Quite. Born this day in 1809, Abraham Lincoln, and another great man too: Charles Darwin.
In celebration thereof, a little Beethoven piece written that same year: 6 variations on a Turkish March, op. 76, Emil Gilels pianist: https://youtu.be/jwedFsUhIzE
The first time I really thought about Lincoln was when our teacher had us read and discuss “Oh Captain, My Captain”, and “Stopping by a Wood on a Snowy Evening” – both about Lincoln. We had to memorize them. Somewhere along the way we had to memorize the Gettysburg Address. I don’t imagine that any of those are mentioned today in schools. Not even in college.
SECOND COMMENT: Today read that inflation is “out of control”. So Trump is to blame, right?
That will be the talking point now, for awhile. And when unemployment numbers come out, “higher than expected”, but using real methods, that too will be Trump. The only number in the unemployment numbers I want to see is the job losses in the gov’t sectors.
Pitchers and catchers report to spring camp today. No word on the crocuses up north yet, but the migrant passerines are beginning to flow through SWFL, so you know it’s coming soon.
I had to memorize the Gettysburg Address as well. I must have been 11 or 12. I thought this particular phrase, for some reason, was flowery political rhetoric:
that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
I now regard it as the best damn thing ever spoken.
Pope Francis published his suicide note. It took the form of a letter to the American Catholic bishops. In so many words, the Holy Father urged his brother bishops to intervene in American politics and oppose the Trump administration’s efforts to enforce our country’s immigration laws.
What can I say about Pope Francis? I’ll pray for him.
I can’t get my head around the fact that Pope Francis seems to care a lot more about having a Catholic VP in favor of enforcing immigration laws than he ever did about having a Catholic president who was about as pro-abortion as they come.
An Emerson quote which is extremely applicable today in all sorts of fields and contexts, but especially in today’s politics, “The more they talked about honor, the faster we counted our spoons.”
I haven’t read the “Apocalyptic Dream” yet, but let me begin by saying that it’s rather difficult to embarrass the Catholic church, given its checkered history. However, I think Pope Francis has succeeded in embarrassing the church.
Literally all of my left/Democrat friends from childhood, high school, and college are now posting every few hours another screed on Musk, and/or Trump. Several have already posted on the Pope’s statement. It’s very sad to see how Trump hatred has taken over their lives and seems to be a total idee fix.
I sincerely worry about their mental health as generally I’ve known these people to be left in their politics, but not to be be so overtly obsessive.
I’m sure in the next few hours there will be more posts screaming about Trump being Putin’s bitch with the phone call announcement.
Neo, what are you seeing? It just seems to be ramping further up each day.
I’m not a Roman Catholic, but I think we should try not to get too discouraged about Pope Francis. The Church is a lot bigger than he is, and there have been much, much worse Popes and the Church has got through it. As Screwtape says,
One of our great allies at present is the Church itself. Do not misunderstand me. I do not mean the Church as we see her spread out through all time and space and rooted in eternity, terrible as an army with banners. That, I confess, is a spectacle which makes our boldest tempters uneasy. But fortunately it is quite invisible to these humans.
And even if this should be the age that the Church in Rome finally falls, there are still others to carry on.
The Church is a lot bigger than he is, and there have been much, much worse Popes and the Church has got through it.
==
There have been popes whose personal misbehavior has been worse. I believe Prof. James Hitchcock has said you have to go back to the early medieval period to locate a pope who abused his teaching authority more.
==
You are correct that Francis is a man of great smallness.
“Huge”, says VP Vance
Looks like a road-map of President Trump being led around by the nose at best, caving to Putin in the middle, and paying Zelenskyy back for not giving him Biden’s head at worst.
Saw this coming with the recent release of a drug smuggler from a Russian prison.
We agreed to work together, very closely, including visiting each other’s Nations. We have also agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately, and we will begin by calling President Zelenskyy, of Ukraine, to inform him of the conversation, something which I will be doing right now.
Seems this is second time of such talks without the ‘Rape Victim’ being in on the discussion.
Ukraine has Russia on the ropes—both can barely stand up. Security of the United States of America is at stake, and our President is ‘Buddy Whispering’ with the ‘Rapist’ in the backroom.
Will give him more time, but this looks like the makings of a long-term disastrous National Security move at this point…
Earlier Wednesday, his administration said it was ending all American aid to Ukraine – a blow to Zelensky, who is struggling to hold his nation together.
The TCS Wagons are circling around President Trump – red flags for America’s and Ukraine’s National Security futures…
The Republican Senate caucus kept Glitch McConnell in charge for eighteen years . Now he’s rubbing their nose in it.
Francis is a man of great smallness.
Saving that one for future use.
@Art Deco:The Republican Senate caucus kept Glitch McConnell in charge for eighteen years.
He was more than happy to vote for most of Biden’s. He’s definitely Party of Government as well as Party of Grift.
Unfortunately he is only the number #7 on most Republican “yes” votes for Biden nominees.
It was called ” the cadaver synod”, I’m Catholic, boy the church turns out some good ones!
I’m old enough to remember when “Is the Pope Catholic?” was a rhetorical question.
Not Catholic, but hope a new one is seated soon. Having one who doesnt
follow the Bible isn’t good.
To those who regard Lincoln as one of our greatest, I call your attention to a modest volume, “Nonsense on Stilts: The Gettysburg Address and Lincoln’s Imaginary Nation”, by Paul C Graham.
Revelatory.
“Ukraine has Russia on the ropes—both can barely stand up.” -Karmi
What an odd statement. What is your evidence that Russia is going to fall over first?
As a Catholic, I pray for the Pope’s salvation. Our parish priests concur with this.
Karmi:
As best I can determine, we are still giving Ukraine military aid. Whatever nonmilitary aid it got through USAID has been suspended for 90 days along with other USAID payments in general, although even that isn’t clear.
Also, see this, which I see as a way to put pressure on Europeans to pay their share, in typical Trumpian fashion. The article is from today:
America will no longer front the lion’s share of aid to Ukraine, the Trump administration said today in a devastating blow to Kyiv that will pile pressure on Europe to fill the void.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that Washington will ‘no longer tolerate an imbalanced relationship’ with its allies, adding that ‘Europe must provide the overwhelming share of future lethal and non-lethal aid to Ukraine’.
He stressed that the United States was no longer ‘primarily focused’ on Europe, and said that the old continent would have to fund most of Ukraine’s defense itself in a turn away from a 75-year role as the ‘primary guarantor of security in Europe’.
The article also says there won’t be US troops in Ukraine. Is this any sort of surprise? I never thought there would be. And that Ukraine would have to cede some territory. Did anyone think there would be a peace deal without at least some territory ceded? If so, I think that person was dreaming. The details – which we don’t know yet – are what matters.
Ukraine has offered to strike a deal with U.S. President Donald Trump for continued American military aid in exchange for developing Ukraine’s mineral industry, which could provide a valuable source of the rare earth elements that are essential for many kinds of technology.
Trump said that he wanted such a deal earlier this month, and it was initially proposed last fall by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as part of his plan to strengthen Kyiv’s hand in future negotiations with Moscow.
“We really have this big potential in the territory which we control,” Andrii Yermak, chief of staff to the Ukrainian president, said in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press. “We are interested to work, to develop, with our partners, first of all, with the United States.” …
Ukraine’s rare earth elements are largely untapped because of the war and because of state policies regulating the mineral industry. The country also lacks good information to guide the development of rare earth mining.
Geological data is thin because mineral reserves are scattered across Ukraine, and existing studies are considered largely inadequate. The industry’s true potential is clouded by insufficient research, according to businessmen and analysts.
In general, the outlook for Ukrainian natural resources is promising.
As best I can determine, we are still giving Ukraine military aid. neo
neo – I’ve said that am still giving time to see where this ends.
Earlier Wednesday, his administration said it was ending all American aid to Ukraine – a blow to Zelensky, who is struggling to hold his nation together.
We’ll wait and see what President Trump and the ‘Rapist‘ decide on what to do with the Rape victim…
Brian E
What an odd statement. What is your evidence that Russia is going to fall over first?
Odd? What’s odd is you putting your words in my mouth. Where did I say anyone would fall first?
This is the Pope who said something along the lines of “All religions are a path to God.”
Well, that directly contradicts Jesus statement in John 14:6 and centuries of Roman Catholic Teaching.
It also contradicts Islamic teaching.
And if one were to read the Old Testament, that contradicts the Jewish prophets who regularly denounced idols and false gods.
Are Trump, Musk and the Musketeers playing 4 dimensional chess? Are they setting up for Article III judges being removed by less than Article II impeachment?Stay tuned for the next episode.
“Ukraine has Russia on the ropes—both can barely stand up.” -Karmi
Where did I say anyone would fall first?- Karmi
If that wasn’t your implication, what were you saying?
Perhaps the fed judges are rushing headlong into a buffalo jump.
Brian E
If that wasn’t your implication, what were you saying?
No apology for putting your words into my mouth? Just another ridiculous question?!
Your TCS is blinding you…so confo ends here for me.
Karmi:
I doubt you’ve seen it yet, but I just posted an entire article on Trump and Ukraine. See this.
And I suggest that when a person posts a quote from something in the MSM, the person should follow the links and see what they’re referring to. On the statement about “his administration said it was ending all aid to Ukraine,” I actually followed the link and read the article that was being linked to. I didn’t see anything in the linked article that quoted the administration as saying it was ending all aid to Ukraine. Now, maybe someone did say that, but when I researched it I didn’t find it. The article was mainly about NATO and the countries of Europe paying their fair share – for example, “‘The United States remains committed to the NATO alliance and to the defence partnership with Europe, full stop,’ he said. ‘But the United States will no longer tolerate an imbalanced relationship which encourages dependency.'”
A minor thing of beauty passes by:
Yesterday, I wrote Comcast’s CEO Brian Roberts to let him know that I’ve asked the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau to open an investigation into Comcast & NBCUniversal.
I am concerned that his companies may be promoting invidious forms of DEI that do not comply with FCC regulations & civil rights laws.
Despite DEI’s rapid emergence in recent years, these forms of discrimination have long been condemned by America’s civil rights laws.
As the Supreme Court has written, the classifications drawn by extreme DEI policies stigmatize individuals by reason of a group identity and are, by their very definition, odious to a free people whose institutions are founded on a commitment to equality.
Thankfully, President Trump has taken quick and decisive action to root out the scourge of DEI.
Following President Trump’s executive actions, we have ended the FCC’s promotion of DEI. And the FCC will be taking steps to ensure that every company the FCC regulates complies with the civil rights protections enshrined in the Communications Act and agency rules. We are starting with Comcast for the reasons set forth in my letter.
I expect that every entity the FCC regulates will be complying with our civil rights laws.
Reading between the lines on this thread and beyond re Ukraine, there’s an accelerating sense of inevitability. Except for the defense industry and Ukraine romantics, most of us are ready for the mess (and the endless corruption oozing from it) to be over.
Moreover, Trump was elected with a mandate to chew gum and crush skulls. When his inauguration finally arrived, he was completely out of gum. We shall indeed see where this goes.
neo…I’ve said will wait to see where this ends. Right now, it looks like President Trump has cut off all aid to Ukraine.
Yes, saw you post on it…
‘Whars Charlie Wilson when you need him?!
Re: the Pope. Do some research on Bella Dodd and The Frankfurt School. They targeted the Jesuits.
Karmi:
Where does it give a quote from someone in the administration that says all aid – including military aid – has been cut off? On the words you quoted there was a link to an article that supposedly would be giving the facts about this total aid cutoff, but when I went to the linked article, there was nothing that said that anyone in the administration had cut off all aid. It was mostly about NATO taking more of a role in the future.
I’m pretty sure the USAID money has been cut off for now, as part of the general USAID freeze. But other than that, I can’t find anything indicating all aid has been cut off, just the article saying that in the future NATO will be doing the lion’s share.
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Quite. Born this day in 1809, Abraham Lincoln, and another great man too: Charles Darwin.
In celebration thereof, a little Beethoven piece written that same year: 6 variations on a Turkish March, op. 76, Emil Gilels pianist: https://youtu.be/jwedFsUhIzE
The first time I really thought about Lincoln was when our teacher had us read and discuss “Oh Captain, My Captain”, and “Stopping by a Wood on a Snowy Evening” – both about Lincoln. We had to memorize them. Somewhere along the way we had to memorize the Gettysburg Address. I don’t imagine that any of those are mentioned today in schools. Not even in college.
SECOND COMMENT: Today read that inflation is “out of control”. So Trump is to blame, right?
That will be the talking point now, for awhile. And when unemployment numbers come out, “higher than expected”, but using real methods, that too will be Trump. The only number in the unemployment numbers I want to see is the job losses in the gov’t sectors.
1) Joe Rogan: You f–ked with the wrong dude – makes a great point on what Musk is really after with DOGE…
2) *WARNING* Rally of Democrats singing ‘Which Side are You On’ –KEEP SINGING DEMOCRATS — AND DOGE WILL KEEP CUTTING.
Pitchers and catchers report to spring camp today. No word on the crocuses up north yet, but the migrant passerines are beginning to flow through SWFL, so you know it’s coming soon.
I had to memorize the Gettysburg Address as well. I must have been 11 or 12. I thought this particular phrase, for some reason, was flowery political rhetoric:
that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
I now regard it as the best damn thing ever spoken.
Pope Francis published his suicide note. It took the form of a letter to the American Catholic bishops. In so many words, the Holy Father urged his brother bishops to intervene in American politics and oppose the Trump administration’s efforts to enforce our country’s immigration laws.
–R.R. Reno, “Pope Francis’s Apocalyptic Dream”
https://firstthings.com/pope-franciss-apocalyptic-dream/
__________________________________
Pope Francis, tear down your [Vatican] wall!
This guy gets on my nerves.
https://x.com/seanmdav/status/1889718519685669020
Mitch McConnell the sole Republican Senator against, all Democrats against.
https://x.com/greg_price11/status/1889718182811779520 (see link for Gabbard photo)
What can I say about Pope Francis? I’ll pray for him.
I can’t get my head around the fact that Pope Francis seems to care a lot more about having a Catholic VP in favor of enforcing immigration laws than he ever did about having a Catholic president who was about as pro-abortion as they come.
An Emerson quote which is extremely applicable today in all sorts of fields and contexts, but especially in today’s politics, “The more they talked about honor, the faster we counted our spoons.”
I haven’t read the “Apocalyptic Dream” yet, but let me begin by saying that it’s rather difficult to embarrass the Catholic church, given its checkered history. However, I think Pope Francis has succeeded in embarrassing the church.
“Huge”, says VP Vance: https://x.com/JDVance/status/1889723494071505406
Literally all of my left/Democrat friends from childhood, high school, and college are now posting every few hours another screed on Musk, and/or Trump. Several have already posted on the Pope’s statement. It’s very sad to see how Trump hatred has taken over their lives and seems to be a total idee fix.
I sincerely worry about their mental health as generally I’ve known these people to be left in their politics, but not to be be so overtly obsessive.
I’m sure in the next few hours there will be more posts screaming about Trump being Putin’s bitch with the phone call announcement.
Neo, what are you seeing? It just seems to be ramping further up each day.
I’m not a Roman Catholic, but I think we should try not to get too discouraged about Pope Francis. The Church is a lot bigger than he is, and there have been much, much worse Popes and the Church has got through it. As Screwtape says,
And even if this should be the age that the Church in Rome finally falls, there are still others to carry on.
The Church is a lot bigger than he is, and there have been much, much worse Popes and the Church has got through it.
==
There have been popes whose personal misbehavior has been worse. I believe Prof. James Hitchcock has said you have to go back to the early medieval period to locate a pope who abused his teaching authority more.
==
You are correct that Francis is a man of great smallness.
Looks like a road-map of President Trump being led around by the nose at best, caving to Putin in the middle, and paying Zelenskyy back for not giving him Biden’s head at worst.
Saw this coming with the recent release of a drug smuggler from a Russian prison.
Seems this is second time of such talks without the ‘Rape Victim’ being in on the discussion.
Ukraine has Russia on the ropes—both can barely stand up. Security of the United States of America is at stake, and our President is ‘Buddy Whispering’ with the ‘Rapist’ in the backroom.
Will give him more time, but this looks like the makings of a long-term disastrous National Security move at this point…
Trump says he and Putin have started negotiations to END the war in Ukraine in bombshell phone call
The TCS Wagons are circling around President Trump – red flags for America’s and Ukraine’s National Security futures…
The Republican Senate caucus kept Glitch McConnell in charge for eighteen years . Now he’s rubbing their nose in it.
Francis is a man of great smallness.
Saving that one for future use.
@Art Deco:The Republican Senate caucus kept Glitch McConnell in charge for eighteen years.
He was more than happy to vote for most of Biden’s. He’s definitely Party of Government as well as Party of Grift.
Unfortunately he is only the number #7 on most Republican “yes” votes for Biden nominees.
It was called ” the cadaver synod”, I’m Catholic, boy the church turns out some good ones!
I’m old enough to remember when “Is the Pope Catholic?” was a rhetorical question.
Not Catholic, but hope a new one is seated soon. Having one who doesnt
follow the Bible isn’t good.
To those who regard Lincoln as one of our greatest, I call your attention to a modest volume, “Nonsense on Stilts: The Gettysburg Address and Lincoln’s Imaginary Nation”, by Paul C Graham.
Revelatory.
“Ukraine has Russia on the ropes—both can barely stand up.” -Karmi
What an odd statement. What is your evidence that Russia is going to fall over first?
As a Catholic, I pray for the Pope’s salvation. Our parish priests concur with this.
Karmi:
As best I can determine, we are still giving Ukraine military aid. Whatever nonmilitary aid it got through USAID has been suspended for 90 days along with other USAID payments in general, although even that isn’t clear.
Also, see this, which I see as a way to put pressure on Europeans to pay their share, in typical Trumpian fashion. The article is from today:
The article also says there won’t be US troops in Ukraine. Is this any sort of surprise? I never thought there would be. And that Ukraine would have to cede some territory. Did anyone think there would be a peace deal without at least some territory ceded? If so, I think that person was dreaming. The details – which we don’t know yet – are what matters.
Here is one possibility – the article was published yesterday:
neo – I’ve said that am still giving time to see where this ends.
We’ll wait and see what President Trump and the ‘Rapist‘ decide on what to do with the Rape victim…
Brian E
Odd? What’s odd is you putting your words in my mouth. Where did I say anyone would fall first?
This is the Pope who said something along the lines of “All religions are a path to God.”
Well, that directly contradicts Jesus statement in John 14:6 and centuries of Roman Catholic Teaching.
It also contradicts Islamic teaching.
And if one were to read the Old Testament, that contradicts the Jewish prophets who regularly denounced idols and false gods.
Are Trump, Musk and the Musketeers playing 4 dimensional chess? Are they setting up for Article III judges being removed by less than Article II impeachment?Stay tuned for the next episode.
“Ukraine has Russia on the ropes—both can barely stand up.” -Karmi
Where did I say anyone would fall first?- Karmi
If that wasn’t your implication, what were you saying?
Perhaps the fed judges are rushing headlong into a buffalo jump.
Brian E
No apology for putting your words into my mouth? Just another ridiculous question?!
Your TCS is blinding you…so confo ends here for me.
Karmi:
I doubt you’ve seen it yet, but I just posted an entire article on Trump and Ukraine. See this.
And I suggest that when a person posts a quote from something in the MSM, the person should follow the links and see what they’re referring to. On the statement about “his administration said it was ending all aid to Ukraine,” I actually followed the link and read the article that was being linked to. I didn’t see anything in the linked article that quoted the administration as saying it was ending all aid to Ukraine. Now, maybe someone did say that, but when I researched it I didn’t find it. The article was mainly about NATO and the countries of Europe paying their fair share – for example, “‘The United States remains committed to the NATO alliance and to the defence partnership with Europe, full stop,’ he said. ‘But the United States will no longer tolerate an imbalanced relationship which encourages dependency.'”
A minor thing of beauty passes by:
https://x.com/BrendanCarrFCC/status/1889752017150812321
Reading between the lines on this thread and beyond re Ukraine, there’s an accelerating sense of inevitability. Except for the defense industry and Ukraine romantics, most of us are ready for the mess (and the endless corruption oozing from it) to be over.
Moreover, Trump was elected with a mandate to chew gum and crush skulls. When his inauguration finally arrived, he was completely out of gum. We shall indeed see where this goes.
neo…I’ve said will wait to see where this ends. Right now, it looks like President Trump has cut off all aid to Ukraine.
Yes, saw you post on it…
‘Whars Charlie Wilson when you need him?!
Re: the Pope. Do some research on Bella Dodd and The Frankfurt School. They targeted the Jesuits.
Karmi:
Where does it give a quote from someone in the administration that says all aid – including military aid – has been cut off? On the words you quoted there was a link to an article that supposedly would be giving the facts about this total aid cutoff, but when I went to the linked article, there was nothing that said that anyone in the administration had cut off all aid. It was mostly about NATO taking more of a role in the future.
I’m pretty sure the USAID money has been cut off for now, as part of the general USAID freeze. But other than that, I can’t find anything indicating all aid has been cut off, just the article saying that in the future NATO will be doing the lion’s share.