There’s this theory that’s been bubbling around in my mind for about a year now. I’ll get right to the point. Basically, I think that God really likes The Golden Don. Either that or the Deity (or some subset of angels) has been driving the Left bonkers since 2:45 am on the 9th of November, 2016.
Seriously, nothing else makes sense. And not just Leftists, but the NeverTrumpers in the Republican Party. Basically the Establishment or the Deep State or whatever you want to call them. Right now I’m thinking specifically about a certain Senator from Utah named Willard Mitt Romney. And to think that I thought this guy was a stalwart conservative. (I want my vote back!)
I’m sorry but he’s coming off as just another creepy pervert. I mean seriously, “Pierre Delecto”? That’s going to rank right up there with “Carlos Danger”, a Democrat operative who really was a creepy pervert.
What is it with these Establishment types? Do they honestly believe that their sense of entitlement is so overweening that they are immune from the normal consequences of life? Do they honestly think that their espousal of “principles” makes them automatically deserving of our veneration? I guess so. The bubble they live in is so pristine that it might as well be hermetically sealed for all intents and purposes. Versailles had nothing on our crapulent ruling class.
So why do I say that the Lord has Trump’s back? Well, because almost every other day, one of Trump’s enemies is either exposed as a self-absorbed fool (like Romney), a jackass (Schiff) or a loutish boor (basically all those in the Corporate Media who commit sexual assaults). Some even die mysteriously and rather suddenly, like Elijah Cummings.
Nor should we forget Nancy Pelosi, who made a fool of herself a few days ago when she stood up and berated the President at a private meeting. Even the Democrats who attended that meeting decided to stay, which indicates that they were embarrassed by her hissy fit. I saw a photo of her looking abject and forlorn the other day and she looked defeated. Maybe she’s wondering if Trump is going to ground her the next time she wants to go on some “fact-finding mission” to Monte Carlo or something. (Or whether he’ll let her take off but confiscate her secret stash of liquor.)
And we’re not even talking about the presidential contenders. Elizabeth Warren is regularly exposed as a serial confabulator, Julian Castro believes that men should be able to have abortions and when Joe Biden’s dentures don’t fall out of his mouth then his eye starts bleeding. Seriously folks, I see the hand of Providence somewhere in all of this.
And then there’s the catfight between the lovely Tulsi Gabbard and the *ahem* not so lovely Mdme Clinton. By calling Gabbard a traitress, Clinton not only elevated Tulsi’s standing in the Democratic race (which is good because she’s the only sane one) but pretty much destroyed her only chance of swooping into the race to save the Democrats from electoral suicide. Regrettably, I must now take back my prediction made last November and reiterated last month that Clinton would enter the race. What hubris possessed Clinton to say something so monumentally stupid? Again, the hand of Providence. (I imagine that the Bat-signal is going to alert Michelle Obama to come to the aid of her country.)
This was an unforced error of magnificent proportions in other ways as well: for one, it is draining all the oxygen from the candidates themselves (except for Gabbard). Warren’s momentum is stalled for the moment. And St Buttigieg hurt himself immensely when he couldn’t answer the reporter’s question as to whether he agreed with Clinton’s assessment of Gabbard. I would however caution La Gabbard to not drive by Ft Marcy Park; her angry response to Clinton was righteous to be sure but honest criticisms of the Clintons are not tolerated in polite circles.
Getting back to Romney, he pretty much destroyed whatever reputation for rectitude he had. Worse, he’s become a laughingstock. Even GOP Senators who might consider voting for Trump’s removal from office (should he be impeached) will think long and hard about aligning themselves with someone as ridiculous as Romney.
More could be said and no doubt more will be said in the future. I’m sure that something else will blow up in their faces. In the meantime, one shouldn’t “lift up thy hand against the Lord’s anointed”. That was good advice for David when he was an outlaw on the run from the wrath of King Saul. Maybe a certain bishop in the Mormon Church should start perusing the Scriptures more carefully. If nothing else, he wouldn’t have made such a fool of himself.
ADDENDUM: Yours Truly just found out that Elijah Cummings trip to the hereafter was followed by a salacious scandal involving the vice-chairwoman of his committee. It seems that Rep Katie Hill (D-CA) was involved in a “throuple” relationship with one of her comely young staffers.
There is a photograph of the lovely Mrs Heslep showering maternal care on her young charge while she is –how shall I put this delicately?–au natural. This activity violates the House Rules which strictly forbid any sexual contact with staffers and campaign aids. Mdme Pelosis was sober enough to appoint another replacement for the late Gentleman from Rat-infested Maryland in order to deflect attention from the marital woes of the Rep Hill.
More, assuredly, to follow.
Reuters JANUARY 12, 2017 : U.S. Vice President Joe Biden will fly to Kiev on Sunday on a farewell visit by one of Ukraine’s strongest political supporters, as the country looks forward with apprehension to the new administration of Donald Trump
Some serious thoughts on the Bubble that the American kakistocracy lives in:
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/will-the-democrats-miss-middle-america-again
George, forgive me, I don’t know where else to post this:
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/breaking-jury-rules-against-dad-trying-to-save-his-7-year-old-from-gender-transition
https://www.rt.com/usa/445172-transgender-child-mom-court/
Is the father Orthodox Christian? If so, what parish do they attend? Is the child baptized? We should be praying for this family and especially their son. He’s about to be thrown into a furnace of Neberkenezer. To what extent s their priest/bishop involved?
We should be praying for this family, and their son. This is beyond insanity. As a deacon, and father, this is beyond sad and heart-breaking. Lord have mercy!
I guess despair is always an option.
George,
Don’t know where to post this, but a terrible story coming out of Texas. An Orthodox Christian man has lost a legal battle with his apparently mentally disturbed (though a pediatrician!) formerly Orthodox Christian ex-wife — the ex-wife now plans to begin hormonal treatment to turn their 7-year-old son into a girl:
https://hotair.com/archives/ed-morrissey/2019/10/22/texas-jury-father-cant-stop-chemical-castration-gender-change-seven-year-old-son/
From her last name, it appears that the vicious, mentally ill “mother” (though can we still call her that?) is likely a lapsed Greek Orthodox American. Seems that now she’s a monster.
I’m in tears that this poor little boy must suffer because Americans have entirely abdicated our responsibility to be the adults in the room. More on the story:
https://savejames.com/james-story/
Where are our Orthodox leaders speaking out on little James’ behalf? Does he really have no one looking out for him? We’re going to throw him to the wolves in order to advance a bizarre gender theory and “social justice?”
Most Holy Mother of God, please protect James from his earthly mother!!
When I was around 7 or so my friends and I would play “horses.” I was Black Beauty. I am so glad my parents didn’t turn me into a horse.
Gail, when I was around seven to about 10, I had a doll collection I played with. My mother supported me in that activity as a boy. I have no idea what my father thought although I never got any sense of condemnation from him. At some point, I just stopped the dolls and started concentrating on toy guns. Hmmm.
I was mad on amer- Indians. My favourite tribes being the Cheyenne and the Sioux. Nez Pierce and the Seninole. I used to live in a Indian costume, Seninole style, made by my mum. I still managed to grow up… Still love amer – Indians though!! ?
It’s hopeless. But why should we be surprised? After all, we’ve allowed mothers to kill their babies inside their wombs. Why not kill them outside their wombs?
And yes, for all you toxic maternalists out there who don’t know anything about boys and men, we really are rather fond of our penises. Sorry to break it to you.
And now they’re all hot and bothered about “lynching”. Except Trump has reams of videotape in which the Dems used this word in a similar context.
Dudes, this is how Trump plays the game:
He first did this four years ago to the day when he used the Yiddishism “schlonged” to describe what happened to Hillary. (This formula is courtesy of Instanpundit.com.)
Didn’t really work to distract from the Taylor bombshells though.
But it was clearly time for another national teachable moment about how white people shouldn’t compare things that aren’t lynching to lynching regardless of their political affiliation.
Except that the Dems used that word several times in the past.
Repeat after me, Nate: Schlonged. The Golden Don always uses memes that have been used by the Left.
There’s no except, it was inappropriate when Dems or Republicans misused it in the past, just like it was wrong when Trump misused it the other day. It has always been inappropriate.
So do we agree that both Trump and Dems who have misused the term lynching are deserving of criticism?
Not at all. You really need to brush up on your history. American political discourse was very raucous. Check out the movie Lincoln by Steven Spielberg.
I am well up on my history, including the history you pretend doesn’t exist.
So the difference between us is I think lynching is a major thing in American history and does not deserve to be downplayed or trivialized by inappropriate comparisons. And I think those that do should be criticized regardless of their political affiliations.
You, however, think appropriating it is all well and good and just part of ‘raucous discourse’. We disagree, but I can understand why you might want to undermine the historical gravitas of lynching in America.
“Cultural gravitas”? Who uses a phrase like that. Just another form of political correctness. There is no such thing. Lynching is, unfortunately an all too common activity. It is just another form of scapegoating.
Lynching is as much an artifact of the Old West as it is of the South. It is an unjust, emotional, vitriolic and bigoted rush to judgment outside the law against someone who is likely innocent of any criminal wrong doing. Lynch mobs are often composed of people of low self-esteem who have no respect for or confidence in the law. They just want blood and they want it now to satisfy their own need for power. The classic book and movie, The Oxbow Incident examines the psychology and consequence of such activity quite evocatively. Then there is also To Kill a Mockingbird, not to mention the Crucifixion. Now there was a lynching.
Such activity is deeply and profoundly sinful and an assault against the communities in which it occurs. Not talking about it and naming it when it occurs, even if it is not about actually killing someone, is turning a blind eye to injustice and is an act of deep cowardice.
If there is a lynching going on, we all need to be aware of it so it can be stopped–no matter who is being lynched. Especially if we are Christians. All such violence needs to be brought to light not hidden under a blanket of meaningless, obfuscating, self-justify, spineless words.
If someone is wrongly accused of lynching, that is also a matter that needs to be bought to light and corrected for that is just as bad. Thou shalt not bear false witness.
Banning words is a refusal to actually address truth, law and justice. It is profoundly tyrannical in nature and, in fact, tends to create a gravity well into which healthy community life can easily fall and disappear. Not only that it can artificially cover the ugliness implicit in words of insult and degradation. It is a bad idea.
Folks, we have a woke poster!
Might need a safe space
George, raucous to describe American politics is an understatement. What passes for excess these days is a nothing. One, just one of many, case in point. When Andrew Jackson first ran for President. His political opponents attacked him for being a bigamist and his wife Rachel, the absolute love of his life, as a less than virtuous woman because the record of her divorce in Tennessee did not get filed in a timely manner (think of the difficulties of having such a record at all at the time).
Jackson blamed Rachel’s death during the campaign on the vitriolic attacks of his opponents among who were some rather well known names such as Henry Clay but they, of course, had plausible deniability.
No snowflakes back then.
A second mention: the decades long split between Jefferson and Adams began when Jefferson’s crony press made blistering personal attacks against Adams and Adams’ son John Quincy. Jefferson, despite his denials, was intimately involved in such politics, in fact, one of the most successful practioners.
Vicious, gutter stuff even by recent standards.
True. I am almost done with American Lion. I highly recommend it.
Bill Gates told David Rubenstein he doesn’t think buying and selling of stocks constitutes a value added activity (October 17th, 2019, Bloomberg Radio).Now it was Gates who destroyed all the conventions of Bessemer, Doriot, Hatsopoulos and Terman as regards VC & IPO. It was Gates who destroyed Great American tradidions like backwards compatibility (he removed the matrix functions from BASIC). Then Steve Case got to avenge The SOurce by decimating CompuServe, a portal which had faxing, shopping, cloud storage, and access to academic and other databases in the 1980s. CompuServe was the first firm to provide consumer internet email through the server of saqqara.cis.ohio-state.edu, again in the 1980s. Scott Thompson was an accounting major from Stonehill College. It should be noted that at that time thee were precious few degrees in Computer Science and one studied computer science in departments named Electrical Engineering. Mathematical Statistics and Accounting. THe stab at THompson was unfair, given that Obama got to declare his major as National Security instead of Political Science despite there being only two courses in National Security, both taught by his impresario, Zbigniew Brzezinski. And it helped assure the monopoly status of Google. The cocaine-driven traders of the 1980s have only themselves to blame for the current state of the internet because they did not want to get their hands dirty with real science and engineering but preferred the media facade they call technology but which is instead the modern version of clerical work and typewriter repair.
Looks like faithful and concerned Greeks aren’t going to take invasion of their culture and country sitting down.
They’re reportedly stoning barbarian – I meant ‘migrant’ – buses while chanting “close the border” and “throw out illegal migrants.” The Trojan horses – I mean buses – were finally taken to hotels on the island of Euboea, 400 kilometers (250 miles) to the south. The IOM urged government and non-government groups “to work together in order to prevent” similar situations from recurring.
Maybe the IOM will work together with governments to support the Greek indigenous people?
Article posted here: https://www.arabnews.com/node/1573691/world
Maybe the Greeks have not given up their heroic spirit and still have the fight left in them. If things don’t get better really quick for Greece (and the rest of Europe), it’ll be one hell of a race war.
The dystopia we see there is in the cards for us here in America if things don’t turn around really quick. Curiously, the countries that make up the old Warsaw Pact are not going to be affected by this nonsense.
On another note, I just read where Hillary Clinton just gave her condolences on the upcoming suicide of Tulsi Gabbard.
It went something like this: “Bill and I were very saddened to hear the details about Tulsi’s death next week. We were shocked to hear that her feet were encrusted in concrete when her body was found off the pier. We sincerely hope that anybody who is despondent and considering suicide to get mental help as soon as possible. And to mind their own business.”
Along these lines:
On that last point, do you think this might be the Dem Establishment’s game-plan? That is dragging things out to (ostensibly) hurt Trump while ensuring that Biden get the nomination? This way they can’t be blamed for stealing the nomination from Bernie like they did in 2016.
As for “noted forensic psychologist[s]”, forty-five years of trial practice taught me you can find an expert to testify to anything that might favor your client. I know nothing about Epstein or his death, but I do know the “noted” expert was hired by his family for the express purpose of disproving suicide.
TimR, I take your criticism seriously. However, come on, the circumstances regarding Epstein’s demise leave a lot to be desired. There was just a confluence of too many irregularities that happened within a very small window of time.
My point is a small one, George. Don’t leave out possibly relevant facts, is all. Just ‘a noted forensic pathologist, hired by Epstein’s family….’
That’s it.
TimR, when the fix is in, then what choice does a family have but to go outside the perimeter of an illegitimate state? Even Mayor DeBlasio (who is a commie) said he didn’t trust his own city’s coroner.
Just as there are bad cops, bad judges, bad prosecutors, so there are other incompetents up and down the various levels of government. I know what I am about to say is unfair but there is more than a kernel of truth to it: professionals who can and want to make a lot of money do it in the private sector, where it’s sink-or-swim. Government service often provides cushy benefits (like not being able to be fired for anything less than axe-murder).
Just saying.
TimR, I don’t know but isn’t the “dueling experts” part of our adversarial legal system? Isn’t it part of, ideally, the desire to present all of the data and possibly relevant view points so that a decision as close to the truth as possible can be made? Now, I am fully aware that the ideal and reality are often far apart.
It is a messy and inefficient system that, IMO, seldom results in justice, but the messiness and inefficiency do make it more difficult for the state which is a good thing in my view. Unfortunately, wealth plays too large a role in outcomes both criminal and civil. Plus, there are too few people in the system who actually care about the truth of the case, just about winning.
Maybe you can tell me, when was the last time a person of significant wealth (or significant wealth relative to the alleged victim) got serious time for a criminal act?
Given the forces at play in the Epstein case, with a great deal of wealth and power arrayed against a full explication of his actions, it is not an unreasonable assumption that we will never know what happened to whom. Should not we at least try to collect and disseminate as many “facts” as possible rather than relying on just one, probably biased and self-interested party? Then a decision can be better made by the rest of us, even if it never gets to a court.
My sole criticism was George’s citation of ‘a noted forensic pathologist’ without also noting that the said expert was retained by the family.
To me that’s a question of ‘spin’. It’s the leaving-out of a relevant fact because including it might cause reservations about the conclusions of the expert. I don’t like that sort of thing. Simple as that.
Nothing wrong with the family hiring the expert, at all. Indeed, it is not uncommon for families to hire experts to dispute official conclusions of suicide.
Their expert may be right; I don’t know.
Ahh!
Yet more evidence that the Good Lord loves Him some Donald:
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/10/29/getting-cozy-with-cory-booker-tells-cosmo-about-snuggle-time-with-girlfriend-rosario-dawson/
As some bro’s in the hood like to say: “Cory, you NASTY!”
This is also huge, another Trump victory and speaks well of the continuing recovery (and thus his reelection):
https://www.breitbart.com/economy/2019/10/30/carney-the-debate-over-fed-policy-is-over-trump-won/
In addition, what Trump has done with the corralling in the Federal Reserve and the armistice in the trade war with China, is ride out the month of October so that there are no market crashes.
You know, Trump wasn’t my first, second or third choice for the GOP nomination but maybe what we needed was a blustering street-brawler from Queens to get things done. The WASPish/Rhodes scholar establishmentarian types (Bush 41-Obama) certainly did us no favors as to the economy.
This is a byzantine ploy by Sen Manchin:
https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2019/10/30/manchin-i-wont-vote-for-sanders-if-hes-the-nominee/
You must look at the statement behind the statement and it’s got nothing to do with Bernie Sanders not getting his vote. In essence, he’s signaling that impeachment is a no-go in the Senate.
Just thinking, just sayin’…..
Suppose, for the sake of argument, Donald Trump was Orthodox and a member of your parish. Would the way he speaks about, and treats, others be acceptable, were he to behave thusly towards members of your parish? Would you be scandalized if your priest allowed him to partake of the Mysteries?
I’ll answer that: he’s not an Orthodox Christian nor is he a member of my parish. We’ve got enough problems with Orthodox Christians who are doing their darndest to scandalize others (The Wheel, Public Orthodoxy, the EP). Let’s concentrate on cleaning up our own house first.
Then we’ll talk about Trump.
Alitheia1875, Your question is an ideologically charged non-reality. It has no basis in fact or circumstance. In any case, Trump is acting no worse that many of our own bishops. As George says, we ought to concentrate of our own family first.
To be sure, Trump is a raucous, rude, profane man but he is the President in a raucous, rude, profane time. If you want to know more about him and how he fits politically, read about Andrew Jackson. President Jackson is a really good analog politically, socially, emotionally. A short course: Jackson was a man who frequently engaged in actual duels and was never shy about bracing his enemies. He was a populist: the elites, both North and South even in his own party, hated him and did everything they could to keep him from office and disrupt his Presidency. They attacked him and his family personally. The personal attacks were so brutal against his wife, Rachel, that she died before Jackson could take office. He fought back and largely prevailed, surprisingly without having to actually shoot anyone.
Jackson ordered the deportation of the Cherokees from their ancestral homelands which led to the Trail of Tears. A black mark to be sure. The fruit of his Presidency is decidedly mixed but that is to be expected. He faced great challenges politically, socially, economically and Constitutionally. Still, he was able to lead the United States in a very trying time and got elected twice. Had he been younger, it would have likely been three times.
Trump is, as was Jackson, a disruptor. Trump seems to be pretty transparent unlike Slick (I never had sex with that woman; it depends on what the meaning of the word is, is) Willy, LBJ, Nixon, and the Bushes. Or the unsuccessful candidates: Gore, Kerry and Ms. Hillary: bless their little ol’ hearts.
The immoral exigencies of power is why the Orthodox have saints that gave up power for a life of prayer. However, we also have saints who were brutal in power like St. Empress Irene who had her own son’s eyes gouged out but also officially restored icons to the Church and stopped the persecution. That is what the annual feast The Triumph of Orthodoxy is about don’t you know.
If you study the lives of our Presidents at all, you will find that the vast majority of them would be subject to censure in an Orthodox congregation for far more egregious acts than Trump. That does not relieve him of any moral, ethical and legal accountability but he is being judged by a double standard, IMO. A standard that is ideological with no desire for actual truth. But, what do I know as, according to the Democrats, I am a just unredeemable deplorable and according to Patriarch Bartholomew I am an ignorant barbarian.
Democrats finally find a baby they don’t want to cut up in pieces.
https://twitter.com/KurtSchlichter/status/1193524735839072257
George, not only that but cutting up the balloon is a crime while cutting up children is an act of personal identity that is clearly protected in the penumbra of the Constitution.
Seems to me the Constitution only has a “penumbra” when Democrats can read it to their advantage, but the clear words are disavowed and the Constitution itself trashed when they do not agree with the Democrat agenda.
I don’t know, but if burning an American flag is protected “speech” how is downing a political balloon not also protected “speech”? If Anitfa violence is encouraged, why not destruction of the balloon?
Stop thinking logically, Michael. That will do you no good.
George, thank you for the correction. I was not really thinking that way, just applying some semblance of logic to an irrational and increasingly demonic situation in order to highlight the irrationality and hypocrisy of the political class.
It is a no win situation to be sure except through the grace of God.