Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 111, No. 225, Ed. 1 Sunday, August 9, 2009 Page: 4 of 16
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V V .
Viewpoints
Sweetwater Reporter
DEDICATED TO PROUDLY DELIVERING LOCAL NEWS SINCE 1881
T^fc Sweetwater 1
Reporter
P.O. Box 750/112 W. Third
Sweetwater, Texas 79556
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EDITORIAL POLICY
The editorial section of the newspaper is a forum for
expression of a variety of viewpoints. All articles except
those labeled “Editorials” reflect the opinions of the writ-
ers and not those of the Sweetwater Reporter.
UNCOMMON SENSE
America’s got talent eroding taste
lisa
Peterson
ramimi
A look at the Supremes
Every' now and again, it is good to look back at the tra-
ditions of the institutions we take forgranted. With the
nomination of Sonya Sotomayor as an associate .Justice,
attention has been drawn to the judicial branch of our
government. Without commenting, directly or otherwise,
on her nomination or qualifications, it is
worth the time to remember the early days
of the federal courts.
A nomination for a seat on the United
States Supreme Court is considered a
great honor, but this was not always the
case. When George Washington was try-
ing to fill the Court in the late 1700s (with
one Chief Justice and six Associates), most
people considered an ambassadorship a
greater honor than a seat on the Court.
The Constitution was still rather new,
and no one really knew what position the
Court would play. Never in the history of
man had there been a national govern-
ment created with three equal branches.
Everyone understood the roles to be taken
by the houses of the legislature and by the
executive, but it appeared that the Court would have virtu-
ally no power, making it an unattractive appointment.
Through the first several years of its existence, the
Supreme Court was something of a nonentity (although it
did establish the precedent of not offering advisory opin-
ions, that is, ruling on “would it be constitutional if I ...."
type questions, during this time) The early 1800s and Chief
Justice John Marshall (actually the fourth Chief since the
appointment of John Jay in 1789) brought the Court to a role
equal to, though different from, the other branches of gov-
ernment. Just before leaving office, President John Adams
filled several judicial appointments. 11 is successor s admin-
istration refused to honor them. In the course of deciding
the case, the Justices had to resolve a conflict between a law
passed bv Congress that authorized the Court to commit
certain actions, and the Constitution, which implied that it
could not. Writing for the Court, Justice Marshall s logic is
simple and has guided the court through its life. First, the
Constitution is the superior law of the United States. Any
law contrary to it cannot he enforced. Second, the only
branch of government not involved in creating the law is the
judiciary, therefore it is the only neutral arbitrator of what is
or is not a violation of the Constitution. Therefore, it is the
duty of the Court, when faced with a contradiction between
a statute and the Constitution, to make a decision in favor of
the superior law, that is, the Constitution. This process has
become known as judicial review, and is still used today.
The idea of judicial review dates back to the Federalist
Papers that were written to encourage the passage of the
Constitution we know today. The opinion of the writers,
including James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, was
that the Constitution should be an enduring document.
Madison's argument was that judicial review would ensure
that the will of the whole people, as expressed by the
Constitution, would always dominate the temporary will of
a few who might influence or cause the passage of legisla-
tion. The idea was to remove the Court and the judiciary
from the political process, allowing constitutional interpre-
tation to he left to the reasoned judgment oi persons exam-
ining the issue away from the heat of the moment.
The idea of a Supreme Court is a unique feature of the
experiment in democracy known as the United States. It
is seen as representative of the American dedication to the
idea of a rule of law, as opposed to rule by man, and to our
determination to preserve and protect the Constitution.
Many scholars credit a wholly independent judiciary with
the fact that our Constitution is still in use, and has not been
amended to the point that it has become cumbersome. The
framers of that document wisely drafted it in rather general
terms, leaving it open to elaboration and interpretation as
conditions and people changed. It is doubtful that any of
the men involved in creating our constitution anticipated
the evolution of our nation to what it is today. The mindset
of our people, the size of our territory, not to mention the
case of communication might well be frightening to them.
The Court has made many unpopular decisions that have
been proved to be the right decision by history. Most of our
citizens today agree that segregation was wrong, that a per-
son facing serious criminal charges should be represented
by an attorney, and that persons should be told wnat rights
they have in criminal investigations. These are just a few of
the decisions that hau been made by the court which might
have been different had the justices been influenced by pub-
lic opinion. The challenge faced by the Court is to expound
a constitution, intended to endure for ages to come and to
be adapted to the various crises of the populace.
The idea that federal judges are appointed for life, and
have no constraints other than the possibility of removal for
less than “good behavior” bothers mans people. At times,
it has been abused. If. however, the judiciary is to look past
the heat of the moment, the judges cannot be dependent on
politics or public opinion. Our system requires that they
look at the law in something of a vacuum, realizing that the
decision made today may still be valid two hundred years
from now. When the Court makes a decision based on
public on opinion rather than law, the distinction between
the branches of government is blurred, and the intent of the
framers is thwarted.
/.iso Peterson is the County Attorney lor Solun County.
Comments ahoul this column may In r mailed to nlitorc
sweetwaterreporter.com.
1 don't want to intrude
on our new entertain-
ment columnist, Michael
Coleman, who has done
an excellent job
of separating the
wheat from the
chaff when dishing
about the enter-
tainment world,
but this week I am
compelled to write
about something
that is becoming
hard to avoid -
bad television.
To my chagrin,
my predictions of
reality t.v. being
too stupid — even
for America — to
remain on the bandwag-
on for too long have been
wrong. It seems as if any-
one can be famous these
days. And I don't watch
99 percent of it, but if you
are a channel surfer like 1
am, you inevitably end up
stopping once in a while
to take a peek, as if you
would a car accident on
the side of the road as you
pass by.
One such occasion
struck me last night.
Somehow, I ended up on
VHi. You know, one of
those networks that used
to show music videos?
There was a new "real-
ity" show dubbed "Megan
Wants a Millionaire" on.
It was quite possibly the
worst snow 1 have ever
seen. 1 mean, this makes
the other bottom of the
barrel reality shows look
like deep philosophi-
cal studies on human
nature. I can't emphasize
it enough — you'd have to
watch some of it to under-
stand just how big of a
joke entertainment has
become in America.
The premise is simple,
a woman resembling a
washed up porn star sport-
ing an 80 s-style blonde
coif and an unabashed
gold-digging personality
is looking for love — in
a millionaire. And there
are 15 or so guys who are
vying for her attention,
and ultimately, her hand
in marriage.
Let me assure you,
Rockefeller's, these men
UNCOMMON SENSE
I am looking forward
to a new movie release
and you might find it
surprising. It is Julie
and Julia starring Meryl
Streep and Amy Adams.
The story revolves around
the cooking world
of the great Julia
Childs and how a
woman decided to
cook soley from
her cookbook and
write about the
experience. This
movie combines all
the things I love in
this world; mov-
ies. cooking, eating
and Amy Adams.
I could continue
to write about the
great young actress
of Doubt and
Brian
McConnack
aren't. It is a veritable
who's not in the world of
millionaires. Most of them
make the Girls Gone Wild
brainchild, Joe
Frances, look as
distinguished as
Prince Charles.
And they are
low-rent mil-
lionaires, too.
Most have a net
worth of only (I
say only like I
tiave ever seen
a million, but
hey, it's televi-
sion) 1-3 million
bucks, and most
are either trust-
fund babies or
self-made men (one owns
a plumbing business, Joe,
is that you?). You cer-
tainly won't find any "old"
money here.
But after watching for a
few minutes, it certainly
makes us non-millionaires
believe that if these idi-
ots — in today's economy
nonetheless — can make a
million dollars, than sure-
ly, we can too!
But the parade of ama-
teur millionaires and their
self-absorbed object of
affection is just the begin-
ning. The show is inher-
ently the most blatant
display of shallowness
and superficialities to
ever grace (disgrace?) the
silver screen. One of the
gentlemen who is trying
to land the bimbo of the
night is a movie produc-
er. He's not exactly what
you would call handsome,
either. And right off the
bat, Megan tells the cam-
era privately that she has
no interest in, or physical
attraction to the man. But,
ever the optimist, she says
she could possibly use
him to be cast in a movie!
(And people think gays
are spoiling the sanctity of
marriage.)
So where does it end?
When will the proverbi-
al foot be put down by
Americans? I am aware
that there is a small con-
stituency that will devour
any garbage they are force
fed, but didn't we learn
anything from Jon and
Kate? And speaking of
Jon and Kate, I have never
watched a whole minute
of their train wreck of a
show, but I still know who
they are, how many kids
they have, how they met,
how Kate became a domi-
neering witch and Jon a
philandering dog.
Since I don't read People
magazine, watch TMZ, nor
even seen an episode ot
Jon and Kate, how could
1 know all this? Because
I do watch the news. And
it doesn't matter if it's
FOX, CNN, or PBS, Jon
and Kate have been spot-
lighted. You literally can't
ignore it, if you watch any
t.v. at all. Celebreality is
unfortunately now on par
with health care dehates,
energy crises and Mid-
East wars.
These shows, coupled
with the insane cover-
age of Michael "sleep-
ing in the same bed as
little boys when you are
40 is perfectly acceptable"
Jackson's death makes me
worry that if there is any
semblance of good art out
there, it is about to be
swallowed whole by the
unintelligent, over-the-
top genre that is reality
the
1
pelax. flumps
i£ rN AFRICA
top genre
television.
Unfortunately,
dumbing down of our
society will most likely
continue. Good taste wiil
be assaulted in all forms,
until our frontal lobes are
filled with nothing hut
thoughts of hunky guys
with low I.Q.'s, money-
grubbing woman, vot-
ing people off of remote
islands and two-stepping
with washed up celebri-
ties.
Oh wait, too late. Say
hello to the latest con-
tribution America has
bestowed upon the world
— reality t.v. On the bright
side, I suppose it's better
than a pre-emptive war.
Brian McCormack
is a staj] writer for the
Sweetwater Reporter.
Comments about this col-
umn may be e-mailed to
edit or <fe sweet wu ter re-
porler.com.
j]
$05
A
Bon appetit
Enchanted but instead I'll
write about what I love
the most, food and the
television cooking show.
Back in the days before
1 even understood food
and just ate whatever inv
mother cooked for me;
well most everything; the
television gave us the king
and queen of tv cooking.
On Public Broadcasting,
you could learn cooking
from Julia Childs and
Graham Kerr aka the
"Galloping Gourmet."
Their cooking influenced
thousands of chefs, cooks
and housewives.
Fast forward to today
and you will find numer-
ous shows about cook-
ing, eating and traveling
and eating. Most of these
shows are on the great-
est cable network besides
ESPN. The Food Network
has brought us the lies! in
food and the most color-
ful cooking personalities
Three of the most colorful
and enjoyable personali-
ties are Rachel Kay, Bobln
Flay and Guy Fieri. Rachel
Ray has turned her simple
30 Minute Meals show
into multi media empire.
The concept of the show
is that you can make a full
meal in 30 Minutes. The
part that I think is the best
is that the recipes are easy
to do and understand plus
Rachel is super enthusias-
tic about cooking in a wa>
that makes
you enjoy it
too. With a
quick sprin-
kle of EVOO
and a hearty
" Y u m m o",
another meal
is complete.
B o I) b y
Flay is a top
notched chef
with restau-
rants in New
York City.
His specialty
on the Food
Network is grilling and
American Food. He was
the one who took on the
Japanese in the original
Iron Chef contest and
won. 1 guess he must be
very competitive because
lie takes on top cooks
throughout the country
on Throwdown. T he pro-
ducers find a cook that is a
leader in making a certain
food style. They are then
set up to think they are
filming a cooking show
hut instead Flay takes
them on in a throwdown;
a challenge where he tries
to out cook them in their
own specialty. Most of the
episodes I've seen, Flay
usually loses hut it's fun
to see how he creates his
own masterpiece of food.
Guy Fiere is one of the
newest members of the
Food Channel family but
has skyrocketed in popu-
larity. lie could pass for
a surfer dude but cooks
like a chef. However his
most entertaining show
is Diners. Drive-ins and
Dives Fiere goes around
the country to those small
hut memorable restau-
rants and cafes where the
food is exceptional, lie
talks and cooks with the
chefs but he en\ iably gets
to try all of the greatest
creations from the cooks
in these establishments
Watching this show makes
me want to travel but in
the end just makes me
even more hungry.
The Food Network
doesn't have a monopoly
on food programming.
Bravo has the best in Chef
contests with Top Chef
and Top Chef Masters.
In both, the chefs are
required to perform dif-
ferent tasks and the one
who completes it best and
the best tasting food wins.
Of course, like any reality
show contest, there is alot
of hissing and back stab
bing between the contes-
tants. Chefs with a bagful
of knives don't seem like
the best people to argue
with. The new season
starts in a few weeks and I
can't wait until Chef Tom
and Padma enter the Top
Chef kitchen and give the
new chefs their first task.
Finally we dick over to
the Travel Channel and
watch Anthony Bourdain
and No Reservations.
Bourdain travels to other
country and not only
experiences their food but
their culture. It is a worth-
while hour to see how
other people live and eat.
For Bourdain and the local
residents, food becomes a
universal language.
What would Julia Child
think il she saw how her
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cooking show and cool
books have led to th
mass assault of food am
cooks we see on tv every
day, For me, I must sto
writing because all tin
talk of food is making in
hungry. I'm so hungry
could eat this article. Bin
Appetit!!!!!
Entertainment notes
Foi the video gamer in th
crowd. I Inslings will hav
a Madden game toume
on T hursday night Angus
1.3th. ( heck the store fo
details. Also starting oi
the 13th is < iodspell; th
latest performance by th
Sweetwatci LittleTheatei
1 here will be three perfor
malices so crab the kid
and check it out.
Michael Colcnum is th
storemanayerofUastiny
entertainment and is
resilient 0/ Swcetwatei
Comments about this col
unm may be e-mailed t
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porter.com.
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Rodriguez, Tatiana. Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 111, No. 225, Ed. 1 Sunday, August 9, 2009, newspaper, August 9, 2009; Sweetwater, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth561841/m1/4/?q=%22%22~1: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Sweetwater/Nolan County City-County Library.