Congratulations, baby brother

On Saturday, my little brother graduated with a business degree from Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas. As graduation ceremonies go, this was actually pretty good--it was a lot more entertaining than the one the missus and I endured at Southern Miss the weekend before.

Sadly for the graduates, it just got a whole lot more entertaining. Why is that sad? Because, with the exception of the grads and their families (and maybe not all of them), this graduation will be overshadowed by the graduation speaker, San Angelo Mayor J.W. Lown.

I didn't think much of Lown or his speech, outside of the observations that he seemed like a goof, quoted presidents entirely too often and preached about the grads' "civic responsibility" entirely too much. In fact, I probably would have never thought of him ever again, had this story not popped up tonight:

"The mayor of a West Texas community abruptly resigned after being forced to pick between his love and his love of the law.
J.W. Lown told the San Angelo Standard-Times in a telephone interview Wednesday from Mexico that he was involved in a relationship with a man who does not have legal status in the United States.
Lown said he didn’t want to take the oath of office knowing he was “aiding and assisting” someone who is not a U.S. citizen.
Lown on May 9 overwhelmingly won re-election to a fourth term with about 89 percent of the votes.
He was to be sworn in Tuesday but didn’t show up for the ceremony."

So one of the biggest events in my brother's life is overshadowed by the last public appearance of a 30-something-year-old mayor with a proclivity for hot Mexican studs--who, by the way, sets a great example for civic responsibility by skipping the country and leaving the city on the hook for his inauguration ceremony.

Congrats again, pal--your graduation day is one that nobody in San Angelo's going to ever forget. Isn't that fabulous?