I found the culprit! Here's the before shot. Note the hi-beam strip in contact with the power and lo-beam contacts. This was the lo-beam position on the stalk.
Great tip on digging into that thing.
After shot.
Steering wheel removal was easier than expected but I'm sure glad I don't have to do that operation often. All those screws are flat-heads in the housing area -- what a pain in the a$$.
I ended up using my squat rack safety beam to brace the wheel. Perfect height.
Now I blind everybody on the road. Life is sweet.