As if on cue, several moments after I pressed the "publish" button on my wrap-up of the Values Voter Summit 2010, the main news page on Yahoo carried this special gem of an article: Montana GOP policy: Make homosexuality illegal At a time when gays have been gaining victories across the country, the Republican Party in Montana still wants to make homosexuality illegal. The party adopted an official platform in June that keeps a long-held position in support of making homosexual acts … [Read more...]
Some Things to Think About the IX Amendment of the United States Constitution
August 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment
I happened to re-read some of Justice Scalia's opinions tonight and in his Evans dissent, Scalia stated: Since the Constitution of the United States says nothing about this subject, it is left to be resolved by normal democratic means ... I think that this sort of belief is dangerous, illogical and foolish, especially in light of the IX Amendment to the United States Constitution, which is part of the Bill of Rights, which founding father Madison demanded so people wouldn't foolishly declare … [Read more...]
Which Supreme Court Justice Are You? (I’m Anthony Kennedy)
August 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment
I just took the test rated highest for accuracy answering the question "Which Supreme Court Justice Are You?". Turns out, like the famous world's-smallest-political-test I took the other day, I really am a centrist. I match Justice Kennedy 72% of the time, and he is the swing vote on the court that makes most of the decisions. Justice Thomas, Justice Alito and Chief Justice Roberts were close runners-up based upon my answers. The criticisms from the far right of Kennedy are that he … [Read more...]
My Analysis of Judge Walker’s Proposition 8 Ruling, Perry v. Schwarzenegger, Legalizing Gay Marriage in California (and Possibly the Entire United States)
August 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment
I finally got through the ruling from Judge Vaughn Walker in Perry v. Schwarzenegger which overturned Proposition 8 as unconstitutional and it is scathing. I have never read anything worded this strongly other than Scalia's dissent in Lawrence v. Texas where you could virtually hear the man shrieking with fists flying (and I say that having tremendous, enormous respect for Justice Scalia's intellect, which at times, soars to the level of an apostle preaching legal gospel). Perry v. … [Read more...]
Is the Phrase “Unelected Activist Judge” an Insult or a Compliment?
August 5, 2010 By Leave a Comment
I've been too busy to post my reaction and thoughts on the Perry v. Schwarzenegger ruling from the district court that struck down Proposition 8 as unconstitutional and made gay marriage legal. I'll try to get to that in the next few days but the businesses must come first. (You know my rule: Unless I've read something completely, I try not to discuss it or give an opinion. I wanted to get through the entire 136 pages of Judge Walker's opinion before commenting.) UPDATE: My analysis of the … [Read more...]
Is There a Separation of Church and State in the United States?
July 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment
A friend from college and I have been discussing whether the separation of church and state is what the founders intended and whether it is a good or bad thing for society. After a few years of studying the issue, here are my conclusions. I'll keep it as brief as I can. I despise intellectual dishonesty more than almost anything else. The simplest definition of intellectual dishonesty is when someone knowingly excludes information or data that would hurt his or her own point of view … [Read more...]
My Reflections on Christian Legal Society Chapter of University of California Hastings College of Law v. Martinez Supreme Court Ruling
June 28, 2010 By 1 Comment
Back in college, when I was the student body treasurer and chairman of the finance board, a Christian group known as Campus Crusade for Christ threatened to sue the university because they wanted to be officially recognized. The problem was they required that their elected leaders leaders sign a personal "Statement of Beliefs" pledge that included a provision affirming that homosexuality was a sin and the leader did not engage in immoral sexual conduct. This went against the university's … [Read more...]
The Supreme Court Is On a Roll Today … Rulings on “Guns, God, and Gays” All In a Single Morning
June 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment
In addition to the Kagan confirmation hearings this morning, did anyone notice the opinions the Supreme Court of the United States of America released today? Two major ones that have been watched very closely in conservative and liberal circles alike were decided on 5-4 decisions. McDonald v. City of Chicago: The court ruled that laws banning gun ownership in private homes for self-defense go too far and are unconstitutional under the second amendment. I have to agree with the majority on … [Read more...]
We’ve Taken Sides in the Johnny Weir v. Evan Lysacek War
May 3, 2010 By 1 Comment
Around the office, we discuss weighty issues - recent Supreme Court cases, appropriate regulation of derivatives, pricing of complex options trades, etc. For the past week, however, the water cooler talk has been the somewhat quasi-feud between Johnny Weir and Evan Lysacek. Unfortunately, I've gotten sucked in because as I'm reading Fortune and The Wall Street Journal, a lot of people I know and care about are (I'm sad to say) reading People, US, and the other tabloid magazines. One can … [Read more...]
What “Take Our Country Back” Really Means
March 28, 2010 By 1 Comment
From a purely sociological and psychological perspective, I would have to agree with the recent assertions by Frank Rich in The New York Times regarding the true meaning of "take our country back", which has been the battle cry of the Tea Party Movement. In fact, I believe, after much reflection and study, that most of the anger (which seems to be originating almost entirely from the southern, poor, white, non-educated regions of the country) has to do with what Charlie Munger calls … [Read more...]
I'm a private investor who loves architecture, furniture, clothes, history, philosophy, books, cooking, and music as much as I do finance. 
