My career as a lawyer began at the Fox movie theater in downtown Spokane on a Sunday while the theater was closed for movies. The law school graduates proceeded into the theater as diplomas were presented by Gonzaga Law School. The diplomas were written on large parchment paper in Latin with a huge ribbon & seal. Except, that is, the fellow sitting next to me. When he unrolled the paper, he found it was a blank page with a note…
Donald Trump has many upsetting quirks and idiosyncrasies. Two are particularly noticeable. One is his obsession with putting his name on anything that is available. The other is his habitual use of threats, intimidation, reward, or punishment to get his way. The most annoying one is, however, his obsession with self-aggrandizement. TRUMP’S “KILROY WAS HERE” OBSESSION His name obsession reminds me of the historical phenomenon “Kilroy Was Here.” That history is one of graffiti from World War II. This simple…
The First Amendment prohibits the government from “abridging the freedom of speech.” It also prohibits retaliation against people for speaking out, even if the speech is critical of the government. The Constitution is meaningless when our Supreme Court is in President Trump’s hip pocket and ignores its mandates. It has issued frequent “shadow docket” rulings, critics informally label as “ghost decisions” because they carry legal effect but lack full, transparent reasoning for challenge. At the same time, Congress has been…
The Scourge of Irresponsible Government Economics This state legislature is demonstrating another failure to apply economic common sense. The government is expected to spend only the money it has available and not go into economic debt. When the government spends more than it has, a budget deficit is the result. To cover that difference government doesn’t cut back, but instead raises more money through taxes. This Democratic state legislature has been an economic failure in the face of serious economic…
My maternal grandfather, Peter (Petar) babarovich died the year I was born – 1935. I was born on February 21st, 1935, and he died a month later on March 5th of that year. As a result, I never knew this unique man. Nonno babarovich was born on April 12, 1861, in the village of Splitska on the island of Brac in Croatia off the coast of Split, Yugoslavia in the Adriatic Sea. Peter was the second child of his father,…
Civility once served as the glue of a democratic society. Disagreement was often passionate, but it was restrained by the belief that all opponents were not enemies. Today, that restraint has become increasingly absent, both in politics and in daily life by the example and conduct of Donald Trump. President Trump has made insult-driven rhetoric acceptable by a frequent use of mocking nicknames and personal attacks toward opponents, journalists, judges, and even former allies. At the same time, he has…
Diogenes, a Greek philosopher (4th century), was said to have walked through Athens, in broad daylight, carrying a lit lantern, claiming he was “looking for an honest man.” It’s clear he would have found few to meet his standard of truth and honesty. Politics has always had its share of not speaking the full truth. What feels newer, and far more corrosive, is the growing comfort some politicians now have with simply abandoning the facts altogether, particularly when courts or public…
On January 24, 2002, William “Bill” Taylor died in Anacortes. He was one of Anacortes’s most successful basketball coaches in the history of the school. As a coach & teacher, he was also a positive influence in so many students’ lives, including mine. He was a great coach and mentor to me. I’ve published a full account of my high school relationship with this great coach and his profound influence in my life: https://paulluverajournalonline.com/weblog/2013/01/william-taylor.html . In addition, I published a background…
My sister Phyllis died on January 7, 2013. She was the oldest of the three children, leaving Anita Mayer and me surviving. Phylllis was born to Paul and Mary Luvera in Anacortes on January 29, 1928. She graduated from Anacortes High School in 1946 with honors and attended the University of Washington, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English in 1950. She was a member of Zeta Tau Alpha Sorority. In 1953, she earned the State of…
Lita’s mother and my paternal grandmother died on the same day, December 20th, but thirty nine years apart. Lita’s mother, Elizabeth Catherine Barnett was an extraordinary woman. Very bright, wise and gifted in so many ways. I’ve written about this remarkable woman many times. See https://paulluverajournalonline.com/weblog/2013/12/my-mother-in-law-elizabeth-barnett-1910-1995.html It was my privilege to have known her. She was very intelligent, wise and a great judge of people. I loved her like my own mother for her many qualities and her understanding. This…
