem attacks laced with profanity.  I have invited each writer to resubmit their thoughts and feelings in proper form.  If this is done, they shall be published.  Each writer has taken me to task for, in their collective opinion, defaming Joe Dawson and his memory.  In this they are mistaken.  My purpose was clear or at least I believed that to be the case.  The venue of the memorial was, in my opinion, inappropriate given the circumstances.  I think it’s a valid criticism and particularly so since I have written on this exact subject in the past and no one then had a thing to say about it.

I want to emphasize that I am really saddened by Joe’s passing.  I honestly don’t think there was a venal, malicious bone in his entire body.  That’s what I liked about him.  But there’s lessons to be learned from Joe’s travails in his life.  It’s fair comment to address them.      

Amarillo has five red light cameras in operation.  Below, courtesy of the Texas Department of Transportation and www.texastribune.org are statistics from those cameras for the period 7/1/08 to 6/30/09.

Coulter at Elmhust: 8116 citations issued generating $426,090 in revenue

Pierce St at SE 11th Ave.: 3164 citations issued generating $166,110 in revenue

Coulter St. at I-40 frontage road: 2852 citations issued generating $149,730 in revenue

Pierce St. at SE 3rd Ave.: 2512 citations issued generating $131,880 in revenue

Ross St. at I-40: 1542 citations issued generating $80,955 in revenue

During this same period, there were a total of 63 crashes at all five intersections.  The Coulter-Elmhurst intersection recorded 9; the Pierce St. at SE 11th Ave. intersection - 9; Coulter St. at I-40 frontage road - 22; Pierce St. at SE 3rd Ave. - 5 and Ross St. at I-40 - 18.  Total citations issued: 18,186 and total revenue raised was $954,765.

Kim Peek, the inspiration behind the autistic savant played by Dustin Hoffman in the 1988 movie “Rain Man” died on December 19 in Salt Lake City, Utah at the age of 58.  Peek also served as the subject for two made-for-TV movies which explored the life of a retarded man named Bill.  That character was played by Mickey Rooney.  Cause of death was heart attack.

Peek was born with an enlarged head, caused by a cerebellum which was malformed.  His brain was also missing a crucial piece of nerve tissue which connects the brain’s hemispheres.  Neurologists theorized that this absence of nerve tissue between the two brain halves somehow resulted in Peek’s brain rewiring itself and thereby transforming itself into a brain which operated under one roof so to speak.  Rather than have two sides to the brain, all brain function arose under the command of a giant hemisphere.  And what function it was. Read the rest of this entry »

I was saddened to read in yesterday’s Amarillo Globe that Amarillo lawyer Joe Dawson had passed away at the age of 45.  We all knew he was in very bad shape, that he had suffered over the past year and how he got so sick in the first place.  I’m going to bull on ahead here and talk about what everyone seems not to want to address.  I wouldn’t be writing this if I hadn’t come across a notice from the PCDLA webserver that a memorial to Dawson will be held at a local saloon this evening.  I’ll put this as adroitly and tactfully as I can.  But honestly - and I address this to all of Joe’s dear friends - is this truly the appropriate thing to do when we all know what killed Joe?  He drank himself to death.  Is this how we want to remember Joe Dawson; is this how we want to remember ourselves in memory of the man?  Read the rest of this entry »

Hitting the sack last night at 1:00 a.m. after the flight back from L.A. did not make for an easy 6:00 a.m. start.  However, this was entirely foreseeable since I have no one to blame for the late return.  I put together the entire itinerary, including flight times.  And why complain?  Sunday night was spent in a unique hotel just off Sunset Boulevard, literally across the street from The Whiskey A Go Go - yes, that Whiskey A Go Go.  And it’s right off Clark Street, no less. 

So, the California trip’s in the books.  The weather was sublime, Pacific Coast Highway was magnificent, the Queen Mary self-guided tour was neat, Hearst Castle was living proof that that guy really knew how to live and Venice Beach was fascinating, particularly its proliferation of medical marijuana dispensaries throughout the neighborhood. Read the rest of this entry »

Never mind that the Venice Beach House is the best kept secret in L.A.  Let’s just say that a tour of the Queen Mary, moored at Long Beach, and a visit to the Hearst Castle in San Simeon present the thinking man with quite an examination in contrasts.  Where one place was painstakingly constructed out of steel, iron, wood and brass to house 3,000 on the water, the other - the most godawful, gawdy, awe-inspiring collection of precious stone, wood and metal ever put together over a sprawling expanse - is simply one man’s monument to himself.  As impressive as the Queen Mary was, nothing compares to the exquisite eerieness of the Hearst estate.  Read the rest of this entry »

Hack has taken off for several days and for no good reason really.  The enterprise concludes later this month but for the time being, there should be at least something up and running.  Perhaps a trip to California will drag a good story out of me.  So, I sit here at the Venice Beach House, a hundred yards from the Pacific.  I wrote about this special place exactly two years ago.  Cindy and I will spend a couple of days here and then travel up the Pacific Coast Highway to Cambria, just south of the Hearst Castle for two more days before heading back to L.A.  I look forward to those incredible vista overlooking the ocean.  You know, the thing about coming out here and in particular, driving up the coast is this: it takes work, time and let’s face it, a little pocket change, to make it here.  I suppose California wants to make it hard, else everybody in their dog would be doing it.  But it’s a pilgramage that each and everyone should make.  I’ll post along the way.  I’m wondering what kind of place we booked into in Cambria.  With a name like ”The Sea Otter Inn,” you hope it’s good.  We’ll see.  Oh, and one thing.  I insisted to Cindy that we fly on any other airline but Southwest.  We took Continental this time.  No real complaints, gripes or raves except to say that I did not miss that Southwest scramble for seats.  Plus, I don’t miss that dread I have on Southwest which I can only describe as what it must feel like to be on a Greyhound bus.  Stay tuned and let’s see what happens to us tomorrow here in the City of Angels.

“We [Democrats] were forced to take those steps largely without the help of an opposition party, which, unfortunately, after having presided over the decision-making that had led to the crisis, decided to hand it over to others to solve.” - President Obama responding to Republican criticisms that his economic recovery program was “unnerving” employers and causing a “hiring freeze.” 

For those of you who live outside the Panhandle, let me relate the weather we had here yesterday, December 8.  At 6:00 a.m., I awoke to a fine coating of ice all over trees, road and the like.  Lovely but very, very dangerous.  It warmed up a bit but by 11:00 a.m., huge snowflakes were coming down.  It didn’t stick because by now, it had heated up into the high thirties.  Within two hours, howling winds hit downtown and elsewhere.  People were having trouble opening doors to buildings or their cars.  Mini dust devils were kicking up dirt, paper and debris at just about each downtown intersection. I’d venture to say winds were exceeding 50 mph downtown; maybe even higher elsewhere in Amarillo.  And with the winds came dust - lots of it - enough to make life hell for those of us who wear contact lens.  The wind blew pretty good until 7:00 p.m. or so and then the temperature dropped and I mean it dropped.  By 9:00 p.m., it was 12 degrees F with a stiff northern wind.  At 6:00 this morning, December 9, it was 5 degrees F with crystal clear skies and no wind.  Lamar, Colorado recorded -13 F at the same time.  And all of this in a mere 24-hour period.  Only in the Panhandle of Texas.