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I know Judge Frank for visiting at Merrick.

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He's a very good judge.

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I think a lot of people could get more experience

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with the judge, that

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he's more lenient

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and I think he's a better judge than I ever seen

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not on TV, but

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on TV judge is not as nice as Judge Frank is.

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Because they don't know any better,

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they don't know how to stop themselves from using the R word.

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I went down to the State Capitol

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and I use the shredder and

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a lot of us shred the R word because

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I was getting tired of hearing it,

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and I wanted to do something that was being respectful for me.

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Yes I did.

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My rights were never taken away.

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I teach people at my building, I teach them at home.

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It's just... I feel that's my right.

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I wouldn't want to live alone, because

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I'd be too lonely, and some people like that,

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but I wouldn't because

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I don't think that's really a safe environment for me,

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and I'd rather have people surround me that I care about and love,

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and if there's a need I'd go help the people that need.

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You know, I was just going to say Karen forgot what she said,

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you teaching people, well I'm one of the people she probably...

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she's taught.

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Well you can get a sense of it

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listening to what Karen just said.

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And in other words it's... it's not just the...

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what she's taught me,

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and you know you have to understand this is somebody...

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we've not just been in the courthouse and Merrick together,

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we sat at the same table for dinner (Yes)

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and had conversations that friends and people have.

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(Right) And so this is just...

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this is much more than teaching about something,

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I think should be obvious,

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but as Karen says, it isn't so obvious to some people about

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the R word.

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There are other things, I mean

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you can see it, you can hear it.

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I'm a joyful person,

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I'm fun to be with.

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I do a lot of things that I do very good at,

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and there are some things I don't do as good at.

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But people accept me for who I am.

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I know I have a disability but I don't let that bother me

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and I go on with my day.

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I would like to help the poor people

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to understand what their rights are.

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The poor people don't always get that chance to listen to other people,

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but I feel that they need a need also to get to well to

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not to live in boxes or anything like that because

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I would not want to live in their box.

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I feel bad for them,

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but they also deserve the same right as we do.

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They can get help, they can go to doctors, they can

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get some assistance, go to a doctor and make them well.

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That they have a right to have their own meetings like I do.

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I go sometimes but not always

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because they need me on the work floor

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and it's hard to get off sometimes.

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Just like other people, like families,

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they have a right to get involved with their community,

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like church. I get very involved with my church.

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I sing, I help in my neighborhood, I help at home.

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People should get involved.

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They shouldn't have to be alone at little boxes

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or they shouldn't live in cars or anything,

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because that... I don't think I could do that.

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Some of them... some of them really have a hard time understanding,

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but maybe someday, if I have the time,

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I would like to teach those people they have rights because

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every person that lives

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around the world should have a right to either be a judge,

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or be listening to a judge on a case

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or working for them

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or when they need help.

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I'd be glad to help a judge or a person that

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has a disability. I wouldn't let them go.

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I believe they do, but

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if I may, you asked me earlier just a few minutes ago

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and depending on where the camera was,

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you could've seen

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my demeanor change just a little bit a few minutes ago,

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what Karen teaches. I mean,

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think about something that just happened a few minutes ago.

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You could bring in Ph.D. candidates,

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you could bring in Harvard people,

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anybody you want and ask them

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what is something important you do,

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did you hear what this woman said?

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If you believe, as I do,

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that a civilized and democratic society,

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that how we will all be ultimately be judged,

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how we care for those who most need around us,

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right out of – here's what she said,

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"I want to get a message to the poor and teach."

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I mean think about that! I mean,

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how many people haven't worked with people,

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regardless of the nature of the disability?

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If you went up to them and say, well look at... let's talk

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about what people understand about our society.

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They would exercise a stereotype,

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they wouldn't think for a minute

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that people like Karen

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she's got it all figured out.

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I'm telling you right now,

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so I'm sitting here saying

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I could be with a group of students

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and you'd never get this response,

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and here is this very special person

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She's got it figured out just right.

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Right where the priorities are.

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I mean to me that is so, you know...

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thank you.

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You're welcome.

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She has the same expectations,

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the same hopes and dreams as I and other people have.

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I mean, she has the same

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rights as you've heard her say,

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to participate in things as I do

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and as I said earlier,

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she teaches me more than I teach her and I don't know if...

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Right.

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Yeah I think you'd agree with me.

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Yeah.

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See that? These are...

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sometimes people, when you haven’t been...

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You know, I can't walk in her shoes,

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I can't say

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I know how she feels, but when you spend time with someone,

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you get to know them.

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When I find out about the obstacles

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that she has had, when the feelings that she has,

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both the good feelings and the hurt feelings

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about things that happen,

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I re-examine myself and what I'm doing.

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In my case it's even more important because

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I take an oath as a judge, I think it's important to everybody, but

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but I make a promise in an oath,

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and there's no better reminder than well, look at, well

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here's a reminder, Judge Frank, as Karen would say, of equal justice.

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And so... you know reading... You can't read these things in a textbook

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you can't read them, and then, of course,

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when you, as Karen has said,

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there's certain people who stereotype things

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or make assumptions about you.

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And you know, just like when you're done with these interviews here,

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of course you know with family and friends,

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but people who haven't worked with people,

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they carry around these assumptions, these stereotypes

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and they're... none of them are true.

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You heard exactly what she said.