I said in March 2020 that the right thing to do on coronavirus was take every reasonable precaution without shutting down our lives, and learning to live through the pandemic until it was behind us. The Democrats and the media, partly because of genuine fear but largely for political reasons, refused that common-sense approach. The pandemic was a unique opportunity to remove Trump through destroying the economy -- which had, until then, defied the left's "hopeful" predictions of recession -- and the social fabric. Some even insisted Trump step down or yield power to a panel of so-called experts.
A year into Biden, and the pandemic is worse than ever (in terms of cases, not deaths), and the Democrats and the media are suddenly telling us we can't go too far with restrictions; we have to learn to live with the disease; we can't destroy the economy. What changed? Well, for one thing, people are used to the danger and it's no longer quite as terrifying; but the real motivation, if I want to be cynical about it, is to protect Biden, who promised to end the pandemic. Now Democrats want us to put a brave face on it all, and move on.
It's the right approach, but it's two years, and trillions of dollars, and an unfair election, too late. We should have done this right from the very start.
The story of Noah is familiar; the details, less so.
Noah is often seen as an ambivalent figure. He was righteous -- but only for his generation. What was his deficiency?
One answer suggests itself: knowing that the world was about to be flooded, he built an Ark for the animals and for his own family -- but did not try to save anyone else or to convince them to repent and change their ways (the prophet Jonah, later, would share that reluctance).
Abraham, later, would set himself apart by arguing with God -- with the Lord Himself! -- against the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, saying that they should be saved if there were enough righteous people to be found (there were not).
Still, Noah was good enough -- and sometimes, that really is sufficient to save the world. We don't need heroes every time -- just ordinary decency.
Hi all -- as I noted last month, I'm going to be closing down my Locals page, at least for tips and subscriptions -- I may keep the page up and the posts as well, but I'm no longer going to be accepting any kind of payment.
Look for cancelation in the very near future. Thank you for your support!
An interesting weekend -- one of the last of Daylight Savings Time -- in which there is much to celebrate, much to contemplate, and a bit to worry about.
The Gaza peace deal is shaky, but holding, after the living hostages returned; the shutdown is still going on, with no end in sight; the China trade war is heating up; and the confrontation with Venezuela continues to escalate.
The "No Kings" protest was a dud, despite the media's attempt to inflate it. What I find fascinating is that the Democrats have basically stolen the rhetoric and the imagery of the Tea Party protests, circa 2009. They claim they are defending the Constitution -- just like the Tea Party did.
On the one hand, this is good. How wonderful to have a political system in which both sides, bitterly opposed though they are, articulate differences through the Constitution -- and not, as in so many other countries, outside it.
On the other, this is sheer hypocrisy for the Democrats. Not only did they malign the Tea Party as ...
