Legal Commentary

cardinal sins from Charon and Zevon

By David A. Giacalone

As regular readers know, the f/k/a Gang considers Thematic Excess to be among the deadliest of sins when it comes to hosting the weekly Blawg Review carnival.  So, we were duly scandalized this evening seeing the content of Blawg Review #193, which appears at Charon QC’s eponymous weblog.   The fictitious Charon teaches law in the U.K., and has decided to pen Blawg Review #193 in the guise of The Lord of Misrule (whoever that is), presenting his selection of the best recent posting from law-related weblogs in a prolix list formulated around the Seven Deadly Sins.

In the spirit of the New Year, however, we’ve decided not to chastise Charon excessively.  Three things helped us turn to mercy rather than mud-slinging:

• Buried in the Avaritia-Greed category, we discovered this plum:

“Perhaps this would have been better in the Lust category? but David Giacalone of f/k/a had a sparklingly Savage year in 2008.”

. . . thanks, Charon.

• Charon’s theme gives us a perfect excuse to finally present a video of Warren Zevon performing the title song from his 1991 album “Mr. Bad Example” on the David Letterman Show:

If you’re not familiar with the polka-beat song (which Prof. Yabut can often be heard mangling in the shower), here are a few representative stanzas:

from “Mr. Bad Example”
(Warren Zevon & Jorge Calderon)

I’m very well acquainted with the seven deadly sins
I keep a busy schedule trying to fit them in
I’m proud to be a glutton, and I don’t have time for sloth
I’m greedy, and I’m angry, and I don’t care who I cross

Of course I went to law school and took a law degree
And counseled all my clients to plead insanity
Then worked in hair replacement, swindling the bald
Where very few are chosen, and fewer still are called

I’m Mr. Bad Example, intruder in the dirt
I like to have a good time, and I don’t care who gets hurt
I’m Mr. Bad Example, take a look at me
I’ll live to be a hundred and go down in infamy

• Finally, Charon’s recital of his own vices and peccadillos has convinced us he’s unlikely to be affected in the least by our opinion of his (confessedly award-winning) style.

So, you’re off the hook this time, Charon.  But, please, a little more discretion — and a lot less theme — next year.

no good deeds
but also no sins…
winter seclusion

caged bird–
watching the butterfly
with envy

… by Kobayashi Issa, translated by David G. Lanoue

p.s. Speaking of Greed, Anger, Pride and other such vices, the launching of LexTweet by the folks at LexBlog [see Legal Blog Watch, Jan. 2, 2009] seems to explain why Kevin O’Keefe slammed me so hard when I refused to jump on the Twitter bandwagon, and made a grudging apoplogy that was so meaningless.

Full post as published by f/k/a . . . on January 04, 2009 (boomark / email).