Random Musings for a Wednesday...

First of all, apologies for my extended absence. More on that below. I was finally inspired to blog again on the ride home from dinner tonight. I've had plenty of time to think over the last few weeks of non-blogging and a few random thoughts popped into my head.

First, I've noticed that every once in a while I'll get super burned out on the internet and my computer generally. It's usually when I've had to spend a lot of time doing something I don't especially like. In the case of my most recent absence, it was the damn bar exam. I won't go too in depth on that subject because I'm sure any of my friends who read this are as tired of hearing me talk about it as I am of talking about it. In the past, this burnout usually resulted from final exam time and it wasn't nearly as long. But it always gives me a good opportunity to clear my head and come up with some new things to say.

Second, I've been doing quite a bit of thinking about the presidential election. I don't particularly like Obama, certainly don't like McCain and had nearly settled on voting for Bob Barr. Over the last month, I've started leaning more toward Obama. For all of his weaknesses, a change from the policies of the past eight years could be a very good thing. John Kerry actually battled back against the McCain machine at the Democrat Convention today - something he probably should have done after the Swift Boat job four years ago. Kerry's speech hammered the dichotomy between Senator McCain and Candidate McCain. The differences are stark and the prospect of a McCain presidency seems to be only four more years of the same. We need somebody who can restore our place in the world - a country that is respected, not feared (or, in some cases, ridiculed).

From my perspective as a future (hopefully) lawyer, the Supreme Court is quite conservative enough. The Republicans have fared well with recent appointments, replacing Rehnquist and O'Connor with Roberts and Alito, appointments that will be in place for many, many years. The next most likely retirements will come from the liberal side of the bench, either John Paul Stevens (age 88) or Ruth Bader Ginsburg (age 75). With Kennedy planted firmly in the middle, if not a bit right-leaning, the balance must be preserved.

I'm also tired of the GOP playing on the fears of Americans. The "Moral Majority" and the conservative right no longer have any moral credibility. A C.S. Lewis quote comes to mind, one that I've heard quoted many times and that is incredibly applicable to the right wing:

Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victim may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated, but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.

Finally, I really want to get back into doing the "If" project regularly. I know I'm several weeks behind so I'll try to catch up over the next couple of weeks. It's good to be back.