Columns
♪A Song That They Sing …♪
Funerals are a good thing. Weddings are a good thing. Naming ceremonies, graduation exercises, retirement parties and many other commemorations and celebrations distinguish us from everything else. There are sound reasons why for thousands of years humans have celebrated life and honored death.
It may be only a coincidence that Peg’s and my dear friend Ida June “Judy” Taylor and James V. Taylor share a common name. But when we attended the celebration of Judy’s life and accomplishments the lyrics of James Taylor’s song, “Rockabye Sweet Baby James” reminded me of why we take note of such things as the end of life as well as all the significance of what that life means to others who remain:
“There’s a song that they sing
When they take to the highway,
A song that they sing when they
Take to the sea,
A song that they sing of
Their home in the sky….”
Judy and her husband, James E. Taylor, made important contributions in many areas but, as most of us, they would likely point to their five children, ten grandchildren and twenty-eight great-grandchildren as their proudest legacy.
At Judy’s funeral her family and friends had the opportunity to point to her with the same love and pride. She accomplished much and re-entered the soil after a full and happy life.
The funeral rites for this proud member of the Osage tribe were a combination of Native American and White culture. Judy lived fully in both worlds. Having been born in 1928 she witnessed much of what was good and bad in the changing relationship of Native Americans and those who forced the changes. She remained true to her roots while not allowing bitterness to interfere. Her many years of service in the preservation of the history of Osage County’s multiethnic culture attests to her positive view of life.
Ceremonies are a major way we maintain our cultural heritage. Judy’s funeral rites included homage to her tribal connections and her full participation in the contemporary society encompassing it. Her Catholic faith seamlessly intertwined with Osage rituals such as the presence of eagle feathers and family members individually acknowledging Judy’s oneness with nature by reverently dropping clods of dirt into her final resting place.
When we take the time and make the effort to celebrate someone’s life and contributions we truly differentiate ourselves from all other species. We know we cannot change the ultimate outcome. That is not what we are attempting to do. However, we can honor our friends and family and when we do we also raise ourselves. For when we sing a paean to honor others, as the motto of Haskell Indian Nations University proclaims, “We Make Our Ancestors Proud Today!”, and we reaffirm that our own lives have meaning.
The Pioneer Women
Forty-four miles west of my hometown Pawhuska, Oklahoma, in Ponca City a bronze statue honors the spirit of the women who were vital to America’s western expansion. This Pioneer Woman is depicted striding valiantly forward while leading her child. Her faith and fortitude shine forth.
As a child growing up in Pawhuska I remember staring at the statue with my mother, a true pioneer herself, as she recalled how she and her mother had arrived in Oklahoma before there was an Oklahoma and before women could vote. They came in a covered wagon. Women pioneers were and still are the best America has to offer.
In between Ponca City and Pawhuska lies the heart of the Osage Indian Nation and the Drummond Ranch. It is a beautiful expanse of tall waving prairie grasses. Nearby, thousands of buffalo (American bison) roam freely on the Nature Conservancy’s thirty-nine thousand acre Tall Grass Prairie Preserve. The Drummond family has operated their ranch for over a hundred years. And about a hundred years ago the immigrant from Scotland who started the ranch was operating a general store he named the Osage Mercantile Company on the corner of Main Street and Kihekah Avenue in Pawhuska. On October 31, 2016 Ree and Ladd Drummond reopened it to the pleasure and wonderment of thousands of the new Pioneer Woman’s fans.
If you do not watch The Food Network on television you may not have heard of The Pioneer Woman. However, when Ree published her first cookbook my sister, another pioneering woman, bought a copy of it and gave it to my wife, Peg, for Christmas. It was the beginning of a true FAN-atic following of Ree’s televised life by Peg. Then when it turned out my old friend and classmate, Chuck Drummond, was Ladd’s father and Ree’s father-in-law, Peg was near euphoria. Peg found this out at my 50th high school reunion when Ree hosted the class for breakfast at the Lodge on the Drummond Ranch in 2011.
Now, I truly enjoyed the maple-glazed cinnamon rolls and buttermilk biscuits with sausage gravy but, since I had never, until then, known about the gracious lady and wonderful cook called “The Pioneer Woman”, I just saw it as a chance to reminisce with Chuck. Peg on the other hand was like a teenager next to Brittany Spears.
Fast-forward six years to the gala opening of Ree’s new Mercantile Building. It reminded me of my first visit to Disneyland in 1963. It was exhilarating, fun and very tasty. In the two days my family and several thousand people from Alaska to Alabama bought cookbooks, merchandise and copious helpings of great food Pawhuska was changed forever and for the better.
If you are looking to find the Old West in new clothes, buffalo, Native Americans, cowboys, good food and gracious southwestern hospitality, you might want to go visit both of The Pioneer Women who inhabit the old Cherokee Strip of northeastern Oklahoma.
A Loyal Alumnus
As a graduate of Indiana University I felt I should do my part in helping IU raise money by selling naming rights to school properties. You may have heard IU recently renamed the Bloomington Law School and the basketball gymnasium for $35 million and $40 million respectively. These events transpired pretty much in dark rooms at midnight. I suggest if this publicly funded institution wishes to maximize its pay for play naming game it should establish a schedule of prices and let everyone know how and for how much they may honor themselves by having their names pasted on university assets. Let’s open the bidding.
First we must establish how much Indiana University costs Hoosier taxpayers, then set relative values for selling off its pieces. The state of Indiana established IU in 1820 and has funded it with tax revenues each year. For fiscal 2015-2016 Hoosiers provided $3.27 billion dollars for all the state’s IU campuses. That gives us a reference point for setting relative values for the naming of individual assets such as buildings and departments.
Of course, there are other considerations besides price. For example, we should not condone the naming of our state-owned property for persons of unsavory character. An Al Capone library might not resonate with intellectual pride nor would a Bernie Madoff Economics Department. Surely we are not just for sale to all comers.
However, if the mysterious committee that decides to sell the names of public edifices and other assets has some guidelines in place we might be able to help finance everything from sports to astronomy. But in fairness, a list of things and their prices should be publicized so we all have an opportunity to participate. I have a few suggestions:
Assets Naming Price
The Whole Enchilada (IU) $3 and ¼ billion
Football Stadium $100 million
Baseball Field $ 10 million
Soccer Field $ 1 million
Natatorium $ 500,000
Student Union $ 100,000
Library $ 50,000
English Department $ 40,000
Physics Department $ 30,000
Philosophy Department $ 20,000
Sociology Department $ 5,000
Music School $ 1,000
History Department $ 500
Dining Halls $ 100
Restrooms ???
The folks who currently decide to sell these things are in a better position than I to set actual prices. These are just a few respectful suggestions as to the relative value of some of IU’s elements as might be seen from some of the public’s and the Committee’s perspectives. I hope we can arrive at a meeting of the minds over how best to encourage contributions.
Have Gun (Class) – Will Travel
If your life is so bereft of excitement you have actually read this column the past week or so, you may recall I have been helping teach an Internet class for the National Judicial College. Judges from across our great land tune in, sign on and discuss subjects from the currently hot areas of Children in Need of Services to Court Management. This week’s topic was Court Security and the lead faculty member was my good friend from Mississippi, Judge D. Neil Harris.
During the class judges participated via computer and telephone as we delved into many facets of how our courts should be protecting those who use and those who operate them. Gentle Reader, you may not be surprised to hear that it is not just the Judge of the Posey Circuit Court whose decisions are occasionally at odds with the thoughts of those whose lives are affected by them. It turns out that practically every person everywhere thinks she or he could have arrived at a better legal conclusion than the ones delivered by judges. Sometimes these court participants or their supporters get upset.
While there were many opinions and suggestions by the judicial faculty and the judges who were students as to how best to ensure those who must use our courts and those who are privileged to operate them can do so in a calm, reasonable and safe environment, the area of most varied positions concerned the role of firearms.
On a personal note, for the first thirty-five years of my tenure on the Bench, Posey County courts simply relied on the good will of all involved or more accurately, good luck. But in 2016 our sheriff, Greg Oeth, sought necessary additional deputies. The County Council and County Commissioners acceded to his well-documented requests as required by the rulings of the Indiana Supreme Court and provided officers who are available in court. Thank you on behalf of the public who must use the courts and the court staff who work there.
However, extra court security personnel was not the most examined topic in the Internet course. As I mentioned above, it was how or when or if judges and their court staffs should help provide their own security by carrying guns.
This column is not a column about the Second Amendment. The theory of firearm ownership, possession and use is for the legislative and executive branches. The judicial branch’s role is to decide cases that are brought to court. What we in the Internet course were trying to determine was not whether guns should be available to judges and their staffs but whether any guns that are legally available should be carried by judges and their staffs.
Gentle Reader, if you have made it this far I have good news for you. What I plan to do is relate two anecdotes then quit. I hope they illustrate what was the consensus of the judges in the course.
First, let’s delve into the meaning of an instructional video I did in 2014 for a course I taught for the Municipal Court Judges of Missouri. Court Security was part of my lectures.
To make the video I commandeered friends such as Chuck Minnette, Marty Crispino, Greg Oeth, Tom Latham, Jason Simmons and Rodney Fetcher. Jason wore his camouflage fatigues and brought his AR15 with him to the courthouse. He ran into the courthouse at about 10:00 a.m. on a workday, brandished his AR15 and yelled, “Where’s the Judge?” The only reaction from those in the courthouse that day was to point towards the courtroom. One lady walked right by Jason and instead of being alarmed or sounding an alarm simply asked, “Where’s the Clerk’s Office?” In 2014 Posey County’s court security was a little lax.
The second example comes from yesterday as Peg and I were talking to an Osage County, Oklahoma Sheriff’s Deputy who is also a certified instructor on gun safety and court security. His business card is a play on the television series Have Gun – Will Travel that starred Richard Boone as Paladin, a gunman for hire. Paladin’s card read, “Have Gun – Will Travel”. Paul Didlake, the Osage County Deputy, has the following card: “Have Gun Class – Will Travel”.
Paul told Peg and me about a recent Oklahoma case where a woman who had a gun license and carried a pistol in her purse was raped and murdered. She had left her purse in her car.
Paul told us his mantra for personal security is: “The best kind of gun to have is the one you actually carry.”
Democracy Versus Food Fights
Early voting is a good thing. Last week I walked into the Posey County Courthouse on my way to work, stopped by the Election Office and voted. It took about five minutes. Posey County Clerk Betty Postletheweight and her friendly staff along with the Election Board made the process easy. It felt good to participate. It made me appreciate all the people who are willing to give of their time, talent and resources to help make this country work. Regardless of the election results there are no losers. We all win thanks to all those who help ensure the citizens remain in control of the government.
Such important but often unrecognized functions as who repairs the roads or runs the schools or patrols our neighborhoods go on without dramatics thanks to millions of public spirited Americans. Thanks to all who perform the tasks and a special thank you to those who are willing to serve but who do not win the opportunity. At the local level we are blessed to experience democracy put to use. On the other hand, when I fall prey to my weakness for schadenfreude and turn on the national cable news networks to see and hear how the presidential race is going I am reminded of beer-fueled sports fans engaged in a food fight.
It may be correct that Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are not Mother Teresa and Mohandas Gandhi. However, CNN, MSNBC and FOX’s portrayals of them as America’s Medicis seems a little strained. Is it not possible they, just as many at the local level, simply want to serve? Goodness knows neither of them needs a job.
When I watch the national media question either The Donald or The Hillary it usually sounds something like the following faux debate:
News anchor – “Secretary Clinton/Mr. Trump, What is your plan to fight ISIS?”
Secretary Clinton/Mr. Trump – “If elected I will … “
News anchor – “Stop! Quit trying to avoid the all-important issue of your lack of character. Explain to the American people why you have the morals of an alley cat and the trustworthiness of a rattlesnake?”
I do not know Secretary Clinton or Mr. Trump. But my guess is they both have thoughts on how we should address such non-sexy matters as war, the economy and health-care. Unfortunately, neither candidate is allowed to ever complete an exposition of any of their positions without being interrupted by a news anchor who wishes to raise ratings with issues only the Kardashians understand.
There is one more presidential debate. Is there any chance the referee will simply let the players play the game?
Judges and Politics
In 2000 the Florida Supreme Court gave the presidency to Democrat Al Gore. Five judges on the U.S. Supreme Court reversed the Florida court and gave the presidency to Republican George W. Bush.
Bush won by two electoral votes. Gore barely won the popular vote. Three of the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court who dissented, John Stevens, David Souter and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, wrote:
“Although we may never know with complete certainty the identity of the winner of this year’s Presidential election, the identity of the loser is perfectly clear. It is the Nation’s confidence in the judge as an impartial guardian of the rule of law.”
Judges may make mistakes. Judges may be ignorant or lazy or may have any number of faults. The one characteristic judges must not have is a public perception of prejudice for or against persons or beliefs.
The only thing judges must bring to their role in our government is the ability to engender public confidence in the integrity of their decisions. We may, and I often do, disagree with judicial decisions (by other judges of course). However, if we have confidence the judges acted impartially, we can accept even bad rulings and move on.
That is why Canon 4 of the Code of Judicial Conduct which all judges should follow requires:
“A Judge or candidate for Judicial Office Shall not Engage in Political or Campaign Activity that is Inconsistent with the Independence, Integrity, or Impartiality of the Judiciary.”
The Code also prohibits a judge from publicly, e.g. in a newspaper column, endorsing or opposing a candidate for public office.
These ethical proscriptions come to mind as I am currently engaged in helping to teach an internet course to judges for the National Judicial College. Judges from several states are participating as students or faculty. As with much of the judicial education in which I have been involved, in this course there is a great deal of side banter about many topics. In this current presidential campaign cycle politics is unavoidable. But unlike non-judicial conversations where my friends and family do not hesitate to state that one candidate is less than desired while the other must be elected, with judges I am reminded of the attitude Romeo’s friend, Mercutio had.
You may recall that in William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet the two families, Romeo’s Montagues and Juliet’s Capulets, were constantly feuding. In Act III, scene 1 Mercutio is stabbed by Juliet’s relative, Tybalt. As Mercutio lies dying he curses both sides by calling for, “A plague on both of your houses”. That pretty well sums up the ethical positions of my judicial colleagues.