Good Morning!

Once again, I am prepping for a law firm training session (at 9 am!), and am rushing to get as much covered as I can.

1 More on how sports commentators make us stupid. I happened to be listening to the Sirius-XM MLB channel, as old Red Sox third-baseman Rico Petrocelli was holding forth on the luck factor in baseball. “I mean,” opined Rico,” a single missed strike or ball call by an umpire can change games, championships, seasons and careers! A single missed pitch by an umpire!”

Then he and his partner on the show noted that there have even been calls for balls and strikes to be called electronically, which, as I have pointed out here, is now completely feasible. “Ridiculous!” spat Rico, as his sidekick vigorously agreed.

Let me get this straight: he just (correctly) talked about how a single mistaken call can have momentous consequences, but says it’s ridiculous to eliminate mistaken calls when the technology is available to do so.

That’s even less logical than the defenses of illegal immigration.

2. Now here’s a good analogy to the anti-gay marriage baker: In Vancouver, Canada, a conference scheduled by a conservative religious group was kicked out of the conference center it had booked because the venue decided that the views of one of the speakers, who opposes LGBTQ advocacy, violated its values.

Of course, Canada doesn’t regard freedom of speech as a core national value. And if the Canadian style progressives  in this country get their way, it won’t be one of our values for very long. What a great way to strangle dissent and views that oppose the majority position: just make it impossible for them to meet.

3. Our totalitarian schools...In Illinois, a Manteno Community Unit School student was meeting with the principal over a disciplinary matter when he revealed that he had been recording the conversation on his cell phone. The school had him arrested, and he is being charged with a felony.

True, Illinois is one of the states that has laws against surreptitious recordings, but this was a child, he almost certainly was unaware that his act was illegal, and school administrators are supposed to be teaching, not sending students into the criminal system. But I’m sure the principal and his faculty think it is monstrous to separate kids from their law-breaking parents at the border.

From what I have seen from schools the last couple decades, I think all interactions with students should be recorded as a matter of law.

4. And here’s an interesting analogy to the border controversy! Remember these idiots? Monalisa shot her boyfriend in a botched stunt designed to garner millions of views on YouTube. She was pregnant at the time (not married, of course) and the couple’s three-year-old daughter was a witness. Now we learn that she was convicted of manslaughter—Ya think? For firing a gun at a book her boyfriend was holding up in front of his chest, killing him?—and sentenced to six months in prison.

Does anyone think her children got her a reduced sentence? I do. I also think that she should be separated from her children because she is an irresponsible fool who is likely to get them killed too.

I would elaborate on this fiasco, but I am now late for my session.

I’ll be interested in what you think.