Facts and Fools

It's funny how we learn things. I posted something about the late Dale Bumper's this morning, mentioning that he was  was Governor of our state and then our senior U.S. Senator for years. He wrote a book titled, The Best Lawyer in a One-lawyer Town, He was an attorney. And a statesman. And a source of pride for our state. Now the funny part: I had originally added, "That's a rare combination, one that's not likely to be matched in a while."

Then I remembered a lesson I learned from an unusual source. A friend and I were having lunch in Little Rock's Riverfront area one day. The friend taught Law and a friend of his, whom I didn't know, joined us. The stranger was a successful trial lawyer. We talked of many things, specifically of a trial taking place in Washington, D.C. at the time. A piece of the trial transcript had caught my attention. "Why," I asked, "Didn't the government's attorneys point this or that out?"

The answer, from a complete stranger, amazed and enlightened me. "You never want to state the obvious. You have to assume that the judge is no fool."

I can't tell you how many times I've used that advice in writing. Accordingly, I amended my post to take out the final sentence. Any reader at an eighth grade level or above will get the point about giants and pygmies.