Rain Check

The nice part about the East Coast is that traveling to other states and major cities is only a short drive away.

The bad part about the East Coast is that ice and snow storms impede on these short drives. Apparently the Winter's Worst Weather Hits East this weekend, so Alex and I are going to stay and explore the slightly more warm DC.

I may have been born in Minnesota and spent 2 winters in DC, but I still have California intolerance for cold. I hope my friends up in the New England and Midwest areas are staying warm! Picture of NY below...COLD.

Fact Follows Fiction?

A young Congressman with two cute kids and an fashionable and independent wife takes on establishment Democrats with more name recognition in the primary election. Eventually he gains momentum in the primary process and is in a virtual delegate tie with another Democratic candidate going into Democratic Convention. Ultimately he gives a rousing speech, which helps propel him to the nomination.

On the Republican side, there is the Senator from the West, in the Senate for over two decades. He is known as a maverick who has criticized the Religious Right and is not trusted by pro-life groups. He runs against, and defeats a his fellow Republicans, including a Reverend.

When the Democrat and the Republican square off, the Democrat wins in a close election and becomes the first President of color.

Is this just the West Wing series finale plot line filmed over two years ago, or a glimpse into how 2008 election will pan out?

or

I have been meaning to write this post for a while. However, I forgot until I posted about the West Wing yesterday. Many of my friends have probably already noticed these similarities and commented yesterday about how much they miss the show. I do too. But at least we have an election that can be as entertaining, if not more, playing in real life.

Cuckoo's Net

Earlier in the school year, senators tried to impeach our law school student government President for an email he sent to the student body regarding Israel/Palestine. A war of words erupted on the "Virtual Senate Forum," but ultimately the President was only censured.

Controversy has risen again with accusations that the President sent a directive to the Barrister's Ball Committee (aka law school prom) to ban people under 21 because one of his arch-nemesis has an underage girlfriend. This is a silly by itself, but the situation has gotten much worse as the student government senators bicker on the online senate forum. Meanwhile, the rest of the school is incredibly entertained, embarrassed, or both.

"University politics are vicious precisely because the stakes are so small." --Henry Kissinger. Though I do not agree that the stakes are completely insignificant, I agree that campus politics are vicious. Add to that technology to the equation and you get a dangerous combination. Mass emails, soapbox posts on message boards, and gchat status message wars all contribute to chaos. I fondly remember from my days in student government how the internet be used as a way to spread information, true and patently false. Did you know that I am a neo-conservative?

Moreover, little internet communities can get insane with ring leaders and people ganging up on each other. Anyone who has been in a chat room or posted on a message board can tell you that. It reminds me of one of my favorite dialogues from the West Wing...

C.J.: Oh Josh!
JOSH: Yeah?
C.J.: The Federal Page of the Washington Post just called Carol to confirm that you're the Josh Lyman who stated on an Internet website that the White House could order a GAO review on anything it wants.
JOSH: Without threatening the separation of powers is what I was saying.
C.J.: You posted on a web site?
JOSH: I was communicating with the people.
C.J.: Really?
JOSH: C.J., it's a... crazy place. It's got this dictatorial leader, who I'm sure wears a muumuu and chain smokes Parliaments.
C.J.: What did you go there for in the first place?
JOSH: It's called LemonLyman.com.
C.J.: Let me explain something to you, this is sort of my field. The people on these sites? They're the cast of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." . . . The muumuu wearing Parliament smoker? That's Nurse Ratched. When Nurse Ratched is unhappy, the patients are unhappy. You? You're McMurphy. You swoop in there with your card games and your fishing trips...
JOSH: [shrugging defensively] I didn't swoop in, I came in exactly the same way everybody else did.
C.J.: Well, now I'm telling you to open the ward room window and climb on out before they give you a pre-frontal lobotomy, and I have to smother you with a pillow.
JOSH: You're Chief Brom-
C.J.: I'm Chief Bromden, yes, at this particular moment. I'm assigning an intern from the press office to that web site. They're going to check it every night before they go home. If they discover you've been there, I'm going to shove a motherboard so far up your ass...What?
JOSH: [with a slight shrug] Well... technically, I outrank you.
C.J.: [shouting] So far up your ass!
JOSH: [quickly] Okay.

East Coast Escapism

Even though my last flying experience was a disaster, I am itching to go somewhere. Considering that last semester I was flying to California every month for job interviews and holidays, and I was even able to squeeze in a trip to Florida, I am ready to get away from law school and out of the District. And I mean more than crossing the Potomac to go to Virginia.

So this Saturday, Alex and I are going to Philadelphia to do all the touristy things. I am excited because I finally have a light-work week and I have never been to Philadelphia before. Never have had an authentic Philly Cheesesteak, seen the Liberty Bell, or run up the Rocky steps.

I am also trying to make a list of East Coast destinations I need to go to while I living in driving distance of them. I want to go to Boston and New York again, as well as North Carolina, South Carolina, Louisiana, Atlanta, and Charlottesville, Virginia. Any other suggestions?

Even though the movie Jumper was not that great, seeing all of those fabulous destinations made me wish I could just "jump" to places. It would certainly save me a lot of money on gas or airfare.

President's Day

You would think that an institution called American University, which has a bald eagle as its mascot and red, white, and blue as its colors, and is located in the nation's capital would have President's Day Off. But no.

Never mind that 95% of our law school has three-day weekends every weekend. Or that we have a spring break and summer vacation. I am going to complain today because that's what we law folk do. When everyone else is enjoying their day off, we are in class. Is this what those 25 lawyers turned Presidents would have wanted, I think not.

Whining aside, it is interesting to think about how 25 of the 42 Presidents, were lawyers. My friend Joline asked me which recent Presidents have not been lawyers. George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush, and Ronald Reagan all popped into my mind quickly. Moreover, McCain and Huckabee never went to law school, whereas Obama, Hillary, and Edwards did.

Now I know that there have been a lot of Republicans in the past who went to law school and Democrats who did not, but perhaps this is a new trend.
By the way, the above picture is from the "President's Race" at a National's baseball game- pretty the best reason to go to a ball game. One's a lawyer, one's not. You can see who's winning.

Weekend Equation

College friends +
Pizza Making Party +
Reminiscing about the crazy Larouchie +
An uber competitive game of taboo +
UCLA v. USC Game =
Good Times & Not wanting to go to school tomorrow