These are random thoughts from my recent trip to Wyoming. I’ve spent this week at the Spence Trial College teaching trial lawyers. But, the truth is, they teach me far more then I teach them. On the plane I was reading an interview of an actor who spoke of his recovery from drinking, but the comments really struck a chord with me regarding our fears and demons. He said: "My recovery was a slow process, rather like my decline. Recovery…
President Harry Truman, who defeated Dewey in 1948, took delight in attacking the Republican controlled 80th Congress for their lack of action. He called Congress the "do-nothing" Congress and pointed out how little they accomplished in any meaningful legislative action. The same epitaph of a "do-nothing" Congress can be applied to the Democrats. Talk about "wasting political capital," the Democrats were elected in reliance on their promise to take action to bring the troops home and get America out of…
I’ve commented before about the Pope Benedict’s arch conservative background and the moderate position he seemed to assume after his election, but which soon began to be abandoned and his true conservative posture exposed. (See post 4/21/07) When he did say something that caused controversy, the Vatican would immediately offer a clarifying statement afterwords to mollify the protests. Time published an article about this entitled "Pope Benedict: "What I meant to say…" The mask regally began to slip on September…
In reflecting on Tennyson’s poem Charge of the Light Brigade (See post of 7/8/07) it occurred to me it has meaning in connection with the Iraq war. Not only as a similar unwinable military action, but as to the Bush administration’s attack on anyone who is critical of the Iraq war. In the Crimean War a brigade of British calvary was sent on a suicide mission into the face of superior forces and overwhelming gun power because of a senseless…
Jennet Conant has written a book, Tuxedo Park, about Alfred Lee Loomis who lived during the "roaring twenties" and, as a former Wall Street tycoon, played an important semi secret role during World War II as a scientist. Loomis was an extremely wealthy man who had used his law degree in financial investment activities. This multi millionaire had been wise enough to see the 1929 crash coming and escaped the disaster with his fortune intact. He went through the depression…
Here’s a selection of excerpts from a couple of poetry books I enjoy reading. These are from the very old The Oxford Book of English Verse 1250-1918: Perfect woman She was a phantom of delight when first she gleam’d upon my sight; A lovely apparition , sent to be a moment’s ornament; Her eyes as starts of twilight fair; like twilight’s, too, her dusky hair; But all things else about her drawn from May-time and the cheerful dawn’ A dancing…
This map shows the location of the Island of Brac where the village of Splitska is located. This is where my mother’s family immigrated from. It is now in Croatia, but was then part of Austria-Hungry. The map of Italy shows the location of the town of Reggio where dad and his family immigrated from. See previous post for the story of mom.
Seven years ago today, on an early Friday morning, July 7th 2000, my mother Mary Thelma Babarovich, died in her sleep at the San Juan Care Center. Her death was not unexpected. After all, she was born on December 28, 1905 and was ninety four years old when she died. She had been in failing health for some time. Her passing was, in fact, a personal blessing to her as she had been ready for a number of weeks. My…
The Skagit Valley Argus publishes a column by the President of the Association of Washington Business. His writings follow the usual "party line" of the Chamber of Commerce in promoting tort reform and attacking trial lawyers and the civil justice system. This my response to one of his recent diatribes: Dear Editor: The President of the Association of Washington Business, Don Brunell, has once again used his guest column (June 20th) to make another attack on the American civil justice…
"Taxation without Representation!" was the cry that’s behind the reason for our celebrations on the 4th of July. It all started with the thirteen colonies in America objecting to being forced to pay taxes to England’s King George III while they had no representatives in the British Parliament. While there was increasing objections to British control and British taxation without any say so in the British Parliament, the Stamp Act of 1765 and tax on imports were particularly hated by…
