So, Justice Steven Breyer is retiring.  Let’s hope that President Biden’s nominee, whomever he/she may be, isn’t subjected to the degrading, humiliating spectacle (degrading and humiliating to the Senate, that is) that President Trump’s nominees had to endure.  I don’t think I’m going out on a limb making the prediction that won’t happen.  However, I do note that Press Secretary Jen Psaki has said that Biden “stands by” his commitment to nominate a black woman to the court.  Now, not to disparage the many black attorneys and judges who are undoubtedly competent and qualified for the job, I thought that, … Continue reading Random Thoughts, Let the Games Begin Edition

The last 2 weeks have brought conclusions, of a sort, to 2 notorious murder trials, that of Kyle Rittenhouse in Wisconsin, and that of Travis McMichael, Greg McMichael, and William Bryan in Georgia.  In both cases, it seems to me, justice was done.  They also prove how blunt an instrument “justice” can be. None of the accused men – well, in the case of Rittenhouse, a boy – seems crazy to me, or a radical of any stripe.  None of them woke up on that fateful morning and said to himself, “I’m going to go out and kill someone today”.  … Continue reading Even Fools Have Rights

I’m one of millions of people who normally vote for the Republican candidate (i.e., the most-conservative option available) who reluctantly pushed the button for Trump in 2016, figuring all the while that we’d live to regret it.  No point in re-litigating all that; by now you’ve made up your mind about the Trump years, and I’m not about to change it.  Whatever the case, by 2020 a significant portion of those millions had had enough of Trump.  They either sat on their hands or voted for Biden just to be rid of the Orange Man.  I voted for him again, … Continue reading Trump Reluctance Syndrome

Andrew McCarthy – former federal prosecutor and long-time legal commentator – has a depressing article on National Review’s website about the endgame of Special Counsel John Durham’s investigation into the Trump-Russia collusion case, which is actually about the corruption of Hillary Clinton and her campaign.  For those of us who think that both Bill and Hillary Clinton deserve to be in jail for a number of good reasons, it’s a disappointment.  McCarthy thinks she will walk, along with just about everyone else responsible for this sordid affair. What it boils down to is that everything that’s transpired so far convinces … Continue reading Lock. Her. Up.

Unless you happen to be on certain email lists,  you probably didn’t know that Governor Lee has recently announced a review of the state’s Basic Education Program funding formula.  It’s the sort of boring stuff that governors do when they are focused on running their state and planning for its future, rather than running for Senator or President.  And here are the criteria that the governor has put forward: Prioritizes students over systems Empowers parents to engage in their child’s education Incentivizes student outcomes Ensures all students, regardless of location or learning needs, are served at a high-level Reflects Tennesseans’ … Continue reading With Apologies to E.D. Hirsch…

So, General Milley talked to his Chinese counterpart after the 2020 election.  I’m not sure I get what all the fuss is about.  Leave aside all the scorching-hot criticism he has received because of the alleged politicization of the military; that’s another topic.  Milley has stated, and no one has contradicted him, and I don’t find it the least bit surprising, that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (in this case, him) talks to military leaders around the world on a regular basis, the Chinese included.  After the chaotic election last year, when all sorts of crazy rumors … Continue reading Random Thoughts, Crazy Talk Edition

My wife and I have seriously missed live music, so it’s great to be able to attend concerts again.  Our first indoor event in ages happened in early October at the Tennessee Theater in Knoxville, Patty Griffin and Gregory Alan Isakov.  My wife is an Isakov fan, but came away saying the show was just OK.  For what it’s worth (true, very little), I find him perplexing – somewhere between zoned-out and terminally depressed. The theater sent out a stern message prior to the show that we had to provide proof of Covid vaccination or recent test results, and that … Continue reading Covid Fear Porn and Mask Theater

Several years ago I deleted my Facebook account and haven’t regretted it.  As a recent bombshell Wall St. Journal series demonstrates using Facebook’s own internal documents, the company knows it is toxic, is incapable of and/or uninterested in stopping abuses, and is quite willing to do what’s necessary to keep the money flowing, including playing footsie with authoritarian regimes and tolerating known terrorist, sex trafficking and drug cartel hitman recruiting pages (at least until too many people complain).  Don’t take my word for it.  These links should get you through the paywall. Facebook Says Its Rules Apply to All. Company … Continue reading Facebook Is Toxic. Here’s the Proof.

Comes word that the University of Texas and Oklahoma University are joining the Southeastern Conference, primarily to take advantage of the SEC’s huge TV contract.  That will likely kick off another round of conference realignments, probably killing off another conference or 3, and, ultimately, driving another nail in the coffin of the fiction of college amateur sports. It’s an enduring fiction, granted, but it’s been a fiction for a century at least.  With the recent Supreme Court ruling that the colleges and their syndicate, the NCAA, can’t prevent athletes from profiting from shoe deals and the like, it’s becoming a … Continue reading Random Thoughts, Bowing To Reality Edition