Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Strib continuation on the Gopher football boycott and its reversal - op-ed commentary links.

One news item, revisionary attention.

Song time for lawyers Hewitt and Freeman; from 2015 and this past September-October respectively? And is the tune fit for an untenured head coach?

Or is it wait and see?

A prediction with the defensive backfield depleted; Cougars rip Gophers. Then -

Links in no particular order: Frank LoMonte on secrecy games and moves behind the curtain -> result announced, rationale absent and process obscured purportedly out of respect for student record privacy; Sami Rahamim dissing "great again" and "toxic masculinity" unlike among preying manti [that is the plural of mantus, look it up] with an unstated premise the EOAA multiple pages are gospel and overstatement is art; and lawyer Marshall H. Tanick about collective action without a bargaining unit and a bilaterally negotiated employment contract, key introductory words six paragraphs into the op-ed, "the harm could have been averted or minimized, had other means of recourse been available to the squad. One such would be a labor union representing the interests of the players."

My vote, clear from earlier posting, Tanick has the better thoughts to take from the situation. Opinions can differ.

A big plus for the Tanick item; it is presented with the term "EOAA" wholly absent. Some may not find it hard to say "EOAA report" and "objectivity" in the same sentence, an affliction possibly not touching lawyer Hewitt who might have more of a problem with the words "due" and "process." But that's between the ears of another person, among motives in totality, and ways and means.

UPDATE: From the Tanick op-ed:

The players are not the only losers in barring unions for college athletes. The institutions suffer, too, because the lack of restraints imposed by having to deal with unions makes them susceptible to the kind of erratic decisionmaking that plunged the U into such chaos.

"Erratic" decisionmaking is a good way to phrase things. It judges error, without saying "ham-handed" or, worse, "biased." Who is the EOAA in this and was there any policy agenda leading the "fact-finding" and credibility assessments of the 80 pages written, allegedly, not for public disclosure because of that privacy of student records bug-a-boo? How good is a fig-leaf if not attained and used with exemplary due process? Go figure.

FURTHER: Wolatarski is said to be the senior English major, so perhaps he can shed light on Lewis Carroll's trial of the Knave:

'Please your Majesty,' said the Knave, 'I didn't write it, and they can't prove I did: there's no name signed at the end.'

'If you didn't sign it,' said the King, 'that only makes the matter worse. You must have meant some mischief, or else you'd have signed your name like an honest man.'

There was a general clapping of hands at this: it was the first really clever thing the King had said that day.

'That proves his guilt,' said the Queen.

'It proves nothing of the sort!' said Alice. 'Why, you don't even know what they're about!'

'Read them,' said the King.

The White Rabbit put on his spectacles. 'Where shall I begin, please your Majesty?' he asked.

'Begin at the beginning,' the King said gravely, 'and go on till you come to the end: then stop.'

These were the verses the White Rabbit read: -

'They told me you had been to her,
And mentioned me to him:
She gave me a good character,
But said I could not swim.

He sent them word I had not gone
(We know it to be true):
If she should push the matter on,
What would become of you?

I gave her one, they gave him two,
You gave us three or more;
They all returned from him to you,
Though they were mine before.

If I or she should chance to be
Involved in this affair,
He trusts to you to set them free,
Exactly as we were.

My notion was that you had been
(Before she had this fit)
An obstacle that came between
Him, and ourselves, and it.

Don't let him know she liked them best,
For this must ever be
A secret, kept from all the rest,
Between yourself and me.'

'That's the most important piece of evidence we've heard yet,' said the King, rubbing his hands; 'so now let the jury - '

'If any one of them can explain it,' said Alice, (she had grown so large in the last few minutes that she wasn't a bit afraid of interrupting him,) 'I'll give him sixpence. I don't believe there's an atom of meaning in it.'

The jury all wrote down on their slates, 'she doesn't believe there's an atom of meaning in it,' but none of them attempted to explain the paper.

'If there's no meaning in it,' said the King, 'that saves a world of trouble, you know, as we needn't try to find any. And yet I don't know,' he went on, spreading out the verses on his knee, and looking at them with one eye; 'I seem to see some meaning in them, after all. " - said I could not swim - " you can't swim, can you?' he added, turning to the Knave.

The Knave shook his head sadly. 'Do I look like it?' he said. (Which he certainly did not, being made entirely of cardboard.)

'All right, so far,' said the King, and he went on muttering over the verses to himself: '"We know it to be true - " that's the jury, of course - "I gave her one, they gave him two - " why, that must be what he did with the tarts, you know - '

'But, it goes on "They all returned from him to you,"' said Alice.

'Why, there they are!' said the King triumphantly, pointing to the tarts on the table. 'Nothing can be clearer than that. Then again - "before she had this fit - " you never had fits, my dear, I think?' he said to the Queen.

'Never!' said the Queen furiously, throwing an inkstand at the Lizard as she spoke. (The unfortunate little Bill had left off writing on his slate with one finger, as he found it made no mark; but he now hastily began again, using the ink, that was trickling down his face, as long as it lasted.)

'Then the words don't fit you,' said the King, looking round the court with a smile. There was a dead silence.

'It's a pun!' the King added in an offended tone, and everybody laughed, 'Let the jury consider their verdict,' the King said, for about the twentieth time that day.

'No, no!' said the Queen. 'Sentence first - verdict afterwards.'

'Stuff and nonsense!' said Alice loudly. 'The idea of having the sentence first!'


'Hold your tongue!' said the Queen, turning purple.

'I won't!' said Alice.

'Off with her head!' the Queen shouted at the top of her voice. Nobody moved.

'Who cares for you?' said Alice, (she had grown to her full size by this time.) 'You're nothing but a pack of cards!'

At this the whole pack rose up into the air, and came flying down upon her: she gave a little scream, half of fright and half of anger, and tried to beat them off, and found herself lying on the bank, with her head in the lap of her sister, who was gently brushing away some dead leaves that had fluttered down from the trees upon her face.

'Wake up, Alice dear!' said her sister; 'Why, what a long sleep you've had!'