It’s that time of the year again. Results from the July California Bar Examination are out, and those who were not fortunate enough to pass are thinking about preparing for the February exam.

As usual, I’ve got a model answer (to question #1) appearing in the Los Angeles Daily Journal.

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To Vote YES on Proposition 19, the Regulate, Control, and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010!

Here is a series of one-minute videos in support of Proposition 19, the California ballot initiative that will go before the voters on November 2. Way back in 1972, the California Marijuana Initiative shared office space with McGovern headquarters. I was starting 9th grade at LeConte Junior High School in Hollywood, CA, about half a dozen short blocks away. Election Day was a couple of weeks before my 14th birthday.

I wasn’t old enough to vote in that election, but I was old enough to do a little work for both campaigns. I met Jack Herer when he was young and thin – but no more passionate than he was decades later. I’ve believed in the sanity and justice of this policy for longer than I’ve been licensed to practice law…come to think of it, I’ve been in favor of legalizing marijuana for longer than I’ve been licensed to drive!

Please join me in voting YES on Proposition 19 this November Second!

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Arizona’s harsh new anti-immigrant law has received a lot of self-righteous comment from all sides. Although I deplore the racism at the heart of Arizona’s law, I believe the angry, confused white people of Arizona deserve the same compassion their undocumented brown counterparts are entitled to.

I’m writing this entry from a rich suburban neighborhood a couple dozen miles north of the US-Mexico border. There is economic and social chaos on both sides of this frontier. In my little way I would like to contribute to inter-racial, cross-border Solidarity. Illegal immigration is caused by “free trade” agreements like NAFTA and GATT, and by the drug war. It will be solved by limiting corporate power and by legalizing drugs.

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Here is a remarkable video, story of which is more interesting than the pictures.

Humboldt County is one of the most amazing places on Earth. Being among the giant redwoods makes me feel the same way swimming with dolphins does. I feel as if I must get as close to the trees as possible.

Since I am traveling by myself, it was hard to get the camera in the right position. I ended up lying on the hood of the 1996 Honda Accord, reaching my left hand back over my shoulder and through the open window to steer the car, while holding the camera with my right hand.

Sometimes you’ve got to take risks for the sake of art!

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Here’s one of the things I do for a living, both for my corporate employer and for by bar examination tutorial clients.

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New Bar Exam Video

This is a glorious day! At last I have escaped from the bondage of months of devotion to duty. Happy Days Are Here Again.

I just finished extensive revisions to my two commercial web sites, http://passthebar.com and http://calbarexam.com. This project has consumed vast amounts of time over the last few months, but now the work is complete. Soon I will return to other endeavors, including actually helping people pass the bar exam.

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It’s easy to be impressed with the quality of cell phone pictures. Not to be outdone, the phone insisted I capture the scene with video, too.

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Here is a five-part presentation about the history of the drug laws. It’s a fascinating story, far more entertaining and bizarre than you might expect.

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Barak Obama and many others who consider themselves to be progressive argue that the “real” front in the War on Terrorism is in Afghanistan. This is dangerous nonsense. Bush, Cheney, and the others lied about the Afghan war, too.

The Afghan war is yet another illegal war of aggression. We’ve already lost. It’s time to bring our troops home and prosecute those who wrongly led our nation to war.

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Here is the latest video I did for Juris Vodcast.

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The next administration of the bar examination is at the end of July. Here are links to a series of videos I have produced over the last few days. You are welcome to click on the image, above, but doing so will have the effect of merely opening a copy of the image in a new window. You have to click on the link, below, to watch video.

How to Pass the California Bar Exam – California Attorney Exam

First-Time Takers – Repeating the Bar Examination

Master Essay Method – Bar Exam Conspiracy Theories

Here is a video series that reviews the February 2008 Cal Bar Exam Essays:

Introduction – Q1 – Q2 – Q3 – Q4 – Q5 – Q6 – PDF Document

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Basically, the court says it’s not ruling on the merits of same-sex marriage, but on the constitutionality of the ban. In CA, statutory interpretation requires looking at the overall scheme of laws when considering an individual law. Since same-sex partnerships have all the rights of married couples in the eye of the law in CA, since sexual orientation is a protected category under civil rights law, and since there’s a fundamental right to marry, the court said the government had to show that the ban was necessary to serve a compelling state interest. This is the “strict scrutiny” standard of review.

Here’s a three and a half minute video I have produced on the decision for Juris Vodcast.

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