liamstliam | Nov. 1st, 2008

1. Welcome to baroness_bianca and stitchwhich. A total of 33 people slipped across the void into the Liamverse in October.

2. South African journalist Jackie May joins me -- and I hope much of the rest of the Liamverse -- in being appalled by Sarah Palin's views on "Freedom of Speech."

Before I sign off to spend the rest of the day reading War and Peace, I have to blog this nugget.

Sarah Palin during a radio interview on Friday, suggested that the press shut up so that she can exercise her First Amendment rights!

She told the radio host: “If [the media] convince enough voters that that is negative campaigning, for me to call Barack Obama out on his associations then I don’t know what the future of our country would be in terms of First Amendment rights and our ability to ask questions without fear of attacks by the mainstream media.”

Salon why she is so wrong:

If anything, Palin has this exactly backwards, since one thing that the First Amendment does actually guarantee is a free press. Thus, when the press criticizes a political candidate and a Governor such as Palin, that is a classic example of First Amendment rights being exercised, not abridged.

This isn’t only about profound ignorance regarding our basic liberties, though it is obviously that. Palin here is also giving voice here to the standard right-wing grievance instinct: that it’s inherently unfair when they’re criticized. And now, apparently, it’s even unconstitutional.

From Liam: Sigh. I guess she should have come up with Times v. Sullivan as the Supreme Court decision she disagreed with.

3. For my SCA friends, the second polling of Their Majesties appears to be rolling out this morning (Saturday).

Here's the scary part:

Please address all questions or concerns about the write-ups themselves to our major domo, Master Liam St. Liam, at liamstliam@gmail.com.

Translation: I can just see Bob The Builder: "Boys and girls, this is fucked. Let's e-mail Liam."

Yes, I know. I get the glory of seeing ~~sausage made~~ , I mean a royal reign from the inside.

4. Just sayin'

In the first letter of John (4:16) it states: "God is love and those who abide in love abide in God and God in them."

Thank you Father Geoff Farrow.

5. They just don't make movies like this any more.

The Marseillaise scene from Casablanca.

6. Last night's high school football game for your amusement. It was written in less than 40 minutes.

7. This picture, which has been viewed 456 times since mid-August, is easily the all-time leader on my Flickr account.

It's Lars and Mary, at the time king and queen of Northshield, on the way to opening ceremonies: