History & Comment for June 23, 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 the 23rd of June 2025

Last week got a bit busy so we have a few things to catch up on.  

History is overflowing with bits of one country or faction going to war with another.   The concept is nearly as old as time itself.   Well not quite.   A look at the Biblical record does not suggest massive war until after the Tower of Babel, maybe none at all.   Yet we find murder just a few years after the fall.   The most basic concept is one person wishes to foist their will on another.  We might extend that just a bit and include the first person wants to control.  It really is that simple.    

Skeptics want to critize the Bible and relegate it to being good philosophy at best. That would be a gross over simplification.   It is a very old document and manages to sum up human nature in a few very simple concepts.  I will come back to this point. 

We were talking about war.    Iran has been an ulcer on the world stage since the 1979 revolution.     Iran under the Shah was one of the most western countries in that region.    I have not looked deep into the history but suspect the Shah was not the nicest person but a strong ally of the US and West.    This was at odds with the muslim clerics who’s concept of world history and future is a bit rogue.     Their ideal is to return to the 6th Century and wait for the end of the world.    Part of their ideal is conquest in the name of their religion. Convert or die.    In Modern times no nation is more counter to their ideal than the US and Israel.    They have repeatedly called for the destruction of both.   

I do not think anyone doubts they have been working feverishly towards building a nuclear weapon system.    You have to ask yourself why they  feel they need a nuclear weapon?    They have also been the money and power behind a number of rogue elements in the region that have harassed Israel directly and the US indirectly.    

The US has been clear that Iran should not have a nuclear weapon.    President Trump offered to negotiate but in typical fashion they refused and used any delay to their advantage.     Maybe the best descriptor to what happened late last week would be preemptive self-defense.   

Years ago I had an opportunity to listen to a presentation by Navy Captain William Rogers.   When you are in a hostile situation your choices as a commander become more clear cut and clinical.   You cannot deal in what ifs and offer the benefit of doubt.   You have to assume the intent is hostile and act accordingly to protect your command.    We can reflect on the Army quote that I believe is credited to George S. Patton.    The goal is not to die for your country, but make the other guy die for his.   

I am seeing comments that suggest that the US took land from Mexico.    Sadly, the teaching of  US and world history have been deemed less important than more pressing topics like gender studies and social reform.     Folks, the Mexican situation is very similar to the current Iranian one.    Mexico has a very long history of being more rogue than the other European influenced country.    I have stated before the Spanish mindset was far different than the others during the age of exploration and conquest.   Yes, Spain gained a large foothold along the gulf coast and in the west.  But I am not sure you can call is civilized.  In the 1830s the issue was Texas. The area was remote from Mexico and the settlers wanted independence.    Mexico resisted and eventually lost the debate.   Texas gained independence.   Then quickly sought to become part of the United States.   Mexico had still not go their mind around loosing in the first round.    The US wanted to negotiate a common border at the Rio Grande river and offered a tidy sum of cash.  Mexico refused.      We can debate the actions that lead to the Mexican War.   They were debated hotly at the time.   None the less two years of fighting took US troops deep into present day Mexico.   In the end Mexico surrendered.  But as part of the treaty the US paid a healthy sum for the land and war.   

The question might be just how does one propose to settle these historic land and boundary disputes, when the two parties cannot come to terms?

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There are still stories from Gay Promotion month that I would like to address.    I have made a few points clear.   One on One we should show love and kindness. That does not mean we cannot offer debate and counterpoints.   A video came up on my feed that I found interesting. It was a podcast by Becket Cook.  Cook lived in the gay lifestyle for a number of year and eventually left it.    He was discussing some of the factors that lead to being gay.     He claims that genetic factors can only explain 30%, the largest portion is environmental.   Still he grants that the environmental factors are subtle, extremely complex and can influence a person at a very very young age so as to appear to be organic.     This is consistent with other studies on the subject.    He points out that in other phsycological issues that we consider disorders and attempt to treat with counselling, are known to have far greater genetic factors.  Yet society refuses to discuss counselling for anyone who is struggling with homosexuality.   In fact there are laws in some states against attempting to convert gays.  

It is not hate and a fair question that should be open to debate.   We do not discuss it much in recent years but one of the environmental issues is the father / son relationship.    Rarely among gay men is the relation ship with their father good.  That angle alone should be a worthy topic in society.     

We might need to discuss a couple of verbal terms.   One is vulgar. That is a latin word that means common or crude.    Trashy and not of polite society.   The other is profane.    That is a disdain or extreme disrespect for a topic especially religion.     

There is much in society today that is vulgar without being profane.  But much of profanity is vulgar.   The wide spread use of the F word is vulgar.    I would suggest that there are similar word used in the same manner that are considered less vulgar but still in poor taste.     There was a video posted by a freeform “Church”   that clearly crossed the line of vulgarity and well into profanity.    Zao MKE Church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin has a worship team which is not uncommon today. But theirs is loud and woke.  A recent song in the worship set include the line I’m gay and thank God for that.   And the worship leader disclaim the song before it began that is contained vulgarity.    He said swear word, but vulgarity would have been more accurate.  

Folks !????

……..

I’m not sure I have words for this situation.   I do not know how you can even put this in the same region of Christ or Christianity.  It is one thing to disagree on religious points.   That list is very long and hotly debated.  But you cannot have any gasp of Christian love and be that loud and in your face.   Then in the same breath claim the love of Christ.   Beyond the front issue of sex.   This claimed woke church has missed the point completely.    Profoundly.   

There is a concept if you love a person you will try to explain to them what you know to be true.   But that has to be in kindness and respect.  Any other approach is seen as hostile and offensive.   

The Greek Philospher Hippocrates  was not a Christian. He lived around the year 400 BC.  He might have had little knowledge of monotheism or Jewish tradition.    He was more a man of medicine and his only foray into religion was to state that disease has causes beyond superstition and the displeause of the gods.  But he is known for stating that first the Doctor should do no harm.    That thought should also be applied to Christians, first do not offend. 

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