{"id":69109,"date":"2019-01-11T10:42:05","date_gmt":"2019-01-11T17:42:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/?p=69109"},"modified":"2019-01-11T10:42:05","modified_gmt":"2019-01-11T17:42:05","slug":"character-is-destiny","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2019\/01\/character-is-destiny.html","title":{"rendered":"“Character is Destiny”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"White<\/a>
The White House, as viewed from the Washington Monument
(Wikimedia Commons public domain)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

I consider the London-based\u00a0Economist<\/em> perhaps the finest single magazine in English-speaking world. \u00a0And I\u2019m far from alone in that. \u00a0On some issues, though not all, it leans a bit to my left, but its international coverage is absolutely superb. \u00a0(American news media seldom pay much attention to international events: \u00a0I recall a couple of old Saturday Night Live<\/em> \u201cWeekend Update\u201d skits from many years ago. \u00a0One of them began with something like \u201cOur top story of the evening: \u00a0Massive earthquakes destroys China, 800 million people feared dead. \u00a0But, first: America\u2019s love affair with the corndog!\u201d \u00a0The other mentioned another huge catastrophe and then said \u201cBut, first, Is your pet psychic?\u201d)<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Anyway, here\u2019s a piece in the Economist<\/em> from 5 January 2019 that I liked. \u00a0Although it fails to mention the Trump administration\u2019s excellent judicial appointments, and particularly Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh, it otherwise expresses something of my view of Mr. Donald J. Trump as president of the United States:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Trump Show, season two:\u00a0<\/span>What to expect from the second half of Donald Trump\u2019s first term:\u00a0<\/span>Thus far the president has been lucky. It may not last.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

And here\u2019s another piece, from National Review<\/em>, with which I agree:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cCharacter Is Destiny:\u00a0Trump\u2019s character will be his downfall.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Andrew McCarthy, another writer for National Review<\/em>, tends to be considerably more favorable to Donald Trump than I am. \u00a0So I was struck by this piece, which strikes me as reasonable and balanced:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cTrump Keeps Giving Mueller Reasons to Pursue the \u2018Collusion\u2019 Probe\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

This is a very thoughtful and worthwhile little article from Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah):<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMore Populist, More Conservative\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

I like Mike Lee. \u00a0(A friend and I even had lunch with him once, years ago, while my friend urged him to run for the Senate.) \u00a0Utah should consider itself lucky to have him and Mitt Romney as its representatives.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a somewhat related article:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf You Want Smaller Government, Promote Stronger Families\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Can stronger families flourish without strong men?<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cGrown Men Are the Solution, Not the Problem:\u00a0With young men in crisis, the American Psychological Association wrongly declares war on \u2018traditional masculinity\u2019\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe APA Can\u2019t Spin Its Way Out of Its Attack on \u2018Traditional Masculinity\u2019:\u00a0Our culture has grown more disdainful of common, inherent male characteristics.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cFarewell, Masculinity: We\u2019ll Miss You When You\u2019re Gone\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t<\/em> like Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa):<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSteve King Questions How \u2018White Supremacist\u2019 Became Offensive\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cDump Steve King\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSteve King\u2019s Bigotry Is the Antithesis of American Ideals\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 \u00a0 I consider the London-based\u00a0Economist perhaps the finest single magazine in English-speaking world. \u00a0And I\u2019m far from alone in that. \u00a0On some issues, though not all, it leans a bit to my left, but its international coverage is absolutely superb. \u00a0(American news media seldom pay much attention to international events: \u00a0I recall a couple […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1019,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-69109","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n"Character is Destiny"<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"    I consider the London-based\u00a0Economist perhaps the finest single magazine in English-speaking world. \u00a0And I'm far from alone in that. \u00a0On\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, 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