Alarming News: I like Morgan Freeberg. A lot.
American Digest: And I like this from "The Blog That Nobody Reads", because it is -- mostly -- about me. What can I say? I'm on an ego trip today. It won't last.
Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler: We were following a trackback and thinking "hmmm... this is a bloody excellent post!", and then we realized that it was just part III of, well, three...Damn. I wish I'd written those.
Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler: ...I just remembered that I found a new blog a short while ago, House of Eratosthenes, that I really like. I like his common sense approach and his curiosity when it comes to why people believe what they believe rather than just what they believe.
Brutally Honest: Morgan Freeberg is brilliant.
Dr. Melissa Clouthier: Morgan Freeberg at House of Eratosthenes (pftthats a mouthful) honors big boned women in skimpy clothing. The picture there is priceless--keep scrolling down.
Exile in Portales: Via Gerard: Morgan Freeberg, a guy with a lot to say. And he speaks The Truth...and it's fascinating stuff. Worth a read, or three. Or six.
Just Muttering: Two nice pieces at House of Eratosthenes, one about a perhaps unintended effect of the Enron mess, and one on the Gore-y environ-movie.
Mein Blogovault: Make "the Blog that No One Reads" one of your daily reads.
The Virginian: I know this post will offend some people, but the author makes some good points.
Poetic Justice: Cletus! Ah gots a laiv one fer yew...
My Book Club
What has Oprah Winfrey done that gives her the right to tell other people what to read? The answer is pretty simple: She simply asked for the right, and people gave it to her. They have a perfect right to do what she tells them to do, and once they do it, she is their master and they are her willing slaves. It’s that simple.
There’s no reason I can’t do the same thing, so here goes.
Now that we’re two months into what’s likely to be an all-year knock-down-drag-out fight about Supreme Court justices, in my opinion people would be well served to get their hands on What Kind of Nation, by James F Simon. Simon, who is yet one more holier-than-thou, blue-state left-wing nut, nevertheless builds on an impressive collection of research to create an outline of the personal and political conflicts between President Thomas Jefferson, and Chief Justice John Marshall. By the time you’re done with the last page, you have a clear picture of Jefferson & Marshall’s ideological beliefs, their prejudices, and to a certain extent their personalities as well.
You also get some insight into James Simon, since, toward the end, he can’t resist bitching about the Bush v. Gore decision. He doesn’t state a case against it, anymore than Phil Donahue can state a case for getting out of Iraq; it’s pretty much a HFOS (“Hooray For Our Side”) remark.
One connection with our current times that really stood out, for me, is that after Marshall’s commission as Chief Justice, Thomas Jefferson sounds just like Rush Limbaugh. The Presidential election of 1800, the legendary toss-up between Jefferson and Aaron Burr notwithstanding, was actually a landslide victory for Jefferson’s Democratic-Republicans against the then-incumbent Federalists led by John Adams. It was not at all unlike Newt Gingrich’s revolution of 1994. Jefferson was particularly vexed by the coup scored by the outgoing Adams administration, packing the federal benches with Federalist appointments he thought were completely lacking of support at the ballot box.
An entire chapter is dedicated to the famous Marbury vs. Madison decision of 1803 which solidified the power wielded by the Supreme Court today. For that reason, this is a very solid recommendation for “fans” of the Marbury decision who would like to learn a little bit more about it.
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