Yeah, I agree that the FISC rulings were instrumental, but as I say, I either don’t remember or had forgotten that Goldsmith’s work played any role at all.

Twas a big “Doh!” moment when I re-read the article.

My memory isn’t as good as it used to be, and at its best, was certainly never as good as you and Marcy. *g*

That’s unfortunate… what you say about Texas. When it comes to being “licensed,” such as for us psychologists, then the State operates for the good of the consumer and the Licensing Board has psychologists on it but also citizens. Though lawyers do all the digging into the complaints for the Board. So it sounds more like a “guild system” for lawyers. Maybe I’m wrong.

Well, I hope that in the end, at the very least, and that’s a tiny price to pay in some ways, that disbarment will happen for many.

Thanks for your answer, bmaz.

And by the way, your legal mind, to me, the non-lawyer, seems very sharp!’

I did my dissertation in the area of “cognitive expertise,” and while our minds are not as good at hanging onto new details as we grow older, in our areas of expertise, we get sharper and sharper in making judgments, because our minds have created these wonderful neural networks for thinking clearly and concisely within the areas where we have really “chuncked” lots of conceptual information.

So that’s the good news! That’s why I try to stick to what I know and do my best to “follow” the new paths being forged.

Also, there’s a wonderful benefit to groups of people working together. Huge benefit. Like a supercomputer made up of people.

Peace.

Actually, I truly enjoyed doing that research. Which involved intensive interviews with two groups of 10 people each, novices versus expert therapists. With the variable of age added (within each group). I was so fortunate to be allowed to do something useful and interesting. (not always possible in psychology)

Found out some very interesting things, that I hadn’t expected. The oldest (two in their 70’s) experienced therapists were more willing to “break rules” and do what they deemed in the best interest of the patient (in a “set-up scenario,” where the clinic only allowed 10 visits.. an imaginary therapy, not real) This, I think, tells us about the flexibility of age as well as the willingness to confront nonsense when it’s not workable!

Next, the expert therapists were distinguished from the non-experts by some interesting personality factors: acceptance within themselves of issues related to hostility and dependency (which ultimate meant that they were more comfortable acknowledging that they deal with the same issues of very troubled individuals… without going into the whole research design, etc.) And also that the experts were much more likely to describe “using humor” as a salient personality characteristic, which they made use of in therapy as a means to connect with people, disarm their defenses, confront them gently.

I mention these things because they tell us, I think, about “wisdom” and that – in the end – is what your “research group” (that’s what I view it as) is all about. Trying to ferret out information and also trying to envision how a society might work out solutions to our terrible problems, using the rule of law etc.

Think how important is the ability to think outside the box, the “rule-breaking” of my oldest experts. How important is the ability to see that when it comes right down to it – I, as a person, am dealing with the same basic issues of any other person… we are all connected by that. And that humor is so important, also, as a characteristic of wisdom, as a way of connecting, of dealing with anxiety, of helping others to see the truth.

Sorry for the long comment here, but I think you can see how my own background/training, gives me a perspective which might, from time to time, help in this common task we, and others, are engaged in.

50 years ago I played soccer briefly. My image of what we’re all doing (here and elsewhere) is kicking a ball down a field. Working together to do that.

I can’t do the lawyer thing. I don’t have your younger brain, focussed like a laser on these topics, intuitively snapping shut like a steel trap (as mine does for topics related to therapy, personality dynamics, relationships… or as bmaz can do related to the law), but I’m trying to follow – here and elsewhere, and do my part, setting aside many other personal or professional things I might be doing… because I simply must address the social ills of this disastrous time – just as if a patient in terrible need had appeared on my doorstep.

One last thing. I see tpm as doing “crowd-sourcing” of factual info & analysis, with lots of people across the country and world. I see fdl as building a community of activists (ready to spring into action like a ferocious cat), different than kos, which is more shrill and rough and tumble but full of info coming from everywhere, and I see your group as a “research group,” which has organized itself around your intuitive and memory/info-organizational gifts… doing intensive work, at times very detailed, at times with brilliant syntheses.

So, FWIW… my informal summary of that too.

Is Woo a member of the Bar? I don’t know that he has actually practiced law anywhere. Seems he has only worked as a pumped-up paralegal for either a Supreme Court Justice, or the Feds, or as an academic.Not even sure if any of these required him to pass the Bar exam or be admitted to the Bar…even in D.C.

Can one teach law without being admitted to the bar? (I hope not!)

I’m sure it’s possible to check. Interesting question. And more than one? Recall that Harriet Myers had “forgotten” to pay her dues (?) related to the DC bar. So perhaps he has more than one place you could complain to.

For MD’s and psychologists, there is a national registry, so if you lose your license anywhere, it gets posted there. And that dooms you!n They should have that for lawyers as well. If not… it needs to happen.