Fiddling While Rome Burns – The Frivolous Impeachment.

Posted on January 21, 2020 by Phil Christensen

That’s a cliché.  It’s also historically inaccurate.  Yes, large parts of Rome caught fire in 64 A.D., wiping out entire neighborhoods.  Nero did not commit arson, and no documentary evidence has ever emerged that he ordered it done.  Nor did he play his harp while watching the fire from his balcony.

Historians have made lots of hay over a number of salient facts.  Nero despised large swaths of the city, and both feared and hated the growing influence of the Christian Community in Rome.  The devastating fire of 64 A.D. allowed the Roman Emperor to address both issues.  Construction contractors rebuilt large swaths of the city according to new building codes favored by the emperor.  Rome commenced its largest beatification program since Augustus.  Nero ordered the arrest, torture, and execution of hundreds of Christians living in Rome, under the thin pretext that they started the fire. Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, History | Leave a comment

Soleimani And The Question No One Seems To Be Asking

Posted on January 8, 2020 by Phil Christensen

The Curious Case Of Soleimani

Let me ask what everyone should be thinking:  What in the Name of The Almighty was Qasem Soleimani doing in Iraq, meeting with the Iranian-backed PMF terrorist organization?

Sardar_Qasem_Soleimani-01

Iraq is supposed to be our ally.  So, under what circumstances does Soleimani, Iran’s top military commander, not only get a visa to visit Iraq, but also get enough freedom of movement to run around, take meetings with hostile insurgent forces, and openly plan terror attacks against the United States?  Who in the Iraqi government gave the green light for all this? Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events | 1 Comment

Impeachment, Pelosi, and A Strategic Perspective

Posted on December 28, 2019 by Phil Christensen

Has Pelosi Lost Control, Or Is This By Design?

As a morality play, the impeachment kerfuffle of the last few months’ leaves little left to say.  The irony for Nancy Pelosi is a tragedy worthy of Shakespere.

The strategic facet?  Oh, I’m all over it.  All… over it.

Nancy Pelosi has clearly lost a step.  But she isn’t stupid, and in the era of the professional politician, that’s saying something.  It’s also one of the most puzzling aspects of all of this.  Allow me to repeat that: she’s not stupid.  And she’s prodigiously educated in power dynamics.

Impeachment Resolution

The youngest of seven children, Pelosi internalized the necessary political skills sitting at the feet of her father, Thomas D’Alesandro Jr.  The elder D’Alesandro sat in congress from 1939 through May of 1947. More significantly, he was Mayor of Baltimore from 1947 through 1959, when that actually meant something. Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Politics | 4 Comments

The Democrat Debate – Proving How Unnecessary You Really Are.

Posted on September 16, 2019 by Phil Christensen

All ten candidates who took the stage at the Debate on Thursday are unnecessary.  That’s my take-away from this clown car. Unnecessary.  Superfluous.  Gratuitous. And any other number of words available on my MS-Word thesaurus.  That being said, between what was said both on and off stage, this may as well have been a meeting of The Committee To Re-Elect Donald Trump.

Debate Lineup

 

Because this is still a Republic, so those who would lead need to convince the rest of us how much we need them.  Of course, we don’t need them.  But they will make every effort to persuade us that we do.  After spending most of their lives persuading themselves, of course.  Ask them enough questions, really get deep below the surface, and to a man or a woman, sooner or later they’ll all come back with, “the country needs me.” Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Politics | Leave a comment

Moon Landing – Western Civilization Proves Itself

Posted on July 20, 2019 by Phil Christensen

July 20th, 1969.

Fifty years ago today, Neil Armstrong stepped out onto the lunar surface.  Showing utter grace and class, he claimed this achievement on behalf of the entire the human race.

apollo_image_6Prior to that, Buzz Aldrin silently read John 15:5 and took communion.  The first prepared meal on the moon was in remembrance of Christ.  The first book read on the moon’s surface was God’s Word. Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Current Events, Defining Western Civilization | 1 Comment

Schumer, Acosta, and The Week That Was

Posted on July 15, 2019 by Phil Christensen

Going into the weekend, Secretary of Labor Alex Acosta resigned.  I have no opinion on this.  On the other hand, I do have plenty of thoughts:

Schumer and the Politics of Panic

Chuck Schumer is not prone to panic.  He is calculating and ruthless.  This is a man who unseated Alfonse D’Amato, waited out Hillary Clintons (ostensibly the “junior senator” from New York), and likely engineered a bitter Harry Reid’s exit. Schumer has dealt with those blocking his path to power by either defeating them outright or getting out of the way while they either self-destructed or self-marginalized.

Acosta and Schumer

This makes Chuck Schumer’s call for Labor Secretary Alex Acosta’s resignation all the more curious. Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Politics | 1 Comment

I Want Marianne Williamson For My President. Why This Will Never Happen.

Posted on July 6, 2019 by Phil Christensen

This is going to surprise a lot of people who know me personally.  If Marianne Williamson gets the nomination, I’m voting for her.  Full stop.

Well Amazon, I Hope You’re Happy.

What Am I Saying?  Of Course You Are.

In a very real sense, I miss the ‘90s.  Mostly, I miss all the bookstores.  Specifically, I miss trawling them with Lois.  It was kind of our thing.  We spent our newlywed years in Ozone Park, Queens.  Saturdays were often spent doing a sweep of Austin Street in Forest Hills. Quaint shops, record stores, F.W. Woolworth, restaurants, Movie Theaters (yes, more than one), and of course Walden Books. Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | 1 Comment

Mueller, Biden, And The Usual Shenanigans.

Posted on April 26, 2019 by Phil Christensen

Hey, I didn’t say it:

I’ll get to Biden in a minute.  In the meantime…

“…the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will.” Daniel 5:21

We’ll all be better off once we come to terms with the fact that God wants Trump in office.

After two years of this farce, its well past time the president’s accusers accept the onus to prove him guilty (of something, for the sake of the Republic) instead of petulantly demanding that he prove himself innocent. Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events | 3 Comments

Cohen & Manafort. Our Fifth Amendment Poster Boys.

Posted on March 11, 2019 by Phil Christensen

Cohen, & Manafort: The Art of Self-Incrimination.

Last week, Paul Manafort was sentenced to 47 months in Federal prison on five counts of tax fraud, one count of hiding foreign bank accounts and two counts of bank fraud (that’s when you falsify statements to get a loan).  Prosecutors wanted 25 years, which would have essentially amounted to a life sentence.  They may yet get their way since Manafort is due for another sentencing hearing.

paul manafort

My reaction?  Doesn’t affect my life one bit.  To be candid, Manafort is a criminal and his activities are an affront to the rest of us who play by the rules.  My issue is that he should have plenty of company, and he won’t. Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

This Is How You Fight Back. Trump Takes It His Opponents.

Posted on January 21, 2019 by Phil Christensen

The invective goes back to Adams and Jefferson.  Of course, they were way before my time.  That may come as a surprise to my son.  The fact is, political derangement was not invented by the enemies of Donald Trump.

Border-Wall-RFP-Concept

In my own lifetime, I can remember back to the Thomas P. O’Neill and his relentless invective directed towards President Reagan:  “The evil is in the White House at the present time. And that evil is a man who has no care and no concern for the working class of America and the future generations of America…” Despicable.  So much for the “after six rule.” Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | 2 Comments