021 Lent 1: Worth Beyond Words
The West's Christian foundation, Etsy witches, and Talarico's religion won't save anyone
“Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” ~ Psalm 32
Noise Decoder
Standing O for Rubio
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has garnered praise from several conservative outlets for his speech at the Munich Security Conference recently. Rubio highlighted the importance of valuing Western culture, its Christian heritage, and the good it has brought to the world. He pointed to Europe as the source of both the American population and America’s traditions, telling leaders that the transatlantic alliance is not merely strategic but civilizational. The remarks were met with a standing ovation. After J. D. Vance gave European leaders a tongue-lashing at the same conference last year, one diplomat described the mood this time as one of “relief” that America was not abandoning Europe and still wants it to be strong. Liberals, however, were distressed by Rubio’s emphasis on the West as a culture held together by shared history, religion, and tradition. They seemed to miss the point, insisting that Western values are merely “the world’s better values,” untethered from their Christian origins.
Woe to the Blind Guides
Closer to home, a media kerfuffle between Stephen Colbert, CBS, and the Federal Communications Commission broke out. Ahead of an interview with Texas state representative James Talarico, who is running in a Democratic state Senate primary, CBS suggested that Colbert consider offering airtime to his opponent, Jasmine Crockett, under equal-time rules sometimes enforced by the FCC for public broadcasters. Rather than do so, Colbert moved the episode to YouTube and spun an entertaining, money-raising tale of suppressed speech—blaming CBS and the Trump administration for censorship. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr later mocked reporters for “eating it all up,” suggesting they were so eager to believe the administration is fascist that they did not question Colbert’s censorship claims. During the show which played online, Talarico asserted—seemingly without shame—that the Bible has nothing to say about abortion or marriage. Instead, he argued that Matthew 25 reveals “how we’re going to be judged” and “how we’re going to be saved,” reducing Christianity to a program of social activism. He went on to spout what Pastor Rosebrough would call “pseudo profundities”, which he said are at the heart of “or religion”. Colbert’s audience also ate it up.
Looking to the cross: There’s a revealing symmetry here. In both cases, people believed what they wanted to believe. Some journalists were quick to accept a dramatic censorship narrative because it fit their priors about the administration. Talarico’s theology works the same way. His Gospel is “be kind and change the world.”But wanting that version of Christianity does not make it real. When Christianity is worn like a costume—useful for moral branding but detached from repentance and forgiveness—it becomes something else entirely. It cannot confront sin because it has denied it. It cannot save because it has replaced the Savior.
Tariffs Shot Down
The Supreme Court of the United States ruled 6–3 on Friday that emergency powers used by Donald Trump to impose tariffs do not, in fact, authorize him to do so. The majority held that the power to impose taxes and excises resides with Congress, warning that allowing the executive branch to exercise such authority would set a dangerous precedent. Writing in dissent, Justice Brett Kavanaugh pointed to President Richard Nixon, who imposed a 10 percent tariff on most foreign imports in 1971, before the emergency powers used by Trump were put into law. Kavanaugh argued that if a president has the power even to put the kibosh on imports entirely, it should also grant the lesser power to impose tariffs. Justice Neil Gorsuch, writing in support of the majority, insisted that sweeping economic decisions affecting everyday Americans are best left to Congress. Still, observers on Capitol Hill note that faith in Congress’s ability to debate—or act—in good faith (or quickly) is wearing thin. The President responded by lashing out at the majority justices, but quickly signaled he had found an alternative route, announcing plans to impose a blanket 10 percent tariff on all imports using a different trade statute. However, this rule restricts his tariffing and limits their duration.
On the Radar
Life
A trans-identified man who killed two people at a Rhode Island ice hockey game before turning his gun on himself had previously posted online that “transphobia” was to blame for transgender people “going berserk.” Authorities say he targeted members of his own family, killing his adult son and ex-wife, with three additional victims left in critical condition. (The Blaze, Fox)
Authorities have recovered the bodies of nine backcountry skiers, including four guides, killed in a California avalanche. Nevada County’s sheriff said the possibility of criminal negligence by the tour company is under investigation after the group proceeded despite warnings of dangerous conditions. (Sacramento Bee, New York Post), The Guardian)
Civil rights activist Jesse Jackson has died at age 84. Admirers praised his advocacy for African Americans, while critics recalled his hostility toward whites and Jews, along with allegations of grifting from civil rights causes. Surprising to some—given his later loyalty to the Democratic Party’s abortion-on-demand platform—Jackson argued forcefully for the unborn in the 1970s. A cautionary tale, perhaps, that you “cannot keep your deepest convictions in one box and your public positions in another. Sooner or later, those boxes collide.” (WNG, National Right to Life)
Politics
Democrat congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez is said to have asked her friends at the New York Times to clean up after her underwhelming appearance at the Munich Security Conference. Reports that she had been training for weeks to attend the conference seemed hard to believe after she floundered on questions about Taiwan’s defence and fumbled a response about imposing a wealth tax should she [hypothetically] run for president. She was also publicly corrected by an Argentine lawmaker on the dangers of socialism. (Red State, Sean Hannity via Facebook)
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani says his promise to expand rent assistance programs may be too expensive to keep. Separately, he warned that unless Governor Kathy Hochul raises taxes on corporations and the wealthy, the city may need to hike property taxes and raid its emergency fund. (Post Millennial, World Socialist Website)
The Church
Witches say Etsy is now enforcing its long-standing ban on selling spellcasting services. One woman told Vice that clients with orders in progress were left distressed, calling the disruption “terrible for their health and feelings.” Maybe don’t leave hexes in your cart. (Vice)
Ecclesiastes speaks to finding joy in our weirdly unsatisfying lives. “One way to summarize the relationship between Job and Ecclesiastes, Job is somebody who discovered the vanity of all things by losing it all. The author of Ecclesiastes is somebody who discovered the vanity of all things by…having it all.”
Culture
“Why AI writing is so generic, boring, and dangerous”: One professor argues that AI replaces original insight with safe, bland language, calling its widespread use a “race to the middle” that produces clean-looking content with no substance. (The Register)
The Chicago Bears are talking about moving to Indiana. (Not the Bee)
Yes, TV for dogs is a booming industry. (The Hustle)
Health
A sewage spill from a broken pipeline has continued pouring into the Potomac River for nearly a month. Donald Trump blamed poor leadership in Washington, while clean-water advocacy groups argue cuts to federal infrastructure funding by the administration are to blame. (Chesapeake Bay Foundation,
Weight loss drugs were inspired by the feeding habits of the gila monster, a lizard native to the American Southwest. (Nautlilus)
Brushing your teeth three times a day might help you live longer. (Euro News)
W.A.I.T Why Am I Talking? Sometime it really is better to keep your mouth shut. (UpWorthy)
Last week’s Watches:
Epstein’ kryptonite, Olympic’s “quad god” flex, DEI takes a dive
Science and Tech
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified in a civil trial brought by a 19-year-old who claims Instagram contributed to her depression and suicidal ideation as a teen. Zuckerberg denied any intent to addict children. In a strange irony, the judge warned Zuckerberg he could be held in contempt if his nifty AI glasses, worn at the hearing recorded any of the proceedings. (WNG, Not the Bee)
Illinois high school students will be required to learn about climate change, with the curriculum for the subject having been written by two teens. The goal? “I really want people..to say, ‘Oh, well, in school I learned that this is the science. This is what’s correct.’ They’ll be able to be mindful of the content they see and know that science is real.” Hey parents, your kids need to hear truth from you! Get in early to counter the anchoring bias. (Nice News)
In another “creation scientists already proposed this” moment, researchers now believe Earth’s climate shifted from warm and stable to cold and chaotic alongside the rise of humans—though they date it to 2.7 million years ago. Missed it by that much? (CAM)
Why cats’ eyes shine in the dark. (Popular Science)
War
Fifty countries were represented at the inaugural meeting of President Trump’s “Board of Peace,” convened to discuss rebuilding Gaza. The coalition pledged money, soldiers, and police, though Hamas has yet to disarm as required. The Vatican declined its invitation, saying the United Nations should oversee the process. (WNG, AP,Die Welt)
The Pentagon is locked in a dispute with AI firm Anthropic over military use of its systems. Anthropic reportedly wants assurances its technology will not be used for domestic surveillance or autonomous weapons. The Pentagon, however, resents being told how it may deploy contracted systems and has labeled the company a national security risk—perhaps as a prelude to severing ties. (New York Times, NBC)
Kenyan intelligence reports that around 1,000 nationals were recruited to Russia under promises of employment and are now fighting against Ukraine. (Die Welt)
The U.S. will withdraw roughly 1,000 troops from Syria, continuing a drawdown that began after the fall of the Assad regime in 2024. The Department of War says the force is no longer needed, with officials offering assurances that the U.S. remains ready to act in the region amid rising tensions with Iran. (BBC)
World News
🇬🇧 Britain’s King Charles III said “the law must take its course” after his brother, the former Prince Andrew, was arrested over allegations he shared state trade secrets with Jeffrey Epstein. Wild speculation about potential abdication by the monarch followed revelations that Buckingham Palace helped settle Andrew’s previous legal troubles. (The Guardian, ZeroHedge)
🇷🇺 International experts have concluded that Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was killed using a rare poison. Navalny died in a Siberian prison two years ago, with the Kremlin claiming natural causes. (The Week)
🇨🇳 China’s government has expanded its cryptocurrency ban to include stablecoins and the tokenization of physical assets. (Yahoo)
🇫🇷 French police have arrested several people over a ticket fraud scheme at the Louvre Museum, centred on Chinese tour guides reusing tickets and bribing staff. The scam has cost more than $11 million over a decade, with proceeds allegedly funneled into property in France and Dubai. (AP)
🇲🇽 Mexico’s most-wanted cartel boss, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, has been killed by the military. Violent reprisals followed as suspected cartel members blew things up and set things on fire. (CNN)
🇹🇷 Turkish authorities have rejected condemnation from the European Parliament over deportations of Christian missionaries and journalists. (WNG)
🇨🇭 An initiative to cap Switzerland’s population at 10 million until 2050 has gathered enough signatures to trigger a national vote. (Euro News)
Quickhits
⛸️ The cameraman who was skating backwards to capture the action at the Winter Olympics
🌲 Some of Europe’s forests are straight out of a fantasy novel
🧲 Uses for magnets in your garage
and
Even as videos are appearing online expressing shock at Muslim calls to prayer being heard in the streets of New York, a young Scottish lad travels the world bringing "his culture to far flung places. Occasionally, his bagpipes prove to have too much firepower even for local calls to prayer. Maybe he’ll bring his pipes to NYC one day!
Let us pray. O Lord God, You led Your ancient people through the wilderness and brought them to the promised land. Guide the people of Your Church that following our Savior we may walk through the wilderness of this world toward the glory of the world to come; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
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The top art piece this week is super cool; Is that AI or human?