Last night I took my eldest daughter to see a newly-discovered comet, C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS), just after sunset. I would not have known about it except I happened to catch a random news bulletin on the radio (random because my car radio is malfunctioning -- a story for another time).
The timing was perfect, since we were coming back from her band practice. According to the news report, one had to look west about 45 minutes after sunset. We chose the Pacific Palisades bluffs, which have a clear view over the ocean from about 200 feet above the beach and Pacific Coast Highway.
We could not have anticipated the beauty of the setting -- nor what happened next. My daughter exclaimed: "There's neon in the water!" And sure enough, when the waves crashed, they were bioluminescent. That's rare enough -- the last time we saw that here was almost five years ago -- but with a comet!
The images I managed to capture on my iPhone were incredible. Interestingly, the comet was discovered by astronomers in China and South Africa, and I've actually been to the telescope in South Africa. It's near a remote town in the Karoo desert called Sutherland, a place spectacular in its stark beauty.
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:
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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