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Religion
BLASPHEMY!
BLASPHEMY! I can think of no better word to describe the social media appearance of the President in the form of Jesus Christ. Explanations are nothing but double talk. That barely exceeded the scene when the Vice-President, who is a Catholic, argues theology with the Pope. As the sacred head of the church, The Pope is the final authority in questions of faith and theology. I am a Methodist, but I can’t imagine a public debate with a Bishop, who is several ranks down the pecking order....
Public Policy
Unintended Consequences
Trump faces the same problem in Iran that Putin does in Ukraine. They miscalculated the strength of their victims. The current inflation rate of 3.8% means that the Federal Reserve will not drop interest rates anytime soon. The 17.9 % in energy costs reflects the 54.3 increase in fuel oil and 28.4 increase in gasoline due to the Blockades in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran survived the attacks by Israel and the U.S. and even has started to repair the damages. They seem uninterested in a settlement, and the cease-fire is threatened....
Politics
The Rubber Stamp Outfit Came Down Hard for a Change
The results of most Supreme Court rulings in Trump’s second term have been mostly rubber-stamping approvals of his misadventures in legal limits to Presidential power. The President had spent months practicing the “Art of the Deal” in fixing tariff rates. As a major curb to executive power, the court ruled that the Congress had not delegated the authority to set taxes, so the multiple deals were struck down in a single blow....
LGBTQ+
(2).jpg/250px-Barney_Frank_(cropped)(2).jpg "Barney Frank")
Barney Frank
A sad Barney Frank gave an interview to CNN Host Jake Tapper recently. He rambled on about how the LGBTQ community needs to be flexible about transgender issues so that we don’t get bogged down in political disputes. During his time in Congress from 1981 - 2013, Barney often spoke as the only gay man in the House. Journalists would call him for comments on LGBTQ issues that came up....
Travel
Pilot Mountain State Park
Pilot Mountain State Park is one of the most distinctive natural features in North Carolina. The mountain consists of The Big Pinnacle and the Little Pinnacle Overlook that is adjacent to it. The Overlook is accessible from a parking lot off US 52 and via a very steep climb over rocks. It is NOT a hiking path. The peaks were formed from quartzite that survived the erosion around them for millions of years. It is one of four similar knobs in North Carolina....
General
Downfall: The Case Against Boeing
This Netflix documentary goes into detail about the cause of the 737-Max airline crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia. The film excels at making complex aviation and business issues accessible. It wasn’t a dull recitation of facts; the dramatizations and reactions of families were emotional hooks. The issue: Boeing had installed new software on this model, and it didn’t tell anyone, including the FAA, because it didn’t want to require more pilot training....