Quick hits

I am way overdue for some observations on the passing scene. Each topic here is surely worth one or more full posts. I will defer at this time, though if someone wants to comment and request a fuller dialogue, I’m game.

Black and white?
Ferguson. Staten Island. Cleveland. The news cycle has been feeding on events in these locations for months now. Unvarnished racialists are cherry-picking isolated, unrelated incidents to paint a demonstrably false narrative that white police systematically, intentionally, and criminally go out of their way to use deadly force against unarmed young, innocent black victims based solely on skin color. All of the situations are much more nuanced than that, as the grand jury decisions have indicated. And, as some courageous journalists have pointed out, it’s not hard to find shoes on the other foot that have not generated any interest from the dinosaur media, who won’t let balance get in the way of their chosen narrative. Their latest panacea: nationalize the police. What could go wrong?

Presumed guilty
Speaking of our friends (?) in the left-wing media and their narratives, the one about rampant rape culture is getting refuted big-time. Perhaps Lena Dunham would have benefited from some time in the gym rather that stitching together what is likely a libelous smear against a fellow Oberlin collegian. Plus, the story of gang rape at the University of Virginia is exposed as just that, a concocted story. We now hear that, even if these specific items are the fairy tales they have been shown to be, the circumstances demand that, contrary to the concept of due process of law that Western culture has honored for a millennium, the accused rapists are guilty until proven innocent. We must not stand for the destruction of the fabric from which our legal system is woven.

OCD on ICD?
On to my professional beat. The oft-delayed ICD-10 transition is yet again a political football. Those not in the business neither know, nor much care, about the controversy. Let’s just say that the current ICD-9 coding system is oh, so 20th century. The underlying problem is that the ICD classification systems, whether they be 9, 10, or 11, don’t correlate well with the goals of nomenclatures like SNOMED CT, which align more closely with electronic health record software. Until the twain shall meet, the tensions will persist, and whichever lobby is strongest in Mordor on the Potomac River will prevail. That is not the most intelligent way to decide such an important issue.

Sour mash Wisky
Now, a lighter topic. My home state Buckeyes barreled their way into the college football playoffs with one of the more dominating performances you’ll ever see, in their defeat of Wisconsin last night. Clearly tOSU made the most compelling closing argument. My main head-scratching question right now is, with the arm Cardale Jones showed us, why has he been riding the bench until now? Anyway, Buckeye Nation had its prayer answered, and if they can knock off Nick Saban’s Alabama crew, this team can be more than just an Urban legend. But the biggest takeaway was, exactly as I opined when the current playoff scheme was first foisted on us, that four teams do not a true championship playoff make. Even eight teams may not be enough. Ten to sixteen is more like it, but the required reduction of regular season gate receipts likely makes the logical solution a non-starter. Meanwhile, the spectacle still succeeds in drawing eyeballs to itself, which is all its purveyors really want.

Boys will be girls
Unfortunately, “what they want” in Minnesota seems to be the extermination of high school sports. The PC push to make sports programs transgender-friendly inevitably led to a ludicrous policy that appears to erase any distinctions between boys’ and girls’ teams. So, when all teams are co-ed, what opportunities will there be for 5-foot-5 girls to play varsity basketball? Does this further the competitive opportunities for 99% of young women? Is it worth it, just because Johnny is in denial of how God made him, and thinks he’s Janie instead?

What say you?