Tag: Manners

A Question for My Older Brother

When I describe East Coast vs West Coast culture to my friends I often say “The East Coast is kind but not nice, the West Coast is nice but not kind,” and East Coasters immediately get it. West Coasters get mad. 😂😂😂

— Jordan Green (@jordonaut) January 21, 2021

Niceness is saying “I’m so sorry you’re cold,” while kindness may be “Ugh, you’ve said that five times, here’s a sweater!” Kindness is addressing the need, regardless of tone.

— Jordan Green (@jordonaut) January 21, 2021

Do you find this characterization, that “The East Coast is kind but not nice, the West Coast is nice but not kind,” to be accurate?

I do know that you have been less than enamored of the culture of the West Coast at times.

Man, This is Lame

As if wedding planning isn’t hard enough.

Britain’s Prince Harry and his American fiancée, the actress Meghan Markle, have told aides they want former U.S. President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, whom the young couple has grown close to, invited to their May 19 wedding.

But the government of Prime Minister Theresa May reportedly senses a diplomatic scandal in the making, the British newspaper the Sun reported, and would prefer the former U.S. first couple not make a high-profile appearance on British soil before current president Donald Trump — himself presumed absent from the guest list — comes for an official visit.

There are concerns among senior Foreign Office and 10 Downing St. officials that another perceived national snub will make it impossible for Theresa May to meaningfully engage with Trump, the paper reported in what it called a Christmas Day exclusive.

A senior government source reportedly told the Sun: “Harry has made it clear he wants the Obamas at the wedding, so it’s causing a lot of nervousness. Trump could react very badly if the Obamas get to a royal wedding before he has had a chance to meet [Queen Elizabeth],” the paper reported.

The reason that Donald Trump hasn’t met the Queen is because a state visit would be a complete clusterf%$#, and inevitable the protests, and the inevitable over-reaction by the British constabulary, would be an embarrassment for all involved.

This sort of spectacle would almost certainly be a political disaster for the Tories as well.

This perfect storm of lame amuses me.

Trump Gets a Bull Durham Lesson

The lesson in the movie Bull Durham is Never Call the Umpire a C%$#sucker.

When Trump disparaged (I would argue threatened) Federal Judge James Robart after he issued an injunction against his attempted Muslim ban, it was clear that no one in the Judiciary would be happy with this.

The 9th Circuit of Appeals ruled against rescinding the injunction, and what is significant is that they did so in a per curiam opinion.  (Note that the crack reporters at the Times somehow missed this.)

A per curiam opinion is unanimous, but it is also unsigned, and except in extremely rare cases (Corrupt Supreme Court Justices covering their asses in Bush v. Gore), it means something very specific.

To quote Scotusblog, “Traditionally, the per curiam opinion was used to signal that a case was uncontroversial, obvious, and did not require a substantial opinion.

In other words, it’s a way to say, “Your Kung Fu is weak, and you are stinking up the place.”

I think that the appellate court would have ruled in much the same way, and probably unanimously, had Trump not called out Judge Robart, but I think that it did so as a per curiam ruling was a message to the Trump as to what constitutes appropriate behavior with regard to the judiciary.

The only question is whether Trump will learn from this.  (I’m guessing that he won’t)

The standard disclaimer applies here, I am an engineer, not a lawyer, dammit.*

*I love it when I get to go all Dr. McCoy!