O God, by whose word all things are sanctified, pour forth Thy blessing upon this wreath, and grant that we who use it may prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ and may receive from Thee abundant graces. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
In the beginning was the Word: and the Word was with God: and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him: and without him was made nothing that was made. In him was life: and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness: and the darkness did not comprehend it.
Out of Sion the loveliness of his beauty. God shall come manifestly: our God shall come, and shall not keep silence. A fire shall burn before him: and a mighty tempest shall be round about him. He shall call heaven from above, and the earth, to judge his people. Gather ye together his saints to him: who set his covenant before sacrifices.
Give to the king thy judgment, O God: and to the king's son thy justice: To judge thy people with justice, and thy poor with judgment. Let the mountains receive peace for the people: and the hills justice. He shall judge the poor of the people, and he shall save the children of the poor: and he shall humble the oppressor. And he shall continue with the sun, and before the moon, throughout all generations. He shall come down like rain upon the fleece; and as showers falling gently upon the earth. In his days shall justice spring up, and abundance of peace, till the moon be taken sway. And all kings of the earth shall adore him: all nations shall serve him. For he shall deliver the poor from the mighty: and the needy that had no helper. He shall spare the poor and needy: and he shall save the souls of the poor. He shall redeem their souls from usuries and iniquity: and their names shall be honorable in his sight. And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Arabia, for him they shall always adore: they shall bless him all the day.
On this Thanksgiving weekend, we ask the Up or Down crew what they're thankful for: the new cast of 'The View,' the iPhone 6, low gas prices...
Sen. Ted Cruz cozies up with wealthy Jewish donors in New York. Can comedian Bill Cosby clear his name in the wake of sexual assault allegations? Plus, fallout from the verdict in Ferguson, MO.
National Review's Jim Geraghty and host Greg Corombos discuss what they are politically thankful for this holiday season — in particular the midterm elections.
Don't argue about politics this Thanksgiving. Just don't...
Never fear. The pundits are here to save you. Think Progress has a guide on "how to argue with your Evangelical uncle" about marriage equality. Vox is advising you on Bill Cosby, Ferguson, and immigration (you're for it as much as possible, of course).
Last year, some of Michael Bloomberg's dollars trickled down to someone who gave you talking points on gun control. Chris Hayes is once again dedicating an hour of his MSNBC show to the cause.
Less combatively, Conor Friedersdorf advises you to adopt his brand of nodding empathy: "Before you focus on any point of disagreement, ask questions of your interlocutor to figure out why they think the way they do about the subject at hand."
These advice columns are becoming a genre unto themselves. The stock villain: crazy right-wing uncle, the jokes about stuffing. But I recognize them by what they unwittingly emulate: guides for religious evangelism. The gentle, righteous self-regard, the slightly orthogonal response guides, the implied urgency to cure your loved ones of their ignorance. Your raging uncle will know the truth, and the truth will set him free.
That's a problem. Our politics are taking on a religious shape. Increasingly we allow politics to form our moral identity and self-conception. We surround ourselves with an invisible community of the "elect" who share our convictions, and convince ourselves that even our closest and beloved relatives are not only wrong, but enemies of goodness itself. And so one of the best, least religious holidays in the calendar becomes a chance to deliver your uncle up as a sinner in the hands of an angry niece...
Also read:
Eight Most Ridiculous Suggestions for Talking to Conservatives this Thanksgiving
It's Thanksgiving. Be Thankful! And Happy...
National Review's Jim Geraghty joins host Greg Corombos. Today's topics: Rioting in Ferguson and Obama's ill-timed comments, the Ferguson D.A. slams cable news and social media coverage of the investigation, and critics of Chuck Hagel have their say.
Obama and the Roots of the Ferguson Rage
One is left to marvel at one of two realities. Either we have a president so utterly naive he believes a hoax-perpetrating, riot-inciting Al Sharpton, who denigrated the grand jury process, pre-organized protest rallies in 25 American cities, and uses his MSNBC platform to fire up racial unrest, is a man of peace. Or the president, who once urged his Latino followers to "punish our enemies," remains as wedded to the same racial "us against them" mentality as America's foremost racial arsonist. Is it really possible to believe the former?
Despite Obama's superficial condemnations of violence, at least 25 businesses were set ablaze, many of which are total losses - and most of which were minority owned. Ten cars were burned at a dealership, and a "lot of gunfire," as Ferguson Asst. Fire Chief Steve Fair put it, made maintaining control of the streets highly problematic, if not impossible. Reporters were assaulted, the store Michael Brown robbed prior to his confrontation with Wilson was looted, and at least 61 people have been arrested.
"What I've seen tonight is probably much worse than the worst night we ever had in August, and that's truly unfortunate," said St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar Monday at a 1:30 a.m press conference. Belmar further noted that there was "nothing left" along West Florissant between Solway Avenue and Chambers Road, that he heard at least 150 gun shots, and that he was surprised he and Missouri Highway Patrol Captain Ron Johnson, who "got lit up," as they drove through the area, weren't hit by that gunfire...
Also read:
Incitement: New York Times Publishes Darren Wilson's Address
The indomitable spirit of one Ferguson small business owner
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announces his resignation! President Obama announces his plan for immigration reform. Plus, Rosie O'Donnell gets gross.
National Review's Jim Geraghty joins host Greg Corombos. Today's topics: Chuck Hagel is out at the Pentagon, Obama says future presidents shouldn't use executive actions for taxes, and Marion Barry's inexplicable deification.
Is Hagel's resignation a first sign of the administration's implosion?
When, in extemporaneous remarks, Obama told reporters that it was America's policy to "shrink" ISIS down into a "manageable problem," it was Hagel who was tapped to clean up those comments. Speaking with CNN reporter Jim Sciutto before an audience of students at the U.S. Naval War College, Hagel insisted that America should dismiss Obama's off-the-cuff statements and focus only on what he said in his prepared remarks. "No, it's not contain," Hagel said of America's policy toward ISIS. "It's exactly what the president said: 'Degrade and destroy.'"
Hagel, the thankless janitor who spent his tenure either cleaning up after Obama's controversial asides or trying to make sense of the White House's conflictual approach to foreign affairs, got his reward this week. For Hagel's part, however, he does not seem prepared to allow the administration to frame him as the problematic element in his relationship with the president. A "senior defense official" told CBS reporter David Martin that Hagel "was fed up with micromanagement from the White House."
Expect this back and forth in the press to continue, and likely to get worse in the coming week.
Also read:
Hagel's Brief Tenure, Abrupt Exit Unique for Cabinet Member From 'Other Party'
Chuck Hagel Is Out As Defense Secretary, So You Know What That Means
Conservatives own the recipe for a happy life, but have a hard time telling that story without being didactic, even dull. Liberal values lead to misery, but liberals know how to hook hearts with music and laughter and drama. Does the Conservative "head game" make them seem heartless? Does the very fact that K&W are talking about this -- rather than singing, or rapping, or dancing — provide the perfect illustration? Plus, Whittle reveals the Achilles heel of a liberal.
