State of the Union (My Version)

State of the (Dis) Union: 2005 

Mr. Speaker, Vice President Cheney, Members of Congress, Members of the Supreme Court and diplomatic corps, distinguished guests, and fellow citizens:

Today our Nation lost a beloved, graceful, courageous woman who called America to its founding ideals and carried on a noble dream. Tonight we are comforted by the hope of a glad reunion with the husband who was taken from her so long ago, and we are grateful for the good life of Coretta Scott King.
*All italicized text is from the President’s State of the Union address.

I come to you today as your humble servant. All Americans deserve honorable and competent leadership. And though I have done my very best, I have not always fulfilled your expectations. But I will not apologize; I will only pledge to do better. (Applause.)

Therefore, I support for ethical reforms in Washington. We need fundamental changes. Political parties, Congress, and the White House have all been tarnished with undue influence. The American public deserves better, and I promise to do all I can to restore your trust in the federal government.

In a system of two parties, two chambers, and two elected branches, there will always be differences and debate. But even tough debates can be conducted in a civil tone, and our differences cannot be allowed to harden into anger. To confront the great issues before us, we must act in a spirit of good will and respect for one another – and I will do my part. Tonight the state of our Union is strong – and together we will make it stronger. (Applause.)

To maintain the strength and stability of our union, we all must work diligently to solve the problems that continue to plague this great nation. Millions are without health care, Social Security is weak, and America is too dependant on fossil fuels. We must take bold and deliberate steps to make America stronger. We must act now, before crisis makes our task more difficult. (Applause)

I need to take this opportunity to thank Sandra Day O’Connor for her 25 years of service on the Supreme Court. She was an outstanding jurist. Few Supreme Court justices have been as influential as Justice O’Connor. Her opinions respected the principle of stare decisis without recklessly abandoning the principle of equity. A grateful nation thanks you. (Applause)

Fellow citizens, we have been called to leadership in a period of consequence. We have entered a great ideological conflict we did nothing to invite. We see great changes in science and commerce that will influence all our lives. And sometimes it can seem that history is turning in a wide arc, toward an unknown shore.

Yet the destination of history is determined by human action, and every great movement of history comes to a point of choosing. Lincoln could have accepted peace at the cost of disunity and continued slavery. Martin Luther King could have stopped at Birmingham or at Selma, and achieved only half a victory over segregation. The United States could have accepted the permanent division of Europe, and been complicit in the oppression of others. Today, having come far in our own historical journey, we must decide: Will we turn back, or finish well?


My fellow Americans, we shall move this nation forward.

Len Pasquarelli: Abe Froman's Lost Brother?

The consensus around the league has been that, since most teams believe the Eagles will release Owens before they must pay him bonuses totaling $7.5 million in March, the trade market for him would be blunted. Eagles coach Andy Reid insisted during Senior Bowl all-star game practices last week, though, that several teams had indicated an interest in having trade talks.

From a recent Pasquarelli story: Shanahan hosts get-acquainted meeting with T.O.

Hmmmm, I wonder if he was thinking about Nate Newton's recent confessions? A 300 pound man with 400 pounds of weed Whatever the case, not the best choice of words considering the spate of athletes with drug problems.

Upon further reflection, Len Pasquarelli looks more like Don Vito:


I realize this post is incoherent at best, and full of non-sequiturs. I was just surprised by the Len’s choice of words, and his dopplegangers.

That's the best part of having a blog; possessing the power to make people like you read about some of the weirdness that floats through my brain.

Can global domination be far behind?

It Could Be Worse...

Ooops-ie  

The Steve Bartman of the art world.
Hope they have plenty of crazy glue

* What to give some publicity to my friend and fellow Minneapolitan “The Contrarian.” He has entered the blogging fray with a look at the cultural chasm separating Minneapolis from St. Paul. Welcome aboard, and happy blogging.

FOX and Hound

Red-state news  

I came home today and turned on the TV. While flipping through the channels I stopped on FOX news. I soon lost interest and started reading blogs. The FOX news continued to drone-on in the background.

Two events jolted my attention away from my favorite blogs:

1. A 60 second clip of Scott McClellan being a smarmy-smartass.

FOX news showed Mr. McClellan making a smart-alec comment about Senator Kerry. (Not that Senator Kerry didn’t deserve some criticism for suggesting he may seek an Alito-nomination filiabuster while he was in the Swiss Alps) Just the way Scott-y said it bothered me. Emblematic of the whole administration, he took a personal shot at Kerry, acting like a six-grader who was very impressed with himself.

I realized nothing displays a media-outlet’s bias more than which McClellan clips they choose to show.

AND...

2. A Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life commercial showing a female firefighter “testifying” how she was glad her mother decided not to have an abortion.

Read about the ad compaign here

Now the whole abortion debate is unlikely to be settled anytime in the near future. And as a man, I always feel like my opinions are less-relevant anyway. But this commercial bothers me because the woman telling the emotional story is an actress. If the MCCL wants to make the point it sets out to make, it should at least find a real person. I guess even the MCCL realizes that sex sells. (The actress is a good looking blonde woman)

Haven’t they learned anything from the whole James Frey incident?

Springing Through Winter

MMmmm, Mmmm, mmmm Toasty  

Global warming exists… and those of us in Minnesota couldn’t be happier about it. We have a shot at a high of 50 today. Forties are usually unheard of in late January, let alone fifties. I think I’m going to pick up a couple of salmon fillets and a six-pack of Corona on the way home and fire up my grill.



While I believe global warming is a serious global problem, the Minnesotan in me says bring-it-on.

Mystery Machine?

Scooby Doobie Doo...  

Where is Scooby Doo? Apparently he likes the wintry-wonderland of NE Minneapolis. (At the corner of Lowry and Stinson.)



Just thought I would post some fluff on the most depressing day of the year.

Milton Says...

Staplers, I Don't Need No Stinking Staplers... 

Interesting article in the Star Tribune about the new Public Radio music station: 89.3 The Current

Bush & Abramoff: The New Clinton & Lewinski

Honor & Dignity?  

In 2000, George Bush “promised to "restore honor and dignity to the White House."” Having found faith himself, and knowing that his presidential hopes were dependent on wide support from faith-based groups, he emphasized moral character throughout his campaign. Bush galvanized his Christian support by playing-up the sinful ways of a philandering president Clinton. It is hard to imagine any issue that could have been a more effective political tool for conservatives.

The problem, “power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

Great Article by Bill Press: Connecting the dots

Bush has fallen. He has lied, broke the law, and has generally failed to to live up to any measure of “honor or dignity.” It is one thing to make a mistake, it is another to vow not to make a mistake and yet still stumble.

Bush has reacted to questions about Jack Abramoff in the same way that Clinton reacted to Monica Lewinski speculation. Both presidents attempted to maintain their innocence in the face of mounting piles of evidence to the contrary. While Clinton, a man of intellectual sophistication and charisma, attempted to play mind-games with his pursuers; Bush as resorted to faux-principled indignation about even being accused of malfeasence in his presidential duties.

I'm Famous

City Pages Gives Me 15 Minutes 

City Pages Showing The MN Life Some Love

They made "The MN Life" the blog of the day on my birthday.

My Last Semester: Round 1

School days, school days...  

The first week of spring semester 2006 is almost in the books. I have Tax I, Evidence, Criminal Process (CrimPro II), and two seminars: Death Penalty and Tax Policy. All in all, this week was not a bad start to my final semester as a legal-gargoyle in the Mondale dungeon.

My Tax professor is teaching the class for the first time, which could be good or bad. But he is most definitely a push-over. This is key, considering Tax is the first class of the day and I am not always punctual. (Ambular can attest to the love I repeatedly shower-on my snooze button.) He seems like an uber-nice guy, the kind of professor who will go out of his way to save a student from in-class embarrassment. I bet I could raise my hand and say “pink turtles taste like strawberries” and he would say something like “interesting point, but not exactly what I was looking for.”

My Evidence professor is the exact opposite. He looks like a TV lawyer, always in a shirt, tie, V-neck sweater, jeans, and tweed jacket. Peering over reading glasses, eyes set under a head of slivery-grey hair. Think a casual, but serious Sam Waterston.

While going-over the administrative details of the class, he drops a couple bombs on us. “If your cell phone rings during class I will drop your final grade down a level,” he pronounces. No problem, I always keep my phone on vibrate anyway. Actually I was glad he said it; I don’t think it is asking too much for people to be considerate with their cell phones.

Then he throws out, “Oh, and no internet either.”

What?! Come again?

“If I catch anyone staring-off into the nether-regions of the internet I reserve the right to make you stand-up, and cross-examine you about what you’re doing on the internet and what we are doing in class.”

As a third year law student, accessing the internet during class is like breathing. I’ve been checking my email, reading blogs, and avoiding boredom through the magic of internet since my first day of law school. Why would the powers-that-be install a wireless network if they didn’t want us to use it? I can’t think of a reason, and therefore I surf unapologetically.

Now I’ll have to resort to feigning attention and/or taking notes. This is going to be a long semester.

Weekend Wrap-up

MLK Jr.  

Here are a few thoughts that are rolling around in my head today:

1. Have an inspired Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. day. Yesterday would have been Dr. King’s 77th birthday; I wonder what he would say today?

2. Tomorrow is the first day of my last semester of school…EVER. Hard to believe I will have spent twenty years (12+5(college)+3) in school, and no one will call me doctor. My parents must be so proud.

3. Pittsburg vs. Indianapolis = unbelievable football. (Here’s the game summary if you want to read it) So many great stories, I had a hard time deciding who to root against. Jerome Bettis needs to send a box of steaks and a case of wine to Mike Vanderjagt and Ben Rothlesburger. Bettis’ hall-of-fame career would have been tarnished by an anti-storybook ending had: 1) Rothlesburger not made a great tackle, and/or 2) Vanderjagt made the field goal. Mike Vanderjagt, meet Scott Norwood. Finally, even Pittsburg fans have to feel a little sorry for Tony Dungy.

4. File this under “Better to be lucky than good,” and “Politicians will do anything for a vote.” Is Finland Laughing at Conan O’Brien?: Mock endorsement of president puts host in political crosshairs

5. Is anyone out there watching the “Flavor of Love”? Who would have guessed that there are beautiful women this desperate to be on TV?(ahem)Where did this “Flavor Flav Mania” come from? Not to be a hater, but he’s short, he always appears to be somewhat drunk, and his style is gaudier than Sha-Sha Gabor and Elton John combined. Don’t get me wrong, Flavor Flav was an A-lister in his day. (roughly 1985-1991) But Public Enemy hasn’t done anything in the last decade. And Flav has been little more than a “Celebreality” star in recent years.

However he did it, you have to give Flav credit. He has reinvented himself, thereby making “FLAV-ER-FLAV!” culturally relevant again. B,C,D, and E list celebrities take note, Flav has shown you the way to harness the power of reality TV to bring-back the spotlight.

Comedic Gold:
Flavor Flav’s “Taste Trial” Miller Lite commercial


YEAAAA BOYYYY!

What Does Patriotism Mean Anymore?

Express an opinion, and the personal attacks follow.  

John Murtha’s (D-PA) purple hearts are being questioned by David Thibault, editor in chief of the Cybercast News Service. Thibault “said the issue of Murtha's medals from 1967 is relevant now ‘because the congressman has really put himself in the forefront of the antiwar movement.’ Thibault said: ‘He has been placed by the Democratic Party and antiwar activists as a spokesman against the war above reproach.’”*

*From a Washington Post on-line article: Web Site Attacks Critic of War

Once again, proof positive that conservatives (like liberals) will criticize an individual for political gain. Neither conservatives nor liberals are able to keep the public debate above the belt anymore. But nothing gets my dander-up quite like the faux-principled indignation that conservatives often spout.

For conservatives, who portend to be all about patriotism and military service, to question the service records of John Kerry (Swift Boat for Veterans) and John Murtha is down right despicable. Especially in the case of Murtha who was, until his recent anti-war comments, highly respected by both Republicans and Democrats alike. This attempt to soil Murtha’s record is based on nothing more than an off-hand comment he made years ago. So why make it an issue now? Because conservatives see Murtha as a threat. This attack on a reputable anti-war advocate is driven by pure and shameful malice.

If we can fire demeaning accusations at veterans when they advocate contradictory opinions, patriotism means nothing more than cheering for those who agree with your point of view.

Oh This Can't Be Good

Glow in the dark pigs. (Photo credit: BBC.co.uk) 

Green Eggs?...And Ham?

I Knew It: Tupac Is Alive

California Love 

Video of Tupac Alive

I'm not a big conspiracy-theorist. But there is something about Tupac that makes you want to believe he’s alive. In some ways, Tupac is the “Black Elvis.”

Just as Elvis’ fans kept their hope alive, the Tupac faithful fill tons of web-space with volumes of speculation. Somebody Really Likes Tupac

And Tupac’s “estate” has released these albums since his death on Friday, September 13, 1996:

Makaveli— The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory
R U Still Down?
Greatest Hits
Still I Rise (with Outlawz)
The Lost Tapes: Circa 1989
The Rose that Grew from Concrete
Until the End of Time
Better Dayz

Whether or not you believe Tupac is dead, it’s fascinating that so many, believe so strongly, that Tupac lives.

Alito's Skeleton: CAP

Alito's Princeton Yearbook Picture (Photo Credit: Daily Princetonian) 

Alito’s connection to Concerned Alumni of Princeton (CAP) is by far the most scandalous tidbit to come out of the hearings. CAP, for those not familiar, is an organization that seeks to return Princeton to an all rich white male institution. (Here is a link: The Nation: "Alito's CAP Connection" if you want to read more about CAP.)

Alito has done a great job of ducking and side-stepping the problems his CAP association present. He claimed he does not remember ever being an “active member,” or why he listed his CAP membership on a Regan administration job application. Democratic Senators have tried to pierce the “I don’t remember veil,” but to no avail.

Now most people have, from time to time, listed a fringe affiliation or embellished past job responsibilities on a job application or resume. If Alito merely added CAP to his resume to impress potential employers, it could be overlooked. But he refused to directly answer a question to that effect, sticking with the “I don’t remember” schpiel. (See: Bill Clinton's: “I didn’t inhale” defense)

So at best, our next Supreme Court justice embellished his resume. At worst Alito harbors inner-distain for women and minorities. I really hope he just fudged his resume, but my gut feeling is the truth lies somewhere in between.

Who knows what kind of Justice Alito will become. Either way, he looks like a lock to be confirmed. I just hope the Robert’s Court will not be as conservative as advertised.

Who Is The Real Alito?

Alito (photo credit: CNN.com) 

I was lucky enough to catch most of the Alito confirmation hearings today. Two and a half years of law school turned me into a complete policy-wonk. And Supreme Court confirmation proceedings reveal the current (and future) battlefields of partisan conflict. Senators conduct debates with each other, ricocheting ideals and opinions off the nominee at each other.

So far the Samuel Alito confirmation hearings have lived up to expectations, Alito has been attacked by the left, and defended by the right. And neither the left nor the right has done a very good job. Alito quickly and effectively brushed aside the best dirt flung by the Democrats. And Senator Orin Hatch lead Alito’s defense with chants of: “He’s a regular guy, he’s from the lower middle-class.”

Personally, I am impressed with his overall record, but I am afraid Alito will be an activist conservative Supreme Court justice. While his legal opinions are nearly impeccable, some of Alito’s comments in speeches and informal writings evidence an extremely conservative mindset. As an appellate level judge, Alito was constrained by the possibility having an opinion overturned. Once on the Supreme Court Alito will be virtually unbounded, confined by the vague-threat of impeachment alone.

More commentary to come; in the meantime… what’s your opinion on Judge Alito?

One Sexy Tree

What do you see? 

It kind of looks like the Dave Matthews' "fire dancer."