Whatever Wednesday

ROAD TRIPS

I recently posted that Lois & I were tentatively planning a trip to the Nebraska Panhandle next week. After talking it over, we have reconsidered. Chadron & Fort Robinson State Parks may be re-opened, but there will likely be no facilities available. This is disappointing, since it is another road trip that has been thwarted.

TRENDING

• "More people taking drug for anxiety & insomnia; doctors worried" Drudge Report, 5/26
• "Boys let black widow bite them in hopes of turning into Spider-Man" Ditto
• "Biden: 'If you d on't let me sniff your hair, you ain't a woman" Babylon Bee, 5/26
• "Baptist pledge to use only non-alcoholic hand sanitizer" Ditto
• "Doctor discover strange baby-shaped organ in woman' womb" Ditto

MEMORIAL DAY REVISITED

"The dead won no decorations for bravery. Their losses were not commemorated in movies, novels, statues, poems, or murals. Yet they, too, gave all for their country’s wars. In a year when most of us are spending Memorial Day in some form of quarantine, it is particularly appropriate to remember them as American heroes."  Dan McLaughlin, National Review Online, 5/26

CORONAVIRUS

"There are bumps in the road, obviously. Some people are resistant to wearing a mask in public and that’s their right. The man who filmed himself being kicked out of a Costco for refusing to wear a mask went viral. “I woke up in a free country,” he yelled. Yes, he did. But part of freedom is private property rights. If Costco has a policy requiring those who enter to wear a mask, you either wear a mask or you don’t get in. You can’t be outraged over someone being forced to bake a cake against their will while imposing your own on another business. That’s not how freedom works.

"But mostly things are going well. People are being mindful and smart. What we aren’t doing is going to our governors and begging to be free. The lockdown lasted as long as we, the people, allowed it to. We wash our hands, don’t touch our faces, keep our distance from others, and stay home when we’re not feeling well."  Derek Hunter, Townhall, 5/26

"The lockdown was proposed by the “brightest minds,” who in fact were total idiots about practical epidemiology. They persisted in believing that a virus already in the wild could be contained by locking up the people who didn’t have it yet. The only way that could work was if everyone remained in solitary confinement with no food or water for 14 days. I think that just might have other effects that aren’t so good."  Ted Noel, Townhall, 5/26


"Average American has packed on 5 pounds" Drudge Report, 5/27

OUR FREEDOMS

"The biggest casualty from the COVID-19 pandemic has nothing to do with the disease. It's the power we've given to politicians and bureaucrats. The question is how we recover our freedoms."  Walter Williams, Townhall, 5/27

ELECTION 2020

"We have a choice! Next presidential election, we don't have to decide between two big-spending candidates, neither of whom has expressed much interest in limited government. Now, we have a third serious choice. This week, Dr. Jo Jorgensen, a psychology lecturer at Clemson University, won the Libertarian Party's presidential nomination . . . 

"As the Libertarian Party's presidential candidate, Dr. Jorgensen will be on the ballot in most states. Voters will have a real choice this November. Libertarian ideas are very different from those held by today's Democrats and Republicans. Instead of lusting for more money and power, her party proposes a government that keeps the peace and, mostly, leaves people alone."  John Stossel, Townhall, 5/27

"Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden told an African American talk show host last week: "If you have a problem figuring out whether you're for me or Trump, then you ain't black." It was not a one-off remark

"After strong condemnation, including from some fellow Democrats, Biden attempted to walk back his statement, suggesting he was trying to be funny. Biden has made other demeaning comments about minorities for many years. They are part of a pattern."  Cal Thomas, Townhall, 5/27

THE IMPORTANCE OF RELIGION

"Although the sense of the importance of religion is still quite strong in America, it has weakened. With that weakening, we're seeing a weakening of behaviors that keep a nation strong: record lows in the rate of marriage and the number of children born."  Star Parker, Townhall, 5/27

MAIL-IN VOTING

"Supporters of mail-in voting rely on polling which seems to indicate public support for it. But those polling questions avoid mention of the immense additional costs and the susceptibility of mail-in voting to manipulation and corruption. President Trump is right to oppose this attempt by Democrats to change our election system. Federal funds should be withheld from states that undermine our elections as Democrats are trying to do."  John & Andy Schlafly, Townhall, 5/27

A Prayer...Infertility...Mail-In Voting...Road Trips

A PRAYER FOR MEMORIAL DAY

"Gracious Lord, heavenly Father, on this day we pause to remember the sacrifices made for freedom throughout the past centuries. We do indeed owe a debt of gratitude to those who have paid dearly for the liberty we enjoy. Yet, O Lord, I know that good government, peace, & freedom are really gifts granted from Your fatherly hand, as I confess in the Creed. As we remember those who have served our nation, help us to remember that civic duty, no matter how well done, does not grant entrance to Your kingdom. We are saved by grace, through faith in Christ, apart from our works. Freed from the Law's demands, I know that I am now free to serve my neighbor for my neighbor's sake. May the sacrifices of those who have gone before me serve as examples. When I meet those who have served, remind me to thank them. Almighty God, guide the leaders of our nation. Watch over those who serve in our armed forces, especially those far from home. And above all, grant that we, Your children by faith in Christ, may find a field of service in which we, as salt & leaven, may uphold righteousness, order, & peace; in Jesus' name. Amen."  Lutheran Book of Prayer

INFERTILITY

"Americans are having fewer babies than ever, or at least than since the government began tracking the general fertility rate in 1909. The total fertility rate ticked down to 1.7 in 2019, meaning that the average number of babies an American woman would have over her lifetime is well below replacement level. Does that trouble you? It troubles me.

"Some people will look at the forthcoming population decline and give a satisfied smile. Perhaps they believe that more humanity will be too great a Malthusian burden on the environment itself, with the annoying human demands for energy, food, and leisure. Or perhaps they see a wave of automation coming down the road, and believe that the already growing portion of non-working men could, in the absence of a declining birthrate, balloon to a point that a decent society — a decent life — becomes politically unsustainable. I think the problems run almost all in the other direction . . . 

"The worry, of course, is that almost no society climbs out of the population tailspin. Those withering family trees make recovery more difficult. Fewer siblings and aunts and uncles means less support for raising children. Delayed childbirth, that spike in fertility over 40, results in grandparents who can contribute less to the raising of their grandchildren, or who themselves require attention that might otherwise go to the forthcoming generation."  Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review Online, 5/24

MAIL-IN VOTING

"Fun fact: There is no federal law against mail-in voting. That's a good thing. If Washington decided to mandate how America votes, I don't think it would improve the experience."  Debra Saunders, Townhall, 5/24 I have mixed feeling about mail-in voting. Especially given the restrictions due to the coronavirus, it may be a necessity for our elections in November. However, I definitely favor voter i.d. laws, especially since we need i.d.'s for so many other things.

CORONAVIRUS

"So yes, the reason liberals are swooning over Gov. Cuomo’s ingenious decision to call COVID-19 the “European virus” is because that makes the virus white. (Yuck!) The only way we could ever get liberals to call a new disease the “China virus” is if it originated in Africa, then migrated to China."  Ann Coulter, Drudge Report

"These days have left people on edge, needless to say. Can the gradual reopenings of churches — most slow, perhaps, in the Northeast — lead us to a spiritual reawakening?  . . . We want God, don’t we? Let’s get back to churches, to come to know Him better in His sacrament of mercy, especially, and show Him to people who need Him."  Kathryn Jean Lopez, NRO, 5/25

We were able to attend church for the first time since February. Social distancing was in place. People, including family groups, were seated at least six feet apart. The entire service was printed in the bulletin, so it wasn't necessary to touch hymnals. Collection plates were placed in the back of the church. There was no communion. We ushered ourselves out, again maintaining six feet apart. Our pastors greeted us at the doorway but did not shake our hands.

MEMORIAL DAY

"The dashed hopes of black soldiers throughout much of our history make their faithfulness all the more extraordinary."  Rich Lowry, NRO, 5/25  Ordinarily we would be in Minnesota, visiting our son, daughter-in-law, & two grandchildren, which has been our custom for Memorial weekend. This year we stayed at home, due to restrictions. We're hopeful that we will get to visit them (They live in the Twin Cities.) by later in June.

ROAD TRIPS

One of my New Year' resolutions was to take make at least one road trip per month. We'll be at Craig & Sarah's at the end of this week, since I have a Gamblers Assistance Commission mtg in Lincoln. We're tentatively planning a trip to the Nebraska Panhandle next week. We are both feeling a little stir crazy.

Friendship . . . . . Human Health

FRIENDSHIP
"Entering friendship involves revealing yourself in confidence to another, & thus becoming vulnerable. This is as it should be, but it is what makes betrayal so evil & faithfulness so virtuous."  David Smith, Men's Devotional Bible

HUMAN HEALTH
"God, our Creator, is passionately concerned with human health, holistically. Sometimes people speak of 'spiritual health' as a compartment within other parts of human health. This, however, is not how the Bible speaks. Spiritual health comes from the work of the Holy Spirit. As the Nicene Creed confesses, the Spirit is the 'Lord & Giver of Life.' He upholds & integrates all aspects of human health. The 'Spirit searches everything' (1 Cor. 2:10b).

"Spiritual health comes from having a right relationship with God. When humankind disconnected from God, we cut ourselves off from the Source of life. But God deployed extreme measures. He sent Jesus, His Word-made-flesh, to reconnect with us. The Holy Spirit works through the Word to bring us to fear, love, & trust in God, who will raise us up from death--whole, remade, renewed, body-and-soul, at the return of Jesus."  Rev. Michel Ziegler, The Lutheran Layman, Spring 2020

Watermelons + My Attitude + Election 2020 + Name Calling

THE CREATOR'S DESIGN

"We can map out the human genome and in it see the evidence of a great Cartographer. We can plan and now see a great Planner. We can sing and now see poetry in matter. We speculate and see the intricacies of purpose. We live, seeing the blueprint of life. And we die, but we can look through the keyhole of life . . . Accepting and celebrating the thread of your own personality is the first grasp of the Grand Weaver’s design in your life. You are not a number. He knows you by name. Every stage of the process may not look picturesque, but every detail will come into focus and possess its share of beauty."  Ravi Zacharias, Slice of Infinity

CRIMINAL MINDS

"Thieves wore watermelons on head as disguises"  Drudge Report

MY ATTITUDE

I rarely print anything critical of President Trump. I assume that if you follow the mainstream media or regularly check out Facebook, you get more than enough negativity regarding our president. Having said that, I have complicated feelings about Donald Trump. I'm happy with many of his decisions, especially his Supreme Court nominations & pro-life behavior.

Having said that, I'm not happy with the insulting nature of his comments & significant character flaws.

Having said that, I voted for him if for no other reason than his opponent was corrupt & held an outspokenly pro-abortion position. And I'll vote for him again given the nature of the Democratic Party & its nominee.

ELECTION 2020

"More puzzling is Biden’s sudden-onset FDR syndrome. The presumptive nominee seems to be forgetting the lessons of his primary victory. Biden won the nomination by assembling a coalition that looked a lot like the voters who empowered the House Democratic majority: suburban women, moderates, African Americans. He did so by emphasizing his experience and steadfastness and by framing the election as a referendum on President Trump’s behavior in office.

"But he has spent the last several weeks moving toward the same woke progressives who collapsed after Bernie Sanders’s sweep of New Hampshire and Nevada. Biden now promises “not just to rebuild the economy, but to transform it.” He says he is compelled to “rewrite the social contract.” This is the same man who doesn’t know if his computer is on."  Matthew Continetti, National Review Online

"Shut up. Don’t think. Do as your told. See you in four years. That’s what Joe Biden essentially projected to America’s Black community Friday morning. "If you have a problem figuring out whether you're for me or Trump, then you ain't black," Biden said on the popular New York City-based Breakfast Club radio show.

"Biden’s remarks sent shockwaves across social media and in the political press, but it shouldn’t have shocked anyone. Joe Biden and the Democratic Party have long sowed racial division and promoted identity politics in order to maintain power and control. His condescending remark is indicative of the Democratic Party’s overall attitude towards blacks and minority groups — Shut up and listen. We decide what you think and how you vote."  Ken Blackwell, Townhall

RETURNING TO CHURCH

"We want God, don't we? Let's get back to churches so we can get to know God better, so we can be examples of God's love to people who need it."  Kathryn Jean Lopez, Townhall 

EDUCATION

"Online education is for anyone, but we realize that even under normal circumstances it isn’t for everyone. Some students’ needs can be better met online, while others can be better met in a brick-and-mortar school. Unfortunately, the misfires of many school systems in this experimental period are adding fuel to an old fire that pits in-person instruction against virtual. 

"It simply shouldn’t be a matter of either/or. Online and in-person instruction have coexisted with great success for years now, as online schools serve as a safe haven for students who were bullied, who suffer difficult or even debilitating medical conditions, or who want to get a head start on their career."  Kevin Chavous, Townhall 

NAME CALLING

"President Trump and Speaker Nancy Pelosi are in a verbal battle that resembles schoolyard behavior I recall as a child: "Your mother wears combat boots," said one kid. "Oh yeah, well your mother is (something I can't print)." Fisticuffs or shoving soon followed before a teacher broke it up. Speaker Pelosi recently said the president has "doggy-doo on his shoes." The president responded that the speaker has "mental problems." He's said worse about her, but it's hard to imagine she could top (or bottom) the "doggy-doo" remark . . . 

"Name-calling has become common in the internet age and 24/7 news cycle. Increasingly, people read, or tune into, only those things that re-enforce their beliefs. This is as dangerous as eating an unbalanced diet. Calling someone names does nothing to advance an argument. Debate is better, but that, too, seems to be on the endangered species list."  Cal Thomas, Townhall

Free-for-All Friday

TRUTH

"Our grand privilege is to know God, to bring our lives into conformity with truth, which leads us to that coherence within. Christ has said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." In a world increasingly enslaved by error and alienation and seduced by ideas and images to believe a lie, how wonderful to be freed by the truth to Christ's peace. The Scriptures tell us that the enemy of our souls is the father of all lies. He will do anything to keep us from coming to the truth because it is the most valuable thing in the world, and leads us to the source of all truth, to God alone."  Ravi Zacharias, Slice of Infinity

HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE

Pandemics call for a willingness to break medicine out of the usual red-tape mentality and accept some risks in combating a fast-moving, deadly virus. In that spirit, there was nothing wrong in theory with President Trump’s willingness to push the health-care system to consider hydroxychloroquine, although at his briefings he often sounded like a salesman desperate to make his quarterly quota. Hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malarial drug, is a well-established medicine for other purposes, and its potential has been worth exploring. Some promising early results led Democratic governors such as Andrew Cuomo and Gretchen Whitmer to join the White House task force’s cautious optimism. Too many of the president’s critics instead dug themselves into actively rooting for the treatment to fail."  The Editors, National Review Online, 5/21

"For Democrats, both in and out of the media, the lie is everything and it must be protected. If COVID-19 positive people whose doctors recommend hydroxychloroquine recoil at the thought and refuse, ultimately dying, and it’s later proven that this time-tested, relatively harmless drug could have made a difference and saved lives, I don’t know how they will be able to live with themselves. Then again, given their exuberance for lies no matter the damage they do to anyone or the country and their willingness to use the power of government to impose their will on people who simply want to be free to live their lives and take care of their families, I don’t know how they live with themselves now."  Derek Hunter, Townhall, 5/21

THE MEDIA

"At this point, it seems that the mainstream media exists solely to refute and oppose anything the president says. Of course, Trump is not perfect. He exaggerates. He makes blanket statements without caveat. And he is known to protect himself to the point of stretching reality. Those who have come to know him and work with him on a daily basis understand his foibles. But they also understand that the president is merely human. He breathes the same air and eats the same food we all do. He has hopes and dreams for his own life and for America that echo our own. Despite his many faults, he was duly elected to lead the country; he has our best interests at heart."  Armstrong Williams, Townhall, 5/21

"The press has a natural affinity for catastrophes, which make compelling viewing and good copy. The pandemic is indeed a once-in-a-generation story. So, the media are naturally loath to shift gears and acknowledge that the coronavirus has begun to loosen its grip.

"Meanwhile, progressives and many journalists have developed a near-theological commitment to the lockdowns, such that any information that undermines them is considered unwelcome, even threatening. This accounts for the widespread sense that no one should say things have gotten better . . . or people are going to die."  Rich Lowry, NRO, 5/22

QUARANTINES

"Apparently, quarantines are for the little people. If quarantines are optional for the wealthy and well-connected, we should not be surprised that they find them much more tolerable and worthy of extension than everyone else."  Jim Geraghty, NRO, 5/22

TOUCHING THINGS

"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention adjusted its coronavirus guidelines slightly Wednesday, emphasizing that the virus spreads easily from person to person but “does not spread easily” in other ways, such as touching objects."  Jim Geraghty, NRO, 5/22

OBAMAGATE

"President Donald Trump has tweeted feverishly about "Obamagate," which is loosely defined as everything the Obama-Biden team did using their executive branch powers to ruin Trump's candidacy (and then presidency). The Trump-loathing press has responded with an unusual tactic. The self-appointed guardians of democracy who have auditioned themselves as America's great explainers are playing dumb."  Tim Graham, Townhall, 5/22

THE LOVE OF GOD

"I am utterly convinced that neither walls nor suffering, neither unfortunate mishaps nor poor decisions can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. Perhaps you have noticed footprints of one following closely across your own life. Will you follow them?"  Ravi Zacharias, Slice of Infinity

MATERIALISM & PRIDE

"When materialism & personal pride fuse together, we're all in grave danger of neglecting or even forgetting God!"  Don Wyrtzen, Men's Devotional Bible

GOD'S LOVE

"(God's) love, unlike ours, is untainted by sin & selfishness. It does not seek its own satisfaction or fulfillment. Instead, it sacrifices itself for the beloved. Thus it bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. It does not envy, become arrogant, rude or boastful. It does not insist on its own way or become resentful. It surpasses prophecies & knowledge. It is greater than even faith & hope. It has no perfection or end for which it strives; it is complete already & forever. It never fails. This is love:  God sent His Son to suffer & die for the unlovable."  David Petersen, The Lutheran Witness, May 2020

Whatever Wednesday

DEATH & DESTINY

"Death is powerful, but the power of God to raise us indeed shouts the triumph of love over sin . . . The destiny God has for us does away with these things that we deem so important now—shelters, tombs, and gravestones. In the end, our identities will be with God, and our personalities will be sublimely consummated to the purpose designed for each one of us. Our move from earth to heaven will serve as the thread that ties our memories together with reality and will enable us to see the temporal in the light of the eternal."  Ravi Zacharias, Slice of Infinity

ELECTION 2020

"Biden campaign hires interpreter to translate his speeches into English" Babylon Bee

"Considering Trump’s temperament, it wouldn’t be surprising if he blamed the “deep state” for an election failure. Really, though, we have no need to speculate about what an attack on the sanctity of the electoral process would look like, since Democrats have been delegitimizing a valid election for the past four years."  David Harsanyi, National Review Online, 5/19

"But do Americans really want the world remade? Or are they simply longing for the world of four months ago, when unemployment stood at 3.5%, when incomes were rising at the lowest end of the income scale, when Americans could attend events without fear of infection and death? Are Americans truly desperate for a reshaping of our medical system, a universal basic income and trillions more in debt?

"Biden seems to be betting on the latter. And that's idiocy of the highest order. It completely undermines his entire case for the nomination; it allows Trump to place the new radical agenda front and center, rather than his own foibles. Biden's go-for-broke strategy is a massive opportunity for Trump -- if Trump doesn't blow it."  Ben Shapriro, Townhall, 5/20

PLAYING IT SAFE

"You are not on earth to be safe. You are on earth to lead a full life. I don't want my epitaph to be, "He led a safe life." It's like another epitaph I don't want: "He experienced as little pain as possible." . . .

"All of life confronts you with this question: Are you going to take risks or play it safe? If you play it safe, you don't get married. If you play it safe, you don't have kids. There are real risks in getting married; there are real risks in having children."  Dennis Prager, Townhall, 5/19

CORONAVIRUS

"As Americans, we need to constantly question why our fundamental freedoms, such as choosing to take a medication that can potentially treat debilitating diseases, are being denied to us. After all, who would you rather have making decisions about your health care: out-of-touch bureaucrats with no skin in the game, or you and your doctor?"  Christina Herrin, Townhall, 5/19

"An irony of the national coverage of the coronavirus crisis is that at the same time DeSantis was being made into a villain, New York governor Andrew Cuomo was being elevated as a hero, even though the DeSantis approach to nursing homes was obviously superior to that of Cuomo. Florida went out of its way to get COVID-19-positive people out of nursing homes, while New York went out of its way to get them in, a policy now widely acknowledged to have been a debacle."  Rich Lowry, NRO, 5/20

HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE

"For that matter, we’re often lectured that killing an unborn baby is a decision made solely by a woman in conjunction with her doctor. Yet taking hydroxychloroquine is apparently a joint decision between a man, his doctor, every Democrat in congress, all the anchors on CNN, and an entire slate of New York Times op-ed columnists . . . The conscientious way to cover Trump’s hydroxychloroquine usage would be to point out that there’s no proof that the drug will help treat the coronavirus, though tests are still ongoing. Instead, we are subjected to an overwrought lecture series of nasty, childish, partisan attacks and misleading stories about a couple ingesting fish-tank cleaner."  David Harsanyi, NRO, 5/20

LYING

"Some people think that lying doesn’t matter at all, no matter who does it. This group is small. Some people think that lying doesn’t matter when their side does it. This group is big. Some people think that lying matters, period. This group is, like the first, small."  Jay Nordlinger, NRO, 5/20

GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS

"The Nation's Report Card, the government's biggest nationwide test, reveals that government-school students don't know much about history or civics. One question asked fourth graders, "Which country was the leading communist nation during the Cold War?" Only 21% answered the Soviet Union. More said France or Germany. American students did worse than if they had guessed randomly . . . Another question: "America fought Hitler and Germany in which war?" More picked the Civil War than World War II."  John Stossel, Townhall, 5/20

Mental Health Monday

TRENDING

• "Soccer club uses sex dolls to fill empty seats at home" Drudge Report, 5/18
• "Chick-Fil-A temporarily changes slogan to "Eat fewer bats" Babylon Bee, 5/18

A REMINDER

Sometimes my Mental Health MON blog is meant to share information & insights regarding mental health. Sometimes my blog is for my own mental health.

LOOSE ENDS

"The Lord didn't create the earth & then abandon it. He is intimately invsolved with sustaining it. He watches over what belongs to Him. My Lord doesn't like loose ends! He not only sustains His cration; He watches over me too & allows me to reflect His creativity."  Don Wyrtzen, Men's Devotional Bible

LEARNING FROM EXPERIENCE

"The only way to learn anything from an experience is to have accurate information about it when you’re through it. It’s called “learning from your mistakes.” People do it all the time. It’s how we get better as human beings. Thomas Edison reportedly said, “I didn’t fail. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work,” about creating the lightbulb. Politicians, on the other hand, are incapable, or at least unwilling, of learning from the mistakes they’re making because they believe they’re benefiting from the disinformation. And we’re all going to suffer because of it."  Derek Hunter, Townhall, 5/17

GOD'S PROMISE

"It is often in these harrowing moments—your parents' divorce, your child's birth, the death of a loved one—where God leaves a defining mark. There is reason you remember such moments so vividly. We have a choice to hear or to ignore, but regardless, God's voice cries out in our memories: I was there. God has been in our past. God is here today. God will be there in our future. We have this promise in the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ . . . 

"William Shakespeare once reasoned, "Love sought is good, but given unsought is better." How do you know that God loves you? While you and I were yet wandering, Christ was wandering after us, pursuing us, even by way of the cross: love seeking the lost in human flesh. It is this sacrifice that stands as the greatest marker in all time."

Ravi Zacharias, Slice of Infinity

CORONAVIRUS

"COVID-19 is an extremely dangerous virus. It will almost certainly be one of the top five leading causes of death in the United States this year, and may remain in the top five for years to come. But people are reaching the ends of their tethers with lockdowns. Amid the most massive job losses since the Great Depression, people sense that some draconian health measures aren’t worth the squeeze. Mass protests and noncompliance may be rare for now, and the lockdowns continue to enjoy substantial support in principle. But opinion varies widely from region to region and between rural and urban areas. As Scott Rasmussen has pointed out, a large majority of people think that every business that establishes safe social distancing should be allowed to reopen. Public officials struggling to find the right balance of health measures need to realize that the public will soon start making those choices for them.

"Dr. Anthony Fauci has said that the virus will determine the timetable for reopening, but that simply cannot be true. Rates of infection, mortality, and immunity are of course crucial factors in getting the policy right, but the most crucial factor of all is public choice. It is people who will decide when to reopen, what safety measures are reasonable, and what risks — to themselves and others — are worth taking. Government officials face a difficult set of incentives. They are held responsible for the impacts of both the virus and the measures taken in response to it. Their interest in political survival will make them increasingly sensitive to popular sentiment. It is worth asking whether public opinion should have such a decisive impact on health policy. But it does, whether we like it or not."  Mario Loyola, National Review Online, 5/18

"The greatest problem with the state of our political discourse is the degeneration of every topic of debate into a battle for ideological purity. As each side seeks the approval of their respective purity mob, the two rapidly diverge, putting an end to any hope for compromise. As we meander our way through the immediate aftermath of the initial coronavirus outbreak, compromise has never been more important. Yet, many continue to dig their heels ever deeper, as their opponents do the same, thereby shutting down the path to common progress and common solutions.

"The debate surrounding how and when we should end the varying levels of lockdown across the country has been as fierce and divisive as any other subject of political discussion in recent times. Across the spectrum, people have strong opinions on when businesses should be permitted to re-open, how we should handle the potential resurgence of cases after the summer months, and what role “experts” should play when it comes to defining policy."  Ian Haworth, Townhall, 5/18

Questions . . . Marriage

QUESTIONS

"Sometimes God answers us with questions--questions that leave us humbled, awe, speechless, weak & believing--believing not because we've found the answer, but because we've seen God. It doesn't matter that we have more questions now than when we started. It matters that we see God, for in the seeing, we discover that the truest answer to all our questions is to worship Him."  John Fischer, Men's Devotional Bible

MARRIAGE

"Without marriage society cannot thrive. And yet, this creaturely gift always points beyond creation to God's salvation of mankind.

"To say it more dogmatically, marriage is not isolated to the First Article of the Apostles' Creed, but it is bound up in the Second & Third Articles. God has desired us & has not despised His creation. God became man to save us lost & condemned creatures. And the Spirit has brought us to Christ, sanctifying us through water  the Word (Eph. 5:36). As man would leave father & mother for his wife, Christ left His Father in heaven to become one with His Bride, even unto death, & to make her His own. The Spirit delivers to us Christ's innocence & joins us to Him . . . 

"The bride is simultaneously an image of the first woman, brought forth from man & brought back to him, & an image of all humanity, whom God made in His own image & for himself. She is also an image of the holy church, brought forth from Christ, & made one with Him inHoly Baptism, & nourished by His Word & His own body & blood. If only every groom who stood at the altar of God saw his bride for what she is, the world would be filled with happy & blessed Christian marriages."  Jason Lane, The Lutheran Witness, May 2020

True Faith + Digital Overload + Climate Science + California

TRUE FAITH
"True faith depends not upon mysterious signs, celestial fireworks, or grandiose dispensations from a God who is seen as a rich, benevolent uncle; true faith, as Job understood, rests on the assurance that God is who He is. Indeed, on that we must be willing to stake our very lives."  Charles Colson, Men's Devotional Bible

TRENDING

• "Loud speech can leave virus in the air for 14 minutes"  Drudge Report, 5/14
• "ZOOM sued by church for Bible class bombarded with porn" Drudge, 5/14
• "Portland police stop armed robber, tell him to put mask on" Babylon Bee, 5/14
• "Several states issue orders requiring people to run around in giant hamster balls" Ditto
• Digital overload:  average adult will spend 34 years of life staring at screens" Drudge, 5/16

THE MEDIA

"How lovely it is to have a high-profile job in our major media institutions. Let’s say you completely, hideously muck up a huge story. Let’s say you spend three years wildly misleading the public. Let’s say that, at the outset of the worst public-health crisis in a century, you mock people for being afraid and tell them to go about life as usual. When you’re proven wrong, you get to tell the next chapter of the story anyway. And if you feel like saying, “No fair noticing we were wrong!” you know other members of the mainstream-media cartel will rush to support you . . . Just as we know that if something didn’t happen, we should pretend it happened anyway, if it reaffirms our political instincts. The Russia–Trump collusion yarn is perhaps the most-promoted false conspiracy theory in American history: Major figures who advanced the theory have now conceded that they had no evidence for it, and yet leading media personalities who hyped it are expressing no shame or remorse whatsoever."  Kyle Smith, National Review Online, 5/16

"Can we please do away with this reflexive belief among the media that Democratic officeholders and their appointed staff are inherently wise and good and compassionate and smart? Because this far-too-credulous faith in the good judgment of Democratic officeholders — and knee-jerk certainty that Republican officeholders are stupid and malevolent and reckless, and must always be wrong — is probably costing some people their lives."  Jim Geraghty, NRO, 5/16

CLIMATE DENIERS

"Alarmists insist the warming is due to fossil fuels, and deny that it is just part of natural climate cycles. And much more evidence of past warming and cooling periods has also come to light in recent years."  Paul Driessen, Townhall, 5/16

THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE . . . CALIFORNIA

"The dumbest and most scientifically dubious social-distancing rules apply to California's beautiful beaches. You can walk, run, surf or swim at the beach, but you can't sit on the sand and sunbathe. No standing around, either. Forget the coolers, chairs, umbrellas, Frisbees and footballs. And no parking in the lots by the beach."  Michael Reagan, Ditto

Free-for-All Friday

AFTER PEARL HARBOR

"After Pearl Harbor, Americans did not stay neutral, wait for government assistance or expect other nations to protect them."  Victor Davis Hanson, National Review Online, 5/14

CORONAVIRUS

"The media must stick to reporting on the virus and the ailing economy. Their often-petty obsessions with destroying President Trump are long past monotonous.

"Trump himself must keep working with any Democratic governors who realize they must put their states back to work in order to have the money to pay for the fight against the virus.

"Interest rates are low. Gas is as cheap as it’s been in years. Inflation remains moribund. People are tired of being housebound. They want to get back to work to make and spend money.

9

"All that is missing is confidence — or rather, the conviction that the coronavirus is no more dangerous than were the Axis powers and can be beaten far more quickly if we show the sort of will our grandparents had."  Victor Davis Hanson, NRO, 5/14

"As a breed, epidemiologists tend to focus on the worst case. They don’t want to be wrong and contribute to some deadly pathogen getting loose when their entire job is to keep that from happening. So, they are naturally cautious. This, too, is as it should be. You probably don’t want a risk-taking epidemiologist any more than you want a highly creative, envelope-pushing accountant."  Rich Lowry, NRO, 5/15

HARD TRUTHS

The biggest story of this pandemic is how quickly we can come to terms with some very hard truths. Among them:

• There is still quite a bit that we don’t understand about this virus.
• The virus may do lasting damage to some of those who do not succumb to it.
• While it’s not impossible that a vaccine is discovered by the end of the year, it is unlikely. The White House is attempting a secretive project called “Operation Warp Speed” to get a vaccine ready by the end of the year. If it works, it will be miraculous. But we cannot count on it working.
• While our potential options for treatment are steadily growing and improving, we do not have a way to treat the infected that is certain to save their lives.
• Any economic activity involves human interaction, which is likely to at least modestly increase the spread of the virus.
• Extended lockdowns and quarantines carry their own ill effects for human health, physical, psychological, and emotional.
• As Stanford University professor Keith Humphries observes, “Testing programs depend on people being so compliant that they will stay home for 14 days because a health worker told them to.”
• As Avik Roy observes, “People are way overestimating the willingness of 2 million Americans per day to get 6-inch nasal swabs sent up their nostrils to comply with a population testing regime.”

"The challenge before us is to figure out a way to live with these hard truths. “Everyone stay in your homes until further notice” is not really living."  Jim Geraghty, NRO, 5/14

GENDER IDENTITY

"The fact is that, “on the basis of sex” (the words of Title IX, around which the case revolves), there is no plausible, material basis for describing as “female” any individuals who have wholly and unambiguously male bodies, from their chromosomes to their reproductive organs. Arguments premised on “gender identity” are altogether different: They are metaphysical, not material. In “gender identity” theory, instead of a person being a body (as with the argument of biological sex) a person’s true self is located in a body, the nature of which they are free to declare. Because subscribers to “gender identity” theory believe that language is reality, describing a person (however accurately) as belonging to the sex opposite to the sex with which they identify is, they claim, a literal threat to the individual’s existence. But taken apart, this prohibition on “misgendering” (a word coined only in the last decade) is merely a new form of blasphemy. What it really comes down to is I find that offensive! "  Madeleine Kearns, NRO, 5/14

SERIOUS CORRUPTION

"Those sharing #Obamagate hashtags on Twitter would do best to avoid the hysterics we saw from Russian-collusion believers, but they have no reason to ignore the mounting evidence that suggests the Obama administration engaged in serious corruption.

"Democrats and their allies, who like to pretend that President Obama’s only scandalous act was wearing a tan suit, are going spend the next few months gaslighting the public by focusing on the most feverish accusations against Obama. But the fact is that we already have more compelling evidence that the Obama administration engaged in misconduct than we ever did for opening the Russian-collusion investigation."  David Harsani, NRO, 5/14

ELECTION 2020

"Biden has been trying to achieve the presidency since 1988. Even in his best days, he was not a strong candidate. And he’s much weaker today. Are Democrats just going to pretend that Biden didn’t look the other way while family members leveraged their connections to him to go into places like Ukraine and collect large paychecks? That Biden offers a coherent vision of where to take the country other than hokey nostalgia and bromides? That he wouldn’t be, on the day he takes office, older than any chief executive has ever been on the last day of his presidency? That his unscripted speech isn’t rambling, nonsensical, and bizarre? That he isn’t already showing signs of incipient dementia, ten months before his term would even begin? That he doesn’t make Grandpa Simpson look like a sage?"  Kyle Smith, NRO, 5/14

"Joe Biden on Thursday again addressed allegations of sexual assault from former staffer Tara Reade, saying that voters should not choose him in the November elections if they believe Reade’s claims.

"Voters “should vote their heart and if they believe Tara Reade, they probably shouldn’t vote for me,” Biden said on MSNBC’s The Last Word. “I wouldn’t vote for me if I believed Tara Reade.”   Zachary Evans, NRO, 5/14