In an unusual attempt at bipartisanship, politicians perform a group moonwalk

They kind of look like the Four Tops a little out of practice.

All this talk of gays in the military has got Sec. Gates and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs feeling romantic!!

The two lovebirds break into song during the testimony yesterday: "You say tomato! I say tom-ah-to! Let's call the whole thing oooofffff!"

One Million

The death toll of Iraqis since the invasion has reached one million. According to Project Censored the studies that have led to this estimate have not been covered in mainstream media. Since I get such high traffic on my blog (my mom, a stalker and the random person who has mistyped search terms) I figured I'd post the link to it.

Road trip to Nova Scotia

It seemed like we'd never get out of the tri-state area. Everyone seemed to be going...well, everywhere. But once we got out of Connecticut the states started flying by. At around 10pm we called it quits and stayed in a cute, quaint, and surprisingly cheap hotel in Portland, Maine, the Inn at St. John. The next day we crossed the Canadian border around 2pm and stopped at the visitor center that is about a block from the border police station. The building had a beautiful lawn of green grass on its flat roof. One of the visitor center workers glommed onto us and was giddy with brochures when she found out we didn't really have any specific events planned for our week in Canada, plus we didn't entirely know how to get where we were going. A steady stream of maps, magazines, flyers, and a coupon book came at us like bullets. She even got out a highlighter to show us the best route to take to Nova Scotia and where the best hiking and kayaking was. Where we could go whale-watching. Where we could see artisans and historic re-enactments (I mentally crossed this off the list as it was still coming out of her mouth due to my having lived in the midst of one big colonial re-enactment for the last two years). Here's a national park her kids really like. Here's where we could repel off a cliff. These Canadians are too friendly for my taste I thought while smiling and nodding.

We then drove a short way to a little lakeside town called Woodstock in New Brunswick and had beer and fish and chips before getting on the road for about 6 more hours. They're not really into highway patrol up there according to Matt and indeed speed limits seemed mostly arbitrary. Even though it's listed in kilometers and not miles it's still exciting to see a speed limit sign that says "100"! It might as well say "Speed limit: Sky."





Once we got to Nova Scotia the scenery got more hilly and green and as we drove closer to the coast, very very foggy. We rented a house/studio that's owned by a German sculptor who rents it out when she's in Germany. Her husband lives in their Nova Scotia residence, a ferry ride away from the studio, year round. I had spoken to Meinhard on the phone and he basically said he was lonely and would like to hang out with us during our stay. Weird, I thought. The concept of renting a house sight-unseen except for a photo from a total stranger always feels a little sketchy at first. Anything could happen. But we'd had really good experiences doing it before and I guess the surprise of it is a little of the fun. He had emailed me with directions to a house down the road from the studio, a neighbor of his named Morley. He also said to meet him there at 9 because he was taking the ferry over and wanted to get home before sundown at 9:30 (one hour east of Eastern Standard Time and late on the sundown). We really hadn't planned it too well or timed it precisely--we had a rough estimate of how long the drive was and how many miles each googlemaps step was--but we ended up arriving at Morley's almost exactly at 9, really within 90 seconds of it. As we got out of the car Meinhard rushed to greet us and said "Right on time like in Germany!"










Morley, an 87 year old former carpenter and lobster weigher, invited us into his tiny turquoise house where we sat on a couch about as old as he is. As the nearest neighbor to the studio, Morley was our designated 'host' of sorts who had the spare key to the place, but really he served as our companion every day for about 5 minutes. A really sweet and extremely hard of hearing old man, Morley grew up in the house he still lived in and had never traveled beyond Nova Scotia. Like Meinhard, he was pretty straightforward about the isolation and loneliness of living in what was possibly the least populated place I'd ever been. You could drive for miles and miles and miles and not see any sign of life or another car. We went to a restaurant one night at about 8:15 and it was closed but they said they would make us dinner since there was nothing else open for about an hour in each direction. To be sure, it's a great place for peace and quiet and solitude but it occurred to me that someone like Morley was simply born there and might not even be someone who particularly likes quiet and solitude. Maybe Morley would be a social butterfly if he had grown up in a town that had, say, a few more than 7-10 residents. Meinhard said Morley had been dating one of the 7-10 residents for a while, an elderly British woman, but she broke it off in the past year or so. Made me kind of sad. The only other fish in the sea, I imagine, are the actual fish in the sea.



Helga(the sculptor)'s studio was stark and minimalist, beautifully crafted, homey and had a spectacular view. The bedroom was upstairs behind the main room and didn't have a wall so from everywhere in the studio you could see the ocean. Most of the time we were there it was overcast and misty and rained briefly a few times, but the skyline and the scenery took on such a rich and moody cast that we didn't really lament the absence of the sun. We went to a sandy beach one day in the rain and it was actually pretty great to see the waves crashing and the rain coming down on it. And of course it almost goes without saying, there was not a soul anywhere. Not because it was raining probably but because there just aren't that many people to go around...
















We explored a town an hour away, Guysborough, the first full day we were there. It was cute and tiny. There was no stop light in the whole town. We bought some amazing 9-grain bread at the bakery and some vegetables and fruit. We brought back a bag of apples for Morley. Later he brought us some delicious rhubarb that grows in his yard. Either he would stop by or we would stop in his place each day and we'd talk about the weather or we'd ask things about the area or his life. He asked Matt his name and how to spell his last name, to which he replied, "That's a little different." From what I don't know.



Most days we woke up and had tea and coffee, stared at the ocean and read, walked out on the rocky shore (it was really cold most of the time), made dinner, drank, entertained ourselves and the like. One night we played trivia pursuit and as Matt had predicted he won bigtime. That bastard.



Helga had hand-made an oven outside solely with large stones from the beach. Meinhard and his friend Berndt who we met the first night indicated how easy it was to cook with it and that Helga baked bread in it. It mostly looked like a pile of stones to me but we did cook some things in it. Matt went all prehistoric and got really excited about building the fire. I mostly stayed inside enjoying the view and drinking subpar Nova Scotian wine. I like trying out local beers and wines (you might not guess it but Long Island has some great wines and Maine too had delicious dry blueberry wines). But I tried several Nova Scotian wines and it was all not-so-great.

Each day the lobster boats would swing by the orange buoy right in front of our house and pull up the cage with lobsters to take back to the dock and sell. They would throw some of them back in the water, I think dead ones or something, because the seagulls would follow the boats and dive down to get what they left behind.

The few times that we ate out we were either the only of one of 2 or 3 other people in the restaurant. We went to a crab-shack type place not too far from where we were staying and had really yummy scallop burgers. The guy who ran the place lived next door to the "cafe" which really was a tiny little place where he was the only employee. "I don't make any money, I just annoy customers," was a line I got the feeling he said a lot. He was a retired car mechanic who had owned three car shops. He indicated that he ran the restaurant because his wife was too grumpy to be around. Two 20-something couples drove up on ATV/four wheelers. The two guys had on one piece worker uniforms and the girls had on lots of makeup and sullen looks. From the conversation with the owner I heard one of the guys say he worked in the goldmine. The town which was right next to Seal Harbor was Goldboro, "The City Built on Gold" as the sign says as you enter town. Apparently the old goldmines had been somewhat recently reopened. At some point the owner guy said something to one of the younger guys about him not being a hard worker and then the guy told the owner to fuck off and that his ice-cream was a ripoff. But he and his buddies left with ice-cream cones.

The owner guy said he was out of lobster burgers which Matt had originally asked for but he added that his brother worked on the lobster boats and he could get some later that week, Buddy. He called us and the ingrate and his friends "Buddy" at least 4 or 5 times each.

Lobster season was coming to a close so on Thursday we went to the dock to buy some. I hated the idea of getting live lobsters and cooking them and yet I've eaten them in restaurants knowing that that's how they're cooked. I definitely wouldn't have done it myself, but Matt loves lobster and seemed to know how to cook them so I kind of stayed out of it until they were done and on a plate before me. Really delicious too. We were a little uncertain how to buy them and we just walked onto the dock where the lobstermen were taking the cages off the boats and putting them in trucks. We inquired and were readily sold 3 lobsters for $32. They were surprised we paid with American dollars but were fine with it. It's even with the Canadian dollar these days instead of worth a lot more like in the past. Ah, the sinking dollar. It's great if you're European. Speaking of dollars, the gas up there was crazy expensive. You'd think with gas prices as they are we'd take a vacation that didn't involve driving 16 hours each way. We must really hate the environment.





















The lobstermen sell us their wares:







...making Matt an uncharacteristically happy camper. (The happiest I'd seen him thus far in the Atlantic time zone.)



The seagulls, grotesquely huge, witness the whole exchange with great interest...



The poor lobsters proved to be a tasty dinner. We resorted to using one of the sculptor's tools to dismantle them.





Matt makes an odd gesture at the end of our meal indicating his gustatory satisfaction:

The (paltry few) Senators who voted against the war

* Daniel Akaka (D-HI)
* Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)
* Barbara Boxer (D-CA)
* Robert Byrd (D-WV)
* Lincoln Chafee (R-RI)
* Kent Conrad (D-ND)
* Jon Corzine (D-NJ)
* Mark Dayton (D-MN)
* Richard Durbin (D-IL)
* Russell Feingold (D-WI)
* Robert Graham (D-FL)
* Daniel Inouye (D-HI)
* James Jeffords (I-VT)
* Edward Kennedy (D-MA)
* Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
* Carl Levin (D-MI)
* Barbara Mikulski (D-MD)
* Patty Murray (D-WA)
* Jack Reed (D-RI)
* Paul Sarbanes (D-MD)
* Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)
* Paul Wellstone (D-MN)
* Ron Wyden (D-OR)

Winter Soldier

If you haven't yet read or seen or heard the Winter Soldier testimony of returning Iraq and Afghanistan vets you should. Why hasn't this gotten more media attention?

http://www.ivaw.org/wintersoldier

William and Mary Professors on Strike To Protest Firing of President Nichol

On the evening of the Potomac primary, Tuesday February 12th, I spent 10 hours in a car in the northeast ice-storm (what I shall henceforward call the "the storm of '08"). I went from Dover, Delaware to somewhere around DC in that time, normally a distance that could be traversed in less than two hours, and which was less than half of the distance I needed to go to get home to my precious cats and under-insulated abode full of small to mid-sized spiders. Several times beginning around 4 pm traffic came to a standstill for long enough that people shut off their engines and began taking naps. Not to mention peeing in cups. But I said I wouldn't mention that.

Around midnight when things seemed to be slowing down rather than speeding up and the ramp onto I-95 south was closed down by police who were directing stranded semi's to back up off the icy-ramp, I followed a salting truck to a hotel full of disgruntled commuters. I didn't consult my fellow man and woman there before checking into my room and accepting the complimentary toothpaste offered me, but I for one was pretty pissed about not getting to vote because of The Storm of '08 (what I can only assume was a vast right-wing conspiracy).

When I opened my school email, I was surprised to discover that while I was conducting research in the Dover archives that morning, sitting in traffic sucking up exhaust fumes the rest of the day, and fuming over my thwarted attempt to get to the polls, William and Mary was falling apart. The president sent an email that morning announcing that he quit "effective immediately" because his contract had not been renewed by the conservative board, who had in fact attempted to bribe him not to reveal the ideological underpinnings of their decision, i.e. that they didn't approve of his "controversial" decisions to adhere to the principles of freedom of speech and separation of church and state and the promotion of diversity. Below is his email, as well as the email that followed it in my inbox by the Rector, the head of the board that made the decision. Also, I have included the reaction by the student body president, and an email from one of my professors announcing that class would be cancelled since the faculty were going on strike to protest the board's decision! The Potomac primary be damned. College politics was the order of the day.

********

Date: Tue 12 Feb 09:42:36 EST 2008
From: "Gene R. Nichol"
Subject: [students] A Statement from President Nichol
To:

Dear Members of the William & Mary Community:

I was informed by the Rector on Sunday, after our Charter Day celebrations, that my contract will not be renewed in July. Appropriately, serving the College in the wake of such a decision is beyond my imagining. Accordingly, I have advised the Rector, and announce today, effective immediately, my resignation as president of the College of William & Mary. I return to the faculty of the school of law to resume teaching and writing.

I have made four decisions, or sets of decisions, during my tenure that have stirred ample controversy.

First, as is widely known, I altered the way a Christian cross was displayed in a public facility, on a public university campus, in a chapel used regularly for secular College events -- both voluntary and mandatory -- in order to help Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, and other religious minorities feel more meaningfully included as members of our broad community. The decision was likely required by any effective notion of separation of church and state. And it was certainly motivated by the desire to extend the College’s welcome more generously to all. We are charged, as state actors, to respect and accommodate all religions, and to endorse none. The decision did no more.

Second, I have refused, now on two occasions, to ban from the campus a program funded by our student-fee-based, and student-governed, speaker series. To stop the production because I found it offensive, or unappealing, would have violated both the First Amendment and the traditions of openness and inquiry that sustain great universities. It would have been a knowing, intentional denial of the constitutional rights of our students. It is perhaps worth recalling that my very first act as president of the College was to swear on oath not to do so.

Third, in my early months here, recognizing that we likely had fewer poor, or Pell eligible, students than any public university in America, and that our record was getting worse, I introduced an aggressive Gateway scholarship program for Virginians demonstrating the strongest financial need. Under its terms, resident students from families earning $40,000 a year or less have 100% of their need met, without loans. Gateway has increased our Pell eligible students by 20% in the past two years.

Fourth, from the outset of my presidency, I have made it clear that if the College is to reach its aspirations of leadership, it is essential that it become a more diverse, less homogeneous institution. In the past two and half years we have proceeded, with surprising success, to assure that is so. Our last two entering classes have been, by good measure, the most diverse in the College’s history. We have, in the past two and a half years, more than doubled our number of faculty members of color. And we have more effectively integrated the administrative leadership of William & Mary. It is no longer the case, as it was when I arrived, that we could host a leadership retreat inviting the 35 senior administrators of the College and see, around the table, no persons of color.

As the result of these decisions, the last sixteen months have been challenging ones for me and my family. A committed, relentless, frequently untruthful and vicious campaign -- on the internet and in the press -- has been waged against me, my wife and my daughters. It has been joined, occasionally, by members of the Virginia House of Delegates -- including last week’s steps by the Privileges and Elections Committee to effectively threaten Board appointees if I were not fired over decisions concerning the Wren Cross and the Sex Workers’ Art Show. That campaign has now been rendered successful. And those same voices will no doubt claim victory today.

It is fair to say that, over the course of the past year, I have, more than once, considered either resigning my post or abandoning the positions I have taken on these matters -- which I believe crucial to the College’s future. But as I did so, I thought of other persons as well.

I thought of those students, staff, faculty, and alumni, not of the religious majority, who have told me of the power of even small steps, like the decision over display of the Wren Cross, to recognize that they, too, are full members of this inspiring community.

I have thought of those students, faculty, and staff who, in the past three years, have joined us with explicit hopes and assurances that the College could become more effectively opened to those of different races, backgrounds, and economic circumstances -- and I have thought of my own unwillingness to voluntarily abandon their efforts, and their prospects, in mid-stream.

I have thought of faculty and staff members here who have, for decades, believed that the College has, unlike many of its competitors, failed to place the challenge of becoming an effectively diverse institution center stage -- and who, as a result, have been strongly encouraged by the progress of the last two years.

I have thought of the students who define and personify the College’s belief in community, in service, in openness, in idealism -- those who make William & Mary a unique repository of the American promise. And I have believed it unworthy, regardless of burden, to break our bonds of partnership.

And I have thought, perhaps most acutely, of my wife and three remarkable daughters. I’ve believed it vital to understand, with them, that though defeat may at times come, it is crucial not to surrender to the loud and the vitriolic and the angry -- just because they are loud and vitriolic and angry. Recalling the old Methodist hymn that commands us “not to be afraid to defend the weak because of the anger of the strong,” nor “afraid to defend the poor because of the anger of the rich.” So I have sought not to yield. The Board’s decision, of course, changes that.

To my faculty colleagues, who have here created a distinctive culture of engaged, student-centered teaching and research, I will remember your strong and steadfast support until the end of my days.

To those staff members and alumni of this accomplished and heartening community, who have struggled to make the William & Mary of the future worthy of its distinctive past, I regret that I will no longer be part of that uplifting cause. But I have little doubt where the course of history lies.

And, finally, to the life-changing and soul-inspiring students of the College, the largest surprise of my professional life, those who have created in me a surpassing faith not only in an institution, but in a generation, I have not words to touch my affections. My belief in your promise has been the central and defining focus of my presidency. The too-quick ending of our work together is among the most profound and wrenching disappointments in my life. Your support, particularly of the past few weeks and days, will remain the strongest balm I’ve known. I am confident of the triumphs and contributions the future holds for women and men of such power and commitment.

I add only that, on Sunday, the Board of Visitors offered both my wife and me substantial economic incentives if we would agree “not to characterize [the non-renewal decision] as based on ideological grounds” or make any other statement about my departure without their approval. Some members may have intended this as a gesture of generosity to ease my transition. But the stipulation of censorship made it seem like something else entirely. We, of course, rejected the offer. It would have required that I make statements I believe to be untrue and that I believe most would find non-credible. I’ve said before that the values of the College are not for sale. Neither are ours.

Mine, to be sure, has not been a perfect presidency. I have sometimes moved too swiftly, and perhaps paid insufficient attention to the processes and practices of a strong and complex university. A wiser leader would likely have done otherwise. But I have believed, and attempted to explain, from even before my arrival on the campus, that an emboldened future for the College of William & Mary requires wider horizons, more fully opened doors, a broader membership, and a more engaging clash of perspectives than the sometimes narrowed gauges of the past have allowed. I step down today believing it still.

I have also hoped that this noble College might one day claim not only Thomas Jefferson’s pedigree, but his political philosophy as well. It was Jefferson who argued for a “wall of separation between church and state” -- putting all religious sects “on an equal footing.” He expressly rejected the claim that speech should be suppressed because “it might influence others to do evil,” insisting instead that “we have nothing to fear from the demoralizing reasonings of some if others are left free to demonstrate their errors.” And he averred powerfully that “worth and genius” should “be sought from every condition” of society.

The College of William & Mary is a singular place of invention, rigor, commitment, character, and heart. I have been proud that even in a short term we have engaged a marvelous new Chancellor, successfully concluded a hugely-promising capital campaign, secured surprising support for a cutting-edge school of education and other essential physical facilities, seen the most vibrant applicant pools in our history, fostered path-breaking achievements in undergraduate research, more potently internationalized our programs and opportunities, led the nation in an explosion of civic engagement, invigorated the fruitful marriage of athletics and academics, lifted the salaries of our lowest-paid employees, and even hosted a queen. None of this compares, though, to the magic and the inspiration of the people -- young and older -- who Glenn and I have come to know here. You will remain always and forever at the center of our hearts.

Go Tribe. And hark upon the gale.

Gene Nichol

******

Date: Tue 12 Feb 11:20:46 EST 2008
From: "Michael K. Powell"
Subject: [students] Statement by Rector Michael K. Powell
To: , , wm.edu

February 12, 2008

Dear Members of the College of William and Mary Community,

President Nichol has announced he will not serve the remainder of his term. We had hoped that he would and regret his decision. The Board of Visitors decision not to renew his contract after his current agreement expires on June 30th was extremely difficult. President Nichol achieved some outstanding things during his tenure. His energy and passion is legendary. He is a truly inspirational figure who has enjoyed the affection of many. After an exhaustive review, however, the Board believed there were a number of problems that were keeping the College from reaching its full potential and concluded that those issues could not be effectively remedied without a change of leadership.

It is critical to explain that this decision was not in any way based on ideology or any single public controversy. To suggest such a motivation for the Board is flatly wrong. Indeed, the Board has been repulsed by the personal attacks on the President and his family. The uncharitable personal assaults are unworthy of anyone who professes to care about the College and there should be no joy when things do not work out between good people.

Many policies championed by President Nichol are fully embraced by the Board. We agree unflinchingly with the President’s efforts to make William and Mary a more diverse educational environment. His achievements in this area will be the most enduring part of his legacy. We will continue the pursuit with vigor and will insist that all future presidents of the College do as well. We strongly support the Gateway program and will work to put it on sound financial footing by building an endowment that will allow it to blossom. Equally, we continue to see the enormous value that attends to the efforts of internationalization and civic engagement. And, so there is no doubt, the Board will not allow any change in the compromise reached on the placement of the Wren Cross.

The Board is cognizant that its decision will be deeply disappointing to many, especially members of our faculty and student body. Our sacred stewardship and full insight into the affairs of the College convinced us change was necessary to advance the best interests of the College. We understand the sense of loss and will work hard to heal all wounds.

But it is important to remember that William and Mary is stronger and more enduring than any one person or any one board. It will continue to rise and thrive through the ages. She is the Alma Matter of a Nation and the vibrancy of our students coupled with the wisdom and dedication of our masterful faculty will keep the College shining more brightly than any star in the constellation of higher education.

The College will begin a search for a new president immediately. In the interim, the Board will appoint Dean W. Taylor Reveley effective immediately to serve as President until a permanent leader is found.

Michael K. Powell ‘85

Rector, Board of Visitors

******

Date: Tue 12 Feb 14:17:52 EST 2008
From: "Zach Pilchen"
Subject: [students] A sad and frustrating day for the College
To: students-wm.edu

We learn this morning that President Nichol has resigned as President of the College. For many of us, he will always be our President, and the closed-door, unrecorded vote of the Board of Visitors has inspired everything from outrage to devastation to disillusionment. We will always be grateful to President Nichol for showing us what the College can be, and attempting to bring this "great and public" institution into the 21st century.

We are particularly ashamed of the way the BOV chose to handle this situation.

Michael Powell's statement on the BOV's decision rings empty. He lauds President Nichol and claims that the decision was, "not in any way based on ideology." If that was true, why would the BOV feel the necessity to bribe President Nichol and his wife into silence? Attempted bribery is about as un-William and Mary as you can get. President Nichol took the principled decision in rejecting their offer. We have come to expect nothing less from him.

The fact that he was informed of the decision by Michael Powell on Sunday, after President Nichol had spent the entirety of Charter Day performing for the BOV in blissful ignorance of their decision, comes across as equally slimy. This was a decision made in a closed room with no recorded vote. We have yet to hear anything but evasive, cheap rhetoric from the Rector. Who voted which way? Why was the decision made? The BOV has a responsibility to the College community to not hide behind closed doors, and to act with behavior befitting William and Mary. Sadly, they have failed in that duty.

Although we are not proud of the Board's decision, and are ashamed by their attempted bribery, the entire College community is proud of the students of the College who have been catalyzed in support of President Nichol. Students who understand that a love for the College is a love unmoved by one decision, or one year, in the life of our ancient institution. Students who gracefully rose above the epithets and personal attacks being hurled at their President to show the world, time and time again, how much they care for their College and their President. Students who now must come together to mourn our collective loss.

In appreciation and gratitude, we invite you to gather at President Nichol's home at 10PM TONIGHT. Those in attendance will sing the alma mater and present letters of support to the President--noting with Tribe Pride his incredible tenure and encouraging him in the wake of recent events. This is a show of support and unity among the student body, and we ask you to come with utmost respect to thank President Nichol for all he has done so selflessly for us.

Although the BOV has undercut our President, we must not allow them to undercut the inquisitive spirit to embrace diversity, and the unwavering love for the College and community that he has instilled in us during his short tenure.

As we said before: Gene Ray Nichol will always be our President.

Zach and Valerie

******

Date: Tue 12 Feb 20:00:23 EST 2008
From: Maureen A Fitzgerald
Subject: Strike: no class tomorrow: AMST570-02-S08
To: "AMST570-02-S08"

Dear Folks,

I am complying with, and very supportive of, the faculty strike of the next two days. We will consequently not have class tomorrow, although you are welcome to show up and discuss the strike, the college, or anything else you want. We will continue with Fessenden next week.

Maureen

*******

Links:

Washington Post, "William And Mary President Resigns"

The Pitt News, "Nichol resignation reveals disregard for Constitution"

Dailypress, "Nichol is not the one who is hurting William and Mary"

James' Blog, "Bullshit Firing of W&M President Gene Nichol"

Inside Higher Ed, "Presidential Ouster at William & Mary"

Building Our Power Toward a Collective Society