Dear ALL:

Apparently my email in defense of a faculty member's comments about law
review experience has caused quite a stir.

At least two people have suggested that such an email is an abuse of the
ability to send a school-wide email. I must admit, I don't see how. As
far my perusal of the honor code went, I didn't see that I violated it.
However, if someone knows otherwise, please let me know.

The fact is, there is not an outlet for controversy at this school.
There is no working student newspaper, there are no debates (that I have
seen advertised) between clubs that have differing political
views--there is no nothing to foster healthy controversy at all. Isn't
that what law school is all about? The fact is, that right now, email is
the most effective way to communicate with fellow students.

If anyone out there is interested in reviving the Devil's Advocate, or
starting a new student newspaper PLEASE LET ME KNOW!! I'm working [here]
this summer and I would love to get a student newspaper
running at the law school.

The fact is, the subject matter of my email about law review "prestige"
is exactly the kind of thing a student newspaper should be
addressing--rather than hallway gossip, or viscious emails back and
forth between students. I mean what journal is "best"; saying "they're
all the same"; telling whatever wacko who sends out crazy campus-wide
emails that he is a nut; asking "what can I do to get ahead in the job
market"; are sure as heck not "private" concerns. WE ALL DISCUSS THEM
EVERYDAY!!! And these issues would be perfectly addressed in student
newspaper articles, in letters to the editor, op-ed pieces, etc.

Look, we pay 32,000+ to attend the First Rate Law School (and believe
me, I'm happy as hell that I got accepted here!!)--we (the student body)
ought to be able to debate controversial issues without lots of folks
gettin' all huffy and puffy.

So if anyone wants to revive a student newspaper, EMAIL ME!! We'll get
it running this summer.

I hope making a plea to start a student newspaper is deemed an
"appropriate" use of the campus-wide email system.

[Mr. Army]

Note: That "First Rate Law School" business? That was all him, not me. I don't know how you can call Jethro's School of Lawyerin' "first rate," but there are rumors we are moving up in the Redneck Times rankings this year, due to our aggressive recruiting of near-homo sapiens from Alabama and Mississippi.

But seriously... I read this email, and aside from the feeling of intense fantra that welled up inside me, I wanted to slam my head into a wall because it would be less painful than witnessing this stupidity. It's not that you committed an honor code violation, you idiot, it's that it was totally inappropriate to involve 600+ people in a debate known originally only to 40 or so. It's that, no matter how well-intentioned you might have been, your actions only made things bad for Prof. Con Law. Christ Almighty.

The LSAT needs a new section to test social aptitude, I swear to god.

Someone approaches you at Orientation and attempts small-talk. You:
A. Tell them where you're from, where you went for undergrad, and what type of law you want to do.
B. Babble on about how high your LSAT score was, how you could have gone to HLS, and how the poor sucker talking to you doesn't have a shot in hell at being in the top 10% compared to you, you brilliant pasty-white pimpled thing.
C. Cower in a corner, terrified at the prospect of human interaction.
D. Smear yourself with your own feces and wonder when feeding time is.

B might get you a full scholarship, but A might keep you from getting summarily shot by your classmates. It's a tough choice.