They're All Retarded

From today's newspaper: "The (Supreme) court Tuesday also announced it would review the death sentence of a Texas man who argued that he was denied effective legal representation by a lawyer who did not tell a jury about his retardation."

Supposedly true story:
A defending attorney was cross-examining a coroner. The attorney asked, "Before you signed the death certificate had you taken the man's pulse?"

The coroner said, "No."
The attorney then asked, "Did you listen for a heartbeat?"

"No."
"Did you check for breathing?"
"No."
"So when you signed the death certificate you had not taken any steps to make sure the man was dead, had you?"
"Well, let me put it this way. The man's brain was sitting in a jar on my desk. But for all I know, he could be out there practicing law somewhere."

From today's newspaper: "The (Supreme) court Tuesday also announced it would review the death sentence of a Texas man who argued that he was denied effective legal representation by a lawyer who did not tell a jury about his retardation."

Give us a clue as to the 'they' in your subject line? (I assume it's not singular they)
Is it the Texas Supremes? Texas men? Lawyers? People sentenced to death? Juries?

John Dean
Oxford
De-frag to reply

From today's newspaper: "The (Supreme) court Tuesday also announced it ... lawyer who did not tell a jury about his retardation."

Give us a clue as to the 'they' in your subject line? (I assume it's not singular they) Is it the Texas Supremes? Texas men? Lawyers? People sentenced to death? Juries?

I was thinking that one could deduce from the sentence that the prisoner, the lawyer, the writer of the article, and the editor were all retarded.

Give us a clue as to the 'they' in your ... Texas Supremes? Texas men? Lawyers? People sentenced to death? Juries?

I was thinking that one could deduce from the sentence that the prisoner, the lawyer, the writer of the article, and the editor were all retarded.

Surely only the prisoner OR the lawyer, Not both.

A defending attorney was cross-examining a coroner.

Hey, this word 'coroner' belongs on my "orange class" list. Or do GenAms not use the "court" vowel in "coroner"?

Hey, this word 'coroner' belongs on my "orange class" list. Or do GenAms not use the "court" vowel in "coroner"?

This reminds me that the season is upon us where we stand on the coroner and watch all the ghouls go by.

I was thinking that one could deduce from the sentence ... writer of the article, and the editor were all retarded.

Surely only the prisoner OR the lawyer, Not both.

The dependent clause that begins with "who did not tell" immediately follows the word "lawyer." Combine that with the subject line and it should be obvious what the OP meant.
Didn't we see the "brain in a jar on my desk" joke recently as well? Open season on lawyers.
My son threatened one year to dress up for Halloween as a lawyer and use my briefcase to collect the loot. I told him I couldn't guarantee his safety if he did. Plus ca change ...

Bob Lieblich
Whose brain only seems to be in a jar

Hey, this word 'coroner' belongs on my "orange class" list. Or do GenAms not use the "court" vowel in "coroner"?

This reminds me that the season is upon us where we stand on the coroner and watch all the ghouls go by.

And Shirley you must not neglect the heartwarming novel about a young necrophiliac who finally achieved his boyhood ambition by becoming coroner. (Thank you Tom Lehrer.)

Gary G. Taylor * Rialto, CA
gary at donavan dot org / http:// geetee dot donavan dot org (Email Removed) <are hydrogen and stupidity." Harlan Ellison