Alito it is!

So, Miers does the President a favor by withdrawing her nomination. Thus begins the rehabilitation of the presidency. No one knows if it will be successful, and to be truthful, not everyone believes that rehabilitation is necessary - we must stand behind the man we elected, after all. However, Bush seems to have been alienating his base - the people who elected him, so maybe rehabilitation is appropriate, if not necessary.
I have to laugh at the fatuous (I knew I'd use it somewhere along the line since the challenge, and I think this is a particularly appropriate usage) hopes of the Democrats. Chuck Shumer was already on television this morning stating how he was so 'surprised and disappointed' that the President appointed a justice who will 'divide the nation' instead of 'uniting the nation.' I understand that Miers seemed rather like one of those justices, since she was recommended by Harry Reid and seemed (although, she never made it to the confirmation hearings, so we may never know for sure) to be like another O'Connor who seemed to decide a case based on the way the wind was blowing over China on a given weekend. Alito seems to be very qualified and capable of holding his own - I am really looking forward to the confirmation hearings.
A little background for those of you who may not have looked him up yet: he has been on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals since 1990. Appointed by Bush Sr., he was confirmed unanimously by the Senate. Let me repeat that: unanimously. Not only was he confirmed unanimously, but apparently, many of the Senators also made very, very approving, flattering comments about his impartiality and his ability to interpret the Constitution and how he would be the type of jurist the Americans deserve. Another very intersting tidbit - the Third Circuit is the Court through which Planned Parenthood v. Casey, 510 U.S. 1309 (1994), the case that affirmed the principle adopted by the Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1971), came. Judge Alito wrote the dissent in that case at the Third Circuit, his dissent was cited and quoted by Rhenquist's dissent at the Supreme Court level.
The Democrats are already discussing filibustering.
Let the confirmation games begin!

Miers...

So Miers threw in the towel. I don't know if this is for the best, and I suppose we'll have to wait and see who President Bush appoints next. It makes me wonder why? Was it the fact that she didn't seem to have the requisite number of votes? Was it the fact that her name was being smeared all over the news by both the right and the left? Who knows. The one thing I hope now is that President Bush appoints a good conservative justice!

Childhood 'Dreams'...

When I was younger, much younger, I wanted to be a veterinarian....I wanted to be a dancer....I wanted to be a singer....I wanted to be a basketball player.....I wanted at some point to be a policewoman....
Then I decided I wanted to be a lawyer.....go to school in Austin, TX.....live for the rest of my life in New York or Florida in a one bedroom apartment.....
So the lawyer part I haven't given up on, but:
I'm a bit squeamish, no anatomy for me...
I have two left feet...
I only sing in big groups...
The two left feet again...
I don't really know what happened to the police gig idea...
I became a Sooner - I now dislike anything to do with burnt orange...
Crime...
hurricanes...
I don't like to live alone...

Life happens in strange ways sometimes. I noticed something about those, though. Many of them have to do with being the center of attention (call me a sanguine ;)). I just thought it was very interesting how God has changed my dreams and my life as I've given more and more of it over. Now I dream of changing the world, of bringing justice to those less fortunate - here or somewhere else in the world. I'm excited to see whether/how God will change those dreams (I realize that they are much more abstract than a dream to be a famous singer). I don't know what will happen in the future, but what I do know and take great comfort in is that if 'my' dreams are not in God's will, as long as I place my hand in His, He will change them and make me perfectly content to be where He puts me.
What were your childhood dreams? And what are you doing now? And, perhaps the more important question - can you see how God changed your dreams?

Eternity...

I was going to write and send a very complaining email this evening. The person I was going to send this to did not know that he/she was going to receive such an email, but if he/she had known, he/she would be pleased that he/she did not receive such an email. Names have been excluded just in case I decide to send this email later (you never know). I decided not to send the email because I have a Matthew West song stuck in my head.
"I'm holding all of my life
up to the light
the light of eternity
I know what I should let go
I see what matters most
in the light of eternity
I want You to see me shine
in the light of eternity"
That's the chorus (i.e. what I have stuck in my head). What does that have to do with an email? I'm glad you asked ;). I realized as I was about halfway through the email that in the light of eternity (see, see, the lyrics...), what I was about to spend a good part of half an hour composing doesn't matter. I think the song is actually speaking of something more important than an email - probably about how we spend our lives. However, I also think that it has applicability to more than just how we spend our lives in a big way - namely, to how we spend our time and, more appropriate in my email situation, our attitudes. My attitude was one that was not glorifying to God. My attitude was not one that I would like to have for eternity, so why would I even want to have that attitude for 5 minutes (much less the half hour I would have spent on the email)? I think I'd much rather spend my time using my attitude to glorify God. So, I've decided to get rid of my complaining attitude and replace it with one that is much more cheerful (at least on the issue I was going to write about). So, I have been once again exhorted (this time by lyrics in a song) to examine the aspects of my life (the song does say, "all of my life") in the light of eternity, not in the light of the moment or in the light of this world (now there's a scary thought).
"Rejoice in the Lord, I will say it again: Rejoice!" Phil. 4:4

Moose? Mousse?

I saw this 'suggested search' on msn.com and had to laugh: "News: Moose collisions". So, I clicked on it and these are some of the stories that came up:

"Landing in Alaska? Fear moose collisions no more!"

"Airport gets anti-moose mat"

and the best headline?

"Oh deer, traffic getting hazardous" - really about a moose-car collision.

However, if you search on google for "mousse collisions", you get mostly French translation sites. How funny is that?

Okay, you've had your moose for the day.... or is that mousse?????

A story about the US tax system

"Understanding Tax Cuts"
by David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D

Sometimes politicians, journalists, and the liberal left exclaim: "It's just a tax cut for the rick!" and it is just accepted to be fact.
But what does that really mean?
Just in case you are not completely clear on this issue, I hope the following will help. Please read it carefully.
Let's put tax cuts in terms everyone can understand.
Suppose that every day, ten men go out for dinner and the bill for all ten comes to $100.
If they paid their bill the way we pay out taxes, it would go something like this:
The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.
So, that's what they decided to do.
The ten men ate dinner in the restaurant every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve.
"Since you are all such good customers," he said, "I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily meal by $20." Dinner for the ten now cost just $80.
The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still eat for free. But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share'?
They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to eat their meal.
So, the restaurant owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.
And so:
The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paide $2 instead of $3 (33% savings).
The seventh now paid $5 instead of $7 (28% savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).
EAch of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to eat for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.
"I only got a dollar out of the $20," declared the sixth man He pointed to the tenth man, "but he got $10!"
"Yeah, that's right," exclaimed the fifth man. "I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than me!"
"That's true!!" shouted the seventh man. "Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!"
"Wait a minute," yelled the first four men in unison. "We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!"
The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.
The next night the tenth man didn't show up for dinner, so the nine sat down and ate without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!
And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most bnefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start eating overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.
David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D
Professor of Economics
University of Georgia

Poetry redux

So, last night was by far the worst of the semester so far. I absolutely could not sleep. So, I got up and journaled for awhile and wrote some poetry. The last suggestion I received for poetic inspiration was the sunset, so that's what I wrote about.
Only one imagination is big enough to think up the beauty of a sunset.
My pitiful attempts fall far short of describing it adequately.

The sun whispers to me as it leaves the sky:
God willing, I’ll be back in the morning
The bright oranges speak of glory to come:
God willing, tomorrow will be as glorious
The subdued pinks murmur praise:
God willing, we will grace the sky again
The fiery reds shout in exaltation:
God willing, we will always reflect His face
I sing back into the quickly disappearing blue:
God willing, I too.


a blue sky laced with pink ribbons
the fingers of a setting sun
they reach out to grasp, to extend daylight a
little longer
but there is nothing to hold on to and slowly they fade
one final gasp of bright oranges and reds and pinks fills the sky
before the glowing orb takes
the final plunge and disappears


The water nibbles at the sun as it slowly sinks
Until nothing is left
Just the stars and the moon
Points of light in an endless sky

Okay, so it's not the best poetry I've ever written, but what does one expect at midnight?

Musings on Rocky, Coulter, and Miers

I admit, I enjoy the Rocky movies - all five of them (although, I do not advise watching all five of them in a row). However, there comes a point where it gets a little excessive. Sylvester Stallone is 60 years old. And they're going to make a 6th Rocky movie????? Ummm....okay....I will not see it in the theatre (I didn't see any of the others in the theatre, of course, I was only 9 when the last one came out and I wasn't even born when the first came out). I may see it when it comes out on video, but I rather doubt it. Each successive Rocky movie was worse than the previous (the first, obviously, in my opinion, was the best), and I can only imagine what a 6th will be like.

Ann Coulter is offensive. I knew this before, and I don't care for her because of this, but she has personally offended me. Here's the paragraph:
"The average LSAT score at SMU Law School is 155. The average LSAT at Harvard is 170. That's a difference of approximately 1 1/2 standard deviations, a differential IQ experts routinely refer to as "big-ass" or "humongous." Whatever else you think of them, the average Harvard Law School student is very smart. I gather I have just committed a hate crime by saying so."
Now, the issue of Miers to the side, Coulter seems to suggest with this comment that the average person who attends a law schools with lower average LSAT scores is less intelligent than the average graduate from a law school with higher average LSAT scores. She is wrong and I am offended by her suggestion. Some persons choose to go to a school because of other reasons than the school is a top-5 law school. One reason perhaps is that those schools are incredibly expensive to attend. Many law students do not want to spend their short lives after law school working at a heart attack producing rate to pay off loans. Many students want to get out of law school and enjoy the rest of their lives doing a job that they enjoy, not one that makes them unpleasant to be around and makes them want to pull all their hair out. I realize that Coulter's article is directed at Miers' qualifications, and I admit that the fact that she graduated from SMU does not make me want to scream appoint her to the SCOTUS; however, the belief inherent in Coulter's article does make me want to scream confirm her to the SCOTUS so that we can undermine the idea that only Harvard/Yale graduates are worthy of any respect.

On the Miers issue, Peggy Noonan has an interesting article about it. I think I actually agree with her.
Here's the other side of her argument, though, to be fair.

More on Miers: Cal Thomas also has an article on Miers (who doesn't at this point?) - his editorial article is about her faith. He makes several good points about the use of her faith by her supporters (which at this point seem to be only the Bush family and a few faithful - just pointing out what seems to be the case!).

Reflections on the weekend

So, I haven't had a very good weekend - my tires get ripped off and we lose the football game. However, I have some positive thoughts from the weekend. I thought I'd share.
"always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Ephesians 5:20 - this is the verse from the sermon this morning.
The second result of the spirit filled life is thankfulness toward the Father - a thankfulness that flows out of a full heart.
Give thanks for everything. Here's the twist that hit me this morning: not only for the good things (although those are included), not only for the things I wanted or needed (although those are included as well), but for everything. Let me say that again: for EVERYTHING. So, that includes things that I don't want to have happen.
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28
"Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised." Job 1:21.
"When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor...O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!" Psalm 8:3-6, 9.

I really had things put in perspective this morning during the service. Ronnie talked about how we gripe and complain, revealing our prideful carnal natures because it reveals our belief that we deserve more than we have been given. It shows how we disbelieve the truths about God - especially the truth that God provides everything that we need: "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19). Not to mention the fact that what we deserve is hell (as Ronnie succinctly put it). So, I was thinking about it - obviously I should be thankful that, in the griefs and pains in life (that are not to be trivialized, they really do hurt), that infinitely small speck of hell is the only part of hell I will ever have to experience. If that thought doesn't make your heart overflow with thankfulness to the Father, and you are a Christian, we need to check for a pulse :).

At any rate, the weekend is over, school is back in session tomorrow for three days (woo hoo!), so this week should be great! Hope everyone else has as good of a week as I hope to (although, I guess I ought to start my outlines this week - blech).

Oh, I have one more fun story (well, fun in hindsight): I took my car in to get the tires aligned (unfortunately, something I found out this weekend is that tire places do not deliver, so we had to go get the tires and bring them back and put them on the car) yesterday morning. So, they took care of my car, and I went into the tire place to pay, and they told me that one of the trailing arms was bent, preventing them from aligning one of the tires (apparently when the kind thieves left my car up on someone else's rims, they bent it (if you look at the picture on my earlier post of just the tire, you can see the bent trailing arm - I'm assuming everyone out there knows what that is - I had no idea until yesterday)). The guy helping me (not the same guy as Friday, so he didn't know why I had bought new tires) told me all this, and I asked in a rather small voice how much it was going to cost. When he told me, I guess the magnitude of what happened hit me, and I almost started crying. Well, the poor guy got this look on his face that said: "Oh my goodness, there's a girl in the store who is about to lose it, what am I going to do?" At the time, it wasn't that funny, but in retrospect, it was really hilarious. Here I am, thinking about my tires and cost and everything, and this poor guy is trying to help me. I felt really sorry for him. Okay, that's all I've got - have a great Monday!

Fixed!

Well...a few dollars and a few hours later, my car is healthy again. It's a bit upset with me because I promised that I would wash it this afternoon, but I didn't have time, so I promised it that I would wash it in the morning. So, this story is one for the books. My wheels and tires and everything were gone when I went out to my car this morning (as mentioned in the earlier post). So, my cousin Court and his roommate came down to help me go get new tires and put them on my car (the tires and wheels you see in the earlier picture). And I am soooo thankful for their help - I certainly could not have done it myself (although Nicole and I might have been able to, I'm glad we didn't have to find out). So, they came down to Norman, and we went out to Dean's (Court's roommate) truck to go get new tires, and the truck wouldn't start. So, we went and ordered the tires. Then we decided to go to Quizno's for lunch - Quizno's was closed. So we went to Taco Bell instead. Then we went back and tried to start the truck again - no luck. So, we drove to the city to get Court's vehicle while Dean stayed in Norman and called a tow truck and had his truck taken in to get fixed. So, we finally get back, the tire place calls and tells me that my tires are ready. So, we go get the tires, come back to the apartment to put the tires on the car. Get to putting the tires on the car (and figuring out the jack that came with the car was kinda difficult, but that's another story - well, I guess it's part of this story, but I'm not going to go into that here), and realize that we didn't have the allen wrench we needed - we hadn't returned from the tire place with it - they still had it. So, for the third time, while the guys put the rest of the tires on the car, Nicole and I went to the tire store to get the allen wrench. When we got back, the guys were finished with the tires and were merely retightening the lugnuts. So, we took it for a little spin and it felt fine. I'll wash it tomorrow and take it in to have them align the tires or whatever they do with those things when they put new ones. Yay for new tires (except for the cost and the wear on me from putting them on and the distress from realizing they'd been stolen in the first place!). Yay for new tires when you need new tires!

My poor car...

This is the sight that greeted my eyes this morning. Yes, to confirm your belief - this is my car. I was awakened this morning by my roommate asking me where I had parked (keep in mind that I was planning to go to work this morning, and my roommate leaves for work just before I get out of bed). So, I told her, and she said, I was afraid of that. Teresa, they've stolen your tires. So, my first response was...what? A bit disoriented, I put my contacts in and went outside to my car to take my first look at my poor vehicle (what did it ever do to these people?). They took everything: the tires, the wheels (the rims that the car is jacked up on are not mine, they took mine), and the lugnuts - they didn't even have the decency to leave those! Although, they didn't take anything from inside the car - that's a blessing (not that there was really anything to take, I guess). So, this morning I've already talked to the police, the apartment manager, and three tire retailers. This is turning into one expensive semester! To say the least, I haven't made it into work (don't know if I will today). I am so blessed with friends, though, they're all willing to help (the ones who aren't at work, the ones who are at work are all very sympathetic, wishing they could help). I'm very thankful for that! And I've been reminded of Philippians 4:4 - "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"
So, I got to thinking this morning - it could be worse! I could be in New Orleans and the entire car could be under water. They could have taken the entire car. I could not have had a car for them to take in the first place. Amazing how you can put something like this into perspective (don't get me wrong, I'm still not happy about it happening, and the thieves had better hope they never get caught - not that it's likely - they didn't leave prints and what are the odds that the police will get them with no leads? :)).
I'm also watching my all-time favorite movie, "Fiddler on the Roof" - that always cheers me up (that's why I put it in).
I guess the upshot of this entire experience is that I've got one more experience to write about and to stick in my repertoire of memories and fun stories (well, it'll be fun once I get over the shock). I'm still in shock, but I am already missing my rims - I really liked them. Plus, I had those really nice, really expensive low-profile tires on it (can't afford to put those back on - and I wouldn't want to just so someone can steal them again!). So, the car won't look quite as nice after I get the new tires on, but it'll look much nicer than in the picture above!!!!!
The moral? I don't have one - check back later.

What's Next? People paying to use a torture chamber?

I came across this story about a rather remarkable restaurant in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Across the road from Tuol Sleng (the school turned prison during the Khmer Rouge reign of terror from 1975-79), a couple of aspiring restauranteurs have attempted to re-create the atmosphere of the Khmer Rouge with their theme restaurant. I don't know about you, but I'm not so sure that I would pay to sit at a restaurant where waiters and waitresses walk through with the black pajamas that were rampant during Pol Pot's rule of the country. Not to mention the fact that the menu strikes me as a bit odd - rice-water and leaves? Not to mention that the $6 price tag for a meal is a bit high for the country. Although, I suppose for foreigners wanting to learn about the history of the country, it might not be so bad. I don't expect to partake of it any time soon, though!

Awakened at the End of September!

Well, it's the end of September, so everyone who was waiting for the end of September to wake up (Green Day :)) can wake up!
So, I decided to write some thoughts at the end of the month. Here's the list:
1. Wednesday, or maybe Sunday night (or maybe even last Saturday morning), I was hit by a wave of nostalgia. I started thinking about childhood and the crazy things that my siblings and I did and about high school (as fun as it was, I really wouldn't want to do it again - college, maybe, high school, never). Anyway, I started thinking about how that time in my life really shaped how I am today. Although, I rather think I prefer to be on this side of it looking back than going through it again (don't mishear me, I really enjoy the experiences when they happen, but sometimes it's better to be looking back at them). And then I started thinking about how great I have it and how much God has blessed me. I have two parents who are just full of sense (now, at least, when I was in high school, they didn't make much sense to me - I must be getting old), two siblings who are unbelievably talented and intelligent and who are just a joy to be around (I haven't seen either of them in awhile, so that might have something to do with my warm feelings!), friends who support me and without whom I would definitely not be in the place I am (although, they're probably getting really tired of watching Law and Order with me!), and a wonderful church family. And, to top all that off, God has allowed me the privilege of dating a terrific, honorable guy who not only puts up with all my whining about law school, he puts up with the fact that I've gone off the deep end when it comes to the law. There are not enough hours in the day to relate all I've been blessed with, I've just named a few - a few of my treasures (Matt. 6:19-21).
2. I promised Court that I would use the word 'palpable' in one of my next posts. I fully intended to use it in last night's, but I completely forgot! So, here we go (and don't worry, there will be a way to use it that doesn't just give the word and a sentence using the word :)). Last night, I taught some people how to flowchart legal ideas. The rampant fear in the law school emanating from the 1L class is palpable. Ahh, I remember that year (how could I forget? It was only last year!). The late night studying, the cram sessions with my study group, the absolutely terrifying finals that loomed over me like Hurricane Rita loomed over Houston (of course, Hurricane Rita didn't hit Houston and finals hit me like a ton of bricks, so I'm not sure of the aptness of the analogy), the dread as we waited for grades to come out (although, that was a couple of weeks into the second semester - let me tell you, it would not be easy to quietly withdraw from law school after first semester grades come out - it's too late in the second semester). Ahhhh, how well do I remember last September. Of course, now it's easy to idealize, I'm sure it was worse than what I've described ;).
3. So, we're 6 weeks into the semester and I've got three complaints: 1. I haven't started my outlines yet. Now, this may not seem like such a bad thing, but since I've got other stuff going on this semester, I had planned to start a little early this year. Oh well, maybe next week. 2. I still don't understand a. what's going on in one of my classes and b. how this class is going to help me in the long run. I understand why I have to take it, but I don't understand how it will be helpful. 3. I'm taking the MPRE in November and I'm a bit scared of it (the same sort of palpable fear that is emanating from the 1L class!)
4. The new Law and Order season has begun! Many of you out there will not care. Many of you out there will think I'm a big nerd. Many of you will be right ;). (notice that I use the word 'you' in a very general, all-the-world sense rather than just directing this at the people who read my posts.) But, regardless of the many, I soldier on in the new season! What I like about Law and Order is that the longer I am in law school, the more flaws I see in it. I like to think of a good Tuesday or Wednesday night watching L&O (as it is affectionately called) as an issue-spotting exercise. The questions that come up? Can the police do that (many times yes, but I am a big fan of the 4th, 5th, and 6th Amendments, call me a civil libertarian)? Is that the real way a trial is conducted? Oh the fun! (of course, I also like the story lines and seeing what happens, and, of course, the 'Jack McCoy moments' (for the older crowd, these are analogous to 'Perry Mason moments').) All you law students know what I'm talkin' 'bout!
5. Work - first of all, this is the type of stuff I could do my entire life - I really like the law - it's always changing and yet never changing. Quite the paradox, wouldn't you say? Allow me to explain. The courts, regardless of your judicial philosophy, do make the common law. And this, my friends, is not a bad thing. So, in one sense, it is changing as judges decide cases and controversies (U.S. Constitution, Article III). On the other hand, from time immemorial, people have always had some system of dispute resolution (the fact that we in America have chosen the adversarial, legal profession route is merely a result of our social contract theory, etc.). So, we've always kinda had some sort of law, and it's always kinda made sense to us (us being the people using it - although, I'd bet that the law in this country doesn't make sense to a lot of people). And speaking of the law, one of my professors mentioned the other day the difference between statutes drafted by lawyers and statutes drafted by legislators (I know, I know, many of them are lawyers - but most of them don't practice!). Take a look at the UCC for example, place it beside a contemporary piece of legislation and see if you can't figure out which is superior (the UCC, by the way, is only law because the Legislature says it is, so don't go saying that lawyers make law too!)! The second thing I love about this profession is that I'm always learning something. Last week, I had no idea what one would have to plead for a bailment claim (oddly enough, I did know what bailment was - thank you Professor Oldfather!), now, I feel like somewhat of an expert! I love that! Not to mention the fact that if you are going to use something in a case (for ex. some scientific evidence), you have to know it like the back of your hand (speaking of, have you talked to the back of your hand lately? If not, you might not know it as well as you think you do) because you are going to have to know what questions to ask! (plus, if the other side is calling one of these witnesses, you are going to have to know what to ask on cross!).
6. Church - I am really missing iMPACT on Monday nights (not that it's church). I really enjoyed getting together with a bunch of people for fellowship and prayer. Only 10 or so more weeks! I am also really enjoying Ronnie's messages on Ephesians. (of course, I've been enjoying them for over a year now, so I'm not really sure that this should go with the 'end of September' theme - not that there's really much of a flow in this post anyway!)
7. This blog - I have really enjoyed posting on this puppy this year (even though I only started in June). So, I suppose I should thank Kevin for throwing me off his and forcing me to find my own forum. I'm not so sure that everyone has always enjoyed reading it, but that's not the point, is it? (if it is, someone tell me so I can revamp how I'm doing this)
8. Grammar - (and words in general) - how great is the English language? Granted, it would be better if we were all at least bi-lingual, but I really like the English language. So many fun words out there to use and to define (like 'palpable' - what a great word!).
9. It's getting dark earlier - I don't really classify this as a good or a bad thing - it just is. I like the evenings, since it's getting cooler, so I guess it's a good thing. I don't get up early enough to watch the sun rise, so I guess watching the sun set is just as enjoyable. Maybe more so, but I haven't gotten around to writing any poetry about it yet.
and, finally, 10. You - the reader! It's the end of September, and if you've stayed with this post this long, I commend you and ask that you have your head examined ;). Once again, I have rambled on and on and you have put up with it and read the insanity (unless you just scrolled down to the bottom to see how long this post was - shame on you!). Everyone have a great weekend!

In the news...

Okay, so this may be a litte bit of a rant, but what else have I ever written? :)
First - I have been against the project of putting a dome on the Oklahoma Capitol building since it was started. The argument I've always run into is: "it's being done with private donations." Fine, I've got little problem with that (although, I still think that they could use that money in better ways). But, I found out on the news last night that there is still $5 million to pay, and guess who is putting up that cabbage? You and Me - that's right, the taxpayers are paying the last $5 million on a dome paid for by private donations. I'm a bit upset by this, if you couldn't tell.
Then, I was driving to work yesterday, listening to talk radio (I've really got to stop listening to it, it just makes me mad). Jerry Doyle was on and he said that the best thing that could happen for this country would be that Tom DeLay gets tried, convicted, and led to jail in handcuffs on national television. Now, if DeLay is guilty, I've got no problem with that - arrest him and throw him in the slammer (I'm not going to line up to defend him, I don't know any of the details). But, can we have a trial first? Something in my head tells me that there's something in the Constitution that covers this situation. Ahh, yes, here it is, the sneaky 6th Amendment: "In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury..." (emphasis mine). In other words, an indictment is not carte blanche to throw someone in jail. An indictment (by a Democrat prosecutor, just to throw in the party classification, and keep in mind that the prosecutor has lots of control over a grand jury because he/she is the only one presenting evidence) is not evidence of guilt, nor is it a verdict of guilty. So, let's just hold onto our ponies for a few minutes, okay?
The other thing that bothers me about this DeLay thing is the prosecutor's apparent willingness to have the press make a movie about the investigation before DeLay has been brought to
trial, much less convicted! Okay, that was one of my huge problems with the O.J. Simpson trial - it was all on television and the judge was playing to the cameras the entire time.

In other news:
The Senate confirmed Roberts as your 17th Chief Justice this morning by a vote of 78-22. Here's my theory about the 22 nay votes. They were made for one of several reasons:
1. Barbara Boxer's reasoning: I don't know enough about his views on abortion (definition: the killing of unborn children), so obviously he is pro-life and I cannot vote for him.
2. Harry Reid's reasoning: I need, as the leader of the Democratic Party (at least in the Legislature, Howard Dean has unfortunately not disappeared yet - although, we haven't heard much from him lately - did he comment on Katrina?), to send a message to the Republican Party that we will filibuster if they allow someone more conservative to come through.
3. Hillary Clinton's reasoning: I'm running for president in a couple of years, I need the support of my party, Harry Reid is voting no, I'm having a bad hair day today (when is she not? I can't really say that - that's an ad hominem attack - I apologize), and my pantyhose has a run in it, obviously I cannot vote yea on this.
4. Mary Kay Letourneau's reasoning: he's not young enough. (I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself, I thought of it and had to write it).
and 5. Justice Souter's reasoning: He's competition and I may not be able to steal his house (see Kelo v. Connecticutt).

Okay, that's your fun stuff for today (although, more may follow), enjoy!

Gandhi

Well, I never really thought I'd write a post on Mahatma Gandhi, and I'm really not going to do so here. But, I did find a very interesting article on the move "Gandhi." And, so I thought, in the interest of allowing people to educate themselves and feeding the insatiable historian in myself, I would post this article. The article contains many things that I never knew about the man (not that I ever knew much), and many comments on the movie. It's kinda long, so if you're not at all interested in knowing about Gandhi or how historically inaccurate the movie is, don't bother. However, if you are interested, I think this is at least a good place to start.

I'm ba-ack!

Preliminary note: the title of this post is not to be read in an Arnold Schwartzenegger voice.
Another preliminary note: Justin, it's been longer since you've posted on yours than it has been since I have, so shush on your complaints (and I don't want to hear any whining about you trying to post but being unable to) .

Okay, preliminary notes finished, let me explain the title: I have made it through the wall, pushed it over or gone over it or something and have started freaking out about the fact that I don't have all the reading for next week finished already! (and it's only Wednesday....although, Monday night I could have sworn yesterday was going to be Thursday :)). What can I say, lately I've had the attention span of a 5-year old!

On to some interesting thoughts from today (and perhaps from yesterday, I can't promise none of those will creep in):
First, DeLay has been indicted. Not a huge shocker in my opinion, but still something that will have huge repercussions on Capitol Hill and for President Bush's agenda. Of course, that all remains to be seen.
Okay, caught up on current events, we turn our eyes to some things I thought it might be interesting to discuss. I had a realization this morning while I was listening to KOMA that made me rethink my bias against contemporary singers. (Don't worry, my bias against American Idol is still there and healthy.) I started thinking about the fact that I like all these older singers who didn't necessarily write their own songs and who didn't play instruments. Here's what I came up with for a distinction, however: they had talent. So, I came to the conclusion that there are some in every time frame who are going to be worth listening to regardless of their ability to play an instrument or write his/her own songs just because he/she has talent. On the other hand, there will always be some who are not worth listening to because they can't write their own songs, can't play instruments, and face it, they just don't have any talent. (the question then arises, why do there seem to be more of them now than in times past? Or is that just me remembering a 'golden-era' of good music that never really existed?)

Okay, that's enough of that. Here's the realization from this morning's criminal procedure class: as I get further into this legal education, I see more of the flaws of the system. A couple of months ago, I wrote about the fact that our legal system had a tendency to attempt to imitate the Almighty's perfect justice and perfect mercy, and I still believe that. However, I was sitting in criminal procedure reading cases about the 4th Amendment (right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures), and the civil libertarian in me started to protest. I am not, by the way, a liberal, I am a conservative. I also believe that law enforcement has to be able to do its job. However, I get really bothered by the ways the police have around the 4th Amendment to search anyone's vehicle, etc. The cases you read really aren't that sympathetic, because it really does only come up where someone has been convicted of something, and so I have a tendency to think, well, they deserved it anyway. But, I have a difficult time coming to the conclusion that we must sacrifice our Constitutional protections in order to effectively investigate people. I have become a terrible person to watch Law & Order with because I have a tendency to get angry at the police characters in that show for not respecting a suspect's Constitutional rights and then getting upset at the prosecutor for not being able to get the illegally gained evidence in at trial. See, I'm getting upset thinking about it. Well, here's my comment on that - if you want the evidence to be admissible, get it legally! There are plenty of ways to get it legally, trust me. (there is also a problem with the law enforcement here in Oklahoma - not all law enforcement, but it seems to be more pervasive than we might think)
Must get off that topic! Okay, that's all I've got for today (sorry about the rambling, I decided to try out the stream of consciousness writing here).

The Wall

I have hit It. The Wall. And I'm not talking about the Great Wall of China. I am talking about the Wall that has been erected in the middle of every semester of law school. I have run head on into it without a helmet every semester so far. To those of you who are in law school, you will understand. Those of you who are too close to a law student might be able to understand, and probably can, but let me explain it to you anyway. This Wall (I refer to it personally because we have gotten to be acquaintances, never friends because it is more adversarial than that, but we have gotten to know each other over the last year and a half) is an unfortunate lack of motivation. I am sitting in the torts class, in which I am a TA (so to speak), freezing (because they keep this building way too cold) and thinking about how much I have to do this week and not wanting to do any of it. I know this week I will be pressed for time, but who cares? I have hit the Wall, my friends, I have hit the Wall. Here's the other problem with the Wall - apparently every semester it is erected earlier. My first semester I made it through at least 9 weeks without hitting it; second semester, probably 7 weeks....here we are in the 5th week of school in my third semester and I've already hit It. At this rate, by the time I get to my last semester, I will hit it during Christmas break! Okay, that's my rant for today.

Ice Cream, Islam, and 'Tolerance'

Okay, normally (since when did I start calling myself normal?), I wouldn't post twice this closely, but I found this article and really had no choice. I figured if I buried it in my much longer earlier post, no one would read it, but it's hilarious, in my opinion. Burger Kings in the UK had to remove their ice cream machines because....here's a guess, there was some indication that they were unsafe - some employee had stuck his finger in it and it got chopped off and that incident prompted a general recall for safety and health reasons? No....if that was your guess, you were wrong. The real reason? The lid on the ice cream machine resembled the Arabic inscription for Allah. That's right - a Muslim threatened jihad, whatever that means in the context of offensive behavior from Burger King. Wow have we all gotten sensitive or something. I found that article on the tongue-tied website (linked on the right), and just had to comment on it. You know, dipping a crucifix in urine is considered art in the United States, so maybe BK should truck all their restaurants in the UK back on over here.

Judge Roberts and other stuff

This is a picture of East Jerusalem. I can't figure out how to put a picture at the bottom of the posting, so you can look at it at the beginning :).

Nothing much is going on right now: the Roberts confirmation hearings are over and no one knows when the Senate will vote on his appointment. So, in the absence of having anything interesting to say about Capitol Hill, let's move on to other topics.

Gas prices are rapidly declining. However, it doesn't look like they will ever return to those halcyon days of 1.50 prices. I could be wrong, but I don't expect it.

Someone has finally sued "Extreme Makeover" because they refused to make her pretty. Actually, the complaint alleges a little more than that - not only did they refuse to make her pretty, they caused her sister to commit suicide. This is an article you have to read to believe. I'd rather like to follow the case and see whether some judge throws it out for failure to state a claim. (on a 12(b)(6) for all you crazy law students out there!)

Here's an interesting thing about Roberts: Mayor Bloomberg of NYC opposes his appointment because, get this, he can't tell if Roberts would be for or against a woman's right to choose whether or not to have a baby. My roommate and I discussed this last night, and I want to issue a small challenge to all 'pro-choice' persons out there: would someone, in a civil manner without hysterically pointing to the possibility that some woman will be dragged into a back alley to get an abortion or the right of a woman to have autonomy over her own body, please explain to me how not having the right to an abortion keeps women from having the right to decide whether or not to have a child? And no pointing to the rape victims either - that's a discussion for another day.
Speaking of abortion: I found this great article that talks about the fact that actions have consequences, and we wouldn't expect to be able to eat as much as we please without possible health and weight problems; nor would we expect to not eat at all and not have serious health consequences. I really wish I could find the article, but I can't, so you'll have to take it on faith that it was a good article. Bottom line: actions and choices have consequences, there are some you wouldn't dream of getting out of (because of the impossibility), so why do we expect to get out of these?

OU football: there are reasons to be comforted even in the face of two seemingly insurmountable losses. However, we will probably be lucky to win 6 games this season. If Bomar keeps getting better (I concede that this week was an exponential improvement over the last game) and we can get rid of stupid mistakes, we may not be too bad at the end of the season. [I'm not as hopeful as some people I've talked to, though - we still look pretty bad.] And look out next year after these players get some playing time in! And, in OU news, apparently the coaches have decided to play Paul Thompson as a WR. How do you go through spring training, an entire summer, and fall practices and not know that the guy you have starting the first game at QB shouldn't be there?

And, who believes Iran when they say they don't have any and are not seeking the technology to create any nuclear weapons? (and get this: it's because the religion prohibits it - someone find me that sura in the Koran)

I'll leave everyone with this verse this afternoon: "Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!"

Complaint

I am going to register a complaint against blogging. I enjoy writing my opinions and linking to all types of news stories and all that, but I have one (I may have more, but this is the one I can think of at the moment) big complaint about it. There is very little discussion! I am the type of person who (1) learns by discussion; (2) loves to hear other people's opinions on things; and (3) will argue about anything (this point is likely to generate not a little commenting). So, what's my problem with blogging? Well, not to impugn my regularly reading and commenting (thanks everyone :)) readers, but there are very few discussions about anything I post. Now, this, I concede, may very well be my fault because I don't post nearly enough 'discussion-worthy' topics. And, since I don't comment on too many other people's blogs nearly often enough, I extend my most abject apologies for complaining about this. I think, however, that it is also a question of numbers - the more people reading any one thing, the more discussion it is bound to generate. (what has been so interesting to me so far is that the posts I think will generate debate rarely do, while the ones I think have very little to do with anything worthwhile (i.e. the band names post) have, for some odd reason, generated the most responses - weird)

So, in an attempt to fix what I see as a problem, I am going to try to post more 'discussion-worthy' topics. I don't know how to fix any of the other parts of this problem, so I guess I'll have to leave them alone for now. Either that or quit blogging in favor of having actual real live discussions with people that don't involve a keyboard.

However, there is one bright side to my complaint: what I do like about blogging is that when discussions do happen to get started, while there is ample opportunity for people to be rude and mean and slanderous and everything else that goes along with that, there is no opportunity to interrupt. (all the people who have ever had an argument with me may be surprised that I like this about blogging because I have a terrible habit of interrupting people when I think I'm right and they are wrong - but, contrary to popular belief, I do enjoy a good, civil, non-raised voices discussion where people are allowed to finish their thoughts and then have them commented upon). The other side of the no opportunity to interrupt is that you have the argument laid out before you, not on a page with disappearing ink, so that you can respond point by point to all the contentions. That, in my humble opinion, is both good and bad (because invariably, if you're the one making the argument, you will leave something out; but, if you are the one refuting the argument, you have ample opportunity to think about it).
Okay, well, that's all I've got for today except:
I took my car in to get it fixed and it's going to cost me a pretty penny (that's even minus the 4 other things they found wrong with it! And about the phrase 'pretty penny' - where did that come from anyway?). But, on the bright side - gas prices are coming down!