Damn activist judges

Looks like the Supreme Court has once again refused to take part in the Massachusetts marriage melée. I expect the right-wing to be up in arms over this, and deriding the Court for having too many "libruls."

Now, of course, one shouldn't blame this just on the liberal wing. It takes four to tango in bringing a case before the Supreme Court. One would assume that the right wing is banking on three votes: Scalia, Thomas, and Rehnquist (albeit remotely). However, the fact that they can't get one of the remaining six votes suggests that the issue is not going to gain enough traction anytime soon to be worthwhile for the Christian right to harp on.

On the other hand, it does allow them to present a "meatier" argument to their base about the need for ideological conservatives, and makes the next Supreme Court appointment all the more entertaining.

Sayonara

That sound of the rending of garments you're hearing from certain corners of Red Sox nation is the result of news that the Red Sox have finally lost a free agent: Kapler has signed on for a one-year deal with the Japan League's Yomiuri Giants. Apparently, they were able to offer the one thing no MLB team could guarantee: a starting role in the line-up.

While it's obvious that we wouldn't be able to keep many of our free agents for next season, it's always difficult to watch the first free agent of a championship team leave, and know that it's also not going to be the last. On the other hand, considering that last year, he took an 80 percent pay cut to stay with Boston, it's hard to accuse him of only being interested in the money. [In exchange, he gets to be part of a great trivia question: "Which three Boston players recorded the final three outs of the 2004 World Series?"]

Unfortunately for RSN's hopes to keep him in town, there were already too many contracted outfielders. The only way that Kapler could be a starter next year is the same way it happened this year--if there were some major injuries to the regular players. It's not fair to ask a player to sacrifice being a starter for so many years when they have other options; given the tenor of Theo's comments, I think the Red Sox realized that, too.

This move has also set off some gnashing of teeth in the media district of Red Sox Nation. Kapler's departure means they'll have to find someone else to fill the extra paragraphs in their columns. Given his somewhat limited playing role on the team, I'm not entirely convinced that he wasn't also being paid by the media relations department as well. After Damon, Millar, and Schilling, he was probably the most frequently quoted player on the team--and the only player other than Schilling who appeared to be able to offer more than single-sentence answers to any serious question.

So, best of luck to all the players coming to, leaving, and staying in Boston next year. Somehow, I don't think we've seen the last of any of these guys yet. . . .

Where can I get some of those drugs?

Once again, William Safire is smoking some quality dope. His latest flight of fancy suggests that we'll be able to pass an amendment allowing foreign-born American citizens to run for President within three years. But it doesn't end there.

Following that, he goes on to suggest (plausibly) that this would set up a Republican ticket containing Arnold Schwarzenegger. Implausibly, though, he suggests a Democratic ticket with Peter Jennings as the vice-Presidential candidate. That, my friends, is called diving off the deep end.

Unintentional irony department

You have to hand it to Naxos for chutzpah: the discs of their new "American Classics" series are proudly stamped "Made in Canada."

Enough said.

Dying happy

Apparently the world's oldest man has passed away, twelve days before his 114th birthday. As a Red Sox fan, he apparently was able to go after watching their World Series victory.

It's not about elitism

If pundits like Ted Rall are to be believed, the difference between "Red" and "Blue" America is a question of cultural elitism. I tend to disagree--in my view,I think it's all about the scope of your view of the world.

I think that people who tend to vote liberal tend to view themselves as voting what's better not just for themselves or for their families, but what's better for their community and the world as a whole. On the other hand, conservatives tend to possess a "me-first" mentality, making sure that they're looking out for their own interests above all others. I also believe there's a certain realization among (at least most) liberals that their position in life is more an accident of birth than a matter of privilege. Instead of living a life free of having to worry about daily subsistence needs, people in my generation could be living in sub-Saharan Africa, where we'd rapidly be approaching the average life expectancy (even though we're only in our late-20's!).

Similarly, I know in my own case, that there's about half a dozen or so moments in my life where, if things had gone differently, instead of coming to MIT and earning a Ph.D., I'd probably be trying to scrape by in a blue-collar job right know. I know that the reason I'm where I am today is because I have parents who love me and a network of contacts and colleagues who have helped to pull me through the tougher situations I've found myself mired in. A less fortunate version of myself--one who didn't have the same support system I had--would have probably done something unwittingly that would have screwed up my entire future. [Let's just say that my past experiences lead me to be deeply suspicious of "high-stakes testing."]

As a consequence of my experiences, I believe that it's wrong for the government not to enable as many people as possible to succeed just because rich people want a few extra tens of thousands to buy a gas-guzzling SUV. It's not at all a matter of elitism--it's recognizing that I could be the other guy, and who am I to deny him help just so I can spend a few extra bucks--especially when that "other guy" really could have been me?

Spam, not-so-glorious spam

Oy. It's really getting out of control. Today I received 184 messages, according to Eudora. However, looking at my filter in WebMail (which removes spammy messages), I've only had about 48 useful messages today.

Last year, I had about 30% spam. Now it's 70% and climbing.

I will be glad to be able to dump my address when I move in a few months. . . .

Update: It turns out I actually received 221 messages on Tuesday, with a whopping 68 non-spam messages in the set. So, the 70% is actually pretty accurate. The more disturbing fact, however, is that in the first 10 days of November, I received more messages than I received in any single month last year. . . .

Well, that's one way to get around injuries

The Patriots were up to their usual tricks against the Rams yesterday. Once again they had Mike Vrabel catch a touchdown pass (his third career reception, and his third catch for a TD). They had Troy Brown, a wide receiver, tally three tackles and nearly had two interceptions. Finally, in perhaps the strangest play of all--because it worked--Adam Vinatieri now has a perfect QB rating.

This is perhaps the craziest play I've seen in a while: while the Rams were trying to figure out what formation the Pats were going to use, Troy Brown (who played special teams to complete the trifecta) moved to the edge of the field unnoticed by the Rams. Then following a quick snap by the setter, Vinatieri tosses the ball to Brown, who's right at the 1-yard line. Brown then promptly steps into the end zone, scoring a touchdown off of what everybody thought was going to be a gimme 21-yard field goal attempt.

This kind of play says something about the Rams--I'm just not quite sure what!

It doesn't feel any different

So, last Friday, I had my thesis defense. Now I'm just a big old Ph.D. [Actually, that's almost literally true as well.]

But, like my friend who just defended her thesis yesterday, the notion that we are now "Dr.'s" hasn't really kicked in yet. I don't feel more like a doctor than I as last week, yet somehow that's my title now. I suppose it will be more real once a little more time has passed. But at least that excruciatingly long ordeal (all two-hours-plus of it) is behind me, and I can get on with the rest of the billion things I have to do this semester.

The first sign that pigs might fly

As I promised earlier, I'd write more about the Sox winning the World Series. But before getting to the postseason and post-victory postmortem, I thought I might mention the moment when I first started believing that this might really be the year the Red Sox pulled it off.

It was the bottom of the eighth inning at Fenway during those heady days in August and early September when the Sox started their amazing second-half comeback. With the Sox comfortably up, Dave Roberts was at the plate, and after one strike (or maybe even two strikes) finally connects with the ball and hits a line drive--straight into his own dugout. Replays in the dugout show everyone just hanging out until all of a sudden everyone ducks for cover as the missile comes in.

So, now (definitely) with two strikes, Roberts connects with the next pitch, too, and hits another line drive--again, into his own dugout. The reaction shot this time is priceless: after another "duck and cover," Roberts is shown with a goofy grin registering an expression something between "Oops, sorry about that, guys" and "Oh man, they're going to put Icy-Hot in my drawers tomorrow." Meanwhile, the characters in the dugout edge out onto the field with an array of reactions. Ramirez and Ortiz are laughing and asking "What's going on, man?" Others are helpfully indicating to Roberts in what direction fair territory lies, and yet others looked as if they were dreaming up an appropriate "thank you" for scaring the living daylights out of them twice in two pitches.

I suppose it's an odd moment to choose as the defining one, but in this case, for the first time that I can remember, it really showed that Boston had a team, and not just an assemblage of talented, well-paid baseball players. More importantly, this motley crew of hair-obsessed hooligans were playing the game like a bunch of twelve-year-olds. Their sheer enthusiasm and devil-may-care attitude was infectious for their fans, and was probably what allowed them to ignore little things like 86 years of frustration and disappointment.

I hope it's something that they can preserve in the years to come.

No excuse

Now that Kerry is conceding the race (which should be occurring in just a little while), I hope it soon becomes obvious to everyone that Bush now has absolutely no excuse for not getting everything he wants done. Moreover, because there is no significant obstacle to him succeeding, save Senate filibusters, he has no excuse whatsoever for anything less than achieving everything he has promised he will.

We expect new jobs, a safe end to the war in Iraq, a world free of terrorist attacks, better education for our children. Will we get that, or just deficit spending, tax giveaways to the wealthy, activist conservative judges, wholesale violations of the principle of church-state separation, and corruption on a scale unseen even in the Nixon days?

I don't see much reason to hope for things to improve in the next few years. However, if there isn't a massive repudiation of our mistakes before the end of the decade, I'm going to have to give serious thought to living in a society that won't see fit to discriminate against me on the basis of my origins and religious principles.

Two out of three ain't good

Well--it looks like I got two parts of my trifecta this week (Red Sox, Ph. D., Bush loses). I hate to say this, but I'd actually gladly trade in the two I got for the one I didn't.

I wish that Americans were more aware to what was going on than they are. That they were less gullible and inclined to vote against their own self-interests just because of their irrational fears and prejudices. That they were able to see the horrendous costs that we have paid in Iraq and will continue to pay for the next four years. That they were able to realize that we are not now safe, nor will ever be completely safe again. That they recognized that the "war on terror" will be an endless conflict, because you can't destroy a concept. That they understood that moral righteousness won't stop their job from being outsourced. That they understood that the poor and middle-class are being squeezed to pay for tax breaks and giveaways to the people who need it least.

And most of all, that they understood that they have just compounded the biggest electoral mistake in history, and that terrible repercussions will follow for decades as a result.

I'm going to be in a bit of a funk for a while--and I don't think rosy memories of the Red Sox will be enough to change that.

Good advice

For any and all:

"Keep your fingers crossed."

And go out and vote!