No, I'm not reporting that Jim Tracy's team has switched divisions, or suddenly became more talented than the Oakland A's.

Instead, I just felt compelled to pass on this news item from upcoming Swedish parliamentary elections:

The Pirate Party claims it is now larger than the Green Party, with nearly 8,000 members.

The party, which campaigns to legalize file sharing, says it now has 7,729 members. The Green Party, one of the Social Democrats' key allies, now has 7,249 members.

Yes, the Pirate Party may actually have a chance to win seats in the Swedish parliament. As a point of comparison, the Green Party currently has 17 seats of 349. What's more, since no one party is likely to win a majority of those seats, these Pirates might actually hold the deciding votes in who forms the next Swedish government.

Yes, we will vote for you to be Prime Minister, Mr. Persson, but only if you promise to make Talk Like A Pirate Day a national holiday. Also, we want Roberto Clemente's picture on the 20-crown note.

And why not? If terrorists can win democratic elections, then why not pirates? If wrestlers and bodybuilders can govern states, then why not swashbucklers? If Christians and Muslims can band together in numbers to impose their theology on the state, then why not Pastafarians?

This is where the world is headed. One day, the world will end, not with a bang, not with a whimper, but with one, pure expression of absolute absurdity.