Your newsletters help make the bumpy ride more bearable.
Regarding the Christian Nationalists - A reminder the parties "flipped" during the 1960s with the Passage of the Civil Rights Act 1964 and the Voting Rights Act 1965.
When the "Moral Majority" decided to align with a party it could control and institute "one issue voting," a different timeline emerges. (Think the MetaVerse in the Marvel film series.)
The result is now groups within the GOP camp that have been taught to demonize and hate, instead of follow Jesus' command to LOVE one another. They accept the labels and dog whistles without question. Nor will they listen to people who are as devout (if not more so) yet have a different lived experience than they have. AND they are prone to violence.
As in the days of the American Civil War, both sides were reading the same Bible.
Well said Beverly, We can debate who exactly Jesus was, man or God, but the message was a very positive one of gentleness and kindness and love for one another. Unfortunate some so called Christians have hijacked his name in their quest to spread discrimination, intolerance and hate for everyone but themselves. This, as pointed out in the newsletter makes all Christians look bad just as the extreme right wing of the GOP make all Republicans look bad.
The following can be taken with a grain of salt but if actually true I could see Jesus sending such a message if he were alive today: ". . . . .My sandals trod the dust of the Holy Lands over two thousand years ago. My mission; to instill into the minds of the people that the meaning of life was not as complicated as they were led to believe. I traveled about the lands seeking to inspire the people and momentarily they were inspired; but unfortunately, they became entangled with material conditions and lost sight of the finer things that were being given unto them. So, I had to step aside and allow them to follow the path of their choosing. Following my brief stay, other teachers would go into the various lands to try to reach the masses of struggling humanity. But the same conditions were encountered, generation after generation. We all tried to touch those who we felt were sufficiently sensitive to become teachers, to become messengers of light unto the people. Now, over two thousand years later, I bring my Word in the hope it will be understood. Much of what I said in the past has been misinterpreted. I had come to serve humanity, like so many others before me. Many of these same teachers suffered as I did. Yes, tears of compassion flowed often, as they observed the domination of mankind and all the manifestation of evil which prevailed. I often found the same conditions and as a mortal I sought to instill the simple truths unto them. I felt that if I could explain to them these truths in the simple manner in which I received them there would be no danger of misinterpretation down through the ages. But unfortunately I was wrong.
At one time, the main topic of my conversation with people was that they must be born again, and again and again; that the lessons to be learned could not possibly be learned in one lifetime. Even this basic fact was misinterpreted. And even today, although great emphasis is placed on the idea of a spiritual rebirth — or being born again in a spiritual way — the teaching ends there: my original meaning long forgotten and, I fear, deliberately distorted by the many whom I encountered. And I feel, as I speak today, that much of what I say will not be accepted. Why the stubbornness? Why the refusal to accept? Certain beliefs can be so ingrained in human thought that when an honest attempt is made to correct the situation, great anger arises within the heart of those who are being given the opportunity to learn the truth. And so they must remain ignorant of the great majestic truths of creation and the grand plan for mankind. . . . . "
Dear Robert Evans, I would like to know what is so peaceful and good about sending someone who doesn't "believe in you" to burn for eternity. Sounds violent and bad to me.
Hi Judy, Isn't that an arcane fundamentalist Christian belief? There is no such thing. The old Southern Preachers whole sermons were all about hellfire and damnation. Scared the heck out of people, especially children. I know God can't be proven to exist scientifically, but my personal belief is while there is no individual entity that we can call God,that there is a higher power - a universal intelligence of which we each of us is an integral part, and it does matter how we behave towards our fellow humans, and as I said, before while there is no judgement by God in the sense of an old man in a flowing white beard waiting to judge us after f death, there is more of a self reflection, and while one's religion or lack of it is of no consequence at all if your religion helps you with your spiritual growth all well and good. But this business of only people of a certain religion go to heaven is bull. I was born into a Christian family but thankfully my parents did not believe you had to be a Christian to get to heaven., However, all that said, as I also mentioned earlier tit is important as to the state of our heart and soul that we express kindness and patience and understanding and above all tolerance of others.. The really bad guys, like Putin and Hitler and murderers, robbers, dope dealers, and scammers and those who live only to use others for their own selfish ends do not enjoy the more spiritual levels or heavenly realms after death because their states of mind do not allow that. They find themselves with others of their kind. But even that is not for eternity, only until they aspire to a more selfless outlook and realize they had taken a wrong path in life. Of course for people who believe there is nothing after death have no concern one way or the other, but trying to do the right thing while we are here seems to me to be a more satisfactory approach all the way around.
It's actually not arcane at all. It's the essence of Christian doctrine. Due to original sin committed in the Garden by Adam and Eve, all men are born sinful and must repent and proclaim Jesus to be their Lord. That is the only way, again according to the Bible, to be saved from the fires of Hell. It you don't believe that barbaric nonsense, then you are not a Christian. You are something else. Also I hope you are aware Jesus never spoke out against slavery. He, as God in the flesh, had the bully pulpit and should have explicitly said, in no uncertain terms, Thou Shalt Not Enslave Other Humans. Indeed he should have and could have created an 11th Commandment. He didn't because (1.) he's not all-love, (2.) he's not all goodness and (3.) He's not real. He won't even regrow legs and arms.
Hi Judy, I suppose it is fairly engrained at that but more emphasized in the fundamentalist segment. As far as the rest, who is to say what he said or didn't say for sure, but all indictions were that he was a good person in that he taught love and kindness, etc. If he had died of old age I doubt a whole new religion would have started, but the mystique of the crucifiction and supposed resurrection changed the picture from essentially a little Jewish cult to many years later a movement called Christianity based on his name. That's when non-Jews were allowed to join. Before that only Jews could belong. There will always be people - hundreds of thousands, millions ewally who believe he was divine and those like me who believe he wasn't. I have several Jewish friends I am very fond of, and If as Christians believe only Christians go to heaven, I have no interest in going there. And based on my near death experience many years ago every single one of us lives after death and there is zero discrimination, either ethnically or religiously. The only separation that exists is as I said before, the different levels of conciousness based on the state of your heart and soul. Here th bad and the good are all together although the good guys try to stay out of the way of the bad, but there there is a complete separation. However that doesn't mean people no longer have differing opinions or likes and dislikes, we are all still human. There is no sudden enlightenment.
Let’s not forget Allen Weisselberg who, with his son(s), is vulnerable to additional charges and, after sitting in Rikers for the past few months, may now be cooperating, which would make the case against TFG more than a bookkeeping misdemeanor. Just speculating.
Excellent analysis of the pending NY grand jury developments. Sometimes the 1st chink in Mr Untouchables armor is the most important one in order to topple the whole rotten deck of cards in the end.
Also so glad to hear that there's a ecumenical group called Faithful America 🇺🇸 🙏 that I will definitely check out. This scourge of white Christian nationalism is in no way, shape, or form anything 🤔 that is truly Christian.
Just like Pope Francis said last week, all people are always welcome at God's table regardless 😀, the whole point is God's grace and mercy is one of love and acceptance, no matter what our situation in life ❤️. Before we can worry about the stick in our brothers or sisters eye, we need to worry about the one in ours.
As always thank you Robert Hubbell for clarifying and for calming the angst. The frightening unholy chaos chaos has indeed become unbearable.
Today’s Edition feels as though your commentary grants permission to feel resentful of the delays.
That Faithful America is pushing back on the despicable corruption and abuse of religious Faith is also reassuring.
As usual, writing (PTV) Postcards To Voters and Vote Forward letters for the WI Supreme Court April 4th election brings comfort, as well as knowing that millions of grassroots volunteers are working the clock around to save our democracy, keeping Hope alive.
I voted for Alvin Bragg and I am pleased with the vote. When he dropped Cyrus Vance's case against Trump I was impressed. Not that I knew any details, but I knew two things. 1. The only advantage to Bragg in dropping the case was a genuine belief that it was a loser. 2. As exemplified by The Marshall Project 2018 report on Vance Jr., the Manhattan DA who preceded Bragg had a reputation for going easy on celebrities and being tough on the poor. Bragg entered office with prosecutorial experience, but without political experience. HIs lack of political experience showed in his memo about not prosecuting what he perceived as minor crimes. By 2022, "Just Security" was praising Bragg for how he approached Weisselberg et al. I am looking forward to how Bragg resolves the Trump and Stormy story. And I am looking forward to the opportunity to vote for Alvin Bragg again.
Thank you for the penultimate paragraph, Robert. IMO, it gets to the heart of the matter for what we want to have happen...the ending relevance of tfg and his anti-democracy train.
We must beware of coverage ramping up to all Trump all the time. Yes, there are legal issues to discuss. But tfg benefits from promoting his notoriety, which feeds into messages to the hopeless and deluded masses who vote for him to stick it to the rest of us. Let's be careful about this and promote electing Democrats to prevent the ongoing MAGA coup, as Robert does with the Wisconsin judge.
Absolutely right. I have worried that the last five editions of the newsletter have focused almost exclusively on Trump's legal troubles. Hopefully, that will change when the indictments issue and we settle in for the long haul of pre-trial proceedings. I would welcome that change.
Thank you for mentioning Faithful America. As a lifelong but disillusioned Catholic I found Faithful America several months ago and have been following them ever since, signing many of their thoughtful petitions and even giving a small donation now and again. After a particularly unsettling interaction with my own parish pastor, I even wrote an email to them and got a thoughtful and helpful reply from one of their leaders. I encourage you to check them out.
You are dead right about the unconscionable, cowardly delay of all other prosecutors. I hope none of your readers are still defending Merrick Garland, who will go down in infamy, as having facilitated the continuation of a fascist movement in America.
I share your frustration and anger over the delays in the prosecution of TFG. DOJ's failure to prosecute TFG for the campaign violation was/is inexcusable, at least I cannot think of a reasonable excuse. As for the prosecutions of the hidden classified documents and the insurrection, I look forward to finding out what Garland and DOJ handed to Jack Smith, the special prosecutor. Did it reflect months and months of work behind the scenes so that Smith could, as many have observed, "hit the ground running?" At some point we will find out. Perhaps that will temper our anger over Garland's delays.
What I’m afraid we see is Democrats’ tendency to be fearful. Fearfulness manifests in the way Trump’s legal situation is treated (“mustn’t make even a small mistake”); and it has shown in the way the US and allies have dispensed arms through a straw to Ukraine, guaranteeing prolongation of the war, prolonged destruction of Ukrainian infrastructure, and ever-increasing Ukrainian civilian death.
Biden says he wants to be a latter-day FDR. He needs to be a little like Harry Truman.
Please let’s not skip the 2023 off year election and it’s importance. For many people who are cynical about Washington politics, local elections are of real consequence. It might be easier to register voters for these. Also, we have seen again and again the impact of school boards. If the goal of the Red team is to have uneducated citizens, as it appears, school board elections is a crucial battle ground.
The trick, WHEN Trump is indicted by at least ONE of the Grand Juries, is to neither treat the election of 2024 as a sideshow to the trial(s) nor to treat the trial(s) as a sideshow to the election.
I refuse to call the reactionary right Christian. They are anything but followers of Christ. Another good organization is progressive Christianity, they even have a sense of humor.
Thank you Robert for my daily dose of information.
It's a waste of time for true Christians to be criticizing you on noting the identifier of "Christian Nationalists" when in actuality, Faithful America has had to do exactly the same to voice their clarification that "Christian Nationalism" "directly contradicts the Gospel in multiple ways, and is therefore considered by many Christian leaders to be a heresy." Why is Faithful America allowed to call out with this appropriate label, yet you are not? We all know you are not talking about REAL Christians when you use that label.
I was relieved to hear you place them in a more productive direction. Many Christians are already members of large organized groups- many in church communities and congregations with organizational structures and governing bodies. It's past time they start networking and organizing together to stand up such as Faithful America is doing. Emailing you to voice their displeasure in hearing the recognition of the groups united by hate does nothing to promote their understanding of the Jesus that taught love, peace, and truth. I have been waiting for them to do so, and have seen little effort in standing to advocate that for what Jesus truly stood to represent.
I was not aware of the second of the three elements of the unlawful documents retention case against Trump, that Trump believed the documents could harm the US or help a foreign power. What is the evidence of that element? Could looking for evidence of that element be what is giving Garland cause to pause?
I think that element can be proven by the nature of the documents. Let's assume that some of the documents relate to US military readiness to fight a submarine war, or a three front war. By its nature, disclosure of such information could be used to injure the US. I expect that the DOJ would put on intelligence community members who briefed Trump to say they explained to him the significance of such documents in presidential daily briefings or defense reviews.
I think the element is meant to exclude defense information that is not really a defense secret--like the number of potatoes the Army plans to purchase in 2024 to feed our troops. Defense information, yes, but not something that could harm the US.
Thank you for putting the link to the Fresh Air Podcast on Our New Climate Reality in the newsletter. I listened to that in November and again today. I encourage all those interested in the issue of combating climate change to listen. The writer is still alarmed about what is happening to our climate and we cannot let up on our concern. But by giving some reasons for more optimism now because of changes that have have actually happened and because of some real benefits that could result from such developments, he has given me more hope and reason to try to keep contributing what I can to promote a better climate. I go back to a familiar message from this newsletter. We cannot become complacent but we can hope.
Thanks for introducing Faithful America, and kudos to that group for proclaiming that Christian Nationalism is not Christian. I am Jewish, and I am well aware that every faith—mine too—has members that are evil and members that are heavenly. We all need to condemn the former and lift up the latter, or allow ourselves to be lifted up by them. Today I feel lifted up by Faithful America.
I am Jewish also and I feel the same way. It is refreshing to know that there are sane organizations out there. Reform Judaism was created to get away from the harsh rules and regulations that the Orthodox created. The Lubavitcher’s were and are ultra “religious” who cause chaos on the West Bank in Israel. Plus, all of religious sectors have had problems with women becoming priests, pastors, or rabbis until the later years of the 20th Century.
I am one of your readers who has supported Faithful America for several years now. As a Catholic-Christian, I was grateful to learn about and then participate in their push-back against the Christian Nationalists' ugly and dangerous distortions of Jesus' principles. How dare they?! And Jesus wept.
So, I thank you, Robert, for giving space today to Faithful America and their fight for the message of love, peace and truth that Jesus proclaimed. You spoke of Faithful America's tens of thousands of supporters becoming tens of millions. Made be think about Jesus multiplying those fish!
Your newsletters help make the bumpy ride more bearable.
Regarding the Christian Nationalists - A reminder the parties "flipped" during the 1960s with the Passage of the Civil Rights Act 1964 and the Voting Rights Act 1965.
When the "Moral Majority" decided to align with a party it could control and institute "one issue voting," a different timeline emerges. (Think the MetaVerse in the Marvel film series.)
The result is now groups within the GOP camp that have been taught to demonize and hate, instead of follow Jesus' command to LOVE one another. They accept the labels and dog whistles without question. Nor will they listen to people who are as devout (if not more so) yet have a different lived experience than they have. AND they are prone to violence.
As in the days of the American Civil War, both sides were reading the same Bible.
Well said Beverly, We can debate who exactly Jesus was, man or God, but the message was a very positive one of gentleness and kindness and love for one another. Unfortunate some so called Christians have hijacked his name in their quest to spread discrimination, intolerance and hate for everyone but themselves. This, as pointed out in the newsletter makes all Christians look bad just as the extreme right wing of the GOP make all Republicans look bad.
The following can be taken with a grain of salt but if actually true I could see Jesus sending such a message if he were alive today: ". . . . .My sandals trod the dust of the Holy Lands over two thousand years ago. My mission; to instill into the minds of the people that the meaning of life was not as complicated as they were led to believe. I traveled about the lands seeking to inspire the people and momentarily they were inspired; but unfortunately, they became entangled with material conditions and lost sight of the finer things that were being given unto them. So, I had to step aside and allow them to follow the path of their choosing. Following my brief stay, other teachers would go into the various lands to try to reach the masses of struggling humanity. But the same conditions were encountered, generation after generation. We all tried to touch those who we felt were sufficiently sensitive to become teachers, to become messengers of light unto the people. Now, over two thousand years later, I bring my Word in the hope it will be understood. Much of what I said in the past has been misinterpreted. I had come to serve humanity, like so many others before me. Many of these same teachers suffered as I did. Yes, tears of compassion flowed often, as they observed the domination of mankind and all the manifestation of evil which prevailed. I often found the same conditions and as a mortal I sought to instill the simple truths unto them. I felt that if I could explain to them these truths in the simple manner in which I received them there would be no danger of misinterpretation down through the ages. But unfortunately I was wrong.
At one time, the main topic of my conversation with people was that they must be born again, and again and again; that the lessons to be learned could not possibly be learned in one lifetime. Even this basic fact was misinterpreted. And even today, although great emphasis is placed on the idea of a spiritual rebirth — or being born again in a spiritual way — the teaching ends there: my original meaning long forgotten and, I fear, deliberately distorted by the many whom I encountered. And I feel, as I speak today, that much of what I say will not be accepted. Why the stubbornness? Why the refusal to accept? Certain beliefs can be so ingrained in human thought that when an honest attempt is made to correct the situation, great anger arises within the heart of those who are being given the opportunity to learn the truth. And so they must remain ignorant of the great majestic truths of creation and the grand plan for mankind. . . . . "
Dear Robert Evans, I would like to know what is so peaceful and good about sending someone who doesn't "believe in you" to burn for eternity. Sounds violent and bad to me.
Hi Judy, Isn't that an arcane fundamentalist Christian belief? There is no such thing. The old Southern Preachers whole sermons were all about hellfire and damnation. Scared the heck out of people, especially children. I know God can't be proven to exist scientifically, but my personal belief is while there is no individual entity that we can call God,that there is a higher power - a universal intelligence of which we each of us is an integral part, and it does matter how we behave towards our fellow humans, and as I said, before while there is no judgement by God in the sense of an old man in a flowing white beard waiting to judge us after f death, there is more of a self reflection, and while one's religion or lack of it is of no consequence at all if your religion helps you with your spiritual growth all well and good. But this business of only people of a certain religion go to heaven is bull. I was born into a Christian family but thankfully my parents did not believe you had to be a Christian to get to heaven., However, all that said, as I also mentioned earlier tit is important as to the state of our heart and soul that we express kindness and patience and understanding and above all tolerance of others.. The really bad guys, like Putin and Hitler and murderers, robbers, dope dealers, and scammers and those who live only to use others for their own selfish ends do not enjoy the more spiritual levels or heavenly realms after death because their states of mind do not allow that. They find themselves with others of their kind. But even that is not for eternity, only until they aspire to a more selfless outlook and realize they had taken a wrong path in life. Of course for people who believe there is nothing after death have no concern one way or the other, but trying to do the right thing while we are here seems to me to be a more satisfactory approach all the way around.
It's actually not arcane at all. It's the essence of Christian doctrine. Due to original sin committed in the Garden by Adam and Eve, all men are born sinful and must repent and proclaim Jesus to be their Lord. That is the only way, again according to the Bible, to be saved from the fires of Hell. It you don't believe that barbaric nonsense, then you are not a Christian. You are something else. Also I hope you are aware Jesus never spoke out against slavery. He, as God in the flesh, had the bully pulpit and should have explicitly said, in no uncertain terms, Thou Shalt Not Enslave Other Humans. Indeed he should have and could have created an 11th Commandment. He didn't because (1.) he's not all-love, (2.) he's not all goodness and (3.) He's not real. He won't even regrow legs and arms.
Hi Judy, I suppose it is fairly engrained at that but more emphasized in the fundamentalist segment. As far as the rest, who is to say what he said or didn't say for sure, but all indictions were that he was a good person in that he taught love and kindness, etc. If he had died of old age I doubt a whole new religion would have started, but the mystique of the crucifiction and supposed resurrection changed the picture from essentially a little Jewish cult to many years later a movement called Christianity based on his name. That's when non-Jews were allowed to join. Before that only Jews could belong. There will always be people - hundreds of thousands, millions ewally who believe he was divine and those like me who believe he wasn't. I have several Jewish friends I am very fond of, and If as Christians believe only Christians go to heaven, I have no interest in going there. And based on my near death experience many years ago every single one of us lives after death and there is zero discrimination, either ethnically or religiously. The only separation that exists is as I said before, the different levels of conciousness based on the state of your heart and soul. Here th bad and the good are all together although the good guys try to stay out of the way of the bad, but there there is a complete separation. However that doesn't mean people no longer have differing opinions or likes and dislikes, we are all still human. There is no sudden enlightenment.
Let’s not forget Allen Weisselberg who, with his son(s), is vulnerable to additional charges and, after sitting in Rikers for the past few months, may now be cooperating, which would make the case against TFG more than a bookkeeping misdemeanor. Just speculating.
Excellent analysis of the pending NY grand jury developments. Sometimes the 1st chink in Mr Untouchables armor is the most important one in order to topple the whole rotten deck of cards in the end.
Also so glad to hear that there's a ecumenical group called Faithful America 🇺🇸 🙏 that I will definitely check out. This scourge of white Christian nationalism is in no way, shape, or form anything 🤔 that is truly Christian.
Just like Pope Francis said last week, all people are always welcome at God's table regardless 😀, the whole point is God's grace and mercy is one of love and acceptance, no matter what our situation in life ❤️. Before we can worry about the stick in our brothers or sisters eye, we need to worry about the one in ours.
Thanks again for a well written article 👍
As always thank you Robert Hubbell for clarifying and for calming the angst. The frightening unholy chaos chaos has indeed become unbearable.
Today’s Edition feels as though your commentary grants permission to feel resentful of the delays.
That Faithful America is pushing back on the despicable corruption and abuse of religious Faith is also reassuring.
As usual, writing (PTV) Postcards To Voters and Vote Forward letters for the WI Supreme Court April 4th election brings comfort, as well as knowing that millions of grassroots volunteers are working the clock around to save our democracy, keeping Hope alive.
Keep up all the good 👍 works
I voted for Alvin Bragg and I am pleased with the vote. When he dropped Cyrus Vance's case against Trump I was impressed. Not that I knew any details, but I knew two things. 1. The only advantage to Bragg in dropping the case was a genuine belief that it was a loser. 2. As exemplified by The Marshall Project 2018 report on Vance Jr., the Manhattan DA who preceded Bragg had a reputation for going easy on celebrities and being tough on the poor. Bragg entered office with prosecutorial experience, but without political experience. HIs lack of political experience showed in his memo about not prosecuting what he perceived as minor crimes. By 2022, "Just Security" was praising Bragg for how he approached Weisselberg et al. I am looking forward to how Bragg resolves the Trump and Stormy story. And I am looking forward to the opportunity to vote for Alvin Bragg again.
Thank you for the penultimate paragraph, Robert. IMO, it gets to the heart of the matter for what we want to have happen...the ending relevance of tfg and his anti-democracy train.
We must beware of coverage ramping up to all Trump all the time. Yes, there are legal issues to discuss. But tfg benefits from promoting his notoriety, which feeds into messages to the hopeless and deluded masses who vote for him to stick it to the rest of us. Let's be careful about this and promote electing Democrats to prevent the ongoing MAGA coup, as Robert does with the Wisconsin judge.
Absolutely right. I have worried that the last five editions of the newsletter have focused almost exclusively on Trump's legal troubles. Hopefully, that will change when the indictments issue and we settle in for the long haul of pre-trial proceedings. I would welcome that change.
Thank you for mentioning Faithful America. As a lifelong but disillusioned Catholic I found Faithful America several months ago and have been following them ever since, signing many of their thoughtful petitions and even giving a small donation now and again. After a particularly unsettling interaction with my own parish pastor, I even wrote an email to them and got a thoughtful and helpful reply from one of their leaders. I encourage you to check them out.
You are dead right about the unconscionable, cowardly delay of all other prosecutors. I hope none of your readers are still defending Merrick Garland, who will go down in infamy, as having facilitated the continuation of a fascist movement in America.
I share your frustration and anger over the delays in the prosecution of TFG. DOJ's failure to prosecute TFG for the campaign violation was/is inexcusable, at least I cannot think of a reasonable excuse. As for the prosecutions of the hidden classified documents and the insurrection, I look forward to finding out what Garland and DOJ handed to Jack Smith, the special prosecutor. Did it reflect months and months of work behind the scenes so that Smith could, as many have observed, "hit the ground running?" At some point we will find out. Perhaps that will temper our anger over Garland's delays.
What I’m afraid we see is Democrats’ tendency to be fearful. Fearfulness manifests in the way Trump’s legal situation is treated (“mustn’t make even a small mistake”); and it has shown in the way the US and allies have dispensed arms through a straw to Ukraine, guaranteeing prolongation of the war, prolonged destruction of Ukrainian infrastructure, and ever-increasing Ukrainian civilian death.
Biden says he wants to be a latter-day FDR. He needs to be a little like Harry Truman.
Please let’s not skip the 2023 off year election and it’s importance. For many people who are cynical about Washington politics, local elections are of real consequence. It might be easier to register voters for these. Also, we have seen again and again the impact of school boards. If the goal of the Red team is to have uneducated citizens, as it appears, school board elections is a crucial battle ground.
The trick, WHEN Trump is indicted by at least ONE of the Grand Juries, is to neither treat the election of 2024 as a sideshow to the trial(s) nor to treat the trial(s) as a sideshow to the election.
I refuse to call the reactionary right Christian. They are anything but followers of Christ. Another good organization is progressive Christianity, they even have a sense of humor.
Thank you Robert for my daily dose of information.
Here is the link to the website: https://progressivechristianity.org/
It's a waste of time for true Christians to be criticizing you on noting the identifier of "Christian Nationalists" when in actuality, Faithful America has had to do exactly the same to voice their clarification that "Christian Nationalism" "directly contradicts the Gospel in multiple ways, and is therefore considered by many Christian leaders to be a heresy." Why is Faithful America allowed to call out with this appropriate label, yet you are not? We all know you are not talking about REAL Christians when you use that label.
I was relieved to hear you place them in a more productive direction. Many Christians are already members of large organized groups- many in church communities and congregations with organizational structures and governing bodies. It's past time they start networking and organizing together to stand up such as Faithful America is doing. Emailing you to voice their displeasure in hearing the recognition of the groups united by hate does nothing to promote their understanding of the Jesus that taught love, peace, and truth. I have been waiting for them to do so, and have seen little effort in standing to advocate that for what Jesus truly stood to represent.
I don’t disagree with you, Lynn.
But please remember that most non-Christians are moral individuals, too. You and others should strive to avoid equating “moral” with “Christian”.
I have said nothing that indicates what you say and you have quite obviously misconstrued my comments.
Robert,
I was not aware of the second of the three elements of the unlawful documents retention case against Trump, that Trump believed the documents could harm the US or help a foreign power. What is the evidence of that element? Could looking for evidence of that element be what is giving Garland cause to pause?
Eliot
I think that element can be proven by the nature of the documents. Let's assume that some of the documents relate to US military readiness to fight a submarine war, or a three front war. By its nature, disclosure of such information could be used to injure the US. I expect that the DOJ would put on intelligence community members who briefed Trump to say they explained to him the significance of such documents in presidential daily briefings or defense reviews.
I think the element is meant to exclude defense information that is not really a defense secret--like the number of potatoes the Army plans to purchase in 2024 to feed our troops. Defense information, yes, but not something that could harm the US.
Thank you for putting the link to the Fresh Air Podcast on Our New Climate Reality in the newsletter. I listened to that in November and again today. I encourage all those interested in the issue of combating climate change to listen. The writer is still alarmed about what is happening to our climate and we cannot let up on our concern. But by giving some reasons for more optimism now because of changes that have have actually happened and because of some real benefits that could result from such developments, he has given me more hope and reason to try to keep contributing what I can to promote a better climate. I go back to a familiar message from this newsletter. We cannot become complacent but we can hope.
Agree, the interview is fabulous and a must-not-be-missed!!
Thanks for introducing Faithful America, and kudos to that group for proclaiming that Christian Nationalism is not Christian. I am Jewish, and I am well aware that every faith—mine too—has members that are evil and members that are heavenly. We all need to condemn the former and lift up the latter, or allow ourselves to be lifted up by them. Today I feel lifted up by Faithful America.
I am Jewish also and I feel the same way. It is refreshing to know that there are sane organizations out there. Reform Judaism was created to get away from the harsh rules and regulations that the Orthodox created. The Lubavitcher’s were and are ultra “religious” who cause chaos on the West Bank in Israel. Plus, all of religious sectors have had problems with women becoming priests, pastors, or rabbis until the later years of the 20th Century.
I am one of your readers who has supported Faithful America for several years now. As a Catholic-Christian, I was grateful to learn about and then participate in their push-back against the Christian Nationalists' ugly and dangerous distortions of Jesus' principles. How dare they?! And Jesus wept.
So, I thank you, Robert, for giving space today to Faithful America and their fight for the message of love, peace and truth that Jesus proclaimed. You spoke of Faithful America's tens of thousands of supporters becoming tens of millions. Made be think about Jesus multiplying those fish!