Random Fall Musings

It’s November, and the weather is finally feeling like September.  That means one thing:

It’s time to break out my Knives Out sweater and try to capture some Chris Evans vibes, at least on some days when the temperature isn’t in the 60’s.

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There’s one thing that is guaranteed to make one feel old:  to see or hear comments from the next generation about how old they feel.  For instance, watching a TikTok video from a 28-year-old who complains about the fact that the movie “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” is 20 years old.  

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At some point in the next day or so, in central Minnesota, one of my parents will read the above and say “oh you sweet summer child; wait another 20 years, when your own kids say they feel old.”

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I’ve only finished the first episode of Netflix’s The Squid Game, but I was wondering if anyone could let me know if any of the later episodes feature a “floor-is-lava” contest.

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I often marvel at how much time people spend honoring the efforts of early Americans in rebelling against Great Britain in the 1770s versus the efforts of these colonists in creating the foundation for a governmental system that has lasted close to 250 years. It certainly wasn’t a perfect foundation with the crippling flaw of slavery in the center of it, but it was better than existing systems and much of what was created afterward.  It also contained the mechanisms to allow improvements over the years.

In fact, the purpose of the Constitution was to provide legitimate mechanisms to address the problems of the British system so that armed rebellion wouldn’t be necessary in the future for the will of the people to be heard, mechanisms that weren’t available to the colonies under the British monarchy, such as elections every two years and the Bill of Rights.

Leading a successful revolution against an authoritarian government is never easy.  Many have failed, but others, such as Robespierre and Lenin, succeeded. The difference is that the systems Robespierre and Lenin created didn’t last very long.  As just one example, despite the efforts of the French revolutionary government, the French aren’t celebrating the month of Brumaire right now.

Our system has lasted close to 250 years because of the Constitution and the efforts of many in the decades seeking to make our government and society closer to the Constitutional ideals. 

There is a reason why we remember our forefathers as the “Founding Fathers,” and not as the “Glorious Revolutionaries.”

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Wow.  You can see a lot from the top of this soapbox.

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I’ve calculated a rough estimate of 90% for times when, in a debate/argument, someone is asked for factual support for their position, one person’s use of the phrase “it’s just common sense” means that they have absolutely nothing to back up their assertions other than their own feelings or what they want to be true.

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The amount of baseless legal comments flying around social media is astounding. What makes them even more overwhelming is the amount of conviction displayed as to the accuracy of their legal assertions as well as the vitriol they utter when they are corrected by persons with knowledge of the law and citations to it.

Today, I choose to be grateful that social media didn’t exist during the OJ Simpson criminal trial. 

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Yes, the previous two musings are related.

As a side note, there is no federal law known as “HIPPA” (it’s “HIPAA”) and that law doesn’t forbid employers (or anyone else) from asking for vaccination records. Trust me, I practiced in that area for five years and have read the Privacy Rule of the Act many times.

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I’m not going to do a full-length blog, but Dune may be the most visually stunning and imaginative movie I’ve ever seen.  Denis Villeneuve is an incredible director.  Altogether, a really great, enjoyable movie. 

It especially did a great job of adapting the original novel, which was often humorous and unrelatable, especially with regard to the main character of Paul Atreides.  The novel was an incredible achievement in the sci-fi genre, but the writing hasn’t aged well.

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One week until I allow Christmas music and decorations in the home.

It’s not Christmas season until after Thanksgiving, people.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.