Quote of the Day: Irony or Coincidence?

“I had never really traced my family history...”

—Al Sharpton, who has repeatedly demanded reparations, upon finding that an ancestor was owned by a distant relation of the late Sen. Strom Thurmond

Yankees...worse than fire ants

"Slowly but surely they have taken over Hilton Head, they've taken over Beaufort County. They're infiltrating Jasper County...they're worse than fire ants."
-Henry Ingram

After discussing a case in property today regarding negative deed restrictions that prohibited the sale of property to Negroes and Mongolians (why Mongolians were mentioned I have no idea - guess I forgot about that huge influx of Asian immigrants in St. Louis in the 1910's), our professor presented us with an interesting story.

A dude in South Carolina (Henry Ingram), owner of the Delta Plantation just north of Savannah GA, has certain restrictive covenants preventing the sale or lease of his property to people of the "Yankee race."

These prohibitions include:
1. Anyone from north of the Mason Dixon line (or who have lived above the line for over a year)
2. Anyone with the last name of Sherman, or whose last name can be rearranged to spell Sherman
3. No redwood can be used on the property (evidently there are certain types of redwood named after General Sherman)

Thankfully, ol' Henry has lightened up a bit in his old age. Now, the modified covenant allows a Yankee to purchase the land, only on the condition that he recite a Southern Oath, promising that "when speaking of Yankees, I will refer to them as scalawags or carpetbaggers." Furthermore, these proselytized folks must "whistle or hum Dixie as a sign of [their] loyalty and as a token of [their] new outlook on life."

Ahhh...just another fine day in South Carolina property law land.

Northerners are a people lost to all shame . . . cowards by nature, thieves upon principle, and assassins at heart. . . . The tiger that laps the blood and the beetle that gorges excrement, are but Yankees of the animal kingdom . . . our feelings towards [these] scarabi and vipers of humanity should be characterized neither by rage nor nausea, but by a fixed cheerful Christian determination to . . . curb their inordinate and bloody lusts by such adequate means as natural with suggests; and, as a general thing, to kill them without idle question as to whether they are reptiles or vermin. - John Daniel, Richmond Enquirer, 1863

V-day and Global Warming (but not in my words)

I'm so busy entertaining all the various lady friends in my life, I don't have time for original thoughts on this Valentines Day.

But James Taranto from the Wall Street Journal does:

London's Daily Telegraph reports that sending flowers on Valentine's Day can contribute to warming--and not just of your sweetie's heart:

The Valentine's Day bouquet--the gift that every woman in Britain will be waiting for next week--has become the latest bête noire among environmental campaigners.

Latest Government figures show that the flowers that make up the average bunch have flown 33,800 miles to reach Britain. . . .

Environmentalists warned that "flower miles" could have serious implications on climate change in terms of carbon dioxide emissions from aeroplanes.

The Telegraph's headline reads "Valentine Bouquets 'Are Bad for the Planet.' " It occurred to us that some neglectful husbands and boyfriends are going to use this as an excuse: I would have sent you flowers, honey, but I wanted to save the planet. Trust us on this one, guys, it won't work.

On the other hand, think of how much more meaningful it now is if you do send flowers. The message: You mean more to me than the whole world. This may be the best thing ever to happen to the floral industry.

Well said James, well said.

Manville Mustache Mania

Lawyers are, by and large, clean-shaven, well groomed, suave looking shmoozers. I'm sure that someday, I will find myself conforming to this stereotype. For now, I've found my own little way to rebel against the status quo.

Two words: fu manchu.



Interviews are approaching, and with them, the unavoidable question...to conform, or not to conform. Put differently, to shave, or not to shave.

Personally, I'm sticking with the 'stache.