History & Comment for June 2, 2025

A look at historical and current events on this day, comment and humor so dry it would make a camel thirsty. 

Transcript

This is History and Comment for Monday, June 2nd 2025

We have all heard of the word vandalize.   It has its origin in Rome and the year 455.  The Vandals were a Germanic tribe that for two weeks plundered the city.   One of the issues that sets the Vandals off was one of those arranged political marriages between the Vandal King’s daughter and a Roman heir.   The Romans backed out and the Vandals were offended. 

Near present day Macinaw City, Michigan in 1763, Indians stage a stick ball game, possible similar to Lacrosse outside of the British fort.  With the British garrison’s attentions diverted and guard let down.   The Indians shoot the ball through the open gate and run inside.    The fort will be taken over the next couple of days.   This was part of a larger uprising against the British in the wake of the French and Indian war.   A fort just west of Lafayette, Indian is taken under similar circumstances.  One near Fort Wayne, Indiana was take when an officer is lured outside by his native mistress.  

Marconi applies for a patent on his wireless telegraph in 1896.

Known for his automobiles, Charles Rolls is the first person to make non-stop double crossing of the English Channel in 1910.    Dover England is a bit less than 23 miles from the French Coast. 

In the early part of the 20th century there was a period where anarchist were working to disrupt American Society.    We might relate these to more recent leftist causes where lawlessness and general mayhem are the goal without an overarching one.   In 1919 they set off bombs in 8 US cities.   There are two different applications of the term.  The word means without rule or governance.   It can be any disorganized event. When applied to a political system it has a more specific meaning that is almost a paradox.   It claims to want total freedom with no power structure, that is nearly impossible.  Some will call this libertarianism on steroids.     While I am all about the smallest Government possible, I understand the total elimination of Government is not possible.    

Native Americans are granted US citizenship in 1924.  

Queen Elizabeth is coronated in 1953. The event is one of the first major international events to be televised. 

The Palestine Liberation Organization is formed in 1964.    They remain and would like to be the official face of Muslims in Israel.  Simply they are a united front for Muslims who do not want a Jewish nation in the region or any place for that matter. 

During my Government employ, I worked on airplane things.    But our neighbors on base dealt with things that go boom.   There were lots of stories.   The clear lesson was rules were made after bad things had happened.      This was the case in 1983. Air Canada Flight 797, enroute from DFW to Toronto and Montreal, experienced an electric issue and fire over the Midwest.  It makes an emergency landing in Cincinnatti, Ohio.    It landed safety, but when the doors were opened the fire flashed.   The tragedy propagated a number of airline safety changes.   Floor levels lighting to exits. Faster exist procedures and rules for exit rows were part of the outcome. Along with a ban on smoking in lavatories.   Among the 23 fatalities was Canadian Folk Singer Stan Rodgers.   

There is a tornado outbreak in the Lower Ohio Valley in 1990.   With a confirmed count of 66 tornadoes.    There is talk of how this year is shaping up to be a record year for the eastern part of the Midwest and South.    Some are suggesting the traditional tornado alley in the Great Plains has shifted East a few hundred miles. 

Actor Dana Carvey who has a long history on Saturday Night Live is 70 today.   Carvey played the character Garth opposite Mike Myer’s Wayne in the Wayne’s World sits .    Carvey also has a long history of impersonating Presidents and Presidential Candidates, including President George W. Bush, Ross Peroit and of late President Biden. 

Over the weekend I gave a lot of thought to Friday’s podcast.    I am not changing anything but had notes to extend the conversation.  I want to set that aside for a time.   Another angle has emerged.   

I like the phrase that we should sacrifice sacred cows as they often make great steaks.  There are a couple of what I would call critical or hostile websites that frequently attack my church denomination and similar ones.    Both have axes to grind and that filter has to be applied frequently.  But at the same time they do make some good points that should be worthy of a long discussion, with a fair airing of both sides.   

There are a few of points that I will not budge on and they are counter to much of Christendom.    I am willing to subject them to critical thinking and simple logic.   

Utmost, the nature of God and the incarnation is beyond description in human terms.   Having three eternal spirits is not belief in one god.   It also does not simplify the concept of the incarnation.    

Beyond the first point,  baptism in the first century was always practiced in the name of Jesus.   The now popular trinitarian formula is a later addition, maybe well into the 3rd or 4th century.  Both were recognized by the Catholic Church until the 15th or 16th Century.   The best most churches will grant is both maybe valid, but then they default to the Catholic version.

Scripture alone is the infallible authority.   Traditions should never be in conflict with Scripture. They certainly do not have authority to modify it.   However, at the same time careful application to context should be considered.   We should look for broad timeless concepts and not single phrases or passages for a foundation.   

Maybe the most controversial, yet I am totally convinced, Speaking in Tongues as witnessed on at least three occasions in the Book of Act is real and still happens in the present.   At the very least it was an initial sign at those events.   On this point nearly every teacher on the subject will run to 1st Corinthians.     Paul does not have authority to alter earlier practice.  First Corinthians was written about 20 years after events in Acts 2.   The context is to restrain a rogue congregation on a broad range of church topics.   The Greek City of Corinth was a wild and crazy city. We might equate it to Las Vegas or New Orleans in our time.   Acts was written by Luke who was closely associated with and traveled with the Apostle Paul.   It was written 25 to 30 years later than 1st Corinthians.    If Speaking in Tongues was no longer valid, why did Luke make a point of it, without a historical disclaimer?  They same point can be made about baptism?  

I have a bit of time to tie these points and last weeks discussion together. 

There needs to be a heavy application of critical thinking to these points, pride week and a long list of emotional topics.    We need to examine all sides and look closely at their motivation and the origin of their thought process.  It is fair to ask what each person stands to gain from adherence to either point.   

The posters that are critical of my Church groups are often slammed by the other side with emotional terms without addressing their points.   The retort is first dismissal then to apply inflammatory rhetoric.    Conversely,  I am seeing the exact same tactic applied by proponents of Pride Month.   A few years ago society was full of talk of tolerance.   A nice word that came to mean acceptance if not a full embrace and promotion of a long list of things.   The essence was that the tolerant people would tolerate anything, accept resistance to their doctrine of embrace everything.  They would tolerate anything except intolerance.   Their intolerance was more holy since it was aimed at others intolerance.  If that sounds circular it is.   

At the same time,  the love is love people are posting  some very in your face comebacks to anyone who says, we need to talk.   We see the slur homophobic being thrown around, yet no one ventures to suggest the word hetrophobic.  

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