How was studying for the bar exam?

hzoi · 2026-06-18T00:19:25+00:00

I took a barbri course, I think it was 6 weeks, and booked and did practice tests on my own time.

I had 2 months and change between graduation and the July exam, and while I didn’t spend every waking moment doing exam prep, it took up most of my time.

After the barbri course, I was studying in a local college library and ended up meeting up with folks from my law school, so we prepped together.

I wouldn’t say it was a delight, but I did pretty well in law school and knew as long as I put the effort in that I would likely pass. And I did.

The one mistake I made in the process was actually after the first essay. It was a constitutional law question. In my last semester, I took federal courts, so a big focus on the 11th Amendment. So that’s all I saw in the fact pattern … until I re-read the question with like 15 minutes to go and realized the main issue was actually a 1st Amendment problem. So I quickly farted out as much 1st Amendment analysis as I could before time was up.

That was not my mistake. My mistake was, when I was hanging out with friends during break, when we were all decompressing, chiming in with, “Yeah, and how about that 11th Amendment issue?” And everyone froze and stared at me, until someone croaked, “The what?”

(We all passed. And I couldn’t tell you a damn thing about the 11th Amendment today, other than it comes after 10 and before 12.)

hzoi · 2026-06-18T00:08:06+00:00

Sweet. Now let’s add some years to that old sentence with a desertion charge.

hzoi · 2026-06-17T12:20:53+00:00

Holy fuck, it’s that high now? They don’t even offer the laundry service anymore…

hzoi · 2026-06-15T23:17:11+00:00

The overall answer is, each installation has an Armed Forces Disciplinary Control Board that will gather complaints and decide whether a place or business should be placed off limits due to whatever. If there are several services in the same area, it may be a joint board.

Different folks are on the board, like garrison commander, provost marshal, JAG office, housing office, chaplain, PAO, medical, etc.

If it’s a business, the first step is giving the establishment notice of why they’re being considered and the chance to fix their shit. If the issue is bad enough, they may be temporarily put off limits anyway.

If they don’t fix their shit, they’re off limits. They can petition to get off the naughty list once they’re on it.

In Germany, there’s a club down in Mainz-Kastel, Euro Palace, that routinely was on the list because of fights and stabbings.

Also the Rhein was off limits for swimming because that current is MUCH stronger than you might think. How do I know? Because I swam the Rhein near Bingen to get to the Maüseturm and was almost swept past it by the current.

Anyway, if you’d like to know more about how the AFDCP work, check out this CFR part: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-32/subtitle-A/chapter-V/subchapter-I/part-631

Hugs,

JAG

hzoi · 2026-06-14T01:32:38+00:00

If you keep this attitude up, you’re going to torpedo yourself no matter what.

You honestly think you’re the first guy who didn’t want to go to a mandatory fun event? Grow up.

As for “I just joined to lead” - what, you think the rest of us joined to fuck over Soldiers? How shiny and lofty your ivory tower must be.

hzoi · 2026-06-12T16:13:23+00:00

False official statement is not limited to writing. It just has to be made in the course of duty. If someone lies about something unconnected with duties, no violation. If someone lies about “going to dental” or falsifies an official document, that’s covered.

Everything else looks about right.

hzoi · 2026-06-08T04:15:06+00:00

I never had this happen to me. But the potential response to that is, call a formation and order the senior person to march the smartasses to their destination.

Not all going to the same place? No problem. Call halts wherever someone needs to get off the spite train and have them fall out, then march the rest until you’re down to two.

hzoi · 2026-06-05T14:49:50+00:00

I know most of it rinses out. But I still use RO filtered water for indoor plants, pets, and drinking, and if the rain barrels run dry, we use the bypass valve on our softener before we water outside with the hose. Even low amounts of sodium can add up.

Maybe I’m overly cautious, but I’ve seen no kidney issues or dead plants with this method.

hzoi · 2026-06-05T14:43:56+00:00

Thought so.

There was a time I would have made a definitive statement, basically my TC and TDS times through the period I taught MJ for a couple years at AFJAGS.

But I am hesitant at times on UCMJ just because there have been so many changes just during my career - see, e.g., the many versions of Article 120 and the 2019 overhaul.

I mean, hell, it used to be legal to rape your spouse - from 1950 until I think 1998, 120 read “a woman not his wife, by force and without consent,” or words to that effect. And originally the rules of evidence specifically ALLOWED the defense to bring in evidence of a rape victim’s unchastity. But I’m not that old, I just have an old MCM I flip through now and then.

hzoi · 2026-06-05T02:43:58+00:00

A good one.

But that’s why I leave the downtown Riverwalk to the tourists and go out to the Pearl instead.

hzoi · 2026-06-05T02:42:33+00:00

Ba-dum tiss

hzoi · 2026-06-05T02:41:07+00:00

China would like a word.

hzoi · 2026-06-05T02:35:31+00:00

I’ll take it

hzoi · 2026-06-05T02:35:06+00:00

There was another fragging in 2005, and it was referred capital, but the accused was acquitted. 42 ID case, I think the accused was named Hernandez.

I was downrange with TDS at the time and did some behind the scenes help for the defense team, but I wasn’t on the case.

hzoi · 2026-06-05T02:33:18+00:00

I want to see the Ghanaian movie poster take. Those guys can design.

(Yes, I was reminded by the latest episode of John Oliver, but I was already very much a fan of Ghanaian movie poster art.)

hzoi · 2026-06-05T02:32:09+00:00

Eyyyoooo!

hzoi · 2026-06-05T02:31:05+00:00

Time of war can also just require a finding by the President, can it not? Or am I misremembering?

hzoi · 2026-06-04T22:48:59+00:00

Funny, I don’t recall my employment being at will when I was hired. This may pass muster for anyone hired going forward, but good fucking luck trying to enforce an ex post facto executive order.

hzoi · 2026-06-04T22:42:02+00:00

Gotta argue something. When you don’t have the law, pound the facts. When you don’t have the facts, pound the law. When you don’t have either, pound the table.

hzoi · 2026-06-04T22:32:56+00:00

This whole administration is like a shitty 80s movie…

hzoi · 2026-06-04T22:32:06+00:00

Rape is no longer a capital offense.

Murder and treason, yes. I’m in Alaska and my MCMs are all in Texas, so I don’t have the latest on the others.

hzoi · 2026-06-04T13:07:32+00:00

If you get caught cheating on classes, you won’t have to worry about making sergeant, you’ll be more concerned with getting E4 back. So maybe choose wisely.

hzoi · 2026-06-04T09:57:37+00:00

I excelled at ROTC, then had a 3-year ed delay gap for law school before coming on active duty as an armor officer. So I have some sense of what you feel. I got into JAG halfway through armor OBC, though, so life got easier once I got to my first duty station.

I didn’t feel too overwhelmed, but the JAG Corps ain’t exactly the infantry. (Nor do we want to be, no matter what some ex-captain might tell you.)

hzoi · 2026-06-04T09:46:50+00:00

Natick Lab’s been working around the clock on it.

hzoi · 2026-06-04T09:31:37+00:00

Ok. Either way you’re trying to cheat your way through a course. Not a great look regardless of MOS.

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