My claim against the school was for breach of contract. The school’s publications (handbooks, student manuals, catalogs, etc...) constitute terms of an implied contract between a private school and its students. The school had published a long list of procedures and rights guaranteed to students before an expulsion could take place. I, however, was expelled immediately without anyone from the school ever even speaking with me, let alone conducting the formal hearing which was required by the terms of the contract. During the case no one came forward to substantiate the accusations the school had alleged against me. In fact, their star witness filed an affidavit on MY behalf, stating that the accusations, which they attributed to her, were not only false, but had never been made.
As for my “bipolar overconfidence” leading me to make the “mistake” of representing myself. I filed scores of documents over the course of 5 years, did such excellent research that I was hired by an attorney, made numerous thorough and well-reasoned arguments in many Motions and Briefs, put together a 200 page appeal, complied with ALL ot the court’s requirements - On Time, (the opposing attorney repeatedly requested extensions of time for his filings, and responded fully to all of the requests and motions of my opponents. The school, on the other hand, had to use numerous attorneys and three different law firms. yes, I represented myself. A less bipolar man would have thrown in the towel with the Defendant’s First Request for Production of Documents and Written Interrogatories. It took a Law School five years to defeat a bipolar man representing himself in Federal Court. I’d do it again in a heartbeat. I suppose you would call that another symptom. If that be so, I thank God for it!
I can live with the fact that I do not comport with your stereotype of people who have bipolar. We don’t all fit the “drain on society” mold with which you labeled me.
I trust you don’t feel that way about your patients, GovernmentShrink.
I’m not a physician, nor any sort of medical professional, so I have no patients. Anyone who is living on public assistance is a “drain on society” at least financially. And while I don’t mind paying some taxes to support people who are genuinely unable to support themselves through no fault of their own, I do expect them to help themselves to the extent that they are able to, and in the case of mental illness this often needs to begin with recognizing the nature and extent of their problems.
I fully recognize that some forms of mental illness are not compatible with such recognition. I have a half-sister with advanced schizophrenia, who has virtually no relationship with reality (and is not on public assistance because the government refuses to qualify her for assistance because they say they can’t look at her psych diagnosis without her authorization — which she won’t give because she’s sure there’s nothing wrong with her, and that *they* are just out to get her).
You, on the other hand, don’t seem nearly that far gone, and perhaps could benefit from an outside reminder that wallowing in imagined “blessings” is not a socially or spiritually responsible substitute for facing real problems and dealing with them. That was the reason for my giving you the reminder.