Personing, Placing and Thinging... 
I may not have colleged at an Ivy, but I know when I'm being jargoned-- so here's  a few more I'd like to have attentioned for garbaging.

We've got to better construction this.
We can action it in the morning.
They fanned them on Facebook.
Let's all headquarter at the Hotel.

Ok, you guys just go ahead, I think I'll take a few days off and beach. 


File under: Say what?

According to Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was not intended to protect against discrimination on the basis of gender or sexual orientation.

Specifically, he stated: 

"In 1868, when the 39th Congress was debating and ultimately proposing the 14th Amendment, I don't think anybody would have thought that equal protection applied to sex discrimination, or certainly not to sexual orientation..." 

and then added:

"If the current society wants to outlaw discrimination by sex, hey we have things called legislatures, and they enact things called laws. You don't need a constitution to keep things up-to-date. All you need is a legislature and a ballot box..."

...and he still wasn't done: 

"... Certainly the Constitution does not require discrimination on the basis of sex. The only issue is whether it prohibits it. It doesn't."

Either I'm missing something, or the undistinguished be-robed  bully has lost his last marble. Intended or not, the 14th amendment does protect against discrimination on the basis of gender or sexual orientation by virtue of specifically excluding no one.  And how does Scalia know what they were thinking back then?  Were there no homosexuals then?  Were there no women? 

The 14th Amendment's equal protection clause 
states: "No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."

I'm no constitutional scholar, but that looks to me like everyone's equally protected except non-citizens.  Scalia has called himself a "faint hearted originalist" (as opposed to a stout hearted Borkian?) which brings me back to the top of this post and has me wondering if it's time for the guy to consider actioning his retirement option.  E.J. Dione of the Times thinks so and demanded that he resign saying  (in the context of Scalia's even more bewildering dissent in the case of Arizona's attempt to enforce unconstitutional anti-immigration law)  "  ...he is perfectly free as a citizen to join the political fray and take on the president.  But he cannot be a blatantly political actor and a justice at the same time."



File under:  Sour Grapes

Recently learned that AMC is producing a series about Washington's Spy Ring ( Based on Alexander Rose book on right) during the American Revolution.  I wrote (and pitched to one studio) a proposal for such a series 25 years ago before I abandoned my dreams of historical fiction glory to ply my trade as a Mad Man.  Not that I would have ever resurrected the project, but can't say that I don't feel ripped off.  On the other hand, I'm real curious to see what they do with it.  It's a helluva saga teeming with great plot twists and turns, suspense, action, human drama and always been surprised no one had picked up on it... till now.  So I'm kinda glad in a way that it's gonna get done, and it's the same team that made Breaking Bad, and I hear that's a great show.

File Under:  Thane Strikes Again

Another most stimulating evening last night with the ever passionate, persuasive scholar and gentleman Thane Rosenbaum at the monthly meeting of the Men of a Certain Age Book group.  Discussed (among many other things) his latest book Payback: The Case for Revenge.  Rather than attempt to summarize here and fall short of  giving him the proper attention he deserves, I suggest you follow the link below and skip the middleman.  I'll just say that I consider Thane a major figure in contemporary culture and a true philosopher prince-- with a humanist perspective that is as insightful and valuable as anyone writing today.  And because he is both a novelist and disciplined non-fiction essayist, he is able to combine his two great gifts: an informed real world clarity of vision and a rich and fertile imagination.  Together they synthesize to articulate a worldview of provocative depth.

Go to:  http://www.thanerosenbaum.com