Nope to Change

Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi today offered up the suggestion of lowering the voting age to 16 from its current 18:

“I’m for - and I’m interested in hearing your thoughts, and I know you’ll let me know - for lowering the voting age to high school age, whether it’s 16 or 17 or, because when kids are in school they’re so interested, they’re so engaged, and we would like them to be ready at least to register before they leave.”

Pelosi's comments came near the end of a speech at the Generation Progress ‘Make Progress’ National Summit, an annual event hosted by Generation Progress, a national organization that empowers, engages, and mobilizes young people around progressive policy issues.

So the comments, while not the centerpiece of her speech, were certainly germane to the overall focus of the summit.

At first glance, it's an intriguing idea, and at least worthy of debate. More than 140 nations currently have 18 as their voting age. Several others (such as Taiwan and Japan) do not give young adults the right to vote until they are 21. However, in several countries the voting age is younger - in Korea, Sudan and Indonesia it is 17, in Brazil, Cuba and Nicaragua it is 16, and in Iran it is as low as 15. And in a number of well-known democracies, such as Great Britain and Australia, there are discussions to lower the voting age to 16.

In 1971, at the peak of the youth protests of the baby boom generation, the United States passed the 26th Amendment, lowering the voting age from 21 to 18. Young people strongly supported the amendment because they believed "if they were old enough to fight, they were old enough to vote."

And there are some persuasive arguments as to why the U.S. should consider lowering it again. By the age of 16, young adults have been educated for at least 10 years; most of them have some level of experience of work as well as school. Theoretically, by this time, they have formed some political views, and should be allowed to put these across at election time. Also, 16- and 17-year-olds often have some sort of employment; if so, they are being taxed without true representation. They are not allowed to have a say in how the government spends their money, nor in how much should be collected from them in taxes. Policies such as working hours and conditions, or the minimum wage, are also set by governments; if these teens are old enough to have jobs, they should be able to have their say in these (and other) issues.

Further, giving the vote to teenagers would force politicians to take them seriously. One of the biggest complaints we hear is, teens aren't taken seriously by adults. There is a lot of merit to this position; they aren't taken seriously because they don't have the practical life experiences of older generations. Empowering teens in the election process with the power of voting could change this misconception.

As an educator, and as a debate coach, I am all about inclusion, and am pretty open to new ideas. But I don't think I can go there on this topic. And I say this as someone who, for nearly 20 years, has worked closely with some amazingly intelligent, perceptive and politically aware high school students (some of whom I trust with their political views more than I do of fellow adults).

First of all, when you are 16 or 17, you are still considered a "minor." Minors, according to current laws, are not considered mature enough to take part in consuming alcohol, tobacco products and make other important consent based decisions. In most cases, individuals under the age of 18 are not tried as adults for violent crimes. In a sense, voting for elected officials is a right and responsibility granted to adults.

Further, 16- and 17-year-olds are, by and large, not mature enough yet to have a grasp on the numerous local, state, regional, national and international issues that make up the platform of most candidates for public office. It could be dangerous to give young people the vote, because they don't really know some of the intricacies of these important topics. I've heard plenty of students say, based just on impulse, when a generic voting question comes up, that the U.S. should "lower the federal drinking age" or "legalize pot" or "legalize all drugs" just because "it seems cool." This is as illogical as voting for someone because "his daughter's hot" or "she's Asian" or "he's Jewish." (Sidebar: I've heard those arguments, too.)

The vast majority of teens still live at home and go to school; many are just being introduced to the ideas and ideals of government in civics classes. They aren't independent, and - I hate to say - aren't really independent thinkers yet. When considering lowering the voting age, one must consider what is really on the minds of teenagers around the country: prom, high school, friends, music, and … voting? One of these is not like the other. Is this stereotypical thinking? To a degree, yes; but I also know that a solid majority of high school students really don't spend time thinking about voting issues. Most don't even know who their school board (elected) members are. Most don't know who their county commissioner, municipal mayor or council members, state representative or senator, or federal representative or senator, are. And these are the elected officials who are of utmost importance to their world.

Gaba, you say, this is all nice, but you don't present any hard data! Fair enough; we can't truly ascertain how many 16- and 17-year-olds would vote since there's no sample size of this specific age bracket. However, there is a similar group where more than 40 years' worth of raw data is available, and it works against advancing voting rights to high school students: The passage of the 26th Amendment.

The U.S. Census published a study of voting records from 1964-2012, and it shows voters aged 18-24 were the least-likely to actually go and cast ballots in federal elections. Since it passed, that age range has never achieved even 50 percent voter turnout, easily the lowest of any age range; only 38 percent of this group voted in the November 2012 general election. And while more activism by teens via social media has been observed, The Washington Post noted that the impact of sites such as Twitter and Facebook has not led to increased voting by young adults.

Last October, The Economist pointed out that this trend is not unique to the U.S.:

In 2010 just 44% of people aged 18 to 24 voted in Britain’s general election, compared with 65% of people of all ages. In not a single European country do the young turn out more than older people. Historically, youth turnout has never been particularly high anywhere, but over the past few decades things have got worse.

Ironically, the "youth vote" has been seen as a primary target by several presidential candidates the past 20+ years. In June 1992, Bill Clinton appeared in front of a live audience of 18 to 24 year olds on MTV, answering questions from the audience. He even appearing on The Arsenio Hall Show, famously played the saxophone with the show’s band. And in 2008, Barack Obama ran a grassroots campaign based on the mantra of hope and change, generating a wave of support from his youth voters and those who plan to vote for him when they become eligible.

Having said this, my upper-level debate students will be participating in a 2016 campaign project for the duration of the upcoming school year. It should be interesting, provocative, and might even change my mind, depending on how things proceed. Like I said, I'm open to new ideas, and have been known to change my mind on occasion.

CAMPAIGN 2016 NEWS OF THE DAY:

From New York Magazine: "Why the GOP Primary Is Doomed by the Free Market" - "The GOP is at risk of becoming less of a political party and more like a talent agency for the conservative media industry."

FACEPALM NEWS OF THE DAY:

From Krebs on Security: "Online Cheating Site AshleyMadison Hacked" - Traditional "cheating on marriage" takes a hit.

FLORIDA NEWS OF THE DAY:

From The Daily Mail: "Florida tollbooth worker, 77, gets fired after 30 years on job for PAYING driver's $5 toll" - I'm still not sure why "pay8ing it forward" (so to speak) is an issue.

WEIRD NEWS OF THE DAY:

Mrom The Mirror: "'It's the strangest thing': This schoolgirl hates chicken nuggets, but eats bubble wrap, play dough and sand" - I guess it doesn't taste like chicken!

SPORTS NEWS OF THE DAY:

From ESPN: "Football from AFC Championship Game sold for nearly $44K in auction" - Deflated football, meet inflated auction sale.

VIDEO OF THE DAY:

Happy 37th birthday, Magic Man!

MUSIC VIDEO OF THE DAY:

"Sledgehammer," Peter Gabriel

The Restoration

THE FINE FIVE:

(1) Today was the first time in over a week (eight days, to be exact) that I did serious cardio (two ours of walking the mall, in this case). Last time I did it, I strained my lower left leg. I probably could have gone back to the routine a few days ago, but chose to wait. I feel fine. It was worth the delay.

(2) Watched Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire on HBO tonight. Not the best of the HP films, not the worst. But a fun watch nonetheless. Voldemort is a bad ass in his return.

(3) Yesterday was "condo carpet cleaning" day - much needed after seven years living here. It is a noticeable difference, and Stanley Steemer did a pretty solid job. The carpeting was dry by this morning, so that was a plus.

(4) Next up is repairing the six dining room chairs that have been part of the family (and are currently in my possession) for the past 40 years. The padding in some cases is falling apart and in need of replacement; several of the chairs sag when being used.

(5) This is the first stage of restoration; next up (and this will take a few years to pull off, because finances), in no particular order: two end tables, the dining room table, server table, and china cabinet are also in need of serious cleaning and/or repair. Like I said, it's a 40-year-old Mahogany wood dining room set, and the pieces have been moved so many times since the early 1990s (between myself, my sister, and my brother, easily at least a dozen times). Most of it was transported by moving van from my a storage area in suburban Detroit to me in south Florida around December 2003. We joke that the chinks and stains in the furniture (especially the china cabinet) add character to the items. This may be true, but I'd still like them to look relatively unscathed by amateur furniture movers like me.

CAMPAIGN 2016 NEWS OF THE DAY:

From Fusion: "Hillary Clinton is killing it with women and young voters - even more than Obama did in 2012" - "Check me if I'm wrong, Sandy, but if I kill all the women and young voters, they're gonna lock me up and throw away the key ..."

FACEPALM NEWS OF THE DAY:

From KSAT: "Woman calls courthouse arrest 'a nightmare'" - It takes a lot of brass, sometimes.

FLORIDA NEWS OF THE DAY:

From The Orlando Sentinel: "Robert E. Lee mascot sign taken off Orange's Lee Middle School" - Anyone up for petitioning the school to change its name and mascot to that of Geddy Lee instead?

WEIRD NEWS OF THE DAY:

From ABC News Australia: "Mystery surrounds McDonald's 'coming soon' sign in Simpson Desert" - Yes, I wonder ... it's a mystery ... what could a McDonald's sign indicate?

SPORTS NEWS OF THE DAY:

From The Sydney Morning Herald: "Shark attacks Australian surfer Mick Fanning during live competition" - Fanning attacked back. Sounds like the plot of Sharknado XVI.

VIDEO OF THE DAY:

ESPN's Stuart Scott would have turned 50 today, Here is the riveting 2014 ESPYs Jimmy V Perseverance Award speech he gave. FYI, cancer sucks.

MUSIC VIDEO OF THE DAY:

Some classic Muppet Show jams for you :)

Flavor of the Month

Yesterday, I defended Donald Trump over the Huffington Post's less-than-stelar decision to relegate him to the entertainment section as opposed to "legitimate" news, despite Trump being a major player in the 2016 presidential campaign. The most important line, I think was when I wrote,

It isn't the job of a news service to decide who is, and who is not, a candidate. Whether you like it or not, Trump is officially a candidate (and is the front-runner, at that). 

I stand by that statement, and what I wrote yesterday.

But today is a new day, and Trump has managed to put his rather large foot into his even larger mouth yet again. And this is definitely not "entertainment."

Some background: Trump’s been feuding with McCain for about a week, ever since McCain said Trump is “firing up the crazies” with his outlandish rhetoric, and with Trump firing back by calling McCain a “dummy.” Basically, we have a political pissing match going on between two GOP notables - one a former presidential contender, the other a current candidate. Which is probably why what happened today was inevitable.

This morning, Trump was participating in a question-and-answer session at the the 2015 Family Leadership Summit in Ames, Iowa. He was challenged by host Frank Luntz about criticism Trump had fired at McCain's political career, specifically Trump’s verbal attacks given McCain is a “war hero” who spent six years as a POW during the Vietnam War. At one point in the Q&A, Trump said he supported McCain in his previous presidential campaign (in 2008, Trump donated $28,450 to McCain’s Victory Committee and endorsed him on Larry King Live), but doesn’t like him very much now. Luntz pointed out that McCain’s a war hero, and that’s when Trump said this:

“He’s a war hero ’cause he was captured. I like people that weren’t captured.”

And then he doubled down.

“He’s a war hero because he was captured! OK? I believe, perhaps, he’s a war hero. But right now? He’s said some very bad things about a lot of people.”

At that point, the Internet exploded.

During a news conference after his appearance, Trump did not apologize (did anyone really expect him to?); instead, he tried to clarify his remarks:

"If a person is captured, they're a hero as far as I'm concerned. I don't like the job John McCain is doing in the Senate because he is not taking care of our veterans. And he should know better than anybody what the Veterans need, especially in regards to the VA. He is yet another all talk, no action politician who spends too much time on television and not enough time doing his job and helping vets.”

Methinks Trump needs better fact-checkers; McCain (along with Sen. Bernie Sanders, one of the Democratic Party presidential candidates) last year pushed for and passed legislation to reform the Department of Veterans Affairs and improve veterans’ access to health care, among other things. 

Being captured is a risk every soldier takes; it's not a failure or weakness. It's a miserable part of war. And it is something every soldier fears. I don't agree with most of McCain's politics (although I did consider him, strongly, in 2000), but I would never disrespect his military service. Or anyone else's military service, for that matter.

The American people aren't going to remember Trump's "clarification;" all they will remember is that Trump took a very large pot-shot at a Vietnam veteran who survived six years of hell most of the nation collectively could never truly fathom. And they'll remember Trump not only never served in the military, he received five student deferments while the Vietnam War was raging.

Predictably, a firestorm of McCain support/Trump attack ensued, with other presidential candidates and politicians ripping Trump up one side and down the other. Some of this is self-serving; if Lindsey Graham, Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Mike Huckabee, Carly Fiorina, Bobby Jindal, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Rick Santorum, Chris Christie, George Pataki, John Kasich, Rand Paul, Rick Perry, Scott Walker, et al, can use this as a battering ram and destroy Trump's political credibility, then it's one less fly in the collective ointment of their own 2016 campaigns. Trump's comments were nothing less than an open invitation for the rest of the Republican Party to begin a full-blown offensive attack.

(And yes, comedians and humorists got in on the act as well.)

So, what now? Is this a death knell for Trump? Has he shot himself down in flames? The New York Times seems to think so, indicating the relationship between the Republican candidate and the masses who have found his candid, direct, hard-line approach refreshing and to their liking has hit its high-water mark. It might take a few more weeks, but Trump might actually end up on the entertainment pages after all. Because basically, as with the 2012 campaign, the GOP appears to have enjoyed its flavor of the month, and now will see another of its 31 Baskin-Robbins options take the lead. 

THE FINE FIVE:

(1) Today would have been gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson's 77th birthday. Wonder what he'd think of the latest Trump news?

(2) Had Stanley Steemer come to the condo today to do a major cleanup of the carpeting in the bedroom, dining room, living room, and bathroom. After seven years of living at the same address, it was much needed. (It was probably  "much needed" a few years ago, to be honest.) They arrived on time, spent just over an hour doing the deed, and the carpeting looks much better. It's still a bit damp; that will be resolved by tomorrow evening.

(3) A sidebar that was part of the carpet cleaning: I needed to actually put things away in advance. And throw things away. And I donated things to Goodwill. And I reorganized things after Stanley Steemer left, to make the condo a bit nicer than how it had been arranged. One of my neighbors commented that I was doing a spring cleaning; I think what I did the past few days was definitely comparable.

(4) Boy, the U.S. Men's National Team really took it to Cuba today. 6-0? A hat trick for Clint Dempsey? So much for normalized relations between the two countries.

(5) Houston Texans defensive god J.J. Watt has advised high school athletes to "read each Tweet about 95 times before sending it." I think these words of wisdom apply to all high school students. And college students. And adults.

FACEPALM NEWS OF THE DAY:

From The Washington Post: "Judge rejects defense argument in Jewish site shootings case" - The defense's rambling presentation touched on Caitlyn Jenner, AIDS, Israel, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, British wartime leader Winston Churchill, the Rev. Billy Graham and a Jewish conspiracy he alleged was behind the sitcom All in the Family.

FLORIDA NEWS OF THE DAY:

From The Sun-Sentinel: "Thieves think big in Dania Beach boat heist" - "You can't hide a 70-footer," said Rich Hagen, a retired Broward Sheriff's marine unit detective who owns International Maritime Consultants, and who apparently hasn't heard about Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.

WEIRD NEWS OF THE DAY:

From Newsworks: "After demonstrations outside Sweeney home, West Deptford restricts protests" - Limiting protest groups to no more than 10 people and demonstrating only one hour every two weeks? Cue the ACLU in 3, 2, 1 ...

SPORTS NEWS OF THE DAY:

From Motor Sports Talk: "Jules Bianchi dies at age 25, his family confirms" - :(

VIDEO OF THE DAY:

Count along, if you're able to do so ...

MUSIC VIDEO OF THE DAY:

"Walk This Way,"RUN-DMC & Aerosmith

On Defending "The Donald"

Huffington Post, we have a problem. An editorial problem. And it's an editorial problem of your own doing.

Earlier today, the liberal-leaning information site announced it would move Republican Party presidential candidate (and current GOP front-runner) Donald Trump's campaign to the "entertainment" section, rather than treat it as "real" political news.

"If you are interested in what The Donald has to say, you'll find it next to our stories on the Kardashians and The Bachelorette," the Huffington Post stated.

OK, we get it. You're coming from the far-left perspective - basically, the anti-Fox News. And Trump, for all his seemingly boorish, blowhard, narcissistic behavior, is on Tea Party right-wing darling. And your editorial department has openly declared, "Trump isn't legit. Trump isn't relevant."

Really?

That Trump is making some horrible and divisive statements is bad, but the fact the other declared GOP candidates are by and large refusing to take a serious stand to refute him is very serious and relevant news. It says a lot about the people supporting Trump, as well as those who refuse to shout him down. And while it may be "entertaining" to some, it does not deserve to be shoved to the entertainment section.

If you don't want to report every Trump tweet, fine. No problem with that. (Trust me, there are plenty of other sites that will do the honors.) But if he says something that could be future GOP policy ... and if Republican voters agree with that position ... then it is the responsibility of an alleged "journalistic" site to present that information as it would for any other candidate.

Trump responded on his Facebook page (of course), and laid out some interesting arguments along the way:

Mr. Trump is number one in the unimportant Huffington Post poll, along with all other recently released polls including Reuters, FOX, USA Today/Suffolk University and The Economist. 

Mr. Trump is in first place in Nevada, where he is also number one, by a wide margin, with Hispanics. He is number one in North Carolina and expects to win Iowa and New Hampshire.

Mr. Trump singlehandedly raised the issue of illegal immigration and started a national conversation about what has turned out to be one of the most important topics of this election cycle. 

Likewise, Mr. Trump is the leader on issues such as the terrible United States trade deals, strengthening our military, taking care of our great Vets and the repeal and replacement of Obamacare. 

If you read previously written Tweets, Mr. Trump has never been a fan of Arianna Huffington or the money-losing Huffington Post. 

The only clown show in this scenario is the Huffington Post pretending to be a legitimate news source. Mr. Trump is not focused on being covered by a glorified blog. He is focused on Making America Great Again.

HuffPo, if you're going to be considered a "serious" news entity, you need to reverse this decision and keep Trump's campaign in the news section. And at this point, even a 180-degree reversal might not achieve that. It isn't the job of a news service to decide who is, and who is not, a candidate. Whether you like it or not, Trump is officially a candidate (and is the front-runner, at that). He's got backing from many Republicans, including friends of mine who I consider to be rational, intelligent members of the human population. I'm no fan of Trump, but believe he should get the same kind of coverage any of the other candidates receives.

Like with any other news outlet, it should be the public's right to choose what to follow and what to ignore. The Huffington Post has just made a very ugly editorial decision - uglier than Trump's wild hairpiece.

THE FINE FIVE:

(1) Caitlyn Jenner spoke publicly about her gender transformation during Wednesday night's ESPYs awards ceremony, where she was honored with the Arthur Ashe Courage Award. Many people endorsed this decision; many others said there were better options to represent "courage in athletics," such as Noah Galloway (an athlete who lost an arm and leg in war) or Lauren Hill (who achieved her dream of playing college basketball before she died of brain cancer). Others suggested that Lauren Still, the five-year-old daughter of professional football player Devon Still, was more deserving, given her battle with cancer.

The problem here is that we are trying to determine who is the "most courageous" or "most deserving" when each are courageous or deserving in their own way. All of us are courageous in our own way, whether it be going into a war zone, speaking in front of a crowd, asking a crush out for a first date, or dealing with paranoid hatred by segments of society for being black, or gay, or transgendered, or whatever might be the irrational and misguided flavor of the day. Jenner, despite the accolades, dealt with a personal self-doubt, self-esteem issue that the vast majority could never understand; to do so in such a public manner, with all the vile comments (oral and written) raining down relentlessly, is a model of courage under fire.

“I think Caitlyn’s decision to publicly come out as a transgender woman and live as Caitlyn Jenner displayed enormous courage and self-acceptance,” said ESPY co-producer Maura Mandt. “[This] is what the Arthur Ashe courage award is about: somebody from the athletic community who has done something that transcends sport.”

The Arthur Ashe award is named after the tennis star turned AIDS activist, and acknowledges bravery in the field of athletics. Oftentimes, that means breaking down barriers. Jackie Robinson. Michael Sam. Jason Collins. Renee Richards. Jim Abbott. Hank Greenberg. Billie Jean King. Jesse Owens. All had to deal with adversity based on the color of their skin, or their sexual orientation, or their religious beliefs.

“For people out there wondering what this is all about, whether it’s about courage or controversy or publicity, well, I’ll tell you what it’s about: It’s about what happens from here,” Jenner said. “It’s not just about one person. It’s about thousands of people. It’s not just about me. It’s about all of us accepting one another.”

Inclusion. It's coming for you, America. Hope you can deal with it.

(2) Tomorrow, Stanley Steemer is coming to my condo to do a thorough carpet cleaning. It's been real fun cleaning my condo, putting stuff away (temporarily, at least) to allow me to get my money's worth. Should be interesting to see how much better life (sinuses? allergies?) becomes after seven years of living there.

(3) Also hoping to return to the gym (or the mall) for a good cardio session tomorrow. Last Saturday, I overdid it - more than 17,000 step, mostly in a three-hour period, led to blisters on the bottom of my right foot and pain in my lower right leg. I get that it was probably due to actually working out, but I had trouble placing weight for several days. Now the issues appear to be gone, so tomorrow, it's time to get back on track.

(4) The Wellington Debate Team's Facebook page post of my "NSDA Distinguished Service Plaque - Second Honors " recognition received more than 2,000 views in the first 24 hours of its being posted. Wow ... I mean, really. I am totally blown away. I never saw that coming.

(5) On the whole, I'd rather be in Colombia, South Carolina tomorrow, protesting the planned KKK rally on the state grounds. You know, to channel my inner rambunctious youthful political nature. But South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has asked I not attend (well, not me specifically). I'll respect her wishes. (BTW, if I did attend, I'd probably need someone to bail me out of jail afterward.)

CAMPAIGN 2016 NEWS OF THE DAY:

From ABC News: "AP-GfK Poll: Minorities, Young Americans Still Backing Obama" - Captain Obvious strikes again!

FACEPALM NEWS OF THE DAY:

From Deadspin: "Wisconsin Senate Votes To Give $250 Million To Billionaires" - Peter Pocket, meet Paul Pocket.

FLORIDA NEWS OF THE DAY:

From The Miami Herald: "Fish with breakfast: Fish tank bursts in FIU food court" -"All I said to my wife was, that piece of halibut was good enough for Jehovah!"

WEIRD NEWS OF THE DAY:

From CTV News: "Mouse bandit wanted: Police search for robbery suspect disguised as rodent" - I'd label this as Goofy News of the Day instead, but that's a different Disney character.

SPORTS NEWS OF THE DAY:

From Yahoo! Sports: "Every NFL team's logo changes through the years, in one GIF" - Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-changes.

VIDEO OF THE DAY:

The Magnus Effect, or Why I Can't Shoot Free Throws.

MUSIC VIDEO OF THE DAY:

a-ah, "Take On Me"

Jameis Winston, Aisle 5

THE FINE FIVE:

(1) Even though President Obama had (to the best of my knowledge) nothing to do with the removal of Civil War colors, he was greeted by Confederate Flag wavers in Oklahoma today. Why? The protesters (what are they protesting?) claim its "heritage," not "hate," but why is he being greeted in such a manner? It hasn't been banned outright (however, it has been removed from government properties). Obama hasn't said he wanted to ban the flag (again, to the best of my knowledge). He's a constitutional lawyer who understands and believes in 1st Amendment rights which allow citizens to fly whatever flag they wish. So why is he greeted in every city he's visited since Charleston in this way? I'm assuming they have points to make; anyone? And ... WHEN WAS OKLAHOMA A MEMBER OF THE CONFEDERACY?

(2) Apparently, Obama became the first sitting president to visit a federal prison (Richard Nixon was probably in line to be the first; oh wait, he resigned before that could take place.) The federal prison in Oklahoma that houses former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. Message to Obama: do not pardon him!

(3) I covered the Royal Palm Beach Village Council meeting this evening as a reporter for the Town-Crier newspaper in western Palm Beach County. During a lengthy public hearing on a series of requested site plan variances for an under-construction shopping plaza, the mayor leaned over to one of his fellow councilmen and muttered, "I'm gonna take a piss." I know this because it was caught on microphone, audible to the entire RPB viewing audience (both those in person and those watching on cable). I know I'm supposed to be a "fly on the wall" as a journalist, but I couldn't help laughing out loud as it broadcast through the air. Thankfully, I wasn't mic'd up.

(4) My condolences to the four Marines killed at two military centers in Chattanooga, Tennessee. May your memories be a blessing. 

(5) I have been fortunate enough to earn the National Speech & Debate Association's Distinguished Service Plaque - Second Honors, in recognition of the numerous hours of volunteer work I do for high school debate. The work that was considered for this recognition included recruiting new NSDA chapters and members, being a member of a district committee, chairing a district committee, hosting debate tournaments, managing debate tournaments, and operating debate tournaments. I am apparently only the 53rd debate coach in the NSDA's long and illustrious history to achieve this level, and I think that fact is more stunning to me than actually earning the honor in the first place. I am humbled to earn such accolades, and all it does is make me want to work harder and more effectively, because now I feel like I need to prove I'm worth of such recognition. (I recognize that seems a bit backwards, but that's how I view things; as Crash Davis opined to Nuke LaLoosh after the latter finally pitched a good inning, "The moment's over.") Infinite thanks from the bottom of my heart to everyone who helped me along the way - fellow coaches, debate parents, and members of Wellington Debate. Now the real fun begins ...

FOODERCIZE:

Weight: 246

Steps Taken: 5,012

Miles Walked: 2.29

CAMPAIGN 2016 NEWS OF THE DAY:

From The Wisconsin Gazette: "Rick Santorum attacks Scott Walker as not anti-gay enough, while Walker backtracks on bigoted Boy Scout remark" - Where the headline writes the story.

STUPID NEWS OF THE DAY:

From WOWT: "Would-Be Thief Too Tall to Steal Car" - Victim was 4'9"; no description of height of idiot, size of car. Or even make of car. Basically, this story has almost no details whatsoever.

FLORIDA NEWS OF THE DAY:

From The Orlando Sentinel - "Police release details about YouTube video showing fistfight at Publix" - Jameis Winston not connected to the situation ... yet. What does "yet" mean, anyway?

WEIRD NEWS OF THE DAY:

From Raw Story: "‘Absolutely nothing’ but usual quiet in Texas on first day of Jade Helm 15" - So, basically, my blog yesterday was worthless. Or the Speed Racer video brought some sensibility back to the world. Probably the latter.

SPORTS NEWS OF THE DAY:

From Bleacher Report: "AARP Fires Back at Tiger Woods over Retirement Comments" - "It's better to be over 50 than over par."

VIDEO OF THE DAY:

How to abbreviate in Australian, eh?

MUSIC VIDEO OF THE DAY:

"Don't Come Around Here No More," Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers