Disbarment for Jack Thompson?
Colorful Florida lawyer Jack Thompson is a two-time winner of our Lawyer of the Day award (here and here). He has appeared in these pages so often that he even has his own category tag.
So this news, from the Daily Business Review, did not come as a total shock:
Coral Gables attorney and anti-porn crusader Jack Thompson should be disbarred and not allowed to apply for readmission for at least 10 years, The Florida Bar recommended at a hearing Wednesday...."It's a privilege to practice law in the state of Florida, it is not a right," Bar counsel Sheila Tuma told [Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Dava] Tunis. "If you look at case law in the state of Florida, enhanced disbarment is appropriate."
The "enhanced" part is the prohibition on applying for readmission for ten years. The standard period is five years.
The hearing was a bit chaotic, with Thompson objecting frequently. He branded the proceedings a "star chamber" and "kangaroo court," before leaving in a huff. And he's taking his case to the court of public opinion. Check out this comment on the DBR story, which appears to be posted by Thompson:
I appreciate the fact that [reporters Billy] Shields and [Alana] Roberts have done a good job reporting what transpired yesterday. What you all don't know is the extent of wrongdoing here by certain Bar officials, the full scope of which is beginning to come to light from sources within and outside The Bar that are now contacting me. Some of them have contacted me as a result of the above article. There is an iceberg here toward which the Titanic Bar is steaming. Many lawyers in this community who think they know what I am all about and what The Bar is all about have no earthly idea about either. Just keep your eyes on what transpires in the weeks ahead on this issue. Law enforcement officials are now involved. The Bar is going down. I guarantee it. Jack Thompson.... June 5 at 7:28 a.m.
Bar Discipline: Disbarment recommended for Gables lawyer [Daily Business Review]
(17) Comments
I was with him until he said "The Bar is going down. I guarantee it."
The poor man obviously has an undiagnosed brain tumor.
The poor man obviously has an undiagnosed brain tumor.
The bar is going down? All of it? This guy is amazing.
The Florida Bar isn't the sort of organization that has any moral entitlement to kick anyone out.
Florida should have its own category tag.
See, e.g.,
http://abovethelaw.com/2008/04/judge_of_the_day_ana_gardiner.php
(and linked articles)
Poor 1:15 obviously has undiagnosed Tourette's syndrome.
Is it obvious that the poor man as an undiagnosed brain tumor?
Poor use of the word "transpire," which means "to become known," not "to happen."
This man needs help, not denial of the way he makes his living.
Depends which century you're living in, 1:23.
oh no law enforcement. he's going to have the whole bar arrested!
Poor correction by 1:23
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/transpire
1: to occur; happen; take place
Though personally I would prefer if we could limit the use of transpire to its original meaning, which is apparently "to escape as vapor."
1:23 - looks to me like either meaning would work perfectly fine. In fact, your (idiosyncratic) definition would works particularly well in the context. He claims that people currently have no "earthly idea" about him or the Bar, but that this will change as things transpire over the coming weeks.
I appreciate the fact that [reporters Billy] Shields and [Alana] Roberts have done a good job reporting what [became known] yesterday. What you all don't know is the extent of wrongdoing here by certain Bar officials, the full scope of which is beginning to come to light from sources within and outside The Bar that are now contacting me. Some of them have contacted me as a result of the above article. There is an iceberg here toward which the Titanic Bar is steaming. Many lawyers in this community who think they know what I am all about and what The Bar is all about have no earthly idea about either. Just keep your eyes on what [becomes known] in the weeks ahead on this issue. Law enforcement officials are now involved. The Bar is going down. I guarantee it. Jack Thompson.... June 5 at 7:28 a.m.
[U]sage: Sense 4 of transpire [4: to take place : go on, occur] is the frequent whipping boy of those who suppose sense 3 [3 a: to be revealed : come to light b: to become known or apparent : develop] to be the only meaning of the word. Sense 4 appears to have developed in the late 18th century; it was well enough known to have been used by Abigail Adams in a letter to her husband in 1775 . Noah Webster recognized the new sense in his dictionary of 1828. Transpire was evidently a popular word with 19th century journalists; sense 4 turns up in such pretentiously worded statements as “The police drill will transpire under shelter to-day in consequence of the moist atmosphere prevailing.” Around 1870 the sense began to be attacked as a misuse on the grounds of etymology, and modern critics echo the damnation of 1870. Sense 4 has been in existence for about two centuries; it is firmly established as standard; it occurs now primarily in serious prose, not the ostentatiously flamboyant prose typical of 19th century journalism. I.E., 1:23, you're not smart. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/transpire
> "I fought The Bar...and The Bar won!"
Nice DK reference 10:39.