#PopeFrancis The People's Pope; ABC News Special

Seven decades ago, I was born into a Catholic family in upstate New York. I was baptized shortly thereafter. When I was 12-years old, I was confirmed in the church.

One year thereafter, with my mother's side of the family, I moved to Phoenix, AZ where I attended high school(s). I rarely attended mass. 

In 2010, I began writing the Arizona Eagletarian. Primarily covering the AZ Independent Redistricting Commission. The first several hundred posts here on this blog remain as a record of that coverage.

"Eagletarian" was and is a play on the word egalitarian. 

In my seven decades, I've lived a rich life. Rich in terms of many mistakes and some triumphs too.

In 2013, Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected Pope, head of the Catholic Church. Strikingly, he chose to take the name Francis.

The ABC News report, which I viewed on Hulu, noted that Bergoglio had a reputation at the beginning of his time as an archbishop as authoritarian. At some point thereafter, he had a substantive change in his personality. Personally, I hope to learn more about how and under what circumstances that change took place. 

The Book of the Acts of the Apostles includes the story of the conversion of the Apostle Paul. That's the closest I am aware of for change similar to that which Bergoglio experienced. To me, reference to Bergoglio's "epiphany" was the most salient part of the ABC report. I hope to learn more about it in the near future.

In 2019, after a bitter divorce, I began reading and studying Stoic philosophy from books written by Ryan Holiday. The trilogy includes The Obstacle is the Way; Ego is the Enemy, and Stillness is the Key.

I have found great comfort and encouragement in the Stoic perspective.

Further, Pope Francis' life and ministry has had profound positive impact in the world. He will be missed. I hope someone who emulates him gets to succeed him.

If he's so damn certain...

 ...That Kilmar Abrego Garcia is a bad guy why is he trying SO damn hard to CON people into believing it when all he would have to do is present him to a US court and see if he has those tattoos on his knuckles? Of course, anyone with critical thinking/analysis skills might also ask Why Mr Garcia's FACE is not in the picture.

Instead, I believe Ann Telneas who posted this cartoon on her substack this afternoon.

Why would anyone with at least half a brain believe Trump's dubious claims about ANYthing?

Contrary to what he said in the "UNtruth not so social" post above, Trump was NOT elected to replace courts of law. Said courts of law must be allowed to do their job without interference or subterfuge from the conman-in-chief.

The real TRUTH is so simple.

By the way, I wonder what Carville has to say about the apparently impending collapse of Trump's regime. 

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As an aside, today's news has Trump denying Hegseth will be replaced; WaPo columnist Max Boot decrying Hegseth's lack of experience and that the SecDef is most obviously in over his head; Your existential terror is adorable; Your government has no idea how to government? And also hates you? That meme with the adorable cartoon dog whose complacency is about to cause him to burn to death:

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Your country’s actual national intelligence apparatus is apparently conducting its most important conversations on the digital equivalent of a hot mic? and more.

And these signs apparently are popping up in several places in Albquerque.

The Bottom line: Courage

The ELEPHANT in the room, bottom line, MUST BE to have the courage to make GOOD TROUBLE!

Lincoln Project's Rick Wilson, who calls himself a practicing Stoic makes a solid case in this video today for why the Stoic virtue of courage is the most important. Without courage, there can be no other virtue.

On March 3, 2020, DailyStoic.com made the same claim.

The Stoics believed that a life well lived was one which always countered adversity with virtue. And they believed in four aspects of virtue: courage, temperance, justice, and wisdom. Each and every situation calls for one or more of these four Stoic virtues, and nothing in life exempts us from their power.

 
Today, we begin with one of the most important: Courage.

If you’ve read Cormac McCarthy’s dark and beautiful novel All the Pretty Horses, you’ll remember the key question that Emilio Perez asks John Grady, one that cuts to the core of life and what we all must do to live a life worth living.

“The world wants to know if you have cojones. If you are brave?”

Americans in this era of having to cope with Trump in his second term as president, gravely face the same question. If you've been paying attention, I don't need to make an argument for it. Trump is the argument. Unless the collective WE (the PEOPLE) RISE UP (and I am confident that WE WILL), Trump has already made short work of undermining the Constitution. 

Each of us can only answer it for ourselves. 

 

Alone we MAY be fragile but together we ARE Very MUCH Stronger!

Ana María Archila co-director of New York's Working Families Party and Jen Rubin, editor-in-chief of The Contrarian, discuss the political power of the working class.

"Alone we are fragile but together we are strong."  That's the quote. My take is that we are not all equally fragile, but together we ARE VERY much stronger. 

With the April 5th Day of Action right around the corner, Ana María Archila and Jen Rubin discuss the mission of the Working Families Party, the reason people are coming together this Saturday, and how together, we are so much stronger than the forces of autocracy.

This interview has several key statements both by Ms Archila and by Jen Rubin. It's worth your 11 and a half minutes.