Doings At Dunderhead Ranch


My wife and I are lolling about in Europe, but my spies are ever at work. Comes this morning a report from the inner sanctum of the Trial Lawyers College. Blood is soon to be spilled, and, cognoscenti, all is not what it appears.  It feels as though I never left the United States.
First the blood: The board is about to be reconfigured. A list of those naughty and those nice has been compiled. The board is too unwieldy. Too much information leaks to the likes of me. It is hard to know who to trust. It feels almost Florentine, this whispering and shoving in the piazza. (Okay, okay -- we are in Florence, our favorite city in the world.)
Jude Basile is the new president, and he is aided by his consigliere, Jim Nugent. Both report to Spence, loyal lieutenants to the end, bearing the Thunderhead crest on their souls.  Any day now, the board will somehow transfigure itself. There will be no real vote. Instead their will be silent taps on the shoulder and invitations to resign. Nothing public will take place. But in the end one man's will will have reshaped the body: Gerry Spence, who fawns over himself say "But me, me, I am not even on the board."  Right. And Lorenzo was not the ruler of Florence.
Another subtle sign of deceit?
Recall the fanfare when the new executive director was found? She was not a TLC alum. She simply appeared one fine summer day and her qualifications were such that it became obvious that she and she alone possessed the heart and soul to hold the college together. Funny how she just stumbled along, this stranger to the scene. Within an hour, she had Jude persuaded that she was the right woman for the job. Such charisma.
It turns out she is a former denizen of the law offices of none other than Gerry Spence. Not just she, mind you, but her rabbit, too. The new ED was in Jackson Hole not long ago sizing up a new office for herself. Where else would this office be but in Spence's firm. When she appeared, old hands at the firm who actually practice law, rather than merely preach it, were not happy to see she and the rabbit return. It turns out the rabbit is a destructive little critter. No one wants an office next to rabbit and mom.
I was at the 80/15 celebration when the new ED was presented. It was all smiles and aw shucks, aren't we lucky we stumbled upon just the right person.  The fact is an old crony was drafted and sold to the college as a fresh find. And it should surprise no one that this crony is old Spence hand.  The alter ego not only owns the ranch, he staffs it with loyalists. There is nothing wrong with that, mind you.  But let's not pretend that God works in mysterious ways.
It hurts me to see good friends neck deep in this nonsense. 

Comments: (17)

  • The bloodletting has begun. Carl Bettinger, Katlin...
    The bloodletting has begun. Carl Bettinger, Katlin Larimer, Fredilyn Sison and Lynne Bratcher have been forced to resign from the TLC Board. Two other board members will be leaving as well. Rumor is that Imaging Spence is stepping down (too much heat from you Norm) and that Rex Parris will be asked to resign. These decisions were made behind closed doors by Jude Basile and Gerry Spence with input from Jim Nugent. Other board members were not even consulted and had no idea this bloodletting was in the works. New board additions will be coming soon. Looks like Basile and Spence want to stack the board with other folks they can control. Any bets on who the additions will be?
    Posted on October 6, 2009 at 6:05 am by Anonymous
  • What's the story with this rabbit?
    What's the story with this rabbit?
    Posted on October 6, 2009 at 6:13 am by Anonymous
  • Obviously, the mirror is at work again. Psychodra...
    Obviously, the mirror is at work again. Psychodrama that...or did you not get that part of lesson either?
    T. Michael
    Posted on October 6, 2009 at 6:58 am by TMichael
  • Norm, baby - do you fantasize about being sued for...
    Norm, baby - do you fantasize about being sued for slander by your former mentor? Is this the fantasy that drives you?
    Posted on October 6, 2009 at 1:28 pm by Anonymous
  • King Lear?
    King Lear?
    Posted on October 6, 2009 at 2:08 pm by Anonymous
  • Norm:
    I never heard your name until I heard the d...
    Norm:
    I never heard your name until I heard the diatribes against you. Actually, that made me more interested in you and what you had to say. I have learned in my life that one only hates what one fears. So, I wondered why so many people feared you. All I could determine was that you shared your perceptions, which appeared to be based on well founded knowledge. Why should one fear the truth? About two years ago, I did something similar. I questioned why Kay Ellison was being maltreated and forced by neglect to resign her position at TLC. I could not say then because of confidentiality the source of my information. Wow...I could not believe the venom that was cast at me publically on the TLC listserve. The public castigation was overwhelming. Then it dawned on me that I was publically damned for the benefit of the sender. They damned me in public as if to honor themselves in some morbid way. Strangely, I did receive a lot of privately sent email congratulating me for my courage (althought it was more anger than courage). I was later given permission to reveal my source. Except for one person, I chose not to share it with anybody else. As a result of my tar and feathering, I retreated from publically commenting on the listserve for about one year. I returned again to the list serve to try and mullify a contentious encounter between two alumni. I had gall to say that I still held a grudge against the Japanese for the sufferings of relatives on the Oklahoma and family friends on the Arizona, Bataan, and Iwo Jima. Of course, I was summarily accused of bigotry because of my expression of hatred and sorrow for their murderers. The last incident occurred when I tried to soften another attack on an alumni who only meant to offer what was not the best joke in the world. One of our black alumni cursed me for attempting to step in and stop something that was getting out of hand. The black alumni began to publically call me, "Pussy, Pussy, Pussy," for trying to quell the discussion. Eventually, that black alumni had the gall to call my office to yell, berate, and utter epithets toward me. Unfortunately, I called him a "nigger." He then went public to tell the listserve that I called him a nigger but somehow left out the foul epithets he inflicted upon me. I did not deny what I said. I admitted that I had called him a nigger and refused to apologize or do some drastic self-flagilation or mea culpa. So,Lynne Bratcher took it upon herself to cc an email to Spence and most other members of the board and demand that I be forbidden to use the listserve. Conveniently, she only forwarded to Spence and the board members my admission. I guess she felt it immaterial to forward the black alumni's emails and verbal comments to me to the board. So, I guess where all this rambling is headed is that anybody that does not drink the Kool-Aid or follow in lock step is a pariah. Whether you are correct or not, keep on writing whatever you believe to be true. As for me, I will continue to allow mine own self to be true to me. Nothing else matters more. Rick Reno
    Posted on October 7, 2009 at 8:39 am by Anonymous
  • Where are you? We need your voice right now. The b...
    Where are you? We need your voice right now. The blood has been spilled. You were right and it shakes out pretty much along the lines of the voting on your poll. Carl Bettinger, Fredilyn Sison, Katlin Larimer and Lynne Bratcher got the secret tap on the shoulder. No board vote, nothing done publically, they were unceremoniously forced out. It sucks!! Good people keep leaving the college.
    Posted on October 7, 2009 at 4:38 pm by Anonymous
  • Who is the new Executive Director?
    Who is the new Executive Director?
    Posted on October 9, 2009 at 2:16 am by Anonymous
  • Norm:
    I must make a retraction. I mistakenly nam...
    Norm:
    I must make a retraction. I mistakenly named Lynn Bratcher as the person who wanted me removed from the list serve and reported to the Board. My sincerest apologies to her for such an error. Please, forgive me.
    The actual person who reported me to many of the Board members and Spence, himself, was Vickie Slater. I am not attempting to disparage her, just her actions, which remind me of the 1936 "Brown" shirts brutal attempts to silence any dissent.
    Rick Reno
    Posted on October 9, 2009 at 6:03 am by Anonymous
  • How hypocritical for Vickie Slater to want you rem...
    How hypocritical for Vickie Slater to want you removed from the list serve when she was the on site administrator the first week of TLC July when a high ranking leader of TLC used the "N" word and created a huge racial issue at the ranch. Vickie didn't make one peep or complaint about that. But then that high ranking leader has power Rick and you do not!
    Posted on October 13, 2009 at 2:15 pm by Anonymous
  • Brown shirts, 1936, so blathers so called Rick
    Ren...
    Brown shirts, 1936, so blathers so called Rick
    Reno . Oh, please, stop your dropping LSD
    Posted on October 14, 2009 at 1:34 pm by Anonymous
  • Rick:
    On June 10, 2009, you posted on
    Spence's blo...
    Rick:
    On June 10, 2009, you posted on
    Spence's blog that you love Spence,
    and you are like the Gal who could not say no.
    Then, on Oct 9, you post your
    brown coat, rantings on Norm's
    Site.
    Oh, so you were turned into...
    What kind of ruse you running, Rick, don't you
    know your IP # was in all the TLC's programs.
    Get a clue.
    Posted on October 14, 2009 at 2:01 pm by Anonymous
  • Reno, how are you silenced.
    Eariler in 2009 you po...
    Reno, how are you silenced.
    Eariler in 2009 you post on Gerry' blog you
    love him. Then, you come on Norm's
    blog, and attack Ms Slater, while Norm has
    censored other replies. It is Norm who is brown
    shirting., and doing his censorship thing.
    I am not a hero worshiper of Spence,
    He is an 80 year old guy,
    Norm sees himself as some young Turk.
    Norm has very conflicetd feelings, which are
    most obvious, just like Reno.
    Posted on October 15, 2009 at 4:49 am by Anonymous
  • Reno, does he still love Gerry. as he professed
    t...
    Reno, does he still love Gerry. as he professed
    to the master a post to the Spence blog in
    June 2009 ?
    Recently, Gerry on Oct 15, 2009 on his Spence
    blog was touting how his TLC is
    saving the world., as " best it can".
    All these nipping dog fights, that Reno
    is laying out on the TLC
    back- biting, is this all some new drama method ?
    Weird, very weird.
    Posted on October 15, 2009 at 7:01 am by Anonymous
  • There is a more forthright, candid, and frankly
    ho...
    There is a more forthright, candid, and frankly
    honest exchange of views here--- this site--
    than listserve.
    I still would like to know more about
    the rabbit, and the new Executive
    Director, and the workings out
    of the J H Office.
    It is easier for Spence to run young
    in awe attorneys on his ranch than
    cattle.
    Cattle need to be shipped to feed lots
    lawyers, just wander off, and muse
    about " brown shirts", dirt amulets,
    old Indian rituals, and lease rates.
    Gerry needs a marketing card to get
    the young dudes to come from L A,
    or back East out to the barn.
    Nobody has every said he couldn't sell
    snow to the Eskimows, or Yupicks
    or young Turks.
    If it gives you an edge,
    then wear the sage before Judge Murphy
    on your next Summary Judgement motion,
    and good luck.
    Posted on October 17, 2009 at 5:19 am by Anonymous
  • Now, Norms buddy has weighted in a 2nd time on the...
    Now, Norms buddy has weighted in a 2nd time on the Spence Ranch, and matters:
    The blog Simple Justice posted the "cult" card back in 2007, in some piece on "its going to get ugly". And, it did, even more so.(October 2009), the 2nd cult card was played in his peice in Oct 2009 on confronting the cult to tear into Gerry Spence.
    When, Scotty could not come up with any facts to support Norms ranch finance crusade, Scotty used his "cult card" to engage in ill will, more as a diversion, to brand posters as psychorpaths, then quickly closed comments, becasue it was Scotty using vile methods.
    Cult card-- really like some religious thing, or some holy crusade of Norm ?
    But, not even knowing the religion of any who are tarred with that smear, Scotty retreats now closing comments, as it was Scotty who brain washed Norm using his cult card rubbish back in 2007.
    Norm's ties to the cult card man---Scotty-- run deep.
    It did get more ugly , after the "cult" card Scotty used his NY based WWW site to sow the seeds of East coast Voodoo.
    Ego, and pride, and envy all wrapped up in this saga of the Bar clubs and its wonders, and their NETS.
    Like Scotty had not flaunted some of the ego thing, as he has held a mirror up to it,(himself the jerk in the mirror) some flash back mirror effect. as it is now traced who influenced Norm to go off the reservation.
    Yes, the mirror is shining on Scott, who writes Simpleton Justice(with a tint of some fool clown jester slants) under the byline Blog, Simple Justice.
    The rabbit is out of the hat.
    The horse is out of the barn.
    The ugly just got ulgier, as Scoutt is the Prince of the TOADY ugly apple polishers for
    Norm's crusading ways in the Conn-NY axis.
    Scoutt some Columbia Proff professing his angst, now that the beans have been spilled, cuts off all discussions, comments, as the matter goes NET WIDE, , the East Coast WWW, big time.
    Reno, Scoutt, and Norm, the east Coast Voodoo Clique, has shown their cards, and they are the cult of no facts, no basis no evidence, as they snipe away, bar cards and all, as the mirrors grow ever larger, shining on them.
    Posted on October 17, 2009 at 10:52 am by Anonymous
  • There are a number of ANNONS above, let me count t...
    There are a number of ANNONS above, let me count them. Most are ANNON,(above) a few non-ANNONS, like RENO(class roles of XXXX), and one ANNON notes(muses) on some fantasy of Norm being sued for slander by
    his ex "Mentor"( Oct. 6, 2009).
    However, what about all the TLC members seeking to stick it to Norm ? OR---X, Y, Z, T D, who they have on SOME ALERT thing, like circle the wagon CITY....
    What about Clary's stuff.
    And, what about Clary laying out his so called data mining on emails, cross checks(IP #'s) roll checks, and assorted.
    Clary is miffed, rabid his data mining seemed not to pan out on soem ANNONS, who he attacks...(See Clary SITE on his ANNON thing, livid, rabid.)
    Mr Clary has trouble telling an email from a blog comment from a sardonic red herring.
    Who are his STRAW men---too, something in this equation.
    There is an interest in this---all-- from some Wyoming counties(Indian Country if you will).
    I could tell you my name, and the like, but is there a reason for ANNON, some times.
    TLC/ tender loving care.
    To some TLC MEANS SOME SO CALLED College.
    I don't define TLC as some College(near Dubois), I belive I have earned the perogative to make those distinctions.
    What is the deal on Clary's data mining for any who miffed him off on his Blog..... ON TLC etc.?
    Oh, Ya, sure WARRIOR. The WARRIOR THING,
    I can tell you one thing, if the Mentors, ever sued Norm, who would be his best side-kick.
    He is clueless, why, he lashes out to ANNON world. This is a complex thing.
    I won't go into the nitty gritty---here.
    Posted on October 29, 2009 at 1:47 pm by Anonymous

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