With the \u201cThanksmas\u201d season seemingly condensed this year, week one was eye-opening in regard to current events, especially those that caught the Intramuralist\u2019s attention. While we could always dissect multiple perspectives, we\u2019ll stick to a paragraph or two rather than entire posts. Sometimes saying less says a lot more\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
President Biden pardons his son, Hunter. <\/strong>While most of us were enjoying a final day of leisure recovering from Thanksgiving\u2019s leftover frolic and food comas, Pres. Biden issued a statement not just forgiving his second son\u2019s felony gun and tax convictions, but rather, pardoning also any other offenses his son may have committed in the past 10 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Who are we kidding?<\/em> If as a parent, you have the ability to wash away all legal ramifications for your own kid \u2014 hopefully not including being a murderer or terrorist, but even if he\u2019s not the most reputable adult in the world \u2014 wouldn\u2019t you do it, too? Of course most of us would!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The error in the pardon, however, isn\u2019t the pardon itself. The error in the pardon is the multiple impassioned months declaring never\/no way\/absolutely not and all the surrogates who echoed his denial and assumed an accompanying moral high ground because \u201cwe<\/strong> value the law\u201d \u2014 unlike others. Friends, there is no moral high ground. This act reeks of everything that\u2019s wrong with American politics and why so many of us have struggled with the system long before the second coming of Trump. Biden lied. And he lied for political purposes. There is too much hypocrisy in our elect. On all sides\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n The CEO of UnitedHealthcare was murdered in Midtown Manhattan.<\/strong> This story is disturbing. In New York City for an annual investors conference, Brian Thompson was shot at point-blank range by a masked gunman multiple times just outside his hotel on Wednesday morning. Shell casings were found at the scene inscribed with the words “deny,” “defend” and \u201cdepose.\u201d The attack was thus targeted and intentional. Known to friends and colleagues as \u201cB.T.,\u201d the 50 year old husband and father of two was pronounced dead at 7:12 a.m. [Note: as of this posting, the killer has not been identified nor found.]<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n How horrific that a man could be killed in the middle of NYC, a few blocks from the Rockefeller Center where the masses would gather only hours later to light their annual, iconic Christmas tree. How horrific, too, that many found justification immediately afterward, especially on social media, celebrating the assassination, citing mistreatment from insurance companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The insurance world is challenging; the number of claims denied is indeed worth scrutiny. Yet still once more it\u2019s clear how individual experience and perspective often obstruct visibility of what\u2019s good and right and true\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n And thirdly in our current events for the week\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n DOGE begins to develop.<\/strong> The newly-announced, non-official government department has begun to take shape. Led by prominent Trump confidants Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, simply put, the purpose is to make the federal government more efficient. Said Musk in the week that was, “I think we should be spending the public’s money wisely.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n (\u201cTouch\u00e9,\u201d said the taxpayer.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Interestingly, DOGE is getting widespread attention and diverse support, noted by the leaders on Capitol Hill this week. Democrats and Republicans alike have been outspoken in regard to the potential upside. Together they are working on problem solving. Sen. John Fetterman, for example (D-PA \u2014 who is quickly becoming one of my favorite, non-hypocritical politicians), <\/em>spoke of working with DOGE. Said Fetterman, “I admire Mr. Musk. He has been involved in very important parts of American society\u2026 Hey \u2014 he has made our economy and our nation better, and our politics are different, [but] that doesn’t make him an enemy.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n The acknowledgements, bipartisanship and problem solving are refreshing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All for now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Focusing on what\u2019s good and right and true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Respectfully\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n AR<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" With the \u201cThanksmas\u201d season seemingly condensed this year, week one was eye-opening in regard to current events, especially those that caught the Intramuralist\u2019s attention. While we could always dissect multiple perspectives, we\u2019ll stick to a paragraph or two rather than entire posts. Sometimes saying less says a lot more\u2026 President Biden pardons his son, Hunter. … <\/p>\n