bon bon, I was in law school when it was the up-and-coming "conservative" group. But only for certain "conservatives," at least at UNC. I knew at least one person who was decidedly unwelcome because his conservatism had a strong libertarian streak.

Now, this is just one law school 20 years ago, so take FWIW.

Yeah, given that my friends in the society are libertarian, I don't think it's necessarily that parochial anymore.

I think their ideas are fairly lunatic.

Which?

The Federalist Society took their name from The Federalist Papers, and the thing about them is that they believe they know founder's intent. You get the idea that because slavery's in the Constitution, they think it should never have been outlawed. They are conservatives' conservatives, opposed to anything that smacks of change.

I don't like secret societies, and The Federalist Society comes pretty damn close. I don't mind organizations that get together to discuss topics, but the FS appears to exist to crush opposition. And it's become an odd-boys' network. Membership in it seems to be de rigeur for an appointment.

Additionally, they are the folks who gave rise to the term "liberal orthodoxy."

Yes, at law school the conservative students migrated to the FS, but the moderate ones then migrated away.

The guy I know that knows Roberts, incidentally, said "No, we didn't overlap while working for Starr, but we knew each other from The Federalist Society." So at least one conservative thinks Roberts was a member. (Of course, he won't necessary stick to that story for public consumption.)

My kung-pao chicken has no peanuts. This makes me sad.

I'm very guilty of not researching here, but was Roberts in the FS while in law school or later in life?

I never went to a FS meeting while I was in law school, but the students who did seemed pretty normal to me. It sort of seemed like the conservative equivalent of the ACLU (and, yes, I know the ACLU isn't strictly "liberal" but I think it was perceived that was by the FS law students). Most of the students I know who were involved were just your average conservative types.

I know nothing about what non-student FS types believe.

And it's become an odd-boys' network.

ah, the freudian typo.

I am starving, and contemplating where to go for lunch. it must be somewhere that takes plastic, as the payroll people have screwed up and I have not been paid.

One of my coworkers must've got fried chicken for lunch, and I can smell it all the way in my office. This really isn't helping me with my resolve not to get a greasy, cheesy your-tummy-will-make-you-pay-later lunch.

Not really, because people taste really, really good.

Oh right, I forgot who I was talking to.

I think they should name the local resident so we can point and scoff at them:

Oscar-winning actress Julia Roberts shocked residents of Santa Monica, California when she was spotted driving through the coastal town with out of date license plates. The Erin Brockovich star, who owns a home in nearby Venice, ran various errands around Santa Monica yesterday, without her husband Danny Moder or their baby twins Hazel and Phinnaeus by her side. And while she could boast that she was doing her part for the environment by carrying out her chores in an eco-friendly silver Toyota Prius, onlookers couldn't help but notice that her plates clearly displayed an April 2005 expiry date. A local resident scoffs, "It's ridiculous! While I understand it's quite normal to be a few days late, three months is just crazy. If an everyday person with a 9-5 can remember to get it done within a timely fashion, a movie star with a staff to help remind her certainly should be able to." According to California law, a driver whose registration is expired by more than a month but less than a year is liable to pay an extra 60 per cent on top of the standard registration fee.

Not least of all because I had my car paid up on time, but the tags didn't go on for about three months because I kept getting distracted. And, hey! More money for the government, from someone who has bundles.

Mostly, though, who the fuck cares enough to stare at anyone's tags, much less talk to a reporter about it unless it's their job?

I just noticed yesterday that my tags expired May 05. Now I feel all trendy.