Jack Valenti Cuts in Line

Some time after 7am, a man in a black suit arrived.[1] His white hair was combed back. He wore black boots and a black tie. His shirt was pink, but otherwise he had a commanding, conservative look about him. He was carrying nothing but a pair of glasses.[2]

He arrived there some time after 7:00 in the morning and walked past all the others who were standing in line. They had camped there thru the night, reserving a place in line. I guess he just figured the line was for someone else. He was an important man, after all.

The black-booted man started up the steps, but a policeman spotted him. The officer blew his whistle and told him to stop.

There on the white marble steps of the Supreme Court, with the white marble columns at the top framing the closed, carved doors of the building, the young policeman stopped the black-booted, white-haired man from going any further.

I suppose it was because the officer was young. I suppose he didn't recognize the face. I suppose he didn't know who he was stopping. And in the end, I suppose the man got to go in, anyway.

But the sound of the policeman's whistle and the image of that lecture on the steps of the peoples' court must have been something, even if for only a moment.

---
Grokster day at the Supreme Court
[1] An eyewitness report.
[2] A photo of the event.

10:32:55 PM   permalink: []   feedback:   comments: []  

Dead Wrong or Slam Dunk

Dead wrong or slam dunk? You make the call.

Of course no one is paying attention to this anymore, so it really doesn't matter. This is the stuff of 21st century American governance.

We're busy. We're tired. We're struggling. We're distracted. We have short attention spans. They know it. And they know how to use it.

7:26:37 PM   permalink: []   feedback:   comments: []