2/27/24 – Another way to respond to evil: quiet. Just sit in your quiet room by yourself and rest your body, mind and soul. Just be with your creator. If you want, you can let your mind drift to all the beautiful life he created for us, animals and plants, and your heart can be full of gratitude. What a gift.
2/27/24 – Another way to respond to evil: don’t. Turning off the evil one, trump, is actually one of the most effective responses to him. The people, such as MAGA, who give him their ear, their time, their money, their lives, contribute to his evil. If there were an evil one, trump, switch that the nation could just turn off, our country would be that much less evil. It would be quieter and nicer.
2/27/24 – The evil one, trump’s appeal to white people, such as the KKK, “I am your retribution; we’re taking the country back from those criminal black people.” The evil one, trump’s appeal to black people, “You’re all criminals like I am; we have so much in common.” Genius.
2/27/24 – Give the Ukrainians the money already! It is costing them their lives.
2/26/24 – Be more like Jesus. Happy Monday!
2/26/24 – There are two Americas. The people who can’t unplug, and the people who can.
2/24/24 – To the Bernie supporters who were pissed off about Super Delegates, they sure come in handy sometimes, don’t they.
2/24/24 – The Republican Party should spend all of its money saving the evil one, trump, who is a tested loser. This is a great political strategy for winning.
2/22/24 – Let’s realign our society, showing people who do more for our country, more appreciation, respect, and value.
2/22/24 – The character of farmers isn’t as critical as it is in jobs that require direct interaction with people, but, on a day-to-day basis, we need them arguably more than anybody else. Farmers also need to be better compensated and regarded. They work extremely hard, and their jobs require knowledge, skill and discipline.
2/22/24 – It’s puzzling why it’s hard to appreciate the people who actually make the country work. Almost all of these educated people are not the bedrock of our country. Their jobs are basically glorified paper pushers. (The pandemic exposed this.) Hard truth.
2/22/24 – Many progressive “values” are just kooky fads, and these people can come across as unhinged.
2/22/24 – David Brooks writes, “Finally, less-educated voters feel morally judged for being socially backward.” (Maybe it’s Canadian English. Did he mean “as”?) They’re not socially backward. Even a piece that’s pretending to advocate for noncollege educated Americans ends up being condescending.
2/20/24 – There are certain professions that require people of the highest character. In particular, we don’t want people entering education, first responders, law, medicine, military service, or the religious life that aren’t of the highest character.
Even though fewer people are entering the seminary than in the past, there are still people entering it. The Catholic Church, for example, recruits religious people, as do all organizations. However, that doesn’t mean that they are willing to lower their standards or that they should. One priest in his homily said, if you don’t want to work, this is not the right job for you. Go do something else. This is a job that requires your all. It is. They take vows that give up everything: money and a family, and it’s demanding work.
There is too much money in medicine and law. Medical and law schools should increase the number of students they accept to bring down the average compensation. They are providing a valuable service to the public. It should be well-compensated but not be as lucrative as it is now so that they attract people who are committed to serving people, not themselves. On the flip side, the military, first responders, and education need to be held in higher regard and be better compensated. Religious people should also be held in higher regard.
When these professions aren’t calibrated correctly, they attract people who have subpar character, who are motivated for other reasons, such as prestige, money, power, or who knows what. In general, character is more important than anything else, and when these professions accept people who don’t have exceptional character, it can have terrible ramifications. We can end up with predatory priests, killer cops, war criminals, or unethical doctors, lawyers or educators.
We, as a society, need to value certain professions more than others because we depend on them more and because they are more demanding. The military and first responders put their lives on the line for us. They run toward danger, when we run away, potentially making the ultimate sacrifice for us. Their performance can also mean life or death for the people they serve. The stakes are high.
Everybody needs educators, and they should be better compensated. Most people interact with educators more than anybody else in their entire lives outside of their families. They help form them into the people they become. No other profession carries that same level of responsibility in the formation of our people. We want educators to be committed to the work and to serving people. We do not want to attract people with subpar character to education. It would be disastrous.
2/19/24 – The United States of America welcomes all people. The Statue of Liberty is a message to the world that the strength of our country comes from the character of our people who have come here from around the world. We are so blessed as a nation to have such good, talented people. Together we’re stronger, and we will defeat evil and our adversaries, no matter the cost.
2/19/24 – Black America is America.
A nontraditional rendition that reflects the diversity of our nation even within the black experience.
Marvin Gaye – National Anthem, 1983 NBA All-Star Game
A classic, arguably, the best. The pipes on that woman.
Whitney Houston – Star Spangled Banner (National Anthem) – Super Bowl 1991 – 4K REMASTERED
2/19/24 – George Washington’s America is a proudly secular nation. “May the Children of the Stock of Abraham, who dwell in this land, continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other Inhabitants; while everyone shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree, and there shall be none to make him afraid. May the father of all mercies scatter light and not darkness in our paths, and make us all in our several vocations useful here, and in his own due time and way everlastingly happy.”
George Washington and the Jews
2/19/24 – Like many other underpaid professions, such as our military and our first responders (thank you to them, as always), teaching is a noble profession. We do want teachers to be better compensated, but we don’t want people to enter the profession because it pays well. The best teachers are lifelong learners. They have a passion for learning and for sharing their knowledge and instilling this same passion in others. We need to become a nation focused on excellence and channeling our talents into the betterment of our society and our world. We need to become a nation focused less on personal enrichment and more on using our God-given gifts to lift up others. Our ultimate reward is in serving God.
2/19/24 – A reminder to the Catholic Church’s leadership, Jesus didn’t ostracize lepers, as was the practice of his day; he healed them. This Lent is a good opportunity to reflect on their own sinfulness and failures in being faithful to Jesus’s teachings, not to mention protecting children from their own predatory priests. Our call as Christians is to be like Jesus, to follow him.
2/19/24 – The Israel government needs to be held accountable. After 9/11, Americans were deceived by their own government that entered into a war on false pretexts and without the support of the American people. The civilian death toll and displacement in Israel’s war against Hamas is too high. The government is being supported by other countries, and it needs to be held accountable, just as we do with Ukraine. The acts by Hamas are unquestionably heinous and barbaric. There is no justification for them. That said, two wrongs don’t make a right. Israel’s response needs to follow international law, have good intent and be executed to minimize civilian causalities and disruption. Israelis and Palestinians are all God’s children.
2/19/24 – Hamas is pure evil. If you excuse Hamas, you’re excusing evil. History will not be kind to you. Know it now.
2/19/24 – As stated in the Hebrew Bible, you know, the oldest religious document in the world, all people are created equal, including Israelis and Palestinians, but Israel belongs to the Jewish people. It’s their ancestral land, and it’s well-documented. The Books of Moses are historical documents. To suggest otherwise is to undermine the legitimacy of Islam. Stop debating what is not up for debate. The sooner Palestinians accept this historical fact, the sooner they can liberate themselves from their resentment and build a better future for themselves. Right now, Palestinians are their own biggest oppressor, not the Israeli people, and the longer they persist in falsehoods, the more oppressed they will remain.
2/18/24 – We pray for and thank all of our first responders. When we need them, they come immediately and help us. We appreciate them so much. May the Lord bless them and protect them.
May he heal Adam Medlicott. Paul Elmstrand, Matthew Ruge, and Adam Finseth are with the Lord. They saved the woman’s and those kids’ lives. Their sacrifice is never in vain. Our deepest condolences to their families. They are our heroes. We are community. We are family. We hurt together. We are here for each other. We are strong.
Two police officers, fire department medic shot and killed in Burnsville, suspect dead
‘Ultimate sacrifice’: 2 officers, medic killed in Burnsville; suspected shooter dead
2/18/24 – God is faithful. Happy Sunday!
2/18/24 – Instead of aspiring to fame and fortune in this world, serve the Lord with humility and love. Aspire to everlasting greatness.
2/18/24 – Another way to respond to evil: This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine. Let it shine. Let it shine. If you grew up a practicing Christian, you’ve sung this song several times as a child. Cuteness is built into the song, as you can see with Sister Rosetta Tharpe, who is considered a godmother of Rock n Roll, waving her hands to the music. To dispel darkness, we have to be a source of light.
« This little light of mine » par (1960)
2/18/24 – When thinking about God, be prepared to accept questions as answers. “Are there still fundamental theological questions that you have? Or maybe more simply, what doubt do you have? My theological question is how to reconcile the cruelty of the world with the idea of God’s omnipotence, and I simply assume that’s something I will not understand in this life.”
Marilynne Robinson is 80. She’s brilliant. As someone who’s thought about my own morality since I was at least eight-years-old, it’s not scary. When you think about it as a child, it’s with awe not fear. There is no reason this should change as one gets older. “I mentioned your age earlier. Do you find yourself thinking about heaven more as you get older? Well, I belong to a particular branch of Protestantism that sort of discourages reflections on heaven in the sense that we can’t know what it is and we can’t know on what grounds we might or might not end up there. I find that very satisfying. What it does is entirely refocus attention to the world. When I die, I expect to be very impressed with what follows.”
Marilynne Robinson Considers Biden a Gift of God
2/18/24 – Don’t expect people to meet your purity test. We are all imperfect. We are all sinners. Spend some time this Sunday and this Lent reflecting on your own sinfulness instead of focusing on everything that’s wrong with everybody else but you.
2/18/24 – Empathy for others is not empathy if it’s conditional on their profile as a person and whether or not it fits your preferences or prejudices.
2/18/24 – In this Radio Lab episode called The Bad Show: “[they] wrestle with the dark side of human nature, and ask whether it’s something [they] can ever really understand, or fully escape.”
The Bad Show
2/17/24 – Anti-Semitism isn’t relegated to educated people. It’s a perennial evil found throughout almost the entire world. It’s pervasive and enduring. If you don’t think you’re an anti-Semite (you’re just about “Free Palestine,” right?), substitute your favored group, perhaps it’s Palestinians, LGBTQ+, some racial group, and then read it again. Wherever there is the word “Jew,” replace it with your tribe, and now, how do you feel? Do you need to see the rapes to indulge your voyeuristic sadism because it’s certainly not out of any quest for justice? Or since it’s now your people, do you feel empathy? Don’t delude yourselves. The rest of us see you for who are, and more importantly, God sees you for who you are.
Why the Most Educated People in America Fall for Anti-Semitic Lies
2/17/24 – The United States of America was founded as a secular nation, and we will remain a secular nation. Our country is a city on a hill for all people.
2/17/24 – Love is the most radical concept and expression in the world. God is love. Jesus is love.
2/17/24 – Ukraine without Russia.
2/17/24 – Russia without Putin.
2/17/24 – As part of our Lenten meditations on evil, let’s consider the extraordinary example we have before us of an effective way to respond to evil. Every Lent, Christians reflect on Jesus’s 40 days and nights in the desert and how he responded to Satan’s temptations. He responded by firmly rejecting them and putting him in his place.
Alexei Navalny was a mere mortal, but let’s also reflect on how he chose to respond when faced with the evil Kremlin and the Russian poop. He firmly rejected fear. He chose to reenter the devil’s dominion by returning to his motherland, which he loved, and to put the Russian poop in his place.
On his way back to Russia, after having recovered from the Kremlin’s poisoning, Navalny watched Rick and Morty. He quoted it during one of his many court appearances: “‘To live is to risk it all,’ he said, reciting a quote from the show. ‘Otherwise, you’re just an inert chunk of randomly assembled molecules drifting wherever the universe blows you.’” In Navalny’s final hours of freedom, he was calm, funny and watching ‘Rick and Morty’ Navalny was calm and funny until the end. No matter how much earthly power that evil man wielded against him, he was unable to break his spirit. On what matters, the poop was powerless against Navalny.
Video shows Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny joking and laughing during court hearing a day before his death
Navalny knew that he was on the side of the righteous, on God’s side, and he continued to maintain a steadfast belief in the character of his country. He believed that, in the end, the goodness of its people and good would prevail. “‘And I want to say that there are many good things in Russia now, and the best are these very people who are not afraid, who don’t cast their eyes down at the table, and who will never give up our country to a bunch of corrupt officials who have traded our motherland for their own palaces, vineyards, and aqua-discos.’ The courtroom speech of Alexei Navalny. He was 47 years old. He leaves behind his wife, Yulia, a daughter, Daria, and their son, Zakhar.”
Opinion: Navalny’s spirit and legacy live on
Navalny was correct in his faith in the Russian people. The Russian poop knew that Navalny would have won a free and fair election if he had run against him, so he prevented him from running. Navalny won anyway. Navalny was a winner. The Russian poop is a loser. At this point, the last disgraceful act left to the loser is to not return his body. If he does not do so, the loser would only more firmly establish Navalny as a martyr, which he already is.
What is the lesson for the rest of us? Don’t run from evil. Face it bravely, resist its temptations and put it in its place. All we have to do is be firmly committed to the truth, to what is right and to maintain our divine spirit. If we do these things, we will win the battle of good against evil.
Alexei Navalny’s Last Laugh
2/16/24 – Alexei Navalny was a martyr for Russia, the country he loved. The world honors his courage and patriotism. From around the world, we give our deepest condolences to his family. May they know that he fought for a just cause – democracy – and that his name will be remembered in the history books for this reason. He is with the Lord. May he rest in peace.
Putin’s palace. The story of the world’s biggest bribe
2/15/24 – No other religion in the world has as much diverse music as Christianity. It’s an auditory feast. In our present journey, let’s start somewhere that’s associated with the west but does not use the Roman alphabet. Kyrie Eleison. (Lord, have mercy.) Christe Eleison. (Christ, have mercy.) (Latin transliteration.) It’s typically sung in the original Greek with no translation in eastern and western rite churches. (Ignore the Latin or Catholic song descriptions found on YouTube. Neither is accurate.)
Kyrie Eleison – Byzantine Version
2/15/24 – In general, we need to get away from dualistic thinking. It’s not serving us well. It’s likely been holding us back for some time. We’ve also gotten too rigidly specialized. We could tear a page out of the Italian Renaissance, and liberate ourselves intellectually and artistically.
2/15/24 – Is math a human invention or discovered? It’s both. From a Christian perspective, which adopted the Jewish one, God is “infinite” has always been the understanding of his fundamental nature. God is I am, meaning there is nothing beyond, before or after. God just is and has always been.
Math is similar to a spoken language. When you read the Bible, one of the most remarkable aspects is that it treats language as divine because it is. From a Christian tradition, which is, obviously, founded on the Jewish tradition, God is the Word, and the Word was made flesh. The second clause is the Christian part, the Jesus part.
We use language all the time, so we don’t fully appreciate how remarkable it is. Reflecting our divine spark, it is necessary for our own creativity and creations. Just like life on our planet, it’s not to be taken for granted. It’s a gift from God.
However, all languages are also a human invention. The symbols, sounds, and syntax vary because we create them. On a fundamental level, though, it’s all the same. We can learn any language we’re exposed to as children. Our brains are wired for language, not a particular language. The Word is built into our genes, our brains.
You can think of it as the Word is as God exists (I am, his “infinite” nature), and we also discover the Word by inventing the word. Similarly, what we call math exists because God created the universe, and we discover the order behind the universe by inventing and reinventing the language of math. Beautiful, no?
Don’t let anyone tell you science and religion are at odds. They’re not. They are complements. They are both how we connect with and better understand our maker and his creation.
2/14/24 – From ashes you were made; to ashes you shall return.
2/13/24 – We need to invest much more in public schools, and teacher unions are a good thing not a bad thing. They are a bulwark against bloated administrations that waste public funds and are often incompetent. Reforming the required training of teachers is not related to disinvesting in public schools or dismantling unions, and it should not be treated as such. Reforming the required training simply reflects the reality that we have a much more highly skilled and specialized workforce than we did in the past when the general population was not as well-educated.
Many of these advanced degree holders would make great teachers, and they shouldn’t be excluded from the profession because of an antiquated understanding of how one learns to be an educator. One learns by being a student for an extended period of time, and this is how it’s always been treated in higher education. To claim that all teachers need to go to a teacher college to teach effectively is to suggest that all of the country’s professors, almost all of whom received no pedagogical training, are incapable educators, which is obviously untrue. Also, what’s the difference between a junior or senior in high school and a freshman or sophomore in college? There really isn’t much of one. College professors could walk into any high school and teach as capably in their discipline as they do in higher education and at least as capably if not more so than any high school teacher who received pedagogical training. All states’ licensing requirements and schools’ hiring processes should be updated to reflect this positive change in our society.
2/13/24 – As a country, we need more teachers with broader knowledge in addition to specialized training in at least one subject. This would require some changes to teacher licensure requirements and hiring processes to make them less restrictive and teacher college focused. At least for secondary education, teacher colleges are outdated, and any pedagogical instruction, which is generally unnecessary, should be provided as online classes by the state for any aspiring teacher.
Instead of teacher colleges, we should focus on attracting and retaining high-quality candidates with subject-matter expertise, ones with a master’s degree or beyond in their discipline. The advanced degrees usually require courses in related disciplines. Therefore, these degree holders often end up gaining a considerable amount of knowledge in at least one related discipline.
To give students, breadth, depth, and real-world application, the more knowledge and range a teacher has, the better. This would also enable administrators to structure schedules that allow secondary school students to stay in one class for the entirety of the period, while still learning two subjects from the same teacher, either from a multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary approach. For example, imagine if a math teacher has adequate command of logic, computer programming, physics or economics, to apply the math to one of these other disciplines, or vice versa. This structure would allow for comparable coverage of the curriculum as we have now, but also for more efficient and more integrated learning.
2/13/24 – Yes, we were and some of us still are subversive in the best of ways. (Like Jesus….)
2/13/24 – Sharif don’t like it. Fundamentally can’t take it. You know he really hates it.
The Clash – Rock the Casbah (Official Video) (The drums are fun!)
But we love rock ‘n roll. Long live democracy! Long live freedom (and frontwomen)!
Joan Jett & the Blackhearts – I Love Rock ‘N Roll (Official Video)
2/12/24 – Math is an important and fundamental subject, and students’ exposure to it in K-12 shouldn’t decrease, if anything, it should increase, such that all districts nationwide are required to cover algebra (1), geometry (2), trigonometry (3), and pre-calculus and statistics/probability (4) in high school, with one year dedicated to each of these four areas. That said, logic should also have a much more prominent role in education, starting in primary school. How we integrate this is a good question, since teachers would need to have adequate command of the subject, which would require investing in some professional training. In terms of pedagogy, one idea is to integrate logical thinking explicitly using the techniques of formal (symbolic) logic by taking an interdisciplinary approach, which generally enhances student learning. Logic is particularly conducive as a subject to an interdisciplinary approach since it is a necessary way of thinking in almost every discipline (and in life). The creative arts, which are quite varied, require more imagination, which can sometimes be at odds with logic; at other times, logic comes into play as it does in other disciplines.
2/12/24 – If you’ve never seen Labyrinth, you must watch it. It’s somehow kid- and adult-friendly at once, and because it was the 80s, the music is really good.
2/11/24 – Remember: Jesus loves you today and every day. Happy Sunday!
2/11/24 – One big positive contribution of younger Millennials and Gen Z is their candor with what were once stigmatized or shameful topics. It takes courage, and they deserve credit for it. It is also a testament to the country that it has softened up enough for them to feel safe enough to do this. We are human beings, and we go through all kinds of painful events. If we approach them well, they are all opportunities for personal growth. Being able to be open about these moments facilities this growth, mental health and creates bonds.
2/11/24 – This is a fascinating approach to both Scripture and fiction. As an opening question: How real does the Bible get? Perhaps a more accurate question: why does reality seem much more depraved than even the worst acts in the Bible? For example, in yesterday’s AP was this story. “Kayla Montgomery testified that her stepdaughter, Harmony Montgomery, whose body has not been found, died Dec. 7, 2019, in a car the family was living in after getting evicted. It was the third day of Adam Montgomery’s murder trial in Manchester, which he hasn’t been attending. Kayla Montgomery said Harmony was potty trained, but had begun having frequent accidents. She testified that her husband punched Harmony in the head after two such accidents in the car. He later covered Harmony with a blanket as the child cried, moaned and eventually went silent, the stepmother said. Their car broke down soon afterward and Adam Montgomery put Harmony’s body in the duffel bag, she said. ‘He, like, folded her in half and put her in the duffel bag,’ she said.” It gets even worse from there.
“At one point in Gilead, he asks his father and Ames, ‘Are there people who are simply born evil, live evil lives, and then go to hell?’ The Bible, Robinson declares in the first line of Reading Genesis, is ‘a theodicy, a meditation on the problem of evil.’” This is a fair description of the Bible, but we’re still left with so many questions. What is one supposed to do, for example, with Harmony’s story? Do we just read it and move along with our day? If it haunts us, then what are we to do? Do we ask God for the millionth time why people do these things? Do we cast it off as there are evil people in the world who do evil things? Do we take our burden and try to place it at the foot of the cross?
If you’re a writer taking inspiration from Scripture: how would you approach this story? An innocent child is brutally murdered and dismembered by her own father. Kasey Emerick was sexually abused by her own father at around the same age. Would you redeem the father somehow? How would the child be given justice? What would that even look like? Would she want reunification in heaven with a redeemed father?
One could argue that when we mediate on evil, we actually don’t need to ask “why” because we already know the answer? Because evil exists, and according to the Bible, we, not God, brought it into existence. This answer, however, gives no peace. Perhaps we aren’t supposed to seek solace from our pain? Maybe we’re supposed to not only empathize with the victim but to allow of our volition their pain to become a part of us, part of our own pain. Maybe it’s not peace or solace we should seek, but similar to reflecting on the crucified Christ, we are to have the courage to allow their pain to reshape our pain, our sinfulness and ourselves. We are a few days shy of the start of Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday. Perhaps these are some of the many questions to meditate on?
Marilynne Robinson Makes the Book of Genesis New
2/10/24 – Bill Ackman is correct that robust debate is not happening. It definitely ought to be happening always. Objective reporting should also be happening, which is also not always happening. Regarding his arguments against DEI and for excellence, there are considerations beyond his rather simplistic focus and analysis.
Firstly, as Ackman should well know, trust should be earned, not simply given to someone based on their connections or demographic profile. If he’s being intellectually and otherwise honest, he should find this consistent with his position. In finance, the industry in which he operates, there have been numerous failures in this regard. Routinely, trust and, therefore, money have been misplaced, whether due to inadequate due diligence or to bias, the unjustified presumption of competence and ethics. Also, as it relates to investment management, to what degree does the skill of the portfolio manager actually matter? The rise of index funds provides an answer, does it not?
For a society to operate based on merit, many factors must align, and the society must routinely realign such that meritocracy is maintained. (Meritocracy’s relationship with and similarities to democracy should also be thoroughly analyzed.) Academia has been perpetuating an unmeritocratic system for a long time now, with its self-serving grade inflation and admissions that are based more on the status of the parents than the potential of the student. See here for one example. (There are many other problems in academia that go beyond DEI or the ones mentioned here.)
Let’s start with assessments. They need to be objective and fair. This begs the question: who is making the assessments, and are they capable of doing so given this rather challenging task. Many people will justifiably be skeptical of Ackman because they don’t trust his motivations, as mentioned above. Is he pushing this agenda because it benefits him? Is it just an extension of his activist investing, or does it have altruistic motives? If the latter, a natural follow-up question is: what makes him qualified to make the assessments? What knowledge and background does he have such that he is competent to make the assessments? Is he correct in his assessments?
Next, what are the criteria for the assessments? For example, look at the simple comparison below of two renditions of “Hound Dog,” the original by Big Mama Thornton, and the appropriation by Elvis. In terms of musicality, Thornton’s is objectively better. However, should showmanship also be factored in? Should we also consider sex appeal? Should we consider mass appeal?
We argue music should be about music, but it’s also an art that often comes coupled rather logically with dance. So even on something as simple as the evaluation of a song, the scope and weights of the criteria are not always clear. (From our perspective, the music has to be able to stand on its own merits, and everything else is extra.)
Let’s return to Ackman’s own realm. Objective hiring criteria for corporations simply don’t exist. There is minimal meritocracy in their process for recruitment or retention. Their job board algorithms are black boxes that are often biased. Corporations hire all the time based on who people know, so much so that the idiom, “it’s not what you know; it’s who you know” is treated as an axiom. However, this corporate gospel is not truth or meritocracy. Instead, it reflects a deep rot within our society. Their unmeritocratic process results in toxic cultures and work environments that are antithetical to excellence. This begs the question: Are they even interested in excellence? Many people think they are simply interested in profits, and their leadership is motivated to hoard as much of them as possible to the exclusion of labor. Modern CEOs do not deserve the compensation they are getting. In addition to being exploitative, it’s also unmeritocratic.
Anyway, we could go on and on. In summary, yes, let’s have this debate, but its terms should not be set by billionaires or corporations or by anybody else. It should be honest and open to everyone, and we should look hard at what works and doesn’t work in our society. We might all be surprised by what we find. If it’s done well, we might be able to make our society more meritocratic, democratic and more nurturing of excellence.
2/9/24 – The news media needs to end its role in perpetuating this inequity.
2/9/24 – Ironically, history repeats itself with the overrated Taylor Swift during a black history month with a theme of the arts.
2/9/24 – Do you know where your food comes from? Do you know where your stuff comes from? Do you know where your music comes from? Were they ethically sourced?
2/9/24 – The original by Big Mama Thornton was better, which is more blues than rock and roll. More importantly, the lyrics actually match the music. Also, reversing the roles and genders wasn’t convincing. (For those of you good listeners who were wondering why there is an inconsistency, well, now you know.) That said, Elvis was a good musician and performer, but the fawning was so over-the-top relative to his talent that he ended up being overrated, just like Taylor Swift is now.
Why? The majority audience was and still is white. On a subconscious level, white musicians resonate better with them. Note that this does not necessarily make them racist. Some likely are. Much, if not most, of the audience is actually not aware of their bias. However, on an objective basis, the quality of the music is sometimes not being assessed accurately, and it can cheat musicians of color of deserved recognition and reward for their talent and hard work.
Big Mama Thornton – Hound Dog (1953)
2/9/24 – The power of music. The power of art to change our world for the better.
Billie Holiday Strange Fruit
Probably the most well-known cover of Billie Holiday’s 1939 original.
Nina Simone – Strange Fruit
Strange Fruit – the story behind “The Song of the Century”
2/9/24 – We probably shouldn’t be too hard on Millennials and Gen Z because their digital, social media childhoods pretty much sucked a–. The generation right before, Gen X, didn’t have either. They had something far superior – music. We rode our bikes to each other’s houses, ate a bunch of candy because we were still kids, listened to music and watched music videos. We basically grew up on it (and cartoons).
To younger generations, you have to look back, or you’re not going to have a solid musical education because the more recent music is generally inferior. Listen broadly and deeply: different genres, styles, artists, but often people also go through phases, narrowing their focus. Try to make connections like you would with literature or the fine arts. “Study it” like you would anything else, but also just enjoy it. You don’t have to be musically talented to appreciate it. It’s black history month. If you’ve never done this, it’s the perfect time to start.
2/8/24 – We, as a country, need to get back to focusing on producing excellence in everything we do.
2/8/24 – The Millennials ruined American music and culture, which was once the envy of the world, because they have bad taste. Hard truth.
2/8/24 – Yes, we were spoiled, and we didn’t know it. We’re going to stay spoiled because much of this great music is recorded. Deliver this level of mastery of your craft, or with respect, please do piss off. If you can’t play one or more instruments exceptionally well, if you can’t perform live without auto-tune or lip-syncing, if you can’t write your own songs that captivate audiences for generations, you’re not a musician. You’re a marketing product of the music industry, and we’re not interested in what you have to sell.
2/8/24 – Prince had more than enough hits to have sung only his music. One of the songs he covered was Bob Dylan’s All Along the Watchtower, which is a masterpiece of song writing. This is why it has been covered by so many other famous musicians, including notably Jimi Hendrix. Dylan is also from Minnesota, but not a native son of Minneapolis, as Prince is. This is the best Super Bowl half-time show in its history. Why? Simply, talent and passion. He was not a spring chicken at the time or at the peak of his career, but he never stopped making music. He was an artist.
From the comments, “@dwayneflorence4482 You know you’re blessed when God provides your special effects.” When asked if he would be OK performing in the rain, Prince asked if it could rain harder.
Prince – Super Bowl XLI | Halftime Show 2007 FULL SHOW HD
If you look closely, you’ll see a little smoke coming off the end of his guitar. Many people from Minneapolis know he loved to jam because he would throw parties at Paisley Park, his former home and studio in a suburb of the city, and do just that.
From the comments, “@jimparson8968 My guitar watches this when I’m not home”
2021 Remaster “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” with Prince, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne and Steve Winwood
2/7/24 – If you can’t write your own songs and can’t perform live, just you and your instrument and/or your band, you need to pack up and go home. Thank you, and have a nice day.
2/7/24 – In the past, we would come together to solve big problems, whether famine, AIDS, etc. and for other unifying reasons. We need artists who are passionate about their craft and not superficial, and fans who are discriminating in their tastes. We didn’t care about the marketing. We cared about the music. We didn’t care about their personal lives. We cared about the music. So different in their styles, yet both are authentic and brilliant. (The Brits got some of the best concerts….)
Live Aid (Queen) Full Concert [1985, London, Wembley Stadium] (One of the best concerts in music history.)
Tracy Chapman – Fast Car [Wembley 1988]
2/7/24 – Truth: politics matters, especially saving our democracy, but generally speaking, it’s just not that important. Be informed, vote, but most importantly, try to be a good person who does good things in the world.
2/7/24 – We literally live side by side with people who have different politics than we have. Does that matter? Or is what matters that we’re just neighborly? Exchanging kindness and pleasantries. Shoveling each other’s walks. Sharing plants and gardening tips. Sharing treats. Looking out for each other and the neighborhood’s kids. Helping each other in whatever way. People don’t have to agree with your politics for you to live in peace and harmony with them. Even for MAGA, who are infuriating, if you think you should call 911 for one of them, are you really not going to do it because you disagree with their politics? Of course, not. You’re going to call 911 because you value human life, and it’s the right thing to do.
2/7/24 – We used to be a country that took pride in our excellence. We need to go back to that, to a focus on substance, but to do that we have to stop wasting our time, which almost all of us are guilty of, and prioritize the things that matter. Aim for excellence and a healthy pride in one’s work and life.
2/7/24 – You don’t have to look like people to admire them. Although there are exceptions for extreme people, you don’t have to agree with their politics or way of being in the world. You can just fall in love with their work.
Also see here: “1/21/24 – When you choose people to admire or emulate, they don’t need to look like or be like you. You don’t need to have similar genetics. Christians should know this better than anybody else. Jesus, who is our guiding light and our savior, was a brown Jew, a Hebrew, an Israelite, from what we call the land of Israel. He belonged to a relatively small group of people who are/were ethnically joined. During his own lifetime, he literally crossed boundaries to bring his ministry to those outside of his ethnic group, the Jews, violating the taboos of his time. He was aware of what he was doing, and it is documented in the Gospel. Nativism is antithetical to the Christian faith, which is a global religion. From its inception, the religion and Jesus have belonged to the world.
The Party of Malice
1/20/24 – Many really talented people were very disciplined. We can copy them no matter how talented we are or aren’t. Michelangelo (yes, he comes up often because, well, he’s il divino) lived about twice as long as his peers, until almost 90-years-old, and he worked like a beast. His work was not just artistically and intellectually demanding but also extremely physically demanding. Setting aside the intense technical difficulty, sculpting marble and painting frescos are not exactly easy on the body. Nonetheless, he was highly productive until the end of his life, and his youthful personal ambition became a divine purpose as he matured.
Of course, none of us are Michelangelo, but we can all take a similar approach to life. He was deeply religious (the Holy Spirit touched that man…), highly passionate about his work, which was usually religious in subject, and as a polymath engaged his mind and talents in diverse disciplines. He exercised regularly both in his work and horseback riding. He was too busy to have bad habits or indulge in unhealthy activities. And he complained all the time, which might seem like a negative, but it’s not. Work like him, and you’ll understand how important expressing one’s feelings is to staying the course, not to mention staying sane.
This is how to age: living your life like your youthful, robust self doesn’t age; it matures on all dimensions. For all of his complaints about his physical ailments, he exemplified maturation instead of just getting older. You don’t have to be unbelievably talented to want to live like every minute of your limited time on the planet matters. It does for all of us. Use it well.”
2/7/24 – Music isn’t about the awards. It’s about the music. Luke Combs just loved Tracy Chapman’s music. He loved the song Fast Car. Everyone just needs to focus on doing the best work they can given their talents. Stop focusing on other things that don’t matter. Chapman wasn’t interested in being glamourous or an “influencer.” She just wanted to make great music, and she did. She was about the artistry. It was the highlight of the Grammy’s because nobody cared about their politics, glamour or other BS. They cared about the music. It’s a beautiful, moving song, and that’s what mattered.
A Rare Moment Americans Could All Share
2/6/24 – We need to right the ship, here and abroad. The center must hold. Enough with the extremes. They’re destroying our world.
2/6/24 – There are many different people in the world, with different values and perspectives, and they deserve to be presented dispassionately and in a balanced manner by any respectable, trustworthy news outlet.
2/6/24 – The influencers pretending to be LGBTQ+ advocates at the Associated Propaganda (the AP) need to be removed. They can sell their s–t on YouTube, social media, and wherever else to people who’re interested in the propaganda they’re selling. It’s not journalism, and they are not journalists. It’s not appropriate for the AP.
2/6/24 – Plenty of people never actually needed therapy in the first place. The main reasons why there is an explosion of mental health issues is that people have not been raised to develop good coping mechanisms for life’s inevitable challenges and have developed many bad habits instead. You have to take the time to build good habits and healthy coping mechanisms. Build good friendships and a support network. Give and take with other people to foster community and mutual care. Build a relationship with nature, our common home, and with God’s creatures. Go for walks or bike rides. Motion is therapeutic. Spend time in water, swimming, in a hot tub or sauna. Water is therapeutic. Make art, express your emotions in a visual, musical or other artistic way. Art is therapeutic. Write, it doesn’t matter if you’re a good writer. Journaling is therapeutic. Use aromatherapy, natural scents from our God-created world connects us with the divine. Scents are routinely used in various spiritual traditions. Spend time on your spiritual life! Go to confession, pray, meditate, worship with others. And on and on. You’re supposed to actually take the time as a human being to understand yourself and figure out how to help yourself become whole. You’re not supposed to outsource that complicated, individual process to someone else. Therapists are supposed to help you develop healthy coping mechanisms, not become a crutch. Reach out to them as you need. There is no shame or stigma in doing so, but in general, you’re not supposed to become dependent on them.
2/6/24 – Can we keep the responsible articles coming? Imagine acting like a professional. Imagine putting the interests of the people you’re serving first, even if you might be telling them things they would rather not hear. Imagine acting ethically. What a concept!
Plenty of People Could Quit Therapy Right Now
2/5/24 – Don’t even try to justify this s—t. Seriously, f—k off.
2/5/24 – Every single profession, especially those that come into regular contact with people, particularly vulnerable people, such as kids, has professional ethics. Educators, especially those who teach K-12, for obvious reasons, healthcare professionals because you’re dealing with people’s health, often at vulnerable times, finance professionals because you’re dealing with people’s money, lawyers because you’re dealing with people’s legal lives, which can have all kinds of serious implications, military because you’re literally dealing with people’s lives, first-responders the same, because you’re dealing with people’s lives. Apparently, the media doesn’t seem to think professional ethics apply to them. They are more like…well, entertainers or what’s the word, influencers. Right?
2/5/24 – The propaganda (aka the liberal media) is unethical. They are in the business of making money and advancing their own careers. If you make life-changing decisions that you later regret or that make you seriously ill, such as getting cancer, they won’t be paying your medical bills or helping you. They promote whatever liberal agenda is in vogue, no matter how dangerous it is, because that’s what gets them clicks. They are self-serving people. Know that in advance.
For reference: “7/28/23 – Has WaPo captured enough of the extreme (and often loony) NYTimes audience yet? Not yet. Immorality doesn’t just come in yachts. It comes in various forms. One of them is pandering. Don’t think it isn’t transparent.
7/28/23 – Have members of the press made enough money off of the destruction of young people’s health? Apparently not. Know this. They won’t be there to pay the health bills when the kids get, for example, cancer.
7/28/23 – F—king with one’s hormones isn’t healthcare. It’s health destruction. Don’t screw up your otherwise healthy bodies. Love yourselves as you are.”
2/4/24 – Kasey Emerick’s story is profoundly sad and deserves a separate response. It is very common for victims to blame themselves for the trauma they’ve experienced, but it is not their fault. A parent’s or parents’ betrayal can be particularly hurtful, damaging, and hard to reconcile. How could someone who’s supposed to care for me harm me? It must have been something I did. No, it wasn’t. It was something they did, and they are solely responsible for their actions, whether or not they’re willing to accept it.
Sometimes, we blame God. This is also a common feeling. However, God didn’t create sinful men and women. We choose to be this way. Kasey and others like her were made perfect in God’s eyes, and God loves them as they are. We are all broken in one way or another. The path to wholeness isn’t through pretending wrongs or trauma didn’t happen, blaming oneself or changing oneself in a futile attempt to rationalize the irrational. Evil exists outside of reason. It exists because of the actions fallen men and women choose to take, and we can’t control the world or others.
We can, however, control how we choose to respond to the good things and the bad things that happen to us. To release oneself from the pain of injustice and betrayal is to truly understand that it was the perpetrator’s and only their responsibility and to join ourselves with our creator who loves us in our brokenness. No matter how the world fails us, and it will fail us, the closer we bring ourselves in union with the divine, the more it won’t matter because God never fails us. In God, we will find strength and reconciliation for the wrongs that have been done to us through no fault of our own and be able to forgive ourselves even when we haven’t done anything wrong. May the Lord bless her and give her peace.
2/4/24 – Whether LGBTQ+ people were born that way, experienced trauma that negatively impacted their sexual identity or lives, or simply choose it because they prefer it, the way conservatives, especially Christian conservatives who should know better, treat them is immoral and antithetical to the faith. Jesus didn’t denounce people even though he was fully aware of their sinfulness because we are all sinners. He pushed us to be better from a place of compassion and love.
In general, conservatives are engaging in all kinds of immoral behavior, from supporting the evil one, trump, to engaging in conspiracy theories, the latest of which is a bizarre fixation on a famous musician who seems to have found love in an NFL star (good for her), demonizing people who are simply fleeing violence or searching for a better life, or generally engaging in hate and vilification, etc. (It’s a long list.) They have abdicated any kind of moral authority because they have engaged in too much immorality themselves. Once you lose moral standing, you often lose influence, as it should be.
We are to assume that people are broken because we often are, assume that they are in need of being made whole, assume that people are generally good because they usually are, assume that even when they do terrible things, they retain their rights and deserve to be treated with the rule of law. When we engage in war and other acts of killing, as the military well knows, all of our actions must be conducted in accordance with international and our own laws. When one is wronged, this can be difficult to do, but honor demands that we do it nonetheless. If we decide to take out certain people, evil dictators and such, to protect other people, this needs to be done within the rule of law. This doesn’t make us weak. It’s makes us moral, and morality is power and strength.
If you take issue with certain behavior that you disagree with, say homosexuality, that is within your rights. Where you cross a line is to treat people with callous disregard for their soul and their rights as human beings. Imagine that some of these people that you are vilifying have been victims of sexual abuse or that they are suffering from depression and suicidal ideation, do you really want to be the person that pushes them to take their life because you’re more concerned with your self-righteousness or imposing your idea of morality? Jesus would definitely not approve of this.
One can always exercise their First Amendment rights and make an argument. We can also try to convince the public or our elected representatives why our position is correct and why others are wrong. What one cannot do is engage in vigilante “justice” or the dehumanization of human beings. One cannot incite violence, as the evil one did on January 6, 2021. There is much freedom in our country to express our views, and healthy democracies depend on this exchange. However, it is not limitless and for good reason. It would lead to chaos and unjustified violence. Whether or not one agrees with LGBTQ+ choices, they are human beings who deserve to be treated with compassion and love as anybody else does. Walk with them in their journey from a place of caring, not a place of denunciation and cruel judgment. That’s what Jesus would do, and as Christians, we are called to be like him. Happy Sunday!
2/2/24 – When you’re contributing to things you shouldn’t be for personal gain, such as money, fame, acceptance, career-advancement, what have you, that’s immorality. Christianity taught me that. There is no confusion, and there is no self-delusion.
2/2/24 – Yes, Biden’s age is a problem, but it’s not just that. If the pitch is Democrats get stuff done, the logical question is: do I agree with what they’re getting done? More generally, the Democratic Party can come across as the party of weird snobs. They push bizarre ideas, see below, that many people, even liberal people, don’t agree with.
They also look down on people who are just trying to make an honest living and live a simple life. They don’t get the science worship, and they shouldn’t because it’s not smarter or more evolved, whatever that is. It’s just stupid. They don’t get the influencer or celebrity worship, and they shouldn’t because it’s not trendy or better. It’s just stupid. They don’t get the tech worship, and they shouldn’t because it’s not cool or more efficient. It’s just stupid. You get the idea. If you’re an elitist snob, and the stuff you’re worshipping is actually f—king stupid, well, it’s insulting to the people who rightly see it as stupid that they just don’t get it because they’re not the elite, evolved genius that you think you are. That’s the real problem for Democrats.
Maybe have some honest conversations with the people who make the country work: farmers, blue-collar workers, manufacturing workers, religious folk, small town folk, etc. Just hangout for a while, sit in the quiet of the country or the small town, and understand that this is also America. It has advantages that life in a bigger city does not have. It has its own pace and charms, and its people are as valuable, if not more so, as anybody else.
2/2/24 – It’s hard to believe this article is in the NYTimes, but it is. Finally, an actually responsible article on this sensitive topic. These people are not supposed to be treated as political pawns or for political pandering or expediency. Making sure patients are actually being diagnosed properly and that they understand the risks associated with any medical procedure is standard medical practice, no matter the procedure. It is a violation of the Hippocratic Oath (codes of honor aren’t exclusive to the military) to not follow it based on some misguided societal fad or pressure. Being a medical professional means that you honor the Hippocratic Oath no matter how unpopular it is or whether you face backlash or criticism. In addition to the general application of the Oath, these are children. They are not adults, and their brains are still developing. Their judgment and cognitive faculties have not fully developed. It is irresponsible and unethical to not consider all of these factors when providing them with medical care. Liberals, especially the propaganda (aka the liberal media), failed these kids, and it’s a disgrace.
“But right-wing demagogues are not the only ones who have inflamed this debate. Transgender activists have pushed their own ideological extremism, especially by pressing for a treatment orthodoxy that has faced increased scrutiny in recent years. Under that model of care, clinicians are expected to affirm a young person’s assertion of gender identity and even provide medical treatment before, or even without, exploring other possible sources of distress…. ‘What should be a medical and psychological issue has been morphed into a political one,’ Powell lamented during our conversation. ‘It’s a mess.’… The mother left in shock. How would hormones help a child with obsessive-compulsive disorder or depression? she wondered…. ‘I transitioned because I didn’t want to be gay,’ Kasey Emerick, a 23-year-old woman and detransitioner from Pennsylvania, told me. Raised in a conservative Christian church, she said, ‘I believed homosexuality was a sin.’… Transgender influencers told her she was bald and ugly. She received multiple threats. [What compassionate, what’s the word, pluralistic people.]… Children change their minds all the time. [You don’t say. Who knew, right?]… Studies show that around eight in 10 cases of childhood gender dysphoria resolve themselves by puberty and 30 percent of people on hormone therapy discontinue its use within four years, though the effects, including infertility, are often irreversible…. ‘You’re made to believe these slogans,’ he said. ‘Evidence-based, lifesaving care, safe and effective, medically necessary, the science is settled — and none of that is evidence based.’ [But science, right libs? All you have to do is keep repeating the word.]”
As Kids, They Thought They Were Trans. They No Longer Do.