tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post8223003130863079034..comments2023-10-14T03:58:59.333-06:00Comments on The Tao of D&D: HopeAlexis Smolenskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-45995720871807814092015-12-12T11:09:40.029-07:002015-12-12T11:09:40.029-07:00Keith, I hope that you, too, find the means to pre...Keith, I hope that you, too, find the means to preserve yourself from your own trials. Thank you.Alexis Smolenskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-52819283220488859692015-12-12T08:34:37.363-07:002015-12-12T08:34:37.363-07:00Alexis,
As a fellow human who has had a similarly ...Alexis,<br />As a fellow human who has had a similarly shitty 2015, I sympathize, and wish you good luck in your recovery and job hunt.<br /><br />On the gun thing, I hope you are right. We have been terrorized for too long by the gunholes. It's time to make the US a safer place to live by restricting guns and much more heavily regulating them.Keith Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00059044388944936192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-37379216560648541752015-12-07T02:53:41.701-07:002015-12-07T02:53:41.701-07:00Ha.
Well, I did not present that solution as some...Ha.<br /><br />Well, I did not present that solution as something that I am personally calling for, but rather as the probable solution that will come about because no other practical solution is being attempted.<br /><br />I also wrote, quite clearly, that many people wouldn't like it.<br /><br />Something about history and its events that many fail to grasp is that the results of stress are inevitable. Not actually known; we can't predict the future. But INEVITABLE.<br /><br />The present situation, however some might argue for its necessity, is simply untenable. And the less that is done to relieve the stress, the more violent and brutal will be the inevitable trampling of rights we can expect.<br /><br />Two options exist. Do something unpleasant or do nothing and have a far greater unpleasantness FIND ITS OWN WAY.Alexis Smolenskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-55721219891353113262015-12-07T02:25:08.050-07:002015-12-07T02:25:08.050-07:00We can see the solution - we just need time for en...<i>We can see the solution - we just need time for enough people to believe in the solution to truly cut into the problem, even if that means going door to door for the guns, even if that means killing those who won't give them up.</i><br /><br />Well, as a long time blog reader and book customer, I'm out. Up to this point I haven't minded getting a valuable perspective on games from someone I happen to disagree with on some real world issues. But "I am willing in principle to start a war and do premeditated murder on you and your family to bring about my flavor of utopia" is into territory that I would have to gloss over in my mind to keep reading. And I don't care to extend even the tiniest quantum of tacit approval that my infinitesimal fraction of your readership would convey.Saladmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14299362134065297414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-71012033036215007272015-12-05T18:14:19.767-07:002015-12-05T18:14:19.767-07:00If that's the way it is, that's the way it...If that's the way it is, that's the way it is. As an (US) attorney, it seems like "breaking even as the best case scenario" after having been treated like that is less than equitable. And by equity, I mean the protection of your rights. I'm sure I'm biased to aggression by my profession and the environment in which I work, but keep in mind that those principles very often inures to the favor of workers in practice. If you're confident with the counsel you've received, I just wish you the best and hope it works out.<br /><br />(And on a personal level, I wouldn't sue either, but I'm not the suing kind because of my dumb-ass redneck omerta background. Do as I say etc.)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09027050864450321406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-47617969112220733682015-12-05T17:28:44.294-07:002015-12-05T17:28:44.294-07:00Yes, this is Canada. And because it is, and I inj...Yes, this is Canada. And because it is, and I injured myself at work, I get paid by the government whether I work or not. The government puts on the condition that I must work if I'm able, but if I choose to quit, the government continues to consider me disabled so long as the doctor says so.<br /><br />As such, I am losing no money - because if the company withholds wages, the government will cover it.<br />Alexis Smolenskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-22590552131023366062015-12-05T16:50:26.706-07:002015-12-05T16:50:26.706-07:00On reading this post, my first thought, as an Amer...On reading this post, my first thought, as an American, is that the important thing is that your trigger finger wasn't injured.<br /><br />I KID. Kind of. A friend just remarked that if we keep putting flags at half mast, we should just switch to shorter poles. :(<br /><br />On to the serious part. I'm an attorney, but I don't know anything at all about the Canadian system. In the US, plaintiffs' attorneys in civil suits generally work on a contingency basis, i.e., they charge you nothing up front but take a relatively high cut (~30%) of any recovery on your part. This obviously works to your favor, in terms of value, if you lose but to your detriment if you win.<br /><br />Here in the US, your case against your employer would on its face be strong enough for a plaintiffs' attorney to take. Your employer's actions violate any sane tenet of employment law. I'm assuming, since you Canadians are socially progressive hippies, that you have equivalent or better protection for workers.<br /><br />My point is that, if you were in the US, I would counsel you to IMMEDIATELY consult with an attorney specializing in, at the very least, plaintiffs' law and preferably employment law. If you're getting what seems like a stupid answer, consult with someone who seems like a less stupid attorney before deciding you don't have a case. Down here, penalties for bad actors allow for punitive damages, often automatic. (For example, in many jurisdictions, if your wages are improperly withheld, you're entitled to triple damages.)<br /><br />Caveats, which I'm sure you know but I'm obligated to say pro forma anyway: This doesn't constitute legal advice or the formation of an attorney-client relationship, I don't know the first thing about Canadian law. My specialties are criminal and environmental law and I wouldn't feel qualified to give professional counsel on employment law down here.<br /><br />(Also, this assumes that the facts are as you present them. I don't personally doubt your veracity but have found through painful experience that a client's account of the circumstances often only resembles the most believable account in the most attenuated sense.)<br /><br />Gist: Go talk to a lawyer known to be good at this sort of thing. You may get a good chunk of change. You are a smart man, do not allow yourself to be buffaloed.Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10265603888131427078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-52642175588202189182015-12-05T09:57:46.111-07:002015-12-05T09:57:46.111-07:00I'm sure there's an answer hidden somewher...I'm sure there's an answer hidden somewhere here (searching the blog did not reveal it - I assume I used the wrong keywords), but have you considered monetizing your world?<br /><br /> I understand that the cost might not be worth the potential profit, or that it may be a betrayal to your vision of the game. rayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13846657068320670784noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-86394366767140531562015-12-04T22:26:55.384-07:002015-12-04T22:26:55.384-07:00Safer in Canada. No 2nd Amendment.Safer in Canada. No 2nd Amendment.Alexis Smolenskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-440341361325945962015-12-04T22:17:18.769-07:002015-12-04T22:17:18.769-07:00It's rough when you literally have insult adde...It's rough when you literally have insult added to injury. I hope that the coming days, weeks, etc. finds you healed, employed, and full of hope. <br /><br />Oh...and not shot. That, too.JBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03263662621289630246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-13388981245626189482015-12-04T02:21:58.737-07:002015-12-04T02:21:58.737-07:00I suspect that liberalism is going to be a new ava...I suspect that liberalism is going to be a new available technology in one of the next postsgrahamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04504705324275536197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-38989652111785199342015-12-03T23:03:20.905-07:002015-12-03T23:03:20.905-07:00Alex, it sounds like you had some pretty rough wee...Alex, it sounds like you had some pretty rough weeks there at your (former) job. I appreciate your ability to communicate through these complex issues, real and imaginary. I think the US constitution was attempting to promote the rights of adults to be adults by giving them the right to vote, the right to free speech, and the right to own guns. Two of these are being seriously challenged right now: restricting encryption and restricting gum ownership (ok, for guns the appropriate adverb is probably slightly rather than seriously). I honestly dont have a strong opinion for or against either. I do resonant with the freedom of adults to be adults, but not without compassion (or charity if you prefer). Thanks for your blog, I enjoy reading it.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08997381254028934846noreply@blogger.com