Ostensibly exploring the practice of law before the internet. Heck, before good highways for that matter.
Saturday, May 11, 2019
Poster Saturday: Victory Liberty Loan Poster
If you've been following the old newspapers that are posted here, you've seen that there was a 1919 loan campaign even though the war was over.
Perhaps for that reason, at least locally, the Government was having a hard time getting people to subscribe to the loan. In the state, they did pull over the top on it and even exceeded the state's target goal, but it took awhile.
People were likely pretty tired of loan campaigns by this point. Indeed, a little noted item about World War Two is that by late 1944 people were tired of them and the Government was having a hard time getting people to take them out. The famous Bond drive featuring what was thought to be, at that time, the men who had raised the flag at Iwo Jima was actually engaged in for that reason, to boost interest in the loan drive.
Monday, December 17, 2018
Self directed propaganda

During the entire day's engagement Sergeant Ellis operated far in advance of the first wave of his company, voluntarily undertaking most dangerous missions and single-handedly attacking and reducing machinegun nests. Flanking one emplacement, he killed two of the enemy with rifle fire and captured 17 others. Later he single-handedly advanced under heavy fire and captured 27 prisoners, including two officers and six machineguns, which had been holding up the advance of the company. The captured officers indicated the locations of four other machineguns, and he in turn captured these, together with their crews, at all times showing marked heroism and fearlessness.
Hmmm. . . .
So the country has needed a fair number of guys who are really willing to be warriors.Sergeant First Class Paul R. Smith distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action with an armed enemy near Baghdad International Airport, Baghdad, Iraq on April 4, 2003. On that day, Sergeant First Class Smith was engaged in the construction of a prisoner of war holding area when his Task Force was violently attacked by a company-sized enemy force. Realizing the vulnerability of over 100 soldiers, Sergeant First Class Smith quickly organized a hasty defense consisting of two platoons of soldiers, one Bradley Fighting Vehicle and three armored personnel carriers. As the fight developed, Sergeant First Class Smith braved hostile enemy fire to personally engage the enemy with hand grenades and anti-tank weapons, and organized the evacuation of three wounded soldiers from an armored personnel carrier struck by a rocket propelled grenade and a 60 mm mortar round. Fearing the enemy would overrun their defenses, Sergeant First Class Smith moved under withering enemy fire to man a .50 caliber machine gun mounted on a damaged armored personnel carrier. In total disregard for his own life, he maintained his exposed position in order to engage the attacking enemy force. During this action, he was mortally wounded. His courageous actions helped defeat the enemy attack, and resulted in as many as 50 enemy soldiers killed, while allowing the safe withdrawal of numerous wounded soldiers. Sergeant First Class Smith's extraordinary heroism and uncommon valor are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the Third Infantry Division 'Rock of the Marne,' and the United States Army.
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as Automatic Weapons Gunner for Naval Special Warfare Task Group Arabian Peninsula, in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM on 29 September 2006. As a member of a combined SEAL and Iraqi Army sniper overwatch element, tasked with providing early warning and stand-off protection from a rooftop in an insurgent-held sector of Ar Ramadi, Iraq, Petty Officer Monsoor distinguished himself by his exceptional bravery in the face of grave danger. In the early morning, insurgents prepared to execute a coordinated attack by reconnoitering the area around the element's position. Element snipers thwarted the enemy's initial attempt by eliminating two insurgents. The enemy continued to assault the element, engaging them with a rocket-propelled grenade and small arms fire. As enemy activity increased, Petty Officer Monsoor took position with his machine gun between two teammates on an outcropping of the roof. While the SEALs vigilantly watched for enemy activity, an insurgent threw a hand grenade from an unseen location, which bounced off Petty Officer Monsoor's chest and landed in front of him. Although only he could have escaped the blast, Petty Officer Monsoor chose instead to protect his teammates. Instantly and without regard for his own safety, he threw himself onto the grenade to absorb the force of the explosion with his body, saving the lives of his two teammates. By his undaunted courage, fighting spirit, and unwavering devotion to duty in the face of certain death, Petty Officer Monsoor gallantly gave his life for his country, thereby reflecting great credit upon himself and upholding the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service
That included, I'd note, giving up cash.
But most of us, plaintiffs or defense lawyers, do not do that. No we don't. Which puts us in another category.
And that category, if we use martial analogies, is mercenary.
Nobody wants to be called a mercenary, as mercenaries fight for money.

**Having said that, I'm often surprised by the degree to which Plaintiff's lawyers are so convinced of their own propaganda that they believe that its true of everyone in the profession in their overall lives. I've seen, for example, a plaintiff's lawyer comment about an election to a defense lawyer with a comment that assumed that the defense lawyer must be a Republican, because he was a defense lawyer, only to be met with a rather sharp reply back from that lawyer, who was a Democrat. Likewise, I've found as a rule that on political and philosophical matters defense lawyers tend to be much, much more eclectic and polymathic than plaintiffs' lawyers, and pretty unpredictable as to what their beliefs may be until you know them.
***I'm sure that's true for me as well, although I'll note I've done about everything in the civil law a person can do, including working both sides of the civil litigation fence.
Friday, September 23, 2016
Friday Farming: "Look at these two beauties".
Sunday, February 8, 2015
Monday, February 8, 1915. Premier of a racist epic.
The racist epic The Birth of a Nation opened, premiering in Los Angeles. Set in the American South at the close of the Civil War and the beginning of Reconstruction, it depicts Southerners as the victims of animalistic African American sexuality, amongst other horrible things.
It was hugely successful and was the highest grossing film ever for the period of 25 years following its introduction, something which is remarkable considering that movies with sound came in during that period. Coming in the early years of the 20th Century "Lost Cause" boom, it would help popularize the Ku Klux Klan and lead to its modern revival.
The film is an interesting, and horrifying, of the ability of movies to shape public opinion.
The Germans launched at attack against the Russians in winter conditions at Masurian Lakes.
Last edition:
Thursday, February 6, 1915. On Being Asked For a War Poem.
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Friday, September 2, 1914. Staging for Tsingtao.
Japan invaded Chinese territorial sovereignty in order to land over 15,000 troops at Longkau in order to stage them for an attack on German controlled Tsingtao.
In nature, the act was really no different than Germany entering Belgium in order to invade France, although it was certainly much different in scale.
Today what had been the German possession is called Quingdao. The Yellow Sea port had been a German possession since 1897, but from this point until after the end of World War Two it was a Japanese one. Following that, in 1946, it briefly was the headquarters of the U.S. Navy's Western Pacific Fleet, until it relocated to the Philippines in 1948. It reverted to full Chinese control with the entry of the Red Chinese army in 1949.
In addition to being one of the busiest ports in the world, its famous for the beer brewed under the city's name, per its original spelling.
The Germans entered Moronviliers which would become deserted and destroyed during the war.
Charles Masterman invited twenty five "eminent literary men" to Wellington House in London to form a secret British entity dedicated to British war time propaganda.
William Archer, Arnold Bennett, G. K. Chesterton, Arthur Conan Doyle, Ford Madox Ford, John Galsworthy, Thomas Hardy, Rudyard Kipling, John Masefield, Henry Newbolt, Gilbert Parker, G. M. Trevelyan and H. G. Wells attended the meeting.
Fighting drew down at Tannenberg.
Last edition: