Links: German right-wing loss; US flag redesigns; NYC eatery's $25/hour a good start

Links: German right-wing loss; US flag redesigns; NYC eatery's $25/hour a good start 

Viva, Jose! A national reform would be to federalize senior Medicaid as Medicare Part E, leaving caring for the non-retired poor to the state (to be delivered through the same providers as those who provide other services - under the employee policy).

In Germany, as elsewhere, all authoritarianism is local. These provinces add an interesting spin to the concept of "Red State."

All DeSteno proves is that there is such a thing as bad sociology, not that sociology has no role in analyzing religion and its culture aspects. The debate over whether Faith is an individual venture or a group phenomenon is important. When faith is a group thing, it becomes loyalty, which is the opposite of trust in God.

That debates about religion and the flag are related essentially prove this point out. The reason some want to redesign a flag which has become a symbol of international hegemony is lost on MSW. The irony of thirteen colonial stripes becoming the symbol of an American Navy that is always in the Sun is pregnant. 

Fearing Australian pro-lifers while calling oneself libertarian is a piece of real gymnastics. Whether opening the Churches is a good idea depends on vaccination rates, not theology.

Paying more does not change the authoritarian culture of capitalist restaurants. The owners needs to share the wealth and the power to get to the next step in 21st Century management.

Most people who advance beyond their race or class never claim to be beneficiaries of Affirmative Action. They have a point. That they are paid less than their high-class partners is also an interesting data point. In the U.S., class is more an issue than race. 

In the U.S., Class and race are not the same, but their interrelationship is an essential feature of society. Here, there is a myth that there is no class. Everyone likes to think that they are in the middle. A vibrant system of social insurance for the elderly allow that myth to persist. Class can be seen as familial, professional or economic. On all fronts, Trump has no class. He is an ignorant peasant with enough debt to be considered poor. 

In my studies of income in the U.S., I divide classes by piles of money. If Adjusted Gross Income is divided into equal piles, the Lower Class is anyone under $100,000 (80% of the population), the Middle Class is the next 16% and the Upper Class is the top 4%, who's AGI is over $250,000. 

The Upper Middle goes to $500,000, where the top 1% start. They are more a number than a class. From the top 1% to the top .01%, capital income is equal to salary income.  After $10 Million, any salary is a status symbol for celebrity athletes, CEOs and entertainers. 

The true measure of class is probably language. To be truly free, one must have the ability to expand the language, as well as being skilled in the common tongue. This has less to do with economics and more to do with prizing thinking over values. Such people scare the guardians of tradition and faith - as they should.

Robert Kagan's warning about the US constitutional crisis: It is 1932

Robert Kagan's warning about the US constitutional crisis: It is 1932 

No. 

2016 was 1932. This year or the next is Nuremberg. The economy is either late 2007 or early 2008 - or early 1929 if you prefer. Biden is LBJ or Truman. The racist leaders are already under arrest post-insurrection. They were the core of Trump's Brown Shirts. 

The unborn are not the Jews, however. Women are. It is the pro-life movement that let Trump come to power, just as the German people accepted Hitler. 

Biden is trying the Great Society. Biden is no FDR, who got Social Security and the New Deal passed and accepted by Wall Street by scaring them with the rising Socialist movement. This next time, the Socialists will win - and I am not referring to Bernie Sanders (who is more Huey Long or Adlai Stevenson). 

Modern Marxists no longer pine for Scandinavian social democracy or Soviet state capitalism.  The action now is promoting democratic cooperatives and ESOPs. By the time the Capitalists figure it out, it will be too late to turn back the clock.

Or there could be apocalyptic unrest, but it won't be in service of Trump. It might bring about change instead. Next year, we will likely see 

the arrest and plea bargain of Trump; 

the Supreme Court refusing to overturn Roe in the Mississippi case (there can be no state sovereignty on the issue); 

Cryptocurrency, oil and mortgage backed securities dragging down housing and exchange traded funds with them; 

possibly Biden leaving office in favor of Vice President Harris; and 

one or more natural disasters (another COVID strain - air, big earthquake(s) or volcanoes - earth, global warming and tsunami - water, and continued forest fires).

Interesting times.

Links: America editor steps down; why the rich get richer; The Onion on Merkel

Links: America editor steps down; why the rich get richer; The Onion on Merkel 

Donald Trump will not be the 2024 nominee. He probably will not live that long and, if he does, he will have been convicted of crimes which preclude him from holding federal office. His support is wide, not deep. 

His supporters are fans, not devotees. Many will follow anyone who will appoint justices who would overturn Roe and Casey. They will not get what they are looking for. The media consensus on this is simply wrong. Even if the unborn who react to stimuli are protected, the 14th Amendment structure of Roe which prevents action by states from being the last word will not be overturned.

Trump's motivations have nothing to do with wanting to keep power. He sees the presidency as a get out of jail free card. Prosecutors should have gone forward more quickly. They could of, but they bought into the myth that it could not happen. The trial judge in Trump v. Vance I said differently.

Eastman's memo was wrong in one respect. Had the electoral votes challenged by Congress been excluded, the resulting total would still have given Biden the victory. The Twelfth Amendment is quite clear that a majority of qualified votes is required, not an absolute majority of total votes. 

A big reason for inequality is how we give annual pay increases. Percentage increases across the board advantage higher incomes. Hard dollar increases would have evened wages out. Blame bad math. This is a gaffe - an unhappy accident - rather than a deliberate effort to sabotage the economy.

It is amazing at the sexism that AOC attracts. Granted, she is no policy genius, but she uses her platform well.

There is history on Texas redistricting which shows that the GOP can only go so far without local judges crying foul. Recent analysis also shows that poor  and older White Republicans will be as burdened by suppression as others. The Voting Rights Act provisions to challenge bad procedures are still in place. The recent laws will not stand review and will be overturned.

It's time for US bishops to reconsider relationship with EWTN

It's time for US bishops to reconsider relationship with EWTN 

I doubt the Pope's remarks were for public consumption. As for the network, leave Gomez on the board and take away his purple hat instead. It would send a stronger message. Shutting down the network would mean shutting down the Register too. I stay away from the kind of triumphalism that puts the hierarchy over the free press. We no longer index books. It only increases their sales. Ignore them instead. On the Trump angle, if any on the Network had advanced knowledge of the Insurrection or helped it, throw away the key. The same applies to any bishops. Cardinal Sean, call your office.

Biden's immigration policy needs reboot — and a moral vision. Pope Francis can help

Biden's immigration policy needs reboot — and a moral vision. Pope Francis can help 

The President's job is to enforce the law and suggest amendment. Because Congress has been very specific in this area, his authority to make independent policy is limited. The bishops should consider support for Biden's immigration reforms must-pass pro-life legislation (as they should on the child tax credit and childcare provisions of the budget). The Vatican needs to call the bishops who object, not the President. The one thing Biden can do about Haiti is to reauthorize disaster visas, but at some point Haitians need to settle their own civil government issues. We cannot do it for them, or for the Russian and Chinese people either. Freedom is never granted, it must be won.

Links: Governors' races in the midterms; resigning from the pro-life movement

Links: Governors' races in the midterms; resigning from the pro-life movement 

Gonzalez should keep his powder dry unless he has some he is supporting in mind. The nuts may be expelled well before the election for their support of the Insurrection - or at least censured.

When shoes start dropping, Republicans may either change their ways and risk primaries if the voters stand firm behind Citizen Trump or lead them away from Prisoner 45.

The first Councils were attended by bishops who were essentially pastors. Going back to that level of representation would be good and bad, mostly because the people in the pews are slightly more conservative than the entire membership of the Church. Still, synodality should be more local as well - including some decision making. Abuse and authoritarianism are the result of our current episcopal culture. We no longer live in the High Middle Ages or the 1950s.

Ledewitz has finally gotten honest on the nature and impossibility of the pro-life movement. Democrats for Life need to be clear on whether they support criminal penalties and state power. The Texas law has forced disclosure on them.

 Here's a hint: if you are not in favor of encouraging self-service abortions, registering every pregnancy (and possibly every pregnancy test), giving the state power to investigate all pregnancy loss (try that without seeing officer involved shootings go up as husbands man up and react as they should) and holding mothers accountable for securing what would legally be infanticide, then you are really pro-choice. 

Being unclear on this lets people in both parties call themselves pro-life - but they are for the unborn the way some people are for puppies. It is also why GOP and Pro-Life leadership do not trust Democrats for Life. I was actually hoping from the headline that MSW had come to his senses and faced reality that the pro-life movement is entirely a wedge issue with no goal of actually stopping abortion. It has forced some bishops into the GOP in a way that neuters economic solutions and actually causes abortion. People figure that they would rather ban abortion than pay more taxes.

Texas has forced the issue. It is also a fools errand for anyone who is seeking to actually enforce the law. The doctor who wrote about actually performing abortions has been sued, which now allows the issue to become ripe. He will not appeal the standing decision so he will not have to pay much in legal fees to the ACLU and the Center for Reproductive Rights. Anyone who wanted to really go ahead with supporting the legislation will be paying huge legal bills and court costs. 

This law is the Texas legislature and the pro-life movement trying to look busy to their membership. The involvement of the bishops in the movement is divisive to the nation and helping to perpetuate a fraud. With every abortion they try to prevent, three other children die because going GOP, as I said, delays the financial measures that actually would work if the pro-life movement dropped the GOP. The bishops have blood on their hands for those three who would have otherwise lived. So does any Democrat for Life that does not hold the movement to account for its economics. 

I am cross-posting these paragraphs on xianleft.blogspot.com at https://xianleft.blogspot.com/2021/09/bruce-ledewitz-quits-pro-life-movement.html

The Book of Jonah may have been a Babylonian import. It is also an object lesson to the holier than art thou - especially clergy and the pro-life movement.

I suspect that Monicagate gave parents pause about how their children view sex. The parents needed the talking to, as they were completely in the dark. I agree, Me Too started with Weinstein and Cosby, not Bill. Women like Bill and hate what the modern Jonahs did to him (and why).

Did Miles Davis ever include an organ in his combo? Now that would have been something to hear. I would also appreciate any organist who could duplicate his style. Coltrane's too.

Tax the rich: It's the right thing to do and it's popular

Tax the rich: It's the right thing to do and it's popular 

Part of the rule of law is that there are rules. Sometimes, people abuse the rules. The ugly part was that people make trades that may look bad to get things passed. Doing this was an informal rule - which is now being resisted by than the holier than art thou GOP. Members are actually working against the interests of their states to please the fringes of their party and a few authoritarian donors (don't call them libertarians). 

Church doctrine will not help the debate. Church politics might. Progressive bishops need to shame their brethren into shaming the GOP into supporting the Biden budget. The main spending provisions improve childcare benefits and make permanent child tax care benefits, both of which will directly decrease abortions. As a bonus, they will force employers to pay higher wages rather than using the starvation of children as a means of getting people to work. 

Bezos pays a decent wage. It is the working conditions necessitated by the nature of the work that are the problem. It is no longer his problem, however. He is leaving active management. The process needs to be engineered such that the job is more easily accomplished with bathroom breaks thrown in. The true solution is ownership

In the same way, in order to raise taxes on the rich, they must see a personal reason, apart from duty, for doing so. Inequality among the top 10% of incomes is where the debate must be. In the race for higher incomes, we need incentives to stop running.  Ownership is the answer here as well. And greed. A greed based solution will bring the wealthy into line. If not for them, then for their children who are accumulating debt certificates which will become worthless.

How much one owes on the debt is a function off of income taxes paid. There are two parts to paying higher tax. One is higher rates. The other is higher income. If less rich people have higher income, they will owe more of a share of the debt. If only the rich are paying taxes it is because they have too much income, which raising both tax rates and the minimum wage will correct. The more they pay in tax, the less benefit they get from transferring the income of workers to their own pockets.

Radicalizing the masses will not help. Marxists have been trying for more than a century. You cannot vote in equality. As long as racism and sexism can be employed, the working class will always be divided. Nurturing the belief that the Democratic Party is too woke or that abortion bans are just around the corner keeps half the working class in bed with those rich who like their money just where it is and their workers hungry. The workers have been made to agree.

Bezos flying to space is advertising. It is a way to get rich people to give his company (not him) money so that the technology of space flight can be improved enough to be cheaper. It is better to use the high tech sector to build space industry than new ways to kill us all. The whole system for private space was worked out at Goddard in the 1980s, partially sourced by an external policy paper given to one of the engineers by a classmate on how to privatize space to get the aerospace sector out of the war business. The war business drives inequality more than Bezos.

Links: Russian elections; assisted suicide; reply to McAleese's criticism of Francis

Links: Russian elections; assisted suicide; reply to McAleese's criticism of Francis 

In Canada, the bishops know the difference between what legislators can do and what courts won't let them do. Would that the U.S. Bishops knew or admitted this. Ending the alliance of some with the Republican Party would decrease abortion, provided that they endorse Biden's budget.

American military and civilian personnel are dedicated to the rule of law. Trump's coup would not have been successful, however, no one in the Republican Party lifted a finger to remove him from office when it was clear he was taking orders from Putin.

In the United States, the right to die cannot be legislated. The question will be whether rational suicide (i.e., not from curable depression) can be prohibited by the government or must be respected as a privacy right.

The Afghanistan dip will not hurt Democrats in 2022. In 2024, the Golden State will be firmly blue, especially if Harris is at the top of the ticket. California needs to separate the recall from electing a replacement. This is why we have Lieutenant Governors.

The French should not have wasted their time competing with the special relationship between the United States and the Crown. Also, it does not do Asia well. Everyone still remembers how they messed up Vietnam.

The Irish Presidency is, like the British Monarchy and the Israeli Presidency, an office with no real power. She speaks for the people, not the government. In the recent past, Rome killed the Irish hierarchies efforts to deal with child abuse responsibly. They are correct to withhold trust now.

The High Middle Ages were a time of religious fervor and Church overreach. A comparison to today's relations between labor and the Church are comparing apples to oranges. This is why Distributism is not appropriate for our time. Life exists on a bigger scale - one that outpaces the local Ordinaries. Move the Church into the realm of modern management and they may be more useful to workers in the pews.

If Milley broke democratic norms – even for the greater good – he must face the music

If Milley broke democratic norms – even for the greater good – he must face the music 

The acting SECDEF was a Trump flunkies who gave orders neutering the DC National Guard. Millet is a hero. Pence had three constitutional duties: succeed the President, preside over the Senate and convene the Cabinet to remove Trump. He failed in his duties. Milley should get a fifth star.

The goal of the insurrection was to have a sham Congress declare Trump had won. At that moment, the only constitutional response would have been noncompliance and the forcible detention of Trump. Luckily, Trump did not succeed. In the end, he could not have. Every military member and civil servant puts their oath above the President. They won't follow an unlawful order, especially not en masse.

The people who should have acted were afraid of Trump's army of voters who think that just one more justice will end abortion (MSW's tribe). Donors are now against Trump and there are not enough racists to shift a primary in most states or districts. That, and Trump's Super PAC was built with Russian seed money. Anyone who took it did not want this known under another President. In for a penny...

Cupich's call for a eucharistic revival offers the bishops a way out of the mess they made for themselves

Cupich's call for a eucharistic revival offers the bishops a way out of the mess they made for themselves 

Until we admit that the proposed instruction on the Eucharist was not named at Biden, but at those who will vote Democratic in 2022, we are missing the point. Whether the proponents are partisan or see the culture of obedience that is so familiar to them melting away, they need more than a change in direction for their own conversion. Regardless, what they are trying to do must be held up to public scrutiny because they are seeking a public act.

I suspect that they are noticing that none of them are getting Red Hats under Francis. Whether they are miffed by that, think they have nothing to lose or are trying to get noticed by a backlash pope is a matter for their own souls. That is their concern as much as their concern over my soul as a pro-choice politician is none of theirs.

I am not a fan of revivals. They are an emotional reaction to the terror of rubrics. If one can perform well outwardly and emotionally, one need not think too hard about how their lives affect others (especially those with darker skin). To get where we need to go, a greater rethinking about how relate to God is required, including a radical acceptance of the Perfect Humility of the entire Trinity (not just the example of Jesus) and how this applies to both moral teaching and the doing of works of mercy.

This is a bigger ask than simply issuing a document or declaring a holy year.

Links: How Biden can recover; El Paso and COVID; rationing health care

Links: How Biden can recover; El Paso and COVID; rationing health care 

Presidents should never worry too much about what people on their side think, as long as he hears them out before making a decision. How Biden deals with disasters will generally be remembered, but people will remember getting out of Afghanistan more than how we left. No one on the Left will think raising taxes on the wealthy will care. Not even the wealthy.

The real question is whether the Vice President benefits from good will toward Joe.

The deep held beliefs of libertarians should not be made fun of. Pushing on them only generates push back. Granted, they believe that authoritarianism is freedom, but don't say it from the left without offering an alternative that is non-governmental.

Atheists are notable for both morality and charity. They also speak the truth, if only the Church would listen to their voices prophetically. Critics are always straight with you. A chaplain will help the students with their delivery, which is vitally important.

Labor needs to work on ending right to work in the South. This will solve the problem. First, they have to listen to their critics - most of whom are armed with information from the bad old days.

People dying in the Red Zone is nothing to joke about. One must respond with compassion and by sending military hospitals to pick up the slack.

Hats off to the Metropolitan Opera for pulling off the Requiem. It is a hard piece of music. I once sang in a high school music festival where it was the chosen piece. The show went on and we were glad it was over. The usual recording was not made.

Should critical race theory be taught in our schools?

Should critical race theory be taught in our schools?

Critical race theory should be taught in schools of education to those who develop curricula and write text books. Should it be used in law? Maybe in the reform of law, but lawyers need to think about precedent and policy from the legislative branch. As far as Congress and state legislatures, no theory is needed. We know what is wrong. The question is, how to fix it. 

Cultural Bias Theory - which is what way of life people chose - hierarchy, egalitarianism, individualism and authoritarianism - and how they relate to each other is useful for understanding political and social theory. It is college level work.

Unconscious bias theory is different from critical race theory. It is part of psychology and biology and would be helpful in dealing with theology and ethics. Its premise is that some behaviors are the result of automatic reaction (racism is one of these things) and others are thought out (like overcoming automatic behaviors). This should be taught in schools - and to adults who watch Fox News.

Critical race theory is essential for designing Catholic school history curricula. Urban school children need the facts of their own history. So should students in elite (White) Catholic schools, including the Church's sins of omission in not fighting racism at first, as well as in allying itself with Racist in Chief Donald Trump - although it may take some time for tempers to cool and bishops to be confronted before going there. The Church's complicity with White Flight must also be mentioned.

Teaching critical race theory is like teaching about creationism. It is useful to teach high school students about the controversy, which opens the door to factual analysis. The 1619 Project should be the 1630 Project, which was when John Punch was brought to America as a slave rather than as a bondsman. 

How opposition to slavery influenced collaboration with the British is a real thing - the Allen Family of New Jersey (and other Quakers) is a case in point. The place to look for attitudes in opposition to slavery in the revolution is among the refugees to Canada and the Caribbean. Where people settled had to do with where they were from and how they felt about slavery. 

Some of my Allen ancestors from Vermont fought alongside their cousin Ethan. Eventually some made it to Canada. Why is not known to present descendents, but it may have been because Tilton Orlando Allen married Mahalah Ann Eastman, whose family moved to Arkona, Ontario in the early 19th Century. They eventually moved back across the border. Tilton was descended from Lt. Thomas Allen. His wife was descended from Quaker Allens. Family histories are where to look for who was on what side, not civil records. 

Links: Bishops' Eucharist document; a pro-family president; racial divides in housing

Links: Bishops' Eucharist document; a pro-family president; racial divides in housing 

Cupich is in union with Rome. Certain bishops do not seem to be. We do need a Eucharistic revival which opens up the Communion line to all of the baptized. What some of the bishops consider sacrilege ignores the fact that mere humans cannot hurt God. They seem to think themselves essential to the ticking of the clock of creation. They are not.

Some people go to rallies for the personal historic value of seeing a president. Without that, the Birch/Tea Party/MAGA coalition is billionaire money buying the fringes of astroturf.

The bishops need to forget their alliance (allegiance?) to the GOP and insist that the childcare and child tax credits be considered must-pass pro-life legislation.

Racial separation of neighborhoods and schools are about who children are allowed to befriend and date. Racism is a multi-generational disease that can be stopped at any time. This is why the 60s were so scary to the racists. Catholic schools enabled this fear more than White liberals.

One or two trans advocates (yes, pre-op trans men can have babies) will not put Trump back in the White House. If he is even alive, he will be a convicted felon for bribery and sedition, which disqualify one from office without a 2/3rds exemption from both houses of Congress.

The stupid thing about recalls is that they select the new governor in the same election. The office of Lieutenant Governor exists for just this purpose, provided that they are not elected as a ticket. Even if the LG is simply acting until a subsequent election, such election should be fully primaried. Larry Elder could never be the GOP nominee in a normal election.

Science how to reverse the process that limits the life of genetic material (although it cannot create new Ova). Therapies have not yet been approved, but Bezos is not wrong to invest. The moral question is that if we can reverse aging, heart disease, diabetes, cancer and the common COVID, how do people who want to get off the treadmill of life do so? One can be very much related to God without dying if one is willing to participate in Her humility. If Jeff started marketing theological opinions on God and eternity, he would be going to far. Be careful of what you wish for.

In solemn silence, Biden leads the nation in remembering September 11

In solemn silence, Biden leads the nation in remembering September 11 

Biden showed class by letting Bush have all the words on Saturday and the words were well chosen. Until the Independent (ex) Republicans return to the party and push out the Tea Party/MAGA faction, national unity will be impossible. He will speak at RNC  2024. Hopefully, Trump will be in criminal custody. and the party will be renewed, along with nation. If this happens, date it to Saturday, which is apt.

Are Francis' critics scared of the Holy Spirit?

Are Francis' critics scared of the Holy Spirit? 

Jesus sent the Paraclete, Shekinah, to the whole Church because there is more to be revealed. Synodality must include the whole Church, not just the bishops and clergy. One only has to listen. To think that only clergy can hear her voice is hubris. The whole Church must select our bishops, not just a select group of men who believe they have special magical powers. 

Links: Biden's Catholicism; union organizing at Starbucks; vaccination success

Links: Biden's Catholicism; union organizing at Starbucks; vaccination success 

Ecclesial culture needs to shift from the Ambo to the Pews. Until it does, there will be mischief. The upcoming curial reforms, however, are about to limit the mischief. This is especially the case if the Cardinal Advisors are elevated to patriarchal roles. On some continents, this could lead to Matriarchs as well.

The real challenge is being ignored. Sex. The Mass is just a stand in for the need of deeper change, starting with the sexuality of priests - not gay priests but those asexual priests (who can still be quite queer) who resist such categorization. Until this happens, real charity toward the rest of the faithful is impossible.

Biden needs to be more muscular in his faith. It is not a private matter. He needs to speak the words of prophesy. By this, I mean putting wisdom over loyalty. The debate over abortion needs to be public. The bishops need a lesson in constitutional law. They are not being well served by their own lawyers who are too obsequious by half. Biden must not only call out their ignorance but dare them to support his budget as an anti-abortion issue. The GOP Trads will hate that, but we cannot have either national or Church unity if he does not do so.

McCarthy is more Dershowitz than OJ. Trump is OJ. McCarthy is trying to defend his caucus instead of purifying it. His antics will not go well in 2022. Some members need to be denounced and expelled on a bipartisan basis. Others need to accept censure for following the lead of Trump's agents in Congress.

Unionization is a good tool to move Starbucks forward. A move toward ownership and cooperation would be better (one worker-one vote) with preferred shares distributed based on longevity. Unions would then shift from striking to voting the shares of members.

Childcare should also be considered a pro-life issue, although there are better avenues for securing it than distributing money to employees. Onsite daycare funded as an offset to employer-paid (or collected) taxes could fund it. Places like Starbucks could contract with the building they are in to share resources (which should be for workers, not customers - especially in this age of COVID).

Starbucks is a great place to raise VAX rates among young people, although mandatory sick leave is as important as getting the shot. Anyone with a heavy cold or heavy allergies must immediately quarantine. Only that will stop Delta and Mu. Also, forget trials, either send elementary students home or rush a shot into their arms.

The dark ages in the US happened when we were killing tribal nations. In Europe, they occurred before the high middle ages, when government had collapsed and chivalry had not yet been established. At least is was warm.

What US culture can learn from the church about COVID-19

What US culture can learn from the church about COVID-19 

The Church can learn about culture by looking at COVID in the U.S., which has many cultural preferences. Libertarians do not trust experts, especially experts who insist on trusting the science and obeying mandates (who they look upon as authoritarians). Even authoritarians check who to believe based on their preferred authority.  

Asking people to behave is dangerous, because if you do, you can never be wrong. The medical establishment is still wrong in their model of COVID spread. It is hard for any bureaucracy to pivot to new information that it is not looking for. First you have a cold, then tye symptoms go away then come back with a vengeance. Any household where someone has a bad cold or what seems like bad allergies needs to quarantine.  No leaving the house, not even with a mask.

The Church is wrong on many things sexual. It is hard to tell gay people to be monogamous when you teach mastsurbation is a mortal sin or that an asexual ideal should be followed by everyone, not just asexuals in the priesthood (who think that they are heterosexual). The Church, like Government science, needs to learn humility. Especially in what data it chooses to see.

While we commemorate the Incarnation, Redemption and Eschaton as a Church, they are essentially individual affairs. We are each created and mortal sin is about knowing the sin of others, not some moldy Babylonian myth that Augustine took literally. Likewise, redemption is an individual journey to God whose sacrifice was a journey to empathize with us. Like Creation, the second coming is myth. We each find God in the air when we die.

The challenge for the Church, the Government and the Culture is to put personal responsibility ahead of the norms of the group. He who would preserve his life will lose it. He who would preserve his reputation will lose that too. 

A friendly outsider's view of American democracy: critical yet optimistic

A friendly outsider's view of American democracy: critical yet optimistic 

The author's dates are wrong. The erosion of worker rights started in 1965, when the Kennedy-Johnson tax cuts took effect. The decline in purchasing power for workers began there. Reagan just gave the project a push. Twice. Once in 1981 and once in 1986. These "reforms" gave Wall Street the money to create all kinds of bad investments, which were then sold to the middle class (they had to buy them when the rules on pension stability were changed). The Bush tax cuts in 2001 and 2003 finished the job, leading directly to 2008. Obama fixed some of it, but Trump and Ryan broke it again.

According to Richard Florida, The Creative Class go where they like and the jobs follow. Lassus seems to agree. His reference to European Social Democracy is a band-aid. More fundamental changes are needed to restore some degree of equality and the orderly transition of power from the C-Suite to the shop floor and the lab. This won't happen, however, until the rich find it in their interest to do so. Until Europe learns the lessons Hamilton teaches, they are in no position to challenge the Class Warfare implicit in the ballooning of the National Debt. Read this book for more information. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08FRQFF8S

As far as religion, it reflects our current partisanship and undercurrent of inequality. It always has.

New Texas abortion law is a Pyrrhic victory for pro-life cause

New Texas abortion law is a Pyrrhic victory for pro-life cause 

Texas abortion clinics need to call Abbott's bluff and ignore the law. No one will sue under it. They know that the ACLU and the Center for Reproductive Rights will win and it will cost they will be paying for the privilege. The Supreme Court correctly found that the issue was not ripe for consideration until a plaintiff did so. I advised the Center to find its own plaintiff and resolve the issue quickly.

NARAL needs to send Abbott a fruit basket for goosing their funding. Planned Parenthood too. So much so that abortions may be free for the foreseeable future.

The Mississippi law will fail too . The best it can do is clarify late term abortion law and do so in a way that stops state attempts to restore Plessy. Maybe that will stop nonsense from the states.

To win, quit insisting your rival changes. It is a sure way to lose.

The Catholic Church needs to quit trying to ban abortion. It is logically and constitutionally impossible to ban abortion without making all women subject to the investigation of all pregnancies. 

All Church teaching on sex is misogynistic. To win on abortion, it must ordain women, elect bishops and insist all pro-lifers support Biden's budget. Until that happens, there is no hope for the unborn, heartbeat or not. 

Links: A Trump hangover, Biden's numbers and a sedevacantist priest

Links: A Trump hangover, Biden's numbers and a sedevacantist priest 

When Trump the indictments start flying, cable news will get its viewers back.

No one will care about Afghanistan by next year, let alone the election. The question is whether he will be on the ballot or it will be Harris. Nothing will invigorate the Birchers more than a mixed race woman running for or in the top job.

The fact that Biden went out shooting at ISIS-K mitigates any perception he went out on someone else's terms.

The best way to deal with schismatics is to ignore them. They hate that.

Having left Kabul, now what? Enough sticks; let's focus on carrots

Having left Kabul, now what? Enough sticks; let's focus on carrots 

I am not terribly worried about the Taliban. Their goal was our text, not radical Sharia. If the women of Afghanistan want liberation, they must demand it. The Taliban have less strength than is apparent, so they will likely be more democratic and respecting of individual rights than before. 

Saudi money propped up the last regime. It won't this time. If it does, we should go after the Saudis, not the Taliban.

The biggest need in American foreign policy was to get rid of Donald Trump. Mission accomplished. He is an oaf who made America look bad and was likely financially compromised with his ties to Moscow. 

American hegemony is less popular with an ugly face. The irony is that Trump was correct about the need to decrease hegemony itself. The role of the American President as free world dictator is not sustainable. 

If the EU had real unity and an effective executive (rather than rotating national leadership) it would be a formidable military power. Assuming that were the case, how many Americans would be comfortable with a collection of EU military bases on American soil? How about a United Mesoamerican Army? Would it be justified? 

We just had a fascist insurrection with many of its supporters remaining as an organized political force. Should the world risk their election of another authoritarian with nuclear launch codes?