I’m sorry, I can’t hear you over the sound of Idaho kicking more ass.

—————–

On a personal note: Thank you all for your good thoughts, prayers, etc. My grandma is doing well, all things considered. She’s doing inpatient stroke rehab at UC Davis, and is making great progress. She has most of her physical function back, but not all of her neurological pathways. So, she has the strength to walk, but her brain doesn’t always send the right signals. She has the ability to talk, but can’t always find the right word. We’re not sure just yet what the course of action will be regarding the cancer.

In other news, my dad thought he cracked a rib the other day, so he went in for a chest x-ray and they found a nodule in his lung that wasn’t there a couple of years ago. He had a CT scan yesterday and they’re doing a needle biopsy on the 31st. Add him to the good thoughts list, yes?

Oh, and, my 34-year-old horse died the other day. Though, she appears to have more or less gone in her sleep, after a day of sunshine, grooming and a hoof trim, so not too far off the way I’d like to kick the bucket. I’ll miss her but am glad she was in good health ’til the end.

And have I mentioned how much I hate this god-awful, smoggy, allergy-inducing, bankrupt cesspool of a state? Back when I lived here, I thought I had a high level of wanderlust. Now, as I feel the same feelings rising, I realize it’s not really wanderlust so much as a fight or flight instinct. I just want to be somewhere not here. Also, my hometown is completely overrun with thug-life looking cholos. WTF.

Anyway. I could use a vacation from my vacation, and since neither The Inconvenience or my best guns are here, my #1 and #2 stress-relief are off the table. Sigh. All that said, I’m actually in surprisingly high spirits, all things considered, and have at least gotten to connect with some old friends and enjoy the sunshine.

C’est la vie.

And the horse you rode in on.

Have I mentioned my (extreme and possibly unhealthy) love for Idaho?

Oh, and this helps. I was curious how it got around that whole “No state shall…coin money” part of the Constitution, but apparently the “medallions” aren’t to have a face value, and thus will just be units of silver with fluctuating values.

Esto Perpetua.

I would appreciate everyone’s prayers and positive thoughts for my grandma. Last week we found out she likely has cancer (again), and today it appears she had a stroke. She’s not doing very well. I could use some good vibes too, as I try to figure out the logistics of getting to California.

Blogging might be sparse for a little while – I’ll try to keep you all posted. Thanks, in advance.

I just updated my oral argument post with illustrations, provided courtesy of Arfcommer mcouey.

I kinda want to make the motorboating frame my avatar on everything for the rest of the internet.

I wrote this earlier and was encouraged to post it here. Oh well, I’m not running for POTUS anyway.

Warning: Language and irreverence ahead. (Seriously, Grandma, I live with a Marine!)

—————–

GURA: Scalia! An argument for incorporating under privileges and immunities, YOU CAN HAS! 
SCALIA: WTF are you talking about? We can incorporate it under due process. I hate due process and I even think that. 
GURA: Uhhh
SCALIA: Are you trying to get a job at a law school? 
GURA: Oh shit
SCALIA: SERIOUSLY STFU IF WE USE PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES THESE FUCKOS WILL LEGITIMIZE EVERYTHING STFU STFU STFU 
GURA: But you hate due process
SCALIA: I LIKE IT NOW
GURA: Uhhh
GINSBURG: I’m a bitch!
SCALIA: LULZ 
STEVENS: I’m a bitch! 
CLEMENT: This should obviously be incorporated under due process.
ALITO: Werd 
BREYER: *motorboats Sotomayor*
FELDMAN: Here’s my first argument.
SCALIA: That argument sucks.
FELDMAN: Ordered liberty?
SCALIA: We haven’t used that since 1937.
FELDMAN: Have too.
SCALIA: When? 
FELDMAN: Uh, here’s my second argument.
SCALIA: You just argued against your first argument.
FELDMAN: Did not.
SCALIA: Did so. 
FELDMAN: DID NOT!
SCALIA: …
FELDMAN: *cries*
SCALIA: …
ROBERTS: You just argued the losing Heller argument.
FELDMAN: *pees pants*
BREYER: Let’s make a chart. 
ROBERTS: Madison made a chart!
BREYER: STFU
THOMAS: *reads the Bible* 
SCALIA: The 2A puts the fun in fundamental. 
FELDMAN: Let me tell you what Heller says.
SCALIA: I wrote Heller, fucknuts. 
KENNEDY: So if we’re going to just incorporate the militia purpose of Heller, what case do we use for precedent? 
FELDMAN: No fucking idea. 
SCALIA: Why are you talking about the right to self-defense? That’s not in the Constitution. 
FELDMAN: See above. Besides, nobody would really restrict the right to keep and bear arms so that it affected self-defense. 
SCALIA: Have you even read Heller? 
FELDMAN: I don’t think so. 
KENNEDY: Gura, let’s use your last three minutes to talk about everything but the 2A.
ROBERTS: I’m going to give you the chance to take back that privileges and immunities thing. 
GURA: No, we think it’s a good idea!
ROBERTS: *sigh*

—————–

P.S. I want to give a shout-out to Gura, who I didn’t really give proper credit in the summary. I do think he did a good job, I just think he was a little taken aback by Scalia coming out swinging on privileges/immunities – as was I.

To be perfectly honest, I lost a little bit of Scalia love today. I can’t get behind the idea that, if something’s bad, just because it’s been bad for 140 years we should perpetuate it.

EDIT: Um, er, yeah… one of the hits I got on this is from a forum poster who apparently knows Justice Scalia and promised to forward it. 0_0 The good news is they think he’ll get a kick out of it. I feel obligated to point out, just in case, that I’m married to a 1L who happens to be a HUGE Scalia fan and would gladly take a shoe-shining or trash-emptying internship.

Just in case.

EDIT: mcouey over on Arfcom took this and ran with it… Here’s the result, which had me rolling:

There were many excellent quotes, usually courtesy of Scalia, but this emerged as one of my favorites:

JUSTICE SCALIA: Is that what you are asserting here, that the States have to allow firearms?
MR. FELDMAN: No.
JUSTICE SCALIA: Is that –
MR. FELDMAN: I — I didn’t think I was.
JUSTICE SCALIA: I didn’t think so, either, so why did your last argument make any sense?

The transcript of the oral arguments is up:

http://www.supremecourtus.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/08-1521.pdf