Distress

I don't know what it's like to be clinically depressed, but we all have our little demons once in a while.  Just thinking of the results of November lead me to be, if not depressed, at least distressed in a major way.  As I wrote to a friend the other day, the only worse person in the US than Don Trump is Hillary Clinton and the only person in the US worse than Clinton is Trump.  Of course, I utilize a bit of hyperbole, but you get the point.

Charles Krauthammer, one smart dude!, had an interesting and poignant column this week.  You can read it here:  http://www.nationalreview.com/article/439865/chinese-snub-obama-airport-world-leaders-dont-respect-obama.  He catalogs the disdain other world leaders have for Obama, Kerry, and, before him, Clinton.  Foreign policy of the past 7-8 years reminds me of two school administrators with whom I had contact.  One, to thwart (at least he though it would thwart) bullies during recess, a school principal allowed the bullies to make the game rules and to pick the team.  Gee, guess how that one turned out??????  Two, at a parent conference with the ass't principal, student in attendance, the ass't principal said, to the student, "Now, I'm going to put you on a contract.  I know this is the fifth one, but this time I really mean it."  My loud guffaw ("How unprofessional!") was met by the kick to the back of my chair by a prissy staff member.  (Yes, my look insured he'd never kick my chair again.)

I continue to be amazed at our college campuses--the "war on free speech" (as an article in last week's newspaper stated), the lack of rigor and quality, etc.  How can educated people not know that free speech means tolerated ideas that we hate?  We don't have to agree with them.  We can work against them.  But we have to tolerate them if we truly believe in freedom of speech.

My buddy Gus brought up this one.  Where is the outrage, the public demonstration and protest, against all those Detroit Public School administrators who have been involved, some already tried, convicted, and sentenced, with bribery and kickbacks?  How many millions of dollars were diverted (a nice way of saying "stolen?") from the education of black students?  As Gus asked, where are the Black Lives Matter?  Isn't this an important thing, the education of kids, that should "matter?"  I think it's related to the lack of concern (at least other than immediate families and friends) of the incessant murders going on in our cities.  I think the other day, mid-week, there were three fatal shootings in Detroit.  Over the Labor Day weekend, if I recall, the newspaper said there were 3 fatalities among the 42 people who were shot.  Where do people learn that it's OK to shoot other people??????  It's not and there need to be protests, demands, etc.  Shock among suburbanites isn't going to work.

Is it true the Seattle Seahawks football team has indicated it will follow the lead of the 49ers QB who kneels (or at least refuses to stand) for the Star-Spangled Banner?  The whole team will kneel or refuse to stand?  If that's the case, I firmly believe each player, even the whole team, has the right to do so.  Freedom of expression is not limited.  We have to tolerate the ideas we find repulsive and repugnant.  But, that said, the NFL has the authority to heavily fine the players and the team if this happens for being detrimental to the business.  More so, if the team opts to take this position, I think the ticket-paying fans should walk out and demand refunds.  The players have every right to voice or display their opinion.  The NFL and, esp, the fans have rights to do as I suggested.  And I think it was Gus who relayed this one.  The coach of the US team in the World Cup hockey tournament was told some of his players were going to refuse to stand for the National Anthem when played.  He purportedly said, "If they do, that's where they'll stay--on the bench!"  Cool......

I admit I am a bit of a grammar snob.  I realize that writing isn't easy; it takes a lot of thought and work, not to mention practice.  I thank, to this day, all the writing my Amherst professors made me do.  I also, upon graduation, had friends all over the US; this was before the Internet and e-mail and to stay in contact, we wrote letters, hand-wrote them.  They were often lengthy and they gave me yet another opportunity to write.  But I esp find it grating when I get poorly written letters, messages, etc. from the schools, both the colleges and public schools.  I know it's often a case of me nit-picking.  For instance, more than once I have received this, "Your student...have them."  NO!  "Student" is singular and "them" is plural.  It should be, "Your student...have him or her."  Again, maybe I am nit-picking, but shouldn't I be able to expect the education establishment to know and use good writing practices?

OK, it's time to get rid of this humididity [sic].  It's been around since July and coupled with the high temperatures has been brutal.