Trump is Jesus

by domer.mq ⌂ @, Monday, April 13, 2026, 05:26 (7 days ago)

...in this picture he posted last night after attacking Da' Pope.

https://bsky.app/profile/dennycarter.bsky.social/post/3mjeu4zkids2g

--
Sometimes I rhyme slow sometimes I rhyme quick.

And Iran has posted their rebuttal

by Jeff (BGS) @, A starter home in suburban Tempe, Wednesday, April 15, 2026, 22:39 (4 days ago) @ domer.mq

Every time I think they reality can’t get any weirder…

https://x.com/franciswegner/status/2043664677108842923?s=46&t=xfPxCAKzJoA443W_NTupEw

--
At night, the ice weasels come.

Interestng New Republic article.

by oviedoirish @, Oviedo, Florida, Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 10:21 (6 days ago) @ domer.mq

Thanks for sharing

by Jeremy (WeIsND), Offices of Babip Pecota Vorp & Eckstein, Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 12:47 (5 days ago) @ oviedoirish

I'm going to completely eject on the Trump part of all this, but focus on his points regarding what's going on socially in the country. I have to admit that I've found it very hard to get back into "socializing" post-COVID, and have little motivation or desire to do so. I certainly don't find myself in any type of conspiracy doom spiral, but just don't have a whole lot of interest in planning outings with other adults after a long day/week of work, and plenty of kid-related stuff as well.

I'm sure some of this is just the age/part of life I'm in, with kids in elementary/middle school stuff that takes up a lot of time and energy, and focusing extra hard on earning right now with college looming. But I feel as disconnected to the people around me as I've ever felt. And I don't mind it terribly, but it certainly seems like it could lead to very negative consequences.

My first thought is I'm a big fan of Greg Sargent

by BPH, San Diego, Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 11:03 (5 days ago) @ oviedoirish

and that the WaPo roster of columnists has been an abomination roughly from the time that he and Paul Waldman were launched by the clowns in charge.

Out of all the MAGA things I'm fucking sick of

by KGB, Belly o. the Beast, Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 09:32 (6 days ago) @ domer.mq

what might actually rank #1 for me is Trump and his lemmings' insistence on sticking their fat goddamn nose into every nook & cranny of the news cycle and society at large to declare what is right or wrong, if not taking some ridiculous, overreaching action on the topic to impose their grotesque will. I just think back to the poor American Olympians in Italy who were grilled by the media about their thoughts on the current administration, and anyone who bothered to even attempt to answer the question was called a "loser" or "unpatriotic" if not outright doxxed by these rabbit-eared fucking ghouls. What sort of leadership does that to their own best & brightest?

And so it goes with Pope Leo, who is basically told to stick to sermonizing by that bearded fop Vance. Can't talk about "politics", in spite of the fact that Trump has effectively politicized every last goddamn topic over the past decade to the extent that he now declares moral authority over anything under the sun. Never a two-way street with these chucklefucks.

As usual, you nailed it.

by cdawg, Wednesday, April 15, 2026, 10:36 (5 days ago) @ KGB

And don't get me started on the Hughes brothers.

Also...

What did you think of Bowness going all Lee Elia/Lasorda last night?

Man, I wasn't even aware until you said that.

by KGB, Belly o. the Beast, Wednesday, April 15, 2026, 12:18 (4 days ago) @ cdawg
edited by KGB, Thursday, April 16, 2026, 16:27

I gave up watching when Buffalo wiped them out on Thursday. Caught bits of the game in Montreal while out to dinner Saturday, but that was obviously just more fool's gold which was exposed on Sunday against the B's. Getting goalied by Korpi 2x down the stretch is unacceptable in so many ways.

After now watching the video clip, I'm fuckin praying that Waddell convinces him to take this on again in the fall. Talking about a man who has been in the game for a half-century and coached practically every team in the damn league, and this dumb, loser-ass franchise nearly broke him in a way that none ever could before. REALLY hope he comes back and that they make some material changes. It's clear that he cares more than most in that clubhouse, and the guy only showed up in January.

For me, it starts with Jenner. He's been a good, productive player here for many years and I'm not blaming all of CBJ's ills on any one guy, but he wears the C and has been a common denominator as a quote-unquote leader during this fallow stretch. See ya. There are probably some other obvious flushes, but it's tough to know where to even begin. There's good stuff to build around (Z, Fantilli, Marchy, Mateychuk, etc), but they simply can't just run it back again in 26-27 after this ridiculous faceplant.

Pretty sure that was Bones' message to Waddell

by Jeremy (WeIsND), Offices of Babip Pecota Vorp & Eckstein, Thursday, April 16, 2026, 11:03 (3 days ago) @ KGB

That he wants back in.

Agree with you that Jenner probably needs to go, and that there are some good pieces there. I'm afraid that Garland trade might come back to haunt them - that contract has 6 more years on it, and he didn't seem like a Top 9 guy in the most important moments of the season.

Seeing Greaves turn into a Top 10 goalie in the league, and seeing more and more flashes of Fantilli as a legit 1C were definitely the best parts of the season.

They need a second goalie who isn't Elvis.

by KGB, Belly o. the Beast, Thursday, April 16, 2026, 13:26 (3 days ago) @ Jeremy (WeIsND)

His contract at this point should be manageable enough to buy out if they can't unload him. There's just too much stank on him by now, and both sides could really use a fresh start. Go grab some solid vet who can take a portion of the workload off Jet's plate.

Good point. The Caps &/or CBJ would have made the playoffs

by cdawg, Friday, April 17, 2026, 08:54 (3 days ago) @ KGB

With better backup goaltending. Lindgren was horrible for them this year. I was at one game that the covered the over early in the 2nd.

The replay was on of the Bones rant game last night, and honestly, he's just using that to send a message. They outshot the Caps by about 14 until they gave up a late power play which was the game winner. It wasn't egregious. I get why he's posturing for next season, but it was a bit over the top. Just my opinion.

I'll bet 100 space bucks that Kent Johnson goes in a player for player trade.

Someone needed to say it

by Jeremy (WeIsND), Offices of Babip Pecota Vorp & Eckstein, Wednesday, April 15, 2026, 11:15 (4 days ago) @ cdawg

That whole franchise has had a loser's mentality since Day One. Everyone knows it, and that's why barely anyone wants to play there if they have the choice of going elsewhere. Columbus is too concerned with "we have a great environment to raise families!" than in building a kick-ass hockey team.

Then there's this

by Bryan (IrishCavan), Howth Castle and Environs, Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 07:58 (6 days ago) @ domer.mq

Trump commission condemns idea of church, state separation in hearing


https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/trump-commission-condemns-idea-of-church-state-separa...

Lt. Gov “Dan Patrick” (FKA Dannie Scott Goeb) on the case

by atxND, Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 09:16 (6 days ago) @ Bryan (IrishCavan)

Is an all time villain here in Texas. If he doesn’t have some Matt Schlapp/Byron Noem skeletons in that closet,
I’ll be gobsmacked.

I saw him outside Notre Dame stadium just before the A&M game and it took everything in my power not to heckle the old bag.

If the Church Lady were a cynical and wily Texas politician….

Ahh, the Heritage Foundation end game!

by Joe I @, Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 09:04 (6 days ago) @ Bryan (IrishCavan)

- No text -

Fr. Dowd in support of Pope Leo

by Jack @, Monday, April 13, 2026, 14:51 (6 days ago) @ domer.mq

During the first Trump term, a Notre Dame CSC told a classmate of mine when he asked if Trump would be invited to be commencement speaker. The answer, paraphrasing, “If I have anything to say about it, and I do, he will never set foot on this campus.”

couldn’t mention Trump by name, though

by Jay, San Diego, Monday, April 13, 2026, 15:14 (6 days ago) @ Jack

- No text -

Right.

by bobbywal, Oak Park, Monday, April 13, 2026, 21:10 (6 days ago) @ Jay

It seems to be an inflection point right now, especially after the weird AI image thing, where you make it crystal clear where you stand?

This reeks of making perfect the enemy of the good

by Savage, Around Ye Olde Colonial College, Monday, April 13, 2026, 16:10 (6 days ago) @ Jay

I’d expect nothing less as a reaction, of course, from the partisans of the side of the aisle (who I find myself agreeing with more and more) who are dammed to continue taking Ls because they perpetually eat their own and fail to get out of their own way.

Or maybe it’s just the zeitgeist among many progressives that ND can do nothing right, ever … it’s a weird horseshoe theory instance of being matched with the Sycamore folks who think ND has sold its soul to wokeness and is irredeemable.

They could provide SOME context, though?

by MattG, Monday, April 13, 2026, 17:45 (6 days ago) @ Savage

Just randomly saying “we like the pope” apropos of nothing is not really all that big of a deal.

I get that they aren’t going to take any stance against Trump under any circumstances. But they could at least say “when public figures attack or threaten the Pope, it is an unacceptable attack on the free exercise of religion.”

Instead they just said they support pope Leo in general, which I think everyone already knew. Dowd could have said this exact statement last week or last month, it’s completely unconnected to any particular situation.

Except everyone knows what is animating it

by Dallasdomer, Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 05:58 (6 days ago) @ MattG

So the answer is to talk about and make even more references to Trump? He’s a toxin that has infected so much of our discourse that we talk about him too much and now not enough? I think McElroy’s statement was better—woah a whole sermon is better than a tweet!—but I think Dowd did fine in doing what he did.

what would Hesburgh do?

by Jay, San Diego, Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 13:09 (5 days ago) @ Dallasdomer

ND doesn’t want to cross the Trump administration and end up getting attacked like so many of its peers. So far they’ve been successful and even managed to avoid the Pentagon grad school blacklist. What Dowd released is the bare minimum of what he should be saying. Is this the preeminent Catholic university in the world or not? Where is the leadership and the activism? Other Catholic voices are stepping up — where is Notre Dame?

Right. Sufficient isn't Leadership.

by domer.mq ⌂ @, Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 16:39 (5 days ago) @ Jay

Stand up and say that the most famous Catholic institution in America stands with the Pope and against Trump's words and actions.

--
Sometimes I rhyme slow sometimes I rhyme quick.

I don’t think social media is standing up to anything

by Dallasdomer, Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 16:47 (5 days ago) @ domer.mq

And we should resist the message that it is. I don’t disagree with your point that ND should “stand up” for the Pope. I just disagree that a tweet is the way to do it. McElroy didn’t tweet, he preached. That’s what Dowd should do.

Ok, well, it's a release on the ND website too...

by domer.mq ⌂ @, Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 18:04 (5 days ago) @ Dallasdomer

And it's nothing more.

They didn't even bother to send it out to alumni emails, near as I can tell.

https://news.nd.edu/news/statement-from-university-president-rev-robert-a-dowd-c-s-c-in...

I agree social media isn't much of a form of standing up, but it seems they weren't interested in doing much more.

--
Sometimes I rhyme slow sometimes I rhyme quick.

Agreed, and I agree with Savage

by Jack @, Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 12:44 (5 days ago) @ Dallasdomer
edited by Jack, Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 12:57

regarding the people who can never be satisfied no matter what they say.

Most people don't know why gas prices went up.

by domer.mq ⌂ @, Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 09:30 (6 days ago) @ Dallasdomer

They don't know about the war. The blockades. That Trump started it... None of it.

--
Sometimes I rhyme slow sometimes I rhyme quick.

Those people would never read that statement in the first

by Jack @, Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 12:46 (5 days ago) @ domer.mq

place.

gonna need the receipts on 'most'

by KGB, Belly o. the Beast, Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 09:34 (6 days ago) @ domer.mq

- No text -

I'll ammend to "Plenty."

by domer.mq ⌂ @, Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 09:38 (6 days ago) @ KGB

Certainly not everyone knows about this stuff.

--
Sometimes I rhyme slow sometimes I rhyme quick.

Not everyone

by KGB, Belly o. the Beast, Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 09:49 (6 days ago) @ domer.mq

but these overgrown children have made such an embarrassing spectacle out of taking Dad's military out for a joyride that only the infirm and bomb-sheltered are unaware by now that America is at war with an oil-adjacent nation. And from there it's only a short mental journey to recognition of potential cause-and-effect. Too far for the man in charge, sure, but few are as doddering and deranged as that.

Name the evil.

by PMan @, The Banks of the Spokane River, Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 08:57 (6 days ago) @ Dallasdomer

- No text -

Do they?

by MattG, Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 08:49 (6 days ago) @ Dallasdomer

If was less online, I’d have zero idea that dowd was saying anything other than “ND loves the pope”. There isn’t even a reference to why he’s making the statement, or that anyone else DOESNT like the pope.

Who's the audience here, though?

by Jack @, Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 12:55 (5 days ago) @ MattG
edited by Jack, Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 12:58

It's much more narrow than, say, a diocese or archdiocese. It's ND stakeholders (alumni, students, other interested parties) who likely already know all about it, or if they don't, they'll make the effort to find out.

Audience is other clergy, then Trump.

by MattG, Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 16:46 (5 days ago) @ Jack

Chronically online ND people probably wouldn’t even see it. It’s an attempt to look like you’re saying something without actually saying anything - because while they support the Pope of course, they also support Trump.

There is no statement of support for Trump there

by Jack @, Wednesday, April 15, 2026, 13:16 (4 days ago) @ MattG

I really wish people would stop reading their own take into words that aren't there.

It said they support the Pope. There was no statement of support for Trump.

look at Cardinal McElroy

by Jay, San Diego, Monday, April 13, 2026, 16:15 (6 days ago) @ Savage

Then Dowd. Compare and contrast.

“ND supports the Pope.” Whoop dee do.

Cue Chris Rock.

by KGB, Belly o. the Beast, Monday, April 13, 2026, 17:28 (6 days ago) @ Jay

"I take care of my kids!"

And fwiw many progressives who have qualms with certain candidates or policies still go out and vote for them, bc we can juggle concepts like nuance and terrible, undemocratic alternatives. I'd like to think that the current, abhorrent state of things will cure most of the sitting-this-one-out-bro bullshit (for the next cycle or two, anyway). But I've been wrong before.

Now he's claiming it was supposed to be him as a doctor

by HCE, Monday, April 13, 2026, 13:14 (6 days ago) @ domer.mq

and also something to do with the Red Cross?

“I did post it and I thought it was me as a doctor and had to do with Red Cross,” Trump told reporters outside the White House in a hastily arranged press conference on Monday. “It’s supposed to be me as a doctor, making people better. And I do make people better. I make people a lot better.”

He blamed “fake news” for comparing the image to Jesus and refused to apologize to the pope, who “said things that are wrong,” according to Trump.

https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-deletes-jesus-pho...

I wonder how “Christian” MAGA will justify

by Jack @, Monday, April 13, 2026, 09:41 (7 days ago) @ domer.mq

his breaking of the First Commandment.

Randomly listened to something that reminds me of this

by Mike (Max) ⌂ @, Orlando, Monday, April 13, 2026, 11:02 (7 days ago) @ Jack

... and explains the seemingly irrational behavior of people who know better just this morning on the dog walk -- a 2022 episode of The Knowledge Project: https://fs.blog/knowledge-project-podcast/tkp-insights-decision-making/

The first guest was talking about how there are 3 types of frameworks people follow for decisionmaking:
1. People who evaluate their options and try to make the best decision each time (the focus of this podcast)
2. People who default to what is morally right
3. People who made one social decision to be part of a group of people that relieves them of subsequent decisionmaking

#3 is Trump supporters.

--
[Normal] Florida man

All of us are probably a mix of all three,

by nedhead @, Monday, April 13, 2026, 15:38 (6 days ago) @ Mike (Max)

depending on the situation? The further something is from our personal experience, the more likely it is that we would be 3. I think that for politics, that's where most of us fall (but we justify it by thinking we are 1 and/or 2).

I agree -- it's an oversimplification of a human being.

by Mike (Max) ⌂ @, Orlando, Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 08:17 (6 days ago) @ nedhead

- No text -

--
[Normal] Florida man

Have you read "Thinking, Fast and Slow"

by ReginaldVelJohnson @, Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 12:54 (5 days ago) @ Mike (Max)

by Kahneman? I think that framework may work better, and is associated with less of an implied value judgement. We all use heuristics and cognitive shortcuts in day to day life (System 1 thinking). No harm in that. The issue is when we fail to engage System 2 thinking which allows us to refine that thinking through thoughtful investigation and deliberation.

Trump voters seemingly fall victim to the affect heuristic (a System 1 behavior), where they allow emotion to drive. Then they fail to engage System 2 thinking to understand why Trump might not be a good choice, whether through his own failings or an understanding how Trump's policies/behaviors might negatively effect them.

Of course, Trump voters/MAGA people are not the first (or only) to fall victim to this. The "I'd like to have a beer with this guy" test is probably as old as politics itself. The problem therefore isn't using it, but rather willingness (or curiosity) to move beyond it. Seems like an interesting--and believable--argument to suggest that Trump's cult of personality has enriched this population compared to past politicians. An alternative, and perhaps less charitable, reading is that people have engaged deeper thought and have chosen to continue supporting Trump because though he might not help them, but he hurts those they don't like.

Yes, read it, and I agree to a point.

by Mike (Max) ⌂ @, Orlando, Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 16:01 (5 days ago) @ ReginaldVelJohnson

I think there is something to having made the one-time decision to cast your lot with Trump that leads to complementary decisions. Is it system 1 thinking that leads that type of person to consume only pro-Trump/self-reinforcing information, or is that it is the only socially acceptable news source for Trump supporters? What about agreeing with whatever random thing Trump's mind happens to vomit, even if it contradicts your past conservative beliefs? I think there is a lot of social influence once you are there to just keep going, and you're not deciding much of anything.

--
[Normal] Florida man

To add to this,

by nedhead @, Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 23:54 (5 days ago) @ Mike (Max)

I think it's a lot easier to double-down on opinions rather than change them. I think that's driven both by social group but also just individually.

What information gets through that would change opinions? Personal experience. And most of national politics is just beyond our personal experience. Most people, especially in MAGA, are not really affected by crazy shit -- who cares that we are killing Iranians, as long as we don't see it in gas prices or inflation. Where are the declines in MAGA support? Probably in Hispanic Americans, because they are far more likely to have seen negative consequences.

Without personal experience, it's easier for us to stay with our social networks and established positions.

I thought of Kahneman

by OGerry @, Maine wilderness, Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 13:16 (5 days ago) @ ReginaldVelJohnson
edited by OGerry, Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 16:15

when I read Max's post, too. Then yes, that's all of us, except there are degrees.

I don't want to give myself false hope. We'll see what happens with the midterms, but I think Trump's victory has more to do with economic issues felt throughout the world than it does 77 million loyal followers unwilling to interrogate some vital points of healthy politics. But forty million voters unwilling to do so is still too fucking many and raises a systemic question of why?

Much of the answer to your question is due to bandwidth.

by Joe I @, Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 13:57 (5 days ago) @ OGerry

So many people are just scraping by with their day-to-day lives that they just don't have the capacity (mental, physical, emotional) to delve deeper into these thoughts and the ramifications of their own decisions.

Clearly though, there are far too many out there that simply revel in the attacks on "other", and a need to be better than "other".

Those are good

by bobbywal, Oak Park, Monday, April 13, 2026, 11:05 (6 days ago) @ Mike (Max)

I'm contemplating re-joining Facebook just to see all my MAGA relatives (who are also Catholic) posting strongly re Trump's comments.

jk jk jk

Of all the totally inexplicable aspects of this era of

by BillyGoat @, At Thanksgiving with Joe Bethersontin, Monday, April 13, 2026, 09:50 (7 days ago) @ Jack

politics, that's the one that I truly cannot comprehend.

Easier to comprehend when you consider "Christianity"

by ReginaldVelJohnson @, Monday, April 13, 2026, 12:13 (6 days ago) @ BillyGoat
edited by ReginaldVelJohnson, Monday, April 13, 2026, 12:19

in this context is much more about political/cultural identity than it is theology or belief. Nice little side benefit of being able to tell other people how to behave (especially groups you find objectionable for other reasons). I mean, just look at this murderer's row of "Christians" that have led us to this point (AI-assisted):


+----------------------------------+------------+----------------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Person / Event                   | Year(s)    | Public Christian Role                  | Scandal / Behavior                                                                                                    | Outcome                                                                                                                   |
+----------------------------------+------------+----------------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Jim Bakker                       | 1987-1989  | Televangelist, PTL Ministry founder    | Sexual assault of secretary Jessica Hahn; $279K hush money from ministry funds; double-book financial fraud          | Convicted on 24 counts of fraud/conspiracy; originally sentenced to 45 years (reduced on appeal)                         |
+----------------------------------+------------+----------------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Jimmy Swaggart                   | 1988, 1991 | Televangelist, $142M/yr ministry;      | Caught with prostitute twice (1988 & 1991); told congregation the second time "it's flat none of your business"      | Defrocked by Assemblies of God; ministry survived in diminished form                                                     |
|                                  |            | vocal anti-pornography crusader        |                                                                                                                       |                                                                                                                           |
+----------------------------------+------------+----------------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Tony Alamo                       | 1994, 2009 | Evangelical cult leader                | Tax evasion (1994); transported minors across state lines for sex; "married" girls as young as age 8                 | Up to 175 years federal prison; died incarcerated 2017; church ordered to pay $525M civil damages                        |
+----------------------------------+------------+----------------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Ted Haggard                      | 2006       | President, National Assoc. of          | Paid male escort for meth and sex over 3 years; campaigned actively against gay rights; denied everything initially  | Resigned all positions; "conversion therapy" claims quickly collapsed; later admitted to drug use and sexual contact      |
|                                  |            | Evangelicals (30M members)             |                                                                                                                       |                                                                                                                           |
+----------------------------------+------------+----------------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Bishop Eddie Long                | 2010-2011  | Pastor, 25,000-member megachurch;      | Sexually coerced teenage male "Spiritual Sons" using gifts, trips, private access, beginning when they were minors   | Settled all four lawsuits confidentially; never admitted guilt publicly; died 2017                                       |
|                                  |            | anti-gay rights preacher               |                                                                                                                       |                                                                                                                           |
+----------------------------------+------------+----------------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Mark Driscoll / Mars Hill        | 2014       | Pastor, Mars Hill megachurch (10,000+) | Spiritual abuse, plagiarism, misuse of funds, manipulation of bestseller list, authoritarian/abusive leadership       | Resigned Oct 2014; Mars Hill Church dissolved entirely                                                                   |
+----------------------------------+------------+----------------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Bill Hybels / Willow Creek       | 2018       | Founder, Willow Creek (25,000 members);| Decades of sexual misconduct: groping, unwanted advances, extramarital affair with staff; leadership covered it up   | Resigned Apr 2018; entire elder board and both co-lead pastors also resigned; church issued public apology to victims    |
|                                  |            | globally modeled church leadership     |                                                                                                                       |                                                                                                                           |
+----------------------------------+------------+----------------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Jerry Falwell Jr.                | 2020       | President, Liberty University;         | Wife carried on multi-year affair with 20-yr-old pool attendant while Falwell allegedly watched; financial scandals  | Resigned Aug 2020                                                                                                        |
|                                  |            | key Trump evangelical endorser         |                                                                                                                       |                                                                                                                           |
+----------------------------------+------------+----------------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Josh Duggar                      | 2015, 2021 | Reality TV Christian family star;      | 2015: molested four sisters as a teen; 2021: federal arrest for possessing child pornography of children under 12    | Convicted Dec 2021; sentenced to 12 years 7 months federal prison                                                       |
|                                  |            | Family Research Council lobbyist       |                                                                                                                       |                                                                                                                           |
+----------------------------------+------------+----------------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Southern Baptist Convention      | 1998-2022  | Largest Protestant denomination in US  | ~400 leaders charged for sex crimes vs. 700+ victims; SBC kept secret abuser list since 2007; protected leadership   | Guidepost Solutions 205-pg report (2022) confirmed systemic cover-up; DOJ investigation launched; ongoing litigation    |
+----------------------------------+------------+----------------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Kenneth Copeland                 | Ongoing    | Prosperity gospel televangelist        | Preaches donations unlock divine blessing while amassing ~$760M net worth, multiple private jets, $17.5M airport     | No criminal charges; widely documented as financial exploitation of vulnerable donors                                    |
+----------------------------------+------------+----------------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Robert Morris / Gateway Church   | 2024-2026  | Founder, Gateway Church (25,000+);     | Sexually abused a 12-year-old girl starting in 1982 for four years; used religious authority to silence victim       | Resigned Jun 2024; pleaded guilty Oct 2025 to 5 felony counts; served 6 months jail; released Mar 2026                 |
|                                  |            | Trump 2016 evangelical adviser         |                                                                                                                       |                                                                                                                           |
+----------------------------------+------------+----------------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Evangelical Political Bloc       | 1998-2024  | Self-described "Moral Majority";       | White evangelicals willing to hold officials accountable for moral failures dropped from 60% (2011) to 16.5% (2018) | Academically documented as political tribalism displacing theological commitment as primary identity driver              |
| (structural pattern)             |            | guardians of character in public life  |                                                                                                                       |                                                                                                                           |
+----------------------------------+------------+----------------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

This is exactly right.

by KGB, Belly o. the Beast, Monday, April 13, 2026, 12:59 (6 days ago) @ ReginaldVelJohnson
edited by KGB, Monday, April 13, 2026, 17:32

It has little or nothing to do with faith for most of this ilk, and church itself is more of a social club than a place of worship, like meeting friends at the country club pool on weekends.

The notion of forgiveness is a big perk, too, as it allows scumbags to do scumbag things and then declare that it's all good based on their interpretation of what some invisible man in the sky told them. AND they get to shit all over people they don't like, bc the book said so in that one part. AND if you can somehow cut yourself into one of these rackets, then maybe you can avoid paying taxes, too. "Faith" is an outright fuckin bonanza for today's upwardly-mobile American ghoul.

It’s instructive to remember

by Jack @, Monday, April 13, 2026, 10:03 (7 days ago) @ BillyGoat

a lot of the same type of people a hundred years ago were burning crosses “in the name of Jesus”.

The right has never been Christian.

by Joe ⌂ @, Monday, April 13, 2026, 09:59 (7 days ago) @ BillyGoat

It’s always just been a label they claim. It’s just more obvious now.

They're Christian nationalists, which is different

by BPH, San Diego, Monday, April 13, 2026, 10:36 (7 days ago) @ Joe

- No text -

Look how stirred up the libs got about it! QED.

by IrishGuard, Monday, April 13, 2026, 09:49 (7 days ago) @ Jack

- No text -

I think that picture broke TPG. Working on and off today.

by NDinVA @, Yorktown, VA, Monday, April 13, 2026, 09:10 (7 days ago) @ domer.mq

- No text -

What the actual fuck? Jesus had red hair?

by Grantland, y'allywood, Monday, April 13, 2026, 07:14 (7 days ago) @ domer.mq
edited by Grantland, Monday, April 13, 2026, 09:21

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Is it AI slop or is it one of that one guy's actual...

by PMan @, The Banks of the Spokane River, Monday, April 13, 2026, 08:11 (7 days ago) @ Grantland

paintings? I hope it is an actual painting...

Given the "jets" and the gorgon, I'm thinking AI.

by domer.mq ⌂ @, Monday, April 13, 2026, 08:25 (7 days ago) @ PMan

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--
Sometimes I rhyme slow sometimes I rhyme quick.

I thought those were the Avengers

by Jay, San Diego, Monday, April 13, 2026, 09:05 (7 days ago) @ domer.mq

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"On your RIGHT"

by BillyGoat @, At Thanksgiving with Joe Bethersontin, Monday, April 13, 2026, 09:46 (7 days ago) @ Jay

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Some pretty cool Revelations stuff going on there!

by bobbywal, Oak Park, Monday, April 13, 2026, 10:58 (7 days ago) @ BillyGoat

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AI, I believe

by atxND, Monday, April 13, 2026, 08:15 (7 days ago) @ PMan

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seems so.

by PMan @, The Banks of the Spokane River, Monday, April 13, 2026, 08:32 (7 days ago) @ atxND

Although this one is real, and is nuts:

[image]

“Pope Leo is weak on crime”

by Jay, San Diego, Monday, April 13, 2026, 07:04 (7 days ago) @ domer.mq

is one of the funniest things I’ve ever read coming out of Trump, just a fundamental misapprehension of the entire point of Christianity.

Next, he’ll be “soft on Communism”

by Jack @, Monday, April 13, 2026, 14:19 (6 days ago) @ Jay

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It says everything about exactly who he is

by KGB, Belly o. the Beast, Monday, April 13, 2026, 07:11 (7 days ago) @ Jay

and how his sociopath brain works.

and Pope Leo is "weak on crime"

by KGB, Belly o. the Beast, Monday, April 13, 2026, 07:00 (7 days ago) @ domer.mq

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also weak on gun rights and the capital gains tax

by Jay, San Diego, Monday, April 13, 2026, 07:07 (7 days ago) @ KGB

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Pope Leo is...Marion "Cobra" Cobretti

by Chris, Raleigh, NC, Monday, April 13, 2026, 07:03 (7 days ago) @ KGB

I always thought that movie needed a sequel or remake.

--
"F--- everyone who isn't us."
#Team128

He's going for the Caesar Augustus deification trick

by IrishGuard, Monday, April 13, 2026, 06:45 (7 days ago) @ domer.mq

Tragedy --> Farce

That even one person is ok with this is the actual issue.

by Chris, Raleigh, NC, Monday, April 13, 2026, 06:41 (7 days ago) @ domer.mq

He's a garbage can human being and I hope when he goes, it's painful.

--
"F--- everyone who isn't us."
#Team128

We can all agree that we’re tearing down every last thing

by atxND, Monday, April 13, 2026, 07:53 (7 days ago) @ Chris

this asshole has built… ballroom, Arc, whatever… the minute he leaves office. I don’t care how much it cost or how wasteful it is.

And I want him alive to see it (unless he goes with the Arc falling on him as It crumbles to dust).

I’ll volunteer to man a sledgehammer

by Jack @, Monday, April 13, 2026, 09:43 (7 days ago) @ atxND

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They could raise funds with this...

by domer.mq ⌂ @, Monday, April 13, 2026, 10:34 (7 days ago) @ Jack

I'd happily pay $1000 for 10 solid swings.

--
Sometimes I rhyme slow sometimes I rhyme quick.

I want to convert them all to homeless shelters

by Jeff (BGS) @, A starter home in suburban Tempe, Monday, April 13, 2026, 08:46 (7 days ago) @ atxND

preferably named after Obama.

I would convert them to headquarters for DEI initiatives, but those would be too easy to convert back to something Trumpian if MAGA gets a sliver of control.

--
At night, the ice weasels come.

Damnatio memoriae

by PMan @, The Banks of the Spokane River, Monday, April 13, 2026, 08:02 (7 days ago) @ atxND

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said this elsewhere

by Jay, San Diego, Monday, April 13, 2026, 07:55 (7 days ago) @ atxND

I want a DACA kid to push the plunger on the arch demo.

Do you think the Dems have the guts to do any of that?

by MattG, Monday, April 13, 2026, 08:02 (7 days ago) @ Jay

I can see us renaming Dulles in his honor just in the spirit of reconciliation.

At least rename the ballroom after Obama

by Jack @, Monday, April 13, 2026, 09:45 (7 days ago) @ MattG

And just tear down the arch.

Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this arch.

by San Pedro @, More than 100 feet from Bob Davies, Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 06:27 (6 days ago) @ Jack

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No. Wrong message. Gotta find a way to use the building

by BillyGoat @, At Thanksgiving with Joe Bethersontin, Monday, April 13, 2026, 09:49 (7 days ago) @ Jack

for something else entirely, I think.

Barring that -- and maybe it is actually useful to have that ballroom for state dinners and other large White House events -- establish some sort of commission to come up with a longer list of cultural events that can be held there. But send a clear message that it is the People's facility.

Call it "Constitution Hall"

by IrishGuard, Monday, April 13, 2026, 09:53 (7 days ago) @ BillyGoat

I'd also hold a literal yard sale on Day 1 to sell all the awful, tacky gold baubles he's festooned the White House in.

"Get 'yer genuine, faux-gold wall adornment, $15. Hold a bonfire with your friends. All proceeds go to the local Boys and Girls Club."

Yeah, exactly

by bobbywal, Oak Park, Monday, April 13, 2026, 08:12 (7 days ago) @ MattG

lol'd at the Dulles... seems like something that could easily happen.

I worry about this a ton. I see no reason NOT to go scorched earth when this is over, but I doubt anyone actually will. Every airport in every southern red state is going to be Trump International, every highway, etc...

I think the opposite -- I don't see how the arch

by Jay, San Diego, Monday, April 13, 2026, 09:07 (7 days ago) @ bobbywal

could possibly stay. I could see the ballroom being repurposed into something more useful and less gaudy, but the arch? That will not stand for long, if it even gets built in the first place.

Also, all the Trump branding (at the Kennedy Center, etc) will be removed on day one.

The Immigration Arch

by GloveND, Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 07:44 (6 days ago) @ Jay

If it gets far enough long, just name it for the immigrants that have made this country great. That should be a fitting reversal.

I'm hoping we can run out the clock on the Arch

by bobbywal, Oak Park, Monday, April 13, 2026, 09:44 (7 days ago) @ Jay

We're still gonna have dollar bills circulating with his signature, etc.... Ugh. He is everywhere.

I could see Newsome doing it

by Jay, San Diego, Monday, April 13, 2026, 08:06 (7 days ago) @ MattG

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He's mentally ill.

by oviedoirish @, Oviedo, Florida, Monday, April 13, 2026, 06:31 (7 days ago) @ domer.mq

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