Wednesday Poll: Rant On!

One of the reasons I like the show "Boston Legal" is because they always deal with legal issues that are fairly current.  And--although it's so unrealistic--I love it that Alan Shore (James Spader) gets to say stuff I wish I could say in court, but can't because, well, I like my law license. 

This evening's episode was more current than usual.  It featured Shore arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court in a case where the defendant had been sentenced to death for raping a child in Louisiana.  In case you don't keep up, that exact same case (Kennedy v. Louisiana) was argued in the real U.S. Supreme Court just last week.  And Shore didn't pull any punches.  He called the justices out, went off on all the hypocrisies inherent in our capital punishment scheme, and more! (UPDATE:  I found a clip of it!)

It was the same stuff my co-workers and I go off about, but really can't say in front of an actual court.  And even though it was a fake lawyer ranting at fake justices I just about stood up and cheered when he was done.  Although who knows if any of the real justices watch the show, somehow it's almost like my own rants on the subject were delivered (minus all of the unpleasantness that would occur if I were to deliver said rants personally).

So, for this week's poll:

If you could go on an all out rant on someone about an issue you care about without having to deal with any of the repercussions of said rant, who would you go off on and what would you go off about?

Comment and discuss.

Comments

[Sarah]

Do I just get one?? Like James Spader, I would probably go off on the court and yell at them to stop hiding behind harmless error. It's a ridiculous notion to think that in most cases, you can still have confidence in a jury verdict even after you have found that evidence was erroneously admitted or excluded or that the jury was mis-instructed on the law or that some other wrong thing happened during the course of the trial. Sure it's expensive to retry cases, but if we actually started reversing bad trials, that might encourage trial courts and attorneys to get them right the first time!

Can I have a second one? Because one of these days, I'm seriously going to lose it at a sporting event when I'm told to stand quietly, take my hat off, and place my hand over my heart for the playing of the national anthem. As if I fail to do any of these things, I will have shown my total lack of patriotism and my utter contempt for my country. To me, it's just become so commonplace to play the anthem, recognizing it has become an empty gesture. I usually stand, but I don't do the other things. Some day, I'd really like to tell off the people who give me a dirty look for not taking off my hat or placing my hand over my heart.

[StacyH]

That's too funny, because I would rant about people who don't respect the national anthem or the flag. With all due respect and you are perfectly entitled to your opinion, it is not an empty gesture to those that serve under it.

It takes all kinds. In happy news the folks at the blog may not know, Daddy got promoted and will pin on May 14th. Yeah!

My more current rant would be about bailing out subprime borrowers who had bad credit, no money down, and who just stopped making payments on their loans so they could afford the cable bill. I guess really that rant should be re-entitled people with screwie priorities. Because they just bug me. :)

[Meryl]

Here's another rant I would have to take up (complete with boxing brocoli):
http://justbraise.com/some-food-makes-me-mad/

[Sarah]

I understand and respect that the flag and anthem mean more to some people than they do to others. The best way to get my patriotic heart thumping is to recite the Declaration of Independence or the Bill of Rights. To each his/her own. My complaint is about a one-size-fits-all approach to patriotism: the idea that I have to be moved by a daily playing of the national anthem to be considered a patriot.

I hope that those who served under the flag did so at least in some small part to protect my right to express my love of country in the way that best suits me instead of being coerced to express that patriotism in the way someone else has decided is best.

[Fergus' Mom]

ok, mine is completely self serving and has absolutely no redemptive value whatsoever other than to allow me the ability to vent! I would go off on participants in the program I administer that refuse to accept responsibility when they fail and instead choose to attack the quality of the challenge, the program, my parentage, or all of the above ;o) I get a little joy when I can respond with a well crafted response informing them (professionally, of course) of the errors of their ways, but I'd rather just not have to do it in the first place! Tremendous waste of my time and energy. They do provide some comic relief at times, like the time they didn't read the WHOLE paper they cited in their appeal otherwise they would have noticed the major typo in the ABSTRACT which made for a fun response (how not to call them ignorant and lazy while pointing out they were ignorant and lazy).

I'm betting I could expand that to include anyone that would blame others first and only later look to themselves for the fault (if ever).

[jennywenny]

The thing that upsets me more than anything is waste. Thats what I rant about. Watching people throwing their polystyrene cups in the trash along with all their cans and endless plastic water bottles. I hate people throwing tons of food away too. I know there is much more important stuff in the world but I really have trouble throwing anything away!

I watched all the homeless people wasting their time going through all our recycling bins and I wish they had something more constructive to do than stealing our recycling. :(

[Kenda]

I'm with Sarah, do I get just one? I have so many usually. First and foremost STUPID PEOPLE!!! I could really go on for hours, but it really is more than stupid people it is a totally lack of responsibility and accountability. It seems like some people just don't have any problem solving skills or common sense. We all have our moments, I am just as guilty of saying or doing something bone head, but I don't think it is consistenly and I tend to learn from my mistakes. But these people, come on.

My other huge rant is people who don't properly use their health insurance and make mine more expensive, for example: people without a primary care physician that consistently visit the emergency room when it wasn't needed. I realize in some cases this is an education issue, but frequently I hear, "oh well, if it gets worse we'll just take him/her to the emergency room." Just makes me want to slap someone. And don't get me started on insurance companies...see what happens!

Great question by the way. They are trying to pass legislation in Missouri aren't they to make rape a capital offense?

[Meryl]

Sarah would be the expert on that, but just off the cuff, I think that's right. One of the things I actually worry about most about this case is that it will open a floodgate of states trying to pass similar laws.

I just wish people would really think through the full ramifications, rather than just assuming laws like this make us safer. (But that's a whole 'nother rant!)

[Sweet husband]

The thing that gets me is those high cable bills, with as expensive as they are there is no way I can pay our rent. I mean what do they expect me to do not watch TV. I think the government might come after me if I don't get my 6 hours a day in watching the idiot box.

[Kenda]

I think we need a laws to cover everything and that will make us safe, because people never break laws and criminals always think about the consequences of their actions while they are committing crimes especially violent crimes like murder and rape, yeah ok.

Oh and sweet husband you forgot that you also should not be blamed for your inability to read your lease which detailed the amount of your rent and how it would increase after a two year period, therefore causing you to have to choose between the cable and the rent! God forbid you be expected to read and understand something you are signing!

Ok if I keep this up I won't be able to sleep! :)

[StacyH]

I was thinking about this in the car on the way in to work ... if cable were cheaper, than lots of these other problems might go away. You could solve everything in one swoop! People could pay their rent, have more money for medical care, etc.

Then I thought, people are irresponsible and that's not really going to be fixed by the cable company. They'd spend their money on electronics probably, instead of rent.

But I'd still like cheaper cable! :)

[Fergus' Mom]

this current discussion is cracking me up since I gave up cable a LONG time ago so I could afford rent (and pay off debts accumulated from my retarded college days of indescriminate clothes shopping). I've been 'cable-free' for about 6 years now. Being cable-free also means 'internet-free' at home and THAT has been WAY more difficult to me since I can still at least get basic tv with my antenna so I upped the abilities of my cellphone and once iTunes came along my life improved immensely ;o)

Now that I'm about to move into a house I've been debating whether it is time to break my ban on cable, but I'll just have to wait and see. Maybe I can keep up my streak for a little longer!

[Anita]

I have direct tv, it is as expensive as cable. I do, however, think that there are many more options and much more information available now then when it was all free. Granted you have to spend some time working through some of the garbage that is on the airwaves, but some is genuinely worthwhile.

I can rant much (and have) about the state of our foster care system. Pick a State they all are bad programs. I don't know how to fix the problem, I guess it is the same as trying to fix broken people, there are not easy answers. I think foster care creates more broken people.

Another rant since your asking is that there is no truth. Truth is skewed by beliefs and individual situations. Maybe truth has always been skewed because there have always been agendas.

[StacyH]

A nationwide ban on cable until the "housing crisis" abates! :)

That's my solution, rather than borrowing money from China. But as with most things ... no one asked me. ;)

[Meryl]

Ahh, but that would be government making decisions for us! Maybe some people would rather have cable than a house. ;)

[Carolyn]

I am a little late in posting a rant, but I can make a list of several things that I think are injustices in our country and the world, but I will keep it short.
"No child left behind", teaching to the test to instead of teaching children to learn and think for themselves.Scores depending on teachers jobs, and improvement plans all because of handicap children causing the scores to be low. If you have not seen the video on YouTube "Not on the Test" is very good rant,
Poverty and people who are able to work and live off the government. People who buy drugs and alcohol instead of food for their family, and then go to the food pantry in town and ask for a hand out.
Injustices of the community in Texas that call themselves a church and men who are in power over women and children,all in the "Name of God". This is just a few.

[StacyH]

Amen.