Different Beaches

Miscellany from the road; I'm down terrorizing the slightly-higher-priced beaches in South Orange County for a few days...

• Penn State is under potential threat of NCAA sanctions for a decade-long coverup of child abuse. Meanwhile, the NCAA's enforcement efforts have put Division III CalTech on probation due to a unique open-enrollment practice... No, the NCAA is not about protecting its cash cows, is it?
• Another story connected with Penn State concerns whether to remove the statue of Joe Paterno. Without defending Paterno at all — I despise the thought of an athletic coach having that much power, and despise the apparent coverup even more — my response is that fair is fair: Penn State should be required to remove the statue of Joe Paterno when West Point removes its statue of Douglas MacArthur, who in many ways was a far more malign influence than Paterno... and the legends surrounding him improperly "standing up" to the civilian authorities are still mistaught at West Point as somehow admirable. As a military officer, that is something you do not do — unless your aim is to create a military dictatorship.
• ... which leads to what I really want to see this campaign season. I'm really not that interested in more Romney tax returns; I'm more than satisfied, based on what is already out there, that he's (a) rich, (b) not above using sleazy tax-advantage tactics in pursuit of self-aggrandizement, (c) incredibly, stinking rich, and (d) unable to comprehend how tax burdens act on those of us in the 1%... that is, with 1% of his asset base and 1% of his salary.

  No, what I want to see is his DD–214 showing an honorable discharge from military service, or its equivalent from the Peace Corps. And the same goes for every chicken-hawk in Congress and in the chattering classes. Perhaps then they won't be quite so eager... wait a minute, I'm dreaming again, aren't I?

• Given this weekend's film premieres, I shouldn't be too surprised at the purchase of a not-quite-fraudulent-per-se "self-publishing servicer" by a Batman villain: the Penguin. Mr Cobblethwait Makinson's explanation leaves a bit to be desired. Perhaps, as Ms Strauss hopes for, Penguin will "reform" Author Solutions; I'm not holding my breath, given Penguin's posture in the DoJ's antitrust litigation.