A LEGAL WALL OR A TURF WAR?
I finished reading The Looming Tower, and Dean Barnett was right: it was very good.
One thing I am curious about is the wall between the CIA and the FBI. I had always understood it to be a legal thing, that the two branches were forbidden to share intel. But this book makes it sound more like a turf war instead, that some of the more egotistical officers intentionally withheld information from each other because they didn't like the other branch's approach.
Does anyone know more about this, or have links they could point me to? In reading Ashcroft's book last year, I never got the sense that our intelligence gatherers were being petty and tribal. But this book gave that impression.
"The wall generally forbidding intelligence agents from communicating with their criminal counterparts was a suicidally excessive way to ensure that what little information intelligence agents were permitted to pass would be admissible in court. This is the product of a mindset that insists, beyond all reason and common sense, that terrorism is just a law-enforcement problem. The object of a rational counterterrorism approach is to prevent mass murder from happening in the first place, not to improve your litigating posture for the indictment you return after thousands of people have been slaughtered."
Posted by: jw at January 26, 2010 11:29 AM (spEu4)
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Thanks, jw! I was wondering what the rationale for the wall was.
As for the CIA and FBI being "petty and tribal," those traits seem hardwired into the human species. Our team won't help your team. Our team doesn't need help for your team. But aren't both teams supposed to be part of Team America?
Posted by: Amritas at January 26, 2010 01:26 PM (+nV09)
SO MANY PICTURES
I am prone to mushiness these days, so perhaps it's not surprising that looking at photos of my husband and me from last summer before he left for Afghanistan would make me all sentimental.
He hates having his picture taken. Hates it. And yet he lets me do it constantly. He poses and fake smiles for me, and every once in a while I get a real smile or a smirk that only he can make. Those are the photos I like to look at when he's gone, to see his grimaces and laughter, the faces he makes every day. The real him.
We had so much fun in Las Vegas. When we were there, AWTM called and said she was envious...that we were still just a couple, that we could jet off to Vegas whenever we wanted. She said she and her husband took a trip shortly before SR was born, and that they still talk about it and what a great trip it was, just the two of them. And that because my husband was leaving and I was supposed to be doing IVF while he was gone, that this too was our last trip just as a couple, and to enjoy ourselves.
And I look at those photos from Vegas, and I had our baby inside me already and didn't know it. I think it's wonderful to have so many photos of us in that brief time when our baby already existed but we didn't know it yet.
I look at how happy we are in those photos and I just feel so lucky and blessed. And I know it's only going to get better.
I miss him very, very much. I can't wait to see him again.
Posted by: Lissa at January 22, 2010 09:44 PM (mgjM7)
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I love this post! I was pregnant with Rusty when we went on our Caribbean cruise and every time I look at those pics I'm like HE WAS THERE! There is NO way you can tell, but HE WAS THERE! Someday I will enjoy telling him that he went ot all of those fun places and enjoyed that adventure with his dad and I.
I hope this next month+ goes quickly for you! I am really hoping that your hubby makes it for the birth!!! Your baby is blessed to have you guys and she is going to be sooooo loved!
Posted by: Stacy at January 23, 2010 12:43 AM (5C0TQ)
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And post at least one picture of the two of them....I'm already misty eyed. That picture will make me cry like a baby. :-)
Posted by: Pamela at January 23, 2010 01:00 AM (GmA86)
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You guys have ridiculous smiles in your Vegas pictures that doing nothing else but radiate LOVE. How awesome that your baby was there to share in that and the worry part of pregnancy had not existed. Even your eyes were smiling in those pictures!
Posted by: wifeunit at January 23, 2010 11:02 AM (4B1kO)
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This post needs a "like" button (similar to FB). I recently was looking thru old pictures - my husbands college graduation week, commissioning, etc. I get so sentimental
Posted by: Keri at January 23, 2010 02:28 PM (dtvJC)
1If, as a contracted employee who signed on for the sole purpose of
making money, I did everything I was supposed to do to earn a payout of
$5 million dollars, I would expect to be paid. I assumed a level of
risk, and preformed as asked. A deal is a deal.
When is a deal not a deal? When is it acceptable to break a contract? Those who regard the AIG bonuses as the necessary outcomes of inviolable contracts may not regard other contracts as equally sacred.
And, who are these guys that crafted these unbreakable contracts? Every
CEO and board member should be thinking to themselves, "Next time I
have a contract I need made up, that's who I want on my side of the
negotiating table." Talk about rocket scientists on Wall Street!
They're not on the trading floor but in the legal department.
If history and physics tell us anything, it’s the guaranteed failure of
all things, including companies, countries, people, and entire
civilizations. (Packard? The USSR? George Burns? Rome?)
Yes, all. I'd add the USA to the list. When will it fall? Is it falling?
Posted by: amritas at January 21, 2010 06:20 PM (+nV09)
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I don't know if all things fail. Most things fail. Things which are not properly maintained, certainly. Things which move even moreso. The Egyptian pyramids still stand.
I don't think that the US will fail simply as a function of the nature of things. It may grow or morph into something else. If we look at failure in absolute terms, where something ceases to exist, then as long as a Packard operates on a road, the company still (in a sense) exists.
The US can trace its history to the Magna Charta, and even to Hammurabi's first codified law. What nations in the future will trace their origins to us? When the combined federation of planets signs its charter, will that charter have origins in the US constitution? The United States isn't a living thing, it is an idea. Ideas are notoriously hard to kill, just ask Buddha, Christ, Abraham, Mohammed (peanut butter on him) and the Sumerians.
I doubt there is much about our country that our founders would recognize (even less that they would approve, but that goes beyond the scope of this comment.) That doesn't mean that their America doesn't exist, or that we will eventually decline and then become dispersed like the legions of Rome. It means that anything which changes can adapt, and adaptability is what makes things resilient. The founders sought only to create a *more* perfect union. Their intent was not to create *the* perfect society, nor that we should settle for the one we have, and that it was the responsibility of generations to improve that society, learning from the mistakes of their parents and grandparents.
What can the government learn from the contractual bonus debacle? That the free market works. That they cannot possibly hope to have lawyers working for the government (except the very rare few who serve for services' sake) who can compete professionally with the lawyers who earn millions writing contracts for wall street. It's roughly the same thing as a state champion high school football team playing the 6-time superbowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers. Even with the worst team they've ever fielded, the Steelers would absolutely murder the high school team. Both teams have drive and desire. Both teams know how to play the game. Both teams love the game. But only one team is populated with players drafted from the very best that the sport had to offer.
If your local congressperson (who, odds are, is a lawyer) were any good as a lawyer, they'd either be a judge or still be a lawyer. There's tons more money in private lawyerin' than there is in public politics (assuming an honest politician.)
Posted by: Chuck Z at January 21, 2010 10:18 PM (bMH2g)
WE SHARE A BODY
For all its annoyances, I have been enjoying being pregnant.
On occasion I find myself impatient, just wanting her to get here already so I can meet her. But most of the time I'm perfectly happy being right where I'm at. I like having her inside of me. I giggle when I rest the laptop on my belly and she starts kicking at it, like "Hey, it's crowded enough in here without you smooshing me!" I like feeling her wiggle and tickle and move, even when it hurts.
And yet, I have never heard a mother wistfully say that she misses having her child inside of her. It must be that much more awesome to have them on the outside, because I think I will kinda miss it.
We will never be as close as we are right now, when we share a circulatory system...
(Yep, I finally went and got maternity photos taken.)
I'm surprised you've never heard anyone say that.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE being pregnant. I have terrible pregnancies (I get so sick the entire pregnancies I have NEVER gained a single pregnancy pound, I was on bedrest for 19 weeks, etc.) and I would do it again, if another baby were in our futures.
Having them in your arms is amazing. I would choose that over being pregnant, but there are times when I miss having them inside me. It's the single most amazing thing I've ever done.
Posted by: Amber at January 21, 2010 11:05 AM (facQk)
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I wonder what the other photos in your session look like.
I've never seen a pregnancy photo like this one before. So simple and effective. And reminiscent of iPod ads, even though you don't own one!
Posted by: Amritas at January 21, 2010 12:52 PM (+nV09)
I LOVED being pregnant both times and find myself missing it once in awhile. I enjoyed having my kids 'all to myself' tucked away inside, feeling all of the elbows, kicks and flutters. Now that mine are 14 &12, I'd like to put them back in so it will be quiet around here
Posted by: Jen in NY at January 21, 2010 03:40 PM (VpUT1)
. . . I think I've only heard mothers wish the baby was back inside, when it was to keep the baby safe and protected from all the dangers of the world . . .
Posted by: Lissa at January 21, 2010 04:55 PM (eSfKC)
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Sarah, I've got to admit, my first pregnancy I felt a bit like I'd been invaded by a parasitic alien. Of course, I was also clueless. I'm glad for every day I got with our second little one. I'm so glad you're able to enjoy this time. *So* glad. . . .
Posted by: Lucy at January 21, 2010 08:16 PM (YNvUz)
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I think you're right, having them on the outside sort of overshadows what pregnancy was like... but I do remember distinctly how odd it felt after my daughter was born, almost lonely!
Posted by: dutchgirl at January 21, 2010 10:24 PM (Yg8bq)
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I missed being pregnant, and having to share the babies with the World, for 9 months, they were all MINE
Posted by: awtm at January 21, 2010 10:37 PM (MEke+)
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Beautiful picture! You look serene and happy and huge!
Posted by: Mary at January 22, 2010 12:03 AM (/hR4y)
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Okay, you're totally that
skinny preggers chick in my labor class! I'm jealous as I stare at my big buddah tummy. Biyatch!
Kidding!!!!
Posted by: BigD78 at January 22, 2010 05:54 PM (W3XUk)
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I miss being pregnant. I miss the "secret" that my babies and I had. Only *I* knew when they moved, kicked, hiccuped, etc. unless I chose to share with others. I miss knowing that, for 10 months, they were mine and mine alone (there's that only child attitude shining through).
I miss being pregnant. So much so that I would be willing to consider being a surrogate for someone who needed one.
Posted by: HomefrontSix at January 22, 2010 08:33 PM (2vZeF)
I do miss being pregnant sometimes, when I get irritated that I have to "share" the kiddo with somebody. When she was first born, I'd watch her move around and think how just a few days ago, I'd be the only one who knew that she'd done anything.
Posted by: Ann M. at January 22, 2010 08:41 PM (+GQ3g)
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I am envious of what you have, with your husband, and a child on the way...
Posted by: Miss Ladybug at January 22, 2010 10:27 PM (vqKnu)
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Great picture. It reminds me that I once worked with the daughter of a cellist who, before she was born, used to kick (audibly) the back of her mother's cello in orchestra rehearsals.
She grew up to be a cellist as well!
Posted by: Piercello at January 23, 2010 11:34 AM (ALcm4)
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I go away for a couple days and all these good & photogenic posts pop up! This photo is great!
You will treasure these photos. I wish I had thought to do something like this where it was more artsy.
Can't wait to see all of these.
Posted by: Guard Wife at January 23, 2010 12:27 PM (5hZjj)
BUT BUSH DID IT
Raise your hand if you're sick and tired of the Democrats using the but-we-have-to-undo-eight-years-of-Bush excuse for everything... If we were playing a drinking game, we'd all be hammered.
I was too young to pay attention, but did Reagan do this? Did Reagan gripe and moan about how he had to fix everything Carter had screwed up? I mean, he campaigned right in the middle of a hostage situation, for heaven's sake. Was his excuse for everything "but Carter did it"? I don't see how Obama thinks we're buying his line that Bush doubled the deficit, so it's OK for him to quadruple it.
And, it turns out that the president received a high-level briefing
just three days before said crotch bomber attack about possible holiday
period terrorist attacks against the U.S. I suppose we could say, “Give
the guy a break. He’s only been in office a year.†Yet GWB hadn’t been
in office a year, and he was relentlessly berated for not stopping 9/11
before it happened, with critics citing the fact that he received a briefing while on vacation a month before, warning that Osama bin Laden and company were planning on hijacking a U.S. airliner.
Bush was handed a mess in the Middle East by Bill Clinton, yet he didn't go on TV constantly after 9/11 and talk about how it was all Clinton's fault. When we lost bin Laden, Bush didn't constantly remind the American public that Clinton had once had the chance to get him, so really it was all Clinton's fault.
Ugh, give it a rest already. You've been president for a year; it's your show now. Start acting like a grown-up.
Posted by: Amber at January 21, 2010 11:07 AM (facQk)
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History began in late 2000. Bush was given a pristine blank slate and spray-painted "W" on it. The Republican red paint won't disappear until long after the reign of President Sasha Obama, fourth of the Obama Dynasty.
"Here's my assessment of not just the vote in Massachusetts, but the mood around the country: the same thing that swept Scott Brown into office swept me into office," the president said in an exclusive interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos. "People are angry and they are frustrated. Not just because of what's happened in the last year or two years, but what's happened over the last eight years."
Bush is the universal motive, the motor of the world. His momentum continues to hurl Gaia toward disaster, despite Obama's heroic efforts.
Posted by: kevin at January 21, 2010 01:07 PM (+nV09)
THE SCOTT HEARD ROUND THE WORLD
I happily watched the results of last night's election in Massachusetts and couldn't believe what I was seeing. It's definitely a step in the right direction, and if solid people keep running for office, we may see the pendulum swing the other way. Thank goodness.
I only wish Dean Barnett were still here to see it.
Massachusetts elected a Republican. Anything is possible. And now that Democrats have that fear and Republicans have that hope...well, I am excited to see what might happen in the fall.
Oda Mae pointed out that there's already a Hitler video. I love the Hitler meme, and this one is particularly good.
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Hey, I know, how 'bout we make yet another boss at CTU who never listens to Jack Bauer, the man who's saved the world seven times already?
Can there also be people working for CTU who are moles, or who have really sketchy backgrounds that would never pass a security clearance?
Of course. Who else would work for counterterrorism?
Oooh, and let's make more cops, government workers, and people who've never heard of Jack Bauer, the man who's saved the world seven times.
Yeah, and we can let an angry white cop beat him senseless until his nerdy Asian partner saves Bauer and helps him.
And we'll create an imaginary Islamic Republic, the leader of which is a liberal's dream: wants to give up his country's nuclear ambitions and negotiate a two-state solution. The real bad guy can be some sort of white man, preferably a corporation.
But Jack Bauer can kill a man with an ax and his friend can take a buzzsaw to a Russian's wrist.
Bingo.
And Sarah will still watch? Even though she's really freaking tired of all these unrealistic bad guys?
Um...helloooo, I said "kill a man with an ax." In the first hour.
My husband and I called the play-by-play last night as we watched before events actually happened. We were right most of the time. We don't care ... we still love it. :-D
Posted by: Heather at January 19, 2010 07:40 PM (CuSqE)
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Too funny! We had much of the same commentary last night - but we're still watching!!
Posted by: Jen D at January 20, 2010 12:06 AM (h8XAc)
"FEEDING A CRYING HIPPIE"
Some great links at The Corner: First, the pathetic report on the shooting at Fort Hood. And then, funny quips from Cliff Clavin and Scott Brown zings Bob Kerrey.
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THE SHOWER
It's a little embarrassing for me to put this up because it's blatant self-promotion, but here goes...
The Girl has always liked the post I wrote where I said my life is like one of the characters in an episode of My Name Is Earl:
Earl goes to do right by the guy he locked in a truck and finds the guy
dead in his apartment. Earl decides the way to make amends is to throw
the man a funeral since he can't seem to find anyone else to do it.
This guy doesn't seem to have had any friends at all. No one knows
anything about him. Earl throws a lame funeral and goes to clean the
man's apartment out. He bumps the computer and finds dozens of IM
screens from the man's online friends.
Turns out the guy's Real Life was all online. He didn't have any close
friends in Camden County, but he had a vibrant social life in online
poker, blogs, and chat rooms. All his online friends came to his second
funeral and sent the man off in style.
My husband turned to me and said, "Oh, honey, he's just like you!" I just nodded because of the lump in my throat.
Only instead of a funeral, she said she'd like to throw me a baby shower this way. Sniff.
If you'd be interested in participating, The Girl set up an email account to organize the virtual shindig. Email her at babygrokshower -at- yahoo.com and she'll fill you in on the details.
We did this for a friend and it turned out really well.
NOT self promotion. A chance for people to do something nice for you. It feels better than to give than to receive and you just gave us the chance to do so.
Posted by: Amber at January 18, 2010 02:36 PM (+ovkX)
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Amber -- Thank you. I have been feeling funny about this post all day long, but you made me feel better about it. I think it's so touching that any of you care...
Posted by: Sarah at January 18, 2010 03:50 PM (gWUle)
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And might I remind you, dear Sarah, that if you do not give us direction, we will run amok! So this is actually a very polite amd constructive way to acknowledge our desire to do something and make it at least potentially useful!
And thanks to The Girl for doing this!!!!
Posted by: jck at January 18, 2010 08:55 PM (d6k/G)
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Oh, I was hoping something like this would come together! Not that I'm against running amok, but I think jck is right.
Posted by: dutchgirl at January 20, 2010 07:00 PM (Yg8bq)
KNITTING WHILE PREGNANT
I honestly used to think that knitting was the perfect activity for being pregnant. I imagined resting my hands on my belly and having a nice little shelf to work on.
Yeah, not so much.
I can't really sit up straight anymore without the baby shoving upwards into my lungs, or getting heartburn, or just feeling like I'm being scrunched to death. I can't find a good position for knitting.
Crochet works though, since it's one-handed and I can kinda do it in a Cleopatra side-lying pose. So when I have the energy for anything, it's mostly been crochet.
I wanted to make a pig. I found the perfect cute pattern. I started said pig and discovered he was gonna be about as big as a tennis ball. Cute, but not really what I envisioned for my child to cuddle. I want to try to size him up with some really fat yarn and see if that works.
I also managed to finally finish some lapghans I started ages ago for the VA hospital. My crafting group teased me because every week I would show up, not having made any progress since the week before. Slow going, but they're done, and just in time.
Posted by: Chuck Z at January 17, 2010 10:57 AM (bMH2g)
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Very nice blankets. I have a ripple for by BFF sitting half done since almost 8 months ago I think. I always begin aghans with purpose with my short attention span tends to get the best of me. So I do smaller projects like a variety of hats, baby blankets or toys. I can just seeing trying to cleopatra crochet. You know you can't wait til baby girl is big enough to randomly pick up the balls of yarn you are working with and tangle them all over the place. Most of the kids I sit from 2 - 12 love that trick. It'll be great. We'll have to send you 'baby's yarn' versus your own. lol
Posted by: Darla at January 17, 2010 11:58 AM (XvIN7)
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Oh, that second on is beautiful. You are so talented
Posted by: Kate at January 17, 2010 02:52 PM (J1l7A)
I like the first one - I like your choice of colors on it.
When I was a kid, Mom crocheted, but all I could ever do was chains. Haven't tried since, but I'm not sure I should try to pick up another crafting hobby right now...
Posted by: Miss Ladybug at January 17, 2010 04:59 PM (vqKnu)
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I do love both the blankets, but I absolutely LOVE the pig! Cutest thing ever!
Posted by: Mary at January 17, 2010 09:05 PM (/hR4y)
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Now I want to go home and see if I can make a pig for my grandson! Too Cute! Thanks for sharing.
Posted by: Laura, A Military Mom at January 18, 2010 03:48 PM (oLHZ3)
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Am I the only one who thought the pig was designed to be two-legged? I didn't realize it had four legs until I saw this side view. Even with a full set of legs, it still seems like a walking head. A porcine Mr. Potato Head! But unlike Mr. Potato Head, Pig Head is squeezable!
Posted by: Amritas at January 28, 2010 12:49 PM (+nV09)
YOU DON'T "ALLOW" ME SQUAT
I think people are fed up with politics. I think we're tired of politicians who think they're better than us or that they're entitled to their jobs and a ritzy lifestyle. This frustration seemed to be captured perfectly when Scott Brown said that he wasn't running for Ted Kennedy's seat. "It's the people's seat." It doesn't belong to Ted Kennedy, and, as Jonah Goldberg said,
[Coakley] hasn’t been running for “Ted Kennedy’s seat,†she’s been strolling
to it like someone who knows it’s been reserved for her and all she
needs to do is swing by the will-call window to pick it up. [...] When asked if her campaign style is too aloof, she snapped back: “As
opposed to standing outside Fenway Park [the way Scott Brown does]? In
the cold? Shaking hands?â€
Heaven forfend the royal heir apparent descend from her carriage and actually touch the proles.
The radio host, Ken Pittman, pointed out that complex legal principle
that "In the emergency room you still have your religious freedom."
Coakley
agrees that "The law says that people are allowed to have that." But,
making clear her view — the attorney general who wants to be the next
senator from Massachusetts — she declared that "You can have religious
freedom, but you probably shouldn't work in an emergency room."
"The law says that people are allowed to have that." Let that sink in. Martha Coakley says that it's the laws that politicians write that allow you to have freedom of religion.
Our Bill of Rights is an enumeration of our inalienable rights. The government does not grant us those rights; we are endowed by our Creator with them and the government cannot infringe upon them. We are born with them and have them as an inherent part of being human.
I can't even explain how mad it makes me to hear a politician say that the government allows us to have freedom of religion.
1
Some people would say that the difference between being "allowed" to do something and not being hindered from doing something is mere semantics.
I share your anger, because it is NOT semantics. If someone is "allowed" to do something, it is a privilege that can be taken away. And once a person becomes conditioned to hearing that they are "allowed" something, they become less likely to assert themselves for that right if it is taken away or infringed upon.
We are not allowed rights, they are something we already have. The government is allowed to infringe upon certain rights for the common good. For lack of a better analogy - WE are the parents in this situation. WE allow the government to do things.
WE can take the government's right to do certain things away. This relationship is not and should never be the other way around. And what scares me is that the situation sure seems to be moving in that direction.
Posted by: airforcewife at January 15, 2010 10:53 AM (uE3SA)
Old Cold War joke: In America, when the people don't approve of the government, they change out the government. In the Soviet Union, when the government doesn't like the people, they change out the people.
It's pretty clear that Obama's strongest support base includes many individuals who don't like the American people very much at all.
Posted by: david foster at January 15, 2010 12:06 PM (uWlpq)
Posted by: MaryIndiana at January 16, 2010 12:30 AM (VXNTm)
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You wouldn't believe the pushback I got when I posted about not letting the walmart door receipt-checkers search my bags as I left. Its a blatant violation of my right to be secure in my person from unreasonable search, and yet people took it as "the cost of doing business" and "the store's RIGHT to protect itself from theft."
Too many people don't understand their rights, the powers of the state, or the powers of the federal government. If they did, there would be no TSA.
Posted by: Chuck Z at January 16, 2010 10:47 AM (bMH2g)
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May I just say that my husband and I AND our eldest daughter will be at the polls with bells on come Tuesday and we are NOT voting for her highness!
Posted by: Lemon Stand at January 17, 2010 10:35 PM (Ib10R)
Nearly $5 trillion of the total U.S. GDP of $14 trillion is legal fees,
consultants’ fees, and payments to financial-transaction facilitators,
reflecting the overlawyered nature of the country and the excessive
preoccupation with deal-making (with insufficient attention to whether
the deals are wise or not).
From 2004 through 2008, the [law] field grew less than 1% per year on average, going from 735,000 people making a living as attorneys to just 760,000, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics postulating that the field will grow at the same rate through 2016. Taking into account retirements, deaths and that the bureau's data is pre-recession, the number of new positions is likely to be fewer than 30,000 per year. That is far fewer than what's needed to accommodate the 45,000 juris doctors graduating from U.S. law schools each year.
This jobs gap is even more problematic given the rising cost of tuition [...] a recent Law School Survey of Student Engagement found that nearly one-third of respondents said they would owe about $120,000.
Such debt would be manageable if a world of lucrative jobs awaited the newly minted attorneys, but this is not the case.
What is the attraction of law?
1. Power. How many wannabe Obamas, Hillarys, or even Bidens are among "the 45,000 juris doctors graduating from U.S. law schools each year"?
2. Money. Ilya Somin posted a rebuttal to the above article:
Even if lawyers’ pay were to go down significantly, they would still be
near the top of the income distribution, and would still be making more
money than liberal arts graduates without science, engineering, or math
skills could earn in most other fields.
Words = power and money! Obama is the epitome of our rule-by-lawyer society. I was going to say that smooth talking can lead to success, but he doesn't even have to talk all that well!
After all, the demand for lawyers is driven by the scope and complexity
of law. Given the growth of government, the expansion of regulation of
many types, and the increasing complexity of most areas of law, it is
likely that the clients will have more need of legal services over time.
In short, lawyer-rulers make more laws. And you wonder why bills are so long and unreadable.
Let's have million-page-long bills to stimulate the economy!
Here's our future. A caste of lawyers saying nonsense to make the masses vote for them. Oh wait, that's what we already have now. Never mind.
Posted by: Amritas at January 12, 2010 11:30 AM (+nV09)
And, by some strange coincidence, the complexity of the law is driven by the scope of the laws written by...lawyers.
And, based on a post a couple days ago, they’ve apparently found a perfect, politically correct means to do so, by denying the politically incorrect ones the ability to get licensed.
You guys are in the perfect catbird’s position. You can generate your own demand by having your compatriots in the legislatures write more incomprehensible and likely unnecessary laws, and the left gets the added bonus of being able to stop anyone with differing worldviews from being in on the game.
And you wonder why lawyers rank near the bottom in the public’s perceptions of their ethics? Interestingly, there are a number of categories made up mostly of lawyers that were ranked the same as or even lower than the generic “lawyer†category; state and local officeholders, congress, and lobbyists.
Many law students (not all, but very many) are already widely known to
be very cautious about expressing views that they think the majority of
their classmates, or even a vocal minority, may find offensive. The
threat of social ostracism and subtle but career-jeopardizing
retaliation by professors and even classmates, who will soon become
potential colleagues and employers, is quite powerful. (Some such
threat of retaliation through social pressure may even be good, though
it always has potential costs to open discussion.) But when a few
comments — whether deliberate or said in the heat of debate — can lead
to the denial of a bar card (after you’ve taken out $150,000+ in
student loans), how many students would feel safe [...] How many would feel sure, with their professional
futures on the line, that of course no hostile low-profile university
committee would treat the comments as “outrageous,†“smearing,†or
“harass[ing]�
The ruling caste must maintain its purity.
Posted by: Amritas at January 12, 2010 11:53 AM (+nV09)
I agree with much of what he says; however, the $5 trillion number sounds wrong. Try some simple math:
Say there are a million lawyers in the country and the average billing is $200K/year (which is probably high, because there are a lot of lawyers who don't do all that well, financially speaking)...that would be "only" $200 million, which is 1/5 of $1 trillion.
Similar logic could be applied to consultants.
In any event, there are way too many people engaged in unproductive and what economists call "rent-seeking" activities...and a lot of them supported Obama because they knew, consciously or subconsciously, that it was in their financial self-interest to do so. See my post <a href="http://photoncourier.blogspot.com/2010_01_01_photoncourier_archive.html#4394955345069278791">paying higher taxes can be very profitable</a>.
Posted by: david foster at January 12, 2010 10:48 PM (uWlpq)
Posted by: david foster at January 12, 2010 10:49 PM (uWlpq)
5
david, your post reinforces my comments. One of my favorite passages is
Many of the individuals making $100-$170K in government probably
couldn’t learn to control air traffic or develop new drugs if their
lives depended on it…rather, their skill is in manipulating language,
in constructing verbal formulations along the approved patterns [cf. Geokstr above on PC in law], and
their activity is primarily about the transferring and absorption of
wealth.
I wrote that "smooth talking can lead to success" - but success at what? You answered that question: "transferring and absorption of wealth."
I wrote that the attraction of law is power and money, and you wrote,
By tightly coupling the pursuit of money to the pursuit of political
influence and power, Obama/Pelosi/Reid are doing great harm to the
spirit of America as well as to its economy.
But it's not just those three individuals. The spirit of America is the sum of our spirits, and an entire class believes in - and benefits from - this coupling.
Posted by: Amritas at January 13, 2010 12:56 PM (+nV09)
Posted by: david foster at January 13, 2010 04:57 PM (uWlpq)
7
And then, there are those of us who have a uterus and responsibilities outside a job & are, apparently, too old to practice law for money--unless we want to be a solo practitioner. Thank goodness for pro bono work or my $90,000 law degree would be worth $0. /sarcasm
Maybe all those 'overlawyers' could back the hell off & give some of us who just want to write wills & help people adopt kids some room.
Posted by: Guard Wife at January 15, 2010 10:51 PM (zY7DC)
FOR KEEPS
We went to look at the litter of puppies when they were just 11 days old. Once we had chosen Charlie, we kept visiting him on the weekends until he was finally eight weeks old and we could take him home. And I always hated to leave him and eagerly awaited the day we could have him for keeps.
I feel the same way every time I get to see my baby.
I had another appointment today. My mother is also still in town, having gotten stuck here while trying to avoid of all the global warming across the country. So my favorite ultrasound tech gave grandma a quick peek at baby.
She's growing, especially in the cheeks. (And since these things are basically rorschach tests, I made a little drawing of her face beside it so you can tell what you're looking at.)
I had been feeling spry up until a few days ago when I hit a major wall, and now I know why: she's getting big, and I have a knee in my ribcage. I have finally hit that usch part of the end of pregnancy; I'm tired, sore, and chock full of baby. I ate lunch today and then threw it up in my mouth in Target afterwards. There's just no room. When I sit, she's up in my ribs. When I stand, she's sitting directly on my bladder. I finally understand what people mean when they say they're really uncomfortable and ready to be done being pregnant.
And I have two months left to go.
Two more months before I can take her home for keeps. And squeeze those cheeks.
1
By the ninth month I was constantly munching because my husband is 6'2" and I am 5'1" and I was huge! A "meal" meant I had acid reflux for the next 2 days.
Posted by: Tracey at January 11, 2010 06:41 PM (x+F0t)
2
Hooray for global warming! Grandma wouldn't have seen her granddaughter without it!
The Peanuts-like drawing helps. Now that I can see her face, she seems really real.
Did you notice that about seven weeks passed before you could take Charlie home ... which is almost two months? At least those seven weeks weren't physicially usch. Or as we would say in English, ouch!
And squeeze those cheeks.
And she'll eventually squeeze you back!
Posted by: Amritas at January 11, 2010 07:04 PM (cs8bo)
3
How awesome!! So glad grandma got hooked up, yo!
Your tech is a super kindhearted person.
Posted by: wifeunit at January 11, 2010 07:15 PM (4B1kO)
Reading about someone else's pregnancy, it goes by much faster. I'm sure that's comforting.
It was at this point in my pregnancies when I remember feeling so powerful and special and particularly connected to all women throughout time. It is a singular experience and despite all of the changes in modern life and the trappings of modern pregnancy (like ultrasound), the feeling of that baby inside you hasn't changed. Apparently I get contemplative while pregnant. Plus, I actually liked being pregnant.
I can't remember if you're working or not, but when the serious nesting urge kicks in, remember to sleep a lot (or whenever you can) and get your feet up!
I didn't get a chance to chime in on what to buy, but along those lines, I highly recommend (depending on your home layout) having a portable, mini diaper changing station in addtion to the main one. We kept a basket with diapers, changing pad, wipes, butt cream, an extra onesie, and receiving blanket in the family room next to the rocking chair. Very handy. Also, sleeping on a towel or washable, absorbant pad will save you from washing your sheets everytime something leaks (be it a diaper, breast or sanitary pad). Hope that wasn't TMI, but it will save you some laundry in those early days when sleep is at a premium.
Enjoy the anticipation of meeting your daughter. And I for one will vote for you morphing into a mommy blogger. Please?
Posted by: Christa at January 11, 2010 07:32 PM (2qSbp)
5
ADORABLE. Sarah, I remember feeling the same way - sitting was uncomfortable, standing was etc. I remember thinking "I cant get any bigger" but did. I knew it was bad when I was outgrowing my maternity clothes...Only a few more weeks!!
Posted by: keri at January 11, 2010 08:24 PM (dtvJC)
6
Lols about the drawing...I sooo needed that before W "interpreted" for me.
Posted by: calivalleygirl at January 11, 2010 09:35 PM (XkiVB)
7
I never felt that way with either of our kids. Weird. My wife, on the other hand...
Funny thing--if you can do it, push back on the offending protrusion. Sometimes, they will push back too!
The Mrs. says frequent position changes are the name of the game.
For a real treat, swallow pop rocks.
Posted by: Chuck Z at January 11, 2010 09:36 PM (bMH2g)
8
*hugs* If it would make the next 8 weeks go by faster, I'd count them down with you. Heck, I might just do it anyway in hopes of it making a difference
Posted by: Susan at January 11, 2010 09:36 PM (EU2Wl)
Posted by: MaryIndiana at January 12, 2010 03:14 AM (ZzRNC)
10
She is beautiful. The last couple of months went by so sloooww for me. I hope they move quicker for you.
Posted by: Tressa at January 12, 2010 10:30 AM (yY6P+)
11
Congrats! And soon you can chew on noses and smell that luscsious sweet baby smell that only newborn + wipes + baby wash + hugs + snuggly blankets/clothing can smell like ... like new puppy smell but BETTER.
Posted by: Darla at January 12, 2010 11:35 AM (XvIN7)
12
Sssoooo that's what GIRLS look like! So happy for you and that Grandma was able to see her! Be sure and sleep, sleep, sleep because it won't be long and a night of sleep will just be a memory
Posted by: Laura, A Military Mom at January 12, 2010 03:30 PM (oLHZ3)
13
She's beautiful. It's amazing too, because they really do look like those pictures once they're out and you can make the comparison. Sometimes babies drop a little before the end, and it becomes either a little more bearable or worse. Here's hoping she shifts and gives you a little relief...
Posted by: Ann M. at January 13, 2010 12:32 AM (+GQ3g)
14
Ann is so right--sometimes when I look at Ian's profile, even though he's almost two, I can see that ultrasound at 20 weeks.
And ChuckZ brings up a fun thing, too: I used to be able to "tickle" Ian's feet when he pushed out with them. He would lodge a shoulder on my left hip bone and stretch so his foot was almost visible just under my rib cage, on the right. I could rub his foot with my finger, and he'd twitch or withdraw--or kick back! Totally an "Aliens" moment. I had to keep pushing his feet back down when he did that.
He didn't like his space encroached upon, either. He actually pushed me away from a counter when I was leaning on it while doing dishes.
He's still pretty sensitive about things around his feet. The kid can KICK!
He'll play soccer someday.
Posted by: Deltasierra at January 13, 2010 02:12 AM (/Mv9b)
15
Going swimming helped alleviate the "I can't breathe but I really have to pee!" scenario that played out daily for the last 2-3 months of my last pregnancy. Little Man was long and I am not, therefore he was in my ribs and on my bladder at the same time and there were days where it would have me in tears. Swimming helped me feel a little less...stuffed.
But "chock full of baby" is a wonderful thing
So is "for keeps".
Posted by: HomefrontSix at January 16, 2010 05:04 AM (2vZeF)
16
Yep. About 7 months, I remember feeling very "full of baby", and then at about 8 months, he "dropped" and I had room to eat again. And boy was I hungry. All the time. Until the last month, when I was soooo ready to be done, because he'd refilled back up all the space he'd relieved when he dropped. But my little guy was 97th percentile size-wise. I hope your little girl is a little less huge, for your comfort's sake.
Enjoy these last couple months of independence; now that my son is here, my life revolves around him, and I don't always get to do what I want when I want. And see any movies you want to see in theatres, 'cause you'll have to get a sitter for any movies you want to see for the next year or two, at least.
Posted by: leofwende at January 16, 2010 01:46 PM (28CBm)
MALAPROPISMS
A good comment over at American Thinker:
I heard Obama use this phrase the other day: "intimately passionate".
Seems strange, as the accepted way to convey that meaning would be to say "deeply passionate", and the adjective deeply would be the proper one required by any copy editor.
And remember when Obama said "...calibrate my words". All the William Safire (RIP) types fell out of their chairs.
So, is Obama the master of malapropisms, the Norm Crosby of national politics?
I remember being completely befuddled by "calibrate my words." Didn't Bush get an enormous amount of grief for every vocabulary misuse? And even the invention of the word Bushisms? Obama's just as bad.
Silly Sarah!! Everyone knows that Bush was an idiot and Obama is a genius. Now be a good girl and drink your Kool-Aid.
Posted by: Lissa at January 10, 2010 12:42 PM (mgjM7)
2
I don't think those words mean what he thinks they mean.
Posted by: airforcewife at January 10, 2010 01:38 PM (uE3SA)
3
Found the following gaffes elsewhere. It's amazing that he's allowed outside without a helmet.
"UPS and FedEx are doing just fine, right? It's the Post Office that's
always having problems." –attempting to make the case for
government-run healthcare, while simultaneously undercutting his own
argument, Portsmouth, N.H., Aug. 11, 2009
"The reforms we seek would bring greater competition, choice, savings
and inefficiencies to our health care system." --in remarks after a
health care roundtable with physicians, nurses and health care
providers, Washington, D.C., July 20, 2009
"It was also interesting to see that political interaction in Europe is
not that different from the United States Senate. There's a lot of -- I
don't know what the term is in Austrian, wheeling and dealing."
--confusing German for "Austrian,"
Strasbourg, France, April 6, 2009
"Let me be absolutely clear. Israel is a strong friend of Israel's. It
will be a strong friend of Israel's under a McCain...administration. It
will be a strong friend of Israel's under an Obama administration. So
that policy is not going to change." --Amman, Jordan, July 22, 2008
"How's it going, Sunshine?" --campaigning in Sunrise, Florida
"On this Memorial Day, as our nation honors its unbroken line of fallen
heroes -- and I see many of them in the audience here today -- our
sense of patriotism is particularly strong."
"I've now been in 57 states -- I think one left to go." --at a campaign event in Beaverton, Oregon
"The point I was making was not that Grandmother harbors any racial
animosity. She doesn't. But she is atypical white person, who, if she
sees somebody on the street that she doesn't know, you know, there's a
reaction that's been bred in our experiences that don't go away and
that sometimes come out in the wrong way, and that's just the nature of
race in our society." (EMPHASIS ADDED)
"In case you missed it, this week, there was a tragedy in Kansas. Ten
thousand people died -- an entire town destroyed." --on a Kansas
tornado that killed 12 people
“There was something stirring across the country because of what
happened in Selma, Alabama, because some folks are willing to march
across a bridge. So they got together and Barack Obama Jr. was born.â€
(Obama was born in 1961 and the Selma march was in 1965)
“If they [his daughters] make a mistake, I don’t want them punished with a baby.â€
“My father served in World War II, and when he came home, he got the
services that he needed.†(At the end of WWII, Obama’s father was 10
years old.)
New T-Shirt Ideas: "Punished with a baby" maternity shirt "Typical White Person" "I don't speak Austrian"
Posted by: Chuck Z at January 10, 2010 08:07 PM (bMH2g)
4
Thanks to Chuck Z for the list. Obama is just being honest in the first two!
I think even "deeply passionate" isn't a good choice of words because it's redundant. Is anyone shallowly passionate?
I understood "calibrate my words" without any problems. Merriam-Webster lists one definition of "calibrate" as "to adjust precisely for a particular function".
We forgive or even embrace the word choices of our friends and reflexively reject those of our foes. If a Republican had said those words, they might have been lauded as a fresh metaphor. But Obama said them, so they are forever tainted.
Who wants to sound like Obama?
John T. Reed analyzed Obama's speaking techniques:
As an erstwhile professional speaker, who has often been at conventions where I was one of many speakers and I listened to them as well, I know many of the tricks of the speaking trade. Obama’s reputation as a great speaker actually stems mainly from his use of several cheap speaker tricks.
[...]
Don’t hold your breath waiting for the book The Wit of Obama.
[...]
JFK, FDR, Lincoln, and Reagan are highly regarded as great orators. They said many memorable things. Even with the best available speech writers and now five years as a U.S. Senator and President, Obama has said nothing memorable.
I disagree. Obama has said a few things that are memorable ... for the wrong reasons.
Posted by: Amritas at January 15, 2010 04:03 PM (+nV09)
5
Of course I *understood* the phrase; I meant I didn't understand where it came from. It's not a real expression. I still don't think I'd accept "calibrate" when applied to words/speech from a Republican. Maybe from a nonnative speaker.
Posted by: Sarah at January 15, 2010 07:23 PM (gWUle)
THE DOMINO'S MODEL
This is genius. Genius of Domino's, genius when applied to the GOP, just genius. What the GOP can learn from a pizza chain If something isn't working, you can either bury your head in the sand or face it head on and change. I wish the president of Domino's were running the US government right now. Mea culpa video here. Makes me want to go try a Domino's pizza again.
1
Unfortunately, the GOP (and the DNC) don't bother answering to customer complaints.
When all you have is option "a" or option "A", it doesn't matter what kind of pizza you order.
Dominoes will rebound, I think, if they can make a quality product and sell it competitively. For the record, they seem to have had a head-on collision with the noid, rather than heeding their own advice to avoid him. The big question is whether this will rebound them short-term, until they opt to appease shareholders and stop producing a quality product--instead opting for cheaper ingredients at the cost of losing customers.
The major advantage that dominoes had so many years ago: a nationally recognized brand, decent pizza, and a guarantee.
Other nationally recognized brands have risen, the guarantee went away, and there is better pizza to be had, and people are realizing they can actually have pizza they want, not just the kind of pizza that is offered.
Yep. Swap "Pizza" with "GOP" or "DNC" and it works. At least Dominoes is taking competition seriously, instead of just calling their competition "pizzabaggers."
Posted by: Chuck Z at January 08, 2010 03:36 PM (bMH2g)
I get about 10 pounds of political direct mail per week, almost all of it from Republican/conservative/libertarian organizations. From a pure marketing standpoint, 90% of it is, in my not-at-all-humble opinion, just awful.
When somebody gets an envelope that has no return address but says "OPEN IMMEDIATELY--Special Survey--Immediate Response Required--Serial #545454353453"...what do they think the reaction is going to be? What do they think this is, some TV version of the 1950s?...
"Maw! Maw! We got us some MAIL"
"Who's it from, Paw?"
"Don't know, but it looks IMPORTANT! It's got a BIG LONG NUMBER on it! And it SAYS it's real important!'
"Better open it RIGHT NOW, Paw!"
Sheeesh...
Posted by: david foster at January 08, 2010 05:52 PM (uWlpq)
RATIONALITY UNDER INTERROGATION
Jonah Goldberg wonders if terrorists, even if they know Americans cannot kill them in custody, would still break under the stress of interrogation. (Read the whole thing for a complete understanding of the post.)
All I can add on this matter is what I know secondhand from my husband. After a week of "interrogation" at SERE school, he said he probably could've murdered one of the guards without hesitation if he thought it meant escape. The same guards he rationally knew were paid employees there to train him. And that if he ever saw one of them out at Walmart, he's not sure he could see them as normal human beings. He barely wanted to speak to them once the training was over.
So I think that letting terrorists read our playbook is a bad thing, but weeks or months of interrogation probably destroys whatever rationality one may have towards the situation.
1
One could argue that one should never write about topics one hasn't
experienced firsthand. That hasn't stopped me from writing about war,
but for some reason I am particularly reluctant to write about torture.
I feel like I'm guessing in the dark. I don't even know how effective
it is. Here is an objection I've never seen before:
Whenever a person who knows military secrets is captured by the
enemy, the colleagues of the person who was captured instantly take
action to render what he knows obsolete. For example, if we ever lost a
monthly code book when I was in the Army, they would immediately issue
new ones to everyone and order the prior code books be destroyed and
the prior codes never be used again.
Any future actions
that were known by the captured person would be canceled or greatly
modified. Hidden assets or persons would immediately be moved to new
locations unknown to the captured person.
If you were an
enemy secret spy or saboteur, the moment you heard a colleague who knew
your identity or location was captured by the enemy, you would hightail
it and most likely get completely out of the undercover business.
During World War II, Allied personnel who escaped from behind German
lines were not allowed to be on the front any more for fear they might
be recaptured and give up the identities of those who helped them
escape.
This has always been true of all militaries and spy
services. It does not matter whether the country that captured the
person has a policy for or against torture. Mere incarceration causes
many to talk.
So not only is information obtained by torture
usually useless because a tortured person will tell you whatever you
want to hear even if he knows nothing about it. [This is a problem with surveys in general. -A] Americans in World War
II who were tortured to reveal the secrets of the Norden Bomb Sight
drew many diagrams of how it worked even though they never knew how it
worked. But even the good information that a captured enemy knows is
generally useless because the mere fact that the person has been
captured means that the enemy will make immediate changes that renders
the information obsolete.
Two questions come to mind:
First, is it possible that some information a captured enemy knows is less subject to change than other information?
Second, does it make sense to ask for relatively static information first, particularly during the time lag (if any) between the capture of a prisoner and the enemy's knowledge of the capture?
Notice I wrote "ask for" instead of "torture to obtain". I am interested in the effectiveness of interrogation in general.
Posted by: Amritas at January 05, 2010 11:22 AM (+nV09)
2
I read this on my phone last night and was kinda in agreement with you about it. I think it is incredibly stupid to allow things to make the light of day that will give aide and comfort to the enemy. But I would like to think the self assured-ness will be worn down by the actual interrogation (TORTURE!) 'process'.
And that is on Mark's summer school checklist before he leaves. Then he goes directly to another something or other. Not sure when I will see him after he is done with that, so I am interested in how he will do.
Posted by: wifeunit at January 05, 2010 01:01 PM (4B1kO)
I read this on my phone last night and was kinda in agreement with you about it.
Do you find yourself reading more on a phone than an actual computer? I think I might be reaching that point.
I think it is incredibly stupid to allow things to make the light of day that will give aide and comfort to the enemy.
I agree. Has anyone argued that this is a good thing for national defense (as opposed to ... other agendas)?
But I would like to think the self assured-ness will be worn down by the actual interrogation (TORTURE!) 'process'.
As the article I linked to says,
Mere incarceration causes
many to talk.
Is that true?
And that is on Mark's summer school checklist before he leaves. Then
he goes directly to another something or other. Not sure when I will
see him after he is done with that, so I am interested in how he will
do.
He's going to SERE, or something like it? As a reader of Sarah's blog, you have some idea of what to expect ... shudder ...
Posted by: Amritas at January 05, 2010 04:51 PM (+nV09)
Sincerely, if I recognized an individual as being paid to do [things I don't even know the smallest part of], I'd have trouble looking at them like human beings if I saw them at Walmart, too.
I understand the earnest purpose in theory, but I don't even think that how a lot of TI/DIs behave is right. I'm sure that's ungrateful heresy for a milspouse, but there it is. Hubby has considerably more forbearance, which serves him well.
As to the "real issue," it's an interesting question. I tend to agree with your thought that the incarceration might do just fine, if anything must "do" to aid interrogation. I'm sure that Cabin Fever gets more acute in those situations.
Posted by: Krista at January 05, 2010 05:35 PM (sUTgZ)
5
I have never been, and never expect to be, interrogated in any manner, but I read a lot of these theories about how we should waterboard the panty bomber (I like Mark Steyn's name for him) and I just think, "why do they think a man who would blow off his own genitals would break with waterboarding." In his case it is possible he would think it would get him into the afterlife in a way he was not able to do on his own. Also, they may have trained him in being able to withstand it in the same way we train our people to withstand it. I do believe in intense interrogations, there are some things we need to know.
Posted by: Ruth H at January 05, 2010 08:03 PM (WPw5a)
6
MacGyver felt pretty much the same way about his SERE experience (though it was nothing like your husband's as it was "SERE light" for flight school). He purposely avoided his guards and interrogators for that reason. He was so close to graduation and didn't want to ruin it by not being able to control himself if he were to encounter one of them.
I've been interrogated once and can honestly say that I should never be trusted with state secrets - I folded like a house of cards. Granted, they pulled a hard-core "good cop/bad cop" routine on me but you'd think, after years of watching "Law and Order", I'd know how to resist.
Nope.
I never, in my entire life, want to go through that again. Ever.
Posted by: HomefrontSix at January 05, 2010 09:02 PM (umhCJ)
WHO OWNS THOSE MINUTES?
Think the government doesn't think it owns you? That it needs its hand in everything? That it needs to be the middle man in every transaction?
Washington D.C. is suing AT&T for the amount of money leftover when DC residents don't use all the balance on their prepaid calling cards.
The government thinks it owns whatever minutes you don't use when you buy a calling card from a private company.
1
Yep...just like the new penalties for flights delayed and sitting on the tarmac for a certain period of time: it won't be paid to the people sitting on the plane for their inconvenience...nope, it will be paid directly to the government.
Posted by: calivalleygirl at January 04, 2010 11:58 AM (3ICA/)
2
No comment just letting out a big heavy sigh and shaking my head.
Posted by: MaryIndiana at January 04, 2010 12:31 PM (ieVn9)
For now. That article brings up a good point. A little freedom is a big distraction. There was and is no conspiracy to control us. But why control trivia when real power lies elsewhere?
That article was written in 1997, but it's still relevant today. I couldn't help but think of the current crisis when I read this line:
But
in a time of great crisis called the Great Economic Downturn, the
people and their leaders clamored for "national solutions to national
problems"
And if you think this is bad -
Now
the people had the pleasure of being governed by not one, but two
beneficent governments with two sets of laws regulating the same
things.
BORN IN JUST THE RIGHT YEAR
Our power was out for an hour this morning, and I had a random thought once it came back on. It's a good thing I was in college when I was. I spent the majority of my free time without high-speed internet until I was a senior. After that, I read lots of books for fun in grad school because we only had dial-up. And I discovered blogs about three months after I graduated.
How would I have gotten any homework done if there had been blogs when I was in school?
1
I've noticed a lot of people seem to be at work when they blog or comment. I've wondered just how badly that has affected productivity. I'm at home and I know it has a big impact on my productivity, i.e. dishes can wait; laundry can wait; supper can wait, I've got very important things to read and write here. Lucky I have no babies, they can't wait.
Posted by: Ruth H at January 03, 2010 01:53 PM (JFseb)
I managed to blog, comment, and be a professor at the same time. You and I first 'met' during this period. It helped that my office had no Internet connection and I couldn't blog or comment while in the classroom.
Would I have gotten into blogging in the 90s? I don't think so. I ignored politics during that decade which was far more pleasant than the awful Oughties. I wasn't passionate about the Clintons. I didn't like them, but I didn't think they were going to bring about the end of the world either. I actually started an apolitical blog in 2000 (before I had even heard of the term 'blog') but took it down almost immediately.
Then came 9/11, though a whole year passed before I discovered the blogosphere through James Hudnall. I had been too busy teaching in 2001-02 to take note of the outside world. I wanted to forget the jihadis and move on. The trouble is that they won't forget us infidels. Not long after Christmas 2009, Kurt Westergaard (what a name, sounding like guard of the West!) was nearly killed. My eyes are as open as the gates to the West. When will those gates be shut?
Posted by: Amritas at January 03, 2010 04:57 PM (ke9P1)
3
I used to blog *while* teaching class. It's what group project time and pop quizzes are for.
I still can't believe how we ever got along without tivo/dvr's.
Posted by: Chuck Z at January 03, 2010 08:32 PM (bMH2g)
I couldn't blog in class because (1) I walked to campus and didn't want to take my laptop with me and (2) my philosophy was that any activity that didn't require me shouldn't have been in the classroom.
I still have no TiVo or DVR!
Posted by: Amritas at January 03, 2010 10:16 PM (ke9P1)
5
Chris and I were talking about this the other day. Between facebook, texting and blogs, I don't know how I would have got any schoolwork done in college! I was a computer science major - thank goodness I didn't have all those distractions to keep me from my work! I didn't buy my first cellphone until I graduated college and got a job. That makes me sound and feel like an old fogey!
Posted by: Jen D at January 04, 2010 12:33 AM (h8XAc)
6I've noticed a lot of people seem to be at work when they blog or
comment. I've wondered just how badly that has affected productivity.
Depends on the job. I work as a help desk analyst, so I read blogs in-between calls. As soon as the phone rings I answer it, either resolve the problem or get a ticket opened to the correct group that can resolve it and read while I wait for a new call.
I must admit I do find myself losing track of time at home...
Posted by: Patrick Chester at January 04, 2010 04:21 AM (RezbN)
WHICH ANIMAL WILL SHE BE NEXT?
The vivid pregnancy dreams are quite amusing. Several times I've dreamt that I have a transparent stomach, that I can see inside and see the baby. I guess that's a high-tech kangaroo pouch! I'm always dreaming that I get to see her.
But recently I've begun dreaming that she's born, but she's a different species. About a week ago, she was a kitten. Last night she hatched from an egg as a chick. And both times, this has seemed completely normal.
Last night's dream was so vivid and detailed. My husband made it home from Afghanistan. A few hours later, I laid an egg, which we watched and held until a little beak broke through the shell. We helped remove pieces of shell and found a little yellow chick inside. And it was our baby! There was nothing odd about it. We were talking about how we needed to swaddle her tight so her chicken legs don't flail about, and I started crying. I looked at my husband and said, "We did it. You made it home and then she was born. We finally did it."
Right sentiments, wrong species.
But the really funny part of the dream was when I positioned the empty egg shell so that I could take a photo of it to put on my blog for all of you to see...
1
Were you sitting in a nest when you laid an egg?
I'm waiting for fish. Or better yet, invertebrates.
Who's to say these nonhuman offspring don't mutate into humans over time? Maybe you started off as an animal. But which one?
Posted by: Amritas at January 02, 2010 09:59 AM (ke9P1)
2
Ah! And instead you'll have to beat your husband to let you hold your precious baby girl! Do you have Dibs! word already planned out?
Posted by: Darla at January 02, 2010 01:28 PM (XvIN7)
3
I don't think I ever had animal dreams, but I did have dreams where I took the baby out so I could hold it, then put it back in so it could finish growing. Don't ask me how -- my dream didn't show that part!
Posted by: Deltasierra at January 03, 2010 01:17 AM (/Mv9b)
4
I wonder if you are unconsciously open to dream suggestions, like having a velociraptor.
Posted by: Deskmerc at January 03, 2010 02:56 AM (pYOXQ)
5
They sound like cool dreams, weird but cool, because it doesn't seem to matter the species of baby - you just sound happy in your dreams.
Posted by: Mare at January 03, 2010 04:44 AM (HUa8I)
6
Ain't the subconscience a strange thing? And though I'm sure we all are on the edges of our seats to see the first 'out of the pouch' picture, um, I for one, don't really need to see the placenta. Not every dream is meant to come true you know. Just sayin'. ;o)
Posted by: MargeinMI at January 03, 2010 09:56 AM (H10z5)
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Dante once said that the hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in a period of moral crisis maintain their neutrality. --President John F. Kennedy--
War is a bloody, killing business. You've got to spill their blood, or they will spill yours. --General Patton--
We've gotta keep our heads until this peace craze blows over. --Full Metal Jacket--
Those who threaten us and kill innocents around the world do not need to be treated more sensitively. They need to be destroyed. --Dick Cheney--
The Flag has to come first if freedom is to survive. --Col Steven Arrington--
The purpose of diplomacy isn't to make us feel good about Eurocentric diplomatic skills, and having countries from the axis of chocolate tie our shoelaces together does nothing to advance our infantry. --Sir George--
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Live and act within the limit of your knowledge and keep expanding it to the limit of your life.
--John Galt--
First, go buy a six pack and swig it all down. Then, watch Ace Ventura. And after that, buy a Hard Rock Cafe shirt and come talk to me. You really need to lighten up, man.
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You've got to kill people, and when you've killed enough they stop fighting --General Curtis Lemay--
If we wish to be free, if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending, if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained -- we must fight! --Patrick Henry--
America has never been united by blood or birth or soil. We are bound by ideals that move us beyond our backgrounds, lift us above our interests and teach us what it means to be citizens. Every child must be taught these principles. Every citizen must uphold them. And every immigrant, by embracing these ideals, makes our country more, not less, American. --President George W. Bush--
are usually just cheerleading sessions, full of sound and fury and signifying nothing but a soothing reduction in blood pressure brought about by the narcotic high of being agreed with. --Bill Whittle
War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.
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America is the greatest, freest and most decent society in existence. It is an oasis of goodness in a desert of cynicism and barbarism. This country, once an experiment unique in the world, is now the last best hope for the world.
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As a wise man once said: we will pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty.
Unless the price is too high, the burden too great, the hardship too hard, the friend acts disproportionately, and the foe fights back. In which case, we need a timetable.
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I am not willing to kill a man so that he will agree with my faith, but I am prepared to kill a man so that he cannot force my compatriots to submit to his.
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You can say what you want about President Bush; but the truth is that he can take a punch. The man has taken a swift kick in the crotch for breakfast every day for 6 years and he keeps getting up with a smile in his heart and a sense of swift determination to see the job through to the best of his abilties.
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In a perfect world, We'd live in peace and love and harmony with each oither and the world, but then, in a perfect world, Yoko would have taken the bullet.
--SarahBellum--
Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free. --Ronald Reagan--
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Do not fear the enemy, for your enemy can only take your life. It is far better that you fear the media, for they will steal your HONOR. That awful power, the public opinion of a nation, is created in America by a horde of ignorant, self-complacent simpletons who failed at ditching and shoemaking and fetched up in journalism on their way to the poorhouse. --Mark Twain--
The Enlightenment was followed by the French Revolution and the Napoleonic wars, which touched every European state, sparked vicious guerrilla conflicts across the Continent and killed millions. Then, things really turned ugly after the invention of soccer. --Iowahawk--
Every time I meet an Iraqi Army Soldier or Policeman that I haven't met before, I shake his hand and thank him for his service. Many times I am thanked for being here and helping his country. I always tell them that free people help each other and that those that truly value freedom help those seeking it no matter the cost. --Jack Army--
Right, left - the terms are useless nowadays anyway. There are statists, and there are individualists. There are pessimists, and optimists. There are people who look backwards and trust in the West, and those who look forward and trust in The World. Those are the continuums that seem to matter the most right now. --Lileks--
The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.
--Winston Churchill--
A man or a nation is not placed upon this earth to do merely what is pleasant and what is profitable. It is often called upon to carry out what is both unpleasant and unprofitable, but if it is obviously right it is mere shirking not to undertake it. --Arthur Conan Doyle--
A man who has nothing which he cares about more than he does about his personal safety is a miserable creature who has no chance of being free, unless made and kept so by the existing of better men than himself. --John Stuart Mill--
After the attacks on September 11, 2001, most of the sheep, that is, most citizens in America said, "Thank God I wasn't on one of those planes." The sheepdogs, the warriors, said, "Dear God, I wish I could have been on one of those planes. Maybe I could have made a difference." --Dave Grossman--
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I kept asking Clarence why our world seemed to be collapsing and everything seemed so shitty. And he'd say, "That's the way it goes, but don't forget, it goes the other way too." --Alabama Worley--
So Bush is history, and we have a new president who promises to heal the planet, and yet the jihadists don’t seem to have got the Obama message that there are no enemies, just friends we haven’t yet held talks without preconditions with.
--Mark Steyn--
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It is in the heat of emotion that good people must remember to stand on principle. --Larry Elder--
Please show this to the president and ask him to remember the wishes of the forgotten man, that is, the one who dared to vote against him. We expect to be tramped on but we do wish the stepping would be a little less hard. --from a letter to Eleanor Roosevelt--
The world economy depends every day on some engineer, farmer, architect, radiator shop owner, truck driver or plumber getting up at 5AM, going to work, toiling hard, and producing real wealth so that an array of bureaucrats, regulators, and redistributors can manage the proper allotment of much of the natural largess produced. --VDH--
Parents are often so busy with the physical rearing of children that they miss the glory of parenthood, just as the grandeur of the trees is lost when raking leaves. --Marcelene Cox--
