Minnesota Goddamn!
Oct. 29th, 2003 12:50 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
varropdxAfter leaving Pittsburgh Wednesday, I went to the National Lawyers Guild convention in Minneapolis. The NLG is an organization of progressive lawyers and law students, with a focus on immigration, police brutality, and international law.
The lawyer from Seattle I hung out with and his wife were kind enough to introduce me to Lynne Stewart and her husband, and we had dinner with them Thursday and Saturday night. Stewart was arrested last year as part of John Ashcroft's holy war against "terrorism," in which technicalities such as the Constitution are obstacles to total victory.
Say what you will about defending accused terrorists (serial killers, rapists, etc.), but the strength of the American justice system is that people accused of such heinous crimes are entitled to legal representation - and some lawyer has to provide that representation. I'm sure John Ashcroft would like the famous drunk and sleeping Texas lawyers Dubya told him about, but the legitimacy of the American court system turns on having zealous lawyers like Stewart on both sides of controversial cases.
In addition, Stewart was a wonderful dining partner, and her husband was an interesting character in his own right.
Of course, you don't want to hear me talking about law. That's boring. You want to hear me talking about DRINKING!!
Thursday night is when most of the law students arrived - I ended up at the bar with students from the University of Arizona and New Mexico law schools. Even though I'm 33 (an old fart), I got along well with the law students, and we closed down the bar.
I met up with a group of students from Lewis & Clark law school in Portland, as well as a couple U of Seattle students I met at the Northwest caucus earlier that day. We went to the Viking, a kinda divey bar near U Minnesota with a live band playing - it was pretty comfortable for me, but people ended up leaving and going to a party held by a UMinn professor near campus - they had a pretty nice spread. Then we went back to the hotel for the dance party/reception.
After the banquet Saturday night, we headed to the Town Hall Brewery for a reception, and I ended up with the friendly and boisterous Lewis & Clark and U Seattle law students. After a few beers there, and some conversation with the older lawyers who made it over, a bunch of us (including some law students from Northeastern), went to Nye's Polnaise Room, a classic bar that's been unchanged for 50 years.
Wow. This was a *fun* place. Drinks were good, but the atmosphere was killer - I even sang karaoke (along with several people - with a live piano player accompanying us), and we also polkaed in the side room. Weird Al would be proud!
Sunday, I went to the morning sessions, checked out, then went to the Vikings-Giants game with the lawyer who introduced me to Lynne Stewart, and his wife and brother-in-law. I ended up with great seats (3rd row of upper deck on the 35-yard line), although the Vikings blew it in the end.
After hanging out at the hotel bar with a couple convention stragglers, I made it back to Portland late that night, just a bit after![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
grishnash and spot, and we shared a cab back home.
Unfortunately, I hurt my knee walking to the Metrodome, and it's still swollen somewhat now - not a serious injury, but annoying, and it'll slow me down for a few days.
The lawyer from Seattle I hung out with and his wife were kind enough to introduce me to Lynne Stewart and her husband, and we had dinner with them Thursday and Saturday night. Stewart was arrested last year as part of John Ashcroft's holy war against "terrorism," in which technicalities such as the Constitution are obstacles to total victory.
Say what you will about defending accused terrorists (serial killers, rapists, etc.), but the strength of the American justice system is that people accused of such heinous crimes are entitled to legal representation - and some lawyer has to provide that representation. I'm sure John Ashcroft would like the famous drunk and sleeping Texas lawyers Dubya told him about, but the legitimacy of the American court system turns on having zealous lawyers like Stewart on both sides of controversial cases.
In addition, Stewart was a wonderful dining partner, and her husband was an interesting character in his own right.
Of course, you don't want to hear me talking about law. That's boring. You want to hear me talking about DRINKING!!
Thursday night is when most of the law students arrived - I ended up at the bar with students from the University of Arizona and New Mexico law schools. Even though I'm 33 (an old fart), I got along well with the law students, and we closed down the bar.
I met up with a group of students from Lewis & Clark law school in Portland, as well as a couple U of Seattle students I met at the Northwest caucus earlier that day. We went to the Viking, a kinda divey bar near U Minnesota with a live band playing - it was pretty comfortable for me, but people ended up leaving and going to a party held by a UMinn professor near campus - they had a pretty nice spread. Then we went back to the hotel for the dance party/reception.
After the banquet Saturday night, we headed to the Town Hall Brewery for a reception, and I ended up with the friendly and boisterous Lewis & Clark and U Seattle law students. After a few beers there, and some conversation with the older lawyers who made it over, a bunch of us (including some law students from Northeastern), went to Nye's Polnaise Room, a classic bar that's been unchanged for 50 years.
Wow. This was a *fun* place. Drinks were good, but the atmosphere was killer - I even sang karaoke (along with several people - with a live piano player accompanying us), and we also polkaed in the side room. Weird Al would be proud!
Sunday, I went to the morning sessions, checked out, then went to the Vikings-Giants game with the lawyer who introduced me to Lynne Stewart, and his wife and brother-in-law. I ended up with great seats (3rd row of upper deck on the 35-yard line), although the Vikings blew it in the end.
After hanging out at the hotel bar with a couple convention stragglers, I made it back to Portland late that night, just a bit after
grishnash and spot, and we shared a cab back home.Unfortunately, I hurt my knee walking to the Metrodome, and it's still swollen somewhat now - not a serious injury, but annoying, and it'll slow me down for a few days.
