Osler's Razor

You respond by giving the definition of an acronym and an abbreviation. As an acronym, Lib would be "Liberian Intellectual Brotherhood" but as abbreviation, yes, it could mean liberal. All comments should be banned on all newspapers except for the NYT.
 

I'm not sure, but I think my Independent Study for this quarter should involve responding.

Speaking of which, I'll stop by tomorrow to discuss that with you.
 

After 2 min on google, found something you might be able to use in response:

"Thank you very much. It is both an honor and very humbling to be nominated to serve on the Supreme Court. Before I became a judge, my law practice consisted largely of arguing cases before the court. That experience left me with a profound appreciation for the role of the court in our CONSTITUTIONAL DEMOCRACY and a deep regard for the court as an institution"
- John Roberts, July 20, 2005
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,163025,00.html

I would venture to guess that Phillip loves him some Justice Roberts. This is the problem with people who base their decisions of someone else on 2 words-- for every gotcha quote on one side of the aisle, there is one on the other.

For the record, I'm not sure why so many of my fellow conservatives are opposing Kagan. She seems pretty moderate, and the energy it takes to oppose a Supreme Court nominee is better spent elsewhere.
 

It's hilarious how conservatives like to harp on the use of "republic," as if that makes being a Republican so much more American.

Phillip sounds like he'll go far in life.
 

Also, you should demand he call you Professor Osler, or Mr. Osler, Esq. It's only proper of a liberal intellectual elite.

I mean, if you're going to join our ranks, Prof., you've gotta get with the lingo. Also, when can you start your subscription to The New Republic? If I get three more, I get to go on a green vacation to Al Gore's private island.
 

"I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully." --George W. Bush, Saginaw, Mich., Sept. 29, 2000

Look, it's not like Republicans don't screw up.

Also, you should make sure to call him some obviously derogatory but almost unused abbreviation for a political alignment, i.e. "You're such a con (if you don't know that means conservative)" and make fun of his poor punctuation skills.
 

In general, public discussions of this nature can be depressing--if you take them too seriously. I am always amazed at the conservatives who call up Brian Lamb and tell him that they are on to his liberal ways.

Of course, I had to chuckle at the liberals who assumed you must be a Bible-toting Evangelical conservative--and, therefore, small-minded and biased against Jews, Catholics, and atheists.

Of course, Phillip us back on familiar ground. Dumb conservatives fit into our world view much better than vicious liberals wholly intolerant of any perceived intolerance.
 

WF--

I'm not sure there is anything in Phillip's note that marks him as a conservative. He could just as easily be on the far left-- it is hard to tell. That's one reason I loved it! I had no idea what was going on when I first read that email.
 

Oh... well, I guess there is the last line. That does seem to mark him as not a liberal. Up to then, though...

And you are right-- most of the harshest criticism has been from people who think I am a very right-wing religious kook, when really I am a moderate religious kook.
 

Reading all the comments really saddened me. We are at a point in our social discourse where we spend about thirty seconds trying to figure out whether this person is for us or again' us--and then we pull out the big guns and use every weapon at our disposal to destroy our opponent along with his position.

It ought not be this way.

And, of course, none of this is news to me--but it comes home when someone I know and care about is involved.

Of course, as I try to remind myself, none of these people are any crazier or more bull-headed than the partisans of Jackson and Clay were back in the day.
 

And that, AWF, is why it is sad: you'd think we'd have grown up beyond the days of Jackson and Clay.

But nope, still the same.
 

Lane, and I say this with a smile of appreciation for your good-heartedness, but the fact that we are not actually getting any better is probably more troubling from your perspective than mine.

You live in a world in which we should be moving toward enlightenment and progress. I live in a fallen world in which our nature compels us to make the same mistakes over and over--and we are saved only by grace and the capacity to love and forgive one another.

Another take:

I see things as they are and say why? You dream things that never were and say why not?
 

Al Gore has a private island?????? SAAAWWWW -WEEET!
 

WF--

One thing you learn from being a prosecutor is this-- sometimes, if you do your job well, even perfectly, there will be some people who are very unhappy with you, and that's ok.
 

You could just ignore it, especially because you'll never convince him that he's wrong. The typical person who takes time to comment on newspaper articles is unpersuadable.

I don't know much about SG Kagan, and I'm not on her side of the aisle, but I do love the fact that a non-traditional candidate has been nominated. I was getting tired of sitting appellate court judges being the only ones given serious consideration for the Court.