It's cliché already to say that one shouldn't discuss religion or politics at dinner parties. Increasingly, however, religion and politics are the same thing. That's partly because liberal religious denominations have been adopting the left's political platforms to substitute for dead articles of faith. And it's also because people seem to make political choices less based on rational calculations of self-interest, and more on millenarian visions of the ideal life, however fanciful.
That's bad, because it means it is increasingly hard to persuade leftists to break away from what is clearly not working in any practical sense. And it also means electing the left means committing society to increasingly extreme policies.
But there is a silver lining: we know how to deal with religious difference, and Western Civilization has known how to do so since the end of the Thirty Years' War in 1648. We just agree to disagree; we live and let live; we move on.
I have found that in recent discussions with serious, hard-core Democrats and leftists, there is an increasing ease of conversation, partly because both sides seem prepared to use the religious model -- you believe what you believe, I believe what I believe, and neither of us tries too hard to dissuade the other.
That does not mean every set of beliefs is equally valid or useful. But it does mean we might yet salvage social cohesion from the divisive morass of politics.
This week, we are tackling two major areas of contention between the Trump administration and Democrat governors: fighting crime, and redistricting. The president is sending the National Guard to blue cities -- and blue states are trying to stamp out Republican representation. Is this a civil war situation?
Special guests:
- Bradley Jaye -- Breitbart News congressional correspondent, on redistricting
- Tom Manza, California Business and Industrial Alliance, on Gavin Newsom
- Jon Fleischman, veteran California political expert, on the special election
- Dan Backer, veteran political lawyer and consultant, on corruption
- DJ Mark Anthony, on a recent visit to Rome and visiting Pope Leo XIV
Tune in: SiriusXM Patriot 125, 7-10 p.m. ET / 4-7 p.m. PT
Call: 866-957-2874
This week's portion is the last of the month of Av -- also known as Menachem (Comforter) Av -- which begins in mourning and ends in celebration and anticipation of the New Year and the process of repentance and renewal.
In a similar vein, the portion features Moses offering the Israelites a choice between a blessing and a curse. They are masters of their own fates: if they obey God's commandments, they receive the blessings -- and vice versa.
The key commandment is to reject idol worship. There is said to be something magnetic about the practice of worshiping idols in the new land, such that it would be constant moral battle, both individually and collectively, in the land.
Nowadays, according to Jewish tradition, humanity has lost the urge for idol worship (and the antidote, which is divine prophecy) -- but there are several near substitutes, such as lust or excessive appetites for worldly pleasures.
We are wired for compulsive behaviors, bad habits, and even addictions. These ...
We have so much to talk about this week -- Trump's efforts to negotiate peace through negotiation, and Gavin Newsom's efforts to divide Americans through gerrymandering. We'll also talk about Playboy leaving LA and California.
Special guests:
Frances Martel - Breitbart News foreign editor, on Russia & Ukraine
Bradley Jaye - Breitbart News congressional correspondent, on Newsom
Harmeet Dhillon - DOJ Civil Rights Division chief, on the fight against DEI
Jessica Vaugn - Playboy model on political commentator, on California
Tune in: SiriusXM Patriot 125, 7-10 p.m. ET, 4-7 PT
Call: 866-957-2874
