Right-wing Cancel Culture, Kimmel, and McCarthyism

(updated 23 Sept) 

I've never watched Jimmy Kimmel or been a fan. Like many Americans, I've seen the occasional YouTube clip on this or that issue when he's made the news. Most of the time (I must confess) I just haven't found him to be that funny.

The FCC head suggested that Kimmel's recent comments regarding the Charlie Kirk shooter were misleading the American public. While it would seem that Robinson is unlikely to be a member of the MAGA cult, his motives still remain unclear. Some have attempted to connect him to Nick Fuentes who is a Right-wing rival and critic of Charlie Kirk. The point being is it may be more complicated. However, Right-wing media has already decided the issue and is moving forward with their propaganda and their political campaign to capitalize on Kirk's death. On that point, Kimmel was certainly correct.

Freedom by Means of Authoritarianism

https://justandsinner.libsyn.com/how-the-modern-world-misunderstands-freedom-a-conversation-with-brad-littlejohn

Littlejohn of The Davenant Institute is an avowed disciple of the Doug Wilson sect and offers his appreciation to not only Wilson and Douglas Jones, but Peter Leithart. This reveals a great deal in terms of his formation.

Recess Appointments and Originalism

If facing resistance from the Senate, the incoming Trump administration has indicated it would like to utilise 'recess appointments' for incoming cabinet members - a provision granted in the Constitution. The new Senate majority leader John Thune has signalled he may be willing to facilitate this by taking the body into recess for no reason other than allowing Trump to push his cabinet nominees through.

Sacralist Jurisprudence and Evangelical Syncretism

https://reformedforum.org/podcasts/ctc877/

I've been listening to Christ the Center since about 2009. An interesting podcast most of the time, this episode was an exception. After realizing the guest was a law professor at Liberty University, I almost turned it off. I struggle to take anyone associated with Liberty seriously, but I decided to give it a listen.

The Georgia Indictment, RICO, and Rudy Giuliani

I have not been watching all of the news coverage but I would hope that someone would point out the irony present in this situation. Giuliani has been swept up in the Georgia indictment on the basis of RICO – the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.

When Criminal Trespass is Legal

https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/greenpeace-protesters-cleared-of-charges-for-blockading-russian-ship

This story from back in January never gained any traction. It was but one of many of a similar type that seems omnipresent within the news but never subject to analysis or question.

The Acculturation and Moral Bankruptcy of Modern Evangelical Commentators

https://www.christianpost.com/voices/lessons-to-learn-from-great-britains-declining-christianity.html

Articles like this make you throw up your hands into the air. Christian influence on society has declined and as a result society has become morally ambiguous.

The Death of an Arch-Hypocrite and False Christian

Ken Starr has died and while his name will be forever associated with the Clinton-Lewinsky affair, he remained a well-known and active figure in Right-wing circles, even into the Trump era.

The Trump Justice Department, Integrity and Policing Wall Street

https://www.npr.org/2022/09/20/1124043768/how-trumps-doj-pressured-the-southern-district-of-ny-to-aid-the-white-house

This episode of Fresh Air encouraged a deluge of thoughts and considerations. Listening to the account by the former US Attorney and his reports of the corruption in the Trump administration and specifically of former Attorney General Bill Barr, I could not help but immediately think of LPR's Issues Etc.

Evangelicals Once More Celebrating Disobedience and Stupidity

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/high-school-football-coach-scores-big-win-supreme-court-post-game-prayer

Given the magnitude of the Dobbs v. Jackson abortion decision, the Kennedy v. Bremerton ruling regarding the religious liberty of a football coach was in many ways under reported. It's getting some attention but if Roe v. Wade had not been overturned, this ruling would be front and center. Its implications are potentially vast.

Evangelical Disobedience and the Courts

https://www.christianpost.com/news/usps-can-require-christian-to-work-on-sundays-court-rules.html

This is a case of worldly thinking being passed off as Christianity applied. It's more rights-based ethics – file a lawsuit and call on the state to compel your employer to give you what you want. It's an abnegation of gospel testimony, an attempt to wed Christianity to the power of the state. And this thinking is the result of Dominionism, the utter confusion of the True Kingdom that calls us to take up the cross with a counterfeit kingdom that seeks to sanctify the world and its hallmarks – the sword and the coin. Bow to its ethic and its fallen prince will grant you the kingdoms of the earth. This is how far removed from the New Testament this doctrinal and ethical system is.

Homeschooling in Romania and the HSLDA

https://hslda.org/post/as-homeschooling-grows-in-romania-government-cracks-down

As mentioned in previous posts, I'm not a fan of HSLDA and its Dominionist approach to homeschooling and larger questions concerning the law. Confusing Christianity (its doctrines and ethics) with the Western (and more often the American) cultural tradition, their overall approach theology, ethics, and jurisprudence are (to me) seriously misguided.

Finnish MP Paivi Rasanen's speech at the General Assembly of the Spanish Evangelical Alliance

https://evangelicalfocus.com/features/16010/for-the-christians-the-bible-is-the-word-of-god-and-we-must-have-the-possibility-to-agree-with-it

As many readers will already know Paivi Rasanen is the Finnish MP who has been brought up on charges regarding her anti-homosexual stand and public statements she has made to that end. Her trial is complete and if found guilty she faces jail time. It signals a real warning to Christians in the West that the Sodomite factions that have come to dominate large sections of Western capitalist society intend to prosecute dissidents.

Police Support for Fascists and the Right's Counter-narrative Cover

https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/12/06/patf-d06.html

https://news.yahoo.com/hundreds-white-supremacists-march-lincoln-182827649.html

Large sections of the media chose to ignore this story regarding an early December fascist militia marching on the National Mall, and others reported it but downplayed it. While the police are identified in some pieces as 'monitoring' the fascist marchers, the video evidence along with testimonials suggest that law enforcement were providing a buffer – a kind of safe-zone for the group to march and to avoid coming into contact or conflict with onlookers, many of whom are clearly appalled.

The Sublime Porte versus L'Elysee

https://www.euractiv.com/section/global-europe/news/turkey-bolsters-influence-across-north-africas-maghreb/

While the Istanbul-based Porte is no longer active, the Erdogan administration in Ankara certainly has a vision of Neo-Ottomanism - the Neo-Porte is you will. On the back burner for a season, it's back with a vengeance as Turkey attempts to triangulate its alliances, play its opposition off against one another and re-assert its unique geographical and cultural role. This is best seen in its geo-strategic and economic policies within the Middle East, the Caucasus region, Europe (particularly Germany and the Balkans) and the larger Mediterranean region.

The Low-Hanging Fruit Approach to Justice

Perusing the news, the Lori Laughlin story caught my eye again – something related to her being in prison. Overall I care nothing about the story. I don't know who this actress is and I really don't care either.

I recall the coverage of the story last year. It wasn't something I was interested in but it was often in the background on BBC while I was working or in the car.

Barr's Resignation

Attorney General William Barr's recent resignation has generated a stir within with Christian-Trumpite circles leading many to wonder if he's a traitor, or even a closet Biden supporter.

This notion is misguided and even a bit silly and it painfully demonstrates how ill-informed and even ignorant the Trump base is. How little they understand even about the basic workings of government and why people do what they do.

Trump +1365: Unanswered Questions Surrounding the Michigan Plot

This is a follow up to the previous piece found here:

http://pilgrimunderground.blogspot.com/2020/10/the-michigan-plot.html

Until the time of Trump any president upon receiving news of a plot to kidnap a governor and violently take control of state capitol would have resulted in (at the very least) a personal phone call.

Tech Resistance in the Face of Orwellian Surveillance

One might say it's a case of fighting technology with technology or perhaps one could view it as a type of counter espionage. While most of the public willingly surrenders their information to the state and/or the corporate entities which exist in a symbiotic relationship with it – some of us are more than a little concerned.

How Should We Then Live Part 9: The Age of Personal Peace and Affluence (II)

Switching gears somewhat Schaeffer turns to the question of 'arbitrary law' and the relativism born of it.