Zombie Ideas

Same Shit, Different Millennium

One of the things I won't miss once I have gone the way of all the Earth is the tedium
of listening to Democrats recycle economic ideas from the 19th century as if they were some new, exciting ways to improve the country.

Bernie Sanders, who is generating some buzz as a Democratic candidate for President, apparently believes that everything would be just peachy for everyone if we abandoned capitalism and let the government run the entire economy. He actually thinks there is poverty in America because consumers have too many choices.

"Socialism has failed miserably in the past, but this time we'll do it right!"

Hillary Clinton, widely regarded as the favorite to be the Democratic Party's candidate in 2016, is being more coy, but she gave a speech just today in which she promised to use the levers of government to increase workers' income. It wasn't actually anything new at all, just warmed-over pro-Big Government pabulum and class envy.

"Politically-motivated income redistribution schemes are what make America great!"

St. Thomas Aquinas

"Don't you nitwits understand that envy is one of the Seven Deadly Sins? How much more fucking clear can I make it?"












I know it's frustrating, St. Thomas, but you of all people should understand that bad ideas are extremely difficult to kill. Man is, by his very nature, attracted to sin.

With that in mind, I had a little fun on one of my favorite websites, Pulp-O-Mizer:

Things That Make Me Crazy: Roller Coaster Edition

In the rubber game of their series with the Toronto Blue Jays at Kauffman Stadium yesterday, my beloved Kansas City Royals batted around in the 1st inning and scored 6 runs. Unfortunately, they absolutely collapsed in the 6th inning against the highest-scoring team in the American League, giving up 8 runs. They bounced back to put up a crooked number of their own in the bottom of the 6th, taking a 10-8 lead. Unfortunately, the bullpen faltered, giving up single runs in the top of the 7th and again in the top of the 8th, resulting in a 10-10 tie.  The rescue for the Royals came in the form of a solo home run by rookie Paulo Orlando in the bottom of the 8th...

"Boom!"

...which enabled the Royals to prevail 11-10, winning the series and finishing the homestand 8-3 heading into the All-Star break. Man, what an ugly game though! Thanks to four errors by the Royals, only 2 of Toronto's 10 runs were earned. And I guess it isn't shocking that the highest-scoring team in the American League was able to dent the Royals bullpen, but still...

Good luck to Royals All-Stars Lorenzo Cain, Wade Davis, Alcides Escobar, Kelvin Herrera, Mike Moustakas, and Salvador Perez on Tuesday night. And of course we'll keep injured All-Star Alex Gordon in our thoughts and prayers also...

Favorite Bug

A friend of mine mentioned on her Twitter account the other day that she had a "favorite bug," and that she felt weird about admitting it. I replied that I didn't think it was weird at all, since I've had a favorite bug since my childhood days myself...

"I have a favorite bug too, you know."

Not the same thing at all...

Until Next Time...

This week's music recommendation is an album of religious chants performed by the monks of The Monastery of St. Benedict, in Italy. Because of my Catholic upbringing this sort of music has always had a special appeal to me, but it has been my experience that non-Catholics often find it moving as well.

Today's send-off is a mini-documentary about these monks and their music, and I hope it is enough of a sample of the music's beauty that you are encouraged to listen to more of it. Enjoy...