Corrupt on Power

Reading through the New York Times a week ago, I came upon an article that helped me come to grips with a conundrum: Why do Evangelical Christians support an immoral president? And I mean immoral by the broadest of standards. The article was in the New York Times and the link to it is below. 

Christianity Will Have Power (The New York Times, August 9, 2020)

I came to the realization that Evangelical Christians have traded truth for power. Imposing their will upon others does not bring people to salvation, in fact it may be one of the biggest deterrents driving them away from grace.  It is hard to motivate people through fear, intolerance and hypocrisy. 

Encouraging people to come to Christ on their own is the essence of being a Christ follower. 

Why is such a flawed leader revered by Evangelical  Christians? Trump's words from a rally held at a small Christian college in Sioux Center, Iowa, during January 2016 provide an important clue. 

“Christianity will have power,” he said. “If I’m there, you’re going to have plenty of power, you don’t need anybody else. You’re going to have somebody representing you very, very well. Remember that.” (Christianity Will Have Power, New York Times)

Because of the promise of power to impose their will upon America, a segment of Christians support a man who is not worthy of their respect and support. From his actions, it is clear that his beliefs are incongruent with those of Evangelical Christians. He supports salvation through works, advocates the use of force against Americans, uses lies and deception to advance his personal goals at the expense of his followers, and engages in self-adulation on a scale not seen before in the White House. Most importantly, he is ignorant of what Jesus taught. 

Jesus said,

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them. 

4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. 

7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 

8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 

9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God. 

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them. 

11 Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things about you falsely on account of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad because your reward is great in heaven, for they persecuted the prophets before you in the same way.

Matthew 5:3-12, NET Bible

Trump, the man, does not respect these attributes. He mocks those who mourn. He cannot tell or even recognize the truth. He incites unrest and division rather than compassion and peace. He is using Evangelical Christians as a tool in his personal pursuit of power, riches, fame, and fortune. It saddens me.

In a more recent January 2020 rally, as documented in The Guardian article, Evangelicals see Trump as a way to get what they want after decades of defeat, the assessment of Trump's allure was summed up as follows:

Not once was Trump’s own religious faith mentioned, though he was mentioned as a champion for the religious right through his policy victories. That was a phenomenon that seemed to sum up Trump’s strange relationship with evangelicals: he has returned their support with policy victories for them. In turn they often seem to turn a blind eye to his scandal-ridden presidency, accusations of rape, sexual assault and harassment, three marriages and paying off a pornography actor whom claims she had an affair with him.

The promise of power has blinded the believers. 

16 So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of my mouth! 17 Because you say, “I am rich and have acquired great wealth, and need nothing,” but do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked, 18 take my advice and buy gold from me refined by fire so you can become rich! Buy from me white clothing so you can be clothed and your shameful nakedness will not be exposed, and buy eye salve to put on your eyes so you can see! (Revelations 3:16-18, NET Bible)

Absolute power corrupts absolutely. (Lord Action)


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

A Travesty Occurred

Makayla After Picture
Elkridge, MD
August 18, 2020

While I was at work yesterday, a travesty occurred. My dog, Makayla, went to the groomers to be brushed out and she returned looking like a completely different dog. I was given a long story that she was just too uncomfortable being groomed. Come on--groomers are supposed to be professionals. 

I can tell that Makayla is embarrassed by the way that she looks. 

Makayla with her Mature Coat
Elkridge, MD
March 21, 2018

She looks like a Keeshond puppy. As Keeshonden mature they grow proud coats that are the hallmark of the breed. Losing that coat returns her to the look of an immature puppy. 

Despite assurances to the contrary that she looks cute, she is not cute. She looks less than whole. 

I miss my old dog.

I hope that it grows back before winter.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Another COVID Closing

I received a very disappointing email yesterday advising me that the racquet and fitness club where I play racquetball will be closing at the end of September. It is going out of business. 

The email from the Sport Fit Laurel Racquet and Health Club was unexpected and the first paragraph is as follows:

Dear Members:

For 34 years we have served the Laurel area as an award-winning health club. It is with a heavy heart that we have made the difficult decision to close Laurel Racquet + Health Club. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, nearly all health clubs were closed nationwide for months. During that time, our business suffered.  Since our reopening in late June the member usage has dropped considerably. After careful evaluation we have concluded we cannot continue operating given these circumstances.

I admit, I have been a member for just over a year, but I have enjoyed playing racquetball there because the courts were always clean, unlike the far more expensive club where I used to play.

It is another business lost to COVID. Businesses are closing across the country and the toll on the owners and the employees is not well reported. The customers and patrons also feel the loss.

Support your local businesses before they succumb to COVID-19.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - August 17, 2020

1. It is the third of five Mondays this month. The month is over one-half complete and September is rising on the horizon. Nighttime lows are dipping into the 60s.

2. The Orioles continue to have a winning record. The season is over one-third complete and the Orioles are 12-9. I never would have believed it. The lost a close game yesterday to the World Series Champion Nationals, but continue to be one of the better teams in the American League. 

3. Google is playing with the interface that I use to create this blog. It has resulted in uneven fonts and problems with the images. For the time being, I have reverted to the legacy software.

4. The rain made the lawn very wet. Hopefully the grass will grow thicker and more dense than it has been during other years at the time.

5. I have one newspaper delivered to me each week. I wondered this morning why it was in my neighbor's yard rather than my driveway. I almost did not notice it in the grass. Thankfully, it was double wrapped and dry. 

Rex
Odenton, MD
August 12, 2020

6. Check out the New York Times article below about how the Trump campaign is deceptively editing the words of their opponent to foster fear and misunderstanding. I have a new motto for our country: Make lying wrong again!

7. There is something about the way dogs look at us. Sometime, they just make us laugh. This is Rex, Patrick's dog. He just seems to look through us into our souls when we are near him. He is a cutie but all muscle. When he jumps to greet me, I have to be ready.

8. Chris and I went shopping for lamps yesterday. I can report that the retail establishments in this area are fully open and that everyone was observing physical distancing and wearing masks. Welcome to the new normal.

9. Today in History. On August 17, 1969, the grooviest event in music history–the Woodstock Music & Art Fair–draws to a close after three days of peace, love and rock ‘n’ roll in upstate New York. Conceived as “Three Days of Peace and Music,” Woodstock was a product of a partnership between John Roberts, Joel Rosenman, Artie Kornfield and Michael Lang. Their idea was to make enough money from the event to build a recording studio near the arty New York town of Woodstock. When they couldn’t find an appropriate venue in the town itself, the promoters decided to hold the festival on a 600-acre dairy farm in Bethel, New York—some 50 miles from Woodstock—owned by Max Yasgur.

Trump Says He is Considering Pardon for Leaker Edward Snowden - Reuters

Trump Ads Attack Biden Through Deceptive Editing and Hyperbole - The New York Times

Pelosi to Recall House for Postal Service VotePelosi to Recall House for Postal Service Vote - The New York Times

U.S. coronavirus death toll hits 170,000 ahead of fall flu season - Reuters 

Italy closes nightclubs as coronavirus cases rise among young - Reuters

‘A national crisis’: Millions of disconnected students are being left behind - The Washington Post

Al-Shabab gunmen storm a beachside hotel in the Somali capital, killing 10 - The Washington Post

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week


We need a rebirth of the American tradition of leadership at every level of government and in private life as well. The United States of America is unique in world history because it has a genius for leaders - many leaders - on many levels. But back in 1976, Mr. Carter said, "Trust me." And a lot of people did. And now, many of those people are out of work. Many have seen their savings eaten away by inflation. Many others on fixed incomes, especially the elderly, have watched helplessly as the cruel tax of inflation wasted away their purchasing power. And, today, a great many who trusted Mr. Carter wonder if we can survive the Carter policies of national defense. 

"Trust me" government asks that we concentrate our hopes and dreams on one man; that we trust him to do what's best for us. But my view of government places trust not in one person or one party, but in those values that transcend persons and parties. The trust is where it belongs-in the people. The responsibility to live up to that trust is where it belongs, in their elected leaders. That kind of relationship, between the people and their elected leaders, is a special kind of compact.
(Acceptance of the Republican Nomination for President, July 17, 1980)


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Rainy Sunday

The Deck on a Wet Sunday
Elkridge, MD
August 16, 2020

I was supposed to be out on a golf course this morning, but not! It is raining and the rain was predicted in time to cancel the tee time yesterday. If the courses are anything like my lawn, after nearly three solid days of drenching rain, I am sure it would have been a muddy round and not much fun. Slogging around a wet, muddy course getting covered with mud is not my idea of an exciting run of golf. And when the golf ball plugs instead of running out, it makes the course just that much longer.

And as it is, Sunday has arrived. It is wet and quiet outside. I was lucky enough to get the lawn mowed yesterday, so I can enjoy the rain without worrying about trying to cut the grass. I asm waiting for my weekly Sunday New York Times to arrive--hopefully it will be dry. I treat myself to one newspaper a week--in the print variety. It is amazing the articles I find that I don't see on the internet when I read the same paper. 

I can also get back into the coronavirus statistics--although they are not easy to understand. In the weekly trend statistics, as reported by the Washington Post, Maryland is showing 12 new cases per 100,000 residents; meaning that the state is unlikely to come off the New York quarantine list again this week. Florida showed a huge drop, but is still at 23. 

Well, I guess we will have to wait for another week to get off the list.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Upside-Down in the Constitution, Again

Establishment of the Post Office is a constitutional requirement--for the Congress! It is found in Article 1 Section 8. Failing to maintain the post office is yet another failing of the government.

The President should not interfere with the establishment and funding of the post office. It is out of his lane. 

I do not understand why The Congress is not telling the President to step aside and allow the funding of the Post Office as required by the Constitution. 

Apparently, we are upside-down again in the Constitution. 

Above the fold in The Washington Post this morning:

Trump’s assault on Postal Service gives Democrats a new campaign message

Trump Admits He’s Starving the Postal Service to Sabotage Voting by Mail - New York Magazine

Defunding the Post Office, in my mind, constitutes election tampering. So let's review the different entities reportedly engaged in tampering with the upcoming November election: Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, the President. Hmmmm--I wonder what these all have in common?

Are Americans willing to risk their health to vote in November? I dearly hope so.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Life in a Fish Tank

Cichlid Fish Tank
Odenton, MD
August 12, 2020

I visited my youngest son and his friends for dinner the other night. It was a great dinner and the discussion was fantastic as well. But, one of the major new changes in the house since my last visit was the relocation of his fish tank. 
I enjoyed looking at the tank and the fish. He collects cichlids. The tank is awesome and I snapped this one shot. 
Life in a fish tank! Sometimes that is how I feel. 
Life in a fish tank is not the peaceful placid existence that I like to think about. Fish are attacked by other fish and die. If disease gets into the tank, all of the fish can die. It would be akin to a pandemic. The owner of the tank is responsible for everything to keep the tank clean, healthy, and free of disease. 
I am glad that I do not live in a fish tank, but life under the pandemic has similarities. I just hope the people in charge start doing something to stem the spread of the virus, soon, before there entire tank dies.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Getting to Normal

Traffic on MD 295
August 11, 2020

 It happened on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway for the first time in months. I was caught in traffic. Slow moving, almost stopped traffic. 

I was returning home from an afternoon racquetball match when the traffic suddenly slowed to a crawl. I snapped this image as I was about to move under the Route 32 overpass. The slow traffic can be seen on both sides of the highway.

Being caught in traffic was an experience that I have not enjoyed since B.C. (before coronavirus). The traffic is a sure sign that the economy is reopening and people are going back to work, but the coronavirus continues to rage. At least in Maryland, the virus seems to be mostly under control through physical distancing and widespread use of facial coverings as reported on the Maryland COVID website. BTW--I still cannot figure out why 

I guess the traffic is a clear sign that some sense of normalcy is returning.  But traffic? Why did it have to be traffic?

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

The Race is On

 

The announcement by the Democratic presumptive nominee, Joe Biden, yesterday of his running mate for sets the sides for the November election. 

Kamala Harris

After next week's Democratic convention, we will finally be able to drop the word presumptive when describing the Biden-Harris team.

For me, I was happy that there is at least someone in the field who is not an old white guy. Kamala Harris is 55 years old. I realize that Vice President Pence is also a youngster at 61 years old, and that is reassuring because both of the presumptive (yes, Trump is presumptive until the convention as well) presidential nominees are in their 70's.  

Well, as they say--the race is on. I can tell the race is heating up because the dirt is beginning to fly across the internet. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

I'd rather not be on the list

 Making the list sometimes is not good. 

Maryland is currently on New York's quarantine list! I think it was a mistake to include Maryland, which has been stable for weeks with only a small bump, on the quarantine list with Florida, Texas, and Arizona along with a large number of other states. 

New York has certainly posted some very impressive results in its quest to control coronavirus. I believe that they may have figured it out. 

But being on the list is a real problem especially since Chris and I have so much family in New York. While we are not precluded from visiting family in New York, we are required to quarantine when we arrive which effectively means no activity away from the residence. 

Here is the guidance from New York State regarding a short term visit with family:

I am a resident of a designated state and will be visiting family in NYS for less than 14 days. Will I have to quarantine in NYS for the full 14 days?

While in New York State, you will need to maintain quarantine for 14 days from the last day you were in a designated state(s). If you are in New York State for less than 14 days, you will need to quarantine for the entire time you are in New York and, to protect the public wherever you are, you should complete the remainder of the 14-day period quarantine period in your home upon return to a designated state.

It means that, in my case, no visits to wineries to stock up on fantastic New York white wines or anything else. While I understand the requrement. Maryland never exceeded the 10 cases per 10,000 residents prescribed to be on the list. Maryland has consistently been below 5 cases per 10,000, so inclusion on the list was seemingly arbitrary. 

Sometimes it just is a pain to make the list.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD