The Battle Blogs

For those interested, I have started a new blog at thesiegeperilous.wordpress.com. This new blog serves as an aggressive extension of my current blog and will act as my representative in the ongoing battle between the evil empires bordering my blogspace.

Foreign Shores

As the latest issue of The Advocate has now hit the stands, I’m simultaneously e-publishing my article therein. Shortly hereafter, I’m sure, to be followed by further posts enjoining the battle of the blogs.

Relating the full experience of El Salvador in a few hundred words is impossible. The best one can hope for is a brief glimpse into the feelings, impressions, and thoughts of those who spent a week of their winter break in Central America. For fourteen students and two professors, the sensations and observations of a foreign land still percolate in their minds, a turmoil of unfiltered information. It is hard to summarize a life-changing experience.

For Professor Cynthia Mertens, life changed nearly five years ago. As part of Santa Clara University’s continuing relationship with the University of Central America (UCA), Mertens participated in a faculty immersion experience that took her – along with a group of other SCU faculty – to El Salvador for a week of in-depth exposure to its people and culture. Touched by her experiences, Mertens wrote in her journal, “I hope to create the opportunity for law students to feel the same passion, the same flame – the need – to make the world a more equitable place.”

Two years later Mertens led a group of fourteen law students to El Salvador. Carefully selected from a large pool of applicants, those students attended a tailored lecture series to prepare them with the historical and political foundations necessary to understand the conditions in El Salvador. Of that first experience, Mertens later wrote, “It was an educational experience with tremendous emotional impact. In short, it was the best educational experience I have provided students in my 29 years of teaching law school and rates as the best professional experience of my career as a lawyer.”

Exhausted from her second trip to El Salvador, and busy with work at the Katharine and George Alexander Community Law Center, Mertens suggested that an additional faculty member be prepared for the possibility of any future immersion experiences. Happy to take on the task, Professor Gary Neustadter and his wife participated in the faculty immersion trip in September 2004. Together, Mertens and Neustadter accompanied fourteen students to El Salvador from Jan. 1-8, 2006, in what they hoped would be the second in a continuing series of excursions to Central America.

In order to comprehend such a singular experience, it is necessary to know something of the discordant modern history of El Salvador. For decades, before civil war erupted in 1980, the Salvadoran government rested in the hands of the military. During the ‘60s and early ‘70s, a growing movement of leftist dissension began to threaten the right-wing junta. After two elections, which arguably saw the junta manipulate results, and the institution of “Death Squads” to deal with vocal dissenters, the left’s patience dried up. As cleric after cleric died, and protest after protest elicited tragic responses from the government, the opposition forces finally organized. In January 1981, they united to form the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (Frente Farabundo Marti de Liberacion or FMLN).

For the next eleven years, junta and FMLN opposition forces battled for control of El Salvador. Fueled by Cold War fears of communism, the Reagan administration sponsored the right-wing junta and allocated several millions of dollars to ensure they remained in power. During the civil war, estimated casualties reached upwards of 70,000 dead. It was not until the very visible and bloody execution of six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper, and her daughter at the UCA, that the international community moved to intervene.
As reports of the junta’s inhumane actions reached the United States and the United Nations, both sides of the conflict sought UN arbitration in brokering a peace. In January 1992, their efforts culminated in the Peace Accords and put an end to twelve years of civil war.

Fourteen years later the scars of war remain. Although the axes lie under the ground and the guns are silenced, El Salvador remains a country divided by political fervor. Apologetics and propaganda plaster most available surfaces and give the appearance of a country caught in an ideological conflagration. Primary among those responsible for the graffitic advertising are the political descendants of the civil war: the FLMN is the philosophical child of the left-wing opposition army while the right-wing junta and supporters merged to form the Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA). Both sides remain in control of different areas of the country, and though they remain at peace, they still do battle for political and economic control.

In part because of that battle, in part because of a history of abject poverty, and in part because of the problems that come with it, El Salvador struggles to climb from the dust of its village streets into the twenty-first century.  2L Greg Hartman expressed his excitement to see some progress in labor conditions as demonstrated during the group’s visit to the Just Garments factory. The first factory in El Salvador to unionize, Just Garments formerly held a contract with The Gap, before public pressure forced The Gap to cease its unethical labor practices.  Now a unionized company, Just Garments pays more than any other factory in the country.  Although the pay differential remains small, union representatives seem optimistic for a renewed contract with The Gap at ethical prices.  Despite such positive steps, the progress is slow, and El Salvador still stumbles in the languor of reconstruction.

In contrast to the well groomed lawns and regularly swept streets of Santa Clara, the lake beside Copapayo is rimmed by a beach of refuse. Poison from contaminants seeps into the water and poisons the fish; fish which more often than not serve as food for the villagers of Copapayo. Among the first, and probably most lasting, impressions of El Salvador was the group’s visit to the El Salvadoran campo Copapayo which imprinted a human reality of the horrors of war and the deprivations of poverty.

Organized by a woman who lived in the campo – a member of the Women’s Association for Defense and Development (Defensa) – the group’s visit to Copapayo included a meeting with the community’s leadership, a tour of the community, an overnight stay in the campo, and several conversations with survivors of the civil war and the government’s mistreatment of the leftist village.

One student, 2L Ann Larson, recalled meeting a woman who was paralyzed on one side of her face from injuries sustained during the civil war. She spoke of another “name, her guerilla name.  She talked about having been involved in this massacre where this group of people fled because they heard that the military was coming.  “They had to get off of this island, so some of the people got on boats to get off of the island.  The people that remained were all killed – about a hundred people – and the only ones who survived were two children who had hidden during this massacre.”

At the time of their visit, Copapayo’s population numbered little more than a hundred. Some electricity and no running water made living conditions difficult. Despite the lack of modern conveniences, and their extreme isolation from the nearest large population center, the citizens of Copapayo offered several large meals to the group and held a village gathering to celebrate with them. After dinner and dancing, the group bedded down on the floor of the community center – fourteen students and two professors – for a rural sleepover. “It was an instant bonding experience for us all,” said 2L Jeremiah Armstrong.  

On Wednesday night, the group ate dinner with Ruben Zamora, a former presidential candidate and current professor at the University of Central America (UCA). After some confusion and a hastily improvised introduction, Zamora spoke to the group.
According to Armstrong, Zamora provided a well-balanced overview of what he thought needed to happen in order to transform El Salvador into a society where people were free to speak without such an extreme level of oppression. For Zamora, the issue of free speech was especially pertinent, as his brother had been assassinated during the civil war by government death squads for “voicing his opinion a little too loudly.”

The next day the group made an impromptu visit to what is considered the best orphanage in the country. Cribs filled with babies lined the hall and the entire facility struggled to sustain its allotment of abused and abandoned children. 2L Minal Belani said, “I thought it was good that the government was spending money on such a program. It was really sad to go and see.”

After they visited with the youngest children inside, their guide led them into a courtyard where several of the older children gathered. The boys and girls ranged from four or five to twelve and thirteen years old and were filled with excitement to receive their visitors. Each of the children quickly grabbed hold of a student’s hand in what seemed a warm and welcoming embrace. That’s when it dawned on Professor Mertens “that they thought we were there to choose a child to adopt, and that again, just broke my heart.”

Later that same day, the group met with Judge Astrid Torres, a criminal law judge with responsibility for one of the country’s maximum security prisons. 3L Lisa Chen described Torres, “She was this little woman and she has tried to take a stand against the government in terms of prisoner’s rights and to fight for what she thinks is right. She’s had the media write terrible things about her and she still doesn’t care. She does what she thinks is right.” Because of her efforts to provide for the basic human rights of prisoners, Torres receives regular death threats. “For some people,” said Chen, “she’s viewed as a troublemaker...She’s looking out for them [the prisoners] and she’s making sure they’re afforded that certain right. She’s had things said about her and she still believes in her cause.” For many of the students, Torres’s example of steadfastness, in the midst of corruption, served as a powerful example.

But was her example, and the examples of all those whom the group met, enough to change lives? It is still too soon to determine how this experience will affect the lives of those who went to El Salvador. It is still too soon for many of them to truly understand what happened. It is not too soon, however, to realize the potential power of this program, and the opportunity for education that it provides. Even though the full impact is limited to those who participated, the enthusiasm and passion expressed by those participants is contagious. It seems unlikely that they will soon forget their time in Central America. Finally, Professor Mertens expressed her hope for the future of this group, “The law school, the profession, and the community will benefit from the perspective that these students will bring to their courses and eventually to the practice of law.”

Holiday Films

Now that I’m back in the swing of things, school’s started again, and Professor Henderson has resumed her incessant drone which sounds similar to Charlie Brown’s teacher. Wah, wah, wah. Because of this professor induced boredom, I turn to more interesting pursuits, one of them a review of Holiday films. I don’t intend to give an in depth review of each film I saw, simply my brief thoughts on the film and my initial impressions. Of course, as I am writing this some time after I saw certain of the films, the initial aspect may slide into a delayed response. With that in mind, here it goes.

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA

For fans of C.S. Lewis’s Narnia Chronicles, this movie probably serves as a long awaited dream come true. The film remains loyal to the original story for the most part, the only change a Disney inspired sanitization wherein the kids are sent to the country to avoid the Blitz rather than because their parents are dead. It is an unfortunate change because the orphaning of the children provides a major motivation for their behaviors and actions, motivation which seems hollow and unreal without those pivotal deaths. Otherwise, the movie plods forward step for step by the book. The director adds nothing of his own to the film and the only emotional high points come during the climactic battle, a watered down version of some of the tamer shots from Lord of the Rings. All in all I was not impressed and don’t recommend this film for general audiences.

KING KONG
Peter Jackson’s childhood dream comes to the big screen in a big way. He managed to rescue a lackluster plot and provide a character driven adventure which moves the audience through a large spectrum of emotion. The special effects are incredible, moving from recreations of Depression New York to a twenty minute dual between King Kong and three T-Rex dinosaurs. Jack Black turned in an excellent performance with a series of laugh provoking expressions. Naomi Watts and Adrien Brody also did exceptional work against their computer created co-actors. If for nothing else, this movie deserves to excel on Jackson’s ability to turn what was a mediocre idea into a well done and interesting film. Unfortunately, it’s up against Narnia, which seems to be taking a large chunk out of its box office take. Either way, this film should cement Jackson and his team as first rate film makers who are worthy of making any movie they damn well please.

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN

A love story between two cowboys, Brokeback Mountain, is one of the best romances I’ve seen in a long while. In a genre that traditionally succeeds by stamping gay on the cover and marketing to a starved audience, Brokeback Mountain succeeds as a quality story with quality craftsmanship in its portrayal. Writing, directing, and acting all turn in professional performances highlighted by Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams characters; Ledger specifically showing a new side to a traditionally romantic comedy heavy career. Moving and emotionally draining, the movie portrays the realistic struggles and difficulties many homosexuals face. From broken homes to disappointed expectations to brief moments of love and passion, Ang Lee shows the entire gamut. A little slow, and possibly too faithful to the original story, Brokeback Mountain falls under my recommended titles.

MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA

Interesting, slow, and beautiful; this film has all three elements, and that’s really all I’m going to say about that for now.

SYRIANA
A surprising combination of Crash and Spartan, Syriana comes in as my favorite Holiday Film. An intricate plot cuts among numerous characters all involved in the oil industry and the backroom dealings that occur in order to accomplish their individual economic expectations. The filmmakers develop their characters effectively, and sympathetically, and paint the United States oil industry as a rather nefarious organization. Only rarely does their message come across as heavy handed, and is definitely subsumed in the forward action of the story. The movie further excels in the fact that George Clooney fails to ruin the film, which says a great deal for it. One of the top ensemble films I’ve seen, this is a must see and I highly recommend it.

And with that, in my hurried, middle of Torts class, way, I am done with my Holiday film review, and almost done with today’s Torts class.

Ordinary Heroes

In December, I read Scott Turow’s latest book Ordinary Heroes and wrote a review in the thought of publishing it in the school paper. It’s a little clunky, and I may revisit it before the newspaper comes due, but I thought I’d put it up, as I’m sitting in Torts and bored out of my mind. So here it is, my mediocrely written book review.

By eschewing his customary setting in contemporary Kindle County, a fictional Midwest city based on Chicago, Scott Turow creates a memorable trip through the dangerous battlefields of World War II Europe. Inspired loosely by experiences of his own father, and written in an attempt to come to an understanding of the experiences of the Greatest Generation, Ordinary Heroes relates the tale of a man’s search for his father’s past and the father’s search for self-realization.

David Dubinsky’s father never spoke of his time in Europe during World War II. He kept his adventures secret until the day he died. Only then did his son discover letters in the attic that referred to a passionate love affair and a clandestine imprisonment. Driven to discover his father’s history, and opposed by his tight-lipped mother, Dubinsky crosses the country to recreate a forgotten life. A breakthrough in detection comes when he meets his father’s wartime lawyer and receives a memoir written to explain the decisions which landed Stewart Dubin in jail.

A lawyer for the Judge Advocate General, Dubin is charged with the investigation of an OSS spy, a task which proves more difficult and slippery than he ever imagined. Faced with conflicting accounts, a charming spy, and his equally charming mistress Dubin struggles to reconcile the military’s word with the spy’s. His efforts take him on a daring OSS raid, to the front lines during the German’s last, gasping effort at the Battle of the Bulge, and into the heart of a sultry Gypsy who threatens to unravel everything in which Dubin believes.

Well crafted and easy to read, Turow masterfully recreates the environs and incidents that affected many soldiers during the Allies’ final push into Germany. Always the lawyer, he portrays these events from the point of view of another lawyer, a conflicted man who longs for battle and struggles to understand the mind of the common soldier. Although filled with detailed description of WWII France, Dubin’s journey is distinguished by his interior monologue, a primary feature of Turow’s narrative, and an effective method to promote reader identification with a likeable character.

By turning to the past, Turow unearths a rich and multi-faceted world for a new generation of readers. Thick with stunning revelations of character, Ordinary Heroes is foremost a novel of ordinary people who strive to accomplish extraordinary things. It leaves the reader with a feeling of hope, and a belief that even the little things in life make a difference.

"The Judgment of Harry Punch"

As The Cynic Online Magazine has had this story for a month, and thus I have allowed them their first electronic publication rights as per our agreement, I feel it appropriate to now post this on my own site. I got the inspiration for this show watching Inside the Actor’s Studio when Robin Williams was on the show. The moderator asked him the question: If you go to heaven, what would you like to hear God say? Robin Williams then responded with the basic joke of this story. I won’t relate it now as that would give it away, but here it is: “The Judgment of Harry Punch.”

On Thursday morning, early, after ditching a beautiful blonde, Harry Punch climbed into his freshly minted Porsche convertible for the last time. He never saw the stretched Hummer blow through the red light. Nor did he see the news coverage of his funeral, an impressive spectacle mobbed by Hollywood's finest gowns and tuxes. But most importantly Harry Punch missed the reading of his will, and the parceling of his considerable estate to various battered women's charities, organizations to which he contributed quite generously in life, if one considers victims a contribution.

Perhaps what surprised Harry Punch the most about death, were the pearly gates, great big shiny bars that seemed to rise into infinity, and the fact that St. Peter let him walk right through without a single question.

Comedian that he was, Harry Punch found irony in the reversal of his life-long expectations. Ever since he lost his virginity at the age of fifteen to a meaty brunette (Harry remembered women by the color of their hair) he knew God would never let him into Heaven. Every year he received further confirmation of this fact from the sisters at St. Jude's Jesuit school, and the clergy at his parish, or at least he did until his parents kicked him out, and he took the opportunity to remove himself from the church.

Thus it was that Harry Punch ventured into the midst of the Heavenly Host and cringed as their golden trumpets roared an anthem reminiscent of John Phillips Sousa. As he ducked his head and covered his ears he spotted a shaded door in a dark corner and hurried towards it. Whatever lurked on the other side couldn't be worse than the over bright decoration and perky inhabitants he had seen so far.

As soon as he stepped through the door into a dimly lit, smoke filled...bar, Harry Punch loosed a peal of laughter. Not only was Heaven filled with irony, it held its share of cliches as well. Worse still, a short bald man stood on a stage with a microphone in his hand, "Mr. Punch, welcome."

Harry Punch blinked and realized the fat man on the stage spoke to him. "Thank you, I think."

"No thanks are necessary Harry, we've been waiting for you," the man on stage waved to a chair beside a chubby redhead, "Have a seat."

"I think I'd prefer one at the bar."

The man on stage laughed, and the scattered crowd did the same. "I'm sorry Harry, we don't serve alcohol here, not in your Heaven."

"No booze in Heaven?" Harry Punch shook his head and retreated to the door. It was locked. "What's going on?"

"Have a seat Harry, eternity's a long time to stand."

"But-"

The man on stage who upon further inspection resembled Danny Devito shook his head and grinned. "We've devised a special place for your kind Harry, a place filled with special tortures for your special sins. So have a seat and we'll get on with the show."

"Show?"

The man on stage nodded. "The sooner you sit, the sooner we start."

"But-"

"Yes, that's what I'm asking you to use," the man on stage said and the audience rumbled with appreciative laughter.

Harry tried the door one more time before he slumped his shoulders and trudged to the offered seat. As he settled into the hard backed chair he leaned to the redhead and asked, "Who is this guy?"

She didn't move, just whispered through the corner of her mouth, "God."

"God, this jerk is God? Danny Devito is God?"

The red head nodded slowly as God stepped to center stage and raised the microphone to his mouth. "Two Jews walked into a bar..."

Sacred Experience

I wrote this poem on the plane home with the intentions of handing it over to my brother to add some music. My mother asked me to write some Christmas song lyrics and I couldn’t bring Christmas, so I looked inside and decided that I felt passionate about this, about the idea that there are some experiences in life which can’t be shared. Whether it’s war, or religion, or trauma, or education, there are things which are so personal and so unique, that they cannot be explained except with those who have experienced the same thing. With that in mind, I wrote the following, and I hope these words show some of that passion.

I CANNOT TELL

Snow falls softly from the sky
Fire flickers in your eyes
While Christmas fills the world with light
I want to hold you close tonight,
But deep inside my heart’s not right.
Weighed down by a world of lies.

Silence settles quickly now
Aloft my furrowed brow
I wonder if God’s gracious son
Felt to share his cross with anyone,
Or bore it till his life was done?
To earn his heavenly crown.

Alone we sit together
A wife and her old soldier
I’ll love you with my shattered heart
In my world of lonely sorrow
For you don’t understand me now
And I can’t let you in.

I’ve been to the wars and I came back
What I’ve seen and done I’ll not forget
I want to tell you this Christmas Eve
Show you scars you won’t believe
But you weren’t in that hole back there
And it’s something I can’t ever share.

I’ll fight the fight forever
I’ll never wander far.
I’ll keep your love unsevered
I’ll love you like the stars
But I can’t tell you what I saw
Not you, not now, not ever.

Escape from Ennui

In the infinite abyss of boredom which opens before me as the last review session of the semester winds to an inexorable end, I find my mind turning to other interests, in fact, to anything at all. As I have recently had opportunity to view two spectacular films, I feel to discuss their merits in an attempt to stave my impending death by ennui. This last weekend I ignored the pressing need to study for the midterms which hang precariously over my head and attended Harry Potter and Walk the Line.  

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the fourth and arguably the best Harry Potter book. The same can be said of the movie. Not only did the movie hang on a framework of excellent plot and interesting character development, it excelled by virtue of impressive direction. The sequences of romantic interaction between the three main characters blew me away, and the action sequences of Harry in the TriWizard Tournament provided some breathtaking, edge of your seat entertainment. In addition, the young actors are truly blossoming into professional performers and at times demonstrate a real maturity in their acting. Despite the race from beginning to end, the film did not succeed on all levels.

A few elements of the film both contradicted the book and may have alienated fans. Throughout the books Albus Dumbledore remains a dignified, graceful mentor to Harry and other characters. In this film, Michael Gambon’s portrayal of the stately wizard devolved into a twittering, overly-concerned mother hen. He fidgeted from place to place, yelled at Harry, and came off as an overly strict, out of control head master. In addition, the beginning of the film came off as hurried and unconnected. Each scene cut to another with little transition and no real chance to orient oneself before moving to the next. Shortcomings aside, this is hands down the best Potter flick yet and deserves a viewing on the big screen.

The other film worthy of review is Walk the Line, an awe inspiring biopic about the life of Johnny Cash and his love affair with June Carter. Whether one approves of Cash’s life choices, it is hard to deny the impressive performances of both Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon, perhaps the most impressive element of the film. The directing is of limited influence on the film and comes across as a bit pedestrian, especially sequences of Cash’s detox which are filled with jump cuts and harsh lighting. But the director does succeed in showing the performances of his stars without getting in the way.

It is that performance which provides the real driving force behind the film. Both Phoenix and Witherspoon sing all of their own songs and between their onscreen performance and their singing, sound nearly identical to the originals. For the first time in my memory, I watched this film and forgot that I was watching an actor. I truly felt that I was watching Johnny Cash on the screen. Perhaps this is biased as I am a fan of Phoenix, but even for non-fans, his energy and presence on screen command attention. Witherspoon offers an equally impressive supporting role and manages to transcend her more common blonde character portrayals.

Both Harry Potter and Walk the Line deserve a big screen viewing, and in my world, a full price big screen viewing. They are both entertaining escapes from reality and give the viewer several meaningful character moments. It’s a great time in the theater, and a wonderful distraction from a tedious law review. But, in the words of Levar Burton, don’t take my word for it.

Anonymity Preferred

My good friend Triet posted a comment which noted the lack of anonymous posting on my blog, thus notifying me of a situation which I didn't realize. Now I know, and according to the famous words of G.I. Joe, "Knowing is half the battle." I have accordingly changed the settings on the blog to allow anonymous posts. In addition, I enabled a word confirmation feature which should cut down on the blogspam. Until next time...

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Angry

In recent days I’ve spent a good deal of time working on the school of law newspaper, and as such, my thoughts have turned to questions of civic involvement and the exercise of free speech. As such, I wrote the following column for the school paper and felt to include it here, although it may seem slightly inconsistent with my previous posts. I do this in hopes of sparking debate and discussion, and with luck, a little bit of improvement.

In temporarily discarding my normal Bush bashing, I choose instead to comment on an issue which stirs my passions: civic involvement. More specifically, letters to the editor, and a general lack of them. This is the third issue of the paper, and The Advocate’s editorial staff has yet to receive a single letter. I am tired of wandering the halls of Bannan and hearing a hundred good ideas, or worthy complaints, go unnoted by those in a position to make change. Particularly when an effective means of communication is readily available, and sadly underutilized. Journalistic freedom and participation may seem like mixed blessings, depending on the administration, but their purposes are legion. They prevent those in power from abusing that power. They provide a prod to progress and overcome administrative lethargy. They provide an opportunity to foster change and growth. Finally, they extend the debate beyond the talking heads of CNN and Fox News to the grassroots of Everytown, America. Unfortunately this effectiveness is limited by community members' desire to engage their media.

General apathy on the part of the student body permits those in positions of influence or power to intimidate right minded individuals from expressing their ideas. I know a 1L who took issue with a certain column in the last issue of The Advocate. Although the column was passed off as an opinion piece, she felt the facts cited misrepresented the situation and cast her in a bad light. I prompted her to write a letter to the editor to protest, and she even wrote one, but upon reconsideration she felt submission of that letter would expose her to possible retaliation in future columns. If students who felt strongly about an issue used the forum available in The Advocate to voice their opinions, my friend may not have felt so hesitant to raise her concerns.

Furthermore, students' silence contributes to the stagnation of progress and the continuation of mediocrity. Since the last issue of The Advocate hit Bannan, several individuals have approached me to discuss its contents. Some have suggested the purpose of The Advocate, and every student organization, should be to improve the reputation of the School of Law. Others have wondered if some aspect of the paper bordered on libelous behavior. Still others had more than a few choice words to say about opinions published in its pages. I believe many of these are worthwhile and fair criticisms, but unless they are made through students' exercise of their civic rights, they remain ephemeral suggestions lost to those with editorial power. If one wants to alter policy, one must speak up.

The Advocate offers an open and accessible venue for discussion of administration policy and ideas for improvement. When someone suggested to me that The Advocate take a long view of its relationship to the SBA and SCU School of Law, I took their point as a good one. My response, though, is this: the most effective way for a student organization like The Advocate to improve the reputation of this school is to provide a fair and open forum to praise and to criticize, as the case may warrant, School of Law policy and practice. If someone wants to change the purpose of The Advocate, let them write a letter to the editor. If someone wants to suggest a way to improve the School of Law rankings, write a letter to the editor. Dean Polden reads the paper, he’ll see the suggestion. If someone enjoyed a panel, or speaker, or other resource available on campus, write a letter to the editor. The person responsible will read it and feel ten times better. Use The Advocate for its purpose, an opportunity to inform and to report important news to the students here at Santa Clara University.

It is important to understand, though, that the nature of The Advocate imposes certain limitations. Because The Advocate is a monthly publication, it is difficult to fill its pages with late breaking news, or up to the minute reports about fascinating legal developments. What has always worked best, and will continue to work best, is a more timeless approach. Instead of trying to beat daily papers, newscasts, and web media, The Advocate is best suited for op/ed pieces and feature articles that highlight the achievements of students and faculty here at SCU. Limitations in reporting should not discourage anyone from participating in their community.

A vital and lively debate should not be limited to election time. The other day I surveyed past issues of The Advocate and discovered that published letters to the editor peaked during the 2004 presidential elections. As students of the law it seems our consideration of involvement should include more than national issues. Not every graduate of SCU School of Law will find themselves ensconced in the marbled halls of Washington, D.C., lobbying to affect national policy. Many, if not most, of us will spend our days interacting with clients, firms, or corporations. We will live our lives surrounded by friends and family, flesh and blood people, if you will. In the midst of our depersonalization of the human experience, shouldn’t we wonder how to improve our state, city, neighborhoods, and families? That is the purpose of a publication like The Advocate, to provide a place to worry and to wonder about all levels of society.

If The Advocate is not immediate enough, or high tech enough, I am posting this column to my blog and I welcome feedback and comments there. I would like to see a community of people involved and, to whatever extent possible, I intend to use my access to the media to encourage that involvement. You can submit letters to the editor at editor@theadvocate.us. This column and other musings are also located at thesiegeperilous.blogspot.com. Please shed the apathy and get involved.