Thanks J.Mad and A.Ham

Re: your reasons for upholding Prop. 8 as expressed in this San Francisco Chronicle article.

Dear Mr. Kenneth Starr,

You are confused about the role of the judiciary branch of the government.  If judges were put into place to, as you say "to bow to the will of those whom they serve," we wouldn't have much need for them.  True, judges are "servants of the people" and to quote James Madison, "the people are the only legitimate fountain of power."   Madison also said that the judiciary has the duty to "guard one part of the society against the injustice of the other part."  In simpler terms, Mr. Starr, the Judiciary branch protects minority rights.  Our founding fathers believed that there are times when the majority can be swept away by passions and act on those instead of on reason.  The Constitution and the Judiciary branch work to protect all of the people and all of their individual rights, for ours is a government of the people for the people, and that includes minorities.

Despite our founding fathers insisting on the importance of protecting minority rights, you might be thinking, why? Many decisions of a democracy like ours is decided by a majority ruling.  Madison said it much better than I could: "In a society under the forms of which the stronger faction can readily unite and oppress the weaker, anarchy may as truly be said to reign as in a state of nature, where the weaker individual is not secured against the violence of the stronger."  Alexander Hamilton also made the point that "no man can be sure that he may not be tomorrow the victim of a spirit of injustice, by which he may be a gainer todays."  In  other words, there will be a day when you are part of the minority and with be thankful you live in a democracy such as ours which protects your individual rights despite a majority against you.

I leave you with one last sentiment from Madison.  "The private interest of every individual may be a sentinel over the public trust."

Sincerely,

A concerned citizen of California who has faith in the system yet.

Throwing our Shoes

You've probably seen this video by now...a few points below.

1. Bush ducks, but gets back up in time for the second shot. I would have hit the floor and stayed down.
2. Wait, Bush ducked? That's right, he's got some good reflexes, actually.
3. Cameras, not guns were drawn on the shoe-throwing journalist. Is that because the press conference was safe, and no guns were in the room, or because everyone was more concerned about getting the hot picture than safety?

Reason #17 Why the song "Baby It's Cold Outside" is not a family friendly Holiday Song

So really I'd better scurry 

(beautiful please don't hurry)

well maybe just a half a drink more

(put some records on while I pour)

the neighbors might think

(baby it's bad out there)

say what's in this drink

(no cabs to be had out there)

I wish I knew how

(your eyes are like starlight now)

to break this spell

I'd say a date rape drug is "what's in this drink."

Despite the rest of the lyrics being pretty sketchy as well, I still enjoy this song.  Christmas songs in general are very pleasing to the ears.  Though not so much when it's not December.  Funny how that works.

Moral Dichotomies

When I was a kid, I used to get the magazine Highlights for Children. I don't remember much about it, except for the comic Goofus and Gallant, featured monthly. The 2-pane, captioned, strip was a snapshot into the lives of two boys, Goofus and Gallant, as they respond to the same situation. Goofus was forever doing something wrong (Goofus starts eating before others come to the table), while Gallant was a perfect child (Gallant waits for everyone to come to the table before taking food). Goofus and Gallant was my favorite part of the whole magazine, but I must confess, I remember it as a guilty pleasure. I couldn't wait to see what Goofus would do wrong next, mentally rebuking him while I read. But at the same time, I couldn't stand Gallant. Secretly, I loathed his character, waiting for him to slip up on page 6 every month. Clearly, I identified more with Goofus. He was much more interesting (how's he going to break the rules this time?), and got to wear his hair messy. Gallant was annoyingly predictable and an unwavering goody-two-shoes.

Anyway, a few other things that are interesting about this comic strip:
1. The author never explicitly states which boy is in the right. We are to infer that from their names alone. This is a bit like Galileo's use of Simplicio in his pope-angering publication, Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, published in 1632. The character Simplico defended the Aristotelian Geocentric notion of the universe and often came across as a fool. The characters Salviati and Salgredo represented a heliocentric position and quite convincingly won the argument.
2. Goofus and Gallant have been consistent in behavior as long as the comic strip has been published, more than 50 years. Of course, this is not a realistic example for any actual person. No one is as good as Gallant, no one is as bad as Goofus. But the fact that the boys are reliable moral constants is still interesting. It is exactly the opposite of many characters in the literary world that are remembered as our most beloved. From Hamlet to Harry Potter, the tragic flaw in the hero is an essential element of their appeal. The mixture of good and bad is necessary for the story, as well as our acceptance of the character.

Read up on Goofus and Gallant here.
Follow along in a story adventure.
A quick google search will provide examples for you to peruse, as well as a few spin-offs and parodies.

Penguins, Dancing, and Watson Fellowships

Penguins and dancing have almost nothing in common, except that they are both in this post. Watson fellowships, however, could be incorporated into either of those things, hence their beauty.

Scientists discovered a breed of penguins that were thought to have vanished 500 years ago.
I wish scientists would make a similar discovery with weird fish. My favorite part of A Journey to the Center of the Earth is when they find all the prehistoric fish with no eyes, and monstery features. Too bad there's not actually a giant cavern full of fish somewhere.

This is the dance that won for West Coast Classic at 2008's SwingDiego.
If I could dance like this just once in my life, I would be content with all dancing. My favorite part happens at 50 seconds, when the follow slides on her knees with a bit of whiplash help from her lead. This move might be feasible for Social Dance Club. Hmmm...

This is the coolest use of a Watson Fellowship ever.
I met someone yesterday who was nominated for a Watson, which prompted me to read through last year's recipients and their proposed projects. I want to meet this man. I want to do his project. I suppose it might be old hat if I proposed the same thing in a couple years, huh?

Links! Pictures! Procrastination!

First off, this is one of my favorite BBC pictures of the day ever:

You celebrate, German cyclists!

But what this post is really about is the Carleton Website, which is a treasure trove of procrastination.  My favorite part is Planet Carleton, a compilation of blogs by Carleton students, faculty, and alumni.  I found it while bored at work one day and it became a habit to check it out after finishing my filing or delivering or transcript processing.  Today it led me to a live video feed of puppies.  They even make adorable puppy noises.  Thanks Aaron Kaufman.

Another reason to love the Carleton website: I get to peruse pictures including this one which is now gracing posters all over campus:

Which just goes to show, I have the most kick-ass roommate ever.  We also have a kick-ass couch.  On a slightly different note, yet not a completely irrelevant one, MGMT's Kids has been stuck in my head for the past couple of days.

Sin City

So I just had to watch Sin City (2005, Miller) for my CAMS class and it was probably the most disturbing film I've ever seen. So now I'm sitting in the nice, warm, dry library, half-expecting somebody to burst through the window covered in blood. It was ok as a movie, but not really my cup of tea.
I thought I'd share my notes from the screening though, because they are actually kind of funny.

EAR BLOWN OFF OMG HAND BLOWN OFF plasma like wounds black light look?
Colour vs not colour in sex scene
Persistent wind
Going in the sewer wtf!?
Flipping his body around holy shit he’s still on his feet after getting hit by the car three times
Oh no not a werewolf? Claw animation
Blood in red, heads on the wall, what the hell he pulled the wall off? Axe murder time
Blood exploding from mouth ewww
Ewww his legs are gone gross!!
Lightning effects
How is he alive ew ewe w
Omg all the voices are the same! Narrator same?
Shoes (red and blue? is always) in color, cool what’s with jumping off roofs?
Crosses glowing, random samurai on the roof? Hand moving on the sidewalk, blood is glowing and splashing and weird ewww nazi ninja star? Sure just put your severed hand in your pocket, weird lights on the car ride oh no he’s not dead?
Why is there a dinosaur outside?
Hello yellow man

So I guess that's basically a rundown of the film. Have a wonderful night!

Of hope and change

Yes we did, America!

On the other hand, over 5 million Californians disappointed me. I can respect you voting for McCain, I can respect you for a lot of things I disagree with, but I can't respect you voting yes on Prop 8. It saddens me that there are so many people out there who feel uncomfortable with someone who was born different than them that they want to take away their rights. I have not heard a single justification for this proposition that made me see where supporters were coming from. Ruin the sanctity of marriage? Allowing two people who love each other form a legal union doesn't ruin this at all. What about the high rates of divorce in straight marriages, or Britney's 24 hour marriage? You may not like the idea of gay marriage, but that doesn't mean we should ban it. I may not like the idea of your religious beliefs, but I'm not trying to take away your rights.

Prop 8 is a step backwards for overcoming discrimination. Is it so hard to allow our inalienable right to the pursuit of happiness apply to everyone?

Ohio

At 9:30 central standard time, FOX is the only major network not to have projected Ohio for Obama. Interesting.
CNN, CBS, NBC, and ABC all put the numbers at Obama: 52 McCain 47
FOX has it at Obama: 51.34 and McCain 47.04

Important differences? hmmm

The polls also put McCain slightly ahead in Missouri. Will this election break the bellweather?

Things I've realized recently.

You know how your high school teachers would force you to argue both sides of an issue, or address different perspectives in papers? Now I know why my teachers did it. I have gained the ability pick something to write about without having to consider whether I really want to write about it, because I can pick something random and make it sound good. Helpful for when you’re starting papers at midnight.

Oh, and thank god I don’t get internet on the couch.

-If I did, I would probably be watching the CNN electoral map calculator, which currently shows that McCain could win all the swing states, AND Virginia, and still lose.
http://edition.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/calculator/

-Also, these google maps (election edition) are pretty cool.
http://maps.google.com/help/maps/elections/#utm_campaign=en&utm_medium=ha&utm_source=en-ha-na-us-sk-mp&utm_term=election%20maps

-Or, if you prefer your politics with a bit more comedy, try Jib Jab, a reliable source of election-themed laughs for the second-consecutive presidential campaign.
http://www.jibjab.com/originals/time_for_some_campaignin

And you wonder why I don't start my papers until midnight?

Things I've learned recently

-How to walk the dinosaur. 

http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=yeNbJQ6naJs

-Sarah Palin's voice is musical.  But not in the way you think.

http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=9nlwwFZdXck

-Always look at what you are about to show on public television before you start talking about it.

http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=3QVNmkSivlw