Republicans and Religion

 It's been really wild to watch interactions between the Republican party and Christians over the last few months.  Before I talk about the present though, I'd like to talk about the history of politics and religion, at least as I know it.

For those of you who don't know, I was raised as a fire and brimstone Southern Baptist.  My early memories of church had me singing "Jesus Loves Me' in Sunday School, immediately followed by the pastor sharing a sermon that invariably said follow the rules or spend eternity in flames.  Sermons ended with a tearful plea from the pastor to come to the alter and repent, so you can avoid endless suffering.  I remember watching "Late Great Planet Earth" in that church.  I don't remember much about the movie other than skulls, and fire.  Overall, this church filled me exclusively with fear of God, and utterly failed to share any of the love and selflessness.

When my parents moved us from Kansas to Iowa, my mom never sent us back to Church.  I honestly don't know why, but in retrospect, I am thankful.  As it was, I turned my back on God in my late teens to early twenties.  I did attend some church lock-ins with high school classmates, but nothing clicked.  I remember my mom watching  Billy Graham, Jimmy Swaggart, and "PTL Club" with Jim and Tammy Bakker,  

I remember Graham as genuine.  I remember Tammy Bakker always singing poorly and crying.  I remember taking perverse delight in the Jessica Hahn scandal that brought them down.  I remember being horrified to learn as a young adult that my mom financially supported Swaggart and again taking delight in his scandal and downfall.  I remember the Moral Majority group staunchly supporting the Republican party, and promoting "traditional family values."  I kind of always remember evangelical Christianity walking in lock step with the Republican party platform.

While not raised Catholic, I also seem to recall a friendly relationship between Republicans and Catholics, especially when it comes to abortion and homosexuality.  I believe Donald Trump had strong electoral support from the Hispanic community, which I also think skews Catholic.  This is my impression and I haven't deeply researched, so take it with a grain of salt.

Now, let's fast forward to the present.  Over the last year, Donald Trump has shared memes that show him as the Pope, as Jesus, (though he denies the Jesus one,) and when the public rejected his Trump as Jesus picture, he quickly shared a Trump with Jesus as a follow-up.  And this is where it's been fun to watch, because Trump and Christians have had an almost incestuous relationship.  I've seen Christians support a ton of Trump's $h!+ that they would never tolerate from someone else...

They wanted to throw Clinton from office for adultery, but fully exonerated Trump's affair with a porn star.

Trump bears false witness (lies) as casually as the average person breathes, and his supporters eat it up. 

They supported his practice of stiffing contractors (theft) as "good business," while believing that he supported the little guy and small businessman.

This, of course, only discusses the Ten Commandments of the Old Testament. Let's touch on some of the teachings of Jesus...

 Jesus teaches that we should pray for and love our enemies.  Trump's default behavior is that you serve him, or he punishes you.

Jesus teaches that we should turn the other cheek.

Jesus teaches that we should serve others.

Jesus teaches that we should help those in need.

Jesus teaches that we should be compassionate. 

In short, Trump is not a good man, based on these ideals.  He has broken multiple tenets of Christianity, yet he attracts Christians like moth to a flame.  Only recently, now that he has shared an image of him as Jesus, are these supporters crying foul. Maybe this is because they see a crisis of faith, because that's what the Antichrist is supposed to do, right?

Again, I'm only speculating.  While I have rediscovered my faith and am attending Church, I am not an apocalyptic Christian and haven't spent a lot of energy focusing on Revelation and the end times.  But I can't help but assume that Evangelical Christians, who tend to be highly focused on the end of the world, would see Trump's latest action as ... ummm ... questionable.

... let's expand this to Republican elected officials.  Those guys are in quite the pickle.  They have sworn their fealty to Trump.  Now Republican constituents are up in arms over the Jesus Trump picture, and the elected officials have to somehow calm down their party base while not pissing off their sovereign.

Of course, the media and the liberals are predicting this will be Trump's downfall.  Pardon my skepticism, but I've heard that song before.  We, as a society, have the attention span of gnats.

Good On You, Private Pyle

In previous posts, I shared that I participate in weekly PT (physical training) sessions with kids who are on the Marine Corps Delayed Entry Program.  It's something I look forward to every week.

Every now and then, a kid washes out.  The most common occurrence is that a kid will show up once, see how hard it is, and never return.  That happens about once per month, and it's just a blip on my radar.  I've also seen a kid who got dropped from the program a week before he shipped out because he got a DUI after attending a high school graduation party.  Another kid made it to boot camp, but dropped during recruit training.  But I'm here to talk about a certain young man, who I'm going to call Private Pyle.

I started referring to him as Private Pyle with the recruiters because of physical similarities with the character from Full Metal Jacket.  He was overweight, and he had problems with all things exercise related.  He was always last.  Always.  When he showed up, he couldn't do a single pull-up.  It took him 30 minutes to run 1.5 miles, and he couldn't plank for longer than 30 seconds.  While this lad did make a lot of progress, he ended up washing out because after 6+ months, he still couldn't do a single pull-up, and in order to even qualify to go to boot camp, you need to do at least three pull-ups.  He was dropped from the program in February.

At last week's PT session, I was informed that Private Pyle has enlisted in the Army.  I will admit that I was a bit dismissive when I first heard about this.  And in all honesty, I'm not sure he will make the cut in the Army either, because he's really that physically unfit. But the more I think about it, the more I'm proud of the kid for his grit and determination.  Okay, he's not cut out to be a Marine.  But he hasn't given up on his desire to serve in the military.  Instead, he chose to regroup and find an alternate path to his goal.  The Army and Navy kids hold their weekly PT the same day as the Marines do, so this week, I'm going to make a point to find Private Pyle and tell him that I'm proud of his grit and determination.  And I'm going to make a point to tell the Marine kids that they are not to disparage him in my presence.  He's earned my respect for not giving up, and he is worthy of the Marine kids' respect for the same reason.

Good on you, Private Pyle!

Nothing Like I Thought

I've been sitting around the house, which is quiet except for the casual pitter patter of paws as my dog moves from one resting place to another, the occasional car driving by, and my own thoughts.  This bores some people, but I appreciate it.  I find myself far more comfortable in solitude than when I was a young man.

As I ruminated on everything and nothing, I had a thought fly into my little brain from absolutely nowhere.  I have no idea what brought it on, but I ran with it, and it's now become today's topic.  My life is nothing like I thought it would be.

When I was a very young boy, I vaguely recall having ambition to become an astronaut, a firefighter or a cop.  This was during the heyday of NASA, and when law enforcement was still a highly respected (and not polarizing) occupation.

As a young teenager, I saw myself as a doctor or a veterinarian.  Anatomy fascinated me, and I kind of liked the idea of being able to save lives.  Human or animal didn't matter much, hence my flexibility in direction.

In my late teens and very early twenties, I was certain that I'd die before hitting 25.  While I was serving active duty in the military, I did not think I was going to die in combat.  I envisioned myself dying in a car accident while driving slightly too fast, while swimming in the ocean, or some other high octane activity.  While my lifestyle was slightly more adventurous than the average person, I was nowhere the daredevil I imagined myself to be.  I pictured myself a solid 8 on the 1 to 10 scale of derring-do, but I in hindsight, I was a six.

My mid-twenties probably brought me as close to an accurate prediction as I would have about my life.  I realized I was ready to be a dad, but not a husband, though I kind of imagined them as a package deal.  I certainly saw myself as a girl dad.  While I fully expected that I would make a significant contribution tthe working world, and saw myself as a high-earning white collar professional, (though not filthy rich,)  I also knew that I wasn't destined for the history books, but that my purpose in life was to bring a little bit of life, a little bit of happiness, and a little bit of humor to those around me.  My goal was to make sure that I wasn't a drag in any relationship that involved me.  I aspired to be a positive contribution.  My baseline was to make sure that I didn't take more from a relationship than I contributed.

When I was married to wife 1.0, I was certain that I would defy the odds and marry only once in my life.  I understood that relationships require work and commitment from both people, and I was fully ready to fulfill my lifetime commitment.  It never occurred to me that she would quit.

I had no idea how hard life could hit a young adult.  As a child, I imagined that adulthood would be  an absolute breeze.  In reality, I felt like an inexperienced amateur prize fighter going against Mike Tyson in his prime.  I spent a huge portion of my mid-twenties to mid-thirties dazed by blows that I never saw coming.  I had no idea how financially tenuous life could be, and I can't count how many sleepless nights I experienced because of a stupid unexpected expense or life event.  Relationships were equally challenging, because my friends and loved ones were going through the same thing, and like idiots, we tended to turn inward instead of leaning on one another.

In my early thirties, I was still struggling financially, but saw light at the end of the tunnel.  I realized that if I played my cards right, I could retire early as a millionaire.  I forgot that playing my cards right meant that I couldn't have any bad hands.  I saw myself retiring early and traveling the world with 1.0.  When we split up, suddenly I couldn't see anything.

Fortunately the fog lifted, and I met wife 2.2.  She has been the navigator when I needed to pilot, and taken the wheel when I needed to rest.  I didn't see her coming, and I don't see her leaving until one of us dies.

I hoped, but didn't foresee that my kids would lean on me as heavily as they do, nor did I expect how natural it would be to help them.

I didn't foresee that I would essentially fall out with my entire birth family.

I didn't foresee that 1.0 would be such a POS mother.

I didn't expect that life challenges would persist at the same and rate and intensity, with the difference being that my ability to weather the storm would increase with age.  Life is not softer, and I am not harder.  It's more accurate to say that I've seen it before, and each time I experienced it, I made some sort of contingency plan to prepare to re-experience a given adversity.

So yeah, life is nothing like I thought.  But I wouldn't have it any other way. 

Elsewhere: A Book Series by Dough Lohse

I want to take a minute to plug the Elsewhere book series by Doug Lohse.

Without giving away any spoilers, the series follows the story of Duke, a cocky Air Force pilot who is transported from Earth to a fantastical world of magic, in the storybook genre of LitRPG.  If you imagine yourself pulled from your current existence to a world of Dungeons and Dragons, complete with the realization that you're in a Role Playing Game, you have the right idea.

As I read the first book, I found myself kind of under-appreciating the story, because Duke advanced in levels and abilities so quickly that I almost had a hard time suspending disbelief and letting myself just get immersed in the story.  Almost.

Fortunately, I picked up book two, and I experienced a glimpse of the larger story that Lohse had in mind.  Again, I don't want to spoil the story, but over the course of his subsequent books, the author takes Duke from Dungeons and Dragons to Science Fiction, complete with mechs, lasers, and interstellar travel.  The series features a Battle Royale, an evil business empire, and gods who have to follow rules.

I was introduced to the series by James Cheatham, a personal friend of mine who does a fantastic job of narrating the story.  When James shared the initial audiobook with me, I found myself hooked by the tale, and I can't wait to see how the next part unfolds.

The overarching story does a great job of injecting pop culture humor, through the use of current euphemisms that the otherworlders couldn't possibly understand, and by subtlely tapping the fourth wall with allusions to popular fantasy and sci-fi movies that will leave readers smiling and thinking I see what you did there.

If you're looking for a fun read, or an engaging audiobook series, I encourage you to check this one out!  Additionally, you are supporting an independent author, and a small business voice actor.

POSX

Here's another one from the "My ex is a piece of $h!+" vault...

Older daughter called me a couple of days ago to vent.  A week or so back, my ex talked to my grandson and promised to come see him play lacrosse.  My ex lives about two hours away from older daughter and grandson, and to my knowledge, this would be the first visit since ex moved out of older daughter's house a couple of months back.  Two hours away isn't exactly a vacation trip, but it's a bit more than a daily commute.

Grandson was excited over the prospect of ex seeing him play.  Older daughter wisely recommended that grandson curb his enthusiasm, because ex has a habit of not following through with her promises and commitments...

Fast forward to a couple of days ago... ex called older daughter on Easter.  During the Easter call, ex told older daughter that she had to bail on the visit... so she could work. As older daughter relayed it to me, the lure of double time pay was more important than the commitment to see grandson play lacrosse.  Adding insult to injury, ex asked older daughter to deliver the news to grandson and quickly bailed out of the phone call shortly thereafter, meaning that once again, ex took a shit in older daughter's nest and left older daughter to clean up the mess.

This is nothing new.  The ex has a well-established pattern of making promises and not following through.  She did it to me.  She did it to older daughter.  She did it to younger daughter.  Now she's doing it to first grandson.  She can't pull that crap with me anymore.  The kids have kind of grown immune to it and now treat virtually anything ex says with a grain of salt.  First grandson hasn't yet learned his lesson though.  I know that daughters will work diligently to protect grandsons, but damn...

Scratching the Acting Itch

I was in a play last Thursday.  I played James the Greater in a Living Last Supper play at church.  It was the first time I had acted in about forty years and it was a very different experience from my last performance.  When I did my high school plays, I learned each line word for word, and I had to hit specific places on stage at exact times.  It was enjoyable, but it was more rote memorization and more stressful.

This time around, I learned the lines but didn't necessarily recite them verbatim.  There were no marks to hit, and no major rehearsals, because everyone who participated essentially did a soliloquy monologue to the audience.  It was a small audience, consisting overwhelmingly of members from my church, so I never got nervous.

I'll admit that I was a tad concerned for others, who were struggling with their lines even the day before.  However, after the dress rehearsal, I reminded everyone who didn't know their lines that they were the ONLY ones who knew exactly what they were supposed to say, so if they flubbed a word or two, nobody would know unless they gave a visual or verbal indication.  I reminded them that pauses in their lines were okay, because there are natural pauses in human speaking, and pausing for effect is a real thing in acting.  I also invited them to put themselves in the shoes of the Apostles at the last supper.  Jesus dropped a bombshell on them when he said that someone would betray him.  It would absolutely make sense that the thoughts and words of the apostles might be a little discombobulated after hearing the news, and I invited them to remember and lean into this if they got nervous or forgot their lines.  It seems to have helped, because only one guy had problems with his lines.

After we finished, I felt like we did a reasonably good job overall.  I asked my lovely bride for a critique, and she said two things that stuck out: 1) We all did a good job.  2) "You can act!"  She sounded a little surprised at that one.

I guess overall I did okay, because I had a church member come up to me at church Sunday and again tell me that I did a good job.  I had fun, and if I were asked to perform in another play, whether church, community, or whatever, I'd most likely do it.

Trump Fires Pam Bondi

It was announced yesterday that Donald Trump has fired Attorney General Pam Bondi.

In related news, confidential sources have reported that when Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth heard about this, he did his best Veruca Salt impression, screaming "Daddy, I want to fire somebody too!"

In fairness to President Trump, he tried his best to say no, but quickly caved when Hegseth broke into a rendition of I Want it Now, complete with a flash mob band that somehow magically appeared out of thin air.  The report goes on to quote Trump as saying "When Little Petey breaks into song like that, I'm just powerless.  Of course I had to let him fire someone," which led to the immediate dismissal of Army Chief of Staff, General Randy George.