I Don't Know What the Problem Is, But I'm Told There IS a Problem

For every person who voted for Obama because he represented change, but couldn't articulate what that change was, there was someone on the other side of the aisle that thought the same thing about Palin / McCain that had the same problem.

The problem with marketing is that we are fed these ideas and concepts: change, independence, unity, freedom, cutting spending, bringing in spending, cap-and-trade, etc. But absent articulable substance, they are just words ("articulable" being a legal term) and they mean absolutely nothing without context.

I'm not really just firing from the hip with this thing. Instead, I'm just pointing out the problem with movements (and they exist on both sides). People blindly follow like sheep, rather than backing things with facts. And they become radical about these notions and impassioned, but cannot support these notions with any substance whatsoever. And it's problematic because it starts the cycle of ignorance (or perpetuates it).

One of the best things anyone has ever said to me in the form of commentary comes from my friend Tony. "Just because the person says it with the most conviction, it doesn't mean they're right."



With that being said, don't follow a movement unless you know the facts.

via straight bangin

Al Franken With the Fire

Comedian-turned-Senator rips on a lady who somehow claims that moving to a European-based system (i.e. France or Germany) would result in more bankruptcies.

Dodds About to Get the Smackdown (yuck yuck)

Chris Dodd seems to be on the decline. There was the whole Countrywide issue, the Freddie and Fannie thing....he just generally seems like a douche.

So it's not surprising that Republicans are coming out of the woodwork to challenge him next year. Add Linda McMahon to that list. Yes, Linda McMahon of the WWE. The World Wrestling Entertainment brand.

“I understand what it takes to balance a budget, create jobs and grow the economy,” Ms. McMahon said in the statement. “Washington is out of control, and sadly, Senator Chris Dodd has lost his way and our trust. I can’t sit by on the sidelines anymore knowing that I have both the experience and the strength to stand up to special interests and bring badly needed change to Washington.”

Dodd, you're in for the smackdown. I couldn't resist.

What really interests me though? What McMahon's campaign will look like.

One video on the Internet shows her in the ring, appearing to kick a man in the groin.

Imagine if they CGI'd Dodds face on that guy??? How awesome would that be. Not cause I care about Dodd one way or the other, but come on, a political campaign with nut-kicking? I could die knowing I had lived a full life if I saw that.

source: NY Times and Yahoo!

What We Should Really Be Focusing On

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

President Carter believes Joe Wilson's comments were fueled by racist feelings. Not sure. But this is way more important than Kanye upstaging Taylor Swift at some inconsequential, invalid award show.

Michael Steele (lamewad that he is) accuses the Dems of throwing smoke to avoid the real issues - policy.

Hey, maybe Carter's right on a grand scale. Subconsciously we're not ready to accept a black president. But do I really think Joe Wilson is mad that Obama is the president or more upset with the policy implications? I'd bet money on the latter and I'd bet close to zero on the former.

Look, I'll say this...I was walking to work today (from the parking lot, not from home) and I noticed a group of black people walking from the criminal courthouse on the opposite side of the street. And then I saw a white woman. And it triggered a series of thoughts.

For instance, not only here, but in California as well, I've had white friends that have friends of all different races. But when something bad happens and it was the result of either confirmed or presumed activities at the hands of a black person, inevitably the words stupid "nigger!" inevitably comes lashing out. Now on any given day of the week, these are friends that are seemingly normal, tolerant people. What does it all mean? That maybe we haven't moved as far away from our racist past as we'd like to believe. And you apologists who are ready to come out of the woodwork saying these are isolated incidents, please, save your breath.

Anyway, I still don't think Wilson's comments were racially motivated. At least consciously. Food for though....

He’s a serial exaggerator: A brief analysis of....something

Oh Karl Rove. Remember that time you had that rap and you gave 95% of the people who watched the video of it second-hand embarrassment. Oh and not to mention you kind of sounded like the devil incarnate. I shudder just thinking about how bad you (and that other guy) raped the hip hop culture. And how you made humanity look that much worse, considering that you were one of the most powerful men in American politics at the time.



Well Rove came out and bashed on Biden.

"He’s a serial exaggerator. If I was being unkind I would say he’s a liar, but it’s a habit he ought to drop,” Rove said on FOX News. "You should not exaggerate and lie like this when you are the vice president of the United States.”

"Serial exaggerator?" Really? What about a "pathological" exaggerator? Or "habitual" exaggerator. "Serial exaggerator" makes him sound like he's hunting people down to exaggerate to them.

Then he goes on to say "If I was being unkind I would say he's a liar." That reminds me of Talladega Nights. "With all due respect..." (unfortunately I can't find a youtube clip of this). Rove, you just called him a liar. And you are being unkind.

The best part? "You should not exaggerate and lie like this when you are the vice president of the United States." I almost crapped my pants laughing at that one. Remember how he was the Deputy Chief of Staff and also a major-player in Bush's campaign? Remember all those voter fraud allegations. I'm pretty sure even if you're a "liar" or a "serial exaggerator" you may or may not be violating the Constitution (depending on the circumstances). I'm also 100% certain that disenfranchising voters is absolutely a Constitutional violation.

So what was all this about?

The former Bush adviser was referring to Biden’s comments earlier this week on CNN that he and President George W. Bush once had an exchange in the Oval Office, where Bush said, "Well, Joe ... I'm a leader,” and Biden responded: “Mr. President, turn around and look behind you. No one is following.”

Now it all makes sense. Cause you know, that's a substantive issue. Whether or not Biden actually called out Bush. I must find the answer to this, otherwise I will lose sleep. Or I don't care. All things being equal, I think most all politicians lie in some capacity. So this isn't really a surprise if Biden is being untruthful or "misremembering" things. Hey Rove, it's kind of like the whole "Did Saddam Have Weapons of Mass Destruction or Didn't He?" thing. So I think you can relate to what Biden is going through.

source

Kumar Goes to the White House

This is strange.

The White House has hired actor Kal Penn as a liaison between President Barack Obama's administration and Asian constituents. White House spokesman Shin Inouye said Tuesday that the actor who had a recurring role on Fox's TV show "House" and has starred in several movies would join the staff as an associate director in the Office of Public Liaison.

His role will be to connect Obama with the Asian-American and Pacific Islander communities, as well as arts groups.

Let the "Obama endorses stoners" comments by the pundits and bloggers begin!

source

Tomorrow the World Witnesses History

I've written enough on this within the last year. I need not write more, nor would I do this post proper justice given my time constraints at the moment. Tomorrow we witness history. Whether you share his ideals or not, this still is a monumental occasion. Where will you be?

So Why the Long Bout of Silence?

Re-transitioning to life back in Houston.

Trying to burn off the weight and having to wake up quite early to do it. Gym at 7AM sucks. But I bought an ipod which should be here tomorrow. I will be thrilled if it comes in. I need music, especially at the gym. Especially that early.

I'm dealing with a stressy eye-twitch. My left eye used to twitch a lot, presumably from stress. But oddly enough, it never acted up (to the best of my Alzheimer-esque memory) during law school. Strange it does now. Maybe I just need to reaclimate to stress. Although I don't even have anything to stress about.

Least I'm not the President. I'd be aging faster than I already am (I've got a lot of gray hairs going on the sides of my head). How much faster. Apparently twice as fast.

"It doesn't matter if they're Democrats or Republicans, it doesn't matter if they've been athletes or not beforehand, it doesn't matter if they were smokers or not," said Roizen, chief wellness officer at the Cleveland Clinic. "For eight years in office, they age 16 years."

I guess when you actually look at the photos, you can see how all the presidents age so much from when they entered office. Like ridiculously.

And while younger people can easily reset their hormonal response system once acute stress subsides, older adults don't respond with the same suppleness. In such circumstances, the human body becomes like an engine that is constantly revving.

"It's a good thing that older people can have stress responses, but it's a bad thing that your stress responses stay active for a longer period of time," Minaker said. "It's sort of burning you up."

I guess I do get angrier for longer. Eh, being old sucks.

In other news, as Bush's presidency nears an end, we can look back at some of his greatest contributions to the English language. And I don't think any of that had to do with "stress" or the "graying of the president."

Here's a tidbit. On technology

"Information is moving. You know, nightly news is one way, of course, but it's also moving through the blogosphere and through the Internets."
Washington DC, 2 May, 2007

Read the rest here.

And finally, this is a bit old, but don't you think this story is kind of strange.

John Travolta's lawyers -- who are close family friends -- reveal to Usmagazine.com that Jett may have died in his father's arms Friday. "Yesterday was the worst day of [John's] life," Travolta's lawyer and confidant, Michael McDermott, and Michael Ossi, the family's attorney, tell Us in a phone interview (during which they asked all quotes to be jointly attributed).

I can only imagine how hard losing a family member is. That must be terrible. But what I find strange? That the attorney, who was there, who issued a statement basically on behalf of Travolta, thinks that Jett may have died it John Travolta's arms. Shouldn't he know the answer to that? I'm just saying. He is the attorney.

Dope

via Brooke

Brief Headlines

Stars of Hoop Dreams Still Keep in Touch.
I remember Hoop Dreams. Not because I saw it (I didn't), but because I remember Siskel and Ebert giving it two thumbs up. Then I noticed it was a documentary and I was confused. But 14 years later, the movie crosses paths with my life again. Article by the Chicago Tribune following the two stars of the documentary. And a good read.

Pardon Me?
Who President Bush might pardon as he gets set to exit office.
My favorite: "Scooter Libby: You Betcha!"

Rhodes Scholar / Defensive Back / Seminole
Good story about Florida State Safety and pre-med student (and now Rhodes Scholar) Myron Rolle. They had an excellent story on him on ESPN on Saturday morning (despite being done by Jeremy Schapp whom I despise) before it was determined whether he was getting the scholarship or not. Dude was flown out to interview and stayed till around 6PM and flew back to meet get to the 7:45 game. Tell me that's not awesome.

1/5th Getting Less High in Amsterdam
That's probably not true. But they certainly have shut down more of their famous "coffee shops" to comply with new laws that prohibit the shops from being within 250 meters (what the hell is a meter?! I only know feet and inches) of schools.

Citibank gets lifeline, phones a friend
I wish my name was Citibank, cause I'd be getting a bailout. Alas, I'm just me, and I won't be getting squat, despite my bank account slowly approaching zero the closer we get to the end of the year.
Moral of the Story: large companies with analysts trained in money management, forecasting, etc. can screw up and get handouts from the government. I cannot. (side note: IRS, WHERE'S MY STIMULUS CHECK!?)

The Dumbest Thing I've Read All Day (It's still early)
Apparently Minorities in California fear that because of the recent turnout on Prop 8 the government might take away rights from any group it pleases.
Even a USC LAW professor agrees....
Problems:
1) it was voted on, so I don't think it's really the big, bad "government" taking away a person's right.
2) that's pretty unintelligent considering I don't think same-sex marraige has ever been ruled on by the Supreme Court as being a fundamental right.
3) Mr. USC Law professor is forgetting that one thing, what's it called, oh yeah, THE FOURTEENTH AMENDMENT.
4) Pretty sure there's a good chance this is going to the Supreme Court. Wonder what will happen in light of Lawrence v. Texas.
Regardless, USC LAW professor = idiot.

Are You Smarter Than a U.S. Official?

Apparently, some U.S. officials are having trouble recalling history, understanding economics, or comprehending how our government works. FANTASTIC!

BEFORE YOU READ THE ARTICLE. Take the test, then see how you do and compare your results with the officials.

You can take the test here. While I'll admit, I read the portion about the two countries that we were enemies with during WWII (there's no way I was missing that one), I took the rest of the test before reading the article.

Now, I only scored an 82.something percent on it. The average public scores a 49%, while U.S. officials selected to take the exam scored just 44%. Wow.....

Post your results in the comments section if you'd like. I'm interested to see how people do. Maybe it's easier for me because I'm in a seemingly perpetual state of academia.

As a side note, my roommate scored a 92%, and also cited remembering the answer to one of the questions "because of Kindergarten Cop."

ZINGER

Chris Matthews (giant douche) playing Hardball.



it's hilarious how he stumps Kirk Watson. But it's annoying how he cuts him off repeatedly. Then Olberman comes back and clowns Matthews.

In summation: Kirk Watson doesn't know much about Obama's legislative history (at least off the top of his head), Chris Matthews is still a giant douche, and Keith Olberman actually made a funny comment for once.

Karl Rove: Stater of the Obvious

Karl Rove has an article on Newsweek. Although there is some good advice, he mostly states the obvious.

Winner of Statement of the obvious Award:

6.Good candidates are essential. The GOP's return can start as early as 2010. In the first midterm, since World War II, the "out party" has gained, on average, two seats in the Senate; since 1966, it's gained an average of 6 governorships, 63 state Senate seats and 262 state House seats. The GOP can have a better-than-average 2010, but only if it recruits strong candidates. Their cultivation starts now. States remain our best source of presidential contenders and new ideas, so elect more governors. [emphasis added]

Really Mr. Rove?! I thought we could just, you know, put a suit on a baboon and send him out there waving a GOP flag and everything would be okay. Jeez....now I have to find strong candidates?! This is not what I signed up for....

Unfortunately, he didn't say anything about not being a douche bag. Guess Karl Rove hasn't completely learned his lesson.

Beware

This is probably less relevant now. Saw this last month in CA. I thought it was funny and worth a photo. The Bullwinkle-esque moose looks deranged...

Ya' Think?!

In an interview, Bush cited some of his regrets throughout his Presidency.

``I regret saying some things I shouldn't have said,'' Bush said. He cited comments he made after the Sept. 11 attacks, when he said of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden: ``I want justice. There's an old poster out West that said, 'Wanted, dead or alive.'''

He also said he regretted telling Iraqi insurgents in 2003: ``There are some who feel like that the conditions are such that they can attack us there. My answer is, bring 'em on.''

He went on to cite a few other regrets, but there are some glaring omissions. So I thought I'd help out.

1) the war in Iraq. - Umm.....are you ready to admit we shouldn't have gone there? Maybe, I dunno, you wanted bin Laden, so you could have gone to....uhhh what's that place called? Afghanistan!!!

2) the inability to master the English language and understand that the meaning of a sentence is based on the placement of words

Here are a few:

"I'm also not very analytical. You know I don't spend a lot of time thinking about myself, about why I do things."

"I know what I believe. I will continue to articulate what I believe and what I believe — I believe what I believe is right."

"People say, how can I help on this war against terror? How can I fight evil? You can do so by mentoring a child; by going into a shut-in's house and say I love you."

"I try to go for longer runs, but it's tough around here at the White House on the outdoor track. It's sad that I can't run longer. It's one of the saddest things about the presidency."

source

Carmelo Might Get Fat

Melo's personal chef may be going to the House. The WHITE HOUSE

Currently, Daniel Young waits amongst three other chefs to possibly serve as the White House Chef. That must be awesome, regardless of who the president is. Apparently, he cooked for President-Elect Obama during the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

Chef: Daniel Young

Young cooked for Obama at the Democratic National Convention.

Current Job: Personal chef to Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony.

Signature Style: Young is a fan of using spices to bring out the flavor in low-calorie dishes. His signature dish is seafood stew with crab-stuffed chicken breasts

The good news, he sounds like a good chef (seafood stew!? crab-stuffed chicken breasts!?). The bad news, Melo will probably put on more pounds. But then again, I don't care.

On a side-note, the other two in the running currently own and operate restaurants in the Chicago area. So if Obama really wants change, he goes for Young. Right?

source: Daily News

An Analysis of President-Elect Barack Obama....

's basketball game:

in response to the election results, and with all due respect, here's a non-partisan scouting report on President-elect Barack Obama's hoop game.

Who says Obama never goes to his right? ( / Getty Images)

He can jump, run, and shows adhesive hands. The future president also has good court-awareness and will unselfishly deliver passes to the right players in the right places at the right times. His on-court joy, exuberance and celebrity obviously enliven the games in which he plays and inspire his teammates.

However, his defense relies on ball-hawking and is therefore somewhat shoddy. Plus, he's not much of a banger.

Also, he's totally left-handed — so much so that he probably has to water his right hand three times every day just to keep it functional.

But the worst aspect of his game is his jump shot. There's a hitch in his shot preparation, which makes his ultimate release point much too low. The result being that he tends to front-rim too many shots.

Anyway, forget about all of that political stuff. It's wonderful to have a genuine hooper in the White House.

via Charley Rosen - link

Peace

Romans 13

Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. 4For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. 6This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. 7Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

The Names Have Been Changed....

....but the words have not.

[Brian Stevenson] saying well there goes my parents' paychecks to lazy people and i hope my husband will still have a job after the airline industry goes to hell! [emphasis added]

[Jennifer Johnson] Today America has chosen form over substance, emotion over logic, idealism over reality, but worst of all, color over quality. [emphasis added]

These are status changes from people I am "friends" with on facebook.

Maybe you know them. At this point, I hope you don't.

They will likely defend themselves, making claims that these words are misinterpreted.

But I am entirely disheartened about these statements.

These are my peers; my colleagues. People that I will likely be around for the foreseeable future, even beyond law school.

I say it again....tell me that racism isn't alive.

When the words "good ol' boy" still circulate in Houston and the South

When people allege that the country voted on color and not the 1 million other variables.

When those pre-conceived notions pop into your head throughout the day.

We've all been programmed from a young age.

Tell me racism doesn't exist.

I miss the days of grade school, where I wasn't fully aware of what race was.

As far as this country may have come, is as far behind as we really are at times.

Yeah, I'm a Little Late

It's looking bad for Republican judges early on in Houston. Actually, looking bad for anyone who is a Republican and not named Ed Emmett.....

This is why I do not support straight-ticket voting. Good and qualified judges will be losing their positions because of some grossly unqualified democrats that decided it was time to get swept in for one reason or another [I will say that this doesn't necessarily mean all of them are unqualified, but I know of a few].

Anyway, we'll see what happens, but I need a laugh.



This was hilarious. Background on this: Shaq threatened to hurt San Antonio from the line....so Popovich decided to foul him within the first ten seconds of the game. HILARIOUS. And Shaq gets a good laugh out of Popovich's two thumbs up.