1/ The @LPPAorg convention was pretty disappointing. Contrast the proud proclamation of a "literal explosion" in membership--the highest attended convention in anyone's memory--with the refusal to waive the "180 day" bylaw for the first time ever. It was a punch in the gut. 2/ As a result, some 130+ "new member" delegates such as myself were refused the opportunity to vote. I appreciate that the bylaws allow for this. I also recognize that at least some people's sole motivation for voting this way was to exclude many new @LPMisesCaucus members.

1/ Almost everywhere I go, retail stores and restaurants have cut back on their hours or in some cases, are even closing for days or weeks at a time. 2/ Almost all of these stores are also practically begging for new employees. Walmart, as but one example, is hiring overnight stockers for $16/hour.

1/ A few observations and takeaways from the #DerekChauvinTrial and the media coverage of it as well as the surrounding events: 2/ Despite the intense media pressure, the jury got it right based upon the evidence. #DerekChauvinTrial

1/ As we move toward this evening's verdict, I wanted to finalize a few of my observations from watching most of the trial from the very beginning. #DerekChauvinTrial 2/ For me, there was really no debate about anything that happened before George Floyd was taken to the ground. Both sides essentially agreed that the use of force prior to this part of the confrontation was lawful. #DerekChauvinTrial

Barry Brodd, a use of force expert, is now testifying for the defense. Of note is that he was previously retained by the City Attorney's Office in Minneapolis. #DerekChauvinTrial Brodd is testifying that Derek Chauvin's conduct was objectively reasonable. His testimony is meant to directly contradict the state's experts, and ultimately, raise reasonable doubt as to guilt. #DerekChauvinTrial

1/ The public freakout over Justice Thomas's suggestion that Internet companies might be subject to common carrier status is rich considering the entire premise of net neutrality was based upon the very same legal principle. 2/ It is true that net neutrality was focused on internet service providers and the current debate is on companies such as Facebook and Google and Twitter, but you should not be surprised when existing legal principles are advanced in ways you didn't anticipate.

Reading comments about vaccine passports shows me just how many people don't mind, and even desire, to be ruled by a corporatist-government partnership. Many people may not directly state that they want authoritarian government, but they reveal it in the way they talk about issues like this.

It's notable, but not surprising, that the most vocal defenders of lockdowns, travel restrictions, vaccine passports, and other harsh measures are academics, public officials, and others safe in their jobs, who can work remotely, or aren't impacted by the measure they support. Those who have been out of work without pay for months on end don't have the time to debate on Twitter the pros and cons of ending restrictions. They just want to be able to find a job and get back to work.

1/ I was reading through a thread last night that debated the certainty of either Republicans or Democrats being "right" on any given position. Predictably, tribalism won out as those on their respective sides were more certain that they were "right." 2/ This seems to me to be a rather narrow prism to view the world or any given political issue. In reality, both major political parties have sought to wield the power of the state for their own partisan advantages.

1/ This is an insane waste of resources and disproportionately impacts minorities. eveningsun.com/story/news/202… 2/ According to the article, "State police figures show a 1% increase in the number of marijuana arrests between 2019 and 2020." That's also insane given that we were locked down for much of 2020.

The most prominent portrait in President Biden's Oval Office is of a man who put 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry (including many who were US citizens) in concentration camps during WWII. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cf… Some people object to calling the Japanese World War II experience in America as "concentration camps" but the Korematsu Institute prefers "American concentration camps" rather than government euphemisms such as "Assembly Centers" or Relocation Camps." korematsuinstitute.org/terminology-1

1/ Finally finished Season Six of Vikings. The second half of the season was better than the first half. On whole I thought the series did a nice job of mapping real-world history onto its characters. #Vikings 2/ Over 200 years of history and legends were compressed into two generations. That's entirely forgivable as it is not meant to be a documentary. #Vikings

1/ Several years ago, while I still lived in Maryland, I did a DNA test as part of a larger investigation to find my biological parents. #StPatricksDay 2/ I located my biological parents, and theirs, and then some. As part of that test, I also found out about my Irish ancestry, especially on my biological father's side. #StPatricksDay