So, I got that job I interviewed for on Tuesday, and I’m starting this morning in about 15 minutes. I think I’m getting what I asked for as well since the owner didn’t counter-offer over the phone, but we’ll see. I’m excited, tired, and a little nervous, but that is to be expected. Right now I’m writing this from Progress Coffee, which is nearby. I feel very hot either from nervousness or because it’s the beginning of summer. I can’t tell which.
01
Jun 05
Felt’s motive: Money
We now know why W. Mark Felt, the “American hero”, and his family came forward with their secret: money and book deals. To safeguard their scheme, they had to scoop their own co-conspirators: Woodward and Bernstein. This is outlined in the Washington Post: Deep Background:
The problem for Vanity Fair, Friend said, was that O’Connor wanted the magazine to pay Felt and Felt’s family for the story — a condition the magazine would not agree to.
O’Connor — who had become acquainted with the Felt family through Felt’s grandson, a Stanford classmate of O’Connor’s daughter — decided instead to publish Felt’s account as a book. But after a year of trying to find a publisher, Friend said, O’Connor was back at Vanity Fair’s doorstep.
31
May 05
Leeeroy! World of Warcraft soundboard
Leeroy Jenkins, of World of Warcraft fame, now has his own soundboard.
31
May 05
Questions you may only hear here: On “Deep Throat”
Although I’m far from being a close observer of politics I was surprised as anyone at Mark Felt’s admission that he is the mysterious Watergate source known as “Deep Throat”. I thought about this a lot, as I’m sure many people around the country are now doing. When I heard the family’s reasons for coming forward now it sounded calculated. I wince whenever I hear anyone talking about themselves or a family member as a “hero”. After all, if you’ve kept the secret for 33 years why not just keep it until you die? It seems strange unless you desire some sort of fame or celebrity while you still draw breath.
The revelations are not that surprising given Mark Felt’s position within the FBI at the time. As a deputy director, he would have been privy to the findings of the original Watergate investigation. Still, the entire affair begs a number of questions:
- Given that the now public Mark Felt is Jewish, does this effect in any way the widely held negative perception of Nixon as a paranoid anti-Semite? Clearly, his suspicions about Felt we now know to be justified.
- What was Felt’s motivation for the original leak? Moral repugnance? Patriotic duty? Personal gain? We know that Felt was passed over by Nixon for the directorship of the FBI. Nixon’s removal or defeat as president could have changed his own fortunes. As for moral or patriotic sentiment, Mark Felt was convicted in 1980 of authorizing FBI agents to secretly break into the homes of Weather Underground members without a search warrant. Searches both he and Nixon regarded as legal. Nixon even appeared at his trial as a defense witness. In light of this, Felt should not be regarded as a champion of civil liberties or democracy.
A lot of people have had to lie to conceal the truth of “Deep Throat” and things are never as they seem. We will probably never know everything as it happened then for what it really was, but there is one thing I do know. Few villains and heroes of history are quite as villainous or as heroic as they appear.
31
May 05
Pedernales Falls photos
Yesterday, Jody came up with the great idea of going out to Pedernales Falls State Park in nearby Johnson City, TX. We had a lot of fun hiking around the falls and swimming in the Pedernales River. Here are a few photos.
31
May 05
“Devoid of Content” by Stanley Fish
NY Times: Devoid of Content by Stanley Fish. Found while reading Metafilter, the best group blog. I couldn’t agree more, although in college I hated anything associated with grammar:
31
May 05
Eventful day
So, I know I’m supposed to be focusing on running my own business now, but I had an opportunity to interview with an internet marketing firm where a friend of mine works that I couldn’t pass up. I’d essentially be doing the same thing I do now, which is work with clients and build websites. The interview went well, I think, but I never know for sure with anything like this. I wasn’t prepared to give numbers when they asked “how much” so I went home and thought about it until I came up with a ballpark figure then I called back. I may be asking too much, so I hope that doesn’t sit badly with the owner. Hopefully that will not be the deciding factor.
I’ve done what I can. It’s out of my hands now. If something comes of it, great. If not, nothing changes.
31
May 05
Funny World of Warcraft video: Leeeeeroy!
There’s a funny video that’s been going around that shows a group of World of Warcraft players about to go on a guild-organized dungeon crawl. Check it out here.
Edit: See the comments for more information. The original file was removed from the server for bandwidth reasons, but there is now a bittorrent available here.
31
May 05
Cultural Creative
Took this quiz on my worldview (via robotwisdom). Results:
You scored as Cultural Creative.
Cultural Creatives are probably the newest group to enter this realm. You are a modern thinker who tends to shy away from organized religion but still feels as if there is something greater than ourselves. You are very spiritual, even if you are not religious. Life has a meaning outside of the rational.
Somewhat surprising, but true. I am spiritual in a very pessimistic fashion. Second highest ranking was for Postmodernist, which I still don’t understand the meaning of.