Schooling a Judge
And a milestone...
I was walking out of the barbershop I go to in Knoxville a while back and saw a county judge heading toward me, and I held the door open for him. "Time for a haircut, eh," I said, smiling at the judge, who I respect. I'm the perfect customer for Paige, my barber. Not much hair to cut, I come every other week, and I tip well. It’s good karma.
The judge scowled at me as he grabbed the door I offered him. "I don't like the way you spoke to Grassley the last time I heard you interview him."
I laughed, thinking he was kidding.
"You were disrespectful, and I didn't like that," he said, standing in the open doorway.
I realized he was serious. And truly angry with me. It took me a moment, but I realized that he was talking about an interview with Grassley that took place last summer. I had pushed Grassley hard about why he wasn't watching the January 6 hearings. The interview caused a bit of a media stir as Laura Belin wrote about it at Bleeding Heartland and Trip Gabriel with the New York Times tweeted about it.
Here is the bit of the interview where I pressed Grassley:
I thought about politely walking away from the judge, but instead, I said something like, "I know the interview you are talking about. But what you don't know is that I interviewed Grassley in Newton two days after the insurrection, and he was frightened. Scared. He told me then that he didn’t see how Trump could possibly have a future in the Republican party. And now, Grassley’s acting like the insurrection didn’t happen, that all of Trump’s crimes should be ignored, and that everything that Trump has done is OK, and it’s not. Trump’s a criminal.”
The judge’s eyes grew wide, and his scowl softened a bit. He wasn’t used to the push-back. Reluctantly at first, I continued, as I recognized that he had broken the “rules” of our relationship by criticizing me publicly, and I was pissed. And we weren’t in his courtroom.
“Trump’s been indicted in New York, and he’s undermining that state court system. And now he’s been federally indicted in Florida, he and other Republicans are undermining the Justice Department and the Attorney General, and when he’s indicted in Georgia he will undermine that state system.”
I pointed over the judge’s shoulder at our courthouse.
“And what you apparently don’t realize is that Trump is never going to stop and that he is undermining our entire justice system which means everything you do in your courtroom. He’s coming for everyone in the justice system including you, and you don’t like the fact that I asked Grassley some tough questions?”
The judge muttered, “Yeah, Trump has to go,” as he entered the barber shop, and the door slowly closed behind him.
“And it’s not just Trump that has to go,” I said loudly, but the barbershop door had already closed.
This week is a milestone. I have been writing Deep Midwest: Politics and Culture for a year now. My first post on July 5, 2022, was one of my best, in my opinion: Be Woke. Interestingly, some of my most popular posts have been about social justice. Substack tells me that this is my 89th post, which is amazing to me. I never thought I could be this productive. What is even more amazing is that as of this morning, 1,430 people subscribe. I’ve told you before that my dear friend Julie Gammack had to twist my arm to make me do it. I am so grateful that she did. I’m also grateful to be part of an amazing community of 30+ writers who are members of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative.
I was the first in the collaborative to post, and am amazed at how quickly we have grown. I have no doubt that the collaborative has become the most significant place to obtain commentary and feature writing in the Midwest, if not beyond.
I’m honored to be a part of it, and am honored that you subscribe. Your encouragement and support mean so much to me, it’s hard to put it into words. Let me just say I’m grateful.
What I may not have conveyed before is how this medium has enabled me to grow as a writer and as a person.
I’ve written lots over the years, from academic books and journal articles to pieces in the New York Times, TIME, USA Today, the Iowa Capital Dispatch, the Des Moines Register, and many more.
I have to write like I have to breathe. To put it bluntly, I really don’t know what I think about something unless I write about it. My writing is really me puzzling through things.
While I love publishing in the big publications, sometimes I write just for you. Deep Midwest: Politics and Culture has no gatekeeper to tell me they aren’t interested in a topic, or if it isn’t a good fit now, or if it just doesn’t pass muster. The only gatekeeper is me—and you.
As a consequence, this year I feel that I have reached the peak of my creative self—able to explore any topic I wish, whereas in the past I have had to worry about what the gatekeepers might like, or value.
Not anymore. I write for me and for you. This newsletter will always be free, but if you can afford it, please consider becoming a paid subscriber.
To all of my subscribers, you have my heartfelt thanks and appreciation.
Love,
Bob
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Congratulations, Bob! It's an honor to be part of your Substack community. And good job sticking to your guns. That follow-up anecdote about how Grassley actually feels off the record says it all.
Thank you for pushing back on the judge. Your response inspires me to identify "the elephant in the room" issues we skirt around to start addressing them more directly.