Ye Olde Rad Blog

Went to court yesterday. Nothing major. Just small claims, where cases are limited to US$5-K. I like going to court. At least, when I'm standing on the side of the table labeled Plaintiff. I get a little adrenaline rush from the experience.

People sometimes accuse me of being argumentative. I disagree. Well, except when I'm hyped on a triple-espresso. Then I can get pretty combative. But I enjoy debating, especially when it's a subject I know something about.

And I learn a lot from debating with people who know more than me. There's nothing wrong with being proved wrong. Some people only care about winning an argument, not increasing their understanding of subject. That's small-mindedness.

Anyway, back to court. We won't know until next week how this case turned out. But I have a good feeling about it. The judge tries to appear impartial, but you can usually tell which way he is leaning by the questions he asks. I have a perfect record in the courtroom, where I am undefeated, un-tied, and un-scored-upon .. because I come prepared.

••• continued •••

This case was actually presented by a friend. But I coached her on how to approach it. Documentation is the key. We had signed letters from experts supporting our position (3 of them). Also had high-resolution 8x10 color photographs (3 or them, also), and a small pile of receipts.

The photos were especially damaging to the defendant's case. Can't argue with a picture. I took the photos myself with my digital camera. They came out beautiful. The dimwits on the Defendant's side had only a lengthy character-assassination to recite (ad hominem). They even attacked the cats, but offered nothing substantial to support their case.

My friend was nervous. She's not the confrontational type. Her legs were shaking, knees knocking. It was so hard for me to refrain from jumping in and grabbing the steering wheel. But you can't do that in the courtroom. There are rules and decorum. But I still managed to get in my $.02.

It's amazing how easily people will raise their right hand to heaven and swear "so help me God" to tell the truth and then proceed to lie like a rug. Lies are hard to abide. Especially when they're aimed at you. I wanted so badly to reach over and smack 'em upside the head. Some people have no shame. Can't wait to get the decision in the mail and see how we did this time. I want to keep my record perfect.