The US Supreme Court

From what I saw yesterday this world is not set up for the common man or woman for that matter.

After nearly a month of preparation and research, crawling the internet looking up every thing there was to find on the McKinney — Vento Homeless Assistance Act and doing the research to establish my case in front of a fair and impartial judge.

I discovered that there is no such thing as a fair hearing, that trials were for the wealthy and the people who could afford lawyers. I also discovered that law has nothing to do with fairness; it has to do with procedure and presentation. I learned the hard way that judges are not fair they are in fact intolerant.

Many weeks were spent taking notes and reviewing the fair market value of the SRO program room I occupied. I took measurements and photographed the room from two angles as to establish the less than fair size of this place where I live in North Hollywood, California. I worked on the three points of my defense; fair market value, habitability and my rights under the federally funded SRO program and their guidelines as stipulated in the McKinney Vento Act.

Whereas the Judge allowed the plaintiff's lawyer: Ms. El Dabe to proceed at her own pace and to fully state their case, I was in turn cut off constantly during my presentation by booth the attorney for the plaintiff and the Judge Presiding over Section P. My presentation was consequently shredded and ineffectual and deemed without merit, I really was not allowed to make my case. I discussed the case with a lawyer friend later in the day and discovered that my whole approach to the hearing was, of course, all wrong. Bye the way I hired my lawyer friend to sue the plaintiff; Los Angeles Family Housing in the near future.

I went home after the trial and licked my all too smarting wounds. My ego bruised and my head burning from the severe butt whipping I received earlier in court. I reviewed the day all night long, trying to see if there was anything I could have done better or if there was something I could have done to win, and to tell you the truth, the only way I could have won that trial would have been for me to be a lawyer. The common man with limited law experience has no chance in a courtroom against a seasoned attorney.

I am a 'do it yourselfer,' I fix my own cars, well I use to, I repair my own furniture and do practically everything for my self. I pride my self on being able to do anything I set my mind to. But there is one thing that cannot be mastered from that angle the ability to stand up in front of a judge and tell your story, time, experience, and a good legal education is the only thing, which will bring a man into the good graces of the American Legal System. These things I learned the hard way at the hands of a cold and heartless judge who only saw the world through his own eyes and through his own knowledge. His lack of compassion has nothing to do with me, it has to do with commerce, I was wrong because I am poor and Los Angeles Family Housing is rich.

I am not crying because I am a poor person trying to fight a system which has no heart, I am not crying because finance ruled out over compassion, I am crying because I too want to be rich and fortune has chosen to single me out for something else.

I learned many good and valuable lessons yesterday in court, the first was, when it comes to the law hire a professional to do the dirty work of fighting in front of a judge. Two, I need to be wealthy and resourceful in order to deal with the shrewd and powerful people in the world. And three, it does not matter how smart you are if you cannot apply that intelligence it is less than worthless.

It was like this; I was smarter than every one in that court room, but I was not on my own ground, so consequently I was out gunned and truly out numbered being all alone there. I felt like I was in elementary school surrounded by bullies, you cannot beat those kind of people, you may be able to fight a little against them, but you are out numbered and on their turf. That is and was then, this is my domain, the written word, here I wield the broad sword, and here is where I strike the blows, which make me equal to any and all. Here is where I make a difference and strike a blow for equality and justice.

As anyone who has read my articles or read any of my novels can attest, I am a very determined man who will not stop until the world has heard my voice many times over, yes I know that I am boisterous and sometimes overbearing, I know this. I have never been humble; in fact I am very aware of the fact that I toot my own horn quite a bit. I suppose that is due to my being a creator. I have always been proud of my creations and my skills.

This brings to a close another article for THE SEOUL TIMES, I have to thank these people for their generosity, and kindnesses, letting me write a column for them all these many months. I have grown to love South Korea after reading about your people and becoming familiar with your culture. The Korean people are a fine people who love life and have discovered a way to make a whole culture happy and prosperous. If I may be so bold; North Korea with its many problems and dysfunctions, is still your family. They are still your brothers and sisters, and some day they will come to embrace you and ask to be united again in love and understanding.

I will try to keep writing for THE SEOUL TIMES it is that my future is so uncertain at the moment that I cannot plan on writing with any consistency. Thank you my friends it has been a pleasure writing stories for you.