Okay, I'm confused. I mean, first I thought "Deep Throat" was Linda Lovelace. Then I found out, no, it's a guy, and he's Hal Holbrook. And now it turns out, of all things, that he's a former FBI bigwig named Mark Felt who is not a woman and doesn't look a thing like Hal Holbrook (although whenever Hal Holbrook turned up on "West Wing," I kept wondering if he was later spilling secrets about Bartlet to the Washington Post.)
I find it interesting that he's felt conflicted all this time, wondering if he was an American hero or an American traitor. Me, I'd say hero. But I can't help but wonder how the current White House would view him...and, for that matter, if they would prosecute him if they could.
PAD
I extend my respects to anyone reading these words who is in the armed services, or has family who has served or is serving.
Ariel marched in a Memorial Day parade along with her school band. She played the bells, which--believe it or not--is one of the heaviest instruments to lug. Savvy of "Hitchhiker," she made sure she knew where her towel was: Slung around her shoulders to serve as a cushion for the bell straps. Several of the kids in her band made snide comments about, until they'd finished marching a couple miles in the heat with their instruments. There they were having sweated through their clothes while Ariel was calmly dabbing away whatever perspiration she'd generated, courtesy of her towel. Suddenly they weren't so snide anymore.
We then went down to the playground where Caroline ran around like a little nut. After that, we went bowling. Caroline has actually become proficient in Bumper Bowling. She takes a six pound ball, sprints toward the foul line, stops right where she should stop and flings the ball out onto the lane. The major mishap occurred when she raised a very vocal protest over having to return the bowling shoes, which she'd become quite enamored of.
PAD
The following was reported at Indystar.com (the full link is posted below):
"An Indianapolis father is appealing a Marion County judge's unusual order that prohibits him and his ex-wife from exposing their child to "non-mainstream religious beliefs and rituals."
The parents practice Wicca, a contemporary pagan religion that emphasizes a balance in nature and reverence for the earth.
Cale J. Bradford, chief judge of the Marion Superior Court, kept the unusual provision in the couple's divorce decree last year over their fierce objections, court records show. The order does not define a mainstream religion.
Bradford refused to remove the provision after the 9-year-old boy's outraged parents, Thomas E. Jones Jr. and his ex-wife, Tammie U. Bristol, protested last fall."
This is a real new one on me. We don't have a case of one parent complaining to a judge that the other parent is raising their child in a religious faith that they themselves object to, and it's part of a custody dispute. This is a judge who unilaterally didn't like the faith in which a child was being raised and endeavored to take action. The article goes on to say:
"The parents' Wiccan beliefs came to Bradford's attention in a confidential report prepared by the Domestic Relations Counseling Bureau, which provides recommendations to the court on child custody and visitation rights."
Understand, there's no Satanic rituals here. They don't even practice skyclad. Nor is there the slightest indication that the child is being harmed.
I have little doubt that this ludicrous decision will be overturned, but the notion that it occurs at all...I mean, is there any more pure travesty of the First Amendment than the courts telling two parents in what faith they can and cannot raise their child? Maybe the parents should reconsider the whole divorce thing; if this is how they want to raise their child, they're going to be a lot stronger together than separately.
Me, I'm wondering if Tom DeLay is going to be speaking up in outrage over this clear abuse of power by an activist judge. Unless, of course, he's too busy whining about being ill-used on "Law and Order: Criminal Intent."
PAD
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050526/NEWS01/505260481
In the June/July issue of the "Buffy the Vampire Magazine," the news section talks up the "Spike" comic book, stating that the one-shot is being produced by "respected writer Peter David."
And here I thought I was the Rodney Dangerfield of comics.
PAD
Had lunch with the Tom Brevoort/Andy Schmidt editorial office today. Discussed the approach and general parameters for the new Spidey title which, by the way, is definitely going to be called "Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man." It's a long-standing way of referring to him, and nicely captures the sense of fun we want to try to bring to this title. Is there a danger that some people may think it's a kid's book? I guess. So it'll be up to us to educate them otherwise.
PAD
I was standing at the far end of the aisle, with my dad and brother there and Harlan as my best man, and I felt like Indiana Jones standing at the lion's head, clutching at his heart and looking at an abyss beneath him as he was preparing to make a leap of faith.
Backing out was neither an option nor an issue. Still, I felt the sort of nervousness to be expected of someone embarking upon an endeavor for a second time when it crashed and burned the first time.
And then I saw Kathleen coming toward me, resplendent in her wedding dress (which, in accordance with tradition, I hadn't seen her in), her parents escorting her, and I calmed right down. Everything came together for me at that instant and I knew it was all going to turn out fine.
And now we have a motorized little speed demon named Caroline, and she continues to be a great mom to our little one, a great stepmom to Ariel, Shana and Gwen (I can't tell you the number of times Shana and Gwen have called with some problem and said, "Hi, dad, is Kath there?") and a wonderful wife to me.
We're not doing anything especially elaborate; just going out to dinner tonight. But just being together is more than enough.
PAD
The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is running an auction on ebay to help raise funds for the legal battle we're currently waging in Rome, Georgia. You can find the specifics at:
http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQfgtpZ1QQfrppZ25QQsassZcbldf
For those interested in a full update as to what's currently going on with the prosecution of Gordon Lee, I've included the latest CBLDF press release below.
Counsel for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund have submitted four
motions to dismiss the charges against retailer Gordon Lee, owner of
Legends in Rome, GA. Last February, the Fund initiated Lee's
defense against charges resulting from accidentally distributing
Alternative Comics #2, a Free Comic Book Day book from 2004, to a
minor. The anthology includes the story "The Salon" by Nick
Bertozzi, which contains a segment depicting Picasso in the nude. The
Fund has already spent in excess of $20,000 defending this case.
Lee was charged with seven criminal counts for allegedly violating two
laws. He was charged with two counts of violating the felony of
Distribution of Material Depicting Nudity or Sexual Conduct (OCGA
§16-12-81), a law that bans the unsolicited delivery of any content
depicting nudity to any person in the state of Georgia and carries a
penalty of one to three years in prison and/or fines of up to $10,000.
One of the two counts is for handing the comic to the alleged victim,
and the other is for handing the comic to an alleged John or Jane Doe.
Lee is also charged with five counts of violating the misdemeanor of
Distribution of Material Harmful to Minors (OCGA §16-12-103). He
is charged with three discrete counts of violating the law for handing
a single copy of the comic book to the alleged victim. He is also
charged with two counts for allegedly giving the comics to John or
Jane Doe.
The motions, written by Alan Begner and Paul Cadle, CBLDF's
counsel on this case, were filed on May 2. The first motion seeks to
dismiss the John Doe counts. The second seeks to dismiss both felony
counts under the rule of lenity, which requires that when a defendant
is charged with a felony and a misdemeanor for the same conduct, the
lesser penalty must apply. The third motion seeks to dismiss the
felony counts on the grounds that Georgia's Distribution of
Material Depicting Nudity or Sexual Conduct is unconstitutional on its
face and as applied. The fourth motion seeks to dismiss the
misdemeanor counts of Distribution of Material Harmful to Minors on
the grounds that the law is unconstitutional on its face and as
applied to this case.
CBLDF Executive Director Charles Brownstein says, "Mr. Begner and
Mr. Cadle have presented some very persuasive legal arguments in these
motions. There's no question that Gordon Lee's First
Amendment rights are being trampled upon, and so we're pleased to
have brought such an intelligent and aggressive legal team in to
defend him. We are all very optimistic that these motions will carry
significant weight as we move through the pretrial stage of this
case."
Hearings on these motions have yet to be scheduled, but are expected
to occur in the summer.
Watched three finale episodes in the past week: Veronica Mars, Desperate Housewives, and Charmed. (Smallville I've taped, haven't watched yet) and liked what I've seen in all three. Spoilers follow...
VERONICA MARS: Gotta tell you, it's tough (one might even say murder) to resolve a season-long plot line about a single murder case in a satisfying manner. But the makers of "Veronica Mars" pulled it off, aided by brilliant cast performances--foremost from Kristen Bell whom, I had no idea, wasn't cast in "Reefer Madness" because of her success in VM, but rather was in the off-Broadway cast long before her TV series. And right up there with her is Enrico Colantoni,never better as Keith Mars, particularly during his heart-stopping smackdown with a murderous Harry Hamlin (doubtless still stewing with homicidal rage over "Clash of the Titans") Speaking as someone who opined months ago that her dad wasn't really her dad (and, hey, I was right about her boyfriend dumping her because he was convinced they were siblings), I can't tell you how pleased I am the producers decided to go in another direction. After everything they've put her through in just 22 episodes, Veronica absolutely deserves some happiness...although I think it's safe to say that it will be short lived.
CHARMED: It's been something of a hit-or-miss season on "Charmed." The entire storyline with the Avatars, which has been building for several seasons, spectacularly fizzled out in an amazingly disappointing, "Guess you're not ready, oh well, see ya" anticlimax. It was like watching a race car speed up, speed up, then suddenly hit a speed bump and the transmission falls out. And since then we've been watching, not a race, but a rebuild and an attempt to regain lost momentum. I have to admit, the Billy Zane episodes were fun, but that's more due to the performance of Billy Zane than anything really compelling storywise, and the guest star turn by Juliam McMahon served more to remind you how much better the series used to be when he was around. Still, the show's been watchable, and the demon Zanku--while not terribly original--seemed a worthy opponent. But when they were advertising that the witches were "outed," I was thinking (as I'm sure most fans were) "Wow, I wonder how they're going to reboot this one." Their answer? They didn't. Instead there's a potential whole new status quo. To say nothing of the fact that it's always entertaining to see a story development that leaves actors at the end of a seven year contract with absolutely no negotiating room. The ending of the episode leaves them so much latitude that I find myself more intrigued in next season than ever before.
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES: I don't think we've ever had a one hour drama that has insinuated itself as thoroughly into every aspect of American life as this one has. As I write this, "The Price is Right" is on behind me, and Bob "We will bring you the limp and beaten body of Bob" Barker has just described a contestant as "a houswife, but not a desperate housewife." When a TV series is referenced by everyone from Laura Bush to Bob Barker, that's pretty staggering. I would say the status quo was shaken in the season ender, but the status quo in this series has been in such a perpetual chaos that it's really tough to say. This is definitely the episode that Brenda Strong--who I've been a fan of ever since she was Sally Sasser in "Sportsnight"--has been waiting for, as the truth behind her actions is finally revealed. But in terms of sheer drama, it's nip and tuck between Susan being held at gunpoint by a twitchy Zack, lying in wait to murder the guy who is actually his dad, and the staggering sequence where Bree reacts to the death of her husband. Or should I say...the REPORTED death of her husband. We didn't see him die, and the news was delivered to her by a doctor who suspects that she was trying to kill her husband. So I'm left wondering whether Rex is really dead, or if this is an endeavor to buy cover for Rex and allow him to recuperate without Bree being anywhere near him. (Although I do have to say that I think Rex is a little slow, not even suspecting the notion that the druggist--whom he KNOWS hates his guts--might be screwing with his medication.) And I'm thinking that the introduction of Alfre Woodard will go a long way toward avoiding the sophomore slump that often hits TV series that hit as big as this one has.
PAD
Naturally we watched it with an eye towards seeing how much everything matched up with Episode III.
The answer is, surprisingly well. And the main reason, I think, can be summarized in two words: Alec Guiness (or, if you prefer three words, Sir Alec Guiness).
Understand, I don't believe for a second that Lucas had already decided at the time that Leia and Luke were siblings, that Obi Wan was present at their birth. I'm even 50/50 that he'd decided Vader was Luke and Leia's father, or even Luke's father.
Most of the "mismatches" are centered around Obi-Wan, and thanks to Guiness' performance--and I chalk it up to Sir Alec since Lucas is notoriously "not there" for actors--it is VERY easy to read it that he is either lying or playing things very close to the vest. Not only does he greet RD as "my little friend," but when Luke IS conscious and R2 is beeping at him, Obi Wan fires R2 a look that could be taken, with no difficulty, as "Shut up. You've already said too much." And when he's explaining bits of his history to Luke, you can see the wheels turning as he's doing so. He alternates between looks of craftiness and being avuncular. These shadings that Guiness brought to the role left Lucas a ton of leeway in subsequent films.
Not Sir Alec-related, but I'm surprised how much the offhand bit about 3PO getting his memory wiped actually works. Because in episode 4, when Luke is asking him about past encounters with the Empire, 3PO says hesitantly, "We've been in several battles...I think." He sounds confused. If his memories had been wiped, it would make sense that there might be some memory bits still floating around in there--random flashes of images and such--that would cause him to vaguely recall that they'd seen action, but unclear as to the when or where.
And finally, for all those who complained that Anakin seemed to whine way too much...jeez, y'know, Mark Hamill is a dear friend, but sheesh, Luke whined as much as his dad. Listening to Anakin bitch about not being made a Master is evocative of Luke crabbing about not being able to go get power converters. Like father, like son.
PAD
I didn't see the ending coming at ALL! Did you guys SEE what happened to Anakin? They put him in that whole black armor thing, and suddenly he sounded like Simba's dad!
And--whoa! Twins! Padme had twins! Not crazy about the names she chose, but they're not bad, I guess.
My question is...what now?! I mean, that's how they END it? With so much left dangling? What happens to Yoda? And Obi Wan? And the kids? The bad guys just WIN in the end? What the hell kind of ending is THAT? What a downer.
Has anyone heard if there's gonna be a chapter 4? I'm dying to see what happens next!
Spoilers follow:
Okay, seriously...
THINGS I LIKED--Pacing was brisk. There were actual stray laugh lines that weren't painful. The special effects, except for a few patchy moments during the lava flow battle, were superb and seamless. A number of dangling questions were dealt with (including the glaring "Why didn't 3PO remember being built on Tattooine?) The lightsaber battles were outstanding, and some of the crosscutting sequences were deftly linked thematically (the birth of Darth Vader matching up with the birth of his children, for instance).
THINGS I LOVED--The scene where Palpatine, while watching that weird balloon glob opera, calmly and coolly seduces Anakin with the backstory of the Sith and the notion that Anakin might be able to save Padme if he just opens himself to the Dark Side. Not only did the chemistry between the two actors crackle, but I think it may well be the best dialogue scene in the entirety of the first three films. Plus I think we're supposed to infer that Palpatine's mentor was responsible for the creation of Anakin, which at least provides SOME kind of explanation. Love the John Williams score, interweaving new themes with the Empire March, Luke and Leia's theme, etc. Also loved that Jar Jar didn't speak. The visit to the planet of the Wookies, which Lucas ostensibly wanted to do since "Return of the Jedi," but settled for half-sized Wookies called (spell it sideways and drop half the letters) Ewoks. Ewan McGregor convincingly aging into Alec Guiness. Anakin wearing an ensemble identical to what Luke was sporting in "ROTJ." And, hey, now we've got a new fan gesture, taken from the Obi-Wan/Anakin battle: Jedi High Five, which consists of bringing your plams to within an inch of each other but not making contact no matter how hard you try. Also the cameo of a clearly young Grand Moff Tarkin.
THINGS THAT I DON'T BELIEVE: That Mace Windu is dead. I'm sorry, he's the baddest bad-ass there is. I don't care that he was thrown halfway across the city. I think when he lands, he dusts himself off and says, "That all you got?" I also don't believe the names of some of these characters. Darth Sidious. What's his first name, "In?" General Grievous, as in Grievous Bodily Harm? C'mon. Certainly Lucas has had snarky names before, but at least he had the decency to put them into foreign languages (anyone for a serving of Mon Calamari?)
THINGS I HOWLED OVER: "It's alive! It's alive!" How in God's name could Lucas have thought it a good idea to do an entire Frankenstein riff by having Darth Vader break his bonds on the operating table and lurch forward. I mean, it was hysterical. The lame spreading of arms and shouting, "Nooooo!' was the capper on an inadvertently laughter-inducing sequence. With Vader believing that Padme had betrayed him, it might have been more effective for him to, upon learning of her demise, coldly saying, "Good." Plus I was waiting for the legless, partly armless Anakin to shout after Obi-Wan, "Get back here! I'll bite your kneecaps off, you pansy!"
THINGS I WAS ANNOYED OVER: No explanation of Leia's remembering her mother or Luke looking around Dagobah and saying it seemed familiar. Granted, we can chalk it up to Force-induced dreams, but still... Also, it would have been cool to see how 3PO lost a leg and had to wear the silver replacement one he had in the subsequent films. Also...boy, the whole Jedi seeing-the-future thing is pretty freakin' hit and miss. Seeing Jedi after Jedi caught by surprise by a massive conspiracy is a little like the psychic convention that was cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances. I know, I know, Yoda kept saying the force was cloudy, but sheesh.
THINGS I'D LIKE TO SEE NEXT: An entire film called the Adventures of Han Solo. Recast with a younger actor, obviously, but charting his early years and how he hooked up with Chewie.
PAD
People are sending me e-mails saying they liked the novelization of the FF film, so I think it's safe to assume it's in the stores. So that's an FYI. Or an FFYI.
PAD
I let my cat out to wander last night at about 3 AM. We found her early this morning under the porch, frightened. Her hindquarters were not functioning. The entire back of her body felt cold.
I rushed her to the vet, who suspected heart problems were the cause, and he in turn referred us to a nearby specialty animal hospital. I brought her there straightaway, and after running her through a variety of tests including an echocardiogram, she was diagnosed as having developed a thromboembolic disease as a result of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. In english, she had blockage in her heart, some of which had broken off and deadened her from the waist down. She was checked in to the hospital, placed in an oxygen cage, and they were going to work to revive her hindquarters and maybe--maybe--reduce or eliminate the blockage in her heart.
She passed away four hours later.
I can't tell you the number of times she would curl up in my lap while I was writing. She was my constant companion in my office.
I will miss her terribly.
PAD
For those interested, there's an interview with me over on Newsarama about the new Spider-Man title, featuring some nice art by Mike. Also, aintitcoolnews.com has a nice review of the latest issue of "Fallen Angel."
PAD
Sigh. One of these years, Peter's going to figure out how to put links in his posts -- GH
Basically, the last episode of "Star Trek" consists of a guy in a Starfleet outfit sitting around watching a rerun of "Star Trek," and even creating his own fanfic by writing himself into the story and making himself a wise, wonderfully intelligent individual who all the crewmembers unburden themselves to.
Not exactly the way *I* would have gone for a last episode, although it can certainly be considered a final commentary on Trek fandom. Then again, my ideal episode would have involved Sam Beckett leaping out of the body of Jonathan Archer and to his next adventure, so...
My assumption is that there were various Trek personnel sitting in the cheap seats at the end. Anyone have a tally of who was there?
PAD
A new magazine called "Radar" is working on beating drums for itself by running an article that profiles how college students working for Disney party hardy in their dorms after hours, blowing off steam after a long day of steaming inside their hot Mickey and Minnie costumes.
I will be making sure to avoid this magazine.
I mean, how in the world does this qualify as news? College students are horny and act on their impulses in seclusion after hours. This is NEWS? This rates an article ANYWHERE, much less in the New York Daily News and CBS Evening news?
First off, the fact that Disney employees blow off steam after hours is something I found out twenty years ago, when someone slipped me a brilliantly satirical video filmed on the fly in the Park tunnels after hours. Called "Captain Eeyore," it was a shot-for-shot parody of "Captain EO" except featuring Disney costumed characters. You have not lived until you've seen Eeyore moonwalking. So a new concept this is not.
So we've got over-18 Park employees, on their own time, in the privacy of their secluded dorm, doing whatever the hell they want, and it doesn't impact on their interaction with tourists during the day. So flipping what? The author of the magazine claims that there are "legends" of character actors mixing with the public while still stoned or hungover. Okay. "Legends." Trot out the proof that it's ever happened, and/or that it's a pervasive problem, or shut the hell up.
Understand, I don't view Disney through rose-colored Mickey glasses. I'm busy reading "Disney War." I have no illusions. But this...this is just crap journalism. It's sensationalistic twaddle, and the NY Daily News (which, by the way, cops to the fact that its chairman and publisher is co-chairman of "Radar") and any other news venue which picks this up should be ashamed of themselves.
PAD
Rachel Weisz. That's who I'd like to see playing Diana.
She's got the acting chops, she's a hard body (as anyone who saw her in "The Mummy Returns" will attest) and she's got a knack for carrying herself well in crazy movie situations that would serve her well in the role.
Is she especially tall? Not at 5' 7". But anyone who thinks that's a major problem simply doesn't have a clue as to "movie magic." Camera angles, apple boxes, trenches, stunt doubles...guys, if the six-foot-plus Hugh Jackman could play that runt, Wolverine, and Peter Jackson could knock about two feet of height off John Rhys-Davies, I don't think it's that much of a trick to add four inches of height to an actress.
Plus I think she'd look good visually with Lynda Carter as her mom.
So that's my vote.
PAD
Curiously, I find a question so burning that it consumed the cover of "Wizard" holds no curiosity for me at all. I absolutely don't care who plays Wonder Woman in the scheduled Joss Whedon film...
...as long as Lynda Carter plays Hippolyta.
Seriously. If they cast her as Diana's mom, then I'll take whoever handles the title role in stride.
PAD
Tony nominations are out, and "Spamalot" did extremely well. But horrifically missing from the nominations (including acting noms for Tim Curry as Arthur and Hank Azaria as Lancelot) was David Hyde-Pierce as Sir Robin.
I have to wonder what the hell goes on with the New York theater community and the cast of "Frasier." When Kelsey Grammer trod the boards in the Scottish play, he was lacerated by critics. We attended a quarter filled house during his truncated run, and he was great. A quality performance, wholly unacknowledged by anyone "in the know." Now his TV kid brother, while not getting negative reviews at least, is ignored while his co-stars bask in the Tony limelight. I'm almost wondering if--and I hate to say it--there were individuals in the decision-making process who were (best Queen Victoria voice here) "not amused" by Hyde-Pierce's major solo number (Azaria, though he sang a bit and was the focus of one particular large number, really didn't have anything comparable to Hyde-Pierce's showcase). The name of Sir Robin's song? "You Need a Jew," a hilarious ditty explaining why it's impossible to succeed on Broadway unless you have Jews in the show. It was hysterical, with laceratingly funny lyrics and choreography that culminated in a send-up of "Fiddler's" bottle dance with Sir Robin and company balancing grails on their heads. Now I'm wondering if the political uncorrectness of the song cost Hyde-Pierce a deserved nomination.
PAD
Orson Scott Card recently heaped some abuse on "Star Trek" in the LA Times, vigorously trashing everything about original "Star Trek," although generously conceding:
"The later spinoffs were much better performed, but the content continued to be stuck in Roddenberry's rut. So why did the Trekkies throw themselves into this poorly imagined, weakly written, badly acted television series with such commitment and dedication? Why did it last so long?"
Well, I can answer that: They, and I, did NOT see it as poorly imagined, weakly written, or badly acted. Opinions are merely opinions, and not absolutes. That, and the growth of "Trek" conventions made it more than a canceled TV show, but instead a solid socialization experience for many people--including me--who had no social life to speak of.
"Here's what I think: Most people weren't reading all that brilliant science fiction. Most people weren't reading at all. So when they saw "Star Trek," primitive as it was, it was their first glimpse of science fiction. It was grade school for those who had let the whole science fiction revolution pass them by."
I wouldn't disagree. But that's not the point. Rather than gleefully heaping dirt on Trek's ostensible grave, as Card does, he might stop to consider that a considerable number of those "grade school" fans went on to high school and college. The first time I saw the name "Harlan Ellison" was on the credits of "City." Granted, the aired version didn't represent his vision. Didn't matter. It led me like an arrow to other works of his that most certainly DID represent his vision. Nor was I alone in that respect. I was already reading SF when "Trek" came along, but others weren't, and "Trek" created a new wave of SF fans whose interest spread from "Trek" to Ellison, Asimov, Clarke, Bradbury, Gerrold, and even some guy named Card.
To say nothing of the fact that "Trek" fandom had a huge female population (no, not a population of huge females, although yeah, there was a bit of that.). Maggie Thompson recounted how she was at a WorldCon where a roomful of fans were bitching about this influx of *yuckickypoo* Trek fans to their beloved WorldCon. And Maggie pointed out, "Guys? You've been crabbing for years how there's hardly any women attending these conventions. Look around the room; I'm the only female here. Have ANY of you noticed that the vast majority of the Trek fans are female?" The guys looked at each other; they hadn't noticed, because they'd been so busy excoriating the TV show that brought them there.
"Trek" got me into conventions, and I met both my wives at conventions (at different times). Four kids were the cumulative result, all of whom have attended conventions. "Star Trek," if NOTHING else, may well be the single greatest contributor to the perpetuation of SF fandom in general.
So, Mr. Card...how about a little goddamn respect, okay?
PAD
Sometimes you have a night where the pins are just falling right.
In my bowling league tonight, I shot a 267, a 270, and a 265. This gave me an 802 series. My average is 168, so the 270 also got me a wristwatch for shooting 100 over my average. The 802 gets my name put up on the wall, plus I get a ring for that.
On my third game I carried a perfect game into the top of the 10th frame, then made a bad shot that cost me a 300. Which was annoying, but having just had Passover, the song "Diyanu" came to mind. It's a song about all the things God did for the Jews in getting them out of Egypt, and every chorus ends with "Diyanu," which means if he'd done this much and no more, that would have been enough. So I didn't shoot a 300. An 802, a ring, a watch, and congrats from everyone else in the league. Diyanu. It's enough.
PAD
Remember how ages ago, I mentioned that whenever a discussion about free speech gets going, "some idiot" sooner or later misquotes O.W. Holmes and says that free speech doesn't mean you can yell "fire" in a crowded theater? When the fact is that you CAN yell "fire" in a crowded theater...provided there's a fire. What Holmes said you cannot do is falsely shout "fire" in a crowded theater and cause a panic. And furthermore, Holmes' comment was attached to a decision that had nothing to do with theaters, crowds, fires or panic. It instead supported a horrific lower court abuse of free speech rights, when a socialist named Schenck was jailed for years and heavily fined simply for advocating the notion that the draft was wrong. You remember the draft: It's that thing they eventually abolished and now when politicians try to make each other look bad, they claim the other guys are talking about bringing it back.
The Holmes-quoted decision not only jailed Schenck, but dozens of other Americans over the following years because it advocated a fundamental concept: Disagreeing with the US government in times of war was a jailable offense.
You'd think people would learn. And yet there, on the "Daily Show" last night, was Zell Miller, discussing freedom of speech and misquoting Holmes, as if misquoting was a good thing. As if a court decision suppressing disagreement with the government was a good thing.
Thank heavens I was not in the audience of the "Daily Show" last night. Because I just KNOW I would have shouted out, "Holmes didn't say that, you nitwit!" Which probably would have gotten me thrown out of the theater, but hey, it's better than falsely shouting "fire."
PAD
We're turning off comments in order to do some obviously necessary maintenance. Bear with us... we'll have them back on as soon as we can.
UPDATE: We're back, and even found some old comments that never went live before. Post away.
Clinton, Dubya and Gore are in a tragic plane crash and the next thing they know, they're standing before God, seated upon a blindingly radiant throne. God says to Gore, "Al...what do you believe?"
Al Gore says, "Well, I believe that I really did win that election. But for whatever reason, you decided that I was not destined to serve you in that capacity, and I have since made peace with it."
God says, "Very well, Al. You may sit to my left. Bill...what do you believe?"
Bill Clinton says, "I believe I did a lot of good, made a lot of enemies, and I was undermined by my own weakness that I should have been able to rise above. I wish to find forgiveness in my heart for those who sinned against me, and would hope that they likewise could find it in them to forgive me my trespasses."
God says, "Very well, Bill. You may sit to my right. George...what do you believe?"
And George W. Bush says, "I believe you're sitting in my chair."
PAD