It’s been a few weeks, but the Rabbi and the Friar are back after several adventures which includes Dave catching the Covid.

Nancy Pelosi says that the Archbishop who denied her communion is being hypocritical, while Kim Kardashian is trying to convince you to eat something that she herself refuses to eat.

What the Frock is back… at least for today!

Over the weekend, a fellow podcaster interviewed one of our local Congresswomen. That interview went full BSC as she (the Congresswoman) informed us that because of the draft ruling on Roe, it logically follows that the Supreme Court, led by associate Justice Clarence Thomas, means to outlaw interracial marriage in the United States.

Look, I get the need for “scare tactics,” which work best on the ignorant and those willing to suspend disbelief. What I am more concerned about is whether or not this particular Congresswoman – and other myrmidons that are spouting the same thing, actually believe this nonsensical talking point, or if they know better and are just stirring the pot?

The Sub Vets, Eric and Dave, take a a look at the release of the report on the USS Connecticut grounding last year.

The report leaves a lot of questions for the entire sub force and the Navy to reflect upon...

A little over a year ago I wandered into a local watch shop because there was a bent pin on my watch band that had been driving me crazy, snagging on sleeves and the like, for more than five years. for some reason, as I walked through the mall, I noticed the watch shop and thought, I should get this pin replaced. That simple spur of the moment decision started me on a path that has provided me with answers to questions that I had, and even to questions that I didn't know that I had.

So many times I have wondered to myself, why am I doing this? It applies to so much more than just faith, but in the end, it is my faith that is teaching me about my own purpose in both life and in this very show...

The biggest problem with the whole Roe v Wade is that nobody – on either side – is really considering the underlying and ancillary issues that we are headed both from and into. I know… that sounds non-sensual and irrational. There are always unintended(?) consequences of every ruling. Things that should have been obvious, but were ignored for the “greater good…”

But I want you to consider a couple of things: First, there are laws that prevent the government from monitoring your cell phone for location information or your online activity without probable cause and a warrant.

Second, there are no laws to prevent the government from buying that same information from the people to whom we voluntarily give it.

Read that sentence again.

Now, ask yourself what would happen if the government uses information that it buys (with your tax dollars) from the people to whom we gave the information and then uses that information to investigate or charge you with a crime?

Can’t happen?

It already is happening. One of the prime areas of focus of charges based on data “acquired” by the government is… well… you can probably guess…

To be frank, I don't believe that Elon Musk ever intended to actually buy Twitter. Eccentric rich people do strange things, and there is usually no real rhyme or reason to it. It's almost like he rolled out of bed one morning and decided to... well... just mess with the entire woke Social Media world.

I can't blame him... if I had $43 Billion at my disposal and the world at my proverbial feet, I'd be looking for people to mess with as well. In my case though I'd go after Major League Baseball, but to each their own.

In any case, I think that pretty much most normal people agree that social media in general and Twitter in specific, have become a giant boil on the butt of American Society. It's like we have this amazing invention and the age of information to use to send cat memes and watch Gilligan's Island reruns.

Why do I say this?

Last week, there was a meaningless, little watched (or attended) daytime baseball game in the Bronx, New York City. But a weird thing happened. The Pitcher for the Yankees had himself a whale of a day and had a no-hitter into the 8th inning before finally giving up a single.

In a normal world, that's a headline story on Quick Pitch and Yahoo Sports writes up a nice story on how he's been a solid pick up for the Yankees and how proud the baseball world is of him for doing this thing.

But this is the world of social media. So... a pitcher that literally nobody outside the baseball world has ever even heard about before is suddenly thrust onto the national stage.

Why?

Because more than a decade ago.... he tweeted... and of course, IT IS OFFENSIVE!!!!!

In November of 2013, the nation was "more divided than we have ever been before!" The issue at hand was healthcare, and specifically the lawsuit that was headed to the District Court over Obamacare.

Odd as it seems today, at the time it was NOT at all clear what any Court would rule on the matter. And on the DC Circuit, where the case was headed, there were three seats open. The Senate had been unable to confirm President Obama's three nominees as the democrats could not overcome the cloture rule to end debate. This left the DC Circuit court in an odd position of being almost equally split between GOP appointed Judges and Democrat appointed Judges which really put the matter up in the air.

At just this moment, onto the stage of history walked Harry Reid, the senate Majority Leader, who announced that there would be a change tot he rules, and the cloture rule was being "nuked" - at least as far as these three nominees went.

Oh... there was great wailing and gnashing of teeth on the right, while the left rejoiced and proclaimed eternal victories yet to come because of this brave and bold move by the Majority Leader.

Less than half a decade later, there was another round of weeping and gnashing of teeth. This time, things were reversed and there was much condemnation of those who decided to nuke the rules.

What happens if Harry Reid doesn't invoke the nuclear option? What happens if Edmund G Ross decided to listen to threats made against him and not vote his conscience on May 16, 1868?

Who?

You know... Edmund G Ross, Major, USV, 11th Kansas Volunteer Cavalry... and Senator from the great State of Kansas... That Edmund G. Ross...

Here's my question.... is there anything we are missing in the whole "overturn Roe discussion?" Of course there is, but do we even care?

Let's start here - in the internal working of the SCOTUS, there is a certain level of required trust. People were often amazed that Scalia and Ginsberg were such good friends. That friendship required something that we don't like to talk about - trust. The trust between them allowed them to be good (if not great) friends while still disagreeing on nearly everything.

Some years ago, on an episode of the "Somewhere in Time" Show with Art Bell, the episode featured guest who claimed that he was a former "submarine communications officer. " He had a fantastical tale that helped to explain why he left the submarine service. The story involves nuclear weapons, loss of communications and a crew on the edge of a total breakdown.

Of course, there are some problems with his story, starting with it's the plot to Crimson Tide. Plus he was telling this tale on a well known "entertainment" show.

The Sub Vets just aren't having any of it. At. All.

In the Book of Judges, we read a very tragic – albeit strange to our ears – tale of a mess of a situation involving a man, his concubine, some really bad people and an entire civil war which killed thousands in a meaningless cause. In the Midrash, the Rabbi’s debate just who was a fault, and they come to a surprising, but oddly relevant to us today, conclusion…