Alex Thomason, a candidate on NBC’s The Apprentice—and a deputy assistant prosecutor in King County—is spotlighted in “The Insider” column in today’s Seattle P-I.
Alex was a good friend and classmate at Seattle University School of Law. When I took up the task of revitalizing the school’s Federalist Society chapter, Alex was right there and proved to be a real leader. I was instantly stuck by his sharp, intellectual acumen. He is also unflappable and the sort who will stand up where few others dare. There are few people these days who possess the practical skills to get things done and only a small number of folks who have any knowledgeable or philosophical depth to their thinking. Alex, however, is one of those extraordinary individuals who possess both. The man has it together and it makes perfect sense that he would be selected as a candidate for The Apprentice.
Be sure to check out Alex’s website, which is plugged in the P-I article. It’s a dynamite web site—excellently designed. The following quote from Alex may be my favorite part of the site:
Winning doesn't necessary mean finishing first place in this interview. I believe that how you wage war is just as important as whether you win the war. I was made to take tough risks. After all, as my great and loyal friend Billy Cooper said to me before he left for Iraq (US Army, 1st Cavalry Division in Baghdad), "Arod, you got one shot at and love—fortune favors the bold. Be bold."
The Apprentice airs on Thursday nights at 8:30pm. Be sure to root Alex on!!!
(Cross-blogged at Seth Cooper's personal blog.)
Posted by Seth Cooper at January 24, 2005 01:54 PM | Email ThisPoor Alex. He almost got fired. His team lost the first round and he was one of the three in the boardroom. He could have been sent home then and there.
So close. Trump thought Alex was "safe" until Alex opened his mouth and proceeded to put his foot in it. Trump said "Alex, you did a lousy job." Alex oversaw the division that lost the game for the team.
Alex saved himself well by not blaming the unkept artist like everyone else and instead blamed the team leader. This was exactly what George and Carolyn thought and it saved him.
Go Alex. Hang in there.
Washington has had a couple of Fort Lewis soldiers on survivor.
Posted by: Erik on January 24, 2005 02:57 PMWe can reconcile God using the neutrality of "Mother Nature" for judgment, but how can he use man? Tell me truly, does man ever fight a war out of justice? I would declare a very loud NO, and contend that war is about one thing: money.
Posted by: Erik on January 24, 2005 03:01 PMMoney.
Yeah, that's it.
Posted by: Larry on January 24, 2005 04:29 PM(Excepted)
Plato remarked that "all war is made for the sake of money" and "inspiring a feeling of unity" in a particular social group. Crusader historian Aziz S. Ataya pointed out that the monetary benefit of the crusades cannot be understated. So if men use war for evil, what are we left with? Essentially that war is a sign of God’s justice and response to sin. The bittersweet fact of war is that it simultaneously reveals God’s goodness and our sinfulness and need for redemption. Had we no sin, there would be no need for war. But given that sinful man is the agency God uses to avenge sinful man, how can Christians support any war? Can God take evil action -- man’s greed, and use it for good -- punishing evil rulers through war?
The answer has already been given over and over in the Bible, most succinctly by Joseph: "They meant it for evil, but God meant it for good" (Genesis 50:20). Rahab lied to receive aid in Jericho, and yet was named in the lineage of Jesus. Jacob lied to receive a blessing, but God made him the primary beneficiary of his promises to Abraham. The great mystery of God is his transformation of our fallen works (war) into things that bear good fruit (justice). Any war that is waged by man will be done out of his wickedness, but God will transform it to show His goodness. War, like the law, does not save mankind, but instead shows our need for salvation; indeed it "demonstrates our unrighteousness and illumines the righteousness of God" (Romans 3:5).
Some men go to war for evil purposes. Other men go to war to fight those evil purposes.
If God has a motivation, then why search for man's motivation? For man must surely be the instantiation of God's motivation, right?
Best of luck on The Apprentice. Don't talk too much.
Posted by: Larry on January 24, 2005 06:26 PMHowever, the "excepted" portions of Alex's paper make the average blog poster look pretty articulate, troll or otherwise.
2 - Larry, I'm pretty sure that the episodes have all already been taped. It's a little late for giving Mr. Thomason advice. ;-)
Yes, I agree. However, Trump decides on live TV who the winner will be when the show is over. Thus, there is a chance that Alex made the final 2 and is waiting for the final live episode.
I have never met Seth like Hector and Skor, however, the following advice seems appropriate:
1) Don't start talking like your article reads or Trump is going to fire you on the spot. There was another gal who went wacky last season and wasn't even in the board room. Trump tracked her down and fired her on the spot.
2) You have got a great website for branding yourself. As useful as a blog is, don't try to use it to promote yourself as you will be skewed by the critics. Its just the nature of the beast.
3) Trying to make a point in a one page article by summarizing the Bible, all of the works of Plato and other historians is a bit much.
4) Paybacks are hell. Whatever you did to Skor is coming back to you now.
5) Listen to Larry. I think he sums up many of our feelings here :
"Best of luck on The Apprentice. Don't talk too much."
Knockem dead Seth.
Posted by: Erik on January 24, 2005 08:39 PMA Letter to Tony Blair
I cannot verify that the below is an article by our apprentice Alex, though it certainly looks like it. Make your own conclusion. I think here Alex clarifies his points for anyone who was confused:
No, “the great earthquake” will not destroy the United Kingdom, but it is alerting Bntish people - and even some Members of Parliament - to the dire peril our nation is facing and causing some people to act in time to save our nation’s freedom, independence and sovereignty. The very next verse, REVELATION 16:19, shows, that it is “the cities of the nations” (i.e. foreign nations), which will fall, not the United Kingdom, and that “great Babylon” will be given “the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath”. And what is “great Babylon”? I give you three guesses!
Yours sincerely
Alex Thomason
Here's the entire article. Perhaps Alex can let us know if he is the author or if there is another Alex Thomason out there.
The article is interesting and obviously apocalyptic. Perhaps it was written before Y2K when some were thinking the world was going to end, or at least their computers.
Posted by: Erik on January 24, 2005 10:06 PM#1 = I didn't write the letter to Tony Blair. Different Alex.
#2 = Joe, it's almost hillarious that I would be cast as the pinko peace lover. Give me the chance to go into Afghanistan, I'd do it in a heart beat. Iraq was an excellent example of a just war. Were I Bush, Falujah would be a pane of glass. What I, and every thinking person should do, is condemn the false instigation of war, not war in the defense of another (as WWI and II --Larry)--even the U.N. recoginizes this.
#3 = Erik. You're probably right about using too many historical references in one article, but I was in college and my articles frequently were cut down to size unexpectedly by my editor without my knowledge (due to advertising). You're completely wrong however about using this to "promote" myself--that's not my style anyway. The thought hadn't occurred to me. I mean, come on, how promotional can a blog be? I am friends with Seth and visit his blogs every once in a while.
#4 = Skor, thanks for the stroll down "college" memory lane. If your experience was like mine, and it sounds like it probably was, I hated SPU. I probably didn't like you either. I browsed your website, and it's pretty impressive stuff. What do you do now?
Posted by: alex on January 24, 2005 11:54 PMWell. There it is. Alex responds.
I think Alex had alot of guts to post here tonight after we all gave him crap. Me included. Two people said they knew him personally and didn't like him.
Even though he posted on the conservative blog he still got skewered and his writings ridiculed and trounced by nearly every commenter.
Well Alex, you took the shots and survived. You didn't even resort to using all caps, name calling or slavik slurs. That takes character. Pretty impressive. Nor did you call us all losers or suggest that we sit by our computer day and night and blog and have no life.
If you got fired already, I am sure you gave it your best. If you are waiting to see if you won or got 2nd place, good luck.
In any event, I bet the interest in your performance on the Apprentice will pick up a bit after tonight in Washington.
After the Apprecentice is over, I hope you will consider making a short update post on the Blog if Stefan will let you.
Finally, please email us all some of your latest articles you have written (ok. Just kidding. Just trying to have a little fun). :)
Posted by: Erik on January 25, 2005 02:13 AMDid I ever claim Alex was more of a hero than, say, Colonel Joshua Chamberlain fighting back the Confederates at Little Round Top--or Major Richard “Dick” Winters taking on the Nazis in WWII? Or was there anything in my post that would naturally lead one to think I was invoking the definition of “hero” common to Greek mythology? Or did I ever claim Alex was involved in an accident at a chemical factory that resulted in his gaining superhuman powers and later joining the Justice League of America as a superhero? The answers to those questions: NO, NO and NO, respectively. A reading of my post IN ITS ENTIRETY helps to clarify the sense in which I used the term “hero.”
hero
n 1: a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and
strength; "RAF pilots were the heroes of the Battle of
Britain"
2: the principal character in a play or movie or novel or poem
3: someone who fights for a cause [syn: champion, fighter,
paladin]
4: Greek mathematician and inventor who devised a way to
determine the area of a triangle and who described various
mechanical devices (first century) [syn: Hero, Heron,
Hero of Alexandria]
5: (classical mythology) a being of great strength and courage
celebrated for bold exploits; often the offspring of a
mortal and a god
6: (Greek mythology) priestess of Aphrodite who killed herself
when her lover Leander drowned while trying to swim the
Hellespont to see her [syn: Hero]
7: a large sandwich made of a long crusty roll split lengthwise
and filled with meats and cheese (and tomato and onion and
lettuce and condiments); different names are used in
different sections of the United States [syn: bomber, grinder,
hero sandwich, hoagie, hoagy, Cuban sandwich, Italian
sandwich, poor boy, sub, submarine, submarine
sandwich, torpedo, wedge, zep]
Anyhow, I wish you luck in The Apprentice, and I hope you can get to the final! You did a great job on the graffiti ad task!
Good luck and have fun while you can!
Posted by: Letian on March 30, 2005 04:42 AMSecondly, I am shocked by the numerous comments by folks claiming they just didn't "like the guy." I don't think I have seen such pettiness on display since high school! It seems we are all grown people now with college educations and yet still harboring resentment because another man can obviously catch the eye of an attractive blonde or has a resume that makes men of twice as many years pause to reflect! Let's be honest....jealousy rears its ugly head...otherwise, why would you care if someone personally considers this man a hero? Sorry, Erik, but the comment about paybacks being hell???? I don't know you anymore than I know Skor or Alex, but, Alex's resume is impressive, his character unquestioned, and his footing strong. Are you really suggesting that Alex is being injured in any way by someone who is far lesser known posting a negative comment or two on an internet blog...not to mention that the only basis for the negativity is simply "I just didn't like the guy?" I hardly think the "payback" (if you really can call it that) is interrupting Alex's ability to get a good night's sleep.
Next...let's address Alex's article excerpt. Why is it that speech or written text with references to God or sinful man are characterized as crazed and manic simply because of another's inability to comprehend them? Erik, you cautioned Alex with reference to his article, to not be like "the crazy girl" from last season. You mentioned critics attacking. Thankfully (and I speak for both myself and Alex on this point) people with convictions about their faith don't really mind how you characterize us. We try (often with difficulty) to love in spite of cruelty and malice directed our way simply on the basis of our beliefs. No doubt Alex is probably forgiving of anything hurtful you said and, at the same time concerned for the lost state you are in. On a factual basis, though, I can assist you with how lost you seem...If the passage doesn't make sense to you, try reading it again...this time s-l-o-w-e-r and equipped with a dictionary and a concordance. That doesn't mean that it will change your opinion of it, but factually, it is pretty easy to follow.
Finally, Larry, not talking TOO much is usually pretty good advice. I have found throughout my life that those who give it are often those who need the most to heed it! Alex, I personally am thankful you spoke up and spoke often. I am so disappointed that I now...down to the wire...have no real interest in who the next Apprentice will be. When I saw you get fired tonight, it ended the season for me. I, too, am heading to law school this August. Thanks for equipping me with a new and solid answer should the interview question arise!
Posted by: Brandy on April 28, 2005 09:27 PM