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TEFLON DON TO VELCRO DON

January 27, 2024 by

Teflon Don was the name given to John Gotti for his slipperiness with law enforcement. Nothing stuck. They had the old gangster right up until it mattered. But he didn’t fit the old gangster mold. The big guy worked another angle. For this post I use only the most impeccable sources.

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ANNOYING WORDS. ONLY WORDS?

August 2, 2023 by

Annoying words can be found everywhere. In any book, on any TV show, and coming out of the mouths of people I like. Go ahead and sweep your life clear of people who don’t respect your point of view, your ‘beliefs’, or the car you drive, and you’ll still be stuck with annoying words. In […]

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THE BEST NEIGHBOR OF ALL

May 16, 2023 by

My best neighbor of all time was also a king-pin. He owned a construction company and hired convicts. The idea was getting people out of prison and onto a better life. To get started, and early release, they needed a job and place to live.

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OREGON ZEALOT AHEAD OF HIS TIME: LON MABON AND THE OCA

October 19, 2022 by

An Oregon zealot once roamed the landscape. As zealots go, he had a good run. It would have been a great run if he’d had more money. Luckily, he wasn’t as well funded as more recent zealots.

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ADDITIONAL PROOF? HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH

May 8, 2022 by

Additional proof is what’s needed to make an official arrest. Can we all agree on that? No one wants a guilty conviction based on one finger pointer. So, what is additional proof?

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PRISON TIME DOESN’T WORK FOR EVERYONE

March 19, 2022 by

If you do prison time, what are you supposed to learn? Is education even part of the sentence, or is it a waiting game? People I know have been to prison. One of them twice. Three times is a bigger problem in some states. Oregon has its own sentencing guideline grid.

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PRISON LIFE FOR ONE BAD MAN

February 14, 2022 by

From the accounts of prison life from people who toured the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, it sounds worse than they expected. Apparently it’s uncomfortable, stinky, cold, and no one cares about them as much as they’d like. I will agree with them even though I’ve never had the jail door slam behind me after […]

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PRIVATE PEOPLE, OR JUST HIDING AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH

March 27, 2021 by

Private people learn the lesson early. Don’t talk. But is that good manners, or something more complex. Call me suspicious, but quiet people need to follow the rules just like everyone else. Engage, contribute, and make it count. Do that when it’s called for be as quiet as you want the rest of the time. […]

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BETTER DAYS AND THE RANDOM MOMENTS THAT INSPIRE THEM

March 23, 2021 by

We had a table discussion about historic moments that led to better days. Four adults, three of whom don’t like things called table discussion. Me: But we’re at the table. One in the group gave their version of a history and moved on. But another in the group made a correction. The rest of group […]

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WORDS: FREEDOM’S JUST ANOTHER WORD? NO, NO IT’S NOT

January 15, 2021 by

Words change with age. For a few years I lived next to a quirky neighbor. Sound familiar? Most folks have either had one, or been one. I was already there when he moved in, a ripped muscle-man with a crewcut. ‘Great,’ I thought, I’ve got either a policeman neighbor, or a gym kook. Either way […]

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