“Democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts and murders itself. There was never a democracy that did not commit suicide.” John Adams April 15th, 1814. I awoke this morning to find the British have done just that. For a long time I have postulated the American Revolution was a mistake, we would have been … More Democratic Suicide
A reading from the book of Genesis, 11:1-9 The whole world spoke the same language, using the same words. They said to one another, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky, and so make a name for ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered all over the … More Why There Are Lawyers
These words turned out to be wrong when uttered by Stanley Baldwin, as he was referring to the bomber that flies over a city intent on killing, maiming and terrorizing the civilian population. Today we have a different kind of bomber, the bomber who walks through a city, intent on killing, maiming and terrorizing the civilian population. … More “The Bomber Will Always Get Through” British Parliament, 1932
A man is interviewed in his living room in Aleppo, Syria about the war. On the wall behind him hangs a velveteen painting of dogs playing poker. He wears a North Face jacket. The BBC interviewer seems oblivious to the odd aspects of this scene, and really wants to know more about how the man has survived … More The Absurd Optics of Globalization
Apparently the Washington Department of Corrections mistakenly got a memo from the Department of Fish and Wildlife, instructing certain species of fish be released upon capture. Failing to read the document closely the DOC altered their practices to allow big fish criminals to go free early. We were in Britain when the story broke. I … More The Washington Department of Corrections Catch and Release Program
I can’t really say I was there, but there seems to be a striking resemblance between the fall of Saigon in 1975 and going to COSTCO on a weekend 40 years later. The press of the people, the indiscriminate objects left behind, the palpable sense of panic all smells the same. It is as if … More COSTCO Weekend 2015
“We was in Agree-ence” the man standing pro se before the Court Commissioner says, as he tries to explain why he has not returned the child of which he seeks “custodie” to the child’s mother. That is how “custody” is spelled in his pleadings. Being a lawyer means one is a wordsmith, and at times the use … More The Street Language of the Courthouse
I have just finished reading a chilling science book. Note I did not say science fiction. It is about earthquake, and it is about where we live, the Pacific Northwest. The title is Full Rip 9.0 by Sandi Doughton the science reporter for The Seattle Times. The book describes a great awakening of earth scientists … More Seattle – You Have Significant Faults
We live in an episode of 24. Life today is like watching back to back the entire first season of “24”. Never have I been so scared in my own living room, and begun to look over my shoulder and blanche at the slightest noise the old house made. There is a shooting at a … More We Live In A Episode of “24”
It’s winter, and the wrecks are piling up at the Swamp Creek Interchange. The term “interchange” is the short version of the confluence of Interstate 5, Interstate 405 and Highway 525. Like great rivers meeting the tide of commuters, the crossing is dangerous. More and more it seems I find cars and trucks discarded on … More The Swamp Creek Triangle
Lawyers Road Review 