January 22, 2004

Thanks to UCLA lawprof Stephen Bainbridge for linking to this site. I especially like being mentioned right below a post about Delaware, my home state.

I sometimes wonder whether my interest in constitutional law, and specifically federalism, did not originate from my early education in Delaware schools, where we studied Delaware history and were instilled with a sense that Delaware was special because it was the first state to ratify the Constitution. I can still remember frequently singing the state song "Our Delaware," which includes a pledge of "Faith" to the "beloved" state. The song has a verse for each county--there are only three--and some strange lyrics for a kid to contemplate, like:
Dear old Sussex visions linger,
Of the holly and the pine,
Of Henlopen's Jeweled finger,
Flashing out across the brine
So, what is this image? Cape Henlopen is basically giving the Atlantic Ocean the finger?

I grew older only to learn that no one outside of Delaware cared if Delaware was the first state. The distinguishing thing about Delaware to lawyers is that that is where all the corporations are from. "Oh you're from Delaware? I didn't know any human beings were from there," is a wisecrack I've heard more than once.

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