Today I went to Montgomery to judge the state-wide oratory civic competition. As you may remember, I judged the local one in November, and did such a good job that they invited me to judge state.
What fun! I got to meet a lot of attorneys, and other cool people. I got to pick around hotel food. YUM! I got to get lost in a maze of one-way streets. I'm sure that if you're from Montgomery, it's easy to navigate. If you're me, and it's the only the third time you've been there, well, not so much. Not even Mandy (my GPS) could help me get into the parking deck. My cool (hah!) head prevailed, and I figured it out though.
The kids all did such good jobs. I could see a real difference in the teams in terms of their practice, study, and training, but overall I was really impressed with their work. They should all be proud of themselves for even trying - at that age (high school seniors) I would have been way too nervous to even speak out loud.
There was one team that was so uber-prepared that it was scary. I asked a question about the right to appeal as compared to protection of individual rights, and the kids blew me out of the water. Not only did the answer make enough sense that I finally understood the question, but they cited Miranda as an example. (Be nice, or I'll include the citation and a link, and no-one wants that.)
On the way home, my main goal was to pull to the side of 65N and get a picture of my favorite billboard in Alabama, the "Go To Church Or The Devil Will Get You" sign, complete with an outline of Satan holding a pitchfork. I love love love that sign; it makes me laugh every time I see it. So of course I was changing lanes when it snuck up on me and I missed it.
I will try harder for you folks next time.
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