#President Trump is anointed

[mariacallous]

Alabama Chief Justice Tom Parker, who wrote the concurring opinion in last week’s explosive Alabama Supreme Court ruling that frozen embryos have the same rights as living children, recently appeared on a show hosted by self-anointed “prophet” and QAnon conspiracy theorist.

Parker was the featured guest on “Someone You Should Know,” hosted by Johnny Enlow, a Christian nationalist influencer and devoted supporter of former President Donald Trump. Over the course of an 11-minute interview, Parker articulated a theocratic worldview at odds with a functioning, pluralistic society.

“God created government,” he told Enlow, adding that it’s “heartbreaking” that “we have let it go into the possession of others.”

Media Matters, the liberal media watchdog group, was the first to report on Parker’s appearance on the program.

That a state’s chief Supreme Court justice would associate himself with Enlow is a cause for alarm. Enlow is a prolific conspiracy theorist, often weaving QAnon apocrypha with prophecies he claims to receive directly from God.

As reported by Right Wing Watch, Enlow has claimed that Trump “is on assignment” from God to work with the angels Michael and Gabriel to take down George Soros and Bill Gates, among others; he has claimed that Russian President Vladamir Putin is fighting “Luciferian pedophiles” in Ukraine, in a battle to stop them from deploying vaccines and 5G that would turn people into transhumanist semi-robots; and he has claimed that the majority of other world leaders are “satanic” pedophiles who “steal blood” and “do sacrifices.”

Enlow’s interview with Parker was uploaded to Rumble, the alt-tech video platform, on the same day the Alabama Supreme Court issued its opinion that sent shockwaves throughout the reproductive rights community. The ruling, which makes fertility clinics liable in wrongful death lawsuits for harming or destroying an embryo, has already imperiled access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) in the state.

“Human life cannot be wrongfully destroyed without incurring the wrath of a holy God,” wrote Parker, a longtime anti-abortion advocate sometimes credited with building the legal framework to overturn Roe v. Wade. “Even before birth,” Parker added, “all human beings have the image of God, and their lives cannot be destroyed without effacing his glory.”

Parker used similar theological language in his interview with Enlow, thanking Enlow for promoting the “Seven Mountains” on his show. As HuffPost has reported before, the “Seven Mountains Mandate” is a doctrine at the core of the New Apostolic Reformation, an evangelical movement that believes in the supernatural, including the existence of modern-day apostles and prophets, and which is characterized by a belief in Christian dominionism. The Seven Mountains Mandate is the belief that Christians must conquer the “seven mountains” of societal influence — education, media, religion, family, business, entertainment and government — and force fundamentalist Christian values onto every part of American life, in order to pave the path for Christ’s return.

“As you’ve emphasized in the past, we’ve abandoned those Seven Mountains and they’ve been occupied by the opposite side,” Parker told Enlow, suggesting the chief justice is familiar with Enlow’s show. Enlow is a big proponent of the Seven Mountains Mandate, and maintains a far-right website with his wife called “Restore Seven.”

Parker also told Enlow that God is “equipping me with something for the very specific situation that I’m facing” as the Alabama chief justice.

Enlow, as noted by Media Matters, praised Parker and appeared mindful of not dragging the judge into even more controversial topics. He told Parker that he’s “in such a key place that we don’t want to have any conversations that hurt you in any kind of way, but we appreciate who you are, who you are in the kingdom.”

[allhailthe70shousewife]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/10/12/southern-strategy-kevin-phillips-republican-party-trump/

Opinion The GOP’s ‘southern strategy’ mastermind just died. Here’s his legacy.

Greg Sargent

“The whole secret of politics is knowing who hates who.”

That insight was the brainchild of Kevin Phillips, the longtime political analyst who passed away this week at 82 years old. Phillips’s 1969 book, “The Emerging Republican Majority,” provided the blueprint for the “southern strategy” that the Republican Party adopted for decades to win over White voters who were alienated by the Democratic Party’s embrace of civil rights in the 1960s.

Phillips advised Republicans to exploit the racial anxieties of White voters, linking them directly to issues such as crime, federal spending and voting rights. The strategy, beginning with Richard M. Nixon’s landslide victory in the 1972 presidential race, helped produce GOP majorities for decades.

Though Phillips later reconsidered his fealty to the GOP, updated versions of the “southern strategy” live on in today’s Republican Party, shaping the political world we inhabit today. So I asked historians and political theorists to weigh in on Phillips’s legacy. Their responses have been edited for style and brevity.

Kevin Kruse, historian at Princeton University and co-editor of “Myth America”: Kevin Phillips was a prophet of today’s polarization. He drew a blueprint for a major realignment of American politics that is still with us. For much of the 20th century, Democrats dominated the national scene, because of the reliable support of the “Solid South.”

But the “Negro problem” of the 1960s, Phillips argued, presented Republicans an opportunity to take the South and Southwest, too, a new region he anointed “the Sun Belt.” All they had to do was appeal to the hatreds of White voters there, through racially coded “law and order” appeals.

Phillips, of course, proved correct about the regional realignment. Republicans won every single state in the South in the 1972, 1984, 1988, 2000 and 2004 presidential campaigns. Today, Republicans dominate the region partly because they still employ Phillips’s polarizing politics of resentment and reaction, from complaints about Black Lives Matter to panics about “woke” education. Donald Trump’s continued dominance of the GOP shows that the underlying instinct to exploit division and inflame hatred remains.

Nicole Hemmer, author of “Partisans: The Conservative Revolutionaries who Remade American Politics in the 1990s”: Phillips helped shape how the Republican Party navigated the last 50 years of U.S. politics. His big contribution was the idea that White southerners could be potential voters for the GOP, because the solid Democratic South had become newly fractured after President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act.

Phillips argued that the Republican Party needed to change the way it conducted politics to reach out to disaffected White southerners. For Nixon, that was “law and order,” something Ronald Reagan used to great effect along with stories about “welfare queens.” George H.W. Bush’s campaign ran the “Willie Horton” ad, which played up fears of Black criminality.

Trump picked up this rhetoric. He launched his campaign on the ideas of Mexican migrant and Muslim criminality — that all these minority populations needed to be under much stricter surveillance.

The strategy that Phillips helped popularize worked just as well with some northern White voters as it did with southern White voters. It helped solidify the Republican Party’s base as almost exclusively White even as the nation has grown more diverse.

Bill Kristol, a former Republican turned Never Trump conservative: It was happening already in 1968, but Phillips’s book and his subsequent promotion of the southern strategy did have the effect of making that reaction to the civil rights movement more coherent. It gave politicians a way to think about shaping that reaction politically.

Newt Gingrich, who defeated lots of Democrats in southern House seats in the 1994 midterms, was in spirit a Phillips protégé. That culminated in 2010, when Democrats got obliterated, and in the red state-blue state divide today.

From Phillips to Ron DeSantis and Greg Abbott, there is a through line. DeSantis, Abbott and others are operating in a world anticipated and partly created by Phillips. The reaction of much of the White working class and Republican politicians to Black Lives Matter and “cosmopolitan elites” is a close cousin of what Phillips predicted and helped shape.

Michael Barone, senior political analyst for the Washington Examiner: I think Phillips was noticing what was happening rather than causing it to happen. Dwight D. Eisenhower got 49 to 50 percent of the popular vote in the South in 1952 and 1956; Nixon got nearly that much in 1960. When the national Democratic Party became more dovish, circa 1967, reacting against the Vietnam escalations of its own presidents, Southern Whites — always the most hawkish voters — turned away from national Democrats not so much because of civil rights but because of dovishness. It’s what Tom Eagleton later told Robert Novak: “acid, amnesty, and abortion.”

Corey Robin, political theorist and author of “The Reactionary Mind”: Phillips understood that the old Republican Party establishment could not begin to take on the New Deal and Great Society until it developed a mass popular base. He saw that the White working class — not just in the South, but in the North — was growing disaffected with the New Deal on economic and racist grounds, and that Republicans could turn that dissatisfaction into governing majorities.

Beginning in 1972 with the reelection of Nixon, Republicans built this majority in the spirit of what Phillips imagined. George W. Bush, the last Republican president to get a popular majority, was the last spasm of that vision. The irony is that, under Phillips, the idea was to expand the Republican Party into a permanent governing majority.

But once the White working class diminished, the electoral return of that resentment dramatically dwindled. As a result, instead of relying on robust electoral majorities, the Republican Party, to win power, relies on the electoral college and the malapportioned Senate. Phillips’s blueprint made the heyday of Republican power — and ultimately unmade it.

#us history #trump #gop #gqp #republicans #nixon #reagan #southern strategy

[feminismisstillahatemovement]

Early Sunday morning, the USWNT exited the World Cup in the first round of the knockout stage, losing to an overmatched Sweden team on penalty kicks at the conclusion of a 0-0 tie. It marked the worst finish for the American women’s team in World Cup history.

Our national team has been ranked No. 1 in the world since June 2017 and for all but 10 months since March 2008. The squad has never been ranked lower than No. 2. In the Round of 16, Sweden conquered a dynasty.

Close observers were not surprised. The team has been in mental decay since Carli Lloyd retired (2020) and corporate media anointed the purple-haired Rapinoe as the unquestioned face of American women’s soccer.

For the last three years, the 38-year-old winger has used the team’s spotlight to grow the Rapinoe brand. The game, the competition, and representing national honor all took a back seat to self-promotion, virtue-signaling, so-called social activism centered around the BLM-LGBTQ-Alphabet Mafia, and expressing Trump derangement.

Rapinoe’s handlers and major corporations partnered with corporate media to cast her as “The Great Gay Hope,” the alternative-lifestyle Muhammad Ali.

Mia Hamm, Abby Wambach, Carli Lloyd, and Alex Morgan were all better players than Rapinoe. But none of them can match Rapinoe’s knack for drawing attention to herself for sleeping with women — her superpower, the behavior that makes her a legendary icon.

To no surprise, the strategy backfired. Rapinoe acted as a locker-room cancer. She diminished the importance of competition. Throughout the World Cup, the U.S. women failed to play with passion and precision. In four games, they scored four goals and won just one match.

On Sunday, with a chance to off Sweden with a penalty kick, Rapinoe missed the entire net wide right. She smirked and laughed in embarrassment. Two other U.S. women missed their kicks as well. But those women earned their spots on the roster. Rapinoe was on the team and on the field because of social pressure and a never-ending marketing campaign. She hadn’t earned the right to fail. The opportunity was bestowed on her.

When asked for her greatest memory of her “legendary” career, she pointed to the lawsuit she and her teammates filed against the U.S. Soccer Federation over alleged pay inequality. Gender pay inequality is a myth and a lie, no different from other popular corporate media narratives like climate change and the alleged genocidal homicide of unarmed black men.

But the truth is irrelevant in the making of an Alphabet Mafia icon. Megan Rapinoe is the George Floyd of soccer. Racism and sexism are the only things that prevented them from being president and vice president of the United States.

Or maybe Rapinoe is just another narcissistic, greedy, entitled celebrity.

Could you imagine Joe Montana or Michael Jordan summarizing their careers by referencing a contract dispute?

Rapinoe is a fraud. She’s the Colin Kaepernick of soccer. Her attitude poisoned the women’s national soccer team. Let’s hope her side effects don’t linger.

#megan rapinoe #women's sports

[ptseti]

US AMB. TO UN EVENT PAUSED DUE TO PRO-PALESTINE DISRUPTION

The US ambassador to the UN and second Black woman to lead that post, Linda Thomas Greenfield, was interrupted by pro-Palestine protestors as she opened her speech at a recent event hosted by Columbia University. Taking to the podium to speak on the theme, ‘Preventing and Addressing Conflict-Related Sexual Violence’, Greenfield, ironically, has consistently vetoed multiple ceasefire resolutions to bring relief if not an end to Israel’s bloodthirsty assault on the Gaza Strip. Nearly 30,000 Palestinians, mainly women and children, have been killed to date. Adding insult to injury, Israeli soldiers have been accused of rape and other forms of sexual abuse against Palestinian females and males during and prior to the current assault.

The pathetic and sickening pattern of the US using Black faces in high places to advance its foreign policy objectives is all too familiar. Remember Colin Powell and Condoleeza Rice? This is the main reason why Kenya has been anointed to lead the UN-backed security force deployment to Haiti, sponsored and bankrolled by none other than Uncle Sam and herself. American boots on the ground in the Caribbean island wouldn’t cut it, especially during a highly contested presidential election year where incumbent president Joe Biden (“Sleepy Joe”) needs each and every single vote to defeat his primary contender, Donald Trump

[tomorrowusa]

Youth turnout exploded during the 2018 midterm elections under President Donald Trump. Then in 2020, energized opposition to Trump among young voters was critical to his defeat. And in the 2022 midterms, surging youth participation helped fend off the widely predicted “red wave.” Even some Republicans fear that expanding youth populations in swing states pose a long-term threat to the GOP.

New data supplied to me by the Harvard Youth Poll sheds light on the powerful undercurrents driving these developments. Young voters have shifted in a markedly progressive direction on multiple issues that are deeply important to them: Climate change, gun violence, economic inequality and LGBTQ+ rights.

– Greg Sargent at the Washington Post on the long term direction of younger voters.

Here's a graph which accompanies the article.

NOTE: This polling was done in March – well before the wildfires, air quality decline, and record high temperatures of this summer.

On all four issues mentioned in the article (LGBTQ+ rights, climate action, economic security, stricter gun regulation) the Republican Party has appalling records which only continue to worsen. If anything, the GOP has gotten increasingly homophobic, more closely aligned with the NRA, more in denial about climate change, and perpetually opposed to food assistance for those in need. And of course Republicans suck bigtime on reproductive freedom; Republicans are endangering US national security in an anti-abortion hissy fit.

The only way to defeat Republicans is to vote Democratic and to never miss an election. Don't be misled by some third party self-anointed savior. Vanity candidates from minor parties never win and are often found to be getting financial backing from Republican sources.

Register and vote. And remember that if you've moved since the last election then you need to register with your new address.

Be A Voter - Vote Save America

#greg sargent #youth vote #younger voters #election 2018 #election 2020 #election 2022 #election 2023 #election 2024 #lgbtq+ rights #food + housing security #gun regulation #climate change #climate action #republicans #the gop #republicans are the anti-youth party #register and vote #the only way to defeat republicans is to vote democratic

[dionysus-complex]

truly insane levels of idolatry happening here

(from the article):

"In recent weeks, for example, the former president posted a video called “God Made Trump” on Truth Social that was produced by a conservative media group technically independent of the Trump campaign. He has also screened it at campaign rallies.

The video begins as a narrator with a voice reminiscent of Paul Harvey’s declares: “On June 14, 1946, God looked down on his planned paradise and said: ‘I need a caretaker.’ So God gave us Trump.”

Why was Trump chosen? The video continues:

God had to have someone willing to go into the den of vipers. Call out the fake news for their tongues as sharp as a serpent’s. The poison of vipers is on their lips. So God made Trump.

The video claims to quote God directly:

God said, “I will need someone who will be strong and courageous. Who will not be afraid or terrified of wolves when they attack. A man who cares for the flock. A shepherd to mankind who won’t ever leave or forsake them. I need the most diligent worker to follow the path and remain strong in faith. And know the belief in God and country.”

The “God Made Trump” video was created by the Dilley Meme Team, described by Ken Bensinger of The Times as

an organized collective of video producers who call themselves “Trump’s Online War Machine.” The group’s leader, Brenden Dilley, characterizes himself as Christian and a man of faith but says he has never read the Bible and does not attend church. He says that Mr. Trump has “God-tier genetics” and, in response to the outcry over the “God Made Trump” video, Dilley posted a meme depicting Mr. Trump as Moses parting the Red Sea."

[drwilfredwaterson]

Deranged, Destitute, and Dishonest Dementia Dummy donnie j. dump Doesn't Get To Be The Republican Presidential Nominee Anymore…Mwahahahahahahahahaa!!! A March 18, 2024 Update For All Political Debate Lovers! Part 17/17

Earthquake: 16:13:50 GMT+3 Jerusalem, Israel, 06:13:50 PDT Local Time Ashford, Washington (Approximately 23 minutes after Judge McAffee's ruling allowing the Fulton County Georgia case to go forward)

TANAKH (Jewish Publication Society, Hebrew-English) Page 541: Judges 9:52 Abimelech pressed forward to the tower and attacked it. He approached the door of the tower to set it on fire. Judges 9:53 But a woman dropped an upper millstone on Abimelech's head and cracked his skull. Judges 9:54 He immediately cried out to his attendant, his arms bearer, "Draw your dagger and finish me off, that they may not say of me, 'A woman killed him!;" So his attendant stabbed him, and he died. Judges 9:55 When the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, everyone went home.

donald trump Just Confirmed He's Under Investigation For Firing James Comey By Kate Samuelson June 16, 2017 9:52 AM EDT “I am being investigated for firing the FBI Director by the man who told me to fire the FBI Director! Witch Hunt,” donald trump wrote on Twitter Friday morning. On June 14, the Washington Post reported on allegations that trump was under investigation for possible obstruction of justice, citing unidentified officials. trump denied the report, calling it a “phony story,” and a spokesman for trump’s lawyer questioned the legality of leaking information in a statement to TIME, but did not deny the report. The man trump is thought to be referencing in his tweet is Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who wrote a memo that provided a basis for Comey’s dismissal. Source: https://time.com/4821334/president-trump-confirmed-investigation-comey/

The Charlie Daniels Band - The Devil Went Down to Georgia

Published: June 16, 2017 (167th day) Duration: 3:37 (217 seconds) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_XGnxTi-fE i_XGnxTi-fE efgiintxx 5+6+7+9+9+40+100+300+300=776. 776+217=993. 993+167=1160.

Strong's Concordance #1160 Beor: From ba'ar (in the sense of burning); a lamp; to kindle, i.e. consume (by fire or by eating); to become brutish, to be brutish; to take away; father of an Edomite king, also the father of Balaam Original Word: בְּעוֹר

TANAKH (Jewish Publication Society, Hebrew-English) Page 606: 1 Samuel 16:13 Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord gripped David from that day on. Samuel then set out for Ramah.

According to Jewish tradition, the Torah contains 613 commandments (Hebrew: תרי״ג מצוות, romanized: taryag mitzvot). This tradition is first recorded in the 3rd century CE, when Rabbi Simlai mentioned it in a sermon that is recorded in Talmud Makkot 23b. Other classical sages who hold this view include Rabbi Simeon ben Azzai and Rabbi Eleazar ben Yose the Galilean. It is quoted in Midrash Exodus Rabbah 33:7, Numbers Rabbah 13:15–16; 18:21 and Talmud Yevamot 47b. The 613 commandments include "positive commandments", to perform an act (mitzvot aseh), and "negative commandments", to abstain from an act (mitzvot lo taaseh). The negative commandments number 365, which coincides with the number of days in the solar year, and the positive commandments number 248, a number ascribed to the number of bones and main organs in the human body.

Although the number 613 is mentioned in the Talmud, its real significance increased in later medieval rabbinic literature, including many works listing or arranged by the mitzvot. The most famous of these was an enumeration of the 613 commandments by Maimonides. While the total number of commandments is 613, no individual can perform all of them. Many can only be observed at the Temple in Jerusalem, which no longer stands. According to one standard reckoning, there are 77 positive and 194 negative commandments that can be observed today, of which there are 26 commands that apply only within the Land of Israel. In addition, some commandments only apply to certain categories of Jews: some are only observed by kohanim, and others only by men or by women. (Wikipedia)

Strong's Concordance #23 Abiasaph: "my father has gathered," from 'ab and 'acaph; father of gathering (i.e. Gatherer); an Israelite name Original Word: אֲבִיאָסָף

Luke 6:13 When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: Luke 6:14 Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Luke 6:15 Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, Luke 6:16 Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. Luke 6:17 When they came down from the mountain, the disciples stood with Jesus on a large, level area, surrounded by many of his followers and by the crowds. There were people from all over Judea and from Jerusalem and from as far north as the seacoasts of Tyre and Sidon. Luke 6:19 Everyone tried to touch him, because healing power went out from him, and he healed everyone. Luke 6:20 Then Jesus turned to his disciples and said, “God blesses you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours. Luke 6:21 God blesses you who are hungry now, for you will be satisfied. God blesses you who weep now, for in due time you will laugh. Luke 6:22 What blessings await you when people hate you and exclude you and mock you and curse you as evil because you follow the Son of Man. Luke 6:23 When that happens, be happy! Yes, leap for joy! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, their ancestors treated the ancient prophets that same way.

Matthew 13:47 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a fishing net that was thrown into the water and caught fish of every kind. Matthew 13:48 When the net was full, they dragged it up onto the shore, sat down, and sorted the good fish into crates, but threw the bad ones away. Matthew 13:49 That is the way it will be at the end of the world. The angels will come and separate the wicked people from the righteous, Matthew 13:50 throwing the wicked into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

TANAKH (Jewish Publication Society, Hebrew-English) Page 1: Genesis 1:3 God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.

John 11:9 Jesus replied, “There are twelve hours of daylight every day. During the day people can walk safely. They can see because they have the light of this world.

TANAKH (Jewish Publication Society, Hebrew-English) Pages 124 and 125: Exodus 7:1 The Lord replied to Moses, "See, I place you in the role of God to Pharaoh, with your brother Aaron as your prophet. Exodus 7:2 You shall repeat all that I command you, and yuour brother Aaron shall speak to Pharaoh to let the Israelites dpart from his land. Exodus 7:3 But I will harden Pharaoh's heart, that I may multiply My signs and marvels in the land of Egypt. Exodus 7:4 When Pharaoh does not heed you, I will lay My hand upon Egypt and deliver My ranks, My people the Israelites, from the land of Egypt with extraordinary chastisements. Exodus 7:5 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out My hand over Egypt and bring out the Israelites from their midst."

Mark 4:1 Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. Mark 4:2 He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: Mark 4:3 “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. Mark 4:4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Mark 4:5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. Mark 4:6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Mark 4:7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Mark 4:8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.” Mark 4:9 Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” Mark 4:10 When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. Mark 4:11 He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables Mark 4:12 so that, “’they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’” Mark 4:13 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? Mark 4:14 The farmer plants seed by taking God’s word to others. Mark 4:15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Mark 4:16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. Mark 4:17 But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. Mark 4:18 The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God’s word, Mark 4:19 but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced. Mark 4:20 And the seed that fell on good soil represents those who hear and accept God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”

1 Corinthians 13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Earthquake: M 1.3 - 11.9 km (7.4 mi) SE of Ashford, Washington

2024-03-15 13:13:50 (UTC) 46.695°N 121.905°W 4.1 km depth

By NF-8415 and Mesatchee ("bad, evil or wicked") Creek near Sawtooth Ridge and High Rock.

46.695°N

Strong's Concordance #46 abir: From 'abar; mighty (spoken of God) -- mighty (one), knight. Original Word: אָבִיר

Strong's Concordance #695 ereb: a lying in wait, ambush, a covert, lair, den Original Word: אֶרֶב

121.905°W

Strong's Concordance #121 Adam: the first man, a person, also a city in the Jordan Valley Original Word: אָדָם

Strong's Concordance #905 bad: alone, separation, a part; fabric, cloth, canvas Original Word: בּד

TANAKH (Jewish Publication Society, Hebrew-English) Pages 77, 78, and 79: Genesis 37:8 His brothers answered, "Do you mean to reign over us? Do you mean to rule over us?" And they hated him even more for his talk about his dreams. Genesis 37:9 He dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers, saying, "Look, I have had another dream: And this time, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me." Genesis 37:10 And when he told it to his father and brothers, his father berated him. "What," he said to him, "is this dream you have dreamed? Are we to come, I and your mother and yhour brothers, and bow low to you to the ground?" Genesis 37:17 The man said, "They have gone from here, for I heard them say: Let us go to Dothan." So Joseph followed his brothers and found them at Dothan. Genesis 37:18 They saw him from afar, and before he came close to them they conspired to kill him. Genesis 37:19 They said to one another, "Here comes that dreamer! Genesis 37:20 Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; and we can say, 'A savage beast devoured him.' We shall see what comes of his dreams!" Genesis 37:21 But when Reuben heard it, he tried to save him from them. He said, "Let us not take his life." Genesis 37:22 And Reuben went on, "Shed no blod! Cast him into that pit out in the wilderness, but do not touch him yourselves"--intending to save him from them and restore him to his father. Genesis 37:23 When Joseph came up to his brothers, they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the ornamented tunic that he was wearing, Genesis 37:24 and took him and cast him into the pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it. Genesis 37:25 Then they sat down to a meal. Looking up, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, their camels bearing gum, balm, and ladanum to be taken to Egypt. Genesis 37:26 Then Judah said to his brothers, "What do we gain by killing our brother and covering up his blood? Genesis 37:27 Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, but let us not do away with him ourselves. After all, he is our brother, our own flesh." His brothers agreed. Genesis 37:28 When Midianite traders passed by, they pulled Joseph up out of the pit. They sold Joseph for twenty pieces of silver to the Ishmaelites, who brought Joseph to Egypt.

Diana Ross & the Supremes - The Impossible Dream

Published: December 12, 2018 (346th day) Duration: 4:48 (288 seconds) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bsN4Uoa3FA 3bsN4Uoa3FA (3, 4, 3) April 3, 3:00 PM, AD 33: The Crucifiction, Death, Resurrection, Salvation, and Redemption of Jesus Christ bsNUoaFA aabfnosu 1+1+2+6+40+50+90+200=390. 390+3+4+3=400. 400+288=688. 688+346=1034.

Strong's Concordance #1034 Beth Lebaoth: From bayith and the plural of labiy'; house of lionesses; a place in Simeon Original Word: בֵּית לְבָאוֹת

To dream the impossible dream To fight the unbeatable foe To bear with unbearable sorrow To run where the brave dare not go

To right the unrightable wrong To love pure and chaste from afar To try when your arms are too weary To reach the unreachable star

This is my quest to follow that star No matter how hopeless, no matter how far To fight for the right Without question or pause To be willing to march Into hell for a heavenly cause

And I know if I'll only be true To this glorious quest That my heart will lie peaceful and calm When I'm laid to my rest

And the world will be better for this That one man, scorned and covered with scars Still strove with his last ounce of courage To reach the unreachable star The fight the unbeatable foe To dream the impossible dream

And the world will be better for this That one man, scorned and covered with scars Still strove with his last ounce of courage To reach the unreachable star To fight the unbeatable foe To dream the impossible dream

TANAKH (Jewish Publication Society, Hebrew-English) Page 1313: Amos 3:7 Indeed, my Lord God does nothing Without having revealed His purpose To His servants the prophets. Amos 3:8 A lion has roared, Who can but fear? My Lord God has spoken, Who can but prophesy?

“The universe has its way of forcing things upon you. If you've never experienced unconditional love, it will offer you this a few times in your life. Either it will be clear as day or it will be a blessing in disguise. If you keep saying 'no' due to unhealed family patters and old fear based wounds that cause a lack of selflove, one day it will stop passing by and you will have to carry the consequences of refusing to see beauty in tempory chaos. You deserve love, and that's the one lesson each and every one of us have in common.” ― Axelle Lioness

“Lucy buried her head in his mane to hide from his face. But there must have been magic in his mane. She could feel lion-strength going into her. Quite suddenly she sat up. "I'm sorry, Aslan," she said. "I'm ready now." "Now you are a lioness," said Aslan. "And now all Narnia will be renewed. But come. We have no time to lose.” ― C. S. Lewis

“Until the lion learns how to write, every story will glorify the hunter,” says an African proverb. But what if the lionesses write eloquently but the editors prefer the hunters’ version?” ― Rebecca Solnit, Whose Story Is This? Old Conflicts, New Chapters

“If a lioness spends her hours pacing back and forth in a cage of gold with the finest meats at her disposal, does that make her any less of a prisoner? If that same feline’s fangs are filed down to blunt, un-tearing teeth and her roar is silenced, can she still be called a lioness?” ― Kristen Reed, The Kings' Council

“A lioness will use all of her strength even when hunting a rabbit.” ― Kazuki Nakashima, Kill la Kill, Vol. 3

Joan Osborne - One Of Us

Published: July 23, 2021 (204th day) Duration: 4:51 (291 seconds) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDdOnl0bHO4 aDdOnl0bHO4 (0, 4) aDdOnlbHO abddhlnoo 1+2+4+4+8+20+40+50+50=179. 179+0+4=183. 183+291=474. 474+204=678.

Strong's Concordance #678 atsil: a side, corner, an extremity, a remote or distant part/region/area, a chief man, noble. Original Word: אָצִיל

Area code 678 serves the Atlanta, GA metro area. It includes the cities of Atlanta, Sandy Springs, Roswell, Johns Creek, and Alpharetta. It is an overlay for area code 770 and area code 404 and serves the combined area. (allareacodes.com)

Céline Dion - The Power Of The Dream | Opening Ceremony of the Atlanta, GA 1996 Olympics

July 19th, 1996 (201st day) Duration: 4:34 (274 seconds) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynJc0YZkA3k ynJc0YZkA3k (JC, 0, 3) ynJcYZkAk acjkknyyz 1+3+600+10+10+40+400+400+500=1964. 1964+0+3=1967. 1967+274=2241. 2241+201=2442.

Strong's Concordance #2442 chakah: the idea of piercing; properly, to adhere to; hence, to await -- long, tarry, to wait. Original Word: חָכָה

“I believe with complete faith in the coming of Mashiach. Though he tarry, nonetheless I await him every day, that he will come.”

TANAKH (Jewish Publication Society, Hebrew-English) Page 382: Deuteronomy 4:3 You saw with your own eyes what the Lord did in the matter of Baal-peor, that the Lord your God wiped out from among you every person who followed Baal-peor; Deuteronomy 4:4 while you, who held fast to the Lord your God, are all alive today.

Strong's Concordance #8415 tehom: from huwm; an abyss (as a surging mass of water), especially the deep (the main sea or the subterranean water-supply) -- deep (place), depth; confusion, empty place, without form, nothing, vain, vanity, waste Original Word: תְּהוֹם

TANAKH (Jewish Publication Society, Hebrew-English) Pages 867 and 868: Isaiah 10:10 Since I was able to seize The insignificant kingdoms, Whose images exceeded Jerusalem's and Samaria's, Isaiah 10:11 Shall I not do to Jerusalem and her images What I did to Smaria and her idols?" Isaiah 10:12 But when my Lord has carried out all his purpose on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, He will punish the majestic pride and overbearing arrogance of the king of Assyria. Isaiah 10:13 For he tought, "By the might of my hand have I wrought it, By my skill, for I am clever: I have erased the borders of peoples; I have plundered their treasures, And exiled their vast populations. Isaiah 10:14 I was able to seize, like a nest, the wealth of peoples; As one gathers abandoned eggs, So I gathered all the earth: Nothing so much as flapped a wing Or opened a mouth to peep." Isaiah 10:15 Does an ax boast over him who hews with it, Or a saw magnify itself above him who weilds it? As though the rod raised him who lifts it, As though the staff lifted the man! Isaiah 10:16 Assuredly, The Sovereign Lord of Hosts will send A wasting away in its fatness; And under its body shall burn A burning like that of fire, Destroying frame and flesh. It shall be like a sick man who pines away. Isaiah 10:17 The Light of Israel will be fire And its Holy One flame. It will burn and consume its thorns And its thistles in a single day,

House of Pain - Jump Around

May 5, 1992 (126th day) Duration: 3:37 (217 seconds) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3Z-kL1Ep_A r3Z-kL1Ep_A (3, 1) rZ-kLEp_A aeklprz 1+5+10+20+60+80+500=676. 676+3+1=680. 680+217=897. 897+126=1023.

Strong's Concordance #1023 beth hammerchaq: Beth-ham-Merchak; house of great distance; place that was/is very distant/far away Original Word: בֵּית המֶּרְחָק

Arnold Schwarzenegger: Why I don't think traitor trump will win a second presidential election

Published: June 16, 2023 (167th day) Duration: 10:40 (640 seconds) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxIZtOfkneo oxIZtOfkneo efiknoootxz 5+6+9+10+40+50+50+50+100+300+500=1120. 1120+640=1760. 1760+167=1927.

Strong's Concordance #1927 hadarah: Feminine of hadar; decoration -- beauty, honor. Original Word: הֲדָרָה

Sleeping Beauty - "Now Sword of Truth, Fly Swift and Sure; That Evil Die and Good Endure!"

January 29, 1959 (29th day) Duration: 1:49 (109 seconds) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTDb4G-v9zw DTDb4G-v9zw (4, 9) DTDbGvzw bddgtvwz 2+4+4+7+100+700+900+500=2217. 2217+4+9=2230. 2230+109=2339. 2339+29=2368.

Strong's Concordance #2368 chotham: a seal, signet ring Original Word: חוֹתָם

TANAKH (Jewish Publication Society, Hebrew-English) Pages 1796, 1797, and 1798: Esther 8:1 That very day King Ahasuerus gave the property of Haman, the enemy of the Jews, to Queen Esther. Mordecai presented himself to the king, for Esther had revealed how he was related to her. Esther 8:2 The king slipped off his ring, which he had taken back from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai; and Esther put Mordecai in charge of Haman's property. Esther 8:3 Esther spoke to the king again, falling at his feet and weeping, and beseeching him ot avert the evil plotted by Haman the Agagite against the Jews. Esther 8:4 The king extended the golden scepter to Esther, and Esther arose and stood before the king. Esther 8:5 "If it please Your Majesty," she said, "and if I have won your favor and the proposal seems right to Your Majesty, and if I am pleasing to you--let dispatches be written countermanding those which were written by Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, embodying his plot to annihilate the Jews throughout the king's provinces. Esther 8:6 For how can I bear to see the disaster wich will befall my people! And how can I bear to see the destruction of my kindred!" Esther 8:7 Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and Mordecai the Jew, "I have given Haman's property to Esther, and he has been impaled on the stake for scheming against the Jews. Esther 8:8 And you may further write with regard to the Jews as you see fit. [Write it] in the king's name and seal it with the king's signet, for an edict that has been written in the king's name and sealed with the king's signet may not be revoked." Esther 8:9 So the king's scribes were summoned at that time, on the twenty-third day of the third month, that is, the month of Sivan; and letters were written, at Mordecai's dictation, to the Jews and to the satraps, the governors and the officials of the one hundred and twenty-seven provinces from India to Ethiopia: to every province in its own script and to every people in its own language, and to the Jews in their own script and language. Esther 8:10 He had them written in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed with the king's signet. Letters were dispatched by mounted couriers, riding steeds used in the king's service, bred of the royal stud, Esther 8:11 to this effect: The king has permitted the Jews of every city to assemble and fight for their lives; if any people or province attacks them, they may destroy, massacre, and exterminate its armed force together with women and hcildren, and plunder their possessions-- Esther 8:12 on a single day in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, namely, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, that is, the month of Adar. Esther 8:13 The text of the document was to be issued as a law in every single province: it was to be publicly displayed to all the peoples, so that the Jews should be ready for that day to avenge themselves on their enemies.

TANAKH (Jewish Publication Society, Hebrew-English): Page 1810: Daniel 3:12 There are certain Jews whom you appointed to administer the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; those men pay no heed to you, O king: they do not serve your god or worship the statue of gold that you have set up." Daniel 3:13 The Nebuchadnezzar, in raging fury, ordered Shadrach, Mesach, and Abed-nego to be brought; so those men were brought before the king. Daniel 3:14 Nebuchadnezzar spoke to them and said, "is it true, Shadrach, Mesach, and Abed-nego, that you do not serve my god or worship the statue of gold that I have set up? Daniel 3:15 Now if you are ready to fall down and worship the statue that I have made when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, zither, lyre, psaltery, and bagpipe, and all other types of instruments, [well and good]; but if you will not worship, you shall at once be thrown into a burning fiery furnace, and what god is there that can save you from my power?" Daniel 3:16 Shadrach, Mesach, and Abed-nego said in reply to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter, Daniel 3:17 for if so it must be, our God whom we serve is able to save us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will save us from your power, O king. Daniel 3:18 But even if He does not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your god or worship the statue of gold that you have set up."

#donald trump #trump 2024 #gop #republican #republicans #conservatives #evangelicals #elections 2024 #2024 elections #2024 presidential election #us politics #politics #american politics #us government #government #holy bible #christian living #bible study #bible verse #bible scripture #Youtube

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

If anyone still labors under the impression that Donald Trump invented the shitshow that is the modern Republican Party, Tuesday's performance on Capitol Hill will have disabused them of that notion. It was déjà vu all over again, just like in 2015 when Kevin McCarthy was humiliated by far right bomb-throwers simply because he was so easy to humiliate, thus giving them leverage and pleasure in equal measure. Poor McCarthy spent the next seven years groveling and genuflecting to these extremists under the foolish impression that they would reward him for his fealty. As Salon's Rae Hodge lays out in detail, on Tuesday afternoon they simply laughed in his face and humiliated him again.

Back in 2015, the newly formed Freedom Caucus, born out of the Tea Party class that came into Congress five years before in the 2010 "shellacking," managed to force then-Speaker John Boehner to resign for having the temerity to make deals with the Democrats in the Senate and the White House in order to keep the government functioning. They were a rump caucus that didn't have the power to stop bipartisan legislation, but they had the leverage to both force Boehner out and prevent the ascension of McCarthy, his anointed successor.

At the time, McCarthy made it easier for them by telling the press that the congressional Benghazi hearings were a set-up to destroy Hillary Clinton (which was obviously true, and wouldn't even raise eyebrows in today's political environment). He also saw the whip count and knew he didn't have the votes of all those Freedom Caucus kooks, and abruptly decided to bow out. After all, the superstar GOP dreamboat and former vice-presidential nominee Paul Ryan was waiting in the wings and McCarthy knew he couldn't compete with those baby blues. Ryan took the job for four years but decided not to run for re-election in 2018, largely because those same people made his life as miserable as they'd made his predecessor's.

So this behavior was going on in the Republican Party before Donald Trump had ever uttered the words "Make America Great Again." He didn't invent this lunacy — he just watched it unfold and saw the opportunity to use it. After all, Trump had already done a test run with his birther nonsense, and liked the vibe. In effect, the GOP has been heading down this anarchic path for decades. Trump undoubtedly made it worse, but he didn't create it. Right now, in fact, he seems almost irrelevant to its descent into further madness.

Trump supposedly whipped votes for McCarthy and it did no good with the diehards. It remains to be seen if he still has the loyalty of the 30% to 40% of Republican voters he will need to remain viable in the presidential race, but he clearly has no pull in Congress. In truth, he didn't have much when he was President — his personal attacks on the late Sen. John McCain cost Republicans their most cherished policy objective, repealing the Affordable Care Act.

McCarthy's catering to the far-right faction hasn't done him a damn good either. In fact, the only people who anyone thinks might have some sway with this group are the real leaders of the Republican Party:

Tuesday night on Fox News, Sean Hannity evoked Ronald Reagan saying something about being loyal to the party, which will have zero effect on people who think of Reagan with the same reverence they have for Grover Cleveland or Calvin Coolidge. They are more likely to pay attention to Tucker Carlson, who had this to say:

That's paranoid nonsense that even the Republican House majority thinks is nuts, but I wouldn't be surprised if the crazies end up extracting this promise from whoever finally wins the gavel. Carlson is their intellectual guru, after all. And I think we know how this new "Church Committee" (as well as the "Laptop From Hell" committee and the "Lock Up Dr. Fauci" committee and all the rest) will actually unfold. These are not serious people dedicated to good-faith oversight. They're a nihilistic carnival act run by folks who are desperate for attention. We're in for a gruesome train wreck of a congressional session.

The problem with having insurrectionists within your own caucus is that they care nothing for the party, much less the country. They looked at the last three losing elections and now feel liberated to do their worst. All the anti-McCarthy members come from deep-red districts that voted for Trump by double digits. They have nothing personally to lose by acting out their darkest political fantasies. They didn't come to Congress to do anything but wreck the place and if that means taking their own party down with it, they couldn't care less.

As CNN's Ron Brownstein points out, Republicans consolidated their hold on red states in the last few elections. In 2022 they nailed down places like Florida, Texas, Iowa and Tennessee for the foreseeable future. But they also won 18 seats in districts that voted for Joe Biden, half of which are in New York and California, blue states which will see much higher turnout in a presidential-election year. They can't afford to lose any of those, but this House circus is going to put every one of those members on the chopping block.

If the last three elections have shown anything, it's that swing-state voters are decisively rejecting the far-right crusade that has so many people in red states spellbound. According to Brownstein, a new analysis of the midterms shows that "in the key House, Senate and gubernatorial races across the 15 states with the most competitive statewide contests involving candidates clearly identified with a Trump-style agenda, Democrats largely matched or even exceeded their 2020 margins — a remarkable showing during the first midterm election for the party holding the White House."

It's not hard to see why. In the last few years we've had one "historic" political crisis after another. Just since 2019 there have been two impeachments, a president refusing to honor election results, a violent insurrection and now, on the very first day of the new Congress, clear evidence that the most radical "Trump-style" officials in the GOP are pulling the strings and the larger majority in the party is helpless to stop them.

Let's hope that all those swing-state voters who came out in 2018, 2020 and again in 2022 will now understand that this isn't just about stopping Donald Trump, as worthy as that is. They need to make sure that Republicans are kept out of power until they demobilize this destructive faction and reinvent themselves as responsible, patriotic participants in the political process. They certainly aren't there yet, and maybe it's just a lost cause.

#us politics #news #op eds #Heather Digby Parton #salon #2023 #118th congress #us house of representatives #speaker of the house #house freedom caucus #tea party #conservatives #republicans #gop #John Boehner #Paul Ryan #rep. kevin mccarthy #donald trump #max cohen #fox news #Sean Hannity #tucker carlson #@acyn #organized religion #separation of church and state #hunter biden's laptop #dr. anthony fauci #republican platform #Ron Brownstein #alt right

[cksmart-world]

SMART BOMB

The Completely Unnecessary News Analysis

By Christopher Smart

November 28, 2023

MIKE LEE: DEAR SANTA STUFF MY STOCKING WITH MAGA $$$

Utah Senator-for-Life Mike Lee asked Santa for donations from the fake electors who he hoped would throw the 2020 presidential election to Trump. Not long after Joe Biden's victory the Utah senator had sneaky tête-à-têtes with Santa's helpers — state legislators, congressmen, senators and the White House — scheming to keep Donald Trump in power. The ruse was to use fake electors in swing states to throw the election into chaos that would lead to the House of Representatives choosing the president. Voilà Trump is reelected. The scam fizzled, such a shame, but on the bright side Christmas came early for Lee. Fake electors donated at least $25,000 to his campaign fund and PAC stockings. Recently, Lee pushed the debunked accusation that FBI agents were spearheading the Jan. 6 capital insurrection. Right, when Trump told his supporters to come to D.C. on Jan. 6 because “it's going to be wild,” he was really saying federal agents would overthrow the government. That should be worth a lot more cash for Lee. You see, Lee's caught on to the Trump strategy perfected by Marjorie Taylor Greene: say crazy stuff and watch Santa make your coffers grow and grow. Once squeaky-clean Mike Lee has drunk the Kool-Aid and Christmas is now year-round. Deck the halls!

OH COME YE, 'TISS THE SEASON FOR THE WAR ON CHRISTMAS

Yes, it's that time of year again when festivities abound with giving and brotherhood and the celebration of a White Christian Nation Christmas. But wait, there is something sinister a foot — yes it's The War on Christmas by liberals, the ACLU, Jews, Muslims, and Klingons. For them saying,“Merry Christmas” is like saying, “Hang Mike Pence,” and they insist the First Amendment is about freedom of religion for Jews and Muslims, too. If elementary kids say, “Merry Christmas,” it's a slur against non-believers. Luckily we have a Christian warrior against the War on Christmas — the newly anointed Speaker of the House Mike Johnson. He fights so school kids can say, “Merry Christmas,” instead of, “Happy Holidays” — a very un-Christlike salutation that undercuts White Christian Nationalism. “The ultimate goal of the enemy is silencing the gospel of Jesus,” Johnson said. “This is spiritual warfare.” Some of those liberals say that, “Happy Holidays” is more inclusive and allows Jews and Muslims to feel included in the festivities. But former Fox host Bill O'Reilly set the record straight in 2016: “That (Christmas) culture war issue ignited and we won,” adding, “Donald Trump is on the case.” So, if you want a beautiful White Nationalist Christian nation, vote Trump. Merry Christmas!

RANKED CHOICE VOTING AND ITALIAN SATELLITES

Hey Wilson, have you and the guys in the band heard of this thing called ranked choice voting? Well, someone somewhere decided the voting system that we've been using since 1789 wasn't good enough. It's not that things weren't working as they should, except maybe for the election of Trump, but some folks like to change things just for the sake of change or maybe they got tired of losing. Anyway, it goes like this: voters rank the candidates in order: first, second and third. If a candidate wins a majority of first-preference votes, they win. But if none get a majority then the candidate with the least first-preference votes bites the dust. OK, so this is where you really have to be sober to grasp this. All the first-preference votes for the failed candidate are erased and the second-preference votes on those ballots are elevated to first-preference. Then a new count of first-preference votes is tallied and so on. You're right Wilson, Republicans would immediately be screaming “voter fraud from Italian satellites.” If they don't comprehend the old way of balloting how will they ever accept results from the ranked choice system. You can guess what'll happen when the Freedom Caucus and Marjorie Taylor Greene get ahold of this: Jan. 6 will actually look like a patriotic family picnic.

Post script — That's going to do it for another carefree week here at Smart Bomb where we keep track of Paris Hilton so you don't have to. Hey Wilson, do you know what Paris Hilton named her new baby daughter? London. London Hilton. Yes, we know you and the band once stayed at the London Hilton. Her first child is a boy named Phoenix. So there's Paris, Phoenix and London. The staff got to thinking about possible names for her next kid. One of the staff's favorite choices is Tooele — Tooele Hilton. It has a ring to it. Another staff pick is Beaver, which could be for a boy or a girl. Beaver Hilton. Well, maybe not for a girl. The best one for a girl is Tabiona. Tabiona Hilton. How sweet. Changing gears, here's an example of why Americans are in a bad mood. Topher Olive went to a McDonald’s in Post Falls, Idaho, according to The Washington Post, and ordered a limited edition “smoky” double quarter pounder BLT with fries and a Sprite — total $16.10. It sticks in the craw. Even though unemployment is down and wages are up, Americans remain bummed out. Inflation. Of course, it's Joe Biden's fault. But the White House has a plan called “Burgernomics” where, theoretically, fast food will trickle down to people jonesing for burgers and fries and McNugget Happy Meals.

Well Wilson, like it or not Christmas is upon us. There's Black Friday and Cyber Monday and people spend a lot of money and businesses make beaucoup bucks. But where in all this is the guy from Nazareth. He preached to the poor and discouraged hoarding earthly possessions. So Wilson, if you can, please take us out with something with love and salvation — we need it:

Suzanne takes you down to her place near the river You can hear the boats go by / You can spend the night beside her And you know that she's half crazy / But that's why you want to be there And she feeds you tea and oranges / That come all the way from China And just when you mean to tell her / That you have no love to give her Then she gets you on her wavelength / And she lets the river answer That you've always been her lover / And you want to travel with her And you want to travel blind / And you know that she will trust you For you've touched her perfect body with your mind.

And Jesus was a sailor / When he walked upon the water And he spent a long time watching / From his lonely wooden tower And when he knew for certain / Only drowning men could see him He said "All men will be sailors then / Until the sea shall free them" But he himself was broken / Long before the sky would open Forsaken, almost human / He sank beneath your wisdom like a stone And you want to travel with him / And you want to travel blind And you think maybe you'll trust him

For he's touched your perfect body with his mind.

Now Suzanne takes your hand / And she leads you to the river She is wearing rags and feathers / From Salvation Army counters And the sun pours down like honey / On our lady of the harbour And she shows you where to look / Among the garbage and the flowers There are heroes in the seaweed / There are children in the morning They are leaning out for love / And they will lean that way forever While Suzanne holds the mirror / And you want to travel with her And you want to travel blind / And you know that you can trust her For she's touched your perfect body with her mind.

(Suzanne — Leonard Cohen)

[intelligentchristianlady]

Dire Warning from a Republican

[J. Michael] Luttig, in stark remarks near the close of Thursday’s hearing, warned that Trump and his supporters remain a “clear and present danger to American democracy” because they have so often indicated their desire to try again in 2024 to overturn the presidential election, if they lose.

“I have written that today, almost two years after that fateful day in January of 2021, that still, Donald Trump and his allies and supporters are a clear and present danger to American democracy,” Luttig began.

“That’s not because of what happened on Jan. 6. It’s because, to this very day, the former president, his allies and supporters pledge that in the presidential election of 2024, if the former president or his anointed successor as the Republican Party presidential candidate were to lose that election, that they would attempt to overturn that 2024 election in the same way that they attempted to overturn the 2020 election, but succeed in 2024, where they failed in 2020,” he continued. (x)

#J. Michael Luttig #GOP #Republicans #beliefs values and principles #post-policy part #Republicans have no commitment to democracy #Republicans have no respect for the rule of law #Republicans try to change the rules in order to win #Republicans are willing to cheat in order to win #it's all about remaining in power #Republicans have no core principles #serious challenges to democracy

[mariacallous]

“Florida is where woke goes to die,” Gov. Ron DeSantis declared at a victory speech in November 2022, just after winning his second term as governor of Florida. He’d just had a decisive win in an election that wasn’t otherwise particularly good for Republicans across the country, and he’d done it by promoting himself as an anti-woke warrior.

It wasn’t his official presidential campaign announcement, but it was still a pitch to voters nationwide: I’m the candidate who can defeat the creeping specter of wokeness infecting schools, workplaces, and our culture as a whole.

But one year after that victory speech that unofficially anointed him as a formidable opponent to Donald Trump, he’s polling in a far distant second place to the former president, and he’s been unable to take his anti-woke message nationwide. What happened?

Is DeSantis a bad messenger, is his anti-wokeness message just not resonating with GOP voters — or is the grip Trump has on the Republican electorate just too strong?

“It’s a little bit of all the above,” Alex Conant, a GOP consultant for Firehouse Strategies, a public affairs firm, told HuffPost.

Originally, “woke” was a term in African American Vernacular English meaning to stay alert to racial discrimination. But soon after the racial justice protests swept the country in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, conservative pundits co-opted the term to derogatorily refer to anything related to progressivism, equality or diversity.

Companies that put out statements in support of diversity initiatives or changed their racist logos, educators who wanted to teach accurate U.S. history, and celebrities who spoke out against discrimination were swiftly deemed “woke” ― and something conservatives everywhere should fear.

In contrast, in Florida and across the country, being anti-woke meant introducing bills that target LGBTQ+ students, diversity initiatives in the workplace, and what books children had access to at school. Any candidate promising to bring those ideas to the national stage, the thinking went, would be a strong Republican contender for the White House.

And perhaps no public figure has invested as much in the concept, or hitched their wagon to it as publicly as DeSantis.

“The woke mind virus is basically a form of cultural Marxism. At the end of the day, it’s an attack on the truth,” DeSantis said during a Fox News interview shortly after announcing he was running for president. “And because it’s a war on truth, I think we have no choice but to wage a war on woke.”

The following week he went to Iowa and promised to take on wokeness as president. “We will fight the woke in education, we will fight the woke in corporations, we will fight the woke in the halls of Congress,” he said.

But complaining about wokeness and stoking the culture wars has turned out to be a losing bet in elections across the country.

In the November 2022 election, candidates that focused on culture wars failed to win key races across the country, with losses in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Georgia. Then last month, school board candidates who ran on combating wokeness in schools were unsuccessful.

It’s looking increasingly clear that Republicans overestimated how much GOP voters were invested in fighting wokeness. With just weeks to go before the first ballots are cast, a November poll out of Iowa shows that DeSantis is tied for second place with former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, at just 16%.

Trump seemed to pick up on the weakness of anti-wokeness branding before DeSantis. “I don’t like the term ‘woke’ because I hear, ‘Woke, woke, woke.’ It’s just a term they use, half the people can’t even define it, they don’t know what it is,” he said at an Iowa event in June.

Conant says Trump is correct. “A lot of voters don’t know what woke is,” he said. “Republicans struggle to define it.”

“Fundamentally, a lot of Republicans are troubled by activist politicians on the right and the left, and they don’t want to see the government penalizing companies,” Conant said.

As part of showing how strong he was on fighting wokeness, DeSantis famously went after Disney after the company criticized Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law, which restricts what educators can say about sexual orientation and gender identity in the classroom. In turn, DeSantis revoked the Disney district’s special tax status and appointed a new board to oversee the district. The megacorporation sued the state, alleging the government was infringing on its First Amendment right.

“I think they crossed the line,” DeSantis said about Disney’s criticism of the law in March. “We’re going to make sure we’re fighting back when people are threatening our parents and threatening our kids.”

But by August, DeSantis appeared to be defeated. It turns out that even though DeSantis had filled the board with members who were loyal to him, the old board had passed a policy that made the new members effectively powerless.

“We’ve basically moved on,” DeSantis said on CNBC. “They’re suing the state of Florida, they’re going to lose that lawsuit. So what I would say is, drop the lawsuit.”

Despite railing against woke companies and politicians, according to Ron Bonjean, a former Republican spokesman and the co-founder of PR firm ROKK Solutions, traditional conservatives don’t like when the government interferes with businesses.

“Seventy percent of polled Republicans are against elected officials going after companies and punishing them,” Bonjean said about his polling. “They want the government to stay out of the marketplace.”

And further polling shows that GOP voters are just not interested in the anti-woke culture wars — at least not enough to rally behind the most anti-woke candidate.

A July 2023 New York Times/Siena College poll found that only 24% of respondents wanted a candidate that would focus on defeating woke ideology.

“It’s immigration, national security, the economy, those are the issues that GOP voters care about the most,” Conant said. “But DeSantis spent most of the campaign talking about what he did in Tallahassee.”

And while campaigning against wokeness was a staple in DeSantis’ stump speeches early in his campaign, he slowly began pivoting. In a televised town hall with CNN this month, he didn’t utter the word once.

Not every political campaign expert believes that it’s simply a messaging problem.

“If you look at the kinds of things DeSantis is arguing against — progressive agendas pushed by school administration, the politics of corporations, DEI ― it’s something that he has articulated well and has a wide audience,” Daron Shaw, a political science professor and public opinion researcher at the University of Texas at Austin, told HuffPost.

But Shaw said DeSantis is just not an effective messenger. “Most conservatives would agree that woke politics have gone too far. But DeSantis isn’t the right messenger. He’s not a happy warrior.”

Trump’s supporters, for better or for worse, find him relatable and believe the former president is standing beside them. Meanwhile, DeSantis comes off as out of touch, like when he was unable to connect with a teenager describing his mental health struggles.

Others believe the media has a role to play. Initially, DeSantis sought only friendly media outlets, eschewing traditional television or print outlets that he likely believed would paint him in a bad light.

“He made a strategic mistake by not engaging in mainstream media,” Conant said. “He allowed his opponents to define him aloof, out of touch, and weird.”

For example, several clips of DeSantis struggling to smile have gone viral. He’s been accused of wearing high-heeled shoes to appear taller and made fun of for eating pudding with his fingers, and his candidacy has been dogged by allegations that he doesn’t know how to relate to voters.

“The Trump influencers and messengers behind the Make America Great Again movement post about DeSantis in high-heeled boots or getting his make-up done,” said David Capen, a North Carolina-based strategist. “They’re using these memes and little clips to make him look weak and insecure.”

And when you’re running against Trump, who is famous for delivering low-blow insults and is polling around 50 points ahead of DeSantis, the last thing you want is to look weak.

Even if DeSantis were polling better or if his message was resonating with voters nationwide and not just in Florida, he’d still have to contend with Trump — who has been the party’s standard bearer since his nomination in 2016.

“Everyone’s fundamental problem is Donald Trump,” Conant said. “He’s effectively the incumbent. You need to convince voters that he needs to be fired.”

And despite the numerous indictments and legal battles the former president is facing, it doesn’t appear to be holding him back. One Iowa strategist believes that DeSantis’ fledging campaign can’t be blamed on anti-wokeness being unpopular or DeSantis’ being too awkward for the national stage.

“It is all about Donald Trump’s popularity,” Jimmy Centers, an Iowa-based strategist, told HuffPost. “Trump is the 500-pound gorilla in the [Iowa] caucus. I think there was a fundamental miscalculation that the Republican electorate was ready for something new.”

[thekillerssluts]

Arcade Fire: ‘America is rotten, but there are beautiful things about it’

After the high-concept hijinks around their last record turned off fans, the indie troubadours have gone back to basics with a rousing new album about Trump and togetherness

Mid-morning in New Orleans, and outside an Uptown coffee shop, Win Butler is talking of life in his adopted city – the basketball, brass bands, and the poisonous caterpillars of the buck moth that, in late spring, fall from the city’s trees on to unsuspecting passersby beneath. He surveys the mighty oaks across the street, broad-branched and strung with moss. “Trees run this city,” Butler says. “They’ve definitely seen some shit, those trees.”

With his wife, Régine Chassagne, Butler is best known for fronting Arcade Fire. The band formed in Montreal at the turn of the millennium, quickly gained a reputation as one of the world’s finest live acts, and over the course of five albums became indie music aristocracy. They were anointed by Davids Bowie and Byrne; they won a Grammy, a Juno and a Brit; they played Obama’s inauguration; and frequently used their platform for political activism, promoting healthcare nonprofits, indigenous protesters and a number of Haitian charities (Chassagne is of Haitian descent). More recently, the band raised $100,000 for the Ukraine Relief Fund by playing a series of small club shows across the US, including cult New York venue the Bowery ballroom.

At times they have irked their audiences: the hijinks that surrounded the launch of their disco-tinged 2013 album Reflektor – secret gigs, street parties, audience dress codes – brought faintly unsettling echoes of U2’s Zoo TV campaign. But it was the release of their last album, 2017’s Everything Now, that rattled fans the most. The album was accompanied by a high-concept promotional campaign claiming that Arcade Fire were now part of a multinational corporation. They named their tour Infinite Content, and posted parodic record reviews, fake news stories, ironic product placements. To some, it was a glittering commentary on the consumer age; to others it seemed sneering, over-earnest and ill-conceived. To many, it was uncomfortably removed from the visceral heart-swell of their live shows.

This month, the band release their sixth album, We, a record they describe as being about “the forces that pull us away from the people we love … [and] the urgent need to overcome them”. This being Arcade Fire, there is a hefty intellectual backstory, nods to the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* and a guest turn by Peter Gabriel. But it also stands as the band’s most tender record since their early output; spacious and simple and sweet, an album born out of the steady closeness of pandemic days.

Butler, Chassagne and their son moved to Louisiana six years ago, captivated by its mingling of cultures and unbridled passion for music and creativity. “What’s that Mark Twain line about there being only three cities in America?” Butler asks as we walk along Magazine Street. “New York, San Francisco and New Orleans. Everything else is Cleveland.”

Butler cuts a conspicuous figure: basketball player-tall, with bleached blond hair, today he is wearing cream-coloured jeans, a tie-dyed white T-shirt and black bomber jacket. There is an intensity to the way he speaks, whether he is talking about a Mardi Gras spent playing cowbell in New Orleans’ TBC Brass Band, or the hanging chads of the 2000 US presidential race. But he seems to fit comfortably in this neighbourhood, greeting the coffee shop barista warmly and gleefully relating the history of Miss Mae’s, a 24-hour “dirtbag bar” that stands on the corner of Magazine and Napoleon.

[The Trump presidency] was pretty turbulent times in the US. You’d wake up and you had no idea what was going to happen

Régine Chassagne

Down the street, Butler leads us into a former luncheonette, now home to Peaches Records. Peaches, he says, is some way removed from the record shop he frequented as a teenager in the suburbs of Houston, Texas – a chainstore in the mall that mostly sold CDs, and where he tried to nourish his love of New Order and the Cure. He talks of how his mother played jazz harp, his grandfather played the pedal steel, and how the first time he heard Smokey Robinson sing, he couldn’t quite believe that this music had been made by human beings.

“Look at this,” Butler says, holding up an octagonal copy of the Rolling Stones’ compilation Through the Past Darkly, and holding forth on the qualities of a good record sleeve. His attention alights on Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, and the merits of the short album. “There’s like four songs on it and a lot of connective tissue,” he says. “And they sort of stretch it, so you have this space to hear stuff. That’s not even my favourite record, but it’s an example of coherence. You look at the album artwork, you listen to it, it’s very coherent.” He was seeking something similar on We, he says, paring back more songs than ever before to make a taut 40-minute record. “We cut some really good shit,” he says. “That’s how we did it.”

We walk along Napoleon to a Creole-Italian restaurant to meet Chassagne. This afternoon, the rest of the band will arrive in New Orleans to begin tour rehearsals, and Butler is eager to be back out in the world again after the restrictions of lockdown. He recalls the band’s recent show in New York, how good it felt to be before a crowd once more. “One hundred people spitting in my face,” he says. “It felt like being baptised.”

At the counter in Pascal’s Manale, the oyster shucker Thomas “Uptown T” Stewart stands beside a mound of silver shells, discussing the peaceful pleasures of Cyrano de Bergerac, jazz, poetry and softly spoken people. We are drinking martinis, and Butler is trying to persuade me that the best way to eat an oyster is to sit it atop a saltine cracker, with horseradish, ketchup and a little lemon juice. Chassagne stands beside him and unceremoniously slugs black a Gulf oyster from its shell. Stewart is impressed. “You knocked that down like you just did a shot of good bourbon!” he tells her. “I caught your rhythm. You have a lot of good energy.”

Chassagne’s energy has always been undeniable. When Butler first saw her she was singing jazz standards at an art opening in Montreal, and he immediately asked her to join his fledgling band. The strands of what she has described as her “grandmother music” – opera and Jacques Brel and Edith Piaf, somehow melding with Butler’s art pop influences. On stage, they perform a similar feat: Chassagne singing, dancing, shifting between accordion, keys and xylophone, seemingly existing in her own orbit as the rest of the band play on.

Back at the table this lunchtime, she sits in a black batwing top and black jeans, her dark curls jigging along to the theme to Captain Kangaroo, inexplicably playing on the restaurant stereo. “I haven’t heard this song in for ever!” she says, suddenly distracted. Chassagne does this often – a sentence drawing suddenly to a halt so she can sing along with a chorus, then dart back to the conversation.

Before the detour into Captain Kangaroo, she was recalling how the new album took root in pre-Covid America, in the days of the Trump presidency. “It was pretty turbulent times in the US,” she says. “You would wake up and you had no idea what was going to happen.” The band began work on a record they hoped might reflect that turbulence: tracks such as the slow, syrupy End of the Empire reflecting the decline of western power, with references to the cauterising effect of television, the urge to unsubscribe and watching the moon on the ocean “where California used to be”.

The album opens with Age of Anxiety I and II, tracks that take their name from Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s 1958 poem I Am Waiting. When Butler was 15, his beatnik English teacher invited his good friend Ferlinghetti to read at his school. It was a life-changing moment for Butler; so much so that he stole a copy of the poet’s Coney Island of the Mind from the school library. Not so long ago, he found the book in a box of his belongings at his parents’ house and began rereading. When he came across the poem I Am Waiting, “I just started weeping,” he says. “All the themes in that poem, it’s like all the shit I write about. Like looking for the soul of America, waiting for the American eight ball to straighten up and fly right. It got so deep in me. Like a spirit got in me.”

Butler’s relationship with his homeland has always been complicated and contradictory and highly charged. “This shit is fucking rotten, but there’s beautiful things about it,” he says. “I live in America, I can’t believe I still live in America. But there’s something about it that I can’t quit. And as an artist you’re trying to break something open and let the light in.”

He talks about the war in Iraq and the war in Afghanistan and the war in Ukraine. “And it’s poor people who suffer,” he says. “Always, everywhere, always poor people suffer. Russian oligarchs are losing one of their boats, like boo hoo. Which boat did you lose? They’re all fine. But all the money is blood money, it’s all from the suffering of poor people.”

What role can music play? Butler pauses. “We’re the court jesters,” he says. “We’re performing in the court. The infrastructure of the thing is money. I don’t know the answer. But you can kind of undercut it.”

Across the table, Chassagne frowns. “It’s not the court,” she says firmly. “There’s no prerequisite on who to play music for. We play music in hospitals, for dying patients, we played at the inauguration. It’s food for the soul. It’s not that the music cures the community, but the music is the evidence that there is a community. It’s like evidence of life.”

Arcade Fire’s lineup has shifted over the years, but for We it numbered Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury, Jeremy Gara and Butler’s younger brother Will, who has since amicably left the band. When the pandemic began, they had all flown to New Orleans to begin work on the new record. “And then our phones keep beeping and we’re getting texts saying flights are getting cancelled, borders getting closed,” remembers Chassagne. “So we had to do an emergency plan for them to go back immediately. Everything was falling apart.”

When everyone departed, Chassagne and Butler were left with three days’ worth of demos. “Glorified writing sessions”, as Butler puts it. “But at a point, I thought: ‘Well, this might be all there is so I’m going to work on this as if we’re never going to play music again,’” he says. “And I realised that even just three days, there was so much music in there. So it was like: well, that’s all we have. This is it. It’s DIY.”

For months, the pair stayed home and wrote with an intensity that they had been unable to find since their debut album, Funeral. “We were stuck in our house and so what do you do?” says Chassagne. “I guess the interesting thing is that when you’re stuck with yourself you ask: ‘What am I here for?!’ So we just wrote and wrote and recorded … ” The songs soon began to pile up. “We just worked every day,” says Butler. “All night, as if it was due the next day, but for like, a year.”

Loving someone is hard. It’s up and down, it’s a tough thing, but it’s also the shit

Win Butler

On Butler and Chassagne’s first date they went to see Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Chassagne had failed to mention that the film would have French subtitles, and so she spent the movie whispering translations to Butler in the dark of the cinema. Today over lunch, there seems a similar connection; a closeness to their dynamic that I have not seen since I interviewed them back in 2005 for Funeral. Their sentences frequently overlap, Butler picking up where Chassagne leaves off.

Their new album might come with a clever marketing campaign, slick videos, an artful mission statement that mentions Carl Jung and Martin Luther King. But at its heart lies something really quite simple: the connection that spans between the extended family of a band, that exists between a band and its audience, that binds two people over the course of a 20-year relationship.

There are two distinct halves to this record: the first tells of isolation, the second is about resolve. “It’s about unconditional love, love that’s not merit-based,” says Butler. “That’s not about loving someone because they’re such a good person, or they’re so talented. It’s love that has nothing to do with what you did, it’s something that’s freely given, and that’s why it’s the most precious thing.” He begins to sip Chassagne’s untouched martini. “Loving someone is hard,” he says. “It’s up and down, it’s a tough thing, but it’s also the shit.” Chassagne nods. “And the beauty’s in the commitment.”

Outside, the city is closing down under a tornado warning, shops shuttering, restaurants hurrying away their patio chairs. We drive back along Magazine Street with the windows down and the high winds blowing, listening to a top-secret remix of Age of Anxiety II (Rabbit Hole), a call-and-response track between the pair. “Nothing can ever replace it / When it’s gone you can still taste it,” runs the lyric. “Going on this trip together … ”

In the front seat, Butler shakes his head; behind him Chassagne pats her hands rhythmically into the air, silently finding her way into the song. We drive on through the Garden District, past a seafood boil and the alligator museum, and on towards Arcade Fire’s rehearsal space. Outside, against the darkening sky, the tops of the oak trees wave wildly.

#Arcade Fire #regine chassagne #Win Butler #interview #Jeremy Gara #Richard Reed Parry #Tim Kingsbury

[jdgo51]

…

Against Christian Nationalism

Today's inspiration comes from:

Jesus and the Powers

by N. T. Wright and Michael F. Bird

Editor’s note: This is certainly a period of tremendous political unrest which can leave many of us wondering what we Christians should do, especially how to understand the nature of Christian witness in fractured political environments. N.T. Wright and Michael F. Bird’s bring clarity to our questions in their new book Jesus and the Powers: Christian Political Witness in an Age of Totalitarian Terror and Dysfunctional Democracies. Enjoy this excerpt.

"'Christian nationalism is a danger to Christians and non-Christians alike. Now, of course, this depends on what you mean by ‘Christian nationalism’. We have no problem with the notion that Christianity has been part of the heritage of this or that nation. Christianity has shaped our constitutions and cultures for the better, and State and Church can cooperate for the common good in providing education, healthcare, and pastoral care. One can tussle a bit as to whether there should be an officially established church such as the Church of England. We hasten to point out that even with a state-sanctioned church in the UK, there is still a healthy degree of secularity, religious pluralism and multiculturalism. When we warn of the evils of Christian nationalism, we are warning of the danger of the government trying to enforce Christian hegemony combined with civil religion (that is, an outward and merely cultural version of Christianity).

In other words, the danger is that Christians are given special privileges by the State and Christianity becomes an outward display of patriotic devotion rather than part of true religious affection.

The idea that the Christian world needs an anointed Christian leader, a Christian emperor presiding over a Christian empire, is one that has existed since Constantine, and even persists into the present. In fact, quite recently, one prominent British theologian has tweeted, in response to Queen Elizabeth II’s passing, that ‘the Queen was effectively the Queen of the world . . . perhaps [the] necessary role of Christian world emperor has now fallen on the British monarchy’.1

We are all for commemorating Queen Elizabeth II, but we remain unsure if we should valorise her or her successor King Charles III as a ‘Christian world emperor’. The danger is that one is approaching the sycophantic position of Eusebius of Caesarea who claimed that the emperor Constantine was hailed by angels and armies alike as ‘master, lord, and king’.2 This christianisation of kingship is not far from those who claimed that US president Donald Trump was a ‘new Cyrus’. Many admirers pushed the idea that Trump, despite his bawdy and tawdry behavior, was a man whom God had anointed to make the USA great again just as God called the Persian king Cyrus to liberate the Judaean exiles in Babylon.3

We would naturally be happy to live under the administration of a wise and benevolent Christian leader. Of course, we are also happy to live under a Pharaoh who puts a clever and capable Joseph in charge, or vote for a Nebuchadnezzar who heeds the counsel of a wise man such as Daniel. Even Martin Luther said he’d rather be ruled by a wise Turk than a foolish Christian. Be that as it may, to contend that one needs a king or president, not only to protect institutions such as the Church, but actively to impose the Church’s worship on others, is always going to prove ruinous to civil and religious liberties. Such a position would imply that God not only uses governments for justice and judgement, but also needs them as the political sword by which people, whether Christian or not, will be compelled to conform their lives to Christian standards. That is dangerous because to identify any leader as ‘yhwh’s anointed’4 or a new ‘Cyrus’5 is to invest a perilous amount of religious capital in a single person. Such a person may prove to be all too human, all too given to corruption, full of depravity and easily seduced by the lust for power. After September 11, 2001, Tony Blair spoke about ‘evil’ being at large in the world and of his determination to deal with it – almost as though this was a new and unexpected problem – but that with his policies and leadership evil could be conquered. We know where that led.

The Church breaks down the classes, caste systems and ethnic divisions so that God’s people are those from every tribe, tongue, ethnic group and nation.

When such leaders are venerated with religious adulation, the result inevitably is that any critique of them, no matter how valid, is treated as either treason or blasphemy. The UK Parliament, no less than the US Senate, eagerly backed the dangerous and irrelevant call for a war against Iraq. The messianising of leaders to prop up an imagined ‘Christian empire’ can have dire consequences for social freedoms as well as proving injurious to the integrity of the Church’s own witness when it allies itself too closely with an earthly power. Remember that the Scriptures have a special title for someone who claims to possess kingly and religious authority, who is both presidential and priestly: the word is ‘Antichrist’. Such a person is against Christ by assuming Christ’s own role, because Christ alone is both messianic King and the Great High Priest.6

Christian nationalism of the kind we have described is bad on every level imaginable. Christian nationalism does not lend itself to a tolerant society since it diminishes the rights of the people of other religions or no religion.

It leads to a superficial Christianity rather than to sincere faith and deep discipleship. Political leaders end up pretending to be religious merely to win the favor of their constituents. Christianity is used to justify unchristian policies and actions related to wars, immigration, income inequality, healthcare and a myriad other issues.

Remember that even the devil can quote Scripture and try to rub it in the face of Jesus. The other problem with Christian nationalism is which type of Christianity should be supreme. It is baffling that, in the USA, many Baptists are coming out as supporters of Christian nationalism. It is baffling to us because Baptists fled the religious sectarianism of the British Isles to go to America in the seventeenth century. The reason they fled was because Baptists, and other Nonconformists, were persecuted, discriminated against and cajoled in matters of religious conviction. They went to America so that they could practice their faith without government interference. As we all know, there are different Christian denominations, so which one should be supreme in a Christian nationalist state? Should it be Anglicans, who could then force everyone to baptize their babies, worship using only the Book of Common Prayer, demand adherence to the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion, sing hymns that equate the British Empire with ‘Jerusalem’ on earth, and petition Heaven with ‘God Save the King’? But the same is true whether you put Methodists, Presbyterians, or Pentecostals in charge. They could impose their version of Christianity upon everyone else or grant special privileges to their version of Christianity.

Religious liberty thus protects Christians from other Christians."'

John Milbank, Twitter, 9 September 2022: https://twitter.com/johnmilbank3/status/ 1568177131967991808 (accessed 11 September 2023); 2. Eusebius, Speech for Thirtieth Anniversary of Constantine’s Accession 1, cited in From Irenaeus to Grotius: A sourcebook in Christian political thought, 100–1625, ed. Oliver O’Donovan and Joan Lockwood O’Donovan (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 60; 3. Isaiah 45:1–13; 4. Cf. Psalm 2:2.; 5. Isaiah 45:1; 6. See especially Oliver O’Donovan, The Desire of the Nations: Rediscovering the roots of political theology (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996), pp. 203, 214–15

Excerpted with permission from Jesus and the Powers by N. T. Wright and Michael F. Bird, copyright The Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. Text by Tom Wright and Michael F. Bird.

[tomorrowusa]

At a Florida diner, Brian Kilmeade of Fox News isn’t finding a lot of patrons who support Ron DeSantis for president. 

One diner outside of Jacksonville may be just a tiny sample of voters in Florida. But the people there (generally older and apparently all white) do represent the sort of demographic which predominates in GOP primaries.

Kilmeade’s bosses at Fox have already anointed DeSantis as their choice for 2024.

Early polling shows DeSantis with an edge over Trump. That may be true but there’s usually a bump for candidates when they seem like novelties. When that novelty starts to wear off then we get a more realistic picture.

Whatever the case, it does look bad when a candidate can’t win an impromptu poll in his home state in the week his new book is published.

And the Murdoch media empire may again be overestimating its influence as it did during the 2016 primary season.

#florida #ponte vedra #fox news #brian kilmeade #election 2024 #ron desantis #republican primaries #the gop #donald trump

[bllsbailey]

Nikki Haley Couldn't Break 40 Percent in Her Home State...And She Went Wild

Nikki Haley isn’t going anywhere, which was expected, but what’s the point? I feel like her entire speech tonight could be summarized in a meme, specifically of sports journalist Stephen A. Smith, with the caption: Just smile politely, y’all. We’re witnessing mental illness. There is no path for Wreck-It Nikki, so she’s remaining in the race to help Democrats and ruin any chances of being part of the Republican Party’s future.

The fight goes on! See you in Michigan. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/LPkZhyIY5i— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) February 25, 2024

The former South Carolina governor could not break 40 percent in her home state, and she went bananas. Haley declared she's staying in the race because GOP voters deserve a choice, and this isn’t some Soviet-style election where one candidate is anointed. That’s not what’s happening here. All the two dozen or so states that will vote on Super Tuesday are already in the Trump column. The Republican Party base has made their choice—and it’s not you.

Fox News calls South Carolina for Donald Trump just two minutes after polls close at 7:02pm.— Philip Melanchthon Wegmann (@PhilipWegmann) February 25, 2024

This is a weird way to frame a blowout primary win. https://t.co/RvthU2Kn9j— Andrew Clark (@AndrewHClark) February 25, 2024

"I’m a woman of my word. I’m not giving up this fight when a majority of Americans disapprove of both Donald Trump and Joe Biden, she said. It doesn't comport with reality because a Trump-Biden rematch will happen. The nominating process is decidedly for Trump being re-nominated, Ms. Haley. This spectacle is becoming an embarrassment.

— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) February 25, 2024

Recommended

You may say that voters don’t want Trump or Biden, but the voters who you need to win to take on Bide--Republicans-- are sick of you. Haley has surpassed a benchmark I thought was impossible: she’s become more insufferable than Hillary Clinton. She hasn’t won a single primary, a streak that will continue because it’s a foregone conclusion that she won’t win any states on Super Tuesday. 

— Philip Melanchthon Wegmann (@PhilipWegmann) February 25, 2024

It's simply a lack of respect for Republican voters to keep this façade going that the 2024 GOP primaries are competitive. It insults their intelligence. This contest isn’t a two-person race. It’s Trump winning, and you being the political clown who thinks some seismic political calamity will befall the former president. Haley is the woman who just doesn’t know when to quit. It’s sad to watch. 

Going wild for finishing in the high 30s in a crucial primary isn’t a win, Nikki. The polling doesn’t lie—the party doesn’t want you. We've all made our choice. 

Nikki Haley doesn't even have an "electability" argument anymore, if she ever had one. 54% of Republicans in her own state say they would be "dissatisfied" with her as nominee. It seems just as likely that she would depress GOP "base" turnout in the general election— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) February 25, 2024

[drwilfredwaterson]

The Supreme Court of the United States of America Just Upgraded President Joe Biden to King/President For Life Joe Biden with Limitless Presidential Powers and Immunity Equal to the European Divine Right of Kings that America's Founders HATED. Interesting Times We're In...

Earthquake: 06:48:07 Jerusalem, Israel, 2024-02-07 22:48:07 EST Local Frorida/Floreda/marred-a-LAME0 Time…

Change and Love are Evermore. And on April 19, 2024, We'll Get to See All's Fair in Love and Poetry…

TANAKH (Jewish Publication Society, Hebrew-English) Page 698: 2 Samuel 22:48 The God who has vindicated me And made peoples subject to me, 2 Samuel 22:49 Rescued me from my enemies, Raised me clear of my foes, Saved me from lawless men! 2 Samuel 22:50 For this I sing Your praise among the nations And hymn Your name: 2 Samuel 22:51 Tower of victory to His king, Who deals graciously with His anointed, With David and his offspring evermore.

TANAKH (Jewish Publication Society, Hebrew-English) Page 1127: Jeremiah 48:7 Surely, because of your trust In your wealth and in your treasures, You too shall be captured. And Chemosh shall go forth to exile, Together with his priests and attendants. Jeremiah 48:8 The ravager shall come to every town; No town shall escape. The valley shall be devastated And the tableland laid waste--because the Lord has spoken.

Matthew 4:8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. Matthew 4:9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” Matthew 4:10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” Matthew 4:11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

United We Stand:

Guardians of the Galaxy vs. The Big Turd Blossom: Faith, Hope and Love Wins!

August 1, 2014 (213th day) Duration: 4:27 (267 seconds) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYaSQG-U1no cYaSQG-U1no (1) cYaSQGUno acgnoqsuy 1+3+7+40+50+70+90+200+400=861. 861+1=862. 862+267=1129. 1129+213=1342.

Strong's Concordance #1342 gaah: to mount up; hence, in general, to rise up, be majestic -- gloriously, grow up, increase, be risen, triumph; proud. Original Word: גָּאָה

John 6:48 I am the bread of life.

Luke 22:48 But Jesus said, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”

TANAKH (Jewish Publication Society, Hebrew-English) Page 1759: Lamentations 3:48 My eyes shed streams of water Over the ruin of my poor people.

Sia - Unstoppable Superman

Published: October 27, 2019 (300th day) Duration: 3:40 (220 seconds) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4DOOZZtfAs E4DOOZZtfAs (4) EDOOZZtfAs adefoostzz 1+4+5+6+50+50+90+100+500+500=1306. 1306+4=1310. 1310+220=1530. 1530+300=1830.

Strong's Concordance #1830 dama: sore, to weep Original Word: דָּמַע

Guardians of the Galaxy 3: Beastie Boys - "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" - "I'm done running…"

May 5, 2023 (125th day) Duration: 3:06 (186 seconds) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuAbDG8FnH8 VuAbDG8FnH8 (8, 8) VuAbDGFnH abdfghnuv 1+2+4+6+7+8+40+200+700=968. 968+8+8=984. 984+186=1170. 1170+125=1295.

Strong's Concordance #1295 berekah: From barak; a reservoir (at which camels kneel as a resting-place) -- fishpond, pool, pond; blessing Original Word: בְּרֵכָה

Christian Televangelist Pat Robertson says he believes President Joe Biden truly won the election and distances himself from donald j. trump: 'You've had your day, and it's time to move on' On his television show "The 700 Club," Robertson delivered a monologue in which he challenged the president on a personal and political level and gave a very different assessment. "donald was "very erratic, and he's fired people and he's fought people and he's insulted people, and he keeps going down the line." 'donald lives in an alternate reality," Robertson added, laying into some of Trump's most notorious lies and telling Trump "it's time to move on." In reconciling his perception of donald j. trump, Robertson added, "And so, it's a mixed bag," he said. "And I think it would be well to say, 'You've had your day and it's time to move on.'" When asked about a potential 2024 trump run, Robertson said, "I think it's a sideshow." Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/pat-robertson-distances-himself-trump-its-time-to-move-on-2020-12

Megyn Kelly said that Donald Trump is increasingly confused and not as 'mentally sharp' as he once was"There's no question that Trump has lost a step or multiple steps," Kelly told conservative commentator Glenn Beck on Friday. "He is confusing Joe Biden for Obama. I know he's now saying he intentionally did that — go back and look at the clips, it wasn't intentional." She noted that he is making mistakes "repeatedly," including "confusing countries, confusing cities where he is." "With all due respect to Trump, this is what happens when you're 77 years old. Trump is human. He's just a very old man." Trump's presidential nomination rivals are also challenging his mental capacities. Kelly highlighted a DeSantis' jab at Trump, who said, "Father Time spares no one." Source:https://www.businessinsider.com/megyn-kelly-donald-trump-not-as-mentally-sharp-once-was-2023-12

Billionaire GOP donor endorses Haley, says Trump’s time has ‘come and gone’ Home Depot co-founder and billionaire Ken Langone put his support behind GOP hopeful Nikki Haley on Friday, calling her approach to the 2024 election “smart.” “I think she’s just what we need right now. I think her approach is smart. I think she’s clarified herself on some issues which is very important,” Langone, who is seen as a GOP mega donor, said in an interview with Fox News’s Neil Cavuto. “And more importantly, I think the American people need this kind of leadership, statesman-like, elegant.” “When you think of where we’ve been in the last six or seven or eight years, it’s not good, Neil. It’s not good at all,” he added. Langone added that he believes the former president’s time had “come and gone,” while pointing to the last few months of his tenure in the White House, as reasons why he wouldn’t back Trump. “What Trump put this country through for the last three months of his presidency was disgraceful. I’m sorry. And I think, frankly, that to me, ruined his chances to succeed himself at some point,” he told Cavuto. “So, you know, I think what happened on January 6th, all I had to say was, ‘please go home.’ You made known your feelings. Now go home.” Source: https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4350728-nikki-haley-billionaire-gop-donor-endorsement-2024/

Some key takeaways from the Supreme Court hearing on disqualifying connie j. chump from the 2024 ballot:

No state has a right to disenfranchise any voter in any way(s).

Independent State Legislature Theory is about to be officially and legally dead for the 2024 election. This is/was how all of connie j. chump's supporters, enablers, and donors intended to install him as dictator for life of the United States of America.

All GOP attempts to disenfranchise ANY voters in their states in any and all ways must now be overturned and overruled by SCOTUS.

No state can submit an alternate slate of electors, or "faithless electors", to overturn the popular vote of their state because it would affect the national popular vote and disenfranchise that state's and other state's voters.

No state can take any action(s) of any kind(s) to overturn the popular vote of their state; because that would affect the national popular vote and disenfranchise that state's and other state's voters.

No state can ban mail-in voting or make voting difficult or disenfranchising in any way for anyone because that would affect the national popular vote and disenfranchise that state's and other state's voters.

President Joe Biden is now President For Life of the United States of America with limitless unchecked powers because the president of the United States isn't actually named as being barred from engaging in insurrection or taking actions to overthrow the United States government.

SCOTUS now has to face and overrule the D.C. Circuit Court's well-justified and bulletproof ruling on connie j. chump's lack of Presidential Immunity.

A pro-chump SCOTUS ruling fails to enforce the laws of the U.S., completely neutralizes the existence of all current SCOTUS judges, and forces President For Life Joe Biden to simply remove and replace all of the SCOTUS judges as many times as it takes to enforce the 14th Amendment; as his Take Care Clause responsibilities require him to enforce the laws of the United States of America.

A pro-chump SCOTUS ruling means the connie j. chump issue is a moot point; because there are no longer any checks and balances on presidential power, immunity, and authority and there's no longer a legal right for anyone to challenge President For Life Joe Biden's right to stay in office and do whatever he wants, whenever he wants, to whoever he wants, as often as he wants for the rest of his life; and THEN President Hunter Biden gets to be President For Life with the same limitless unchecked powers for the rest of his life; and so and and so forth indefinitely.

A pro-chump SCOTUS ruling means President For Life Joe Biden can now order the United States military to destroy all of connie j. chump's properties and exterminate anyone and everyone who might be in them at the time.

A pro-chump SCOTUS ruling means President For Life Joe Biden can now order the United States military and all branches of national security and law enforcement to exterminate the entirety of MAGA and every last one of connie j. chump's supporters, enablers, and donors in the United States.

According to SCOTUS, in order to stop President For Life Joe Biden from doing any of these things, Congress must immediately pass bipartisan legislation clarifying that connie j. chump must be barred from appearing on any state's 2024 U.S. elections ballots due to being in clear violation of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution that disqualifies him from holding any office or position of power in the United States government.

The entire U.S. Constitution, every state's constitution, and all laws anywhere in the United States of America no longer apply to anyone not specifically named in any and all of those laws; and all existing laws have to clarify that those laws apply at every possible second of every possible date, under any and every circumstance, without exception, to all living Americans and anyone and everyone alive within the borders of the United States of America and its territories.

SCOTUS' decision to grant connie j. chump Presidential Immunity for life to any and all laws in the United States just granted the same lifetime immunity to President For Life Joe Biden, so now all of his agendas will either happen quickly, or he can rid the United States of anyone and everyone who stands in his way; all because current and former presidents aren't specifically named as being barred from engaging in insurrection and attempts to overthrow the U.S. government and there are no bipartisan laws clarifying the matter.

SCOTUS has effectively replaced the entire U.S. Constitution with the simple premise of The Divine Right of Kings that the Founders of the United States of America and the drafters of the U.S. Constitution stood firmly against.

Here's an idea of what SCOTUS is effectively arguing:

connie j. chump sr. has a stroke and a massive heart attack while self-pleasuring himself and fantasizing about raping and impregnating his female children while simultaneously refusing to pay for what he's stolen from contractors and businesses over the course of his entire pathetic, stupid, stinky, deranged and corrupt pants-shitting life. connie j. chump jr. immediately calls for a construction crane to hoist hideous and morbidly obese connie j. chump sr. into a roofless shit-strewn turbocharged Fat Elvis marred-a-LAME0 golf cart and he then speeds through an active 15 MPH school zone at 65 MPH with the yellow lights flashing and a crossing guard ordering him to stop.

Because the traffic laws don't specifically name connie j. chump jr. as being barred from speeding 50 MPH over the speed limit in an active school zone with a crossing guard ordering him to stop, no traffic laws apply to connie j. chump jr. anywhere in the United States of America unless a cooperative U.S. Congress had previously passed preemptive bipartisan legislation clarifying that it's illegal specifically for connie j. trump jr.

Additionally, because the traffic laws don't specifically state that connie j. chump jr. can't speed 50 MPH over the speed limit through that specific active school zone he was speeding through, with that specific on-duty crossing guard ordering him to stop at that specific time, on that specific date, while connie j. chump sr. is present and self-pleasuring and shitting all over himself in a marred-a-LAME0 Fat Elvis turbocharged golf cart, while he's also desperately needing medical care; because he suffered a massive stroke and heart attack while self-pleasuring and fantasizing about raping and impregnating his female children while simultaneously refusing to pay for what he's stolen from contractors and businesses his whole miserable, godless, and literally goddamned life, the only way to hold connie j. chump jr. accountable under the law is to have the U.S. Congress immediately pass impossibly preemptive bipartisan legislation specifically barring any and every possible way(s) and means that connie j. chump jr. and/or his incestuous pedophile groomer and stinky self-shitting Fat Elvis serial-rapist and habitual-offender father could break any and all laws in any and all states, cities, towns, and jurisdictions anywhere and everywhere in the entire United States of America and its territories.

And then SCOTUS would simply overturn all of those laws as somehow unfairly targeting connie j. chump jr. and his p***y a** b***h father, connie j. chump sr. because it's "some kind of illegal and immoral witch hunt" due to their politcal and personal beliefs.

Plus, in addition to the U.S. Congress having to waste all of its time on all of that preemptive chump family legislation that'd be overturned by SCOTUS anyway, the U.S. Congress would have to pass the same preemptive bipartisan legislation for all of the specifically-named hundreds of millions of living Americans, and all newborn Americans, and then be sure to immediately pass bipartisan legislation specifically exempting all deceased Americans from any and all laws in the United States by name.

Should Congress fail to immediately, upon death, exempt even one deceased person from the law of the United States and every state, city, town, and jurisdiction in the United States, then any living American can say that no laws are enforceable because you can't enforce laws on a dead person; and clearly, if any laws anywhere in the United States were ever meant to be enforced at all, the original founders who drafted the original laws would've clarified that U.S. laws can only be enforced upon living Americans, but not the dead; but since they didn't specify that, no laws can be enforced upon any living or deceased American anywhere within the entire United States of America; because crooked crybaby and corrupt communist connie j. chump sr. and liddle coddled cuck connie j. chump jr. say it's not fair to single them out and pick on them for breaking the laws that clearly apply to every American except for "Real American Patriots" like them and their supporters, enablers, and donors; because none of their specific names are mentioned in any laws under any and every circumstance, and at every second of every date past, present, and future.

The SCOTUS stupidity, weakness, cowardice and lawlessness isn't mindboggling; because it's completely consistent with the source of the cowardice, weakness, stupidity and lawlessness that's causing all of this unprecedented lawlessness and chaos: the pants-shitting Fat Elvis incestuous pedophile serial-rapist and habitual offender p***y a** b***h named connie j. chump/donald j. trump.

Nine Inch Nails - Head Like A Hole

March 22, 1990 (81st day) Duration: 5:00 (300 seconds) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghIRu6UvQPc ghIRu6UvQPc (6) ghIRuUvQPc cghipqruuv 3+7+8+9+60+70+80+200+200+700=1337. 1337+6=1343. 1343+300=1643. 1643+81=1724.

Strong's Concordance #1724 daham: to be dumb, dumbfounded, to astonish, astound Original Word: דָּהַם

A magnitude 4.0 earthquake is the energy equivalent to about 56,000 kilograms/123,459 pounds/62 tons of TNT explosives.

Operation Blowdown: Here's what a 50 ton TNT explosion looks like:

July 18, 1963 (199th day) Duration: 0:48 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_efRhXGgSQ 2_efRhXGgSQ (2) efRhXGgSQ efgghqrsx 5+6+7+7+8+70+80+90+300=573+2=575. 575+48=623. 623+199=822.

Strong's Concordance #822 eshnab: a hatch, to hatch; small spaces/openings; a latticed window -- casement Original Word: אֶשְׁנָב

Earthquake: M 4.0 - 163.3 km (101.4 mi) E of Cape Canaveral, Florida

2024-02-08 03:48:07 (UTC) 28.557°N 78.944°W 10.0 km depth

In the Atlantic Ocean adjacent to the John F. Kennedy Space Center.

28.557°N

Strong's Concordance #28 Abida: From 'ab and yada'; Father of knowledge (i.e. Knowing); "My Father took knowledge," "I will know" (Hebrew), abide (Yiddish); a son of Midian, Abida, a son of Abraham by Keturah. Original Word: אֲבִידָע

Strong's Concordance #557 Amtsi: From 'amats; strong, adopted; Amtsi, an Israelite Original Word: אַמְצִי

"I will let my adoptive mother know": אֲבִידָע אַמְצִי "My adoptive father knew": אֲבִ ידָע אַמְצִי

78.944°W

Strong's Concordance #78 Ibtsan: From the same as aba'bu'ah; splendid, iron, zinc (Hebrew), separately (Yiddish) ; a judge of Israel Original Word: אִבְצָן

Strong's Concordance #944 bul: For ybuwl; produce (of the earth, etc.) -- food, stock, outgrowth, stamp (Hebrew), bull (Yiddish) Original Word: בּוּל

Bullseye (Yiddish): אִבְצָן בּוּל

A thorn (Hebrew and Yiddish): אִ בְצָןבּוּל

"My Father knew that I was in trouble" (Hebrew): אֲבִ ידָע אַמְ צִי אִ בְצָן בּוּ ל

"My Father knew that He would help me" (Hebrew): אֲבִ ידָע אַ מְצִ יאִבְ צָן בּוּ ל

"My Father knew what to do in the woods" (Hebrew): אֲבִ ידָע אַ מְ צִ יאִ בְצָן בּוּ ל

2 Corinthians 12:5 I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. 2 Corinthians 12:6 Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, 2 Corinthians 12:7 or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 2 Corinthians 12:8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

My Lemonade Stand by Dr. Wilfred Waterson (November 30, 2023). Vibrant crayons partied hardy on the posterboard sign of my lemonade stand. Their footprints said, "Let Those Without Sin Convince Me Love Never Wins In The End!" Then Jesus and a travelling table and chair were witnesses to what unfolded next. The day was broiling, so when they saw me, they were desert desperate for my sweat.

And I said: You think you're such a nuisance to me, well, go ahead and get to it. But I'm juicin' dozens of lemons here while you're smirkin' 'bout all you're doin'. 'Cause my weakness isn't only obvious to just the two of us, you see? Now hear my Father sing; 'cause he made a humble little lemon tree of me.

Three times I'll plead for relief, and on the fourth we're gonna get to it. And by "we" I mean my Father's grace and my deep roots leading you straight to Him. You're stoning me with the squishy tart softness picked from the lemon tree of me. But Jesus is my sweetness; so I'm an oasis of cool lemonade and kindness to you in this vicious heat.

See me as nothin'and call me a sheep; but ain't the whole world the destiny of the meek? So please don't sleep on these lemon seed mysteries that are leavin' us lacking nothing like priests. Just relax with that shade for a fresh minute under this canopy my faith in Jesus grew for me. And let my love for others become the lemon seed beginning that finally sets you free.

TANAKH (Jewish Publication Society, Hebrew-English) Page 1536: Psalm 101:4 Perverse thoughts will be far from me; I will know nothing of evil.

Strong's Concordance #10 abaddoh: a perishing -- destruction. Original Word: אֲבַדֹּה

TANAKH (Jewish Publication Society, Hebrew-English) Pages 386 and 387: Deuteronomy 5:4 Face to face the Lord spoke to you on the mountain out of the fire-- Deuteronomy 5:5 I stood between the Lord and you at that time to convey the Lord's words to you, for you were afraid of the fire and did not go up the mountain--saying: Deuteronomy 5:6 I the Lord am your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage: Deuteronomy 5:7 You shall have no other gods beside Me. Deuteronomy 5:8 You shall not make for yourself a sculptured image, any likeness of what is in the heavens above, or on the earth below, or in the waters below the earth. Deuteronomy 5:9 You shall not bow down to them or serve them. For I the Lord your God am an impassioned God, visiting the guilt of the parents upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth generations of those who reject Me, Deuteronomy 5:10 but showing kindness to the thousandth generation of those who love Me and keep My commandments. Deuteronomy 5:11 You shall not swear falsley by the name of the Lord your God; for the Lord will not clear one who swears falsley by his name. Deuteronomy 5:12 Observe the sabbath day and keep it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. Deuteronomy 5:13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, Deuteronomy 5:14 but the seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your God; you shall not do any work--you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your ox or your ass, or any of your cattle, or the stranger in your settlements, so that your male and female slave may rest as you do. Deuteronomy 5:15 Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt and the Lord your God freed you from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the sabbath day. Deuteronomy 5:16 Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may long endure, and that you may fare well, in the land that the Lord your God is assigning to you. Deuteronomy 5:17 You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. Deuteronomy 5:18 You shall not covet your neighbor's wife. You shall not crave your neighbor's house, or his field, or his male or female slave, or his ox, or his ass, or anything that is your neighbor's.

Every night, a network of NASA all-sky cameras scans the skies above the United States for meteoritic fireballs. Automated software maintained by NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office calculates their orbits, velocity, penetration depth in Earth's atmosphere and many other characteristics. Daily results are presented here on Spaceweather.com. On February 08, 2024, the network reported 10 fireballs (10 sporadics).

Beastie Boys - Intergalactic

June 2, 1998 (153rd day) Duration: 3:33 (213 seconds) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwqyTB_MUNg jwqyTB_MUNg bgjmnqtuwy 2+7+600+30+40+70+100+200+900+400=2349. 2349+213=2562. 2562+153=2775.

Strong's Concordance #2775 cherec: clay/crock/piece of pottery; to scrape, a scraper; the itch; the sun Original Word: חֶרֶס

The Committee of Five of the Second Continental Congress was a group of five members who drafted and presented to the full Congress in Pennsylvania State House what would become the United States Declaration of Independence of July 4, 1776. This Declaration committee operated from June 11, 1776, until July 5, 1776, the day on which the Declaration was published.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is the 32nd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Filming Dates: November 2021 to May 2022 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 premiered at Disneyland Paris on April 22, 2023, and was released on May 5, 2023, in the United States, as part of Phase Five of the MCU.

5/5/2023: Solar Smirk https://suntoday.lmsal.com/sdomedia/SunInTime/2023/05/05/f0193.jpg

"The trap isn't a trap if you know the trap is trying to trap you. It's a face off." - Peter Quill

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: July 4th, 2023: "C" = 3. https://suntoday.lmsal.com/sdomedia/SunInTime/2023/07/04/f0193.jpg

House of Pain - Jump Around

May 5, 1992 (126th day) Duration: 3:37 (217 seconds) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3Z-kL1Ep_A r3Z-kL1Ep_A (3, 1) rZ-kLEp_A aeklprz 1+5+10+20+60+80+500=676. 676+3+1=680. 680+217=897. 897+126=1023.

Strong's Concordance #1023 beth hammerchaq: Beth-ham-Merchak; house of great distance; place that was very distant/far away Original Word: בֵּית המֶּרְחָק

YACHT - Finger In Your Eye

Published: April 6, 2023 (96th day) Duration: 3:11 (191 seconds) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6KckWR-5PY j6KckWR-5PY (J6, 5) jKckWRPY cjkkprwy 3+600+10+10+60+80+900+400=2063. 2063+6+5=2074. 2074+191=2265. 2265+96=2361.

Strong's Concordance #2361 Churam: white stuff, to be or grow pale, to blanch (as with shame); a Benjamite, also two Arameans (Syrians) Original Word: חוּרָם

Finger in your eye Finger in your eye Won't you see me better Woo-hoo! Finger in your eye Finger in your eye Helps you to remember

One of these days you're gonna give up But you're not gonna do it til your enemy does One of these days you're gonna give up But you're not gonna do it til your enemy does

Take it from a friend Making your amends- Not as fun when you lose your temper

Listening is free If you're hearing me Choosy but I gotta be a beggar

So do what you do but don't do it too much

Finger in your eye Blocking out the sky Do you think that you can change the weather

Finger in your eye Finger in your eye Won't you see me better Woo-hoo!

Adult film star Stormy Daniels said former President Trump should be sent to prison if he is convicted in the other cases in which he is being investigated (The Hill - April 6, 2023)

On April 6, 2023, the Tennessee House of Representatives voted on resolutions to expel Democratic Representatives Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones, and Justin J. Pearson for violating the chamber's decorum rules by leading personal protests for gun reform on the House floor and joining demonstrators in the chamber's public galleries during a legislative session three days after the 2023 Covenant School shooting. Resolutions for the expulsions of Jones and Pearson passed with a two-thirds majority, and they were removed from office. The resolution against Johnson failed to pass by one vote. The decision to expel the representatives has been called unprecedented in modern United States history, with the power to expel members typically being reserved to remove members accused of serious misconduct. The decision was condemned as authoritarian and undemocratic by a number of Democrats, including President Joe Biden, former president Barack Obama, and former vice president Al Gore, who served as a U.S. Senator from Tennessee from 1985 to 1993. Jones, Johnson, and Pearson were dubbed by their supporters as the "Tennessee Three." The Nashville Metropolitan Council voted unanimously to reinstate Jones on April 10, and two days later the Shelby County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to reinstate Pearson. Both legislators won their respective special elections to serve the remainder of their terms. (Wikipedia)

Nine Inch Nails - Only

July 25, 2005 (206th day) Duration: 4:28 (268 seconds) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwvLlEtxX3o wwvLlEtxX3o (3) wwvLlEtxXo ellotvwwxx 5+20+20+50+100+700+900+900+300+300=3295. 3295+3=3298. 3298+268=3566. 3566+206=3772.

Strong's Concordance #3772 karath: to cut off, cut down, be chewed, be con-federate, covenant, cut down, off, destroy, fail, feller Original Word: כָּרַת

Only 38% of all women voters and 40% of all independent voters continue to support donald trump's presidential campaign. (Quinnipiac poll 1/25-1/29 2024)

21% of college-educated Republican voters, along with 11% of Republican men, continue to support Nikki Haley's presidential campaign and would vote against donald trump in the 2024 general election. (ABC News)

31% of all Republican voters (with an additional 17% undecided) and 66% of all independent voters (with an additional 19% undecided) wouldn't vote for donald trump due to his criminal acts that he's demanding permanent "Presidential Immunity" for. More than 88 million of 258 million voting-age Americans have at least some college education, or a some kind of college degree (Wikipedia).

81,283,501 Americans voted for Joe Biden in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. 2024 could easily become another pulverizing landslide election defeat for donald trump.

Metallica - Enter Sandman

July 29, 1991 (210th day) Duration: 5:32 (332 seconds) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZuM4zFg-60 XZuM4zFg-60 (4, 60) XZuMzFg fgmuxzz 6+7+30+200+300+500+500=1543. 1543+4+60=1607. 1607+332=1939. 1939+210=2149.

Strong's Concordance #2149 zulluth: From zalal; to shake (as in the wind), i.e. To quake; figuratively, to be loose morally, worthless, cheapness, blow down, glutton, riotous (eater), vile. Original Word: זֻלּוּת

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