Always Reforming

1 Samuel 2  relates the story of Eli, the well-meaning high priest whose only flaw (apparently) was his refusal to discipline his sons.  These sons, described as worthless men , utilized their position to abuse the people and indulge their lusts with impunity.  Eli's dereliction of duty brought his otherwise noble career in service to God's house to an ignominious end.   There are, of course, important differences between Eli and Joe Biden.  Joe Biden is not a religious leader (though he is a practicing Roman Catholic ), nor would I consider his record to be otherwise spotless.  However, similarly to Eli,  Biden's pardoning of his own  worthless son, Hunter, will prove to be his legacy.  His long (and I mean loooong) career in politics will likely be overshadowed, even in the eyes of those who previously respected him, by this one shameless act.  By pardoning his son despite  promising not to, Biden has yet again demonstrate...

Trump's recent comments about immigrants coming from "@$#%hole countries" has created quite a buzz. Perhaps you've heard about it. One can understand why the President of the United States of America referring to other countries of the world in that way might not be appreciated, and, yet, we should be careful not to misconstrue his statements.  Here are a few quick thoughts on the matter: Firstly, Trump was absolutely wrong to say what he said.  It was wrong because he's the PotUS, and that's not very presidential, but it's also wrong because he's a human being, and human beings shouldn't say things like that.  It's pretty straightforward.  What did Momma always say?  "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all!"  That would apply here.  What Trump said, was, for lack of a better word, mean.  He's a rich billionaire who has a distaste for poverty.  Let me be clear, Trump shouldn't have said what he...

As we approach the one-year anniversary of the Trump/Hillary fiasco...I mean...election, it is appropriate that people have begun to reflect on the job that Trump has done.  Social media is marked by a wide variety of responses to this issue: some people think Trump has done all he promised and more (except for build that wall, of course, but not even most Trump supporters really thought he'd get a wall built), others think he has done nothing, and others still believe that Hillary would have accomplished so much more than Trump has.  You're bound to have these type of responses, but what troubles me is to see the numbers of Christians who are praising the job that Trump has done as if it is confirmation that they were right to vote for him.  "At least we didn't get Hillary," they sigh.  "Trump has been great for the economy," they insist.  "America is," they allege, "better off one year later because we didn't elect Hillary." T...

So I turned on the news the other day.  That was my first mistake.  I like to keep myself informed, I guess, but turning on the mainstream news hardly helps one to gather concrete information.  It does, however, allow you to see the type of idiocy that goes on in our nation's capital, so I turned on the TV around 6:00 P.M to see what was happening.  All the evening news programs were on and they were all, without fail, discussing the allegations that the Russians were involved in hacking and proliferating negative information in order to manipulate the election.  For some reason, they were all stating this as if it were a negative thing.  Imagine that!  The press is criticizing someone for spreading information!  Could the media "out" themselves any more clearly?  What more could they do to reveal their patent bias? Get this.  The Democratic party, along with their bedfellows in the media, are accusing Russia, one of the most powerful ...

Boy, has it been a week!  If you involve yourself in the world of Facebook or other social media outlets, you have been unable to escape the onslaught of liberal whining and conservative retorting. They're is no shortage of ignorance on either side, I assure you.  Democrats have particularly been lamenting what they think this means for our country, sometimes reaching levels that could rightfully classified as hysteric and depressed.  They're saying that hate has triumphed over love and bigotry over inclusion.  Evil, they assert, has triumphed over good. Is that really what happened here?  Did a bunch of racists choose Trump because they're racists and he's a racist and they all want racism institutionalized in America again?  Maybe they're homophobic?  Now, there are probably a few rednecks out there that voted that way, but that's not what cost Hillary Clinton the election.  Here's what really happened: The mediocre triumphed over the inesti...

So, Donald Trump won the election.  Like, holy crap, man!  Though I refused to vote for him, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't happy that he won.  Hillary officially conceded, so that means it's time to look towards the future.  What are the implications of Donald Trump's victory?  Let's take a look at a few of them. First of all, Donald Trump will be our president.  Let that soak in for a minute.  Breathe.  Don't scream.  Process.  Process.  What?  Yeah, Donald Trump is the President Elect of the United States of America.  That's crazy. Secondly, Melania will be our first lady.  This, alongside Donald's election, signals the end of an era in America.  We're officially post post post modern, or whatever we're on these days.  Think about this: you can go and see lewd photos on the internet of our next First Lady (don't do it, you perv!). Gone are the days of propriety.  Politicians have long suffered f...

Voting.  Some people do it religiously.  Some people make fun of the people who do it religiously. Some of us have no faith in the system but vote just for the heck of it.  So, yes, I intend to vote, but, no, I will not be voting for any of the names on the ballot, Republican, Democrat, or Third-Party.  I am voting for Jim Harbaugh. "Who is Jim Harbaugh?" you might ask.  Well, Jim Harbaugh is the head coach of the Michigan Wolverines.  He has them currently ranked #3 in the CFP standings and sitting at 9-0, just three wins away from their first B1G championship game.  Go Blue!  Now, you might say that that doesn't necessarily qualify a person for a position of civil authority, and you'd be 100% right.  So let me go ahead and explain my thought process on why I am voting for Jim Harbaugh. 1) I have always liked to go against the grain.  I'm sort of a prick sometimes, I guess.  Mainly I just like to have fun and, you see, voting f...

    But if we don't vote for Trump, our economy is going to fall apart?  Does that sound familiar, friends?  Yes, it does, and that's because it is the resounding chorus of fear that has been emanating from middle class Americans afraid of losing their lifestyles.  Now, to be clear, I don't necessarily want our economy to fall apart, nor do I think it's wrong to pray that God would prosper our nation through Godly leadership.  I am not prepared, however, to compromise my principles to secure my financial freedom.  It's the same sort of logic I use when, say, choosing not to be a thief or a drug-dealing pimp--it's wrong to get money in immoral ways.  Voting for a man like Trump (who is basically a drug-dealing pimp/thief) because it makes economic sense is certainly not as egregious as pimpin' hoes or knocking off banks, but the same principle comes into play.  Is it okay to compromise our principles for the sake of financial stability/advance...

    Newsflash--Hillary Clinton is a corrupt Washington politician!  Wait...we already knew that.  This week's revelation of serendipitous emails being uncovered has yet to tell us anything new.  None of these emails, if we're being perfectly honest, has told us anything that wasn't already suspected by honest people in the know.  This latest trove has simply made it more difficult for people to cover the Clinton tracks any longer.  The question is, then, whether or not it is finally enough.  Have her skeletons finally caught up to her?  Has she tempted fate too long?  Has technology finally trumped the corrupt politician?     So I ask, Will Hillary finally get her comeuppance?  Will the manipulative elitist finally come back down to Earth?  Will the Clintons finally be forced to play by the rules?  Will Hillary Clinton finally pay the type of penalty we plebeians would pay if we had committed her crimes?  ...

    Last night was the final opportunity for Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump to convince me that I should punch their names on the ballot this November.  I remain unconvinced.  While I will be voting this year, I will not be throwing my lot in with either the Democratic or the Republican candidate.  By way of explanation, here are my thoughts from the final (thank you, Lord!) presidential debate of 2016:    1) Neither candidate really said anything interesting.  In fact, they both used recycled lines over and over again.  Yeah, we know Trump has yet to release his tax records.  Yeah, Trump, we know that ICE has endorsed you.  Tell us something new, please.     2) Hillary, we don't believe you.  Everything you say is clearly calculated and carefully scripted. Your smile is faker than Donald Trump's tan!  We know these things.  You're a Washington elitist. You are the epitome of a stuck-up, rich old ...

    If you live in a hole or rely upon "traditional" media for your news (newspapers, cable news, etc.), you may not have heard that Wikileaks has released a few emails that are detrimental to Hillary Clinton's campaign.  Your classic liberal networks have done their best to ignore the heck out of these revelations, but less biased networks and the good ol' Internet have made sure the American public have heard about them.  Inundation feels like an appropriate word here.  Wikileaks has dumped thousands of emails over the past couple of weeks.  Some have been Hillary's own emails, while many are of her staff  communicating amongst themselves.  Americans have become privy to the type of information that government officials have long assumed would stay hidden.     Is this really that much of a revelation though?  Did you really not know that Hillary has more skeletons in her closet than a mob boss?  Did you really need these e...

    Sunday night offered up yet another raucous affair disguised under the name "debate."  It was, pardon my french, a heck of a time!  This was the entertaining encounter that  I was disappointed  we didn't get the first time around.  Allow me to offer my thoughts on this far more enjoyable debate.     1) Hillary is a stuck-up prick.  I said it the first time and I'm saying it again.  I say it in the most respectable way I possibly can.  Really.  Honestly.  Alas, it's undeniable.  The looks on her face when Trump brought up her illicit behavior, say, deleting something to the tune of 30,000 emails AFTER receiving a subpoena, told the whole story.  Her face said, "Who are you to question me, earthling?"     2) Hillary is still the better politician.  She answers questions in a far more succinct way than Trump, which was especially noteworthy in a debate that had audience members asking que...

    Congratulations, America!  Your nominees for the highest executive office in this land are a man who once bragged about sexually assaulting women and a woman who intimidated and silenced her husband's sexual assault victims.  Way to go!     Congratulations, America!  You've really done it this time.  You're epitomizing the whole "rock and a hard place" thing this year.  You're going to end up with a dishonest liberal--or Hillary Clinton!     Congratulations, America!  You ignored trivial things like character and track records and chose to nominate candidates who will advance their own agendas and pander to big business interests!     Congratulations, America!  You nominated a serial adulterer and the wife of one of only two presidents to have been impeached!     Congratulations, America!  You nominated a narcissist and an elitist!  Welcome to their world, plebes!     C...

    So, there was a debate last night.  If you have a TV or the internet, you already knew that.  If you don't, consider yourself lucky.  Anyway, the debate.  It was significantly less interesting than I had hoped.  As a millennial who has no loyalty to either party (read: I can actually think for myself), I switched over from the Falcons/Saints game merely hoping a more exciting clash.  It wasn't that interesting.  Trump said Trumpy things.  Hillary is still good ol' Hillary.  It was, however, no less a game than the one on ESPN.  Nonetheless, here are 10 thoughts on the debate. Donald Trump has bad hair.  This is a truth that needs no fact checking.  This is a principle upon which this country can be united.  Why, Donald, why?!  Certainly he can pay someone a yuuuge amount of money to correct this, right?! It's weird when Hillary calls Trump "Donald."  I'm not sure why.  It just is. Trump i...

    Okay, folks.  It's getting pretty hard to ignore the apparent health issues that former first lady and current Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton is experiencing.  Let me be clear about one thing.  I do not wish these health problems upon her.  I don't believe that it is my calling as a Christian to rejoice in her suffering.  However, that doesn't mean that we can ignore what is happening.  Several reports of Clinton having health issues have come out and they have been unequivocally shot down as the ramblings of paranoid conspiracy theorists.  That dialogue can no longer be maintained.  When major news outlets run stories about it, you know it's bad.  After all, we all know they'll cover up things as long as possible.  It's to the point that it cannot be ignored.  The latest reports are that Clinton has pneumonia, which must have produced a collective sigh of relief from the media.  Pneumonia is bad enough to ...

    Well, Hillary Clinton is in the news again.  The FBI has recommended to the DOJ that they not prosecute Hillary Clinton because, though our former Secretary of State was careless in violating laws about handling classified information, she did not do so with any sort of criminal intent.  The head of the DOJ had formerly conceded  that she would accept the recommendations of the FBI (and others within her own department) due to a shady conflict of interest situation, so it looks official--Hillary ain't even getting a slap on the wrist!  The language is really mind-blowing.  Director Comey described Clinton's actions as "extremely careless," but saw no need for charges to be filed.     Let's take a step back.  It's obvious that Republicans are looking for ammo against their political enemy.  Much of the hullabaloo surrounding this case can be directly linked to Hillary running for office.  Her crimes (she clearly committed...

    Politics--it's a running joke, really.  Sure, there are those zealous few who believe in the American political system, but they are quickly becoming extinct.  This is the group that believes that one vote matters and that politicians actually care.  These people are being replaced by a generation of disillusioned Millennials who, regardless of the platform they prefer, are beginning to recognize the stronghold that the establishment has over the political process.  Politicians are seen for what they are--money-hungry pawns of the elite class.  Oh, there are a few who are honest and are trying to help their constituents (Ron Paul, for instance), but they are few and far between.  After all, that kind of person can only survive for so long in a political environment that seeks to stifle free-thought and decentralization (see Ron Paul).     Our political environment is, perhaps, most clearly evidenced by Hillary Clinton and her laund...