Just finished reading this book today. I’m working through three books on the Sermon on the Mount, and found this to be very insightful in coming at it from a Jewish perspective. The next book is by Richard Rohr. Will update after! Finished reading: Sermon on the Mount by Amy-Jill Levine 📚

A busy reader reflects on completing “The Dead Zone” by Stephen King, appreciating its exploration of the emotional and physical toll of having supernatural powers.

Finished reading: The Dead Zone by Stephen King 📚

For years I have struggled with prayer. What it really boils down to is a version of the problem of evil, and almost entirely involves intercessory prayer. There are millions of people around the world who live in absolute poverty. It’s not just that they live on little, but they live on nothing. They have kids who are dying of starvation or incurable (or curable) diseases. They aren’t healed or fed.

Never Trump conservatives and liberals are often accused of having Trump Derangement Syndrome. This being the case where in Trump supporters eyes, Trump opponents simply don’t like Trump or some policies because they can’t seem to get past the bad orange man whose only problem is the inability to put his phone down. His talk simply prevents those who are opposed from seeing how wonderful Trump actually is. Those of us opposed to Trump know that that isn’t the case.

One of the things I want to use this blog for is documenting my thoughts and feelings over the next four years of the Trump presidency. Obviously there is much to be uncertain of as we ultimately don’t know what he is going to do. As Matt Yglesias has pointed out in his latest newsletter at Slow Boring Trump is a liar and his followers know he is a liar and that is part of the reason they like him.

I like to share on thanskgicing proclamations from Presidents of the past. Usually it’s Presidents Washington and Lincoln, and this year I’m sharing the post by Abraham Lincoln from October 3, 1963. I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving in America and enjoys time with their friends and family. Washington DC, October 3, 1863 By the President of the United States of America. A Proclamation. The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies.

I was reading Taeggan Goddard’s excellent Political Wire and he had a great piece of analysis, called “Out of Touch”. It’s behind a gateway I believe, but he highlighted that the one thing that all the pieces by Democrats trying to figure out what went wrong have in common is that Democrats are out of touch with the people whose votes they need. I think that is the smartest piece I have come across so far.

I really enjoy the work of Aaron Ross Powell. His work for liberty has been tireless for many years and he has had some wise words about the election. I want to highlight this blog post of his in how to approach the coming period where the freedom of minorities and the vulnerable may be under threat. We need awareness, mindful awareness, and compassionate awareness. The cause of pushing freedom for ALL people never ends.

One other thought I have is that President Obama wanted to be a transformation president who ushered in a new Democratic majority. Instead, with Trump’s win it feels more like Obama was actually the last president of an old order. We have a new one that Biden never actually fully rolled back. Democrats will be pivoting from here and we will see how things unfold.