A Few Discordant Notes

Over a decade ago, when flag burning was the popular form of protest by some groups, a US senator stood up for their right to do this. Didn’t agree with them, but he opposed a flag desecration law, saying the burnings were a constitutionally-protected form of protest.

 

That senator was Mitch McConnell.

 

I thought of that Sunday when I attended the 25th anniversary concert of the Lexington Brass Band, who always opens its first concert of the season by playing the National Anthem.  This year they used a lousy new arrangement of that old song, but I and the audience had no problem standing. No one took a knee, but I thought about how much more of a protest was burning the flag, rather than not standing for it. How much we have changed—and not necessarily for the good.

 

(BTW, there was no flag visible at the Opera House, so most of us faced the conductor with a hand over our heart. While we had been encouraged to sing, few did. It’s bad enough, and hard enough for most people to sing the regular arrangement, let alone a new one we didn’t know. Here’s for making the much more singable “America” our anthem instead.)

 

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And speaking of changes, not for the good...what has happened to the presumption of innocence???

 

Harvey Weinstein is but the latest (and not the last) to be lashed by this truly UN-democratic change in our national attitude. Yes, a number of women have made serious allegations of reprehensible conduct against him. Yes, he has acknowledged some “bad conduct” but nothing criminal. And our criminal system requires people to be charged with a crime (he hasn’t been) and then convicted (he hasn’t been) before we, the public, visit retribution upon the now CONVICTED person.

 

That didn’t stop the firm he founded from firing him, nor did it stop the Academy that hands out the Oscars from throwing him off its board.  This may be great PR for those two entities, but it is a blow against the principles of freedom we were taught make America great.

 

If he’s guilty, and its provable, it will come out. There is no need to rush to judgment, destroying historical rights in the process.

 

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And speaking of a rush to judgment, The NCAA took several years, and an admission by North Carolina that it did, in fact, offer fraudulent courses for 20 years without proper “institutional control.” That usually means severe penalties from the NCAA. Not this time. Why? By some convoluted logic the NCAA held that while...yes, many athletes were allowed, even encouraged to take this easy course, since the general student body was also allowed to take it, this meant there was no special treatment given the jocks!

 

The NCAA will rue the decision in years to come. Now, colleges are free—yes free free free to favor jocks, just as long as they also favor run-of-the-mill students as well. More NCAA penalties are going to fall, as they will be built on the quicksand of this latest Tar Heel decision.

 

(If UK is smart, for example, it will make sure some “regular” freshmen students stay in the ornate Joe Craft lodge, as well as all the new “one and done-ers.” The NCAA said the lodge just for jocks was illegal years ago; this new decision seems to allow UK a fighting chance to get its luxurious dorm for jocks reinstated—another perk for Coach Cal to load up his team with “one and done” stars...while the national championship banner stays away from Rupp Arena for another year.)

 

I'm just sayin'...