Indiana, You've Disappointed Me Again...

I am far too busy cross-checking news stories today to be even remotely interested in studying or in writing the paper that's due in approximately 100 hours. Why, you ask?  Because the Indiana legislature is at it again.

Indiana is the first state to defund Planned Parenthood.  Which, okay, conservative family values, yada yada yada.  It's really almost expected.  The real problem is that this bill will probably cause Indiana to lose all $4 million that it got for family planning services last year.  And this is where it gets funny.*

Let's be real:  this bill really passed because Planned Parenthood gives abortions ALL THE TIME.**  And abortions are bad.  But how can we prevent abortions?  Well, we COULD cut all the money that goes to them.  OR we could do something much more radical.  We could provide proper family planning services that teach people how to not get pregnant in the first place.  Well, look at that.  That's what Planned Parenthood DOES!  Why, with more education at a proper family planning center, we could have fewer abortions!  Especially since there can be NO learning about anything other than abstinence at school.

Are you paying attention, Indiana?  There's more than one way to skin a cat.***

Moreover, beyond the whole "Do you really not get how to prevent abortions being necessary" thing, this law is INCREDIBLY paternalistic.  I know lots of people who went to Planned Parenthood.  I went to Planned Parenthood, too.  Not for any sort of medical procedure, but to ask the questions we couldn't ask at home, at church,**** or even at school.  (Again, not that they would have been answered.  See link above.)  By taking away services like this, you're forcing people to either ask questions where they are too scared to do so or just not to have proper information in the first place.  This bill will help take away people's right to make choices for themselves, based on their own lives.  And not just poor people, but young people and scared people, too.

Plus, in the words of my mother, "What are all the people who pray outside of the Planned Parenthood going to do now?  They're going to have way too much free time."*****

Mitch Daniels is expected to sign this bill into law, even though he called for a truce on social issues.******  This is saddening because for me it means that the state I grew up in has become a place that I'm no longer proud of between this and the anti-gay amendment.  This is why young people don't want to go back.  Nobody wants to say "I live in Indiana," when the legislature proves time and time again that bigotry, hate, and misinformation reign supreme in that little Red land.

If you're an Indiana citizen, I urge you to really think about this issue and write to Governor Daniels.  We young people will never change anything if we don't get loud first.  Tell Governor Daniels that his real problem with brain drain is not anything to do with jobs, but rather has everything to do with not wanting to associate with a state that's 50 years behind.   Prove that at least some of the citizenry can actually use their brains to make a decision about an issue, not just have a knee-jerk reaction to a scary word.

_____________________
*I use this term loosely.  I think I mean "ironic," but so many people use that word incorrectly, (I'm looking at you, Alanis Morissette) that I'm not even entirely sure what it means anymore.
**This is not true.  Only about 3% of Planned Parenthood's funds go towards abortions.  But then, you should look at this chart, because it's funny, and probably where people THINK PP's spending goes.
***I'm trying to put things in folksy terms so that people who don't get "actions = consequences" will be able to understand.
****No, seriously, once my youth group had "ask a priest" night, where we were encouraged to ask Fr. Herman all of our questions about sex.  Never mind that we didn't really want to ask anything.  ANYWAY, all of the answers came down to "God doesn't like that," which was not extraordinarily helpful.
*****My mother is much cooler than I used to think she was.  Also, I know people who actually did this in their free time.  They'll probably have to go to jail now and pray for an end to capital punishment.  Oh, wait.  Pro-lifers don't do that.  Also, in the words of my mother "A life is a life.  If you're going to say you're going to support capital punishment, then you're still CHOOSING to end a life, which pretty much makes you pro-choice."  Go Mom.
******He's also expected to run for President.  Signing this bill would probably ruin his political career. As it should.

Welcome to Conjunction Junction

In law school you do a lot of writing.  Between advocacy classes, legal writing classes, taking exams, taking notes, writing outlines, writing articles, and even just writing e-mails, a law student will write a ridiculous amount of words over her time in school.  I’m told that you write even more as a lawyer.   In order to be taken seriously, grammar is important.

Between you and me, I’m the queen of comma splices, and when I get excited, I tend to mix up my their/they’re/there.  Not because I don’t know the difference, but because I know what the word sounds like, and I just type without paying much attention.  It’s a bad habit.  That's why careful proofreading is key.

DePaul 1Ls even have writing composition (read: grammar) assignments, and a huge quiz at the end of this semester on grammar (and bluebooking).  So I thought it might be handy if I did a post with links to grammar help for those of you who need a quick look up on a grammar tangle.

http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/  

I love the Grammar Girl website.  Quick and easy to understand, it will clear up any problems you have in a jiffy.  (It certainly helped me understand how to fix messed-up modifiers!)

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/  

I discovered this in undergrad, since I went to school in Indiana.  The Purdue Online Writing Lab is a pretty comprehensive website all about writing.  I highly recommend it when you need a good example to follow.

http://www.plsclarify.com/  

Please Clarify is a blog specifically about legal writing.  It often has little pictures or comics to show grammar fails.  The blog spends time talking about effective communication tactics, which I find helpful and interesting.

And finally, not exactly a link, but something I’ve watched over and over for the last couple days.  It’s a short video, and hopefully you enjoy it as much as I do!

I'll be on Spring Break in about 25 hours!  When does your much-needed vacation (or staycation, as the case may be) begin?

Look out!! It's A Linkstorm!!!

I have my last final today.  (Yay!)  Of course it's evidence.  And while I understand what conditional relevancy is, what the HELL does it look like on paper?  I find myself asking that for a lot of these topics.  "Well, sure, I know how it works, but I have no idea how I'm going to know what I'm looking at."  Of course, I just did 422 practice problems over the course of 2 days, and had a general 70% success rate.  That translates to B in law school world.  I can handle a B.  Which means I'm taking a study break to look at things on the INTERNETS.  And so should you.

So when you get a chance or need a 15-minute mental break, here are some fun things to go look at on the internets:

Law and Order fans should get a kick out of this one.  Don't feel obligated to look at everything, but you should definitely click through the coloring book and the Valentine's Day one.  http://brandonbird.com/artisticintent.html

Clearly Indiana lawyers suck at life since they are always getting disbarred for things like battery and prostitution.  I should probably be looking for jobs there, since there seem to be openings all the time.  http://abovethelaw.com/2010/12/another-lawyer-bites-the-dust-gets-caught-with-a-prostitute/

Good news, guys!  Lawyers didn't make this list!  (But we're probably number 11.)  http://gawker.com/5710624/the-10-most-depressing-jobs-in-america?skyline=true&s=i

Yes, I know this is sexist, but come on.  They compare Salma Hayek to International Shoe!  That is awesome!  http://abovethelaw.com/2010/12/fame-brief-salma-hayek-brings-heat-boobs-to-scotus-immigration-debate/#more-48073

Yes, I know that your ConLaw exam was difficult, but let's face it:  A world with no Constitution would be REALLY creepy:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a32OZe2pgnM

And as long as you're there.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VESzLBqx7KY

Scalia is the funniest SCOTUS justice!  And not because we all make fun of him!  (Also not because he is the funniest looking.)  http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/31/politics/31mirth.html?_r=2

And this, as a friend of mine said, is why you bring up cold feet BEFORE you cut the checks:  http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/12/jilted-bride-sues-ex-fiance-for-95k-for-cancelling-wedding.html

Sure, it's creepy.  But think of the hearsay implications!  http://www.abajournal.com/weekly/article/parrots_comments_aid_police_in_elder_abuse_case?utm_source=maestro&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=weekly_email

See!  I TOLD all of you that Hogwarts was a dangerous place to be!!  http://www.lawhaha.com/harmless_display.asp?RecNo=33