To Be or Not to Be
Seven Nation Army
See you Next Month
"Nothing becomes funny by being labeled so." -Strunk & White's Elements of Style
The Name-of-the-Father (Nom-du-Pere)
…the fundamental signifier which permits signification to proceed normally. This fundamental signifier both confers identity on the subject (it names him, positions him within the symbolic order) and signifies the Oedipal prohibition, the ‘no’ of the incest taboo. If this signifier is foreclosed (not included in the symbolic order), the result is PSYCHOSIS.
Evans, Dylan. An Introductory Dictionary of Lacanian Psychoanalysis. New York: Routledge, 1996.
Komfo Anokye SwordIn October 2008, I sent a photo of the B. Bruce Anderson Memorial Flag to Governor Corzine. On the back of it, I wrote something like this:
Just behind the Okomfo Anokye Hospital, one will find the Okomfo Anokye Sword. It is named after a famous traditional priest who, in the 17th century, was said to have conjured the ""Golden Stool"" from the sky. Legend states that as high priest of the Akan kingdoms, he drove his sword into the ground with such force that it has remained there ever since, marking the site of the new imperial city, Kumasi, which unified the Akan kingdoms. The site is revered by all as a sacred shrine.
The unmovable Sword of the Komfo Anokye remains in the grounds of the Okomfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, where he pushed it. It is believed the Komfo pronounced that no one would be able to remove the sword, and so it has remained in spite of many attempts.
October 2008
Dear Governor Corzine:
As long as the B. Bruce Anderson Memorial Flag remains in the Ground, our nation will remain strong!
Sincerely,
Erik B. Anderson
Independence Township, New Jersey
Established 1892
She's not just out of control - she's out of her mind.
Or so lawyers for the so-called "Lady al Qaeda" claimed Tuesday as asked a judge to bar their client from taking the stand in her own defense.
Lawyers for MIT-trained scientist Aafia Siddiqui say her request to testify "is driven by her severe mental illness and would turn the trial into a spectacle."
"It has been and continues to be our belief that Dr. Siddiqui suffers from diminished capacity," the lawyers wrote in a letter to Manhattan Federal Richard Berman.
The bid to muzzle Siddiqui - charged with attempted murder for opening fire on Americans in Afghanistan - is a longshot since she's already been found competent.
It is settled that, if evidence available to a trial judge raises a bona fide doubt regarding a defendant's ability to understand and participate in the proceedings against him, the judge has an obligation to order an examination to assess his competency, even if the defendant does not request such an exam. Porter v. McKaskle, 466 U.S. 984 (1984)
Section 100.3 A judge shall perform the duties of judicial office impartially and diligently.The prosecutor, David Rody, says "she is clearly doing it opportunistically" as if just saying that proves that he's right. He does not elaborate, then he denies that she is not making a political statement.
(A) Judicial duties in general. The judicial duties of a judge take precedence over all the judge's other activities. The judge's judicial duties include all the duties of the judge's office prescribed by law. In the performance of these duties, the following standards apply.
(B) Adjudicative Responsibilities.
(1) A judge shall be faithful to the law and maintain professional competence in it. A judge shall not be swayed by partisan interests, public clamor or fear of criticism.
(2) A judge shall require order and decorum in proceedings before the judge.
(3) A judge shall be patient, dignified and courteous to litigants, jurors, witnesses, lawyers and others with whom the judge deals in an official capacity, and shall require similar conduct of lawyers, and of staff, court officials and others subject to the judge's direction and control.
Not every situation which the lawyer may encounter can be foreseen, but fundamental ethical principles are always present for guidance. Within the framework of these principles, a lawyer must with courage and foresight be able and ready to shape the body of the law to the ever-changing relationships of society.
DR 1-102 [1200.3] Misconduct.
A. A lawyer or law firm shall not:
1. Violate a Disciplinary Rule.
...
6. Unlawfully discriminate in the practice of law, including in hiring, promoting or otherwise determining conditions of employment, on the basis of age, race, creed, color, national origin, sex, disability, marital status, or sexual orientation. Where there is a tribunal with jurisdiction to hear a complaint, if timely brought, other than a Departmental Disciplinary Committee, a complaint based on unlawful discrimination shall be brought before such tribunal in the first instance. A certified copy of a determination by such a tribunal, which has become final and enforceable, and as to which the right to judicial or appellate review has been exhausted, finding that the lawyer has engaged in an unlawful discriminatory practice shall constitute prima facie evidence of professional misconduct in a disciplinary proceeding.