DYING LAST WORDS AND A STRANGE WAY TO CHOOSE TO DIE

DYING LAST WORDS AND A STRANGE WAY TO CHOOSE TO DIE

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A book I'm reading says that Poncho Villa’s last words before dying were: "Don’t let it end like this. Tell them I said something." I found that very amusing. He knew he was dying, but had nothing significant to say as his last words so he asked that they make up something instead. That made me curious about "last words" so I did some checking. Here’s some information I found interesting. There was Luther Burbank’s last words, that turned out to…

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THE CAMEL’S NOSE UNDER THE TENT FLAP – A STATE INCOME TAX

THE CAMEL’S NOSE UNDER THE TENT FLAP – A STATE INCOME TAX

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Bill Gates Sr is advocating a state income tax and it will probably be on the ballot. What makes this attractive to most people is that it is being promoted on the basis that it is a tax only on the wealthy. Everyone else gets off scot free, they claim. This inome tax wouldn't impact the great majority of people the proponents say. However, we all know that there are only two things you can't avoid and taxes is one of them. Once…

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THE BUCK NEVER STOPS – IT JUST KEEPS GOING

THE BUCK NEVER STOPS – IT JUST KEEPS GOING

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Frank Rich wrote a column in the New York Times a week ago entitled "No one is to Blame for Anything." Boy, is he right about that. When the Washington ferry system wasted millions of dollars a few years ago, no heads rolled. When the Port of Seattle was exposed by the Seattle Times for it's waste of money and incompetence, nothing really happened. When corporate heads are exposed for their stupid and expensive errors they are given a golden parachute with…

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THE AMERICAN TRIAL LAWYERS HALL OF FAME INDUCTION

THE AMERICAN TRIAL LAWYERS HALL OF FAME INDUCTION

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I 'd like to be immodest and tell you that my wife Lita and I  just returned from Las Vegas where I was inducted into the 2010 American Trial Lawyers Hall of Fame. What made it such an honor for me personally were the other members.  Last year Bobby Lee Cook, Morris Dees, Fred Levin, stanley Preiser and Gerry Spence were inducted. Non living members include Melvin Belli,Clarence Darrow, William Kunstler and Johnnie Cochran. This year Phillip Corboy, Richard "Racehorse" Haynes, Russ Herman,…

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WOMEN & THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

WOMEN & THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

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Anyone reading this blog could conclude that I have a chip on my shoulder about my Catholic Church. They would be entirely right when we are talking about Vatican politics and the politics of Church authorities. What brings me to write a second posting involving the Church is an opinion piece in the Sunday New York Times by Nicholas D. Kristof "A church Mary can love." I laughed at his opening paragraph dealing with the joke about the pious Catholic who…

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CATHOLIC TEACHING ABOUT BIRTH CONTROL

CATHOLIC TEACHING ABOUT BIRTH CONTROL

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I’ve expressed my opposition to the Vatican's position on birth control before – one example: (https://paulluverajournalonline.com/weblog/2009/03/pope-benedict-condoms-and-hivaids.html) What brings it up again is the fact that when I was at Mass this morning at the Gig Harbor St Nicholas Catholic church a young mother gave a talk before it started. She spoke in favor of "natural" rhythm birth control and insisted other means such as condoms was "a serious sin." She said it was a serious sin because the Church said so…

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U.S. SUPREME COURT JUSTICE JOHN PAUL STEVENS & THE “SMALL TOWN LAWYER MADE GOOD” AWARD

U.S. SUPREME COURT JUSTICE JOHN PAUL STEVENS & THE “SMALL TOWN LAWYER MADE GOOD” AWARD

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My friend Jeff Tolman is a lawyer in Paulsbo, Washington. We are talking about a town with about 7500 people and a strong Norwegian heritage about 1.5 hours from Seattle if you take the Bremerton ferry to get to this charming town on Puget Sound. Jeff has been a friend for many years. He is very creative. Many years ago he decided that the Paulsbo Bar Association, consisting of hand full of lawyers at the time, should hold an annual legal seminar…

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THE REFINERY EXPLOSION AND FINDING TRUTH WITH ACCOUNTABILITY

THE REFINERY EXPLOSION AND FINDING TRUTH WITH ACCOUNTABILITY

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On Good Friday, April 2, 2010 there was an enormous explosion and fire at the Tesoro Refinery at March Point, near Anacortes. Five people died and two survived with serious burns. Several families involved have hired my law firm along with a Texas law firm to represent them. When the media reported the families had contacted lawyers there were those who were critical of the families for doing so.  Let me respond to that criticism by saying the refineries are very familiar to…

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NORMAN MAILER’S “LAST WIFE” AND WORRY ABOUT A BROKEN JUDICIAL SYSTEM

NORMAN MAILER’S “LAST WIFE” AND WORRY ABOUT A BROKEN JUDICIAL SYSTEM

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My weekend readings brought up a couple of things worth mentioning. I liked the idea used by Ms. Norris Church Mailer in an article about her in the New York Times Magazine. She was the sixth and last wife of Normal Mailer who led a very bohemian life style which explains why he was married six times. She suffered through all of his many activities that were not supportive of their marriage. When asked about her reaction to Norman’s conduct…

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THE SEVEN ESSENTIAL STEPS FOR AN EFFECTIVE APOLOGY vs The Rules Don’t Apply to Me

THE SEVEN ESSENTIAL STEPS FOR AN EFFECTIVE APOLOGY vs The Rules Don’t Apply to Me

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In an excellent article in The Jury Expert http://www.astcweb.org/public/publication/article.cfm/1/22/2/The-Rules-Do-Not-Apply-to-Me Elizabeth Foley, a partner in Zagnoli, McEvoy, Foley, a jury consulting firm, has written an article entitled "The Rules Don’t Apply to me." Ms Foley lists seven things that are necessary for a full and complete apology. She says leaving out any of one of these steps means the apology is not effective. Here are the steps: Acknowledge what you did wrong Take responsibility for your actions Acknowledge the impact your actions…

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