ECOT isn’t only thing worthy of ‘absurd’ tag

How is that not absurd? The question was posed during a court hearing, but it applies so perfectly to so much in 2018 that I’m declaring it the phrase of the year, with the year barely just begun.

Congratulations, Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor. You have defined an era in five words.

O’Connor asked the question as an attorney for the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow, the embattled online charter school, argued that it deserves taxpayer support for merely “offering” learning opportunities. Evidence that many of its students weren’t accepting the “offer” — that is, not attending — should not be considered, he said.

“How is that not absurd?” O’Connor replied.

I would like to propose that O’Connor’s question be named National Mantra, to be uttered as a touchstone of sanity in the face of any number of unbelievable situations. Let’s apply it to a few to see whether it works:

• The nation’s top intelligence chiefs remain united in their opinions that not only did Russia meddle in the 2016 presidential election but also has plans to do the same in the 2018 midterms.

Their boss, Donald Trump, has called the idea of Russian meddling in 2016 a hoax. So we have a government that, despite strong evidence of a threat, can’t quite commit to an all-out effort to prevent a foreign power from interfering in the bedrock practice of our democracy.

How is that not absurd? • About 200 women have come forward to say that they were molested by Dr. Larry Nassar, the sports physician who treated many Olympic gymnasts while working for Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics. Complaints go back at least 20