I have walked the path your uncle trod. Little Round Top doesn’t look so little when you are in the Devil’s Den. My 3x grandfather was on the left edge of the Pickett-Pettigrew charge. When he got home, my 2x grandmother was born and he named her Rhoda Lee Riales. His next child was a boy and was named Robert E. Lee Riales.
@7:28 Interesting article, Ricky. I guess my political views are more ‘transactional’; my faith is definitely not.
When politics goes to church, it’s not usually politics that suffers. Before the Republican primary, my church (a charismatic Southern Baptist) gave an entire Sunday morning service to a visiting pastor from Texas who knew Ted Cruz’ father and supported Cruz. I walked away thinking ‘that’s very nice’, and I didn’t hesitate for a second to vote for Trump in both the primary and the general elections.
I don’t pay as much attention to the political leadership of evangelical groups as I used to. (Or to religious leadership when it’s being political.) I wouldn’t say they are of no importance because they have a role in the dialogue, but they don’t carry the weight they once did. Most of them seem to be just fine with globalism, and to me that is probably the most urgent political issue of our day. As for conservatism, to me its main value is the preservation of political freedoms and traditions. But without firm physical and economic boundaries, conservatism is largely unqualified to do that.
I would have been very happy to have voted for a ‘born again Christian’ if I believed their national leadership would be sound. But after voting for ‘Dubya’ Bush twice, I finally realized the futility of religion as a political measure. Prayerful consideration and honest dialogue is the best you can do in an election. Religious groups are an important part of that. The results are in God’s hands.
Debra, I agree with almost everything you said. Christian leaders often say foolish things when they stray into politics. We don’t want our young people or other young Christians to hear their pastors say foolish things.
Looks like it was ‘felt’ in SF but no reports of damage — 100 miles or so off the coast, fortunately. Earthquakes are very scary.
I see they arrested some young people on suspicion of arson for those Tennessee wildfires.
Liberal churches, including many black congregations, often have politicans in their pulpits on Sunday mornings during election season. How horrifying is that? I would walk out of a church if that happened.
Interesting Trump pick (Pruitt) for EPA, at least judging by the uproar on the left. 🙂 He’s being called an “existential threat to the planet” apparently. Liberals must feel they’ve been forced into some kind of mad-hatter alternate universe these days.
Meanwhile, Michael Moore has announced “a call to action” designed to shut down the inauguration on Jan. 20. Should be interesting …
From day one, the Trump presidency will be a disaster. #DisruptJ20 will be the start of the resistance. We must take to the streets and protest, blockade, disrupt, intervene, sit in, walk out, rise up, and make more noise and good trouble than the establishment can bear. The parade must be stopped. We must delegitimize Trump and all he represents. It’s time to defend ourselves, our loved ones, and the world that sustains us as if our lives depend on it—because they do. …
… We’re planning a series of massive direct actions that will shut down the Inauguration ceremonies and any related celebrations–the Inaugural parade, the Inaugural balls, you name it. We’re also planning to paralyze the city itself, using blockades and marches to stop traffic and even public transit. And hey, because we like fun, we’re even going to throw some parties. …
____________________________
That must be the new way to say rioting, because you know that’s how it all ends, with tear gas, rubber bullets, and busted heads……
If Trump is smart, he’ll do the swearing in live on TV from an undisclosed location. Remove their ability to disrupt it. As for the city itself, I’m guessing some of it gets destroyed in the midst of all that good troubling that’ll be going on. Sad that it’s come to this, but it has.
“Just like that, and in less than 280 characters, Trump had established more distance from Big Business than the GOP had in a generation. In his frenetic way, he is forcing a reorientation of the Republican Party’s economics, a change that is welcome in its broad contours, even if his methods are dubious and the potential pitfalls considerable.
Trump descended his escalator last year into a party that had been known at least since the New Deal as the friend of Wall Street and Big Business.
The GOP reinforced the stereotype in 2012 by nominating a management consultant as its presidential candidate. The Obama reelection campaign picked apart Mitt Romney in the Midwest as a vulture capitalist, and Romney compounded his vulnerability by seeming to express contempt for the 47 percent of people who don’t owe federal income taxes.
Trump has upended the conventions that limited the party’s economic appeal.”
———————————
“Trump hammered away at the true bottom line of the economy for most people. Mike Konczal, a fellow with the liberal Roosevelt Institute, went back and listened to Trump stump speeches after the election to better understand how the mogul pulled off his upset. Konczal notes that Trump “never mentions poverty. And while he talks a lot about reducing taxes, he never talks about increasing transfers, redistribution, or access to core goods. He talks about wages, full stop.”
And that’s the key to Trump’s economics. If you squint just right, you can see a strategy. It is to increase growth through traditional Republican means (i.e., tax reform and deregulation) at the same time, he aims to directly create a tighter labor market through soaking up labor via an infrastructure program and reducing foreign competition by discouraging outsourcing and squeezing immigration.
Ultimately, wages grow when productively increases, but a tighter labor market helps. One way to look at trade and immigration policy over the past several decades is that the political class has decided that less-educated Americans should have to compete more with less-educated foreigners, who either work in factories overseas where U.S. concerns relocate, or come here themselves to live and work.”
Tychicus, the next generation of protesters will likely be for minimum income, not minimum wage. As the article says: ” It isn’t kind to insulate people from the inevitable — it’s cruel not to help them figure out how to handle it.” Public education needs to be at the forefront of helping people adapt and thrive with coming technological changes.
Actually, it is a problem. I was just chatting with a relative on the phone about this idea that we can suddenly come up with great manufacturing jobs for all those kids who just graduate from high school.
News to the world: a lot of those manufacturing jobs have been automated and the people who operate those machines are, typically, not just kids who took shop in high school.
They are people who can program computers and understand how to run machines. You have to have a level of sophistication to be able to do that and sleeping through your classes in high school will not get get it for you.
It’s like the military has become increasingly careful about whom they enlist. No longer can a judge tell a teenage troublemaker: it’s jail or the Army. The Army won’t take them anymore.
So, yes, education is a major factor. Those STEM classes ARE important, but so are being able to read and analyze well. Logic is important, speaking a foreign language can be very helpful (even if it’s English); music is good, but not five music classes. Art is fine, but make sure you take programing so you can use a computer to do your design work.
It’s an entrepreneurial lifestyle out there these days and frankly, many kids just aren’t measuring up. A work ethic would be a good start, but as my own children with excellent work ethics demonstrate, it’s not all that’s needed.
Aj (12:49pm): I like your idea of a televised inauguration, but can you imagine the headlines:
For The First Time In History, The New President Was Too Chicken To Swear The Oath Of Office Live, Depriving People of Attending A Long-Held Tradition (or something to that effect).
Sub headline: In all fairness, he did have his new White House Pet by his side…
😀 As long as his pet is prominent, it will pass muster with us. I was thinking he could be sworn in at Trump Tower–Trump could pay for the accommodations, and they could write it off as a marketing expense. So taxpayers are happy and Trump Inc is happy. What could go wrong?
Wandering Views 
An interesting article on Trump and “evangelicals”, whatever that term now means.
http://www.politico.com/story/2016/12/trump-religious-dealmaking-dividends-232277
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Given your opinions, Ricky, I’d guess that wasn’t Gettysburg–where my 4x great-uncle died during the Battle of Little Roundtop–fighting for Texas.
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No, Michelle. It is Fredericksburg.
I have walked the path your uncle trod. Little Round Top doesn’t look so little when you are in the Devil’s Den. My 3x grandfather was on the left edge of the Pickett-Pettigrew charge. When he got home, my 2x grandmother was born and he named her Rhoda Lee Riales. His next child was a boy and was named Robert E. Lee Riales.
LikeLiked by 2 people
@7:28 Interesting article, Ricky. I guess my political views are more ‘transactional’; my faith is definitely not.
When politics goes to church, it’s not usually politics that suffers. Before the Republican primary, my church (a charismatic Southern Baptist) gave an entire Sunday morning service to a visiting pastor from Texas who knew Ted Cruz’ father and supported Cruz. I walked away thinking ‘that’s very nice’, and I didn’t hesitate for a second to vote for Trump in both the primary and the general elections.
I don’t pay as much attention to the political leadership of evangelical groups as I used to. (Or to religious leadership when it’s being political.) I wouldn’t say they are of no importance because they have a role in the dialogue, but they don’t carry the weight they once did. Most of them seem to be just fine with globalism, and to me that is probably the most urgent political issue of our day. As for conservatism, to me its main value is the preservation of political freedoms and traditions. But without firm physical and economic boundaries, conservatism is largely unqualified to do that.
I would have been very happy to have voted for a ‘born again Christian’ if I believed their national leadership would be sound. But after voting for ‘Dubya’ Bush twice, I finally realized the futility of religion as a political measure. Prayerful consideration and honest dialogue is the best you can do in an election. Religious groups are an important part of that. The results are in God’s hands.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Debra, I agree with almost everything you said. Christian leaders often say foolish things when they stray into politics. We don’t want our young people or other young Christians to hear their pastors say foolish things.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Is everyone okay?? I just heard there was a 6.8 mag. earthquake off the coast of Northern California. Is all well? Michelle? Donna?
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Looks like it was ‘felt’ in SF but no reports of damage — 100 miles or so off the coast, fortunately. Earthquakes are very scary.
I see they arrested some young people on suspicion of arson for those Tennessee wildfires.
Liberal churches, including many black congregations, often have politicans in their pulpits on Sunday mornings during election season. How horrifying is that? I would walk out of a church if that happened.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nothing here and I’m maybe 250 miles away but Bob Buckles lives very close and a dear friend’s house is actually on the waterfront near Arcata.
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A little Christmas cheer… simply awesome!!!
http://www.viralvo.com/pulled-over-by-cops/
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Interesting Trump pick (Pruitt) for EPA, at least judging by the uproar on the left. 🙂 He’s being called an “existential threat to the planet” apparently. Liberals must feel they’ve been forced into some kind of mad-hatter alternate universe these days.
Meanwhile, Michael Moore has announced “a call to action” designed to shut down the inauguration on Jan. 20. Should be interesting …
http://hotair.com/archives/2016/12/07/michael-moore-lets-disrupt-the-inauguration/
________________________
From day one, the Trump presidency will be a disaster. #DisruptJ20 will be the start of the resistance. We must take to the streets and protest, blockade, disrupt, intervene, sit in, walk out, rise up, and make more noise and good trouble than the establishment can bear. The parade must be stopped. We must delegitimize Trump and all he represents. It’s time to defend ourselves, our loved ones, and the world that sustains us as if our lives depend on it—because they do. …
… We’re planning a series of massive direct actions that will shut down the Inauguration ceremonies and any related celebrations–the Inaugural parade, the Inaugural balls, you name it. We’re also planning to paralyze the city itself, using blockades and marches to stop traffic and even public transit. And hey, because we like fun, we’re even going to throw some parties. …
____________________________
LikeLiked by 1 person
I saw a similar call on twitter a couple weeks ago. Banana republic, anyone? 😦
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Okay, Tychicus, my day just got better. Thanks.
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Donna,
Good trouble huh?
That must be the new way to say rioting, because you know that’s how it all ends, with tear gas, rubber bullets, and busted heads……
If Trump is smart, he’ll do the swearing in live on TV from an undisclosed location. Remove their ability to disrupt it. As for the city itself, I’m guessing some of it gets destroyed in the midst of all that good troubling that’ll be going on. Sad that it’s come to this, but it has.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Looks like college conservatives want safe spaces now too.
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Well to some of it I say, good riddance.
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/12/rich-lowry-gop-workers-214506
“Just like that, and in less than 280 characters, Trump had established more distance from Big Business than the GOP had in a generation. In his frenetic way, he is forcing a reorientation of the Republican Party’s economics, a change that is welcome in its broad contours, even if his methods are dubious and the potential pitfalls considerable.
Trump descended his escalator last year into a party that had been known at least since the New Deal as the friend of Wall Street and Big Business.
The GOP reinforced the stereotype in 2012 by nominating a management consultant as its presidential candidate. The Obama reelection campaign picked apart Mitt Romney in the Midwest as a vulture capitalist, and Romney compounded his vulnerability by seeming to express contempt for the 47 percent of people who don’t owe federal income taxes.
Trump has upended the conventions that limited the party’s economic appeal.”
———————————
“Trump hammered away at the true bottom line of the economy for most people. Mike Konczal, a fellow with the liberal Roosevelt Institute, went back and listened to Trump stump speeches after the election to better understand how the mogul pulled off his upset. Konczal notes that Trump “never mentions poverty. And while he talks a lot about reducing taxes, he never talks about increasing transfers, redistribution, or access to core goods. He talks about wages, full stop.”
And that’s the key to Trump’s economics. If you squint just right, you can see a strategy. It is to increase growth through traditional Republican means (i.e., tax reform and deregulation) at the same time, he aims to directly create a tighter labor market through soaking up labor via an infrastructure program and reducing foreign competition by discouraging outsourcing and squeezing immigration.
Ultimately, wages grow when productively increases, but a tighter labor market helps. One way to look at trade and immigration policy over the past several decades is that the political class has decided that less-educated Americans should have to compete more with less-educated foreigners, who either work in factories overseas where U.S. concerns relocate, or come here themselves to live and work.”
LikeLiked by 2 people
A recent Maureen Dowd piece… the comments are quite insightful as well.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Amazon Go is “walk-out technology,” and pretty amazing, but where is it all taking us?
http://thefederalistpapers.org/us/amazon-just-answered-all-those-seeking-15-hr-minimum-wage
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Tychicus, the next generation of protesters will likely be for minimum income, not minimum wage. As the article says: ” It isn’t kind to insulate people from the inevitable — it’s cruel not to help them figure out how to handle it.” Public education needs to be at the forefront of helping people adapt and thrive with coming technological changes.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Actually, it is a problem. I was just chatting with a relative on the phone about this idea that we can suddenly come up with great manufacturing jobs for all those kids who just graduate from high school.
News to the world: a lot of those manufacturing jobs have been automated and the people who operate those machines are, typically, not just kids who took shop in high school.
They are people who can program computers and understand how to run machines. You have to have a level of sophistication to be able to do that and sleeping through your classes in high school will not get get it for you.
It’s like the military has become increasingly careful about whom they enlist. No longer can a judge tell a teenage troublemaker: it’s jail or the Army. The Army won’t take them anymore.
So, yes, education is a major factor. Those STEM classes ARE important, but so are being able to read and analyze well. Logic is important, speaking a foreign language can be very helpful (even if it’s English); music is good, but not five music classes. Art is fine, but make sure you take programing so you can use a computer to do your design work.
It’s an entrepreneurial lifestyle out there these days and frankly, many kids just aren’t measuring up. A work ethic would be a good start, but as my own children with excellent work ethics demonstrate, it’s not all that’s needed.
Coddling the kids isn’t helping them at all.
But you all know that.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Aj (12:49pm): I like your idea of a televised inauguration, but can you imagine the headlines:
For The First Time In History, The New President Was Too Chicken To Swear The Oath Of Office Live, Depriving People of Attending A Long-Held Tradition (or something to that effect).
Sub headline: In all fairness, he did have his new White House Pet by his side…
LikeLiked by 1 person
😀 As long as his pet is prominent, it will pass muster with us. I was thinking he could be sworn in at Trump Tower–Trump could pay for the accommodations, and they could write it off as a marketing expense. So taxpayers are happy and Trump Inc is happy. What could go wrong?
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I am really excited about Scott Pruitt at the EPA. The tree-huggers are going nuts. So far, I like Trump’s cabinet more than I liked Little Bush’s.
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I also have no problem with Trump continuing to work on his TV show.
https://www.google.com/amp/www.nydailynews.com/amp/entertainment/tv/donald-trump-continue-celebrity-apprentice-ep-report-article-1.2903684?client=safari
Let him delegate and do other things he enjoys. Being President doesn’t have to be a full time job.
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At least he doesn’t have to fly to Hawaii to play golf.
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Pruitt seems to have set liberals’ hair on fire. Very interesting to watch the outrage.
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