Conflict is a constant. Here is a 20th century exhibit. At the end of the Munich Crisis in 1938, a last ditch effort to avoid the Second World War, after all the other concessions had been made in favor of Germany, Neville Chamberlain asked Adolf Hitler to sign a pledge not to go to war … More I have here, from Herr Hitler, a piece of paper.
I took this snap on my way to the American Bar Association Magna Carta 800th year celebration in 2015. We remember the Magna Carta as the first curb on the power of the state in favor of ordinary men. After events in the past 24 hours however, I feel less free than ever. For most … More Unreasonable Searches and Seizures
Cuts from King Henry V, Act IV Scene III by William Shakespeare. The scene begins as the young, yet war like Henry has assumed the port of Mars, and invaded France to prove his mettle. It has been a good campaign but the English are exhausted. They must get past the French army at a … More Band of Brothers: Agincourt- October 25th 1415
Winston Churchill – then Prime Minister for less than a month, then gave a taste of his courageous leadership in the House of Commons, June 4th, 1940, following the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk: We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas … More Fight on the Beaches
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
Democracy’s arm late. Much later than regimes run by strongmen. Because the rate of development of new war fighting aircraft in the 1930’s was a lot like the development of software in the last few decades; pre-war Britain saw lots of entrants to the market, few successes and a whole lot of loss due to … More Albatross of the Battle of Britain
I reported this experience 10 years ago, now according to the Wall Street Journal it is even worse. https://www.wsj.com/world/the-london-tube-feels-like-hell-efforts-to-cool-it-just-make-it-hotter-35b7a94a?st=wBziWS&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink Today is supposed to reach 90 degrees in Seattle. Cool compared to the tubs under London. If there is a place closer to hell than the Central Line of London’s Underground I have yet to find … More London Underground
“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
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