Paul Luvera Journal

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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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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I’ve quoted William Barclay (1907 – 1978) the Scottish bible scholar and one of my favorite spiritual writers, in past posts. See 2/1/07 & 2/11/06. Another Barclay observation worth repeating is from his mediation book, Day by Day, where he says: "If a word of praise or thanks has to be spoken, it had better be spoken now -for life is an uncertain business, and you may never get the chance to speak it again…There is an old Latin proverb…

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Kevin Boyle has written a history of the famous 1925 criminal trial in Detroit involving eleven blacks who were in a house surrounded by a mob of whites when someone inside fired a shot which killed a white man. The case was twice defended by Clarence Darrow. Boyle’s book Arc of Justice traces the history of widespread bigotry against the black race and the activities of the Klu Klux Klan in Northern cities. The shooting happened on September 29, 1925…

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John Gribbin is an astrophysicist who trained at Cambridge and has written a number of scientific books.His book, Stardust is a book about the relationship between life and the universe. It is an informative history of discoveries about the universe with technical facts mixed with understandable explanations. A few excerpts from the book are worth repeating. The most startling to me is the fact that we are made of stardust. As Gribbin points out: "In fact, life begins with the process…

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Here are some random observations about life. Richard Carlson has written Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff at Work after his best seller Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff. His second book has chapter headings that speak for themselves. They include "Remember to acknowledge, Stay focused in the now, Don’t be trapped by golden handcuffs, Accept the Fact That There’s Always Going to be Someone Mad at You, Before Becoming Defensive, Take Note of What is Being Said and Marvel At How…

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Even before the horror of September 11, 2001, America had a past of terrorist activity and violence. Our long history of labor and political turmoil has involved bombing and killings. For example, a bomb killed seven policeman and injured 67 others in Chicago on May 4, 1886 at Haymarket Square where there was a union rally. In 1877 seven union activists, known as the "Molly Maguires " were hanged in Pennsylvania. A prominent union leader of the day, Eugene Debbs,…

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I’ve posted before about Mr. Bush’s inept selections to important government positions (12/29/06, 12/23/06 & 12/06/06). He has shown a pattern of appointing the wrong people to the job he appoints them to. This wouldn’t be so bad if they were inconsequential political appointments, but too often they are very significant government positions. We have the example of his appointment of Lurita Alexis Doan, a Virginia businesswoman, who was his selection in April of 2006 as Administrator of the General…

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I previously reported on the shameful amount of money being paid outgoing Home Depot CEO Robert Nardelli (1/3/07). Now a group of shareholders have sued to stop the company from paying him a $210 Million dollar prize as he exits the company by resigning. Suit was filed in Georgia asking for an injunction to stop payment. The suit alleges "Nardelli’s tenure has been marked by abuse of shareholders and disappointing shareholder returns. There has been widespread criticisms of Nardelli’s lack…

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HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND MERRY CHRISTMAS. Lita and I are leaving for San Miguel de Allende, Mexico where we will spend Christmas. Here are a few photos from past Christmas days at my family home in Anacortes, Washington. Left to right: me, mother and my sister Phyllis about 1943 My Italian grandfather Nicola Luvera with me. I got a tool set for Christmas that year and he is showing me how to use some of the tools. Circa 1941 The ultimate…

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