Michael J. Gregorek, Esq.: Push The Button™

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Michael J. Gregorek, Esq.

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Boy Scouts of America

Elián González

U.S. Census

ILOVEYOU

Push The Button!

These are issues in the news.

Sometimes we are owed a courtesy flush.

Subject Matter

Food for Thought

Second Opinions

Boy Scouts of America
Forget about color, creed, country, etc.

What if you and your four college friends go out on a beautiful sunny day to throw a frisbee. Someone walks up and asks to play. You all agree to let this one person join. You have so much fun that you all continue to meet outside regularly to play frisbee adding more and more players.

Eventually, you need permits to use public spaces because the law will not allow you to assemble otherwise because your group is too large. Getting a permit means chipping in for the fee. Someone starts keeping a record of who owes and who paid. Under the law your group is so large and so distinct that it is deemed an unincorporated association--a fancy word for an entity capable of being sued as a group. Still, more players are added until the frisbee organization is too large to manage without incorporating it to add structure and to limit personal liability for all manner of debts and injuries incurred by managing umpteen players.

Now your large group of friends of friends are sued by a member who wants to continue to play frisbee with you all even though you all want to exclude him or her.

At what point did these college kids lose the right to choose their own teams, or did they ever have the right to pick in the first place?
No Freedom from Association.

Elián González
In a desert a man was permitted to stockpile guns, impregnate multiple women--some of whom were already married to other men, and to keep children in harms way to shield himself.

In an affluent community parents were allowed to parade their daughter in adult clothing, makeup and poses for anyone to gawk at. In spite of security and the affluent neighborhood, that child was murdered.

In several towns in America children obtained, brought and unloaded guns at their schools killing their peers and teachers.

In overcrowded prisons across this country rapists and pedophiles have a greater chance of receiving parole than drug users.

Elián is in a country now where he has been insulated from the rich diversity of its cultural offerings by the impregnable wall of people, some armed, some fanatically crying, shouting, and gesturing, in what is known as Little Havana. Elián has been paraded before and posed for cameras by relatives claiming ownership to protect him from a father who did not risk the child's life in an inner tube at sea--so the mother could join her boyfriend in the richest country in the world. In Cuba Elián could never hope to purchase a gun anonymously to shoot his potential, new American classmates.
"Even O. J. Simpson got his kids back."

U.S. Census
Every week Entertainment Tonight tells us how many millions of viewers watched Who Wants To Be A Millionaire versus E.R., 20/20 Downtown, etc. We have Hollywood counting box office receipts; state attorney generals arguing in court the number of medicare recipients due to tobacco related illnesses; the chiding reproaches of the intelligencia for poor turn out at the voting booths; and the IRS, FBI, SS, credit reporting agencies, telephone companies, marketing specialists, etc. all have files on us. Yet, the U.S. Census, has to cut down a rainforest to individually invade our privacy to ask questions way beyond the simple head count contemplated by the U.S. Constitution. The Census is actually running a commercial where a support group of Census takers take pride in hassling a household three times before gaining access. Should we applaud those annoying callers soliciting us during dinner time for continuing to call us even after we say "no thank you"?

See Article I Section 2 Clause 3.

The Score Cards:

Microsoft 95%

Macintosh 4%

Y2K 500 Billion

ILU 10 Billion
Like so many everyday innovations, the Internet had its beginnings with the military. The idea was that a chaotic, redundant network of communication would survive attempts to sabotage it. The Love Bug was successful because one company monopolized the computer industry. Computers running the Microsoft Windows operating system (80-95% of the globe) are vulnerable to the Love Bug. I own a Mac. Who’s laughing now?
"The real question is how much more could have been achieved without the dead hand of monopoly power."

© 2000 Michael J. Gregorek, Esq.

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Subject Matter	Food for Thought	Second Opinions
Boy Scouts of America	Forget about color, creed, country, etc. What if you and your four college friends go out on a beautiful sunny day to throw a frisbee. Someone walks up and asks to play. You all agree to let this one person join. You have so much fun that you all continue to meet outside regularly to play frisbee adding more and more players. Eventually, you need permits to use public spaces because the law will not allow you to assemble otherwise because your group is too large. Getting a permit means chipping in for the fee. Someone starts keeping a record of who owes and who paid. Under the law your group is so large and so distinct that it is deemed an unincorporated association--a fancy word for an entity capable of being sued as a group. Still, more players are added until the frisbee organization is too large to manage without incorporating it to add structure and to limit personal liability for all manner of debts and injuries incurred by managing umpteen players. Now your large group of friends of friends are sued by a member who wants to continue to play frisbee with you all even though you all want to exclude him or her. At what point did these college kids lose the right to choose their own teams, or did they ever have the right to pick in the first place?	No Freedom from Association.
Elián González	In a desert a man was permitted to stockpile guns, impregnate multiple women--some of whom were already married to other men, and to keep children in harms way to shield himself. In an affluent community parents were allowed to parade their daughter in adult clothing, makeup and poses for anyone to gawk at. In spite of security and the affluent neighborhood, that child was murdered. In several towns in America children obtained, brought and unloaded guns at their schools killing their peers and teachers. In overcrowded prisons across this country rapists and pedophiles have a greater chance of receiving parole than drug users. Elián is in a country now where he has been insulated from the rich diversity of its cultural offerings by the impregnable wall of people, some armed, some fanatically crying, shouting, and gesturing, in what is known as Little Havana. Elián has been paraded before and posed for cameras by relatives claiming ownership to protect him from a father who did not risk the child's life in an inner tube at sea--so the mother could join her boyfriend in the richest country in the world. In Cuba Elián could never hope to purchase a gun anonymously to shoot his potential, new American classmates.	"Even O. J. Simpson got his kids back."
U.S. Census	Every week Entertainment Tonight tells us how many millions of viewers watched Who Wants To Be A Millionaire versus E.R., 20/20 Downtown, etc. We have Hollywood counting box office receipts; state attorney generals arguing in court the number of medicare recipients due to tobacco related illnesses; the chiding reproaches of the intelligencia for poor turn out at the voting booths; and the IRS, FBI, SS, credit reporting agencies, telephone companies, marketing specialists, etc. all have files on us. Yet, the U.S. Census, has to cut down a rainforest to individually invade our privacy to ask questions way beyond the simple head count contemplated by the U.S. Constitution. The Census is actually running a commercial where a support group of Census takers take pride in hassling a household three times before gaining access. Should we applaud those annoying callers soliciting us during dinner time for continuing to call us even after we say "no thank you"?	See Article I Section 2 Clause 3.
The Score Cards: Microsoft 95% Macintosh 4% Y2K 500 Billion ILU 10 Billion	Like so many everyday innovations, the Internet had its beginnings with the military. The idea was that a chaotic, redundant network of communication would survive attempts to sabotage it. The Love Bug was successful because one company monopolized the computer industry. Computers running the Microsoft Windows operating system (80-95% of the globe) are vulnerable to the Love Bug. I own a Mac. Who’s laughing now?	"The real question is how much more could have been achieved without the dead hand of monopoly power."