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Dec. 16th, 2005 @ 03:09 pm Thoughts on the execution of Stanley "Tookie" Williams

One of my law school classmates asked for opinions on the death penalty and the execution of Stanley "Tookie" Williams. I thought I would post my comments from her blog here:

In general, I support the death penalty. It has been said that the criminal justice system has three goals: punishment, deterrence, and rehabilitation. A state execution is definitely a punishment, and there is a possibility that it would deter others from committing crimes. Since I will most likely be a criminal prosecutor, supporting the death penalty kind of goes in line with the job description. However, even before I thought about becoming an attorney, I supported the death penalty.

While I cannot say that every murder case automatically deserves the death penalty, in the "Tookie" Williams case, I feel that the death penalty was definitely appropriate. He was convicted of killing four people by a jury of his peers (presumably), and had almost twenty-five years to appeal his case. (Which he has, on several different grounds). In the last quarter of a century, he has been unable to convince a court to overturn his conviction, possibly because there was no valid legal reason to do so. Unfortunately, his time was up, and his sentence was carried out.

Although he claims to have redeemed himself, it takes more than writing a few books to convince me. Maybe his perspective did change after being incarcerated for so long. If it did, that is great, and if he was successful in convincing anyone to stay out of gangs, that�s great as well. However, it upset me that people treated him as this great treasure or resource. That is a load of bull! The fact that he has been repeatedly nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize is also astonishing. It is interesting to note, that among the list of other Peace Prize nominees are Adolf Hitler (1939) and Benito Mussolini (1935). (Look it up at nobelprize.org).

In conclusion, I feel that the death penalty was appropriate in this instance. Governor Schwarzenegger made the correct decision by refusing to commute the death penalty. However, I did not personally feel any joy that the state took a life. It doesn�t bring the four murder victims back to life, and at best it will only help to provide closure to the victims� families.

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Dec. 16th, 2005 @ 12:11 pm One down, one to go.

Current Mood: hopeful

hopeful
Current Music: Ben Folds - The Luckiest

This semester, I was treated to a rather light exam period. Despite taking 17 credit hours, I only have two exams. My clinical didn't have an exam, and we completed it before exam week began. Yesterday, I took my Wills, Trusts, and Estates exam. It was not particularly a fun exam, and I shall not try to even predict what my outcome will be. (Or in the alternative, I could predict that I failed, and be pleasantly surprised when I do better).

My other exam is for my Florida Practice class, which primarily covers Florida Civil Procedure. My class has a take-home exam, but the other section has an in-class exam. I suppose the grass is always greener on the other side, because I think I would prefer to have an in-class exam instead of this monstrous take home exam. It shall keep me busy until Tuesday, when it is due. Only then, shall I be free...until January 9th.

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Dec. 11th, 2005 @ 01:33 am Come in from the cold, LiveJournal!

Current Mood: tired

tired
Current Music: Franz Ferdinand - Walk Away

Yes, Yes. I understand that I have far surpassed my prior record of not updating my LiveJournal. Unfortunately, a new mistress has entered my life. Unfortunately, no, it is not a girlfriend. (I have a pretty long single-streak going on here, and why would I want to end it?) The new mistress is MySpace. It is a very addictive website! Anyways, I have been spending many an hour searching for old friends, updating my profile, and leaving messages for people. (Jeremy should take a major percentage of the blame for this...he invited me to join not once but twice.) Unfortunately, LiveJournal has been left out in the cold, treated like a left-handed, red-headed stepchild.

I shall try (as I always say) to start using this journal again. MySpace does have a blogging feature, but for the time being, I will stick with this, or possibly cross-post. Besides, nothing exciting has happened in my life since October anyway. Just ask my friends - they know it's true.

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Oct. 5th, 2005 @ 11:06 pm Am I a Bad Brother?

Current Mood:

uncomfortable
Current Music: Fiona Apple - Oh Well

To get the background of this entry, you really need to read my journal from October 2, 2005.

Well, right now it looks like I will not be going to Jamaica...and thus not going to my sister's wedding. I think my sister is disappointed about this fact, but I don't believe she is crushed about it either.

The cost for me to go to the wedding (plane tickets and accommodations) could be as much as $800. Granted, I could probably get there for less, but still, $800 dollars is a possibility. (I don't know how much the plane tickets will cost, but Anna and Dan are staying at a high end resort, and so that is where most of the family will be staying.)

As I said before, my parents would have to foot the bill for me to go, because I don't have that amount of money available right now. I don't like this, because I believe the money could be spent better, but my mother feels like she has to pay for me to go.

As of right now, I told my mother that I wouldn't be going, and I felt that it was an outrageous expenditure of money for such a short trip. I would be there at the most two full days and maybe half of a day on each end. I know that I have always been tight with money, but I think my sister's request is just too much to ask.

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Oct. 2nd, 2005 @ 11:25 pm The Evolution of my Sister's Wedding

Current Mood:

contemplative
Current Music: Fiona Apple - Window

So, I will let you know at the beginning, this post really isn't that much about me, but you might find it entertaining nonetheless.

So - my sister's boyfriend (now fiance) completely blind sided her with a marriage proposal on her birthday. It's all cool - an extra bonus for her birthday, and he got the ring she really, really wanted. He did a good job proposing as well, but that's a different story.

The original date they planned for the ceremony was sometime in November of 2006. That's over a year away, and I wasn't entirely sure that they would be patient enough to wait that long. On the other hand, since they are already living together, I didn't see any major reason for them to want to rush it.

Before too long, the ceremony was moved up to April of 2006. As I said earlier, I didn't thing they would be patient enough to wait that long. The change really didn't effect me, except for it brought it close to my graduation from FAMU. Hopefully there wouldn't be any conflicts between their marriage and my graduation.

Unfortunately, the place they wanted to hold the wedding at (I think it is over in Celebration, but I'm not really sure) was pretty booked in April. They only day they would have been able to reserve would have been April Fool's Day!

They decided to pass on April Fool's Day, and move the wedding forward (again) to March 11th. That put their wedding about six months away, and gave them less than half the time to plan then they originally expected to have.

Of course, this did not deter my sister, and she got started making arrangements for the DJ, food, photographer, etc. My only responsibility was to bring a date. This posed a challenge for me because I had to find someone who wouldn't be uncomfortable meeting my family (possibly for the first time) and who also wouldn't be uncomfortable with the "adult" atmosphere my sister was organizing.

However, it looks like I will not have to worry about finding a date, because my sister told me the plans had been changed once again! Originally, they were planning on having their honeymoon in Jamaica. The honeymoon hasn't changed, but now it has been decided that they are going to have the ceremony in Jamaica! Now the ceremony is limited to just family, and apparently, I'm going to be in Jamacia to see it!

I am going to be spending about a day in Jamaica to see the ceremony. My mother is going to pay for my plane ticket, and probably my hotel room, but it looks like I am going to have to get a passport. (I'll presume I'll be paying the passport fee). I have to admit, that I'm not really thrilled about the change of plans. At the very least, when everyone asks me what I did for my Spring Break, I can honestly tell them, "I went to Jamaica..." Only under my breath would I say, "for one day."

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Sep. 17th, 2005 @ 12:48 am BTW - I am going to simply ignore the fact that I haven't in almost a month

Current Mood: tired

tired
Current Music: The Beatles - And I Love Her

I recently was e-mailed by an old friend who was reminiscing over some old e-mails he had kept from 2002 . My friend looked back over those e-mails with a bit of nostalgia, that those were happier times. Since then, many people have left the area, and gradually he has lost touch with several of the people who were close friends of his.

I have unfortunately lost touch with several of my friends from back then as well. Since then, I have made new friends, but of course, I don't want to simply dispose of the old ones! Despite the difference of three years, I don't know if my life has changed that much! Remaining in school probably has something to do with that. I thought I would chart it to compare the difference.

Location:
2002: Apartment in Orlando
2005: House in Oviedo

Age:
2002: 20/21
2005: 23/24

Siblings:
2002: One sister
2005: One sister, one step-brother, three step-sisters

Church:
2002: First Baptist Church of Oviedo
2005: Summit

Religious Groups Involved in:
2002: First Baptist Church of Oviedo College Group, Baptist College Ministries, Campus Crusade for Christ
2005: 20:29, First Baptist Church of Oviedo Bridge Class

School and Year:
2002: University of Central Florida - Junior Year
2005: Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University - College of Law - 3rd Year

Debt:
2002: None
2005: Two years of law school, and counting

Car:
2002: 1989 Honda Prelude Si
2005: 1989 Honda Prelude Si (with a new paint job)

Job:
2002: File Clerk for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
2005: File Clerk for Allen, Kopet, and Associates, Student Extern for the State Attorney's Office

Girlfriend:
2002: Nope.
2005: Nope. (I still have three months before the year is out).

Gym Membership:
2002: UCF Gym, which I stopped using after my ski accident
2005: Gold's Gym

As your can see, there are some elements of my life which haven't really changed since 2002 (i.e. girlfriend, job, car). On the other hand, some things have definitely changed (i.e. Siblings, school). While I can't, or wouldn't claim to be completely satisfied with everything going on in my life, things are all right. At the very least, it beats the alternative!

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Aug. 24th, 2005 @ 12:35 am Well I am ever so pissed!!!

Current Mood:

pissed off
Current Music: Watching "For Your Eyes Only"

I know that it has been a while since I have updated. I have been enjoying the last few weeks of summer. I have spend most of my time staying up late, sleeping in, working, and going to the gym.

School starts on Monday. It's hard to believe that I am starting my last year of law school. Of course, I'm not through with school yet, but there I am past the half way point, and just need to make it through the final stretch.

Unfortunately, there are storm clouds looming in my future. FAMU has gone through some hard times this summer. The dean of the law school is on administrative leave because of a phantom professor who was on the payroll. (The jury is still out on this one), The faculty almost refused to start teaching B-term summer classes because they weren't paid for teaching A-term classes. (The teachers were eventually paid).

The latest news is our interm dean completely redid the schools class schedule without consulting any students for their concerns or input. The only reason that students even knew that there were going to be changes was that some of the faculty tipped off the students.

Dean James Douglas - No Concern for Students (in my humble opinion)

Why am I ever so pissed you may ask? Because of the changes in the schedule Dean Douglas made, I have to go to school every day of the week. (Many days, I will only have to go for a single, fifty minute class). Under the old schedule, I only had to go on campus two or three days a week.

Despite all the crap that is going on at school - I am still going to finish up there. It's too late for me to transfer anywhere else. However, I no longer have respect for the school while James Douglas is our dean. The way I feel right now - once I graduate, that will completely terminate relationship and support of the FAMU College of Law.

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Aug. 3rd, 2005 @ 10:49 pm Back to the gym...

Current Mood: drained

drained
Current Music: Watching Curb Your Enthusiasm

I just got back from the gym. I hadn't been in several days, so I needed to get back into the habit of working out. I took off the days while I was moving (there was enough physical toil for me to do that day), and I wasn't feeling well on Monday and Tuesday. However, it was good that I went back.

However, I was feeling pretty good about my weight loss today. However, before to long, I was at the gym and I was feeling out of shape again! I think it's because of all the mirrors that are everywhere.

I am almost finished with the twelve-weeks of my diet. When I am finished, I will have probably lost about twenty-five pounds. I'll let you know what the final result will be when the twelve weeks are over.

And now... more quizzes:

The Beatles lyrics in japanenglish Test
http://www.okcupid.com/tests/take?testid=12394085878255956411

You scored 90 %

Thanks for playing. I could tell you what your particular score means, but I don't think it really means anything. I also could have written more questions, but I've discovered that translating Beatles lyrics into Japanese and back is a pretty tedious activity. But whatever your score, remember- everyone is a winner for playing.

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Aug. 2nd, 2005 @ 10:01 pm A few more quizzes

Current Mood:

lethargic
Current Music: Soul Coughing - Circles

The Simpsons Trivia Test http://www.okcupid.com/tests/take?testid=5482076898054663088

Flaming Moe!
You scored 81 Simpson!

You are a flaming Moe! You're strong, sweet, and on fire!

The 3 Variable Funny Test http://www.okcupid.com/tests/take?testid=17565214125862764376

the Ham

(43% dark, 52% spontaneous, 16% vulgar)

your humor style:
CLEAN | SPONTANEOUS | LIGHT

Your style's mostly goofy, innocent and feel-good. Perfect for parties and for the dads who chaperone them. You can actually get away with corny jokes, and I bet your sense of humor is a guilty pleasure for your friends. People of your type are often the most approachable and popular people in their circle. Your simple & silly good-naturedness is immediately recognizable, and it sets you apart in this sarcastic world.

PEOPLE LIKE YOU: Will Ferrell - Will Smith

<table cellpadding="20" align="center"> The 'romantic' personality profile Test http://www.okcupid.com/tests/take?testid=17718221231834514800 <table cellpadding="20" align="center"> The What's Your League? Test http://www.okcupid.com/tests/take?testid=5862917876648866230

the shadow
you scored 43 manipulation and 62 motivation!

you are the shadow ... you love the people, and you want them all to fancy you, the real you. somewhat narcissistic in nature, you're also rather insecure about yourself, and sometimes require external gratification from others. and thus, your mask tends to be very thin or nonexistent at all, you wouldn't want to attract someone based on a lie. hence the name, the shadow, it is what you are. pure, even with your tongue down someone's throat. you're the kind of guy who'll be out on the pull all night, but could very well end up snogging the 'fat chick'/'nice guy', or walking home alone as the light of dawn approaches, because the fact that you're so honest and exuberant scares off your primary targets. your lack of perfidious behaviour leaves you open for a lot of heartbreak, too, as when you find someone you really like, you can't keep your mouth shut about it. still, you have the best hope to experience the purest kind of love, you just have to be prepared to get cut a hell of a lot before you finally reach that beautiful rosebud. but it'll be worth it.

The Cute League
You are 35% Factor A, and 44% Factor B. Figure that out.

TCL, baby woo!

In a way, you're perfect. You're a fair balance of personality and looks, only with the personality part a little heavier. You're agreeable, but too fiesty to be in TNL. People might like to give you high fives, and you might like that about yourself.

You can easily play with either THL or TNL (though all leagues can be attracted to you). Try the latter for relationships, and the former for rebounding and accidental love-making. Be careful, though. Mingle too much with either, and they could recruit you.

Don't tell anyone in the other leagues this, but yours is secretly the best one.

Key:
TCL = The Cute League
TNL = The Nice League
THL = The Hot League
TBL = The Beautiful League

The Importance of Looks Test
http://www.okcupid.com/tests/take?testid=16888007067405126884

The Critic
You are 50% non-critical of a guy's and/or woman's appearance.

How someone looks is pretty important to you, but you are not as demanding as a few other people. They need to have a decent figure. Jennifer Garner playing a bad girl in lingerie is something that you most likely find very attractive if you're into women. If you are into guys, how about tough guy Brad Pitt, with a well defined body?

The What Celebrity Should You Date Test
http://www.okcupid.com/tests/take?testid=17851143955590890921

Paris Hilton!
You have a date!

Paris Hilton. Simple life. Simple girl. Simple sex tape. Simple billions and billions of dollars. Not much more to say about her, really. Chosen the worst dressed star of 2003 by Mr. Blackwell (and is making a run at the 2005 title), and is best friends with (shocker of shockers) Nicole Richie and Tara Reed. Start planning the date now, and it better be pricey!

That's hot!

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Res Corporales

Tangible things that are perceptible to the senses.