August 2003 Archives

Media Blamed for the Message

"There is something pitiful about a person of Wolfowitz's stature, experience and power responding to the regular killings of young Americans in Iraq by lashing out against Arab satellite TV channels like Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya."

According to this story, Wolfowitz is accusing the Arab media of "incitement," a category of speech that is typically outside of First Amendment protection in the context of American Constitutional law. In American law, however, it is next to iimpossible for a newspaper, or even a television station, to meet the standard of imminent harm that is required to show incitement. As this article suggests, blaming the media for the resentment that is resulting in the shooting of American soldiers is likely mistaking the symptom for the disease. Shutting down newspapers is consequently an unlikely cure for unrest in Iraq.

Halley's Comment

"Women are fed up. They are telling the truth about their lives. Changing poopy diapers tends to ground one in reality. Whether at home or at work in a corporate-speak memo about accounting practices, women know shit when they smell it. It makes them a little impatient with lies. They know a kid with strep throat is not a business event that can be rescheduled. They see with the eyes of mothers. They see hunger. They see tears. They see the tears of the husbands and other men in their lives. They deal in the truth. They know when they are being conned. They know they are second class citizens at work. They are not so dumb as they look. They know they are second class citizens at home. They know they are getting ripped off. They know they are raising the next generation of citizens, that no one much appreciates it and they are really exhausted. This makes them lethal. This makes them whistleblowers of the most courageous ilk. They are disenfranchised and therefore have nothing to lose and everything to gain by telling the truth."

Sir Wilfred Thesiger, Renowned Explorer and Writer, Dies at 93

"The heir to great 19th-century venturers like Livingstone, Stanley, Speke and Burton, Sir Wilfred was a restless, insatiable traveler throughout his life; he eventually won medals named for Livingstone, Burton and Lawrence of Arabia. He was also a man of private wealth, a misogynist and a romantic who hated the modern world and found nobility in the primitive life."

Ever since I read Arabian Sands, Thesiger has been an author I would have loved to meet. His influence continues to reverberate among travel writers. His writings form a backdrop to the journey of Jeffrey Tayler recounted in Glory in a Camel's Eye. Although Tayler seems more resigned to the encroachments of the modern age on nomadic life, he experiences nostalgia for the simplicity of Thesiger's life with his Bedouin companions.

Unbillable Hours has a monumental exposition of why the presence of the ten commandments on the Supreme Court building is not an endorsement of religion, whereas the ten commandments statue in the Alabama Supreme Court is. In the latest developments, "Ten Commandments" Justice Roy Moore has apparently been suspended for defying the federal court's order to remove his carved statue of the commandments.

The fracas surrounding the antics of Chief Justice Moore has clearly touched a raw nerve among Alabamans, and I suppose that I have done my part to rub salt on the wounds. I am sure that there are many sophisticated, civilized Alabamans. I know a few. I am sure, just from reading her blog, that Sugarmama is one. However, it is going to reflect badly on a state when more than 50 percent of the voters elect Elmer Gantry to be Chief Justice. At the time of his election to the Alabama Supreme Court, Justice Moore had already become notorious as the "Ten Commandments" Judge.

On another issue, de jure segregation may be "long past" but the legacy of hate and discrimination in this country is alive and well. So, no, I do not think we can just "get over it." We have come a long way, but we have a long way to go. Prejudice can be found in every state, and is obviously not limited to Alabama. Alabama does, however, still enjoy the unenviable distinction of being one of the six states whose electoral procedures are still subject to federal supervision pursuant to the Voting Rights Act. On the fortieth anniversary of the march on Washington, Alabama, any more than any other state in this country, should not be given a pass on the issue of race relations.

David Giacalone, aka ethicalEsq?, dismisses the risks cited by the ABA Journal in its article Bemused About Blogging. As Giacalone admits, however, it is easy for him to do so because he is now retired.

During almost 40 years as a corporate public relations man, my father maintained a brisk writing career in a number of publications. He always recognized that writing posed a potential risk to his career, and he had to consider his words carefully. His success in balancing his career and his writing has always struck me as a testament to his good judgment. As Giacalone puts it, "If a lawyer doesn't have the good judgment it takes to have both a personality and an opinion online, while keeping clients happy, he or she should stay away from blogging, and maybe from lawyering." Sometimes bloggers seem to forget that blogs are a public medium, and that their words may come back to them in unexpected ways. I aspire to write in such a way that I will not be embarrassed when they do.

Rachel and I passed a very enjoyable evening watching Bogie and Bacall in the Big Sleep on Turner Classic Movies. Strange how even the booksellers and cab drivers are beautiful young women, who immediately fall for Bogart. I did not know that William Faulkner wrote the screenplay, or that there was a remake in the 70's with Robert Mitchum and Jimmy Stewart.

Telling the Truth in Iraq

Talking to young Iraqis such as Hassan, you sense how much they want to break the old mold — how much they want to be Arabs, with an Arab identity, but to build a modern state that actually focuses on tapping its people's talents and energies, rather than diverting them, and one that seeks to base their dignity on what they build, not on whom they fight. Root for them to succeed, for having such a state in the heart of the Arab world would be a very, very good thing.

Precisely why, now that we have gotten ourselves into this mess, we need to commit the rescources to ensure that Iraq is fully rebuilt, its economy strong, and its politics stable.

Tribes with Flags is one the the most compelling and detailed books I have read about the modern Middle East. In classic travel book fashion, author Charles Glass knows everyone and goes everywhere -- or at least seems to. Along the way, he imparts snippets of history and untangles the complex web of family and religious allliances -- and betrayals -- that have turned modern Lebanon into a battleground. Glass's kidnapping by Hizbullah punctuates this memoir with an exciting conclusion, but the real reason to read the book is the journey beforehand.

Dave Winer is not happy about a rather clever parody of Don McLean's American Pie. I am not enough of an insider to catch all the references, but apparently the author touched a few nerves. Unlike Mr. Winer, I do not think that "paying your dues" is a prerequisite to writing a satire. Some authors, like Pope and Swift, basically wrote nothing but satires, and Byron lauched his career with "English Bards and Scotch Reviewers." This little blogger doggerel is not in the same class, but the same principle applies: satire should be judged on its wit not its antecedents.

Episcopal Church Confirms Gay Bishop (washingtonpost.com)

"Surmounting threats of a schism and eleventh-hour allegations of misconduct, the Rev. V. Gene Robinson won confirmation today as the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church and the worldwide Anglican Communion."

Today is a day that I am proud to be an Episcopalian, and I hope that the Episcopal Church's example of inclusion and charity will serve as a beacon to the rest of the Anglican Communion and the worldwide Christian Church.

stickbugblog

"Since two government lawyer bloggers have called it quits recently (blueblanketblog in part and Crimen Falsi completely), the law clerk bloggers have started trying to sort out where we stand in the world of ethics and blogging."

Yet another reminder of why my father has always said he never wented to work for the government. Obviously, there are compensations to a job at an agency such as the Department of Justice, where one has the opportunity to do quite a bit of good. Stories like this, however, are reminders that Uncle Sam exacts a steep price.

Media Notes: Dean's Moment (washingtonpost.com)

' "Then Dean's forces burst from their blogs (weblogs are the jungle drums of the Internet age) and made themselves heard in the old-fashioned language the political establishment understands: money. They deluged his campaign with $7.6 million in the second quarter (ended June 30), which was $1.7 million more than presumed front runner John Kerry, $2.5 million more than poll-topping Joe Lieberman, $3.1 million more than glamorous newcomer John Edwards, $3.8 million more than seasoned Dick Gephardt.... " '