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MIKE LUCKOVICH-CELLPHONES

Lest we forget, there are some problems with electronics in automobiles that we, as drivers, can control.

IT SHALL RISE FROM THE ASHES-DETROIT, MICHIGAN-ODD

Interesting video on YouTube.  It's title is the same as the title of this post (except for the comma and the "odd" part).

Great pictures and postcard images from Detroit's past, and interesting images of current decay.  Marvelous, inspiring music.  All this leading up to the promise of an event to occur in the Fall of 2008, that will, in and of itself, bring the city back from the brink of the abyss.

As I watch, I'm thinking, this is all very nice, but what is being referred to?  The re-opening of the Book Cadillac Hotel, which occurred about that time?  If so, this is a bit overly dramatic.  What else?  I don't remember anything in the Fall of 2008 causing Detroit to rise from the ashes.  Cliff Taylor was defeated for Supreme Court that November, but the whole state benefited from that event.

The event referred to is the opening of a building called the Detroit Energy and Transportation Tower, the DET (fortunately the building's name provided a convenient acronym).  The "Let the Light Move You" slogan is also catchy.  Info describing the clip states "A preview of a new building and an event that will change Detroit."  However, no rendering of the building is presented, and no website information is provided.  This is also the only uploaded video for the user named Resurget.

Well, the Fall of 2008 has come and gone.  No "the DET" building.  And there is no reference to such a building on the Net.  So, what we have here is someone who wanted an excuse to make what is, to be honest, a cool video, at very low cost, about Detroit, past, present, and fictional future. 

Take a look.  It is worth saving for a later time when we really have such an event to publicize.

 

THE ONION-ACLU DEFENDS NAZIS RIGHT TO BURN ACLU HEADQUARTERS

Funny.  I should send this to former Michigan Republican Party Chairman Saul Anuzis.  He'll probably post it on his Facebook account as fact.

The Onion.

 

WHAT'S NEXT: PUBLIC DEFENDER PARK?

The home field of the Class A Baseball Lansing Lugnuts, formerly known as Oldsmobile Park, will now be called---drum roll--Thomas M. Cooley Law School Stadium.  Oh, dear.

This is an 11 year, $1,485,000 deal.  The Lugnuts probably wanted $1.5 Mill, but the Contracts Prof and the head of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Department probably teamed up to save the school 15 Grand.

How is this a good idea?  When prospective students are wondering how they are going to afford grad school, and current students are dealing with the latest tuition increase, I am sure they take great comfort in knowing their fees are going, in part, to for the law school slapping its name on a minor league ballpark.  I always worked at least one job during law school, two jobs one year, and during a bizarre four weeks, three jobs.  I don't think I would have liked my school paying for naming rights to a ballpark, just so students might get discounted tickets on "Slim Whitman Night".

Hey maybe I'm wrong.  Maybe Cooley is on the cutting edge of something here.  Maybe it is an inspired move.  Just because the big colleges are getting corporations to pay for the naming rights to the big college stadiums, it doesn't mean Cooley Law School shouldn't be giving money to a professional baseball team to put the school name on its ball field.

I mean, what is more natural and fitting than seeing a law school dean sharing the podium with some steroid enhanced Muppet, as shown in the clip below.

By the way, I hope Cooley students do well on the Michigan Bar Exam over the next 11 years.  If there bar passing rate lags behind the other state law schools, I can hear critics now:  "A minor league park for a minor league law school."  Life is tough.  You shouldn't provide your own punch lines.

 

 

THE JUDGE KAYE TERTZAG TRIAL ATTORNEY LETTER

At the recent Judge Kaye Tertzag Tribute and Award Dinner, keynote speaker Norm Tucker, talked about some of the research he did in preparation for his talk.  He learned that Judge Tertzag would often write letters of appreciation to lawyers who had just completed trials in his courtroom.  Certainly a very courteous and humble gesture for a judge, and a very unique one, in my experience.  However, it was an action totally in keeping with Kaye Tertzag's character.

Well, yesterday, Mark Grayell, an attorney in my office, brought just such a letter sent to him by Judge Tertzag after a trial in 2003.  With Mark's gracious permission, it is presented below:

 

Be prompt.  Be prepared.  Be polite.

 

ANDY DILLON SPEAKS TO CC SHAMROCK BAR ASSOCIATION

On Tuesday, March 16, 2010 Andy Dillon, Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives, addressed the members and guests of the Detroit Catholic Central Shamrock Bar Association.  Speaker Dillon, also a candidate for Governor in the up-coming November election, is a graduate of the CC class of 1980. 

While Speaker Dillon is campaigning for the Democratic nomination, his 1980 CC classmate, Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox is seeking the Republican nomination for Governor.  Attorney General Cox will be speaking at the next Shamrock Bar meeting on May 11.

The evening began with Mass celebrated by Fr. Richard Elmer, President of Catholic Central, who will be stepping down from that post after this school year.  The homily for the liturgy was presented by Deacon Pat McDonald, also a Shamrock Bar member.

During his presentation, Andy told the assembled group about growing up in a middle class neighborhood in Redford Township (where he now is raising his own family), and his business, legal and political experience.  He also outlined his vision for the state of Michigan and his plans to lead it back to a position of economic, educational and social strength.

Also at this meeting, the Association presented two of the "Honorable Richard Hathaway Distinguished Lawyer" Awards to CC Alumni Lawyers whose contributions to the legal community best exemplified the school motto:  Teach Me Goodness, Discipline and Knowledge.

Speaker Dillon presented the Award to his father, the Honorable John M. Dillon (see picture below), and Wally Piszczatowski, CC Alum, presented the Award to Fred Lauck.

An on-line album of photos taken at the event by Shamrock Bar member Dennis Barnes, can be found here.

JUDGE HARDY FAIL

Back in the olden days of the movies, when Andy Hardy (Mickey Rooney) was a befuddled adolescent in over 15 films, his moral compass, his guiding hand, his model of decorum, justice and propriety was his father, Judge Hardy (Lewis Stone), municipal judge of the mythical town of Carvel.  Judge Hardy was everything you'd want a judge, father and man to be, dispensing justice with humanity and understanding.  A dry, understated sense of humor, and always in control of his temper.

Judge Hardy would be the kind of judge I'd want to be, in every way--except with less hair.

Now, discretion from here on in is the better part of my staying out of jail myself.  But, a recent incident in a local Circuit Court does seem quite up to what I would consider Judge Hardy standards.

Oakland County Circuit Judge Leo Bowman sanctioned a potential juror in his court who had the bad taste to show up late, and with her young children for jury selection in a highly charged, third time around murder trial.  The juror had, in my opinion, tried mightily to make sure she came to court on time.  As the Detroit Free Press article relates:

"When she was late the second day of jury selection because her mother was undergoing oral surgery, a backup nanny fell through and her husband was already at work, she called Oakland County Circuit Court. Told the judge would arrest her if she didn't show up, she arrived at court late along with her 8-month-old and 3-year-old."

Judge Bowman's response on Mrs. Carmela Khury's arrival:

"Circuit Judge Leo Bowman found her in contempt, ordered her to sit as a spectator for the expected two-week-long murder trial and sentenced her to 24 hours in the county jail, to be served after the trial."

Fortunately, the Michigan State Court Administrator's Office stepped in, and restored some sanity to the proceedings, advising Judge Bowman that he did not have the authority to hold jurors.

This is not the first episode wherein Judge Bowman detaining jurors, the story states.

Judge Bowman may, at most times, be an intelligent and temperate jurist.  I have not yet appeared before Judge Bowman, as he is relatively newly appointed to the Oakland Circuit bench.  I did come close to having a case tried before him, but the case was resolved shortly before the trial date.

I have tried many cases in my time, and often the trial judge will talk to the jurors after the case is over.  Jury service is inconvenient at best, and the effort and attention of jurors should be recognized and appreciated.  Most of my trial judges have realized that.  At the very least, talking to jurors is an opportunity to for a judge to talk to the voters who have elected and hopefully will re-elect him.

I am not a fan of the imperial judicial mentality.  As the late judge Kaye Tertzag said of himself as a judge:  "I was appointed, not anointed."  The reality is that incumbent judges are seldom defeated, and on the Oakland bench, never defeated at election time.  The temptation to get a bit full of oneself must be hard to resist.

Judge Hardy did, bless him.  Though, come to think of it, he was a fictional character, and Lewis Stone an accomplished actor.  Oh-oh.

 

 

SAUL ANUZIS WATCH

Former Michigan Republican Party Chairman Saul Anuzis amazes me.  I have made reference to his Facebook obsession before:  Saul Anuzis:  Addicted to Facebook.  But the morning of Saturday, Feb. 20 takes the cake. 

I was trying to start a Facebook Group for the Judge Kaye Tertzag Tribute and Purple Sportcoat Dinner .  I set up the group, a fairly easy thing and published it to Facebook.  I then wrote a short announcement about ticket availability.  That went up, I swear to God, only 7 minutes later.  In that interval, Mr. Anuzis was compelled to share 3 posts with his audience.  However, those 3 posts were but a small fraction of the 20 posts he wrote in less than three hours that morning.

I have seen reporters blogging sporting event's play by play, who posted less often.  And I am sorry, even the Democratic Party cannot perpertrate its evil at such a rate.

As I have pointed out to Mr. Anuzis before, and paraphrasing Winston Churchill:   Mr. Anuzis' posts, by their very volume, defend themselves against the risk of being read.

Thank God for small blessings.

FEBRUARY 15, THE BIRTHDAY OF GALILEO GALILEI (1564-1642)

February 15 marked the birthday of Galileo Galilei, Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher, who played a major role in the Scientific Revolution.  Here are a few quotes attributed to him:

 

 

 

"I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use."

 

That is not to say it hasn't happened. 

 

 

 

 

"I have never met a man so ignorant that I couldn't learn something from him."

Opinions differ on this. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately, as Sarah Palin does not seem to be going away quite yet, I guess I will have to read Going Rogue--though I intend to borrow it from the Juvenile Section of my local library, rather than to buy it.

SGT. BILKO,CAMPAIGN MANAGER--GRITTY DOCUMENTARY

In 1957, the Phil Silvers Show ("You'll Never Get Rich") aired an episode entitled:  "Bilko Enters Politics".  The story:  When the plan for a new serviceman's center is turned down by the mayor Bilko gets Doberman to run for Mayor.  For those who don't know, Private Doberman is the quintessential lovable dope/slob in the motor pool.  No intelligence, no charisma, no anything.  In other words, a perfect political candidate.

With Bilko as his campaign manager, Doberman becomes a political hot commodity and a shoe-in for Mayor-well until Doberman goes "off script" and tells the truth.  Up until this time, the show looks more like a documentary than a slapstick farce. 

The episode is divided into three parts on YouTube, and only Parts 2 and 3 are featured here.  Especially funny is the bit at the end of Part 2 which then flows into the beginning of Part 3.  In it, Doberman's commanding officer, Colonel Hall, gives a radio interview slamming Doberman as a candidate.  After some skillful editing by Bilko the interview turns into a ringing endorsement.  Kind of reminds me how former Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Cliff Taylor's campaign tried to portray his Supreme Court as the "Best in the Country" as allegedly determined by the Wall Street Journal.