I Will Not Fan the Flames

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people – for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

I Timothy 2:1-4

This is not the first post that I wrote for today. Perhaps the first version was a chance for me to say what I thought and what I’m feeling after the events of the weekend.

I am old enough to be able to answer the question, “Where were you when you learned that JFK had been

River City Community Players
September 13-14, 20-21

shot?”

I was at home playing. My aunt was babysitting. The television was not on. We learned the news when my brother came home early from school.

I am now old enough to answer the question, “Where were you when they attempted to assisinate President Trump?”

I was at the amusement park. We were taking a break from our activities when the news came across Twitter (X). We kept getting updates through the evening.

In typical Social Media form, the posts were flying back and forth. Misinformation. Horrible opinions. You get the idea.

So, I wrote a post pointing to some of that and expressing my opinion.

Then I deleted it.

Adding my voice to the mix won’t help solve the situation. It may even make things worse.

Instead, I’ll just watch what I say and do in my own circle of influence…if there’s even a circle.

The pundits and the arm-chair quarterbacks will continue to debate this.

I plan to let them.

IN OTHER NEWS

While I’m not writing my own commentary, I will continue to point to other sources I think you should take the time to read. If my opinion shows through the cracks, so be it.

We should also note that this past weekend we lost Dr. Ruth, Richard Simmons, and 90210 actress Shannen Doherty.

The Shot Heard ‘Round America
Shaun Kenney at The Republican Standard
I really wish I could sugar coat this. The fact of the matter is that the rhetoric in this country — and it is Democrats aiming at Republicans both rhetorically and literally at this point — is the sort which encourages this sort of violence.

‘I Was Four Feet Away When I Heard the Bullets’
Salena Zito in The Free Press
I’ve since seen videos of what happened. People were screaming. But all I remember hearing was an eerie silence. With that kind of crowd, you’d expect pandemonium, a stampede. But I never had a sense of chaos.

How CNN Reported 7 Famous Assassinations Throughout History
The Babylon Bee
Over the centuries, the brilliant journalistic minds at CNN have covered several assassination attempts in their own unique way. Here are seven examples of their best work, serving as a shining beacon of truth in dark times…

BORN ON THIS DAY

1606 – Rembrandt, Dutch painter and etcher (d. 1669)
1779 – Clement Clarke Moore, American author, poet, and educator (d. 1863)
1935 – Alex Karras, American football player, wrestler, and actor (d. 2012)
1944 – Jan-Michael Vincent, American actor (d. 2019)
1946 – Linda Ronstadt, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
1950 – Arianna Huffington, Greek-American journalist and publisher
1952 – Terry O’Quinn, American actor

July 16-17 are Amazon’s Prime Day.  A great day to catch up with your favorite farm animals.

Available on Amazon.

BENEDICTION


 

And now…the weekend.

 

Christina’s World by Andrew Wyeth (1948) Museum of Modern Art via Wikipedia Fair use. Andrew Wyeth was born on this day in 1917 (died 2009)

“I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”

Walden: Or, Life in the Woods

American essayist, poet, and philosopher, Henry David Thoreau, was born on this day in 1817 (died 1862).

I’m probably due to read Walden again. I’ll put it on the list.

It’s Friday. It’s still hot. But at least it looks like we’re finally getting some rain this weekend.

The march toward retirement continues. During a brief period of insomnia on Wednesday night and

River City Community Players
September 13-14, 20-21

Thursday morning I watched a video about a fool proof way to have an automated income on the Interwebz. Let’s just say I watched enough to remember that those programs are not for me.

So Janis and I have to be content with the fact that Dialing for Dollars is trying tor reach us.

If you know, you know.

If you don’t know, our generation had the best music.

Exciting theater news. The full cast list isn’t out, but I will be appearing as Al Lewis in Neil Simon’s The Sunshine Boys with River City Community Players this September.

Also exciting, I will be returning to Chamberlayne Actors Theatre in the Spring of 2025 to direct Honky Tonk Hissy Fit: A Doublewide Texas Sequel. I directed the first two of this series for CAT in 2018. We were all set to premier this script in the Fall of 2020. Obviously that didn’t happen and the show premiered elsewhere. Along the same time because it wasn’t sustainable to pay rent on a building we weren’t using for eighteen months, CAT lost our home for over 50 years.

Due to The Late Great Unpleasantness (™) of 2021, I left the CAT Board. But I’m delighted to be coming back to direct this show.

Even more exciting, CAT has found a new home at the Historic Hanover Tavern.

Lone Star long necks all around.

Of course there are many projects and events between now and the Spring. You know I’ll tell you about them in due time.

It’s another summer weekend. We’re promised some rain and thunderstorms.

But I’m hoping to get to Kings Dominion for the opening of Grand Carnivale. One of my favorite park events.

Let’s go get some beads.

IN OTHER NEWS

Angry and stunned Democrats blame Biden’s closest advisers for shielding public from full extent of president’s decline
CNN
“The entire display is kind of an act,” one of those sources told CNN. “They would come and say, ‘Hey, the president is going to call on you about 25 minutes in, and ask this question. What are the bullet points you’ll respond with?’”

 

Italian PM Giorgia Meloni rolls eyes, checks imaginary watch waiting for Biden’s arrival at NATO Summit
New York Post
With an eye roll for the ages, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni appeared annoyed Thursday morning as she and other world leaders waited for President Biden and the alliance’s Secretary Gen. Jens Stoltenberg to finally grace their presence and open the third day of the NATO Summit.

‘You’re worried if he knows which direction he’s going’: Nervous world leaders greet Biden at NATO
Politico
The contrast couldn’t be starker: President Joe Biden, physically and politically frail, presiding over what could be his final NATO Summit at a moment when the alliance has never been so strong.

Media Who Refused To Report On Biden’s Decline Furious That Nobody Reported On Biden’s Decline
Babylon Bee
While many people online expressed the belief that Biden had been showing signs of cognitive issues for years, the news media was outraged that there wasn’t anyone responsible for chronicling the evidence and disseminating the information to people around the world.

Shelley Duvall,The Shining star and Robert Altman collaborator, dies at 75
Entertainment Weekly
Shelley Duvall, the actress who starred in several Robert Altman films and evaded an ax-swinging Jack Nicholson in Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, has died. She was 75.

Strays Find a Home
Style Weekly
It’s hard to keep track of which of its nine lives Chamberlayne Actors Theatre (or CAT) is now on. Operating without a home venue since 2020, the company just announced a residency at Hanover Tavern for its 2024-25 season, an arrangement that will provide more stability and opportunities for growth for the vagabond theater troupe.

BORN ON THIS DAY

100 BC – Julius Caesar, Roman politician and general (d. 44 BC)
1884 – Louis B. Mayer, Russian-born American film producer, co-founded Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (d. 1957)
1895 – Oscar Hammerstein II, American director, producer, and songwriter (d. 1960)
1908 – Milton Berle, American comedian and actor (d. 2002)
1937 – Bill Cosby, American actor, comedian, producer, and screenwriter
1951 – Cheryl Ladd, American actress

 

Available on Amazon.

BENEDICTION

American singer and pianist, Sandi Patty, was born on this day in 1956.