The afternoon in the foothills of the Smokey Mountains appeared somber as I drove along I-24 westbound from Knoxville to Memphis to be with my children. I had been overseas for three months in the Netherlands at an educational summit and had enjoyed it immensely; well, that is until I received that fateful phone call in the early morning hours that every parent dreads. It was four O’clock in the morning Amsterdam time which was seven hours ahead of the Central Standard Time zone of the caller and I was groggy but the sound of the unusual ring at that time in the morning found me wide awake.
It was my former wife Robbin who sounded out of breath “David, there’s been a horrible accident and Chaz’s car is totaled”. Chaz was our oldest of three children and had recently turned seventeen. The shock of that statement sent cyber fast images across my mind’s eye; a mangled car, blood, a hospital ambulance, a room of dedicated emergency medical technicians and doctors frantically working in the organized chaos of those ever so familiar scenes.
Today between the dimensions of grace & inspirations we find a passage that we want to share with you.
Portrait of William Blake by Thomas Phillips
William Blake – one of the greatest Romantic Poets of all time. The College Professors whom I had in college were in earnestly deep interest and fascination about this man and they state that Blake, who at the age of eight was totally fluent in six different languages and who at the age of five could write in one and speak in another at the same time. His Artistry even at the age of 10 was comparable to the likes of even Michael Angelo. Simply stunning!
(Here at Precocious Life we hope that you will read the entire speech for it stands among his greatest but if not here is our “Precocious Cliff Note” version, a 2-minute read)
Visceral combativeness between the Press and the President has become commonplace in our world today to the point that it seems impossible for a Chief Executive to achieve anything significant (except for issues like relief for the Hurricane Harvey victims). So, we here at Precocious Life couldn’t help but ask ourselves;
Is this really necessary? Could this perhaps have been avoided?
Short Answer – No and Yes
Which President has had the best rapport with the press? This one isn’t even a close call, it’s JFK. Not only did he win the Election because of the first Presidential televised debate but he understood the power of the media.
After all, his brother in law, Peter Lawford was a Hollywood Movie Star and in his earlier days he spent much time there as a single Bachelor rubbing elbows and it never ended.
President John F. Kennedy sails with his brother-in-law, Peter Lawford (left), aboard the United States Coast Guard yacht “Manitou” off the coast of Johns Island, Maine. – August 12, 1962
So, he understood perhaps better than any other President before him the critical necessity of getting the media endeared to him and on his agenda. He had none of the issues with the media that Presidents do today but neither has any other President approached them the way he did.
Frank Ramos is just such one of these rare exceptional ones who is always distributing helpful hints, stories and sound Legal guidance for the younger generation of attorneys out there who are in desperate need of ‘mentoring’; in short Frank is one of our “Precocious Favorites” so we wanted to give our Precocious Life members his interesting and outstanding views on various topics that face our legal world today.
Frank is a well respected Attorney & Partner in the Law firm of Clarke Silverglate in Miami. So whether you are a seasoned veteran of our world of Jurisprudence or just starting out it is our Pleasure to share Franks truly interesting, inspirational, informative and ‘Precocious Legal Tip of the Week’ with you.
The following statement may come as a surprise from a trial lawyer but I hate lawsuits. Corporate America asks our firm to represent them when they are sued in commercial, employment, and personal injury matters. Some cases have merit. Some don’t. But as a whole and after all considered I find them terribly ineffective to resolve disputes. They are time-consuming. They are expensive. They are confrontational. Personalities and egos get in the way. Misunderstandings devolve into nasty e-mails and even a nastier motion practice. I’m a cost center to my clients. I don’t make them money. I only cost them money.
