I hate lawyers. If you’re a lawyer, I’m sorry, but I hate you. For every good, useful lawyer, there are a dozen muckrakers fighting for a place at the nipple that is today’s litigious society.

Case in point: Yesterday, I’m driving to work and I come to a red light. I need to make a right turn, and there’s one car in front of me. I wait until he starts to make his turn, then I look to the left to see if traffic is clear. Seeing that it is, I start my turn. As I do, I bump the car in front of me, whose driver apparently decided to abort his turn sometime after I started my look to the left.

There was no damage to either car, as I was going barely 5 miles an hour. The other driver got out, took down my license number and came back to speak to me. Or tried to. Turns out he only speaks Korean. He had a sheet of paper in his hand with a lot of foreign writing, so I presumed he wanted my insurance info. Normally, I’d look at an incident like this as “no harm, no foul” and expect both drivers to simply drive off. But, unable to communicate reasonably with the other driver, and recognizing my basic fault in the incident, I did the decent thing and gave him my information. Considering there was absolutely no damage to either car or driver, I assumed this would be the end of things.

Right.

By the time I came home from work for lunch, there was a message on my machine from my insurance company. Apparently my Korean friend had lawyered up, made a visit to the emergency room and a claim against my insurance for both property damage and personal injury. In talking to the agent (and trying to keep from telling him how I really felt about the situation), he explained to me that it was pretty common for folks with limited language skills to use a lawyer as an intermediary. And of course, once the lawyer is involved, here comes the suit.

Greedy, bottom-sucking bastards.

You know, I said I was sorry earlier. I was wrong – I’m not. Shoot ‘em all. :angry:

Today is an interesting convergence of events. Here in California and seven other states, it’s Election Day, as voter head out for their respective party primary elections. It’s also the 62nd anniversary of the longest day: D-Day – the invasion of Europe and the beginning of the end of World War II.

When you head out today to vote, keep in mind that anniversary. A lot of people died for your right to exercise this simple act, and people continue to die the world over for the right to vote. It is a small but impowering thing. No other action can let the weakest tell the strongest, “You don’t control me.” That’s why it’s so feared by the tyrants of the world, and why it’s so important to fight for.

It doesn’t matter what party you represent – Democrat, Republican or other – do you duty and vote!

Michelle Wie missed the cut at the US Open qualifier yesterday by 5 shots after melting down in the last 9 holes. To her credit, she did not play like a girl. She did, however, play like a 16-yr old.

I hate it when I’m right. OK, no I don’t.

Next up for MW is a date with the ladies this weekend. You go, girl!