Life Advice from John the Baptist

Treat People fairly.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Third Sunday of Advent—2024

Here is the sub-headline:

Cycle C

Here is the Gospel (Luke 3:10-18):

The crowds asked John the Baptist,
“What should we do?”
He said to them in reply,
“Whoever has two cloaks
should share with the person who has none.
And whoever has food should do likewise.”
Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?”
He answered them,
“Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.”
Soldiers also asked him,
“And what is it that we should do?”
He told them,
“Do not practice extortion,
do not falsely accuse anyone,
and be satisfied with your wages.”

Now the people were filled with expectation,
and all were asking in their hearts
whether John might be the Christ.
John answered them all, saying,
“I am baptizing you with water,
but one mightier than I is coming.
I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor
and to gather the wheat into his barn,
but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
Exhorting them in many other ways,
he preached good news to the people.

Johm the Baptist's advice to the average Joe or Jolette is fairly straigt forward.  It is what one would expect.  Share and help your Brothers and Sisters.

What is perhaps a little surprising is his advice to government employees.  It isn't quit your job.  It is do your job properly and don't abuse your office to ripe off others.  Good advice from both a secular and a religious point of view.

Regards  —  Cliff

Ignorance in the Young

Those who don't know history are in danger of being led around by the nose by dangerous ideologues.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Students for Justice in Palestine at Columbia University

Here is the sub-headline:

At Columbia University

From 𝕏, by Eyal Yakoby, 16 December 2024, 8:17 AM.

Here is the posting on 𝕏:

Students for Justice in Palestine at Columbia University revealed they are "fighting for the total eradication of Western civilization."

Why are taxpayer dollars going to Columbia University when they are teaching students to take down Western civilization?

cuapartheiddivest  —  FOLLOW

• •• We are Westerners fighting for the total eradication of Western civilization. We stand in full solidarity with every movement for liberation in the Global South. Our Intifada is an internationalist one-we are fighting for nothing less than the liberation of all people. We reject every genocidal, eugenicist regime that seeks to undermine the personhood of the colonized.

As the fascism ingrained in the American consciousness becomes ever more explicit and irrefutable, we seek community and instruction from militants in the Global South, who have been on the frontlines in the fight against tyranny and domination which undergird the imperialist world order. "Biplob Cholbe" (Revolution must continue)

Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD)  —  "The Palestinian cause is not a cause for Palestinians only, but a cause for every revolutionary, wherever [they are], as a cause of the exploited and oppressed masses in our era." - Ghassan Kanafani.

The problem with not knowing history is that one is likely to fall for any rubbish that comes down the road.  Judging by student reactions on campus one can only assume that these students learned little history, and no economics before graduating from high school and this ignorance was not corrected in college.

It is sad.  Very Sad.

I blame Ms Randi Weingarten.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Medical Staff Avoiding the Jab

For John, BLUF:  This is about COVID Vaccinations in the United Kingdom and the British health care system, the NHS.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Why NHS staff are shunning the vaccines

From The Conservative Woman, by Ms Sally Beck, 9 December 2024.

Here is the lede plus two:

NHS staff are boycotting covid and flu vaccinations while the government is busy promoting them to the public in a television and radio campaign.  Concerned by the low uptake in the health service, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has appealed to healthcare practitioners to get jabbed.  This season, only 14 per cent of NHS workers took covid jabs and only a quarter received flu vaccines.

The NHS say this is because hospital staff are busy and have no time.  Official figures tell a different story as NHS staff are taking double the days off sick post-covid vaccine rollout than they have since 2009.  Unusually, in 2020, absences rocketed in the summer months; absence is traditionally low between May and November.  Covid vaccines were offered to front-line staff from December 2020, a sharp rise in absences began in March 2021, three months into the rollout, when seasonal illness is traditionally waning.

Sick days have doubled from the baseline of 3.75 per cent to 6.75 per cent, the highest since 2009, and have not dropped back to 2019 numbers which were between 4.5 per cent and 4.75 per cent.  Even during peak pandemic months, absences ranged between 4.75 per cent in February 2020 to 6.10 per cent in May 2020.

This is just one more hit on our faith in the integrity of our health care systems.  Doctor Fauci did not increase trust in Medicine, but rather reduced it.  How long will it take to rebuilt that trust?

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

SecDef Nominee

For John, BLUF:  There is a lot of opposition to many of President Elect Trump's nominations for his Cabinet,  The Republican Wets are the problem.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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LIFE IN THE 21ST CENTURY

Here is the message:

Oilfield Rando
@Oilfield_Rando
The people who turned the US military into a social laboratory for “transgender rights”, “racial equity”, abortion advocacy and climate change want you to know that Hegseth is too dangerous to lead it because he’s a Christian

4:12 PM · Dec 7, 2024

The Department of Defense has been led by the head of GM and the head of Ford, by a US Congressman, and a variety of people with other backgrounds.  I would sugget that since I joined the Air Force, back in 1960, no one has done a great job runninng that place.  I will give credit to Secretary Robert S McNamara for bringinig in the Planning, Programming and Budget System (PPBS), but then he made a hash of the war in Viet-nam..

Given that the Pentagon's major problem is recruiting and retention of uniformed personnel, Nominee Pete Hegseth seems like a good choice.  He will, of course, have a fight from the inplace bureaucracy, but he should be able to handle that.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Penny Update

Even the lawyers get it.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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From Twitter / 𝕏, by Ashley St. Clair (@stclairashley), 4 December 2024, 12:14.

Here is the Tweet:

Word from attorney in Manhattan court house today:

“Everyone with a shred of common sense about the madness surrounding crime in New York is on pins and needles, desperately hoping for an acquittal for Penny. Today, I spoke with prosecutors, clerks, court officers, and my colleagues in the defense bar. In absolute unison, they agree: this is a case that should never have seen the inside of a courtroom. G-d save Daniel Penny.”

I agree with the quoted lawyer.

Could there have been some out of touch political theater going on here?  Perhaps the Jury will enlighten us.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Crime and Response

For John, BLUF:  Reaching back in history 60 years we see a New York City indifferent to violent crime.  Now we have New York City prosecutivng someone for not showing indifference.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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37 Who Saw Murder Didn't Call the Police; Apathy at Stabbing of Queens Woman Shocks Inspector

From The Old Gray Lady, 27 March 1964.

Here is the lede plus one:

For more than half an hour 38 respectable, law‐abiding citizens in Queens watched a killer stalk and stab a woman in three separate attacks in Kew Gardens.

Twice the sound of their voices and the sudden glow of their bedroom Iights interrupted him and frightened him off. Each time he returned, sought her out and stabbed her again. Not one person telephoned ‐ the police during the assault; one witness called after the woman was dead.

And today someone is on trial for not showing apathy.  Former Active Duty Marine Daniel Penny is on trial for the outcome of his coming between subway passangers and a deranged man.  The outcome ended up being the death of the man threatening passangers, Mr Jordan Neely.

Jurors Set to Weigh Penny’s Fate in Choking Case That Divided New York Prosecutors in Daniel Penny’s manslaughter trial finished closing arguments Tuesday.

The trial has touched on fears about crime and the city’s failure to help its most troubled residents.

It turns out that Mr Neely was not only having emotional problems, but he was physically in poor shape.  As a result, he died from being restrained by Mr Penny.

Unlike the neighbors of Ms Kitty Genovese, who ignored her murder while it was in progress,♠ Mr Penny acted like a stand-up guy.  The outcome of the jury decision may determine if we have more stand-up guys, or gals, or not.

In the mean time, the real culprit is the City and State of New York for not having the needed mental health facilities and the laws that would allow people like Mr Neely to be hospitalized and treated.  This was an unnecessaqrry death.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  Subsequent reporting suggests the origiinal headline is an exageration of the indifference of the neighbors, but the fact is that there was no Daniel Penny to stand betwee Ms Kitty Genovese and her attacker.

Disinformation Again?

For John, BLUF:  It is That City, so who knows what to trust coming out beyond the Beltway?  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Pardon Me

Here is the sub-headline:

There are two sides to Joe Biden's pardon of his son Hunter ... and lots of shades of gray

From Truth and Consequences, by Political Analyst Michael A Cohen, 2 D3cember 2024.

Here is the lede plus two:

So this is a tricky one.

It’s tough to defend Joe Biden’s pardon of his son Hunter on the merits. Biden has used his absolute pardon power to grant a reprieve to his son, who earlier this year was convicted of lying on a gun application and pleaded guilty to a series of tax evasion charges. Even if the president believes, as he claims, that the criminal justice system mistreated his son, the fact is Hunter Biden committed multiple felonies — and a jury of his peers found him guilty.

And Biden’s pardon went beyond these two cases — he issued a sweeping pardon that covers any criminal behavior by Hunter Biden dating back to 2014.

I am not believing this "Biden pardons Hunter" story.  President Biden has assured us he would not pardon his Son, Hunter Biden.   He gave his word as a Biden.  His Press Secretary, Ms Karine Jean-Pierre, assured us President Biden would not pardon his Son.

Might not this be another case of Disinformation, like The New York Post article on the alleged Hunter Biden Laptop?  Fifty-one Intel Leaders assured us the laptop srory actually had all the earmarks of Russian disinformation.

Wold Presidet Biden betray us that way?  Remember, he promised to bring us together

Hat tip to Speech Boy.

Regards  —  Cliff