essential freedoms
speech, worship, from want, from fear
anywhere in world

In the future days, which we seek to make secure, we look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms.

The first is freedom of speech, and expression—everywhere in the world.

The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way—everywhere in the world.

The third is freedom from want—which, translated into world terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peacetime life for its inhabitants—everywhere in the world.

The fourth is freedom from fear—which, translated into world terms, means a world-wide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbor—anywhere in the world.

That is no vision of a distant millennium.

It is a definite basis for a kind of world attainable in our own time and generation.

Franklin D. Roosevelt, excerpted from the State of the Union Address to the Congress, January 6, 1941

What is it about these freedoms that make the followers of the evangelical church of trump so angry?

Any expression in favor if these freedoms cause a, to paraphrase CS Lewis, howl of sharpened famine that re-echoes at this moment through all the levels of the Kingdom of Noise down to the very Throne itself.

Let me focus on just one freedom, the freedom from fear.

Remember those days?

The days before we wondered, every minute of every day, what might happen next?

Remember that morning after the mid year elections in 2022?

That morning in America where we felt that America, the old America, the America that stood tall in the world, was still there and stirring.

We felt … freedom from fear?

For a few days anyway.

Now comes the 2nd chapter of the evangelical church of trump preaching fear, fear, fear.

Fear your neighbor.

Fear your friend.

Fear your family.

And … trust the evangelical church of trump.

And you will be free from fear.

I don’t know about you, but I think of Matthew 24:15 and I am waiting for the evangelical church of trump in bring about a golden statue of someone and set it someplace … “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel — let the reader understand.

For myself?

I am so tired of the fear.

I will rejoice in the Lord and tremble for my country as I know God is just.

Now that is something to be in fear of.

delay, obfuscate
flout court orders, while man’s life
safety is at risk

Abrego Garcia’s lawyers said in a Friday court filing “the government continues to delay, obfuscate, and flout court orders, while a man’s life and safety is at risk”.

US federal judge Paula Xinis has repeatedly pressed a government attorney for answers. She said:

I’m not sure what to take from the fact that the supreme court has spoken quite clearly and yet I can’t get an answer today about what you’ve done, if anything, in the past.

remember you can
also commit injustice
by doing nothing

From the Mediations of Marcus Aurelius

According to Wikipedia … Meditations (Ta eis heauton, lit. ”Things Unto Himself”) is a series of personal writings by Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor from 161–180 AD, recording his private notes to himself and ideas on Stoic philosophy.

It is unlikely that Marcus Aurelius ever intended the writings to be published. The work has no official title, so “Meditations” is one of several titles commonly assigned to the collection. These writings take the form of quotations varying in length from one sentence to long paragraphs.

About Mr. Aurelius, Wikipedia says, “He was a member of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty, the last of the rulers later known as the Five Good Emperors and the last emperor of the Pax Romana, an age of relative peace, calm, and stability for the Roman Empire lasting from 27 BC to 180 AD.”

The last of the rules known as the Five Good Emporers.

The last emperor of the Pax Romana.

The last …

Time to do something.

But what?

ANYTHING!

I am reminded of the movie Patton, where George C. Scott, playing the title role addresses his soldiers about their role in fighting the Nazi Germany and why they were LUCKY to be with the Third Army.

The line goes …

Now, there’s one thing that you men will be able to say when you get back home, and you may thank God for it.

Thirty years from now when you’re sitting around your fireside with your grandson on your knee, and he asks you, “What did you do in the great World War II?” — you won’t have to say, “Well, I shoveled shit in Louisiana.”

April 19th, Patriots Day, Lexington and Concord … A Day of Protest.

Don’t miss it!

economic view?
the worst presidential
decision ever

Adapted from The Conversation between Gail Collins and Bret Stephens, Opinion columnists for the New York Times. They converse every week.

Gail Collins: OK, Bret, I know you can’t tell the future, but give me a prediction. Will President Trump’s tariffs go down as one of the 100 worst decisions in presidential history? 50? 10?

Bret Stephens: As an economic matter, possibly the worst presidential decision ever. Say what you will about Herbert Hoover, but he was an honorable public servant who didn’t have the benefit of hindsight when he signed the Smoot-Hawley tariff into law in 1930. As a foreign policy matter, it’s at least in the top five worst. It’ll be a few months before we see the full consequences in terms of reciprocal tariffs, broken alliances, destroyed trust and an America that has dethroned itself from global economic leadership. And don’t be surprised if it leads to war, as global economic upheavals often do.

Other than that, Gail, it was a great week. Like millions of other Americans, I barely noticed losing a big chunk of my net worth. Can’t wait for all the price increases to kick in.

I have to the point out that Mr. Stephens is a conservative and one time republican and someone who tries to see the best in anything the current president tries to do.