Songs for a New Old Era.

Freedom.

Freedom's a tricky thing. William the Bruce died rather than let Englang and its local lackeys tell him and his fellow Scots what to do (A lot of my ancestors trace their lines back to Scotland. A cantankerous lot, the Scots. Their National motto? No-one_Attacks_Me_With_Impunity). So did a lot of American Colonists. So, no one would willingly give up freedom, right?


...Wrong! way back in Biblical times, the Israelites begged Samuel to give_them_a_king, to fight their battles,and so they could be cool like other peoples. Samuel told them they were giving up a ton of freedom, but they got their way in the end.


Personal freedom is trickier still. 1960's guitar wizard Jimi Hendrix begged for freedom, and died exercising it in the form of a drug overdose.

We get more freedom over our money with decreased payroll deductions... but we lose that freedom in a hurry if we come up short on April 15!

So, what's the answer? Well, now, that's a personal choice, idnit? In the interim, here are some songs of freedom:

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Rick Santorum, and Mary I, of England, Walk into a Bar...

My wise grandmother, Gina, told me more than a few times never to discuss sex, politics and religion in public because everyone had an opinion which you were unlikely to change, and that you'd probably just make people angry. I know this to be true, but I just can't help myself sometimes. It's primary season in U.S. politics, which means we get exposed to lots of allegations of "bad" sex and lots of questions about candidates' religious proclivities. The "bad" sex allegations have pretty much been all aimed at Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich. The allegations are well-worn, and I'm frankly a little bored by them. Religion, on the other hand, gets my heart racing. One of my favorite people on the planet recently forwarded along to me an e-mail exhorting me to carefully watch the candidates for there religious stances because of the importance of these practices and views to the proper governance of the Country. So I did. Here's my primer:

Newt was raised Lutheran, became a Baptist, and converted to Catholicism. This combo played pretty well in the Palmetto State, which has been Newt's only primary victory so far.

Mitt Romney is, of coure, a Mormon, and he appears to be a very_active member of the Church of Latter Day Saints . The Latter Day Saints Church shares many characteristics of the Christian Church as described in the early Christian Creeds, but also varies_from_it_in_significant_ways, including its rejection of the Holy Trinity.

Ron_Paul was raised Lutheran, became a Baptist, and had his children baptised as Episcopalians. That's a pretty good smorgasbord of Protestantism, but as far as I can tell, Ron is not trying to convert anyone to any particular religious ideology.

President_Obama's_description of his faith is that he was raised by non-religious parents (his father was an atheist who'd been raised Muslim, and his mother was a lapsed Methodist), but was Baptised in the Trinity Church of Christ in Chicago as an adult. Of his faith, he says "I'm a Christian by choice. My family didn't—frankly, they weren't folks who went to church every week. And my mother was one of the most spiritual people I knew, but she didn't raise me in the church. So I came to my Christian faith later in life, and it was because the precepts of Jesus Christ spoke to me in terms of the kind of life that I would want to lead—being my brothers' and sisters' keeper, treating others as they would treat me" (I've heard people say that they don't believe that President Obama is actually Christian. I guess you could say that about any of the candidates if you wanted to. Like I heard in church camp many moons ago: If you were on trial as a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? Depends on the standard you use, I guess. I'll take Paul's (the Apostle Paul, not Ron Paul) in Romans_10:9-13. 'Course, trying anyone for being a Christian has been done to death, hasn't it?).

If you want a candidate whose politics match his religion, then Catholic Rick Santorum is your best choice. Rick has apparently said something to the effect that separation of Church and State has caused great harm in America. Give him credit: he's not flip-flopping on his religion. But is bringing the pulpit or altar to the White House a good thing?

The Founding Fathers, most of whom were Christian, made sure to include certain Amendments to the U.S. Constitution to protect the rights of individuals against the awesome power of Government. Their first amendment?

Amendment I. Religion and Expression "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances".

Why would the Founding Fathers want to guarantee that individuals could worship as they please, but deny them the power to have an official American religion? Maybe they remembered Henry VIII's daughter, Mary I of England, a/k/a Bloody_Mary who had a lot of English folks burned at the stake for the crime of not being Catholic.

But that couldn't happen in the age after the Age of Enlightenment, could it? Sure it could. In fact, it happened in post-Wiemar Republic Germany.In a wonderful biography I've just finished on Dietrich_Bonhoeffer, the author, Eric Metaxas, points out that when Adolf Hitler wanted to mold popular opinion to accept genocide, he created an official German Church in order to get rid of the pesky pro-Jewish sentiments that seemed to permeate the Bible (BTW, Metaxas' book is a great read).

So, what's best? Beats me. But I'm always wary of anyone tells me he knows God better than the next guy...

Celebration!

Okay, so you probably heard that on Tuesday night the South Carolina Gamecocks won their second College World Series in two years. My FSU degree makes me generally sympathetic to the ACC, but I'll happily celebrate a Palmetto State victory. 'Course, around La Maison Jaune, there's an even bigger victory: The General Assembly overrode veto number 13, which would have eliminated funding for S.C. Area Health Education Centers. SC AHEC helps to bring young folks into health care careers, recruits health care providers into rural and underserved areas (such as Colleton County), and provides continuing education for medical professionals. AHEC employs many fine citizens, including, most notably in these parts, Lady Di. We're grateful to the General Assembly for helping to foster a better environment for medical providers (and for saving the jobs of quite a few deserving taxpayers!).

Showing Their Ash.

I heard on NPR today that Egypt dealt with growing public protests over lack of democracy by shutting down the Internet and jamming cell phones. I was thinking, "Boy, I'm glad I live in a democracy". Then I read today's "Charleston Post and Courier" about lack of public access to a hearing on whether a permit should be granted to a local utility for coal ash storage basin in my County. Apparently, a lot of people were left out of the meeting, including the reporter. Freedom of Information Act attorney Jay Bender apparently commented on the inadequate venue for the hearing, "You can't have a democracy in a phone booth", or something like that.

Coal ash storage is a big deal, as the folks around Kingston, Tennessee could tell you. I was the County Attorney for a little rural county, and I've had to review solid waste ordinances (not exciting stuff, to be sure, but necessary). I'm not your garden variety NIMBY (acronym for "not in my back yard"). I understand that waste of all types has to go somewhere. The problem I've got with the utility company in this case is the timing. The Federal Gummit is considering whether to recast coal ash as toxic, rather than as ordinary waste. The utility company appears to be trying to slip this by before the rules change. If coal ash is safe, then waiting a few more months to let the Gummit confirm it's safe shouldn't be a big deal, right?

State of the Union, Jack.

Okay, so President Obama mentioned South Korea three times to one shout-out for Russia (kind of cool for me, 'cause Oldest lives in Korea). And, did I dream it, or did he say we need to get rid of subsidies for Big Oil?

Listen to the Pope.

My mom's mom, Gina (God rest her soul), gave her grandchildren a few nuggets of advice through the years: "Don't discuss sex, politics or religion in polite company", "You are the master of the unspoken word; the spoken word is the master of you". Obviously, I have frequently disregarded her advice, but not all of it. She also told us not to judge people too harshly for their indiscretions. See frequently cited
Alexander Pope: “Vice is a monster of so frightful mien, As to be hated needs but to be seen; Yet too oft, familiar with her face, We first endure, then pity, then embrace.” There are others that might should've listened to the Pope, too.

Ramblin' Man.

Um, has anybody seen our Governor? In the unlikely event you haven't heard about Mark Sanford's disappearing act, you can read it here. Well, at least he's interesting.



Turns out it was a woman. Who knew?

Blue Plate Special

I just traded out my expiring license plate, at left, for a sporty new one. In South Carolina, we got lots to choose from, about a hundred. Governor Sanford vetoed the General Assembly's addition of three more plates to the list, but his veto was over-ridden (the new plate names were pretty innocuous. Things like "Our Farms, Our Future", so the political wrangling might have had more to do with the fine-print than the plate names). I took the standard issue plate, mostly because I'm cheap, but for a few dollars more, I could've had a tribute to my favorite SC college (or Auburn or Georgia Tech. Go figure) or to the Civil War submarine, The Hunley, that sank in SC waters. Or I could have a "Choose Life" or "In God We Trust" plate. What? Religious plates not your cup of tea? You could choose the Secular Humanist's offering "In Reason We Trust" (that's just got to be a ticket magnet). Don't wanna think that hard? Any of the NASCAR commemorative plates might be your scene. Dale, Jr. might not be winning any races lately, but he's doing just fine in license plate sales.

Vote for the Real Clinton.

Though I ran for the Statehouse in 2000, and I've been the past vice-chairman of the Jasper County Democrat Party, I'm not really a political guy, and I don't generally do political posts. The following presentation is inspired by Col's Monday Morning dance party. Even though I'm about a month late posting it, I thought the music was good and the video was funny, so, here you go:

God Bless John McCain.

A lot of moments from tonight's election will stick with me. The early returns projecting winners, while listing vote tallies of zero percent. Even better: one had three votes listed; Two for Obama, and one for McCain. Later when it became clear that Obama was going to win comfortably, watching the folks at CNN finding stuff to talk about. But the best images were after California polls closed and Obama was declared the winner. The shouts of joy in Chicago. Tears rolling down Jesse Jackson's face. Anything now seemed possible. Cindy McCain didn't look gracious. John might be sleeping on the couch, but John McCain's speech was gracious, healing, and seemed more genuine than I would have imagined. I didn't vote for McCain, but I never doubted he loved his Country- our Country. Tonight, by calling for unity and healing, he proved it.

Vote. Today.

Gettin' Out the Cemetary Vote.

Elderly lady in North Charleston casts her absentee vote, then dies. Absentee ballots are counted after the polls close. Does her vote count? I hope this lady's vote count. She sounds like one cool chick. If they don't count it, Voter Office is going to be damn busy checking the status of ALL the absentee voters.

Anyway, I was wondering where I'd see this lady before. Ah, now I remember: she's the forgotten member of Devo.

Should you count on this lady's vote counting? Don't know, but you can count on Jefferson Starship:

Will My Vote Count?

My Belgian friend, Dirk, called me the other day to check up on the Presidential election. It seems that what America does has a profound effect on the rest of the world, which is why the whole "Sarah Palin didn't have a passport until 6:30 this morning", or whatever, seems to bug the folks in Europe. Anyway, Dirk asked me for whom I was going to vote. I actually already voted. Absentee ballots and early voting are ridiculously easy. I was not going to be able to vote in two weeks because of work, so I voted last Friday (local and circuit elections as well as president, congress and Senate. I voted for a few Democrats and a few Republicans. I didn't vote for Soil and Conservation Commissioner because I knew- and know- absolutely nothing about anyone running for the office).

I told him that, though I did vote for a Presidential candidate, that my vote probably wouldn't count for much because South Carolina is pretty solidly a "Red State" and that our State would elect delegates who would vote for McCain. He asked why America, the beacon of Democracy, did not have direct elections for president. How was it possible that America, the beacon of Democracy, could have a system where a presidential candidate could win, as Bush did in 2000, with not only not a majority of the votes cast, but not even the most votes of the candidates running. I told him that, best as I could figure, the electoral college was designed so that people would have to visit New Hampshire. Yeah, yeah, I know: balancing the power of individual states versus the tyranny of the majority of the country is why California and Wyoming get the same number of senators, but why can't we trust our citizens enough to allow the majority of them to decide who gets to be the president? I know this post is, like, SO seven and a half years ago, but the question is still relevant.

Votes in Florida, Ohio and North Carolina matter. Those are "swing states". If either candidate gets a plurality of the votes, they get that state's votes. McCain conceded Michigan. A vote for McCain there is a just something to do for a couple of hours. The pollsters- and history- suggest that a vote for Obama in South Carolina is the same. It would be nice if all of our votes actually counted- wherever in America we live. At least my vote only took about ten minutes.

Three of These Things... (part 1)

Remember the old Sesame Street bit, "Three of these things"? No? Well, here's one:



Let's try it. Which of the next three things doesn't belong?









Well? That's right, the first three all feature prominent tongue-flickering. The fourth one was just a licking (note that this was game 4, not game 5. And I know better than to count the Sox out of an ALCS series).

Well? (2)

Well? What'd you think?

Well?

Well? What'd you think?

Update:

I asked my neighbor, John, his opinion. This was his response.

You Can't Tell Me This Was Unintentional.

I'm a few days late with this one, but, well, I had the picture...

Ba(ra)cking Obama in Spite of Media Bias

Y'all know I'm not a political blogger. Many- maybe most- of my friends are Republicans, and my grandma taught me better than to discuss politics with friends. Still, I used to be quite active in politics. I actually ran for the Statehouse a few years ago (lost in the Democratic primary by about 1% of the vote). I've attended one State Democratic Convention. I went to the inaugeration of former Democrat Governor Jim Hodges. I've been a past vice-chairman of the Jasper County, SC, Democrat Party. But I'm generally content to do my job, raise my kids, and let everyone else bicker over the big stuff. Got to tell you, though, injustice pisses me off.

The Media- traditionally accused of favoring "liberal" causes- is doing such an unbalanced and unfair job of reporting the later stages of this Presidential election that I got to get my two-cents' worth in. I finally tuned in the Democratic National Convention last night. Joe Biden gave a pretty good speech. Bill Clinton gave an outstanding one. The glum expressions of Wolf Blitzer and the rest of the CNN news-team at the conclusion of Clinton's speech would have been comical if they hadn't been so scary. Their anti-Obama bias was palpable. Surely the obvious jubilation of the conventioneers, the story of reconciliation of fierce competitors, the clear, unified message of the Party of the failure of the policies of the last eight years would rate the front page, right? Nope. Yahoo news? There was a sidebar to the effect that Bill "did his part", but the main story was on Democrat's worries about security concerns for Obama's speech tonight. Were the reporters watching the same convention I was? Chase, you ought to be glad you're out of a profession that used to have some relevance, but now appears to be comprised of a bunch of punchless corporate cheerleaders.

Hail to the Chief.

Yesterday afternoon I went to the swearing-in of my boss's boss, the new Circuit Public Defender. A few judges, a few attorneys, and the S.C. senator who got the bill through the General Assembly were there. All in all, it wasn't too bad. Still, a couple of mentions at the very end of Senator Milloy's speach sent shivers down my spine, "We couldn't have gotten this passed without Justice Toal's strong support" (or something to that effect), and the phrase "Case Management System". Jean Toal is the Chief Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court. She's the first woman to hold that position. She is also very powerful and she has done a lot to consolidate that power and increase the ability of Columbia to keep an eye on the Judges, Magistrates and lawyers in the State.

The Case Management System (or CMS) is one of the ways that information at the County and City level (Magistrate and Municipal Court) has been made more immediately accessible to Court Administration. I was briefly a Magistrate, so I know a little about CMS. A unified system for case-tracking is not a bad idea. It would be nice, for example, if a Magistrate setting a bond in Beaufort could know that an inmate has a pending case (and bond) in Greenville, or to have information on inmates who are already in the system in other counties. Sadly, the information in CMS goes one way: to Columbia. As unhelpful as CMS was to Magistrates "on the ground", it at least makes sense for Court Administration to be able to keep up with its Judges. The prosecutors are also required to be on CMS. Okay, I guess Court Administration ought to be able to keep up with the prosecutors. I guess. I've got some very serious questions as to why Court Administration should have any business in our files, though. We represent individuals, not "The State". Individuals have privacy rights. Individuals have attorney/client privilege. "Well", you might say, "You don't have to key in the stuff they told you". No, perhaps not all of it; however, we will have to key in basic information, like their addresses and phone numbers. Consider this irony: South Carolina refuses to enter the national "Real I.D." system because of our concern for individuals' right to privacy, but it may well be that when an individual in South Carolina is charged with a crime, the prosecutors and judges can find them using their attorney's database. The system is also very poorly designed, but that's another nightmare.