Christianity – Politics Plus

Yesterday, the radio opera was “Rigoletto” by Giuseppe Verdi. It was the second opera I ever owned on vinyl. It’s also the opera from which a scene got me my A grade in conducting class. It’s notoriously dark, it had trouble with censorship (which was routine when everywhere was governed by an absolute monarch, and they were all terrified of looking bad, even just by proxy, so to speak), and the music is exquisite (and in places heartbreaking.) Noteworthy was the tenor, who is the very first opera singer born in Samoa, in his Met debut. Hearing him, I suspect his delay in singing at the Met may have been due to his being so in demand elsewhere that they just couldn’t get him. But all the principals were impressive. It’s an opera which draws tears, and then they piled on by picking this week for the annual review of people we lost last year. Somehow I missed the deaths of Seiji Ozawa and Lucine Amara (among others.) But it’s Sunday, so I’ll stop here and share an Andy Borowitz take on more current events. And, if anyone is interested, Robert Hubbell has transcribed Judge Merchan’s complete remarks from the sentencing Friday. Not that the Canteloupe Caligula will hear, understand, or care. But he was pretty clear in distinguishing between the public office and the person who holds it.

well, this is something new. I know we have at least a few readers who ar into astronomy, and that light pollution is a problem for anyone who wants to watch the stars, planets, galaxies, etc. I would also warn anyone over 50 that the San Luis Valley is mostly more than 7500 feet above sea level, and if you have any heart or respiratory issues, you should consult your medical team before planning a trip (and it isn’t open yet anyway.) Living at 6500 feet as I do, it would almost certainly not bother me. But it isn’t, sadly, possible to make lenses which would allow me to aee what everyone else sees when they look at the sky, so it would be wasted on me. Still, I’m all for it. And Mosca is a good location. Roughly 15 miles north of Alamosa – a college (excuse me, now a university) town – close enough to get to easily and far enough to provide a good dark sky. And now I’m off to see Virgil, and will check in when I get home.

It’s telling that the only good news I noticed this week was from Colorado Public Radio (at least this week, CPR is cpr for the soul). And I’m well aware that people close to my age (and many of us are), old enough to remember “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, are going to be very skeptical. I was. But this treatment appears to be working very well for this young man, and the smile on his face in the accompanying photo is evidential. Especially compared to the second photo. I wish him and his family the best.

Yesterday, I saw yet another reference to Mike Johnson as a Christian with no quotation marks or query mark or qualification (for example, MAGA.) In my lifetime I’ve read a lot of literature from a lot of periods, and, at least in the first half of the 20th century, people had no problem using the word “soi-disant” when someone’s claims were questionable. Yes, it’s French, and the basic meaning is “They say they are [whatever], but it’s not provable from their conduct.” The closest English term is “self-styled.” But I haven’t heard or seen either term for decades. And yet, there are just as many imposters, if not more, even percentage-wise, as there were in the early 1900s. When did being tolerant and accepting turn into being mealy-mouthed? Justice, including social justice, still needs truth in order to function properly. [End of rant.]

I have never been a fan of Rahm Emanuel. But I do believe humans are capable of learning (that they choose not to doesn’t mean they couldn’t if they chose to), and if Steve Schmidt says Emanuel has learned a lot, I’m willing to listen (actually, to read, but the principle is the same.) And I have to admit it’s interesting.

From Heather Cox Richardson, another reminder that there used to be Republicans who were not moronic or insane. Who actually cared about public health. Who actually did something about it. It hasn’t always been like this.

Belle foreign policy

Dog

I can’t remember a time in my life when I have just been so tired (and also sleepy – they aren’t the same thing). Not that I have ever been exactly a ball of fire, even as a child, but this is getting ridiculous. I am hoping (not without reason) that most if not all of this is related to having been off my meds for so long and the difficulty in catching back up (and delays in getting refills are not helping.) I was also off of OTC (but doctor approved) supplements for all of that time, and one or two of those are also energy related, but at least those I have more control over. Thanks for your patience and wish me luck.

I’ll leave you with this cartoon, which actually choked me up, revealing so plainly, as it does, everything which is wrong with “conservative” claims to be “Christian” – with just two pronouns. Do you suppose any of them would be smart enough to get it (assuming they would be anywhere they might see it?)