Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• I'm back at it this week but I'll wrap up with some post Spring Break thoughts. 
• After driving across the South, I'm now a big fan of the GPS. Yes, I love technology. 
• Vicksburg National Military Park Thoughts: (1) Fantastic place and thanks to whoever it was that suggested it, (2) I took a crash course in the history of it before I went through it, and I'm glad I did, (3) I was whipping everyone in the car with "fun facts", (4) and I also spent a lot of time saying "be reverent" to the jokesters in the car, (5) the fact that many people use the park for jogging is a little unnerving, (6) coming up upon the USS Cairo was a treat, (6) no matter how hard I tried to envision what that battle(s) was like,  I know I wasn't close.
• Alabama might want to work on its roads a little bit. 
• Based upon the billboards, personal injury law is alive and well in the South.
• I was stunned by how few confederate flags there were but how many azaleas covered the landscape.
• Texas Monthly tweeted last night to check its site tomorrow "for an amazing personal essay by Wise County's asst DA [about] the death penalty." I'm really confused by that but will post a link as soon as I find one.
• I'll also post a link for Liberally Lean March Madness 2013 in a bit. There may be just one prize this year -- last year I got beaten down by getting about seven different gift certificates sent out. Ain't nobody got time for that. 
• Stolen from Gordon Keith: The headline in the opinion section of the Dallas Morning News yesterday that read, "Should we put robots on trial?"
• "Orange Beach looks to restrict obscene merchandise after mayor 'sickened' by T-shirt logos." The mayor hates some T-shirts sold during Spring Break. I don't know what the government can do about it (and I'm not sure they should have the right to do anything about it, but I agree with his sentiment. Classless.
• I watched a little bit of the CPAC convention late at night while on vacation. Donald Trump. Sarah Palin. Rick Perry. Ted Cruz. Man, they work themselves up into a frenzy, and they are not helping their cause. 
• Saddest story that you may not have heard: The Seton Hill's lacrosse team bus was in a crash last week killing the bus driver and the coach who was pregnant. 
• Crazy plane crash yesterday in South Bend. One of the dead is Steve Davis who led OU as quarterback to two national championships in the 1970s.