Top of the World

Bureaucratic Lunacy

It seems as though any time a conservative warns that a particular progressive idea will lead to dire social consequences, we're accused of gross exaggeration, fear-mongering, and basically just being crazy (Right Wing Nut Job, or RWNJ, is the most common progressive shorthand for us).

And yet, when we turn out to be right about something, somehow the progressives seem to forget those warnings and act as if whatever bad outcome is happening was totally unexpected.

"I'm from the government, and I'll do as I damn well please!"

Today's example concerns the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights ruling that Township High School District 211 in Palatine, Illinois is in violation of Title IX, and must permit a so-called "transgender" student to shower and change in the girls' locker room at the high school.

The problem is, the student is a biological male.

If you're having a difficult time wrapping your head around what this means, it means that the DOE thinks there is nothing wrong with forcing teenage female students to shower and change in front of a teenage male. Because he "self-identifies" as a female.

Never mind that this whole "transgender" business might be nothing more than a form of mental illness, it simply makes no sense to claim that the rights of ALL the female students must be abridged in order to allow a male to feel better about his "gender identity."

Please keep this idiocy in mind the next time a conservative warns you about where some bit of political ideology might lead...

Things That Make Me Happy: Parade Edition

My beloved Kansas City Royals, 2015 World Champions, will be celebrated today with
a parade. Royals fans will be saying farewell to 29 years of frustration and humiliation today, showering the men who brought the city its first World Series Championship since 1985 with all the affection they can muster.

Of course, the whole city, not just the parade route, has gone all-in decking itself out in Royals blue today.

A beautiful place made even more so.

By far my favorite of the Royals-themed decorations I have seen is at historic Union Station...

"Sorry you can't be there to watch it in person."

It's okay. The parade will be live-streamed on the MLB Network (noon CST) so I'll actually get to see and hear more of it than if I were there in person...

Classy

So the San Francisco Giants, who bested the Royals in seven games in the 2014 World Series, decided to congratulate the 2015 World Champion Royals with pizza. They announced their gift on Twitter...

Since the Giants tend to make the World Series in even-numbered years of late, perhaps we can hope for a rematch in 2016?

In any case, thanks to the Giants for a classy, sportsmanlike gesture. The world could use more of this sort of thing...

This Should Work

If you get this joke, you're exactly the sort of person who will appreciate the webcomic xkcd, by Randall Munroe. You should read it every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday,
as I do.

Until Next Time...

I wanted a piece of music somewhat appropriate for today's victory parade. For a variety of reasons it took me awhile to find just the right thing, but we do have a winner.

Today's send-off is from Trevor Jones's amazing score for Michael Mann's 1992 epic  
The Last of the Mohicans, one of my top five all-time favorite movies. Today, the Royals are on top of the baseball world. Congratulations!