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Month: March 2007

The Latest Duck & Dodge Tactics of The Bush White House Over the Firing Scandal

The Latest Duck & Dodge Tactics of The Bush White House Over the Firing Scandal

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The furor over the political hatchet job done to the fired U.S. Attorneys will not be swept under the rug like the previous Republican Congress was always able to get away with. Now that some balance of power has been restored the facts are going to be exposed. I’ve reported my views about this before. (3/17/07) but the facts keep creeping closer and closer to George Bush and Karl Rove. The Bush Administration supporters have made two excuses for their…

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Preaching by the Unqualified – The Prodigal Son

Preaching by the Unqualified – The Prodigal Son

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Let me begin with a clear warning that what follows is preaching and, worse, preaching by someone wholly unqualified to preach to anyone. But, blame it on the fact that last Sunday my wife and I went to church in Scottsdale and the reading was from Luke.15:11, Jesus famous parable about the prodigal son. The homily by the priest that followed this reading seemed uninspired. I confess to having mentally excused myself from listening any more and to indulge in…

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Lord Acton, Karl Rove, The Bush White House & the Hazy Memory Defense for Firing U.S. Attorneys

Lord Acton, Karl Rove, The Bush White House & the Hazy Memory Defense for Firing U.S. Attorneys

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Lord Acton (John Emerich Edward Acton 1834-1902) is oft quoted for his profound observation: "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely." This is the real reason behind the firings of the United States Attorneys – the corruption of power. It is also the explanation for abuse of authority by the Republican Congress and the Bush Administration we have had to endure since their taking office. The Bush Administration gained power through the huge financial support given to it and Republican…

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Senator Barack Obama, His Buddy Joe Lieberman & Tort Reform – a Poisonous Mix

Senator Barack Obama, His Buddy Joe Lieberman & Tort Reform – a Poisonous Mix

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Barack Obama is a hot political item these days. He seems to be taking the political scene with a tsunami like wave of public approval. But, should Democrats, and especially plaintiff trial lawyers, jump on his presidential band wagon? Rolling Stone Magazine, in an interview about him, pointed out: "What Obama stands for, if anything, is not yet clear. Everywhere he goes he is greeted by thrilled crowds, trailed constantly by a reporter from the Chicago Tribune who is writing…

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General George S. Patton’s Principles of War Apply to Legal Trials

General George S. Patton’s Principles of War Apply to Legal Trials

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Alan Axelrod’s book Patton provides a picture of this complex military genius. I have noted General Patton before in this blog: 3/8/07 and 12/6/06. As I read this book, I see many of Patton’s principles of leadership and war which contain ideas that can be applied to trial lawyers and trials. Even though there is a modern abhorrence In the legal profession to compare trials to anything adversarial I think the comparison is appropriate in light of the historical view…

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Pope Benedict says No to Married Priests and Remarried Catholics

Pope Benedict says No to Married Priests and Remarried Catholics

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Early in his term Pope Benedict presented himself as someone different than what his past arch conservative views had shown him to be. But now he has made it obvious that he hans’t changed his views at all. In a 131 page document, the Pope has announced the continued adherence to the Vatican’s ban on communion for divorced Catholics who remarry and has delegated to Bishops to decide if Catholic politicians should be denied communion if they support abortion or…

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The George W. Bush Library & Secrecy

The George W. Bush Library & Secrecy

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I’ve complained about the obscene plan to raise half a billion dollars for a George Bush presidential library before. See "A Five Hundred Million Dollar George W. Bush Library" But, now Congress appears to be doing something about it. Rep. Harry A. Waxman (D CA) and others have introduced HR 1254 the "Presidential Donation Reform Act of 2007" which would require disclosure of donors to presidential libraries. It is a bipartisan measure which should improve its chances of passing as…

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Machiavell’s The Prince & Plaintiff Trial Lawyers

Machiavell’s The Prince & Plaintiff Trial Lawyers

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Niccolo di Bernardo dei Machiavelli was born in Florence in 1469 and became a figure of the Italian Renaissance. His writings included political theory. He wrote a pamphlet The Prince, which he hoped would help him gain influence with the ruling Medici family of Florence. The well known writing has a chapter he entitles: "Cruelty and Compassion: And Whether it is better to be loved than feared, or the reverse." Here is a sampling of his answer. He advises that…

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Fred Korematsu, Japanese American Hero & the Internment of WW II

Fred Korematsu, Japanese American Hero & the Internment of WW II

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Have you ever heard of Fred Korematsu? I confess that while I should have, I had never heard of him until I recently came across an account of this Japanese American hero. He was born in Oakland, California in 1919 to a Japanese American family who operated a nursery in California. On December 7, 1941 Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and the United States entered World War II. Two months later President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 which authorized the Army…

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The Bush Administration Tries to Hide the Global Warming Ball Again With A Gag Order

The Bush Administration Tries to Hide the Global Warming Ball Again With A Gag Order

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All of the news media have been reporting about global warming and the effect on polar bears since the issue of whether to put them on the endangered list first came up. A recent study now predicts polar bears could be extinct, due to eroding ice, by the end of this century if global warming continues unabated. An article in the Washington Post reports that Robert Corell, a senior fellow at the American Meteorological Society who chaired the study has…

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