Sochi tries to dominate the weekâs news, but
Ukraine steals the headlines, pushing the Pussy Riot whipping by Russia’s
modern Cossacks off the front page.
Western bureaucrats and politicians work to
figure out if Ukraine is another proxy war between Putin and Obama, like Syria
and Iran, or an organic response to another autocrat’s excesses.
On the home front, Tom Delay tells the
nation that our Constitution was written by his god. A snake handling preacher,
who believed his god would protect him from snake bite, dies from a snake bite.
We learn that John Boehner has been against raising the minimum wage since
1996. We learn from a Bush-appointed judge that it is perfectly fine for the
NYPD to spy on Muslim girls in a grade school in New Jersey, but not OK for the
AP to reveal it.
We met with Iran to flesh out the nuclear weapons deal, with
modest progress, and with more hysteria from Israel. The UN orders the warring
parties in Syria to stop blocking the delivery of humanitarian aid, but without
any prospect of punishment for those who disobey.
We live in times that cry out for solutions,
but none will be forthcoming in Washington this year. Politicians on both sides
think ANY KIND of political action creates risk for their reelection this fall.
So, the only deal they will make is no deal at all. You can’t have better days, but you will get exhortations for more money from the congress critter who is doing nothing for you.
Use the following, adapted from Henry
Demarest Lloyd, as the inspiration for this Sunday’s homily: If our civilization is destroyed, it will
not be by barbarians at our gates. Our barbarians will come from inside, and above.
Be
sure you know the difference between these on Sunday:
The games are not always between Olympians:
And America still sucks at curling:
Canadian Men, following Canadian Women, beat US 1-0:
Congressional do-nothings should only get merit pay:
Photo taken in Aleppo on February 16, 2014:
