Two articles by Harriet Miers (is her writing as bad as they say?)

Texas Lawyer | 1992 & 2000 | Harriet Miers

[adam_az]

"She does have a way of torturing syntax."

W probably thinks she writes in perfect syntax. ;)

[visualops]

Where did that come from? Who said she was not going to get an up-or-down vote?

Uh, those that want her nomuniation withdrawn obviously don't want a vote.

What you Republibots are afraid of is that it won't automatically be an "up" vote.

Name calling doesn't do much more than make you look rude and shallow.
Whatever the vote is, is what it is, I don't expect any "automatic" vote one way or the other. A hearing with intelligent questions and reasoned discourse would be refreshing though.

It would be worse to withdraw a bad nomination than proceed with it?

IMHO, duh.
Let's see; after much deliberation and thought, this is the best person for this vacancy at this time. Oh, wait, no, let me take that back and try again. I can't rely on my own judgement with input from my confidants and aides, I need to check with some assorted pundits and people at FR first.

Yeah, nothing wrong with that /sarc

[freespirited]

I'll just say that there ARE some societal issues that foster criminal behavior. Lack of mental health care, poor education and family dysfunction are a big ones. I could be wrong but I believe family dysfunction is number one.

You can try to blame lack of mental health care but when you really look at the evidence, health care is available to almost everyone in this country. The problem is people don't use it.

I don't buy the education argument. The assumption is that because the students perform poorly, the schools are bad. This isn't necessarily so. There are children who thrive alongside poorly performing students. Many criminals have dropped out of school. Is that poor education (society's fault) or their own lack of motivation?

Of course, most criminals can point to some kind of family dysfunction. So can most non-criminals.

I think key factors in criminal behavior are lack of a conscience, lack of empathy, and the inability to appreciate the consequences of one's actions.

[visualops]

You can try to blame lack of mental health care but when you really look at the evidence, health care is available to almost everyone in this country. The problem is people don't use it.

Health care is available, but we are talking about mental health. When the issue becomes $$ and not the patient there are problems. I will add that just because something is available doesn't mean one can avail oneself of it. If it costs $70 to walk into the doctor's office, you don't go unless you absolutely have to when living on a working class income. Unfortunately I don't have time right now to get into what I think of how this country makes use of resources when it comes tomental health issues.

I don't buy the education argument. The assumption is that because the students perform poorly, the schools are bad. This isn't necessarily so. There are children who thrive alongside poorly performing students. Many criminals have dropped out of school. Is that poor education (society's fault) or their own lack of motivation?

I made no such assumption. Students perform well when it is expected of them, and when parents and teachers push the student. It also helps to be taught facts and needed knowledge, not the crapola being taught in public schools, which by the way, do have plenty of good teachers, but also plenty of incompetant morons.

Of course, most criminals can point to some kind of family dysfunction. So can most non-criminals.

Well of course, no family is perfect. But it is undeniable that unwed parenthood is a huge contributing factor. Lack of father= lack of appropriate discipline, example of manhood, lower income, less education etc.

I think key factors in criminal behavior are lack of a conscience, lack of empathy, and the inability to appreciate the consequences of one's actions

I don't disagree. All of those are learned. They are taught by parents & family primarily, but school and community also play a part. The mistake liberals make is in thinking that people are inherantly good, and if one is "nice enough" to someone, they'll turn out good. What that results in is immature (i.e. infantile) behavior.
If you had gone on and read my whole post, you would have seen what my comments were regarding alleviating some of these problems, and you just can't take any one thing to fix everything. But to say that society as a whole plays no part in cultivating a responsible citizenry is just as ignorant as assuming the opposite.

[visualops]

nomuniation


ack. nomination.

[Right Wing Professor]

These are very poorly written and in the first article -- the one most pertinent in terms of subject matter vis-a-vis her nomination -- is meandering and vague in ostensibly presenting an argument.

Agreed. Both look like something an untalented and junior middle-manger might write for a company newsletter. Her goal seems to have been to put on paper as many platitudes as possible, while making sure she said nothing that could possibly offend anyone.

[wouldntbprudent]

The only problem with bad writing is that it sharply increases the possibility of a gross failure to communicate.

In constitutional law, the last thing you want to create is ambiguities that can be exploited to ends never intended.

OTOH, let's be real here: most of the writing is done by law clerks, who are supposedly the best and the brightest. Also quite often judges/Justices pick up the felicitous phrase--etc.--from the briefs filed.

[TBP]

Uh, those that want her nomuniation withdrawn obviously don't want a vote.

Then when does Estrada get his vote?

[visualops]

Estrada removed himself. That is not the same as Bush withdrawing Miers nomination which is what I have heard called for repeatedly here at FR.

[Lancey Howard]

OTOH, let's be real here: most of the writing is done by law clerks, who are supposedly the best and the brightest.

Precisely!

Your comment is excellent.

[JCEccles]

I've read pieces of this elsewhere. It almost holds together when read in one piece. Still, as you well point out, it is vapid, weak writing.

One of the more clearly written sentences is also one of the most disturbing sentences in terms of content:

"We all can be active in some way to address the social issues that foster criminal behavior, such as: lack of self-esteem or hope in some segments of our society, poverty, lack of health care (particularly mental health care), lack of education, and family dysfunction." [emphasis added]

Is there any part of that sentence that couldn't have been lifted straight out of Lyndon Johnson's Great Society liberal lexicon?

[JCEccles]

Then we don't need Miers, do we? Let's eliminate the mediocre middle man and hire (nominate) a bright law clerk.

[GOPPachyderm]

Try diagramming this run-on sentence:

The assertion by some that the message we should get from the Fort Worth massacre is that there are problems with judges, lawyers and the judicial system is misguided and erroneous.

[July 4th]

Many times the push for such precautions is aimed at the criminal courts, but as the Fort Worth case shows, but civil courts have at least as great an interest in courthouse security.

Did she really write that and get it past an editor? Wow.

[tallhappy]

I noted the same thing -- where was the editor?

[The Red Zone]

loked?

[The Red Zone]

nomuniation?

[The Red Zone]

'in some segments of our society'

She didn't say which

[The Red Zone]

Also, this was before her involvement with the GOP.

[JCEccles]

So you agree she was a flaming liberal when she penned this hackneyed dreck? You just believe she was humbled by a life-changing vision on the road to Crawford?

She was a middle-aged adult when she birthed these gems. Do you believe they evidence a brilliant mind? Do you believe she writes well?

Forget the Supreme Court for a moment. Would you choose her to teach your eight year old child how to write?