Sometimes, a typo becomes the whole story!

I had to read this a second time, carefully, to make sure I really got what this was about. At first glance it looks petty and silly. By the end of the article, it's obvious some real bad things happened here and across a span of years. They continue to happen, apparently and all over one very unfortunate typo, made purely by accident I'm sure.

ANCHORAGE (CN) - A former Alaska judge claims he was the victim of "racist and sexist hazing" by his peers after former Gov. Sarah Palin thanked him for his "pubic service" in his appointment letter.

Richard Postma Jr. claims the typo in Palin's letter caused him so much grief that he was voted out, had to return to private practice, and is struggling to hold onto his law license Bar.

This is where I was thinking to myself...'Self, he sure has an awfully thin skin! There is printing paper on the shelf of thicker stuff!'. It goes on for more context though, and it's not as superficial and cheesy as it first appears.

Postma claims in the complaint that his hazers went so far as to suggest he was appointed as a judge "by performing oral sex on former Governor Palin," and that it escalated "to suggest Postma was the biological father of Governor Palin's son, Trig Palin."
When he complained he was retaliated against, Postma says.

Postma claims that none of the jokes were true, but he suffered the harassment from his appointment in 2007 until 2010, when the Alaska Commission on Judicial Conduct "initiated an administrative action to remove Postma from the bench because of stress and medical problems caused by the hazing."

It's just incredible to see the official side of this to give some indication of the depth of problems here. It sounds like it was an ongoing and nearly daily thing with this. I admit to shaking my head a bit at seeing the typo, but how old are these people to rag on a Judge for years over it? 13?? I fully expect that nonsense in K-12 grade school but absolutely not in the professional world to form a sustained campaign like this.

On a scale of 1 (low) to 5 (highest), "The attorney rating for Judge Postma on overall performance was 3.7. Peace and probation officers gave Judge Postma a rating of 4.1. Jurors rated him 4.9 overall, and court employees gave him 3.1. ... Alaska Judicial Observers rated him 2.86," Recommendation states. Nonetheless, the Council said: "Judges must be fair and judicial in the courtroom and in their conduct off the bench. The Alaska Judicial Council concludes that, while performing acceptably on the bench, Judge Postma demonstrated an inability to function appropriately with other judges and court staff and that he did so in a manner that seriously interfered with the performance of his judicial duties, disrupted the functioning of the Anchorage District Court, and makes him unfit to retain his office.

Source: Courthouse News

So basically, the people I'd say matter most in rating a Judge actually liked this man on a consistent basis. Those behind making his life a living hell....rated him very poorly. Well, I'm shocked. Who would have seen that coming? What a way to lose a career.

Quote limitations mean I couldn't add other parts of this, which include actual and formal mental health questions regarding the stability of this man.

I wonder, do we have any Alaskan members that know more about this? It sounds patently absurd...but there it is and it's a formal lawsuit, filed in court now.

Where I worked, we used to tease newcomers in all kind of manners, nothing dangerous or damageable either to reputation. Those that found it funny saw it stop soon enough. The poor others who took it seriously as if their very lives depended on it got it served until they managed to understand it was only teasing.

Maybe this judge is of the latest kind? Some people can't take a joke, and as long as they will resist, they will be confronted.

Human nature at work.

reply to post by NowanKenubi


You nailed it. Those jokes may or may not have been hurtful, but if he would have had the least bit of thick skin and sense of humor, he would have made some non-committal chuckle or eye-roll and it would have ended as quickly as it began. If he became medically stressed about it, that is really 90% his problem. I am not condoning "hazing" by any stretch, but as one who was poked fun at from time to time up until early high school, learning to laugh it off reversed everything and often broke the ice on new friendships.

This guy is incredibly selfish for thinking anyone should be held responsible for an innocent typo.

reply to post by Halfswede


Exactly! I keep telling my kids that getting angry at a tease is like committing a social suicide. Even an insult, "well" laughed at can make you score big points.

Also, it made me think of initiations where everyone is "put down". It is so people all feel on the same level. It helps a lot for group work.

Yeahright:

Lol I think he is lucky it wasn't Roseanne Barr who wrote that... lol Oops!

I'd hope everyone read the article for a key point here. The Judge didn't quit the bench in a huff. He was removed by force of denial with his reappointment. He apparently can't see a client treated fairly in a courtroom run by the judges that ran him off the bench...and to hear this described, the campaign has shifted to a very active effort to see him disbarred outright.

I think taking teasing poorly transforms into something else when it carries over 3 years of abuse, culminates in the professional removal from office and career, to see it follow right into the private sector in trying to take that from him too.

I don't know who he pissed off...but he seems in full defensive mode, not offensive to me?

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


As a hockey fan, I often hear commentators say that the best defense is offense. I also knew someone who would insult you before you got any chance of even making a tease, just so that person wouldn't feel like losing if you ever teased her. Stupidly simple like that.

You couldn't tell that person anything because it always was about her being a victim of such thing and such thing. That person was really professional on the aspects of her work, but her social abilities made it so she always found herself alone, having to quit her JOBS because everyone but her was/is a moron.

She alone had the right to make teases, "funny, but based on the truth" she always said, but telling people THEY had NO RIGHT to judge HER, at the same time... even in a tease...

So;

The Alaska Judicial Council concludes that, while performing acceptably on the bench, Judge Postma demonstrated an inability to function appropriately with other judges and court staff and that he did so in a manner that seriously interfered with the performance of his judicial duties, disrupted the functioning of the Anchorage District Court, and makes him unfit to retain his office.

Like the person I mentioned above, professional, but with no ability to be in society. How can one be qualified to judge any cases if one can't make good judgments towards self and others?

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


There are, in my experience, two ways to deal with teasing. You either ignore it, which does NOT always work, or you retaliate in such an overwhelming fashion to the group harassment that you are dealing with, that the person who catches the worst of your ire is incapable of response, and the others are too terrified to deal with you.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000

I fully expect that nonsense in K-12 grade school but absolutely not in the professional world to form a sustained campaign like this.

This doesn't surprise me in the least, it's like this in many places. People are sometimes vicious to those they don't care for. In my experience the more vicious they are the more tenacious they are as well. Humans and sharks, don't get a single drop of your blood in the water or it can be game over.

reply to post by TrueBrit


There is a third way, although our nation has almost lost it's way to see defense as being proper for almost any circumstance anymore. It took a few years of being the victim to learn the lesson as a kid, but I learned that turning a bully into a high singing soprano for awhile does absolute wonders for never getting bullied by that person again. In fact, to my surprise and ongoing learning, I found others who had merely seen or heard about such solutions..tended to forget all about whatever problems they'd had with me. Of course, the trouble was, that needed a rinse and repeat at new schools ..but it is what it is and we can be victims, we can stomach abuse in a 'go along to get along' or we can bury abuse where we find it, however it can best be done at the time.

As kids? Booting the family jewels into another kids throat worked. Absolutely 100% success rate in my personal experience with the tactic. As adults? I'd say a good, hard and high profile lawsuit has much the same impact, and sometimes, the only thing that does or can. We each approach life differently, to be sure.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


I am in Eagle River, Alaska and I know some of the players. I don't know Postma, except by reputation before and after he was a judge. Postma was a fairly decent lawyer and judge. The Anchorage District Court has some strong personalities, and some of them don't like to be told their sh-t stinks. Most of the district court are former prosecutors or public defenders, which Postma was not. Postma is one of these guys who tells it like it is, and that did not go over well with one or two judges. I heard second hand that Postma put up with this teasing and abuse for years, and then one day snapped and told someone to "shut their pie hole" when he had his children in his office, and it was all downhill for him ever since. Its actually a tragedy, because he was a good atty and judge, and some the the judges who should have been removed are still on the bench.

reply to post by FirehouseLawyer


It appears you made an account just to share this?

That's really appreciated and thank you for taking the time. It's always great to hear local perspectives to stories and it generally beats the MSM material.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


Ha! You asked for Alaska input in your post. Besides, how often does anyone have a chance to post about something they actually know a little about? On one level this is funny as hell, the best comedy has roots in tragedy.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


There is "joking" and "ribbing" and "hazing," then there is a steady campaign to cause harm masked as "Gee, can't you take a joke?" - which is this? Was the judge simply not able to take a joke? Or was it the ongoing, near-daily workplace bullying that got him? Yes, it happens. Yes, grown ups can be just as cruel as 13 year old girls.

Wrabbit, this Judge may not have handled it in the best of ways, but still, I am sure than anyone would find the workplace hostile, and their coworkers unworthy of respect, with this kind of long-term childish bullying. The original issue - not a big deal, though intended to embarrass him. I thought the idea of putting the misspelling on a t-shirt hilarious, but not in a professional environment like a Judge would have to deal with.

The gang-bullying in the workplace? Yep. That is a big deal. And it may have been DESIGNED by a coworker to get him out/disgraced/disbarred. People do that. I know this because I had a volunteer where I work attempt to do this to me with a sustained year-long campaign. It wasn't a joke like this, but similar in that there were lies being spread in order to harm me and "cliques" being created to gain power in numbers that would, in the ring-leaders mind, eventually get me to leave or be fired, so they could have control and perhaps even take my job for themselves. They did the same thing to someone else, too, who ended up leaving. I won, thankfully, but the stress was horrible - Who could I trust? Who would back-stab me? Who could I tell? The Judge in this story did not. I feel badly for him! I hope he can start over somewhere or somehow.

peace,
AB

The man should turn around and run for Governor. "Many more years of pubic service in him" can be his motto, or at least one of his mottos. Seriously, he should try to capitalize on this notoriety and give as good as he's gotten, and seek higher office on the strength of his character and of this Palinism.