The Phantom Scribbler

This beginning story is important because it goes to my overall point even though I'm assuming anyone who bothers to read this, all 1.3 of you, already know it.   A professed Christian who works in the establishment next to mine was telling me about an inadvertent drive with a Muslim chauffer during which she was given a 30 minute sermon about how Christianity is a corruption of Islam, etc.  The driver was considerate and persuasive and, although she was not ultimately convinced, he got her thinking.  "Because," she said, "I only worship one God like Islam says, but I don't worship Jesus because he's not God ... right?" To which I responded, "Weeeeellll ... how nerdy do you want me to get about this?"  (I try to do this for people before I assault them with shit.)  After receiving permission, I said something along the lines of a GREATLY stripped down Quicinque vult (Athanasian Creed) :  Yes, Christians believe there is just one God. But also

Before I jump into a review of Hadestown that a) is, like, a decade too late and b) no one asked for or wanted, I need to clarify something.  Have you heard No Myth by Michael Penn (Sean Penn’s brother)?  It references some tragic, romantic figures like Romeo and Heathcliff.  I heard an interview with him where he said he did that deliberately because, while figures of romance, they aren’t anything close to examples of a healthy relationship.  One is teenage infatuation and the other is damn near abusive.  This very much captures my thoughts about most grand, romantic stories.   Although I love musicals, I generally don’t like stories about romance in musicals … or literature … or movies … for this reason.  Usually, such romances will bother me to the point of ruining a story in any medium.  Examples: Romeo and Juliet , as previously mentioned, elevates teenage infatuation to the point that it seems like it’s supposed to be a good thing.  But it’s only the backdrop of familial (or ra

I've heard the recent hullabaloo about Justice Alito flying an upside down United States flag and the Appeal to Heaven flag at his house.  Both flags have apparently been co-opted by proponents of the "stolen election" conspiracy theory.  Alito, being the good Catholic that he is, pulled an Adam and blamed his wife.  As it turns out, she is actually the vexillologist of the family and has even designed an anti-Pride flag (using the Italian word for shame).   But what got me was that the upside down flag and the Appeal to Heaven flag were so thoroughly associated with MAGAts.  I mean ... sure, if I see an upside down flag flown from a house these days, I assume they're a certain type of extreme right-winger and that is usually confirmed by other displays around the house.  But the Appeal to Heaven flag?  I don't ever remember seeing that flown on January 6th.  I mean, sure, the Gadsden Flag , which I used to like, has become associated with MAGAts to the point th