After a one-week dental surgery-induced hiatus, the Rantcast is back! A lot happened in that interval, but the eternal question remains: when will we ever get back to being smart? That time is clearly not now as the stupid train rolls on, this time stopping at the door of Rick “Google It” Santorum. The former Pennsylvania Senator propounded the inanity that there was nothing of significance happening on this continent before white Europeans arrived. He seems to be forgetting both the fact that millions of people already lived in the Americas and that the British deemed it a good idea to go to battle wearing bright red coats. The backlash came as expected, with the backlash to the backlash forgetting that there’s a difference between so-called “cancel” culture and the consequences of being dumb as a post. The continuing pandemic revealed more stupidity as the goal of herd immunity slips away because some of the herd have decided they don’t want to wear masks and don’t want to get vaccinated either. This seems like a good moment to point out that the root of the word vaccine comes from the Latin for cow. Speaking of things down on the farm, we now have a chicken wing shortage to add to all our other woes and tribulations. Also infrastructure, lots of infrastructure.
 
The rants (26:06) get off to a fast start with a tryptic covering mask wearing, gendered Happy Meal toys, and how sweet tea has become the default when you ask for iced tea. They pick up steam from there with submissions about fixing the roads (and taxing the rich to do it), the unexpected perils of getting the second vaccine shot (and not in the way you would think), being judged for what you eat, a trip to the auto parts store that becomes a parable of our decrepit infrastructure, privileged parents who have decided the pandemic is over, wasted military spending in Iraq and Afghanistan (somehow also about infrastructure), online shopping and the tyranny of the star ratings system, and a playlet about a trip to Walmart that turned into a math problem for the stupid. And more.
 
The live rants (1:22:00) come from another Vaudeville-era gem, the historic Genesee Theatre in Waukegan, IL, where Lewis performed on Feb. 1, 2020.

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