I think Trump is, on balance, a drag on Republican candidates -- not necessarily because of anything he has done, or because of the "quality" of the candidates he supports (have you seen the Democrats?), but for another reason.
The fact is that Democrats have created their own universe of meaning, sustained partly by the mainstream media, but also within the minds of millions of voters who do not share conservatives' aspirations, at least not consciously.
Their imaginary reasons for hating Trump have real-world results. I think that the riots of 2020 were the result of the fact that impeachment failed to take out Trump and that Democratic voters had little faith in Joe Biden to win.
They took matters into their own hands and simply launched an orgy of violence -- starting in Minneapolis because of George Floyd, but then moving to the White House itself before it fanned out across most of America's major cities.
Democrats were basically saying that they would make America ungovernable if Trump won again. In the weeks before the November 2020 election, they made that threat more explicit; "Shut Down DC" planned nationwide unrest.
Trump has been unfairly persecuted, though he has also made bad mistakes -- and none of that matters. The fact is that half the country simply will not be governed by Donald Trump. There is almost no way around that basic problem.
This week’s portion launches the great story of Abraham, who is told to leave everything of his life behind — except his immediate family — and to leave for “the Land that I shall show you.”
There’s something interesting in the fact that Abraham is told to leave his father’s house, as if breaking away from his father’s life — but his father, in fact, began the journey, moving from Ur to Haran (in last week’s portion). His father set a positive example — why should Abraham leave him?
Some obvious answers suggest themselves — adulthood, needing to make one’s own choices, his father not going far enough, etc.
But I think there is another answer. Abraham (known for the moment as Abram) needs to establish his own household. This is not just about making one’s own choice, but really about choosing one’s own starting point. It’s starting over.
Sometimes we start over in fundamental ways even if much that surrounds us remains the same. Sometimes the journey we have to ...
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!
