The Lion Sleeps Tonight

I had no idea I would be as saddened as I am by the death of Senator Ted Kennedy. I feel that this is a momentous time in our country's history as our historic President attempts to right a wrong that has long plagued this country in regards to our health care system, and that is a cause that was long championed and worked on by Senator Kennedy. There is no doubt that his strong leadership and commitment is sorely needed by us now on this issue. I can only promise that my dedication to seeing health care reform pass, with a National Health Care system in place, has been redoubled. I will attempt to make my voice heard amongst the noise and disinformation being spread about in honor of what I know Senator Kennedy would have wanted, and I can only hope that others will as well. As sad as his death is, perhaps it will bring with it a reconcerted effort by the Democrats to push for a National Health Care system in his honor. Even though he is gone, we can remember what he once told us, "The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die."

Rest in peace, Edward Kennedy, we go on in your spirit, led by your memory, hoping to follow your example and make a difference in the world.

Seriously? What Can They Be Thinking?

First of all, Happy 4th of July! We are privileged to live in such an amazing country.

Yesterday afternoon, Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska, announced her resignation with over a year left in her first term.

If you are a regular reader of this blog (which, of course, even the most sporadic reader of this blog can claim to be as my posts have been few and far between of late, sorry about that) you might recall my post upon the decision of John McCain to select Ms. Palin as his running mate. I claimed then, and firmly believe now, that that decision cost McCain any shot he had at the Presidency.

It was a foolish decision that I couldn't believe the man chosen to lead the powerful Republican party could make.

Now, there is a lot of talk about Sarah Palin being the future of the Republican party. If there is any truth to that, one would think that she would have some advisers from the GOP that would forestall any foolish decisions on her part that would damage her chances at a White House run, and yet her decision yesterday did just that.

When she is unable to finish her only term as Governor of a state due in part to media scrutiny (and if you think you are under tremendous media scrutiny as the Governor of Alaska, do you really think that you can handle being President of the United States of America?), and due in part to feeling that finishing out her term as a lame duck "would be just another dose of politics as usual, something I campaigned against and will always oppose."

Now, I'm all for changing the climate of "politics as usual", but quitting because of lame duck status doesn't strike me as something that I want to become the norm in politics. Especially considering that we have term limits in place, the idea of a lame duck leader is something that is here to stay, and when you get sworn in to any position in government you do so agreeing to serve your full term for the people who voted for you, not just until you know that you won't be in that same position a year and a half down the road.

According to CNN, a source in the Republican party close to Palin's staff says that the decision was made to "move on" in part because her "book deal and other issues" were "causing a lot of friction" in Alaska. I take that to mean that her outside interests were causing her to be unable to fully do the job that she was elected to do and if that is the case, she is certainly not someone that I would want in charge of this country, who knows what outside influences she would have keeping her from performing a much more difficult job when she is struggling to preform as Governor.

Ultimately, I don't think that quitting with a year and a half to go as Governor will have anything but a negative impact on her decision to run for President. Whoever decided this was the best move for her future political career is someone that I hope never advises me on any decisions I might make for my own future, because I can't see this decision as anything other than political suicide.

I truly don't think that there will be any recovery from this, as whoever runs against her in the Republican primaries is now armed not only with her relative political inexperience, but can truthfully brand her a quitter unable to manage her previous post as well as the national notoriety that came with the ill advised decision to choose her as McCain's running mate in the last presidential election. She now has no hope of surviving the primaries.

Why I'm Excited That Brandon Sanderson Was Chosen For AMoL

AMoL if you don't already know is A Memory of Light, the final book in the Robert Jordan series The Wheel of Time.

Robert Jordan died with his epic series incomplete back in 2007. Young fantasy writer Brandon Sanderson was hand picked by Jordan's widow (who also served as his editor) to complete the series.

As of yet, I have not read any of Sanderson's published works, although three of them are on my bookshelf ready to peruse.

Why then am I glad that he was chosen?

Because I've read his blog.

Let me tell you how much I love The Wheel of Time...

It was far more advanced then anything I had ever read at that point in my life when I finally gave it a chance. I remember clearly the first time that someone gave me a copy of The Eye of the World and said that I should check it out. It was a friend who together we had devoured the words of David Eddings so I trusted him when he said it was much, much better then the Belgariad ever could hope to be. At the time I was probably around 13. I started it and couldn't get through the prologue. At the time I wasn't sure why, I think I just wasn't ready for something so serious yet. At the same point in my life I loved The Hobbit, but couldn't get far into The Lord of the Rings.

About a year later, the same friend told me to just keep reading. Get through the prologue and through the first two chapters and he assured me that I would not be able to put it down. He was right. It was an incredible story that kept getting more interesting as more was revealed. And the characters were all so real. And there were so many of them. The world was just so complete.

After I tore through the Wheel of Time books that were out at that point I went back and read The Lord of the Rings for the first time. (Yes, I didn't read The Lord of the Rings all the way through until I was 14. I'm sorry.) I was actually a little pissed at myself that I hadn't made myself read them earlier.

So, despite the fact that The Lord of the Rings inspired Jordan's Wheel of Time, it was Wheel of Time that got me to read The Lord of the Rings!

When Jordan died, I was devastated. Primarily because one of my favorite authors, a man that I had never met but who meant a lot to me regardless, had passed away, but also because his series might never be completed, and the series meant a lot to me as well.

Shortly thereafter, the news came out that someone was going to finish the last book, and I met that news with some relief as well as some trepidation. Who was this Brandon Sanderson that was getting to finish the Wheel of Time? For quite some time I honestly had no idea the answer to that question.

Then I discovered his blog.

Slowly as I read his updates on A Memory of Light, my trepidation began to slip away and my relief began to grow into excitement. It was clear that this Brandon Sanderson cared as much about the series as I did. And I could see how his work was progressing on the book that I so desperately (along with so many others) wanted to see thanks to the progress bars on his blog.

Yesterday I read the news that A Memory of Light was going to be split into 3 books and I was instantly angry. It was only supposed to be one more volume. I've already waited so long for this book, I didn't want to wait any longer!

Then the most amazing thing happened. Brandon Sanderson explained the situation in his blog. He told his readers exactly how this decision was made and why. He went into excellent detail on why this decision (while still unpleasant) actually was the best decision possible to make.

And I feel better.

How rare is it for an author to be so up front about what is going on with a novel as anticipated as this one is? I for one am extremely thankful that this one is.

Thank you Brandon Sanderson for your dedication to this project and for your dedication to us, the fans. It shows and it is much appreciated.

Happy March Madness Day!

If you're interested, here is how my bracket plays out!

MIDWEST

First Round

1. Louisville over 16. Morehead St.

9. Sienna over 8. Ohio St.

5. Utah over 12. Arizona

4. Wake Forest over 13. Cleveland St.

6. West Virginia over 11. Dayton

3. Kansas over 14. North Dakota St.
(note, congrats to NDST for being the first team from N. Dakota to make the tourney)

7. Boston College over 10. USC

2. Michigan State over 15. Robert Morris

Second Round

1. Louisville over 9. Sienna

5. Utah over 4. Wake Forest

6. West Virginia over 3. Kansas

2. Michigan St. over 7. Boston College

Sweet 16

1. Louisville over 5. Utah

2. Michigan St. over 6. West Virginia

Elite 8

1. Louisville over 2. Michigan St.

Midwest Reginal Champ

#1 Seed Louisville


WEST

First Round

1. Connecticut over 16. Chattanooga

8. BYU over 9. Texas A&M

5. Purdue over 12. Northern Iowa

13. Mississippi St. over 4. Washington

11. Utah St. over 6. Marquette

3. Missouri over 14. Cornell

10. Maryland over 7. California

2. Memphis over 15. Cal St. Northridge

Second Round

1. UConn over 8. BYU

13. Mississippi St. over 5. Purdue

3. Missouri over 11. Utah St.

2. Memphis over 10. Maryland

Sweet 16

1. UConn over 13. Mississippi St.

2. Memphis over 3. Missouri

Elite 8

2. Memphis over 1. UConn

West Regional Champ

#2 Seep Memphis


EAST

First Round

1. Pittsburgh over 16. ETSU

8. Oklahoma St. over 9. Tennessee

12. Wisconsin over 5. Florida St.

4. Xavier over 13. Portland St.

11. VCU over 6. UCLA

3. Villinova over 14. American U.

7. Texas over 10. Minnesota

2. Duke over 15. Binghamton

Second Round

1. Pitt over 8. Oklahoma St.

4. Xavier over 12. Wisconsin

3. Villinova over 11. VCU

2. Duke over 7. Texas

Sweet 16

1. Pitt over 4. Xavier

2. Duke over 3. Villinova

Elite 8

1. Pitt over 2. Duke

East Reginal Champ

#1 Seed Pittsburgh
(coached by TCU Alum Jaime Dixon, Go Frogs!)

SOUTH

First Round

1. North Carolina over 16. Radford

9. Butler over 8. LSU

5. Illinois over 12. Western Kentuky

4. Gonzaga over 13. Akron

6. Arizona St. over 11. Temple

3. Syracuse over 14. Stephen F. Austin

7. Clemson over 10. Michigan

2. Oklahoma over 15. Morgan St.

Second Round

9. Butler over 1. North Carolina
(thanks to no Ty Lawson)

4. Gonzaga over 5. Illinois
(it was hard for me to pick against my Illini, but this isn't their year)

6. Arizona St. over 3. Syracuse
(all the overtimes finally catch up with them)

2. OU over 7. Clemson

Sweet 16

4. Gonzaga over 9. Butler

6. Arizona St. over 2. OU

Elite 8

4. Gonzaga over 6. Arizona St.

South Regional Champ

#4 Seed Gonzaga

FINAL FOUR

#1 Louisville over #2 Memphis

#1 Pittsburgh over #4 Gonzaga

Championship Game

Pittsburgh over Louisville

NCAA CHAMPION
Pittsburgh

Prop 8 and Its Implications

Today the Supreme Court of California heard arguments on Prop 8 and whether or not it should be overturned.

The main thrust of the case against Prop 8 being overturned was that the people had spoken and the court shouldn't be able to overturn the will of the people.

The problem with that is, especially in this case, that the people making their will known in this case are largly unaffected by the results of the laws they hoped to inact. The majority of people will not be personally effected by the inability of gays and lesbians to get married. It won't matter to them personally because they aren't homosexual.

Plenty of laws that have been held by a majority of the people have been found to be unconstitutional. It's the whole reason we have a constitution in the first place. In fact this whole country is founded on it. Laws were being made in England that affected the lives of those in the colony known as America. We became our own country because we disagreed with laws that were being made by those who were unaffected by those laws. We felt that we had inalienable rights that were being ignored by "the will of the people" in England. The Federal Constitution is in place to protect those rights as is the California Constitution.

A few months before last years election in which Prop 8 barely passed, the California State Supreme Court recognized that Sexual Orientation was a sub group just as deserving of equality. They wrote that you could not discriminate against a group of people because of their race, sex, or sexual orientation according to the state supreme court. Because of that, they wrote, the state must recognize same sex marriages.

Prop 8 hoped to recognize marriage as something that can only take place between a man and a woman thereby denying marriage to homosexuals. By definition this is discriminating against people because of their sexual orientation.

However, the court opened the session pointing out that the Constitution is an evolving document meant to support the will of the people and that Prop 8 is a change to the document that was handled as any amendment should be and that overturning it could be seen as a judicial misuse of power in overturning the will of the people.

So, what is the case of the state in hoping to overturn Prop 8?

Simple, it is by the will of the people that the court has the right to overturn a change to the Constitution that changes the Constitution from what it is fundamentally, that being a document meant to protect the rights of all. The state's case boils down to the idea that a majority should not be able to limit the rights of a minority simply because they are a majority.

If Prop 8 is upheld, the precedent that could set would be enormous. Despite the fact that the Constitution opens with the idea of equality for all (the very thing that this nation and each state under it is supposed to stand for) this idea would mean that you could take away the rights of any group in the State of California simply by convincing enough people to vote for it. I have no doubt that this is not what the framers of that Constitution intended. And it is because such a thing is possible that the Constitution gives the State Supreme Court the right to overturn such a misuse of power by the majority.

The will of the people is an important thing, but they shouldn't be allowed to take away the rights of others simply because they are a majority. Checks and balances are another thing that this country was founded on.

The arguments are over and we await the decision of the court, it should come within 90 days, and I hope that the court recognizes the dangers inherint in not overturning Prop 8. That is a dangerous precedent. Far more dangerous then any person in the slight majority erroniously claiming Judicial Misuse of Power.

Sorry!

Wow, I have been very neglectful of this blog! And I apologize for that.

That doesn't mean I haven't been blogging at all however, in fact, far from it.

My other two blogs are getting plenty of action.

You see, I have a blog specifically for Baseball (and primarily the Cubs) entitled Tinkers To Evers To Blog (do you see what I did there) found at chcbaseball.blogspot.com.

And I have a blog specifically for pop culture (primarily television and film) called Josue Speaks found at www.xanga.com/josue23.

And I also twitter at www.twitter.com/joshuatoulouse. For when I have something to say that requires 140 characters or less.

So if you're really jonesing for thoughts from me you can find them there.

Meanwhile, this blog is for everything else, and since I've been so preoccupied with the start of Baseball (Tinkers to Evers to Blog) and LOST, BSG, and the Oscars (Josue Speaks) lately, this blog has been getting the short shift.

So, again, I apologize, but remember this isn't the only place to get great blogging from me! So, check out my other blogs, and I promise I'll see you here more regularly soon!

A Brand New Day, A Day For History

Every so often, the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebearers, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

-President Barack Obama

President Barack Obama. That sounds right. What an amazing day today. I am not ashamed to say that I was brought to tears by the momentous occasion that occurred today. The first black President of this country when such a short time ago such a thing would have been considered impossible.

It is an amazing achievement that our country, our voters, have made possible.

We as Americans should be very proud of ourselves.

But what else this new Presidency stands for is also very important. In the last eight years our country has gone from being respected and loved world wide to ridiculed and untrusted around the world. Events that have taken place at the behest of our government in the last administration seemed to me, not that long ago, to be impossible to overcome. With the election of Barack Obama (and by such an overwhelming electoral vote), we showed the rest of the world that the way our government had acted and the actions they took were not actions that we agreed with or that we felt America stood for. We are returning to a country with a government Of The People, and For The People. Barack Obama used his inaugural speech to remind us and the world what this country stands for, what this country was based on, and that we would not lower our standards or lessen our ideals for any reason no matter what we faced.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: Know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

-President Barack Obama

Much has been made during this run to the presidency about the civil rights movement. Yesterday we celebrated Martin Luther King Jr's Day, today we celebrate the inauguration of President Barack Obama, and so it is fitting that we remember the steps that Dr. King took to help make such a thing as today possible. We remember the ideals of non-violent resistance. We remember a woman refusing to be pushed to the back of the bus simply because she was black. We remember people coming together to march on Washington DC, people of all races, marching because segregation was wrong, because separate does not mean equal, marching because it was the right thing to do, marching because it was the American thing to do.

Today we are called to action again. Called to help show the world the right way once more. Called to do our part as our new president hopes to do his. Our President reminded us in his speech that the times are difficult, but that in our history we have faced tough times before, and that as we have in the past We Will Overcome.

To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

-President Barack Obama

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends -- hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism -- these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility -- a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world; duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence -- the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed -- why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent Mall, and why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

"Let it be told to the future world ... that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive... that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."

America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested, we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back, nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

-President Barack Obama

Today we have made history. Today we have embarked on a journey that will place this country back on the path of truth and justice and freedom on which it was founded. Today we look forward so that one day we can look back, look back and remember today. The day that everything changed. The day we became that which we always hoped we could become. The day we began once again to believe.

Yes We Can. Yes We Will. Yes We Did.