Paul’s Daily Ration: 09/06/21 – Radically Rational

Paul’s Daily Ration: 09/06/21

The numbers are clear. We will soon face “tough choices” about who gets an ICU bed. Actually, we’re already there. And all of this could have been avoided had everyone made the easy choice to vax up, mask up and cowboy up.

One in four American public schools does not have a school nurse. In a pandemic. At a time when more American children are hospitalized with COVID than at any point since this all began. A society that will not protect its children—and is proud of it–is no longer functional.

And, hey, Elmer and Elvira Gantry. You say your faith will protect you from COVID? Did it ever occur to you that maybe God sent really smart dudes and dudettes to Earth to produce vaccines that actually WILL protect you from COVID? There is no “masking” your ignorance.

Sad, but predictable. Yep, the Facebook Fonies were out in force yesterday. You know that photo of Pete Buttigieg and his husband with their two adopted babies? “It’s Leftist propaganda!” Face palm.

Or, you know, maybe it’s just a nice picture of proud parents and sweet little babies. Are you really that sour? Are you really that bitter? Are you really that jaded? Are you really that paranoid? Are you really that insecure? In the words of Duane Thomas, “evidently.”

Do you morons look at a pecan tree and decide whether it’s a Leftist Pecan Tree? Itty. Bitty. Brains.

Labor Day. Yeah. Bittersweet. The unofficial end of Summer. And when I was a kid, it was also The Day Before School Starts. Every Labor Day, our mom would take my little sister and me to Landa Park in New Braunfels. (Yes, we knew how to spell and pronounce “New Braunfels” correctly, as opposed to New Braunsfel.) We’d pack a picnic lunch. We’d ride the paddleboats. We’d play miniature golf. We’d look at ducks.

Then I turned 12. Football.

No picnic. No paddleboats. No putt-putt. No ducks. (And in that era, football also meant “no water and no oxygen.” Lol)

It’s kinda like that chilling social media meme that says, “One day you and your friends went out to play for the last time. And none of you knew it.”

Yeah. Bittersweet.

Hot Fun in the Summertime. Forever.

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Paul's Bio

I clearly have the attention span of your median fruit fly.Look! Airplane!

Sorry. I’m back.

It’s both a curse and a blessing. I’ve never bought this stuff about, “He who dies with the most toys wins.” But I do think that a wide range of life experiences helps us grow as people, and helps us better relate to other people. I’ve been fortunate. And I am beyond grateful.

I show up on time. I go like hell. I’m a good listener. I hold myself accountable. I own my mistakes. And I have a natural and an insatiable curiosity. I’m never afraid to say, “I don’t know,” when I don’t. But then I try to find out.

The flip side is I’m a lousy ballroom dancer and my clothes sometimes fit me funny.

Stuff matters to me. I care. But while I take that stuff seriously, I try hard to never take myself seriously. As a result, I have sometimes been told, “Paul, it’s hard to tell when you’re serious and when you’re just having some fun. Which is it? Serious or fun?”

My answer is “yes.” But I think that is a legitimate criticism. I promise I’m going to work on that.

This has been the quickest and strangest half-century I’ve ever experienced. During that period, I’ve been afforded amazing opportunities in news and sports journalism across all platforms. I have taught wonderful students at the high school and collegiate level. Always, I learned more from them than they did from me. I’ve been a high school administrator. I spent ten seasons as a high school varsity football coach. I’ve been an advertising executive. I’ve hosted nationally syndicated television entertainment shows. In maybe the biggest honor I ever received, I was selected by NASA to be “Chet The Astronaut” for the “Land The Shuttle” simulator at Space Center Houston. (All I can say there, is “Do as I say, not as I do.” I put that thing in the Everglades more often than not.) Most recently, I just wrapped up a decade as a television news director, during which time our teams distinguished themselves in holding the powerful accountable, achieving both critical and ratings success.

What does all that mean? It means I am profoundly grateful. It also means I’m ready for “next.” So here we are. Radically Rational. It’s an idea I woke up with in 2017. I scribbled “Radically Rational” on a piece of notebook paper and used a magnet to stick it on our refrigerator. I saw it every day, and it just would not leave me alone.

I am second in charge at Radically Rational, LLC. My wife, Jo (also known as BB), is the president. Clearly, I have failed in my attempt to sleep my way to the top of this organization.

I hope you will learn that I’m loyal as a Labrador. But I will admit that this doggie can bite every now and then. My promise to you? I will show up on time. I will go like hell. I will listen to you earnestly and attentively. I will hold myself accountable. I will never be the least bit hesitant to say, “I don’t know,” when I don’t.

But then I’ll try to find out. Let’s do it.