Confederate Memorial Day

In Georgia today is a state holiday, a hold-over from earlier years when a Democratic legislature more aligned to the old Confederacy than the modern day, could issue a proclamation commemerating the end of hostilities between the northern states and their southern sisters.

Back toward the beginning of this month, in 1865, in a modest white, clapboard farmhouse in central Virginia, Robert E. Lee had surrendered to General Grant, thus terminating the powerful Army of Northern Virginia. Lee returned to wife and children in Richmond, to later take a position as President of Washington College in Lexington. Grant returned to Washington DC and later, the presidency of the United States. Not soon thereafter, he would sit on his front porch and write his account of his life and the war he had just finished, providing a source of support for his wife and children after his death from throat cancer.

Meanwhile, the remnants of the Army of the Tennessee and the Army of Tennessee continued to dance their slow death waltz until today's date, when Joe Johnston surrendered his army to Uncle Billy Sherman at Bennett's farm near Durham, North Carolina.

That, oddly, is what we celebrate today in Georgia. We join our celebration with a few of the other states in the Old South. Other southern states will celebrate the holiday on Jefferson Davis' birthday in June. Of course, the Georgia state employees actually celebrated the holiday yesterday in order to give themselves a three day weekend, and some a four day weekend, if they celebrated Good Friday. I'm sure little thought was given to what they were actually celebrating.

Of course, we are more politic than that. We don't refer to Friday as Good Friday, lest we upset our non-Christian brothers and sisters and we don't refer to yesterday or today as Confederate Memorial Day. No, this is just a day like any other. Despite the significant actions which took place in central North Carolina, back in 1865.

In just a few months from now, one hundred and fifty some odd years ago, Uncle Billy would be out west exterminating the plains tribes of Native Americans more efficiently than Andrew Jackson and his federal troops and their marching orders. Little Big Horn and General Custer, notwithstanding. History is written by the victors, you know.

Easter and earthquakes

The gospels describe the crucifixion of Jesus on Golgotha. When he breathes his last, the earth shakes and the curtain in the temple is rent. For those of you who have followed my blog for some time and probably were wondering what was going on from December 2010 to the day after Easter 2011. Well, just consider it's the season for earthquakes.

Miracles do occur and sometimes I do have a thought to offer.

April, Easter and Atticus Finch

It has been some time since I wrote anything in this blog. One morning, on my way to Clayton, Georgia, up in Rabun County, I wanted to write something down so that I could vent about some Idiot who came up behind me in the early morning hours, driving on I-285 at the Memorial Drive exit, and poured his brights in my side view mirror to such an extent that I went blind for a few seconds and couldn't see in front of me, much less behind my car. I maneuvered the curve running under the overpass at Memorial Drive and got out from in front of the guy and regained my sight. Amazing Grace.

More of an amazing idiot, rather than amazing grace.

Anyway, I was reading a passage of characterization of the main characters in "To Kill a Mockingbird" a second ago and thought about the concept of grace in the book.
The main plotline in the book revolves around the trial of Tom Robinson, a black man, who is falsely accused of raping a white women in the small town in Alabama which provides the setting for the book. Despite the exemplification of the innocence of Tom Robinson, he is found guilty because he is black and later killed when he "attempts to escape". In this case, there is an Old Testament-type sense of law which finds the man guilty despite his perceived innocence.

On the other hand, Bob Ewell is described as the real malevolent symbol of evil in the novel. Despite the inference of his own guilt of the central crime, he jumps with glee when Tom Robinson is found guilty in his stead. Later, he is murdered by the "avenging angel" of Boo Radley, when he tries to harm Jem and Scout coming home from the Fall Festival at school.

Later, when the sheriff of the county comes to visit Atticus to enquire after Jem and Scout, Scout pinpoints Boo as the man who protected the two children and murdered Bob Ewell. As Atticus tries to reason a defense for Boo Radley and begin to defend him against the law, the Sheriff points out that his murderous act was done in defense the children and that he should be protected from prosecution because, "you don't kill a mockingbird."

This act of grace, refusing to prosecute Boo Radley due to the nature of his act and the character of the actor, results in a poetic justice in the end for the little community. Boo Radley carries a dark reputation throughout the novel which hides his gentle nature. His act in defending the children and his underlying gentleness, seeme to overcome his guilt for the ultimate murder. The actions of Boo do not atone for the evil which is committed in the community. However, Boo is not held accountable apparently due to the righteousness of his actions.

I understand that many lawyers hold this piece of fiction as one of the reasons why they became lawyers in the first place. I am sure that it is the character of Atticus Finch which appeals to the reader: the gentle, virtuous attorney and father, who fights the good fight in the face of insurmountable obstacles. I wonder if there are any who associate with Arthur "Boo" Radley, the gentle, silent guardian of the community who rescues the main characters in their moments of need. In some sense, both Atticus Finch and Arthur Radley portray aspects of the father in the novel. One finds honor and respect through his actions; the other finds forgiveness through his righteousness.

It is the time of grace and atonement.

An evening in Central Georgia: Griffin to Columbus to Macon and back

Yesterday after appearing in court on two cases and settling both (at least temporarily) I had two closings to complete in Columbus and Wilkinson County (near Macon). Cindy decided she had not had enough time with me, so she volunteered to come along. For the first time, Cindy joined me on my nocturnal travels to close loans in peoples' homes. So, around three thirty, we hopped in the car and headed to Columbus. Cindy got to see the view one can find when travelling south on Ga 85 from Woodbury over the spine of Pine Mountain to Manchester. She got to see the southern route through Harris County into Muscogee County. We got to see the stars from Ga 80 through West Central Georgia, and finally made it to Macon, where I deposited her at Dillards while I headed down the road toward Ivey, Georgia.

Ivey, Georgia? I had no idea. Apparently, Ivey is the recreational area serving the rest of Wilkinson County. In the darkness, where I couldn't see much of anything, I headed eastward toward Milledgeville, then headed west from South Jones County toward Gordon, Georgia. Yeah, me neither. Anyway, when I got to Gordon, the residential homes were suddenly supplanted by a huge outdoor industrial facility that I couldn't recognize. I headed into town and saw an old train depot. I assumed that Gordon might be the county seat of Wilkinson County, but I couldn't pick out a courthouse. My borrower met me in the center of town and we headed eastward out of town toward Ivey. Ivey? The factories disappeared and we came into a more residential area, punctuated with a lawyer's office (the only one I saw)and then could spot a lake over which we drove. Coming to the other side, I saw a convenience store which looked like the perfect place to buy a six pack, some cans of potted meat and maybe some bait.

At any rate, not needing any of that...wait, maybe the six pack, any way, we turned left and I came upon a small yellow two story house, with the shadow of a giant snow man covering the front. I looked down and discovered a small snowman with flood lights shining on it from below. The three foot tall plastic snowman was casting a twenty foot shadow. Pretty cool.

Anyway, we continued on to the borrower's house and sat down in his great room to go over the documents. I asked about the factories and he informed me that they processed chalk there. Apparently, I was in a big kaolin area. Kaolin is the substance used in paper, sheetrock and other products. It does have quite a lot of uses. However, apparently the old folks used to eat kaolin to leach out impurities in their systems. It was once common to find older people in this area reaching down and grabbing some of the greyish clay to eat in order to make themselves feel better. This concept is doubtful, but it was once a common practice in areas where kaolin was found.

Later, I headed back into the darkness, back to Macon, back to the Barnes and Nobles in North Macon and Cindy. I left Wilkinson County and the clay-eaters behind and Cindy and I got to eat ribs and listen to blues music for our late suppers. I think we both had a good time. As much fun as could be found on a dark Winter night in Wilkinson County and its environs, it was nice to drive through the area with Cindy, holding hands and listening to Christmas music. It was even better to get home.

It is now a dark morning. I have finished my cup of tea and the dog is asleep on the couch. Later, we will drive up to Dunwoody to celebrate my birthday. A day early. La de da.

Privacy vs. Expression

I was listening to a story on NPR about the meaning of the Wikileaks scandal. The First Amendment right is absolute. I tend toward the Hugo Black definition of the First Amendment. Hugo Black read the First Amendment as an absolute right, short of using expression as a weapon, like yelling "fire" in a movie theater. I accept that constitutional explanation of the right. After all, the words are clear. "Congress shall make no law" concerning freedom of expression. To read it otherwise is to take the words and add to them. By adding to them, we subtract from the perfection of the right.

The right to freedom of expression should be construed as an absolute. The framers saw a free marketplace of ideas. It shouldn't matter whether we agree with the idea or not. The marketplace has to be free in order to ensure that bad ideas are shown to be bad and good ideas are allowed to rise to the top. It is only by allowing the free exercise of expression that we ensure true freedom in its purest form.

The right to privacy has had a difficult birth. In Griswold v. Connecticut, the Supreme Court used unconvincing argument to create a right which should have been self-evident. The difficulty is when freedom of expression and freedom of privacy bump heads. Some might consider this the constitutional basis of the whole Wikileaks controversy. A lot of people think government has a right to privacy.

But this is a confusion between the right to privacy and the need for privacy. Obviously, governments need privacy in certain situations. However, this is very different from the right to privacy which is reserved for individuals.

However, there is probably a big difference between how we treat the Wikileaks founder and how we treat the private who leaked the sensitive communications. There is also a difference how we probably should treat the private who leaked these communications and the people who, in their jobs, allowed these private communications to be available to the troubled private who leaked them to Wikileaks.

I can't see punishing the Wikileaks founder for leaking these communications. The private, on the other hand, is a different situation. He deserves punishment for leaking these secrets. He had a responsibility to keep these matters secret. By leaking them, he violated his fiduciary duties, his professional duties.

It may be important to keep these private governmental communications secret, but there, perhaps, shouldn't be a constitutional right to privacy for governmental communications.

The marketplace must provide a forum.

Aloneness

I am alone.
December at night
The stars twinkle clearly
In the vast velvet
So many stars, so, so cold
So far away
And emptiness between
So much nothingness
The stars teasing from above.

Orion, guard me through the night

I woke before the sun rose this morning and took a shower, shaved and dressed before Cindy. After walking the dog, I left for Rome and an eviction hearing set for nine this morning. The dark angel was riding through Northwest Georgia today and it was very wintery. The air was as clear as ice and the skies were baby blue. I was wearing a suit and topcoat and carrying a sweater and heavy coat and gloves.

Today was foreclosure day in Georgia and I had thirty five cryouts from Perry to Columbus to Dalton and to Homer. That about covered most of North Georgia. After calling the calendar in Magistrate Court in Floyd County, the judge ordered me to mediate the eviction with the post-foreclosure tenant. After discussing the matter with her and the mediator, I realized it was after ten o'clock and I had foreclosures to cryout, so I gave them an ultimatum and we settled the matter in enough time for me to head out into the sunshine with several characters from Rome for my first foreclosure. Afterward, I drove up to Calhoun for round two, Dalton for round three, and then on to Jasper, Canton, Cartersville and Cedartown.

Amazingly, I got through by three o'clock and headed down the long way, I think through Carrollton and Newnan to Griffin. This evening I had to drive to a closing near Gray (east of Macon) and come back home by nine to go buy a hamburger and fries for my supper. Thankfully, I had enough time to eat some navy bean soup before I left for Gray.

Well, it is time to call it a night. Tomorrow will be a day of rest, of sorts. It is supposed to get back down to twenty tonight. We'll see. I do enjoy the look of December in Georgia. All the leaves on the ground. The pines with their green needles. Everything so clean and clear. Blue skies. And now, at night, I can see Orion with his scabbard and his spear. Sentinel of the Winter sky.