The Trump Bible

Serial adulterer and convicted sexual abuser Donald Trump, who lied 30,573 times while he was in the White House, will sell you a Bible for $59.99. Not just any Bible, but one emblazoned with the lyrics of a song written and recorded by Melvin Lee Greenwood, “God Bless the USA,” and padded out with our county’s public domain founding documents. Perhaps copies will replace the Gideon versions in Trump Hotel nightstands.

Bible salesman Trump is running for the presidency of the United States, and he plays Mr, Greenwood’s patriotic 1984 recording at all his campaign rallies, right after The Village People’s “YMCA,” a paean to gay culture.

Donald Trump is known for flourishing the Bible in front of houses of worship while violently stifling public assemblies, and fumbling Biblical references in front of Christian college students. He is running for president against faithful churchgoer Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr.

“The Bible Salesman,” written by Billy Vera and Chip Taylor, recorded by Billy Vera, 1969.

More:

“What to Know About Donald Trump’s New $60 Bible,” Inae Oh, Mother Jones

“What is the ‘God Bless the USA Bible’? The $60 Bible Trump and Lee Greenwood are selling,” Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today

“All Copies of Trump’s Bible Recalled After It Was Found to Contain Nuclear Codes,” The Borowitz Report

“Trump has sold $60 Bibles, $399 sneakers and more since leaving office,” Amy B Wang and Marianne LeVine, Washington Post

Related:

“The Church of Trump: How He’s Infusing Christianity Into His Movement,” Michael C. Bender, New York Times

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Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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Alabama Supreme Court Affirms Fetal Personhood

On February 16th, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen human embryos are people, “extrauterine children,” so In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) clinics destroying unused frozen fertilized eggs are guilty of wrongful death of a minor under state law. The decision cites the Alabama State Constitution, the Fourteenth Amendment, Blackstone, Genesis, Jeremiah, Thomas Aquinas, John Calvin, Petrus Van Mastricht, and Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. This ruling overturns those of two lower state courts. Alabama Supreme Court members are elected in statewide elections, and all are Republicans.

Technically, the biological items in the case are blastocysts, clusters of cells 1.0mm to 2.0mm (0.0394 inches to 0.079 inches) in size, produced about 5 days after fertilization. A successfully implanted blastocyst isn’t considered a fetus until after the 8th or 9th week of pregnancy.

IVF clinics are understandably freaking out, since they sort through patients’ blastocysts to find ones most likely to produce successful pregnancies and screen for genetic abnormalities. Surplus blastocysts are often discarded as medical waste or used for research or medical treatment. Keeping all such unused matter frozen in perpetuity would be impossible, unless the state’s Supreme Court wants to pay for it.

To put things in perspective, in unassisted natural reproduction, most eggs (70%) are not fertilized; of those that are and develop into blastocysts, half do not implant in the uterus. Many fetuses don’t come to term and get delivered as actual living, breathing human babies. But when fundamentalist judges practice medicine, life begins at conception.

The ruling is not just bad science, bad medicine and bad law, it’s bad politics. The U.S. fertility services market is $7.9 billion annually, and wields considerable influence. And while many abortion patients are low income, minority single mothers, 75% of IVF patients are well-off and white, with much more political clout. Take away their hope like this, and they’re bound to use it.

More:

“Alabama Supreme Court rules frozen embryos are children, cites the Bible in opinion,” Josh Moon, Alabama Political Reporter

“Alabama Supreme Court Ruling Compromises Access to IVF,” Veronica Salib, Life Sciences Intelligence

“Alabama patient says embryo ruling has ‘derailed a lot of hope’ as hospital halts IVF treatments,” Sara Moniuszko and Meg Oliver, CBS News

“’Extrauterine Children’ and Other Nonsense Wrought by the Fetal Personhood Movement,” Joanna L. Grossman and Sarah Corning, Verdict

“The Alabama Chief Justice Who Invoked God in Deciding the Embryo Case,” Rick Rojas, New York Times

“Alabama ushers in the theocracy,” Ruth Marcus, Washington Post

“Republicans Increasingly Reveal They Barely Know Where Babies Come From,” Nicole Lafond, TPM

Related:

“It is worth repeating: ‘life begins at conception’ is a religious, not scientific, concept,” Richard J. Paulson, MD, M.S, Fertility & Sterility Reports

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Image ( “Bama Blastocyst On Board”) by Mike Licht. Download a free copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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Pope Francis: Cured by Pizza?

Pope Francis entered Rome’s Gemelli Polyclinic hospital last Wednesday with a case of bronchitis. He was discharged on Saturday after a treatment of antibiotics and pizza. His Holiness really, really, really likes pizza.

More:

“Vatican: Pope OK to leave hospital, has pizza, baptizes baby,” Frances D’Emilio, Associated Press

“A Timeline of the Pope’s Obsessive Love Affair With Pizza,” Wil Fulton, Thrillist

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Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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Christian School Kids Meet Jesus Thanks to NRA

3 children and 3 adults are dead in a shooting at The Covenant School, a private religious school in Nashville, Tennessee. The now-deceased female gun enthusiast responsible carried two AR-15 assault-style rifles and a pistol, and was possibly an alumna. Tuition at the Presbyterian-affiliated school ranges from $10,250 to $16,500, plus fees. Almost all students are White.

15 million Americans, about 1 in 20, own an AR-15 assault-style weapon, and some own several. According to the national Gun Violence Archive, there have been 128 mass shootings in the U.S. this year so far.

More:

“Three children and three adults killed by female shooter at Nashville elementary school,” Martin Pengelly, The Guardian

“‘No Way To Prevent This,’ Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens,” The Onion

Related:

“We spent 7 months examining the AR-15’s role in America. Here’s what we learned.” Washington Post

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Christian Nationalism for Dummies

Mrs. Betty Bowers, America’s Best Christian, explains “Religious Freedom” with Christian Nationalism for Dummies.

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QAnon Isn’t a Conspiracy, It’s a Religion

Why are Qanon True Believers impervious to facts? As prophecized, after 2020, Qanon became a cult, wholly based on belief, and you can’t argue with religious faith.

And this Cult of Q is growing. A recent poll by the Public Religion Research Institute and the Interfaith Youth Core found that 15 percent of Americans say they think that the levers of power are controlled by a cabal of Satan-worshiping pedophiles, a core belief of QAnon supporters. 15 percent of Americans, 30 million people, means QAnon has more followers in America than Judaism, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism combined.

More:

“QAnon Now as Popular in U.S. as Some Major Religions, Poll Suggests,” Giovanni Russonello, New York Times

“Understanding QAnon’s Connection to American Politics, Religion, and Media Consumption,” Public Religion Research Institute

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Jerry Falwell Jr. Sues Liberty U. for Damaging His Non-Existant Reputation

Trump-backing, pistol packing attorney Jerry Falwell Jr., once President of Liberty University by grace of God being fathered by university founder Jerry Falwell Sr., recently stepped down as head of LU, world’s largest evangelical diploma mill, following revelations of sexual scandal involving Falwell Jr., his wife, and a hotel pool boy. Liberty University’s code of honor holds that sex outside of “biblically-ordained marriage” is a ticket to Hell, and the disgraced Mr. Falwell slunk away with a mere $10.5 million separation package. 

His sexual shenanigans shredded what was left of Liberty University’s reputation after his shady real estate deals, low-quality online courses, and 2016 endorsement of Donald Trump, but Junior now says he is the injured party after the seamy sex scandal and the university board’s independent investigation of his dubious business operations. Mr. Falwell claims this reputational damage means he can no longer pose as a righteous Christian on the holier-than-thou circuit, or even on morally-challenged Fox News. He’s suing the university for alleged damages.

Fiddlesticks. It’s not as if Mr. Falwell’s current situation leaves him with no viable career alternatives. Liberty U is in Lynchburg, Virginia, an area short on entertainment alternatives, and “Jerry Junior’s” would be a great name for a topless bar.

More:

“Falwell sues Liberty, saying school damaged his reputation,” Sarah Rankin and Elana Schor, Associated Press

“Jerry Falwell Jr. sues Liberty University over reputation damage,” Justine Coleman, Thr Hill

Related:

“How Falwell Kept His Grip on Liberty Amid Sexual ‘Games,’ Self-Dealing,” Maggie Severns, Brandon Ambrosino, and Michael Stratford,, Politico

“Sex, Lies, And Regret: Giancarlo Granda Reels From Eight Years With The Falwells,” Josh Kovensky, Talking Points Memo

“A Trump executive order set the stage for Falwell’s political activities,” Maggie Severns, Politico

Updates:

“Falwell drops defamation lawsuit against Liberty University,” Associated Press

“Jerry Falwell Drops Lawsuit Against Liberty University,” TalkingPointsMemo

“Jerry Falwell Jr. spent heavily on Trump, GOP causes with funds from nonprofit Liberty University,” Peter Weber, The Week

“‘They All Got Careless’: How Falwell Kept His Grip on Liberty Amid Sexual ‘Games,’ Self-Dealing,” Maggie Severns, Brandon Ambrosino, and Michael Stratford, Politico

“Falwell’s Liberty University-Funded Think Tank Relentlessly Pushing Trump Fraud Claims, Says Report,” Jamie Ross, Daily Beast

“In final years at Liberty, Falwell spent millions on pro-Trump causes,” Maggie Severns, Politico

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Image (“Post-Falwell Liberty University Logo”) by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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Kung Fu Nuns

“These are the Kung Fu Nuns of a 900-year-old Buddhist sect called the Drukpa, which is derived from the Tibetan word for dragon.”

— “Meet the Kung Fu Nuns of Nepal, Alisha Haridasani Gupta, New York Times

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Trump’s Photo-Op of Faith

On Monday, federal police forces used tear gas and rubber bullets to remove peaceful protesters from Washington’s Lafayette Square, across the street from the White House. What was the protest about? Police brutality.

The police, from a variety of federal agencies, used force and munitions against a nonviolent 1st Amendent protest so that President Donald Trump could pose for photographs in front of historic St. John’s Episcopal Church, holding a Bible.

Trump Tariffs to Cause Bible Shortage

President Donald Trump is waging a trade war with China, but most of America’s Bibles are printed there, so publishers warn of a Bible shortage if the next round of tariffs goes through. The U.S. imports some 150 million Bibles from China each year, where they’re printed on ultra-thin paper subject to a proposed 25 percent tariff. Maybe American Christians can substutute copies of The Art of the Deal for the Good Book. Lord knows many of them have done that already.

More:

“Bible shortage? Publishers say tariffs could cause it,” Travis Loller, Associated Press

“A ‘Bible tax’: Christian publishers warn that China tariffs could lead to costly Bibles,” Emily McFarlan Miller, Religion News Service via Washington Post

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Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length

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