RECCE ROOM

Just for posterity, here are the words from John Correia: "One reminder on the Lindsay Clancy verdict: I know people have big feels. It’s okay to feel big feels. But you aren’t the jury. You might even have watched the trial, but you ALSO almost then certainly consumed a lot of content that the jury didn’t see, and there are reasons they didn’t see things. The whole system works to ostensibly give the jury as clean a look at the evidence as possible and then the prosecution and defense argue for how that evidence speaks. Those 12 jurors listened carefully to all 21 days of testimony. Those jurors made it through the entire selection process to be a representative group of the defendant’s peers. In my experience jurors, especially jurors in this high profile a case, do their best to be careful and thoughtful. They take their job seriously. They could not unanimously agree on a verdict. The judge and both sides argued for how long to let them continue and I am sure the judge tried h...

A reader writes in: “I have read your entries on wacky hiring practices, and it is good stuff. But one thing I would like to know is why companies put you through all these hoops just to offer a low-wage job?” It is a fair question. We have somehow reached a place where a company can offer $45,000 a year (just over half the current median household income) while requiring multiple interviews, assessments, personality tests, panel interviews, presentations, references, and perhaps an audience with the regional vice president. The hiring process says elite opportunity . The paycheck says we hope you already have a roommate . So why does this happen? Employer Self-Importance Companies frequently confuse the prestige of the organization with the value of the position. A large, successful, or well-known company may genuinely be a desirable place to work. But that does not automatically make every job within that organization desirable. Nevertheless, the hiring process often reflects the...

My friend, "Lefty," has discontinued his blog. This is sad. Rainy Day. Unless I am mistaken, he had that blog for 20+ years. 

  No. They should go to PRISON.  And, in case you do not understand the difference: Jails generally hold people awaiting trial or serving misdemeanor and other short sentences, while prisons generally hold people convicted of felonies and serving longer sentences. If the accusation would expose an innocent man to felony prosecution, then knowingly making a false accusation should itself be treated as a felony.

A few days ago, your author was minding his own business when the phone rang. Since I have a side business where phone calls from unfamiliar numbers occasionally turn into actual customers, I answered it. The caller launched into a fascinating story about how I had "signed for a jury summons and failed to appear." He claimed to be with my local Sheriff's Department. Having heard of this scam before, I started asking questions. "What's your name?" He gave me one. "Badge number?" He gave me one. Then I asked, "Which county Sheriff's Department is this? I forgot." Without hesitation, he replied: "Hazzard County." Yes. Really. For those who grew up watching The Dukes of Hazzard , you'll appreciate the irony. Hazzard County was a fictional county in Georgia. It doesn't exist. (There is a town named Hazard, Kentucky, but it's located in Perry County. There is no Hazzard County there, either.) I told the ca...

The Tennessee Legislature most often creates laws that go into effect on July 1. This is procedural, so there is time to have both the house and the senate vote, then the governor sign, then the governor signs, and the legislature has time to override the veto, if the governor vetoes the bill, and still have the law go into effect as soon as possible after all these things.  This post on social media highlights some of the laws that took effect earlier this week (Wednesday). Of course, my thoughts on the journalist's opinion or the law will be below each one in italics.  This stack of papers? All of the new laws (more than 200!) that went into effect today in Tennessee. Here are some highlights: A new immigration-related law will force cooperation between some local law enforcement agencies and federal immigration authorities. Good Getting a Tennessee driver's license will eventually require passing the written test in English. For the next three years, drivers can still take...