Delusions of grandeur

Trump shares renderings of a towering presidential library



This is just wrong.

Holy Week

So what was Jesus up to in the week between Palm Sunday and Easter? According to the gospels he did a lot, including cleansing the temple, speaking to the disciples on the Mount of Olives, visiting Simon the Leper, and helping a woman who had committed adultery.



From the film Jesus, 1999, which starred Jeremy Sisto.

What about North Korea?

North Korean ballistic missile

In the news today ...

North Korea tests missile that it claims can target U.S. mainland

So, a country, a communist country run by a brutal dictator, a country with nuclear weapons, a country that is constantly threatening our allies of South Korea and Japan - that country now has made a point of letting the world know they have missiles that can reach the US.

So, doesn't that scenario check pretty much all the boxes that caused the US to attack Iran? Why are the Republicans not going on about freeing the North Koreanss, saving the world from this terrible nuclear threat? When do we go to war?

Or is it not likely because they have no oil to take, unlike in Venezuela and in Iran? Because our leader and their leader are "in love"? Because it wouldn't be an easy win?

Palm Sunday

Pope Leo XIV rejects claims that God justifies war in Palm Sunday Mass message

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday rejected claims that God justifies war and prayed especially for Christians in the Middle East during a Palm Sunday Mass before tens of thousands of people in St. Peter's Square ...

This comes after Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth called for ...

"overwhelming violence of action" against those who "deserve no mercy" during a monthly Christian service held at the Pentagon on March 25, a day after he announced major changes to the military's chaplaincy corps.

Speaking to military and civilian employees at the livestreamed service, Hegseth quoted Scripture and read a prayer he said was first offered by a military chaplain during a past U.S. operation. The prayer asked God to "let every round find its mark against the enemies of righteousness and our great nation." ...

The Right - have they ever actually read the NT?



Movie clip from the film The Gospel of John, 2003, starring Henry Ian Cusick. The film gives a word for word account of John's gospel.

A great achievement?

Eight (or ten) tankers safely through the Starit.

Even given that Iran already said it would let non-combatants of the war through the Strait without problem?

Before the war, everyone could use the Strait of Hormuz safely.

Jason Bordoff

Ezra Klein talks to Jason Bordoff, an American energy policy expert, and a researcher specializing in the intersection of economics, energy, environment, and national security, about the war between Iran and the US/Israel and the remifications.

Negotiations?

More detailed information from The Times of Israel's daily briefing on what's going on with the supposed negotiations between Iran and the US that Trump announced the other day.

Amos Hochstein

Amos Hochstein was on Lawrence O'Donnell's show tonight. He's a former diplomat and energy advisor to President Biden who I noticed when the war between Israel and Hamas started after the October 7 2023 attack. He was chosen by Biden to negotiate between Hezbollah, who had joined the war on Oct 8, and Israel. I was struck back then by how competent he seemed. From Wikipedia ...

During the Israel–Hezbollah conflict, Hochstein made multiple trips to Lebanon as a special U.S. envoy in order to negotiate a resolution to the conflict. His strategy was to push Hezbollah to pressure Hamas into accepting a ceasefire agreement to end the Gaza war. In the case Israel and Hamas were to reach such a deal, Hezbollah had promised to in turn end its attacks on Israel.

- Hochstein with Joe Biden, Antony Blinken, Brett McGurk and Jonathan Finer on July 25, 2024

America

"Ventura Highway" = the sound of freedom on endless summer highwayspic.twitter.com/8pDDVELvdn

— Music and Lyrics! 🎙️🎵🎸🎼🎹🤘 (@somethingrand77) March 23, 2026

Cuba

Taking Cuba. I mean, whether I free it, take it, I think I can do anything I want with it.

Of course he can. First Venezuela, then Iran, next Cuba, and perhaps Greehland - it's only the beginning. God help us :(

RIP: Robert Mueller

Something more ...

- A young Robert Mueller, who joined the Marine Corps in 1968, during the Vietnam war ...

In the summer of 1968, he was sent to South Vietnam, where he served as a rifle platoon leader as a second lieutenant with Second Platoon, H Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, 3rd Marine Division. On December 11, 1968, during an engagement in Operation Scotland II, he earned the Bronze Star with "V" device for combat valor for rescuing a wounded Marine under enemy fire during an ambush in which he saw half of his platoon become casualties. In April 1969, he received an enemy gunshot wound in the thigh, recovered, and returned to lead his platoon until June 1969. For his service in and during the Vietnam War, his military decorations and awards included additionally, the Purple Heart, two Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals with Combat "V", Combat Action Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal with four service stars, Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, and Parachutist Badge ...

There is so much more of Mueller's service to the US after he was in the military, but I just wanted to mention this contribution at the beginning of his career. He was a brave and selfless person.

Here's what the president, who managed to evade military service during the Vietnam war, had to say upon hearing of Mueller's death ... ‘Good, I’m glad he’s dead’

Bernie and Claude

Senator Bernie Sanders talks to Anthropic’s AI agent, Claude. Why did it choose that particular voice, I wonder? Think how different the conversation would be if Claude sounded like Darth Vader, or even worse, like HAL 9000.

RIP: Chuck Norris

Chuck Norris, martial arts master and actor whose toughness became internet lore, dies at 86

So sad to read today that Chuck Norris has passed away. I know that in recent years he has become quite a political conservative, but when I first came to know of him, he was not about politics, just martial arts and films.

My sister and I were fans of martial arts movies back in the 70s and 80s, and we first saw Chuck in one of Bruce Lee's films - The Way of the Dragon. It was his second movie role, and he was the bad guy, but he made an impression, perhaps because he really was a martial artist who had won championships in karate. Here's a clip from the movie, where they are fighting in the Colosseum in Rome (which has a lot of stray cats) ...



He went on to do a lot of other movies in which he showed off his fighting skills, like Good Guys Wear Black (1978), but the one I especially remember was The Octagon in 1980 ...



Not saying the storyline and acting were exceptional but I did like the fight scenes ...



It was around this time that I joined a martial arts school (I got my mom to join with me), where I ended up meeting my future ex-husband, one of the school's best students. Here's me at the dojo ...

At that time I read a book by Chuck that had some good visualization techniques ... Winning Tournament Karate.

After I got divorced and left the martial arts school where I'd spent 5 years of my life, I lost track of Chuck's films and his later political interests. But I always will like him and remember the happiness his films and martial arts skills added to my life.

Godspeed, Chuck.

Yoda

Here's Yoda. She's not very happy. The fleas are starting to bite and she's been over-grooming. It's very hard to sneak up on her and sqeeze the little tube of flea-killer slime onto the back of her neck before she notices me. Maybe today.

Today is ...

Bam-boo yah, it’s #NationalPandaDay pic.twitter.com/xHc9c7116R

— San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (@sandiegozoo) March 16, 2026

And also Saint Patrick's Day :)

The meeting

About 19 minutes into the video, Trump talks about the war with Iran and answers questions from the press during a meeting of the board of the Kennedy Center.

Among other things, he gave innaccurate information about the progress of the wa. He criticized and insulted our NATO allies while at the same time asking them for help with the Strait of Hormuz.

Church of the Holy Sepulchre

❗️ The Iranian regime is firing ballistic missiles over Jerusalem’s holy sites

That dome is the Church of the Holy Sepulcher — and that’s missile shrapnel pic.twitter.com/FTFHOVxf6x

— Eylon Levy (@EylonALevy) March 16, 2026

Church of the Holy Sepulchrer ... The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, also known as the Church of the Resurrection, is a fourth-century church in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. The church is simultaneously the seat of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, and the Catholic Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. It is the holiest site in Christianity and it has been an important pilgrimage site for Christians since the fourth century.

- The Altar of the Crucifixion, where The Rock of Calvary (bottom) is encased in glass.

Iran

Ezra Klein talks with Ali Vaez, an Iranian-American expert on the Middle East, about the history of the relationships between Iran, the US, and Israel, and how past events are affecting the presnet war.

I recall some of that history, including the hostage crisis of 1979 and how it doomed President Jimmy Carter's chance of re-election.

Also it's interesting how historical Persia contributes to the way Iran thinks of itself - I remember from history classes the Persians and the wars with Greece ... Darius and the battle of Marathon, and Xerxes and the battles of Thermopylae (the Spartans) and Salamis.

Spring

Spring is my favorite season. All the plants are happy. I was out in the yard today ...

Lucy followed me around ...

Here's a bit of the once huge acacia tree ...

The bird baths ...

Some of the cat condos ...

The Thompson Seedless grapes are coming back ...

Peace Train

I want to remember the feeling I get when I listen to this song. Especially now when things are so bad for so many around the world.