Nature vs. Prayer vs. Politics

On Wednesday night President Trump told America that Tuesday night’s Democratic presidential primary debate had caused a stock market crash that happened on Monday and Tuesday mornings.

Apparently stock traders had traveled ahead in time, watched a debate that had not yet occurred and then traveled back to their own time in order to freak out in a massive stock trading selloff.

Because what is more disturbing than a world wide outbreak of Corona-virus? Democrats! Of course!

Then the President boasted about how he is preparing America ‘s Corona-virus defense by working with some of the greatest experts in public health in the world…and then he announced that he was putting  Vice President Pence, a man who does not really believe in science, in charge of coordinating the administration’s response to the Corona-virus’ potential (but probably not?) outbreak in the U.S.

Hopefully the Vice President is organizing a national prayer shield to fend off the virus (or the Democrats?) as I write this… Soon we shall see if it is nature or prayer (or politics) that carries the day!

However,  judging by Thursday’s continued and massive stock market selloff and a record 1,191 point drop in the Dow Jones Index, the largest one day drop in history, Wall Street traders have once again ridden their time machine back into the future and already know the outcome.

But what did they see?

More Virus?!

More Democrats?!

Stay tuned!

And let us pray?

I’m Going to Kansas City…Or Am I?

The Kansas City Chiefs just won the Super Bowl! And they’re going to…Kansas?

Well, no…but that’s where the President of the United States thinks they’re from, as you can see from his congratulatory tweet following the big game and the Chief’s victory.

He has since deleted the tweet because even though there is a Kansas City in Kansas, that’s not the Kansas City where the Kansas City Chiefs play. They play in the Kansas City that is in Missouri. And as you can imagine he took a lot of criticism for not knowing the difference.

But that’s an honest mistake isn’t it? After all, did you know where Kansas City was? Or that there were 2 Kansas City(s)…one in Missouri and the other in Kansas? And that the Missouri Kansas City was the BIG Kansas City where the sports teams play?

Well, maybe if you’re a child and didn’t pay attention in school or don’t pay attention to sports or geography or you just aren’t curious about such things but what if you’re a grown adult in your 70’s and… PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES???

Hey, anybody can make a mistake. Right? President Trump has since deleted his tweet and replaced it with an accurate one that congratulates Missouri and even though he looked silly and took a lot of flack for being so uninformed a lot of folks came to his defense like Fox and Friends who said that mixing up the 2 Kansas Citys was like congratulating New Jersey when The New York Giants win and even the Kansas House read his tweet aloud in their chambers and applauded his official and Presidential congratulations to Kansas, for as the Governor of Kansas (a Democrat) said, “We root for the Chiefs too!”

And Matt Schlapp, the chairman of the American Conservative Union had this to say when he tweeted:

@mschlapp

Dear East coast establishment: Kansas City, Kansas is in Kansas.

9:15 AM · Feb 3, 2020

2.1K

Retweets

12.3K

Likes

But what bothers me is that now I’m supposedly part of the “East Coast Establishment”,

because I dare to know things…and at times correct others who don’t…and verifiable

facts are important to me. And here in the 21st century that makes me an elitist, liberal,

who do I think I am, know it all.

So be it.

But what bothers me most is that our President is a man who says that he does know it

all. He is someone who likes to point out everyone’s flaws and he mocks them for having

them. He condemns those he disagrees with. He publicly speculates on whose souls he

believes rot in hell or are exalted in heaven. He defends himself by ordering others to

proclaim that he is right even when he knows that they know that he is wrong…

and those are all things that all of us were taught…once upon a time…were wrong. I believe they still are.

In conclusion, here is a video from the Super Bowl party attended by President Trump during the playing of our country’s National Anthem. The Anthem about which our President proclaimed every American “should stand proudly for” when played, otherwise they should forever be branded a “son-of-a-bitch” unworthy of employment in any respectable American enterprise.

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article239918518.html

So I propose that in the future should you decide that you have a grievance or complaint or injustice that you would like to protest during the playing of our National Anthem don’t kneel or sit or even remain silent. Rather I propose that you simply do the right thing and act as respectfully as our POTUS acts during this most solemn of anthems.

Wave your arms wildly and grandly in the air as any amateur conductor would. Then point to your friends (or foes) with your finger guns to emphasize that you are here and proud and should be paid attention to. Then shuffle about as though you have ants in your pants and can’t be stilled because there are more important things to be worried about besides anthems.

You know…shake your sillies out…and simply act…Presidential!

That should get you some attention for your cause…without having to upset people by being all establishment and East Coast elitist like.

Yes, It’s always good to be the king! So maybe we should just start emulating him whenever we need to get our point across to his adoring subjects?

 

Mine Eyes Have Seen My Shadow!

 

In honor of Groundhog Day I went outside and saw my own shadow…and it was shivering!… So I went back inside. This told me that it is still winter! And I’m sure that’s what the poor marmot in Pennsylvania is thinking every time those silly Punxsutawnians take him out of his home and hold him in the light of a freezing day.

We have some strange and weird commemorative days in our calendar and I just had to look this one up.  The 2nd of February was once (and I’m sure still is) a Christian holiday traditionally known as Candlemas. It is also known as the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple, the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin, and the Meeting of the Lord.

According to the gospel of Luke, Mary and Joseph took the baby Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem forty days  after his birth to complete Mary’s ritual purification after childbirth, and to perform the redemption of the firstborn, in obedience to the Law of Moses. When they got to the temple the Gospel also records that they encountered Simeon who had been promised by the holy spirit that “he should not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ”

So once upon a time 40 days after Christmas Simeon saw the baby Jesus… and today, 2 thousand and some odd years later, a groundhog sees his shadow and then Spring comes!…eventually…like it always does.

Really the whole thing was and is about the celebration of light and it’s return. The days are getting longer and that’s always a good thing especially in times when electricity hadn’t been encountered yet. And metaphorically speaking Jesus is also known as the “light of the world” and his birth is often viewed as the shedding of light upon the human soul and condition…So let’s celebrate!

I have no idea why all of these religious icons and ideas have all been replaced by cute animals, parties and jolly old elves etc…but isn’t it curious that many pagan celebrations and festivals which began with the worship of earthly places and deities in the pre-Christian era morphed into religious holidays and the celebration of personal icons during the advent of Christianity and now thousands of years later have morphed again into celebrations of cartoon-like characters, who seemingly have nothing to teach us except that we should have a party and buy things.

Speaking of which, we now celebrate the Superbowl at this same time of year, a truly pagan festival  which commemorates the end of the barbaric football season and the thankful return of the light of baseball, a truly civilized sport of Spring, warm weather and safely returning home.

So…Happy Imbolc, Candlemas, Groundhog Day and Superbowl Sunday!

Some things just never change…even though they always do.