I am a former piece of labor auctioned off by partners. I never pondered the law firm structure in such stark terms, but here it is, from Slate:
Essentially, law firms are high-end employment agencies, in which the partners sell the labor of associates and paralegals at a vast markup. So once you've built that overhead into your billing structure and established a loyal client base, it's hard to go wrong. When work slows down, you simply let people go. Overhead is also easily controlled. Most blue-chips occupy nice but not lavish offices, and marketing is generally discreet—advertisements in the American Lawyer, booths at professional conferences.
Ouch.
Let's read Lileks thinks about the Speech:
Grand philosophical money quote: Free people will set the course of history.
This is not a statement of the obvious. This runs contrary to much of history itself.
Stick in the eye of the Axis of Weasels money quote: The course of this nation does not depend on the decision of others. It says something about this era that this is an applause line. Truman would have barked that out in a news conference, and he’d have gotten a laugh.
The line that clarified everything: I have a message for the brave and oppressed people of Iraq: Your enemy is not surrounding your country – your enemy is ruling your country. And the day he and his regime are removed from power will be the day of your liberation.
It brought to mind Susan Sarandon’s ad, in which she argues against a military effort to depose Saddam. “What,” she asks, “has Iraq done to us?”
Aside from shoot at our pilots, and attempt to kill an ex-President, I’ll grant that they’ve done no more to us than Hitler did to the US in the 30s. But that’s not the point. Sarandon has turned into the very thing her ilk decries: an insular self-satisfied wealthy Westerner who couldn’t care less what happens in other countries, as long as no Americans get a nick.
I don’t believe this war is being fought because Saddam kills his own people. Saddam is a particularly egregious example of a common tyrant; he stands out because he rules a land with great strategic importance, and because his particular brand of megalomaniacal sociopathy makes him an unpredictable actor. It’s not the torture, the war against Iran, the war against Kuwait, the destruction of the oil fields, the gassing of his own people, the starvation of his people to divert resources for palaces and mosques designed to make Robin Leach swoon. It’s the torture and the wars and the oil-field fires and the gassing and the starvation and the palaces and the big grinning fark-you to the terms that ended the last war. Oh, and also the germs, and the gas, and the rockets, and the nukes. And more, which I expect we’ll learn after Powell’s appearance before the UN.
Just to put the screws to the sophisticated, Evil made a particularly vivid cameo: after recounting the horrors that befell the 200,000 political prisoners killed by Saddam (NYT stats; go argue with them) we had this: “If this is not evil, then evil has no name.” This will occasion another round of eye-rolling among those who are less worried about the 200,000 than they are about the role Bush played in downing Wellstone’s plane, but even in European capitals some learned men may have felt a twinge in that empty socket where their conscience once resided. Because - and here’s a point I don’t hear discussed much - even if Saddam turns over everything, he’s still in power. He’s still in control of the apparatus of state terror, and should his black heart seize up and he dies, then come his sons. Meet the new boss, worse than the old boss.
Click to read the whole thing. He's got a good point about the AIDS in Africa issue, too.
A few favorite quotes from the State of the Union from a totally partisan Republican:
This country has many challenges. We will not deny, we will not ignore, we will not pass along our problems to other Congresses, other presidents, and other generations. We will confront them with focus, and clarity, and courage.
Clinton says "ouch"!
We must work together to fund only our most important priorities. I will send you a budget that increases discretionary spending by four percent next year - about as much as the average family's income is expected to grow. And that is a good benchmark for us: Federal spending should not rise any faster than the paychecks of American families.
Oh my! Isn't this what the feds should always be doing?
These problems will not be solved with a nationalized health care system that dictates coverage and rations care. Instead, we must work toward a system in which all Americans have a good insurance policy...choose their own doctors..and seniors and low-income Americans receive the help they need. Instead of bureaucrats, and trial lawyers, and HMOs, we must put doctors, and nurses, and patients back in charge of American medicine.
Amen, amen and amen again. Since I'm married to a physician, I have seen up close & personal the bad decisions that are made when businessmen run medicine. Trust me, your health comes a distant second to their bottom line.
I have sent you a Healthy Forests Initiative, to help prevent the catastrophic fires that devastate communities, kill wildlife, and burn away millions of acres of treasured forest.
Translation: Buh-bye enviromental extremists. Hello, controlled burns.
Tonight I am proposing 1.2 billion dollars in research funding so that America can lead the world in developing clean, hydrogen-powered automobiles.
Um, not unless the "clean, hydrogen-powered automobile" is an SUV.
The American flag stands for more than our power and our interests. Our Founders dedicated this country to the cause of human dignity - the rights of every person and the possibilities of every life. This conviction leads us into the world to help the afflicted, and defend the peace, and confound the designs of evil men.
Cranky leftists, are you listening?
Ladies and gentlemen, seldom has history offered a greater opportunity to do so much for so many. We have confronted, and will continue to confront, HIV/AIDS in our own country. And to meet a severe and urgent crisis abroad, tonight I propose the Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief - a work of mercy beyond all current international efforts to help the people of Africa.
Can you say "compassionate conservatism?" I knew you could.
There are days when the American people do not hear news about the war on terror. There is never a day when I do not learn of another threat, or receive reports of operations in progress, or give an order in this global war against a scattered network of killers. The war goes on, and we are winning.
Sigh, what long days he must have.
Our war against terror is a contest of will, in which perseverance is power. In the ruins of two towers, at the western wall of the Pentagon, on a field in Pennsylvania, this Nation made a pledge, and we renew that pledge tonight: Whatever the duration of this struggle, and whatever the difficulties, we will not permit the triumph of violence in the affairs of men...free people will set the course of history.
Everyone carries on about how "we will not forget". But we do. I think the towers falling, the bodies dropping, the sheer atrocity of that day should be seen every day by every American. Not to foment anger and vengeance, but to remember why we're doing what we're doing. As time smooths the edges of the memories for those of us not directly affected, it's too easy to let our minds wander and lose the resolve needed to rid the world of this evil. The barbarians are at the gate, whether you like it or not.
Yet the course of this Nation does not depend on the decisions of others. Whatever action is required, whenever action is necessary, I will defend the freedom and security of the American people.
Thank you for stating the obvious. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
The 108 UN weapons inspectors were not sent to conduct a scavenger hunt for hidden materials across a country the size of California.
heheheheheheheheheh
Before September 11, 2001, many in the world believed that Saddam Hussein could be contained. But chemical agents and lethal viruses and shadowy terrorist networks are not easily contained. Imagine those 19 hijackers with other weapons, and other plans - this time armed by Saddam Hussein. It would take just one vial, one canister, one crate slipped into this country to bring a day of horror like none we have ever known. We will do everything in our power to make sure that day never comes.
Again, thank you.
Some have said we must not act until the threat is imminent. Since when have terrorists and tyrants announced their intentions, politely putting us on notice before they strike? If this threat is permitted to fully and suddenly emerge, all actions, all words, and all recriminations would come too late. Trusting in the sanity and restraint of Saddam Hussein is not a strategy, and it is not an option.
Well, yeahl
Iraqi refugees tell us how forced confessions are obtained - by torturing children while their parents are made to watch. International human rights groups have catalogued other methods used in the torture chambers of Iraq: electric shock, burning with hot irons, dripping acid on the skin, mutilation with electric drills, cutting out tongues, and rape.
If this is not evil, then evil has no meaning. And tonight I have a message for the brave and oppressed people of Iraq: Your enemy is not surrounding your country - your enemy is ruling your country. And the day he and his regime are removed from power will be the day of your liberation.
That's enough for me. Let's roll.
Sending Americans into battle is the most profound decision a president can make. The technologies of war have changed. The risks and suffering of war have not. For the brave
Americans who bear the risk, no victory is free from sorrow. This Nation fights reluctantly, because we know the cost, and we dread the days of mourning that always come.
We seek peace. We strive for peace. And sometimes peace must be defended. A future lived at the mercy of terrible threats is no peace at all. If war is forced upon us, we will fight in a just cause and by just means - sparing, in every way we can, the innocent. And if war is forced upon us, we will fight with the full force and might of the United States military - and we will prevail. And as we and our coalition partners are doing in Afghanistan, we will bring to the Iraqi people food, and medicines, and supplies...and freedom.
Many challenges, abroad and at home, have arrived in a single season. In two years, America has gone from a sense of invulnerability to an awareness of peril...from bitter division in small matters to calm unity in great causes. And we go forward with confidence, because this call of history has come to the right country.
Americans are a resolute people, who have risen to every test of our time. Adversity has revealed the character of our country, to the world, and to ourselves.
America is a strong Nation, and honorable in the use of our strength. We exercise power without conquest, and sacrifice for the liberty of strangers.
Americans are a free people, who know that freedom is the right of every person and the future of every nation. The liberty we prize is not America’s gift to the world, it is God’s gift to humanity.
We Americans have faith in ourselves - but not in ourselves alone. We do not claim to know all the ways of Providence, yet we can trust in them, placing our confidence in the loving God behind all of life, and all of history.
Thank you, Mr. President.
We have too much stuff. Too many clothes, too many toys, too many books, too many everything! I'm giving up online shopping for Lent, even though I'm not Catholic. The stuff must stop. I'm trying to follow Flylady and just when I think I can't declutter anymore, boom, more stuff appears. Ack!
I find this so hard to comprehend. I can't fathom why France would stoop to such a low level. Why?
Until yesterday, the Arctic Tundra was brown and wicked cold. No snow, which is fine with me. During the winters here, every day without snow is a victory. I like the cold, but I do not care for the snow. Snow was a novelty in Texas - a reason to stay home, cancel school and avoid all responsibilities for the day. Here, it is drudgery. Unless the blizzard of the century arrives, nothing closes, forcing you to schlep through the wet, slimy stuff everywhere you go. Imagine running every errand and traipsing through dirty, slushy, icy yak. It gets on your clothes, into your car and into your house.
When we first went North, we were assured by well-meaning Yankee (meaning anyone who was from north of the Mason-Dixon line) friends that the streets are plowed, parking lots are plowed, getting around in the snow is no problem. If so, my definition of plowing is different. Leaving an inch of packed snow on the ground doesn't count. And, parking lots? Please. Parking at any mall or shopping area is an exercise in futility. You can't see the lines so everyone just sort of fakes it. I actually got trapped in a parking space one time. I was not amused.
Yes, snow is pretty coming down and coating the ugly brown with beautiful white. The fun stops there, however. Actually living in it is just a hassle. I still prefer winter to those brutal Texas summers, but it is a close call.
Enough whining. At least the temperature is about zero. Don't even get me started on that . . . . .
Susan Sarandon whines about being labeled "anti-American". Poor, poor baby.
While I frown upon drinking, this is too funny. I, of course, will replace alcohol with Diet Coke.
The thought of war makes me physically ill. But not as ill as Hussein and his thugs. David Brooks on The News Hour makes the point this morning when Mark Shields defended the anti-war protestors:
You've got 100,000 people marching in the streets and they are, in effect, marching to preserve a fascist regime. I know that's not what they want. They want to prevent war, which is a legitimate thing to do. But they are never asked why are you preserving a fascist regime, why don't you want the tide of democracy, which is to spread through Latin America and Central America, to spread to the Arab part of the world - that's the idealistic case the Bush administration has made a little but they haven't made strongly enough.
I just want somebody to say to those people and I wanted to go down there and say here's a regime that has professional rape teams in their military where they rape women and send the videotapes to the fathers. Here's a regime that imprisons mothers and babies in the next cell and forces them to watch their babies starve to death. You know, what is the defense? Maybe we don't want to take out this regime, but is that the moral high ground? What is your defense for preserving that regime?
So much evil - how can we stand by? Particularly when this evil would like nothing more than to be directed toward us. (Via Punditwatch)
1. What is one thing you don't like about your body? My height. I wish I were 3 inches taller.
2. What are two things you love about your body? Hmmm.
3. What are three things you want to change about your home? New kitchen, new bathrooms, all hardwood flooring.
4. What are four books you want to read this year? Don't know yet.
5. What are five promises you have kept to yourself? Um, lame question.
Laura Ingraham is a fairly new conservative face. I've enjoyed watching her on Fox News. She apparently has a radio show now. I hope to see more of her.
does New Jersey have a poet laureate (Amira Baraka) and why is O'Reilly interviewing him? Could this by why.
A basic tenet of high school english states that one should have a theme when writing. A blog is one long, neverending essay. Thus, I must pick a theme.
OK, lame logic, but you get the point. I've been messing around with this blog in one form or another for a year (!). For all three of you who are reading (hi again mom), thanks for being there. My commentary is all over the place and frankly, boring. I need a theme. I have picked a theme. Domesticity in all its glory.
Now before you run screaming from the site in horror, stick with me. I can't warblog; I don't have the time to be a pundit (although I have lots of opinions); I'm not hip nor do I live in a cool place; and, I'm not a writer or journalist. I can't, nor do I want to, compete with the likes of Steven Den Beste (war); Glenn Reynolds (pundit demigod); Missy Schwarz (hip); Gawker (cool); or, Matt Welch (journalist & war).
What I am is an aging Gen-X'r who has foregone a promising career in law to move to the hinterlands with dear husband and raise my two sons. I know I'm not alone. Even here in the Arctic Tundra I have a circle of friends who have more or less done the same thing. And frankly, none of us were necessarily prepared for domestic life. We were killer lawyers, doctors, nurses, teachers, librarians, physician's assistants, computer specialists, fundraisers, and businesswomen, just to name a few ex-jobs. We were not prepared for the homefront, but now we run it, albeit sometimes grudgingly.
To add to the intrigue, many of us are Christians. Why does that matter you say? Well, it adds the interesting facet of the submissive wife. (Oooh, that made you look.) Intelligent, educated and submissive. What would the Southern Baptist Convention think?
So, take it or leave it, all three of you. There will be much here. Being domestic doesn't mean there won't be a smattering of politics (I am a polstate contributor), war, rants and maybe even occasional hipness. We shall see.
1. Where do you currently work? At home
2. How many other jobs have you had and where? Hmmm, let's see. Sanger-Harris Dept. store in high school; waitress jobs @ Andrews & Steak & Ale in college; research asst in college & law school; 4 different clerkships in law school; 2 different associate positions after graduation. That would make 11.
3. What do you like best about your job? Flexibility.
4. What do you like least about your job? Laundry.
5. What is your dream job? Fantasy dream job would be editor of Vogue. Real-life dream job would be a judgeship, preferably a federal one for life. heheheheh
Another good article in support of vouchers. In my mind, the goal of taxes for schooling should be to educate the child, not support the public school system. The child should be the focus, not the school.
I'm feeling lonely over at Polstate. First, there aren't many XX chromosomal types there. And, there's not many R-types, either. I'm definitely the only XX-R and feeling lonely.
Via Fridgedoor.com:
"To do is to be." - Nietzsche
"To be is to do." - Kant
"Do be do be do." - Sinatra
Arg, methinks there's mutiny afoot on the good ship GOP. Leave it to them to self-destruct. Via Drudge.
Light posting this week because my baby (age 3) was in the hospital for two days with an asthma attack. Only, they didn't officially call it "asthma" because it was his first episode. Very scary. But he perked up very quickly and all is well. God is gracious. So, Friday Five:
1. Where are you right now? In my study typing away on my iBook.
2. What time is it? 11:08 a.m. CST
3. What are you wearing? Black stretch pants, boots, white t'neck sweater & houndstooth jacket.
4. Any people or animals around you? Describe them. My Boston Terrier Wishbone is on the couch, napping & snoring. The aforementioned son is watching "Little Bill" on TV.
5. What are your plans for the weekend? Usual home & family stuff. Church.
1. Do you wear any jewelry? What kind? Yes, silver. Watches with leather wristbands. My wedding band (silver & gold); a silver cross pinky ring and a silver ring on my right ring finger with a pretty red garnet. All from James Avery, a jeweler from Texas. I wear silver earrings every day, too. Love silver! (Platinum is good, too).
2. How often do you wear it? Daily. I am lost without my watch, especially.
3. Do you have any piercings? If so, where? Ears.
4. Do you have any tattoos? If so, where? No, but I have to tell about my husband's tattoo (even though he'll be mortified). Almost seven years ago when I was great with our first child I was not a happy camper. I was fat, miserable and sure that dh was going to leave me for some cute nurse at the hospital now that I was ugly, fat and was going to have a child (now, mind you, my dh gave me no reason to think this, it was the hormones, please see my post on irrational mothers). Anyway, on Valentine's day he came home and said he had a big surprise for me, which was very unusual. We both worked obscene hours, he in residency and me in litigation, and we weren't into Valentine's day so a card would have surprised me. Well, he dropped his pants just below hip level and there on his right rear was a tattoo'd heart with my name on it. I almost had that baby from laughing. It was the sweetest, most romantic thing he had or has ever done. He said now he could never leave me. His colleagues thought he was nuts because if he did leave me he'd have to stand in the middle of a bar and ask if anyone was named "Debbie" to get some action. I don't plan to make him have to try it.
5. What are your plans for the weekend? Hopefully, sell my house. We have showings and supposedly have an offer coming in. We'll see. Dh is taking oldest son (6) to a nearby ski hill to see how he likes it. I'll do some shopping. We'll go to church on Sunday.
There's been a moderate amount of debate during the past few months about the relative merits of the Atkins diet - shorthand for eating a low carbohydrate, high protein and fat mix of foods. I'm a huge fan and successful devotee of Atkins. I've never felt better, looked better or lost more weight faster than on Atkins. And, the weight has stayed, despite straying back into high carb gluttony on several occasions. My biggest two complaints with the anti-Atkins crowd are these: (1) the focus on the Induction stage of the diet to the exclusion of the other three phases; and, (2) the focus on how hard it is to follow the diet.
The Induction phase of Atkins is not pretty. You eat less than 20 carbs per day, the amount most of us eat in one serving of usual food. You cannot have sugar in any form or flour. It's harsh. But the point is to break your carbohydrate addiction and to create ketosis, the chemical state where your body breaks down fat instead of muscle to create energy. I'm not going to drone on about the science behind Atkins - I'll link to some info at the end and the Atkins site is actually a pretty good summary of his book. But, after the first few days of Induction I felt better than I have in years. The first days were ugly, however. I felt much like I did the last time I broke my caffeine addiction. Maybe not everyone, but I certainly am addicted to carbs. Once you've broken free of the addiction, the low-carb lifestyle becomes easier. The Induction phase must be followed for at least two weeks to give your body time to adjust. It is not a permanent style of eating, although some follow it for much longer. Then you move on the the three other stages until you have figured out how many carbs you can consume in a day and still maintain your weight, generally between 40-100 grams per day.
I eat better on Atkins that I ever have before. I eat more vegetables, which are the centerpiece of his plan. But not starchy, sugary veggies like corn and potatoes; ones like squash, brussel sprouts (yes, I ate fresh ones and lived to tell the tale); broccoli and the like. You also eat berries, including strawberries and eventually add back whole grains. Not a whole lot to argue with there. Yes, you do consume lots of cheese, bacon and eggs, but in tandem with lots of greens and fruits and veggies. You are avoiding sugar and white flour. Hmmmmm, does this sound familiar? It should. At the end, Atkins has much in common with other healthy diets, except the obsession with breads, grains and sugary fruits and vegetables. This part of his diet is usually glossed over while the Induction stage is trotted out ad nauseum as if all you eat are bacon, eggs, steak and cheese for the rest of your life. Who could do that?
Which, of course, leads to my second Atkins pet peeve: No one can possibly stay on this diet. Well, let me tell you why it's hard to stay on this diet. Not because it's so horrible to follow and the food isn't tasty; but, it's because our entire food industry is based on carbs, from the government food pyramid on down. It is nearly impossible to stay on Atkins because low-carb food is nearly non-existent in our culture. The low-fat obsession for the last 20 years has resulted in a low-fat, high-carb nightmare. Pasta, bread, and potatoes seem to be the staple of our diet. Not healthy and deadly for low-carbers. I love to eat low carb, but sometimes it's just too much work. Again, not because I don't enjoy it, but because our food choices are limited. And why are our food choices limited? Because of the high-carb/low-fat lie. Food companies have spent millions, if not billions, researching low fat everything. I'd love to see some of that money go to low carb research. Atkins has done some and sells lots of what I call "fake" low-carb stuff like muffin mixes. IMHO the stuff is awful; but the upside is after eating low-carb you lose a great deal of your taste for sugary, floury foods. At least I did.
Anyway, this may not be the most brilliant defense of Atkins, but I'm so weary of hearing these misconceptions. I will stand behind Atkins based on my personal experience until I fall over dead from a butter overdose. And what a better way to go than Type II diabetes due to a lifetime of drowning in carbohydrates.
Information: First, the link that started it all, Gary Taubman's New York Times article (link requires registration). Then, a few other random opinions: MSNBC report; USA Today; American Medical News; Washington Times; Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine; and, for some personal testimonials see Lowcarbfriends.com bulletin boards. Happy reading and pass those pork rinds!
I'm an official Wisconsin contributor to Kos's Political State Report, an experiment in political reporting from the trenches. Stay tuned!
Tom Sullivan sat in for "the vacationing Rush Limbaugh" on Friday. I listened while I ran some errands. He extrapolated from these comments from Former Massachusetts Governor Jane Swift that all moms are irrational. And, of course, a few women called in saying Ms. Swift was wrong to insinuate that mothers aren't always rational. Well, I'm here to applaud her honesty. I've had two children and I'm married to an obstetrician and I'm here to tell you that mothers are not the most rational people on the planet.
When I was pregnant with my first child I was an associate attorney at one of the country's largest law firms and doing rather well, if I do say so myself. Let me tell you though, my brain cells started dying faster than a frat boy's at an all-night keg party during that pregnancy. It is a fact that a woman's body takes care of that baby first. The growing fetus literally sucks the lifeforce out of you and believe me, your brain is no exception. Now, some women do seem to handle pregancy better, but most of us do not function at peak form during the hormonal train wreck called pregnancy. My colleagues and support staff would have shouted amen had you asked them if I was a little irrational during that time.
Post-partum is no better, in fact, it's arguably worse. Sleep-deprived, hormone engorged nightmare - that's what the first few weeks, sometimes months are. You can kid yourself all you want, but most women do not shine their brightest six weeks post-partum. And, Ms. Swift had twins, so that just doubles the pain. So, she has twins in office, already has a child and is trying to run the state of Massachusetts under the glare of the spotlight. Of course she's going to be emotional. If she wasn't, she wouldn't be human. And she's going to be less rational than a man holding that office. It's the truth - deal with it.
I was rather disappointed that a "conservative" such as Mr. Sullivan would treat Ms. Swift's comments so harshly. The fact of the matter is that women are different with childbearing being the most obvious manifestation of those differences. Mothers are not rewarded for being rational, they are rewarded for taking care of their children. That does not mean mothers are stupid or incapable, but running the state of Massachusetts during and after a twin pregnancy is probably not the ideal. So, cut the woman some slack for being honest. And all you women out there who think having children had no effect on your brain - think again.
Hat's off the the NYO for naming Letterman as their Media Man of the Year. I have been a huge fan since college. I'm still smarting that I did not see his 9/11 monologue.
Those are two of the reasons I am a Republican. But I still love Instapundit even if Prof. Reynolds is misguided here. (Sorry for the Prof. reference - once a law student, always a law student).