  We introduce a model for pulsars in which non-radial oscillations of high
spherical degree (l) aligned to the magnetic axis of a spinning neutron star
reproduce the morphological features of pulsar beams. In our model, rotation of
the pulsar carries a pattern of pulsation nodes underneath our sightline,
reproducing the longitude stationary structure seen in average pulse profiles,
while the associated time-like oscillations reproduce "drifting
subpulses"--features that change their longitude between successive pulsar
spins. We will show that the presence of nodal lines can account for observed
180 degree phase jumps in drifting subpulses and their otherwise poor phase
stability, even if the time-like oscillations are strictly periodic. Our model
can also account for the "mode changes" and "nulls" observed in some pulsars as
quasiperiodic changes between pulsation modes of different l or radial overtone
n, analogous to pulsation mode changes observed in oscillating white dwarf
stars. We will discuss other definitive and testable requirements of our model
and show that they are qualitatively supported by existing data. While
reserving judgment until the completion of quantitative tests, we are inspired
enough by the existing observational support for our model to speculate about
the excitation mechanism of the non-radial pulsations, the physics we can learn
from them, and their relationship to the period evolution of pulsars.
