Current Events and Random Thoughts

“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward totalitarianism.” Ulysses

Long time no see, for reasons I shall not say. Here are a few off-subject thoughts before we return to the site theme:

2018 Winter Olympics

Did you watch the 2018 Winter Olympics? Me neither. Caught some curling; saw some ice skaters fall; and watched in disbelief as NBC and the mainstream media glamorized Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korea’s dictator, Kim Jong Un. Life in the gulag never looked so happy. Could have wormed me on the spot. Almost wanted to die of starvation. The MSM omitted the part about how the psychopath Kim Jong Un executes family members who displease him.

But the Olympics did have a huge bright spot:

Ester Ledecká

Ester Ledecká of the Czech Republic is a world-class snowboarder who entered the women’s Alpine super-G on a lark. She was ranked 49th — didn’t have a chance. She won the gold by one one-hundredth of a second, beating former Olympic gold medalist Anna Veith of Austria. The look on her face was priceless when she saw her time:

Ester Ledecká

This is a really good vid of her ski run, which NBC won’t let me embed. Ester Ledecká became the first woman to win a gold medal in two different sports in a single Winter Games. Congratulations to her.

The Cutting Edge

Now that the 2018 Winter Olympics have ended, let me recommend a great movie for you to watch: The Cutting Edge (1992). It’s a feel-good rom-com that works. Love it. But don’t take my word, here’s Erin Andrews of FOX Sports:

It’s about an unlikely figure-skating duo in pursuit of an Olympic gold medal. Best line in the film: “Finger painting?” And if you watch it, don’t miss the Joe Cocker song during the final credits.

Chappaquiddick

ChappaquiddickGreat headline & review for the upcoming flick Chappaquiddick: “Searing Big Screen ‘Chappaquiddick’ Thriller: Mary Jo Kopechne as First #MeToo Victim of Kennedy Family Money, Power and Corruption.” But the promo poster wins the Oscar for best artwork. An upside-down Oldsmobile floating on the pond — Teddy nowhere to be seen.

Homeowners Associations

No irreverence intended, but the one who said “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Mark 12:31) never lived in an HOA.

Literally.

A Tale of Two Headlines

NEWSWEEK

Here is the Newsweek cover for February 6, 2009 — the issue that reported President Obama’s so-called “stimulus package.” Note the unmistakable words in bold one-inch caps: WE ARE ALL SOCIALISTS NOW (here’s the cover story). I call this to your attention because this morning, nine years later to the month, the Daily Beast ran this headline: “Newsweek Couldn’t Pay Its Rent on Time and Faced Eviction: The crumbling media empire owed its landlord. . .”

Moral of the Story: Newsweek is still socialist.

Close Public Schools

Another horrifying mass shooting in a public school — this time in Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. My heart breaks for every parent who buried their child. This should never happen in any civilized society and this one would not have happened if any of the authorities had acted responsibly when they were warned. Nevertheless, at the risk of offending, let me venture an unpopular opinion that no one will heed: You can’t stop school shootings by banning guns; but you can stop school shootings by banning public schools. Remove soft targets that shouldn’t exist in the first place. The US Constitution does not require the government to educate children. But the Constitution does require the government to protect its citizens. So warm up Old Sparky.

Here’s a tweet from a young student who live-tweeted the massacre.

If you love someone, tell them often. You may never have another chance.

Greater Love

From CBS News:

The U.S. Army is awarding its Medal of Heroism to three Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) cadets killed in last week’s school shooting in Parkland, Florida, an Army spokesperson confirmed Tuesday. Alaina Petty, Peter Wang and Martin Duque were all students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School where the deadly attack unfolded.

The Army awards the Medal of Heroism to JROTC cadets who perform “acts of heroism.”

“The achievement must be an accomplishment so exceptional and outstanding that it clearly sets the individual apart from fellow students or from other persons in similar circumstances,” the Army said in a statement. “The performance must have involved the acceptance of danger and extraordinary responsibilities, exemplifying praiseworthy fortitude and courage.”

Wang was also posthumously admitted to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. The academy expressed condolences with Wang’s family in a statement Tuesday.

“It was an appropriate way for USMA to honor this brave young man,” the academy said Tuesday. “West Point has given posthumous offers of admissions in very rare instances for those candidates or potential candidate’s whose actions exemplified the tenets of duty honor and country.”

Petty’s family received the award at her funeral service Monday and Wang’s family was scheduled to receive his Tuesday at his service, Army spokesperson Michael Maddox said, adding that Wang’s family requested their son be buried in his JROTC uniform. The Medal of Heroism will be on his uniform, Maddox added, and a second “keepsake” medal will be given to the family.

Duque’s family will receive the medal Saturday during his funeral service, he said.

Wang, 15, was shot while he stood holding the door open so other students could escape the shooting. Ernie Rospierski, a history teacher at the high school, witnessed Wang’s heroics on Wednesday.

Rospierski told “CBS This Morning” that he saw Wang “holding the door pushing kids through the door while bullets are coming at him. I don’t know many adults who could have done that, let alone a 14-year-old boy.”

Aaron Feis, Hero

Aaron FeisThis headline is an epitaph:

“A football coach who shielded students from the Florida shooter died as he lived — by putting himself second”

Billy Graham, 1918–2018

Billy Graham has gone to his reward. I doubt (hope) he appreciated the name “America’s Pastor,” but he wore it well. I disagreed with him theologically, but that never mattered to him and I’m sure it matters even less now. He counseled US presidents — from Truman to Obama — most notably Ronald Reagan.

I lament the emergence of the so-called “evangelical vote” for a couple of reasons: First, because Jerry Falwell was an idiot; and second, because it places a political litmus test on evangelicals to assess doctrinal purity, which is absurd. My faith informs my political views; my political views are not my faith. But right or wrong, Billy Graham was linked to the evangelical right, especially during the ’80s.

I have one Billy Graham story, for what it’s worth. It was late ‘70s or early ‘80s and the local TV station was broadcasting one of his crusades (this was the days of rabbit ears and 12 channels, counting UHF) I don’t recall the exact sermon title but it was something like Fools in the Bible. Billy preached from at least four texts that night, maybe more — I remember three:

  1. Psalm 14:1 — “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no god.”
  1. Luke 12:20 (The Parable of the Rich Fool) — “But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?”
  1. 1 Cor. 1:18 — “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.”

This was the only time I heard Billy Graham preach. I thought then and still think now it was one of the most powerful sermons I ever heard.

BozT & CCR

Last week BozT tweeted this remarkable admission:

Welcome to the club, Boz. This is “Ramble Tamble” from CCR’s 1970 LP Cosmo’s Factory. John Fogerty broke new ground with his guitar:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NF4C01hS2nI

Barack Hussein Obama, Totalitarian

The MSM has completely blacked out this story — namely, the Obama regime spying on presidential candidate Donald Trump’s campaign. Tidbits have leaked, enough to see the big picture. Former US Special Counsel Joseph diGenova details the abuse of power:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aa95jLxZfc4

Here is the April 2017 Memorandum Opinion and Order from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which Joe diGenova referenced. All of these abuses occurred under Obama.

These journalists have followed the story closely and their columns are worth reading:

But former federal prosecutor Andrew McCarthy, who put away the Blind Sheik, has offered the best analysis so far. His columns outline the facts in logical sequence, sans speculation.