The Practical Parson

 Last night President Trump posted a criticism of Pope Leo, and an image depicting Trump as a quasi-messianic figure was later posted to his account as well.   While we may never know who actually posted the image (as there are multiple staffers who have access so to do),  I think we can all agree that trying to depict yourself in comparison with Jesus is not a GOOD thing.  Yet the hordes of online warriors who have spent the last year A.I.-ing themselves into every manner of conceivable art, having themselves depicted as saints, pagan deities, and even into images with Christ himself; are completely outraged that Trump would dare allow something in the same vein of himself to be posted.  While I disagree with the image in question and would say it is in extreme poor taste; the reason why most people are aghast by it has nothing to do with the IDEA behind the image, as much as it is the PERSON who is in the image.   That being said, I would call t...

 This week, a news report broke which claimed that the Pentagon had demanded a meeting with the Vatican's US envoy, Cardinal Christophe Pierre; wherein they threatened the Roman Church unless the Pope "fell in line" with the President's administration's ideas.  On the surface that seems a fairly salacious and horrifying thing, yes?   But when we read the story further, it begins to fall apart at the seams.  Firstly, it was reported by "Free Press", not known for being a bastion of journalistic integrity to begin with.  Secondly, they name that famous person who knows all, sees all, hears all, as their source for the report- Anonymous Source.  There are no more deceptive words used in journalism than the lines "Anonymous sources report"  and "it is reported".  Neither require proof, they require no facts, they don't even require citation; putting journalistic integrity beneath high school and college term/ research papers, which ge...

 Last week the world saw the presidents of the United States and Ukraine clash in the Oval Office of the White House over a proposed deal to continue providing material and financial support for Ukraine in the wake of their ongoing war.  While President Zelensky of Ukraine had promised he would sign the agreement at that meeting, after having promised to do so twice before and reneging on his word; he got the opportunity to leave the scene without signing the agreement, once again.  This clash gave him a boost on the European front, with allies clamoring to give them additional funding for war; despite his protestations about pursuing peace.  While I am not one who will consider it good form to openly antagonize or berate allies; it is true that both sides equally traded jabs during the Oval Office meeting, with President Zelensky hoping that the media's presence would force President Trump into agreeing to additional concessions and assistance that were not agreed u...

 This week, the governments of Spain, Ireland, and Norway announced their joint decision to recognize a "Palestinian State", with the present Palestinian Authority as its legitimate government.  While on the surface there is the thinnest of a veneer of civility, this action demonstrates just how much hatred and animosity many still hold for Jews and the State of Israel as a whole.  The facts of the matter are simple, yet everyone who wants to be a 'social justice warrior' seem to have forgotten, so let us review: The modern state of Israel was established in 1948, following a failed attempt by the Arab nations of the Middle East to destroy the Jewish population of the British "mandate of Palestine", following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.  This attempt to wipe out the Jews in the Middle East failed, and as they retreated; the Arab authorities encouraged, coerced, convinced, and forced non-Jewish citizens to leave their homes in the area that is Israel,...

 So this past weekend, Kensington Palace issued a photograph of the Princess of Wales with her 3 children, in wake of her recovering from a recent surgery.  Eagle-eyed reviewers (their own term, not mine) immediately began calling the photo into question, and caused numerous publications and news outlets to retract it; claiming multiple evidences that the photo was either fake or at very least digitally altered.   The AP (Associated Press) essentially said that they could not publish something that they willingly know is false because it would damage their reputation as journalists.  So in unison, numerous Press outlets are saying they cannot and will not publish erroneous images or information.   What  A  Crock  Of  Shite.  The press regularly lies to the public, publishing altered or doctored photographs; as well as publishing completely WRONG photos to bolster a fictitious story they're peddling at any given time.  Case...

 Yesterday evening a group of self congratulatory, wealthy people gathered in California to give each other awards.   They call it the "Academy Awards", however that title is as offensive to Academia as it is unrepresentative of the term in general.  Perhaps one of the more shocking things to come out of the Oscars this year was the number of 'celebrities' donning red pins in order to (allegedly) support demands for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.  Much like everything celebrities do, however; they are blissfully ignorant of the origin of their rallying cry for purported social justice.   As a symbol of "palestinian" solidarity, the raised bloody hand dates back to the year 2000; when a mob of Palestinians broke into a jail in Ramallah on the West Bank, and proceeded to beat, kick, stomp, stab, etc. 2 Jewish men to death.   These 2 men had accidentally taken a wrong term while driving that afternoon, and had ended up in Ramallah by accident....

  They say it doesn’t matter who he is or where, They say he comes and brings us only deep despair. They tell me that he’s not the kind we want in our hometown, So it’s best for our interest if we should hunt him down. We tell him he is cursed of all and never shall be free, We take his hopes and dreams and all with happiness and glee.  We tell him he can’t go home, for home he never has, We’ve given it away to a group we call Hamas. We tell him he’s not wanted here, but then not even there, We fill his ears with words of hate and anger and of fear.  We tell him that he’s the cause of all our suffering, And never give him thanks for any good that he may bring. We blame him now, we blame him then, and blame him near and far, We blame him now for everything, this boy who wears that star.  We claim that he is violent, and kills without a cause;  While his mother, sister, father, aunt: were killed by that Hamas.  We claim that all the death is his sole responsi...

 We hear it all too often in the ongoing Hamas-Israel conflict: "Hospitals must be protected!"  "An assault on a hospital is a war crime!!"  One would ordinarily agree with that assessment; though such demands are only made against Israel for military strikes near hospitals in Gaza.  I would like to draw your attention to the destruction wrought at a hospital during this conflict-  Examine these pictures well.  Take a moment to reflect on the destruction and devastation that has been inflicted on this hospital; and then ask yourself:  Who on earth would dare do such a thing to a hospital?  That's a war crime! No, these photos are NOT from Gaza.  They are, in point of fact; pictures from the Barzilai Medical Center (hospital) in Ashkelon, Israel.  This hospital was struck by multiple rockets from Hamas in Gaza from October 7th to the 11th; far removed from the situation in Gaza.  Yet has the World community come together to condemn H...

 Imagine you live in one of the smallest countries in the world, surrounded by larger nations who have repeatedly vowed to destroy you and your country.    Imagine groups of people who violently assault you and members of your family on a consistent basis; while claiming YOU are the one who is committing a crime.  Imagine your children being burned alive; your sisters and mothers brutally raped and butchered; your family and friends mutilated and dragged into the dirt streets and left for dead; your neighbors beaten to death while their children watch, then having the children either kidnapped and held hostage or raped and videos of it sent to family members.  Imagine your country finding its footing and launching a defense against people who want you and everyone like you dead; to protect the innocent and eliminate terrorists who prey on the innocent.  Imagine the same terrorists using innocent women and children as human shields so that when you wipe...

 Imagine being a society who elects a terrorist organization to run your society for you.    Hamas was elected to run Gaza since 2007, and has done absolutely nothing for the people of Gaza in that time.  They have systematically stolen imports of concrete and building supplies intended for housing; to build their precious tunnels underground so they can launch secret attacks on Israel.   They have confiscated pipes and drainage materials needed for water infrastructure projects to use as improvised rockets and explosives against Israel.  They have made the people of Gaza dependent on water, electrical, and material goods imported from Israel.  Fast-forward to this year, and Hamas launches a war against Israel.  Israel responds and shuts down supply chains from Israel to Gaza.  Hamas insists that Israel is trying to cause a humanitarian catastrophe because Israel won't continue importing water, electricity, and other goods into a communi...

  The sitting President of the United States of America made an unscheduled and highly secretive visit to Kyiv, Ukraine this past weekend; to announce that he was allocating an additional half a billion dollars of American Taxpayer money to aid the Ukrainians.  This is NEW spending, on top of the money that was previously agreed upon in the cursed "omnibus" spending package which the congress approved in December.  While there are many who may be truly sympathetic to the plight of innocent Ukrainian citizens in the ongoing war with Russia, it is worthwhile to point out that, for a country not actively engaged in a war ourselves; the United States seems to have quite a few lines in the water there in terms of spending: and by spending, I mean an international hemorrhage of taxpayer money.  The American people have been made to pay dearly for the war in Ukraine; a war for which we have no cause to be involved, and for which we have invested much and received ...