When I started Simple Justice, Jon Katz had already been blogging for almost a year.  He was bold and clear.  The strength of his belief in civil liberties was the hallmark of every post.  It was inspirational, if somewhat mystical, and Jon set the bar for those of us who came after him. 

Jon called his blawg Underdog,  It wasn’t a reference to the cartoon, but to where criminal defendants and their lawyers stood in the hierarchy of power in the legal system.  For a brief moment, Underdog disappeared from the title, but re-emerged quickly as Jon realized that it was the soul of his blawg. 

Always a daily read, and always enlightening, Underdog was a fixture in the practical blawgosphere.

Why do I blog? Through blogging , I keep a valuable diary that helps keep my written and oral pen sharpened, my self-awareness deepened, and my bully pulpit strong. Also, it can be more important to touch one person in the audience in a valuable way than for thousands to receive the message in a much less profound way. M y motivation for blogging goes far beyond having a web presence for our law firm, to a thirst to express critical and undiluted messages about justice, and to increase the number of people who will assert their rights with the police so as never to need our criminal defense services in the first place.. So many civil liberties need to be won and re-won worldwide. One of the most effective ways for a non-full-time writer or television/radio personality to get out the pro-civil liberties message is through blogging. 

Underdog turns three years old today.  Happy birthday, Underdog.  Thanks for all you’ve given the rest of us, Jon.