Pet Peeve of the Day: Text Message Novels

06/09/2014 BowTieLawyer 1 Comment

We’ve all received them, ridiculously long texts messages…

Texting is meant to be convenient or perhaps a stealthy means of communication. Long messages are neither convenient or stealthy. Additionally, they are impossible to respond to in a satisfying fashion. If it takes more than one text box; call, write an email or send a letter.

Matthew Thompson is a family law attorney that is not afraid for his clients to have his cell phone number, it’s even on his business cards, but you will not get an adequate response to a “text message novel.”

Follow the blog:#BowTieLawyer Visit the website: #Thompson Law Firm You may also contact Matthew with your family law matter or question at (601) 850-8000 or Matthew@bowtielawyer.ms

Opinion

An Open Letter to the Senate Candidates:

06/06/2014 BowTieLawyer 3 Comments

Dear Candidates:

Stop the insanity. YOU have both been a part of what has been described as the dirtiest Senatorial campaign in Mississippi History! (And, that is not up for debate).

To U.S. Senator Cochran: It is time for you to make multiple public appearances, to change the “tone and tenor” of the campaign and see and be seen. You have been a steady rock for Mississippi for 35+ years! You have brought more monies into Mississippi than Mississippi has paid into the system. Be proud of it. You were doing your job. Your job was to represent Mississippian’s in their own best interests. You brought more jobs, more industry, more opportunity than otherwise would have been available to Mississippi. During Mississippi’s darkest hours, Katrina and other disasters, you went to bat for Mississippi and brought home the bacon! Be proud of that. You did not create the 17 trillion dollar national debt, you fighting for Mississippi is not saddling our children and grandchildren to indentured servitude. Instead it gives Mississippians a fighting chance and needed resources and the people know this. If you had not worked to help Mississippi it would have gone elsewhere. No one can refute that with any semblance of credibility.

Also, changing the “tone and tenor” means stop labeling everything someone from the other campaign does as a felony. Maybe it is, and those persons behind Picture-gate need to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, but be careful on how it is “used” by your people, or rather, the spin that it is being “used” at all.

Connect, be folksy, talk to the people. Be out there. Be proud. Admit that you are not a social media aficionado. Neither are my parents and I’d vote for them. Ask that WE rehire you for the job you signed up for, that you want it, and that you intend to serve the people of Mississippi. Say it again and again.

Senator Cochran’s website.

Senator Cochran’s Campaign site.

To State Senator McDaniel: Get control of “your” people. Even if they are not “your” people. Statements should be anticipated and prepared in advance, then used at the appropriate time, no ad-libbing either. They should toe the party line and they should be where they are supposed to be when they are supposed to be there, or put more bluntly, they should not be where they are not supposed to be when they are not supposed to be there. Two instances of persons connected to you have created more fodder than there ever should have been. It is clear that with regard to the Picture-gate fiasco that those were rouge operatives. However, election night shenanigans are ridiculous. You were previously on notice. Sure, this is likely much ado about nothing, but it’s the much ado part that’s causing problems. Instead of press release after press release citing local officials that cleared “your” people before they were uncleared, wait (see “used at appropriate time” hereinabove). Get the facts. Twice you’ve claimed all clear only later to be refuted by local officials citing “ongoing investigations.” It makes it look worse.

Get control and be in control of your campaign. Also, you have the Tea Party votes locked-up, spend some time with the other Mississippi voters.

State Senator McDaniel’s campaign site.

Also, to both Candidates be more specific.

How will you repeal ObamaCare? It’s been tried and failed – the repealing. The consensus is, whether ObamaCare is good or bad, it’s here to stay.
Are you really saying that you would amend ObamaCare? If so, say so and say how.
How will you reduce the deficit? Cutting the pork means less money for Mississippi. WE believe it will just go elsewhere, perhaps in a different form.
Why is Mississippi getting less a good thing? Where is the difference made up? How does Mississippi benefit from your service?
How will you END Common Core? How will you improve education?
Are you just pandering to your voters?

Answer these questions, among others, and be direct and as simple as possible.

Matthew Thompson is a Family Law Attorney in Mississippi (formerly the Hospitality State), aced Legislation in Law School, and has not contributed to either campaign and does not believe either candidate is the devil incarnate and WILL be voting in the run-off election June 24.

Follow the blog:#BowTieLawyer Visit the website: #Thompson Law Firm You may also contact Matthew with your family law matter or question at (601) 850-8000 or Matthew@bowtielawyer.ms

General Legal, Opinion

How to Diffuse an Atomic Neighbor.

06/05/2014 BowTieLawyer 1 Comment

Citizens Arrest! Citizens Arrest!

The other day I was pulled over in my neighborhood. Not by the police, but by a “concerned septuagenarian.” In my neighborhood there is a round-about. The car attempting to enter should yield to those in the round-about. However, this particular car treated the round-about more akin to a 4-way stop, or at least a 4-way yield. I had just voted, was in a hurry and could not be late for my 6-year old’s swimming lessons. Serious stuff.

I eased through the round-about and continued on my merry way. As I approached my destination there was construction traffic. I decided to avoid said traffic and in doing so was “caught.” The concerned citizen stopped behind me and I graciously waved her around. She did not budge. I waved again and mouthed “You may go around” and smiled. She stopped next to my passenger window. She had on dark, huge sunglasses. Bumblebee Glasses as it were. She had a long, skinny cigarette protruding from her mouth. Her car make? Buick. Her mood? Foul.

She stated that she had the right-of-way and that I should have yielded and that the speed limit was 25 and that I was most assuredly going faster than that. I was a little surprised by her comments. It took a second for me to process what she was saying. It was not a close call at the round-about. I did not cut her off, in fact I didn’t impede her forward progress in any fashion whatsoever. It was not obvious driver error, at least to me.

I thought of all the responses I could have made. I thought about being defensive or dismissive or worse. I wondered how she even saw me while she was wearing those huge, elliptical goggles she had for sunglasses. I thought of how bad smoking is, that it causes cancer and that one can also be cited for driving too slow and impeding the flow of traffic. Instead…

I said,”You are right. I am sorry. Thank you for calling me on it and it will not happen again.”

She was taken aback. She was geared up for a fight. She then asked me if I was lost. I said “No ma’am, have a nice day.” Fortunately, there was no arrest nor incident report. She went her way and I went mine. Sometimes, “You are right and I am sorry” is the best response.

Matthew Thompson is a Divorce Attorney in Mississippi cautions all drivers to drive defensively.

Follow the blog:#BowTieLawyer Visit the website: #Thompson Law Firm You may also contact Matthew with your family law matter or question at (601) 850-8000 or Matthew@bowtielawyer.ms

Opinion

Finally…VOTE.

06/03/2014 BowTieLawyer Leave a comment

It’s here. Primary Election day 2014.

Now is your chance to vote. If Republican you can vote for the following;

Republican Primary Candidates

If Democrat, as follows;

Democratic Primary Candidates

If you are Libertarian, Constitutionalist, Federalist, Independent, well, then you can click either link above so long as it’s Republican or Democrat.

So go vote, and let’s hope the General election in November is long enough removed from Picture-gate, mud-slinging and finger-pointing that we don’t have to hear about it ever again…not a chance.

Follow the blog:#BowTieLawyer Visit the website: #Thompson Law Firm You may also contact Matthew with your family law matter or question at (601) 850-8000 or Matthew@bowtielawyer.ms

General Legal, Opinion

Pet Peeve of the Day: One Word Responses!

05/30/2014 BowTieLawyer 1 Comment

“Yep,” “Ok” and the never welcomed “K.”

We’ve all done it and have all received it more than we’ve done it. (Not sure why that’s so…) But, the one word responses to texts and emails are frustrating and time wasters. Sure under the guise of “receipt confirmation” we justify it, but it is really not necessary. The Clarion Ledger has a “Business Leaders from Mississippi” section in the paper weekly. Tips from the pros, as it were. One tip in particular, or frustration rather, was the time wasted in receiving and reviewing one word responses, via Joel Bomgar. Bomgar is the brains behind the Bomgar Representative Console, technology that allows for access and control of systems and devices remotely, including personal computers, smartphones, tablets, servers, switches, among other devices.

About the only time one word responses are acceptable is during testimony.

Q: Are you married to Timmy?

A: Yes.

Q: Do you want a divorce from Timmy?

A: Yes.

One word responses are an irritant and usually not necessary. Use them sparingly, if at all. K?

Follow the blog:#BowTieLawyer Visit the website: #Thompson Law Firm You may also contact Matthew with your family law matter or question at (601) 850-8000 or Matthew@bowtielawyer.ms

Crime, Opinion

Picture-gate; Cochran vs. McDaniel Update.

05/29/2014 BowTieLawyer 5 Comments

A prior post had the basics of what is now being called Picture-Gate and the dirtiest Senatorial election in Mississippi History, at least recent history. The background can be read here; A Picture is Worth a Decillion Words.

The state’s most popular blog, Jackson Jambalaya, has been all over the story, even before it was a story. The investigation is ongoing and a recent JJ post shed some light onto the speculation surrounding the conspiracy charges. My prior blogged opined;

The most bizarre aspect, other than the brain that thought this was viable strategy, are the conspiracy allegations that have embroiled an attorney (Mark Mayfield), soccer coach (Rick Sager)and Hattiesburgian (John Mary), leading to their arrests. What role they played, if any, remains to be seen, but could include providing aid or information on Mrs. Cochran’s whereabouts and how to gain access, or after the scheme, the taking down the posting and trying to “bury the evidence.” Who knows?

The conspiracy piece did indeed include Clayton Kelly receiving information on Mrs. Cochran’s exact whereabouts, how to infiltrate the facility she was in, and otherwise plotting the photo opportunity for McDaniel’s political gain. The players seemingly only “knew” each other via Facebook. Yet another good reason to not put your junk on Facebook; here or here.

No clear connection has been made to McDaniel personally and the speculation that has surrounded his campaign has largely been increased due to McDaniel’s campaign’s seemingly inconsistent stories and their pronouncements of refusing to use this situation and be above it, all the while using this situation to be critical of Cochran and his campaign. McDaniel also did himself no favors in refusing to answer a basic question of what he knew and when in a recent CNN interview. The counter to this is Cochran’s seeming complete avoidance of CNN’s attempts to interview him and any other newsworthy entity, though there was a Wall Street Journal article some two nights ago indicating multiple statements to interviews by Cochran.

This sordid mess is not over yet. On June 3, Mississippi will have a candidate for Senator and the guaranty of a nasty race in the general election. Picture-Gate ain’t over by a long shot.

Matthew Thompson is a Chancery Practice Attorney in Mississippi (formerly the Hospitality State), aced Legislation in Law School and is still taken aback by this ever-growing saga.

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You may also contact Matthew with your family law matter or question at (601) 850-8000