http://www.acriminalwasteofspace.net/ Calfornia Associate Justice William W. Bedsworth A Criminal Waste of Space monthly column irreverant look at legal matters http://www.acriminalwasteofspace.net/journal_beds.asp?blogid=76 Fri, 02 May 2008 17:12:42 PST My wife and I work together. This means I get to spend pretty much every minute of my life with her. This sometimes gets in the way because, of course, it means I have to spend so much time giving thanks to a higher power for my incredible good fortune. Other than that, it is the unalloyed blessing ... http://www.acriminalwasteofspace.net/journal_beds.asp?blogid=75 Thu, 27 Mar 2008 16:48:16 PST I must admit I was startled. I had not expected to see a gorilla when I left the golf course. And I certainly hadn't expected to be within 20 feet of one.1 Yet there he was, standing on a street corner in Irvine, swaying rhythmically from side to side, listening to his iPod.He was holding a larg... http://www.acriminalwasteofspace.net/journal_beds.asp?blogid=74 Fri, 04 Jan 2008 15:07:52 PST On October 5th of last year, I spoke to the American Bar Association's International Law Section in London. On October 19th, I spoke to the Nebraska State Bar Convention in Lincoln.In between, I spent a week in a decompression chamber to keep from getting the bends.I had a great time in both ven... http://www.acriminalwasteofspace.net/journal_beds.asp?blogid=73 Wed, 21 Nov 2007 19:36:26 PST I had three dogs as a boy.  All were named Trouble.  This was because my dad named all the dogs and he was not entirely convinced by my mom's "A boy should have a dog" argument.In fact, Dad disliked pretty much everything about dogs.  And cats.  And ferrets and hams... http://www.acriminalwasteofspace.net/journal_beds.asp?blogid=72 Mon, 10 Sep 2007 19:42:04 PST My first year criminal law class spent very little time on the elements of crimes and a lot on the "philosophy of punishment." I griped about the curriculum and complained that we should spend less time studying the music of the spheres and more time learning how to distinguish battery fro... http://www.acriminalwasteofspace.net/journal_beds.asp?blogid=71 Wed, 01 Aug 2007 19:25:35 PST Years ago, when my daughter Megan was in high school, I made the mistake of mentioning that when I was her age, I didn't have to learn about the Vietnam War because it hadn't yet started.  She was, understandably, outraged about the unfairness of having to learn 30 more years of history... http://www.acriminalwasteofspace.net/journal_beds.asp?blogid=70 Thu, 28 Jun 2007 16:37:14 PST My career on the bench has now reached twenty years, but it includes very little family law work.  Turns out if you deny just one divorce, they stop sending them to you.But that is apparently not the rule in other states.  Or at least one state.  According to the Associated Press, &qu... http://www.acriminalwasteofspace.net/journal_beds.asp?blogid=69 Fri, 08 Jun 2007 14:20:24 PST My gender has a hard time with pants. I don't know why this is. As body coverings go, pants are decidedly low-tech. You would think a gender that can - more or less - cope with shoelaces and French cuffs and four-in-hand knots could manage pants. I mean, once you get out of the way of the zipper... http://www.acriminalwasteofspace.net/journal_beds.asp?blogid=68 Thu, 31 May 2007 16:04:03 PST I don't generally use this space for education.  I'm having enough trouble getting myself educated without worrying about others.But every so often, a case comes along that includes so much wisdom and information that even I - a hopeless Philistine, generally tone-deaf to cultural value... http://www.acriminalwasteofspace.net/journal_beds.asp?blogid=67 Thu, 03 May 2007 14:27:09 PST The world is turning into a tough room in which to do comedy.The day after his State of the Union address, President Bush flew in Air Force One - a Boeing 747 - to Wilmington, Delaware - a distance of 98 miles - to give a speech on energy conservation.  Talk about a mixed message.  I don&#...