The effort by the left to topple President Donald Trump by staging unrest outside the White House the weekend after the death of George Floyd -- violently, at least at night -- was the real "insurrection," an attempt by the Democrats, the media, the activists, and the Deep State to mount a "color revolution" that would force the president to cede power voluntarily.
Trump's walk across the park to the church was a public statement that democracy still governed the country, and not the mob. That is why they had to lie about it -- to mock it as a "photo-op" and to spread the lie that he had used violence to disperse "peaceful protesters" (which the journalists knew was a lie, because they themselves had been assaulted by the "peaceful protesters" ).
The event was the subject of a massive disinformation campaign -- aided by former senior members of the military, including Trump's own former Secretary of Defense, James Mattis. The media, who still obsess about Russian "disinformation," were part and parcel of an intense effort to mislead the public and provide the justification for regime change. (They eventually succeeded, in a way.)
What happened seven months later, on January 6, was an echo of the violence of that weekend, and the whole summer. When you attempt to seize power through mob force, all while chanting "this is what democracy looks like," there is a good chance at least some people on the other side will believe it.
The real "insurrection" was at Lafayette Square, and the truth will no longer be silenced.
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!
