09 December 2008

Depositions cancelled due to expected weather. Not as bad as predicted as usual. The local weather people spend a great deal of energy convincing us it will be much worse than it comes to be. This I can only assume lends to more and longer viewing of the tv screen where they can sell us more crap. No depos though and I used the weather to cancel a drive to Knoxville for an arraignment. My client finally called though. He gave us a Florida address from which nothing has returned, but he is living in Knoxville with a relative and has received no mail. The phone he listed is not in service. He finally calls about an hour before the scheduled court appearance and wants confirmation he is to be in court today. No concern that he has never spoken with me about his case; apparently he thinks I will be able to advise him and to represent him without knowing the first thing about the case. This is not unusual. A pervasive belief exists among my clients that I obtain all I need through osmosis--that the information of the case comes to me through the air; that police reports can be read at great distances. The weak and feeble minded will only inherit the earth if they are so numerically superior that the gene pool is forever depleted of intelligence. The ancient conflict present in all of us to assist those who can not help themselves opposing the sense the planet would be a better place without them and they should be left to perish natural deaths occurs to me periodically. My job is to help those who are unable to help themselves. It often seems a hopeless task and a never ending one.