RIP, Rush Limbaugh

 It's on his site:

Sui generis

I didn't listen to Rush that much -- he was on the air while I was at work and the only times I would hear him was if I had a day off or was in transit as part of something I was doing on the job. It would have been impossible to work and listen to him at the same time, because he would command your attention.

When I first became of aware of Limbaugh and his program, I assumed he would be destroyed, labeled a modern-day Father Coughlin, driven from the airwaves and polite company generally. He was driven from ESPN, but that was a side gig. He always engaged a massive audience with his microphone and his show was appointment radio for tens of millions of listeners for over 30 years. 

I am friends with two guys who are weekend talk show hosts and bloggers here in the Twin Cities, Mitch Berg and Brad Carlson. I've been on Brad's show several times over the years, mostly to talk about football and a few times to discuss Catholic issues. Doing radio well is hard work -- you have to engage your audience every time or you'll be gone soon. Even as a guest, it's a challenge. You have to be able to present your ideas quickly and cogently and keep things moving. The list of successful long-time talk show hosts is short, precisely because it's so tough to do. Rush Limbaugh made it seem effortless, but it wasn't. He had to be able to buttress every utterance he made. He had enemies who spent three decades trying to chase him from the air. He had to be on guard every moment. And he pulled it off. He towered over his enemies and challengers. No one was ever close to him.

Rush leaves the microphone at a parlous time. His detractors control the executive and legislative branches and they are in a hurry to change the world. These same detractors are eager to control discourse; wokeness is loose upon the land and hatred is in the saddle. Our voices may not be as authoritative or engaging as Rush Limbaugh's, but we have to make our voices heard.

Artifact

One of our usual Wednesday night stops during the summer of 1983. As you can see from the flyer, it was easy to get altered for a low, low price: 

We liked the Vulcan Mind Probes WAAAAY too much

Factored for inflation, the 2021 cost of one of these drinks would be about $3.50. You can't actually get something like this for less than $10 any more. Sin is not as cost-effective as it used to be.

You should not find it surprising...

... that the modern Democratic Party is full of scoundrels. But in case you weren't sure, spend two minutes with this video.

 

Creeps in this petty place

 The title isn't precisely what Shakespeare wrote. But for our purposes, it works. Your betters have a pronouncement:

Told by an idiot

No, it's Shakespeare. The full passage:

Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,

Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,

To the last syllable of recorded time;

And all our yesterdays have lighted fools

The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!

Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,

That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,

And then is heard no more. It is a tale

Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,

Signifying nothing.

Andrea Mitchell, it should be noted, has a degree in English from the University of Pennsylvania, a member in good standing of the Ivy League. By the way, she shares alumni status at Penn with the Bad Orange Man, but that's a secondary issue here.

Ted Cruz was correct. Andrea Mitchell was wrong. Jennifer Rubin is non compos mentis on her best days. Our betters, who hold the commanding heights of power and influence in this moment, are dumb. Especially when they try to dunk on other people on Twitter. 

Benster and D Pick Your Games---Super Bowl Mercenary Bucs Edition

 Yes, I'm still here, and not bitter at all about the NFC Championship Game. Life goes on, and we can talk about the Super Bowl. 

Well, I'm bitter. But there's not much to be done about it now, so yeah, on with the Superb Owl. And let's have some halftime entertainment!

That ain't The Weeknd, old dude. And I've never seen so many rugby shirts in my life, by the way.

Nah, it's Up With People, as compared to most Super Bowl halftime shows these days, which are usually Up Yours.

Left Shark does not approve. 

But anyway, back to the game. The one thing that is clear for me is that 99% of America is rooting for the Chiefs. The only people rooting for the Bucs are Bucs fans, Brady bandwagon fans that followed him from the Patriots, and AFC West rivals. I'm not one of those three groups of people. I never have rooted for the Bucs, I don't like Brady, and I root for the Packers, who last I checked play in the NFC North. 

A useful sorting out, Grasshopper. Very well done. By the way, what are you feeling?

I am still feeling the HYYYYYYPPPEEEEE!, and it is time to watch me work.

Kansas City Chiefs (-3) vs. Tampa Bay Bucs The Chiefs are back to defend their title and return to face a Bucs team that they beat in this very stadium in late November. It must be acknowledged that the Bucs have a huge advantage in not being able to travel, and will make history as the first team to play a Super Bowl in their home stadium. My big question is how in the world did the Bucs get so many mercenaries under the salary cap? It's like they were borrowing tips from the Saints. Tampa has a lot of unlikeable people on their roster. Brady is a proven cheater thanks to Deflategate, and was part of Patriots teams that was caught breaking NFL rules multiple times. AB is the dictionary definition of a diva wideout and is one of the few players I never want the Packers to sign or trade for. Suh is a dirty player, and Gronk just annoys me with his frat bro stuff. Yeah, I know that Tyreek Hill has his own legal troubles, but the Bucs have far more people who football fans can find easy to hate. The Chiefs will have a healthier Patrick Mahomes. Sorry Patrick, you are not the MVP of the league. The MVP wears 12 and plays for Green Bay. The Chiefs have more experience than the Bucs, and should be the first team to repeat since the Patriots back during their first dynasty. I also love how explosive the Chiefs can be on offense, and they have a better defense than people think. Chiefs 35, Mercenary Bucs 21.

That's all spot-on. The Chiefs can deal destruction in multiple ways and in Mahomes they have a quarterback for the ages. Brady has done amazing things in his career and he was just barely good enough to beat a Packers team that went moronic at the worst possible time. The Chiefs are simply a better team, top to bottom. Bet the chalk and take the points. Kansas City 34, Tampa Bay 26.

Enjoy your football this weekend, and thanks for reading this feature all season long. Until September, Ben out.