"My idealism is showing again. I think lawyers should be honest. Honest with clients. Honest with one another. Most of all, honest with the court.

[...]

However, many lawyers go farther down the continuum.  This is the 'say it enough times and it becomes true' section. Here, the lawyer feels justified in engaging in wild speculation. As long as their client is willing to say something is possible, the lawyer will treat it as fact....

The middle section, in my mind, is ethically questionable and personally distasteful. I do not practice even there and will tell prospective clients that up front. That last range of wild speculation, I believe, is unethical and immoral...This kind of dishonesty is at the heart of what makes justice elusive.

I've mentioned in the past that I admire Elusive Justice.  Simply put, he's a good attorney.  And I'm not just talking about legal skill...there are a lot of attorneys with good "skill."  It's EJ's devotion to honesty that sets him apart.  He wants to represent his clients with truth.  Not lies, not mischaracterizations, not wild speculations.  Simply. Truth.

Is it natural for mothers to be concerned about their children??  Lindsey, at Enjoy the Journey, is preparing for surgery for her daughter.  She posted that she struggles with worry as her precious daughter's day for surgery draws closer.  Comments in response to Lindsey's honesty were compassionate and true: 

"You are only human and you are a mother who loves her child"

"You wouldn't be a caring mama if you weren't feeling the way you are"

"You are feeling this so much because you are such a good mother"

"I would be more concerned if you were not a little worried"

Not a single person accused Lindsey of being "completely and totally opposed to surgery" just because she expressed her concern for her daughter.

When my children go off to college I will worry about them.  That doesn't mean I'm opposed to getting a college education.

When my children begin to drive I will worry about them.  That doesn't mean I'm opposed to motor vehicles.  (If I was, I wouldn't own a vehilcle myself)!

When I hear of school shootings, I hug my children a little extra...even though there has never been a school shooting anywhere near my home.

When I read about middle-school students having s*x in classrooms (sometimes with teachers still in the room) it distrubs me.

Do I worry about my girls in public school?  Yep.  Does that make me a bad mom?  Nope.  Does that mean I'm "opposed to public education"?  Lest anyone be confused, my educational philosophy is this:

I do what is best for my girls.  Sometimes that has been the public school.  Sometimes that has been homeschooling with public school supports.  Sometimes that has been private school.  When my daughter with autism was younger it meant private therapy, in-home tutors and developmental play groups.

Every year of my children's childhood I carefully considered their needs as individuals.  I spoke with professionals, obtained evaluations, recorded their educational progress and development, considered their personalities and learning styles and made a decision about what was best for my family.  That didn't always mean public school.  Sometimes it did.  But when it did, my reason was never as simplistic as "everybody's doing it, so I will too."  It always, always has been about what was best for my children as the individuals that they are.

And that does NOT make me a substandard mom.  Even if I do cringe when autistic four-year-olds have their heads slammed into walls.

"That last range of wild speculation, I believe, is unethical and immoral...This kind of dishonesty is at the heart of what makes justice elusive."