NFL Coverage

[Gramps]

Has anybody noticed that the networks are avoiding the pre-game National Anthem.

[scott]

Has anybody noticed that the networks are avoiding the pre-game National Anthem.

Nope.

But I never watched NFL anyway. I'm a trendsetter, I was boycotting the NFL since before it was cool.

But seriously, I have read about that and I think everyone on both sides are being a bunch of pussies about it.

[Celeste Chalfonte]

Nope.

But I never watched NFL anyway. I'm a trendsetter, I was boycotting the NFL since before it was cool.

But seriously, I have read about that and I think everyone on both sides are being a bunch of pussies about it.

Or perhaps not giving the players what they want, more publicity?

[Novaheart]

Nope.

But I never watched NFL anyway. I'm a trendsetter, I was boycotting the NFL since before it was cool.

But seriously, I have read about that and I think everyone on both sides are being a bunch of pussies about it.

I'm verklempt.

[phillygirl]

Nope.

But I never watched NFL anyway. I'm a trendsetter, I was boycotting the NFL since before it was cool.

But seriously, I have read about that and I think everyone on both sides are being a bunch of pussies about it.

Funny. I keep telling everyone I'm boycotting...I haven't watched in about 25 years, so I'm good.

[Billy Jingo]

Funny. I keep telling everyone I'm boycotting...I haven't watched in about 25 years, so I'm good.

What is the opposite of a boycott? I haven't watched (other than the Stupor Bowl) for years but may watch now.

[Celeste Chalfonte]

What is the opposite of a boycott? I haven't watched (other than the Stupor Bowl) for years but may watch now.

I know you're not really asking, but, in keeping with my reputation, I'm answering. There isn't an antonym for the noun "boycott." The closest verb antonym would probably be "support." It's an annoyance when some people treat "boycott" as if it were a compound word, with interchangeable parts, as when the Human Rights Campaign announced a "buycott" of some retailer or product that the mis-named American Family Association was boycotting (might have been Home Depot or Macy's - as if half the gay male community didn't already hang out in one and the other half in the other).

I knew the origin of the word (that it was a person's name), but not the whole story, so I looked it up:

Word Origin & History

boycott 1880, from Irish Land League ostracism of Capt. Charles C. Boycott (1832-1897), land agent of Lough-Mask in County Mayo, who refused to lower rents for his tenant farmers. Quickly adopted by newspapers in languages as far afield as Japanese (boikotto). The family name is from a place in England.

[Billy Jingo]

I know you're not really asking, but, in keeping with my reputation, I'm answering. There isn't an antonym for the noun "boycott." The closest verb antonym would probably be "support." It's an annoyance when some people treat "boycott" as if it were a compound word, with interchangeable parts, as when the Human Rights Campaign announced a "buycott" of some retailer or product that the mis-named American Family Association was boycotting (might have been Home Depot or Macy's - as if half the gay male community didn't already hang out in one and the other half in the other).

I knew the origin of the word (that it was a person's name), but not the whole story, so I looked it up:

No, I was really asking.

I don't watch NFL football. That is not a boycott, that is just a preference. If I choose to watch it as an anti-boycott, as opposed to a genuine interest in their product, I wondered if there was a word for that. It is not that big of a deal.

[phillygirl]

No, I was really asking.

I don't watch NFL football. That is not a boycott, that is just a preference. If I choose to watch it as an anti-boycott, as opposed to a genuine interest in their product, I wondered if there was a word for that. It is not that big of a deal.

I believe it's called a Truett.

[Billy Jingo]

I believe it's called a Truett.

You are so clever sometimes it makes my eyes bleed.

[phillygirl]

You are so clever sometimes it makes my eyes bleed.

My "cleverness" gets me in trouble sometimes. True story. Parties sign an agreement that says dad gets one of the three children each year as a dependent on tax returns. He takes oldest. Oldest ages out. He tries to take middle. Mom refuses. Lawyer says something about college financial aid. Ok. We'll take youngest. Lawyer says mom won't allow. Keep in mind mom has been taking 2 dependents each year up to now, to dad's 1. We go to court. I still don't recall lawyer's rationale for why dad now can't take 1. Neither can other lawyer, as we speak of this case occasionally due to outcome and her ability to tap dance. Anyway, judge asks me what happens when there is only 1 child left for dependency purposes. I, rightfully, say dad gets that exemption. Judge says "but then mom doesn't get one"...yes, your honor, dad's been getting 1 to mom's 2 at the front end. At the back end, dad will ultimately get 1 to mom's 0. Judge says "I don't think the parties anticipated that when they signed agreement". My response: "What, that their children would grow up?" I got thrown out of court. Literally. He was a new judge and didn't like being embarrassed. He told us to leave and come back in a few weeks. I shouldn't have been clever.

[Billy Jingo]

My "cleverness" gets me in trouble sometimes. True story. Parties sign an agreement that says dad gets one of the three children each year as a dependent on tax returns. He takes oldest. Oldest ages out. He tries to take middle. Mom refuses. Lawyer says something about college financial aid. Ok. We'll take youngest. Lawyer says mom won't allow. Keep in mind mom has been taking 2 dependents each year up to now, to dad's 1. We go to court. I still don't recall lawyer's rationale for why dad now can't take 1. Neither can other lawyer, as we speak of this case occasionally due to outcome and her ability to tap dance. Anyway, judge asks me what happens when there is only 1 child left for dependency purposes. I, rightfully, say dad gets that exemption. Judge says "but then mom doesn't get one"...yes, your honor, dad's been getting 1 to mom's 2 at the front end. At the back end, dad will ultimately get 1 to mom's 0. Judge says "I don't think the parties anticipated that when they signed agreement". My response: "What, that their children would grow up?" I got thrown out of court. Literally. He was a new judge and didn't like being embarrassed. He told us to leave and come back in a few weeks. I shouldn't have been clever.

That's funny.

[phillygirl]

That's funny.

One of my downfalls. I don't always aim for funny, but my sarcasm gets the best of me. I blame my grandmother. She was that way. My grandfather didn't always appreciate it either.

[Adam]

My "cleverness" gets me in trouble sometimes. True story. Parties sign an agreement that says dad gets one of the three children each year as a dependent on tax returns. He takes oldest. Oldest ages out. He tries to take middle. Mom refuses. Lawyer says something about college financial aid. Ok. We'll take youngest. Lawyer says mom won't allow. Keep in mind mom has been taking 2 dependents each year up to now, to dad's 1. We go to court. I still don't recall lawyer's rationale for why dad now can't take 1. Neither can other lawyer, as we speak of this case occasionally due to outcome and her ability to tap dance. Anyway, judge asks me what happens when there is only 1 child left for dependency purposes. I, rightfully, say dad gets that exemption. Judge says "but then mom doesn't get one"...yes, your honor, dad's been getting 1 to mom's 2 at the front end. At the back end, dad will ultimately get 1 to mom's 0. Judge says "I don't think the parties anticipated that when they signed agreement". My response: "What, that their children would grow up?" I got thrown out of court. Literally. He was a new judge and didn't like being embarrassed. He told us to leave and come back in a few weeks. I shouldn't have been clever.

That's funny. I don't care who you are, that's funny right there.

Judge should be thrown off the bench for not having a sense of humor.



Tennessee is a little weird when it comes to courts. We don't have a small claims court, but there is instead a sort of a "catch-all" for pretty much all non-violent misdemeanors as well as civil suits under $10K, just called "general sessions." Makes for interesting court-watching for the civil claims, because most of the time, it's something roughly akin to "The People's Court:" plaintiffs and defendants argue their own cases 98% of the time, and these are sometimes (depending upon the jurisdiction) interspersed with everything from a DUI to a B&E to parking tickets to speeding tickets. In every circumstance, these are bench trials unless someone demands a jury trial (seldom to their advantage), in which case it's kicked to circuit courts (back in the day, courts were held in circuits, where a judge would literally ride a circuit around the state and hear cases that had come up since they were last there), or, in a few cases, chancery court (civil only, usually very involved civil cases or cases over $10K in value disputed). Long story short: there are a lot of general sessions judges who make absolute, binding rulings (usually can't appeal something from general sessions) based upon what is presented to them, and the vast majority of that in major cities is traffic violations. And there's an unspoken rule: general sessions judges are required to have a sense of humor, mostly because anyone who doesn't would go insane in the job, listening to constant squabbles all day every day.

So I had a client, Judge Brown, who had been the presiding judge over a traffic ticket case of mine years earlier. Judge Brown eventually became a client who spent a couple of weeks every year following Willie Nelson around Ireland. No, really: Willie Nelson plays a string of pubs in Ireland every year, playing to an audience of a few dozen while he smokes weed and strums his guitar singing City of New Orleans or whatever. But when I got my ticket, I had a court date of something like December 19, Judge Brown had his bailiff call out for everyone who was there that day on a traffic ticket to approach the bench. Probably 75 people, including myself, obeyed the bailiff and approached the bench. He then ordered every cop in the courtroom who had written traffic tickets to also join us. Judge Brown then issued an order from the bench: everyone standing in front of the bench was to sing "Jingle Bells" loudly in the courtroom. With a few puzzled looks, we all broke into the worst rendition of caroling ever, and Judge Brown put a tiny, 1-foot-tall Christmas tree with about eight lights on it on his bench. Once we had all made it through a couple of verses, he decreed "OK, all of you hand your tickets over to the bailiff and have a nice day." Everyone's traffic ticket was summarily dismissed. Given that I had a ticket for 73 in a 45, I was especially relieved.

Best day in court ever! I had figured on being there for hours, having a W last name, but instead we were all out of there within fifteen minutes, pretty much all of us just laughing about the whole thing, cops included. Years later, when Judge Brown became a client, I learned that the reason that he did this as an annual tradition, besides just having a holiday amnesty for good measure, was because his wife Anne was preparing Christmas dinner for the family on that day and the judge was expected home early to help prepare the meal. I learned that he told stories about his days in court each evening at the dinner table, and everyone had a tremendous laugh at some of the stuff that was just plain funny. I'm quite certain that Judge Brown would have had a great story about some litigator pointing out the obvious that children would grow up in his courtroom or chambers.

[Celeste Chalfonte]

No, I was really asking.

I don't watch NFL football. That is not a boycott, that is just a preference. If I choose to watch it as an anti-boycott, as opposed to a genuine interest in their product, I wondered if there was a word for that. It is not that big of a deal.

OK, then I would go with "support," although it lacks the power of "boycott." I just figured yours was a rhetorical question; either way, it made the point.

Personally, I'm thinking about buying a season ticket to watch our local high school football team. It's for a good cause, and football is more fun when it's amateur.