I learned today that junior instructors at Texas Tech have coined a new expression, “black helicopter parents.” This refers to rightwing parents who complain that their little darlings flunked a course not because they missed class or failed to study, but because the instructor is conducting a political vendetta against “conserf-tive” families. Apparently this has become very common in recent years, with the substance of the complaints being traceable to the ravings of Rush Limbaugh, etc.