With a little narrative help from our good friends from the The Arizona Fraternal Order of Police :
July 06, 2004 at 11:00 a.m., a man distraught over his divorce and armed with two loaded 44-magnum handguns approached the south entrance of the Southeast Superior Court Building in Mesa, Arizona.
[by entrance he means about 6 feet from my former desk]
Within only a few feet of the door, he stopped, drew one of the handguns from his briefcase, placed it to his head, and committed suicide.
Inside the briefcase was a second loaded 44-magnum with the hammer pulled back.
[ I recall hearing the shot and saying aloud "Gee,I sure hope that is not a gun shot." Then a gal that I later almost hooked up with from a personal ad-I saw hers and later discovered she had the hots for me-ran up to me yelling "call 9-1-1."]
[She also really wanted me to look at the Blood,
"C'mon have you seen it yet"
Me: "Uh, no ...and I don't want too either."]
This unfortunate incident should be looked at as a wake up call for security. This person did not bring two fully loaded handguns to the court building to just commit suicide. All indications point to a person who had thoughts of harming or killing innocent people that he believed had wronged him and then committing suicide.
What stopped him from following through on his plans will never be known, but if he planned to go through with what appeared to be more than just a suicide, there would not have been anyone to stop him.
[ I can attest to that, most of the guards are at least 70 years old or 300 pounds. In addition the sheriff's office deputies take a good 20 minutes or so to straddle in to check on a panic button call.]
[I have had to use the panic button on a number of occasions, most involved domestic assaults. White Trash on white trash crime. Others when we babysat the clients for "free legal days" . Imagine 30 people( I use people in its most expansive sense) in line for 5 spots.
The security personnel that work the metal detectors are unarmed and the law enforcement officers are told to lockup their guns before entering the courtroom. There were officers in the lobby who had locked up their firearms and had empty holsters at the time of this incident.
[I just see the video game Doom in my head over and over again, or maybe a law library version of Columbine.]
Side note: my former employer was so frightened by me after they terminated me (funny word terminate huh) that they escorted my workmates out by "security" the next few days (to the protest of my good friends.) So I get watched, but apparently killers can get in, no prob.
Friday, April 29, 2005
In honor of Bathos, as it takes the lead in visitors.
While the Self Help Center has been around for some time now, one of my other blogs Bathos for the Misanthropic has overtaken the lead in visitor hits.
I hardly need to tell you of its significance or its invasion into culture, virus-like, living only by invading living cells, and lives the more, the more cells it invades.
The author is quite aware of the limitaions found within his audience and felt the need for an absurdly large amount of asterics *in order to attest to the cleverness inherent within the slings and arrows of his barbs.
Enjoy.
http://bathosforthemisanthropic.blogspot.com/2005/04/is-that-best-you-can-do_29.html
*Smart folks would call 'em footnotes
I hardly need to tell you of its significance or its invasion into culture, virus-like, living only by invading living cells, and lives the more, the more cells it invades.
The author is quite aware of the limitaions found within his audience and felt the need for an absurdly large amount of asterics *in order to attest to the cleverness inherent within the slings and arrows of his barbs.
Enjoy.
http://bathosforthemisanthropic.blogspot.com/2005/04/is-that-best-you-can-do_29.html
*Smart folks would call 'em footnotes
Thursday, April 28, 2005
Ruminations regarding unemployment
- I finished off a 2-liter of coke yesterday in under 3 hours.
- I have been eating way too many peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
- I rented invisibles.
- Watched a Jimmy Stewart movie.
- Discoved a 9 minute plus remix of "butterfly" by Mariah Carey.
- I need to think more about getting a job, huh?
- At least the Rockets are up 2 games to none.
Monday, April 25, 2005
30 Things Men need to Know about Women
I have no idea why I am proud of this, but I believe I just started my first meme.
http://bathosforthemisanthropic.blogspot.com/2005/04/what-women-really-want-or-reply-to-30_25.html
http://bathosforthemisanthropic.blogspot.com/2005/04/what-women-really-want-or-reply-to-30_25.html
Friday, April 22, 2005
Work-related Blogs and Work
Anyone who links to me is a friend of mine!! Work-related Blogs and Work: "Helping to make sense of work: Bringing work blogs and work-related news together"
Thursday, April 21, 2005
Why won't we change the Electoral College?
While I await a call back from Risk Management I have been reading a a good book. "Why the Electoral College is Bad for America" by George C Edwards III.
Mr Edwards is left aghast at the lack of protest over the 2000 "selection" of the presidency. He points out that the electoral system is profoundly undemocratic, complicated,and ripe with fraud.
In the preface to the book Mr. Edwards finds it "disconcerting that the supporters of the electoral college are extraordinarly insouciant about their claims on its behalf and virtually never marshall data rigorously to evaluate their assertions."
How for instance can both big states and small states benefit from the college as has been asserted. And for those republicans who think this is democratic sour grapes, Kerry would have won with no regrets had he taken Ohio.
Mr Edwards is left aghast at the lack of protest over the 2000 "selection" of the presidency. He points out that the electoral system is profoundly undemocratic, complicated,and ripe with fraud.
In the preface to the book Mr. Edwards finds it "disconcerting that the supporters of the electoral college are extraordinarly insouciant about their claims on its behalf and virtually never marshall data rigorously to evaluate their assertions."
How for instance can both big states and small states benefit from the college as has been asserted. And for those republicans who think this is democratic sour grapes, Kerry would have won with no regrets had he taken Ohio.
Thursday, April 14, 2005
Blog censorship wins support:
Blog censorship wins support: ZDNet Australia: News: Communications: "Despite the fact most respondents classed bloggers in the same category as journalists when it came to free speech, the survey revealed bloggers are not taken as seriously as traditional media. "
Unique Cover Letter
Over at the Tao of Cheese they have a rather unique resume cover letter. It is guaranteed to get you noticed or at least few days in jail.
One of the most difficult items to enclose with a resume is the cover letter. This serves as an introduction and states the the case why you should be hired for the applied job.Most people will tell you that a cover letter needs to be polite and professional. They will also tell you that is of the utmost import to not stretch the truth. However, this does not work in practice. I have decided upon an entirely different approach.
Dear Sir/Madam,It has come to my attention that you are recruiting for a [insert job title here] position. Not only am I perfect for this position, but if you do not get me hired, I shall be forced to follow you home and kill your dog. Look, bitch, neither you nor I have the damned time to pussy foot around with the niceties, so either you make with the hiring or I make with the breaking of legs.Your future employee,[insert name here] America - Fuck Yeah!
With a cover letter like this, what HR person wouldn't be interested?
http://tao-de-cheese.blogspot.com/
One of the most difficult items to enclose with a resume is the cover letter. This serves as an introduction and states the the case why you should be hired for the applied job.Most people will tell you that a cover letter needs to be polite and professional. They will also tell you that is of the utmost import to not stretch the truth. However, this does not work in practice. I have decided upon an entirely different approach.
Dear Sir/Madam,It has come to my attention that you are recruiting for a [insert job title here] position. Not only am I perfect for this position, but if you do not get me hired, I shall be forced to follow you home and kill your dog. Look, bitch, neither you nor I have the damned time to pussy foot around with the niceties, so either you make with the hiring or I make with the breaking of legs.Your future employee,[insert name here] America - Fuck Yeah!
With a cover letter like this, what HR person wouldn't be interested?
http://tao-de-cheese.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
The Role of Public Policy in Employment Litigation
Business Power Zone - Article
The attorney at a prestigious and highly paid law firm gives a lecture on the "Role of Public Policy " in employment litigation. In other words, don't come crying to to him if the Government or Big Buisness violate your rights. Mr. Morales calls it an "erosion of the traditional employment-at-will doctrine by various legal theories which have developed."
The vagueness or--as some have called it--the "elasticity" of the public policy concept has been recognized by the courts. In the Palmateer v. International Harvester Co., the court noted "there is no precise definition of the term. In general, it can be said that public policy concerns what is right and just and what affect the citizens of the state collectively." Some have even gone so far as to describe the concept as "perhaps the most expansive and widely comprehensive phrase known to the law."
The attorney at a prestigious and highly paid law firm gives a lecture on the "Role of Public Policy " in employment litigation. In other words, don't come crying to to him if the Government or Big Buisness violate your rights. Mr. Morales calls it an "erosion of the traditional employment-at-will doctrine by various legal theories which have developed."
The vagueness or--as some have called it--the "elasticity" of the public policy concept has been recognized by the courts. In the Palmateer v. International Harvester Co., the court noted "there is no precise definition of the term. In general, it can be said that public policy concerns what is right and just and what affect the citizens of the state collectively." Some have even gone so far as to describe the concept as "perhaps the most expansive and widely comprehensive phrase known to the law."
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
First things First.
One of the little sneaky things Arizona State Government does to prevent law suits against itself is provide a couple of different statuette of limitations.
The first thing you have to do is file a claim within 6 months. According to A.R.S. 12-821.01
A.)Persons who have claims against a public entity or a public employee shall file claims with the person or persons authorized to accept service for the public entity or public employee as set forth in the Arizona rules of civil procedure within one hundred eighty days after the cause of action accrues. The claim shall contain facts sufficient to permit the public entity or public employee to understand the basis upon which liability is claimed. The claim shall also contain a specific amount for which the claim can be settled and the facts supporting that amount. Any claim which is not filed within one hundred eighty days after the cause of action accrues is barred and no action may be maintained thereon.
B.) For purposes of this section, a cause of action accrues when the damaged party realizes he or she has been damaged and knows or reasonably should know the cause, source, act, event, instrumentality or condition which caused or contributed to the damage.
Many people get confused because of an additional limitation:
12-821. General limitation; public employee
All actions against any public entity or public employee shall be brought within one year after the cause of action accrues and not afterward.
Since I was terminated Nov 11., I have until May to get something started. It's a pretty simple letter and I might post it. I do have to worry about giving out too much info, once a court case has started.
The first thing you have to do is file a claim within 6 months. According to A.R.S. 12-821.01
A.)Persons who have claims against a public entity or a public employee shall file claims with the person or persons authorized to accept service for the public entity or public employee as set forth in the Arizona rules of civil procedure within one hundred eighty days after the cause of action accrues. The claim shall contain facts sufficient to permit the public entity or public employee to understand the basis upon which liability is claimed. The claim shall also contain a specific amount for which the claim can be settled and the facts supporting that amount. Any claim which is not filed within one hundred eighty days after the cause of action accrues is barred and no action may be maintained thereon.
B.) For purposes of this section, a cause of action accrues when the damaged party realizes he or she has been damaged and knows or reasonably should know the cause, source, act, event, instrumentality or condition which caused or contributed to the damage.
Many people get confused because of an additional limitation:
12-821. General limitation; public employee
All actions against any public entity or public employee shall be brought within one year after the cause of action accrues and not afterward.
Since I was terminated Nov 11., I have until May to get something started. It's a pretty simple letter and I might post it. I do have to worry about giving out too much info, once a court case has started.
Termination lawsuits are very difficult to win here in Az. We are an "at will state", but I have a number of friends who are attorneys and they have promised to do a bit of research into this for me.
Friends don't let friends drive drunk!
But once those friends have, a friend then spends all night "coaching" said individual on all the intricacies of a few days in Sheriff Joe's Tent City.
One might think that my time of 4 years as a law library assistant and clerk at a superior court would provide me with a bit more knowledge that the average "Joe" (pun intended) and you might be right. Here is a post on a visit I paid to Uncle Joe's.
http://bathosforthemisanthropic.blogspot.com/2004/11/my-visit-with-uncle-joes.html
You might also think that a few dozen friends who are attorneys would provide a bit extra punch to my counseling skills. Or it could be my world class internet surfing skills that provide me an inside scoop into the world of Jailarity.
If you thought it was any of those things, you would be wrong. It just happens to be that I have spent plenty of time in visiting the inside of the YARD thanks to a former tendency to combine 2 of my favorite past times. Drinking and Driving.
Few of us would argue that either drinking or driving when carefully seperated aren't fun. And a few crazies (60% of the population) said "it's like adding peanut butter and chocolate, what could go wrong?" Jail however is no Recees Peieces.
One might think that my time of 4 years as a law library assistant and clerk at a superior court would provide me with a bit more knowledge that the average "Joe" (pun intended) and you might be right. Here is a post on a visit I paid to Uncle Joe's.
http://bathosforthemisanthropic.blogspot.com/2004/11/my-visit-with-uncle-joes.html
You might also think that a few dozen friends who are attorneys would provide a bit extra punch to my counseling skills. Or it could be my world class internet surfing skills that provide me an inside scoop into the world of Jailarity.
If you thought it was any of those things, you would be wrong. It just happens to be that I have spent plenty of time in visiting the inside of the YARD thanks to a former tendency to combine 2 of my favorite past times. Drinking and Driving.
Few of us would argue that either drinking or driving when carefully seperated aren't fun. And a few crazies (60% of the population) said "it's like adding peanut butter and chocolate, what could go wrong?" Jail however is no Recees Peieces.
Friday, April 08, 2005
How to Blog Safely (About Work or Anything Else)
This here is the article I found while surfing the net at "work" today:
EFF:
A handful of bloggers have recently discovered that their labors of love may lead to unemployment. By some estimates, dozens of people have been fired for blogging, and the numbers are growing every day.
Reporting on Your Work for the Government:
If you work for the government, blogging about what's happening at the office is protected speech under the First Amendment. It's also in the public interest to know what's happening in your workplace, because citizens are paying you with their tax dollars. Obviously, do not post classified or confidential information.
So after reading this article it's pretty clear that not just me, but you the tax paying citizen of Arizona was screwed out of a fundamental right. [ Albeit one that most people, esp. the young of America, don't support]
http://www.lp.org/press/archive.php?function=view&record=83
But my tirade on our creeping fascism and silent totalitarianism will have to wait for another day.
http://bathosforthemisanthropic.blogspot.com/2005/02/silent-totalitarianism.html
EFF:
A handful of bloggers have recently discovered that their labors of love may lead to unemployment. By some estimates, dozens of people have been fired for blogging, and the numbers are growing every day.
Reporting on Your Work for the Government:
If you work for the government, blogging about what's happening at the office is protected speech under the First Amendment. It's also in the public interest to know what's happening in your workplace, because citizens are paying you with their tax dollars. Obviously, do not post classified or confidential information.
So after reading this article it's pretty clear that not just me, but you the tax paying citizen of Arizona was screwed out of a fundamental right. [ Albeit one that most people, esp. the young of America, don't support]
http://www.lp.org/press/archive.php?function=view&record=83
But my tirade on our creeping fascism and silent totalitarianism will have to wait for another day.
http://bathosforthemisanthropic.blogspot.com/2005/02/silent-totalitarianism.html
One day Temp Job at a Major Accounting Firm
My first and as it turns out only day as the temp answering phones at a major accounting firm was cut short. The normal receptionist had grand jury duty and was expeted to be out for some time. Instead of the 4 weeks to 6 weeks I was promised, I get only one day because the defendant pled out. Good news for her and bad news for me!
The job was perfect for me , I think I answered the phone 15 times all day. The rest of the time I spent surfing the web , reading 45 pages from a book that I can recommend "Troll a Love Story,"and playing solitaire. All these things I am really good at. Making sure you get connected to your party-not so much.
While surfing , I came across yet another story on bloggers rights that peaked my interest. This article has convinced me to sue my former employer for violating 1st amendment rights. I 'll tell more in the next post.
The job was perfect for me , I think I answered the phone 15 times all day. The rest of the time I spent surfing the web , reading 45 pages from a book that I can recommend "Troll a Love Story,"and playing solitaire. All these things I am really good at. Making sure you get connected to your party-not so much.
While surfing , I came across yet another story on bloggers rights that peaked my interest. This article has convinced me to sue my former employer for violating 1st amendment rights. I 'll tell more in the next post.
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