Our intrepid public servants must think we are a bunch of imbeciles. (And they may be right since we are the ones who elect them.) But if the recent episode of mistakenly inviting a reporter to listen in on a group chat of senior US officials on Signal — an unclassified, nongovernment platform that is vulnerable to foreign hackers — discussing battle plans to strike Houthi targets in Yemen last week wasn’t bad enough, the major players couldn’t recall any details when grilled by member of Congress. Tulsi Gabbard, director of national intelligence, couldn’t even remember if she was on her personal phone or a government-issued one Who are they kidding? A bunch of morons are now in charge of our national security. Sleep well. . . .
A group called LiveSportsonTV.com recently published a report saying we Georgians are a bunch of couch potatoes. In a poll of 3,024 adults, 34% of Georgia adults say they have lost interest in playing sports. When asked, “When’s the last time you played a sport that made you break a sweat?” the average Georgian said it was 103 days ago. LiveSportsonTV.com also asked, “If you had an hour to spend on sports, would you rather play or watch?” In Georgia, 69% picked watching over playing. Pass the Cheeze Whiz, Ernest, and hand me the remote. . . .
Speaking of sports, I wonder if current college athletes such as football players and basketball players, some of whom are getting millions of dollars from NIL (Name, Image, Likeness), and are represented by agents and will transfer to another school when it suits their fancy, even deign to show up for class anymore? (“Pottery class 101? You gotta be kidding, dude. That ain’t in my contract. Call my agent.”). . . .
On the brighter side of academics, The University of Georgia received nearly 48,000 total applications for the Class of 2029, an increase of almost 5,000 from last year and a new record. More than 15,800 students were accepted for this fall semester, including students from all 50 states plus Washington, D.C. and from 154 of the state’s 159 counties. The incoming class is intended to be comprised of approximately 80% in-state students and 20% out-of-state students. Academically, they are brighter than sunshine. Bless them one and all. Woof! Woof!. . . .
From the It’s-About-Time Department: Palestinians are demonstrating against their real enemy, Hamas, calling on the terrorist group to get out of Gaza. It was Hamas that started this bloody conflict with a surprise attack on Israel, Oct. 7, 2023, killing at least 1,200 people, who were shot, tortured and raped, a fact conveniently overlooked by Ivy League antisemitic protestors. Israel has retaliated harshly, killing more than 50,000 Palestinians in Gaza, while Hamas hides within schools and hospitals and mosques. Get rid of Hamas and maybe things will change for the better for the people of Gaza. Let’s hope so. . . .
State Sen. Jason Esteves, D-Atlanta, has it right when he says the latest effort by Republicans to allow parents of children who live in the attendance zone of a public school performing in the bottom 25% by state measurements to apply for scholarships of $6,500 a year for such things as private school tuition is a symbolic drop in the bucket. Private school tuition averages roughly $12,000 statewide annually and more than $30,000 in metro Atlanta. Where is the additional money going to come from? Esteves says what we should be doing instead is investing in our public school system. Fix the problems caused by society, not the schools or schoolteachers. But running away from them is easier. . . .
There was a bill wending its way through this legislative session targeting DEI in our colleges and universities that would ban such terms as allyship, heteronormativity and intersectionality. I have no idea what those terms mean and I suspect most of our intrepid public servants under the Gold Dome don’t, either. That didn’t stop state Sen. Greg Dolezal, R-Cumming, from saying that DEI has morphed into “neo-Marxist” ideology that has “infected” the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech and “squelches” academic freedom. My goodness. That sounds very – uh –heteronormative to me. . . .
Finally, mark your calendar. This coming Friday, April 4th, is National Hug a Newsperson Day and I have an assignment for you. Please give the editor a big hug. They need all the love they can get for putting up with me. It’s not easy.
You can reach Dick Yarbrough at dick@dickyarbrough.com or at P.O. Box 725373, Atlanta, Georgia 31139
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