Valediction to 20th Century English Grammar

Valediction to 20th Century English Grammar. Note: this article concerns grammatical distinctions that lend themselves to the reading experience and much less to the listening experience. 

The rest of it is the [meeting] of the minds and what is going to happen between you and I is the mutual agreements you and I create and that’s the relationship between you and I.
(don Miguel Ruiz Jr interview, author of The Four Agreements)

She and me share the same birth date.
(a comment on reddit)

As a voice from the previous millennium, I come before you to say goodbye to some handy grammatical distinctions that were used most of my life by many 20th century English speakers, including my parents and peers, preachers, politicians, plumbers, Pete Townshend, card sharks, journalists, swindlers, and writers. Continue reading “Valediction to 20th Century English Grammar”

Ashamed of America

Ashamed of America 

I’ve never been proud to be an American, but at times, I’ve been proud of America.

It makes me proud whenever our country does something really humane. Several of these proud moments predate my birth. Lincoln’s “Emancipation Proclamation” is one of those moments. Another is the liberation of France from the Nazis. In my lifetime, two events stand out. The leadership of Martin Luther King, Jr. in the 1963 protests against American racism that led to the passing of the Civil Rights Act in 1964 is one. The other is more symbolic, when, in 1987, President Reagan shouted, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” Continue reading “Ashamed of America”

Mandates

 

If one turns on American news these days (after President Trump was inaugurated a second time), the word “mandate” comes up frequently. I doubt many Republicans or Democrats would quarrel with the current Wikipedia definition:

In representative democracies, a mandate is a perceived legitimacy to rule through popular support. Mandates are conveyed through elections, in which voters choose political parties and candidates based on their own policy preferences. The election results are then interpreted to determine which policies are popularly supported. A majority government provides a clear mandate, while plurality or coalition government suggests a lesser mandate, requiring greater compromise between parties. Parties with strong mandates are free to implement their preferred policies with the understanding that they are supported by the people.

In the 2024 US election, Harris received 48.33% of the popular vote, while Trump received 49.80%. Neither received more than 50% of the votes, so there was no winner-by-majority, only winner-by-plurality. The percentage by which Trump won was 1.5% of the American voters. Continue reading “Mandates”

Liz Cheney Changed My Mind

After listening to yesterday’s speech by Liz Cheney—a dyed in the wool Republican all her life—I’ve decided to vote for Kamala Harris. I’d like to contribute to the message that we don’t like, believe, trust, or endure Donald Trump.

Until today, I was going to vote for a third party, probably Jill Stein, because I like to protest the two-party system in the United States.

Cheney’s speech, though, reminded me that a vote for a leading candidate can be a protest vote. Protesting the end of democracy (Donald Trump’s trajectory) addresses a problem that is even more dire than the duopoly itself. My message to those who find themselves with divided allegiances: vote for Harris in 2024 if for no other reason than so you can vote for someone else in 2028. Continue reading “Liz Cheney Changed My Mind”

Lamentation for the 2024 Presidential Election

On the willows there
    we hung up our lyres.
For there our captors
    required of us songs,
and our tormentors, mirth, saying,
    “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
How shall we sing the Lord’s song
    in a foreign land?

Psalm 137:2-4, RSV

Whatever my aversion to partisan politics has been in the past, it’s stronger than ever. Putting age aside, as well as a highly forgettable VP, I find little encouraging in the Democratic ticket. The Democrats no longer promote the view that abortions should be safe, legal, and rare, but that they should be affordable and accessible (making them common). If I didn’t think the unborn were human beings, I wouldn’t object. But I cannot see the difference. After conception, it’s all shades of gray, lines drawn in the sand. Continue reading “Lamentation for the 2024 Presidential Election”

The Irony of Mr. Trump’s Rhetoric

An entire book could be (and perhaps has been) written on Mr. Trump’s rhetoric, something like Trump’s Towering Rhetoric.

I agree with Jim Gaffigan in a rant he posted when Mr. Trump was President: “Trump is a great salesman. Possibly the best salesman I’ve seen in my lifetime.” I agree. Although many people critical of Trump describe him as an idiot, dumb, or stupid, I believe he knows what he is about and succeeds very well in convincing about half the American population that he is what he says he is. Continue reading “The Irony of Mr. Trump’s Rhetoric”

Civil War or War on Civilians?

“I admit that political polarization may bring it all to an end, we’re going to have a hung election and a civil war.” Bill Gates, September 2022

This is my third, and I hope last, article on the woeful condition of politics and “Christianity” in the United States. Earlier, I remarked with shock and sadness on the conservative Christians’ penchant for conspiracy theories. Later, under the influence of heterogeneous sources, I predicted the violence likely as a result of the November presidential election—but never thought anything like the violence of Jan. 6, 2021 would occur.

Update 6/11/24: Nearly two years after publishing this article, I realize I was contaminated by fear mongering when I referred to “hundreds of thousands of mostly armed people truly believing they and their families are about to lose their livelihood.” The leap from being armed and upset to opening fire in the streets on a grand scale remains inconceivable. Perhaps the most durable bit of this article is the Civilian Manifesto toward the end.

Continue reading “Civil War or War on Civilians?”

Christians and Conspiracy Theories

“Just because I’m paranoid,
doesn’t mean they are not after me”
We say this with a wink… and then glance over our shoulder

“Just because it’s a conspiracy theory,
doesn’t mean it’s not true”
We say this straight-faced… and then take another sip of Kool-Aid

This article’s focus is deliberately narrow: to explain to myself and perhaps to others how it is that so many politically and theologically conservative Christians entertain so many conspiracy theories. Following are a discussion of what’s so bad about Christians being conspiracy-theory prone, a definition of “conspiracy theory,” a short list of conspiracy-theory candidates, and a two-prong argument to explain the Christian proclivity.
Continue reading “Christians and Conspiracy Theories”

Perfect Political Storm

We’ve got God on our side
We’re just trying to survive
What if what you do to survive
Kills the things you love
Fear’s a powerful thing, baby
It’ll turn your heart black you can trust
It’ll take your God filled soul
Fill it with devils and dust
          (Bruce Springsteen, “Devils & Dust”)

Update 1/6/21: the storm has broken. Early this afternoon, the House and the Senate were carrying out their 12th Amendment duty of counting the certified electoral votes. Thousands of protestors had gathered outside the Capitol to protest what President Trump frequently described as a fraudulent election, where he lost both the popular and the electoral vote. Around 2:20 p.m., protestors broke through metal barriers at the foot of the stairs to the Capitol. Police sprayed tear gas. Around 2:30 PM, a large number of protestors, some violent, some carrying weapons, forced their way into the Capitol. “Protesters could be seen marching through the Capitol’s stately Statuary Hall shouting and waving Trump banners and American flags” (Associated Press Timeline of events at the Capitol). The building was locked down, but not before one woman was fatally shot by the police. Three other people died from currently unspecified medical emergencies.[§] Congresspeople were eventually escorted out of the building. Around 8:30 p.m. the Senate resumed the electoral vote. Several Republicans withdrew their objections in light of the siege.

Continue reading “Perfect Political Storm”