intramuralist ™

I can’t imagine what it must be like to be the father.

You hear of the tragedy. You hear of the gruesomeness. And then you see him. You see your own son and realize he is responsible.

What in the world are you supposed to do with that?

Your heart breaks.

You love a person so incredibly much and have to simultaneously hold the fact that he was an agent of evil. Satan got inside of him in such a warped, twisted way that he thought the taking of an innocent life was an appropriate thing to do. He didn’t just think it was appropriate; he thought the killing was justified.

How awful. How deranged. How so far off from the love and will of God.

The older I get the more I’m struck by the role of the Most High God as Father.

Let’s face it… 

We all have one. But let us acknowledge the reality of our individual experience, being real enough to admit that not all fathers have been trustworthy nor good. Some have been awful — abusive or authoritarian. Such can make it understandably difficult to trust dads and even men going forward. It makes it challenging to see what fathers actually should be.

Fathers should be ones who generously offer simultaneous love and promise, care and protection, and encouragement and discipline.

And yet here is an earthly father — who, too, is an imperfect reflection — and he sees pics of his son on TV and elsewhere, shockingly realizing his own flesh and blood is responsible for pulling the trigger of the kill shot that ended the life of Charlie Kirk. 

It matters not what Charlie believed nor what he strove for or what he encouraged. This father’s son intentionally eliminated another out of hate. That, bluntly speaking, is evil.

To think of the depth of all the competing emotions that dad must have held before he picked up the phone and called another to report. I can only imagine. And then he punches in the numbers…

What does he say?

Seriously… what does he say?

It was him. It was my son.

As I ponder the times I do something lesser — and call “lesser” whatever you want — unholy, misguided, wrong, stupid, sinful, damaging, hurtful, grievous, you name it — I wonder how the great big God of the universe feels about me. How does this all work? What does faith have to do with it? … whether I have one or not?…

Does God love me less?

Does he want to make me pay? … really… will I pay for what I did?

If I’m rawly transparent, those are the places we have opportunity to lean in and painfully, profoundly trust him more. God’s love for us is unchanging. No matter our thought processes or behavior, no matter the good or the stupid we each do. And yes, it’s true; we all do stupid. Regardless, God loves us no less. Nor no more.

That’s the profound reality of the God we serve. His love for us is not based on our behavior. His love for us is based on the fact that he created us. That’s enough. Hence, he is enough. That why he implores us to find our moral code, worth and wisdom all in him.

When that father picked up the phone to share the heartbreaking, gut-wrenching reality — “it was my son” — that father poignantly knew that his love and and support and the coming consequences were not in competition with one another. Love and justice can be simultaneously held. Painful, yet true.

God be with the assassin’s father and family. Your loving courage amidst your heartbreak is something from which each of us can learn.

Respectfully…

AR

It’s hard to pay attention to the news for multiple reasons. Sometimes it’s just depressing. Often it’s so focused on the gross, sensational and insensitive. And the unfortunate reality is that we can’t fully trust all we read and hear.

With the horrific assassination of Charlie Kirk (a moment that may serve as the next “where were you when question” — i.e. where were you when the Space Shuttle exploded?… where were you when you heard the plane struck the first tower? … where were you when you heard Princess Diana died?), but since that time, we’ve been watching what the media has had to say and how they characterize what occurred.

Some has been inaccurate. For example, Charlie Kirk wasn’t a saint. He would be the first to say so. No need to call him that.

Some has been in poor taste. For example, Charlie Kirk wasn’t uneducated or ignorant. No need to insult or call him that either.

Watching the media that matters, here is how seemingly more reasonable voices attempted to wrestle with our current reality in recent weeks, discussing this significant event and moment in time:

1. America Awaits Fateful Consequences of Horrific Killing
2. The American Spiritual Revival and the Assassination of Charlie Kirk
3. Assassination Leaves Lawmakers on Edge
4. The Awakening Few See Coming
5. Charlie Kirk Helped Defeat the Old, Failed Consensus
6. Charlie Kirk’s Killing & Our Poisonous Internet
7. Charlie Kirk’s Legacy of Grace Triumphs Over Hate
8. The Cries of This Widow Will Echo Around The World Like A Battle Cry
9. Don’t Shut Down Free Speech in Kirk’s Name
10. The Evildoers Have No Idea What They Just Unleashed
11. A Force Like No Other, Impossible to Overstate Kirk’s Influence
12. Four Ominous Trends
13. How Charlie Kirk Reached Young Americans
14. How ‘Fascist’ Ended Up on Kirk Assassin’s Bullet
15. I Forgive Him
16. Is There Any Way Forward After Charlie Kirk’s Murder?
17. Kirk Assassination Has Cast a Dark Shadow Over U.S.
18. The Kirk Assassination: More Than Just Murder
19. Kirk Made No Intro Speech; He Went Straight Into the Debate
20. Kirk Was Very Effective and That’s Why They Killed Him
21. Kirk Was Wise Beyond His Age, and a Master Builder
22. Kirk’s Assassination Is a Turning Point for America
23. Kirk’s Death Ignites a Campus Reckoning
24. Kirk’s Impact Wasn’t Limited to Campus Politics
25. Kirk’s Murder, Aftermath Symptoms of Fragile Democracy
26. Let’s Listen as Well as Speak After Kirk’s Assassination
27. Our Country Is Not Prepared for This
28. Pray Now for America. We Are in Big Trouble
29. ‘Prove Me Wrong’: Charlie Kirk’s Final Challenge
30. Ramifications of Charlie Kirk Assassination Could Be Huge
31. They Came To See Kirk. They Won’t Be Quiet Now
32. They Want Us To Hate Each Other. Uniting Would Be Act of Defiance
33. Was Charlie Kirk ‘Divisive’ – or Did He Say What Millions Believe?
34. Was Current Madness Birthed in Universities?
35. A Watershed Moment for Movement Charlie Kirk Founded
36. We Are Not OK, But There Is Hope
37. We Have Entered, Indisputably, a New Age
38. What Kirk’s Assassination Tells Us About the American Mind
39. What Would Charlie Do? The Path Forward After Darkness
40. Why Kirk’s Assassination Will Change America

What we read and hear matters. Even and especially when it’s hard, depressing and/or sensational. My goal is to discuss all things well.

Respectfully…

AR

(Sources utilized for the above included but were not limited to American Greatness, The Atlantic, Axios, Blaze Media, Bloomberg, CNN, Epoch Times, The Federalist, FOX News, The Guardian, HuffPost, Los Angeles Times, MSNBC, New York Magazine, New York Post, New York Times, Real Clear Politics, Real Time, Salon, Slate, Spectator, Substack, Turning Point USA, UnHerd, Vox, Wall Street Journal, Washington Examiner, Washington Free Beacon, Washington Monthly, Washington Post, Washington Times, Washington Week, and X.)

It’s almost a 9/11 moment — not in comparison to the number of deaths, of course, but rather in how the shock and horror has gotten our attention. While one motivated-by-evil man may have wanted to silence Charlie Kirk and allow his influence to extend no further, he was grossly naive and blatantly unsuccessful. Kirk’s influence is wildly far more now than it was when he was alive. Church attendance has swelled nationwide the last two weekends, and Turning Point, the nonprofit Charlie founded to converse with the younger generations, has seen national interest and inquiries unprecedentedly surge. Something is happening in our land.

As a current events blogger — and only a semi-humble one at that — it makes me ask a lot of questions, things like…

What’s happening? Why?

What’s good? What’s not?

Will things get better? 

Or will they get worse?

So many things we don’t know. In all that’s happening with all those questions, there’s so much yuck, judgment and strong opinion espoused especially on the airwaves and social media, and also especially from those who didn’t know him nor listen to the totality of his message. It’s really easy to take things out of context.

I was thus struck by the Jimmy Kimmel situation last week. The late night ABC host was suspended for a week for misleading comments made about Kirk in his monologue shortly after Kirk’s death. Some cheered. Some jeered. Some decided to boycott ABC and Disney, ABC’s parent company.

A couple comments…

Did I care? Not really.

Did I think Kimmel should have been suspended? I don’t have a strong opinion on such — not one way or the other. Kimmel’s a comedian; he says all sorts of misleading, often insensitive things. 

Do I think Kimmel is funny? Sometimes. Not as much as he used to be, but that’s a matter of opinion — not right or wrong.

Do I watch him? No. I used to years ago, but I lost interest when he chose to become exceedingly political. I don’t find politics my favorite thing to focus on prior to sleep; it doesn’t help with the rest.

Was it an issue of free speech? No. He’s employed by ABC. In an employee/employer relationship, there are things you can and cannot do; assuming no illegalities, the employer gets to decide.

Do I think he should have been allowed to go back on air? Again, I don’t care. That’s not my decision, so I try not to assume control in a place where I have none.

Should the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) have pressured Disney to indefinitely suspend Jimmy Kimmel? No. The employer can decide that. And the public can also decide whether or not to watch.

What do I think Charlie Kirk would have said about Kimmel? Charlie once tweeted that “Kimmel isn’t funny.” Despite his personal comedic evaluation, Charlie has long been one of the most vocal, fiercest defenders of free speech. He was admirably comfortable with opposing opinion, knowing we can learn much from such. While Kirk would have recognized it wasn’t a freedom of speech issue, I wouldn’t have been surprised if Kirk would have invited Kimmel to join his podcast and also agreed to appear on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”

What do I think about all those who did have a strong opinion — both thrilled that he was off or incensed that was gone? We all have different opinions. We all have hypocritical moments, too, unfortunately. What’s challenging is that the intensity of our emotional charge often has more to do with whether we found like or unlike thinking in Jimmy Kimmel. We’re not especially consistent in who we find courage to cancel.

Will I watch him now? Nope. I haven’t found Kimmel (nor many of those he most makes fun of) to be very well versed in respectful dialogue.

As said just a couple of comments.

Did I mention that something is happening in our land?

Respectfully…

AR

I know of no more powerful word.

I know, too, of none more profound.

And I’m not sure it’s a word we really know very well. I mean, intellectually, perhaps, we think we comprehend it, but yet we keep crafting creative reasons why it isn’t necessary, isn’t deserved, and would best be intentionally withheld. Hence, maybe we know what it means, but we have minimized the power it unprecedentedly holds.

Many words have been written and spoken since the horrifying assassination of Charlie Kirk two weeks ago. Let me just say many who write and speak now clearly didn’t know him very well. I’ll rephrase. When there’s a person we aren’t in the regular habit of listening to, learning from or conversing with, it’s easy to contrive concrete opinion based more on the incomplete collection of snippets and soundbites as opposed to the totality of context and conversation. Charlie would have offered those with both like and contrary opinion generous grace. He interacted with all. He also believed grace is always available to us all.

Yet with the plethora of words echoed over the last few weeks, one word in one sentence reverberated loudest and arguably most powerfully. It was spoken by his weeping widow at the memorial. She said in regard to the man who murdered her husband…

“I forgive him.”

Erika Kirk continued… “I forgive him, because it was what Christ did, and is what Charlie would do. The answer to hate is not hate. The answer we know from the gospel is love, and always love. Love for our enemies and love for those who persecute us.”

Erika, in her pain, in her grief, in her absolutely unimaginable heartache, has chosen to forgive a man who wronged her, who did something deeply immoral, whose evil and cruelty is unquestionable. His sin cannot be undone. And yet she chooses to forgive.

Why?

To forgive is a conscious decision. It’s a choice to let go of the resentment, anger and desire for vengeance against the person who hurt you.

Again, there is no question they hurt you. There is no question the assassin in Utah hurt Charlie Kirk and his family and the millions who loved and respected him across the globe. So why forgive?

Many have suggested it’s less about the forgiven and more about the forgiver, as the granting of forgiveness has the power to give us peace; it’s freeing. It’s what frees us up from the anger, bitterness and resentment that rots us from the inside out.

Still more encourage us to forgive because it reflects God’s own gracious character. He is a God that consistently promotes and even implores forgiveness. Like him, it’s important that we remember that forgiveness doesn’t exonerate the perpetrator from all earthly consequence, but it removes us from any attempt at control and instead trusts that God will bring justice in his time. It means trusting in God more than me.

Let us also briefly acknowledge that to forgive someone is not saying, “Hey, it’s ok; all my anger is immediately gone.” We don’t have to deny how we feel. But forgiveness is a profound recognition of how God treats each of us in our imperfection; that’s the message of Jesus. If God’s not going to hold my sins against me, then I will not do that to another either.

If I choose to hold sins against an equally imperfect other,  then I will never be able to love you well. God commands us to love… not just to love those who agree with me or who don’t hold an opinion I’ve cast as oppression or those easiest for me to talk to. That’s what Erika Kirk was saying on Sunday. The answer is always love. Love is not selective.

So if our answer isn’t always love, what is it?

That’s the scary part; the opposite of love is hate. The answer to hate is clearly not more hate. The answer is learning to love… even when it’s hard.

Genuinely…

AR

To say it’s been a hard few weeks is a gross understatement.

While we don’t all grieve the same, the heaviness of those horrific events cannot be missed. We feel it. It’s agonizing… disorienting. We want answers. We want solutions. We want the evil to stop. 

So how?

How do we deal with what we feel? How do we process the pain due to current events?

Let us respectfully continue with the candor… I wish I knew. I wish I knew how to make it better. I wish I knew how to stop the madness, end the evil, and make the world go round without all the violence. I know I’m not alone in that. As we’ve witnessed a wide range of wholesome and unwholesome reactions in recent weeks, it feels like a watershed moment; it’s a pivotal turning point marking a significant event, after which things are never the same.

And here’s what I believe to be reality. If things are never going to be the same again, that means they could get worse. Or…

… they could get better.

My heartfelt desire is for things to get better… and to be an active contributor to the better.

I thus am renewed in my striving for two primary things. Let me be clear; sometimes I’ve done them well. Sometimes I’ve totally screwed them up, but I strive to grow. Actually, one is something I do. The other is something I don’t. Let’s start with the don’t…

When encouraging how to make things better, let me not make the subject of any suggestion about somebody else, i.e., you need to stop… you need to start… you need to recognize… In other words let me never take all onus off of me, as I realize many days, my bias, my ignorance, and/or my unwillingness to learn more or listen to another contributes to the problem. This is not the problem of other people; this is for me; this is the collective problem of us all. When I absolve myself of all wrongdoing — or minimize me and maximize another — I am not making things better.

As for what I do…

I bow.

I lower my head, quiet my heart and pray. It’s not some rote thoughts and prayers exercise. It’s a deliberate humbling, an admission that I don’t have all the answers and need way more than me. Let’s face it; the greatest wisdom is not found in any political bent, party or person on the left or the right. My prayers remind me where the greatest wisdom comes from, as I simultaneously recognize God’s omnipotence and my powerlessness. 

My prayers also are an attempt to align my thoughts with the Most High God’s. Let’s be honest — and I’ll try not to throw anyone else under the bus with me — but after a week like the last, I’ve had many thoughts that I know don’t align with him and his teaching. I need more. I need more than me and my earthly way of thinking.

Clearly I’m not alone in that recognition, noting evidence of the watershed before us. Last weekend, churches nationwide experienced a significant surge in attendance, particularly among younger generations. We are looking for something; we are looking for more.

We want somewhere or someone we can come to where’s there’s lasting potential to wrestle with our grief, pain and disorientation. We want a place where we may actually find answers to our questions — a place far bigger than politics. We want where love is obvious, grace is generous, and agreement is secondary to honor of all. Politics is so shallow, friends. No disrespect; it’s simply incomplete in answering life’s biggest questions.

In this moment, we crave to know so much and more:

Those are great places to begin… individually and together.

Genuinely…

AR

There’s this great scene in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, the second installment in The Hunger Games film series, in which Haymitch Abernathy, the experienced, older advisor to protagonist Katniss Everdeen, is coaching his protégé in how to survive the harrowing battle royale death match. Twenty-four “tributes” have been unwantingly chosen by the oppressive Capitol to see who can kill whom first. It’s an awful, awful game.

Just before Katniss is set to enter the deadly arena for the second time, the two dramatically hug, soberly say goodbye, and Haymitch offers one final directive: “Katniss, when you’re in the arena, remember who the real enemy is.”

Remember who the real enemy is.

Let me be transparently raw. This past week has been awful.

Charlie Kirk, the 31-year-old, husband, and father of two young children was murdered because of the opinions he held, the effectiveness of his voice, and his influence over the younger generations. 

Our reactions have been all over the place… pleas, prayers, hate, heartache… grief, criticism, adoration, and all sorts of assumptions… so many assumptions by ones who never knew him nor knew of him well before…

Let me be blunt. Much of this has taken place in social media, and what an unhealthy arena it has been in wake of the watershed moment now before us.

I’m disappointed. Embarrassed, too, if I’m honest.

Friends, we have forgotten who the real enemy is.

In our most recent, radically candid post, we acknowledged how evil is active on planet Earth. Satan is flourishing in our country. He’s been masterfully creative at getting us to think someone is evil other than him.

The names I’ve seen Charlie called…

The names I’ve seen his wife called…

The insults, too, we’ve seen thrown at those who didn’t respond the way we’d like…

Friends, stop.

We have been blinded in the arena. We can’t see straight.

When Haymitch spoke to Katniss, his goal was to ensure she doesn’t fall into the trap of fighting her fellow tributes. The real enemy is the Capitol, the entity responsible for the atrocities of the Hunger Games. By understanding her true enemy, Katniss can think straight, act strategically, and quit demonizing all the wrong people. The demonization gets in the way of accurately assessing both circumstances and people.

Friends, we are confused.

Make no mistake about it; we don’t get it. We don’t get who the enemy really is. Our adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. He is present, active, a liar and the father of lies. His scheme is to capitalize on our anger — whatever side we fall on — and sew discord. Indeed, this is happening now, and sadly, not in fiction.

If there’s one strategy the devil comes back to again and again, it’s division. Satan is the divisive spirit. That means that it isn’t the Republicans, the Democrats, the independents nor the lovers or loathers of Charlie Kirk. It is the personification of evil. And it’s working. The more we focus on the perceived wrong within each of those people groups, the more we’re distracted. What does Satan want to distract us from?

He wants us unable to see who God is and all that is good and right and true. We can’t see that when we’re too busy focusing on the iniquity we deem most in other people. We are looking in the wrong direction.

Who are you most focused on? Do you remember who the real enemy is?

God be with us. We need you most now.

Honestly…

AR

When we sat down to dinner last night, my youngest son Josh, asked if he could be the one who prays…

“God, thank you. Be with us. Be with all of your children. Be with all of us who are a child of God. Be with Charlie Kirk’s family. We love you. Amen.”

I’ll be honest. Sometimes my kid has more wisdom and grace than I. He knows who each of us is.

Allow us this day to be radically candid…

How does a blogger blog in response to something so atrocious?

How does one respectfully write about an intentional, horrific killing?

How does one speak of someone who killed another most likely because of what they believe? … whose goal was at least in part, no doubt, to silence another because his beliefs and voice were so contagious and effective?

What do we do with the hundreds I’ve personally seen on social media who have celebrated the killing? … who have justified awful, cruel, thoughts-of-deserving responses?

And how, acknowledging all the other acts, do we honestly, painstakingly wrestle with the obvious manifestation of evil?

The assassination of Charlie Kirk this past week was heinous, horrific and evil. I’ve got more words… try wicked, contemptible, immoral, too. Want to address the school shootings? Indeed. Those fit right in. Other political assassinations? Absolutely. All of this demonstrates the worst of our society. As for Charlie, an articulate, intelligent voice known across the country, love him or loathe him, no child of God deserves this. Note: we are each children of the Most High God. Charlie Kirk knew that. It’s what spurred him on.

Charlie’s life was marked by healthy debate, active listening and a bold sharing of his faith in Jesus Christ. He invited dialogue, encouraged respect, added a bit of snark, and always promoted a great hope for the future. He loved and valued all people — especially the younger generation — and even and also especially those who vehemently disagreed with him.

No doubt one of society’s massive, gaping holes of wisdom is our inability to love and value those who disagree with us. We look down upon, claim moral superiority, and cut off and out those who disagree. We find something wrong with them; we find a reason why; we get others in our self-crafted choirs to “like” or “amen.” We attack people instead of ideas. As a current events blogger, my experience is far minimal compared to Charlie Kirk. But let me share that most would be amazed at some of the profoundly awful things people have said to me because we disagree.

So let me address us all, me included…

We act as if we know not just better, but best.

We say “see ya’ when you grow up,” by confusing growing up with thinking just like me.

We claim to love all people and then slam their thinking or ideology — like we are so in touch with the validity of their experience. We are no doubt arrogant and blind at times.

Friends, in this situation, let’s continue with our radical candor. It’s not just the guns; it’s the evil. And we contribute to the problem.

Knowing then that each of us has opportunity to make it better or worse, let us be humbler. Let us sit with those we don’t understand. Like Jesus, let us move toward those we don’t think like. Let us refrain from judgment; let us be curious and actively work to understand, even when it’s hard. Let us realize that we are not each other’s enemies, and the God’s honest truth is that two people can have two totally different views and neither be destroying democracy. Stop the name-calling. Get rid of the insults. Quit using the words “Nazis” and “Hitler” unless it’s in reference to “Nazis” or “Hitler.” Stop the pompous posts that demonize the person who doesn’t share our perspective. Work more to ask questions. Ask some more. And let’s be radically candid still more… It’s not the other; it’s not the fault of the other person, other party or someone else. Rather, it’s us. It’s our vicious infighting that’s destroying democracy; it’s our thinking that we know best and our refusal to humbly submit to a moral code higher than our own. Satan is flourishing in our country. He’s been masterfully creative at getting us to think someone is evil other than him. 

Let’s do instead what God calls each of us to do. Let us weep with those who weep, mourn with those who mourn, even rejoice with those who rejoice. Let us live in harmony with one another. Let us not be haughty nor wise in our own eyes. And let us repay no one evil for evil. 

Let’s stop playing keyboard warriors on social media; it’s not bold nor even courageous. Let us honor all others. That means all. And let us learn from both Charlie and Josh.

Father God, let good somehow miraculously come from this no good, terribly awful day. Our hope lies best when it’s in you.

Soberly…

AR

CB knew I rarely turned on my TV in the morn. I like the quiet. Gives me time to pause, pray, prep for the day… even have an added cup of coffee. But this day would be profoundly different. I don’t remember the coffee.

“Hey, you need to turn on the television. A plane just hit the World Trade Center in New York.”

And with that I scrambled to find the remote in between my two young sons’ playthings, turned on the news, and almost immediately saw the second explosion. When Flight 175 crashed into the WTC’s South Tower, I must admit, I couldn’t comprehend what I was actually watching. I mean, maybe like most of us, I knew it was real, but I had only seen such in the cinema, so it didn’t feel real… and yet it was. Shocking and real.

I was 8 months pregnant with son #3 at the time; no doubt all hormones were heightened, but this was too much to grasp. 

As is my practice, if watching the news, I will venture from station to station, searching for truth, noting the bias that too often creeps in. But on this September 11, 2001, they were all covering the same thing in the same, shocking way…

Flight 11 took off from Boston, headed for Los Angeles, with 76 passengers, 11 crew members and 5 hijackers on board.

Flight 175, referenced above, took off also from Boston, en route to LA, with 51 passengers, 9 crew members and 5 hijackers on board.

Flight 77 left from Dulles, outside DC — they, too, off to LA, with 53 passengers, 6 crew members and 5 hijackers on board.

And lastly Flight 93 left from Newark, headed to San Francisco. They had 33 passengers, 7 crew members and 4 hijackers on board.

All would perish. All would perish at the manifestation of evil. Let us be clear: this was not a random act of violence. This was a calculated, evil attack.

The morning continued…

I remember watching precisely at 9:59 am, when the South Tower, hit second, began to collapse. My previous thought of this series of events being “shocking and real” was only magnified in that moment. Like many, it was unbelievable seeing the fortress fall — and only in a handful of seconds. To think that something spent years in the making could crumble so quickly… it was inconceivable. 

Inconceivable, too, again… how evil this act was.

I think of this day often throughout the year — but especially this week. I think, too, of the dear friends of mine who have birthdays on this day — so hard… hard to frolic or host any festivity. And there are so many stories — so many true tales of honor, courage and sacrifice — stories that make the evil actually pale in comparison.

That’s the thing about evil; it doesn’t last. And while days like 9/11 will always be remembered for their prolific tragedy, the truth is that sometimes the evil shocks us into remembering what’s most important…

As said then by Gen. Colin Powell, “You can be sure that the American spirit will prevail over this tragedy.”

And by Sen. Lamar Alexander, “September 11 is one of our worst days but it brought out the best in us. It unified us as a country and showed our charitable instincts and reminded us of what we stood for and stand for.” 

And New Yorker Jeff Parness, “When Americans lend a hand to one another, nothing is impossible. We’re not about what happened on 9/11. We’re about what happened on 9/12.”

May we always be a people who remember the beauty of what happened on 9/12… our resilience, perseverance and honor of one another. Such would be wise to each and always remember now.

Respectfully…

AR

This was not a slow news summer. When I think of the season’s biggest stories, I think of the conflicts between Ukraine and Russia and between Israel and Hamas and how sad it is that they continue. I think about the Epstein files and the “client list” dispute and how this has been an issue for years. I think, too, about violent crime still existing in this country and how the vast majority of us want it solved but oft differ in how to solve it. Sometimes the news can be a little overwhelming.

One of the other big summer stories, no doubt, was the emergence of Zohran Mamdani, winning the June Democratic primary for the mayor of New York City — now viewed as the fall favorite due to the city’s demographic, partisan makeup.

Mamdami is a 33 year old, native of Kampala, Uganda, and in my opinion, an articulate, bright-sounding individual. What’s unique about him as a mayoral candidate, is that while identifying as a Democrat, he is also a member of the more obscure Democratic Socialists of America. 

My sense is that sometimes an identification is more or less attractive to us because of what we don’t know. If we’re frustrated with capitalism, for example, feeling like it hasn’t worked for us, maybe socialism sounds more attractive even though we don’t understand what it really is; we’re attracted because it’s something different. Let’s attempt today to understand what the different actually is.

We must first ask: what’s the difference between socialism and democratic socialism? Such is a fair and necessary question.

Unfortunately, the difference is ambiguous. Some distinguish between the two by acknowledging that socialism is a broad economic system centered on the idea of government or community ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership; whereas, democratic socialism works to achieve socialist ideals within primarily existing structures. Democratic socialists believe in strong welfare states rather than a complete abolition of capitalism. What’s also true, therefore, is that while all democratic socialists are socialists in their goals, not all socialists are democratic socialists. Many socialists advocate for authoritarian methods to achieve their economic objectives.

What too is true is that the term “socialist” is viewed negatively by a majority of American people. Granted, studies have shown in recent years that younger generations (particularly Millennials and Gen Z’ers) have a higher regard for socialism than those who’ve gone before them, although such may also fit into the quandary previously presented of not understanding what it really is. Hence, while there is an ambiguous difference between a socialist and a democratic socialist, the chosen terminology may or may not correlate more with popularity than actual political ideology.

Socialist systems are designed to reduce perceived disparities in income and wealth. They tend to provide universal access to a determined set of basic needs, such as healthcare, education and housing — often at no cost to the individual. It also is oft believed to manage public services well, such as in regard to road repairs and emergency services. The philosophy prioritizes the collective over the individual.

Because of that collective focus, socialism also inhibits innovation; social ownership reduces the personal incentive for innovation and hard work that exists in a competitive, for-profit market. Additionally, there is a strong risk of authoritarianism as witnessed historically. True, too, is that socialist economies lack price signals that typically guide production and resource allocation. Costs can become incredibly expensive and difficult to maintain, especially during a recession, when more people require services while government tax revenue simultaneously decreases. To fund the social programs, significantly higher taxes are necessary. 

Recognizing the difference in terminology then, where has socialism worked? Where has it not?

The reality is that there is no consensus on where socialism has “worked.” While some cite the Nordic model and historical Israeli kibbutzim as examples of social democracy with socialist elements, most political scientists and economists agree that these are primarily capitalist with social safety nets; in other words, they are not true socialism. We should thus be keenly observant of the countries described as socialist, like China and Vietnam, which have blended socialist principles with market economies, and then those with explicitly socialist aims, such as Venezuela and the former Soviet Union. Each has faced significant failures. 

With democratic socialism, it’s thus prudent to understand how strictly the fundamentals of socialism are to be applied. Such would help us discern how attractive said philosophy may actually be.

Respectfully…

AR

It’s that time again. Millions around the world will soon all tune in together. It’s one of the most anticipated weekends of the year: the start of the NFL season!

There’s just something about professional football (and college, too) that riles many of us up in a totally good way. It goes beyond the game — beyond the stats and celebrations, too. We are drawn to football fall and the professional pigskin. We pay attention to the players on and off the field. (Congrats, Travis and Taylor.)

Attempting to understand the why, I utilized our resourceful friend, Mr. Google, asking the following question: why do people love this game so much?

Several had something to say.

First, from some Cornell University students in the field of Educational Technology (EdTech) and cognitive psychology…

• NFL is a piece of popular culture
• NFL is part of American tradition 
• NFL fosters relationships
• Tailgating is fun
• People love watching talented athletes
• League parity keeps things interesting
• NFL hits hard
• NFL has the best sporting final
• There is a chance to win big
• Fantasy Football has real stakes

I agree on all of the above (although my tailgating time has been lacking in recent years). The “Office on Trinity” blog, no less, puts it this way:

• Football and Tradition Go Hand in Hand
• Football Unites People
• It Keeps You Guessing
• Love & Loyalty For Players
• The Vibe is AHMAZING
• More Than Just a Game
• Chow Time during Games Matters a Lot
• Clashes Get Pretty Heated
• Fantasy Football Puts You in the Game

All also good. Next from a Quora contributor: “It’s tough, fast, surprising, tactical, full of violence, noise, heroics, music, fireworks and pageantry. Friday night lights, Saturday festivity, Sunday warfare. What’s not to love?”

Indeed, the NFL is a big deal.

I find myself landing on two primary points in the pondering.

One, as said by the creative Trinity personnel, “Well, it ain’t just a game of football. It’s a mix of tradition, thrills, and community.” Such is indeed an attractive combination to many.

And two — and this may show my semi-humble, current events blogger bias — but there’s something auspiciously profound about what’s playing out before our very eyes — something we don’t witness in too many places in the polarized world we live in… 

Note: the current average attendance for an NFL game is just under 70,000 people. So tens of thousand of people are sitting in close-knit quarters with one another. Of those tens of thousands, there’s widespread diversity — age, ethnicity, gender — pretty much every demographic; all are welcome. Better still, no less, in those tens of thousands, they are remarkably passionate, yelling and screaming loudly for their team… but not all yelling for the same team. Right before us we see tens of thousands who profoundly and publicly disagree.

And save the response of a disrespectful few, they don’t insult one another. They don’t tell the other why they’re right and the other is wrong. There is no presumed moral high ground. At the end of the game, players and fans walk away peacefully and respectfully and prepare to play and cheer again.

That, my friends, is a wonderful game in far more ways than one.

Respectfully…

AR