Editor's Note: And now, the first of our guest contributors
-a southern gentleman and a scholar- please welcome Sophist.

As my first official post on Row Knows, I would like to take a moment to thank my gracious host for having me on as a contributor to his site, so thank you, Rowjimmy.

A few (most likely none of you) will recognize my handle from week4paug.net.  I will spare the introduction and get to the heart of the matter at hand:  American Idol really screwed the pooch this season.

Actually, the usual bout of chaos seems to be present on the political front.  The Republicans are up in arms about Obama’s nomination for Supreme Court Judge.  My favorite blog: Obsidian Wings, has several links containing detailed information about the nominee, which includes detailed summaries of her positions on various issues.  Credit should be given to Hilzoy for bringing this information forward, and posting it.

From my readings of the above links, I have no concerns about this choice for Supreme Court Judge.  To me, the points made against her are rampant with Straw Man Arguments.  Surprisingly, I have yet to see the usual Ad Hominem arguments by the right, in turn; the right has been focusing on the usual issues: abortion, gun rights, and gay marriage.  The standard “threats” to America, the type of shit that will drown this country.

What concerns me with the left is the steadfast appeal in which this nominee was absorbed.  She was instantly a champion of the left, and as history tells us, I see this as dangerous.  We need to be objective, and we need to question everything with regards to government.  The use of government is good, and brings about the completed tasks that we require to function as a society, but I feel like we are slowly derailing ourselves due to the comfort of this administration.  It’s an aphorism I use frequently, and will continue to repeat, so it needs to be said:  The absence of doubt is the emergence of institutional oppression.

We as a society need to be objective and choose what is best for the country not for a particular party.  These are crucial times, and to me, it feels like both sides forget this, and resort to playing politics.  It does concern me, that right off the bat we see the same partisan talking points from the same people, I didn’t expect a new administration to change Washington, but I did expect the politicians to listen to the people for once, and heed our want for change.

So I ask of you, to read up on this nominee and voice your thoughts to your politicians, friends, family, pets, or whatever the hell else you find comfort in conversing with.

-Sophist