Category Archives: General

Jar Jar Miers

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I couldn’t resist linking to this, a comment about Jar Jar Binks in response to a pretentious article about the Star Wars movies as postmodern art:

Lucas creates a (he thinks) cutesy character, which is such a major distraction that even his legendary aloofness to Star Wars fans is no match for the overwhelming outcry. He’s the Harriet Miers of the prequels. Lucas comes up with some phony reason to let Jar Jar linger a bit, so as not to have to admit that he was a complete mistake, then quietly lets him slip out the back door.

Jar Jar Binks as Harriet Miers. The mind reels at the possibilities.

Michael Brown Emails

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“My eyes must certainly be deceiving me. You look fabulous – and I’m not talking the makeup!” – Cindy Taylor, FEMA deputy director of public affairs, to [FEMA Director Michael] Brown, commenting on Brown’s TV appearance on the morning of Aug. 29, when Katrina hit.

Brown’s response: “I got it at Nordstrom’s. Email (FEMA spokeswoman Lee Anne) McBride and make sure she knows! Are you proud of me? Can I quit now? Can I go home?”

This is from some of Michael Brown’s e-mail correspondence, obtained by Knight-Ridder. At first I thought this was a joke. [via Aaron]

Alito, Kennedy, Gays

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Here’s an interesting post touching on Alito, gay rights, and Kennedy becoming the new swing justice. See the comments as well. Of course, Kennedy’s becoming the swing vote merely means that the Court will move to the right, not that Kennedy will move to the left, but Balkin notes that Kennedy “supports gay rights claims a bit more than O’Connor.” One of the commenters notes that in Lawrence, O’Connor’s concurrence was limited to the issue of equal protection, whereas Kennedy’s majority opinion was broader, focusing on due process and liberty while also incorporating O’Connor’s equal protection argument.

Another commenter thinks that Chief Justice Roberts might be a swing vote on gay rights.

Finally, here’s a piece on Alito and a couple of gay harrassment cases.