If you’re reading this near your computer (or on your computer), head on over and open the web browser of your choice (I’m a Firefox user, myself). Go to Google and in the search window type “Supreme Court oral arguments.” Then click on the “images” tab. What you will find will break into two categories — pictures of people standing or demonstrating in front of the Supreme Court building and drawings of the Justices and lawyers inside the courtroom.
Super Bowl Sunday is just two days away. If you like football, watch for the game. If you don’t like football, stay for the food. If you don’t like the food, at least enjoy the commercials. (If you don’t like any of that, both We TV and the Hallmark Channel are showing Golden Girls marathons.)
The history of American involvement in warfare is also a history of memorable treaties that ended our involvement in those wars. The Second Treaty of Paris ended the American Revolution. The Treaty of Ghent ended the War of 1812. The Sixth Treaty of Paris ended the Spanish-American War. The Treaty of Berlin ended American warfare with Germany after WWI. The Paris Peace Treaties of 1947 officially ended WWII (Paris is a popular place for peace).
One look at the dates on the quotes at the top of this column should tell you right away that something has changed in the manner in which we inaugurate our presidents. Lincoln’s quote, from his second inaugural address, was made on a muddy March day just five weeks before his assassination. Kennedy’s was made on a crisp day in January following a heavy snowfall the night before.
It’s a fairly common set of facts: A man is stopped for a minor traffic offense. When the officer approaches the vehicle to get the man’s personal information it immediately becomes clear to the officer that something is amiss. The man’s behavior is odd. The interior of the vehicle smells like a combination of college dorm room and cheap air fresheners. He’s making furtive movements in the car.
Several years ago, when the county determined that it was necessary to relocate the juvenile court they hired brilliant local architect Bruce Gardner. Bruce got familiar with our existing space and then set out to determine what worked and what didn’t work before he began to draft new plans for the ground level and part of the third floor of the Hayes Building.
I had intended to write my column for today about the wonderful gifts that my line of work bestows upon me. Despite the hardships and the pain and the suffering and the self-inflicted harm that one sees in a juvenile court, I had intended to write about the wonderful things that hide in and amongst the sorrow.
Although we have known since early in the morning hours of Wednesday, Nov. 7th that President Obama has been reelected to another four year term, that election is not official until the Electoral College casts its vote and that vote is certified by Congress. The next step in that process occurs on Monday when the Electoral College members cast their votes.
