Christopher Jackson

Writing, Clerking, Commuting

2011-09-13T09:35:00.004-04:00

It's been so long since I've done anything with this blog, I'm not sure whether anyone reads it anymore. But, just in case someone out there is interested, here we go:

First up in exciting news, an essay that I wrote on the Supreme Court's recent decision in J.D.B. v. North Carolina (a case about Miranda rights) was published by MLR's First Impressions (check it out here). The case itself is pretty interesting, but I focused on tackling what I think is the Court's misguided analysis of the "reasonable person test," something that comes up over and over in all kinds of different areas in law. If you (whoever you are) ever get a chance to read it, I'd love to hear feedback.

I also accepted a publication offer for the full-length article I was working on during my 3L year, which will be published some time in 2012. That one revolves around the use of the moral luck objection by law & economists against more traditional theories of tort law. It incorporates some of what I did for my senior thesis at Princeton, and can be found here. It's a little nuts thinking that I'm going to be on the other side of the process now, but I'm super thrilled that something I wrote is going to be published as a real-life, big-kid article.

In other news, I graduated from Michigan in May and have settled into Richmond for my clerkship, which I started a few weeks ago. The job is wonderful: I'm doing exactly what I like doing, and everyone in chambers is awesome. Jennifer, who's been hanging out with me here since we got back from France with my family, just started her firm job in DC. That means lots of commuting back and forth for a while, but I can handle it.

That about covers it, I think. I'll try to post more updates? We'll see how it goes.

Articles That Make Me Want to Tear My Hair Out

2011-03-16T11:47:00.002-04:00

Here's one, from the New York Times, entitled "No Face, but Plants Like Life Too," which argues that "formulating a truly rational rationale for not eating animals, at least while consuming all sorts of other organisms, [is] difficult, maybe even impossible." The idea is that plants engage in similar-looking defense mechanisms as animals when attacked, and so the difference between eating the two isn't really all that great:

But just like a chicken running around without its head, the body of a corn plant torn from the soil or sliced into pieces struggles to save itself, just as vigorously and just as uselessly, if much less obviously[,] to the human ear and eye.

I eat meat (and should probably get one of these), so it's not like I have a dog in this fight. But Yoon's argument is, well, totally nuts.

The most obvious response to Yoon's assertion is to have her read Peter Singer. The difference between plants and (some) animals is that (some) animals feel pain--they're able to suffer. There's a subjective experience brought about when you stab a pig that doesn't occur when you cut into an asparagus. Yoon, perhaps not surprisingly, is aware of this argument: "The differences that do seem to matter are things like the fact that plants don’t have nerves or brains. They cannot, we therefore conclude, feel pain." But she goes on to reject the idea that subjective suffering can serve as a basis for morally distinguishing eating animals from eating plants because "[s]lavery and genocide have been justified by the assertion that some kinds of people do not feel pain, do not feel love — are not truly human — in the same way as others."

I'm not totally sure how to respond to such a ridiculous argument, but here's my best shot: neither slavery nor genocide were based on the argument that particular groups of people don't feel pain. I don't have a history Ph.D., but somehow I don't see slave owners saying to themselves, "It's a good thing our slaves don't have any subjective experiences. They're, neurologically speaking, exactly the same as inanimate objects." But let's pretend that somehow, somewhere in the world, there was a person who justified slavery or genocide on these grounds. What could we say to them? How about, "Dear crazy person, please read a high school biology textbook. You have a view about neuroscience that is utterly, hopelessly wrong." To say we should reject a moral theory because some people don't understand basic science and therefore apply the theory incorrectly is just ridiculous.

This isn't to say that I think Singer's argument is right: I don't believe that moral obligations derive solely from the existence of subjective suffering. But it certainly isn't an irrational view.

Great Moments in Brief Writing

2011-03-07T09:46:00.003-05:00

This semester I'm taking a seminar where each week we argue cases that are currently before the Supreme Court. Each student takes a turn playing counsel, second chair, justice, and justice's clerk so we can see how everything looks from each perspective. It's been a wonderful class--I'm even more convinced that appellate litigation is what I'd like to do, at least for a few years--but there have been surprises as I've gone through these real-life disputes. The biggest one? How disingenuous the briefs filed with the Supreme Court are.

Because the Court takes so few cases and because Supreme Court litigation has become a highly specialized field, the advocates who write these briefs are very, very good. As a result, I was more than a little surprised when I saw this consistent pattern of lawyers making fairly outrageous assertions about the strength of their position. I get that the whole point of a brief is to make your side look as strong as possible, but I don't know how, in almost any of these cases, the attorney can say things like "Basic logic all but compels this conclusion," or "This may be one of the easiest [cases of this type] to reach this Court in some time" (both actual examples). Sometimes the Court takes cases that aren't all that controversial: the point is to clear up an area of law that's vague, for example, and most people agree what the right answer is. But for the most part, the issues presented are hard. No matter what people think when they tune in to listen to the confirmation hearings of a potential new justice, the Supreme Court routinely decides cases where the established law doesn't generate an answer.

So when I come across briefs like the ones I'm reading today, where both sides use the very first sentence of their argument to assert that this is an easy case for their client, I get confused (and exasperated...). By making that misleading and easily verifiable statement up front, you've shot your credibility. Or at least, that's what I'd think if I were the judge. If you're going to confidently assert this isn't a hard case when it obviously is and you have every reason to think the judge knows it is, what other points did you "embellish"? Would it really have been so terrible for the advocate to say, "This is a tough case, and there's no clear answer. But if you go through the argument as I've laid it out, you'll see that the best outcome is a ruling in favor of my client."?

Of course, all this just goes to show that I have no idea how appellate advocacy works. Making these kinds of claims is just par for the course. And I suppose it's reasonable to think I still have a lot to learn, considering I've never actually practiced law.

Time to Travel

2011-02-14T12:46:00.003-05:00

Apparently I've decided to use my newly found free time to travel. I haven't gone on any trips other than home to see my family for something like a year and half, so I'm packing in as many as possible in the next few months to make up for it. I am extraordinarily excited to go to:

* The Caribbean! Winter in Michigan is cold. So cold in fact that they call our spring break "winter break." I'm taking that suggestion and breaking for winter by going on a short cruise to a place where the temperature is currently in the high 80s. Score.

* Montreal! I've been putting this one off for way too long. Donald's back in Montreal (working on his Ph.D.), and I'll be going north to visit for a long St. Patrick's Day weekend with John and Jeffrey. I'll fly into JFK, grab Jeffrey, take a train with him up to Connecticut, pile into John's car, and head to Canada.

* Boston! I graduate in early May, so the family is coming to Michigan and then we'll all ship up there for a few days.

* France? This one's not set in stone, but possibly another family vacation in August after I take the bar exam. Bar trip to Europe=awesome.

I Don't Want to Read Crim Pro/Triumphant Return?

2011-01-29T14:33:00.006-05:00

I randomly clicked on the link to this blog today and realized that it's been over a year since I've posted--that's more than a little sad. I could say that I'll be writing here more frequently, but I've made similar promises before. Still, since I'm trying to avoid my reading again, how about an update?

* I'm graduating in May! And while law school has been fun, I can't say I'm sorry to be leaving. The seminars were great, as was the independent work that I did, but lecture classes are tough: reading every day for the seemingly sole purpose of memorizing facts and having no opportunity to do any in-depth analysis=lame.

* I got published! It's on a very esoteric topic, but it was still pretty neat to see my name in print. I've been working on a second piece that's nearly complete, but we'll see whether I actually submit it for publication or have it accepted anywhere. Will I ever fully give up on the idea of becoming an academic?

* I'm almost done being editor-in-chief of the law review! The last year has been quite an adventure, and I'm very, very glad to have had the experience, but at the same time it's great to know I'll soon be finished. We'll be picking the new editorial board Superbowl weekend (bad timing, I know), so T-minus 8 days and counting.

* MLR has been running smoothly. Thanks to a really great group of editors, we've published each of our issues several weeks early (#5, the March issue, will be out shortly) and are hopefully leaving the journal in the same great shape we found it in last year.

* I'm moving to Virginia, then going to DC. I'll be clerking for a year and then will make the permanent (or at least semi-permanent) move to the District in 2012.

That covers the highlights, I think. Now we'll see if I can keep it up.

I Don't Want to Read Jurisdiction

2009-08-29T15:47:00.003-04:00

Since I'm trying to avoid doing my class reading and I finally have a little free time after a very hectic week and a half, I thought it would be a good time to post. Updates on life:

* Successfully visited Nashville, Indianapolis, Plymouth and Ann Arbor & got both Jennifer and my things moved in.

* OCI week came & went, which was a whole lot more stressful than I thought it would be. 20 interviews over the course of 4 days is very tiring. Still, I think it went well overall. A number of firms are still deciding on who they're going to offer callbacks to, so for now I'm still waiting to see how the whole thing went.

* MLR orientation ended yesterday. I'm still really looking forward to working on a journal, but the 3L's certainly weren't kidding when they said it was a major time commitment: 5-10 hour weekly assignments + writing a publishable note this year + committee work + administrative duties (though I'm told that's only a couple of times a semester) on top of my regular class work and Campbell (which I'm separately really excited about) means this year will be keeping me busy.

* I'm getting particularly excited about researching & writing my note topic. For anyone who might be interested, I'm planning to write on whether a district court has the authority (and if it does, whether it should ever exercise that authority) to compel the attendance of a corporate defendant at an 11(b) plea colloquy even though Fed. R. Crim. Pro. 43 says that organizational defendants "need not be present" at any hearing or trial if represented by counsel. OK, it sounds esoteric and boring, but I think a lot of the discussion will revolve around the justifications of prosecuting corporations and whether the reasons why we choose to do that tells us anything about how corporations should plead guilty to crimes. White collar crime is kind of cool, right?

I think that touches all the highlights. Time to get back to that reading.

Almost Time to Move Again

2009-08-07T13:02:00.003-04:00

In less than a week I'll be heading back up to Michigan via Nashville (Jennifer has assured me I'm not going to turn into slack-jawed yokel by stepping foot in The South) to start my second year of law school. That of course means that the next few days will inevitably be filled with my procrastinating, followed by panic that I'm actually going to have to leave DC and somehow get all of my things back to Ann Arbor. That, coupled with the substantial amount of preparation needed for OCI, means fun times for me. Before classes actually start, I also have the week of on-campus interviewing and then another week of journal orientation. Life will probably be busy over the next month or so.

Other than that, very little is new. I'm finishing up work at the DoJ, so it's been pretty slow in the office. Tonight it's out with friends to spend our winnings from trivia, a $50 gift certificate to a bar. Other than that...nothing. Let's be honest: I'm pretty much posting for the sake of posting. But at least I've got something new on the blog.

I'm Posting??

2009-07-23T11:04:00.001-04:00

Hey, it's only been 7 months since I last posted something here. But given my level of boredom this week, I figured writing a few entries would kill at least 20 minutes. And changing the name, font and style? That's at least another 10.

Updates
Surprisingly little is new (or at least surprisingly little that I'm going to talk about in a public forum with OCI coming up (please hire me, DC law firms!)), but some highlights:

* I finished my first year of law school! Yes, I made it out alive, so I am officially 1/3 of the way to being able to pretend I know enough law to give legal advice. Scary thought.

* I'm interning this summer at the Department of Justice in the Environmental Crimes Section. Yes, environmental crimes are real; no, not everyone who works here is a granola-crunching hippie. Turns out dumping tons of putrid, hazardous chemicals into the main water source of a small town is a big no-no. So far I've been pretty lucky in getting assignments which are challenging and interesting. It's also even further solidified my love for litigation: spend the next two weeks reading over this brief, doing research and writing out an argument demonstrating opposing counsel is wrong? Sign me up. I'm here through mid-August, too, so if anyone in the DC/Northern Virginia area is interested in getting together before then, let me know.

* OCI is coming up. For those of you less familiar with the process of finding legal employment, OCI is the On Campus Interviewing program that Michigan and a good many other schools do. Employers come to the campus to interview prospective employees for next summer (only 9 months away!), and each student goes through dozens of interviews over a 4 or 5 day period. The important part is that the large majority of students will end up working for the firm, organization or agency they intern for during their 2L summer after they graduate, meaning this process pretty much determines where I'll be going with my pretty new J.D. in 2011. I really want to return to the District once I graduate, so we'll hope the process goes well.

I'm going to try to revive my blog and post here at least semi-regularly, so here's hoping I stick to it.

Question

2008-11-14T10:27:00.000-05:00

How many of my law school friends have checked this since Laura told you all about it last Saturday?

You Know You're a Jerk When...

2008-09-14T19:12:00.001-04:00

...Karl Rove thinks you've gone too far in your campaign ads.

It's Friday

2008-09-05T14:15:00.000-04:00

...which means I've just finished my first week of law school, and overall it seems pretty good. There certainly is a fair amount of work (a lot more than in undergrad) but I don't think I have to worry too much about the horror stories I've been told of how law students have to work 14 hours a day, 7 days a week until finals season, at which point it becomes 18...I know a couple of people who are treating it like a job, where they'll work from 9-5 or 6 on weekdays, and that gets them through the material.

Ann Arbor's turning out to be a really great place: the Law School is beautiful and I don't think I could ask for anything better in the Reading Room or library. There are also a ton of bars, restaurants, stores and anything else you could want within walking distance, so there's always a new place to go.

The people here are much more laid back than your stereotypical law student--friendly, easy to get along with & willing to help you out if you need it. I think I got lucky with my section in particular, which seem to be filled with some pretty great people.

As for the classes I'm taking this semester, I think I'll end up really enjoying 3 out of 4, which isn't too bad: Con Law and Torts are both interesting (and match up pretty well with some of my interests in philosophy from undergrad) and Legal Practice shouldn't be too demanding (read: it's pass/fail, so I don't have to stress about it). Property, on the other hand, is the one I think I'll enjoy the least: I'm not as interested in the material, and it seems to be (at least at this point) a lot more memorization than the others. But the semester is young--that could always change.

And speaking of classes, I should probably get started on that reading....

Mitt Romney is Nuts

2008-09-03T21:35:00.000-04:00

At the Republican Convention tonight:

""We need change all right -- change from a liberal Washington to a conservative Washington."

Seriously? Wow.

Pictures of the Room

2008-09-01T11:04:00.000-04:00

My desk (with the 1st semester books), and in back of that my pantry/food area

We get a sink in the rooms, which I think is great--it makes sharing a bathroom significantly easier.

The desk again, and the door in the background.

Desk/empty bookshelf

My bed and, of course, my GLORIOUS television.

And finally the incredibly heavy, unmovable dresser and a shot of my closet.

Hello!

2008-08-25T15:50:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since I've posted, and this isn't going to be a very long update, but briefly so nobody thinks I'm dead: I moved to Ann Arbor, registered for school, got moved in (for the most part), got my awesome new computer, had a fun weekend with my parents and am about to go buy some textbooks (eep! they're expensive!).

I'll post some more details and pictures in the near future.

Also, I now officially hate Ohio State. Go Blue.

It's Cool Because it's about Moral Philosophy

2008-08-15T12:14:00.000-04:00

Check out two of Carl Dennis' poems: The God Who Loves You and Progressive Health.

1L Schedule Vol. II

2008-08-14T18:09:00.001-04:00

Also, in case anyone wants to know where I'll be over the next few days, here's the plan:

8/14-19: packing, Elaine comes up to Reno to visit
8/20: flying out with Mom & Dad to Ann Arbor
8/21: probably shopping for stuff for my room
8/22: Move-In Day
8/24: Parents head back to Reno
8/25: First day of orientation; pick up my MCard & get my new computer
8/25-29: Orientation week
9/2: first day of classes

1L Schedule

2008-08-14T17:55:00.001-04:00

Well I just got the unofficial schedule for my 1L year, and it looks pretty good. Michigan breaks down each entering class into one of four sections, and then each section into four different groups, so there's ABCD, EFGH, IJKL and MNOP. I'm in the "I" group, and my first semester schedule is (drum roll here...):

Con Law: 10:10-11:00 am Mon - Thurs David Franklin
Torts: 11:15-12:10 pm Mon - Thurs Christina Whitman
Property: 1:30-2:25 pm Tues - Fri Brian Simpson
Legal Practice: 2:35-3:30 pm Wed & Fri Mark Osbeck

I checked out the bios for my four professors, and for some reason David Franklin doesn't appear anywhere...so I'm guessing that's not who will end up teaching the course.

They've also already made the 2nd semester schedule, which isn't nearly so nice: 8:00 am class 5 days a week = major bummer (you can see it here). Guess I've just gotta get used to getting up early this semester. And, in case you were wondering, in that 2nd semester I'll be taking Civil Procedure, Contracts, Criminal Law and Legal Practice (II).

All-in-all, it looks pretty good, and I'm definitely getting excited to head out on Wednesday.

I <3 NJ

2008-08-13T17:06:00.000-04:00

So I got a letter in the mail a few days ago from the NJ Department of Taxation, telling me that I had only paid part of my tax bill. I looked through my copy of the tax return I filed, and it turns out that New Jersey didn't credit me the money that Princeton University withheld from my paycheck. After I found that out, I called the Department of Taxation, and tried to explain to them that I didn't actually owe any additional money, and that if they took a look at my W-2 form, they'd have proof of that. The not-so-nice lady on the other end told me that they just don't seem to have a copy of my W-2 which, in case you guessed, is pretty dumb considering that a) I sent it to them with my tax return, b) I'm almost positive that Princeton was legally required to send them one and c) if they're telling the truth, apparently my word is good enough for the State of New Jersey for how much I actually owe: I could have put that I earned $2.97 in 2007 and since they don't check for W-2's, they'd have no way to prove otherwise.

And as a result, I'm now going to have to send a letter to New Jersey with a copy of my W-2 from Princeton and explain to them what happened. With any luck, this will easily be resolved (ha). Anyway, back to work. I've got a strongly-worded letter to write.

Another Olympic Scandal

2008-08-12T13:22:00.000-04:00

Just when you thought there couldn't possibly be any more scandals where people at the Olympics procured an unfair advantage by "enhancing" their natural performance, CNN found this.

9 Days Left

2008-08-11T15:06:00.000-04:00

In 9 days I'll be hoping on a plane to Michigan for law school, which of course mean the next 9 days = massive amounts of packing, cleaning out my room, throwing away a ton of junk, etc. You know those parents who keep their kids' rooms exactly as they were in high school as a kind-of permanent shrine? My parents are DEFINITELY not like that--it was hard enough fending off my mother's attempt to re-decorate my room (and hence throw everything out) during college, and so I've been told before I move away again that everything's gotta go to make way for the future. So if anybody's been looking around for used books, a half-broken CD rack, some Coke cans from foreign countries, or other worthless paraphernalia, I'm the guy to see.

Chuck Muth is a Liar

2008-08-08T12:00:00.000-04:00

As you may recall, the Muth Monster claimed that I never posted a comment critical of one of his posts on his blog. Unfortunately, the Muth Monster isn't aware of this nifty feature called screen shots, which allows me to prove that he's a liar. This first shot shows that I did, in fact, post a comment (the first one to this particular post!), which he claims never existed. Note that it's still "awaiting moderation":

And here we have a second shot, which shows the Muth Monster claiming I never posted anything, and below that, my re-posting my initial comment, which is also still "awaiting moderation."

Gotcha, Chuck.

PS

2008-08-07T13:31:00.000-04:00

In an effort to facilitate an open dialogue where people don't have to worry about whether or not their comments will be posted, taken out of context or misquoted, you'll note that the comments setting on this blog allow anyone to post something without awaiting approval.

I promise that unless a comment contains totally inappropriate language, I won't delete anything.

That means that YOU, Chuck Muth, The Muth Monster, can feel free to post whatever you like here. Not that I expect you actually will.

Further, I'd love to hear from anyone else who might have stories about how The Muth Monster has unethically twisted your comments, or refused to post them altogether. So please, feel free to let me know.

Me v. Chuck Muth

2008-08-07T13:00:00.001-04:00

I know, I know, I've spent way too much timing talking about Chuck Muth (a.k.a. The Muth Monster), but given how he's repeatedly lied on his blog and his now accusing me of lying, I feel obligated to respond. So,

The Background:
Chuck published a post on his blog, found here, where he claims that Nevada State College (est. 2002) only graduated 10 students this spring, and should be shut down because of that low number. The problem, though, is that he's not telling the truth. Feel free to check out the Las Vegas Sun article he's getting his information from, found here. If you were to read through the entire article, instead of say, skimming the first sentence and then jumping to a wildly inaccurate conclusion, you'd find a number of contradictory facts I've pointed out repeatedly that you can read at a blog which doesn't censor my comments here (starting with the fact that NSC graduated more than 10 students this spring).

The Muth Monster Continues:
I pointed out this factual inaccuracy to Chuck on his blog. Copying directly from my post (which still appears on his website when I log onto this computer), it says that I wrote "on August 6th, 2008 at 10:55 am Said: Your comment is awaiting moderation." Chuck decided not to post my comment, but did post one which began with "I totally agree..." with Chuck's post.

I wrote another comment pointing out the hypocrisy (which is still found on his post) , at which point Chuck lied and said he's never seen any comment from me. He wrote:

I have no idea what you’re talking about…I’ve never seen, let alone deleted, whatever you claim to have been a post “politely point(ing) out a factual error.” Try not to make this stuff up as you go along, will you?

I then copied my comment from his own website and pasted it into his comments section. We'll see how he responds.

Why Chuck Sucks:
1) He posted a factually inaccurate statement on his blog.
2) When that inaccuracy was pointed out, he ignored it.
3) He posted a comment which agreed with his view, but would not post one which was critical.
4) He lied and claimed that no such critical posting ever existed.
5) In general, he's pretty much a jerk (see just about everything he's written on this topic).

Continuing to Hate on Chuck Muth

2008-08-06T19:21:00.000-04:00

Chuck Muth continues to, in the most general of ways, suck at life. His newest outright lie? Muth states in his blog that "only TEN students graduated this spring" from Nevada State College, a four year university founded in 2002. Because of its poor graduation record, Muth asserts, "$15 million to graduate ten students? Gimme a break. And shut…it…down." That doesn't sound too crazy. But let's take a look at the article Muth gets this little factoid from (found here). If you read it closely, you'll find the following interesting facts:

* The College did not, in fact, only graduate 10 students this spring. It graduated 10 students from the initial class of 2002, meaning that of the 63 people enrolled, 10 have earned a degree. Note that this is not the same as saying that 10 people graduated this year.

* Now 10 out of 63 students doesn't sound like a stellar record. But if you were to continue reading, you'd find that of those 63 students, 32 transferred, 3 graduated from other four-year schools, and 4 earned degrees from two-year institutions, accounting for 78% of those students. Considering that the points of NSC is to try and provide educational opportunities for those who would not otherwise have them, I don't think that's a terrible record.

* Since 2004 (the first year NSC could grant degrees), nearly 600 degrees have graduated from NSC. That's an average of 150/year, or 15x Muth's number.

Not that any of these facts would bother the Muth Monster...

How Can People Believe That?

2008-08-06T13:21:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I made the mistake of taking a look at a discussion thread on immunizing children. As most of you are aware, it's controversial in some (completely LUNATIC) circles whether or not immunizing young children to prevent deadly, preventable disease is a good thing. Why, do you ask, would a sane person, a parent mind you, entrusted with the welfare of a totally helpless person, seriously question whether or not it would be good to give your child a shot so she won't become seriously ill? I'm glad you asked. Here are a few reasons I've found:

1. Vaccines don't work. Or at least the polio one doesn't, according to a large number of people who claimed that the fact that polio was pretty much eradicated in this country the same time we started giving children vaccines for the disease is a complete coincidence. That's right, polio was already on the way out the door at the time, and scientists just happened to discover a way to prevent people from contracting it around the same time. No connection whatsoever.

2. Vaccines make children autistic. Something like one in every 300 children develops autism. (Almost) all of those children were vaccinated. So the vaccines caused the autism. Clearly.

3. There's a giant conspiracy: the Centers for Disease Control, the FDA, the Department of Health and Human Services and, heck, probably the post office have all managed to convince 99% of the US' scientists and doctors that vaccines are a great thing, when in fact they're deadly to children. That makes sense--I mean, what ELSE would the CDC and the FDA do besides orchestrate massive cover ups to hoodwink the American people into killing their children?

4. There are deadly poisons in vaccines: pick some random substance, and I guarantee there's somebody out there who a) thinks it's in vaccines and b) will kill you in any dose, no matter how insignificant.

This is probably a particular bitter rant for me, but it drives me absolutely crazy to know that there are parents who decided to do a little "research" on their own (by which I mean they googled "vaccine deadly poison kill babies" or "vaccine conspiracy fda john f. kennedy assassination") and decided that having read what some whackjob put up on a random site, they'd ignore the advice of real scientists and their own pediatricians and refuse to let their children be vaccinated. THEN these same morons get all sanctimonious and accuse anyone of actually following their doctor's advice of being ignorant and not caring about their kids.

Totally Random

2008-08-05T17:35:00.000-04:00

I've got a few free hours at work (they're trying not to give me any new projects since I'm leaving, so it's been pretty slow the last few days), and since I've got nothing better to do, here are a few totally unrelated thoughts:

1. Be jealous: I just figured out which computer I'm getting for law school (my old one was bought five years ago and is currently being used as a paper weight on my desk), and is a 13" Dell XPS:

Ooooh! Ahhhh! I decided to go with the smaller 13" model since I'll be lugging it around with me just about everywhere I go, and I'll end up buying a TV, so I won't be watching too many videos on the computer. Also, to all of you who thought I should get a Mac, they're not the preferred system for law school, and I didn't want to worry come finals season.

2. I'm now obsessed with checkers. I know you care. But for the last few weeks (okay, maybe longer) I've been playing a LOT of checkers--think like 20 games a day. It's surprisingly entertaining, and anyone who feels like playing, let me know.

3. I am STILL on the waitlist for law schools (plural!): I'll probably get a couple of rejections letters this week, but technically I'm still waiting to hear back from Stanford and Columbia. Considering that Columbia starts August 11th, I find this slightly ridiculous. Not that I wouldn't accept a slot if by some miracle something opened up and I got a call, but talk about a long process--I've been applying to schools since September of last year.

4. Cody Sonntag is now a CNN contributor: thank you for pointing this out Haislip: if you go here you'll find that Mr. Sonntag has some kind of Biofuel Adventure which includes him "McGyvering his fuel line." Personally, I'd shave the goatee.

I'm Back!

2008-07-31T12:58:00.001-04:00

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted anything, but I spent last week in San Francisco for a law school thing (and got to see Elaine, which was quite nice :-)), and since the internet connection at the hotel was pretty bad, I was a terrible person and neglected my blog.

But, updates on my life: well...very little is new. I'm finishing up my paralegal work (my last day is August 15th), and will be packing up my stuff to move to Michigan on the 20th, which I'm quite excited about. I've then got a few days of settling in time before Orientation, which starts something like August 27th, and then eventually classes begin the first week of September. I've of course been told by many past and current law students that going to school will consume my entire life and that I'll have little if any time for anything else (last week someone actually said I should set up automatic bill pay for everything since I won't have the 10 minutes/month to pay my bills. Riiiiight), but I'm pretty sure I'll squeeze in a few minutes every now and then for the important stuff, like updating my blog.

Chuck Muth = Total D-Bag

2008-07-18T12:40:00.000-04:00

Chuck Muth is a conservative commentator from Carson City who, if you read the "About" section of his webpage, pretty much built the Nevada Republican Party from scratch and is a super-big deal in the National Republican Party as well. In case you didn't know, he's a) a jerk, at least on his blog, and b) not that bright. I say that recognizing that we have different political beliefs and that I'm not exactly neutral on what he has to say; giving him the benefit of a doubt, I stand by my comment. If you don't believe me, take a look at his blog, which is pretty much a rant against those who don't support the utter abolition of taxes. I would post a link to his site, but there's no way I'm going to help him advertise--just google "Chuck Muth."

But I don't think Muth is a jerk because he calls anyone who disagrees with him is an idiot or some other derogatory name (my favorite is his calling Ron Paul supporters "Paultards"). It's because Muth, I just found out, isn't exactly a supporter of free speech: people are able to comment on his blog by filling out a simple form. Muth, however, feels entitled not just to delete certain comments (I don't really have a problem with shutting down people who are rude, off topic, etc.) , but to delete certain comments based on their substance, by which I mean whether he or not he thinks the person's point is worthwhile.

Worse than that, Muth lies about his policy: in a response to a comment about his deleting comments, Muth wrote:

I’ll note that I’ve never had to take this kind of action for anyone other than Paultards…including liberals. What’s that tell you?

Ignoring his polite and totally unaggressive tone which is a model for blogs everywhere, it's not true: in the past 24 hours alone Muth deleted at least two posts which had nothing to do with Ron Paul, nor were they written by Paul supporters.

Cases! Lots of Cases!

2008-07-16T14:15:00.000-04:00

I've started doing a little reading of cases in preparation for law school (and, I admit, somewhat out of enjoyment of going back to my Philosophy of Law class and looking over the more interesting scenarios we covered). While I'm sure there will be much to hate about 3 years of law school, I think one consistent silver lining is that a good portion of what we'll read are opinions, meaning you get an interesting anecdote for most concepts you study. And in that vein, I thought I'd share an interesting case I just read, Regina v. Dudley and Stephens. Fair warning: this is a pretty creepy case.

The Case:
You can read the full background at that link I posted, but here's the basics: three men, Dudley, Stephens and and Brooks, along with a younger boy, Richard Parker, were sailing some kind of a boat, which was destroyed by a minor weather occurrence thousands of miles away from land. The four of them piled into a very small life raft with only two tinfuls of turnips and no fresh water. From July 7th to July 23rd of that year (1884), the four had almost nothing to drink or eat, and were near death. After some discussion between the three men, Dudley and Stephens decided that the boy, who was likely the most weakened of all four, would have to be killed in order to save the others. Brooks did not agree to the plan (which explains why he was not a co-defendant), and in the early morning of July 24th, Dudley held down the boy while Stephens stuck his penknife into the boy's jugular vein, killing him. On July 29th, the three men were found by another boat after subsisting on the boy's remains for nearly a week. After a long & involved legal process, Dudley and Stephens charged with first-degree murder and convicted.

Eventually the Queen's Bench, which is some kind of appellate court in England (possibly the highest court--I don't really know), heard the case and ruled that there was no excuse of necessity, that Dudley and Stephens were guilty of murder, and that they were therefore sentenced to death.

My Thoughts:
I think the court was clearly right in ruling that the excuse of necessity doesn't apply here, because of one very important fact of the case: the three men never consulted with Parker and decided, without his input, that he would be the one to die. In similar cases (yes, this has happened more than once) where the survivors drew lots to determine who should be killed, there was a legitimate excuse, which was recognized by courts. But for a person to decide to save himself by killing the weakest person, and to do it without even talking to the victim, is clearly murder.

But there's still a question of whether, in cases where a person must kill in order to save himself, the individual ought to be punished. Especially difficult in this case was the fact that all four men were slowly starving death over several weeks, with no realistic hope of survival except to commit a terrible crime; I think it would be hard to seriously condemn someone who made the wrong choice.

The court, by the way, agreed that a lesser punishment was appropriate: it wrote, "...if in any case the law appears to be too severe on individuals, to leave it to the Sovereign to exercise that prerogative of mercy which the Constitution has intrusted to the hands fittest to dispense it."

Dudley & Stephens were sentenced to 6 months imprisonment and then released.

Oh, Charlie Rangel

2008-07-11T19:25:00.000-04:00

The NY Times reported yesterday that Congressman Charlie Rangel (NY) apparently has not one, not two, but four rent-controlled apartments in one building in his Harlem district, for which he pays about 1/2 the market rate. He's combined three of the apartments into one, larger living space, and uses the fourth ground-floor space as a campaign office. Rangel, who has been a strong advocate for affordable housing, held a press conference to try and stave off the criticism that he's taking advantage of an opportunity while others are unable to find living quarters they can afford. In case you were unaware, Rangel is a PR genius, as these excerpts clearly show:

1. When asked if having four rent-controlled apartments all to himself is fair, he replied, "The question of fairness is so subjective.”

2. When pressed on the same issue by a reporter, Rangel continued with, "I have decided unilaterally that you have asked more than your share...Hell no, I’m not going to respond to you.”

3. In New York, it's illegal to use a rent-controlled apartment for anything except as a "primary residence," which calls into question whether or not Rangel broke the law by using his 4th apartment as a campaign office. Asked to defend this apparently illegal action, Mr. Rangel's chief of staff said, "It’s not like we snuck in here. He [the landlord] knew what we were doing, so we didn’t have to ask anyone else.”

4. Finally, when asked why he didn't disclose these discounts in his financial disclosure reports, Mr. Rangel said, "“Paying the legal rent is not a gift. Are you doing this deliberately, or are you just stupid?”

Ha.

Why Texas Oil Entrepreneurs Shouldn't Run Foreign Policy

2008-07-08T12:00:00.000-04:00

There was an interview on NPR today with billionaire T. Boone Pickens, a Texas oilman, who, to his credit, is starting to build one of the largest wind farms in the country. While Mr. Pickens was talking about his wind farm, he seemed perfectly reasonable, but about halfway through the interview he decided to go off on a tangent about American foreign policy and our importing vast amounts of oil. He claimed that we've already hit "peak oil" (the maximum daily production of oil possible, given the limited resources of the earth) because....wait for it.....Saudi Arabia has 126 oil rigs. Ignoring the fact that Saudia Arabia isn't even the largest producer of oil (never mind the only producer), he continues on to say that those 126 oil rigs constitute "more than double the rigs Saudia Arabia has had at any point in its history."

So my guess is Saudi Arabia used to have 62 rigs, and then began construction on the other 63, timing it perfectly so that all those new rigs were completed at EXACTLY the same time.

Carson City!

2008-07-07T15:22:00.000-04:00

Elaine and I took a trip down to Carson City this weekend, and of course she took a bunch of pictures. I'm getting them up before she does so I can accuse her of copying me. :-)

The giant miner guy at the candy store we HAD to stop at BOTH there and back.
I know what you're thinking: yes, Elaine is that tiny.

The State Capitol, which used to be where the legislature met, but is now pretty much the Governor's office.

This is the view from about halfway along the walkway to the Capitol. You can see the gate and, across the street, the office of Nevada's Attorney General.

Elaine looking important (and maybe a little awkward?) in the old Assembly Chambers

Me, looking less important (and definitely awkward) in the old Supreme Court Chambers

The new Supreme Court building

The USS Reno, also known as the Mighty R!

Mammoths > me and >>> Elaine

Elaine at the Governor's mansion. I can't believe they don't have any security beyond a camera by the entry and a metal chain across the path to the front door (that tiny thing right behind her). I feel like the terrorists are winning in Nevada.

Really good picture of the mansion again (good work, Oscar!)

Why Pick on the RGJ? Because I Can

2008-06-27T13:40:00.001-04:00

Yes, making fun of the RGJ is like shooting fish in the barrel, but who said it still isn't fun?

Check out this article about Nevadans' opinions on the recent Supreme Court decision re: gun rights. The headline reads "Many Nevadans Support Court's Gun Ban Reversal" and the story discusses how "Nevadans generally applauded" the ruling. A perfectly normal, reasonable story. But let's take a look at the 2nd sentence, which describes the RGJ's scientific method used in making this claim:

"But it's not clear what the decision on the Second Amendment will mean in political races, a half dozen Nevadans said in interviews."

Say what?? The RGJ made a claim about what Nevadans think about an important and highly controversial issue by asking 6 random people what they thought, and even then didn't bother to mention how many people were on each side of the issue?

Maybe you'd like to just chalk this up to incompetence and say the RGJ really thought this was decent journalism. But go back to the headline: it says many Nevadans supported the Court's ruling. Keeping in mind that the word "many" could pretty much mean any number greater than 1, it sure looks like Mr. Steve Timko knew his survey didn't actually prove anything, and wrote his headline accordingly.

Did anyone else ever take a writing class where the teacher warned you about using qualifying words like 'many,' 'some,' 'a lot,' 'a few,' etc.? Like instead of making a real claim that you'd have to back up with real evidence, you can just assert that there are "a few" idiots in the field of journalism, or that the RGJ has "some" incompetent writers in their ranks.

The Supreme Court & Some Sweet Signs

2008-06-26T13:07:00.001-04:00

As you may or may not have heard, The Supreme Court issued one of its most important rulings of the last few years, striking down DC's law which effectively banned the possession of handguns. All well & good, but who cares about those vital Constitutional issues which profoundly affect the lives of every American? I care a whole lot more about the signs people made for protesting outside the Court. Take a look at this:

Check out the first fully-visible sign from the left, Mr. Legalize: Uhm, right. I can only guess that because he's standing next to the angry 15 year old talking about pens or whatever, he believes in the right for a person to own a handgun, but really: Legalize the document which is, by definition, legal?

I feel like this guy probably protests at the Supreme Court all the time, for a bunch of different issues, and just got tired of making new signs. For abortion? Against affirmative action? In favor of a more limited interpretation of the Admissions Clause (yes, I had to look it up too)? It works for everything. At least the angst-ridden teen took the time to personalize the slogan he ripped off of some right-wing website...

Who Needs Residency Requirements Anyway?

2008-06-24T15:25:00.000-04:00

Here's an interesting story in local Nevada politics. Assemblywoman Debbie Smith (AD-30) challenged candidate Trent Baldwin's claim that he was a legal resident of the 30th District and therefore qualified to run for office there. Apparently Baldwin moved into the District only a short time ago, barely skating by the residency requirement to run for the Assembly.

Fair enough. The catch, though, is that Mr. Baldwin is "living" in a rented room in a house while his wife and kids are still in their original home outside of the District. Baldwin changed his driver's license and credit card information to reflect his new address, and he says that his family is planning to move somewhere within the 30th as soon as he sells his old house and buys a new one; still, you can't help but get the feeling that this guy decided he should run for office first, and only then chose to move.

Yesterday Judge Jerry Polaha ruled that Baldwin is a legitimate resident of the 30th District and that he can go ahead and challenge Smith in the upcoming general election. Polaha argued that "[h]is wife and children are not running for office," and so it doesn't really matter where they happen to be. The Judge has a point, and I think he made the right ruling, but barely fulfilling the most basic requirements to run for office does not a legitimate candidate make.

I have only two questions: 1) is this really the best candidate the Republican Party could find to challenge Smith (not that I'm complaining)? and 2) what are the chances that when Baldwin loses he'll decide that he's perfectly happy where he is?

...Err, I mean where his wife and kids are?

A Standing Offer

2008-06-23T13:28:00.000-04:00

Here's something that amuses me: people who are absolutely convinced that Mr. or Ms. So-and-So is going to be the next major-party presidential nominee, VP or even president (before the primaries have shown a clear winner, of course). The fact is that in every presidential election, there are always a solid dozen candidates who could take the position, and no one's going to know which one of those people will get it before the relevant election or VP-search is over. No matter how incredibly positive you were that Clinton would to be the first female president, that Romney would pick up the nomination, that John Kerry would go down in flames in the primary, that no one could beat the first President Bush after the (first) Gulf War, that Ford would win re-election, or even that Nixon would beat Kennedy, you were wrong. So stop being so sure of yourself.

With that in mind, I have a standing offer: in any presidential election year I will pay out 3:1 to anyone who wants to predict a major-party nominee before January of the election year; 5:1 to pick the president before January of that year; and 2:1 for the VP pick chosen at least 2 weeks before the announcement (yes, I know that's a retroactive standard, but if anyone takes me up on it and the bet took place within the 2 week time frame, it's a push). Any takers?

Something Hilarious

2008-06-20T12:00:00.001-04:00

I was bored at work again today, and through my mindless internet browsing I came along these t-shirts, which are amazing. Here are some screen shots for your enjoyment:

Guitar Hero anyone?

...or candy:

And just because it's funny:

The RGJ: Not So Great

2008-06-17T12:26:00.000-04:00

The glorious local newspaper that is the Reno Gazette Journal strikes again, this time consistently confusing some basic terms while talking about Dean Heller's finances. Heller recently released his financial disclosure form, which gives an approximation of how much money he earned & how much he's worth. Just so we're clear, here are some helpful definitions:

Net Worth: the total value of all assets.
Income: money earned through employment & investments (traditionally understood to mean over a 1 year period).

OK, so far so good. Now read this article and tell me if you can find the mistake. What? There's more than one? I'm shocked.

1. The headline to this article reads "Heller's Wife's Businesses Make Most of Their Income," which I would take to mean that, you know, Heller's wife earned more money than Heller did. But if you read through the thing, it turns out Heller mad $165,200 in salary, while his wife's investments paid off between $50,000-$100,000 for one partnership and between $5,000-$15,000 for the other. Crunching some numbers here, Heller's wife earned no more than $115,000. Now I'm not a mathematician, but I'm pretty sure $165,200 > $115,000.

2. But surely the RGJ must have had some reason for claiming Heller's wife made more money than he did. And you're right, here's their explanation, which happens to be the first sentence in this lovely bit of investigative journalism:

"U.S. Rep. Dean Heller earned $165,200 last year as a member of Congress, but his wife's businesses pushed the family's net worth to at least $2 million, according to financial disclosure reports released Monday."

Let's consider how stupid this sentence is. The article is comparing Heller's income last year with the net worth of the two of them together. That's right, apparently when the RGJ is talking about Heller's wife's "income," what they really mean is "the total amount of value Heller and his wife have together once you add Heller's wife's income."

3. The second sentence in this article reads, "Heller, R-Carson City, is serving his first term in the House and is on key committees." A 1st term Congressman on key committees? Plural? Don't make me laugh.

Football!

2008-06-16T19:25:00.001-04:00

I just bought my season tickets for Michigan football next year. I will say that it'll be awfully nice to be able to cheer on a team that isn't terrible (anyone remember a certain homecoming game against Yale where we fumbled the ball at the 5 yard line when a simple field goal would have won us the game? Because I do.). I am a little sad that both the Notre Dame and Ohio State games are away, but I'm still eagerly awaiting a legitimate college football experience.

Also, for no particular reason, a cool fact: the largest crowd in NCAA football history was in Ann Arbor for the 2003 Michigan v. Ohio State game with a total attendance of 112,118 (Michigan won).

How awesome is this?

A Law-Related Post

2008-06-11T17:37:00.000-04:00

Here's an interesting story from the New York Times which discusses the difference between American 1st Amendment jurisprudence and how other Western countries tend to view free speech rights. I'm sure I'll be hearing plenty about this kind of stuff in my Intro to Con Law class next year, but reading through the article I couldn't help but think that Americans place a bit too much emphasis on free speech; not that I don't value the ability of people to express their opinions without governmental interference, but there are certainly some cases I can think of where I doubt the Supreme Court really needs to take such an inflexible stance. Anyway, it's a good read.

Why I'm Okay With Not Going to Yale

2008-06-05T15:18:00.001-04:00

I was bored at work at started reading, for no reason, about Ben Stein. Apparently, Stein graduated as valedictorian at Yale Law School (at least according to Wikipedia) and, since then, has had an immensely successful career which has included the following quotes:

* "Love of God and compassion and empathy leads you to a very glorious place. Science leads you to killing people."

* "Nixon was a peacemaker. He was a lying, conniving, covering-up peacemaker. He was not a lying, conniving drug addict like JFK, a lying, conniving war-starter like LBJ, a lying, conniving seducer like Clinton—a lying, conniving peacemaker."

* "If there is such a thing as kharma, if there is such a thing as justice in this life or the next, Mark Felt has bought himself the worst future of any man on this earth. And Bob Woodward is right behind him...Out of their smug arrogance and contempt, they hatched the worst nightmare imaginable."

Good Work, Johnny Mac

2008-06-05T12:05:00.000-04:00

Recently Barack Obama's campaign has come under some criticism for making some veiled references to John McCain's age (he'll be 72 on Inauguration Day) . Sensitive to the fact that senior citizens vote in significantly higher numbers than any other age group, Obama has said that he will refrain this election season from criticizing McCain for being a poor choice because of his age. Good enough, until McCain busted out this little gem, which he's been consistently using in his stump speech:

"I have a few years on my opponent, so I am surprised that a young man has bought into so many failed ideas."

(Ignore the fact that the quote doesn't actually make sense.)

I haven't yet heard anyone for criticizing McCain for calling his opponent too young to make an effective President, and so it looks like he's managed to effectively silence a significant bit of criticism about his candidacy while attacking Obama on the same issue.

Not that I don't appreciate how effectively the McCain camp has navigated this issue, but does anyone else think it's a little ridiculous? It's certainly fair to point out that Obama is relatively young, and that he's had precious little experience in national politics--that's an issue that deserves some consideration. At the same time, it's just as acceptable to talk about how much older McCain is, and whether or not he'll be capable of handling what is an incredibly stressful and difficult job. Bottom line: age is either off-limits in this election or it's on the table, for everyone.

Reunions

2008-06-02T14:33:00.000-04:00

I just got back from Princeton's Reunions weekend last night, having spent Thursday through Sunday back on campus. It was definitely a little strange to be back at the university, but it was a great weekend. Highlights included:

* Winning a Beirut game w/ Root in less time than any game I've ever played
* Seeing a guy from the Class of '28 come back for his 80th (!!), and
* Watching That Guy from the Class of '83 alive & well for the P-rade after what can only be described as the greatest 30 minutes of drunken dancing I've ever seen.

Also, just to prove how awesome Reunions is:

I'm already getting excited for next year.

Oh, the WCDP

2008-05-27T18:44:00.001-04:00

Last week I signed up for any mailing/newsletter/volunteer list I could find for any local Democratic candidate in Washoe County. Although I'm heading off to Michigan in mid-August, I'd still like to spend some time volunteering for a candidate before I move, and I thought the shotgun approach was the best way to handle it.

Well, it's now been a good 9 days and I've heard from *one* campaign, which doesn't bode well for local Democratic politics here, in my humble opinion (the one was Assemblywoman Debbie Smith, who gave me a call within a couple of hours of my signing up--props to her organization). I realize the election is a long ways off and that most campaigns haven't really geared up yet, but they should at the very least get in touch with the people who are offering to donate their time to help out, if only to say "Thanks for signing up, we'll put you on our list & get back to you in a few weeks." Ignoring free help when you can't afford any other kind = bad idea.

This reminds me too much of my volunteering with the WCDP right before the presidential caucus, where I walked into the office, said I could work about 10 hours a week and signed up for some specific dates and times for the few days ahead. The three times I showed up, ready to do whatever, there was nothing for any volunteers to do. Nobody's contacted me from there since.

T Minus 53 Hours

2008-05-27T13:38:00.000-04:00

Only 53 hours to go until Reunions 2008. I've got my beer jacket and assorted other accessories necessary for the long weekend, so it's just getting through two more days of work, two flights and one train ride before awesomeness.

Firefly

2008-05-25T13:39:00.001-04:00

In cae you were wondering, Firefly was a really good show that was cancelled way too early. I know the idea of a sci-fi/Western tv series sounds a little odd, but I found it really watchable. I was watching Firefly through Netflix, and even though I knew the thing only had 14 episodes, I still didn't realize I was watching the last episode until I had finished and tried watching the next one. So I am le sad.

At least they made a movie...

Which Mascot is More Ferocious?

2008-05-22T18:17:00.001-04:00

You'd never guess based on the quality of their football teams.

The Tiger (Large):

The Wolverine (as big as a medium-sized dog):

Speaking of which, I need to buy season tickets for next year...

3 Posts in 1 Day!

2008-05-21T18:19:00.001-04:00

Here's something you probably shouldn't say to someone who just took out a lot of money in loans to attend the first year of law school:

"Where you go to law school doesn't matter at all. If you go to a higher-ranked school that costs more, you're just throwing away a few hundred thousand dollars, and who's dumb enough to do that?"

I also appreciated this conversation:

Attorney Who Graduated and, What's More, Passed the Bar : "Where are you going to law school?"
Me: "Probably the University of Michigan."
Him: "Oh, you know, you should only go to a law school that's nearby where you want to practice. That's why I went to McGeorge. But you don't want to practice in Michigan, do you?"
[Awkward pause]
Me: "No, I think I'll come back to the West Coast."
Him: "Well, that's not good. I suppose you could go to a different school, if it were a Top 10."
Me: "Michigan is a Top 10 school."
Him: "Oh. Well I meant a real Top 10 school, like UCLA or Princeton."

So. Anyone want to guess where this guy went to law school? How about what UCLA's rank is compared to Michigan? Or whether or not Princeton even has a law school?

Answer Key: 1) McGeorge. 2) #16 v. #9. 3) No.

New Design

2008-05-21T13:49:00.002-04:00

Got bored with the old one, too lazy to make my own. Huzzah for templates.

Home Means Nevada to Me

2008-05-21T13:10:00.004-04:00

In case you didn't think that Nevada is the greatest state in the Union, here's one more reason to believe me. One of our esteemed Assemblywomen, Francis Allen, has been charged with felony battery for stabbing her husband of 7 weeks with a steak knife (who else isn't holding their breath for a 50 year anniversary celebration?). When her husband asked her to help him administer first aid and get him to the hospital, Ms. Allen told him to call whine to his mother, at which point he left for the hospital.

But even better, just in case you thought the husband was the normal one, consider this quote: "Allen told police Maineri [the husband] cut himself, and when Maineri realized Allen faced arrest he tried to say the same thing." So apparently the guy gets stabbed by his wife, goes to the hospital to get stitched up, tells the police what happened, and then realizes that maybe telling the cops your wife assaulted you might get her into some trouble, at which point he decides to say he stabbed himself. Brilliant.

Also, time to take a poll: Hot or Not?

Two Things I Learned from the Master Chief

2008-05-14T17:56:00.002-04:00

1. Anyone you can beat, you're just better than they are. Anyone who beats you has no life.

2. If you're not going to win, you can at least be a big enough d*ck that nobody has any fun (that one's from Yop).

For no reason I was thinking about that today...

And hey, why not?

BAM!

MMM. get some.

Posting for the Sake of Posting

2008-05-12T16:30:00.003-04:00

Not really anything new going on, but I'm making an effort to post once every so often, even if those posts are entirely devoid of actual content. This last weekend was pretty enjoyable--my birthday on Friday, my dad's on Saturday and Mother's Day on Sunday, so there was quite a bit to celebrate. Elaine also was able to come up to see me, which made it a particularly good birthday.

How Cute

2008-05-08T13:45:00.003-04:00

I learned something today: a baby platypus is called a "puggle."

The Gubernator

2008-05-07T13:53:00.004-04:00

Great news about our illustrious governor, Mr. Jim Gibbons - he of the 30-odd% approval rating, who has variously been accused of sexual harassment (twice), hiring an illegal immigrant while campaigning against illegal immigration (which he did) and taking 10's of thousands of dollars as a US Congressman to steer defense contracts to certain people (the email exchange between the briber and his wife went, "Please don't forget to bring the money you promised Jim and Dawn [on the cruise we're paying for, which the Gibbons' never disclosed as required by House ethics rules]"; and the response, "Don't you ever send this kind of message to me! Erase this message from your computer right now!" Excuse me, alleged briber). He's now getting a divorce! By which I mean, he's getting divorced again! That's right, this family-values supporting, conservative Mormon who's ready to stand up against the Godless liberals who don't respect certain traditional institutions is now in the midst of his second divorce. Consider some interesting tid bits from this saga:

* The Governor chose to move out of the Governor's Mansion in Carson City in favor of the couple's Reno home when the two separated, prompting many to wonder if he is breaking a Nevada law which mandates the Governor reside at the seat of government.

* The Governor is now seeking a court order to remove his wife from said mansion.

* In this supposedly amicable divorce, Mr. Gibbons has asked the court to order his wife to pay his attorney's fees and has sealed all proceedings from the public.

* Dawn Gibbons is contesting the sealing of the records--she apparently wants everything, from witness testimony to financial records, available to the general public.

* Jim Gibbons said, in front of a large group of people while a US Congressman, "Tree hugging, Birkenstock wearing, hippie, tie dyed liberals [in Hollywood should]… go make their movies and their music and whine somewhere else…. It's just too damn bad we didn't buy them a ticket...to become human shields in Iraq."

* And, when accused of sexual harassment during his gubernatorial campaign, he said, again for the record, "I learned an important lesson: never to offer a helping hand to anybody ever again."

OK, those last two had nothing to do with the divorce, but they're appropriately ridiculous.

My Life on the Wait List

2008-05-02T13:52:00.004-04:00

I got a letter from Stanford yesterday letting me know I've been put on the wait list there. So, while the odds are extremely good that I'll be going to Michigan, there is a small possibility that either Columbia or Stanford will offer me admission over the next several weeks, and I'll madly scramble to see if I'm still able to change my plans. I shall keep everyone informed via here & facebook if there happen to be any changes.

Points to anyone who catches the reference in the title. Yes, I watch way too much Bravo, and no, I never watched that show. But I saw the commercials.

Why Facebook is mean...

2008-04-29T19:24:00.003-04:00

I just noticed that it's informing me I "have no friends at Michigan." Thanks, Mark, way to boost the ego. Don't worry, I will not become one of those people who friends 500 other people at the school they've never even set foot on.

Can you set foot on a school? Hmm....

It's (Semi) Official

2008-04-29T18:58:00.003-04:00

Well, I had to send in my deposit to the University of Michigan to reserve my seat at the law school, which I did yesterday ('tis but a drop in the bucket that is next year's tuition bill). I haven't heard from any other schools since I posted last, but hey, I changed my Facebook profile to read Michigan Law, and you can't exactly take that back.

So barring some miracle acceptance that comes after April 29th, I'm off to Ann Arbor in mid-August, more specifically to the Lawyer's Club, which as far as I can tell is a pretentious-sounding name for a graduate dormitory. I haven't officially committed to living in the LC (look at me pick up that Michigan lingo!) yet, so it's still possible that I'll look for an apartment off campus, but that doesn't seem likely because:

a) The LC is significantly cheaper;
b) You don't have to worry about subletting during the summer while off summer associating;
c) You can get food instead of having to cook for yourself every night, which is a plus for me;
d) About half the entering class lives there, so it's easier to meet people;
e) I don't think I'm going to bring my car out for the first year; and
f) The LC is actually a part of the law quad, meaning I don't have to travel far to get to early-morning classes.

How's that for a way-too-thought-out list?

For those who are interested, you can check out the glossy, professionally-done photos & video of my new home here. Does it remind any fellow Princetonians of, say, 75% of Old Nassau's campus? Good thing I love Gothic architecture, and the law quad itself looks beautiful.

All in all, I'm pretty excited about going back to school next year.

Huck Farvard?

2008-04-21T18:56:00.003-04:00

So for all of you who have been eagerly awaiting law school updates, I've got one: I got rejected by Harvard today. Not that I'm particularly surprised (my LSAT score was not the most stellar number I've ever been associated with), but I didn't exactly start my day out on the right foot when I saw an email--yes, not a letter, but an email--informing me I didn't get in.

The silver lining, though, is that there are still two schools, or I guess three if you count the wait list, I have yet to hear from, and I'd be quite excited to get un-waitlisted/admitted to any of those. And, worst case scenario, the University of Michigan offered me that academic scholarship & seems to be the kind of place I'd really enjoy and fit in quite nicely. Also, not being two hundred grand in debt would be pretty sweet. So, all is not lost.

Everything else in my life = quite uneventful. Mom and Dad are visiting family (hi, family members who read this blog who're back East), so I've got the house to myself. I'll also be going down to Mountain View to visit Elaine this weekend (I'm sorry we had to change it, don't hate me!), which will be a nice change of pace and a fun visit, given how long it's been since I've seen her.

Aaaaaaand, back to work.

T Plus Six Months and Counting....

2008-04-14T12:23:00.002-04:00

It's now been six months since I sent in my applications to law school, and I still have yet to hear from TWO schools, which seems to me to be a bit ridiculous. Not that I really expect I'll get good news from them, but good lord, do they at least want to tell me in a timely fashion that I can't go to their school? I'd love to just know, once and for all, where I got in and where I didn't so I can figure out where I'm going to go.
And not that I won't be disappointed when I do get the two rejection letters, but I am getting pretty excited about Michigan, which is where I'll likely end up (yay scholarship). I think I'm just excited about finally heading back to school, which I've missed a whole lot more than I realized I would.

Random Thought

2008-04-07T12:41:00.003-04:00

Have any West Wing fans noticed that the presidential election in the 6th and 7th season is eerily paralleled by the 2008 (real) presidential election? Neither of the two Democratic candidates, one an insider and the other someone who most never thought had a chance of winning, has enough delegates to secure the nomination before the convention, and (at least where I'm at in the series) now it looks as though the decision will be made by an ugly floor fight at the actual convention, making the Party look increasingly disorganized and causing serious problems heading into the general election.

Okay, maybe it was a stupid thought, but at least I don't have one of those "Bartlet for President" bumper stickers. So there.

Another Job

2008-03-18T15:30:00.002-04:00

I just started working this week at my new job, another law office in town with two attorneys who do a fair amount of trial work. It's a pretty decent gig: I have my own space, desk, computer, etc., which is nice; the office is modern and everything works well; and, importantly, I really like my co-workers & bosses. Everybody seems pretty easy to get along with, so all in all it looks promising.

And, on the law school front....absolutely nothing new. Still waiting to hear from three schools which tell me they'll "make every effort" to get me a decision by April 15th. Fantastic.

Good News

2008-03-07T20:53:00.002-05:00

A couple of cool things happened to me over the last few days. I'm finishing up my work at the law office where I've been at for the last few weeks, and have been looking for other jobs. Yesterday I was offered another paralegal job (with a different, larger firm) for a little bit more money and much better hours. I was worried it would take a few weeks to find something good, but I guess I got lucky.

And, in other news, today I received a letter from the University of Michigan saying I've been offered a Dean's Scholarship. I was pretty sure I'd get accepted, but I was surprised to hear that I'd been offered an award--guess somebody likes me. :-) I'm still waiting on four other law schools (well, I guess five since I was wait-listed at one...), but this will definitely make my decision more difficult (in a good way) if I'm accepted somewhere else that, all things being equal, I'd prefer to go. Now if only I would hear from those other schools!

Am I a Psychic?

2008-02-20T18:41:00.003-05:00

Probably not, but it's still pretty cool that this happened today. :-)

Nevada's 2nd Congressional

2008-02-19T23:05:00.004-05:00

Since there's not much to report in my personal life, I thought I'd write a bit about the 2008 Congressional race (or lack thereof) that's beginning to take shape here in the Reno area.
Nevada is divided up into three congressional districts: the first and the third are both located in the southern part of the state, and are anchored by Las Vegas and Henderson. The Second Congressional is the rest of the entire state, including the Reno/Sparks area. In the 2006 elections the previous representative, Jim Gibbons, ran for governor (and unfortunately won), leaving the seat open. After a bruising Republican primary, then-Secretary of State Dean Heller eeked out a small victory and went into the general to face off against unopposed Democratic nominee and University Regent Jill Derby. Heller won the seat, which leans Republican, by about 5% of the vote. The election was surprising not from the overall result--Heller was predicted to win the whole way through--but because of how close the race was: in such a Republican district, he barely got half the vote.
Heller's currently running unopposed for a second term, which I think is a terrible decision for the Democratic Party here. The 2008 election provides a unique opportunity for Democrats to take back what many consider a solidly Republican district, especially if Derby decided to take a second shot at it. Consider:

1. Heller won his first race with 5% of the vote--a fairly small margin. Given that he was the Secretary of State while Derby was a relative unknown, there's reason to think she could eat into that small differential, having proved to be a legitimate candidate in '06.
2. 2008 is a presidential year where all over the country, and in Nevada in particular, Democrats are gaining momentum. The NV presidential caucus had a 2:1 turnout in favor of the Democrats and, given the current national political climate, there's good reason to think President Clinton or Obama will be in the Oval Office in a year. Turnout is also higher in presidential years, which is likely to help a Democratic candidate.
3. Incumbents are most vulnerable after their first term: the House is run primarily by seniority and by fundraising ability; Heller, a freshman congressman in a Republican-leaning district which isn't exactly the richest in the country, hasn't been able to do much in Congress.
4. In 2006 Jill Derby won Washoe County, the largest and fastest-growing part of the 2nd Congressional. The increase in population would likely help Heller's opponent.
5. In the long term, the Democratic Party is trying to build a more influential presence in Northern Nevada. After years of being the relatively small minority, the Party is finally beginning have some success here. I think it's a huge mistake to allow a potentially vulnerable Congressional seat to go unchallenged and further cement Heller's position. If he's not challenged, he'll soon be seen as unbeatable, and the Democrats will have to wait until he retires or runs for a different office.

With less than a year to go, the Democrats have to find somebody in the very near future if they don't want to pass up this opportunity. Hopefully they'll see the benefits of mounting a serious challenge and get their act together.

Also....

2008-02-07T14:16:00.001-05:00

Anyone want to guess who Cody's supporting for the presidential race? I'm going to go with Hillary Clinton. :-)

Come on!

2008-02-07T14:10:00.001-05:00

With Mitt Romney officially dropping out of the Republican presidential primary, John McCain is now, in all reality, the nominee. The New York Times decided to write this pearl of wisdom about what Sen. McCain should do now:

"[T]he extent to which he emphasizes conservative positions could complicate his effort to win over the moderate and independent voters."

Seriously, brilliant analysis, New York Times.

This is HILARIOUS

2008-02-03T20:56:00.001-05:00

Everyone at Princeton's already seen it, but for those of you who haven't, click here. If you don't think it's funny the first time, watch it again.

There's also one on JFK here.

I'm Clearly a Liar

2008-02-03T20:44:00.000-05:00

...because when I say that I'm going to post in my blog frequently, I don't. For about 3 months. So this time I'm not even going to say that I'll be posting in the near future, although maybe this will be that post where I turn the corner.

Brief update: I'm now living back in Reno and working for a law office for the next four weeks--it's a short gig, but it pays much better per hour than anything else I'm likely to get, so I decided to take it. By the end of February, I'll once again be facing the ever-less-appealing job market. I've finished applying to law schools (though I didn't turn in my applications as early as I'd hoped), and so far I've heard back from three, so I officially know I will be heading back to the ivory tower next September.

Lastly, if I ever do end up posting here more frequently, I may or may not be writing on some philosophy-related subjects, since a) I find it interesting, b) now some people might actually read it and c) you can't stop me.

I'm Done! (sort of)

2007-11-07T11:44:00.000-05:00

The Virginia state elections were yesterday. At around 9:00 pm last night, enough precincts had reported in that we were able to call the election in our favor; at about 10:00 pm last night, Doug Boulter (our opponent) called in to concede. Officially as of this morning, the numbers were 10,378 votes to 5,652, or 64.66% to 35.21%. Winning an election almost two votes to one feels pretty good, but right now I'm ready to take a break from working 14 hours a day and not having to think about precinct letters or voter turnout or canvassing or anything else.
In other good news, the Barker for Senate race pulled out a huge victory for the Democratic party, and became one of the four seats the Democrats took back last night to regain control of the Senate. So, all around, it was very good night last night. And now that I have more time, I will (!) do a better job of posting more frequently than once every few months.

It's Been a While

2007-09-03T10:38:00.000-04:00

...since I've posted, and this one won't be too long, but I promise to do something with this blog at some point in the near future.
The campaign has been going well, although it's quite stressful and requires long hours--this week I worked about 75 hours, and we haven't even hit the crazy part starting late September/early October when the campaigns really heat up. I'm just glad I'm working in an office with a bunch of other campaign staffers who are fun to hang out with...I'm not sure how I'd keep my sanity if I were the only one here or if I didn't enjoy being around the other campaigns. On the good news front, Jeff's been endorsed by a number of local organizations and people, including the FEA (a teacher's association) and the FC Chamber of Commerce (yes, the Democrat was endorsed over a Republican by the Chamber of Commerce and, moreover, I don't think it was a difficult decision for them). I probably shouldn't post too many other details about the campaign, but all-in-all, we're in good shape.
Since the campaign is slowly but surely consuming my life, there isn't a whole lot else to report. I'm just looking forward to November 6th when all the hard work will pay off (knock on wood!).

Furnishings!

2007-08-20T20:29:00.001-04:00

I finally was able to get some furniture for the apartment I'm staying in at least through November. The place is still a little bare--I don't have too much else besides the larger pieces I got this week--but I'm very excited to have a place that actually feels like home.
Unfortunately, since I only have this apartment definitively through the end of November (it's part of the compensation for my job), I might have to move out in about 3 months. If I'm lucky, I'll be able to get a job in the area that pays enough to stay here (::fingers crossed::) and NOT have to spend another couple of weeks finding another place, packing up, moving, etc.
Anyway, because I so rarely take photos of much of anything, I thought I'd post some of my new place here:

The family room--I especially like my couch, which has two built in recliners on either side (it might not look great, but it's really comfortable)

This was taken from the entrance of my apartment; the family room is on the right and you cane see most of the dining area & the entrance to the kitchen. The wall that's blocking the view in the left part of the picture is actually a coat closet

Ah, my gorgeous dining table

My kitchen. It looks a little dark (the light wasn't turned on) and a little small (it is)

Half of my bedroom

Another part of my bedroom, this time w/ the dresser and part of my bathroom

Making Changes

2007-08-08T11:39:00.000-04:00

So I changed the title of my blog...undoubtedly it'll be changed a few more times in the near future. Any suggestions?

Also, the quote I added has absolutely nothing to do with this blog; it's just a sentence which pretty nicely captures the main point of the senior thesis I wrote last year.

Aaaaand, back to work.

Ah, the competition

2007-08-03T10:05:00.000-04:00

I promise not all my posts will be about local political stuff, but I couldn't resist writing a little bit on our competition in the Supervisor's race: the guy's name is Doug Boulter, a retired Army officer who some have described as "a bit gruff" or, perhaps more colorfully, as "a bastard" (other peoples' words, of course). Boulter, who has no political experience as far as anyone can tell, has decided that as a traditional right-wing Republican he will advocate two platforms which have, over the years, come to be pillars of the conservative movement in America: environmentalism and stopping growth & development. Some comments:

1. The Environment: Boulter is trying to make himself out to be a real environmentalist. Ignoring the fact that nothing he's written or worked on has ever related to anything that could be called an environmental concern, his position revolves mostly around the idea that it would be just great if Fairfax County had more trees. You see, it turns out that trees are good for the environment and, moreover, they do things like help prevent erosion and look pretty. Fair enough--though he went a bit out on a limb with his Trees=Nice platform, we'll agree with this right-wing nutjob.
But there's a problem: Fairfax County is an extremely high-growth area which has been suffering from a number of problems associated with a lot of development and a large increase in population. Besides the increased traffic, congestion, cost of living, etc., since more people are living in the same area, there aren't that many places where you can actually plant trees. But that's okay, because Doug Boulter realizes that as Lee District Supervisor he has to be a leader, a doer, a problem solver, a man who can look this difficult problem square in the eye and say, "I've got no clue how to fix it." That's right, if you check out his website's article on tree cover (http://www.dougboulter.org/notblog.html), Boulter actually writes, "I'm afraid that I haven't come up with a plan..." to find the number of trees he thinks are necessary for the County. Great job, Doug.
The current County Board of Supervisors, on the other hand, has already taken a number of steps to help with tree cover and has initiated a program to increase tree cover in the County substantially. You'll note that Boulter's article is in fact a response to the initiative the Board has already taken (with, I might add, Dana Kauffman's and Jeff McKay's full support), which Boulter basically uses as his platform and then claims that it can't be done. Riiiight.

2. Growth and Development: For those of you who aren't familiar with the local political issues, a little background: because Fairfax County is extremely crowded and has been growing at a pretty alarming rate for the last two decades, it has some real problems associated with growth and development. It's got everything: overcrowded public facilities, lack of green space, horrible traffic (trust me, it's awful!), monster houses being built on tiny parcels of land, drainage problems, environmental concerns, rising cost of living...you get the picture. So in his infinite wisdom, Doug Boulter is advocating (and I'm quoting him here), "transportation and education infrastructure before more growth!" He promises that, as Lee District Supervisor, he will stop all growth until we have a proper infrastructure to support the increase in population. That sounds great, until you consider a few things:
A) It's not legal. Turns out Virginia is a state which takes property rights very seriously. Basically, if you own a piece of land, you can, within broad limits, do whatever you like with it so long as you meet some basic requirements concerning safety and zoning. So Doug Boulter's advocating a position which he cannot legally enforce. Sound disingenuous to you? I can't decide if he's intentionally misleading voters or if he's just really that clueless....
B) Cost of living would skyrocket. Anyone remember anything about introductory economics? What happens when the demand for a product continues to increase but the supply stays the same or goes down? Anyone? If you said a huge cost increase, you're correct! The fact is that there continues to be a high demand for just about everything in the County--homes, apartments, office space, parks, parking lots, roads, you name it--and if the County were to somehow (illegally) stop anyone from building new homes, offices, roads. etc. then a larger and larger group of people are going to be competing over the same pool of resources, driving up the price. Keep in mind here that besides traffic and congestion, cost of living is probably the biggest issue people say are facing the County. So what do we say to senior trying to live on a fixed income? Or to people who don't make over $150,000 a year? Or to those who can no longer afford to pay their property taxes? My guess would be either 'goodbye' or 'I'll see you in bankruptcy court.'
Turns out the best thing the County can do to handle growth and development is to work to minimize the impact of new development by advocating for "Smart Growth," a program endorsed by the EPA (a mildly pro-environment arm of the government).

There are, of course, a number of other problems associated with Boulter's platform, but these two I just couldn't pass up talking about.

I've Joined the Masses

2007-07-31T14:39:00.000-04:00

It's sad, but it's true. Since I recently graduated from college and now have friends scattered across the country, I decided to start a blog which will hopefully help me stay in contact with everyone and, knowing me, give me a place to rant about whatever. Feel free to make fun.

Just to give everyone who doesn't know the basic information about what I'm doing now, here we go: I just graduated from Princeton this June with an B.A. in philosophy and am now living in Springfield, Virginia. Yes, I know it's the South, but it's close enough to DC I try not to think about it.

I've been working technically since April (but full-time only since June) as Campaign Manager for Jeff McKay's run to become the next Lee District Supervisor in Fairfax County. Fairfax has a Board of Supervisors, which is just the executive body of the County, and each magisterial district within the County elects one member to the Board. Jeff is currently the Chief of Staff to the incumbent Supervisor, Dana Kauffman, but since Dana is retiring this year, Jeff is running for his seat as Lee District's member of the Board. Since it's an open seat and we have a Republican opponent (as opposed to some random independent), it should be a fairly interesting race. Luckily for me (and the candidate), Jeff is heavily favored to win and realistically should come out with a fairly wide margin of victory come November 6th. If you're at all interested, our campaign website is www.mckay4supervisor.com.

The election is in 2007, meaning it's only about 3 months away. Once Jeff wins his seat (knock on wood!), I'll probably find a job somewhere in the DC/Northern Virginia area and stay here at least through August of 2008. After that, my guess is I'll end up in law school--who knows where.

Other than that, there's not much new going on. I've moved into a real apartment in the Rose Hill area of Lee and am just getting settled into my new home (if you're nearby, feel free to visit).