The David and Goliath story is known in both secular and religious contexts to almost every man woman and child raised in western culture.  The giant of a warrior with shining armor, certain of victory, is brought down by a boy with a sling shot, a dead aim, and lots of faith. In Russia their Goliath started a war that transformed a comedian turned politician into the first true military hero of the twenty first century.  Our current president/Goliath in the United States is currently obsessed with turning a tyrant into a martyr and is celebrating with his victory dance while his promises of prosperity to his own nation burn to cinders. Enjoying the fun of video games this administration is indulging in AI propaganda. The United States still likes to envision its role in the world as the David of divine justice, but that image, in the Epstein era, and the abuse of immigrants, is too much a stretch. Because our Defense Department (temporarily renamed the Department of War) chief apparently aspires to support his work with religious language, we find ourselves on the wrong side of both Judeo-Christian Testaments. When this happens our time is probably short unless we do something at the polls this fall.  

A Proposal for Good, modest or not

We have an up and rising Texas politician trying to take the true teachings of his Christian religion seriously. He is winning multi-partison support. His “Sense of Good” is drawn from his own spiritual traditions and actual scholarship.  Our religious leaders, and pastors have a lot to learn from that follower.  As communities, we can still reclaim our country even if it takes fifteen to twenty years. This writer has come to distrust a great deal in the propaganda soaked internet and recommends we support major journalism medias, PBS, as well as print news organizations. In case you were transfixed by the messaging, there is no such thing as ‘mainstream media’, only journalism ethics or and the lack of them. While imperfect and under tremendous censorship pressure from this administration, journalism networks with one notable exception, still adhere to some journalistic ethics. In this era of tolerance for powerful people who lie compulsively as well as methodically, AI represents a danger to the next 7 generations regardless of the good it can do. AI must have guardrails and deception and must be reigned in.  Most of all we can stop being marks for easy money and solutions. What is coming will be hard, but with local communities committed to mutual kindness and support we can treat this like we, as a nation, have always treated all natural disasters, with neighborly kindness and generosity to each other in the streets and homes of our local communities.  We could one day be a young David again. That would be good.