Sadistically Speaking

People use a lot of common phrases without thinking and as a result say some pretty illogical and stupid things.  But the one of the worst common phrases is the supposed definition of Insanity often attributed to Einstein.  The fact that this quote is consciously repeated with pride and no reflection is as good of an indication as any that we are unthinking creatures who mostly sniff the smells on...

The reactions to the Rittenhouse verdict are saddening.  The right tries to make this mediocre human into a hero and the left decries him as a vicious villain.  It is disgusting to see people upset that he was not sacrificed so that we could show that the criminal justice system works against everyone equally.  Also, let's build a wall between Wisconsin and Illinois and make Illinois pay for...

Politics are as funny and illogical as ever.  Democrats decry higher gas prices despite the benefit it could have for climate change.  Republicans bemoan higher labor costs despite being the result of a free market system that has become more free.  Also, the hilarious childish reasons Democrats are giving tax breaks to rich people instituted by Trump. #LegoFrogPrince

Jury duty is awful.  Why not have a professional jury class make these decisions instead of dragging locals in to do this?  A very good reason is that locals know the culture and context of a defendant and are better judges of what is odd or questionable behavior.  Kyle Rittenhouse is a pretty typical Midwestern male teenager, but he is being judged in the media by people who often grew up as priv...

Vaccines are amazing....but moronic rules by the NFL and government mandates are completely irrational.  Aaron Rodgers finally addressed his reasoning for not being vaccinated.  He said many dumb things but he also said a lot of thoughtful things.  Because the discussion IS complex and contextual and important.  Unfortunately, his response will be tarred and feathered and edited for the benefit of...

The vaccine mandate debate has become polarized...but here is my middle proposition - government should not force you to be vaccinated AND you have no reason not to get vaccinated.  Aaron Rodgers is not vaccinated and it is going to cost me some sports enjoyment....that is UNACCEPTABLE!  #PleatedPants

The current "Let's Go Brandon" movement is a glorious example of counter-culture that has been a hallmark of this country.  Let's relish in it.  Join together in a cheer and try to forget the forces that would rather tear us apart.  Also, make sure to score some drugs for the upcoming Christmas cartoon watching season.  #TopperThePenguin

On this 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, it is a time for memorials, honors and to tell each other our vivid memories of that day.  The problem is that it is highly likely that those memories are false.  Our stories of that day are reconstructed narratives that have been manipulated across the intervening 20 years.  But that is ok, we can tell the stories anyway.  While we do that, we may als...

The abortion debate should be one of the most interesting discussions we can have - it involves important aspects of individual freedom, the definition of life, morality, and gender issues but also has real practical consequences.  But the debate always disappoints as it devolves into bipartisan bickering and dogmatic statements.  In this podcast, I discuss two of my more pathetic attempts to enga...

Most of the current discussion on the pullout from Afghanistan has been about the procedure and  not about whether it should happen at all.   Is it worth spending our resources and risking the lives of our service people to protect human rights of non-US-citizens?  I don't know.  I wish it was something that was worth discussing....but it won't be.  Instead we will go back to discussing...

Let's agree that the climate is changing and it is greatly influenced by humans.  Let's also agree that climate change is a bad thing.  Does this mean that humans need to make drastic changes in behavior to slow it down?  What is the cost/benefit analysis?  What if it leads to a greater division in our divided country?  Should I buy a vacation home in Alberta? #CheapCuomoGatesSlams

The UN came out with its new Climate Change report and Climate change mania is back in style.  To deny that the climate is changing and is affected by humans is a non-starter given that climate is a dynamic system.  But it is another thing altogether to presume that these changes pose an existential threat to humanity.  This may be mostly a concern for people who haven't visited Wisconsin in...

The latest CDC report on the Cape Cod area Covid breakout concentrated on the number of vaccinated people who tested positive but what was shocking was the number who were male.  Nobody gives a shit because males are not a protected class but holy crap our lives are statistically miserable.  #MalePityParty

Taboos are important for humans because it provides boundaries that are exciting to cross and give us a sense of adventure in a forbidden zone.  Unfortunately, the more we push against taboo - the smaller this forbidden zone becomes.  We may be at a place where we can't rely on good old fashioned sexual taboos.  Where to next? #GoldenShowers

There has been quite a bit of promotion and subsequent whining about the recent billionaire space race.  It has been pointed to as an example of the excesses and problems with capitalism that these billionaires are playing around with gross amounts of money.  But this consternation is based on an idea that good, moral, smart people should be awarded with money.  Capitalism does not provide award b...

Religion is a great aspect of human and intellectual inquiry.  However, some morons when discussing religion try to validate their points by appealing to historical and scientific analysis.  Don't.  You really don't want science to be the arbiter of truth....you will lose.  On the positive side, you keep doing it and make shitloads of money so ---probably don't listen to my advice. ...

Making rules and laws to make sure a particular group doesn't suffer from an undue burden may be laudable but it often leads to results that are laughable.  Recent rules have de-incentivized recycling and promoted public drinking all in the name of racial justice.  Time to rethink are statistical analyses based on labels that used to be called arbitrary and unfounded.  #AssholesUnite

Rand Paul and Tony Fauci had another congressional smackdown.   We are all dumber for listening to it.  Rand Paul's hyperbole allowed Fauci to not answer his question.  But the real problem is that Fauci continues to embrace the logical fallacy of the appeal to authority as opposed to rationale discourse backed by empirical evidence....also he looks like his farts smell like boiled cabbage. ...

BLM has entered into the fray in the Cuban civilian protests - on the side of the communist regime.  Is this stupid or a Trumpian effort to call to the base and capture the news cycle?  #JackieChan

There are discussions of bringing back lockdowns to deal with the Coronavirus Delta variant.  But there is little evidence that the lockdowns were effective the first time but we do know they affected mental health.  Staying in the house is not an effective protection against Covid in the same way as Monogamy is not an effective protection against STDS.  #AppleStrudel

Former NBA Star Scottie Pippen has accused his former coach of being a racist.  Who cares?  Well, we should go through this logically.  Clearly Scottie didn't because he looks bad regardless of the truth of the matter, but the way we look at racism in this country often bans us from using logic.  #BayBeach

Considering how Americans celebrate other federal holidays, Juneteenth is likely not to be a very significant step in racial progress in this country.  But it should lead to some kick-ass sales at Loews and Amazon!  #McDonald'sDay

My favorite Superhero growing up was Luke Cage - Power Man.  I think I would feel guilty about that choice in today's overly racially sensitive culture.  We are never going to have honest discussions about race when there are so many trigger wires for demolition.  I think that last sentence was a reference to the movie predator.  #ChrisClaremont #ComicBookGeeks

Identity Politics have tainted superhero movies.  I'm dreading the new Shang-Chi movie from Marvel because it is being pushed too much as an Asian role model movie.  The same thing happened with Black Panther and I think that may be the most racist movie I have ever seen.  #4HSpeakingContest

Across news networks and sports broadcasts there are insane displays of social distancing and mask wearing that go against the science and even the conservative stances of the CDC.  What is the purpose of these displays?  Do they think we are idiots?  Of course they do.  #StaindShoutOut