I don’t know if it’s illegal but it’s completely inappropriate and a clear violation of the separation of church and state.
Um, why is there a cross over Jesus’s private parts?
Don’t look; don’t touch.
Time to reprint this old sticker.
Now, be fair. It’s not only his nibs but also those oligarchs who’ve given a kickback bribe who will get rich(er).
To make it look longer.
Because if there are no trees to fall…
Wow. For just a moment now I found myself hoping he gets the money for this project and it’s finished just in time for him to be the very first inmate.
As a linguist, I’m aware some languages have the inclusive we and the exclusive we. Evidently, Secretary of War Crimes Hegseth is only aware of the latter.
The felon’s trying to regulate a field in which he’s obviously never participated.
As I pointed out elsewhere, Good Friday is the one day of the year when no Catholic Mass is said. There is a service, the Liturgy of the Passion of the Lord, but it’s not a Mass. It includes the Liturgy of the Word, the Veneration of the Cross, and Holy Communion, using hosts consecrated the day before on Holy Thursday.
So this announcement is not only insulting, it’s ignorant.
Jorkin’ Dapeanus Vance has written a book about how his conversion to Catholicism totally wasn’t a stunt to try to attain political power.
The cover art is a photo of a Methodist church in Virginia that he has never been to.
I did not know that. Yet, God it is long with lots of kneeling and standing. The priest “acts” as Pontious Pilate and the attendees as the attendees, “Crucify him!”. At least Pope JII allowed the closing song to be “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life”
My brother once said of the various Protestants, the Methodists were the only ones still going to hell. Not sure why. Yet if just Vance goes, I’m okay with that.
- Pope John Paul 2nd
And was kidding. And so was my brother, I guess.
There’s a new nickname going around the internets for what Trump and Hegseth have done to the DoD - the Department of War Crimes
Anything can be a toy if you’re brave enough.
I can’t find a clip of it right now, but there’s an episode of King of the Hill where a group of Tibetan monks visiting Arlen believe that Bobby is the reincarnation of their late lama. When Hank catches him trying to meditate, he tells him “Cut that out, we’re Methodists!”, to which Bobby responds “I’ve been meaning to ask you about that - what is Methodism, anyway?”
After a moment of awkward silence, it cuts to the two of them in the pastor’s office at church, where Hank asks her the same question. Her response, in its entirety, is “Methodism is a rejection of Calvinism”.
That scene’s a pretty good encapsulation of how so many of the mainline Protestant churches have always seemed completely indistinguishable to me.
Especially if you ever read Crockett’s autobiography available on Project Gutenberg. Crockett wasn’t stupid, but he was no genius either. Except perhaps for politicking in the early days of the US and having a deep understanding of how plentiful beer and whiskey at an event while he was running for office could incline the electorate towards him.
The real man was not at all the person portrayed on TV in the mid-20th Century.
Although Crockett’s approach to resource extraction, willingness to perform acts that would now be considered war crimes, and lack of formal education might appeal to Trump I’m pretty sure Trump has never read that biography.
Also Threads for some additional “feel good” viewing.
Trump three days ago: We don’t need any oil from Iran
Trump today: ALLAHU AKBAR
Does Trump have any approach other than threats and saber-rattling?
Well, once you burn off soft diplomacy, what else do you have?
And a nice, abrupt, unvarnished, in CAPS ultimatium “do … immediately or else face destruction” is fairly easily understood by his base.
Then there is TACO, but we really want him to TACO.
If you put together a list of all the things he didn’t do and spin them as positive, benevolence even, it would be an impressive list of (non) achievements
Short of having someone else do violence for him, no. He’s a bully to the bone. On top of that, he notoriously believes that there are only “winners” and “losers”, and that only “losers” give anything to the other party in a deal; that limits his “diplomatic” tactics to threats and extortion, since the only agreements he is willing to accept are completely one-sided in his favor. Not even bribes, but only tribute because a “bribe” implies he’ll do something for the other party.
Trump can’t offer the Iranians any incentives, because doing so would make Trump a “loser”. To Trump the only acceptable outcome* is capitulation to him, in return for nothing. He can’t even lie about it effectively between his known treacherousness and attacking during negotiations.
That’s not an attitude that leaves room for any other tactic than threats and force.
- EDIT: In his own head, at least. With luck he’ll do his thing of running away and telling himself he won.
i’m really worried about the consequences for the Iranian population (not to mention the rest of the world’s economy) of Trump not having an easy off-ramp in this war.
He may realize that he can’t spin this as a victory in any way, and thus escalate things to horrid levels.