The Old Knickerbocker

Found myself in an elevator with a FREAKISHLY tall man today. Me: So...you know what I'm going to ask. Him: 6'8". And you know what *I'm* going to ask. Me: 4'11". And that was all that was said between us because what would a giraffe and a Hobbit have to talk about anyway??

Remember when the Obama FBI visited CIA chief David Petraeus and let him know they somehow knew he was having an affair? But they also told him don't worry. They said they'd determined he didn't break any laws and they'd keep it quiet. Then, a year later when Petraeus wasn't playing nicely with the Obama folks on the coverup regarding the Islamic terrorist nature of the Benghazi attacks, suddenly Petraeus is "outed" for his affair and forced out of office. The timing is interesting, no? It's almost as if power brokers in govt. collect files or "dirt" on important people, then let the people know the files or "dirt" exists to keep them in line. Then, when and if those folks fall out of line, years old allegations and stories are leaked to the media. And the media, as well as the target's former political allies, who would normally defend the target because of his political status... suddenly all demand resignations or whatnot and destroy the target. It sounds like a movie plot, but we know this sort of thing happens. Thoughts?

So the Pope met with David Axelrod last week. David Axelrod. Obama's campaign architect. A man who is not Catholic, has never met a pope before, and whose entire career has been engineering political narratives for the American left. And then, by pure coincidence, the Pope immediately started lobbing shots at the Trump administration, and three US Cardinals popped up on 60 Minutes doing the same thing. All organically, I'm sure. I'm a practicing Catholic. I need you to understand that part. But in my opinion, Trump has all the right to lash out at him. Maybe you'll disagree, but in the end, Trump talks like Trump. Water is wet. I'm talking about MY Church being run like a DNC satellite office but with a golden throne. This is the same Vatican that watched governments padlock churches during COVID and said nothing. That let Biden take communion while funding abortion and said nothing. That fired Bishop Strickland for defending actual Church doctrine. That removed Bishop Fernández in Puerto Rico for defending religious exemptions THE CATECHISM ITSELF supports. But somehow Trump is the threat to human dignity. Pope Francis was bad. Leo has turned out to be worse. Francis at least was vague about his politics. Leo went and hired the consulting firm. The man has ignored the slaughter of Christians across Nigeria, the Sahel, India, Syria, Bangladesh, Pakistan. Hundreds of believers murdered, churches burned, pastors kidnapped. His response? Platitudes about dialogue. OF COURSE he won't even name who's doing the killing. But he'll fly across continents to make interfaith gestures the week after his people coordinated a media hit on a sitting US president. The weaponization of belief is obvious. You get the Pope to pick a fight with Trump, and suddenly millions of conservative Catholics have to choose between their faith and their vote.

Getting scolded and shamed for daring to criticize or question clergy and clerical behavior is one of things that led to 40 years of secret sexual abuse. It is *okay* to be a devout Catholic and critique the institution and the people who run it. It doesn't make you a bad Catholic. Being Catholic doesn't mean you must relinquish your brain or your tongue. Francis shut down TLM parishes and told a journalist he "hates conservative American Catholics" - an actual quote. We are free to say what we like and remain in good standing, barring blasphemy or calumny.

Two weeks ago I was hitch-hiking at Donner Summit after a failed backcountry ski trip. Nathan’s CHP cruiser rolled up and I thought, here we go, I’m about to get harassed by the cops. Nathan rolled down the window and asked if I was all right. I leaned in and told him I was ok, and gave him my story. He asked if I wanted a ride, and I gladly accepted. In the next 45 minutes we talked, laughed and shared stories. He told me about his wife and kids, his time working in San Jose, and how he loved working up in the mountains away from the city. When he dropped me off, he gave me his personal phone number and told me to call him at 6:30 if I hadn’t gotten a ride - he would pick me up after he got off work and drive me to family in Sacramento. I texted him later in the day to tell him that I had been picked up and thank him. He texted back: All's well that ends well. Glad you made it. I have found myself thinking about how I could repay his kindness in the last couple of weeks. About bringing him a 6 pack of beer, or writing the CHP to commend him. I thought about looking him up when I was in the area and offering to buy him dinner. I thought about becoming his friend. And then I read in the newspaper today that he had been killed on duty this weekend - hit by a car while investigating another accident. And I was, I am, crushed. Buying him a 6 pack or dinner seems so small in scope now. I am sharing this in an effort to broaden that scope. To repay him by inspiring others to be good. Be a good person. Be kind to strangers. Go out of your way to help them when you can. The time for this is now, not later. Later may never come. The measure of your life is your impact on other people. Make it count. Nathan Taylor was a good man. He was kind, and giving, and he wanted to help. He challenged my prejudice against the police. He inspired me to be a better man. You made a difference, Nathan. Thank you. Credit : Paxton Brewer edited for clarity

Swalwell’s crime wasn’t getting played by a Chinese spy. It wasn’t tipping her off to an investigation so she could leave the country to avoid arrest. Swalwell’s crime wasn’t human trafficking of prostitutes or abusing women. Eric Swalwell’s crime was threatening the political prospects of a billionaire California Democrat and of Democrat control of California. That’s it. That’s what got him in trouble. Pretty craven and insane when you think about it.

“The seething racial resentment in the Third World against the West — decades after independence and trillions in foreign aid — should cause second thoughts about opening our borders to mass immigration from that world.” Pat Buchanan

Jean Reno "La France se meurt à petit feu. Chirac, Sarkozy, Hollande.. tous ont leur] part de responsabilité. Mais Macron ? Une catastrophe absolue. Incompétence, arrogance, mépris. Le pire président de la Ve République."

@MedievalScholar If Henry VIII's older brother doesn't die prematurely, England probably stays Catholic.

Catholicism in England was doomed the very moment King Richard III’s blood spilled on the grass of Bosworth and the Tudor dynasty began If Henry was killed in Richard’s charge, the dynasty never happens and Henry 8 isn’t born

@slayermayne @South_Sider2k5 @OleTimeHardball You don't have a lot of friends, do you?

@Dexpectations12 @South_Sider2k5 @OleTimeHardball It’s blatant cheating having a massive edge with steroids don’t use that bullshit take as something legit

One makes it into the Hall of Fame, the others never does Are you electing Barry Bonds or Pete Rose?

As I have said, I don't think either of them should ever get in the Hall of Fame. But if I'm forced to choose between them, yes I'd choose Bonds. You can argue PEDs were kind of of a gray area. Gambling on baseball is NOT a gray area. It's an automatic ban. Rose knew this. If you want to argue Pete is a better player, cool. Good for you. I don't care. That's not the issue before us.

@Dexpectations12 @South_Sider2k5 @OleTimeHardball Someone who literally cheated and gave himself and edge over the competition in a non natural way, you just have strong bias against Pete

@slayermayne @South_Sider2k5 @OleTimeHardball Feel free to take any position you like buddy. I honestly don't care.

@Dexpectations12 @South_Sider2k5 @OleTimeHardball Kind of a mind blowing take that you would pick someone who literally cheated while playing over a guy who got caught gambling as a coach for his team to win

@slayermayne @South_Sider2k5 @OleTimeHardball You realize the bullpen doesn't?

@Dexpectations12 @South_Sider2k5 @OleTimeHardball You realize pitchers take 4-5 days off in-between starts?

@slayermayne @South_Sider2k5 @OleTimeHardball The accusation is that he was doing that on games he had money on. When he didn't he would rest his best pitchers.

@Dexpectations12 @South_Sider2k5 @OleTimeHardball he was using the pitching staff to give himself the best chance of winning the game

The media themselves had an affinity for portraying Barack Obama as a messianic/angelic figure. Zero outrage from Democrats or the left. ✅ The New Republic (Jan 2008) ✅ Newsweek (May 2012)

@malcolmkenyatta Maybe you should lower our taxes.

In America, you shouldn’t have to work two and three jobs just to barely get by.

True. Not from women.

@TheJFreakinC We never said we were only deporting the criminals. We're deporting every single one. If you're an illegal, you have to leave.

🚨TWO Venezuelan doctors… Dr. Ezequiel Veliz and Dr. Rubeliz Bolivar… were detained by ICE agents, in South Texas this month. So yeah, let’s drop the “worst of the worst” narrative.

@RTSG_Main Are you kidding? The last 150 years are a debunking of Marx.

Nobody has ever been able to debunk Karl Marx.

When did the Pope lecture Canada about rampant euthanasia and organ harvesting? I must have missed that.