There are three major news themes this week:
1. Ukraine, where President Joe Biden has managed to edge precariously close to World War III with a series of gaffes -- first on chemical weapons, then on sending U.S. troops into Ukraine, and then on regime change in Russia;
2. The confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, which may be in jeopardy after she stumbled in explaining her lenient sentences for child pornography offenders, and could not provide a definition of the word "woman";
3. Inflation, which continues to grow worse, as state governments pledge cash rebates for rising gas prices and Biden has no solutions to offer, other than allowing the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates slowly -- perhaps too slowly.
We'll discuss it all, with special guests:
Rabbi Shmuley Boteach -- on Ukraine and the human rights challenge
Alan Dershowitz -- on Ketanji Brown Jackson
Jessica Vaugn -- on inflation, the economy, and the ongoing culture war
Tune in: SiriusXM 125, 7-10 ET, 4-7 PT
Call in: 866-957-2874
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 ...
