2007.03.20
Current Events of the Moment
Starr insists that "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" promotes drugs. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg asks whether a sign that said "Bong Stinks for Jesus" would be more permissible. Souter asks whether a simple sign reading "Change the Marijuana Laws" would also be "disruptive." Starr says that interpreting the meaning of the sign must be left to the "frontline message interpreter," in this case, the principal. Then Starr says schools are charged with inculcating "habits and manners of civility" and "values of citizenship." Yes, sir. In the first six minutes of oral argument Starr has posited, without irony, a world in which students may not peaceably advocate for changes in the law, because they must be inculcated with the values of good citizenship.
Quote of the Moment
Unix: Some say the learning curve is steep, but you only have to climb it once.That is a really good point; my Unix skills stay reasonably sharp even when I'm mostly doing Windows-y stuff, becuase I've taken in some of the core philosophical ideas behind it.