I got up exactly at 6.00 this morning and turned on the news. They led of by announcing that the “Confederate flag is coming down at the SC statehouse.”
I immediately turned it off.
They told me everything I needed to know.
There is no news today.
In a wide-ranging, 30-minute interview with The Washington Post, the billionaire real estate mogul and reality-television star also said he has serious concerns about other GOP candidates and refused to commit to supporting the eventual nominee in the general election.
“So many people want me to run as an independent, so many people,” Trump said. “I have been asked by — you have no idea, everybody wants me to do it.”
Pressed about whether he would back the Republican ticket if he fails to win the nomination himself, Trump left the door open for a third-party bid of his own. “I would have to see who the nominee is,” he said.
For now, Trump said, he thinks that the “best chance of defeating the Democrats” is for him to “win as a Republican because I don’t want to be splitting up votes.”
We could get another Clinton the way we got the first.
I expect it to happen because Trump will not get the Republican nomination. He just won’t.
Lots of concern about the Oregon couple being pummeled by the authorities for their stand on gay marriage. Guess they could face getting a lien placed on their house now if they don’t pay up by Monday.
There’s this deep desire among some elements to thoroughly PUNISH people who won’t get in line.
What country is this?
Chas, the left is trying to paint all conservatives as racist and anti-immigrant (and anti-gay, of course). Trump plays right into their hands as our “whatever” electorate snoozes on, seemingly not caring or not knowing enough to care.
It’s still early, but at this stage I won’t be surprised if another liberal president will be elected.
Serious question: Does this period in our history strike anyone else as presenting a sea-change in our nation and the freedoms it once stood for? I realize this all didn’t come upon us overnight, but I have this deep sense that “it’s over” for the U.S. I can’t understand why more people aren’t alarmed over what’s going on.
Yesterday I just became so weary of it all, tired of the yammering talking heads, tired of the crazy accusations and beat-downs, tired of the deep divisions that seem unfixable (because so many don’t want them fixed), tired of all the hate & all the anger.
“A world in which the leading liberal-democratic nation does not assume its role as world policeman will become a world in which dictatorships contend, or unite, to fill the breach. Americans seeking a return to an isolationist garden of Eden—alone and undisturbed in the world, knowing neither good nor evil—will soon find themselves living within shooting range of global pandemonium.”—From the Introduction
“Bret argues that Obama’s foreign policy proceeds from a standard-issue leftism that can be traced back to Obama’s days as a college student. As he makes his case, he also makes several worthy recommendations for future reading. As with Stanley Kurtz’s compelling presentation on the Alinsky factor in the cases of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, this is worth your time. …”
Historical information on “the flag” (which I fear has only become a major distraction that is putting conservative candidates on the losing side — the left has discovered it as a new “wedge” issues that can be successfully used to demonize the other side).
“I’ve been working on research this week and mostly away from the moment-to-moment of politics, but I’ve spent much of the time reflecting on the impact of the Obergefell decision on people of faith. We had already begun to see the beginnings of a campaign against secular heretics in the last couple of years, aimed at bakers, florists, and photographers in the private market. The ruling elite are already moving to the next phase of this attack on faith, attempting to rewrite the freedom of religious expression to limit it within the four walls of churches and other houses of worship.
“Certainly the First Amendment says that in institutions of faith that there is absolute power to observe deeply held religious beliefs,” Senator Tammy Baldwin explained to MSNBC’s Steve Kornacki, “but I don’t think it extends far beyond that.” Baldwin objected to the idea that religious liberty applies to the manner in which Americans choose to live their lives. “They’re talking about expanding this far beyond our churches and synagogues to businesses and individuals across this country,” she warned. “I think there are clear limits that have been set in other contexts and we ought to abide by those in this new context across America.”
For my column today at The Fiscal Times, I note that this is a complete deviation from the historical application of the First Amendment. In the midst of two of the worst national conflicts in human history, the freedom of religious expression not only allowed for the refusal to engage in private transactions without government penalty, but also exempted Americans from participation in its national defense — the highest and most compelling state interest:”
“What Baldwin and the Left wants to impose is a nationwide Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT) policy, where religious faith must only be practiced in private, and not lived in the world, which is exactly the opposite of the historical and precedential understanding of the First Amendment. That new DADT regime even now extends to the military, where chaplains get disciplined for advocating their religion and using Christian scripture. It is a new form of the excesses of the French revolution, when freedom got redefined as the necessity of complete adherence to the prevailing consensus — and everyone else either shut up or lost their livelihoods or their heads.”
Donna asks a serious question: Does this period in our history strike anyone as represent a sea change in our nation and the freedoms it once stood for?
It does indeed. And it came upon us suddenly. The issue of how to address people of various ethnic organs (not just black) has been stewing before most of you were born.. However, like all parts of the Overton Window, it didn’t stop there. The issue of homosexuality is fairly recent and we have it because we have largely settled on the issue of addressing of various racial differences. Not just black.
(You should hear what we called our Italian descendent friends in the Air Force.)
Point is, it doesn’t stop there, and it doesn’t have to do with the way we describe people. It has to do with lifestyles.
Nothing is sin, nothing is wrong
Pastor Steve teaches that Israel crossed the line and were led into captivity endured the persecution of Antiochus Epiphanies and captivity of the Romans and eventually, destruction. This was not because of cultural sin, but their abandonment of their Spiritual heritage. He says that is happening to us today, and fears that we may have crossed the line.
To believe this, you have to believe that we have a Spiritual heritage. I believe it and I think I agree with Pastor Steve.
However, all may not be lost.
1. It is possible for America to have a national repentance. We don’t just need a revival, we need a prophet to warn us of the condition we are in as a nation. We don’t recognize ourselves as one nation anymore.
2. Personally, I believe it depends on the next election. Some of our potential candidates seem to be the type who would rescind all of Obama’s Executive Orders and redirect the agencies. Some of those guys are Christians and aren’t afraid to claim it. They could turn us around if they would.
Concerning “exorcism” by Guess Who:
Problem is, most people don’t think there’s anything wring.
A revival preacher friend of mine once said, “Yu have to get people concerned about their condition before you can get them saved.”
Oh I don’t know Chas, Were they wops, Guinea Wops, Dagos, Kikes, Spiks, MIcks, etc?
It is OK for an ethnic group to refer to themselves by those names, but YOU certainly can’t.
Flag — not real news, and a distraction for both sides of the political spectrum. I did find it interesting that SC state didn’t fly the Confederate flag until 1961 — the timing does make it suspect.
Trump et al — the Republican nomination is looking like the same sideshow it did four years ago. Too many candidates and only the outrageous statements make the press. Speaking of which, Jeb Bush had a Romney moment — he thinks Americans only need to work harder to achieve more growth. Americans work longer hours, have less vacation and are more productive than just about any other country. The last people to criticize in the USA for any economic slowdown is the US working class. Hardest working and least rewarded in the western world. Trump’s ego and refusal to admit errors will bring him down and the Republican party. They need to “fire” him. The smartest candidate would be Walker (not an endorsement just a honest appraisal of his political instincts and ability so far)
Fleur de lis — has its origins in pre-Revolutionary France and is still the provincial flag in Quebec. Not a symbol of slavery just of French power.
Sea change etc — The bias of the observer plays a role. We all tend to think the history we live in is a central pivot but its difficult to judge until sufficient time has elapsed. The modern mass media also tends to explode the importance of every event into something monumental if not just for the ratings. I don’t think recent social changes are as pivotal than 9/11 (and the US reaction), 2008 mortgage collapse/recession, the second Iraq war…..
But I’d say those prior events (and ones before that) were all part of the continuum. We’re “here” (culturally) suddenly — but not really.
That said, I agree that it is very hard to get a good perspective on the times in which you’re living. We’re too close to it, typically, and we don’t have the advantage of seeing what comes behind it. But, of course, there are some eras that are (in hindsight) rightly seen as turning points. The problem is trying to determine if you’re in one those periods as it’s unfolding. Tricky.
So I always hold lightly the notion that this is IT.
I would say with some confidence that the advent of the Internet and technology will be viewed by history as a rather major turning point for society. When you consider the explosion of information and how that’s impacted everything, it’s hard to see it as just another little ‘invention’ that came our way. Similar to the automobile and, perhaps, the telephone (and television?), the rather quick rise of personal computers and the Internet has had a major impact on, well, virtually everything.
Jeb is far from my first choice. I would like to see some sort of Carson/Walker/Rubio/Perry combination. But by the time it gets to my state it’s pretty much decided and it will be a RINO. .
the problem isn’t the American worker, its managerial. The average American worker works 47 hours a week (for some that means two or three PT jobs instead of one FT) yet the American economy is out competed by Europeans who barely break a sweat. Automation, use of labour, efficiency are all issues the managerial class in America need to address. For Bush or any other American politician to suggest Americans need to work harder is ludicrous — they need better managers.
Rubio and Walker are probably the Republican party’s best bets. Carson is a wild card who has done a 180 on some of his positions. And Perry won’t make it past the starting gate.
Wandering Views 
The Yankee Democrats have given us four more states. We must choose wisely.
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/247400-house-dems-display-incorrect-confederate-flag
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I got up exactly at 6.00 this morning and turned on the news. They led of by announcing that the “Confederate flag is coming down at the SC statehouse.”
I immediately turned it off.
They told me everything I needed to know.
There is no news today.
LikeLike
Washington Post via Drudge
In a wide-ranging, 30-minute interview with The Washington Post, the billionaire real estate mogul and reality-television star also said he has serious concerns about other GOP candidates and refused to commit to supporting the eventual nominee in the general election.
“So many people want me to run as an independent, so many people,” Trump said. “I have been asked by — you have no idea, everybody wants me to do it.”
Pressed about whether he would back the Republican ticket if he fails to win the nomination himself, Trump left the door open for a third-party bid of his own. “I would have to see who the nominee is,” he said.
For now, Trump said, he thinks that the “best chance of defeating the Democrats” is for him to “win as a Republican because I don’t want to be splitting up votes.”
We could get another Clinton the way we got the first.
I expect it to happen because Trump will not get the Republican nomination. He just won’t.
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I suspect those asking Trump to run as an independent are Clinton, Biden, Obama, etc.
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Lots of concern about the Oregon couple being pummeled by the authorities for their stand on gay marriage. Guess they could face getting a lien placed on their house now if they don’t pay up by Monday.
There’s this deep desire among some elements to thoroughly PUNISH people who won’t get in line.
What country is this?
Chas, the left is trying to paint all conservatives as racist and anti-immigrant (and anti-gay, of course). Trump plays right into their hands as our “whatever” electorate snoozes on, seemingly not caring or not knowing enough to care.
It’s still early, but at this stage I won’t be surprised if another liberal president will be elected.
Serious question: Does this period in our history strike anyone else as presenting a sea-change in our nation and the freedoms it once stood for? I realize this all didn’t come upon us overnight, but I have this deep sense that “it’s over” for the U.S. I can’t understand why more people aren’t alarmed over what’s going on.
Yesterday I just became so weary of it all, tired of the yammering talking heads, tired of the crazy accusations and beat-downs, tired of the deep divisions that seem unfixable (because so many don’t want them fixed), tired of all the hate & all the anger.
LikeLiked by 7 people
Donna, I stopped watching the news decades ago. For entertainment, my wife and I watch Pre-1959 movies. Those were better days.
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The word “collapse” keeps coming to my mind.
Looks like a good book, America in Retreat.
The title pretty much says it all.
“A world in which the leading liberal-democratic nation does not assume its role as world policeman will become a world in which dictatorships contend, or unite, to fill the breach. Americans seeking a return to an isolationist garden of Eden—alone and undisturbed in the world, knowing neither good nor evil—will soon find themselves living within shooting range of global pandemonium.”—From the Introduction
Podcast with the author Bret Stephens here:
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2015/07/america-in-retreat.php
“Bret argues that Obama’s foreign policy proceeds from a standard-issue leftism that can be traced back to Obama’s days as a college student. As he makes his case, he also makes several worthy recommendations for future reading. As with Stanley Kurtz’s compelling presentation on the Alinsky factor in the cases of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, this is worth your time. …”
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Historical information on “the flag” (which I fear has only become a major distraction that is putting conservative candidates on the losing side — the left has discovered it as a new “wedge” issues that can be successfully used to demonize the other side).
http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/9-things-you-should-know-about-the-confederate-flag-controversy
Maybe it’s time to move on from this whole debate?
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This would be funny if it weren’t so insane…
http://www.wwltv.com/story/news/local/orleans/2015/07/09/historians-say-fleur-de-lis-has-troubled-history/29946785/
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Religon- the new “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
http://hotair.com/archives/2015/07/09/religion-the-new-dont-ask-dont-tell/
“I’ve been working on research this week and mostly away from the moment-to-moment of politics, but I’ve spent much of the time reflecting on the impact of the Obergefell decision on people of faith. We had already begun to see the beginnings of a campaign against secular heretics in the last couple of years, aimed at bakers, florists, and photographers in the private market. The ruling elite are already moving to the next phase of this attack on faith, attempting to rewrite the freedom of religious expression to limit it within the four walls of churches and other houses of worship.
“Certainly the First Amendment says that in institutions of faith that there is absolute power to observe deeply held religious beliefs,” Senator Tammy Baldwin explained to MSNBC’s Steve Kornacki, “but I don’t think it extends far beyond that.” Baldwin objected to the idea that religious liberty applies to the manner in which Americans choose to live their lives. “They’re talking about expanding this far beyond our churches and synagogues to businesses and individuals across this country,” she warned. “I think there are clear limits that have been set in other contexts and we ought to abide by those in this new context across America.”
For my column today at The Fiscal Times, I note that this is a complete deviation from the historical application of the First Amendment. In the midst of two of the worst national conflicts in human history, the freedom of religious expression not only allowed for the refusal to engage in private transactions without government penalty, but also exempted Americans from participation in its national defense — the highest and most compelling state interest:”
“What Baldwin and the Left wants to impose is a nationwide Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT) policy, where religious faith must only be practiced in private, and not lived in the world, which is exactly the opposite of the historical and precedential understanding of the First Amendment. That new DADT regime even now extends to the military, where chaplains get disciplined for advocating their religion and using Christian scripture. It is a new form of the excesses of the French revolution, when freedom got redefined as the necessity of complete adherence to the prevailing consensus — and everyone else either shut up or lost their livelihoods or their heads.”
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That’s been coming for a while now.
😦
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Donna’s “serious question” at 11:08 – Yes, it does feel like that to me, but I’m clueless what to do about it.
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I know it’s like watching a train wreck about to happen, you just stand there horrified.
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Haha — maybe this!
Does the US Need a Nationwide Exorcism?
http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/does-the-us-need-a-nationwide-exorcism/
LikeLiked by 1 person
Donna asks a serious question: Does this period in our history strike anyone as represent a sea change in our nation and the freedoms it once stood for?
It does indeed. And it came upon us suddenly. The issue of how to address people of various ethnic organs (not just black) has been stewing before most of you were born.. However, like all parts of the Overton Window, it didn’t stop there. The issue of homosexuality is fairly recent and we have it because we have largely settled on the issue of addressing of various racial differences. Not just black.
(You should hear what we called our Italian descendent friends in the Air Force.)
Point is, it doesn’t stop there, and it doesn’t have to do with the way we describe people. It has to do with lifestyles.
Nothing is sin, nothing is wrong
Pastor Steve teaches that Israel crossed the line and were led into captivity endured the persecution of Antiochus Epiphanies and captivity of the Romans and eventually, destruction. This was not because of cultural sin, but their abandonment of their Spiritual heritage. He says that is happening to us today, and fears that we may have crossed the line.
To believe this, you have to believe that we have a Spiritual heritage. I believe it and I think I agree with Pastor Steve.
However, all may not be lost.
1. It is possible for America to have a national repentance. We don’t just need a revival, we need a prophet to warn us of the condition we are in as a nation. We don’t recognize ourselves as one nation anymore.
2. Personally, I believe it depends on the next election. Some of our potential candidates seem to be the type who would rescind all of Obama’s Executive Orders and redirect the agencies. Some of those guys are Christians and aren’t afraid to claim it. They could turn us around if they would.
LikeLike
Concerning “exorcism” by Guess Who:
Problem is, most people don’t think there’s anything wring.
A revival preacher friend of mine once said, “Yu have to get people concerned about their condition before you can get them saved.”
LikeLike
America isn’t full of evil people, it’s full of careless people.
Sorry to hog this blog. Donna just pulled my chain. 😉
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Oh I don’t know Chas, Were they wops, Guinea Wops, Dagos, Kikes, Spiks, MIcks, etc?
It is OK for an ethnic group to refer to themselves by those names, but YOU certainly can’t.
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You left out white trash, rednecks, hillbillies and sandlappers, Kim.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Flag — not real news, and a distraction for both sides of the political spectrum. I did find it interesting that SC state didn’t fly the Confederate flag until 1961 — the timing does make it suspect.
Trump et al — the Republican nomination is looking like the same sideshow it did four years ago. Too many candidates and only the outrageous statements make the press. Speaking of which, Jeb Bush had a Romney moment — he thinks Americans only need to work harder to achieve more growth. Americans work longer hours, have less vacation and are more productive than just about any other country. The last people to criticize in the USA for any economic slowdown is the US working class. Hardest working and least rewarded in the western world. Trump’s ego and refusal to admit errors will bring him down and the Republican party. They need to “fire” him. The smartest candidate would be Walker (not an endorsement just a honest appraisal of his political instincts and ability so far)
Fleur de lis — has its origins in pre-Revolutionary France and is still the provincial flag in Quebec. Not a symbol of slavery just of French power.
Sea change etc — The bias of the observer plays a role. We all tend to think the history we live in is a central pivot but its difficult to judge until sufficient time has elapsed. The modern mass media also tends to explode the importance of every event into something monumental if not just for the ratings. I don’t think recent social changes are as pivotal than 9/11 (and the US reaction), 2008 mortgage collapse/recession, the second Iraq war…..
LikeLike
But I’d say those prior events (and ones before that) were all part of the continuum. We’re “here” (culturally) suddenly — but not really.
That said, I agree that it is very hard to get a good perspective on the times in which you’re living. We’re too close to it, typically, and we don’t have the advantage of seeing what comes behind it. But, of course, there are some eras that are (in hindsight) rightly seen as turning points. The problem is trying to determine if you’re in one those periods as it’s unfolding. Tricky.
So I always hold lightly the notion that this is IT.
But sometimes, it really is IT. 😉
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I would say with some confidence that the advent of the Internet and technology will be viewed by history as a rather major turning point for society. When you consider the explosion of information and how that’s impacted everything, it’s hard to see it as just another little ‘invention’ that came our way. Similar to the automobile and, perhaps, the telephone (and television?), the rather quick rise of personal computers and the Internet has had a major impact on, well, virtually everything.
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HRW, Jeb was referring to the large amount of Americans who have part time jobs but need full time jobs.
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Jeb is far from my first choice. I would like to see some sort of Carson/Walker/Rubio/Perry combination. But by the time it gets to my state it’s pretty much decided and it will be a RINO. .
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KBells Mr P and I were just talking about that today. My primary vote has never counted.
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kbells
It looks like the reporter actually saved and coached him;
http://www.businessinsider.com/jeb-bush-work-more-hours-quote-2015-7
the problem isn’t the American worker, its managerial. The average American worker works 47 hours a week (for some that means two or three PT jobs instead of one FT) yet the American economy is out competed by Europeans who barely break a sweat. Automation, use of labour, efficiency are all issues the managerial class in America need to address. For Bush or any other American politician to suggest Americans need to work harder is ludicrous — they need better managers.
Rubio and Walker are probably the Republican party’s best bets. Carson is a wild card who has done a 180 on some of his positions. And Perry won’t make it past the starting gate.
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KBells at 10:21
Congrats! That was our 80,000th comment. 🙂
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