Nothing special to write about? Really? Does an inauguration count as special? Or good TV?

What to write about today?

Not like there's nothing really important happening, after all. I mean, so there's some sort of whoop-ti-do happening in DC, right? A new President or something? It's not like that doesn't happen every few years, right?

Well, alright, if'n y'all insist. It's about 9AM Central as I write this; President Trump is either on his way to Florida, or already there. I'm not following the news that close, ya see. Unlike most every President in history, he has refused to attend the swearing-in of his successor. Kinda childish, if you ask me, but hey, who am I to judge?

President-Elect Biden will lose the "-Elect" part of the title in about two hours, in a Washington that is virtually shut down and militarized in a way not seen since probably 1864. For the first time in living memory the National Mall will not be filled with thousands upon thousands of spectators. Instead, it will be populated almost exclusively with tens of thousands of flags.

For the first time in history, a woman, and a black woman at that, and a black woman with Asian ancestry at THAT! will be sworn in as Vice-President. Can anyone say, "intersectionality"? Sure you can! Try it. Doesn't it just roll right off the tongue? Doesn't it just sing? Sure it does. Yeah. OK.

In about three or four hours, a dozen or so Executive Orders will be signed, rolling back many of the Executive Orders signed by the previous administration. Some of which had rolled back Executive Orders put in place by the administration prior to THAT. (An administration that had as second-in-command the new Elected Executive Dictator. But who's counting?)

Aaannnd ... the 2024 primary season begins. <Heavy sigh>

Well, The Debster and I have watched the first couple episodes of "All Things Great and Small". Gotta say, perhaps the best thing on television these days. Wholesome, some humor, beautiful countryside. Even just a little romance but not enough to gum up the thing. Check it out!

I've been reading "The Huegonot Chronicles: Books 1 - 3" by Paul C. R. Monk. Pretty good so far, not quite half-way through. Seems to be well-researched, with a lot of small historical details adding flavor. My one and only quibble so far is that the characters, though well-developed, are a bit too one-sided. The protagonists, French Huguenots Jacob Delpech and his wife Jeanne, with their family and friends, are so noble and good they make my teeth hurt, as someone once said. Whereas the antagonists, their Catholic persecutors, are completely bad people. There is very little nuance. This is why I'd rate it 4 stars rather than 5, at least so far. I'll give it a full review once I've completed the trilogy.

Well, that's enough for today. You go do your thing, and The Debster and I will do ours. See you next time! Love y'all!

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Linkage

Today in History, presented by Tara Ross

This Day in History: Benedict Arnold is born
On this day in 1741, Benedict Arnold is born. You know him as a traitor to the American cause, but do you know the rest of his story? Arnold started off as someone that you might admire. ...

THE BRIEFING, presented by Albert Mohler

THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 2021
PART I We Are All Witnesses of History: U.S. House of Representatives Votes to Impeach President Donald J. Trump for Second Time
PART II What’s the Big Deal about $1? The Supreme Court Hears Arguments in a Case with Nominal Monetary Value, but Huge Implications for Religious Liberty
PART III New York State Is Facing a Serious Money Crisis: What Does It Mean That Lawmakers Are Turning to Expanded Gambling and Legalized Marijuana as Potential Solutions?

Blog and Mablog, presented by Doug Wilson

Real Justice
Pastor Doug writes:

We live in a time when many evangelicals are realizing that we are standing at the base of a really steep learning curve. These are demented times, and the steep learning curve consists of the effort you will need to exert just in order to keep your sanity. If you are in that position, and are not sure where to start, I would recommend starting with this book, The Justice Primer. ...

This is good to see: President Trump issues statement urging that there be "NO violence, NO lawbreaking and NO vandalism of any kind". He expands on the theme in this video, as well.

In this kinda long essay, Richard M. Reinsch, II writes "Why the Republic Can Hold" in National Affairs magazine. Well worth the few minutes it takes to read it!

Charissa Koh of WORLD Magazine looks into efforts to demilitarize the police. Very good article. My take: The lead photo is of a St. Louis County PD - my home county! - armored vehicle deployed during the 2014 riots in Ferguson. Personally, I will be so glad when the police go back to being the police, rather than a paramiltary organization.

Last but not least:
Peter Heck writes in Disrn,

Missouri declared the first “abortion-free” state

Missouri has become America's first "abortion-free state," after all 45 abortion facilities in the state have closed or ceased performing abortions, according to a report from pro-life organization Operation Rescue. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!

Interesting links (Trigger warning: they are political!)

Peter Heck writes at Disrn: Opinion: Riots aren’t the “language of the unheard,” they’re the language of the thug. It's pretty good:

I admit that I could be totally misreading my fellow Americans, but placing my figurative finger on the common man's pulse, I don't get a strong sense that many of us are into violent riots. I think most citizens regardless of gender, ethnicity, race, and socioeconomic background thought this was bad:

[He follows this with several graphic video clips of rioting and mayhem, both from BLM/Antifa, and from the mess last week at the US Capital.]

Read it all!

Here's a great one from Laura Mize, also at Disrn: OH governor signs bill banning telemedicine abortions
This is truly good news, a step in the right direction in the fight to protect the unborn.

While you're at Disrn, check some of the other links as well. Lots of good stories there, such as the fake Chuck Norris at the riot and V.P. Mike Pence refusing to invoke the 25th Amendment.

Here's another good one, from Oren Cass at the American Compass website: Where Do We Go From Here?.
Here's a sample:

I often compare President Trump to an earthquake—a costly disaster, but one that exposes structures outdated or sloppily built and provides the opportunity to improve upon them in the rebuilding process. We are living now through the final tremors, which can do most damage because they shake foundations already weakened by what has transpired. Trump’s actions and inactions in the election’s aftermath and especially in the last week are impeachable offenses, but the Congress’s decision whether to proceed is political and prudential in character rather than legal, and impeachment and removal is more complicated than tweeting “Impeach. Remove.” I believe he should be removed as soon as possible on principle, as precedent, and because the benefits outweigh the costs, but I must confess to having weak confidence in that third judgment and I also find persuasive Philip Klein’s argument that a slow, post-inauguration process might be most appropriate. Regardless, I consider intemperate the suggestion that this is an easy decision or that only one plausible position exists. A fine example of a healthier politics would be an acceptance on all sides that “remove the president in the week his term ends” is a proposition on which reasonable people might differ.

As you can tell, it is not very flattering to the president.
Read it all!

I could add a lot more, but that's enough for today.

This picture gives you an idea of why I am leaving Facebook!

Please comment below. And keep it civil, folks! Disagreement and debate are fine, name-calling and so forth, not acceptable, and may be deleted.
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Love y'all!

Donald Trump May Be An Idiot, But He Is NOT A Terrorist

So this morning, I was sitting in a Steak-N-Shake restaurant with the Debster, eating breakfast and killing time between two of her doctor appointments. I glanced through the local newspaper which some kind soul had left there. Now understand, I don't normally read the uber-liberal Post-Disgrace, uh, sorry, Post-Dispatch, other than to get sports news. Their hard-left editorial slant doesn't normally affect that department, making it palatable even to me. But, it was there, so I just HAD to ....

Anyway, I happened to glance at the editorial page, for some dumb reason. Yeah, I know. But still, know thine enemy and all that claptrap. Anyway, I started reading Kathleen Parker's column, entitled "CAN WE TALK?" 

I occasionally find myself nodding in agreement with Ms. Parker. One example is a recent column opposing putting women in the military into direct combat roles, which I thought made a lot of sense. However, in this case, I almost went ballistic.

Ms. Parker wants to set up a nation-wide "dialogue", seeking to find common ground between moderate Americans and moderate Muslims. Her goal, an admirable one, is to reduce the level of animosity in our society. I obviously have no problem with that at all. The focal point of her ire is the call that Donald Trump made to temporarily block Muslims from entering the country. 

Look, I am no fan of Mr. Trump. I think he is a self-serving blowhard hypocrite, a right-wing version of Al Sharpton. I think his call to block all Muslims is wrong-headed and counter-productive, not to mention un-American. I don't care what Jimmy Carter did in the 70's. He was an idiot too. 

Here's Ms. Parker's sentence that set me off:

We seem to have no trouble demanding that moderate Muslims condemn the radicals, but we’re less than impressive when it comes to moderate Americans taking a stand against our own extremists. It isn’t really as painful as it looks and should be viewed as an act of patriotism, something the individual citizen can do as part of the nation’s war effort.

This basically equates Mr. Trump, and his supporters, with Islamic suicide bombers. Yes, we have a small minority of idiots that would probably like to engage in terrorist activities against Muslims. The KKK, Aryan Brotherhood, and the like come to mind. If you want to compare those ACTUAL extremists with Muslim jihadists, you could make a legitimate case for that. But to tar somebody like Trump with that brush is, well, ludicrous at best and downright sinister at worst.

I'm going to leave it at that. I need to go wash my hands with strong lye soap for even touching that newspaper!

Merry Christmas to all of you, from the Debster and me!