Against the attempts of the President of the USA to try to "take" Greenland

This morning, another threat against Denmark and Greenland by the President of the USA. This is both absurd and dangerous.

Here are the opening words of the North Atlantic Treaty (creating our defensive alliance with the European nations INCLUDING DENMARK):

Washington DC, 4th April 1949

-The Parties to this Treaty reaffirm their faith in the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and their desire to live in peace with all peoples and all governments. 

-They are determined to safeguard the freedom, common heritage and civilisation of their peoples, founded on the principles of democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law. 

-They seek to promote stability and well-being in the North Atlantic area. 

-They are resolved to unite their efforts for collective defence and for the preservation of peace and security. 

-They therefore agree to this North Atlantic Treaty: 

ARTICLE 1

The Parties undertake, as set forth in the Charter of the United Nations, to settle any international dispute in which they may be involved by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security and justice are not endangered, and to REFRAIN IN THEIR INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS FROM THE THREAT OR USE OF FORCE in any manner inconsistent with the purposes of the United Nations. . . .

FOR MYSELF: I stand with the rule of law, including international law, and our treaty obligations, and therefore I oppose the continuing efforts and statements of President Trump to try to take over Greenland, which is a part of Denmark and our nation's historic ALLY.

https://lnkd.in/gbRcunfF

My revised article is now on SSRN: "Determining the Historiographical Problem of Municipal Bankruptcy: Enactment and Amendment of Chapter IX, 1933-1979"

Substantially revised and improved, I just posted on SSRN my revised history of Chapter IX municipal bankruptcy law:  

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5253527

Do not tear down Dallas City Hall!

hat's Dallas City Council seems to be moving quickly to a decision to tear down Dallas City Hall, designed by I.M. Pei a half century ago. What is happening is curious if not just wrong on many levels, but here's one looming cost I see that has not be articulated yet: if Dallas City Council approves the razing of Dallas City Hall, the city will lose one of its symbols that is recognized nationally, a major visual element that makes Dallas stand out among its peer cities. 

I pulled photos of all the other big-city City Halls, and they are either "ho-hum," such as Atlanta's, or else are entirely, or extremely, "classical" in their architecture. That is great for old cities, for instance, Philadelphia, but Dallas is supposed to be young, energetic, and untethered to old ways of thinking and doing, according to Dallas mythology. So, even though we do not know who all they are, let's ask those movers and shakers who are promoting and maneuvering the tear-down to stop for ten minutes and think very, very hard: "Is this in the city's---and in our own---best interests?" 

I may not live within its boundaries, but the ninth-largest city of the USA gives and shares its name "Dallas" with most all of its burbs ("Suburban Dallas"), and I care a lot about the city where I had my career and still have an office. 

I submit that tearing down the Pei-designed City Hall will be a setback, diminishing Dallas in the eyes of the nation. 

_____________________

Here is a nice visual history of the construction of our modernistic City Hall under the eye of Mr. Pei, a half century ago (h/t to Veletta Forsythe Lill): https://flashbackdallas.com/2025/11/10/dallas-city-hall/

In supports of the Scouts

I hold the rank of Eagle earned during my membership in the Boy Scouts of America in the mid-sixties.

Today the organization is called Scouting 

According to a press report, the Pentagon has decided the Scouts are “no longer a meritocracy” and do not hold their members to high standards.

That is baloney. I know the organization today. My grandson has been a member for the last four years, and I've seen the program through his experience. It is hardly different from my day, the 1960s. If I were a parent today, I'd want my child to be a Scout. My grandson has learned good lessons, and he will complete the requirements for Eagle soon as he finishes his Eagle project, in the next couple of weeks.

The Pentagon is badly mistaken here. I endorse the statement of Scouting's Chief Executive, Roger Krone:

https://www.scoutingnewsroom.org/press-releases/statement-regarding-npr-story-on-scouting-and-the-us-military/

-Josiah Daniel

for Thanksgiving 2025

On my way this past Monday to pick up our Greenberg Turkey in Tyler, I encountered a man who inspired me to write a letter to the editor of the Tyler paper. The Managing Editor messaged me "Thank you very much for your submission and for sharing this story with our readers," which I interpreted (or misinterpreted) as "We are going to publish it." 

After waiting several days, I give up and "publish" it myself today, here on my blog:

        "On rainy Monday I saw an elderly man at the stop sign on eastbound Van Highway at the Gentry Parkway. He clearly did not want to be there, but his square sign said "PLEASE HELP" in all capitals. I reached for my wallet and rolled down the window. When I saw he was soaking wet, I multiplied by five the amount of my gift. He said, "Trying to get out of this cold rain. God bless you." I returned the greeting. He glanced at my cash, looked over his left shoulder, and called gently but loudly, "C'mon. We can get out of the rain now."

         That's when I saw his wife, seated against a chain link fence. She was not wearing a raincoat. I went onward through the rain to my destination, Greenberg Turkey on McMurrey, and picked up our turkey (always a wholesome experience).  When I passed back through the intersection, the old couple was gone.

         How does this happen to such people, in their advanced years, in the USA with all its GNP? That's a question. Meanwhile, observance of Thanksgiving is a good reminder for everybody to demonstrate their thankfulness.

Josiah Daniel"

Maxwell Bloomfield on criticism of the SCOTUS in fictional literature (1981)

In the 47 years I've been licensed to practice law, I have been fortunate to have gotten to know some really fine historians of law and related topics. One of those was the late Maxwell Bloomfield, professor at Catholic University School of Law.

In 1981 he gave me a reprint of his splendid article "The Supreme Court in American Popular Culture," 4 Journal of American Culture 1 (1981).

At the end he writes:

"Some may argue that much of this publicity [about the institution of the SCOTUS and its personnel] is counterproductive and only lowers the Court in public esteem. But on that point the views of the Justices themselves are instructive. Although many have discussed the question over the years, no one has better expressed the prevailing opinion than ASSOCIATE JUSTICE DAVID J. BREWER, WHO OBSERVED BACK IN 1898:

'It is a mistake to suppose that the Supreme Court is either honored or helped by being spoken of as beyond criticism. On the contrary, the life and character of its justices should be the object of constant watchfulness by all, and its judgments subject to the freest criticism. The time is past in the history of the world when any living man or body of men can be set on a pedestal and decorated with a halo. True, many criticisms may be, like their authors, devoid of good taste, BUT BETTER ALL SORTS OF CRITICISM THAN NO CRITICISM AT ALL.'"

(emphasis added)

 

To my Texan friends:

This trenchant analysis by a property-tax lawyer I respect, John Brusniak, confirms that the proposed Texas Constitution amendment that supposedly will provide "relief" and "reform" for all Texans is chimerical:

---> https://cdn.lawlytics.com/law-media/uploads/963/343244/original/The-Great-Texas-Property-Tax-Switcheroo.pdf?1761020465

The Texas property tax was the only way for governments in the state to raise money in the 1800s, but all efforts to replace it subsequently have failed. (The best effort was made by Gov. Dan Moody in the 41st Lege, 1929.) The property tax is regressive, unfairly hitting hardest the low-income Texan who owns real estate (and the sales tax is the other regressive tax) and makes it harder for her or him to hold onto it. 

But rather than truly fix this ancient tax, replacing it with modern taxes, Texas leaders have always preferred to be able to tout, "We don't have an income tax" as one of the key pitches for out of state capital to come into the State. I. believe that capital will continue to gravitate to Texas even when, someday, Texans have demanded and obtained a fair state tax system.