Links 4/17/18

https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/links-41718
MGB: The new regime is not perfect and it is not new. Pastors have been blessing second marriages and readmitting people to the sacraments for decades. This is why Amoris came from the whole Church, not the Pope. Sadly, this does not go far enough.  People like Gingrich, who divorce in order to marry the newest girlfriend are really committing adultery and should never be allowed in a Catholic marriage.

The more FoxNews slanders someone, the truer their story.  Comey is telling Gospel.

The truth is no corruption of university culture.  There is never an excuse for ethnic nationalism, especially when it comes at the cost of those living there. Israel must change. While they ignore Torah (even if Leviticus is a product of the exile), the Ark of the Covenant will never be returned to the Temple. God will not abide in an apartheid state.

Since most Christians do not fixate on abortion politics, which is mostly about fundraising and volunteer activation, there is plenty of room on the left for those who would oppose Trump.

People like to think the Syrian war was a popular uprising. Some of the demonstrators may have drunken the Arab Spring Kool-Aid, but the muscle behind the revolution was Daesh trying to get a foothold.  Outside Rojawa, there are no good guys in this war and there are many victims. The military tyranny with Alowite overtones has little way forward, even if it wins. It is time to expand Jordan to include the Syrian and Iraqi lands. There is no more potent symbol than the throne of the Prophet.

I owe my life to the work of Eunice and her husband. If only all hospitals were run by the Public Health Service and operated like the Clinical Center at NIH.

The meme of the Opioid crisis is that now that the victims are mostly white, punitive measures should be dropped. This is true, but they should be dropped for everyone and treatment should be offered to everyone, from the mentally ill to the addict and alcoholic - although the word offered is still a bit weak.  Some offers should not be refusable.  Not destroying yourself is one of them.

If Napa happens after congressional primary season is over, everyone will be glued to the House and the Senate. No time for plutocrats.  Moderate conservatives in the past may have gone to this thing. Trump has alienated them all, or at least stopped them from wanting to openly defend people like him.