211 The Transfiguration: SuperBull 2024
“For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the mountains, and the wild beasts of the field are Mine.“ ~ Psalm 50
SuperBull 2024
It is no secret that the US "government" has been toppling foreign powers under the guise of "making the world safe for democracy" since before GenX had a say. Generation X still hasn't had a say, unless you count Elon and Tucker. Tucker spoke with the tyrant this week in a serious interview that demonstrated how unprepared America's favorite pedagogue is for the intellectual wrestling match world politics dictates. My take: Putin's jiu jitsu is smooth. The long game Old World understands that US citizens are in a raw deal. They see what has become of our elites. They're not vindictive. They're empathetic. They'd rather tax us than destroy us. It's our elites doing to them what they are doing to us and they're just not going to put up with any longer. I'm not saying our urban kings and queens won't manage to force-blunder their way into a war that lights up the skies. I'm only saying that this week's most watched "not on TV" TV made one thing clear: Us 'Mericans are a very young pup in a very veteran world. Jesus Christ has it all well in hand. Commercials about shrinkflation? The talking image always gives you what you deserve. Till angel cry and trumpet sound, The Mad Christian
The Blitz
Religion and the Church
From the prosecution of Finnish Lutheran politician Päivi Räsänen to the imprisonment of Canadian pastors opening their churches during covid lockdowns, a new document from Family Research Council says threats against Christian liberty are on the rise in the West. (WNG)
Writer and consultant Aaron Renn joined the Issues, Etc. podcast to discuss living faithfully as a Christian in a hostile world. Renn encouraged Christians not to retreat into a “theology of withdrawal and loserdom” but to take inspiration from early American Lutherans who built an ecosystem of fraternal societies, educational institutions and churches. Renn says we are in a time of negative sentiment toward Christianity and acknowledges that cultural forces make it hard to get married and stay married, to buy a house and raise a family. We’re exiles, he says, but we don’t have to get used to being beat up by the culture. (Issues etc)
Dozens of priests have spoken out against the Vatican’s new policy of blessing homosexual couples. (WNG)
We have questions: Rome’s Super Bowl ad vs Protestantland’s. (Twitter, USA Today)
The God-glorifying design of ancient cathedrals. (Culture Critic)
The Digital Age
We forgot to include this last week, but Apple dropped its much-anticipated “spatial computing headset,” Vision Pro. The consensus seemed to be summed up that it’s “an astonishing engineering achievement” which is “magic, until it’s not.” There are complaints that it is expensive, lacks enough input jacks, doesn’t take good photos, doesn’t work in the dark, and messes up your hair. But mostly the biggest hurdle that faces Apple (and other VR headsets) is to overcome the implicit anti-social vibe that comes with covering half your face. That seems like a hard sell especially with the still-fresh memories of masking, lockdowns, and other anti-human covid measures of recent years. Not to mention the danger that comes with being unaware of your surroundings. Nevertheless, it didn’t stop the public spectacle of folks going about their be-goggled lives waving their arms around, like an orchestral conductor. If it takes off, it will take some getting used to! (The Verge, Sai Rahul)
Disney has bought a $1.5bn stake in Fortnite, with plans to collaborate on an “all-new games and entertainment universe” based around “beloved Disney stories and experiences.” (ArsTechnica)
How artificial intelligence is already changing life. (Politico)
Births, Deaths and Marriages
Jonathan Haidt: “Boys are in trouble. Many have withdrawn from the real world, where they could develop the skills needed to become competent, successful, and loving men.” (The Free Press)
Two Republican Congressmen are calling on the mayor and police of Washington DC to preserve the aborted remains of five babies so that the circumstances of their deaths can be investigated. (Daily Signal)
Coming to America
A bipartisan bill aimed at addressing the illegal immigration crisis at the US southern border has failed in the Senate. From what we read, critics (mostly Republicans) were unimpressed, saying the Act would do nothing to secure the border, but rather “codifies crisis levels of daily illegal immigration.” Legal scholars say that the bill presented to Senate would turn current practices into statute making them difficult for future administrations to reverse. A number of commentators we found said the President Biden has the power currently to turn back illegal migration according to the existing Immigration and Nationality Act. Supporters of the bill expressed frustration at the lack of action and blamed the GOP for prolonging the problem. (Semafor, Heritage Foundation, My Attorney USA)
Homeland Security Secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, has survived impeachment efforts by House GOP. Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) who voted against the bill said removing Secretary Mayorkas would not solve the border problem and would set a precedent that might be used against Republican administrations in the future. “If anything, impeaching Mr. Mayorkas would absolve Mr. Biden of blame for his own policies”, he said. (The Federalist, The Hill)
Politics
Special Counsel Robert Hur said last week his investigation revealed that President Biden had “willfully retained and disclosed” classified documents from President Obama’s administration but the evidence was not sufficient to prove the President’s guilt. SC Hur’s report also notes the “significant limitations” of the President’s memory since 2017. The report drew a tetchy response from the President. (WNG, Semafor, The Federalist)
A CNN poll says most Americans want Former President Donald Trump’s court cases wrapped up before the election in November. A panel on a federal appeals court ruled that Trump does not have presidential immunity for any actions concerning January 6th. It is likely the case will be appealed to the Supreme Court. (CNN, WNG)
The House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government revealed last week that Amazon applied “Do not Promote” algorithms to books which questioned the efficacy of lockdowns, masks and vaccines during 2021 at the behest of the Biden administration. (Jonathan Turley)
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is back in hospital. (Just the News)
From the Mad☧Tank
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Crime and Punishment
Michigan woman Jennifer Crumbley has been convicted of involuntary manslaughter for a mass shooting carried out by her son. Critics say the conviction sets a fuzzy precedent when it comes to how responsible parents are for their children’s actions. “Parents, whether weak or adept, are not clairvoyant.” (Reason)
Thieves make off with a small Alabama town’s 220 ft radio tower. Yes, you read that right. (New York Post)
Markets
The US Senate voted to advance a $95 billion emergency security spending bill last week, which earmarks money for Ukraine and Israel. (The Hill)
Credit card delinquencies rose more than 50% in 2023 with American’s accumulated credit card debt at $17.5 trillion. (CNBC)
Mexico has overtaken China as the leading source of goods imported to the US. (ABC News)
Popular jobs a millennia ago: Farmer, mercenary, notary… (Grunge)
God’s Green Earth
Climate scientist, Michael Mann has been awarded $1m in damages in a lawsuit against two writers who compared his “torturing” of data to a child molester. “I hope this verdict sends a message that falsely attacking climate scientists is not protected speech,” Mann said. (The Guardian)
Europe’s deepest mine will become a gravity battery. (The Independent)
The sun doesn’t really “burn”. (Modern Met)
Health, Medicine and Food
“Among diverse groups, high testosterone correlates with poor performance and low testosterone correlates with high performance. In homogeneous groups, the effect is reversed such that homogeneous groups with high average testosterone perform better.” (Psychological Science)
Energy drink consumption associated with higher risk of mental disorders and suicidal thoughts in youth. (Epoch Times)
Small ways to improve your mobility. (The Guardian)
Hearts and Minds
In the wake of Apple’s new mixed reality headset release, Prof Michael Sacasas brings astute observations of a choice always set before us: do we wish to live like a creature or a machine? “When machine-like consistency, efficiency, speed, or production is demanded of creatures, then creatures are made to live as if they were machines.” (The Convivial Society)
Three types of overthinking. (HBR)
Arts, History and Sport
How authors motivate their characters to want to leave earth. (Reactor)
The Roman Empire’s influence on science-fiction: Dune, Star Wars, The Hunger Games and more. (The Rest is History podcast)
The Vesuvius Challenge has been won! A team of three college students has begun reading charred scrolls using artificial intelligence. (Biblical Archaeology)
Last week in history:
1587: Mary Queen of Scots beheaded. (Britannica)
1960: First star laid on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. (History)
1992: European nations sign the Maastricht Treaty, paving the way for the introduction of the euro. (History)
War
Krispy Kremlin
The US Marine Corps confirmed that five soldiers aboard a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter which crashed during a storm in California have been killed. (AP)
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the military to evacuate Rafah, on the Egyptian border. Over one million Gazan Palestinians retreated to Rafah after Israel began its campaign to root out Hamas terrorists. Humanitarian organizations say the operation will only cause more death and suffering. Hamas and Israel have continued to reject proposed settlements to the conflict. (The Hill, Axios)
President Volodymyr Zelensky has fired a “hugely popular” military chief, saying Ukraine needs to change its strategy in the war against Russia. (CNN)
A US drone strike has killed a “Iran-backed militia leader” in Iraq. (BBC)
Stories from Far Away
Voters in El Salvador have returned President Nayib Bukele to office. El Salvador’s constitution does not allow a second term but Bukele’s party replaced the Supreme Court which interpreted the rules to allow him to run again. Bukele is very popular for reducing the crime rate, but critics say he overturned civil liberties to do so and has imprisoned innocent people without trial. (The World, The Briefing)
Argentina’s president Javier Milei has visited Israel last week, announcing his country’s embassy would be moved to Jerusalem. (France 24)
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has surrendered his passport amid charges that he plotted to overturn election results in 2022 and attempted to organize a coup. (Al Jazeera)
Two bombings have claimed the lives of 28 people in Pakistan. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks, which were targeted at political officials and come as the nation is heading to the polls to elect a new president. (BBC)
Buckingham Palace has announced that King Charles has been hospitalized for cancer treatment. (ZeroHedge)
Assassin’s veto: A British MP has left office after threats from Muslims. (The Free Press)
Irish farmers are protesting in solidarity with their European counterparts. (ZeroHedge)
A South Korean construction company is offering employees $75k for each baby they have. (CNN)
Deadly wildfires in Chile have claimed the lives of more than 120 people. (CBS)
Quick Hits for the Eyebuds
🍭 Inside a gummi bear factory
👀 New York Times 1985: Why you don’t need a laptop
🪞 Doppelganger? US Senator finds his double
🕸️ Spidey-dad
🐻❄️ Animals enjoying the cold
🇫🇷 A matchstick Eiffel Tower, eight years in the making
🇮🇸Amazing satellite images of Iceland’s latest volcano
😆 Pelicans can’t eat capybaras. But they can try.
Promo of Friends
A Good Word: Links from the Show Notes
Friday night’s Stop the White Noise included a chewy discussion on living among idols, demons in cities and the wonder of serendipity in a fallen world. (YouTube, Rumble). Bible references to dig into:
Psalm 91 to remind us that angels go with us
Romans 1 – men reject God and turn to evil
1 Peter 3 and Prov 13:1 to call wives to understand true submission
Sweetness You May Have Missed
This Week Preached:
Podcast Release:
Let us pray. O God, in the glorious transfiguration of Your beloved Son You confirmed the mysteries of the faith by the testimony of Moses and Elijah. In the voice that came from the bright cloud You wonderfully foreshowed our adoption by grace. Mercifully make us co-heirs with the King in His glory and bring us to the fullness of our inheritance in heaven; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
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