Psalm 86: 14-17---A Psalm of David

DREHER:  BISHOP NUNZIO GALANTINO GOT IT ALL WRONG AS TO WHAT HAPPENED TO SODOM

READ Psalm 86: 14-17 (KJV)

14 O God, the proud are risen against me, and the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul; and have not set thee before them. 15 But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering*, and plenteous in mercy and truth. 16 O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; give thy strength unto thy servant, and save the son of thine handmaid. 17 Shew me a token for good; that they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed: because thou, LORD, hast helped me, and comforted me.

LEARN FROM YOUR CRITICS. Proud men are attacking David, men who 'have no regard' for God (verse 14). Considering their character, verses 15-16 are remarkable. Instead of invoking God's justice and calling for his enemies' destruction, he turns the spotlight on himself. He appeals to God's mercy, grateful for His patience with him. David is open to correction, willing to examine himself to see if, despite his enemies' evil motivations, there might be something in him that warrants rebuke and needs to change. If someone is criticizing you and the criticism is mostly mistaken, identify the 20 percent of the indictment that is fair. Without excuse be willing to take it to heart. The strongest Christians are the ones most willing to repent.

PRAYER: Lord, you not only show us ourselves through your Word and through our friends. You also have messages for us that are carried by our critics and opponents. Give me the security in your love that I will need to profit from them. Amen.

The Songs of Jesus, A Year of Daily Devotionals In the Psalms

--Timothy Keller with Kathy Keller

View of the Tetons Basically Till It Snows

A VISITING (BRAVE) CONSERVATIVE PROFESSOR TAKES ON BOULDER AND CU FOR ONE YEAR
BEEN A TOUGH SUMMER IN JACKSON HOLE. EXTREMELY DRY, HOT AND WINDY FOR DAYS, WEEKS ON END. All of us knew the forests would blow up into mega fires this year, but no one thought it would happen in the middle of July, rather than August.

Because of all this, I have---sadly---departed my favorite place many weeks ahead of schedule. I am back in Tennessee in heat and humidity, but grateful for the wonderful time I've had there this year and for many, many years past. Who knows what the future will bring? I will go back, but probably for smaller windows in the summer.

North Carolina, anyone?

People with heart or respiratory issues cannot endure this very toxic smoke and air quality for long.  Everyone who plans summer vacations here, should be aware of this possibility.  DuBois is very toxic too.  A good friend, fishing buddy, and his wife have just barely had their house saved from the massive Lava fires moving down from Togwotee towards Union Pass and DuBois.

It's mother nature re-balancing the ecosystem and cleaning out the debris, as it always does. Below, a mama grizzly with two cubs on the other side of her, says bye for now, as I cross over Togwotee.....

Daughters Ivanka and Chelsea Have Unusual Power In This Election and Beyond

EXCERPT FROM WAPO:

While Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton promise to take the country in vastly different directions, the two women auditioning to be Anna Roosevelt’s successor have much in common. Like FDR’s daughter, both Chelsea and Ivanka grew up as children of privilege in families shaken by severe marital discord and infidelity. 

And just as the young Ivanka was constructing towers with Legos in her father’s office, Chelsea has been accompanying her mother to campaign rallies since age 2. As girls, each one turned serious early in part because neither enjoyed much unstructured playtime with her parents. Though she may well become America’s first first mom, Clinton the parent has resembled the vast majority of the 43 men who have served as president. Like Trump, she, too, has held extraordinarily demanding jobs, and work has been one of the primary ways in which she has bonded with her daughter. Today, just as Ivanka serves as an executive vice president of the Trump Organization, Chelsea serves as vice chair of the Clinton Foundation.

Politically, Ivanka Trump, who last week described herself as neither “Republican or Democrat,” and Chelsea Clinton are not all that far apart. Ivanka’s allusion in Cleveland to the importance of equal pay for equal work seems lifted not from anything her father has ever said, but from one of Hillary Clinton’s stump speeches. The major difference between the two is that Chelsea, who holds a trio of advance degrees, is more wonkish — she’s an expert on health policy, for example — and seems a bit more uncomfortable in the media spotlight.

But both women are dutiful daughters who will keep doing whatever they can to help their parents achieve their professional dreams. In the run-up to the election, while Ivanka Trump is expected to focus on shoring up her father’s support among women, Chelsea Clinton is likely to work on humanizing her mother. After January, it’s hard to imagine that either daughter would turn down whatever assignment dropped on her lap.

At the end of this scorched-earth campaign, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton will no doubt want to avoid each other. But their daughters, who can readily identify with each other’s predicament, may well be able to pick back up their friendship.

Ladies In Black: Seen at the CNN Grill Smoozing With the Competetion

 
WITH LOTS OF RUMORS FLOATING AROUND about some of the Fox News heavies not speaking to Megyn Kelly off-camera because of her part in the Roger Ailes debacle, Megyn crossed over Wednesday night to the wild side with three body guards and Dana Perino to see CNN anchor Don Lemon (and Jeff Zucker and Anderson Cooper) and maybe have a couple shots of vodka and steak.

She's living dangerously in my opinion.

All this drama is frankly much more interesting than what is going on in front of the camera.(BTW,  I like Megyn's simple working girl look above.) But I really don't like what's going on at Fox. If she were to flee to, say CNN, I would NOT follow. I know there's got to be a lot of animosity for her dissing Roger years after the fact. There's also got to be plenty of internal jealousy about her incredible stardom at Fox. Got to be a tough time for everyone there.

 I just hope Megyn hasn't gotten to big for her britches. And gone too far in this feminist tangent with Sheryl Sandberg for her own good. When that happens, there's only one way to go.

Time will tell. I do know ultra fame is often much more difficult and challenging to negotiate. Being extremely talented, hardworking as well as great looking has its various  drawbacks which I'm sure Megyn is finding out.

One other thing: I certainly was hit by several bosses over the years, and one job I chose to leave to get away from a superior who didn't want to take no for an answer.  But going public with it, rather than dealing with it and moving on, to me, is a much better solution than the alternatives.  But we're living in a different era, I suppose.   

SOURCE

Choose Very Wisely Our Nation's Next First Lady (FLOTUS)

A GOOD FRIEND EMAILED ME THIS and I thought it was funny and horrifying at the same time. We'd sure better choose carefully, is all I have to say....

Some other related links:

MARIJUANA IS THE STAR OF THE DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION

ROGER SIMON @ PJMEDIA: BILL CLINTON'S SAD SURREAL SPEECH

WHY I SUPPORT THE DEMONIC CREATURE THAT EMERGED FROM THE DEPTHS OF HELL IN THIS ELECTION

Democratic Convention Night 1

WALL STREET NOW SUBSTANTIALLY LESS CERTAIN OF A CLINTON VICTORY

TUNED IN THE LAST NIGHT DURING THE LAST FEW MINUTES OF MICHELLE OBAMA'S ROUSING SPEECH AT THE DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION.  It seemed  well-scripted and presented like a pro which shouldn't be a surprise to anyone after her seven-plus years as first lady.  I never cease to be amazed by what an Amazon Michelle is.

Following in Mrs. Obama's footsteps, though not with nearly the same pizazz and appeal, came the ever-dreary, dour Senator Elizabeth Warren.  I find it almost impossible to believe anyone was persuaded by anything she said.  For sure she was preaching to the choir, a choir which had already made up its mind long before  ever coming to the convention. I consider Warren to be filler-material, speaking talking points totally expected and too drab and hateful for words.

Moving on to more important subjects,  Megyn Kelly looked professional and perfect in a basic sleeveless black sheath with impeccable make-up and hair.  No matter how dull she may think it is, after some of last week's get-ups in Cleveland,  there's nothing better than basics for a real professional woman with a job to do, over the next few nights.  (The dress pictured above is not the exact dress she wore, but close enough to fit the bill---sleeveless, black, well-tailored.)

Going through google images for Megyn,  it's clear she looks best, and wears most frequently, outfits that are black, navy and white, in all seasons.  How can anything work for her better? Yes, she chooses various necklines, trims and jewelry, but sticking to the basics, as she did last night is always, ALWAYS, a winner.  Nice going, Megyn.

Clinton Cash Documentary

 

THIS FILM DOCUMENTS HOW BILL AND HILLARY CLINTON WENT FROM 'DEAD BROKE' when they left the White House to mega-wealthy today. They did this by getting massive individual speaking fees and raising huge donations to the Clinton Foundation, especially while Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State.

SOURCE The Clintons majored in disaster capital and crony capitalism which diverted monies into their and their buddies pockets rather than the impoverished and suffering people they claimed they were committed to helping.

One of the Bible's Most Beautiful Passages In Romans 8

DON'T BUY THE 'DEVOUT CATHOLIC,' 'CENTRIST' PROPAGANDA ON TIM KAINE

ROMANS 8: 22-39 

22 WE KNOW that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. ²³ Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. ²⁴ For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

²⁶ In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. ²⁷ And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

²⁸ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who^[a] have been called according to his purpose. ²⁹ For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. ³⁰ And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

More Than Conquerors

³¹ What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? ³³ Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶ As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long;
    we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”^[b]

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,^[c] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Cut and Paste: Megyn Kelly's Distracting, Assymetry

OK.  It's not my life's calling to critique Megan Kelly's every fashion move. But she brought this on herself by wearing what looked like  a bathing suit to anchor day 3 of the GOP convention.  If nothing else, many people tuned in last night to see what Kelly was wearing.  Remember, it's all about ratings, ratings, ratings and don't think this broad doesn't know how to work that system.

Anyway,  Megan covered up more appropriately last night but the asymmetrical dress--or top---did nothing for me.   It looked like a jigsaw puzzle that was missing a key piece, a garment the alterations lady hadn't quite finished and and the beginning of a migraine headache.

Still it was better than the night of  vermicelli noodle straps.

Megan has clearly become a celebrity star rather than just a  beautiful, talented newswoman.  It's too bad.  She's trying so hard to be edgy on screen and runs the risk of having her clothes become a distraction.  I know going on camera five nights a week gets old and  routine. It's normal to want to spice things up a bit in the fashion department.  She does have a  great style. But Megyn---and her handlers---need not try so hard with gimmicks.  That's not her job.  In fact, it subtracts rather than adds to her overall presentation.

Actually, Megyn could take a few fashionista tips from Ivanka Trump who is an absolute knock-out in every way. Last night her basic,  perfectly fitted dress (from her clothing line at Macys and Nordstroms) set the stage for her triumphant presentation.

Megyn Kelly's 'Outfit' Or Lacked Thereof Crossed the Line Into Inappropriate, Unprofessional For Me Last Night

MEGYN KELLY IS WEARING THIN WITH ME THESE DAYS 


WHILE THE WORLD HYPERVENTILATES TODAY over Mike Pence's outstanding VP acceptance speech,  Ted Cruz's lack of full-on support of GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump, Heidi Cruz's security exit from the hall and Ivanka Trump's angry  hand gestures over the Cruzs' lack of support, I was caught up on another, less talked about aspect at the GOP convention: Megyn Kelly's unprofessional, scanty camisole.

Whatever the temperature inside the venue, and I'm sure it was warm, Megyn's sparse top screamed unprofessional, overly casual and  inappropriate for national TV.  Yes, she's a beautiful woman who looks good in almost anything. But that doesn't mean she should wear anything.

She looked like she had just crawled out of the swimming pool, slicked her hair down and thrown a little eye liner and lip gloss on. (Others opined she looked like a cocktail waitress and a female escort, but  I'm sticking with my bathing suit theory.)

It's not that she was flaunting cleavage---which mercifully she wasn't. It's that as a trend setter and female role model, Kelly---now evidently a newly minted feminist role model and BFF with Sheryl Sandberg---needed to top  her  spaghetti straps off with a little more coverage, in my opinion.  Like a light summer linen jacket or sweater.

Gosh, for all I know,  behind that news desk, maybe all she was wearing was a bathing suit.

Megyn can do better.   Fox News can do better.  Hopefully tonight (Thursday) both will.

Meanwhile,   Ivanka Trump struck the perfect note and coverage last night fashion-wise:  cool, summery, feminine. The hemline of her dress is lovely.

One other thing while I'm getting it out of my system:

Megyn Kelly has accused Roger Ailes of inappropriate advances over ten years ago. Whether true or not, and I'm inclined to think it probably is---because almost all men will try something, sometimes around a talented, attractive, ambitious female.  Yet it can never be proven, especially this late in the game. However, two questions come to my mind: 1) Why do women dress the way Megyn did last night and not expect to be hit on by men? And 2) Why don't they come forward and say something sooner than a decade later? It couldn't be because they put ambition ahead of everything else and  are willing to use the man's, their employer's, obvious attraction, to further their career as far as they can. Only now, when Megyn has made it to the top of the heap, does she tattle on the man who made her a star. I'm not at all impressed.

Pray for Family of Montrel Jones, BR Police Officer Killed by Black Punk Coward Having a Tantrum

Sunday---Example of Modern Christian Heresy (Dreher On the 'Methodist Crisis') and Paul's Timeless Letter to the Romans

WE ARE CURRENTlY READING PAUL'S LETTER TO THE ROMANS @ ONE YEAR BIBLE BLOG.

The Apostle Paul begins by delivering the bad news of all mankind's total depravity in the eyes of God, before he declares the Good News of God's salvation by faith in Jesus' saving work on the Cross.

Today, we have the bad news, a stern warning against mocking and judging God and becoming our own god, as God allows our minds to become darkened and depraved.  Very scary news indeed.

What, then, is an example of  a darkened mind in today's world? There are  far too many in the news. But no better example than the newly elected lesbian bishop in the Western Methodist Church (from Berkley---no surprise)

Please take time to read Rod Dreher's shocking post today @ American Conservative on the ongoing, evil attacks on the Word of God and the Apostle Paul in this modern, disintegrating  church in America. If you dare.

Oh my, my, my.  I tell you, those lesbians and radical feminists sure don't like the Apostle Paul.  I know from shocking personal experience.

Please continue with Paul's Romans passage below.

ROMANS 1: 21-32 God’s Wrath Against Sinful Humanity

 ²¹ For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²² Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools ²³ and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.
 

²⁴ Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. ²⁵ They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

²⁶ Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. ²⁷ In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

²⁸ Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. ²⁹ They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, ³⁰ slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; ³¹ they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. ³² Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

New International Version (NIV)

Don Surber: France Pays the Price for Prosecuting Bridgett Bardot About Her Views On Islam

WESLEY PRUDEN: TWAS A ROUSING WEEK FOR THE GAFFE PATROL
SPENGLER ON TURKEY: NO MATTER WHAT, ERDOGAN HAS TOUGH TIMES AHEAD

SURBER WRITES: 

Islamic terrorists attacked and killed 11 Frenchmen and injured 11 others on January 7, 2015, in the Charlie Hebdo attack.

Islamic terrorists attacked and killed 89 Frenchmen and injured 202 others on November 13, 2015, at the Bataclan theater.

An Islamic terrorist attacked and killed 84 Frenchmen and injured 204 others on July 14, 2016, at a Bastille Day celebration in Nice, France.

If only someone had warned them.....From Reuters on April 15, 2008:

French former film star Brigitte Bardot went on trial on Tuesday for insulting Muslims, the fifth time she has faced the charge of "inciting racial hatred" over her controversial remarks about Islam and its followers.

Prosecutors asked that the Paris court hand the 73-year-old former sex symbol a two-month suspended prison sentence and fine her 15,000 euros ($23,760) for saying the Muslim community was "destroying our country and imposing its acts".

Since retiring from the film industry in the 1970s, Bardot has become a prominent animal rights activist but she has also courted controversy by denouncing Muslim traditions and immigration from predominantly Muslim countries.

She has been fined four times for inciting racial hatred since 1997, at first 1,500 euros and most recently 5,000.

Prosecutor Anne de Fontette told the court she was seeking a tougher sentence than usual, adding: "I am a little tired of prosecuting Mrs Bardot."

If only someone had told the French in advance that there was a group of people steadfast in trying to kill them.

Of course, in putting her through all this, the message sent to everyone else was: Shut up. If you see something, keep it to yourself.

Indeed, Don, indeed. The price of see--don't say anything is getting higher every day.  Bardot's comments on Islam were prescient and ahead of her time.

Coup Could Be Hopeful For Turkey, Or If John Kerry Is For Erdogan, I'm Probably Backing the Coup

FAILED COUP 'GIFT FROM ALLAH' SAYS MUSLIM DICTATOR-IN-MAKING ERDOGAN

A REALISTIC TAKE ON THE UNFOLDING COUP IN TURKEY IN THE NYPOST THIS AFTERNOON...WELL WORTH A READ:


The Turkish military has staged a coup. Bridges are closed in Istanbul. There is gunfire in Ankara. The Turkish General Staff says that it is in control.

Turkey is no stranger to coups. Historically, the Turkish military has been the guarantor of Turkey’s Constitution. In 1960, it overthrew Prime Minister Adnan Menderes after he sought to consolidate control and erode separation of mosque and state.

In 1971 and again in 1980, it intervened as chaos and political violence threatened to consume the country. In 1997, the military forced Turkey’s first Islamist government to step aside. While any coup is tragic, in Turkey there is hope: The military has never tried to retain power; rather, it has always assumed a caretaker role, seeking to repair the constitutional checks and balances in order to return Turkey to democracy.

There are other reasons for hope. It’ll likely be a day or two before we see if the coup holds, but Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the prime minister-turned-president now apparently overthrown, was an autocrat. He flirted with support for terrorists groups like Hamas, the al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front and even the Islamic State.

Some regimes believe flirtation with radical Islamists might fulfill short-term policy ends, but in the long-term there is always a heavy price. The past year’s attacks in Ankara and Istanbul may have convinced Turks outside Erdoğan’s inner circle that their reckoning was near.

Erdoğan ruled through the Justice and Development Party (AKP), a party that started out promising not only religious tolerance but also technocratic expertise.

It increasingly delivered the opposite. In the first nine years of AKP rule, for example, the murder rate of women skyrocketed 1,400 percent as Islamists conducted honor crimes with impunity.

The good news is that, with the exception of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s secular political movement, no Turkish party has ever survived the death of its charismatic leader.

Erdoğan’s removal might open space for both religious conservatives and liberals to again compete in the marketplace of ideas.

That said, Turkey’s future is far from assured. Over his 13 years in power, Erdoğan has transformed the bureaucracy.

He has changed education to brainwash a generation of students. He has allowed Islamist students to leapfrog over secular requirements to enter top universities.

He has inserted party cadre into every government bureaucracy. He and his family have seized newspapers and TV stations and used them to broadcast nonstop streams of anti-American and anti-Semitic conspiracies.

Undoing this will be no easy feat, especially since half of Turkey’s population supports Erdoğan blindly.

There also needs to be serious soul-searching within the Turkish military. How did it manage to misread Turkish society for so long? Career officers lived and socialized with other officers; they lost touch with Turkey at large.

Should the Turkish military engage in a violent purge, the reverberations may last generations. Nor does the coup resolve real ethnic problems between Kurds and Turks.

Absent real reform, the coup won’t resolve the Kurdish insurgency Turkey now faces. Nor is the opposition a panacea. Party leaders act as mini-dictators within their own parties. Few are charismatic.

Turkey has no obvious savior. Get ready for a rocky ride.

Michael Rubin is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute

On the Beautiful Teton River In Idaho

WAS PACKING THE CAR LATE YESTERDAY WHEN THE HORRIFIC NEWS BROKE OF THE UNSPEAKABLE TRAGEDY IN NICE. I chose not to take my computer  though I knew the friends I was visiting would turn on the tube for updates on the news.

Still, it was a relatively peaceful and beautiful evening on the banks of the Teton, catching up over a glass of wine, eating a wonderful dinner al fresco, then getting a great night sleep to the sound of gently moving water outside.  The craziness of the world seemed far away for a few hours.

I forget how beautiful eastern Idaho is on the other side of the Tetons and away from the utter chaos of Jackson in July. 

.

Hillary Is About To Get Her Trumpuppence! Ruth Bader Might Have to Go to New Zealand

POKEMON GO'S MENTAL HEALTH BENEFITS ARE REAL FOR YOUNG AND OLD ALIKE

IT'S OFFICIAL---TRUMP PICKS PENCE FOR VP  as polls show Clinton imploding.  This is a good, conservative choice which will help the ticket in myriad ways.

 So now it's off to the races! It certainly won't be dull.

CBNC weighs in on Pence.

Meanwhile, Trump captures 'Crooked Hillary' Pokeman...

No Surprises Here: Looking for Love (In All the Wrong Places) Finds Conservatives and Liberals Have Major Differences

UPDATE---KOFFLER:  CLINTON WILL FINISH THE (DEATH) MARCH TO SOCIAL MEDICINE

WHILE WE'RE All WAITING WITH BAITED BREATH FOR THE IMMINENT ANNOUNCEMENT OF DONALD TRUMP'S RUNNING MATE, thought I'd post a little non-news clip on dating.

Received this via Keith Koffler's Cut To the News this morning @ White House Dossier about a survey done by OKCupid:

Conservatives are more interested in the outdoors and the gun range while liberals prefer “museums, yoga, and crying,” according to a new study by the online dating website OkCupid. OkCupid used data from nearly 200,000 profiles for its Words and Politics analysis, which also found that liberals looking for love are vegetarians and conservatives like steak. 

“Whether we’re aware of it or not, our political beliefs influence how we advertise ourselves romantically,” the dating site wrote on its “Deep End” blog. “To dig into this, we looked at words used on tens of thousands of OkCupid profiles to see which ones best distinguish liberals and conservatives, and then compared those words to OkCupid match questions.

”For users who said they are “actively seeking love” the divide between conservatives and liberals was stark. 

“Like the outdoors or going to the shooting range? So do a majority of conservatives interested in love,” OkCupid said. “Liberals looking for love prefer museums, yoga, and crying.” 

The analysis also found liberals tend to list “The Daily Show, Broad City, NPR, podcasts, and weed” on their profiles, while conservatives mention “Jesus, faith, guns, and Marines.” “Steak or avocados? 

For right-wingers, steak and grilling indicate an interest in sex, while Dr. Pepper points to love,” 

OkCupid said. “On the left, avocados and vegetarian correlate to love, while booze suggests sex.” 

Employed liberals were “likely to be open with feelings,” and those mentioning Quentin Tarantino and Pulp Fiction in their profiles tended to list wanting “pain during sex.” Other terms commonly listed on liberal profiles included “Atheist,” “Social Justice,” “Feminist,” and “Queer.” 

Common conservative terms included “Country,” “Fishing,” “Old fashioned,” and “C.S. Lewis.”

Yep, sounds about right. But in my opinion, no self-respecting conservative would even go to a dating site, let alone one named OKCupid....

Hiker Trips, Falls to Her Death At the Grand Canyon

RUTH BADER GINSBURG COMES COMPLETELY, INAPPROPRIATELY UNHINGED
DREHER: COPS CAN'T BE OUR SAVIORS  

35 YEAR OLD COLLEEN BURNS WAS HIKING WHEN SHE STEPPED ASIDE TO LET ANOTHER HIKER BY AT A NARROW PLACE....

How quickly life can change on a dime. One minute you're happy, healthy, enjoying vacation time with friends. The next, it's completely over.

My heart  goes out to Colleen's family and friends. I can identify with this one because several weeks ago, I tripped on a root on a trail here in JH and had a  painful fall....not the typical kind where you fall on your backside and bounce.   This one was worse. But it could have been much, much worse, so I'm recovering  and grateful to God to be almost back to normal.

@PJM: Black Lives Matter In Lee's Summitt Gets A Dose of Maturity, Good Information From A Credible Role Model

CHRIS QUEEN: NOW MORE THAN EVER BELIEVERS NEED TO SHOW THE (CALMING) LOVE OF CHRIST TO THE WORLD:  

Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. 36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ 37 Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’ 
 Matthew 25:34-40 (NLT)

 We are commanded to take care of each other. Jesus also calls us to love not just the ones who are like us, but also to love our enemies: You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. 44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! 45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. 46 If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. 47 If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. 
Matthew 5:43-47 (NLT) 

Jesus calls His followers to love and pray for ISIS, the cop killers, abortion practitioners, militant atheists, and so much more! In our increasingly tribalistic world, that kind of love is revolutionary. 
(And, yes, it's difficult.)

 THIS IS THE KIND OF THING THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN ALL OVER THE COUNTRY. Good for ex-cop Richard Sanford who just happens to be black.

This from Debra Heine writing for PJM:  

The most peaceful of peaceful Black Lives Matter rallies took place Friday evening in Lee's Summit, Missouri, a conservative suburb of Kansas City -- perhaps because the organizer is a former police officer and Army veteran. 

Richard Sanford, dressed like he had just come from a backyard barbecue, told the assembled that the purpose of the event was to draw attention "to police brutality and injustice." But his message for the young protesters -- mostly high school kids -- was not what we have come to expect at a Black Lives Matter rally, where extreme, anti-police rhetoric is the norm. 

He began by thanking the chief of police and the mayor of Lee's Summit for being so helpful. Police had blocked off the street, and were keeping a lookout from rooftops to keep the peace. "All of the police officers that are here -- they're not here to intimidate, they're not here to harass -- they're here to protect all of us," he said, starting off on a very un-BlackLivesMatter-like note. 

"I tell my children all the time, if you are ever confronted ... by the police or any type of law enforcement official, I want you to cooperate as best you can," he advised the group. "I know a lot of you are saying that Mr. Castile cooperated...but let justice prevail and let the police do their investigation and find out what happened before everyone starts jumping to conclusions."

 The full article here.

U S Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) Speaks of This Week's Tragic Events

5 BLOODIEST BATTLES IN HISTORY
STATISTICAL BREAKDOWN OF US CITIZENS KILLED BY COPS IN 2016: SEE THE NUMBERS FOR YOURSELF SENATOR SCOTT SPEAKS WITH COMPASSION, SANITY AND REASON. We all should listen and then listen again.

House Hearing With Comey

COMEY HAS A LONG HISTORY OF INVOLVEMENT IN FAVORABLE RULINGS FOR CLINTONS

I MUST SAY, Rep. Trey Gowdy knocks the ball out of the park in deposing FBI Chief James Comey regarding the veracity of Hillary Clinton's testimonies. What a pro!

To me, Comey's answers about Clinton's perjuring herself are astounding in view of the fact that she---as the Secretary of State and charged with the public trust and national security matters---has not be charged with anything. The bar should be raised higher for Hillary as a public official. Instead it's been lowered.

Whatever happens from here, this is a public disgrace and Hillary is an embarrassment to our nation. She should withdraw from running for lack of character and  myriad of conflicts of interest with Bill.  If perchance she is elected, this country will get what it deserves. It won't be good.

The Day Sweden Changed From Driving on the Left to Right Side of the Road

 

AN INTERESTING LITTLE VIDEO IN A WORLD AWASH TODAY WITH LOTS OF DIFFICULT NEWS AND HORRIBLE NEW BLACK SHOOTINGS BY POLICE.

HT: CHALLIES

Trump's Son in Law, Jared Kushner---'The Donald Trump I Know'

THERE'S SO MUCH UTTER NONSENSE IN MOST ON AND OFFLINE COMMENTARY THAT IT CAUSES ME TO WALK AWAY IN UTTER DISMAY. It's getting harder to take many these people seriously. This, however, is well worth a read. I've never thought Trump is a racist or anti-Semite. To wit, below is a great recommendation on his behalf. In fact the very best.  I take this very seriously:

MY FATHER IN LAW IS NOT AN ANTI-SEMITE.

It’s that simple, really.

Donald Trump is not anti-Semitic and he’s not a racist. Despite the best efforts of his political opponents and a large swath of the media to hold Donald Trump accountable for the utterances of even the most fringe of his supporters—a standard to which no other candidate is ever held—the worst that his detractors can fairly say about him is that he has been careless in retweeting imagery that can be interpreted as offensive.

I read the Dana Schwartz piece that appeared on Observer.com. As always, there are thoughtful points but journalists, even those who work for me at the Observer, are not always right. While I respect her opinion, I want to show another side to explain why I disagree.

In my opinion, accusations like “racist” and “anti-Semite” are being thrown around with a carelessness that risks rendering these words meaningless.

If even the slightest infraction against what the speech police have deemed correct speech is instantly shouted down with taunts of “racist” then what is left to condemn the actual racists? What do we call the people who won’t hire minorities or beat others up for their religion?

This is not idle philosophy to me. I am the grandson of Holocaust survivors. On December 7, 1941—Pearl Harbor Day—the Nazis surrounded the ghetto of Novogroduk, and sorted the residents into two lines: those selected to die were put on the right; those who would live were put on the left. My grandmother’s sister, Esther, raced into a building to hide. A boy who had seen her running dragged her out and she was one of about 5100 Jews to be killed during this first slaughter of the Jews in Novogrudok. On the night before Rosh Hashana 1943, the 250 Jews who remained of the town’s 20,000 plotted an escape through a tunnel they had painstakingly dug beneath the fence. The searchlights were disabled and the Jews removed nails from the metal roof so that it would rattle in the wind and hopefully mask the sounds of the escaping prisoners.

My grandmother and her sister didn’t want to leave their father behind. They went to the back of the line to be near him. When the first Jews emerged from the tunnel, the Nazis were waiting for them and began shooting. My grandmother’s brother Chanon, for whom my father is named, was killed along with about 50 others. My grandmother made it to the woods, where she joined the Bielski Brigade of partisan resistance fighters. There she met my grandfather, who had escaped from a labor camp called Voritz. He had lived in a hole in the woods—a literal hole that he had dug—for three years, foraging for food, staying out of sight and sleeping in that hole for the duration of the brutal Russian winter.

I go into these details, which I have never discussed, because it’s important to me that people understand where I’m coming from when I report that I know the difference between actual, dangerous intolerance versus these labels that get tossed around in an effort to score political points.
The difference between me and the journalists and Twitter throngs who find it so convenient to dismiss my father in law is simple. I know him and they don’t.

It doesn’t take a ton of courage to join a mob. It’s actually the easiest thing to do. What’s a little harder is to weigh carefully a person’s actions over the course of a long and exceptionally distinguished career. The best lesson I have learned from watching this election from the front row is that we are all better off when we challenge what we believe to be truths and seek the people who disagree with us to try and understand their point of view
.
In December 1972, a month after Richard Nixon’s 49-state landslide, the New Yorker’s great film critic Pauline Kael gave a speech that said “I live in a rather special world. I only know one person who voted for Nixon. Where they are I don’t know. They’re outside my ken.” I encourage Ms. Schwartz—and all reporters—to get out there and meet some of those people “outside their ken.”

One of the reasons the Observer has more than quadrupled its traffic over the last three-plus years is that we’ve been actively broadening our perspective.

The fact is that my father in law is an incredibly loving and tolerant person who has embraced my family and our Judaism since I began dating my wife. His support has been unwavering and from the heart. I have personally seen him embrace people of all racial and religious backgrounds, at his companies and in his personal life. This caricature that some want to paint as someone who has “allowed” or encouraged intolerance just doesn’t reflect the Donald Trump I know. The from-the-heart reactions of this man are instinctively pro-Jewish and pro-Israel.

Just last week, at an event in New Hampshire, an audience member asked about wasting money on “Zionist Israel.” My father-in-law didn’t miss a beat in replying that “Israel is a very, important ally of the United States and we are going to protect them 100 percent.”

No script, no handlers, no TelePrompter—just a strong opinion from the heart
.
There’s real racism in the world. There’s real anti-Semitism in the world. These are pernicious, dispiriting truths. Some of the tweets that Ms. Schwartz has received, depicting her being thrown into an oven, for example, are beyond disgusting. I am appalled that anyone, let alone someone who works for me, would have to endure that kind of hateful rhetoric. But blaming Donald Trump for the most outrageous things done by people who claim to support him is no different from blaming Bernie Sanders for the people who stomp and spit on American flags at his rallies.

I tell people that Donald Trump is a Rorschach test. People see in him what they want to see—if they dislike his politics, they might see other things they dislike, such as racism. If they like his politics, they might imagine they’re hearing “dog whistles.” He will touch subjects politicians try to avoid.

This is part of why he appeals to so many.

This notion that has emerged that holds my father in law responsible for the views of everyone who supports him is frankly absurd. Not only is this expectation completely unique to Donald Trump, but it’s clear how easily it could be used to manipulate the public. Don’t like a candidate? Hire some goons to go hold signs in favor of that candidate at a rally. A few months ago, my father in law completely and totally disavowed the support of one of America’s best-known racists. The issue immediately became whether the seconds it took for him to do so proved that he was insufficiently committed to fighting racism. It’s an insane standard.

If my father in law’s fast-moving team was careless in choosing an image to retweet, well part of the reason it’s so shocking is that it’s the actual candidate communicating with the American public rather than the armies of handlers who poll-test ordinary candidates’ every move.

Government is built with many layers to avoid making mistakes. The problem with this is that it costs a lot and little gets done. In business, we empower smart people to get jobs done and give them latitude on how to get there. I prefer to move forward and endure some small mistakes to preserving a stale status quo whose sole virtue is that it offends no one.

America faces serious challenges. A broken economy, terrorism, gaping trade deficits and an overall lack of confidence. Intolerance should be added to that list. I’m confident that my father in law, with his outstanding record of real results, will be successful tackling these challenges. That’s why I support him.

Impressive Possibility: Joni Ernst for VP?

ERNST REPORTS GOOD CONVERSATION WITH 'DONALD'
TWENTY TONS OF POTATOES GET SPILLED EVERYWHERE FROM A SEMI IN WILSON, WY

 JONI ERNST IS TRULY A REFRESHING POSSIBLE RUNNING MATE FOR TRUMP. Don't want to get too optimistic, too quickly, but I like the idea....a lot.

Fourth of July---One Grand Day Outdoorsy Odessey

MY BAD INFLUENCE WHO LIVES IN THE GRAND VALLEY NEAR THE COLORADO RIVER WHERE THIS WAS SHOT sent this. He's done all this, he assures me, but not like this,  all in one day.

What a multi-altitude adventure, is all I can say. Going from winter to summer at warp speed.

Happy, Safe 4th of July!

Sunday, Psalm 78: 9-16--- The Men of Ephraim Whom God Destroyed and History Forgot

LON SOLOMON SERMON:  RESIST SATAN IN THE POWERFUL NAME OF JESUS

^{READ PSALM 78:9-16
9} The men of Ephraim, though armed with bows,
    turned back on the day of battle;
¹⁰ they did not keep God’s covenant
    and refused to live by his law.
¹¹ They forgot what he had done,
    the wonders he had shown them.
¹² He did miracles in the sight of their ancestors
    in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan.
¹³ He divided the sea and led them through;
    he made the water stand up like a wall.
¹⁴ He guided them with the cloud by day
    and with light from the fire all night.
¹⁵ He split the rocks in the wilderness
    and gave them water as abundant as the seas;
¹⁶ he brought streams out of a rocky crag
    and made water flow down like rivers.

DON'T FORGET GOD'S GRACE 

The 'men of Ephraim' are the northern kingdom tribes of Israel that fell into idolatry and were deported and lost to history.  The root of their problem was spiritual forgetting.  Today's Christians can stagnate because they forget that they have been cleansed from their past sins.'  The key is to have a clean heart constantly revitalized by deliberate remembering of the costly sacrifice of Jesus.  We must remember that for our sins Jesus was, as it were, forgotten, so that God can now no more forget us than a mother nursing her infant.  Remembering that will make you a great heart.

PRAYER  Lord, I worry because I forget your wisdom, I resent because I forget your mercy,  I covet because I forget your beauty,  I sin because I forget your holiness,  I fear because I forget your sovereignty.  You always remember me; help me to always remember you.  Amen.

Tim Keller, The Songs of Jesus
page 184