LA Lights....

No man means all he says, and yet very few say all they mean, for words are slippery and thought is viscous, because I agree with Henry B. Adams I affirm, Resolved all high school kids should attend at least one speech and debate institute during their high school career. If your not a debater or you just have no interest in reading a case right now, keep reading that is the extent of my debate jibberish.
That said I have had the esteemed privilige this summer to land a couple of the sweetest gigs that I could imagine. The first, which just wrapped up was working at the Victory Briefs Institute at the Univ of California at Los Angeles. (aka UCLA) Besides enjoying the hotel style accomodations, that is to say staying in dorm rooms that put some houses to shame, and the food of DeNeve Commons (which although its "a little" repetitive is still like eating gourment trash can food as opposed to the regular trash can food served at the average college dining hall) being involved in a camp that empowers people of all skills levels and abilities to think more clearly, more critically, and develops the ability to articulate their ideas is an awesome experience. I will admit, it may not have been as awesome without the luxuries of hitting up the local Starbuck's for a Caramel frap or rolling out in the bosses Mercedes every few days, but nonetheless its the essence of the experience that I enjoyed the most. Several of our campers I remember distinctly in my mind. Most of them were not the brightest, smartest, or best debaters "on the flow", (referring to the technical aspects of debate setup in the framework of Lincoln Douglas debate in order to provide an avenue to evaluate the activity competitively) but the worked hard (wayyy harder than I ever did in high school debate) and made significant progess during their time at camp. Some could hardly articulate an argument when they hopped off the plane a few weeks ago, and now, watch out Mark Geragos, our budding stars are going to be stealing your clients some day!
For me I think the chief reward is having a lasting impact on other people's lives. Political internships and summer business soiree's aren't inane or pointless, but at some point it becomes inevitable that you as an individual get swallowed by the beast. (the company/ politician for whom you are employed) Your rhetoric and ideas are driven by the image that the boss wants to promote. Trust I'm in the military, and I believe very few business are as effective as the big green machine at damage control on the dirty issues, and selling a positive, attractive, and conducive image. It's not even bad that as an employee that you promote your companies philosophy, (assuming its a good one) but at a debate camp you have the opportunity to teach young minds the art of thinking and developing coherent positions, as opposed to the science of marketing and selling an image.
The bonds and friendships I have made with fellow staff members, and the interaction I have had with high school students over the last couple of weeks has been amazingly refreshing and rewarding, although sleep wasn't often to be had! The comparitive advantage may or may not exist compared to other lucrative summe internships in terms of dollars and cents. However, the lasting impact and future influence on the thinking minds of America is a far more substantial and lasting effect than the short gain of a few dollars and cents. After all, if it's not about what you take when you leave this world behind you, you might want to leave something behind you when you go that is lasting and life changing for other people.
We can' silence voices....Plato said, "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something. " At the end of the day our kids are talking and they are saying something, and they are equipped to influence and effect thousands for good. At the end of the day choosing this road of summer camps in the yellow wood, has made all the difference!!