Moral Confusion

Means and Ends

One never has to look far to find stories about people acting in ways that betray their shaky grasp of ethics and morals. I'm not talking about criminals, but rather ordinary, law-abiding citizens whose moral compasses are...well, a bit off. I wrote about one such individual yesterday, but we are neck-deep in this sort of moral confusion in this country. Far too many people seem all too willing to do wrong to their fellows in order to satisfy some selfish desire of their own.

A particularly egregious instance of this kind of morally corrupt thinking is an opinion piece in the most recent Sunday New York Times by Lee Siegel justifying his selfish decision to default on his student loans. The pompous self-regard and tortured logic displayed by Mr. Siegel are truly breathtaking. I recommend checking out Kevin D. Williamson's splendid takedown of this idiot, but in the meantime I am particularly struck by how blithely Mr. Siegel is able to rationalize his shameful betrayal of the people who made his Ivy League education possible (i.e., the taxpayers who will never get their money back). Stealing from these people in order to satisfy his own desire to pursue a career as an author without the icky complication of paying his bills is treating other people as means, not ends in themselves. That is morally illicit, as Immanuel Kant explained 230 years ago...

"I know, right?"

In Grounding of the Metaphysics of Morals (1785), Kant wrote that we must "Act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in that of another, always at the same time as an end and never merely as a means." Mr. Siegel (along with every other thief) fails this moral test, badly...

It is the same with the petty bureaucrat who thinks the rules are more important than the people the rules are intended to serve, the aloof politician who can't abide people except insofar as they are necessary to get elected, the vain performing artist who resents the very fans who made her/him prosperous, etc. Such people should be vigorously resisted in this kind of thinking and behavior whenever possible...

Things That Make Me Happy: Road Trip Edition

After closing out a disappointing home stand over the weekend by winning 4-2 on Sunday afternoon, my beloved Kansas City Royals traveled to Minneapolis to begin a three-game series with the Twins Monday night, with 1st place in the Central Division on the line.

The Royals got all the runs they would need when Kendrys Morales hit a two-run home run in the top of the 2nd inning...

"Yo bebo su milkshake, Phil Hughes. Lo beba para arriba."

Jason Vargas pitched six innings of shut-out ball to improve his record to 5-2 as the Royals took the first game of the series 3-1. By doing so, they moved back into 1st place by percentage points over the Twins. And despite their recent struggles, the Royals once again own the best winning percentage (.582) in the American League, and the second-best in all of baseball. Let's go get 'em again tonight, gentlemen...

Say "Hello" to Lila

In December of 2010, just a couple of days after I learned about (and ordered) my Epiphone Joe Bonamassa Les Paul Goldtop (aka "Paula"), I had a chance to acquire another, different guitar I had been thinking about for awhile: the Artist Series Jimmie Vaughan Tex-Mex Stratocaster. Like "Karla," my Baja Telecaster, this guitar was exceedingly difficult to find in guitar stores, as Fender had chosen to promote a different model (the American Special) at near the same price point in their product line.  Every store I went to had American Specials, and more than one salesman tried to convince me that they were "the same as" the Jimmie Vaughan model, even though they had different pickups, different wiring, a different headstock, a different neck profile, and were made in a different country than the Jimmie Vaughan signature model. Back when I was young, that was the sort of sales pitch I might have fallen for, but in the Information Age it isn't difficult to be better informed than some kid at a Guitar Center...

I don't normally buy guitars online, but in this case a dealer had a "new old stock" Jimmie Vaughan model he'd had for a couple of years (she was made in 2008), and he was willing to part with it at basically his cost, plus shipping. She turned up on my porch on January 3, 2011. I named her "Lila," after a blonde I had a huge crush on back in high school...

"No way she was prettier than me, though, right?"

Jimmie playing his vintage Strat that was the prototype for "Lila"

Among the special features that appealed to me were the "soft V" neck profile (just like the one on "Karla,"my Baja Telecaster), the special Tex-Mex pickups, and the unique wiring which leaves the middle pickup out of the Tone control circuit ("wide open" is the way Jimmie describes the middle pickup's sound).

Wild Kingdom Bed & Breakfast Update

I'm having a lot of fun watching the various species of birds taking advantage of my generosity. They come pretty much throughout the day, but I must say that the morning "rush" (roughly 5:00 to 7:00 AM) is pretty impressive. Almost all of the visitors are songbirds, so it is hard not to appreciate all that pleasant chirping and warbling. There is one group of visitors, however...

"So I can't sing. Doesn't mean I don't get hungry, right?

I don't really mind the grackles. Their plumage is beautiful in an understated way, they don't seem to bother the other birds (so far the grackles have shown considerable reluctance to set foot on the patio itself), and when there's only one or two of them they don't squawk much. If three or more of them show up, however, they can make quite a racket. Oh, well...God's creatures, etc.

Things That Make Me Happy: Kitchen Counter Edition

Since 2006, I have relied on my Hamilton Beach BrewStation to make my morning coffee. There are fancier coffee makers out there, and certainly more expensive ones. I love this machine for its simplicity. It does one thing, VERY competently, and with a minimum of fuss. The unique design keeps the coffee hotter longer than a carafe would, and it never scorches the coffee. Highly recommended.

"Has anyone ever told you you think WAY too much about coffee?"

It has come up in conversation a few times, yes...

Until Next Time...

A reader pointed out to me that I missed an opportunity yesterday. Given the title of yesterday's post, I'm kicking myself for not thinking of it. Better late than never, though, eh? This tune used to play over the closing credits during Season Two of a TV show that was a big part of my adolescence. It is difficult to overstate what a huge deal these guys were at the time. Their Headquarters album (which included "For Pete's Sake") was their third No. 1 album, but only spent a week at the top. For the next 11 weeks after that, it was No. 2 on the album charts...behind Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, which turned out to be kind of a bigger deal. Enjoy...