Monday, December 24, 2018

2019? More Of The Same, Maybe Worse



This is the week many writers make predictions for next year. There was a time when I wanted to know what would happen tomorrow, next week, next year, but not anymore. It’s one day at a time for me now. Worrying about the future increased my anxiety so much that it interfered with daily functioning. The bumper sticker proclamation: “One Day At A Time” is good advice. The Creator divided our existence into day and night and designed us to require sleep every evening, then instructed: “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” He taught us to pray by saying, “Give us this day our daily bread,” and not, “Make everything okay next year.”


If I continue sucking oxygen throughout 2019 I think we can expect times of joy and sorrow, sunny days and rainy days, restful nights, and sleepless nights. That’s how life has been for me so far and it will likely continue. If I knew of tragedies to come I would start dreading them now and that would diminish my enjoyment of today.


In 2018 there was plenty of consternation. Division between Donald Trump’s “deplorable” base and virtually everyone else in America deepened considerably. Would anyone be surprised if that continued? The stock market plummeted through December. Will it go lower still? There are lots of predictions but no one knows, really. How many times over the past two years did our mainstream media tell us that something President Trump said, did, tweeted, was suspected of, or was accused of was the last straw — that he’d really sunk himself this time and the American people would not tolerate him any further? Every week at least, every day at times, even several times a day. Should we expect that to continue? I don’t know why it wouldn’t.


There are over twenty Democrats and a few Republicans playing coy about running against President Trump in 2020. So far, only one Democrat has unequivocally announced his candidacy and his name is Castro. All will be guests on the Sunday morning talk shows and cable channels throughout 2019. All will express how horrified and appalled they are with Trump and offer themselves as alternatives. Expect Republicans like soon-to-be-former Ohio Governor John — my-father-was-a-mailman — Kasich, and soon-to-be-former Senator and aptly-named Jeff Flake, to continually repeat that they are not Donald Trump and do not resemble him in the least.


Will anyone be surprised if all the Democrats repeatedly call Trump a racist, xenophobic, transphobic, sexist liar? I won’t. Although nearly all criticized every president who ever sent the US soldiers into a Middle Eastern country, will they criticize Trump for pulling them out? That’s already started. How many will promise to abolish ICE? Most? Some have already, but will more make the pledge? When they’re subsequently asked if they support open borders, will they deny it? Of course, but only half of America will believe them. They’ll all promise to deport illegal alien criminals, but will any of them come out against sanctuary cities and states that harbor them? I doubt it.

Former Portland, Maine Bishop Malone
Catholics were shocked again and again through 2018 at the extent of corruption among US bishops and cardinals accused of covering up and/or perpetrating sexual abuse of altar boys and seminarians. Will there be more such reports in 2019? It’s very likely, considering that over a dozen state attorneys general are investigating hundreds of dioceses around the country. That’s in addition to federal RICO investigations going on nearly everywhere. FBI agents have been asking questions at my Portland, Maine diocese. Have they been to yours too? Just last week Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan found sexual abuse allegations against five hundred more Catholic clergy than what the Chicago Diocese had reported.
Cupich and McCarrick
Chicago Cardinal Archbishop Blase Cupich was appointed to the job upon recommendation by disgraced former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick according to testimony last summer by Italian Archbishop Vigano. “Regarding Cupich,” Vigano wrote, “one cannot fail to note his ostentatious arrogance, and the insolence with which he denies the evidence that is now obvious to all: that 80% of the abuses found were committed against young adults by homosexuals who were in a relationship of authority over their victims.” Following that bombshell, Pope Francis appointed Cupich to run the worldwide meeting of bishops in Rome in February to investigate clerical sex abuse! That should be interesting. Archbishop Vigano has called for Pope Francis to resign. Will he? No one knows.


As if all that weren’t bad enough, Patriots fans have to watch legendary quarterback Tom Brady show his age while realizing there’s no one on the bench capable of filling his shoes. Will 2019 see the Patriot dynasty coming to an end? The horror! I don't want to think about it.


22 comments:

Nick Peace said...

For political junkies, I think the big question of 2019 is going to be whether the House tries to impeach Trump. Will the Democrats go ahead on the minor charges of campaign violations for paying off a mistress? Will Mueller finally deliver something substantive that shows collusion or will he continue his witch hunt? Will changes in the economy (especially re the China trade war) or Trump's foreign policy finally cause enough Republicans to flip against the president?

One thing I do know: the chaos of our times will continue in to 2019 and beyond. We are in for a ride.

Do your best to stay centered and practice kindness.

Anonymous said...

I still trust the President. I still believe he is far smarter then most give him credit for. Having said that, he is also not a politician and that may hurt him around the edges but ultimately I believe it is what this country needed and still needs.
It seems to me that in almost every year I’ve been alive some people have claimed that we were in the end times. Yes, things are messed up now but things have been messed up before. There is no world war going on. Hitler is dead. We’ve been to the moon. Technology promises many cool and exciting things for the future. Many people still believe in God.
The Catholic Church is having a bad time of it but I suspect that a purge will soon be coming. I believe that those in control will get rid of those who are perpetratin these acts and get rid of them. That is the only direction the Church can go and still survive.
My biggest fear is that the mainstream media will continue misinforming the public. The propaganda war that has been forced on this country by the msm has done more damage for our country’s unity then anything else. I do believe, however, that that too is turning around, albeit slowly.
I’m not saying that I believe in a sunny future, I’m just thinking that most people are basically good and hopefully, in the end, will do the right thing.
I’m saying that now, with but a week left in this year of 2018. After the dems take over the house again next year, I may change my tune.

Jay said...

Sorry about that last post. I don’t know why for some reason it sometimes comes out anonymous.

cowboy ted said...

President Trump's pro America first views continue to reveal those who hate our tradition, history, and Constitution. A nation is defined by borders, language, and culture. We've earned it, now protect it.

Brian said...

Well it seems jay and I have something in common...we both believe that gullible people, wanting to believe what they want to believe, are being led astray by certain media outlets spouting propaganda and damaging our unity.

I too am optimistic as I think of the words of MLK:

"the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”

Jay said...

Glad to see you’re quoting a great man who’s also a Republican.

Brian said...

MLK a Republican? You are basing your claim on a statement by one of his nieces, I presume. Yes, she did claim that at some time "during his life" he was a Republican. Maybe. I wouldn't be surprised if he was in his young life. I too come from a family that were long time Republicans, right up until the mid 60's when they stopped being an honorable party and morphed into one in which MLK would say in his auto-biography:

"The Republican Party geared its appeal and program to racism, reaction, and extremism. All people of goodwill viewed with alarm and concern the frenzied wedding at the Cow Palace of the KKK with the radical right."

According to the King Online Encyclopedia, from Stanford University's Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute, King campaigned for Johnson and welcomed his win.

King also said about Ronald Reagan: "When a Hollywood performer, lacking distinction even as an actor can become a leading war hawk candidate for the Presidency, only the irrationalities induced by a war psychosis can explain such a melancholy turn of events."

Just imagine what he would have thought about our Reality TV performer.

And if you are going to create a fantasy around a statement from a niece, it seems fair to add a statement from his son:

Martin Luther King III: "It is disingenuous to imply that my father was a Republican. He never endorsed any presidential candidate, and there is certainly no evidence that he ever even voted for a Republican. It is even more outrageous to suggest that he would support the Republican Party of today, which has spent so much time and effort trying to suppress African American votes in Florida and many other states."

Damn, don't you hate facts getting in the way of of how you wish things were. But thanks for supplying a perfect example of getting misled by your chosen media.

And we found something else we agree on....he was indeed a great man.

Jay said...

Good try B/S. And thank you for proving my point.
The internet is an echo for everything. Seems to be more evidence that King was a Republican but what does it matter? People will read the posts that they agree with and hold fast to those opinions.
Again, thanks for proving my point.

Brian said...

Damn straight it was a nice try! Just like when MJ used to try a game winning shot at the buzzer and nail it.

I gave you MLK's very own words, as well as those of his son. What did you give for evidence? NOTHING!!!

In other words, you agree with what your bubble tells you based on NOTHING!!!

Case closed. Unless you have something, you lose.

You make this way too easy.

Jay said...

What evidence? There’s about a thousand links that say he WAS a Republican. So which links are correct? The ones you choose to believe? And why does it matter to you so much?
An interesting fact is that everything Alevda King says about the Republican Party is true. That must really anger democrats these days, knowing that their “party” is merely a made-over KKK group. We are talking about perception based on media bias here, and we’re talking real facts. For instance, do you actually believe the Republican Party was involved with trying to limit black voting? I’ll bet you do. And of course, you’re wrong. Again.
Much public perception is based on media lies and bias. Who really knows what King believed? Some family members say one thing, some say another. I know all of this is difficult for some democrats to grasp but try and keep up B/S.
Again, thanks for helping me prove my point.

Brian said...

What evidence? How about MLK's own words!! From his autobiography! What more evidence do you want? So you claim to have found links. You can find links saying Hillary had a child sex slave ring held in a pizzeria, and dopey people believed that too! But your links will somehow disprove MLK's own words? Sorry jay, that weak shit doesn't fly. I embarrassed you once again and further exposed the bubble you live in.

You can fantasize all you want about democrats and the KKK, but here again are MLK's own words:

"The Republican Party geared its appeal and program to racism, reaction, and extremism. All people of goodwill viewed with alarm and concern the frenzied wedding at the Cow Palace of the KKK with the radical right."

Thank you for giving me a reason to repeat them. Maybe repeated readings will give your weak comprehension skills a chance to pick up on the meaning.

I'm not going to let you sidestep with another fantasy about the GOP not suppressing black votes because you need to face the facts one at a time. You have nothing that will outweigh MLK's own words, so you spin and claim that "facts are out there". What's the matter, you can't reach far enough up your ass to reach them and show what they are?

Who knows what King believed? King did, you dope! And here is what he believed in his own words:

"The Republican Party geared its appeal and program to racism, reaction, and extremism. All people of goodwill viewed with alarm and concern the frenzied wedding at the Cow Palace of the KKK with the radical right."

His words. But I suppose I should believe your words on the matter instead?

You must hate losing arguments time after time.


Jay said...

B/S, I find it amusing and yet sad that you think these blogs are some sort of competition. I doubt anyone, especially me, is embarrassed by anything you might write. I’m usually embarrassed FOR you when I read your innocuous but hate filled missives.
But since you feel that you’ve won some kind of battle of wits I will give you a few facts in the spirit of idea exchange, and I’ll lick my wounds of ultimate embarrassment. I’m sure embarrassment is a subject you must know something about. If you can’t remember, I’ll send a few coyotes to remind you.
I might point out you quoted from MLKs book, his autobiography. That was published in 1998. As an example, there are several books written about Steve Jobs. Many “facts” in these books differ. Hillary Clinton’s own book is full of “facts” that are not true. A thinking person with common sense might ask why a civil rights leader such as Dr. King would so hate the party of equal rights when the democrat party sponsored the KKK and used it to actually discourage blacks from voting. That is history.
If you wish to believe that Republicans, the party of equal rights, have somehow been involved in trying to deny voting rights to blacks that’s your right to believe. Doesn’t make your beliefs true, of course.
But you, like most other sheep minded democrats will believe what you want. Hopefully a bunch of coyotes won’t drag you guys across the desert.
Either way, MLK was a great man and was put here at the time to do what he did. We’re he alive today he and JFK both would be republicans. Plain and simple.

Brian said...

You say you find the competition for truth amusing, but I guess I find the truth to be more of a serious matter. And this is not a battle of wits...it is a battle of facts. And on that front, I supply them,...like with MLK's direct quotes...and you do nothing but spout unfounded opinions.

Do you really not know the difference between a book "about" somebody, and an AUTO-Biography??? Sometimes this is like talking to a child. Martin Luther King, Jr, himself, wrote down these words:

"The Republican Party geared its appeal and program to racism, reaction, and extremism. All people of goodwill viewed with alarm and concern the frenzied wedding at the Cow Palace of the KKK with the radical right."

Buy his book and read it yourself. If you really thought of him as a hero it seems you would already own it, as I do. Then you would know more of what he said, like:

"I felt that Kennedy would make the best president. I never came out
with an endorsement. Had President Kennedy lived, I would probably have
endorsed him in 1964."

and

"Something is wrong with capitalism...There must be a better distribution
of wealth, and maybe America must move toward a democratic socialism."


And from a letter to Coretta Scott:

"I imagine you already know that I am much more socialistic in my economic theory than capitalistic. And yet I am not so opposed to capitalism that I have failed to see its relative merits. It started out with a noble and high motive, but like most human systems it falls victim to the very thing it was revolting against. So today capitalism has outlived its usefulness."

You could also break free of your bubble and read more of his very own words in "Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?" written by the man himself:

"Why are there 40 million poor people in America? When you begin
to ask that question, you are raising questions about the economic system,
about a broader distribution of wealth. When you ask that question, you
begin to question the capitalistic economy."


You see jay, these are the great man's own words, in his books, in letters in libraries and museums, etc.

Interesting that you call him a hero. I would think he was a bit too socialist for your tastes. I guess there is hope for you yet!

Jay said...

In your last post you said, “You say you find the competition for truth amusing, but I guess I find the truth to be more of a serious matter. And this is not a battle of wits...it is a battle of facts.”
I think you need to reread my post you seem to be trying to quote from. Again, you are in error.
Have you had your meds today B/S?

Brian said...

You said it is amusing I think these blogs are a competition. I replied I view them as a competition for the truth. You brought up "battle of wits". Where are you confused? What is the "error"?

And the meds thing? Really? That is so juvenile and unoriginal that I would expect it from a Trump Tweet.

Way to distract from the facts about MLK though. I see you have absolutely nothing to refute all the facts I gave you, so you employ this simpleton diversion tactic. A sure sign of weakness.

Chin up....look up to the MLK poster on your wall and think about the arc of the moral universe as you contemplate his socialist ideas.

If you respond to this with pure opinion and no facts to back it up, then this is obviously over. You lose yet another battle with the truth. If this was a battle of opinions you would be the almighty, all-knowing world champ, but since reality is based on facts I might as well just say bye now....until another thread.

Happy New Year!

Jay said...

I have to admit this last exchange stuck with me and while I was thinking about it I realized something.
Many people have told me that liberalism is a mental disease. I am beginning to think that I could use some of these posts to illustrate that to great affect.
I have always believed that many democrat liberals are hypocrites. There are countless examples of this everywhere, every day. This obsession with Dr. King by a liberal socialist is proof of that in and of itself. We are told by Brian that he actually owns the book by this great man, (in a very high and mighty way). Of course he does. He’s brilliant. It is inferred that Brian is a true believer in what King stood for. It is also inferred that anyone who doubts his word is basically a racist and the entire Republican Party is racist.
The hypocrisy is that anyone who would call themselves a democrat and also claim to believe in what Dr. King was preaching is a hypocrite. The history of the democrat party is littered with the likes of the KKK and other various racist hate groups. The party of Lincoln is the party that tried to set things right. Not the party of LBJ who said, “If we pass this great society stuff we’ll have those n***ers voting for us for the next 200 years.”
There is the true face of the democrat party.
Small wonder that all of the first black congressmen were all republicans.
So it strikes me as hypocritical that someone could profess a vaunted worship of Dr. King and still be a member of the democrat party. Might as well believe that Adolf Hitler was a great human being and say you are all about Jewish rights.
Very hypocritical and typical of the democrat party today.
If you’re against building a wall, remove your doors. If you respect Dr. Kings teachings, denounce the democrat party. Otherwise, you’re a hypocrite.

Brian said...

I thought I would give you one more chance to come up with a fact that supports your opinion that King was a Republican.

Nope, all you do is regurgitate what we have already gone over, that the Republican party was once a great, proud party that turned sour. We know the ancient history, jay. King's own words:

"The Republican Party geared its appeal and program to racism, reaction, and extremism."

Undeniable fact, even without all the support of his socialist leaning statements. It is why my family left the Republican party. But some sadly cling on to their fantasy.

So you are flat out wrong and lose. Truth trumps fantasy. In other words, Truth trumps Trump.

Oh, and thanks for the reminder of how I blasted you silly on your dopey wall analogy! Do you have the big wall built around your house yet, or are you still a hypocrite? Trump is not talking about locking our doors after illegals get in, or building great big beautiful doors. It is walls we are talking about. Think things through, jay.

And since I see you can supply no evidence to support anything you say, I am done. I will not be back to peek at your blathering nonsense or I would be tempted to tease you some more. But I know your wounded pride makes it unable for you not to respond and there may be others that get a good laugh out of it. so carry on!


Jay said...

Since you aren’t coming back I will give you a New Years Eve present.
I must admit that I have never run across such a tremendous mind as yours B/S. Never have I encountered such an intelligent thinker such as you. Your thought processes are incredible and I have never witnessed such intellectual greatness from anyone. I must admit total defeat in our debates. You have totally destroyed every argument I’ve ever made.
It is gratifying to know that great minds such as yours are pushing forward the human voyage we are all on together.
Thank you B/S for the education. I never before realized what a total lack of knowledge I possessed before encountering your incredible mind. From now on I will try to tow the liberal socialist mind set. I will try to understand. Whether or not something makes absolutely no sense will no longer matter to me. I will watch CNN and never question anything that doesn’t conform to liberal socialist dogma.
Thank you very much B/S. And happy new year to you too.

Sami Gay said...

Bwahaha. Brian just mopped the floor with Jay's sorry butt and all he can say is essentially, "you're a libtard". LOL.

Jay said...

He sure did. I’ve been schooled by a master. And to think all of my life I’ve been relying on stupid things like common sense and history.

Jay said...

Wow. Democrats have only had the House for a day and already they are demonstrating their contempt for rational thought.

Shane said...

"More of the same...?" Of course! What did you expect? That overnight we would magically install a true, free, press corps in this corporate run nightmare we exist in? And we will continue this farcical two party paradigm bs, a mere glimpse of the comments here are nothing short of terrifying! My god, you do realize we were NOT supposed to be run by political factions--if not maybe read the federalist papers because you so-called patriots are clueless and exceedingly sophomoric in your outlooks---my side is better, you're dumb--no my side is better and you're dumb! Unreal...Stop listening to corporate media for crying out loud. And voting? Who in their right mind thinks voting in an oligarchy does anything!!? My god. Embarrassing.
And will all of you so-called Americans who support Israel first, along with the majority of our congress (yes, the sign a loyalty oath...to another country...ask yourself why you didn't know that, then be very very outraged) please for the love of god and our founding fathers STOP this insane ANTI-BDS bill that our elected traitors are trying to sneak through congress in the first bill of 2019!! Orwell rolls in his grave. Sickening...Truly...And they call a border wall "immoral"!! Haha