America honors Rosa Parks
# 384, October 30, 2005
COLUMBUS: Hurricane Wilma swept across Florida last Monday, just where the forecasters said it would a week earlier when it was still headed the opposite direction. Then it kept on going north, close to the Atlantic coast. The Appalachian mountains got hit with snow, maybe the first time anybody got snow from a hurricane.
Florida is still trying to get the electricity back on, just like the folks in the mountains.
I read in the newspaper where the House passed a bill to stop shyster lawyers from filing frivolous lawsuits. Now can anybody ever think of a more sensible bill than this one, except maybe one to stop Congressmen from frivolous spending. But wouldn’t you know, the American Bar Association came out against it. Of course this ain’t the first time the ABA has opposed any attempt to clean up their profession. (See Historic quotes…)
According to the bill, any lawyer with three superficial lawsuits, if he’s caught, would be suspended for a year. It seems fair, except maybe the suspension should be longer. It’s hard to find a lawyer that wouldn’t rake in enough dough from three lawsuits to take a year off from work.
But you can’t blame the Bar for looking out for their members. I’m sure they totaled the expected number of these frivolous lawsuits, and divided it by the number of lawyers in the country, and since it came to more than 3 per lawyer, they don’t have a choice but to oppose it.
If it does get past the Senate, I suggest they include a proviso that no lawyer be allowed to serve his suspension in an election year. With all that excess time on their hands we would be overrun with candidates.
The Chicago White Sox took care of business in the World Series. They had 88 years to get ready for it, and Houston only had forty some, so naturally they were favored. When one side wins four games to none, you might think it was one-sided, but not this time. Every game was tight, and it usually came down to the last batter.
We’re waiting on the President to let us know his substitute choice for the Supreme Court. You know he won’t please everyone, but this time he’ll probably decide to favor the Republicans. At least he’s got our attention.
Everybody in Washington is talking about Lewis Libby getting indicted for lying. It’s big news there, but outside of Washington, folks care more about the price of gasoline. I filled the truck at $1.95 a gallon, quite an improvement from a month ago.
Rosa Parks passed away, and she received the high honor of lying in state in the Capitol Rotunda. She showed us that one ordinary person, with enough determination and grit, can change this country for the better. You don’t have to be a statesman or politician or a Supreme Court Justice to make a difference.
The Commerce Department announced our economy is booming. See, it takes more than hurricanes and Washington indictments to stop us from buying. And the secret of American success is the same today as it was eighty years ago: “Every official in the Government and every prominent manufacturer is forever bragging about our ‘high standard of living’. Why, we could always have lived this high if we had wanted to live on the instalment plan.” DT #106, Dec. 9, 1926
Historic quotes from Will Rogers:
“What would make this (American Bar Association) convention immortal, is to kick the crooks out of their profession. They should recommend a law that every case that went on trial, the lawyer defending should be tried first, then if he come clear, he was eligible to defend.” DT #2789, July 14, 1935
“Went down and spoke at the (ABA convention) last night. They didn’t think much of my little squib yesterday about driving the shysters out of their profession. They seemed to kinder doubt just who would have to leave.” DT #2791, July 16, 1935
“This is the heyday of the shyster lawyer, and they defend each other for half rates.” DT #1527, June 15, 1931
“Modern plumbing has about done away with Halloween fun.” DT #2571, Nov. 1, 1934