Mobile Bar Association President Pete Mackey’s December Comments

Mobile Bar Association President Pete Mackey

When I took over from BRIAN MCCARTHY in December, he told me that one of the hardest parts of the job was writing this column every month. He was right. This month was the hardest, though I am not sure why. In any event, my wife cured my writer’s block with one sentence. ”Relax Pete, no one reads your stuff, anyway”. And the words flowed …

First – thanks so much. This has been a humbling, though reaffirming
and thoroughly worthwhile activity that I wish every member of our bar could experience. I have heard that you won’t eat sausage after you work in a sausage factory, but that does not apply here. Seeing things from the inside gave me a real appreciation for what our members do besides make a living. The number of pro bono hours our lawyers put into work on committees, the VLP program and the various sections is staggering.

Also, thanks to the members of the MBA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE for the guidance they provided me and our members this year. Last, a very special thanks to BARBARA and TAMMY. Working with them made me feel like COLONEL POTTER on MASH. They repeatedly gave me the answer right before I asked the question.

There has been enough divisiveness this year to last a lifetime. It brings to mind two things that I repeatedly forget, remember and forget again. First, we should always consider that our belief may not be correct, no matter how strongly we think that it is. Doing so is a great deterrent to foot in mouth disease and also encourages collegiality. But doing it right is especially hard when you consider that we make decisions with our unconscious mind.

It is also hard because social media serves up a heap of whatever the algorithm determines you want to read or watch. It is so easy to post that zinger without even having watched it yourself – “[good person] destroys [bad person] with one question!”. What happened to critical thought – to rational, open-minded thinking informed by credible evidence? Daubert, anyone? Yes, America, our current President was born in Hawaii. No, America, our incoming President is not a Russian spy.

Second – words matter, and how and when we use them matter even more. Would you rather hear “I hate” and ”that’s a lie”, or “that would not be my choice” and “I recall it differently”? It is easy to be tough when you are sitting behind a keyboard. There are a hundred excuses – “it’s a hard world today; I have to defend myself; that is such a PC view” – but they all ring hollow. The next time you hear a venom-laced screed from your opponent, smile and give a reasoned response. It may change the tone. Whether it does or not, though, you will walk away feeling better.

On a different note, we lost another giant of the MBA two weeks ago. JOHN TYSON, SR., a friend and longtime tenant in our building, left this world at age 91. “Larger than life” and “a force of nature” properly describe BIG JOHN, but he was so much more. When I think of the man, these adjectives come to mind – selfless, stubborn, caring, optimistic, confident, hilarious, and kind hearted. His obituary is well worth the read. When did he have time to breathe? His daughter-in-law BETH told me that the last thing she heard him say was that we needed a new V.A. hospital in Mobile. R.I.P. BIG JOHN. You left a mark on Mobile that will never disappear.

Do not forget the Bar luncheon on December 16. There will be awards, camaraderie, eggnog and wine. I will make you an offer you can’t refuse. You promise to attend and I promise that this will be the last meeting that I preside over. Win – Win!

When I started writing this, I had some thoughts in mind that would have headed my words in a different direction. Then I read the following column written by MIKE CRONAN, the President of the Louisville Bar Association – HOW IT ALL FITS: My Grandfather, Bourbon, Integrity and the Rule of Law. While not exactly where I was going, it is pretty close and he says it much better than I could. This is included here with his permission. It is well worth the read.