Online Reading :: August 10th, 2004 ::
Over the past three weeks, I’ve come to enjoy two somewhat technical but very interesting — legal blogs. The first is Legal Fiction, in which the author does a great job of discussing the intersection of politics and the law. The second is SCOTUSBlog which is, you guessed it, is about the goings-on in the US Supreme Court. If you’re at all interested in any of these issues and have not yet checked out either of these sites, I highly recommend that you do.
Of course, I say all this with the assumption that you will find general discussion of legal issues terribly interesting, as I do. But to my surprise, many of you may in fact not find these issues compelling. But then, I guess that’s why attorneys are so highly valued, right? Like systems administrators and dentists. We not only have this esoteric, obscure knowledge, but we want to revel in it, and expand our understanding of it. At some point, however, I just need to keep it in perpsective, and remember that most people don’t feel the same way I do about it.
Nonetheless, go read those sites. They’re both worth your time. No matter who you are.
As Long as We’re Talking Politics :: August 3rd, 2004 ::
As America debates the Bush Administration’s effectiveness in military issues generally, and the war on terror specifically, I think it’s important to keep the current situtation in perspective. As my dad points out, history does a good job of providing that perspective. He says:
Anyhow, either [President Bush] is hiding something or really doesn’t want the war on terror to end or have any transparency. Do you know that three years after the attack on Pearl Harbor we had pretty much defeated the Axis powers?
Now, I will admit that the current war is different from the one fought sixty years ago. I would even go so far as to say that the Bush Administration’s motives were on the whole good (i.e., not necessarily outrightly obstructionist). However, I find it hard to discern any real progress on the part of the Bush administration over the past three years. We should judge this Administration’s effectiveness in the War on Terror based on its outcomes, shouldn’t we?
UPDATE: you know, I realized that my assertion that the Bush Administration’s lacked any progress in security issues might benefit from some specifics. Luckily, I didn’t have to look too hard for those specifics: U.S. relied on old data in raising terror alert.
DNC: Completed :: July 30th, 2004 ::
So, Jessamyn has completed her work at the DNC, and is most likely back in Bethel as we speak. (I’m still at work down in Rutland, so I can’t be too sure — nonetheless, I assume that things are going as we had planned). This Democratic Convention is like no other I’ve ever experienced, both in terms of the sheer volume of the coverage that I watched, and in terms of how the experience was mediated.
Sure, the blogger phenomenon was new and interesting, but I found that I was in an especially interesting position having Jessamyn blogging the thing. Through her descriptions I learned about the embargoed versions of the speeches that the press received well before the speakers actually took the stage (with the notable exception of Bill Clinton, who to this day needs to hold out till the last minute).
But overall, I found this to be the most fascinating political convention because for the first time I was able to see the events that were not so painfully scripted and rehearsed for television for presentation. Like anything else in democratic governance, the most dynamic, meaningful, and intersting stuff happens when people make real observations about what’s happening, and real connections with their elected leaders.
Dot-Connecting :: July 30th, 2004 ::
Here’s a little something from CNN this morning:
The official did note that the United States “has been working closely with the Pakistanis” and credited the Islamabad government with “stepping up things over the past few months” in its pursuit of terrorists.
Now, compare that with the story reported by the New Republic a couple of months ago:
This spring, the administration significantly increased its pressure on Pakistan to kill or capture Osama bin Laden, his deputy, Ayman Al Zawahiri, or the Taliban’s Mullah Mohammed Omar, all of whom are believed to be hiding in the lawless tribal areas of Pakistan.
And then this:
This public pressure would be appropriate, even laudable, had it not been accompanied by an unseemly private insistence that the Pakistanis deliver these high-value targets (HVTs) before Americans go to the polls in November.
Of course, CNN is unwilling to make the same assertion as The New Republic. But it will be interesting to see, as this story unfolds, how many news outlets start making a connection between the not-so-subtle push on the part of the Bush administration over the past few months, and the capture of Ghailani today.
Needless to say, this is not an issue about which I feel much optimism.
Oh, and incidentally, I do know that the DNC just wrapped up last night, and that my girlfried was there as a blogger. I plan on providing my thoughts on the whole matter sometime soon, most likely later today.
Human Faces :: July 27th, 2004 ::
So Jessamyn now finds herself down at the DNC. I will reluctantly at this point say that she seems to be having a good time, which is quite interesting. Both her weblog and her pictures from the first day remind me that in spite of all the celebrity that seems to surround our elected officials, those people are quite clearly, human.
If you don’t believe me, just look at this picture of Chris Matthews and what I think is the back of Terry McAuliffe’s head. The scene looks more like a badly lit tent at a block party than a scripted cable news show.
Though the convention has just started and the jury is still out on whether this whole blogger phenomenon will change the face of political discourse and participation in this country, I am fundamentally optimistic about the effect that these people will have in the coming days.
That Old Team Spirit :: June 15th, 2004 ::
The teams of the Congressional Softball League have some pretty hilarious names. But the best one by far is for SSDP/NORML. What do these advocates of reformed drug laws call themselves?
The One Hitters.
I, Update :: June 2nd, 2004 ::
Well, it’s about goddamn time: I updated my about me page to reflect what’s currently going on in my life. Note the presence of law school in this edition.
Felled :: June 1st, 2004 ::
Because of a computer problem I’ve been having lately, as well as the general lack of positive cash flow over the past nine months or so, yesterday I responded to a request for yardwork help that was posted on the student email list at school. The pay would be modest and the work would be physical, but it would be a change from the nose-in-a-book work that I’ve been limited to since September, and would help me feel like I was doing something to help my financial situation.
While driving the back road to the house at which I was to help out, I came across a tree that had fallen in the road. It had fallen on this day, despite the mild temperatures, the warm sun, the utter lack of wind. The tree was not massive, but it also was not small, and enough of it had fallen on the road to block traffic going in both directions. Cars were stopped on either side, and passengers got out to confer with each other on what should be done to solve this problem. Casually dressed yuppies stared at the tree while young girls talked on their cell phones, screaming over the static and bad signals. Someone in the crowd of six or seven suggested that we ask the resident of a nearby house if we could borrow their chainsaw.
A hulking, tatooed man pulled up in his pickup truck on my side of the tree. His wife and adolescent son rode with him. They got out of the truck as well, and she smiled at me. The man, who was bearded and tatooed, was heavy but kept certain muscle tone. His certainty suggested he had some job that involved cutting back trees, digging up taming the wild and making it productive. He walked to the felled tree, gave it a look that said clearly, “I own you,” walked back to his truck, and pulled out a two-sided axe, and walked back.
He looked to the rest of us and said “I usually have a chainsaw.” He then choopped branches from the tree, and with each one the main trunk fell further to the road. The rest of us stood and watched for the most part, but moved quickly to remove the branches as they fell to the road. Soon we could move the trunk of the tree to the side of the road, far enough so we could all pass by. We said our thank-yous, got in our cars, and politely waited our turns to drive past the felled tree and moved forward.
Recap on the trip :: May 28th, 2004 ::
OK, so we’re back from Washington. While we were on the road we saw Tom and Cindy (photos); John, Laura, and the the newest addition to their family, Rose; and finally, our friends in New Jersey, Sandy and Helen. Overall it turned out to be a pretty good visit, though we didn’t stay with nearly as many people as we did on our last trip down to North Carolina two summers ago.
The slightly extended vacation was good for me — it allowed me to distance myself from those final weeks of law school, which proved to be so consuming. In the past two weeks I had off, I was reminded that spring had arrived, which was refreshing.
Oh, and yes, there were in fact cicadas down in Washington while we were there. Their drone was constant, high-pitched, and just a little creepy.
Dead Bird :: May 20th, 2004 ::
I turned in my last final last Friday, and have spent the last six days doing little that approaches the concept of “work” as I’ve come to understand it since starting school eight months ago. I’ve read one book for fun and have started another. I’ve been trying to ride my bike on a regular basis. Yesterday went up to Topsham to make sure that the house was OK. Not much had changed with the town since the last time I was up there — the big news was that we had the general store reopen a couple of months ago.
Jessamyn and I are now down in Westport visiting family. This morning while going to breakfast we drove past a barn, on the roof of which someone had impaled a dead seagull. It was apparently an attempt to keep other birds from congregating. Demented though the solution was, it did provide the desired effect.
