The latest gaffe by Paula Deen in deciding that the lawyers of Oliver Maner were "out of their depth" is a classic example of when clients "know" too much for their own good and are all too willing to deflect blame for their own self-imposed damage to others.

Oliver Maner is a preeminent, completely professional and successful firm and Mrs. Deen's counsel were as good as any defense lawyers anywhere.

But, of course, counsel is only as good as their advice that the client chooses to follow. And, to make matters worse, the presiding judge was a partner in that same firm in the not-too-distant past.

Mrs. Deen is accidentally lucky in that the judge is of equally fine character as his former partners and will not allow this slur to influence his rulings.

Most amazingly, Mrs. Deen appears blinded by the klieg lights of her former celebrity, now quickly turned to notoriety. If she believes a law firm from Philadelphia, Pa., and Washington, D.C., can be more persuasive than her prior lawyers before a court and a Southern District jury, she should save her money and just give up at this time.

Those funds would be better spent on a muzzle, just for her.




The Middleton Firm, L.L.C.


America may be going the way of Detroit

We all can learn a great lesson from Detroit's bankruptcy. For decades the city has been led by Democrats using bankrupt principles of larger government, supporting unsustainable and greedy union entitlements and continually kicking the can down the road for someone else.

Now we see the consequence of intellectual and actual corrupt practices.

Citizens have been victimized, nee devastated, by decisions made by their elected Democrat politicians. You cannot blame Republicans, since no Republicans has served Detroit for years.

America is possibly just a few decades away from this same disaster. We are going from one of the strongest nations with the greatest opportunities to fiscal ruin.

President Obama, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi seem disinterested in addressing the crisis they inherited and worsened. Their only interest is getting elected and giving speeches while increasing our debt and expanding our deficit.

Were it not for Europe's own financial mess, the Fed's actions of printing money would be weakening the dollar, but the inevitable problem of inflation is out there and will eventually hit our shores with tsunamic effect.

How long will it take Americans to wake up to these hard facts is anyone's guess and the problem is made worse by ineffective and intellectual dishonest leadership.



Helen Thomas rates scorn, not glorification

Why is Helen Thomas, former White House reporter, being glorified by the media to the extent that people, who don't know of her, would think she was a saint?

Here's what she was - a world-class anti-Semite.

How dare she tell the Jews to get out of Palestine (there's no such place) and go back to Germany, Poland or where they came from?

Israel is their home and Israel is where they'll stay and be our good friend and ally.

You can't say that about her homeland, Lebanon, where they not only relish anti-Semitism, but encourage it - and most importantly, like most of the Middle East, do not look kindly on the United States except when there's something (foreign aid) in it for them.



To change perceptions, behavior must chage

In the aftermath of the verdict in the George Zimmerman trial, the pronouncements of President Barack Obama were as predictable as pot roast in a diner, but far less savory.

Mr. Obama proclaims that blacks view the world "through a set of experiences that won't go away."

Statistics show blacks constitute approximately 13 percent of the population and commit a widely disproportionate number of crimes; most crimes are committed by young black men.

In the period between the mid-1970s and mid-2000s, blacks committed more than half of all murders in the United States and committed robbery, aggravated assaults and other property crimes at a rate two to three times their percentage of the population.

Newspaper and television news are saturated with depictions of crimes perpetrated by young black men. Mr. Obama discounts the fact that a woman clutching her purse or an individual locking car doors is not a hate-mongering racist, but simply prudent and cognizant of the realities of the world in which we live.

The perception of how young black men are perceived in our society will not change until the actions of a large number of young black men change and reality and objectivity enter the consciousness of their apologists.


Hilton Head Island, S.C.

Here's why physicians are dumping Medicare

I had a urinary tract infection in March. The doctor did a urine culture and sent it to the lab.

The lab charged $72 to test it. Medicare paid them $11.10 for their services. No wonder so many doctors have quit accepting Medicare patients.



Savannah residents leave tourists 'dazzled'

As a tour guide for Old Savannah Tours, I have come in contact with many of the 12 million tourists who visit Savannah annually.

I have heard tales of their experience while in Savannah, from fabulous, beautiful, historical and how romantic Savannah is, and how they have come under the spell of the charm of the city.

They are fascinated with the planned squares, antebellum homes, mansions, churches, synagogues, monuments and how green the city is with the moss-draped trees and how well-maintained, manicured and clean the city is.

But one thing I hear the most about Savannah is her people and how courteous, polite and accommodating they are to the casual passersby on the streets.

I just sheepishly smile and tell them that is why Savannah is the "Hostess City of the South" and we want y'all to be dazzled. And they reply, "We're dazzled."