Judicial Activism, Boomers, and More Prattle

Today’s Big Story, of course, is the NSA electronic surveillance program is unconstitutional and violates your civil rights, according to Judge Anna Diggs Taylor. Judge Taylor found for the usual suspects plaintiffs, described by the WSJ as “a group that includes the ACLU and assorted academics, lawyers and journalists who believe their conversations may have been tapped but almost surely weren't.” I believe that’s a fair and accurate description of the plaintiffs, who did a fine job of judge shopping. Big news today, but Judge Taylor will almost certainly be overturned by the Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. The NSA program will continue to operate under a stay until the government’s appeal is heard.

For what it’s worth (and it’s not worth a whole helluva lot), the New York Times’ entirely predictable op-ed on the subject, replete with terms like “lawless administration” and “scathing condemnation,” is here. The WaPo writes that Judge Taylor’s decision is “is neither careful nor scholarly, and it is hard-hitting only in the sense that a bludgeon is hard-hitting.” In other words, the decision is full of sound and fury but lacks judicial substance. Judge for yourself: the entire 44 page opinion is here, in pdf format.

In a rather interesting coincidence (to me, at least), I happened to stumble on to a couple of Boomer-oriented TV programs yesterday. The first, and better of the two, was a five minute or so segment on BBC World (News) about British Boomers. I liked this segment because it featured a group of Brit-Boomer sport bikers…guys who’ve gone out and dropped significant sums of money on high-zoot sport bikes like the Bimota, machines whose capabilities far exceed the age-impaired reflexes of their riders. But, Hey!… good on these guys. I relate to these geezers in full road-racing leathers much more so than American doctors, lawyers, and Indian corporate chiefs in fringed vests astride their Hogs. A matter of taste, I suppose.

The second show was a puff-piece from a series running on PBS entitled “Boomers! Redefining Life After Fifty!” The show’s web site describes the series thusly:

Boomers! is filmed in communities across the country. Each program has three feature stories, and shorter segments on health, personal finance, and lifestyles. Boomer trivia questions will be woven into the mix. While some episodes use graphics and music to invoke memories of the 50s and 60s, Boomers! is forward-looking and substantive, exploring the central life concerns facing the Boomer generation.

“…exploring the central life concerns facing the Boomer generation.” You mean like…uh…growing old gracefully? Without being in denial? And without calling attention to the fact that you are, in fact, OLD? Forgive me, Gentle Reader, but I’m getting oh-so-tired of the self-indulgent pap generated by the Boomers. Go on out there and sky-dive, go bungie jumping, climb Mt. Everest if you want. But just shut the Hell up about it, OK?

Full disclosure: I’m not a Boomer, what with being born nine months before the official start-date of the Me Generation. Technically, I’m a member of the Silent Generation, described by William Manchester as “withdrawn, cautious, unimaginative, indifferent, unadventurous and silent." Maybe that explains my attitude towards the Boomers. Whatever. It’s a bitch being betwixt and between, ain’t it?

Just in case you don’t venture into the urbane drawing room that is the comments section of this blog, I want to bring the following comment from Reader Bec to the front page:

By the way, my youngest son captured this last night from one of his favorite sites (YTMND) on the size of the universe. (That's "You're the Man Now Dog" and if you don't know what that's all about, here's an explanation.)

That “size of the universe” link is very cool! And you gotta love the Wikipedia entry on YTMND…it’s “all that and a bag of chips,” ain’t it? There’s absolutely nothing you could possibly want to know on the subject that isn’t covered in detail at the link, coming perilously close to “more info than you need.” But that’s the Wiki for ya. I love it.

Another great sunrise this morning, but no pics. While I was up in time to savor the brilliant reds, golds, and deep blues of this morning’s show, I wasn’t quite ready to get out there and take a few snaps. Read that as: “the coffee wasn’t finished brewing.”

Today’s Pic: The colors of Yellowstone’s Porcelain Basin, taken in May, 2000.