• The Christian Post interviews “Bible prophecy expert” David Jeremiah. Jeremiah says, “A prophet in the truest sense of the word, according to the Old Testament, is somebody who can tell the future with accuracy.” Ugh. No. Not even close. Like most self-proclaimed experts in “Bible prophecy,” Jeremiah doesn’t even know what a prophet is.
If Abraham Joshua Heschel were still alive, the Christian Post would never interview him anyway, but here’s his much better definition of prophecy, “according to the ‘Old Testament'”:
Prophecy is the voice that God has lent to the silent agony, a voice to the plundered poor, to the profane riches of the world. It is a form of living, a crossing point of God and man. God is raging in the prophet’s words.
• Gas prices are dropping, which spoils the Republican conspiracy theory that says President Obama deliberately inflates gas prices — or it would if such conspiracy theories required any factual basis.
But while the price per gallon drops by nearly a dollar without any media hoopla, it’s a good time to remember that gas prices are volatile. They go up and down a lot, by a lot, and people take it in stride. Which is why it wouldn’t be painful if we hiked the gas tax now so that we could, just maybe, have a safe, functioning transportation infrastructure that we could responsibly maintain.
• “Atheist Displays Go Up in Arlington Heights (Ill.) Park.” Noteworthy here because Arlington Heights is the setting for much of the “action” in the fictional Left Behind series. (The second horseman of the apocalypse arrives first in Arlington Heights, when the Antichrist inexplicably decides to start World War III by bombing Northwest Community Hospital.)
• After squandering billions in public money to subsidize Atlantic City casinos, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s administration says it’s “contemplating turning to the private sector” for future development in the resort city. That apparently means more Revel/Trump-style “private sector” development — meaning more public funds spent at public risk in the hope of spurring private profits.
• Police search? Just say No.
• When a policy fails for more than 50 years, it’s probably wise to consider trying a different approach. Also, we need the pitching.
• Somebody decided to combine Fred and Ginger and Johnnie Taylor, and this makes me happy. Thank you Internet:
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