Why the anger?

Yes, I am an environmentalist. I'm assuming you're not. That's all right. I've pretty much accepted that environmentalism is dead.

But, I refuse to accept your categorization of my standards as a "sad narrow line." I make choices that I think will have the least impact on the Earth. I try to counter my impact on the Earth with other actions, being an environmental lawyer, supporting environmental groups, and trying to educate those around me about how wonderful our wild places are so that they will want to save them, too.

This weekend, when I take my dog snowshoeing in the woods, I will think of you. I will think about how I wish I could show you this forest, these birds, the clear fresh snow. It might move you. It might make you think differently.

I don't want the world to stop or the human race to vanish. Sometimes it seems like that would be the easier option, but what would be the point? Humans are a part of this world. However, each year of new technologies and more development further disconnects us from that world. I hope that someday we will find a way to preserve our connection to the natural world before it is destroyed.

It's a complicated nuanced debate. What lands are worth saving? What human needs are so important that we can justify destroying eco-systems? Where do we draw the line so its not arbitrary? I don't know if consensus can be found on those issues.

Perhaps the most pressing concern in this whole debate is that of biodiversity. The decreasing diversity of biological life on this planet presents a serious danger to the continued existence of all life. It would be in our own best interests to preserve as much biological matter as possible. As Aldo Leopold said, the first rule of the tinkerer is to keep all the parts.

There was a great Saturday Night Live skit a few Olympics back featuring Jason Priestley (must have been during 90210's glory days) as an inept figure skater. The fake commentating absolutely nailed Scott Hamilton's nonsensical ramblings. "Oooo, he should just really quit now."

I really cracked up last night when I heard Scott Hamilton say that "This new system is so unforgiving." Yeah, right. The night before we saw a pairs skater take a horrific tumble and then wind up with the silver medal. That never would have happened under the old system. I used to change the channel when skaters fell - I guess now I'll have to keep watching the fallers.

I absolutely prefer Dick Button over Scott Hamilton, but I thought the curtains comment was a little over the top. After all, that poor dude certainly wasn't the only one wearing something that looked like curtains reincarnated.

I think MacK was largely correct in his assessment of what it's like to be a first-year lawyer in a big firm.

LW's husband is likely very jealous of his wife's job. It may not necessarily be "easier" than his, but it's probably much less stressful and a lot more rewarding.

One of the tricky things about law is that lots of people who absolutely excel in law school have no business being in the practice of law. I grew up in a lawyer family, so I was aware of what I was getting into by going to law school. Many of my classmates really had no idea what they were getting into. It's sad that law school faculties don't seem to have any interest in correcting the extreme disconnect between what you learn in law school versus what you need to actually practice law.

One of the real problems is the competition and push for the "big" jobs out of law school. I went to an Ivy League school for undergrad and was shocked to hear my fellow alums say things like, "I think I'll die if I don't get a job in at least the 140's." Law schools and law firms realize the competitive nature of most law students and capitalize on this. From the day you enter law school, you're pushed to get the right internships so that you can get a well-paying job and boost the school's statistics on after graduation employment. Many who entered law school thinking about a job in the public sector are swayed by the competition and get caught up in it.

However, the practice of law doesn't need to be about the big firm and the fancy suits. I went to law school in my very sparsely populated home state and got a great education at a fraction of the cost of so-called "top tier" law schools. I'm in my first year of practice and I love it. The difference is I work at a small firm in a mid-size town where the other lawyers actually acknowledge that I'm a person, not just a billing machine designed to pad the partners' pockets. I won't pay my loans back for, oh, 30 years of so, but at least I have a decent life.

LW's husband should consider if his sanity and his marriage are worth sacrificing for a job that's not rewarding (other than financially) and where he is regarded as little more than a trained circus monkey.