East is West According to the NC Double F

Posted on March 20, 2026 by Tom Liberman

Whilst out and about having a whiskey with a friend and watching the NC Double F basketball tournament we waxed poetic about our team’s chances in the big dance. My Alma-Mater the University of Idaho had a tough first round matchup with Houston. While my state loyalty team, the University of Missouri played the next day.

Our mutual favorite St. Louis University was playing right then and I asked my friend when his team, Kansas, was up. He told me they were playing at 8:40 tomorrow. Late game? No, we’re playing in San Diego. How did Kansas end up in the West Region? We’re not, we’re in the East Region.

Old Man Rant Incoming

Gird you loins NC Double F, batten down the hatches, it’s time for a full-on, no-holds-barred, blistering, get off my lawn you pesky kids, Old Man Rant!

What in the ever-loving majesty of creation is going on? Kansas is from the Midwest, in the East Region, and playing their first-round game in California. Next thing you’ll tell me is you summed two even integers and derived an odd integer.

Turns out the folks in Kansas are a tad bit upset about this and I agree with them. To be clear, to illustrate the profundity of the stupidity, let me reiterate; I’m from Missouri. As far as I’m concerned, the last issue anyone from Kansas had correct was their take on slavery.

Who’s running this operation? Put Ron and Leslie in charge of this little rec league thing you’ve got going on NC Double F. Dean Wormer has you lower on the GPA list than Bluto. Ringo songs have more harmony.

You’re screwing up the tournament faster than 186,000 mps (299,792 kps). You’re running this tournament like Edward Smith ran the Titanic. This is so stupid even Dolly Parton wouldn’t pull you up on that door.

How many NC Double F officials does it take to screw up their cash cow? Depends, how many are you willing to bribe?

How does an NC Double F official’s brain cell die? Alone.

All in the pursuit of money, I guess. Some bean counter somewhere decided that a game in California was better than a game on the East Coast.

In the old days, when I was a wee lad, sometime after dirt but before Google, a team from the Midwest was placed in the Midwest Region and played their games at Midwest venues. That way their fans got to see them at a reasonable time of day and could travel to the game. I guess that’s just crazy talk now.

Kids today! Back when! Common sense!

Rant over, return to your AI programmed lives.

Tom Liberman

Afroman Wins

Posted on March 19, 2026 by Tom Liberman

An interesting legal case just wrapped up and the title of this article pretty much says it all; Afroman wins. It’s an interesting case involving a couple of topics near and dear to my heart, Constitutional Law and the police power of the state.

The quick summary is law enforcement raided Afroman’s home after which he created three songs and accompanying music videos which used footage of the raid. The officers involved sued for defamation and illegal use of their images without consent.

The Full Situation

Police had a warrant to search Afroman’s house for evidence of criminal activity including kidnapping and drug trafficking. The went into his home when he wasn’t there by damaging his external gate, kicking in his front door, and doing significant damage to his home security system to the tune of $20,000.

After a search they took all the cash they could find, $5,000 or $5,400 depending who you believe, and left without any evidence of a crime. They never filed charges and eventually returned $5,000 dollars.

Afroman is a music artist and the best of such make songs about what is going on in their lives. In this case, that’s exactly what he did. Using footage of the raid he wrote three songs and released three videos showing the officers in action.

Afroman Wins the Trial

Before the actual trial, the judge disallowed the charge of using officers’ images without their consent, presumably because they were the ones who entered his house. The other charges of causing the officers humiliation, embarrassment, ridicule, mental distress, and loss of reputation were allowed to go to trial.

The jury returned a verdict fully in favor of Afroman. Afroman wins!

The Cost

One thing about the case that I find intriguing is the cost. How much money did it cost for Afroman to defend himself from these charges? How much did it cost the Ohio county of Adams to prosecute the case? It didn’t cost the police department anything, the taxpayers will foot that bill most certainly.

Conclusion

Freedom wins. Tyranny loses. Huzzah.

So, Afroman repaired $20,000 in damages to his house, had to spend time and money to defend himself from a ludicrous lawsuit, and the title of this blog is Afroman Wins. Well, I guess. Would have been better if the police apologized and paid for the damages but I won’t hold my breath.

Tom Liberman

Camera Ticket Dismissed in Florida

Posted on March 15, 2026 by Tom Liberman

There’s an interesting case making its way through the legal system involving a camera ticket. A new law in Florida called the Mark Wandall Traffic Safety Act allows for tickets to be automatically sent out based on camera observations.

Camera Ticket citations are not new although they’ve always been controversial. In this case a twist to the law is what Judge Steven P. DeLuca decided violated the Constitution and gave him the authority to rule as he did.

The Camera Ticket Twist

The situation with this camera ticket law is that if the camera doesn’t get a good view of the person driving, the agency issues the ticket to the owner of the car who must prove they were not behind the wheel. If they cannot do so, then the ticket stands and they must pay the fine.

The problem here is apparent and obvious. The burden of proof is shifted to the accused which is diametrically opposed to the wording of the Constitution and our legal system in general.

This case itself is fairly narrow in application and only covers situation where the system cannot identify who is driving but it does offer up some interesting questions about the limits authority can put on We the People.

Conclusion

With the trend of the judiciary to give more and more trust to law-enforcement, it’s nice to have their authority rightfully challenged now and again. This case is far from over as the Florida Supreme Court has yet to rule, so I’ll be keeping my eyes open.

Tom Liberman

Dark Winds Season 4 and the Missing Plot

Posted on March 13, 2026 by Tom Liberman

I’ve been watching Dark Winds since the beginning and I’ve had my issues with the show but this season has a missing plot. It’s not that the plot is missing the mark, that the plot is not as good as it could be, it’s that halfway through the season and I’m clueless as to the main plot.

I haven’t brought up Dark Winds since the end of season 1 and I do have some issues with season 2 and season 3 but I didn’t feel the urge to talk about it. Season 4 and the missing plot has awakened my inner writer.

The Missing Plot

It’s hard to describe the missing plot because it’s missing.

Reader: Ok, Tom, tell me about Dark Winds season 4, what is the plot?

Tom: No idea.

Reader: You’re four episodes into the season, surely you can explain this problem, why is the plot missing?

Tom: Because it isn’t there.

Reader: You’re not giving me much help here, Tom. Can you elaborate?

Tom: Sighs, looks up, scratches his head, wonders if he should open the last box of fancy chocolates, ok, I’ll give it a go.

The Plot that Isn’t Missing

Season 4 starts out with a bang. A young woman is in a diner with a guy, a blue and white van pulls up, a gun toting villain emerges, shots are fired. Then we go back in time to figure out what we just saw.

Here’s the skinny. The girl is an escapee from a Catholic School on the reservations and has gone off with her cousin because she can help him find something on the reservation, he’s an L.A. boy and doesn’t know the region well. He’s actually looking for his brother who has something or did something or knows something or something.

Much running around. Cousin dies from gunshot wound days later. Assassin kills cousin’s grandfather. Assassin falls in love with Joe for reasons that are unclear. Assassin paints van green with spray paint. Chee is having hallucinations for some unexplained reason.

Law enforcement is looking for green van, although the only van they have accounts of is blue and white but whatever. Who even cares because of the missing plot? What is going. No idea. What is anyone trying to find? No clue. What’s the objective of the assassin? Don’t ask me.

So, off they go to L.A. where the assassin’s father is a crazy Nazi. Some other guy knows the brother. Law enforcement is watching this other guy. I don’t know what’s going on so I can’t explain it lucidly. The assassin works for a menacing guy I don’t know.

Why the Missing Plot is a Problem

The acting is pretty good in Dark Winds and there is a ton of time spent on character development. The problem is I don’t understand the driving motivations. I know the girl and the assassin are trying to find the other cousin, but why? Why? Why?!

There is no MacGuffin. Or, more literally, we don’t know what the MacGuffin is. It’s there. It’s something. It’s the driving force in the show, as it should be, but what is it and why do people want it, or him, or whatever?

Without this crucial piece of information, everyone’s actions seem pointless. There are no stakes for the audience.

Conclusion

The worst part is the problem is easily fixed. Just have the cousin explain to the schoolgirl why he needs to find his brother. Let us in. I suspect that keeping this crucial information secret is to allow them to spring the twist on us at a later time but it’s so damaging. If we know why characters are doing what they’re doing, we are invested. As it is, I’m bored and confused.

Tom Liberman

Was She Lying or Did the Writer Mess Up

Posted on March 10, 2026 by Tom Liberman

Being from St. Louis, I’m doing my civic duty and watching DTF St. Louis. I’m not much enjoying it but that’s not the topic I’d like to discuss today. I spotted an interesting writer mess up in episode two. Or it’s possible the mess up was not a mistake but an intentional instance of having a character lie.

The problem is my confusion about the scene, which of those two things was going on. It gives me an opportunity to talk about writing and one of the things I think it’s good for authors to try to avoid.

The Scene with the Writer Mess Up (or the Lie)

DTF St. Louis tells the story of Clark who is having an affair with Carol who is married to Floyd. I’m not going to go into more detail because that’s not the focus of today’s article. It’s not about the show, it’s about the writer mess up.

It’s established very early in the first episode that Carol makes money on the side by umpiring baseball games. She’s seen in her ridiculously oversized uniform multiple times and Floyd talks to Clark about it in an early scene.

Clark and Carol are flirting and Carol suggests going to a Cardinals game. Clark mentions that his television station gets blocks of tickets and they should catch a game. At this point Carol says she’s never been to a game and she’s not sure if she would even understand what is going on.

I immediately sat up in my chair, my face scrunched up in that infamous Tom Liberman What you talking about Willis expression. She’s a baseball umpire. Clark knows this. She knows all about baseball. She’s clearly a fan of baseball or she wouldn’t have a job umpiring games.

Was Shy Lying or was it a Writer Mess Up?

Sometime later in the show, whilst I was bored with the endless and painful dialog, it occurred to me perhaps the writers did it on purpose to show Carol as a deceitful person. They wanted us to know of her manipulative nature.

I’m still fairly confident it was just a writer mess up but my confusion is, in itself, an indication of a problem with the writing. If Carol was lying the audience should know that she’s lying. The point should be to paint her as a deceitful character and, frankly, a stupid one. She’s an umpire, everyone knows about her side-gig. The lie is blatant and will obviously be exposed sooner rather than later. It’s a terrible lie.

The fact that I don’t know which one with any certainty distracts me from the episode, and I didn’t need anything else to get me to stop watching and look at my phone. Yawn.

Conclusion

If it was a mess up, it’s an indicator of lack of attention to detail. If it was a lie, it’s a bad character development because I can’t distinguish between the two possibilities. In either case, it’s poor writing.

The audience needs to be immersed, we need to believe the characters and events, we need to be drawn in, not forcibly kicked out.

Oh, yeah, the actual ballgame was the single most unconvincing stadium and crowd scene I’ve ever witnessed. Everyone sitting like cardboard cutouts, unemotional, not cheering, not booing, not eating a hot dog. Just sitting quietly, staring straight ahead, while the Clark and Carol had yet another unconvincing dialog. At least the fans wore Cardinals gear.

Tom Liberman

Can A Billionaire Donor Save College Athletics?

Posted on March 1, 2026 by Tom Liberman

I just read a little story about billionaire donor Cody Campbell who thinks he has the solution to the problems in college athletics. I’ve written about corruption in the NCAA so many times I just don’t have the energy to write yet another article on all the problems but the solution offered in this case does dovetail nicely into some other issues involving the super-rich.

In this case, Campbell, a billionaire donor to the Texas Tech athletic program warns if the problem isn’t fixed, athletes will suffer if colleges shutdown their athletic programs. He’s all worried about those talented athletes.

What the Billionaire Donor has to Say

Here is the quote from Campbell about the nature of the problem.

College Sports are broken, and those who first made the mess and profit handsomely from the status quo do not want to fix it. Without meaningful change, opportunities for thousands and thousands of talented student athletes will disappear and women’s and Olympics sports programs will be canceled.

You can see how worried he is about those student athletes. How concerned he is. How he stays up late at night with worry about their future. You can almost see the pain and grief visibly manifest itself in his impassioned plea.

Who Can Fix College Athletics?

The problems in college athletics have everything to do with money, that’s a fact, but it’s not that athletes are finally get to share the revenue. It’s the enormous amount of money and revenue generated for these sports. Billionaire donor Campbell, and his many cohorts and predecessors, are the root of the problem.

I don’t deny that college athletics has big problems. There was a time, long ago, when revenue wasn’t the main factor in amateur sports. It was the spirit of competition. Giving young people the benefit of sport to enhance their lives. There was a time when the head coach at State U. wasn’t the highest paid public official in the state.

There was a time when billionaire donors didn’t sit in luxury boxes to impress clients and purchase, that is to say, entertain politicians.

There was a time when college athletics was about the athlete. That time is no more, in large part to Campbell, the NCAA itself, the court system, and politicians.

Conclusion

I’m not going to get into a long and technical discussion about how to fix the mess that’s been made. I’m just going to make a simple statement. If you’re looking to fix college athletics, the last place you want to look for solutions is billionaire donors. They aren’t interested in fixing the problem, they’re interested in increasing profit.

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Tom Liberman

Post Office Immunity Ludicrous

Posted on February 24, 2026 by Tom Liberman

The Supreme Court just ruled that Post Office Immunity extends to mail intentionally withheld by postal employees against orders from the USPS Inspector General. There is a racial element to the case but I don’t think that an important issue in the dispute.

My rant today isn’t just against Post Office immunity to lawsuits but the general tendency in the courts to uphold laws granting such immunity. I’ve discussed this issue from a wider point of view so I’ll stick with the specifics this time.

Post Office Immunity Examined

The Post Office is granted immunity from lawsuits involving missing, lost, and undeliverable mail. This is not unreasonable although I’m always skeptical of immunity protections. The basic principle is that if the immunity did not exist, the Post Office would be inundated with lawsuits over lost mail and have to prove such a general mistake without malicious intent.

Justice Thomas, writing for the majority, argues that this protection extends to the intentional nondelivery of mail and four of his colleagues agree.

The Case in Question

Lebene Konan owns several rental properties. One day she found her mailbox key changed so that she could no longer access the mail and deliver it to her tenants. The stated reason being that she was required to prove that she actually owned the property. She then provided the appropriate information but the situation was not resolved.

The USPS Inspector General intervened and ordered mail to be delivered. It was still withheld. Important mail including medication, bills, and other vital information was not delivered. Tenants, weary of the situation, moved out. Konan filed dozens of complaints and eventually resorted to a lawsuit which has been making its way through the courts for two years now.

Konan claims there is a racial element to the situation, she is black. That is unimportant to me but it does factor into the ramifications of the ruling.

Post Office Immunity Apparently Absolute

This case clearly means that Post Office Immunity to lawsuits is now absolute. Now, at any Post Office, if the manager doesn’t like you for whatever reason, that person can withhold your mail. They risk being fired, I suppose, but if they have the general support of their superiors, there can be no ramifications.

Conclusion

The Post Office is now legally able to stop delivering you mail because of your religion or lack thereof; your skin color, the fact that your children have a beef at school, because someone finds your spouse attractive and thinks you are undeserving of their love. Any reason whatsoever.

If anyone, outside of five Supreme Court Justices finds this reasonable, well, I don’t even know what to say. The law is now a tool of suppression, plain and simple.

Tom Liberman

Mitigate Mistakes don’t Compound Them

Posted on February 22, 2026 by Tom Liberman

I made an enormous tactical mistake during my Friday night Board Game session this past weekend and I remembered an important chess concept; mitigate mistakes, don’t compound them.

Chess is really the first place I learned about the notion and Magnus Carlson demonstrated the idea during his recent run to become Chess Freestyle World Champion. I think the idea we must mitigate mistakes rather than compounding them a useful life lesson and therefore, here we go,

What is it to Mitigate Mistakes?

My tactical blunder during the latest session of Ticket to Ride: Legends of the West involved me playing to the winning strategy of a previous turn rather than the winning strategy of the current turn. Basically, I put my gold into the wrong basket. By the time I realized my enormous blunder, it was far too late to fix it.

There was no possible way to attempt the previous round strategy and accomplish any of the goals of the current round. That’s when I put on my mitigate mistakes hat. Rather than pursuing my original strategy, I gave it up. I went with the new strategy and accomplished multiple goals gaining a fairly good number of points. Not as many as if I played that way from the start, but at least some.

Don’t Compound the Mistake

By giving up my original strategy I essentially forfeited all, or at least most, of the points associated with the original goal. It’s certainly true that giving up those points hurt me but they were already lost for the most part, the old goal was less useful in the new round.

If I continued on with my misguided strategy I would have earned none of the points associated with the better tactic and fallen even further behind than I did.

Conclusion

The lesson is that once the mistake happens, there is no fixing it. What’s done is done. Trying to fix it generally just compounds the problem and makes it worse. That’s what we should all learn to do.

It’s not easy to admit a mistake and we all want to deny it because of our ego. Sometimes it’s important to put the ego away, mitigate mistakes with a humble sigh, and get on with life.

Tom Liberman

Gambling Machines in Missouri

Posted on February 18, 2026 by Tom Liberman

A recent court case in Missouri brought gambling machines under scrutiny and I thought it was a good chance to look at this issue from a Libertarian perspective.

The gambling machines, often called video lottery terminals, operate in gas stations, bars, and stores throughout the state. I’ve written on several occasions about the Libertarian perspective on legalized gambling and the harm it causes so I don’t want to rehash those arguments. What I’d like to examine today is the government’s interest in supposedly banning these devices.

The Gambling Machines

These gambling machines are essentially slot machines. Put in some money, spin the wheel, hope for a good outcome. They try to skirt the law against such devices located outside casinos by adding a small element of skill. This, they argue, makes them a skill game rather than a gambling game of pure chance. The courts have ruled and they disagree with this argument.

There are a pair of these gambling machines in the local market where I purchase delicious, house-made sandwiches every Saturday on my way back from the gym. They don’t always have somebody standing in front of them, feeding them money, but I’d say they are in use the majority of the time I’m there.

People like these gambling machines and the places that have them like them because they get a cut of the revenue generated.

What the State says about Gambling Machines

I’m going to give you a couple of quotes from those who argue these devices must be removed following the court decision.

County Executive Sam Page

When these unregulated machines bypass taxing and licensing, they divert revenue from infrastructure from public education and important government services like public safety and public health.

Governor Mike Kehoe

Certainly, as we’re trying to figure out problems with our budget where we’re … trying to not cut programs that are essential, we have to make some very hard decisions. We want to look at things that are out there right now that aren’t operating legally, that could provide a revenue stream through some sort of regulation.

Why the State is Involved

If you read those quotes I doubt I have to tell you why the state is involved in removing these gambling machines. It’s not for the well-being of those who are adversely affected by such devices. It’s not about helping those with gambling addictions. It’s not about human decency.

It’s about revenue, plain and simple. You know it, I know it, the politicians know it. Money is the deciding factor in almost everything these days. What will help us make more money? What will help rich people get richer? How can we squeeze more money from tax-payers?

Conclusion

It’s interesting how in Missouri the argument has shifted away from the moral objections associated with gambling. Anyway, I find it interesting. Do you?

Tom Liberman

Lindsey Vonn Stupidity or Courage?

Posted on February 8, 2026 by Tom Liberman

I’m not a big fan of the Olympics in general as I’ve written before but the Lindsey Vonn crash makes me ponder the question of stupidity or courage. I’ve considered this sort of thing before in my own life in various situations, hiking, rock-climbing, etc.

In this case Vonn decided to attempt the Olympic Downhill race with serious injuries. The attempt resulted in a horrific crash leaving her crying in pain. My question is what do you think of her decision? Was it stupidity or courage?

Stupidity versus Courage in Life

I think most of us have experience with deciding the question of stupidity or courage in a particular situation. In my own life I can recall several incidents, but I won’t go into detail. Basically, I tend to be a cautious person and I think, for the most part, I choose to be smart and not courageous. There have been exceptions and my old-man body still has trouble in the morning, afternoon, and evening because of those courageous/stupid decisions.

Was the choice of stupidity worth it? I’m just not sure. I definitely am glad that I did many of the things that frightened me, that caused me to tremble in fear. I am afraid of heights; but as a boy I took a climbing class and while I still get nervous in elevated situations, I’m not debilitated thanks to that courageous decision.

On the other hand, I’ve been on hikes where there was a dangerous situation and I went around. I vividly recall a teenage girl climbing up a cliff face waterfall in her flip flops with a twenty-foot drop to rocks below. She made it but I’m not sure it was a good decision.

The Lindsey Vonn Situation

Lindsey Vonn made a stupidity or courage decision and paid a price. Will she think it was worth it? That’s for her to decide. What do you think?

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Tom Liberman

The Importance of Travel Scenes

Posted on January 22, 2026 by Tom Liberman

Travel Scenes in Miss Scarlett versus All Creatures

I’ve compared PBS shows before and I’d like to do it again but with a focus on what I call a travel scene. In this case the two shows are once again Miss Scarlet and All Creatures Great and Small. The reason for the comparison is they run back-to-back on Sunday evening so I get to see one after the other.

What is a Travel Scene

A travel scene, at least by my definition, is a scene in between two locations scenes where a character or characters travels from one location to the next. This includes time spent preparing for travel and, indeed, just that preparation can be the entirety of the Travel Scene.

Travel Scenes in Both Shows

The importance of a travel scene is something I’ve noticed before in any number of shows and movies. My general impression is shows that don’t use travel scenes are eager to get to the action, the meat and potatoes. If Miss Scarlett is going to Scotland Yard to confront Inspector New Guy the two scenes are not sandwiched around a travel scene.

Basically, Miss Scarlett tells someone she is going somewhere and the next scene she is at that location interacting with others.

Meanwhile, in All Creatures Great and Small when someone is heading out to visit Mrs. Pumfrey or another client, we generally see them putting on a coat, heading out, getting in the car, and then driving to the location. Perhaps not all of those things occur but at least a few.

What Value is there in a Travel Scene?

I think this is the most important question. What value does a travel scene bring to a show and how can such scenes cause harm? The harm is relatively simple to pinpoint; those sorts of scenes take away from the limited amount of runtime a show has available to it. If we just eliminate them, we have more time for the other scenes.

The value is more difficult to determine but for me it’s all about immersion and transition. When characters teleport around from one location to the other with no apparent means it bothers me. Timelines don’t work as going from places takes time but it is often ignored. Events happen out of sequence as a person couldn’t have done another scene because it supposedly took hours to get to a location.

When a character is seen getting ready to travel, driving, walking, taking a train, arriving outside at a new location, I believe. My reptilian brain thinks, yes, they’ve traveled from one location to another, I believe the upcoming scene.

In addition, travel scenes often allow for a lovely transition of beautiful scenery, period piece vehicles and clothes, and wide shots not possible in indoor location.

Conclusion

I don’t think every journey need be documented with some sort of a travel scene but I’m of the strong opinion that shows that take the time to show them are almost always better than those that do not.

Certainly, it’s not the travel scene alone that makes a show superior but is an indicator of attention to detail. Anyway, I’m curious, have you noticed travel scenes and the effect on the show?

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Tom Liberman

Best Medicine is Twitchy and Agitated

Posted on January 7, 2026 by Tom Liberman

One of my mother’s favorite shows is Doc Martin and she was excited for the release of the U.S. version, Best Medicine. We watched the premier last night and mother did not approve. I can’t say I much enjoyed it either.

There is an argument that if you loved the original you might be predisposed to dislike the remake but I’m not convinced that’s what is going on here. This remake doesn’t take a different tone; it seems to want to emulate the original faithfully. It fails, at least according to mom. Shall we try to find out why?

Sweet and Silly v. Twitchy and Agitated

I’ve not seen every episode of Doc Martin, as has mom, but I’ve seen a quite a few and the original is largely silly and sweet. Doc Martin himself is constantly agitated but the rest of the cast is generally more laid back. The setting is calm and peaceful.

Almost every character in Best Medicine is like Doc Martin in the original, agitated and twitchy. Louisa appears to have Turrets Syndrome, Aunt Lucy shouts all her lines, Sheriff Mark has none of the sweet but clumsy charm of Joe from the original, and Elaine the receptionist might be the most annoying character I’ve ever seen.

I get that she is supposed to be annoying but her portrayal is way too much. I’d call it cartoonish but that’s an insult to cartoons.

I’m not trying to criticize the actors here, I’m guessing this is what the director and writer desired. They are so twitchy and agitated that I get twitchy and agitated just watching them. It’s painful.

Only Bert and Al seem in any way relatable to the original characters but they are barely in the first episode.

Events are Rushed in Best Medicine

Another big problem is the speed at which everything unfolds. The storyline speeds along like the Enterprise at Warp 10. We are introduced to the quirks of all the characters through exposition almost immediately upon meeting them. Doc Martin’s blood phobia is hammered home.

Man boobs. Estrogen. More man boobs. Infidelity. Happy resolution. It all happens almost without stop. Not to mention Doc Martin’s inability to connect the dots on the two cases was baffling. I guessed immediately.

Louisa and Sheriff Mark’s storyline speeds along and the willingness of all parties to immediately confide in Doc Martin just seemed wrong. Why are these people saying these things to a virtual stranger?

Wokeism

Generally, I’m not put off by trying to insert a little diversity into an older show. Here we have two inter-racial couples one of whom is gay and it just seems a little forced. The gay couple were actually the most appealing characters in the episode so I can’t complain too greatly.

Conclusion

Listen, it’s only the first episode. Maybe things will calm down and they won’t continue to rush as much. Maybe the characters will settle in and become less agitated and twitchy. I’m hopeful but I suspect things won’t improve.

Did you like it?

Tom Liberman

Gambling Problems for Non-Problem Gamblers

Posted on January 7, 2026 by Tom Liberman

I’ve written about the dangers associated with increased gambling availability for problem gamblers but what about non-problem gamblers? My prior points, along with the many articles proliferating throughout media outlets, focus on the issue of gambling addiction.

I was reading yet another article on the rising problem and something else occurred to me. I wonder what the long-term effect of gambling has on non-problem gamblers. The general let’s have a good time gambling within my means sort of person.

Non-Problem Gamblers Loss of Savings

The gambling industry in the United States rakes in billions of dollars. Prior to the recent Supreme Court decision, such gambling outlets were restricted to a few physical locations. Now there is online gambling pretty much everywhere. Anyone can place a bet at any time on just about anything.

People associated with the industry point out the low rate of problem gamblers compared to the total number playing. This is a relatively good point and in line with my Libertarian philosophy. Should we punish all the non-problem gamblers because a few, estimated anywhere from about 2% to 10% depending on your source, have a problem?

My question is how much of an issue is it for the non-problem gamblers and for the rest of us in society. Basically, the non-problem gamblers tend to be young men who have jobs and have disposable income.

My speculation is that these non-problem gamblers are investing their savings not in stocks, bonds, interest bearing accounts, property, and other such accounts but simply pouring it into the hands of the gambling websites.

This voluntary wealth transfer means an enormous loss if you have a knowledge of compound interest.

Let’s just say a young man is a non-problem gambler and spends about fifty percent of his disposable income on gambling instead of investments. So, instead of saving x per month the person saves half of that. The resulting loss, depending upon interest rates, is hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of a lifetime of earning.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars for millions of people is, as you can well imagine, a lot of money.

What this Loss Means

What does the loss of all this money mean? I’m not completely sure. Certainly, the gambling companies make this money and they spend it; but the loss of savings is a delayed effect that doesn’t really hit until the non-problem gambler ages. Then it means a lot. There is less money to spend for dining out, traveling, gifts, helping children and grandchildren with their own finances.

My point here is the hidden costs involved in the proliferation of gambling. I’m not well-versed enough in economics to guess the total effect of these factors but I suspect it might be far greater than the impact problem gamblers.

What do you think?

Tom Liberman

The AIDS Hypothesis on Shitty Entertainment

Posted on January 4, 2026 by Tom Liberman

In a sequence of events only possible in the internet age I heard a hypothesis about why the AIDS epidemic created the shitty entertainment industry we see today. To be clear, I think there’s a lot of fantastic entertainment coming out but there is some truth to criticisms of the blockbuster orientated industry today.

So, onto the AIDS Hypothesis on Shitty Entertainment.

The Sequence of Events

I’m working on my role-playing games, writing a novel, and watching YouTube, my usual daily activities in retirement when I see a long sequence about Judge Janice Goldberg on Law and Order played by Fran Lebowitz. She’s funny, I say to myself. In the comments I see people know her from her writing. Writer? Off to Wikipedia.

She’s an interesting character indeed. I read the article and see her talking about the tragic effect of AIDS on the theater scene in New York. I think to myself, what? AIDS wrecked the theater scene, what’s that about?

I start thinking. Always dangerous. The more I ponder, the more I think she’s onto something but not just about the theater scene in New York; about the entirety of the plethora of shitty entertainment we see these days.

Why AIDS Created Shitty Entertainment

Who did AIDS kill? Gay men. What do gay men do? They go to the theater. The go to musicals. The go to artsy movies. They love the arts. Now, to be clear, I’m firm in my conviction that stereotypes don’t apply to individuals but we’re not talking about a single person here, we’re talking about group dynamics.

An entire generation of young gay men died of AIDS. Men a bit older than I was at the time, teen and twenties. All of a sudden, theaters are selling fewer tickets, particularly to artsy type shows. Creative shows. What’s left are straight men who like things that go boom and curvy women.

These deaths certainly didn’t destroy the theater or creativity in general but it caused some shows to fail where they might have succeeded. Some shows to never make it to the stage. These shows are written, produced, and financed by older gay men with money. There are fewer opportunities in the industry for young gay men to thrive.

Fewer young, theater loving, gay men to become old gay men with money today. I think you follow my reasoning here.

It’s Not all AIDS of Course

Our current cookie cutter, boom bang, Mary Sue, virtue signaling, generic rut of shitty entertainment isn’t completely driven by the fact there are fewer artsy gay men in the industry but if you don’t think it’s a factor, well, we disagree.

The next time you decide to bitch about Hollywood and shitty entertainment, take a moment to mourn the lost.

Tom Liberman

Chuck Redd Christmas Eve Jam Cancellation

Posted on December 27, 2025 by Tom Liberman

A potential legal situation arose when Chuck Redd cancelled his annual Christmas Eve Jam concert at the venue either called the Kennedy Center or the Trump/Kennedy Center. Redd canceled the Christmas Eve Jam concert with the stated reason being the name change.

The new director of the center, Richard Grenell, sent a letter expressing an intent to sue Redd for the cancellation. I think it’s an interesting legal question that I will explore in this blog. I give my usual disclaimer about my legal ramblings, I am not a lawyer, not do I play one on television.

Contract

This seems to me to be a Contract Law situation. Redd presumably signed some sort of contract to play and Grenell wants to hold him to that.

There are several legal questions to examine. The contract presumably listed the name of the venue as its original name, not its new name. Is the contract void immediately upon the name change? There is also the complete overhaul of the governing board. Presumably Redd signed the contract along with the previous head of the organization. Does this void the contract?

Name Change

Let’s get into the name change first as that seems to be the main factor for cancelling the Christmas Eve Jam. Venues change their names all the time. Sports stadiums in particular sell the naming right to the highest bidder year after year. I would think there is some legal precedent for a case of this nature but so far, I haven’t read anything about such a previous case.

Another angle is simply if the new name is offensive to the artist. Would you expect Redd to honor the contract if the name change was to the Osama bin Laden Center? Or a Jewish artist to play at the newly named Adolph Hitler Center? Or Cambodian artist at the Pol Pot Center?

I think these are legitimate questions. It’s not my job to determine if Redd doesn’t like the new name. If he says he doesn’t like it, then I presume he does not.

Governing Board Change

The entire governing board of the center was changed and this is another potential issue. Again, perhaps Redd has a personal grudge with Grenell. Would you hold an artist to the contract if the new director murdered their child?

It’s basically the same issue as the name change but a different situation.

The underlying question is if someone, in this case Redd and the Christmas Eve Jam, should be held to a contract they signed before a major change took place.

Conclusion

I certainly don’t know the legal answer to this question but I am inclined to give the artist the ability to cancel under such circumstances without being sued for breech of contract. I’m not sure the case will ever see a courtroom but if it does, I’ll be quite interested in the outcome.

What do you think?

Tom Liberman

Chess Engine versus Chess AI Trainer

Posted on December 22, 2025 by Tom Liberman

I’m a chess player and I thought the difference between a Chess Engine and a Chess AI trainer a useful topic of discussion. The difference between the two is stark and to some degree a frightening vision of our future as a technology dependent society.

What is a Chess Engine

A Chess Engine is computer software that makes chess moves. Chess Engines have been around for quite a number of years and Deep Blue’s defeat of the reigning world champion Garry Kasparov was a milestone moment in computing history.

Since then, Chess Engines have only gotten more advanced and most include an Endgame Tablebase. This is a database that knows the best move to make when the board contains seven pieces or fewer. Work continues to increase the number to eight but so far, the goal remains elusive.

In any case, the point is clear that Chess Engines are better at chess than the best human players in the world. There is no credible argument against this fact.

What is a Chess AI Trainer

This is a more difficult question to answer but essentially it purports to be a tool by which you can improve your chess by asking questions of an AI entity. Why do I say purports? Basically, it doesn’t work. It’s largely useless. It gives generic platitudes like “control the center” and “threaten opponent pieces” although they often don’t make sense within the context of the question and are certainly things any chess video made by a human incorporates.

At best they do no more than a chess video or a chess book and at worst they give terrible advice. Even worse, this AI Slop can be self-training. One Chess AI Trainers provides content that the others “learn” from. Thus, they reinforce their own stupidity.

Why the Difference?

The difference between the effectiveness of the Chess Engine and the Chess AI Trainer is illustrative of why I’m not only skeptical of AI in general but seriously concerned that it presents a danger.

Chess itself is a relatively simple game. Sixty-four squares, two sides of balanced power, six different types of pieces, and stringent rules for how the pieces move and interact. Now, don’t get me wrong, it’s not a simple game. It’s incredibly difficult to master but it’s ideally suited to a computer because of this simplicity.

On the other hand, a Chess AI Trainer does not have a specific set of well-defined rules. Much like life. It can tell you that move A is better than move B and why but either in general and mostly useless terms or, if it has a Chess Engine running in the background, by spewing out a complex series of possible moves that is far beyond anyone but a top-tier player’s understanding.

My Frightening Conclusion

What’s the worst-case scenario here? That as AI proliferates, one tool trains the other tools into abject stupidity across the board. The enormous amount of slop that is spewed out overwhelms human endeavor.

We already see this happening. Product reviews, literature, artwork, feeds on social media. They are all overwhelmed by AI slop. What is real? It is generally not too difficult to discern AI slop from human created content but are we approaching a time when there is nothing but AI slop? There is no more reality? Decisions are made from nonsense?

Tom Liberman

Is Deflation Really Bad?

Posted on December 22, 2025 by Tom Liberman

The modern economic world has long been fighting a battle between too much inflation and deflation. Some inflation is the goal and deflation is the enemy. I’m no economists and everything that follows is simply my observation and opinion.

Inflation is when prices go up and deflation is when prices go down. The competing factors are real wages and nominal GDP. What is best for the average consumers of a nation? Growth combined with inflation or shrinkage combined with deflation? That’s my question.

Why I’m thinking about Deflation

The reason all this comes to my mind is some YouTube videos in which the content creator visits small and moderate sized restaurants in Japan. Many of these places are absolutely tiny, the equivalent of which either does not exist in the United States are is so rare that I don’t encounter it.

They have seats for maybe a dozen people, generally around a long counter, and the staff is anywhere from one person to perhaps four. They have small menus and some even offer a single entrée. The prices are insanely low, low beyond comprehension. An entire sushi meal for seven dollars. That kind of low. Prices that seem impossible to my tainted, GDP brainwashed mind.

Lost Decades

The reason for this is complex to say the least and well beyond my economic ability to understand. That being said, Japan has suffered something called the Lost Decades. A long period of deflation. During this period, 1995 to today, Japan’s nominal GDP fell from $5.55 trillion to $4.27 trillion. This is an economic disaster according to modern theory.

Yet, a fantastic meal of sushi with beverage, made by an artist right in front of you, in a hole-in-the-wall restaurant, costs seven dollars. A plate of a dozen ludicrously delicious dumplings, filled, folded, and steamed before you very eyes, costs three dollars. Am I the only one thinks that deflation might be a good thing?

Fantastic GDP

In the same period of time the GDP of the United States rose from $7.64 to $30.49 trillion. This is fantastic growth according to economic theory. This is the goal our economists and politicians create policy to accomplish.

And yet, the price of a burger at restaurant down the street is seventeen dollars. Our main political conversation is about something called affordability. An increasingly large percentage of people literally cannot afford to live in the United States. Food, housing, transportation, healthcare, and other basic needs cost more than we make.

Conclusion

As I stated earlier, I’m not an economist, these things are well beyond my primitive understanding, but I am a human being, and I have eyes. I see. If I my wealth is reduced by fifty percent but the cost of living decreases sixty-six percent, am I not wealthier?

Are we chasing the wrong carrot? Do we fear the wrong stick? Or, to put it more crudely, have the billionaires sold us a pile of manure while doing our backsides wrong?

Tom Liberman

The Absence of Two Women Interacting in Media

Posted on December 20, 2025 by Tom Liberman

A friend of mine recently posted a meme about how few times women interact in Lord of the Rings movies.

It’s not the first time I’ve seen this sentiment and I gave my stock reply. All the main characters in the movie are male and because it’s rare to have two side characters driving a scene, the lack of two women interacting was not a great surprise.

After that I began to think about the situation a bit and, while I think my sentiment is correct, I decided to examine some of my own novels for comparable situations. Here is what I found.

Male Centric Novels

I have several novels where all the main characters are male and, while I didn’t go over them exhaustively, I did my best to remember how many times I wrote two women interacting. Not many. Women characters played prominent roles in these novels but largely they merely interacted with the male characters and not with one another.

To be honest, there were very few scenes in which two women even appeared together, let alone interacted.

Female Centric Novels

I’ve also written novels where all the lead characters are women. Now, obviously, they spend most of the novel interacting with one another but I started thinking about how often two men interacted in those novels. After all, it’s the same situation, just in reverse. All the main characters are women, so what about the men?

I came up with a few circumstances when two men interacted with one another in these novels but it was quite rare and the interaction was brief. But it does occur.

Mixed Gender Leads

This one was pretty obvious. When there is a mix of male and female leads in my novels, there is a great deal of interaction between two men or two women. All lead characters of course. Still, how often in those novels did a pair of side characters interact? It’s sort of the same argument. How often do side characters interact over the course of a novel.

There are a few moments of interaction but for the most part, lead characters drive all the scenes.

Is it a Problem?

Now we get to the heart of the inquiry. Is the fact that side characters don’t interact with each in a meaningful way a problem? No, my original reply stands. The underlying question is if there aren’t enough female lead characters.

This is a more complex question to be sure. We do see a plethora of female leads in movies and television shows nowadays but often they behave essentially as a male character but in a female body. Often, they display Mary Sue traits which only creates derision.

There are plenty of compelling female lead characters in literature, we need look no further than Jane Austen to see the blueprint and to Star Trek’s Uhura as excellent examples.

Why don’t we have more representative characters of this nature? Don’t look at me, I’m doing my best. Read a few of my novels then come complaining to me.

Tom Liberman

The Constitution Screams Distrust of Authority

Posted on September 21, 2025 by Tom Liberman

When I peruse the Constitution of the United States my overwhelming take is those who wrote it had a distrust of authority. They did not trust political bodies to work for the people, they were certain law enforcement and the military were tools of oppressive governments.

This is a sentiment apparently completely forgotten by the people of this country and more importantly, abandoned by our legal system. It’s my opinion this country is headed in a terrible and dangerous direction.

The Supreme Court has no Distrust of Authority

In what I consider to be one of the most telling rulings of our plight, Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote, If the person is a U.S. citizen or otherwise lawfully in the United States, that individual will be free to go after the brief encounter.

The opinion centered around whether or not law enforcement can stop and demand identification from someone who happens to be a laborer in Los Angeles and appears to be Latino.

The six justices making this ruling clearly trust authority. They suppose when given the right to detain people for being in a certain place at a certain time with a certain skin tone, the police will do the right thing when presented with evidence. These six justices are clearly at odds with the Founding Fathers.

Distrust Authority

The Constitution is largely a document that spells out exactly what authorities can do and attempts to establish limits on that authority. The government and its law enforcement arm cannot take your guns because they don’t like them. They cannot take your property because they want it. They cannot search you without probable cause. They cannot prevent you from gathering to protest. They cannot do many, many things. These safeguards weren’t written by a group of people who expected law enforcement to do the right thing, unlike Justice Kavanaugh and his self-delusional cohorts.

The Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution in response to the overbearing authority of England. A government that could take your home to house troops. An authority that could stop you because you were in a certain place, at a certain time, with a certain look, for no reason at all. That could detain you indefinitely even if you showed you were completely innocent.

A king and parliament that could pass any law, at any time, for any reason. They did not trust authority to do the right thing. The knew full and well authority tends to do the opposite of the right thing. They tend to harass and brutalize those they don’t like for whatever reason is the flavor of the moment.

We must Regain our Distrust of Authority

This delusion that authority is on our side, that we must trust authority to save us from the lawless permeates our society. Perhaps we’ve had it too good, perhaps we’ve become trembling babies who need daddy authority to make us feel all safe.

The more power we invest in government, the less safe we become. The Founding Fathers understood but we seem to have forgotten.

Tom Liberman

National Guard is a Good Idea but a Bad Plan

Posted on September 18, 2025 by Tom Liberman

There are a lot of people angry about sending National Guard troops into cities to stop crime. On the other hand, there are many people arguing it’s just what those cities need. What’s interesting in this case is that both sides are completely correct.

It is wrong to send military troops into cities and those cities could use with more help to stop crime. Shall we discuss?

The Constitution

I’ll start off with the argument against. It’s not complicated.

From and after the passage of this act it shall not be lawful to employ any part of the Army of the United States, as a posse comitatus, or otherwise, for the purpose of executing the laws, except in such cases and under such circumstances as such employment of said force may be expressly authorized by the Constitution or by act of Congress; and no money appropriated by this act shall be used to pay any of the expenses incurred in the employment of any troops in violation of this section and any person willfully violating the provisions of this section shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction thereof shall be punished by fine not exceeding ten thousand dollars or imprisonment not exceeding two years or by both such fine and imprisonment.

Pretty darn clear although there is an exception.

An Act authorizing the employment of the land and naval forces of the United States, in cases of insurrections Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That in all cases of insurrection, or obstruction to the laws, either of the United States, or of any individual state or territory, where it is lawful for the President of the United States to call forth the militia for the purpose of suppressing such insurrection, or of causing the laws to be duly executed, it shall be lawful for him to employ, for the same purposes, such part of the land or naval force of the United States, as shall be judged necessary, having first observed all the pre-requisites of the law in that respect.

It’s clear there is no insurrection or obstruction of laws. The various governors and mayors are not calling for military help, so military help is forbidden.

Stopping Crime

The National Guard is not a crime enforcement agency. It is the military. They are likely stopping crime in one important way, their mere presence. The presence of National Guard officers is a crime deterrent and a good one.

The Better Solution without the National Guard

The mayors and leaders of the areas supposedly plagued by crime have long asked for more money to fight crime. Law enforcement reform advocates, generally at the opposite end of the political spectrum as supporters of law enforcement, have long called for a bigger police presence in such communities.

Basically, in order to have a more effective force in fighting crime, law enforcement officers need to get out of their cars before the crime happens. This path repairs a dangerous disconnect between law enforcement officers and the citizens they protect and serve. I wrote a longer blog about that here.

The solution here is have the police trained, equipped, and deployed in a fashion that deters crime. Imbed them in smaller police stations scattered throughout the city. Take them out of their $80,000 SUVs and get them on foot patrols. Acquaint the officers with the people again.

This, of course, costs money, money the municipalities in question don’t have. However, if the federal government is going to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on the National Guard deployments, why not spend it helping local police do their job? I suspect politicians would welcome this help, rather than fight against it.

Spend the money wisely.

Tom Liberman