Mass Shootings: Conspiracy defense vs. Jesus offense.

The Orlando nighclub shooting: did it happen as advertised by the media … or not? I am always suspicious—and I will talk more about that—but either way, all of us are talking about Orlando. And that is where we get defeated. But there is a way to victory. Who sets the agenda?

Is it bad to be a friend of Vlad?

Is it bad to be a friend of Vlad?

Rex Tillerson must be a villain. Trump’s pick for Secretary of State received in 2012 Russia’s “Order of Friendship” Award from Vladimir Putin himself. 

The former Exxon CEO joins, among many others, such Friend of Vlad Award villains as the Canadian Prime Minister, the head of the European Jewish Congress, two astronauts, a figure skater, and Lebron James’s basketball coach.

A Heineken from my Church on Father's Day

A Heineken from my Church on Father's Day

“Your church gave you a beer for Father’s Day?” asked a lady sitting next to us.“Sure did,” I replied while she shook her head in bewilderment.

From the front of the bus the driver shouted in a country accent. “Your pastor gave you a beer?” I answered in the affirmative, leaving him also nonplussed. He brought it up again as we left the shuttle, very confused by the entire concept.

Saying Goodbye to a Great Man

Above: study of Dean W. Arnold by Gordon Wetmore

(3rd in a series of 3 tributes to Gordon Wetmore. 1st is here)

You hate to let a guy down. And when someone is good to you so often, it seems especially cruel to disrespect him.

I was dancing on the edge of that possibility with Gordon as I, once again, hit the tenth floor button in his elevator and brought him a hot cup of coffee. He greeted me with his usual enthusiasm and we sat down to discuss the big project I had been working on for three years and was nearly finishing—a rather comprehensive book on Chattanooga and it's ruling aristocracy.

Gordon had already hooked me up with a huge favor. He was somewhere between an acquaintance and a friend with the current editor of Newsweek, a Chattanooga native (Sewannee, to be specific). For me, Gordon took a risk with that relationship and sent him my manuscript and asked for an endorsement. We got one, and it is now prominently featured on the back cover. I've used that quote like there's no tomorrow.

Gordon's generosity seemed rather endless. He agreed to paint both my kids in pastels for a ridiculously one-sided trade he concocted. They sit prominently framed in my living room and rank as one of my very top possessions in life. Now, they are even more valuable.

For the book, I interviewed nearly 60 people all over town, getting their takes on Chattanooga, it's power elite, and all the intrigue that goes along with managing a city. I would share all sorts of stories with Gordon about the interviews, but I never got around to asking him for an interview, even though, as a portrait artist acquainted with so many of the town's elite, he was in a great position to offer some superb insights. I could tell he wanted to be part of the circle of interviewees, but he never said anything about it. Better men might have gotten upset.

Actually, Gordon often shared that he had a lifelong struggle with anger. This completely mystified me, and it represents the third of Gordon's dimensions/contradictions that I have been detailing in this series, those contradicting qualities that dramatists, novelists and screenwriters say make for great men. Gordon struggle with a temper? I'd never witnessed anything like it. All I had ever seen was the kind personality that everyone wrote about online when the news hit of Gordon's sudden passing. "Gracious, warm, gentle, soft-spoken"—these were the types of words used about Gordon again and again.

What gives? Well, first, it needs to be understood that this is a one-source story with no evidence. Gordon is the only one who's ever said anything to me about him struggling with anger. Others closer to him may know more about it, but, heck, for all I know it wasn't a big deal and was merely a creation of Gordon's humble, self-deprecating style.

More credence to Gordon's allegations about himself can be found on his Facebook page where he sites the following as his favorite quote: "Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city." (Proverbs 16:32). It doesn't prove he had a temper problem, but it proves he thought he did.

Some insight might be gained from a favorite movie he lists: As Good as it Gets. He loved that Jack Nicholson character and brought him up on several occasions. A highly gifted romance novelist, this lead character has the ability to rip open the hearts of women for precisely the same reason he can send them into emotional ecstasy: he understands how they think and feel. Eventually, thanks to Helen Hunt, he finds a way to channel his abilities toward the good.

Maybe this explains why Gordon was not just another nice guy, but a man that has been eulogized across the country as one of the nicest, kindest, most gracious men they've ever met. Maybe Gordon was well acquainted with the ugly side of this quality and understood the great power of harnessing it toward the good. If ever he really did struggle with anger and a temper, it's pretty clear he achieved the victory described by the writer of Proverbs.

So, by the time in life that he was dealing with my perceived snub of not asking him for an interview in the book when he was an obvious candidate—and sixty others had gotten the nod—he was an old pro at concealing any irritation and continuing to be generous and gracious.

One of the reasons I had delayed asking for his insights was because I was using Gordon as an ace-in-the-hole. If I interviewed him near the end, he might be able to fill in some gaps. Why I didn't explain this to him, I'm not sure. But by the time I got close to doing so, I realized Gordon could help me with something a little more important. I asked him to write the Foreword. Because of his connection to the town's elite, and because of his friendship with me, he was the perfect candidate to provide a warm introduction for a suspect character to a wary but interested audience.

Gordon was delighted. It certainly could be considered small potatoes in his world. But he was, as always, genuinely appreciative and even honored. That was the thing with Gordon; he always made you feel like you were something special.

Last week, I drove to the Chattanooga Bank Building, entered the code to the outside entrance, and rode the elevator to the tenth floor. As always, I had two servings of coffee in my hands. But no one was there this time to drink the second cup. I walked up the stairs to the 11th floor penthouse. The studio was locked, so I left the coffee just outside the door. A pity.

But I enjoyed my share of coffee and conversation with this great man. Way more than I deserved.

 (3rd in a series of three tributes).A Man's Contradiction is his Genius (1st of 3)It takes a genius to herd cats, I mean artists (2nd of 3)

Brett Kavanaugh's role in covering up the death investigation of Vince Foster

Brett Kavanaugh's role in covering up the death investigation of Vince Foster

Kavanaugh served as a prosecutor for the investigation of the 1993 death of White House Counsel Vince Foster, a close associate of Bill and Hillary Clinton. [1]  Kavanaugh was one of the prosecutors who took over when lead prosecutor Miguel Rodriguez resigned in disgust after his aggressive probe was blocked by the Office of Independent Counsel.

Winning with the Old World Order - James Perloff’s journey to Orthodox Christianity.

Winning with the Old World Order - James Perloff’s journey to Orthodox Christianity.

Video here. Audio podcast here. James Perloff is a prominent author exposing the New World Order, formerly a contributing editor of the John Birch Society's "New American" magazine, and a prolific alternative news writer. He share his journey to Eastern Orthodoxy and finding the church that follows the Early Church in its beliefs and practice.

Unity with the Ethiopian Orthodox after 1500 years? Some hopeful talk on communion (Interview with Archbishop Alexander) 

Unity with the Ethiopian Orthodox after 1500 years? Some hopeful talk on communion (Interview with Archbishop Alexander) 

Video here. Audio podcast here Theological beliefs are not blocking union and communion between two of the largest branches of ancient Christianity, according to an Orthodox scholar and hierarch in America.

Is Putin a Christian? Has Russia replaced U.S. as world's moral leader? — interview with James Perloff

Is Putin a Christian? Has Russia replaced U.S. as world's moral leader? —  interview with James Perloff

Youtube here. Audio podcst here. According to longtime anti-communist and anti-New World Order author James Perloff: "Unlike so many U.S. officials who, indoctrinated by the Council on Foreign Relations, place global interests above America’s, Putin is a nationalist who looks out for his own citizens. . . Putin has signed into law a ban on ads for abortions, while calls for ending abortion altogether in Russia grow. . . Among the Russian people, Putin enjoys unsurpassed popularity."

Catholics caused modern atheism, and the Protestants didn't fix it—Interview with Jay Dyer

Catholics caused modern atheism, and the Protestants didn't fix it—Interview with Jay Dyer

Youtube here. Audio podcast here. Today's occultic and atheistic society in the West can be traced back to basic theological decisions of the Church a thousand years ago. Both Catholics and Protestants ignored certain key basic philosophical teachings of the historic, Eastern Church the first thousand years, choosing instead to hold the emphases of Greek philosophers like Plato and Aristotle as more important than the Fathers of the Church. 

Current Christian nation and forgotten Christian empire—Ethiopia. (Interview with Matthew Bryan)

Current Christian nation and forgotten Christian empire—Ethiopia. (Interview with Matthew Bryan)

Youtube here. Audio podcast here. Did you know Ethiopia is a majority Christian nation? Most people don't. Did you know it has been majority Christian since at least 325 AD? Almost no one in the West does. In fact, Ethiopia has been following the God of the Bible since at least 1000 B.C. when the Queen of Sheba connected with King Solomon. 

Evaluating Islam, Buddhism and Jews—and geopolitics—in light of Logos/Reason/Christ—Interview with Dr. E. Michael Jones

Evaluating Islam, Buddhism and Jews—and geopolitics—in light of Logos/Reason/Christ—Interview with Dr. E. Michael Jones

Youtube here. Audio podcast here. Many Americans already know that the culture has collapsed into immorality the past several decades. And they know that a militant faction of our government continues to insidiously push for aggression and conquest overseas. But what thread connects these evils? What overarching philosophy and moral framework provides a sensible explanation for modernity's current state? Where do Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism fit into this larger picture? 

The true Israel—Wrong views of prophecies on the Jews - Interview with James Perloff

The true Israel—Wrong views of prophecies on the Jews - Interview with James Perloff

Youtube here. Audio podcast here. Who has the right to the land called Palestine? Are the genetic descendants of Abraham still recipients of the biblical promises for the land? Are they actually the genetic descendants? Was the Scofield Bible, a primary shaper of Christian Zionism, funded and orchestrated by Zionist Jews? Do today's Jews follow the Old Testament or something very different? What is the historic Christian view on all these issues?

Local and Global Power Structures: how pervasive and powerful?

Local and Global Power Structures: how pervasive and powerful?

Youtube here. Audio podcast here. Dean Arnold explores one city's power structure built primarily on the billions of Coca-Cola bottling: the good, the bad, and the reason for their generosity. How does this apply to the world's power structure?

Dean details this topic in his talk to a local civic group in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the Civitan Club.