Patting the wrists, rolling the eyes.

[Gattigap]

Originally posted by Hank Chinaski
maybe go edit?

No.

[bilmore]

Originally posted by Tyrone Slothrop
That is never the correct analogy, because ex ante you're never going to have that kind of certainty about what torture will get you.

Nor was there certainty that the a-bomb would stop the war. If that's the burden you impose, it will never be met.

[Shape Shifter]

Originally posted by Hank Chinaski
Its okay- you can trust me to ensure nothing bad happens to your corporation! We're Biglaw, and we will make sure Mega-corp keeps sailing smoothly ahead. In fact, since you sound tired, you don't need to look at the documents I prepare, we'll be sure to double proof read!

Hank, I'm just getting around to reviewing your work on this. Thanks for having it in Monday morning, though. So far, your memo looks basically fine other than needing a few revisions, but I've got a few comments on your bill.

Our issues are far to complex for first and second year associates to grasp, and I don't think we should pay for training them. We are willing to pay for their work, but only at paralegal rates, and only at half the time billed.

Also, I noticed that you personally billed a straight 10 hours on this matter both Friday and Saturday. This looks like questionable recordkeeping to me or your ad hoc substitute for functional billing. Nevertheless, I am willing to compromise and allow your to bill 10 hours total. Furthermore, these are relatively straightforward issues and I question whether the company's resources are best utilized paying your rates for what is essentially mid-level associate work. While I appreciate your persnonal attention to our matters, I cannot in good conscience approve paying your full billing rate. Please adjust it downward to your standard billing rate for third or fourth year associates.

Thank you for your prompt attention to making these minor adjustments. Please see that they are made I will do my best to make sure that your bill is paid promptly within the next few billing cycles, absent any objection for the AP group. Also, I'd appreciate your incorporating the suggested revisions to your memo early tomorrow so that I may review before the weekend. Please be advised that I will be out of the office shortly after lunch tomorrow.

Warm Regards,

Shape Shifter

P.S. Thanks for the basketball tickets. My friend was not able to make it to the game, but he said they looked like good seats. Perhaps we can go together some time?

[Shape Shifter]

Originally posted by bilmore
I don't. His comment struck me immediately as being incredibly stupid - my only point is, as is usually the case when I look at something and think "wow, that's incredibly stupid", there's usually something I'm not being shown, or some context missing. Maybe that's the case here. Or, maybe Delay just said something incredibly stupid. With what I've been shown so far, I don't have the info to decide which is right.

Wow, that's a resounding endorsement.

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally posted by Shape Shifter
Hank, I'm just getting around to reviewing your work on this. Thanks for having it in Monday morning, though. So far, your memo looks basically fine other than needing a few revisions, but I've got a few comments on your bill.

Our issues are far to complex for first and second year associates to grasp, and I don't think we should pay for training them. We are willing to pay for their work, but only at paralegal rates, and only at half the time billed.

Also, I noticed that you personally billed a straight 10 hours on this matter both Friday and Saturday. This looks like questionable recordkeeping to me or your ad hoc substitute for functional billing. Nevertheless, I am willing to compromise and allow your to bill 10 hours total. Furthermore, these are relatively straightforward issues and I question whether the company's resources are best utilized paying your rates for what is essentially mid-level associate work. While I appreciate your persnonal attention to our matters, I cannot in good conscience approve paying your full billing rate. Please adjust it downward to your standard billing rate for third or fourth year associates.

Thank you for your prompt attention to making these minor adjustments. Please see that they are made I will do my best to make sure that your bill is paid promptly within the next few billing cycles, absent any objection for the AP group. Also, I'd appreciate your incorporating the suggested revisions to your memo early tomorrow so that I may review before the weekend. Please be advised that I will be out of the office shortly after lunch tomorrow.

Warm Regards,

Shape Shifter

P.S. Thanks for the basketball tickets. My friend was not able to make it to the game, but he said they looked like good seats. Perhaps we can go together some time?

God, you sound like a tool now.

Nothing's complicated after you've done it once. This isn't heart surgery. Its fucking paper. People just bloviate about how fifficult it is to justify the billing rates. You're a fucking scrivener - I'm a fucking mouthpiece. We're just playing roles for cash. get over yourself.

[Gattigap]

Originally posted by Hank Chinaski
God, you sound like a tool now.

Nothing's complicated after you've done it once. This isn't heart surgery. Its fucking paper. People just bloviate about how fifficult it is to justify the billing rates. You're a fucking scrivener - I'm a fucking mouthpiece. We're just playing roles for cash. get over yourself.

You kiss your other clients with that mouth?

[Shape Shifter]

Originally posted by Hank Chinaski
God, you sound like a tool now.

Nothing's complicated after you've done it once. This isn't heart surgery. Its fucking paper. People just bloviate about how fifficult it is to justify the billing rates. You're a fucking scrivener - I'm a fucking mouthpiece. We're just playing roles for cash. get over yourself.

Upon reflection, the company has decided that it is no longer in our mutual best interests for the company to continue its relationship with your firm. Please send all files to the company immediately. We wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.

Warm regards,

Shape Shifter

[Sexual Harassment Panda]

Originally posted by Hank Chinaski
God, you sound like a tool now.

Nothing's complicated after you've done it once. This isn't heart surgery. Its fucking paper. People just bloviate about how fifficult it is to justify the billing rates. You're a fucking scrivener - I'm a fucking mouthpiece. We're just playing roles for cash. get over yourself.

Nicer in 2005!!

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally posted by Shape Shifter
Upon reflection, the company has decided that it is no longer in our mutual best interests for the company to continue its relationship with your firm. Please send all files to the company immediately. We wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.

Warm regards,

Shape Shifter

Why do I love this post? Why am I snickering as I read it? Can someone explain why this is so fucking funny?

[Shape Shifter]

Originally posted by Hank Chinaski
Why do I love this post? Why am I snickering as I read it? Can someone explain why this is so fucking funny?

Uh, just a reminder that the attorney-client privilege survives the termination of the attorney-client relationship.

[Not Bob]

Originally posted by Shape Shifter
Upon reflection, the company has decided that it is no longer in our mutual best interests for the company to continue its relationship with your firm. Please send all files to the company immediately. We wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.

Warm regards,

Shape Shifter

Let's see that "free and easy in his Hickey" Chinaski fellow shuck and jive his way outta this one.

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally posted by Shape Shifter
Uh, just a reminder that the attorney-client privilege survives the termination of the attorney-client relationship.

Your old man's an ass. Slap him in the lips the next time he tries that shit, and tell that simp of a mother of yours to grow some self respect.

Luckily, in my house, if my old man tried that shit, my mom'd laugh in his face. That patriarchal horseshit gives me the creeps.

[Gattigap]

Originally posted by Shape Shifter
Uh, just a reminder that the attorney-client privilege survives the termination of the attorney-client relationship.

My card, for when you're ready.

[Not Bob]

Originally posted by bilmore
Nor was there certainty that the a-bomb would stop the war. If that's the burden you impose, it will never be met.

Well, the thinking was that the bomb would either cause a surrender or it would allow the Allies to wipe out Japanese forces in the home islands.

And to Weed -- as I recall, the estimates of projected civilian casualties caused by an invasion of the home islands were based upon the Marines' experience in Okinawa. It was expected that, as a practical matter, there would be no non-combatants.

I may be biased on this one (as noted before, I probably wouldn't exist but for the bomb), but the use of the bomb almost certainly saved Japanese and American lives. Moreover, Hiroshima was a legitimate military target (I think that one of the Japanese army corps was based there). It was still a horrible thing to have done, of course. But better than all of the other awful alternatives.

I haven't really heard much justification for the firebombing of Tokyo (other than "wow, that was much more destructive than we thought it would be") and Dresden. And the USAAF's Strategic Bombing Survey made it pretty clear that strategic bombing was both ineffective and costly.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally posted by bilmore
Nor was there certainty that the a-bomb would stop the war. If that's the burden you impose, it will never be met.

I didn't answer the question, I said you were asking the wrong question. Asking a hypothetical where you presume that kind of certainty is asking the wrong question. When they dropped the bomb, they knew there was a chance the war would continue. If you're trying to figure out whether torture is justified, you have to accept that the information you get may be useless, or misinformation.