Friday, February 03, 2023
Loneliness affects health
"The Weaponization of Loneliness" [book] offers a message of hope. We can resist this psychological warfare if we have strong bonds in our families, faith communities, and friendships. Let's resolve to talk to one another openly and often, especially about the consequences of giving in to social pressures and media hype. Indeed, totalitarians always seek to destroy private life because it is the very fount of freedom. (promo)
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/.../the.../1142494107
I haven't read this book, but research in the social and medical sciences had long shown for decades the importance of faith communities and friendships for good health. (Remember "Bowling alone?") So what do you do when the government tells the churches to close because they aren't essential? Well, we know the answer to that one. The churches (all but a few) complied.
Two years ago (too late to help much) research at Harvard reported by Fee.org noted the damage isolation had done. "The most obvious solution to the accelerating loneliness epidemic during the pandemic response is to lift the lockdowns and related public health policies that keep people cruelly separated from one another." Follow the science didn't apply to the obvious; the "science" was too busy trying to destroy President Trump. But research did find younger people were hurt more than older. Liberals and the over-educated academics and politicians particularly revered the bad advice of Fauci and the Biden Administration which damaged the young both physically and mentally for years ahead.
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/.../the.../1142494107
I haven't read this book, but research in the social and medical sciences had long shown for decades the importance of faith communities and friendships for good health. (Remember "Bowling alone?") So what do you do when the government tells the churches to close because they aren't essential? Well, we know the answer to that one. The churches (all but a few) complied.
Two years ago (too late to help much) research at Harvard reported by Fee.org noted the damage isolation had done. "The most obvious solution to the accelerating loneliness epidemic during the pandemic response is to lift the lockdowns and related public health policies that keep people cruelly separated from one another." Follow the science didn't apply to the obvious; the "science" was too busy trying to destroy President Trump. But research did find younger people were hurt more than older. Liberals and the over-educated academics and politicians particularly revered the bad advice of Fauci and the Biden Administration which damaged the young both physically and mentally for years ahead.
Yesterday I stopped at Panera's for a cup of coffee. A group of about 12 women rearranged tables for their get-together. Didn't look like a church group--could have been retired teachers. As they were gathering, I heard one of them say she'd had Covid three times. Remember three years ago how thrilled we were to get the vaccination, only to learn later the protection only lasted about 3 months?
Thursday, February 02, 2023
Who governs? Emergency powers
I don't know if this book addresses how churches responded to the government lockdowns, but someone should.
"Overview
In a democracy, a government's authority derives from the consent of the governed. When emergencies hit—such as the COVID-19 health crisis—how are authorities, both elected and unelected, empowered to act? Experts in political science, democratic governance, and jurisprudence examine the wave of executive orders that followed the onset of this pandemic in 2020, as well as the legal and public responses to them, to consider what is right, lawful, and just."
Who Governs? Emergency Powers in the Time of COVID | Hoover Institution Who Governs? Emergency Powers in the Time of COVID
Who Governs? | Hoover Institution Press (ipgbook.com) check out for book order
"Overview
In a democracy, a government's authority derives from the consent of the governed. When emergencies hit—such as the COVID-19 health crisis—how are authorities, both elected and unelected, empowered to act? Experts in political science, democratic governance, and jurisprudence examine the wave of executive orders that followed the onset of this pandemic in 2020, as well as the legal and public responses to them, to consider what is right, lawful, and just."
Who Governs? Emergency Powers in the Time of COVID | Hoover Institution Who Governs? Emergency Powers in the Time of COVID
Who Governs? | Hoover Institution Press (ipgbook.com) check out for book order
The Great Awokening, Lecture 7
In this lecture series, "The Idolatry of Identity," Dr. Matthew Petrusek discusses contemporary progressive ideology, also frequently referred to as “wokeism,” and the response of the Catholic social thought tradition.
https://youtu.be/7AU9HPzsmCM In Lecture 1, Dr. Petrusek identifies the ideological components that constitute progressivism and examines what makes contemporary progressive ideology attractive. He also demonstrates how progressivism both appropriates and distorts competing political theories—and yokes those distortions into the service of a particular group’s self-interest.
https://youtu.be/Qm9If1EQ3yc Lecture 2
https://youtu.be/KsAzLPKyPZs Lecture 3
https://youtu.be/BmzYsBvSr8Y Lecture 4 Post modernism
https://youtu.be/WNR3ehSzpQ4 Lecture 5 Post Colonialism, Pt. 1 Fanon
https://youtu.be/jZNG81w-eEw Lecture 6 Post Colonialism, Pt. 2
https://youtu.be/hVfGzO65SiM In Lecture 7, Dr. Matthew Petrusek sheds light on the shadow side of “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” as he explains how all the widely disparate strands of progressivism/wokeism find a tenuous but politically potent unity in the concept of “intersectionality.”
https://youtu.be/vL9IRQxElBE Lecture 8
https://youtu.be/XdvE3O7Iye8 Lecture 9
https://youtu.be/7AU9HPzsmCM In Lecture 1, Dr. Petrusek identifies the ideological components that constitute progressivism and examines what makes contemporary progressive ideology attractive. He also demonstrates how progressivism both appropriates and distorts competing political theories—and yokes those distortions into the service of a particular group’s self-interest.
https://youtu.be/Qm9If1EQ3yc Lecture 2
https://youtu.be/KsAzLPKyPZs Lecture 3
https://youtu.be/BmzYsBvSr8Y Lecture 4 Post modernism
https://youtu.be/WNR3ehSzpQ4 Lecture 5 Post Colonialism, Pt. 1 Fanon
https://youtu.be/jZNG81w-eEw Lecture 6 Post Colonialism, Pt. 2
https://youtu.be/hVfGzO65SiM In Lecture 7, Dr. Matthew Petrusek sheds light on the shadow side of “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” as he explains how all the widely disparate strands of progressivism/wokeism find a tenuous but politically potent unity in the concept of “intersectionality.”
https://youtu.be/vL9IRQxElBE Lecture 8
https://youtu.be/XdvE3O7Iye8 Lecture 9
NRSVue has deleted homosexuality
Christians of different traditions and denominations have disagreed over the years on what books are included in the Biblical canon, and how it should be translated into our (heart) language and style of translation. The Bible of The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church has 81 books! The Protestant Bible has 66 books, and the Catholic Bible 73. Many Protestants enjoy "The Message" and "The New American Standard Bible" (sometimes called English as it was never spoken), but they are so different you might not even recognize the writer let alone the verse. But translators have mostly agreed NOT to rewrite it. I have several translations--NIV, NASB, NAB, KJV, ASV, plus there are dozens of translations and paraphrases on the internet. I have both the RSV and the NRSV, and I think they retain the beauty of their grandfather KJV and update our language to at least the 1950s. But in 2021 the committee completely bowed to the culture and eliminated any reference to homosexuality. When members of the committee were asked about it, they each denied responsibility or even knowledge of who did it!
Wednesday, February 01, 2023
Critical Theory and Woke
It's not Diversity Inclusion and Equity. It's not ESG. It's not BLM Woke. It's not Climate Change or Sustainable Development. It's not Feminism. It's not LGBTQ or Intersectionality. But you'll need all those words. It's all of them, trussed and tied and tortured together.
Together they mean the Oppressed and the Oppressor. Marxist-inspired movement in social and political philosophy. No matter the color or race of the speaker, or the income, or the sex or gender of the agitprop, or whether they wear a pink hat or a black hoodie, it's all critical theory, so someone has to be oppressed, got to have victims. In this class/race/gender system, the poorest, disabled white child in Appalachia is the oppressor of the billionaire black NBA star.
And it's all the mischief of a bunch of old white guys, mostly European--Marx, Nietzsche, Sarte, Foucault and Freire (he was Brazilian). They've danced, partied and slept promiscuously with academics for 40 years, then moved in to seduce politicians, and now are colonizing the largest corporations, the very oppressors they've learned to love (because that's where the real money is).
The original perps failed in real life, and their claim to fame until recently was a hundred million dead in the 20th century; but now it's constant turmoil, death and destruction in the 21st.
Together they mean the Oppressed and the Oppressor. Marxist-inspired movement in social and political philosophy. No matter the color or race of the speaker, or the income, or the sex or gender of the agitprop, or whether they wear a pink hat or a black hoodie, it's all critical theory, so someone has to be oppressed, got to have victims. In this class/race/gender system, the poorest, disabled white child in Appalachia is the oppressor of the billionaire black NBA star.
And it's all the mischief of a bunch of old white guys, mostly European--Marx, Nietzsche, Sarte, Foucault and Freire (he was Brazilian). They've danced, partied and slept promiscuously with academics for 40 years, then moved in to seduce politicians, and now are colonizing the largest corporations, the very oppressors they've learned to love (because that's where the real money is).
The original perps failed in real life, and their claim to fame until recently was a hundred million dead in the 20th century; but now it's constant turmoil, death and destruction in the 21st.
Joe and Whoopi beating the drum of unrest
We're probably in for another race war because of high profile trouble makers like Joe Biden and Whoopi Goldberg. He plans to have the parents of Tyre Nichols at the State of the Union speech, and he's been wrong on so many of these incidents. Whoopee announced on the View, "do we 'need to see white people get beat' before changes are made to policing." She suggests that this sort of thing never happens to whites--because she's never seen it! Such idiocy. In fact, study after study, report after report by DoJ show whites are more likely to be shot by police than blacks, even though the crime rate for blacks is 8x higher! But the narrative is so strong that the media continue to lie.
What the media are doing by beating this drum is endangering black people--and the whole nation. Blacks are now even more likely to be victims because police actually are less likely to confront a criminal in the act of a crime for fear of being disciplined. The 5 Memphis police officers could be representative of many problems--like diversity hiring requirements, poor training, or defunding the police memes on social media, but let's have the trial before the President causes another decrease in qualified men and women entering the force! Because that seems to be what high profile Americans want--people who can hire their own private security. And the stupidity of calling this racism by second tier celebs like Sharpton shows they believe blacks can only be pawns and fools, can't even beat up someone--5 against 1--on their own volition.
Tyre Nichols' beating and death was a terrible tragedy and a crime, and too many people on the left are dancing on his grave for their personal gain.
Yesterday (Jan. 31) I listened to Jason Whitlock's podcast. He blames "baby mama" matriarchal culture, not racist cops or white racism. He says he can't see any reason for this except it was personal, like gang violence spun out of control. https://whatdidyousay.org/2023/01/30/jason-whitlock-op-ed-yes-baby-mama-culture-explains-the-tyre-nichols-tragedy/?
What the media are doing by beating this drum is endangering black people--and the whole nation. Blacks are now even more likely to be victims because police actually are less likely to confront a criminal in the act of a crime for fear of being disciplined. The 5 Memphis police officers could be representative of many problems--like diversity hiring requirements, poor training, or defunding the police memes on social media, but let's have the trial before the President causes another decrease in qualified men and women entering the force! Because that seems to be what high profile Americans want--people who can hire their own private security. And the stupidity of calling this racism by second tier celebs like Sharpton shows they believe blacks can only be pawns and fools, can't even beat up someone--5 against 1--on their own volition.
Tyre Nichols' beating and death was a terrible tragedy and a crime, and too many people on the left are dancing on his grave for their personal gain.
Monday, January 30, 2023
Biden's EO 13990 and EO 14008 on Climate
"On January 20 and January 27, 2021, President Biden signed two executive orders (EOs)—EO 13990 and EO 14008—to deploy an “whole-of-government” regulatory agenda to rapidly phase out the production and consumer use of conventional energy. The goal is to halve U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 (relative to 2005 levels) and ultimately reach “net zero” emissions by 2050.
With these two orders in the first week of his term, Biden took his hands off the wheel and let regulatory agencies do the rest of the job via obscure rulemakings, guidance, reports, standards, and bureaucratic forms. For example, the Federal Reserve, Department of Defense, and Bureau of Land Management are all currently seeking comments on new climate regulations.
Most Americans haven’t heard of EO 13990 and EO 14008, and for good reason: They are busy living their lives and being productive. These two executive orders put in motion a whole-of-government regulatory agenda that is only just beginning to affect Americans’ everyday lives. (The Charge, Heritage Foundation, January 26, 2023)
With these two orders in the first week of his term, Biden took his hands off the wheel and let regulatory agencies do the rest of the job via obscure rulemakings, guidance, reports, standards, and bureaucratic forms. For example, the Federal Reserve, Department of Defense, and Bureau of Land Management are all currently seeking comments on new climate regulations.
It should concern every American, whether conservative or liberal, climate catastrophist or realist, that these executive orders have made nearly every agency a climate agency, regardless of its statutory mission established by Congress.
Most Americans haven’t heard of EO 13990 and EO 14008, and for good reason: They are busy living their lives and being productive. These two executive orders put in motion a whole-of-government regulatory agenda that is only just beginning to affect Americans’ everyday lives. (The Charge, Heritage Foundation, January 26, 2023)
Sunday, January 29, 2023
Hamilton 68
"Matt Taibbi released the most recent Twitter Files on Friday. The focus of this batch is the role a dubious source played in helping shape the false narrative of Russian influence on Twitter.
To some Twitter exec’s credit, they were uncomfortable with the dubious claims that pretty much anything a conservative, MAGA supporter, et al. said was considered “Russian misinformation.” Even accounts that had no ties to any known Russian bot or activity were deemed to be spreading Russian propaganda unknowingly and should therefore be silenced.
If this sounds familiar, it’s because it is. This is the same “logic” used to assert that all white people are racists. Even if they don’t think they are, they are racist. Without knowing it on a conscious level. Or something. It’s an intentionally crafted no-win construct that is now being applied to “misinformation” as well as “white supremacy” and “systemic racism.” #TwitterFiles: Twitter Execs Knew The Russian Misinformation Hysteria Was Based On A Dubious Source (legalinsurrection.com)
'Twitter Files' 15: MSM's Partitioning of Political Discourse | Newsmax.com
Highly-Cited ‘Hamilton 68’ Russiagate Tracker Is Total Hoax: Taibbi’s Twitter Files #15 – NewsWars
Latest Twitter Files show media, Dems relied on single source alleging 'Russian bot' activity: 'It was a scam' (msn.com)
To some Twitter exec’s credit, they were uncomfortable with the dubious claims that pretty much anything a conservative, MAGA supporter, et al. said was considered “Russian misinformation.” Even accounts that had no ties to any known Russian bot or activity were deemed to be spreading Russian propaganda unknowingly and should therefore be silenced.
If this sounds familiar, it’s because it is. This is the same “logic” used to assert that all white people are racists. Even if they don’t think they are, they are racist. Without knowing it on a conscious level. Or something. It’s an intentionally crafted no-win construct that is now being applied to “misinformation” as well as “white supremacy” and “systemic racism.” #TwitterFiles: Twitter Execs Knew The Russian Misinformation Hysteria Was Based On A Dubious Source (legalinsurrection.com)
'Twitter Files' 15: MSM's Partitioning of Political Discourse | Newsmax.com
Highly-Cited ‘Hamilton 68’ Russiagate Tracker Is Total Hoax: Taibbi’s Twitter Files #15 – NewsWars
Latest Twitter Files show media, Dems relied on single source alleging 'Russian bot' activity: 'It was a scam' (msn.com)
Saturday, January 28, 2023
Pfizer and its Director of Research and Development Walker
I don't know how many millions have now seen the expose by Project Veritas of the Pfizer executive, Jordon Trishton Walker, Pfizer Director of Research and Development, Strategic Operations and "mRNA Scientific Planner, spilling the beans about the lab experiments and using Covid as a cash cow (his words), but it was horrifying. It's not that we hadn't suspected or whispered about it (some lost careers by even questioning the vaccines), but when you see it, it's gut wrenching. Then there was this wealthy executive who's been helping to fool millions crying out the race card when he finally discovers "smile you're on Candid Camera" moment, also exposes the whole racialist moves of corporate American to use as a stun gun when he tries to call the police while vandalizing the restaurant and their equipment. Later when interviewed, Dr. Malone points out that by even doing the development of new viruses, Pfizer is admitting it can't keep up with the current new variants. The whole mess was chilling. Tucker said no other media source (at that time) had covered this. The collusion of 1) government, 2) media, and 3) Big Pharma/Big Tech is just shocking--a word so over used these days.
After he realized he was being recorded, Walker claimed he'd been lying to impress a date. Well, if it were true, then he should be fired (cancelled) for sullying his company's reputation on a date to make himself look good (?). Unfortunately, it was just too compelling and frightening to be a pick up line. What he described was a bad plot for a TV crime show.
“You have to be very controlled to make sure that this virus [COVID] that you mutate doesn’t create something that just goes everywhere. Which, I suspect, is the way that the virus started in Wuhan, to be honest. It makes no sense that this virus popped out of nowhere. It’s bullsh*t.”
After he realized he was being recorded, Walker claimed he'd been lying to impress a date. Well, if it were true, then he should be fired (cancelled) for sullying his company's reputation on a date to make himself look good (?). Unfortunately, it was just too compelling and frightening to be a pick up line. What he described was a bad plot for a TV crime show.
(Walker talking to the Honey Pot date)
Wednesday, January 25, 2023
Jean and Jeans, pant and pants
Today I received the February 2023 Talbots catalog. I shop there at a sale, or when exchanging a gift. Jeans and pants are a mystery to me, and since I saw only 2 dresses in the catalog, I noted the variety of styles, waists, leg length, hems, and "wash" for the pants.
First I noticed some are called jean and others jeans; some are called pant and others pants. Not sure of the differences.
Slim ankle jean, with slimming panel
Chic wide leg pant
Wide leg jeans
High waist jeans above waist
High waist relaxed jean in various "wash" colors
Everyday relaxed jeans
Tie waist slim ankle pant
Chino straight leg
Slim ankle jeans with stripe on side
Jegging, button front
Jegging frayed hem
Bristol pant with elastic back waist, pleated front
Chatham ankle pants, side zipper
Soho leggings
Montauk pant flare, pull on elastic waist
Hampshire ankle pant
Everyday stretch straight leg
California's recent killings can't be used by Schiff and Pelosi for politics
In the hours immediately following the Boulder, Colorado, shooting on March 22, 2021, at a supermarket a story had begun to develop that the shooter was a typical gun-loving white supremacist. It’s the narrative that’s all too common, and often perpetrated by Democrats in power. But the shooter Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa is a Muslim. The story went quiet very quickly and Facebook took down his account, which revealed a violent past, even back to high school. I just looked at the court record and as of January 23, he hasn't had a trial or sentence. He has an additional 43 felonies. Just a few days before that incident, Biden and other Democrats were suggesting that a hate crime against Asians in Atlanta could be blamed on President Trump’s “words.” It wasn’t a hate crime against Asians, it was a very young man Robert Aaron Long with a sex addiction and 3 of his victims were white. The truth never stops a Democrats’ urge to lie and there was no apology for the "misinformation." When the Colorado Club Q (LGBTQ club) shooter/killer, Anderson Lee Aldrich, claimed to be non-binary, the reporters just had to fumble, but he/she/they was still charged with a hate crime.
This past Sunday, January 22, there was a shooting at a nightclub killing 11 Asians. Both Senator Chuck Schumer and Rep. Adam Schiff began denouncing Asian hate crimes and bigotry, and the Twitter trolls took up the call. This before there was any arrest or investigation. Wisconsin state Rep. Francesca Hong, sharing her condolences for the victims, tweeted: "We are broken as a nation to have mass shootings and white supremacy reign terror." It's possible it was a personal grudge and the shooter, an elderly Asian man, Huu Can Tran, later committed suicide. That was followed within days by another Asian shooter, Chunli Zhao, in a workplace killing in Half Moon Bay, an agricultural community in California.
But also in California on January 16, 2023, six people including a ten-month-old baby were killed in a house in Goshen, California, by alleged cartel gang members. Now that one is hard to track down and got little attention by Reps. Schiff or Pelosi—wrong shooter and wrong victims> It seems they can't make political charges with it. I hope you watch this video--I didn't see that the Democrats jumped on this, perhaps because the Sheriff condemned the soft on crime California governor (a Democrat) and Biden's open border policy. Brutal killing of California family a 'clear message' from the cartel, sheriff warns: 'They were targeted' | Fox News "When you slaughter, when you shoot a 16-year-old mother in the head and a 10-month-old child in the head, that is a very clear message to everyone that this was a cartel-style shooting, execution, and these types of things with our unsecure open border, with our soft on crime approach here in California, this is the result of some of that failed policy," (Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux). CNN account of the massacre didn't include the sheriff's remarks.
This past Sunday, January 22, there was a shooting at a nightclub killing 11 Asians. Both Senator Chuck Schumer and Rep. Adam Schiff began denouncing Asian hate crimes and bigotry, and the Twitter trolls took up the call. This before there was any arrest or investigation. Wisconsin state Rep. Francesca Hong, sharing her condolences for the victims, tweeted: "We are broken as a nation to have mass shootings and white supremacy reign terror." It's possible it was a personal grudge and the shooter, an elderly Asian man, Huu Can Tran, later committed suicide. That was followed within days by another Asian shooter, Chunli Zhao, in a workplace killing in Half Moon Bay, an agricultural community in California.
But also in California on January 16, 2023, six people including a ten-month-old baby were killed in a house in Goshen, California, by alleged cartel gang members. Now that one is hard to track down and got little attention by Reps. Schiff or Pelosi—wrong shooter and wrong victims> It seems they can't make political charges with it. I hope you watch this video--I didn't see that the Democrats jumped on this, perhaps because the Sheriff condemned the soft on crime California governor (a Democrat) and Biden's open border policy. Brutal killing of California family a 'clear message' from the cartel, sheriff warns: 'They were targeted' | Fox News "When you slaughter, when you shoot a 16-year-old mother in the head and a 10-month-old child in the head, that is a very clear message to everyone that this was a cartel-style shooting, execution, and these types of things with our unsecure open border, with our soft on crime approach here in California, this is the result of some of that failed policy," (Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux). CNN account of the massacre didn't include the sheriff's remarks.
Tuesday, January 24, 2023
Charles McGonigal, Another FBI scandal?
Charles McGonigal, a 22-year veteran of the FBI who retired in 2018 as the special agent in charge of the FBI's counterintelligence division in New York, was charged by the Justice Department with conspiring to violate and violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and with conspiring to commit and committing money laundering as well." (Gazette.com)
"While not connected to the investigation, McGonigal was one of the leading figures behind the investigation into alleged Russian collusion in the 2016 election. McGonigal was one of the first FBI figures to be made aware of allegations that George Papadopoulos, a campaign adviser for Trump, boasted that he knew Russians had dirt on Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton. . . . Trump said: "The FBI guy after me for the Russia, Russia, Russia HOAX, long before my Election as President, was just arrested for taking money from Russia, Russia, Russia. May he Rot In Hell!"" (Newsweek.com)
"While not connected to the investigation, McGonigal was one of the leading figures behind the investigation into alleged Russian collusion in the 2016 election. McGonigal was one of the first FBI figures to be made aware of allegations that George Papadopoulos, a campaign adviser for Trump, boasted that he knew Russians had dirt on Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton. . . . Trump said: "The FBI guy after me for the Russia, Russia, Russia HOAX, long before my Election as President, was just arrested for taking money from Russia, Russia, Russia. May he Rot In Hell!"" (Newsweek.com)
Expect this to be ignored by the lapdog press, or reworded so carefully that you would never know how the Democrat party conspired with the deep state to sink Trump's campaign and presidency. Trump had no idea how deep the swamp actually is, and they are terrified of everything that is being vomited up now that the 2016, 2020 and 2022 elections are history. Combined with 1) the FBI and NARA raid on Mar a Lago and 2) the oozing documents scandal from the Biden houses/Penn office and 3) the evidence of a counter-counter intelligence mole in the party and bureaucracy, and 4) the clever use of the pandemic lockdown to promote mail in voting, 5) the January 6 committee looks like it has egg on its face(s), especially the turn coat Republicans.
Saturday, January 21, 2023
Move over Detroit
"No major American city has failed at the same level as Detroit, whose population dropped from 1.85 million people in 1950 to about 630,000 today. Move over Detroit, here comes San Francisco, which lost 6.3 percent of its population between 2019 and 2021, a rate of decline larger than any two year-period in Detroit’s history and unprecedented among any major US city."
. . . drug and crime issues, its poorly performing public schools, its homelessness, its extremely high cost of doing business, and other issues that people have tolerated for so long, . . .
While Pelosi has been ruining the lives of the rest us, she hasn't done much for her district.
A heart of gratitude
https://youtu.be/7578oSauX1c Family Research Council on a grateful heart with Tony Perkins
This morning I found a copy of an article "Thank you, no, thank you" published in The Wall Street Journal, November 23, 2010 by Melinda Beck. She quoted research on gratitude by Jeffrey Froh of Hofstra University. There was a photo of him reading to his 4 year old son a book about gratitude. So thinking that 13 years plus 4, that little boy would now be 17, and wondered if a grateful dad made a difference. I looked through the internet and found out he's still at Hofstra, and writing about all the ways gratitude helps us develop as mentally healthy, kind people, and he recently published a book especially for teens using the 10 commandments as his model.
Friday, January 20, 2023
Unity in the church
Is there a solution for the conflict in the unity appeals in Paul's letters, like 1 Corinthians 1:10 and the divisions in the church--not only THE church, but our local church congregation? It's not much comfort to see the local churches of the first century were very divided on many issues. Even if read in context about who baptized whom, Paul confirms the message in other letters. But in the 21st century, it is no better and Christians have had 2000 years to get it right.
The abortion conflict really does not allow for "unity." And we are at least a decade or two behind grappling with the genetic manipulation problem that technology has wrought. But the abortion/race/climate/border/gender factions are keeping us putting out fires so we don't have the energy or time to work together on other issues. If we can't agree that a 9 month old baby in the womb is a "life" worthy of protection, we're certainly not prepared to deal with designer babies, or using body parts of aborted babies to correct defects.
I can not pray for unity with people who say conservatives are perverse and obsessed with sex when they destroy life and believe the sexual abuse of trans surgery is OK.
When the U.S. has enough fuel to keep others from starving and we're asked to have unity on Biden's death policies, I just see no good in that.
Running drugs and sex trafficking when it could be stopped but Christians fight each other on what to do and take government grants to assist, is serving God how?
That's defiling the whole concept of unity in Christ. Maybe mercy. Yes, I can ask for God's mercy and grace for all of us. When I read of David's battles, I don't see him asking for unity with those who defy God's will.
I can not pray for unity with people who say conservatives are perverse and obsessed with sex when they destroy life and believe the sexual abuse of trans surgery is OK.
When the U.S. has enough fuel to keep others from starving and we're asked to have unity on Biden's death policies, I just see no good in that.
Running drugs and sex trafficking when it could be stopped but Christians fight each other on what to do and take government grants to assist, is serving God how?
That's defiling the whole concept of unity in Christ. Maybe mercy. Yes, I can ask for God's mercy and grace for all of us. When I read of David's battles, I don't see him asking for unity with those who defy God's will.
Letter to God by a mother for her gay son
I've enjoyed listening to Becket Cook's podcasts. He's a celibate man who gave up the gay lifestyle 12 or 13 years ago after becoming a Christian (and that story alone is amazing). He has since attended seminary and has a popular podcast where he interviews many of the people from his former Hollywood life. But yesterday he told about a letter his mother wrote to God before his conversion, that he never knew about. His mother knew about his homosexuality, but she never condemned or nagged him and they remained very close speaking on the phone every night. His sister-in-law found the letter recently (mother died in 2016) and he reads it on his program. In the letter she claims many Bible verses for him and her, and lists about 12 specific requests including protection from HIV. If you have a child you're praying for who has left or never found the Christian life, perhaps you can be Becket's mom or St. Augustine's mother Monica. It's a beautiful prayer.
From the web page: The Becket Cook Show
"The Becket Cook Show was created by Becket Cook to discuss relevant topics and to crush the lies of culture with truth. Becket Cook was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. After graduating from college, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue his dream of writing and acting, finding success in both. He eventually became a production designer working on fashion shoots for brands such as Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Gap, L'Oréal Paris, and Nike. Becket lived as a gay man until 2009, when he reluctantly agreed to attend a church service at which he was transformed by the gospel and gave his life to Christ. He also knew that homosexuality was a sin and that he could no longer live that life. Becket spends much of his time in ministry speaking at churches, universities, and conferences helping people understand this issue biblically, theologically, culturally, and personally. Becket graduated from Talbot School of Theology at Biola University in 2017 with a Master of Arts in Theology."
"The Becket Cook Show was created by Becket Cook to discuss relevant topics and to crush the lies of culture with truth. Becket Cook was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. After graduating from college, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue his dream of writing and acting, finding success in both. He eventually became a production designer working on fashion shoots for brands such as Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Gap, L'Oréal Paris, and Nike. Becket lived as a gay man until 2009, when he reluctantly agreed to attend a church service at which he was transformed by the gospel and gave his life to Christ. He also knew that homosexuality was a sin and that he could no longer live that life. Becket spends much of his time in ministry speaking at churches, universities, and conferences helping people understand this issue biblically, theologically, culturally, and personally. Becket graduated from Talbot School of Theology at Biola University in 2017 with a Master of Arts in Theology."
Thursday, January 19, 2023
Vivek Ramaswamy on excellence
Take a look at the advice and wisdom of Vivek Ramaswamy, an American entrepreneur in the healthcare and technology sectors, . He was born in Cincinnati, and his wife is an Asst. Prof. at OSU. He says (paraphrase) "Excellence, not victimhood, should be our agenda." His 2021 book: Woke, Inc.: Inside corporate America's Social Justice Scam. His 2022 book: Nation of Victims: Identity Politics, the Death of Merit, and the Path Back to Excellence. Although I think he is a Hindu, his publisher, Center Street, is a publisher of Christian books. I've seen him on various Fox programs, also podcast at PBD Podcast, (Patrick Bet-David). Sounds to me like he might be running for office--or maybe president.
More racist schools in Fairfax Co. or more sites of hidden documents?
Today on Bruce Hooley's show (98.5 FM Columbus) he was taking bets (not for real) on which numbers will increase faster--the number of schools in Fairfax Co. (DC) involved in the racist equity scandal (now up to 17), or the number of documents (now over 20?) and sites (is it 4 or 5) involved in Joe Biden's scandal. Either way, you know Democrats are involved at every step of the way. They are brushing off all their Jim Crow methods of the past.
The worst scandal, of course, is how the FBI and the media are treating two document situations, one far more serious than the other. Trump had a right to the documents and Biden didn't. Biden had his for 6 years in a variety of places not secured with one place paid for by the Chinese, the other in a house with his druggie son. What could possibly go wrong. The FBI raided Mar a Lago, but they are allowing Biden's lawyers to use kid gloves and blind folds to find and report is.
75% of the students cheated out of their merit scholarship reporting on college applications were Asian American. I'm betting not a one was Hispanic or Black.
The worst scandal, of course, is how the FBI and the media are treating two document situations, one far more serious than the other. Trump had a right to the documents and Biden didn't. Biden had his for 6 years in a variety of places not secured with one place paid for by the Chinese, the other in a house with his druggie son. What could possibly go wrong. The FBI raided Mar a Lago, but they are allowing Biden's lawyers to use kid gloves and blind folds to find and report is.
75% of the students cheated out of their merit scholarship reporting on college applications were Asian American. I'm betting not a one was Hispanic or Black.
Wednesday, January 18, 2023
Jimmy Carter doesn't get respect
Well, I liked/like Jimmy Carter. To compare Biden with him as examples of poor presidents is ridiculous. Biden has been a crook and a liar since he found his home in the Democrat party. He has no match among our presidents in deviousness and dementia. I always thought Trump got more accomplished than any presidents in my voting life (1960- ), but now Biden has also made him look virtuous, honorable and brilliant, words I wouldn't have used before 2021.
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