Thursday, May 19, 2022
Political Mayhem Thursday: The weariness of being right
After last weekend's mass shootings, the biggest of which was in Buffalo, I scanned the news stories about the events and noticed something troubling.
There was a lot of interest in the 18-year-old shooter, and some (though less) about the black neighborhood he terrorized. There was some accurate analysis about the endemic nature of racism and racial violence in our country. There was also talk about the media, and the internet source and platforms used by the shooter.
But... there wasn't much about guns, which marks a shift. With previous mass shootings, one reaction seemed to uniformly be that we need to curb the nearly unlimited access to guns that everyone-- and I mean everyone-- in the US appears to have right now. The country is just flooded with guns, and that was a part of the discussion after previous shootings.
This time, not so much. Perhaps it just is seen as futile to worry too much about a teen who gets an assault rifle despite having threatened to kill people at his school. Maybe there is a resigned weariness in the face of a political system that doesn't respond to the problem.
The question remains, though: are all these guns good for us?
Wednesday, May 18, 2022
The Week of lots of stuff
This is a jam-packed time of the year! Sure, lots of grading to do... but lots of other stuff, too.
Yesterday I was sworn in as a member of the Minnesota Bar. Because I do federal work, I just maintained my Michigan Bar membership, and then was licensed to practice in the US Supreme Court, the WD of Texas, and the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 8th & 9th US Circuit Courts of Appeal. But... it's looking like I may do some state work, so I hunkered down and did the (amazing amount of) paperwork to join the bar in Minnesota. I also had to take a test for the first time in 30 years-- the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam-- which was a little nerve-wracking. But now I am in!
Then tomorrow I will be testifying in Congress-- the House Judiciary Committee's subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism & Homeland Security is having an oversight hearing on clemency, and I'll be the first witness (after a separate presentation by Rep. Ayanna Pressley). It's a fascinating committee, and I expect it to be a very interesting morning! The video will be available at the Youtube channel above.
And on Sunday, I will be giving a sermon at 1st Covenant Church here in Minneapolis, at 10 am. As always, all are welcome!
Tuesday, May 17, 2022
Race and Guns
On Saturday, an 18-year-old white supremacist took an assault rifle to a grocery store in Buffalo New York and opened fire on the patrons. His writings make clear that he chose that store because it is in a black neighborhood and served primarily a black clientele. He had previously scoped out this target. He was an adherent to "Great Replacement Theory," something Fox News often flirts with, that holds that white Americans are being "replaced" by minorities and immigrants. It's the same ideology that has driven a number of mass shootings, including one at a Wal-Mart in El Paso in 2019.
This crime has everything to do with race and guns.
First, the shooter made very clear what his motives were-- posting a manifesto is about exactly that, after all. His 180-page screed described how he was radicalized on the internet and chose his target because that zip code had the highest percentage of black residents near him (and he then drove 230 miles to get there).
He did not make up his beliefs. He learned them. And others are learning them now: from the bread crumb trails on Fox News, and the rancid lumps of racism on 4chan and similar sites. Some suspect, too, that the racism rampant in gamer culture impacted him as well.
As for those bread crumbs, here is a sample from Tucker Carlson:
“The Democratic Party is trying to replace the current electorate, the voters now casting ballots, with new people, more obedient voters from the Third World,” Carlson said on Fox News Primetime. “If you change the population, you dilute the political power of the people who live there. So every time they import a new voter, I become disenfranchised as a current voter.”
As for the guns... I mean c'mon. This guy wrote that he wanted to commit a murder/suicide for a school project. He was held for a mental health evaluation. He posted his plans publicly. And yet he was able to obtain, legally, the perfect weapon for his task.
We can't even step in to prevent that?
Monday, May 16, 2022
Court poems
I'll be honest: I didn't think anyone would submit a poem about the Supreme Court! But I was very wrong, and there was some great work.
I loved my Dad's:
Ginnisaurus Rex
would have originalist
brain in a big head
This mascot would float
above us all tied only
to those in power
would have originalist
brain in a big head
This mascot would float
above us all tied only
to those in power
And Jill's:
Judgment rendered by
those who don’t have to live with
the consequences.
those who don’t have to live with
the consequences.
Not to mention Christine:
Sammy spews disdain
Dimsdale hounds his Hester Prynes
Now we all wear red.
Dimsdale hounds his Hester Prynes
Now we all wear red.
And Amy Garrou:
Priest as a mascot,
Sterner than Demon Deacon.
No more church and state.
Sterner than Demon Deacon.
No more church and state.
And the Medievalist!:
The blind squirrel
Will often find a stray nut,
Let's call him Rocky.
Will often find a stray nut,
Let's call him Rocky.
Sunday, May 15, 2022
Sunday Reflection: Graduation
There's a lot going on! Yesterday was graduation, on Tuesday I will be sworn into the MN Bar (I've kept my Michigan bar membership all these years, but it was time to make it official with MN) and on Thursday I will be in Washington to testify in front of the House Judiciary Committee.
Graduation is emotional and wonderful and always different. Yesterday, as the professor of the year, I had the honor of putting the academic hoods on the graduates. It's not as easy as you might imagine! My first few tries looked like an attempt at assassination by strangulation, then I improved to merely awkward and after a while I got to be ok at it. Sorry, graduates whose names begin with the letters "A," "B," and "C"!
Afterwards, I got to meet the families of these people I have gotten to know over the past three years-- and I really love that part. A lot. It can explain so much! It's fascinating to hear the perspective of the parents, how they lived through the experience with their kids. Even more interesting are the spouses. Often they look kind of tired and thrilled all at once, which totally makes sense.
The bond between students and teachers, at its best, is a kind of agape love. Like all kinds of love, it requires patience and forgiveness and levity. Too often we lose sight of that.
Saturday, May 14, 2022
1982
For people of a certain age, this song brings back some memories:
Friday, May 13, 2022
Haiku Friday: The Supreme Court
Here's a fun fact: The Supreme Court of Canada has a mascot! It's name is Amicus the Owl, and it even wears red robes like the actual justices. (And no, I am not making this up). I'm not sure if the Court building is infested with mice or what, but they have their own owl.
Hmmm... what would our Supreme Court have as its mascot?
Let's haiku about that this week-- or anything else relating to the courts that you would care to share. Here, I will go first:
Amanda the mole
Might be our Court's special friend
Until they catch her.
Now it is your turn! Just use the 5/7/5 syllable pattern, and have some fun!
Thursday, May 12, 2022
The Storm
So... I've heard from some people asking if I am ok, as the blog didn't have a new post at midnight as usual. And, yes, I am ok!
There was a huge storm that came through last night, and it knocked out the power at my house (and thus, the internet). The power just came back in the last hour.
It's fascinating how dependent we are on electricity these days. Even with gas appliances, I noticed a big difference in how my evening proceeded, especially after darkness fell. Of course, at least it wasn't in the winter, when the heat would have been effected-- a big deal in a place like Minnesota!
Downtown, there was no problem with the power because the utility lines are all underground. Which made me think... why aren't they underground everywhere?
Wednesday, May 11, 2022
A Good Day
Something really nice happened yesterday: My first year crim law students gave me a gift! It was unnecessary and unexpected, but of course those are the ones we appreciate the most.
Of course, all I had to give them in return was a final exam. But... I did make it myself, and it took two whole days to make!
Tuesday, May 10, 2022
A Professor over the edge
When you do what I do, your opinion is out there in the ether quite a bit. We law professors spend hours talking to our students in class, then write long articles, then many of us (these days) tweet our thoughts throughout the day. Sometimes, members of the press will want to talk about this or that legal issue, and sometimes we do that.
It's hard to be careful what you say all the time. And sometimes it is the things you say most carefully-- in long, thoroughly footnoted articles-- are what get you in trouble with people who hold opposing views. (See Bork, Robert).
Ilya Shapiro seems to find himself in trouble a lot lately, despite a strong record as a scholar at the Cato Institute (I have read and admired his work myself). He is a conservative, which means he is under more scrutiny because of the ideological imbalance of the academy. Even with that, he's said some things he probably wish he hadn't. Earlier this year, he was set to start a plum job at Georgetown Law School as director of the school's Center for the Constitution and a lecturer.
But then he tweeted out his thoughts on President Biden's Supreme Court selection process, saying (among other things) that Biden's decision to choose a black woman meant that people like his own preferred candidate (Judge Sri Srinivasan) would be neglected in favor of a "lesser black woman." It wasn't a tweet that aged well after Biden picked the eminently qualified Ketanji Brown Jackson.
Shapiro was placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.
Then, last week, he got another case of the blurts. He told a DC radio station, then Fox News, that he had heard that Justice Samuel Alito had gone into hiding in an "undisclosed location," a rumor that went crazy on the internet. It turned out he really didn't have a basis for that which he could remember.
It's so easy to say the wrong thing, of course-- but the consequences in such an interconnected world of uncensored media are such that the damage is too quickly done.
Monday, May 09, 2022
Poems about pets!
What a nice respite from a grueling news cycle! Thanks to you all.
Desiree the dance major, of course, checked in:
Chuck the dog, good guy.
Always spoiling for a fight.
Twelve pounds, big spirit.
Twyla, named for Tharp.
Danced into our lives. She guards
the house from tigers.
Always spoiling for a fight.
Twelve pounds, big spirit.
Twyla, named for Tharp.
Danced into our lives. She guards
the house from tigers.
And I am partial to my Dad's (which is true):
Charlie's eyes told me
I am not just a cat friend
I am family.
I am not just a cat friend
I am family.
This anonymous entry involved an aloof kitty:
My sweet Taffy Anne
Beautiful and elegant
Everyone agreed.
So she enjoyed a
Drink from the toilet sometimes
She was still purr-fect.
Beautiful and elegant
Everyone agreed.
So she enjoyed a
Drink from the toilet sometimes
She was still purr-fect.
Dr. Daniel Price had a great story:
Flex Impetigo:
he of the "undignified"
name and noble spirit;
the cats who knew him
or knew him not, still respect
the void he filled here.
he of the "undignified"
name and noble spirit;
the cats who knew him
or knew him not, still respect
the void he filled here.
And a sad one:
They said "he never
stops purring. We cannot hear
his heart." No matter,
we knew already
that his heart would be the last
to go, even as the
terrible cancer
swiftly claimed him. Did he know
why he felt better
only in the make-
shift oxygen chamber? That
we kept him at least
less miserable
just so his person could come
home to say goodbye?
stops purring. We cannot hear
his heart." No matter,
we knew already
that his heart would be the last
to go, even as the
terrible cancer
swiftly claimed him. Did he know
why he felt better
only in the make-
shift oxygen chamber? That
we kept him at least
less miserable
just so his person could come
home to say goodbye?
IPLawGuy has had a lot of pets! (I recognize most of them, but not "Bagheera"):
I want to honor:
Lionel, Bagheera, Shadow
Fluffy, Dale and Smoke.
Lionel, Bagheera, Shadow
Fluffy, Dale and Smoke.
And we had one from Christine...:
For 30 plus years
One of our loving Labbies
Has kissed me good 'morn.
One of our loving Labbies
Has kissed me good 'morn.
... And another from New Christine!:
Tiny Elly, the fierce feline
Recued from the barn floor straw
Tiny still and sublime
Regent of her place
Ten larger dogs and cats quake
At her guile and grace
Sunday, May 08, 2022
Sunday Reflection: On Abortion
Today I have a piece in the Waco paper about abortion, because I'm an idiot-- there is no way you can write about that without making a lot of people mad. It's all land mines. Of course, that's kind of my thing. You can read it here.
Abortion comes down to when a person thinks life begins-- or if they don't really know. For some people, that belief comes from faith, but I just don't see an answer to that question in the scriptures. I have seen the arguments of others, and they haven't convinced me.
And what about those who don't really know? Well, in the US we usually err on the side of liberty.
When I wrote this piece, I knew that most of the people who read it would disagree with me-- it is the Waco paper, after all. I structured it with that in mind. So much of what I read about this is people venting rather than arguing. There is a place for righteous anger, but it is rarely good advocacy; it drives people away rather than affecting their views.
I hope you will read what I wrote, and understand where I am coming from.
Saturday, May 07, 2022
Not that one...
I was quoted (accurately) in Politico this week. But, um, no, not in THAT story. You can read the thing I did talk about here.
In the past, I have dealt with Josh Gerstein, one of the two Politico reporters who broke the leaked opinion in Dobbs and associated information (ie, the breakdown of the vote). He's kind of renowned for his network of sources. Once he called me about some information I was compelled to keep secret. I was impressed by how dogged he was-- it's a good trait in a reporter (though it did not work on me).
Friday, May 06, 2022
Haiku Friday: Animal friends
Someone suggested that Haiku Friday should be about the leak of the Dobbs opinion and... no, just no. I can't do it.
Instead, let's haiku about the animals in our lives (or who once were). I'm pretty sure that will be a happier topic. Here, I will go first:
Chuck the cat, good guy
Knew how to avoid a fight
And best spots to nap.
Now it is your turn! Just use the 5/7/5 syllable formula, and have some fun!
Thursday, May 05, 2022
PMT: Mayhem
War-- a real, major war-- in Europe. Inflation, crazy gas prices, the great resignation, soaring housing costs, all at once! A Supreme Court willing to cast aside established precedents, and uncertainty about how far that will go. A pandemic that seems to go on forever.
I don't know about you, but I thought the post-Trump years might offer a respite from reflexively checking the news every 20 minutes.
But, I suppose, it is different-- now the mayhem is not being directly caused by the administration, right?
One thing I'm wondering is whether there is an inverse correlation between mayhem seeking bands and actual news. In other words, the more we have mayhem in real life, the less we need the Insane Clown Posse...
Wednesday, May 04, 2022
A Message from New Christine
[Image by Ronnie Santana]
It's pretty rare (other than with haiku) that I lift something from the comments section to the main floor here, but I feel compelled to do exactly that with New Christine's comment on yesterday's post re the Dobbs case and the legacy of Roe v. Wade. Here it is:
As a life long Catholic, a very outspoken and often very critical
Catholic, I have maintained a position that the Church’s advocacy for
‘Life’ and the continued efforts to outlaw abortion were mostly
misguided . . . as is much of the Pro-Choice movement.
Decades of debating when life begins, ‘personhood’ and the many other nuances of both the Pro-Life and Pro-Choice movements have, more often than not, done little to provide safe and secure homes to feed, clothe, shelter and educate the children’s lives that their contentious ‘Advocacy’ professes should be ‘Cherished’ . . . cherished while in the womb and often ‘unseen’ once outside the womb.
Amongst a large segment of our citizenry that advocates ‘not’ for universal health care, paid family leave, early pre-school, affordable day care, the dignity of work, affordable housing, expanded nutrition programs and more . . . it’s time both the Catholic Church and the Pro-Choice movements come together to ‘step-up’ their game . . . cast down their placard printed slogans and march into the communities they profess to serve and practice what they preach . . .
From Matthew 25:
`Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.'
[42] for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
[43] I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.'
[44] Then they also will answer, `Lord, when did we see thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to thee?'
[45] Then he will answer them, `Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.'
Across the walls that divide, often only ‘talking points’ of both the Pro-Life and Pro-Choice movements are heard . . . hearts and hands unseen and concealed.
It’s time to ‘tear down’ the walls that separate, look into each other’s eyes, ‘See’ our brothers and sisters for who they truly are, join hearts and hands . . . and come together for the benefit of ‘All God’s Children’ . . . –
Decades of debating when life begins, ‘personhood’ and the many other nuances of both the Pro-Life and Pro-Choice movements have, more often than not, done little to provide safe and secure homes to feed, clothe, shelter and educate the children’s lives that their contentious ‘Advocacy’ professes should be ‘Cherished’ . . . cherished while in the womb and often ‘unseen’ once outside the womb.
Amongst a large segment of our citizenry that advocates ‘not’ for universal health care, paid family leave, early pre-school, affordable day care, the dignity of work, affordable housing, expanded nutrition programs and more . . . it’s time both the Catholic Church and the Pro-Choice movements come together to ‘step-up’ their game . . . cast down their placard printed slogans and march into the communities they profess to serve and practice what they preach . . .
From Matthew 25:
`Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.'
[42] for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
[43] I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.'
[44] Then they also will answer, `Lord, when did we see thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to thee?'
[45] Then he will answer them, `Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.'
Across the walls that divide, often only ‘talking points’ of both the Pro-Life and Pro-Choice movements are heard . . . hearts and hands unseen and concealed.
It’s time to ‘tear down’ the walls that separate, look into each other’s eyes, ‘See’ our brothers and sisters for who they truly are, join hearts and hands . . . and come together for the benefit of ‘All God’s Children’ . . . –
Tuesday, May 03, 2022
The End of Roe v. Wade(?)
Politico is making public what it claims is a draft majority opinion in the pending Supreme Court case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which challenges a strict Mississippi law that restricts abortion. The document announces the straightforward rejection of Roe v. Wade and it's protections for abortion. In short, the opinion allows the states to regulate or outlaw abortion as they wish.
You can read the alleged draft opinion here.
To my eye, it seems likely to be genuine. It's authored by Alito and likely will be signed onto by Kavanaugh, Barrett, Thomas, and Gorsuch (though that is not certain at this point). Chief Justice John Roberts' views are unknown. The style is typical of Alito-- perhaps a little toned down for him, actually-- and it is cast with an eye to getting a majority from those other justices with similar views. The fact that Alito presents it as for "the court" tips that the votes are in to overturn Roe.
In short, the analysis comes down to a flat rejection of the reasoning in Roe and subsequent cases (particularly Casey) which held that the Constitution provides some protections for abortion. If this opinion is issued, there will be no such thing as "abortion rights," at least under the federal constitution (states could include abortion rights in their own constitutions).
If it's real, it represents a real sea change. And I think it is real.
Monday, May 02, 2022
River Poems
I had a hunch that the theme of "rivers" would bring out some good haiku, and I was right!
Everyone will love Jill Scoggins' work:
The Ohio shapes
my city north and west so
we sprawl south and east.
It shapes my state’s top,
too. Showing where Kentucky
stops, starts, begins, ends.
Rivers do that. Hard
stops that force-form our bound’ries.
We cross anyway.
River banks sharply
defined do not stop our real
need for connect'ness.
Bridges go over,
tunnels go under, vessels
carry us across.
Humans must breach their
own rivers. They find a way,
any way they can.
my city north and west so
we sprawl south and east.
It shapes my state’s top,
too. Showing where Kentucky
stops, starts, begins, ends.
Rivers do that. Hard
stops that force-form our bound’ries.
We cross anyway.
River banks sharply
defined do not stop our real
need for connect'ness.
Bridges go over,
tunnels go under, vessels
carry us across.
Humans must breach their
own rivers. They find a way,
any way they can.
My dad have a (valid) point to make (and I can vouch for the fact that their basement in quite prone to flooding):
The river is now
underground and out of sight,
shows up in basements
River overflows
its banks and ends up seeping
into our basements
The river is dry
early in growing season
the crops die of thirst
It's not the rivers
fault it's carbon emissions
and we are to blame.
Christine gets bonus points for excellent use of the word "twine":
Emerge, a trickle,
meander, like unraveled
twine, blood of the earth.
meander, like unraveled
twine, blood of the earth.
And My Tim(e) Has Come brought undeniable truth:
Rivers carry life
tugboats and canoes above
spawning fish below.
tugboats and canoes above
spawning fish below.
Sunday, May 01, 2022
Sunday Reflection: Denominational slices
One of the data sets I study closely is the Pew Research Center's Religious Landscape Study, which surveyed about 35,000 people in all 50 states about their beliefs and affiliations with religious denominations. They completed the survey most recently in 2014, and it is time for a new one-- I am anxious to see the effect that the pandemic has had on religious affiliations and beliefs. My hunch is that it will shocking (at least to church leaders).
One great tool is that you can break down the data by state, revealing the striking differences between distinct parts of the country. For example, in Alabama, 86% of the population identifies as Christian, with 49% of the population identifying as Evangelical Christians (as distinct from the 7% who identify as Catholic, 16% who identify as "traditionally Black Protestant" and 13% who identify themselves as part of mainstream Protestant churches). Meanwhile, in Vermont only 54% identify as Christian, and only 11% describe themselves as Evangelical. Alabama and Vermont have very different cultures, and this disparity is a part of that difference.
Every time I see these surveys, though, they lead me to this goofy exercise where I break down the percentage of Mark Osler that can be identified with each faith. I think this is the current breakdown:
Mainline Protestant: 44%
Other Christian: 26% (Society of Friends)
Evangelical: 15%
Catholic: 10%
Agnostic: 3%
Jewish: 1%
Mormon: 1%
Yeah, I'm kind of a mess-- but I've never been one to make my faith about a denomination. And I'm sure that Mormons would be appalled at the idea of being 1% Mormon (and also upset, apparently, about being called Mormons).
What's your mix?
Saturday, April 30, 2022
Interesting, but...
I'm not sure the K-Pop guys have the whole Western theme down. For one thing, a car shouldn't appear. Also, no guns is good, but weird. There's more....
