We're hittin' the road for the 4th...

and hopefully we'll get on the water at some point. We hope you're able to get away for a little while and celebrate everything the Fourth of July is supposed to be about: beer, hotdogs and hamburgers.

Here's a little rockabilly music for you to add to your playlists and enjoy on your road trips...

Whadd'ya call...

32 people sitting at home watching the CWS? The Clemson Baseball Team. GO COCKS! Sportscenter is Next!

CLASSIC.

Hattip Victor

Half-Term Palin...can't even complete her bus tour

In the seminal golf movie of our generation, Tin Cup, the hero's love interest, Dr. Molly Griswold (played by a slightly less plastic than now Renee Russo) quizzes the hero, Roy "Tin Cup" McAvoy on a follow-through he has just demonstrated to her.

Roy: And then the unfinished symphony of Roy McAvoy.

Molly: What's unfinished?

Roy: Well, I have a short follow-through. It has an unfinished look...

Molly: Why?

Roy: Well, some say it's the easiest way to play in the winds of west Texas...some say it's because I never finish anything in my life.

Ladies and Gentlemen, it may be time to lump the Barracuda in with Tin Cup. We all know that Sarah Palin quit on the people of Alaska, thus earning her what should be the official moniker of the rest of her life: "Former Half-Term Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin." Now...it would appear the name "Tin Cup" should apply to Palin, as it seems she can't quite finish anything herself. TPM is reporting Palin is quitting her bus tour early.

Can we please stop even pretending like this lady has the goods to lead anything?

Hot Coffee...is Justice Being Served

If you've ever heard the story about the woman who sued McDonalds and got millions because the coffee was too hot and thought "that's what's wrong with our legal system," than you need to tune to HBO this coming Monday night.

At 9pm on June 27th, HBO will premiere the documentary "Hot Coffee: Is Justice Being Served." The film has swept the film festivals, garnering the following praise:

“Eye-opening indictment of the way big business spins the media.” —Variety

“Stunning debut … Sends audiences out of the theater thinking in a brand new way.” —Washington Post

“Entertaining, informative … vivdly illuminating.”
—Hollywood Reporter

Watch it and learn how you've been played all these years.



Hattip Graham.

Sen. John Land on liquor...

Just in case you wanted to know where SC State Senator John Land stood on liquor...

Hattip Polkey...

Late add: Land's speech was cribbed from a speech given by a young Mississippi politician Noah S. "Soggy" Sweat, Jr. in 1952:

My friends, I had not intended to discuss this controversial subject at this particular time. However, I want you to know that I do not shun controversy. On the contrary, I will take a stand on any issue at any time, regardless of how fraught with controversy it might be. You have asked me how I feel about whiskey. All right, here is how I feel about whiskey:

If when you say whiskey you mean the devil's brew, the poison scourge, the bloody monster, that defiles innocence, dethrones reason, destroys the home, creates misery and poverty, yea, literally takes the bread from the mouths of little children; if you mean the evil drink that topples the Christian man and woman from the pinnacle of righteous, gracious living into the bottomless pit of degradation, and despair, and shame and helplessness, and hopelessness, then certainly I am against it.

But, if when you say whiskey you mean the oil of conversation, the philosophic wine, the ale that is consumed when good fellows get together, that puts a song in their hearts and laughter on their lips, and the warm glow of contentment in their eyes; if you mean Christmas cheer; if you mean the stimulating drink that puts the spring in the old gentleman's step on a frosty, crispy morning; if you mean the drink which enables a man to magnify his joy, and his happiness, and to forget, if only for a little while, life's great tragedies, and heartaches, and sorrows; if you mean that drink, the sale of which pours into our treasuries untold millions of dollars, which are used to provide tender care for our little crippled children, our blind, our deaf, our dumb, our pitiful aged and infirm; to build highways and hospitals and schools, then certainly I am for it.

This is my stand. I will not retreat from it. I will not compromise.

Big trouble at the ATF...

In case you've missed it, there's quite a scandal brewing over at the ATF. Seems the ATF had a special little operation going on where they were letting guns "walk" across the border. Allegedly, the theory was they were going to "follow" the guns and infiltrate the Mexican cartels. As anyone with the least amount of foresight should have been able to see, this operational plan was fraught with peril. It wasn't long until the guns being allowed to walk were showing up at crime scenes in Mexico. The ultimate sign of failure was realized when one of these guns showed up at scene where a US Border Patrol agent, Brian Terry, was killed. That little screwup has led ATF agents to call the Operation (codenamed "Operation Fast and Furious") a complete disaster.

This scandal is allegedly going to cost Ken Melson his job as head of ATF (justifiably so). We hope that in light of this scandal, people take a closer look at Melson and a closer look at some of his other "operations." Specifically, Melson's longtime work with ASCLD/LAB. If you don't know what ASCLD/LAB is, nor what the problem with it may be, we strongly suggest you take a trip over to Amy Driver's blog: Bulletpath.com. Amy has been killing it as far as exposing problems with the forensic science lab community and more often than not the target that winds up in her cross hairs has been ASCLD/LAB and all the ASCLD family.

With the current ATF scandal, Driver has a new post up talking about Melson and his ties to the ASCLD family. FYI, ASCLD/LAB is the "certification" organization for SLED and several other forensic "science" labs here in SC. Given the problems exposed with the whole ASCLD/LAB certification through the NC SBI scandal, the use of the terms "science" and "certification" above is very, very loose. Trust us when we say you will hear a lot more about forensic lab certification issues here in South Carolina in the very near future.

Anyway, Driver's blog is a treasure trove of understanding the issues facing forensic science today. We highly recommend anyone interested in the ATF scandal take a look at her work on Melson and ASCLD/LAB. It is eye-opening...

Countdown begins to last Space Shuttle launch...

NASA has announced that Atlantis will be launching July 8th, which will mark the end of "Space Shuttle era" for NASA.

In light of that, we thought it would be a good time to repost a classic article written by Gregg Easterbrook for The Washington Monthly way back in April of 1980, a year before the tragic Challenger disaster. One look no further than the title of Easterbrook's article, "Beam Me Out of This Death Trap, Scotty," to get the idea behind the article.

Many know Easterbrook for his witty Tuesday Morning Quarterback featured on ESPN's website during the NFL season. When you read this article, it's hard to believe the Space Shuttle program has lasted as long as it has. Seriously, at the rate technology has changed since the advent of computers, it's incredible that we've been driving around these same clunkers for THIRTY years.

Oh well...enjoy.

The change has been made Uptown...

and the Big Man has joined band...

God's band, that is. E Street Nation has lost their Secretary of the Brotherhood and Minister of Soul. Do we have to say his name?

Clarence.

RIP Clarence Clemmons.

The Boss on Clarence via Clemmons' obit in the NJ Star Ledger:

“Clarence lived a wonderful life,” Bruce Springsteen said in a statement last night. “He carried within him a love of people that made them love him. He created a wondrous and extended family. He loved the saxophone, loved our fans and gave everything he had every night he stepped on stage.

The greatest showing of how much Clemmons meant to Springsteen's band has always been exemplified by Clemmons' role in the Boss' concert staple, 10th Avenue Freezeout. Watch the video below beginning at 3:30. Indeed...from the coastline to the cities...the Big Man made the little pretties raise their hands.

Almost time for another Blues, Bar-B-Q and Bar CLE

On Friday, July, 8, 2011, Attorney C. Rauch Wise will host the annual SCACDL Blues, Bar-B-Q and Bar CLE in Greenwood, SC. The seminar will be held at the Arts Center at the Federal Building in Downtown Greenwood. If you have never attended this seminar, you don't know what you're missing. Rauch always puts on a top flight program and there has yet to a year we've attended where we did not learn some incredibly useful things that we've continued to use throughout our career.

This year's line-up is:

-8:30-9:20am: Many Marvelous Motions by Andrew J. Savage, III, Esq.

-9:20-10:10am: Careful Calculating Confinement by Chris Florian, Esq. & James E. Sligh, Jr., Esq.

-10:30-11:20am: Combating Collateral Consequences by Geoffery R. McKee, PhD

-11:20-12:20pm: Ethics Element: Farewell to Fixed Fee by Harvey M. Watson, III, Esq.

-1:30-2:20pm: Crucifying Core Cross by Randi McGinn, Esq.

-2:20-3:10pm: Conduct, Credibility and Confusion: Understanding Character Evidence by Chief Justice Charles Daniels

-3:30-4:20pm: Interesting Inference Information: Battles Beyond Belcher by C. Rauch Wise

Quite a lineup. But for anyone who has attended Rauch's seminar, you know the real fun is had outside the seminar, as Greenwood will be slap dab in the middle of a Blues festival and a National KC BBQ qualifying contest. That means there will be blues and bbq by the boatload.

If you would like to attend or have any questions, please feel free to contact Teresa Edwards, Executive Director of the South Carolina Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, at (803) 929-0110 or scacdl@msn.com

Best Political Ad...EVAAAAH!

We don't know dick about the special election to replace retiring Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA), but it's impossible to watch this ad attacking Democratic candidate Janice Hahn and not wish we lived in the California 36th so we could enjoy this sucka a little more.

The campaign of Republican candidate Craig Huey has specifically denied having anything to do with the video. Truth be told, it could very well be a shrewd move by Hahn's own campaign (which if it is, it's genius).

Either way, we can't get the tune out of our head...