Law School: Milestone #4

As best I can figure, there have been at least 3 milestones in my law school career to date.

Milestone 1. Being accepted.
Milestone 2. First day of class.
Milestone 3. First time being called on.

Today I reached Milestone #4 - Completion of first semester of law school classes.

Good news? Not exactly. This means Milestone #5 is in full effect - the deflowering of my law school exam virginity. I like to think of it as Mental Statutory (of, pertaining to, or of the nature of a statute; i.e. all things LAW) Rape.

Surely this is a crime.

Carolina 31, clemson 28

The 2004 debacle is gone (though not forgotten). The streak of 4 straight losses is over. The Spurrier Streak has begun.

Meaningful Music (Mozart, Metallica, and beyond)

I'm currently sitting in Panera, working on my outlines for Contract and Criminal law, and listening to the classical music that is playing softly in the background.

As a kid, I listened to a lot of classical music. Partly by my own choosing, mostly because its all my parents would play in the house/car. I developed a great appreciation for classical music.

High school and college were much different. Classical music quickly = not cool. Give me some good ol' rock and roll. Let me jive occasionally to some smooth jazz or the catchy rhythms of hip hop. Shoot, I even tried some of that indie rock razzmatazz (although I've never been a huge fan and I'll just as soon pop in some Skynyrd or CCR as I will a little Wilco or Sufjan).

Since starting law school, I've rediscovered classical music. That junk is good. I love Bach because of his precision and technicality (almost like listening to a good logical analysis put to music). Beethoven brings out that romantic side of me that many of you question if I really have. Tchaikovsky is as passionate about his music as I am about college football. And then there's Mozart. I don't know which I like more - the fact that his music is probably what the angels play in heaven, or that by the time he was my age he had written more brilliant music than I'll be able to listen to in my lifetime.

There's a great article in the recent edition of Christianity Today about Mozart. Lengthy, but good. In it, the author quotes Hans Kung, the pupil of Karl Barth, who talks about the "traces of transcendence" in Mozart's music, i.e. within good religious music itself there can be an "intrinsic liturgical significance," even without words, which can potentially make music a "source of revelation alongside the Word":

I think that music which speaks the truth is not just limited, say, to vocal music or explicitly religious music; it also includes purely instrumental music—and especially the intimacy of many second movements. An abstract masterpiece can speak the truth in the pure language of sound… . And though music cannot become a religion of art, the art of music is the most spiritual of all symbols for that "mystical sanctuary of our religion," the divine itself. In other words, for me Mozart's music has relevance for religion not only where religious and church themes or forms emerge, but precisely through the compositional technique of the non-vocal, purely instrumental music, through the way in which this music interprets the world, a way which transcends extra-musical conceptuality… . With keen ears [one] may perceive in the pure, utterly internalized sound, for example, of the adagio of the Clarinet Concerto, which embraces us without using any words, something wholly other… . So here are ciphers, traces of transcendence.

Whether it be classical, rock, or independent, that's the kind of music I want to listen to. Let me know if you've found it.

Will the real USC please stand up?

At some point every year, some dufus not from the South mistakes southen cal for USC.

Little do they know. For those of you who live in the Blue States, the following is provided to help clarify the difference between USC and Southern Cal.

USC v. USC

Enough to make you want to be a criminal prosecutor...

This kind of stuff makes me sick. In case you haven't heard, OJ Simpson is apparently about to publish a book entitled "If I Did It," a hypothetical thought experiment of how he would have killed his wife, say, if it HAD been him that had killed her.

How tactless, low-class, self-centered, shameless, and disgusting can a person be? It's a complete spit in the face of justice. A cold hearted disregard for his deceased wife's family. And its the most repulsive display of attention seeking I have probably ever seen.

It's almost enough to make an aspiring civil attorney consider criminal law.

Law School imitates real life

Last week we got into the Parol Evidence rule and principles of interpreting contracts that may appear ambiguous on their face. One case we read began like this:


"The issue is, what is chicken?. . .To support its [interpretation], plaintiff sends a number of volleys over the net; defendant essays to return them and adds a few serves of its own." - Frigaliment Importing Co. v. B.N.S. International Sales Corp. (screw the Blue book citations)


From today's headlines:
What is a burrito? Is a burrito a sandwich?. Basically - no.
In his ruling, Locke cited Webster's definition of a sandwich and explained that the difference comes down to two slices of bread versus one tortilla: "A sandwich is not commonly understood to include burritos, tacos, and quesadillas, which are typically made with a single tortilla and stuffed with a choice filling of meat, rice, and beans." - (from a suit between Panera Bread Company and Qdoba Mexican Grill)

Happy Birthday, volk man.

Today marks the birthday of the man who Inspired this Blog.

November 10, 1483.

We celebrate Martin Luther's birthday, in part because of his enormous influence. He changed the way the Church views soteriology, ecclesiology, theology, marriage, God, the State, and pretty much anything else to which Christianity might relate.

He changed the Church.

Because of Luther, we don't go to mass, Rome's appeal is historically romantic (not theologically fundamental), our pastor has a wife, we don't work hard to get to heaven (even in the South), chills go through us when we hear the tune of Ein’ feste Burg ist unser Gott, the Diet of Worms is not just for fish, we pulled for Germany in the World Cup final, and we like beer and don't feel guilty for it.

We're not alone. There are 400 million other protestants who's lives as they know it have been intimately affected by this lawyer turned priest.

Hans and Margarethe must be proud of their boy.

Luther's Seal.

"How to Apologize," by John Kerry.

For those of you contemplating parenthood, keep this in your files as a model apology for when you teach your kids how to say “I’m sorry.”

WHAT JOHN KERRY SAID:
“You know, education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don’t, you get stuck in Iraq.”

HOW HE APOLOGIZED:
"I sincerely regret that my words were misinterpreted to wrongly imply anything negative about those in uniform, and I personally apologize to any service member, family member or American who was offended."

“Let me make it crystal clear, as crystal clear as I know how: I apologize to no one for my criticism of the president and of his broken policy.”

Hmm…he’s not sorry, or apologetic, and definitely not repentant, for anything he said. He’s just upset that his “words were misinterpreted,” and he’s only sorry that people were offended by it.

Slick Dick had a good response. “Of course, now Senator Kerry says he was just making a joke, and he botched it up,” Vice President Dick Cheney said in remarks prepared for a campaign appearance in Montana. “I guess we didn’t get the nuance. He was for the joke before he was against it.”

Then again, perhaps Kerry’s bad joke is true. After all, our Haughty French Looking Senator from Massachusetts who by the way served in Vietnam was in a man in uniform, and apparently he got 4 D’s his freshmen year at Yale, one more D his sophomore year, and an overall grade average of 76. Don’t study = get stuck in ‘Nam.

Or, as Jay Leno notes, “those who don’t campaign well and are really boring will get stuck in the Senate…It’s so hard to believe Kerry botched a joke because he’s usually just so hilarious. ... It’s hard to tell when Kerry is joking because of all the Botox. ... Who would have ever thought that the Democrats would miss the wit and charisma of Al Gore?”

Disclaimer: I contemplated posting this yesterday, but decided not to on principle – John Kerry deserves to get NO mention, good or bad, on Election day.

A Political Machine...

...That's what Bob Corker is. And by default, that's what our good buddy Brad Smith is. You can check him (Corker and Co.) out in what the New York Times is labeling "the most captivating Senate race in the nation" in part because the "Senate race here packs historic potential."

Of course, the one big reason the NYT likes this "historic" race is just that. Race. You can see it throughout the article, referring to Tennessee as the "former Confederate" state, and noting that Harold Ford could be the first black Senator from TN since Reconstruction. They even put in a plug for our former president, Bill Clinton, subtly playing the race card by calling Clinton a "bad white boy" (bad as in good, bad white boy as in "that brother might as well be a brutha"). And, through guilt by association, they carictature Corker supporters as quasi-racist - one Corker man named Eddie Murphy reportedly distinguishes himself from the REAL Murphy by saying that he has "no color, no money."

You know what? Whatever, man. If that's what the NYT wants to approach this thing, then fine. Apparently they are incapable of moving on in history, and will keeping ringing the race bell as long as it serves their purposes. To label TN as a former Confederate state, while a true statement, is ultimately misleading becaus it invokes a closer sense of proximity to the present than is really accurate - that's like referring to the US as a former British colony.

Plus, I don't understand the "first black Senator from TN since reconstruction." As far as I can tell, he'd be the first black senator from Tennessee EVER. The reference to reconstruction seems meaningless other than a little jab to remind people that, oh by the way, back in the 19th century TN had to be Reconstructed in order to let blacks even vote. Oh yeah, did I mention Bob Corker's white?

And apparently they forget that Ford has already been a Congressman for something like 6 years. Do you think the people of TN really draw a strict line between Congress and the Senate, where they are progressive in one election but hopelessly stuck in their ante-bellum past in the other election? "Come On!" (see Gob, Arrested Development)

But I digress. My point was not to critize the NYT - they just make it so easy - but to point out the incredible experience ol Brad is getting. This is prime time, baby, and Brad's right in the thick of it.

So, go Brad. Hopefully, you can actually sleep and talk to your friends again once all this over tomorrow.


(look, Brad's in teh background)

Neyland Stadium

Neyland Stadium:
105,000 seats.
18,000 teeth.

(seen on a sign on a Cockaboose tonight)

Vote Yes (or no, depending on what you're voting for)

Some of you may remember that campaign oh so many years ago, when a little 17 year old from Chapin nicknamed Flex shocked the TeenPact world with his successful bid for the Lt. Governor seat. The campaign catchphrase still rings true to many:

"Flex for your Lt. Governor."

Or, you may remember how that same kid went on to become Student Body President of Covenant College, suprising everyone (including himself) with the 11th Hour upset of the incumbent senator, thanks in part to his ingenious use of stuffed Chick-fil-A cows and a campaign skit that will forever be remembered (at least by me) in Covenant history.

"Who doesn't want a Sleuth for President?"

Well, back in the beginning of September, I again put on my politician's suit and attempted to run for a Representative position on the Student Bar Association. I lost. But not without winning major points with many of my classmates and numerous upperclassmen.

You see, the common element in all of my campaigns is humor. Everybody loves to laugh. You remember a good joke. And usually, you remember the person who told it. Mission accomplished.

So in keeping with the spirit of the upcoming elections, I've decided to post some of my better campaign flyers. Feel free to VOTE for your favorite.

(click on the picture to view it in a new window)