Judge declares Longfellow, Melton 'not guilty'

"Just saw Carol Engstrom at the grocery store where we discussed your web site. Both of us felt it was something far more likely to have come from the class of '66 rather than your class of hoods and troublemakers. But I guess if Jim Clifford can be a judge (but let's not forget that so is Tom Longfellow and Russ Melton) anything can happen."

--- Kathy Aga, comment on blog, July, 2006

Jim Clifford writes:

My initial reaction to this recent message was a wry smile. As I thought about the matter more, it became a full blown laugh. I must admit, my 18 years on the bench would never have attracted a serious bet.

I must protest, however, the reference to Messrs. Longfellow and Melton as judges. Mr. Longfellow was a worker's comp judge, a position within the executive branch of government, not the judicial branch. I do not know of Mr. Melton's service, but it was not in the judicial branch. A hearty "not guilty" plea should be entered of their behalf, and a directed verdict of acquittal should be, and hereby is, granted in all respects.

Our troublemakers second to none
I think we should make it clear that we have a really noteworthy set of hoods and troublemakers, and need not use the meager supply present in classes that preceded us, or those unworthy persons who followed us.

One distinct category of miscreants would be lawyers. As near as I can tell, these are the lawyers in our class: Jim Clifford; K.B. Tegland; Paul Strandberg; and Byron Peterson. There may be others, and if so, they should be ferreted out and publicly identified.

There are other categories in which we '65ers are under represented, such as ax murderers, politicians, and......Scientologists (?).

The bottom line is that our hoods and troublemakers are second to none when compared to the field of hoods and troublemakers that other classes could claim. I am humbled but pleased to be mentioned among my peers.