Bill Bradley was sitting on a dais about to be the keynote speaker. A little wait person put a roll and a pat of butter on his plate. Bradley asked for a second pat of butter. The wait person said, “One roll, one pat of butter”. Bradley replied, “Do you know who I am?”. The wait person said, “No”.
Bradley replied: ” I am a former All-American basketball player from Princeton University and a Rhodes Scholar. I then went to the N.B.A. and led the New York Knickerbockers to their first two championships in decades. I am now the senior U.S. Senator from New Jersey, and often mentioned as a leading Presidential candidate on the Democratic ticket. I want two pats of butter”.
The wait person stared back and said, “Do you know who I am?”. Bradley said, “No”. The wait person replied, “I am the person in charge of the butter”.
This story is one I wrote to start my first column when I became President of The Florida Bar. It was intended to make the point to all the lawyers that it was important to be nice and respectful to everyone, and that sometimes multi-million-dollar deals can be held up because a stamp has to be affixed by a clerk in the courthouse. If that clerk does not like you, it can be a long, long time before you get what you need.
In other words, no one should be regarded as unimportant.
It is unbelievable how well I am treated in Italy, even though my Italian is so limited that it is essentially non-existent. A smile starts with a smile. Respecting other views and other cultures gets one a long way.In the past, we adhered to these principles much more than we do now.
Now, had Bradley been Trump, he would have grabbed all the butter, ordered the wait person beat up and threatened the wait person’s family with reprisals. Then, he would have denied ever taking the butter, said that he doesn’t even eat butter, said he was not even at the dinner, and that it is the worst witch-hunt in American history. Besides, he has done more for the wait people in America than any President except maybe Abraham Lincoln. —————————- In a trade just before the deadline, granddaughter Alanna replaced son-in-law Walter at the Marlins game.
Even though each member of my family manages to piss me off from time to time, and I am positive, vice versa, I really enjoy being with whomever chooses to accompany me.
Being shutout two games in a row, however, is clearly an ignoble way to end the first part of the season. ——————————- Report from Uvalde, Texas: Is it possible to conclude that, with very few outliers, there is no one in the State of Texas with any socially redeeming value?
Set aside how Uvalde was botched, Texas has doubled down on its positions that there should be no right to choose even when the Mother’s life is at risk.
Then add Ted Cruz taking the public position that the law making gay marriage legal is clearly wrong.
I do understand there is some good music in Texas and some good food particularly if you like barbecue, Tex-Mex or a good steak.
There are also some good lawyers and athletes in Texas, but, on balance, I would not mourn if Texas seceded. ——————————- Okay; the conservative reader who agrees with Manchin and Sinema responded to me and said that if his daughter’s life were in danger, he would get her an abortion asap. Getting this answer took my following up to his initial anti-liberal response, but one more question from me uncovered a non-trivial common ground.
I think if liberals and conservatives were willing to discuss the issues in good faith, they would discover other areas where they could agree at least sufficiently enough to explore trying to get some things done.
The next step may be more difficult. This conservative did not hesitate to say abortion to save a life he cared about was fine. Will he do anything about it like vote against candidates who take the opposite position? —————————- It looks like the stock market will be up today. Not sure why, but any day I do not lose money is good.
Euro v dollar $1.01. —————————— Go Ukraine, and vote as if your life depends upon it.
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