I have spent 3 days in rural Texas. It's completely different from California -- flat as far as the eye can see, as the Great Plains roll from horizon to horizon. And there's a kind of freedom here -- the ability to do basically what you want, however you want.
That includes the freedom to do some things that ought not be done. We drove by a new suburban housing development that was... super ugly. Identical homes, bunched close together, no character at all, barely any space between the homes -- with so much space around!
I'd call that the downside of Texas. (That, and the heat and humidity in the summer, plus the cold in the winter.) I was reminded of the downside of California, too, when we were working with a tractor and had to remove a device that was required by California regulations.
This device is theoretically supposed to stop gasoline from spilling, in accordance with California law. But it doesn't work, so tractor owners remove it, meaning there is more spillage than there would have been otherwise. I guess you could call that "California stupid."
The orderly life envisioned by California's utopian politicians and is falling apart, because it's not really something made for human beings. (It's also expensive.) Texas is thriving economically -- but it's not the easiest place to live. You have to have some patience.
I wonder if this whole Texas vs. California distinction is even worth observing anymore, given that we are all seeing so more and more of our economy to be dictated by China. Will we raise up our own ways of life, or start building our lives around a new, distant metropole?
I should have noted in my message about the weekly Torah portion that this week is Shabbat Chazon, the Sabbath of Vision. We are about to mourn -- but see through that pain to something better that lies beyond, on the other side.
Wishing you the best vision -- and an incredible reality to follow. It happens!
We begin the final speech of Moses to the people of Israel before they enter the Promised Land. He relates the ups and downs of the years of wandering in the desert, before, finally, the people have the merit to enter the land itself.
This Sabbath always precedes Tisha B'Av, the Ninth of Av, the saddest day on the Jewish calendar. It is the anniversary of the destruction of both of the Holy Temples, and a catch-all for many calamities that befell the Jewish people.
A word on Tisha B'Av. This year I am leaving for an overseas trip during the afternoon of the holiday -- in the middle of a fast day. Not idea, but there was no other choice. But my flight is in the afternoon, which is significant.
We relax some of the harsh, mournful customs of the day in the afternoon. We start to pray normally; we sit on regular chairs; we start to have hope again in the redemption that will, one day, lead us all back from exile to our home.
I'll be taking a trip to a land where an important part of ...
President Trump is in Scotland, playing golf and making big trade deals -- a major deal with the EU, in fact. Meanwhile, there is a global outcry about humanitarian aid to Palestinians (not about the Israeli hostages, mind you).
On top of that, Democrats are at their lowest polling numbers ever -- so they are trying to win control of the House by redistricting in the middle of a 10-year Census cycle. Oh, economic optimism is up, so they have a tough road.
And Tulsi Gabbard's revelations about the Russia collusion investigation make it clear that Obama's lieutenants lied to Congress. How deeply was he himself involved? The media continue to ignore the evidence, but we certainly won't.
Special guests:
Nick Gilbertson - Breitbart News White House correspondent, on EU deal
Frances Martel - Breitbart News foreign editor, on Trump abroad and Russia
John Spencer - urban warfare expert, on humanitarian aid and war in Gaza
Bradley Jaye - Breitbart News congressional correspondent, on the ...
