What About Paris? ™

« December 2015 | Main | February 2016 »

January 31, 2016

J. Dan Hull, II (March 11, 1900 - October 13, 1987)

J. Dan Hull, II, 1933. Above is his Yale Ph.D picture. Class act. American dream overachiever and gentlemen's gentlemen. Authentic and honest--and never went out of his way to trumpet either trait. My Grandpop. First Hull in Virginia-Missouri line to even go to college. His dad self-educated John Hull (JDH I) made his first stake as a laborer building railroads out West and ended up owning a drug store in Mountain Grove, Missouri. Grandpop, who fought with his own dad a lot (as I did with mine), entered University of Missouri at 16 years old and and got his Masters degree from University of Chicago at age 20. Grandpop's family were relative newcomers to the colonies compared to my Mom's side of the family, who got to Massachusetts in 1634. Born in Mountain Grove, Missouri, he ended his career as a player in the Truman, Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations, author (including co-authoring the standard text for many years on secondary American education), Renaissance man and member of the Cosmos Club, the merit-based club for D.C.'s intellectual elite.

Grandpop's great-great-great grandfather came to America as a teen with his own father from Germany and landed Middlebrook, Virginia in about 1750. Three generations later, just before the Civil War, another earlier Dan Hull, a miller and farmer, moved his large family from Virginia to Missouri in a what sounds like an ingenious "tricked-out" family carriage reputedly-handy old Dan had built especially for the trip. Old Dan drove the carriage. A wagon hitched to a four-horse team driven by a Bill Argenbright hauled the family goods. The journey to Missouri took 2 months, with then teenage Bill Hull--my great-great grandfather--serving on horseback as scout and advance man for supplies and campsites. Old Dan's other two sons, also on saddle horse, helped guide the trip. Just before making the trip, the family freed the slaves (at least 2) they had. They rested once a week to do washing, rest and attend church if possible. Old Dan's wife, who I'll write about some other time, was a devout Lutheran, as were all the 100 years of German-descended kin they were leaving back in Middlebrook, Virginia.

Two generations later, Grandpop was born in 1900, 50 years after that westward trip led by his grandfather Bill. Given his roots and his low-key, always-dignified personality, his career and unpretentious leap into elite American circles is amazing. Educator. Diplomat. World Traveler. Teacher. Manager. Executive. Musical. Great card player. Sportsman. Fisherman. He had taste, too. Aggressive and strong but often quiet--sometimes too quiet, with a tinge of melancholy that moved me. Like me, not completely knowable. Well-read and well-traveled. Effortlessly well-dressed at all times. (Slim but well-built, he looked more elegant in T-shirt than most men do in a tux.) Loved, admired and respected by the cream of Missourians and Washington, D.C. Member of DC's famous merit-based Cosmos Club. Hung out with John Kenneth Galbraith and Elliot Richardson. Not bad for an Ozarks mountain boy. And great, I'm told, with women folk. Raised 3 sisters after his young mother, Nancy Susan McQuitty--who he adored--died in 1917 on Christmas Eve, when he was always strangely quiet. He lived 87.5 years. (March 11, 1900 - October 13, 1987).

Both his Dad JDH I and his granddad Bill (a confederate soldier) lived even longer lives, dying in 1929 and 1953. His wife--and my pistol of a grandmother, Alene Oliver Hull--died in their house in Springfield, MO at 101. Grandpop taught me a lot. I miss him a lot. If it were not for 3 Missourians--Pat Bevier and Mary Helen Allen, my Dad's first cousins, and my marvelous new-found cousin, Super-Mom and Walmart exec Kristi Towe--I would have had a very hard time putting all this together accurately over the past few years. (Well, I may never have; it's time-consuming and I was always doing it half-assed and guessing based on things Grandpop told me, the Internet and 3 "mysterious" not-so-mysterious wills dating back to the 1700s my Dad John Hull gave me.) But 99.5% of the German Hulls is knowable--just not as well-kept as the history of my Mom's family (Holden) who've been keeping accurate records through the Colonial Dames organizations for several generations. Thanks for the work, you 3.

Posted by JD Hull at 05:33 PM | Comments (0)

January 28, 2016

Full Dan Hull Interview by Mirriam Seddiq and Assorted Sidekicks at new NGNW Podcast Show.

Think Howard Stern for lawyers, politics junkies and free expression warriors. It's right here--or on the embedded graphic below. Last week I was honored to be the first guest of immigration and criminal defense lawyer Mirriam Seddiq on her Not Guilty, Now Way podcast show at its studios in Upper Marlboro, Alabama. We covered lots, including Donald Trump, free expression, immigration, 2nd amendment, Jewish doctors, Finnish women, neutered men, correct receptionists, Duke writers and Irish drunks. She was assisted by three smart people: Justin the Lawyer, Steven the Law Clerk and Katie the Hot Receptionist. Show founder and producer Seddiq does quite nicely--in addition to being a trial lawyer, she's a natural journalist, and will get even better; this was her first show--as an interviewer. More importantly, she's good-looking and doesn't talk all the time.

NOTE: Seriously, if you want to hear why I think all Americans owe Donald Trump a huge debt of gratitude for what he has done--purposely or inadvertently--for American elections, their media coverage, free expression and advancing our national dialogue on both 2nd Amendment and immigration policy, listen to this podcast. My interview starts at about 27:00 minutes.

Posted by JD Hull at 06:39 PM | Comments (0)

January 26, 2016

What About Clients/Paris? endorses Hillary Rodham Clinton for Dem ticket.

Love her or hate her, Hillary Rodham Clinton is the most qualified U.S. presidential candidate in decades. And she clearly deserves the Democratic Party nomination. This country is fortunate to have quite a few people who can serve well as POTUS. Most (no, not all) of the GOP folks are presidential timber. But HRC, whose career I have followed for years, is the strongest of any candidate in 2016 hands-down. As much I admire Donald Trump recently--I think Trump has already greatly advanced and improved the election process, election media coverage, free expression generally and debates on issues like immigration and the 2nd Amendment, possibly on a long-term basis--HRC is not only the most qualified candidate but also the most accomplished public leader in my generation. A born manager, she's smart and tough. And she's a natural wartime president. (Yes, I believe we are at war here, now and on American soil.) Elitist? Sure. But she's an elitist who cares about the folks. Think FDR, but much, much meaner. And wonkier. Adlai Stevenson with balls, my friends. See Sunday's piece by the Boston Globe's Editorial Board, Hillary Clinton deserves Democratic nomination. Fair call, Boston Globe, which turns 144-years-old this year and is (we should mention) owned by The New York Times Company. The Globe's Sunday piece begins:

America looks different in 2016 than it did the last time Hillary Clinton ran for president: The economy has come out of free fall, the military has left the quagmire of the Iraq war, barriers to equality have toppled, and universal access to health care has become a reality. Tumultuous as they’ve been, the Barack Obama years have proved transformative — and the priority for Democratic voters should be to protect, consolidate, and extend those gains.

Today, the nation has new challenges, which require a different kind of leader — someone who can keep what Obama got right, while also fixing his failures, especially on gun control and immigration reform. That will require a focus and toughness that Obama sometimes lacked. This is Clinton’s time, and the Globe enthusiastically endorses her in the Feb. 9 Democratic primary in New Hampshire. She is more seasoned, more grounded, and more forward-looking than in 2008, and has added four years as secretary of state to her already formidable resume. Democrats in the Granite State should not hesitate to choose her.

Posted by JD Hull at 12:12 AM | Comments (0)

January 23, 2016

Snow Storm Jonas: Coping in D.C.

The Snowstorm has severely disrupted normal Washington, D.C. downtown street life. Can't even find a 280-pound senior hooker willing to call me Smokestack Lightning.

Gen. Joe Hooker's statue, Boston, February 18, 1928 by Leslie Jones (1886-1967)

Posted by JD Hull at 12:51 AM | Comments (0)

January 20, 2016

Second Amendments

Apparently I'm one of the least paranoid, least uptight people on the planet. E.g., I routinely imagine that people secretly assemble and conspire to do really nice things for me. When confronted with large bears in the Alaska wilds, I've walked toward them. (Seriously.) But as a few of you know, I'm thinking of buying a gun. At a minimum, I'm going to learn more about guns, about gun safety and how to grip and shoot a handgun, a rifle and a shotgun. And what do you think of this article? "Discoveries of an Anti-Gunner: My Conversion to the Other Side" by one Ms. Robyn Sandoval.

Posted by JD Hull at 06:42 PM | Comments (0)

January 16, 2016

Professionals should not work for free. Ever.

I just finished a moderately difficult personal and sensitive legal project for an physician friend about my vintage (who does well for himself) that I could not comfortably delegate to anyone. I was assured (by a lawyer friend of his, no less) it would take roughy an hour of my time but no more.

I finished it last night. Better than expected outcome. It took over 5 hours and the work was of course done at a level I would have done for GE, Alcoa or Balfour Beatty. Just got a note from this gentlemen that said in part "If I can ever return the favor, let me know!"

Yes, you can, Skippy.

How about payment for just one billable hour at our rate for small business, non-profits and other street people? WTF.

Posted by JD Hull at 11:14 PM | Comments (0)

January 15, 2016

Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman (1946 – 2016)

British actor's actor Alan Rickman died yesterday at the age of 69.

Posted by JD Hull at 01:21 AM | Comments (0)

January 11, 2016

David Robert Jones (1947 - 2015)

Posted by JD Hull at 11:19 PM | Comments (0)

Donald Trump is no cartoon. His demonization by weenie media is out of hand.

The demonization of one Donald J. Trump by the Media--both mainstream weenie media and special weenie media--has gotten out of hand.* See, e.g., at CNN, Silently protesting Muslim woman ejected from Trump rally and, at Patheos, Trump Takes Bully Act to a Whole New Level.

Google The Donald. Read about him. Cover his past. He's been around a long time. I've followed his career since I was in law school. He's a flesh and blood American businessman with good points, bad points, successes and failures. He's no cartoon. I'm not sure if given the chance I would vote for him. But I might.

Trump's obviously talented. He has lots of things going for him. He's worked his ass off--yes, he's worked a lot harder than you, Jack--and he's a very accomplished human. It's a mistake to think he would be a bad or evil president. He may seem out of central casting to play hard-asses on the screen but he's been a New York City Democrat most of his life. He's family oriented. He's seen tough times personally and financially. He's not a racist. And to me he's funny as hell.

His management style as POTUS would be much like that of Hillary Clinton. Like HRC, he's a pragmatist--not an ideologue. He obviously loves pissing people off. Right now, he's loved for his attitude above anything else, and not for the substance of his statements or positions. I think what he really gets off on (like HRC) is getting things done. I have far more confidence to in him to do that than any candidate other than HRC. Neither Trump nor HRC are wimps.

Bullying? Trump is a bully, you say? Bullying is different to different people. If you mean by that "mean streak" you are probably right. Most doers have mean streaks. Most achievers can be bullies. I would worry more about "nicer" non-bully candidates. We need a warrior right now. Cruz, Rubio, Kasich, Bush, Santorum, Sanders, et al. Most of these are very fine candidates. We are lucky to have them. But either HRC or Trump--who I see as very similar to each other politically and as managers--best fit the bill right now.

*Been meaning to finish and publish two longer pieces on Trump but the above will do for now.

Recent photo of Trump and one of my Ibogaine dealers from the 1970s.

Posted by JD Hull at 08:43 PM | Comments (0)

January 09, 2016

Prisoner of Rock 'n' Roll: Nulli Secundus Jimmy.

Happy 72nd Birthday, James Patrick Page II. Thanks, sir. Since I was 14.

Posted by JD Hull at 09:45 PM | Comments (0)

January 05, 2016

On "lawyer professionalism", John Roberts, say it ain't so.

Lawyer professionalism is a morally pretentious, archaic, hypocritical and silly movement which [some bar communities] tend to invest in heavily to protect and coddle apathetic, mediocre and lazy lawyering. It keeps standards low, and the tone lawyer-centric. It is pro-lawyer, anti-client, prissy, routinely and dishonestly misused by incompetent and uncaring lawyers in defense of their delays and screw ups, and a waste of time and money.

--What About Clients?, December 2006

Like Bill Clinton, and although a bit younger and obviously a different breed of cat, SCOTUS Chief Justice John Roberts is "one of ours." He's a baby boomer--and other baby boomers are very proud of him. Me, too. He's my age, a fellow Midwestern corporate brat who attended law school in Boston with a number of people I knew growing up or have met along the way. We love to claim the guy.

He's a stud--and he certainly makes up for the rest of us boomers who will have on our gravestones this sign-off: "Brilliant, classically educated and still keeping my options open."

In his New Year's Eve state of the annual federal judiciary report, he made most of the right noises about the new and important if potentially troublesome "proportionality" amendments--troublesome, because I think the changes will be less intuitive and more difficult to apply for lawyers and judges than the Advisory Committee or your CLE instructors may have you thinking right now--to the discovery provisions of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. However, for reasons that aren't clear to me, this year Chief Justice Roberts also took up the "lawyer professionalism" cause, and it put the big hurt on my vision to have to read it:

As for the lawyers, most will readily agree—in the abstract—that they have an obligation to their clients, and to the justice system, to avoid antagonistic tactics, wasteful procedural maneuvers, and teetering brinksmanship. I cannot believe that many members of the bar went to law school because of a burning desire to spend their professional life wearing down opponents with creatively burdensome discovery requests or evading legitimate requests through dilatory tactics. The test for plaintiffs’ and defendants’ counsel alike is whether they will affirmatively search out cooperative solutions, chart a cost-effective course of litigation, and assume shared responsibility with opposing counsel to achieve just results.

In large part, John Roberts is talking about lawyer civility. Hey, no one has ever said that amicable lawyering in litigation is a bad thing. Like Motherhood and Good Crops, what's not to like? However, as we've said at this blog for over ten years, see e.g., Sensitive Litigation Moment No. 8: Is "Professionalism" Just A Lawyer-Centric Ruse?, and as I've been saying and writing for nearly twenty, "lawyer professionalism" is one of the most abused right-lawyering culture concepts in the history of the profession. It is the oldest anti-client "it's all about the lawyers" ruse going. It puts clients last and protects shoddy and dilatory lawyering. I'm really surprised the Chief Justice Roberts would sign his name to this ongoing scam, especially at a time when lawyer mediocrity is increasingly accepted and even coddled.

Like many great boomers, the guy knows how to sport a bow tie; I'll give him that.

Posted by JD Hull at 10:05 PM | Comments (0)