Returning to the political serenity of the United States

Well, the navigation equipment failed on the KLM plane that I was to take from Helsinki to Amsterdam, so I missed my Delta flight from Amsterdam to Salt Lake City.  Seven hours later, I caught another KLM flight from Finland to the Netherlands and I also got the very last available seat (back row, window) on a KLM/Delta partnered flight from the Netherlands to Utah.  When we arrived, I was the very last passenger off of the plane.  (Some of the flight attendants deplaned before I did.)  Unfortunately, though, my luggage didn’t make the transatlantic flight along with me.

I love to fly, and it shows.

***

Some readers may have noticed that I’m not exactly a passionate supporter of President Donald J. Trump.  (I’ll probably weigh in on the impeachment issue, but not tonight.)  And, for what it’s worth, I don’t believe that he has a genuinely religious bone in his body.  But I’m pleased at this:

“Trump Stands Up for Religious Freedom: He champions the issue at the U.N. more vigorously than any of his predecessors.”

When the most recent vacancy came up on the Supreme Court of the United States of America, President Trump chose Judge Brett Kavanaugh to fill it.  I supported Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination, but I had hoped that the president would choose Judge Amy Coney Barrett instead.  And now, given ongoing questions about the health of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, discussions about Judge Barrett are surfacing again.  (It would, of course, be a good thing, politically and tactically speaking, to nominate a woman to replace a woman, although I really don’t like the idea of a specific “woman’s seat” on the Supreme Court bench.)  Here is a recent intra-conservative exchange about Judge Barrett:

“Amy Coney Barrett Is Not a Safe Pick for the Supreme Court.  Her writings on faith and jurisprudence should worry conservatives.”

“Attack on Judge Amy Coney Barrett Completely Misfires”

In case you care, I side with the second author.

Meanwhile, here’s another interesting article about religion and the High Court:

“Christianity at the Supreme Court: From majority power to minority rights”

And, finally, here’s a significant news article from the totally reliable Babylon Bee:

“Nation’s Murderous Psychopaths Undecided On Whether They’ll Follow New Gun Laws”

And, just in case you were frustrated by my failure to discuss the possible impeachment of President Trump, here’s something to tide you over until I get to it:

“In Addition To Impeachment, Democrats Announce Plans To Get Involved In A Land War In Asia”