Somebody's Going to Emergency, Somebody's Going to Jail
Encyclopedia
"Somebody's Going to Emergency, Somebody's Going to Jail" is the 38th episode of The West Wing
.
The title is a lyric from the Don Henley
song "New York Minute
," from the album The End of the Innocence
. The song is featured in the episode.
." A friend of Donna
's asks Sam
to consider a pardon request for an alleged Cold War
spy. Sam, meanwhile, comes to grips with the revelation of his father's infidelity.
Toby Ziegler
meets with the group "World Policies Studies," which objects to the World Trade Organization
, and C.J. Cregg meets with "The Organization of Cartographers for Social Equality," which would like legislation to support a specific map projection
, namely the "Peters projection" which corrects the exaggerated representation of North America
and Western Europe
found in the standard Mercator projection
. Believing that placing the Northern Hemisphere on top suggests dominance by the countries there, the cartographers actually advocate rotating the projection by 180 degrees to place the Southern Hemisphere on top in a reversed map
.
, a US State Department employee who was convicted of perjury in the late '40s. Hiss was a cause celebre
among the left for years, but in the '90s, the release of the Venona Project
archives by the NSA
indicated that Hiss was almost certainly guilty. Sam's strong feelings towards Gault and his shock at the revelation of his guilt indicate and represent the political left's reaction to the revelations about Hiss.
, Harry Browne
, and the anti-globalization movement
.
The West Wing (TV series)
The West Wing is an American television serial drama created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999 to May 14, 2006...
.
The title is a lyric from the Don Henley
Don Henley
Donald Hugh "Don" Henley is an American singer, songwriter and drummer, best known as a founding member of the Eagles before launching a successful solo career. Henley was the drummer and lead vocalist for the Eagles from 1971–1980, when the band broke up...
song "New York Minute
New York Minute (song)
"New York Minute" is a song written by Don Henley, Danny Kortchmar, and Jai Winding. Henley originally recorded it for his 1989 album The End of the Innocence. The single was a #5 hit on the U.S...
," from the album The End of the Innocence
The End of the Innocence
Released in 1989, The End of the Innocence is the third album by Don Henley. It is his best selling album, selling over 6 million copies in the United States, peaking at #8. The album released three Top 40 singles "The End of the Innocence", "The Heart of the Matter", and "The Last Worthless...
. The song is featured in the episode.
Plot
The staff again participates in "Big Block of Cheese DayThe Crackpots and These Women
"The Crackpots and These Women" is the 5th episode from Season 1 of The West Wing.-Plot:The staff participates in "Big Block of Cheese Day", a fictional workday on which White House Chief of Staff Leo McGarry encourages his staff to meet with fringe special interest groups that normally would not...
." A friend of Donna
Donna Moss
Donnatella "Donna" Moss is a fictional character played by Janel Moloney on the television serial drama The West Wing. Donna is a recurring character during the first season, although she appears in every episode, making her a de facto regular...
's asks Sam
Sam Seaborn
Samuel Norman "Sam" Seaborn is a fictional character portrayed by Rob Lowe on the television serial drama The West Wing. He is best known for being Deputy White House Communications Director in the Josiah Bartlet administration throughout the first four seasons of the series.-Creation and...
to consider a pardon request for an alleged Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
spy. Sam, meanwhile, comes to grips with the revelation of his father's infidelity.
Toby Ziegler
Toby Ziegler
Tobias Zachary 'Toby' Ziegler is played by Richard Schiff on the television serial drama The West Wing. For most of the series' duration he is White House Communications Director.-Creation and development:...
meets with the group "World Policies Studies," which objects to the World Trade Organization
World Trade Organization
The World Trade Organization is an organization that intends to supervise and liberalize international trade. The organization officially commenced on January 1, 1995 under the Marrakech Agreement, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade , which commenced in 1948...
, and C.J. Cregg meets with "The Organization of Cartographers for Social Equality," which would like legislation to support a specific map projection
Map projection
A map projection is any method of representing the surface of a sphere or other three-dimensional body on a plane. Map projections are necessary for creating maps. All map projections distort the surface in some fashion...
, namely the "Peters projection" which corrects the exaggerated representation of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
found in the standard Mercator projection
Mercator projection
The Mercator projection is a cylindrical map projection presented by the Belgian geographer and cartographer Gerardus Mercator, in 1569. It became the standard map projection for nautical purposes because of its ability to represent lines of constant course, known as rhumb lines or loxodromes, as...
. Believing that placing the Northern Hemisphere on top suggests dominance by the countries there, the cartographers actually advocate rotating the projection by 180 degrees to place the Southern Hemisphere on top in a reversed map
Reversed map
thumb|right|The [[The Blue Marble|Blue Marble]] photograph in its original orientationA reversed map, also known as an Upside-Down map or South-Up map, is a map where south is up, north is down, east is left and west is right. Thus the Southern Hemisphere at the top of the map instead of the bottom...
.
Spy parallels
Daniel Gault, the Soviet spy mentioned in the episode, is a fictional parallel to Alger HissAlger Hiss
Alger Hiss was an American lawyer, government official, author, and lecturer. He was involved in the establishment of the United Nations both as a U.S. State Department and U.N. official...
, a US State Department employee who was convicted of perjury in the late '40s. Hiss was a cause celebre
Cause célèbre
A is an issue or incident arousing widespread controversy, outside campaigning and heated public debate. The term is particularly used in connection with celebrated legal cases. It is a French phrase in common English use...
among the left for years, but in the '90s, the release of the Venona Project
Venona project
The VENONA project was a long-running secret collaboration of the United States and United Kingdom intelligence agencies involving cryptanalysis of messages sent by intelligence agencies of the Soviet Union, the majority during World War II...
archives by the NSA
National Security Agency
The National Security Agency/Central Security Service is a cryptologic intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign communications and foreign signals intelligence, as well as protecting U.S...
indicated that Hiss was almost certainly guilty. Sam's strong feelings towards Gault and his shock at the revelation of his guilt indicate and represent the political left's reaction to the revelations about Hiss.
Opposing the WTO
While "World Policies Studies" does not exist, there are many individuals and organizations which object to the World Trade Organization (WTO), such as Pat BuchananPat Buchanan
Patrick Joseph "Pat" Buchanan is an American paleoconservative political commentator, author, syndicated columnist, politician and broadcaster. Buchanan was a senior adviser to American Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan, and was an original host on CNN's Crossfire. He sought...
, Harry Browne
Harry Browne
Harry Browne was an American libertarian writer, politician, and free-market investment analyst. He ran for President of the United States as the nominee of the Libertarian Party in 1996 and 2000....
, and the anti-globalization movement
Anti-globalization
Criticism of globalization is skepticism of the claimed benefits of the globalization of capitalism. Many of these views are held by the anti-globalization movement however other groups also are critical of the policies of globalization....
.