Last night we had our first chorus rehearsal of the spring season. It looks to be a terrific concert, including works by Schoenberg, Brahms, Mozart, and others.

One piece we’re singing, “Last Letter Home,” blew us away. It was composed last year by Lee Hoiby; the text comes from a letter written by a U.S. soldier who died in Iraq. Private First Class Jesse Givens was killed on May 1, 2003, when his tank plunged into the Euphrates River after the bank on which he was parked gave way. The other crew members escaped, but Givens drowned.

He’d written a letter to his family to be opened in the event of his death: his wife Melissa, his stepson Dakota (nicknamed “Toad”), and his unborn son, nicknamed “Bean.”

We sang it for the first time last night. Half of us were wiping our eyes afterwards. My voice kept breaking as I tried to sing the text.

…I searched all my life for a dream and I found it in you. I would like to think that I made a positive difference in your lives. I will never be able to make up for the bad. I am so sorry. The happiest moments in my life all deal with my little family. I will always have with me the small moments we all shared. The moments when you quit taking life so serious and smiled. The sound of a beautiful boys laughter or the simple nudge of a baby unborn. You will never know how complete you have made me… You opened my eyes to a world I never knew existed…

Dakota you are more son then I could ever ask for. … You have a big beautiful heart. … I will always be there in our park when you dream so we can still play. I hope someday you will have a son like mine. … I love you toad I will always be there with you. I’ll be in the sun, shadows, dreams, and joys of your life.

Bean, I never got to see you but I know in my heart you are beautiful. …

I have never been so blessed as I was on the day I met Melissa Dawn Benfield. You are my angel, soulmate, wife, lover, and best friend. I am sorry. I did not want to have to write this letter. There is so much more I need to say, so much more I need to share. A lifetime’s worth. I married you for a million lifetimes. That’s how long I will be with you. … Please find it in your heart to forgive me for leaving you alone. … Do me a favor, after you tuck Toad and Bean in, give them hugs and kisses from me. Go outside and look at the stars and count them. Don’t forget to smile.

Here’s the entire letter. Links to the original, handwritten letter are at the bottom of the page.

His son was born a few weeks after he died.

I’m not a New Jersey resident, but since I work in the state I have to fill out a non-resident tax form when I do my taxes. I’ve noticed that this year, the non-resident and resident forms refer to “spouse/CU partner” for the first time. (Civil unions went into effect in New Jersey last February.)

It’s nice to see these relationships “officialized” on tax forms.

I’m sorry, but this really freaks me out.

I have nothing to add to this.

In his dress shirt and tie, and with his unwavering smile, [Mitt Romney] walked over and posed for photographs with a group of black youngsters. Putting his arm around a teenage girl, he waved to the cameras and offered, “Who let the dogs out?” He added a tepid “woof woof.”

Somewhere, the Baha Men, the Bahamian group whose 2000 song the candidate was referencing, must have been shuddering.

Kevin Madden, one of Mr. Romney’s campaign boyz on the bus, said the candidate had been joking around and had responded to someone who asked, “Who let you out?”

Later, Mr. Romney admired a child’s gold necklace and said, “Oh, you’ve got some bling-bling here.”

Note to self:

To avoid heart attack, do not look at 401(k) or Roth IRA balances over the next few months.

Yesterday I finally saw “Fight Club” for the first time, that cultural touchstone, becoming the last American male over the age of 20 to do so. Took me long enough.

Unfortunately, about a year ago someone spoiled me on the plot twist. (Whoever it was, I hate you.) I tried to watch the movie pretending to myself that I didn’t know, but it didn’t totally work. Various scenes took on extra meaning even though I tried to pretend they didn’t.

I still enjoyed the movie — how can you not enjoy a David Fincher movie? And in a way I feel like I saw the movie for the first and the second times simultaneously.

So I guess I’m all caught up on pop culture now.

Ten years ago last night, several days after it appeared in the Drudge Report, the news of Bill Clinton’s affair with Monica Lewinsky broke into the mainstream news media via ABC News and the Washington Post.

From the Washington Post print edition, January 21, 1998: Clinton Accused of Urging Aide to Lie.

Independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr has expanded his investigation of President Clinton to examine whether Clinton and his close friend Vernon Jordan encouraged a 24-year-old former White House intern to lie to lawyers for Paula Jones about whether the intern had an affair with the president, sources close to the investigation said yesterday.

Clinton, coincidentally, had several media interviews scheduled that day to discuss his upcoming State of the Union address, including this one with Jim Lehrer of PBS.

JIM LEHRER: Mr. President, welcome.

PRESIDENT CLINTON: Thank you Jim.

JIM LEHRER: The news of this day is that Kenneth Starr, independent counsel, is investigating allegations that you suborn perjury by encouraging a 24-year-old woman, former White House intern, to lie under oath in a civil deposition about her having had an affair with you. Mr. President, is that true?

For an engrossing narrative of the events surrounding the eruption of the scandal, read this excerpt from The Survivor: Bill Clinton in the White House, by John F. Harris.

An oldie but goodie:

Universe Ends As God Wakes Up Next To Suzanne Pleshette.

R.I.P., Suzanne Pleshette.

It’s official: George W. Bush leaves office in exactly one year.

I’m not as concerned with how much time he has to further fuck up our country (plenty) as I’m concerned with how long it’s going to take us to clean up all the damage he’s done.

T-minus 366 days and counting…

Y’know, Hillary Clinton says y’know a lot. She uses it whenever she speaks extemporaneously in an interview or a debate. Once you first notice it, it’s impossible to ignore.

Ann Lewis, one of Hillary Clinton’s senior advisers, is speaking on MSNBC right now, and when she speaks she totally reminds me of Mrs. Landingham.

Here’s a site with sound files for network news music. It even has NBC’s election coverage music, which seems to be the same music that MSNBC has been using in this election cycle.

(Election coverage music sometimes sends tingles down my spine. Yeah, I’m a political junkie.)

A few months ago a film director pseudonymously named “T.S. Slaughter” asked to send me a copy of his recent film, “Skull & Bones,” in return for a review. It’s a gay-themed horror film that takes place on a college campus. Very, very, very low-budget production values, from all appearances, except the vermin are apparently real.

It really wasn’t my cup of tea at all, but “Mr. Slaughter” did send me a copy of the film, so I owe him at least a mention. Here’s the trailer.

Hey – you guys? Those of you who think Mitt Romney wouldn’t be such a bad Republican nominee? Those of you who think he’d be the least-bad Republican that could take office next year?

Last month, Charlie Savage, Pulitzer-prize-winning Boston Globe journalist and author of Takeover: The Return of the Imperial Presidency and the Subversion of American Democracy, wrote up the results of a questionnaire he sent each of the major presidential candidates regarding their views of executive branch power. Along with a summary, he presented each candidate’s responses to the questionnaire.

Romney gave some of the scariest answers, basically supporting everything that Dick Cheney and David Addington have done over the past seven years to create a monarchical executive branch that can do whatever it wants.

Excerpts:

1. Does the president have inherent powers under the Constitution to conduct surveillance for national security purposes without judicial warrants, regardless of federal statutes?

Intelligence and surveillance have proven to be some of the most effective national security tools we have to protect our nation. Our most basic civil liberty is the right to be kept alive and the President should not hesitate to use every legal tool at his disposal to keep America safe.

Surveillance without warrants is a-o.k., and damn any Congressional statutes — they’re only the law, after all.

4. Under what circumstances, if any, would you sign a bill into law but also issue a signing statement reserving a constitutional right to bypass the law?

I share the view of many past presidents that signing statements are an important presidential practice.

President Bush has issued a record number of signing statements that he claims allow him to bypass any laws he believes are unconstitutional. The proper response to such bills is to veto them. More on signing statements. (This was the basis for Savage’s Pulitzer.)

7. If Congress defines a specific interrogation technique as prohibited under all circumstances, does the president’s authority as commander in chief ever permit him to instruct his subordinates to employ that technique despite the statute?

A President should decline to reveal the method and duration of interrogation techniques to be used against high value terrorists who are likely to have counter-interrogation training. This discretion should extend to declining to provide an opinion as to whether Congress may validly limit his power as to the use of a particular technique, especially given Congress’s current plans to try to do exactly that.

Translation: Presidents can authorize torture no matter what Congress says.

8. Under what circumstances, if any, is the president, when operating overseas as commander-in-chief, free to disregard international human rights treaties that the US Senate has ratified?

The President must carry out all of his duties in a manner consistent with the rule of law, whether it is our Constitution or valid international agreements, so long as they do not impinge upon the President’s constitutional authority.

“[S]o long as they do not impinge upon the President’s constitutional authority.” These are code words for the unitary executive theory, which misinterprets the Constitution to grant the president near-monarchical powers in certain areas of law. For instance, each of Bush’s signing statements says that he will execute the law “in a manner consistent with his constitutional authority to supervise the unitary executive branch.” How broadly does Romney interpret “the President’s constitutional authority”? See question 10:

10. Is there any executive power the Bush administration has claimed or exercised that you think is unconstitutional? Anything you think is simply a bad idea?

The Bush Administration has kept the American people safe since 9/11. The Administration’s strong view on executive power may well have contributed to that fact.

That speaks for itself. Everything Bush has done is fine!

Romney may not be as socially conservative as he currently claims to be. But when it comes to executive power, Romney would be as much of a nightmare as Giuliani.

Seven years ago today…

Happy Blogaversary to me.