UnevenKiel is a biweekly column written and published by Daniel Kiel (email me at daniel@unevenkiel.com), a recovering lawyer in Memphis, TN.  I have no agenda other than to write on issues I am passionate about and about which I feel competent writing.  I may recommend a book or a movie.  I may comment on a recent court decision.  I may assert my opinion, but I hope only when I can support it with more than mere fluff.  I may tell a story that surprised me, exposing the world from a new perspective.  I may criticize and I may applaud, but I will do both only measuredly and constructively.  If I do any these well, I will consider this column a success.

My goal is not to convince you that I am right (unless you are my father), but to engage you – to tell you how I see the world and learn how you see the world.  Thoughtful dialogue is too rare in our society, yet it is our lifeblood.  Without it we are left with prepackaged “commentary” that insults our intelligence.  We are left with leaders who are not really leaders, but play them on TV.  We are left without information and so robbed, we are left without choices.  Finding thoughtful dialogue is too difficult, but it is there.  All it requires is an open mind, a respect for opposing viewpoints, and the faith that the best ideas and not the best marketing campaigns will change the world.

I certainly come, as we all do, with my own viewpoint.  I value diversity of experience and perspective.  I believe a society should be judged not only by the successes it achieves in various fields, but on the way it treats its most vulnerable citizens.  I don’t believe that might equals right or that a majority view is automatically correct.  I believe in leading by example.  I value education, but I also value getting your hands dirty.  I believe in the American dream of lifting yourself to stability and success through hard work, but I also believe in providing the necessary assistance to those who start behind to achieve this dream.  I don’t believe in blind allegiance, but I do believe in trusting those who have better experience and knowledge and continue to search for the right balance between questioning and trusting.  I believe hours spent with family should be valued as much as hours worked, but I fear this is too rarely an option for many of us.  Most of all, I believe that peace stems from doing what you love.  And, among many other things, I love writing.

Here are the my particulars......

Born: December 20, 1978

Height: 6'0"

Weight: 165 lbs

Bats: Right

Throws: Right

Thinks: Left

Marital Status: Married

Parental Status: Proud Daddy of a Gorgeous and Compassionate Daughter

Elementary School: Grahamwood (Memphis)

Middle/High School: White Station (Memphis)

College: University of Texas at Austin - the 2005 National Football Champions

Law School: Harvard Law School

Quote describing my view on my profession:

                    "A lawyer is either a social engineer or he is a parasite on society." - Charles Hamilton Houston

Employment: Assistant Professor, The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law

Favorite Books----

Ficton:        Catch-22, Joseph Heller

                   Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison

                   All the King's Men, Robert Penn Warren

                   A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens

                  1984, George Orwell

Non-fiction:  A Problem from Hell, Samantha Power

                     I've Got the Light of Freedom, Charles Payne

                     The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Malcolm X with Alex Haley

                     King of the World, David Remnick