#source: peggy noonan

[incorrectlooneytunesquotes]

The battle for the mind of Stupor Duck was like the trench warfare of Woild War I: never have so many fought so hard for such barren terrain.

Bat-Rabbit

[deadpopes]

If I’m interested in learning more about Pope John Paul II, do you have any good book recs? Love both of your blogs by the way!!

Thank you! I’m sorry that I didn’t see this question earlier; I always tend to overlook the papal blog because I’m so terrible at updating it.

There are tons of books about Pope John Paul II, so I’ll try to narrow the suggestions down to a handful:

•George Weigel’s two-volume biography of John Paul II is almost certainly the best-known and definitive studies of John Paul II’s life from Poland to the Vatican. The first volume, Witness to Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II (BOOK | KINDLE), was originally published in 1999 and tracks the Polish Pope from birth until the turn of the millennium.

The second volume of Weigel’s biography, The End and the Beginning: Pope John Paul II -- The Victory of Freedom, the Last Years, the Legacy (BOOK | KINDLE), was published in 2010 and devotes almost the entire first half of the book to an in-depth look at John Paul II’s lifelong crusade against Communism. The other half of the book focuses on the Pope’s final years as his health began to fail and as he seemingly used his very public physical deterioration as a lesson in suffering, humility, and strength until his death in April 2005.

In 2017, Weigel published another book -- Lessons In Hope: My Unexpected Life with St. John Paul II (BOOK | KINDLE) -- which isn’t a traditional biography, but a much more personal book about Weigel’s journey as the Pope’s biographer and his relationship with John Paul II over the years. It’s unique compared to his formal biographies because it shows John Paul II from a different, more human perspective than that of the infallible “Keeper of the Keys to Heaven”.

Some of the other books that I’ll suggest are very good, but they can also feel incomplete because John Paul II’s papacy lasted so long that the authors were only able to capture certain parts of his reign.

•His Holiness: John Paul II and the Hidden History of Our Time (BOOK | Kindle not available) by Carl Bernstein and Marco Politi is one of those books that is solid but not a complete history of the Pope’s reign because it was published in 1996, nearly 10 years before John Paul II’s death. And, yes, the co-author is the Carl Bernstein of Washington Post/Watergate/All the President’s Men/Woodward & Bernstein fame.

•John Paul the Great: Remembering a Spiritual Father (BOOK | Kindle not available) by former Ronald Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan was published shortly after John Paul II’s death in 2005 and is excellent. Noonan’s book is also very personal to the author and paints a portrait of John Paul II that helps us understand what he meant to so many people. Noonan also helps explain the source of the Pope’s unique charisma and how he used his immense natural political gifts to reach his audiences. 

•The Pontiff In Winter: Triumph and Conflict in the Reign of John Paul II (BOOK | KINDLE) by John Cornwell is not the most flattering book about Pope John Paul II, but it is an important book to get a balanced understanding of his life and of the health of the Catholic Church towards the end of John Paul II’s papacy. Cornwell has long been one of the best connected Vatican journalists and this book is important because it questions how much blame should have or could have been placed on John Paul II for the scandals and corruption that simmered below the surface inside the Vatican throughout his reign.

•John Paul II: My Beloved Predecessor (BOOK | Kindle not available) is a short collection of writings and homilies by Pope Benedict XVI that he wrote about John Paul II over the years -- as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger while John Paul II was alive, and as Benedict XVI after succeeding John Paul II in 2005. There’s nothing earth-shattering in the book, but it’s an interesting look at one Pope directly from the pen of another Pope.

•The last recommendation isn’t a book about Pope John Paul II, but a book written by John Paul II: The Place Within: The Poetry of Pope John Paul II (BOOK | Kindle not available). This book of poetry written by John Paul II at various points throughout his long life is an incredibly unique window into the soul of a Pope. Some of the poems -- which are translated into English from John Paul II’s native language of Polish by Jerzy Peterkiewicz -- are quite good! Like I said, it’s not a biography of John Paul II, but in many ways reading his poetry can be just as revealing.

[wisdomfish]

Life is difficult and people are afraid, and to be without God is to lose man's great source of consolation and coherence.

Peggy Noonan

[tjeromebaker]

Bring the Insurrectionists to Justice

Bring the Insurrectionists to Justice

Source: The Wall Street Journal by Peggy Noonan Do you see anyone you recognize? The #FBI is still seeking information to help identify individuals who actively instigated violence on January 6 in Washington, D.C. Visit http://ow.ly/skY550D3JL1 to see images from current cases, and submit tips to http://fbi.gov/USCapitol. How do we deal with all that has happened? We remember who we are. We…

[johnfkennedyjunior]

The Last week of JFK Jr, a timeline.

Here's an incomplete list of the events that occurred during the last week of J&C. I compiled it using books and this thread.

Monday, July 12:

Morning: Carolyn was at the Vineyard with Carole Radziwill, and Holly. 

Later on she heads out to the airport to return to NYC with Efigenio Pinheiro.

John flew from Martha’s Vineyard to Toronto to meet with Keith Stein. Once in Toronto, Stein drove John north to his offices in Aurora, Ontario. 

John and his co-pilot flew back to NYC later on Monday night.

Tuesday, July 13:

Night: John showed up at a British advertising agency party in downtown Manhattan. Only stayed for forty minutes.

Wednesday, July 14:

Morning: JFK Jr was still in CAM Walker.

John called Empire Executive car and Limousine service of Manhattan to pick them up at home and deliver them to Paramount Plaza Building, where George maintained office space on the 41st floor.

John and Carolyn held a breakfast reception at George for the executive board of the Robin Hood foundation.

Following the breakfast, Carolyn went shopping at Bergdorf Goodman, then picked up her sister Lauren at the midtown Manhattan office of Morgan Stanley Dean Witter. 

1:30 p.m: Carolyn and Lauren were dropped off at the Stanhope Hotel. John joined his wife and sister-in-law for lunch in the hotel cafe M.

After lunch, John returned to George offices and dealt with financial papers.

He also spoke to Caroline over the phone.

Richard Blow overheard John's conversation with Carolyn, which lasted five minutes. He was only able to make out the following, "Well, Goddammit, Carolyn, you're the reason I was up at three o' clock last night!" 

4 p.m: John received a call from Janet Reno’s office to discuss an upcoming interview with Reno for George magazine.

5 p.m: John telephoned Jacques Lowe, and recounted details of his latest altercation with Carolyn. He told Lowe that he intended to spend the next night or two at the Stanhope Hotel.

8 p.m : John returned to the Stanhope after work, and checked into room 1511. 

Ordered light supper from room service, and ate while watching the evening news on television.

Several hours later John received a visit from Julie Baker. She stayed with John and watched a video until 12:30 a.m. She then left, but insisted she join John for breakfast the next morning. .   

John and his cousin Chris Lawford cruised West Village that night, having dinner then checked out some parties.

Thursday, July 15:

8 a.m: John had breakfast with Julie Baker at the Stanhope dining room, Cafe M.

After breakfast, John taxied to Lenox hill Hospital and his CAM Walker removed, he was given a walking cane, and a new pair of lightweight metal crutches.

10:30 a.m: He left the hospital and went to the North Moore apt for a change of clothes, and packed a weekend bag to take back with him to the hotel.

Afterwards, he stopped at Kennedy family offices on 500 Fifth avenue to retrieve his quarterly financial statement, and  bumped into cousin Chris K. Lawford. According to Lawford, John had lost his crutches was dragging his broken foot. 

Early afternoon: He had lunch with publisher Peter Jay Russo to discuss the future of George. They lunched at San Domenico on Central Park South. They lunched in his usual booth. At one point, he hobbled over on his injured ankle to hug and kiss Diane Sawyer and chat with her lunch companions, Leslie Stahl and Peggy Noonan. He told them he wasn’t letting his crutches slow him down. Restaurant co-owner Marisa May says he was in a great mood. He thanked her for always protecting his privacy. “Remember, I brought Carolyn [Bessette] here before anyone knew,” he said. “I hope to bring the whole family soon.”  

Afternoon at George: John called the edit staff into the conference room for a meeting. Then John met with the George business staff.

Later that afternoon, John showed up at La Palestra,he put in a two-hour workout, says a source, and handed studio owner Pat Manocchia a set of keys to his loft, so Manocchia could spend the weekend.

Met with Gary Ginsberg and both were driven to Yankee Stadium to watch a Yankee/Braves game.

After the game John, and Gary ate a ‘midnight snack’, and shared a car home, during which both discussed Jack Kliger, and Anthony Radziwill's sickness, John also told Gary he was ready to fly again.

After the game, John returned to his North Moore apartment to spend time with Carolyn.

Shortly after 1 a.m and by 2.am: John instructed the driver to head south on 5th avenue, because he would be staying at the Stanhope Hotel.  Friday, July 16:

9 a.m: John checked out of the Stanhope Hotel, and ate breakfast at the hotel Carlyle on Madison avenue.

10 a.m: John came into George offices, and began discussing the upcoming Rob Lowe cover. 

John also attended a meeting with Jack Kliger at the George office to discuss the future of the magazine.

John told Rosemarie Terenzio that Carolyn didn’t want to attend Rory’s wedding. Terenzio was able to convince Carolyn to attend the wedding, and told Carolyn to go shopping for a dress.

Carolyn spent nearly 2 hours in the afternoon shopping at Saks Fifth avenue for a dress with a friend.

John returned to the Stanhope to collect his papers.

At about noon, John received a telephone call from Brian Calcagne, director of sales for Air Bound Aviation. Calcagne asked John if he was planning on flying the Saratoga later that day. Confirming the flight, John asked the caller to have the aircraft ready for departure by early evening.

John then got a call from Robert Merena, a flight instructor who wanted to know if Kennedy needed somebody to accompany him to Martha’s Vineyard. John told the instructor he wanted to fly the plane himself.

1 p.m: John went to lunch with Richard Blow at the Trionfo, John was still using crutches even though his cast was off. He ordered salad, chicken in white wine sauce, and peppermint tea.

After lunch with Richard, John returned to George offices.

3 p.m: John placed a phone call to William Noonan, to cancel a dinner appointment the two had set up for later on Friday night.

5:00 p.m: John went into Richard’s office to ask him about publishing a poem in the magazine, both of them thought it was a bad idea, and John returned to his office, phoned New York literary agent Sterling Lord, and John let him know the poem won’t be published.John also wrote a rejection letter and sent it to them.  

5:30 p.m: John was on the phone with Lauren Bessette and agreed to meet her at 6:30 p.m in front of his office building. 

John informed Rosemarie Terenzio he was going to work out, then head off for the weekend.

Rosemarie Terenzio reminded John to meet Lauren in the lobby at 6:30.p.m

He then checked the Weather Service International’s aviation website to determine the weather conditions for Martha’s Vineyard.

6:30 p.m: John left George offices and went to meet Lauren.

6:45 p.m: Carolyn was seated in the back of a Lincoln Town Car en route to Essex County airport.

8:25 p.m: Carolyn called Carole Radziwill and told her “We’re getting a late start, I’ll call you in the morning.”

8:38 p.m: Tower at Essex County airport cleared John for takeoff.

9:24: John flew over Westerly, Rhode Island.

9:39 p.m: John radioed the airport and said he was 13 miles from the airport and 10 miles from the coast.

9:40 pm : John’s plane descent rate eventually exceeded 4,700 fpm (53 mph). The target's last radar position was recorded at 2140:34 at an altitude of 1,100 feet."

[hondacivictrucknuts]

Does technology matter?

Conjecture: Technology never changes the structure of human relations; it only seems to do so when one has the wrong theory of human nature.

Case: The rise and fall of democracy on the internet

When Douglas Murray received the Sappho prize last year, he spoke in his acceptance speech of conversations about question like, Who can be a European? Politicians in many European countries are afraid to have such conversations, but, he said, in the age of social media they can’t stop the people from having them.

Yet last week YouTube announced plans to crack down harder on harmful content, and to promote authoritative sources. This seems to be the next step in a process that started with Milo Yiannopoulos getting kicked off of Facebook and YouTube, Alex Jones being removed from YouTube, Facebook, and Apple, etc. Not to mention Meghan Murphy getting kicked off of Twitter.

Elizabeth Warren and Peggy Noonan alike have been calling for increased government regulation of social media, and whether or not they get it, the social media companies seem to be trying to preempt the regulators by keeping public opinion on their side. It seems like whatever happens, market and political forces are pushing the media landscape back towards the Cronkite era. Millions of voices working within a narrowing set of constraints doesn’t actually produce any more democracy than the old mass media oligopoly.

[massielandnetwork]

Navigating an Historic Period - Economic Bubble and Anarchy

24. When Dementia Replaces Meritocracy – Real Facts Bring CLARITY

Did you read Ms. Peggy Noonan’s commentary in Saturday’s Wall Street Journal?   I am paraphrasing because I do not have the direct quote, but basically Ms. Peggy Noonan in her article stated her opinion that the Biden Administration is full of intelligent, well-educated, idiots.

Perhaps you saw Janet Yellen’s face last week when she testified to Congress about the economy?  Dr. Yellen is an intelligent and well-educated person who has never had real world experience, just like all of the Biden Administration.  Over the last 49+ years, whenever I have seen the look that was on her face, my experience is that the speaker did not believe one word of what they are saying. 

Another Biden Administration data stream which you must ignore is their economic reports.  If you are wondering how the pain of inflation seems greater than the 8.6% annual rate of inflation that Biden is reporting, you are correct.  The organization called Shadow Stats is a source of accurate data and their numbers are:

Using the original CPI calculation methods, the real annual inflation rate is 16.5+%.

Unemployment is 24.6% of the available workforce (because they can make more money from unemployment benefits than working?).

If you have been reading this blog, you know to ignore the employment trends because employment is a lagging economic indicator.  The new housing market is an important leading indicator of the American economy. While less than 5% of our GDP, the new housing market impacts over 30% of the economy.  Therefore, a review of the data from the recent Integra Residential Report on the new home market comparing the first Quarter of 2022 with the first Quarter of 2021 provides the following important economic insights:

The average sales price of ALL new homes in Central Virginia increased in cost by 15%.

The average sales price of all DETACHED new homes increased by 18%.

The number of building permits issued has declined 35%.

The number of residential lots that closed declined by 28%.

According to the information flowing within the new housing industry in Central Virginia, the last two data points are related.  The industry talk is that there is a significant shortage of residential lots in the pipeline.  Homebuilders are reportedly limiting their monthly sales in each subdivision, and some are only building spec homes that they put on the market when they get close enough to completion to be able to price the units to make a profit.  Yes, finished lumber prices are down but everything else is up.  Several sources shared with me that their construction costs are up 20% over last year.  Notice all the data points that match Shadow Stats’ report?

To balance the supply of residential lots to demand, lot prices have soared.  By necessity, homes built on higher priced lots must sell for higher prices.  The cycle of increasing home prices will continue until The Fed causes mortgage rates to increase enough to take enough home buyers out of the market so supply and demand are equal. That is not a “soft landing” which The Fed is so proudly predicting but has never in my career achieved.  Using interest rates to reduce demand is like taking an atom bomb to kill a fly. The fly is dead but there is a lot of collateral damage.

The last time America faced inflation as we are now experiencing, after he defeated Jimmy Carter President Reagan had The Fed raise interest rates and simultaneously cut taxes to spur production.  More goods produced meant lower prices (supply and demand balanced by increasing supply not reducing demand). This is called Supply Side Economics, a foreign concept to Democrats and other Marxists including the inept PhD’s in the Biden Administration.

Just this week, several inflation gauges finally got the attention of The Fed which realized they are behind the inflation curve.  Look for short-term interest rates (Federal Funds Rate) to rise more quickly than they have been saying. THE THUD IS COMING.

The real action will be in the 10 Year Treasury market where this week rates soared from approximately 2.75% to approximately 3.5% lifting mortgage rates from 5.25% to probably 6%.   I heard one market participant express his belief that the 10 Year Treasuries will hit 5.5% later this year (mortgage rates around 7%).  Increasing the mortgage interest rate from 3% to 7 % in less than a year will dramatically impact the new home market.

While the residential market is the most obvious example, the same sequence of events will unfold in the commercial arena.  Not only will the pace of commercial real estate sales slow, but the market values of commercial real estate will decline.  There are all sorts of economic ripple effects from both trends.

The only element missing from this toxic brew to convert it into an economic catastrophic event is China Evergrande completely collapsing.  If something like that were to happen, the American investment houses and largest commercial banks might suffer such enormous capital losses that they are forced to retrench similar to The Great Recession.  Reduced liquidity creates a downward spiral that is a mirror image to the upward spiral of the expanding liquidity experienced over the last two years. 

One has to give Biden credit for his success in destroying our petroleum industry and taking us from energy independence to begging the Saudi Arabia and other countries for oil despite our having 200 years of fuel available in the USA while we Deplorables literally “Pay the Price’ of higher gasoline.  Meanwhile Russia is selling as much oil as they were in February of this year but at much higher prices.  Those increased profits are funding the invasion of Ukraine.  China will benefit from Biden’s reduction /elimination of tariffs.  Perhaps that will help China invade Taiwan.  Biden’s record of consistent failure in foreign affairs is just as consistent as his economic failures here in the USA.  One of my favorite sayings, “Consistency is a virtue’.

A rudderless ship going into the Bermuda Triangle during a Category 5 hurricane is a good description of the USA today.  Pray hard and tie yourself to the mast because this is going to be a rough ride.

 Also please pray:

That God exercises his control over our government at all levels.

For the 595 surviving Americans being held as political prisoners by Biden and the Demented Marxists in hell hole conditions in the DC Gulag.  

For honest elections because without them we are not free.

For the valiant Ukrainians.

Let’s Go Brandon!

“Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and worries of this life, and that day catch you unexpectedly, like a trap.  For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth.  Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

(Luke 21: 34- 361)   New Revised Standard Version, Oxford University Press)

Stay healthy,

Ned 

June 15, 2022         

Copyright Massie Land Network.  All rights Reserved.

[carolap53]

For all that is in the world – the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life – is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

--1 John 2:16-17

Peggy Noonan, who served in the administration of three U.S. Presidents, wrote a book in 1990 called What I Saw at the Revolution. In it, she discussed the Baby Boomer generation, those who grew up in the 50s and 60s, and talked about how our generation was the first one to truly expect to find happiness in the here and now.

She went on to say that this generation has all the technology, gadgets, and education we could imagine. We’ve had more privileges and possessions than any generation that has come before us. Yet despite all this, Noonan says, we’re one of the unhappiest generations in history.

So why is that? Well, I believe that the more we have at our disposal, the more tempted we will be to try to find our joy in those things. Many people today look to their toys and their things to bring them ultimate satisfaction. These are things that may gratify for a short time, but they’ll never satisfy.

There’s only one thing in the world that can be a source of real and lasting joy: a relationship with Jesus Christ. So instead of looking at things to fulfill you, look to Jesus and find your ultimate satisfaction in Him!

LOOK TO JESUS, NOT MATERIAL THINGS, TO FIND YOUR ULTIMATE JOY AND SATISFACTION.

Jack Graham

[pshebc]

Is Truth Dead?

How ironic this would be a Time magazine cover. I would ask is absolute truth dead? The answer to that is yes in the minds of those who reject the source of absolute truth. The ramafications are freightening.

In light of the Equality Act and other such pieces of legislation and federal regulations that will potentially being put in place. Let this thought sink in.

"Message to society: What you applaud you encourage.

And: watch out what you celebrate."

Penned several years ago by Peggy Noonan former speech writer for President Ronald Reagan and current Wall Street Journal Columnist.

To quote an absolute authoritative source...God:

"Woe (judgment is coming) to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe (judgment is coming) to those who are wise in their own eyes And clever and shrewd in their own sight!" Isaiah 5:20‭-‬21

[newslookout]

Meet The Press Broadcast (Full) – November 8th, 2020 | Meet The Press | NBC News

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) talks to Chuck Todd about his takeaways from the 2020 election. In an exclusive interview with Meet the Press, Kate Bedingfield, Biden Deputy Campaign Manager and Communications Director, outlines the next steps for the the Biden team. Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.), House Majority Whip, talks to Chuck Todd about progressives and moderates within the Democratic Party. Andrea Mitchell, David Wasserman, Peggy Noonan and Cornell Belcher join the Meet the Press roundtable.» Subscribe to NBC News: http://nbcnews.to/SubscribeToNBC » Watch more NBC video: http://bit.ly/MoreNBCNews

NBC News Digital is a collection of innovative and powerful news brands that deliver compelling, diverse and engaging news stories. NBC News Digital features NBCNews.com, MSNBC.com, TODAY.com, Nightly News, Meet the Press, Dateline, and the existing apps and digital extensions of these respective properties. We deliver the best in breaking news, live video coverage, original journalism and segments from your favorite NBC News Shows.

Connect with NBC News Online! NBC News App: https://smart.link/5d0cd9df61b80 Breaking News Alerts: https://link.nbcnews.com/join/5cj/breaking-news-signup?cid=sm_npd_nn_yt_bn-clip_190621 Visit NBCNews.Com: http://nbcnews.to/ReadNBC Find NBC News on Facebook: http://nbcnews.to/LikeNBC Follow NBC News on Twitter: http://nbcnews.to/FollowNBC Follow NBC News on Instagram: http://nbcnews.to/InstaNBC

Meet The Press Broadcast (Full) – November 8th, 2020 | Meet The Press | NBC News

The post Meet The Press Broadcast (Full) – November 8th, 2020 | Meet The Press | NBC News appeared first on News Lookout.

source https://newslookout.com/world-news/meet-the-press-broadcast-full-november-8th-2020-meet-the-press-nbc-news/

[largemouthbassnation]

2014 Schieffer Symposium The Schieffer School of Journalism's 10th annual Schieffer Symposium on the News at TCU. Panelists included: Peggy Noonan, author and columnist, The Wall Street Journal; Jane Pauley, former anchor, the Today show, Former co-host, Dateline NBC; Scott Pelley, anchor and managing editor, CBS Evening News; and Bob Woodward, legendary Watergate reporter, Associate editor, The Washington Post. source

[trumptweettrack]

Our Analysis

This is Mueller tweet 158 from Donald Trump. Nothing to see here. There is a 85% chance that Donald Trump wrote this tweet himself.

This is tweet number 171 mentioning Robert Mueller or the Special Counsel from @realdonaldtrump -- 171 since inauguration. This is tweet number 1004 mentioning the Democrats from @realdonaldtrump -- 843 since inauguration.

Word probabilities: 81/18 (Trump/Staff) Time probabilities: 69/30 (Trump/Staff) Metadata probabilities: 94/5 (Trump/Staff) Posted at: Sun Jun 2 14:13:04 2019 EDT [Link] Tweet Source: Twitter for iPhone

The most informative terms in this tweet were: trump (Other, 1.2:1), past (Trump, 1.4:1), idea (Trump, 1.4:1), left (Trump, 2.5:1), democrats (Trump, 4.0:1), statement (Trump, 1.2:1), never (Trump, 3.6:1), ! (Trump, 1.3:1)

A computer sees the following emotions in this tweet (NRC): {'surprise': 1, 'disgust': 2, 'trust': 2, 'joy': 1, 'negative': 3, 'positive': 3, 'anticipation': 1, 'anger': 2}

Grade level of this tweet (Flesch-Kincaid): 10.1

Peggy Noonan, the simplistic writer for Trump Haters all, is stuck in the past glory of Reagan and has no idea what is happening with the Radical Left Democrats, or how vicious and desperate they are. Mueller had to correct his ridiculous statement, Peggy never understood it!

-President Donald J. Trump

[clothinglennyco]

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez responds to criticism from Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez responds to criticism from Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan following the State of the Union. Source link

[hollywoodjuliorivas]

ILLUSTRATION: CHAD CROWE By Peggy Noonan May 18, 2017 7:11 p.m. ET 809 COMMENTS This will be unpleasantly earnest, but having witnessed the atmospherics the past 10 days it’s what I think needs saying: Everyone, get serious. Democracy is not your plaything. This is not a game. Trump Has Been Lucky in His Enemies Cursing pols, screeching students and intolerant abortion advocates have become the face of the left. CLICK TO READ STORY Republicans, Learn the Limits of Loyalty Make clear you want to work with Trump on policy but don’t defend his bad behavior. CLICK TO READ STORY Does Steve Bannon Have Something to Offer? In 2014 the beleaguered White House aide raised important moral questions about today’s capitalism. CLICK TO READ STORY ADVERTISEMENT What’s Become of the American Dream? Part of the problem is definitional. It isn’t just about houses, cars and material prosperity. CLICK TO READ STORY Mistakes, He’s Made a Few Too Many Crisis will inevitably strike, so America needs stability and strength. Will Trump be ready? CLICK TO READ STORY High Anxiety Over Health-Care Reform ObamaCare proved to be a catastrophic victory. The Republican plan had the makings of another one. CLICK TO READ STORY ADVERTISEMENT MORE BY PEGGY NOONAN The president of the United States has produced a building crisis that is unprecedented in our history. The question, at bottom, is whether Donald Trump has demonstrated, in his first four months, that he is unfit for the presidency—wholly unsuited in terms of judgment, knowledge, mental capacity, personal stability. That epic question is then broken down into discrete and specific questions: Did he improperly attempt to interfere with an FBI criminal investigation, did his presidential campaign collude with a foreign government, etc. LONDON: TRUMP, BREXIT AND THE RISE OF THE UNPROTECTED, WITH PEGGY NOONAN Join the WSJ’s 2017 Pulitzer Prize winner Peggy Noonan and EMEA editor Thorold Barker for a frank and probing discussion about the inner workings of U.S. politics past and present, Thursday, June 22. But the epic question underlies all. It couldn’t be more consequential and will take time to resolve. The sheer gravity of the drama will demand the best from all of us. Are we up to it? Mr. Trump’s longtime foes, especially Democrats and progressives, are in the throes of a kind of obsessive delight. Every new blunder, every suggestion of an illegality, gives them pleasure. “He’ll be gone by autumn.” But he was duly and legally elected by tens of millions of Americans who had legitimate reasons to support him, who knew they were throwing the long ball, and who, polls suggest, continue to support him. They believe the press is trying to kill him. “He’s new, not a politician, give him a chance.” What would it do to them, what would it say to them, to have him brusquely removed by his enemies after so little time? Would it tell them democracy is a con, the swamp always wins, you nobodies can make your little choices but we’re in control? What will that do to their faith in our institutions, in democracy itself? These are wrenching questions. But if Mr. Trump is truly unfit—if he has demonstrated already, so quickly, that he cannot competently perform the role, and that his drama will only get more dangerous and chaotic, how much time should pass to let him prove it? And how dangerous will the proving get? Again, wrenching questions. So this is no time for blood lust and delight. Because democracy is not your plaything. The president’s staffers seem to spend most of their time on the phone, leaking and seeking advantage, trying not to be named in the next White House Shake-Up story. A reliable anonymous source who gives good quote will be protected—for a while. The president spends his time tweeting his inane, bizarre messages—he’s the victim of a “witch hunt”—from his bed, with his iPad. And giving speeches, as he did this week at the Coast Guard Academy: “No politician in history, and I say this with great surety, has been treated worse or more unfairly.” Actually Lincoln got secession, civil war and a daily pounding from an abolitionist press that thought he didn’t go far enough and moderates who slammed his brutalist pursuit of victory. Then someone shot him in the head. So he had his challenges. Journalists on fire with the great story of their lives—the most bizarre presidency in U.S. history and the breaking news of its daily missteps—cheer when their scoop that could bring down a president gets more hits then the previous record holder, the scoop that could bring down the candidate. Stop leaking, tweeting, cheering. Democracy is not your plaything. There’s a sense nobody’s in charge, that there’s no power center that’s holding, that in Washington they’re all randomly slamming into each other. Which is not good in a crisis. For Capitol Hill Democrats the crisis appears to be primarily a chance to showboat. Republicans are evolving, some starting to use the word “unfit” and some, as a congressman told me, “talking like they’re in a shelter for abused women. ‘He didn’t mean to throw me down the stairs.’ ‘He promised not to punch me again.’ ” We’re chasing so many rabbits, we can’t keep track—Comey, FBI, memoranda; Russia, Flynn, the Trump campaign; Lavrov, indiscretions with intelligence. It’s become a blur. But there’s an emerging sense of tragedy, isn’t there? Crucially needed reforms in taxing, regulation and infrastructure—changes the country needs!—are thwarted, all momentum killed. Markets are nervous. The world sees the U.S. political system once again as a circus. Once the circus comes to town, it consumes everything, absorbs all energy. I asked the ambassador to the U.S. from one of our greatest allies: “What does Europe say now when America leaves the room?” You’re still great, he said, but “we think you’re having a nervous breakdown.” It is absurd to think the president can solve his problems by firing his staff. They are not the problem. He is the problem. They’re not the A-Team, they’re not the counselors you’d want, experienced and wise. They’re the island of misfit toys. But they could function adequately if he could lead adequately. For months he’s told friends he’s about to make big changes, and doesn’t. Why? Maybe because talented people on the outside don’t want to enter a poisonous staff environment just for the joy of committing career suicide. So he’s stuck, surrounded by people who increasingly resent him, who fear his unpredictably and pique and will surely one day begin to speak on the record. A mystery: Why is the president never careful? He doesn’t act as if he’s picking his way through a minefield every day, which he is. He acts like he’s gamboling through safe terrain. Thus he indulges himself with strange claims, statements, tweets. He comports himself as if he has a buffer of deep support. He doesn’t. Nationally his approval numbers are in the mid to high 30s. His position is not secure. And yet he gambols on, both paranoid and oblivious. History is going to judge us by how we comported ourselves in this murky time. It will see who cared first for the country and who didn’t, who kept his head and did not, who remained true and calm and played it straight. Now there will be a special prosecutor. In the short term this buys the White House time. Here’s an idea. It would be good if top Hill Republicans went en masse to the president and said: “Stop it. Clean up your act. Shut your mouth. Do your job. Stop tweeting. Stop seething. Stop wasting time. You lost the thread and don’t even know what you were elected to do anymore. Get a grip. Grow up and look at the terrain, see it for what it is. We have limited time. Every day you undercut yourself, you undercut us. More important, you keep from happening the good policy things we could have done together. If you don’t grow up fast, you’ll wind up abandoned and alone. Act like a president or leave the presidency.” Could it help? For a minute. But it would be constructive—not just carping, leaking, posing, cheering and tweeting but actually trying to lead. The president needs to be told: Democracy is not your plaything.

[vegas-glitz]

Analysis: Trump's apparent character flaws leave him unable to meet the historic moment

http://topicsofnote.com/?p=37590&utm_source=SocialAutoPoster&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=Tumblr "In a president, character is everything," wrote the renowned speechwriter Peggy Noonan. And therein lies President Donald Trump's inability to meet this American moment.

Source link

[ramrodd]

Who was Pontius Pilate? - Historical Proof and Legends

COMMENTARY:

My most important spiritual mentor is Rev. Frank Wade, PhD, Associate Rector, National Cathedral. He was Rector at St. Alban's Parish, which owns the property the Cathedral sits upon, when I taught Senior High Sunday School for 3 years which resulted in my epiphany that Cornelius is the author of The Gospel According to Mark in 1990. Caroline Pyle, the Associate Rector and Sunday School Warden, said something to me at Easter 1990 that freaked me out in a useful way. She said something about the Resurrection couldn't happened if Jesus hadn't died, the focus of the Eastern Orthodox Church, that, like Marx with Hegel, turned my theology on its head, and, as an act of responsible due diligence in terms of my contribution to these, mostly, young women 's spiritual lives, I needed to have a greater command of scripture that I had at the moment. As a Christian heretic, it was essential that I represented Episcopal doctrine faithfully, honestly and morally congruent. As a teacher, I was able to do this by closing the loop between the Gospel reading with Frank's sermons. Frank had graduated from the Citidel and he understood (and agreed with) my understanding of Yaweh, Queen of Battle, as the impulse to Duty of the republican servant leader, such as Cornelius. Frank has an interpretation of the Gospels that Judas Iscariot is the first Christian. Jesus was a means to an end to everyone around Jesus until He was crucified, when, like Plato and his Academe after the death of Socrates, their world blew up. And, then, when He was Risen, Indeed, they discovered they were actually instruments of God's Will and the means to the beginning of the ethos of the Son of Man. And Judas was the first one to realize he had been played, betrayed by his own ambitions. I had a similar experience in Vietnam. It's why I left the Army. But that's another story. The thing is, of course Pilate became a Christian. The evidence from Tertullian is that Tiberius became a Christian and tried to elevate Jesus into a legal status as a deity, but the Senate was still pissed from the purge of the Sejanus insurgency and said no. From the viewpoint of Romans, Pilate was successful and, as these things go, actually pretty corruption free, compared to most of his successors. The fact that he survived the Sajanus plot reflects a devotion to his sworn duty to the Emperor as the ur-constitutional authority of the Roman Empire. He was on the same diplomat-military career path as Julius Caesar, but without the divergent political agenda. Everybody who writes about Pilate as a brute is reflecting their experience beyond the boundaries of Roman citizenship and sworn duty. The portrait of Pilate in all the Gospels is from the perspective of, say, Peggy Noonan writing about the golden fields of the Reagan White House or Ted Sorenson writing about JFK. The perspective on Pilate in the Gospels is not a Jewish or a latter day Evangelical perspective but of his household staff he relied on to run Palestine. This included Cornelius. Both Cornelius and Pilate were creatures of the Italian Cohort, aka The Praetorian Guard. This was the absolute functional core of the Roman Republic and Empire. It was the Federal agencies, the judiciary and the Pentagon, all rolled into one. Or, more exactly, the integrated functions of the American republic but without the structural division of labor of the differentiation of the US Constitution.  From the perspective of the process theology of scripture, the Praetorian Guard is what held the Roman Empire together for a thousand years until Constantine replaced it with the theocracy of the Nicean Creed. Pilate wasn't the only one to become a Christian as a direct result of the Resurrection: all the soldiers in the Roman Legions became Christian: that is, anyone who had the same relationship with Yaweh, Queen of Battle, as Cornelius. Again, Tertullian wrote from Carthage that there were more covert Roman Christians by 225 than all the other gods, combined and they were all committed to the Emperor as a condition of Romans 13:1 - 7. Constantine didn't understand this or he would have left the Praetorian Guard to its own devices. Cornelius is the centurion in Matthew 8 and Luke 7. He is a God Fearer relative to the synagogue in Capernaum and has contributed to the physical plant in some way, but involving cold, hard cash.  Cornelius is at his terminal duty station, having probably been seconded to Pilate from the Praetorian Guard and having achieved his highest possible position in Rome. It was a common practice: senior centurions would retire from Rome and become part of the household staff in a Roman colony, like Caesarea or Gaul or Cornith. Cornelius was probably Pilates Chief of Staff and Administrative Director and he was probably in the room with Pilate when he interviewed Jesus. His intelligence services had been following Jesus around since He was baptized by John and caused somekind of stir that captured the attention of his spies or even Roman soldiers patrolling the activities of the Baptist. The Q source was already a substantial file by the time Jesus is remanded by His political foes for disposition Plus, Cornelius knew Jesus, personally, from his engagement in the Capernaum synagogue. Capernaum sits astride the trade route that comes out of the Lavant travels across the land bridge to Africa after passing through Megeddo on the way to Caesarea. Being involved in the Capernaum synagogue established an organic Roman presence to monitor traffic along the trade route and as a listening post to the local politics in the eternally restive Galilee of Israel, where the Jewish Wars would begin in 66. The thing is, it was apparently dangerous to be a Christian after Tiberius died in 37, just after Pilate was recalled. Tiberius had received at least one intelligence report about the Resurrection and the Roman soldiers had already identified the Jewish followers of Jesus as "Christians" for the same reason the Roman soldiers named the Jews after Judea and everybody called the Germans "Krauts", etc. Acts 24:22 reflects that the Romans had an excellent intelligence service and they knew a lot about what went on everywhere in Palestine. One of the things that Sajanus had done was to substantially improve the performance and organization of the Praetorian Guards. Among other things, they could keep a secret. Tiberius found out about the Sajanus plot from his sister and only as a reflection of the pattern of assassinations Sajanus conducted to clear his way to possess the Emperor's laurels. Sajanus died in 31, which tends to suggest that 33 was the year Jesus was crucified, which tends to suggest that what happens between Acts 1 - 10 is far more compressed that generally understood, and, not immaterially, aligns with Gary Habermas's least evidence model for the explosive spread of the creed of The Way expressed in Acts 10:34 - 43, the basis for the Apostle's Creed in the 4th Century. So, after Tiberius died, the Roman Christians went to ground with the bare knowledge that Jesus had validated the God Hypothesis and He had the same relationship with Yaweh, Queen of Battle, as Pvt, Joe Shit of the Upteenth Legion at the edge of the Roman Empire. 180,000 legionaires. I heard an Evangelical Rabbi claim that Abraham was the greatest Evangelical in the Hebrew Bible, with 318 warrior-believers in The One and Yaweh, Queen of Battle. Abraham is the first person in the Bible to be justified by faith by God in Genesis 15:6. Cornelius is the second person to be justified by faith by Jesus in Matthew 8:10 and, as the greatest Evangelical of the New Testament, with the Gospel According to Mark as the seed sown on the fertile soil of the Roman legions. And they were all Christian as soon as they heard of the Resurrection. And, according to Jesus, Cornelius was a Christian even before Judas Iscariot.