Civil Commotion

The former chairman of the NC GOP is about to plead guilty to lying to the FBI.

Former North Carolina Republican Party Chairman Robin Hayes faces up to six months in prison after agreeing to plead guilty to lying to the FBI in a sweeping federal bribery case.

Hayes, a former member of Congress, is scheduled to formally enter his guilty plea Wednesday in federal court, according to a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s office.

When it comes to Christianity, the less you know the better.

Bruce Gerencser

Yep. Suppose you find yourself idly wondering one day, as I did, why the version of the Bible used by Catholics includes texts that aren’t included in the Protestant version of the Bible. Maybe you find a simplistic explanation on the Internet that points toward a book that you think might be interesting.

BANG! Next thing you know, you’ve read a half-dozen books about inconsistencies in the Biblical texts, fights over the meaning of inerrancy, fights over which books should belong in the canon, church history … on and on. For somebody born skeptical, like me, it’s an irritating experience; after all, Pastor Bubba must know all this stuff — and has never said a word about all the uncertainties. For somebody reared from infancy to be a True Believer, though, it has to be devastating.

Christianity sustains itself with lies, and the psychic cost of maintaining all those lies must be terrible. If they didn’t so often do such terrible harm to the people around them, I’d feel sorry for Christians.

Have I ever mentioned that our already-unstable First Felon is likely to get crazier by the day as the pressure of multiple investigations, and exposures of wrongdoing, steadily increases? I think so.

Now, he is likening the whistleblower to a spy and fondly recalling how spies used to be dealt with.

President Trump on Thursday morning told a crowd of staff from the United States Mission to the United Nations that he wants to know who provided information to a whistle-blower about his phone call with the president of Ukraine, saying that whoever did so was “close to a spy” and that “in the old days,” spies were dealt with differently.

The remark stunned people in the audience, according to a person briefed on what took place, who had notes of what the president said. [ … ]

Mr. Trump repeatedly referred to the whistle-blower and condemned the news media reporting on the complaint as “crooked.”

For those of you who don’t know, spies were once executed. Nathan Hale was hanged by the British, for instance, and Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were sent to the electric chair by the U.S.

These remarks were made to federal employees in the Executive Branch who are involved in international affairs, by the way, so a case can be made that it’s a crude warning to not interfere with whatever decadent behavior he indulges.

Apparently, the First Felon’s oatmeal fell short of expectations this morning.

UPDATE: This tweet has been deleted.