Not In the Games

The only correct actions are those that demand no explanation and no apology. ~ Red Auerbach

I haven't watched a nanosecond of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. Nor will I.

A fleeting glimpse of online clips from the Opening Ceremony were enough for me to conclude that this particular Olympics was not worth my time. Drag queens recreating the Last Supper? Really? 

“There was never an intention to show disrespect to a religious group,” a Paris 2024 spokeswoman said. “If people have taken any offense, we are, of course, really sorry.”

Just a thought, but if disrespect was "never an intention," then it might have been wise to avoid a direct attack mocking that religious group's most sacred institution. It's safe for them to apologize now; their deliberate smear of Christianity has been accomplished. Christians aren't stupid. We can tell the difference between "freedom of expression" and a targeted insult.

I'm grateful I visited the Normandy beaches two years ago, because I'll never set foot in France again. Au revoir, blasphémateurs insensés. Now excuse me, s’il vous plaît. I need to get to Mass.

An Interesting Time

 I'm no youngster, and I've seen more than my share of interesting, chaotic, turbulent times.

The first upheaval I experienced was the President Kennedy assassination in 1963. In 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy Sr. were also assassinated in quick succession. There were brutal riots between protestors and police at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago that year, and President Johnson announced his refusal to run for a second term during the ongoing carnage of the Vietnam War. I remember watching that special news broadcast with my father. (Dad's retort to the television screen was along the lines of, "Good! Leave now.")

The USA moved on to Richard Nixon, the Watergate scandal, and a presidential resignation. Jimmy Carter's unsuccessful presidency followed, with the Iran hostage crisis, gas lines and shortages, inflation, and the "malaise" of a discontented populace. Reagan followed and came close to assassination early in his tenure, followed closely by an assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II. The end of the Cold War brought short-lived promise, but an ominous Russia rose again. And the alarming evolution and progression of an aggressive China is a whole other story.

The Clinton presidency brought its own sordid scandal. I've lost count of how many recessions I've cycled through. September 11, 2001, changed the world as well as the country--and not for the better. Technology took over all our lives in recent years, with its own devious pitfalls. In recent days, we've watched worldwide commerce come to a shocking halt when software fails. And that is a frightening place to be.

Last week a former president was almost murdered by gunfire while running for a second term. I think America has grown weary of the stealthy gunman do-loop being replayed so often.

And today, our current president announces--on social media--that he will not run for a second term, throwing his party into an uproar. After all, the election is only three-and-a-half months away. Think fast, Democrats.

This is just a random list of the "interesting" events that have populated my lifetime. I didn't mention the Civil Rights Movement, the NASA tragedies, or the Great Recession, among many other happenings. Yet here we all are, still alive, reasonably comfortable, and able to stand and fight for our own freedoms. Buried in all the societal, political, and economic chaos I find a sliver of hope that somehow, tomorrow may be better than today--if we are determined to make it so. That would certainly make life interesting.

The Shoe Drops

 "It’s time to put Trump in the bullseye."

~ Joe Biden, 7/8/24

What happened yesterday was not unexpected. After witnessing the ongoing, relentless, often lawless onslaught against Donald Trump for more than eight years, his attempted assassination was inevitable. I must confess that I've been waiting for it.

I'm sick and tired of the "both sides" argument. No, that's not accurate. The Right does have its fringe outlaws, but it is the Left that most often endorses, encourages, and perpetrates violence. Go back to the 2017 Congressional baseball shooting. That was done by a leftie. The BLM rioting during the summer of 2020 wrought deaths, injuries, and destruction across the country. And remember the screaming threats of Chuck Schumer against the Supreme Court justices, resulting in an assassination attempt on Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

Think of the image years ago of a severed head representing Donald Trump being held aloft by a left-wing "comedian." Just recently, look to the cover of a magazine showing Trump merged with an image of Hitler. This despicable tactic of demonizing an individual is straight out of Saul Alinsky's Rules for Radicals. 

We are in a new era now. There's no predicting where it will lead. But as surely as I was convinced that there would be an attempt on Donald Trump's life, I am equally convinced that Trump is being protected in a seemingly supernatural way. Call it karma, the Universe, a Higher Power, guardian angels, whatever you like. I believe God's hand is on this man. That doesn't mean I believe he's preordained to be the next president--that's up to the voters (legal ones).

What it does mean is that recent events seem to be aligning in Trump's favor. This was the summer we were supposed to be talking non-stop about the "convicted felon" running for office. We were supposed to be seeing him sentenced and possibly sent to prison this past week. The lefties were gleeful, convinced they had engineered Trump's end.

Yet what have we been talking about since June 27? Joe Biden's dismal debate performance and endless questions regarding his fitness for serving as the presidency. The ludicrous legal actions against Trump are falling apart or being postponed.

Hurl the epithet "dictator" at Trump as much as you like. When he was president, he followed the law. He protected our nation's borders, honored Supreme Court decisions, eliminated crushing regulations against business owners. When his term was up, despite his disbelief that Biden had defeated him, Trump left promptly. He did not even attend Biden's inauguration ceremony, in protest of the questionable election. And Trump knew his presence would be unwelcomed, so he left.

Joe Biden has ignored the Supreme Court ruling on canceling student debt. He has continuously broken his Oath of Office by allowing the unfettered invasion of our country by illegal aliens, aided and abetted by the entire Biden administration. He has corrupted our nation's legal system, a cornerstone of our liberty, for the sole purpose of destroying a political opponent--Donald Trump.

So, tell me, who is more of a "threat to democracy" or guilty of the title, "dictator"--Biden or Trump?

And yesterday, Donald Trump narrowly, perhaps miraculously, escaped assassination. To quote our national motto, In God We Trust.

"Fight!" ~ Trump 2024

Hitting the Iceberg

"If the Lord Almighty came down and said, ‘Joe, get out of the race,’ I’d get out of the race. The Lord Almighty’s not coming down.”

~ Joe Biden, 46^th US President

 

“Not even God himself could sink this ship.”

~ attributed to an employee of the White Star Line, owner of the Titanic

It’s never a good idea to pronounce God’s plans. So, I felt a small chill when I read Joe Biden’s quote declaring the Lord is “not coming down” to instruct him not to run for a second term. Such certainty regarding the Almighty’s course of action is too reminiscent of the famous quote about the ill-fated Titanic ocean liner being “unsinkable,” even by God.

You remember the Titanic, the ship that hit an iceberg on its maiden voyage and sunk—quickly.

I don’t know what will happen to the beleaguered Joe Biden presidency. But I know the sound of a destructive impact when I hear one. What Biden said seemed like what Titanic’s collision with an iceberg must have sounded like. For now, there’s no predicting how much damage was done and the depths it might reach. Only the "Lord Almighty" knows.

 

Titanic sinks - April 1912

America the Beautiful

Despite our country's wounds and conflicts, tomorrow we pause to honor the 248th birthday of our home, the USA. I, for one, am grateful.

Hard to Watch

It was like watching a slow-motion trainwreck
with Biden trapped underneath the train.

Say "Greatness"

Willie Mays, one of baseball's all-time best players, died yesterday. As a New York Giant, he was my father's favorite player. I grew up hearing about him. When the Giants moved to San Francisco, Dad's loyalty moved right along with Willie.

So, although he was a lifetime New Yorker, Dad rooted for the San Francisco Giants when I was a kid. He was a Willie Mays fan. In conversations about Willie Mays, he usually tacked on the descriptive modifier "the greatest ballplayer that ever lived."

When one reviews his stats, there's a good argument for bestowing that title on Willie Mays. He finished his career as a New York Met, circling back to New York. Suddenly, Dad became a Mets fan. He took me to a Mets game, and I remember how excited he was when Willie Mays came to the plate. "Say Hey, Willie!" Dad whistled, clapped, and shouted, a combination of exuberant behaviors I don't recall seeing from him at any other time.

Due to his manner of greeting people, Willie became known as the "Say Hey Kid." I worked at the Mets stadium during his last season and kept an eye on the player's parking field on game days. Occasionally I got lucky and caught sight of Willie Mays sliding out of his pink Cadillac with the "SAY HEY" license plates. I always felt a sense of awe in seeing him. He had been a baseball legend to me from my earliest years.

I saw him on the field at a Petco Park event in San Diego about a decade ago, and I felt the same thrill. So today, in bidding farewell to another vivid childhood icon, I have a wistful feeling. Rest in peace, Willie Mays. And please "Say Hey" to my father for me.

"The Catch" - 1954 World Series

Pod Help Me

Over the past few years, I have made an almost complete transition from listening to talk radio to listening to podcasts. I must confess that podcasts have become a bit of an obsession.

There are so many I want to hear, but so few hours in the day. I rotate the podcasts I'm following, simply because there is no way to keep up. But the complete list of the podcasts I alternate keeping downloaded in my podcast app reads like this:

1. The Victor Davis Hanson Show - Victor Davis Hanson*
2. Highly Concentrated Hugh - Hugh Hewitt
3. The Bible in a Year - Fr. Mike Schmitz
4. The Megyn Kelly Show - Megan Kelly
5. The Dan Bongino Show - Dan Bongino
6. Call Me Back - Dan Senor
7. The McCarthy Report - Andrew C. McCarthy
8. The Commentary Magazine Podcast - John Podhoretz
9. The Shawn Ryan Show - Shawn Ryan

*=Never miss one

I occasionally drop in on The Rubin Report with Dave Rubin and Getting Hammered with Mary Katherine Ham and Vic Matus, when time allows. But the recent discovery of Shawn Ryan has practically ruined my life. I don't know where my head has been, but I didn't know about this host of the No. 21 podcast on the Top 100 Apple Podcasts until I heard Megyn Kelly interview Shawn recently. His story is so fascinating that I searched his podcast, scrolled down the titles, and promptly followed his show.

Since that moment, my life is not my own. Shawn Ryan's first podcast was in December 2019, so I have a lot of catching up to do. I pick out the titles that intrigue me, and I listen. And listen some more. While I'm cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, driving, weeding the garden, or trying to get to sleep at night, Shawn keeps me company. His podcasts are long; most are two or three hours, but some are more than five hours. The listener has to plan manageable segments, but it's often hard for me to break away.

Shawn has a calm, quiet demeanor that belies his life experience as a combat veteran Navy SEAL. His conversations with other SEALs and special forces veterans are riveting. I've also listened to his talks with Michael Shellenberger, Jordan Peterson, Jim Caviezel, and Tucker Carlson. The story of his spiritual experiences that brought him to faith in Christ (Episode #63) is spellbinding.

I may have found the object of next spring's Lenten fast. Giving up all podcasts would be beyond my human strength. Let's not get crazy. But, like a pretend SEAL training exercise in endurance, I'd like to see how long I could go without listening to Shawn Ryan.

At Normandy, Yesterday

 

Today they look like harmless old men sitting in the sun. But inside each of these heroes still beats the courageous heart of a youthful US warrior who faced down unimaginable terror to take the beaches of Normandy in June 1944. 

Yesterday a few survivors had returned to that scene of brutal carnage to remember the day that changed the world and to honor their fallen brothers. It was heartwarming to see the veterans cheered by French school children. As I learned on my visit to Normandy two years ago, the French people have a long memory for the gift of their freedom, so dearly purchased.

Americans can only stand aside with profound respect for and gratitude to these remarkable saviors. When the last of them are gone, it will be a very sad day for our country. We shall not see their like again.

Destruction by Disagreement

The Left destroys everything it touches.

~ Dennis Prager

Mark Steyn, the brilliant commentator and writer, was once Rush Limbaugh's go-to for guest hosting his national radio show. He was a Fox News contributor and a best-selling author.

But he had some politically incorrect ideas about climate change and Islam, among other subjects. This was enough to activate the leftist machine to destroy him. The Lefties have done an impressive job. They've nearly killed him, and they're not finished with him yet.

After a dozen years of legal persecution, in recent years Steyn has suffered two heart attacks; the second one was nearly fatal. I saw a recent photo of him being pushed in a wheelchair. His once coppery hair and beard are now grey. 

Steyn perseveres and still writes insightful, often hilarious, always powerful commentary at his website, SteynOnline. In his most recent posting, A Republic? You Can Keep It, Steyn addresses the relentless persecution, trial of, and verdict on former President Donald Trump. It's worth reading in its entirety, but a key section appears below:

"I am about to begin my thirteenth year in the foetid septic tank of the District of Columbia courts. My finances are ruined, and so is my constitution. By the latter, I mean my health, not the United States Constitution, which is already dead. By contrast, I'm just about hanging on, although I very much doubt I will live long enough to be vindicated at the Supreme Court. Which is bad news for my heirs and relicts. As one of the lawyers taunted me last year, "This doesn't end with your death."

I'm sad about that, and would much prefer to devote the time that remains to playing music and enjoying the sunsets. I am worn out, and bitter about the books I'll never get to write because of the way American litigation has consumed what should have been my most productive years. I have a theological objection to suicide, but would not be averse to dying in my sleep.

And that's just with two rinky-dink cases on the go.

Trump, on the other hand, is barraged at all turns - here, there, state, federal, civil, criminal. He has been subjected to all manner of indignities - such as, just this week, having to sit in the crappy courtroom while the jury deliberates, which Judge Irving did not force me to do in DC."

We in the United States of America are in a dark and dangerous place today. We must take our perilous situation seriously. Like a bad heart attack, it can quickly become fatal.