My second year of law school is in the books.

I am sad to report the death of Ralph McInerny, a man that I had the privilege to get to know last year while I was on the faculty of the University of Notre Dame. Here is a portion of a note I received today from a friend in South Bend, Indiana:

Ralph died early this morning at 7:45… It was, from what I can discern, a happy death, serene and full of the acceptance that comes from a sure and strong faith. I know that for me, I never expect to know another like him in this life. He was outstanding in all the important roles of life: husband and father, friend and teacher, inspirer and witness, in love with God and truly love by God. Has there ever been a happier man, a man more able to make all around him smile?

Ralph was the sort of intellectual giant that becomes more rather than less formidable when one attempts to explain to those outside the guild the scope and influence of his work, the generosity of his spirit, and the habits of Christian virtue and philosophical rigor that he imparted to his students and colleagues in both word and deed. Although I did not have the privilege to study under Professor McInerny, I am one of literally tens of thousands, both inside and outside the academy, who has been deeply influenced by his work and example.

Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon him. May Ralph’s soul and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

(cross-posed on Return to Rome blog)

Foot-in-mouth disease strikes again.

Matthews forgets Obama is black.

We are in a post-racial society blah blah blah.  Have they tried being a non-protected minority?  Protected minorities = African Americans, Hispanics (or is the term Latino, I can’t get it straight), Native American.  Non protected minorities = everything else.   What if you’re Asian and are generally penalized for being “smart”? What if you’re white South African but everyone assumes you’re American “white”?  < < insert post-racial society rant > >  Post-racial – yeah right.

Note 1: I do not mean this offensively towards anyone, white, black or purple.

Note 2: This is not just aimed at Matthews and his idiotic remarks about a president whose race doesn’t matter to me. Generally discussing race in America gets my dander up.

Remembering the important things, as these men did, seems longer ago and even farther away with each passing year, and to some, even more silly. But Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to all those here gathered anyway, and may we smile today, give thanks, and be inspired in the coming year to perpetuate their silliness…

It was on Christmas Eve 1968 that the astronauts of Apollo 8, Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders, became the first of mankind to see an earthrise from the orbit of the moon, and looking back on us, they spoke these words:

Anders: “We are now approaching lunar sunrise. And, for all the people back on earth, the crew of Apollo 8 have a message that we would like to send to you…

“In the beginning, God created the Heaven and the Earth. And the Earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.”

Lovell: “And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.”

Borman: “And God said, Let the waters under the Heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear; and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas: and God saw that it was good.”

And from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas, and God bless all of you, all of you on the good earth.”

It is good. God bless us, every one.

My maternal grandmother, Frances Dimino Guido, was born today in 1913 (d. 2002). (To the right is a picture of her in the 1930s when she served as her niece’s sponsor for Confirmation). In Return to Rome, I write about my Grandmother and the years I lived with her (1984-1987) while I was studying for my PhD at Fordham University. Here is an excerpt from that portion of the book:
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Effective today, I will no longer be contributing to Southern Appeal. The blog will continue on without me, and Patrick Carver will continue to serve as SA’s tech guru and administrator.

I will still read SA on a daily basis, and I hope many of you will do so as well. It is a good blog with excellent contributors, and I am confident that they will continue to offer thoughtful opinions on a whole host of topics.

And while I have enjoyed my time at SA, it is time for me to move on.  I am in the process of building an appellate practice group at my law firm, working on Karen Handel’s gubernatorial campaign, and, most importantly, spending time with my family. This leaves little time to oversee the operations of a fairly popular blog.

I did consider staying on as a contributor, but then thought better of it. For better or worse, SA has always been my blog (notwithstanding the excellent contributions of others), and I don’t think SA can create a true group identity with me still in the mix.

So, I will take my leave.

I will, however, continue to contribute at First Thoughts and Georgia Appellate Practice, and I hope some of you will stop by these blogs on occasion to pay me a visit.

I want to thank all of SA’s current and former contributors, as well as its many loyal readers over the years. I cannot even begin to describe how much I have enjoyed this virtual gathering place (although I came close in this post). God Bless you all.

I want to congratulate David Nahmias on being appointed by Governor Sonny Perdue as the next justice on the Supreme Court of Georgia. Mr. Nahmias will be an excellent addition to the Court, and he has my unqualified support.

Thanks to every one for your prayers and support throughout this process. I am truly blessed beyond measure.

Today, July 11, is the feast of St. Benedict. It also happens to be my 22nd wedding anniversary. In my book, Return to Rome: Confessions of An Evangelical Catholic, I briefly discuss the significance of this day in the life of my wife, Frankie, and me: “While in Vegas [during Spring Break, 1985] I became reacquainted with Frankie Dickerson (my future wife), the sister of my friend Lexi Weigand. Lexi’s husband Mark was instrumental in helping to lead Frankie to Christ at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa on July 11, 1982. (Coincidentally or providentially, July 11 is our wedding anniversary as well as the feast day of St. Benedict, the namesake of the Pope under whose papacy Frankie joined, and I returned to, the Catholic Church).” (p. 56)

(Originally posted on Return To Rome blog)

On this feast day of St. Thomas More, patron saint of politicians, it seems appropriate to mention my latest enterprise.

Southern Appeal has always been a law blog, among other things. When I came on board as a contributor, it was in spite of my lack of experience with the law. I am now endeavoring to gain a greater involvement with the law — as a legislator.

I am a candidate for the Illinois legislature. I am seeking to unseat a Republican incumbent who has voted to repeal parental notifications for minors seeking abortions, voted to increase state funding of abortion, voted to abolish conscience protections for pro-life healthcare providers, voted for state funding of embryo-destructive stem cell research, who voted to remove the requirement that abortion providers be physicians, and who voted to protect abortion providers from malpractice suits. Her largest contributor is a pro-abortion PAC, and she has repeatedly been endorsed by Planned Parenthood.

And in 2008, she ran unopposed in both the primary and the general election.

I am running against her as a regular guy with no money, no organization, and virtually no relevant experience. But at least I know what a person is.

For me to beat her may require a miracle. But as a Christian, I believe in miracles. I’m asking for your prayers, for the intercession of St. Thomas More. And if you want to help spread the word, I’d be grateful for that as well.

St. Thomas More, Patron of politicians, ora pro nobis.

It is with great sadness that I report the death of my friend, Billy Raftery. I have known Billy and his wonderful parents and siblings since I was a student at St. Viator Elementary School in the late 1960s. During my years at Bishop Gorman High School (1974-78), Billy was the most enthusiastic fan and supporter. He bled orange and blue.

Billy lived a full and flourishing life, touching the lives of countless friends and admirers who had the privilege to cross his path. Although his time with us has been brief, his personal virtues and deep love for friends, family, and community have left an indelible mark on so many of us. Here his is obituary in this morning’s Las Vegas Review Journal:
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(My Dad, me, and brother Jim in front of Caesar's Palace in 1968. And yes, that is our white Mercedes Benz)

Today my father turns 79. He has been the best father any man can hope to have. Here are some excerpts about my father from my book, Return to Rome: Confessions of An Evangelical Catholic (Brazos Press, 2009):
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Speaking of birthdays, I thought I’d give a brief shout-out to one of my favorite Civil War generals, Winfield Scott Hancock.  (He’s Union – I’m a Yankee at heart)  Commanding the 2nd Corps, Army of the Potomac, he was the ideal soldier, though his wartime vocabulary has been described as “sulphiric”.  Postwar, he ran unsuccessfully on the Democratic ticket against my very distant relative, James Garfield. His wikipedia page here.

This is the image gracing my laptop’s desktop.

I want to thank Feddie for inviting me to join the roster of bloggers at SA.  I have been a long-time reader and look forward to contributing.  I am a lawyer in Alabama.  I recently left public service to return to private practice.  I will be posting about Alabama politics and to avoid my views being attributed to my former employer Feddie has graciously allowed me to post under the pseudonym of “Petigru’s Ghost” in honor of one of my heroes – James Louis Petigru.  Petigru was a South Carolina lawyer before the War Between the States.  He served as a legislator and Attorney General.  He was a renowned trial attorney and considered the Dean of the South Carolina Bar.  He was also a federalist who opposed secession.  However, when South Carolina did secede, he refused to leave his beloved Charleston and South Carolina.  When he died during the war, he was honored by both sides.  He was also a gentlemen and a devoted father. 

In addition to Alabama politics, I will be blogging about legal issues with an occasional reference to other critical matters such as bird dogs, shotguns, fly-rods, bourbon, BBQ, my beloved Crimson Tide and the Anglican Church.  

I realize that this will come as a shock to SA readers, but for professional and personal reasons I have decided it is time for Southern Appeal to call it quits. In doing so, I cannot even begin to express how much I appreciate the contributions of my co-bloggers and many loyal readers/commenters over the past four years. I have learned so much from each of you, and you have all enriched my life in incalculable ways. Thank you so much for everything.

When I started SA, I never dreamed it would amount to anything. It was just a means for me to vent about political matters during the two years I lived the monastic life of a federal appellate law clerk.  But with my extensive commentary/coverage on Judge William H. Pryor Jr.’s nomination to the Eleventh Circuit, SA’s traffic went up dramatically (thanks in large part to Howard Bashman and NRO), and things have never been the same since then. Indeed, SA’s popularity provided me with a special gift: a soapbox to air my views on issues I care about deeply (e.g., abortion, Darfur). I have not always been the most eloquent or able spokesman, and I have often let my passion/temper get the best of me. But our readers have been gracious in forgiving me for my many shortcomings, and I can only hope and pray that I have done more good than harm over the years.  To those who I have offended, or been less than charitable with in my posts, please forgive me.  I am a work-in-progress; and I pray daily that God with shape me into the person I need to be.

There is much more that I could and probably should say, but right now I just don’t have the words. I know this all “sounds” a little too melodramatic, but as I write this post I am coming to terms with just how much of me is wrapped up in this blog (perhaps too much methinks). In any event, it has been a great run. Thanks for the memories, folks. And God Bless.

Oh, and please have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Administrative note: SA will stay up on the web for the foreseeable future. If there is a kind soul who would be willing to offer free webhosting, so that SA’s archives can remain on the web for an extended period of time, please contact me via email. Also, I will update this post in the near future with a list of my co-bloggers’ other blogging homes, so that you can continue to enjoy their respective talents.

Update: Thank you all for the gracious comments. As promised, here is a list of my co-bloggers’ other blogging quarters and/or websites. I have also established a personal blog that will not contain any commentary, but will instead merely make note of my speaking engagements, radio/television appearances, publications, and the like. I won’t be posting at this blog on a regular basis, so it is probably best to simply subscribe to the feed if you’re interested in getting updates.

Steve Dillard: Steve Dillard

Professor Mike DeBow: Links, Point of Law, Division of Labour

Quin Hillyer: AmSpec Blog

William Watkins: South Carolina Appellate Law Blog 

Patrick Carver: Southron Views

Nathan Hallford: Confirm Them

Major Joel Leggett: Grim’s Hall

Proximo: Dallas Sidebar

Portia: De Novo

Zach Brissett: In Toon With the World

Hunter Baker: AmSpec Blog

Professor Francis Beckwith: FrancisBeckwith.com and Right Reason

Jim Dunn: Do What Now?

Update II: Muchas gracias to Joshua LeBlanc of CyberCatholics for agreeing to host SA’s archives free o’ charge. If you have any webhosting needs, please consider using CyberCatholics.

S.T. Karnick is one of the journeyman writers of the conservative-libertarian (or as he would say, classical liberal) movement.  His work has appeared just about everywhere.  Some of you may remember him from his editorship and co-creation of American Outlook, which was a very good policy and culture magazine put out by the Hudson Institute for several years.  He and Wlady gave me my first opportunities in freelance writing a few years ago.  (Thanks to both for helping through a couple of lean years in Waco.)

Although Karnick has written about just about everything between his freelance work and his regular editorial pieces for the Hudson magazine, he really shines when opining about popular culture.  After years of encouraging him to focus on that area, I am happy to report that Karnick on Culture is now in business.  After only a few short days, Karnick has written posts covering Mickey Spillane, Monk, Psych, the Beach Boys, Touching Evil, Nero Wolfe, The Closer, and Superman Returns.  Spend a little time with S.T. Karnick before you make another CD, DVD, or fiction purchase.  You’ll be glad you did. 

How, you wonder?  Well, I’ll be on vacation for the next two weeks.  I will not have a cell phone, internet, no nothing.  We’ll be flying to London on Sunday, board the QE2, and then travel to Iceland and Norway.  Here is the route we are taking.

As a young soldier, I traveled throughout central Europe, but I never made it very far north.  I’m looking forward to this and especially the recharging of batteries. C-ya.