Bork Bites the Dust

And I'm not talking about a Swedish chef.

Robert Bork, the demonic loose cannon of 1980's jurisprudence, one of the few people too conservative even to be confirmed as a Supreme Court Justice, has passed on.

Just in case anyone is tempted not to speak ill of the dead, here's a selective sample of Bork's attitudes and achievements (they could not really be dignified with the term "opinions.")

• Believed that a blanket law prohibiting contraception, by anyone, married or not, was not unconstitutional.
• Bowed to Nixon's demand that Archibald Cox be fired, after two Nixon appointees had refused to do so.
• Espoused positions so radical that the ACLU was forced off the fence and into a position of advocacy.
• Similarly, took a view of civil rights so archaic and inhuman that even southern democrats with a history of racist voting couldn't support his nomination.

In our era of loud revisionism, it's fashionable to claim that Bork was turned down for the court appointment "for political reasons" and that his treatment during confirmation was somehow biased and unfair. This point of view starts, ironically, as a liberal one: it takes as its basis that you have a right to be any kind of a fundamentalist jackass you want to be. Then it veers into a far right position, saying that not only do you have that right, but you have the right to inflict those views on everybody else. That is what every judge, in every court, essentially has: the right to subject law to a review colored by whatever kind of glasses he or she prefers to wear. And if you reveal to the world, in published material, over and over again, that your view of the law is somewhere to the right of Sharia, then the polity has the right to send you home and pick up the next resume on the pile.

Bork did not fail in his confirmation because of mindless political partisanship. He failed because he was, in fact, as bad as he was painted, and his own words convict him.

Cultural news from Egypt

The government has retained Pat Banatar to write a new national anthem, apparently titled "Hit me with your despot." Sorry.

Ann Arbor's Traffic Problems are Solved!

Simply restrict driving -- especially of AATA buses -- to this emerging demographic, and all will be well.

(By the way, "L plates" is UK and Commonwealth-speak for Learner Permits.)

(And of course, see here for Elliot Erwitt's take on the same topic.)

The heart of news-ness: allafrica.com

One of the best uses of the Internet I've encountered.  If you're not familiar with Allafrica.com, you should be. It's a massive exercise in content aggregation, uphill against the wind in a continent that's hostile to journalism in general and especially to on-line journalism.

I told you so

Didn't I?

Is our rednecks lerning?

Periodically, I get catalogs -- constantly, I get catalogs. Oy, do I get catalogs. Among them are a lot of middle-of-the-road material, one or two preferred vendors, and then -- far off the left side of the chart, quality-wise, not politically -- are a couple of outliers. Their target market seems to be the American undomesticated wild ass, the person, probably male, probably single, probably a grade-school drop out, with a small amount of disposable income and no taste for the finer (or even less-awful) things in life.  The guy whose wardrobe consists of wife-beaters and hoodies with silk-screened eagles on 'em.  I enjoy reading those catalogs a great deal, and from time to time, I am compelled to share some of their products with you.  This is one of those times.

As you deconstruct this narrative, note the following: you don't often see "Executive" and "Ridge Runner" together in the same context.  Consider the level of quality this product must exhibit, given its princely MSRP of $17.00.  And finally, wonder at the assertion, "Perfect gift for the boss."

Exhibit two;

First of all, your honor, although the prosecution admits that there were submarines, at least a couple, operable in the Civil War, none of them "ruled the seas."  They were, in fact, barely able to function without sinking and drowning their crews wholesale -- in fact, several of them did just that. Further, of all the "collectible" equipment that sub crews in the 1860's would have used, edged weapons were not really at the top of the must-have list.  "Out cutlasses and board," was not an order frequently heard in that context. And finally let me just say in closing, that while this may be a reproduction of a US Navy cutlass, it is certainly not a replica of a US Navy Civil War Submariner's cutlass. Why? Because the US Navy didn't have any damn submarines in the Civil War.  The Confederates put a few into the water, how many we don't know, and lost a lot of men in the course of finding out just how poor an idea it was, given the technology they had. The US wasn't interested, due to an unusual combination of hidebound conservatism and remarkably astute assessment of the likelihood of success.

Yet Another Social Networking Site

I'm of two minds, give or take a mind, about goodreads.com. It appears to be a kind of facebook for people who can actually remember what a book looks like, or claim to.  Our shamelessly self-aggrandizing acquaintance had it recommended to him by some blog postings as a way of promoting his silly book, and so he's given it a try, kicking and screaming all the way.  If this goes on, can a Facebook presence be far behind?

One or two of you, I believe, are actually on goodreads; what do you think of it?  Mr. McConnell tells us that he's reluctant to spend a lot of time on it, but is willing to if it's not a complete waste.

Quit yer beefin'

Or actually, don't.  At least until you read this article about your brain and meat.

Been telling you so for years.

The energy drink industry ...

Finally getting the attention it deserves.  Especially the Five-hour guy, Manoj Bhargava (who, for some reason, I'd heard was an Ann Arborite.  He's not, he lives in Farmington Hills.)

What everyone seems to ignore about the energy drinks (besides their being a totally unnecessary affectation) is that they're caffeine.  Caffeine plus we're not sure exactly what, but typically sugar, anyway.  And in some cases, phenylalanine, which is extremely bad for you if you have phenylketonuria -- and lots of people do.  While the article is from a somewhat suspect source (Forbes), David Kroll (with no initials, such as "MD", that he bothers to use after his name, BTW), has a nice heads-up piece on the stuff.

Something in the water, I guess

Whatever it is that makes the Michigan 11th district unique in its ability to produce congressional exotica is still operating.  Thad McCotter, the loser who ran briefly for president before cratering like a bluejay hitting a window wall, is being replaced by Kerry Bentivolio, a Republican reindeer rancher from Milford.  I did not make that last phrase up. He's really a reindeer rancher. From Milford.  He's also a teabagger and in general an embarrassment to the state, making him a fitting replacement for McCotter.

Quoted by Mlive blogger Khalil AlHajal, Bentivolio had this to say, apparently alluding to opportunities for improvement in the 11th disctrict's staffing and overall attitude toward the constituency: "Our staff will be well-trained. I'm going to test them ... send somebody posing as a citizen to see how well our staff performs."

Why it would be necessary to "pose as a citizen" in order to do a mystery shopper sting on a congressional office was not explained, but, after all, he is a fully-qualified reindeer rancher.