4.4.2026 – the distortion and

the distortion and
weaponisation of faith
deeply saddening

Adapted from the article, As Team Trump wage unceasing war on Iran, evangelical nationalists are destroying any moral world order we once had by Simon Tisdall in the Guardian on April, 4, 2026 where Mr. Tisdall writes:

For most practising Christians, the misappropriation, distortion and weaponisation of faith to justify death and destruction, sow divisions, excuse war crimes and bomb Iran “back to the stone ages” is deeply saddening.

Christians – who celebrate Easter on Sunday – believe Jesus was crucified for the sake of all mankind, for the forgiveness of sins, not for vindictive vengeance, pride and domination.

Pope Leo spoke for many beyond the Catholic church at a Palm Sunday mass in Rome in forcefully rejecting attempts by zealots such as Hegseth to conscript Christianity.

“No one can use [Jesus] to justify war,” he said, quoting Isaiah. War-makers’ prayers would go unanswered. “Your hands are full of blood.”

I grew up in the Evangelical Church )Pre Trump).

I grew singing Onward Christian Soldiers and The Battle Hymn of the Republic.

Onward, Christian soldiers,marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus going on before!

And

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of his terrible swift sword;
His truth is marching on.

As a little kid in Sunday School and Tuesday Bible Club, we sang a song the closed with the line “For I’m in the Lord’s Army, YES SIR!” and when you hit the Yes SIR!, you yelled it out and saluted like a Marine Drill Sergeant.

We also sang a song that went:

Jesus loves the little children
All the children of the world
Red and yellow, black and white
They are precious in His sight
Jesus loves the little children of the world

It just came to me, typing out these words that the first couple of songs are written in the 1st person and about me.

That last song is in the 3rd person and is talking about Jesus.

Maybe that’s where the disconnect comes in.

Still …

That line from the article, “Christians – who celebrate Easter on Sunday – believe Jesus was crucified for the sake of all mankind, for the forgiveness of sins, not for vindictive vengeance, pride and domination.“

Thinking about what Pope Leo said. “No one can use [Jesus] to justify war.”

And that kids song:

Jesus loves the little children
All the children of the world
Red and yellow, black and white
They are precious in His sight
Jesus loves the little children of the world

Do you really want to choose up sides?

4.3.2026 – initiate offense

initiate offense
shoot outside and score inside
pass, rebound, defend

Lendeborg’s performance is a big reason why the Wolverines are in position to do so. He unlocked Michigan’s offense, the ultimate wild card for a coach with May’s extensive playbook. He’s the versatile linchpin of a big-ball bully lineup that has stuffed opponents into lockers all season, able to run fast breaks, initiate offense in the half court, shoot outside, score inside, pass, rebound, defend. He’s shooting better than 37 percent from beyond the arc on the season and has developed a lethal Euro step that has defenders backpedaling out of posters in transition.

“(My mom) really dug me out of the hole that I was in,” Lendeborg said. “This is pretty much a dream come true.”

Adapted rom the article, Michigan star Yaxel Lendeborg was meant for this Final Four moment. His mom made sure of it by Justin Williams who covers college football and basketball for The Athletic
April 3, 2026 5:30 am EDT

A team that has stuffed opponents into lockers all season with a key player who:

is able to run fast breaks –

initiate offense in the half court –

shoot outside –

score inside –

pass –

rebound –

defend –

Versatile?

The online dictionary define versatile says that “Versatile describes a person, tool, or material capable of doing many things well, adapting to new tasks, or having multiple uses. It implies flexibility, adaptability, and being “all-around”.

Versatile is indeed the word for a basketball player who is able to run fast breaks, initiate offense in the half court, shoot outside, score inside, pass, rebound, defend.

Versatile!

4.2.2026 – Boy! undisciplined

Boy! undisciplined
unstructured, uninspiring
unpresidential

Based on the New York Times Opinion piece, The Conversation: Tastelessness and Classlessness Are the Least of Our Concerns by Frank Bruni and Bret Stephens.

Frank Bruni is a professor of journalism and public policy at Duke University and Bret Stephens is an Opinion columnist for The Times, writing about foreign policy, domestic politics and cultural issues.

They create a weekly column where they discuss current events where Mr. Bruni takes the ‘left’ side of the discussion while Mr. Stephens takes the ‘Right’ side.

This is what Mr. Stephens, the feller who takes the ‘Right’ side of an argument wrote about the speech the feller in office made last night.

As our readers know, I support the war and think it’s been far more successful — and necessary — than critics acknowledge.

But boy, that was a childish speech.

Undisciplined, unstructured, uninformative, unimpressive, uninspiring, unpresidential.

I learned nothing from it that I hadn’t known before it started, except that Trump somehow thinks that the Strait of Hormuz will be reopened by something akin to magic.

It was also a signal to what remains of the Iranian regime that they just need to hold on for another two or three weeks and it will be over.

A reminder that, even if this is the right war, we’ve got the wrong president.

Undisciplined,

unstructured,

uninformative,

unimpressive,

uninspiring,

unpresidential.

As I said, Mr. Stephens is on the right.

April 1, 2026 – male of the species

male of the species
in spring gather at the beach
engage in displays

In the gentle warmth of early spring, we find ourselves along the sandy coastal plains, observing one of nature’s more curious spectacles: the seasonal migration of the adult human male. Drawn by rising temperatures and an instinct as old as time itself, these creatures gather in loose, sunburn-prone clusters along the shoreline.

Now, if you look closely, you will notice the males establishing their territory, usually marked by brightly colored towels, portable coolers, and the faint but persistent aroma of sunscreen applied far too late. Their calls, a mix of laughter, shouted greetings, and questionable attempts at music, echo across the beach.

Our cameraman, of course, did not dare get too close.

As the day progresses, the ritual intensifies. The males engage in displays of athleticism, tossing spherical objects with great enthusiasm, often with no discernible goal beyond the act itself. Observe the proud stance after a successful throw and the subtle nods of approval from nearby males. This is a key component of their social hierarchy.

Hydration, of course, is critical. You will see them frequently returning to their watering vessels, aluminum containers or plastic cups, filled with fermented liquids. Consumption appears to increase confidence, though it has been known to reduce coordination in later stages of the ritual.

And ah, yes, the sunburn. A badge of honor, it seems. Despite clear environmental warnings, many males will forgo adequate protection, resulting in a gradual transformation from pale to crimson. This vivid coloration may, in some circles, be considered a sign of endurance.

As dusk approaches, the energy begins to wane. The throws grow shorter and the calls softer. Some males retreat, while others linger, reluctant to abandon the day’s rituals. It is here, in this golden hour, that we see the species at its most reflective, sun-kissed, slightly unsteady, yet deeply content.

Indeed, the beach in spring offers us a rare and fascinating glimpse into the behavior of the human male, playful, social, and just a little bit ridiculous. They need little in the way of a reminder of what day it is.

3.31.3036 – little time we live

little time we live
learn painfully to practice
for eternity

The oaks, how subtle and marine!
Bearded, and all the layered light
Above them swims; and thus the scene,
Recessed, awaits the positive night.

So, waiting, we in the grass now lie
Beneath the languorous tread of light;
The grassed, kelp-like, satisfy
The nameless motions of the air.

Upon the floor of light, and time,
Unmurmuring, of polyp made,
We rest; we are, as light withdraws,
Twin atolls on a shelf of shade.

Ages to our construction went,
Dim architecture, hour by hour;
And violence, forgot now, lent
The present stillness all its power.

The storm of noon above us rolled,
Of light the fury, furious gold,
The long drag troubling us, the depth:
Unrocked is dark, unrippling, still.

Passion and slaughter, ruth, decay
Descended, whispered grain by grain,
Silted down swaying streams, to lay
Foundation for our voicelessness.

All our debate is voiceless here,
As all our rage is rage of stone;
If hopeless hope, fearless is fear,
And history is thus undone.

(Our feet once wrought the hollow street
With echo when the lamps were dead
All windows; once our headlight glare
Disturbed the doe that, leaping fled.)

The caged hearts make iron stroke,
I do not love you now the less,
Or less that all that light once gave
The graduate dark should now revoke

So little time we live in Time,
And we learn all so painfully,
That we may spare this hour’s term
To practice for Eternity.

Bearded Oaks by Robert Penn Warren as published in The collected poems of Robert Penn Warren by Robert Penn Warren (Louisiana State University Press: Baton Rouge, 1998).

Massive … MASSIVE live oak on the grounds of the Coastal Carolina Museum on Hilton Head Island

The oaks, how subtle and marine!

Bearded, and all the layered light

Above them swims; and thus the scene,

Recessed, awaits the positive night.

The south is different.

It has a lot less snow.

It has a lot less cold.

It has a lot more sun.

It has lot more good smells.

It had lot more bad smells.

And it has live oaks.

Ages to our construction went,

Dim architecture, hour by hour;

And violence, forgot now, lent

The present stillness all its power.

Here before we were born.

Here after we will die.

The present stillness all its power.

So little time we live in Time,

And we learn all so painfully,

That we may spare this hour’s term

To practice for Eternity.

According to Wikipedia, Robert Penn Warren (April 24, 1905 – September 15, 1989) was an American poet, novelist, literary critic and professor at Yale University. He was one of the founders of New Criticism. He was also a charter member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers. He founded the literary journal The Southern Review with Cleanth Brooks in 1935. He received the 1947 Pulitzer Prize for the Novel for All the King’s Men (1946) and the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1958 and 1979. He is the only person to have won Pulitzer Prizes for both fiction and poetry. Yale awarded Warren an honorary Doctor of Letters degree in 1973.