Sunday Musings

Michael was watching the Lions game today when it ended.  Another NFL game was picked up in progress.  It involved the Packers (who deserved to lose only because of the ugly "throwback" uniforms they wore!) and the Redskins.  I thought to myself, "If 'Redskins' is such a bad word, esp to the PC crowd, why don't the NFL announcers just refuse to use it?  Can't they just say 'Washington' and get the same result?"  I, for one, find the term offensive; that's its historical origin, an offensive term.  But, if the NFL allows players to kneel or take knees or whatever it is they do to "protest" some inequality that doesn't pertain to the players, why doesn't it also prevent the word "Redskins?"

I have no idea if there is a connection, but an article I read in the newspaper last week suggested that NFL television ratings are down, considerably, this season, particular after whatever week the kneeling protests began.  It may be coincidental.  Maybe more and more people are like me, just plain losing interest in football, particularly the NFL.  Maybe Lifetime ("Television for Women") has had a lot of really great movies lately.  I don't know.  But perhaps, if the NFL is all about money, maybe it should look into it.

It still bothers me that a week or so ago, a group of women thought that Hillary Clinton going after the many women who accused Bill Clinton of rapin and sexually assaulting them.  (OK, you might not believe Clinton, either one, did this, but that's your problem.  Do you believe Bill Cosby did what he's been accused of doing?)  One of them said, with most of the others agreeing, "What wife wouldn't support her husband?"  Huh?  When he raped women?  (Hey, it was Hillary Clinton who said women who alleged such attacks should be believed.)  I brought up Cosby, but was rebuffed and dismissed with an "Oh, that's different."  Yep, it sure is.

There were lots of letters to the editor in the newspaper this AM, although I didn't get to read it/them until much later in the day.  I was looking forward to reading them, but found them to be very disappointing.  Regarding the election, a number of Clinton shills were published.  Oh, we have to vote for her for a variety of reasons:  she qualified, although the three such letters never gave any examples; she's the smartest woman, or some variation of that tired old lie; she "really cares" about people, which got me to laughing out loud.  OK, if someone is voting for Clinton because she's seen as less evil that Trump, that's one thing.  But to throw out these other "reasons" tests anyone's reason.

And one of the papers, maybe both, are touted the passage of a regional mass transit bill.  I had another chuckles at least two of the proponents claimed the new tax would cost taxpayers "only" whatever amount they said per year.  Isn't that a crock?  Only......  The zoo tax was "only" dollars.  The library tax was "only" dollars.  The DIA tax was "only" dollars.  The increase in Detroit water bills was "only" dollars, but was really a lot of "only" dollars.  So, one might ask, what happened to the increase, almost doubling, of the regional SMART tax from just two years ago?  And, while we're at it, maybe we should know how the money taken out of the cost of drivers' licenses and licence tabs and the gas tax has been spent.  Some of that is specially earmarked for "rapid transit."  It was interesting and telling that almost all of the pro-letters came from people who lived along the light rail line going down Woodward Ave.  If it's such a good think, this investment in rapid transit that won't touch us out here in the hinterlands, why don't they just cough up a few voluntary dollars, "only" a few of them, to pay for it?  I know why and so does everyone.  For that matter, why don't the proponents of the transit tax seek an increase in the sales tax to pay for it?  I think we know the answer to that one, too.

The Free Press had several "comic" sections today.  Ashley enjoyed reading the colored pages section.  I enjoyed some of the editorials.  The Free Press described how well the current Oakland Co. executive has run the county for two decades or more.  It cited all of his achievements, including appointing such good dept heads other counties and municipalities seek to use them and their advice.  It also pointed to numerous accolades from even national publications that the current exec has earned.  But then it endorsed someone else, who has said she'd try to retain the current dept heads.  Huh??????  From the comments, the Free Press seems to have put more emphasis on personality than on achievement.  Let's see who the Free Press endorses for President.  That should be coming soon.

I picked up the newspaper the other day and there were three more murders in Detroit, with a couple others who were shot hanging on in hospitals in critical conditions.  That doesn't include a few other shootings in the suburbs.  But, we are told, crime rates are decreasing.  I guess the key word is "rates."

Another comic section today was the college football section.  I normally don't read it and for the following reason.  MSU is struggling, mightily.  And the sports writers are all over it, so very critical with their know-it-all views.  I often wonder how many of these sports writers ever really played sports, at a highly competitive level.  I'm not talking about little league or even high school sports, but higher level.  I'm not saying that one has to have played at higher levels to know a lot about a sport, but I think that is required to realize how difficult it is to play at such levels, to succeed at such levels.  I wonder how many folks know that fewer than 5% of high school athletes play college sports.  And that number is inflated a bit by sports in which there are fewer high school participants, namely hockey and lacrosse.  But, like so many others, these sports writers know everything.  It reminded me of a local guy who back in Sept thought the Tigers should fire their manager because he took his starting pitchers out too soon, but in Oct he changed his tune and said the manager left his starters in too long.  For that matter, and I am likely contradicting myself here, some of the color analysts, esp in baseball, really make some ridiculous statements, just bad things to say.  Oh, well......  I guess I can go back to not reading the sports section.

On a happier note, the Lord Jeffs resumed their winning ways, defeating the White Mules of Colby 41-0.  Last week, Middlebury stopped a 21-game winning streak--on a missed extra point.  It's a comfort to know the players still have to go to class and do the work.