ergo propter bop
I’ve heard some criticism of the memorial as being too upbeat, too much like a political or pep rally. What that reminds me of is a funeral I attended several years ago. The minister pointed down at the casket and said:
She’s dead. This funeral is not for her. Funerals are for the living!
It was kind of shocking at the time, but it explains the need to help us heal and keep moving forward in the face of immeasurable loss and sadness and pain. All I can think right now is, “Amen!”
Christina Taylor Green was born on September 11, 2001 and was among those killed in Tucson last Saturday. After listening to President Obama talk about this idealistic nine year old and seeing a bit of the news coverage of her funeral today, I couldn’t help thinking about Tom Harrell’s “Wise Children.” I have no idea what motivated this mournful tune, but it certainly fits the occasion. I especially liked these words from the President:
Imagine — imagine for a moment, here was a young girl who was just becoming aware of our democracy; just beginning to understand the obligations of citizenship; just starting to glimpse the fact that some day she, too, might play a part in shaping her nation’s future. She had been elected to her student council. She saw public service as something exciting and hopeful. She was off to meet her congresswoman, someone she was sure was good and important and might be a role model. She saw all this through the eyes of a child, undimmed by the cynicism or vitriol that we adults all too often just take for granted.
I want to live up to her expectations. I want our democracy to be as good as Christina imagined it. I want America to be as good as she imagined it. All of us -– we should do everything we can to make sure this country lives up to our children’s expectations.
Wise children indeed.
Update: On rdio.com I created a playlist containing songs inspired by the events of 9/11. It’s since been updated with songs inspired by Hurricane Katrina and, today, songs that seem fitting for the events of Tucson, and especially the death of Christina Taylor Green:
Maybe it’s the presence of the wise Latina Justice, rather than her opinions, that matters most. Consider my golf experience…
I love golf and have spent countless hours watching, reading, practicing and playing it. As much as I’ve learned over the years, I’m always amazed when I listen to someone like Johnny Miller or Nick Faldo describe a golfer’s swing on television.
Miller and Faldo see things at full speed that I can barely recognize after they’ve explained it to me with the aid of super-slow-motion HD video. Supination? Angles? Inside path? Outside? Too steep? Too shallow? How about that “thump” sound in a bunker? Or how they can tell whether there was grass between the club and ball, whether the shot is fat or thin, by listening to the sound?
The thing is, when it comes to golf, I don’t know even one-tenth of what I don’t know. There are people who know a lot more, and I learn so much just by being in their presence.
That’s exactly how diversity works. It’s not that a group (racial, gender, ethnic, etc.) can only be represented by a member of that group. It’s more likely that non-members may not even know what they don’t know. It’s what they wouldn’t even think about unless someone “more diverse” (in background, experience, point of view) was there.
Justices describe the presence of Thurgood Marshall’s stories as more influential than his single vote on cases. His mere presence in the room altered the trajectory of their deliberations. They had to think about how Thurgood would hear and react to what they might say1:
“‘Marshall could be a persuasive force just by sitting there,’ Justice Antonin Scalia told Juan Williams in an interview for a biography of Justice Marshall, recalling the justices’ private conferences about cases. ‘He wouldn’t have to open his mouth to affect the nature of the conference and how seriously the conference would take matters of race.’”
The same thing applies to the women who have served on the Court. They know stuff that the men simply would never consider. Their mere presence enriched the discussions, at least in certain areas.
BTW, my point is not a new one. For example, see Every Justice Creates a New Court by Linda Greenhouse.
Diversity affects companies the same way. It’s just always better to have a panoply of opinions and experiences. Courts and companies make better decisions that way. Especially when the leader knows how to assemble and manage a good team!
1 The Waves Minority Judges Always Make by the New York Times’ Adam Liptak.
Nice set of photos documenting the first 100 days of the Obama administration:
I like that we’re all invited along for the ride and also the continued embrace of social media. This is what Web 2.0 is really all about!
(0) [9:24pm] - (Comments Off)echovar’s The MicroCaster in Chief, puts President Obama in the context of jazz musicians:
“Watching President Barack Obama work his way through the long, long inaugural day, I see a virtuoso. In each venue, at each moment, he’s broadcasting live across multiple streams of media. It’s live, well thought out, and in the moment. While the messages are carried by the major media networks, the voice speaks to the micro-community.
“...
“When a great player improvises he’s not making things up out of thin air. He knows the scales, the changes, the modes, the melody, the rhythm and the audience. And from those raw materials he makes something both familiar and new.”
It’s a good comparison as Obama always seems to be operating on several levels at once. The post is interspersed with YouTube jazz snippets. I especially liked this one of Anthony Braxton performing “Impressions”:
(0) [11:45am] - (Comments)Hi Walt!
Happy New Year!
This is a pretty spectacular weekend for all of us. In part because the times demand a major change. In part because we worked so hard last year and it’s great to see the culmination of all of those efforts. There’s hope for solving some of the major problems facing the nation and the world. And, of course, there’s the historical significance.
The thing that gets to me emotionally is thinking about all the people I knew growing up — my mother and father, grandmothers, aunts, uncles, teachers, etc. — who are no longer with us. I never expected to see a black president but at least considered it a possibility. Those folks had struggles I’ve never faced and I wish I could share tomorrow’s inauguration with them. It’s all pretty deep!
Hope you and your family are doing well!
Bill
The election is over (well except in Minnesota). Obama’s campaign made history in any number of ways, including the campaign’s strong design sense and the amount of freedom given to volunteers. Design for Obama ties those two elements together.
Campaigns, politics and, governing are normally all about control:
The Obama campaign clearly mastered the “give up control to get control” concept. If you want to win, you have to give up a lot of control while still maintaining control. Interesting concept.
This approach wouldn’t have been successful without a compelling candidate, a compelling message, superb communications strategy, a disciplined team, and a whole lot of trust. That so many people could independently create designs that support, and rarely seem to conflict with, the campaign’s themes is an extraordinary achievement!
At 4:50 in the following video, Tucker Carlson asks Zbig about Clinton’s claims of foreign policy experience gained as first lady. His response had the Morning Joe crew ROTFL...
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