Bad Decisions

 We've taken a remarkable step backwards. 

In a head-spinning 28 hour stretch this past Thursday and Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court (in ascending order of concern) struck down the strictest concealed-carry law in the country, protected police officers from lawsuits if they forget to read the Miranda rights, and overturned Roe v. Wade. While this doesn't completely outlaw abortion in the US, it will allow 26 states to ban any form of pregnancy termination, while possibly overwhelming clinics in the other 24 states. 

This is a rallying point for Christian and social conservatives, a dwindling but obnoxiously vocal minority. Otherwise, this is the most unpopular SCOTUS decision in recent memory. This is the culmination of a brick by brick Republican takeover of SCOTUS, one that began in early 2016, when then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said it too close to a presidential election for President Obama to appoint Merrick Garland to succeed Antonin Scalia. That lead to three straight Trump appointees, stacking SCOTUS to the right by a 2:1 margin for the first time since the Reagan era. 

A short history lesson: even though there were over a dozen consecutive Republican SCOTUS appointees between 1969 and 1993 (Carter had zero) justices like John Paul Stevens and Sandra Day O'Connor proved more moderate or pragmatic than the average tighty righty. That time period included Roe v. Wade in 1973, where a court with five Republican appointees voted 7-2 to legalize abortion as a right to privacy under due process. No one expected Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, or Amy Coney Barrett to make a surprise flip. This ulterior motive was nakedly obvious. 

As a cisgender white male, I can't personally articulate the pain and anguish that I've seen from friends and acquaintances on social media over the last few days. I'm distraught, but I'm letting those directly affected speak first. There are no viable solutions in the short term, which is disheartening. All I can personally do is protest, show allyship, and wish that maybe 15-20 years down the road, a SCOTUS that tilts left can strike down Dobbs v. Jackson.

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I Reemerge

 This month marks 17 years since I started this blog. That might seem random, but I have a personal connection to that number. Regardless, thank you to everyone who's been reading this since the TV.com days and made the transition over to Blogspot. I know I've been very inconsistant about blogging during COVID, and I hope to rectify that over the summer. 

The school year is over, and for the time being I'm burned out. Though there are school districts that have management issues and far worse problems, having two long-term sub assignments in an understaffed school certainly augmented my struggles. Regardless, I've been a substitute for 12 years, and I still intend to fill in for teachers for a 13th. 

The last week of school was trouble compounded by more trouble. Beyond your typical end-of-year rowdiness, my Instagram was hacked on May 24th. Apparently, I replied to a friend's DM on the social media app, not realizing she was hacked. I did not disclose any personal information, all I did was reply. It took 29 days for Instagram to over any viable help; several attempts to contact tech support failed, but something went through on June 22nd. If you want to add me there, I'm @ohhimrallard. 

Then the dog died. Eight months after Duke crossed the rainbow bridge, Hank the Dachshund succumbed to an inoperable tumor in his bile duct. He was a good boy... most of the time. I had mixed feelings about my sister buying him in a pet shop, but he very gradually ingrained himself into the family. 

With that said, this has been an awful week in the news. I'll discuss that in my next dispatch. 

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Through a Freshman's Eyes: Abu Ghraib Edition

Graduation season is here. It's also time to realize that most of this year's high school graduates were born in late 2003 and early 2004, and their perspective of the world is just a tad different than anyone born in the 20th century. These incoming college freshmen have a curious perspective.

With that said, if you graduated high school this year...

...China has always been in space.

...privately funded spaceplanes have always been in orbit.

...Latvia has always been in the EU and NATO.

...Elon Musk has always run Tesla.

...same-sex marriages have always been legal in California and Massachusetts.

...Donald Trump has always been associated with a reality TV series.

...Barack Obama has always been a national figure.

...Facebook and 4Chan have always existed.

..."Friends," "Frasier," and "Sex & The City" has always been in repeats.

...Ken Jennings has always been associated with "Jeopardy!"

...Janet Jackson has always been associated with indecent exposure and "wardrobe malfunctions."

...Arnold Schwarzenegger has always been known as "The Governator."

...Howard Dean has always been associated with screaming.

...Kenan Thompson has always been on SNL.

...Craig Kilborn has never hosted a talk show.

...Casey Kasem has never hosted a radio show.

...you might be graduating with a set of sextuplets. 

...LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony have always been in the NBA, and Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal have never been teammates.

...Marc-Andre Fleury, Patrice Bergeron, Brent Burns, and Dustin Brown have always been in the NHL.

...Tom Brady has always had multiple Super Bowl rings (and has always been in the NFL).

...you might run into David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, *and* Jon Stewart on a college campus visit (all had babies in Fall 2003).

...Warren Zevon, Johnny Cash, John Ritter, Gordon Jump, Robert Palmer, Donald O'Connor, Althea Gibson, Elia Kazan, Robert Kardashian, Timothy "Grizzly Man" Treadwell, Elliot Smith, Rod Roddy, Bobby Hatfield, Art Carney, Jonathan Brandis, Warren Spahn, Alan Bates, Uta Hagen, Ann Miller, Helmut Newton, Leonidas, Mercedes McCambridge, Paul Winfield, Peter Ustinov, Alistair Cooke, Pat Tillman, Estee Lauder, Tony Randall, Elvin Jones, Ronald Reagan, Ray Charles, Marlon Brando, Isabel Sanford, Francis Crick, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Rick James, Fay Wray, Julia Child, Elmer Bernstein, and Laura Branigan always been dead. 

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Dispatches from Arm's Length, Part 20

I had a feeling. Even though the pandemic is under control, the latest variants are concerning. People that have successfully avoided COVID cases for two years are showing off their positive tests. COVID deaths have tapered off dramatically, but we're still inching toward one million US fatalities. 

While I've been a little more lax about wearing a mask in public, I'm still wearing one more often than not. When the mask mandate has lifted (or "adjusted") about a third of students and teachers in my schools kept theirs on. Now I'd say it's less than one quarter. I might remove mine if I'm at least six feet away from any student. It's Spring, I have seasonal allergies, but every time I get a little nasal drip or eat something bland, I get a little anxious. For the immunocompromised and other parts of the population, COVID is still a landmine. For that, the mask stays on.

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30 Teams, 30 Haiku: My 2022 MLB Preview

 

The lockout is over, some fans are jaded, but I remain undeterred: 

*notes wild card

NL EAST

1. Braves. Outstanding bullpen/bolstered by Jansen; can they/win with Acuna?

2. Mets. Are they stockpiling/or just burning money? Not/a believer yet.

3. Phillies. Everyone in the/batting order could DH/too bad they can’t field.

4. Nationals. A healthy Strasburg/could boost new-look squad; Soto/show isn’t enough.

5. Marlins. “Finish the rebuild!”/Jeter cries from afar; too/bad these fish swim slow.

NL CENTRAL

1. Brewers. Stud rotation won’t/throw cheese; Renfroe might hunt for/good power numbers.

2. Cardinals*. Yadi, Waino, and/Pujols– did I wake up in/2006? (Old.)

3. Cubs. Wisdom and Schwindel/will make them watchable; new/lovable losers.

4. Reds. Queen City rebuild/young bats surround Votto, but/injuries might mount.

5. Pirates. Despite "tank for Hank"/these Bucs still suck; title drought/enters middle age.

NL WEST

1. Dodgers. Big Blue, deep pockets/too bad Crypto won't buy you/good middle relief.

2. Giants*. Posey grew so Bart/could flower; injuries will/expose lack of depth.

3. Padres*. Melvin diffuses/clubhouse drama; they just need/one more outfielder. 

4. Rockies. Kris Bryant, tentpole/for an otherwise bad team/Bud Black, sitting duck?

5. D-Backs. The Marte deal would/suggest no rebuild, but where/are the Snakes going?

AL EAST

1. Yankees. Unvaxxed in pinstripes/they're a contender again?/Believe the science. 

2. Rays*. Wander-ing to a/wild card; quietly, some/well-rounded SPs.

3. Blue Jays. Upside up north; fun/team surpassed by big spenders/and deeper benches.

4. Red Sox. Looking at pitching/alone, can they ask Pedro/to unretire?

5. Orioles. Mullins and Means are/swarmed by prospects; think playoffs/around ‘26.

AL CENTRAL

1. White Sox. Enough talent for/another first round exit/a Grave(man) concern.

2. Twins. Exiled Yanks and/Correa balance out bats/that swing for power. 

3. Royals. Whit and Witt, those boys/can hit; grumpy Greinke, old/man leads young pitching.

4. Guardians. New name, weaker team/time to trade their third baseman?/”Uh… no way, Jose!”

5. Tigers. Handsome Javy, the/joy of six; Miggy hands him/superstar baton.

AL WEST

1. Astros. Welcome back, JV/lack of shortstop overcome/by talent surplus.

2. Mariners*. Ty France, si vous plais/playoffs, no ring but fans cry/”He went to Jarred!”

3. Angels*. Thor shipped his hammer/to Buena Park; Ohtani/gets his playoff nudge.

4. Rangers. Unproven pitching/hinders outfield surplus and/Seager’s arrival. 

5. A’s. Walmart wonders, yet/again; Cristian Pache must/sashay the offense. 

AL MVP: Xander Bogaerts, Red Sox

NL MVP: Juan Soto, Nationals 

AL Cy Young: Shane Bieber, Guardians

NL Cy Young: Corbin Burnes, Brewers

AL Rookie of the Year: Bobby Witt Jr, Royals

NL Rookie of the Year: CJ Abrams, Padres

First Manager Fired: Brandon Hyde, Orioles

2022 World Series: Dodgers over Yankees in 6

Looking East

 Why yes, I do have an opinion about Ukraine!

Right now, we're witnessing the closest we'll come to in our lifetimes to World War III. Vladimir Putin was a despot all along. However, he compares as much to the oligarchs that started the first war as the German individual that started the second one. The invasion is a political and economic power grab for a sovereign land that Russians apparently love to oppress. Ukraine is "the world's breadbasket" for a reason.

My only question is, will sanctions be enough to quash the threat or will other countries have to put boots on the ground? The invasion hasn't gone quite according to Putin's plan, and the resiliency of the Ukrainian people has been inspiring, but the stalemate is not going to last. 

Next week: my 2022 baseball preview.

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