Days Gone Bi

Who remembers the United States Bicentennial anniversary?

As I recall, the entire country went berserk celebrating the occasion. Every state, every city, every town had its own committees of officials and volunteers dedicated to throwing the US a huge birthday party. For at least one year in advance of 1976, there were tee shirts, hats, buttons, Betsy Ross flags, commemorative stamps, coins, mugs, and plates and all kinds of memorabilia everywhere you looked. It was the most festive year in the country that I can recall.

What happened? Considering what a huge national gala the US Bicentennial was, why is our country's upcoming 250th birthday barely mentioned, let alone celebrated?

So many things happened in the past half century to snuff enthusiasm for this special milestone. It's hard to know where to begin. Everything that's gone wrong in the world appears to be our fault, according to so many accusers both at home and abroad. Our politics have become dangerously polarized. But it's more than that.

After all, the United States founder fathers had slaves! There was slavery in the USA! Yes, unfortunately, there was. It is one of our most terrible and tragic mistakes. Not mentioned is the fact that slavery has existed in every civilization. Most often overlooked is the fact that the US is the only country in history where hundreds of thousands of native sons fought and died to eradicate slavery, which they successfully did more than a century and a half ago. 

Also overlooked is the fact that today's mobile phones and sneakers are made by current slaves. I don't hear objections to that, but I digress.

Americans are constantly told that we're racist and sexist, also misogynistic. We hear we are fascistic and Islamophobic, too. It seems no one can quite define these terms with any degree of accuracy anymore, but that's beside the point. The epithets are nasty, and they stick. But they are not true.

If the US is such a miserable place, why does the entire world want to get in? Why don't the ungrateful US residents leave? Because everyone knows this is the best place to be. Being born in the United States is like winning life's lottery--at least, it is so far. At some level, all the naysayers must know this. Ask yourself, would "No Kings" protests be allowed in a "fascist" country? Dear Lefties: Take a moment to think logically before you answer.

The year 1976, the US Bicentennial, was a simpler time. Fifty years ago, Americans looked for the good in our country, and we found it. The good is still there. And I, for one, intend to celebrate this July 4th Independence Day to the max, just as I did the Bicentennial. My only complaint is that "United States Semiquincentennial" is a lot harder to say.

In 1976, the US flag was not "triggering"

Too Much Talk

President Trump needs to fish or cut bait in Iran. The Iranian officials are not trustworthy. We've known that since the Iranian hostage crisis that began 47 years ago. Let's not be stupid yet another time.

Stop talking. Start acting. "No blah-blah-blah."

Star Trek ~ Season 1, Episode 8 - "Miri"

Remember and Honor

"Never...was so much owed by so many to so few."

~ Winston Churchill

I hear a certain greeting often on this solemn occasion, Memorial Day in the United States: "Happy Memorial Day." It causes me to grind my teeth.

This is not a happy day. It's not about the beach or the barbecues. It's a sacred day to remember the ultimate sacrifice made by uncounted thousands of service members of the U.S. Armed Forces over the 250 years of our country's existence. They died so we could enjoy the life we have today, which is far better than that of any other country's royalty had even a century ago.

We owe all our fallen heroes a debt beyond price. Pause a moment today to think of them. Remember and honor their sacrifice.

May 25 ~ Memorial Day 2026

The Bright Side

A lot has been happening since I went on hiatus. There is so much bad news in the world, from gas prices to crime to war. It's hard to know where to begin when you return home.

Maybe finding some good news would be a welcome change. I read this piece by my wisdom hero, Victor Davis Hanson, this morning, and it put some of my concerns into perspective. In fact, I felt so much better that I thought it worth sharing, so here's the link:

America: The Real Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon › American Greatness

It's good to be back home.

Time for A Break

"Silence is the perfect herald of joy."

~ Wm. Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing 2:1

Time for a head reset. Be back sometime in May.

The Less Said, The Better

There is a duty in the Catholic Church to avoid scandal. You can look it up in the Catechism. It's tied to the "love your neighbor" directive and of course those pesky Ten Commandments.

There's already plenty of turmoil within the Church. We're not supposed to wreak more havoc inside the faith. I can't argue against such a reasonable caveat.

Based on that concept, I'm don't have much to say about the current "war" of words between the president and the pope. I certainly do have my own opinions on the matter. But the only public comment I care to make at this point is: I wish both men would just sit down and shut up.

Holding My Attention

Being a supporting member of PragerU, I keep an eye on the various interviews posted each week. There is always something worth watching

Also, being a later evening TV viewer, I usually take the length of the broadcast into consideration. When I noticed that the Robby Starbuck interview was one hour and twenty minutes, I hesitated. Do I want to watch the whole show tonight, or split it into two sessions?

That turned out to be a silly question. PragerU CEO Marissa Streit's interview with Starbuck was so interesting the time flew by. I was surprised when suddenly, it seemed to me, they were wrapping up with a "last question."

Starbuck is a compelling speaker, and he covers a wide swath of both current and historic topics. Starbuck's discussion on the future implications of AI is especially fascinating. His own negative experience of being intentionally targeted for personal destruction by false AI data is a terrifying cautionary tale on the real dangers looming ahead of us all. I wish him the best in his lawsuit against Google.

Robby Starbuck, activist and former Hollywood director, speaks with PragerU CEO Marissa Streit

Hallelujah

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.

~ Revelation 21:4

The Blind See

 "Truly this man was the Son of God." 

~ Roman Centurion Longinus

As we all know, there is always more to learn in life. I only recently read the story of St. Longinus, the Roman centurion who pierced the crucified Christ's side with his lance. He is not named in the Gospels; Matthew and Mark refer to him only as "the centurion," while John calls him a "soldier" and includes the important detail about Christ's blood pouring from the stab wound (Jn 19:34). But the name Longinus is recorded in apocryphal writings such as the Gospel of Nicodemus. 

The early Church writings relate that Longinus suffered from very poor eyesight. When the blood from Christ's side came into contact with his eyes, Longinus recovered perfect vision. He converted to Christianity and returned to his home in Cappadocia to spread the word of the Resurrection. This angered the Roman authorities, who sent soldiers to kill him. Details surrounding his demise vary between Catholic and Orthodox traditions, but both accounts seem to agree that Longinus was tortured and beheaded for his Christian faith by the Romans.

Longinus is revered as a saint in both the Catholic and Orthodox churches.

There are many stories and legends about the spear of Longinus, or The Holy Lance. Who knew? I certainly didn't. I stumbled across St. Longinus and his story while doing my annual spiritual reading during Lent. With a bit of effort, I suspect I can continue having my own eyes opened to something new every day.

Fighting Words

 a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace. ~ Ecclesiastes 3:8

As a Catholic, I wish Pope Leo would either take a seat or keep his focus on Jesus. Whenever he weighs in on current events, he sounds like he just kicked off his sneakers after a "No Kings" political protest. 

According to Pope Leo, "God does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war." Well, excuse me, but it's not up to the pope to determine whose prayers are heard by God. He needs a Bible refresher course. Has Pope Leo never read the Book of Joshua? He appears completely unfamiliar it. God's command was to wage war "without mercy" in order to secure the Holy Land.

The New Testament places the emphasis on our fallen human nature and evil influences as the cause of war; James 4:1and especially Ephesians 6:10-18 make a firm point of this perspective. St. Paul's entire passage about the "full armor of God" is hard truth and pure poetry. Spiritual warfare is definitely a factor in the US-Iranian conflict, but so is the goal of preserving the world's security.

And the pope should maybe reread the Book of Revelation, which in Chapter 6 describes global war beyond what we have yet seen, war which God happens to permit--divine power is given "to take peace from the earth" (perhaps coming soon to a continent near you).

But the pope says God won't listen to prayers from war fighters. Really? Oh, Leo. Stop it. You're being silly. God listens to everyone. At this point, I'd rather hear you give another off-topic sermon about dangers to the environment.

Ephesians 6:10-18