Barbara Walters: Cra-zay

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14801867/from/RS.3/

I blame Rosie.

Words everyone needs to hear on 9/11, 5 years later

Thanks to Adam Nash for pointing me to Keith Olberman's moving, insightful commentary on our country 5 years after 9/11. Below is is the text of what he said (from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6210240/, where it is also available in video form).

This Hole in the Ground
Half a lifetime ago, I worked in this now-empty space. And for 40 days after the attacks, I worked here again, trying to make sense of what happened, and was yet to happen, as a reporter.

All the time, I knew that the very air I breathed contained the remains of thousands of people, including four of my friends, two in the planes and -- as I discovered from those "missing posters" seared still into my soul -- two more in the Towers.

And I knew too, that this was the pyre for hundreds of New York policemen and firemen, of whom my family can claim half a dozen or more, as our ancestors.

I belabor this to emphasize that, for me this was, and is, and always shall be, personal.

And anyone who claims that I and others like me are "soft,"or have "forgotten" the lessons of what happened here is at best a grasping, opportunistic, dilettante and at worst, an idiot whether he is a commentator, or a Vice President, or a President.

However, of all the things those of us who were here five years ago could have forecast -- of all the nightmares that unfolded before our eyes, and the others that unfolded only in our minds -- none of us could have predicted this.

Five years later this space is still empty.
Five years later there is no memorial to the dead.
Five years later there is no building rising to show with proud defiance that we would not have our America wrung from us, by cowards and criminals.
Five years later this country's wound is still open.
Five years later this country's mass grave is still unmarked.
Five years later this is still just a background for a photo-op.

It is beyond shameful.

At the dedication of the Gettysburg Memorial -- barely four months after the last soldier staggered from another Pennsylvania field -- Mr. Lincoln said, "we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract."

Lincoln used those words to immortalize their sacrifice.

Today our leaders could use those same words to rationalize their reprehensible inaction. "We cannot dedicate, we can not consecrate, we can not hallow this ground." So we won't.

Instead they bicker and buck pass. They thwart private efforts, and jostle to claim credit for initiatives that go nowhere. They spend the money on irrelevant wars, and elaborate self-congratulations, and buying off columnists to write how good a job they're doing instead of doing any job at all.

Five years later, Mr. Bush, we are still fighting the terrorists on these streets. And look carefully, sir, on these 16 empty acres. The terrorists are clearly, still winning.

And, in a crime against every victim here and every patriotic sentiment you mouthed but did not enact, you have done nothing about it.

And there is something worse still than this vast gaping hole in this city, and in the fabric of our nation. There is its symbolism of the promise unfulfilled, the urgent oath, reduced to lazy execution.

The only positive on 9/11 and the days and weeks that so slowly and painfully followed it was the unanimous humanity, here, and throughout the country. The government, the President in particular, was given every possible measure of support.

Those who did not belong to his party -- tabled that.
Those who doubted the mechanics of his election -- ignored that.
Those who wondered of his qualifications -- forgot that.

History teaches us that nearly unanimous support of a government cannot be taken away from that government by its critics. It can only be squandered by those who use it not to heal a nation's wounds, but to take political advantage.

Terrorists did not come and steal our newly-regained sense of being American first, and political, fiftieth. Nor did the Democrats. Nor did the media. Nor did the people.

The President -- and those around him -- did that.

They promised bi-partisanship, and then showed that to them, "bi-partisanship" meant that their party would rule and the rest would have to follow, or be branded, with ever-escalating hysteria, as morally or intellectually confused, as appeasers, as those who, in the Vice President's words yesterday, "validate the strategy of the terrorists."

They promised protection, and then showed that to them "protection" meant going to war against a despot whose hand they had once shaken, a despot who we now learn from our own Senate Intelligence Committee, hated al-Qaida as much as we did.

The polite phrase for how so many of us were duped into supporting a war, on the false premise that it had 'something to do' with 9/11 is "lying by implication."

The impolite phrase is "impeachable offense."

Not once in now five years has this President ever offered to assume responsibility for the failures that led to this empty space, and to this, the current, curdled, version of our beloved country.

Still, there is a last snapping flame from a final candle of respect and fairness: even his most virulent critics have never suggested he alone bears the full brunt of the blame for 9/11.

Half the time, in fact, this President has been so gently treated, that he has seemed not even to be the man most responsible for anything in his own administration.

Yet what is happening this very night?

A mini-series, created, influenced -- possibly financed by -- the most radical and cold of domestic political Machiavellis, continues to be televised into our homes.

The documented truths of the last fifteen years are replaced by bald-faced lies; the talking points of the current regime parroted; the whole sorry story blurred, by spin, to make the party out of office seem vacillating and impotent, and the party in office, seem like the only option.

How dare you, Mr. President, after taking cynical advantage of the unanimity and love, and transmuting it into fraudulent war and needless death, after monstrously transforming it into fear and suspicion and turning that fear into the campaign slogan of three elections? How dare you -- or those around you -- ever "spin" 9/11?

Just as the terrorists have succeeded -- are still succeeding -- as long as there is no memorial and no construction here at Ground Zero.

So, too, have they succeeded, and are still succeeding as long as this government uses 9/11 as a wedge to pit Americans against Americans.

This is an odd point to cite a television program, especially one from March of 1960. But as Disney's continuing sell-out of the truth (and this country) suggests, even television programs can be powerful things.

And long ago, a series called "The Twilight Zone" broadcast a riveting episode entitled "The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street."

In brief: a meteor sparks rumors of an invasion by extra-terrestrials disguised as humans. The electricity goes out. A neighbor pleads for calm. Suddenly his car -- and only his car -- starts. Someone suggests he must be the alien. Then another man's lights go on. As charges and suspicion and panic overtake the street, guns are inevitably produced. An "alien" is shot -- but he turns out to be just another neighbor, returning from going for help. The camera pulls back to a near-by hill, where two extra-terrestrials are seen manipulating a small device that can jam electricity. The veteran tells his novice that there's no need to actually attack, that you just turn off a few of the human machines and then, "they pick the most dangerous enemy they can find, and it's themselves."

And then, in perhaps his finest piece of writing, Rod Serling sums it up with words of remarkable prescience, given where we find ourselves tonight: "The tools of conquest do not necessarily come with bombs and explosions and fallout. There are weapons that are simply thoughts, attitudes, prejudices, to be found only in the minds of men.

"For the record, prejudices can kill and suspicion can destroy, and a thoughtless, frightened search for a scapegoat has a fallout all its own -- for the children, and the children yet unborn."

When those who dissent are told time and time again -- as we will be, if not tonight by the President, then tomorrow by his portable public chorus -- that he is preserving our freedom, but that if we use any of it, we are somehow un-American...When we are scolded, that if we merely question, we have "forgotten the lessons of 9/11"... look into this empty space behind me and the bi-partisanship upon which this administration also did not build, and tell me:

Who has left this hole in the ground?

We have not forgotten, Mr. President.

You have.

May this country forgive you.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6210240/

Sitting in classes you’re dropping provides a good excuse to blog

I’m writing this post from WB 101, sitting listening to GRob drone on about spectrum allocation and waiting for LawReg to open up. Today is the last day of add/drop for the last fall semester of the last year of school I’ll ever have. I thought this would be a good time to finally update my blog – it’s only been two months. :)

So here goes, in no particular order:

1) I’m back in school. Classes are classes, but they are fairly good for me. Con History with someone as smart as Socrates himself teaching it. Federal Income Tax with my personal hero and the former head of the Office of Tax Policy at Treasury. Immigration Law. Law & Higher Education. And some other classes that I’ll probably drop. Being a 3L, for registration purposes, is awesome, because I get to pick what I want.
2) Moot Court starts in 45 minutes. At noon, Josh & I pick up the packet that will drive my life for the next two weeks, while we research and write our 50 page quarterfinal appellate brief.
3) New York was fun. I had a great experience, and loved the firm and everyone I met. But I’m happy to be back in school, believe it or not. Too much weight gain as a summer associate!
4) Life in Cville is better than this time last year. It’s comfortable now. I have great friends and am enjoying life. I’m genuinely happy to be back.

I’ll do a better job of keeping this updated. I promise!

Life

Well, I've sucked at this blogging thing as of late. Truly, until this weekend, this summer has been the busiest I've ever been in my life. I worked in NYC until June 12, when I headed down to DC for 3 weeks there. Now I'm back in NY, and here for the rest of the summer. I've enjoyed being back in DC and seeing so many wonderful friends, but I know the city so well. New York is still new to me, so it's good to be back with the opportunity to explore it more.

This has been an emotionally draining weekend for me with good and sad news from very dear friends. I am starting to realize that I am growing older in a number of ways - people I know are dealing with very real issues. I miss being a kid.

Anyway, I am going to do a better job of updating this for the rest of the summer, I promise!

I'm still alive

Sorry I've sucked so much at keeping this thing updated -- I just got internet access working in my apartment in NY. I'm having a great time though! I'll have an update soon -- telling you all about my job, apartment, new iPod, and fun times in Manhattan. Photos of last nights Mets game and the new Apple store in the front of our building are coming, too!

Start spreading the news
I'm leaving today
I want to be a part of it, New York, New York
These vagabond shoes
Are longing to stray
And make a brand new start of it
New York, New York
I want to wake up in the city that never sleeps
To find I'm king of the hill, top of the heap
These little town blues
Are melting away
I'll make a brand new start of it
In old New York
If I can make it there
I'll make it anywhere
It's up to you, New York, New York.

I want to wake up in the city that never sleeps
To find I'm king of the hill, top of the heap
These little town blues
Are melting away
I'll make a brand new start of it
In old New York
If I can make it there
I'll make it anywhere
It's up to you, New York, New York.

Take That, Caleb Nelson

I'm almost sad, really, that it's over. I feel as if I could write three more Mass Torts exams, tackle seven more Evidence hypos, and contemplate Fed Courts-induced suicide at least once more. But alas, 'tis done.

While most of my compatriots will spend tonight at the bars, scantily-clad, drinking SBA-subsidized shots, no doubt dancing in hideously inappropriate ways that will inevitably lead to sloppy walks to sloppy apartments for equally sloppy semi-conscious encounters, I think that I might stay at home and have a quiet evening of Me Time. It'll be great, really. Bought some nice, soft cheeses, a bottle of Merlot, some Swiss truffles. I'll start out the night in the bath, with scented candles, Sarah McLachlan's new album dripping out the window, oodles of moisturizing bath beads, and a copy of At First Sight, by Nicholas Sparks. (I know what you're thinking, and yes, I've already read it, but can you really ever experience feelings like that too many times? I didn't think so.) After that, it'll be into my robe and onto the couch for my yearly Meg-a-Thon: When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, and The Presidio. I'll follow that up with some journal writing exercises where I pretend that Meg is speaking through me and I ask her questions and just let the answers, which are consistently enlightening and surprising, come out through my pen. Then I'm planning on devoting a few hours to solitary prayer, which I expect to do a lot of good. Just before bed, I'll weap a bit, then fell asleep feeling comforted than amidst all the insanity of law school, I still managed to find time to remember my spirit.

Yeah, I'm getting drunk tonight.

An Away Message So Great I Had to Post It

Today we salute you Mr. My-Exam's-Not-'Till-Tomorrow-Why-Study-Today?

While everyone else has been freaking out for the last 72 hours and won't leave the library till its extended hours are over, you sit in your room drinking beer and watching movies. Other people may remark about your laziness or their higher GPA, but you know that it is not the A in the classroom that makes the A in womAn, but it is the D in that same classroom that stands for Damn good time. Tired from another long day of sleeping in and procrastinating? Lay back, kick off your shoes, and pop open another ice cold Bud Light, Mr. Pro-at-the-crastination, because without your apathy there would be no curve.

Singing just isn't part of the job

Nightline challanges Congressmen to sing the national anthem: make sure to watch the video -- it's hilarious.

Three Down

Just Fed Courts left. Probably Thursday, though if I really pushed myself, I could theoretically take it tomorrow. But since I can't concentrate today AT ALL, it looks like Thursday.

I can't wait to be done!

This is the class that never ends

This was a song from last year's Libel Show. Today's operative words are underlined:

I Will Survive (Fed Courts)
(to "I Will Survive"—Gloria Gaynor)

At first I was afraid, I was terrified
Those kids from Law Review were sitting there right by my side
I spent seven hours last night trying to re-learn Marbury
I thought I’d die, If Caleb Nelson called on me

But he did not, He talks so fast
I was typing for my life, just to make it through the class
I kept looking to the clock
Wondering when I’d get a break
I paused for just a second, Thinking how my fingers ached

Go on now go, you’re in fed courts
Just settle down now, At least you’re not in torts
My hands are hurting, hope a gunner intervenes
Habeus Corpus? Who knows what the hell that means?

Two Down, Two to Go

Next up: Evidence on Monday. Yay for the slow march toward progress.