the dilemma

Last week in my community a terrible thing happened. In the middle of the school day, just past eleven in the morning, three teens in two cars decided to race down the road from the high school. It’s the primary thoroughfare in the area, and is thus highly trafficked at all times of day.

Police reports said the two drivers were driving recklessly, weaving in and out of busy traffic at a high rate of speed.

The drivers both lost control, sending each car airborne, off the roadway, crashing into trees, and catching on fire.

Two of the students are expected to survive. One died the next day.

It was a terrible thing. On that all agree.

The lack of agreement elsewhere soon became painfully obvious…

Clearly, the majority of responses were full of sadness, grief and encouraging prayers for the affected families and classmates. Such heartache… brokenness… a life gone too soon. Immediately thereafter, “Go Fund Me” accounts were established for those involved and their families. That prompted increased reaction. Some of those reactions, no doubt, were highly, emotionally charged.

Remember that the students were weaving in and out of traffic. They knowingly put all the other innocent drivers and passengers around them at risk; it was a lot of people. A tangent note… I was maybe 3,4 minutes behind them, as I soon saw one of the first responding ambulances in my rear view mirror. I had also first taken backroads this day, which added about 3 minutes to my route. To suggest I was soberly, divinely grateful is an understatement indeed.

Let us, no less, be respectfully candid; what the teen drivers did was not only illegal; it was foolish, dangerous, and it also seriously threatened the very lives of those who had zero to do with the teens’ ill-decision.

Hence, the resulting question: how much mercy and grace do the foolish deserve?

And… do we assess the levels of foolishness?

Allow us to first step back a mere moment, acknowledging the difference between mercy and grace. Mercy means not receiving the punishment we deserve; grace means receiving something we don’t deserve. Mercy is being spared; grace is being favored.

It thus makes sense to me that varied reactions would be expressed in a tragedy such as this.

It makes sense to me that we wouldn’t all feel the same way.

And it makes sense to me not to demand that another feel exactly like me.

It’s ok to react differently.

So what do we do? Do we offer any mercy and grace? Kindness and compassion? Or solely justice and consequence? Is there a combination we can appropriately provide?

Friends, let me never suggest that I know best for all others. That’s an impolitic trap to fall into. 

I think back, though, to years ago, sitting with one of my mentors, struggling with a decision. I sincerely asked for help in deciding what to do in a specific situation in which others were involved and would be significantly affected by my choice. I will never forget his prudent encouragement. It went something like this…

“When life is over and it’s my time, if there’s this potential place of divine review in which we look back over the entire course of my life, the decisions I’ve made and all the pockets and places where I screwed up or was wrong, I hope it can always be said of me that I erred on the side of grace. Let me err on the side of grace.”

Friends, I suggest not that it’s easy.

Just makes me think it’s a wise thing to strive for, knowing there are many days we all need it, too.

Respectfully…

AR

the impact of the pendulum swing

Oh, how the pendulum swings… left to right… right to left… And when the pendulum swings swiftly and forcefully to a perceived extreme end, it disrupts the entire mechanism. The pendulum only rests in the middle.

I’ve played with this idea for years now — how the political pendulum swings back and forth to/fro opposite ends and examining the impact of the movement. Contributor Evan Thies from the left-leaning Daily News articulated a similar thought recently…

“The political pendulum swings predictably in our country from left to right like a metronome, marking time — but sometimes it swings much faster than others. And, when it does, the pendulum can become a scythe. We have swung from Obama/left to Trump/right to Biden/left and back again in the space of eight years, and each time the pendulum has picked up speed. The acceptable rhetoric became increasingly hotter. The frustration with the system angrier. Belief in it shakier. And the shakier our belief in the system, the more emboldened people feel to topple it. We have reached another point in our history when words no longer seem to work. We are in an era of action now. But will it bring constructive disruption or destruction?”

I feel like this is what we’re witnessing in real time. 

Clearly, Pres. Trump has benefitted from not serving in the presidency for 8 consecutive years but having served in the office already. By serving as President previously, he has an awareness of what he can do, what he cannot, and what he might be able to do.

Clearly, too, there are polar opposite reactions to his activity. Some are deeply concerned, even fearful. Some are deeply satisfied, even gleeful. While there indeed seems a majority that lies more quietly in the middle, one of the things currently accompanying the reactions is a sharp rebuke (which varies in intensity) of those who do not share identical perspective.

Oh, how the pendulum swings… hotter rhetoric, increased frustration and shakier belief. We hear it. We see it. We feel it now.

We’ve watched the variegated reaction to some of the proposed budget cuts — especially for federal employees and foreign aid — and thank you to the many who have reached out, respectfully sharing your reality in ways that are hard and in ways that are commending. It’s important not to fall prey to ignoring the variance in reaction — thinking this is all good or all bad. It’s indeed tricky, as it affects different people differently.

In regard to that aid, note that the U.S. government is the single largest aid donor in the world. According to the United Nations, the U.S. accounts for 40% of all human aid. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has been the American government’s primary foreign aid agency since 1961, distributing billions of dollars annually to over 100 countries, supporting all sorts of efforts such as disaster relief, healthcare, democracy promotion and more. The categories of aid “can be somewhat opaque and the lines between them blurry,” however, reports Pew Research Center in a summation released last week. Hence, it’s logical that Americans would have mixed views on foreign assistance. My semi-educated guess is that those views depend on the awareness/prioritization of three merging factors: (1) compassion for those in need in other countries, (2) unmet needs here at home, and (3) what the expenditures actually are.

Reading and watching the more objective accounts as to what’s included in current USAID spending (which means no ABC, CBS, CNN, FOX, MSNBC, NBC, NPR, New York Post, New York Times and more), it’s clear that there are good things included in our aid — and some that are indeed questionable. My understanding is that after the current review, the government will reimburse those programs which are approved and they will thus resume. We will be watching what this is — and what it’s not.

While we attempt, no less, to avoid a reaction that blinds us to the simultaneous existence of the good, bad and questionable, we should note, too, that the U.S. has a national debt that grows by an approximate $1 trillion every 100 days. It currently increases by $6.6 billion daily. In other words, for foreign aid, we are borrowing the money we are giving away. Let that reality not cause us to ignore merging factor #1 of compassion for those in need, but let us also acknowledge the unmet needs and what the expenditures actually are.

Blessings, friends. May we strive to respect and listen to all. May we recognize the impact of the pendulum swing.

Respectfully…

AR

fascination with far more than football

Some things unite us. Today is one of those days (even if it’s only the commercials).

Hence, some interesting tidbits and facts that may or may not be related to the actual sport…

The very first Super Bowl wasn’t called the “Super Bowl,” and it also featured the Kansas City Chiefs. It was 1967 and they would not be victorious, losing to the Green Bay Packers, led by the oft quotable Vince Lombardi.

It was Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt, who first coined the term “Super Bowl,” which became the official moniker with the game’s third annual installment.  

Roman numerals to identify the Super Bowl began with its fifth edition. There has been one exception since, when in 2016 the game was referred to as “Super Bowl 50.”

In Super Bowl VI, Pres. Richard Nixon drew up a play for Dolphin’s head coach Don Shula, suggesting a passing route for receiver Paul Warfield. Tom Landry’s Cowboys stifled the play, refusing to get beat by a president’s executive order.

Pres. Trump will resume the presidential Super Bowl interview tradition. The tradition began in 2004 with CBS and Pres. George W. Bush. Trump will also be the first sitting US President to attend the game.

Approximately 120 million people are expected to watch the Super Bowl live this year.

According to the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, this Sunday in February is the second-highest day of food consumption in the US — behind only Thanksgiving. While I’m uncertain how exactly they obtain this data, the most popular game-day delicacies are pizza, spinach artichoke dip, buffalo chicken dip and chicken wings. It’s estimated that 1.45 billion chicken wings are consumed on Super Bowl Sunday. (On the healthier side, 304 million pounds of avocados will be purchased, presumably to add guacamole to the table.)

To the victor comes many things, one of which is an ornate, celebratory ring. On average, these rings cost $30,000–$50,000 per ring, although the Giants were so excited in winning XXV that their rings cost $230,000 each.

The least expensive ticket today costs $5,258. Tickets to the very first Super Bowl cost between $6 to $12. Adjusting for inflation, that equates to approximately $57 to $115 today.

As for the television market for the two teams involved, Philadelphia is now the fifth largest TV market and Kansas City ranks 33rd.

Andy Reid, current coach of Kansas City, is the winningest head coach for both teams.

12 NFL teams have never won the Super Bowl: the Browns, Bills, Chargers, Bengals (who dey), Cardinals, Falcons, Lions, Jaguars, Panthers, Texans, Titans, and Vikings. 4 teams — the Browns, Jaguars, Lions, and Texans — have never even made it to the championship game.

The Minnesota Vikings have played in 4 Super Bowls but have never held a lead. 

The commercials are always a highlight. Reports are that a 30 second ad this year originally cost $7 million. The last ten 30 second slots available reached a record $8 million each.

Halftime celebrity performers are not paid for their performance, but the exposure is reportedly worth millions.

A new trend is featuring multiple celebrities in Super Bowl commercials, with brands attempting to appeal to a broader audience.

When last year’s Super Bowl went into OT, CBS was estimated to have earned an additional $695 million in ad revenue.

There’s something to “The Taylor Swift Effect,” with the pop singer dating Chief’s tight end Travis Kelce. With their relationship going public last year, there was a reported growth of over 24% in female viewers ages 18-24. (Wonder what would happen if Kelce proposed on field after a potential KC victory…)

Time for Super Bowl LIX, played at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans this weekend… always love things that have the potential to unite us.

Respectfully… (go Bengals go…)

AR

[Intramuralist note: With the statistics quoted above, note that sources included Business Insider, Crescent City Sports, Forbes, iSpot, Parade Magazine, Readers Digest, and Wikipedia.]

black history month: an incomplete observation

With its origins dating back to 1915 when historian and author Dr. Carter G. Woodson founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History and later initiated the first Negro History Week, Black History Month has been nationally recognized in this country since Pres. Ford’s official message in 1976. Note that it was Dr. Woodson who selected the initial week in February, as it included the birthdays of both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, each of whom had a central, significant role in the progress of black Americans.

Black History Month is a time to remember important people and events. We acknowledge the struggles African-Americans have faced, including the grievous, unprecedented, national stain of slavery. I will never understand a society where such a heinous act of oppression is justified, encouraged or accepted. It’s simply incomprehensible that this was an accepted way of life in so many countries for so long.

As for this month, no less, we celebrate the momentous contributions African-Americans have made to the core fabric of our society. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. certainly stands out… so many more… Muhammad Ali, Maya Angelou, Arthur Ashe, Simone Biles, Kobe Bryant, Steph Curry, George Washington Carver, TD Jakes, Lisa Leslie, Barack Obama, Rosa Parks, Condoleezza Rice, Jackie Robinson, Deion Sanders, Priscilla Shirer, Harriet Tubman, Serena Williams, in a mere handful of whom have been especially meaningful to me. 

The reality is that the more I learn, the more I realize how much more there is to know. And… how much more there is to learn from people other than me.

In both my personal pursuit and outward encouragement to love our neighbor well — recognizing that our “neighbor” is anyone put in our path — not just those who act/think/look/vote like us — I believe in sitting at the feet of others… listening… learning… being still… offering generous honor and respect. I can’t say it enough; there is so much we don’t know. Said reality should implore our perpetual humility.

Thus as I continue to grow via reading, researching, investing in meaningful relationship, one thing that’s become exceedingly clear is how faith has been central to the black experience. There are countless threads woven within the African-American experience, threads that became a lifeline, an incomparable source of strength during the worst of times. I think of Bryan Loritts, pastor, author and founder of the Kainos Movement, an organization committed to seeing the multi-ethnic church become the new normal. He is also an Intramuralist favorite.

According to the research professionals at Barna Group, “over three-quarters of Black adults (79%) agree that to understand the African American experience, it is necessary to understand the role of religious faith in the lives of Black people. Loritts agrees that this data lines up with his own personal experience, adding, ‘When you are in a situation where, historically, there’s been a motif of struggle and oppression, Christianity doesn’t just become something nice for you. It becomes something necessary.’”

Nice vs. necessary.

Let us say more…

“To feel the presence of the Lord is an amazing thing.” — Lisa Leslie

“There’s nothing like faith in God to help a fellow who gets booted around once in a while.” — Jackie Robinson

“To this day I believe we are here on earth to live, grow, and do what we can to make this world a better place for all people to enjoy freedom. As a child I learned from the Bible to trust in God and not be afraid. And I felt the Lord would give me the strength to endure whatever I had to face.” — Rosa Parks

This blog is too simple, not enough. We have so much more to learn from other people. This blog is merely a sincere, incomplete encouragement to do so…

Nice vs. necessary…

Respectfully…

AR

what’s most important

Fortunately or unfortunately, every now and then we need something to shock us back into remembering that which is most important. 

Definitely unfortunately, often what shocks us into remembrance is tragedy. 

One of those moments horrifically occurred Wednesday night. We are still reeling from the shocking reality.

64 people on an American Airlines flight. 3 soldiers aboard an Army helicopter. All plunged to their deaths in the Potomac River, in a tragic aviation disaster.

Colliding midair in the night’s clear skies, calm conditions, it’s hard to comprehend how it happened. There’s an investigation yet to happen. Error by the helicopter pilot seems significant at this preliminary point. There’s a lot, though, that we still don’t know.

What we do know is that today some wake up without their parents. Others without their kids. That goes for spouses, fiancees, friends and co-workers, too. In an instant, life is different. With no notice whatsoever, grief is the overwhelming reality.

I think of the families involved. How awful. I wonder. What do we do when all else crumbles to the ground?

Today, we remember what’s most important. And to get to what’s most important, we recognize that which is not so good and right and true… 

Like many I am saddened by the mistreatment of others.

Like many I am saddened by the judgment and lack of honor so prominent in society.

Like many I am saddened by those who choose not to love their neighbor well.

Like many I am saddened by those who minimize who their neighbor may be.

Like many I am saddened by our collective lack of humility.

Like many I am sad.

When tragedy happens, we’re hopefully a little more in touch with our sadness… we’re hopefully a little less judgmental… and we’re hopefully a little kinder to all others, whether they agree with us or not, think like us or not, are in the same circles as us or not.

For me when I think of those whose lives have crumbled to the ground this week, I wish for something deeper… something authentic… and something to meet them in their grief…

I think of ancient Ishmael — both historically significant and included in the first line of Herman Melville’s classic, Moby Dick. Ishmael comes from the Old Testament, the babe born to Hagar, the Egyptian handmaiden who slept with Abraham when Sarah attempted to take God’s promise of a son into her own hands. When Hagar is pregnant, she becomes despised by Sarah; she flees. No one comes after her. No one follows. Hagar is heartbroken, alone in the depths of her grief.

To whom then God actually speaks… and two significant, life-giving things occur in their conversation.

One, he says Hagar shall name her son “Ishmael,” meaning God hears. 

And two, she says back that you are “El Roi,” meaning the God who sees me.

All of life changes when we prioritize reflecting on being heard and seen by the great big God of the universe. It makes us humbler, kinder, more secure, more honoring, and less inclined to blame other people. It reminds us who we are and who that neighbor is, too.

I have few words for this week’s accident. It’s heartbreaking and awful.

I am also stoically grateful for the reminder of what’s most important, tragic as it may be.

Soberly…

AR

a month of questions

What a month… what a pace… and so we make observations, looking at January, asking what people asked… 

[Note: below are the first 65 Q’s we saw in the news. Note, too: not all news sources are good at asking questions.}

  1. After Trudeau, Can Canadians Get Their Free Speech Back?
  2. Are any of Trump’s Cabinet picks in trouble of not being confirmed?
  3. Are arsonists responsible for the Los Angeles wildfires?
  4. Are the officials on Kansas City’s side?
  5. Biden’s Legacy: Bad or Worse?
  6. Can Dems ‘Trump-Proof’ Government?
  7. Can Fairness Fix the U.S. Economy?
  8. Can Trump Make a Deal for Middle East Peace?
  9. Can Trump Make America Safe Again?
  10. Conspiracies Too Awful To Imagine?
  11. Could Trump Fix Social Security’s Biggest Problem in ’25?
  12. Decision To Move Inauguration — Weather or Security Related?
  13. Did Biden, Trump Abuse the Pardon Power?
  14. Did Mayor Bass Cut the LAFD Budget?
  15. Did NFL refs favor the Chiefs?
  16. Did Trump Just Win a ‘Tectonic’ Election?
  17. Do Senate Republicans Know What Time It Is?
  18. George Soros, Anti-Communist?
  19. Goodbye, DEI?
  20. Harris Was Set To Crush Women’s Vote. What Went Wrong?
  21. Has the Decline of Journalism Hit Rock Bottom?
  22. Has Trump’s Second Term Already Peaked?
  23. Have the Past 10 Years of Democratic Politics Been Disaster?
  24. How Governable Is Los Angeles?
  25. How Sensible Are Trump’s Deportation Plans?
  26. Is Intifada Coming to America?
  27. ‘People Want Change’: Will Democrats Flip Their Script?
  28. Rename Mount McKinley?
  29. Trump Shocks System. Will He Solve Problems Voters Care About?
  30. Unity or Tension?
  31. Wanna Know Why People Don’t Trust the Corporate Press?
  32. What are presidential pardons and who are the 1,600 people Trump has pardoned?
  33. What Does an America Without Democracy Look Like?
  34. What Does Trump Mean by ‘Unleashing American Energy’? 
  35. What happened to Michelle Obama?
  36. What Happened When DEI Came to the Military?
  37. What Happens When a Wildfire Reaches a City?
  38. What Happens When You Can’t Afford To Evacuate?
  39. What has Donald Trump promised to do on day one of his second term?
  40. What Is Birthright Citizenship, and Can Trump Take it Away?
  41. What Is a Tariff and Who Pays It?
  42. What Really Happened in Wuhan?
  43. What Will Happen to Hollywood Now?
  44. What’s ‘America First’: People or Profits?
  45. What’s Trump Done on Prescription Drug Prices So Far – and What Might Be Next?
  46. When Was Biden Telling the Truth?
  47. Where Have All the Young Democrats Gone?
  48. Where is 2025 Super Bowl?
  49. Which party cracks up first in 2025?
  50. Winter Weather Worse?
  51. Who Is More Noble: Tim Kaine or Pete Hegseth?
  52. Who’s Afraid of Melania Trump?
  53. Why Are Any Democrats Still Defending Biden?
  54. Why Can’t the Left Understand Restrictions at the Border?
  55. Why did Los Angeles area fire hydrants run dry?
  56. Why Did Newsom and Bass Make So Many Major Errors?
  57. Why Is Russiagate’s Origin Story Redacted?
  58. Why Is the Right Obsessed With Epic Poetry?
  59. Why Wasn’t Los Angeles Better Prepared?
  60. Will Biden’s Approval Rating Ever Rebound?
  61. Will Dems Ever Reckon With Their Biden Groupthink?
  62. Will DOGE Decide To Go Big or Small?
  63. Will Harris Ever Make a Comeback?
  64. Will Public Stomach Mass Deportations?
  65. Will the Courts Enforce the Constitution Against Trump?

We’ll keep asking questions, friends… and making observations, too.

Respectfully…

AR

[Sources include but are not limited to Aljazeera, All Sides, American Greatness, The American Prospect, The Atlantic, BBC, CBS, City Journal, The Federalist, Financial Times, FOX News, Free Press, The Guardian, The Hill, The Los Angeles Times, Marca, Motley Fool, MSNBC, The Nation, NBC News, New York Magazine, The New York Times, NewsNation, Newsweek, PBS, Racket News, Rasmussen Reports, RealClearPolitics, Salon, Semafor, Spiked, Substack, US News & World Report, USA Today, Vox, Wall Street Journal, WaPo, Washington Times, and YouTube.]

how to talk about Trump

One of the phenomenons that I can’t quite wrap my head around these days (nor years) is how much people talk about Donald J. Trump. Love him or hate him, people like to talk about him. Reverence or repugnance, people still talk; they just use contrary words, share conflicting looks, and emote clashing convictions in their heads and their hearts. Trump talks a lot, too.

Because the reactions are so diabolically opposed to one another, for those of us who aren’t votaries or vilifiers, sometimes it’s challenging to know how to talk about him; we don’t fit into either crowd, and unfortunately, there’s a whole lot of if-you’re-not-with-me-you’re-against-me thinking going around. It’s simply not that simple. 

One challenge is that the votaries and vilifiers are typically louder but not larger than all those who are somewhere in between. Let me define “in between.” It’s not a case of false balance or the more colloquial bothsidesism; it’s more that we don’t agree nor disagree with absolutely everything and we also don’t believe that the other option was absent of significant deficiencies. 

Much of the challenge then in how we talk about him is based in the varied perception of what he says. Journalist Salena Zito coined the variance for The Atlantic years ago by saying, “The press takes him literally, but not seriously; his supporters take him seriously, but not literally.” I’m not sure I’m comfortable with the simplicity of that response, with my concern being that such provides too generous a cushion for both the lie and the joke. Granted, I’m one who believes the majority of politicians lie from both parties; some just sound more eloquent in the act.

Let’s be candid. Trump says some incredibly disrespectful things. Some things are absolutely preposterous. His extensive use of hyperbole oft seems like an art form, and there are ways he speaks both to and about people that are profoundly rude and inappropriate.

Trump also isn’t afraid to be politically incorrect. He frequently shares blunt explanations that cut through the ambiguous ideological-speak of the established parties. The fact that Pres. Trump hasn’t been long tied to any establishment frees him from being beholden to the ingrained political perspectives and expenditures that have long passed the mark of prudence and good sense.

Hence, with the new administration up and running, we are actively making many observations, following the encouragement of CNN’s CEO to avoid “pre-judging Trump.” We are attempting to discern what’s true/not, healthy/not, scary/not, wise/not, necessary/not, etc. This isn’t always easy; the reporting isn’t always trustworthy. Many media sources have long lost their objectivity, seeking instead to create either rage or idolization instead of actually report the news. We recognize then that this is a time that is deeply unnerving for some and exceedingly sublime for others. We will thus continue to seek out objective and accurate media, so as to proceed in the promotion of respectful dialogue. Remember, friends, the goal of respectful dialogue is to be sharpened by diverse thinking; it is neither to convince another to think like me nor judge the one of varied perspective.

Journalist John Harris had an interesting take last week. Harris is the founding editor of the left-leaning Politico and former Washington Post reporter. He acknowledged the noted contrast, giving new meaning to the word “great,” but not using it in a way that’s necessarily stupendous nor good…

“Donald J. Trump in his second inaugural address was everything his supporters hoped he would be: Breathtakingly expansive about his intention to reshape the vast federal government around his vision; raucously jingoistic in proclaiming that the country will do whatever it wants to advance its interests around the world; openly triumphal in asserting his belief that his survival from an assassin’s bullet and his victory show he is God’s chosen instrument to lead an American revival. 

Trump was also everything his adversaries feared: Messianic in tone; lovingly protective of his grievances; wholly uncharitable to the people, sitting just feet from him under the Capitol Rotunda, who he defeated so convincingly. In one light, it was all quite familiar. But the second occasion of Trump taking the oath of office also put him in an entirely new light. For the first time, he is holding power under circumstances in which reasonable people cannot deny a basic fact: He is the greatest American figure of his era.

Let’s quickly exhale: Great in this context is not about a subjective debate over whether he is a singularly righteous leader or a singularly menacing one. It is now simply an objective description about the dimensions of his record. He began a decade ago by dominating the Republican Party. He soon advanced to dominating every discussion of American politics broadly. Now, his astonishing comeback after his defeat by Joseph Biden in 2020 and the notoriety of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot makes clear there are certain things he is not and one big thing he is.

He is not a fluke, who got elected initially in 2016 almost entirely because of the infirmities of his opponent. He is not someone the American public somehow misunderstands — as though Democrats and the news media have not spent 10 years forcefully highlighting the risks of his record and character. He is someone with an ability to perceive opportunities that most politicians do not and forge powerful, sustained connections with large swaths of people in ways that no contemporary can match. In other words: He is a force of history…”

“Great” presidents, Harris writes, have the potential to become unifiers mostly in retrospect. They often divide “the nation before reuniting it on a new level of national understanding.” As is no secret, we’re pretty divided; there are so many issues, issues in which we struggle with comprehensive understanding, making solutions not so simple. The reality also is that we are not divided into two nice, neat, easily-explainable, different camps. We have a lot to learn from other people. 

Looks like we’ll have lots to observe and talk about. Lord knows it won’t always be easy, but we will strive to do so respectfully, honestly and well.

Respectfully…

AR

and one more thing…

Yes, one more thing.

There’s a new administration, meaning a new “head of state and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces”… a new President who is now “responsible for implementing and enforcing the laws written by Congress”…

And let me again say this; we will understandably have varied reactions; this is celebratory for some — difficult for others. Some will clap. Others will cringe. My guess is most of us are somewhere in between. 

Friends, here at the Intramuralist, we will go forward as watchful observers, fearful of no topic, intentionally respectful of all. We look forward to all the conversations, even when the topic is challenging; such serves as zero excuse to sacrifice respect.

But before we move on to all that’s next, there’s one more thing that needs to be addressed from the election season we’ve left behind. And dare I suggest — being no political strategist nor election analyst nor fan of the three primary, one-time 2024 presidential candidates — this is an angle that clearly both elevated Trump and discredited his opposition, as it’s hard to believe all one says about one candidate is true, when a major claim about another candidate so clearly is not. Our observant eyes told us what the New York Times and others previously would not. We say this not with any pro-Trump/anti-Biden, anti-Trump/pro-Biden nor any anti/pro Harris avidity. We are making observations.

On Friday, January 17, 2024 — just 3 days from the end of Pres. Biden’s 4 year term — the Times published an article entitled “How Biden’s Inner Circle Protected a Faltering President.” The in-depth editorial shares how as the sitting President, Biden’s closest advisors knew he wasn’t ok for years. It wasn’t just age. It certainly wasn’t a speech impediment. There was something cognitively diminished and wrong. 

As described by author Matt Margolis: 

“A new report from the New York Times not only goes into detail about how aides adjusted his schedule to ensure he was in good spirits, limited his exposure to negative news, and shielded him from public scrutiny, surrounding him to shield him from view, even modifying his use of Air Force One’s steps to avoid highlighting his physical challenges, but tells us who in the inner circle masterminded the efforts to curate his public appearances, provide pre-scripted teleprompter responses for private events, and, of course, coordinate responses to negative media coverage. The story highlighted Biden’s family’s and inner circle’s efforts to manage growing concerns about his age and health, even as they publicly downplayed them.” 

Straight from the New York Times…

The President was protected by a small group of people…

He used a teleprompter all the time… even for small fundraising events in donors’ homes…

Questions for him had to be submitted beforehand and pre-approved…

Concerns from voters were dismissed…

Talk of him being as sharp as always, better than ever, was all untrue.

The report’s bottom line was that Pres. Biden’s decline was covered up by those closest to him. It was intentional for years.

Friends, I have no desire to pour on the former President. What does cause me pause, though, is that the media no doubt knew this, and they only publicly acknowledged such 3 days from the end of his term. If the media is clearly only now admitting the cover up, what else will they hide or deceivingly report in the years to come? What else are they covering up now?

It’s why the media and more have lost credibility; it’s what has hurt their trustworthiness in what they say about other candidates. It’s also why we will continue to make thoughtful observations in far more than the four years to come.

Respectfully…

AR

Monday, January 20th

If nothing else, call it an interesting alignment of events…

Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, dedicated to the equality of all people, the service of others, and caring for their physical and spiritual needs. It’s “a day on, not a day off.” As his widow, Coretta Scott King once said, “The greatest birthday gift my husband could receive is if people of all racial and ethnic backgrounds celebrated the holiday by performing individual acts of kindness through service to others.”

Monday is also Inauguration Day, where President-elect Donald Trump will be sworn in for his second term as President of the United States. The Swearing-In Ceremony is set to start at noon, with a church service beforehand, luncheon following, and multiple balls to fill out the evening. For the first time in 40 years, the ceremony will be moved inside, due to the freezing cold weather. Note, too, that Presidents Biden, Obama, Bush and Clinton will each be in attendance.

Monday, too, is the College Football Playoff National Championship, the eleventh annual CFP crowning, but first under the 12 team format. It’s Ohio State’s Buckeyes vs. the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. OSU last won the college football championship in 2014; the Irish haven’t won since 1988. Let me add a brief tangent. When former coach Brian Kelly left Notre Dame 3 years ago, leaving for the likes of LSU, he said, “I want to be in an environment where I have the resources to win a national championship.” Guess our perspectives aren’t always accurate. 

(And one more FYI, so that we omit hopefully no one, January 20th also serves as National DJ Day, National Cheese Lovers Day, and Penguin Awareness Day… go penguins, go.)

Each of the above is a “big deal,” so-to speak. What strikes me in their simultaneous occurrence is that we don’t all react the same way to them. In fact, suffice it to say, there is a whole plethora of varied reaction to MLK Day, Inauguration Day, and the CFP.

It’s not even one of those scenarios in which pretty much 80% of us all feel the same way. Not everyone is an admirer of Dr. King; some are still grieving the election of Donald Trump; and much of the country would prefer teams other than the fortunate midwestern two.

So what do we do when such a wide discrepancy of reaction exists?

It’s today’s zillion dollar question. And it just may be one of the biggest pockets of judgment even the intelligent allow. Let me explain…

There are many times a person reacts differently than we. It is thus absolutely, completely valid to say in such a moment, “I don’t understand.” A prudent, growth-mentality response would then seek to understand.

When dismissing the prudence, we pave the way for judgment. Instead of acknowledging a lack of understanding, we leap to judgment. For example…

“There’s no way an educated person could believe that… there’s no way a humble person could cheer for them… absolutely not should she be singing at the inauguration… if she really loved her country…”

Friends, it is completely ok to not understand and to not share the opinion of another. The judgment comes when we assume we know the only right response. Perhaps we don’t articulate it as such, but we often add a value assessment — as in “they aren’t bright, moral, objective, kind, compassionate, Christian, patriotic, you-name it.” We also imply that we are all that and more.

Sorry, but that’s naive. 

Often judgment embeds itself within an unknown naïveté. 

Let’s be sensitive to what we know and what we don’t… what reactions we share and those we don’t. Some of the January 20th events are easy for some — difficult for others. Some will pay lots of attention; some will pay none.

Note, too, only one day after, January 21st, it’s National Squirrel Appreciation Day. Can’t say I share the reactions of those who are exuberant. 

Guess I have more to seek to understand.

Respectfully…

AR

changing our questions for 2025

“Great results begin with great questions” — Marilee Adams in Change Your Questions, Change Your Life

I’ve long referred to the American University adjunct professor’s work as my favorite book. It probably, seemingly slightly influenced my perspective when a trusted friend gifted me a copy soon after it came out years ago, adding, “This is the way you think.”

Adams advocates that any of us can change our lives simply by changing the questions we ask, especially those we ask of ourselves. A quick provided example… note how “asking ‘what great things could happen today?’ creates very different expectations, moods, and energy than asking ‘what could go wrong today?’” Amen to that. 

For example, from Adams:

  1. What do I want? 
  2. What are my choices?
  3. What assumptions am I making?
  4. What am I responsible for?
  5. How else can I think about this?
  6. What is the other person thinking, feeling, and wanting?
  7. What am I missing or avoiding?
  8. What can I learn? … from this person or situation? … from this mistake or failure? … from this success?
  9. What action steps make the most sense?
  10. What questions should I ask (myself or others)?
  11. How can I turn this into a win-win?
  12. What’s possible?

I find those to be excellent. I think often, in fact, of the tribal social media hang outs where someone will make a claim, another will respectfully ask question #5 — “how else can we think about this?” — and another will immediately shout them down and attempt to drown them out. That’s neither healthy nor mature.

Adams encourages us in a wiser way, noting that questions invite conversation. As we like to say, the question mark is the only punctuation piece that invites a response (albeit the semi-colon has a bit of an argument here). 

Such is why we often examine the questions that are being asked in current culture. Elsewhere…

Too many shout. (Really? Who wants to listen to that?)

Too many declare. (Yikes. Did they forget the value in humility?)

Too many blame. (Oh my. As Adams writes, “Blame keeps us stuck in the past.”)

So as we look to 2025, here are some questions we’re asking — each sincere, though marked by diverse levels of seriousness:

  1. When will the fires end? And what will we do differently after they’re done?
  2. How will the economy fare in 2025? What will happen with inflation and interest rates?
  3. Will America’s southern border become more secure, and will government find a way to work together, crafting a prudent, effective immigration approach?
  4. How will Pres. Trump surprise us? Now that there’s nothing more to “win,” will he execute his duties differently?
  5. Can America’s deficit spending issue be fixed as long both Social Security and Medicare are currently each forecasted to be insolvent in the next 12 years?
  6. Will peace pause the Ukraine/Russia and Israel/Hamas conflicts? Would a cease-fire solve the long-term conflicts, especially in Israel?
  7. Will a reasonable third party become more popular here?
  8. Will America’s divisiveness decrease? A better question: what will it take?
  9. Will the Chiefs win the Super Bowl for a third time in a row?
  10. And if so, will Travis ask Taylor to marry him?

Just asking questions, friends.

Of course, we have more. We’ll get to those soon…

Respectfully…

AR