Losses and Gains

 Well, that was a disaster.  Ok, a Duke loss is hardly a national crisis, and it will probably not have any effect on March Madness, save for a seed line, but...for a game that Duke was leading for most of, and outplayed UK for much of... well, it was a bit much.  Also a bit much Cooper Flagg at the end -- two costly TOs and a craptastic defensive play to seal the L.  For all of the ballyhoo...it was deservedly humbling.  And, some of this is on the coach; there are other talented players on the roster, and if everyone thinx that Flagg is the target...one of them might be open.  Alas.  In some ways I wished teams like Duke played more of these big matchups, as you can see what a player is made of (or not) and you learn more from doubling up the Little Sisters of the Poor.

In other news, today was our District Meeting, and it was... well, quite successful, and I do not say so.  I have to admit, it is a lot of work (ok, not that much), getting food, setting an agenda, trying to get people to come (or RSVP), finding a host... but half of the Conferences were there, as was our new Executive Director.  It was good... we discussed two of the main issues...one being that the parishes in my area are older/mostly poorer/have fewer Catholics and thus need help -- twinning, other parishes, etc.  Two, if we want to add Conferences -- both organically and into the fold -- we have to offer something tangible; like client management software, help from Downtown, etc.  To be sure, we have said this many times, but new leadership has not (until today) and I think they are inclined to agree.  To be sure, that was today, and tomorrow may be different.  But if we want to grow, we cannot do the same stuff...

How Barron Trump Connected His Father to the Manosphere - WSJ
Interesting, and I think you can say it paid off.  To be sure, the bro types can certainly be said to lean Trump, but he had to get them to the polls, and I think you can say he did...

Democrats face a reckoning and a long rebuilding. There is no quick fix.
I guess I am a little skeptical, and modern history is the guide.  The GOP retook the House in 2010 -- fueled by Obamacare, and while they lost in 2012, they won the White House in 2016...and the Dems took the House in 2018.  One can argue that this election was an anti-D one than a pro-R one, and I can see us losing in 2026 if we do not deliver.

That said, it is impressive... the speed and depth of the Trump pics.  Rubio at State?  Awesome.  Holman?  Doubly so.  Noem is an interesting choice, but if she attacks our enemies like someone else's pets...the Hesgeth pick is the most surprising, given that he would seem to have not nearly enough experience... not that I do not like Fox News (far from it) but it seems there are other and better candidates out there.  Dare I say that I think some on the right are correct that raiding the House might not be the best bet?  If we do win -- and I think so -- the margin will be close, and I am not sure it is worth risking it for some offices...