Panem et circenses. Bread and circuses. I didn’t see it in the movie “Gladiator,” but in the TV show “Spartacus.” I think. A little bit of fighting, then “hydration breaks” with loaves of bread thrown to the ecstatic audience.

Civis sum Romanus. Life sucks. Everything sucks. But hey, there’s a silver lining. If you’re a citizen of the Great American Republic that’s about to become great again, you’re doing better than the rest of the world.

What do we have now? We have only online circuses. No bread. Remember “Starship Troopers?” Who can forget that “(army) service guarantees citizenship?”

The Debate of the Century

I’m going to paraphrase one YouTuber. I don’t know who won, but I know who lost. It was me. I lost four hours of my life. Actually, I lost four minutes. Kudos to that YouTube creator who got lost in my watch history. I no longer watch TV. That’s how algorithms got me.

My Orthodox brother in Christ and unhealthy habits wasn’t allow to smoke. What happened during the commercial breaks? I don’t know. I’m smoking and writing. I’m thinking about Candance’s fifth child - a boy. Where were you, and what were you doing on 9/11? Here’s the updated version. Where were you during “the debate of the century?” That boy will be able to say, I was there. They say that the music choice can influence unborn babies. What’s the effect of a debate?

All those reaction videos, clips, and memes. Takes, breaks, and fakes. Our circuses got their bread. They have enough material to keep us occupied. That’s the right word. In the meantime…

While Waiting for Aliens To Drop In

You just know that nothing makes any sense now when even the aliens can’t make you pause. Whenever there’s a big attraction, ask yourself: what is the distraction? The war with Iran covered the PDF files. So, that’s not the case.

$300,000 for a debate. Is Candace going to donate this money? The Blue Wave, 2026 Midterms edition, is actually neck-deep in the red. On the other side, “Republicans and their allied groups have opened a cash advantage of roughly half a billion dollars over Democrats.” If you’re yearning for change, any kind of change, then put the money where your mouth is. But, you don’t have the money. And, you own nothing. And, you owe everything. And, you aren’t happy.

The bravest, who are far away from home and the land of the free, are considering jumping overboard. Imagine, you’re surviving for more than 250 days aboard an aircraft carrier, only to hear from your commander-in-chief that it is “not nearly long enough.” Remember that island Ivanka Trump wants (still trying) to buy? It would come in handy.

Generating the illustration for this story with Grok was more enjoyable than writing about the greatest debate of the century, and one big ship, and one small blue wave.