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: A Public Defender's Life in Alaska

So, I am back from my annual Public Defender Conference. My fifth. I learned some things. Among the most important thing is that some of the lawyers I work with think I should not have this blog. At all. Apparently there is a feeling that everytime I am less than enthusiastic about my life, that 'negativity' is imputed to the Agency. In fact, I got my ass chewed. I have made this clear before, but it is time to do so again. First, I do not speak for the Alaska Public Defender Agency. Neither formally nor informally. I am a peon. My views are, I am sure, quite different than every other lawyer in the Agency. I write this blog for personal reasons in my own time. It is fully protected by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. And the times I am frustrated by the difficult job of being a public defender have nothing to do with my employer. I am careful not to write about specific cases (State v. Eacker being an exception, given the media coverage). There are those in the Agency who think I should vet the comments more carefully. I have struggled over this. With the very recent exception of 'banning' kotzkop, an unusually abrasive reader, I have let all comments stand. I took this position last night when I was being challenged for having this blog at all: I am consistent. I am proud of being a public defender. I am proud of Alaska. I am proud of where I work. Yes, I have bitched about the Tier 4 benefits but those are State wide, not local to the Agency. Besides I am not the only State of Alaska employee who thinks Tier 4 sucks. I consistently maintain that this Agency is probably the best of its kind in the country. When people say things in comments I will not censor. I will challenge. For some reason, this blog annoys some of those who I work with. Let's be honest: it is not that big of a deal. I am not undermining the Agency or our constitutional mission to protect and preserve, among others, the 6th Amendment of the United States Constitution. To put it bluntly I am not that important. If pictures of my kids and fishing adventures are somehow putting that mission in jeopardy, we have bigger problems. So once again I remind my readers that this blog is about me. My views, my life and my family. If you don't like it, don't read it. Don't take it as a formal sanction on any State of Alaska position. In fact, please take it as the opposite. I am free member of American society who is fully protected by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. God bless America for that fact. Everyone got it clear? I will not stop writing. Because freedom don't come free.

Full post as published by A Public Defender's Life in Alaska on October 09, 2010 (boomark / email).