I was working on a computer for a lady that I’ve been helping out since my HiWired days. I mentioned my week with Robert Stacy and the City Counsel stuff and she asked about the blog.
We had only met in person once but I had a feel for her politics. She had called for help on election day but I just didn’t have the time, but I took advantage of the call to ask. If she had voted, who she had voted for etc.
Yesterday the subject came up again and I gave her the blog site and warned her what my philosophy and beliefs are and elaborated on the same. It appears we are as diametrically opposed as two people can be when it comes to politics.
It doesn’t matter of course. She is a friend and will of course remain so, I have plenty (well most) of my friends think differently than me. I don’t base friendships on politics, that’s how you Balkanize a country.
It really comes down to a matter of perspective, how one thinks of certain things, it is that different perspective that struck me in this letter to Jay Nordlinger in his Impromptus column:
In his State of the Union address, President Obama, as you may remember, proposed a particular break for graduates entering “public service.” Since then, I have written a fair amount about what constitutes public service: For me — and you too, I bet — opening a good store is a public service. So is inventing something useful. Or employing people. Etc.
Anyway, I’ve received much, much mail on this subject, and I thought I would publish just one letter:
Dear Jay:
A couple of years ago my son’s friend graduated from Rutgers Law School. He had arranged to enter the Army, as a lawyer-officer in the Judge Advocate General’s department. I pointed out to him that the State of New Jersey had a debt-forgiveness program for law-school graduates entering into public service. He inquired, and was informed that service in the United States Army did not meet New Jersey’s definition of “public service.” Public defender? Absolutely. Lawyer for the “homeless”? Of course. Army officer? No way. Being an attorney, I offered to fight it for him (for free), but he demurred.
Now I don’t know what my friends would say, perhaps they would agree with New Jersey decision, perhaps not, but it is all a matter of philosophy and perspective.
Oh and if you don’t read Jay Nordlinger regularly, you are missing out.
Update: Another example:
He’s explicitly scornful of the bloggers who refer to the students at the less highly ranked law schools as “TTT” or “third tier trash.” It’s interesting to me that he’s paying attention to the blogs (and, of course, I’m not one of the bloggers who would ever use that term). He also speaks of wanting to visit law schools in his circuit. He has a touching dedication to the southeastern United States.
By the way, this talk at UF consists entirely of responses to student questions, and the questions are excellent.
to find out who that is read the whole thing via Glenn.
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