The Gigantic
Magellan's Log
Poli-Sci Contest:

What's Wrong with This Picture?

February 1, 2001. Clarence Thomas administers the oath
to Attorney General-nominee John Ashcroft.

The swearing-in, which took place within minutes after the Senate vote confirming Ashcroft as Attorney General, was "private." So. Obviously the first thing that's wrong with this picture is that THERE IS NO PICTURE.

Still, we all have imaginations. Our challenge to Magellan's Log readers: imagine the scene. There's berobed Justice Thomas holding a bible, on which John Ashcroft rests his left hand while his right hand is raised. Got that picture in your mind?

CONTEST RULES

1. Write an essay explaining what is wrong with that picture.

2. Submit it to us (magellan@texaschapbookpress.com) by midnight, December 31, 2099.

3. You must keep your essay under 100,000 words. Impossible, you say? We know it sounds difficult. If Shakespeare could do Hamlet in five acts, we are confident our readers can say almost everything that needs to be said about what is wrong with this picture in under 100,000 words. We will read all submissions, so if you just have to go over 100,000 words, send us an accompanying letter explaining why you broke this rule. Maybe we'll have some "honorable mention" winners.

4. The prize. The winner gets (remember, this will be in January, 2100) an all-expenses-paid weekend at the lovely Gulf of Mexico beach in Dallas, Texas, including a guided scuba-diving trip to explore the ruins of Crawford, Texas, under 200 feet of water.

END

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