THOUGHTS About The News.

Previously posted on my Facebook Page.

Associated Press: “Traditionalist Catholic bishops rebel against Pope Leo XIV with 'schismatic act'.” A schismatic act is a deliberate action that causes a formal split within a religious body, and so on and so forth. I was born Catholic in a predominantly Roman Catholic country, but I am not a religious person.

      Yet I do respect the religion, as I respect other religions as well. Meanwhile, I have, time and again, reiterated my displeasure with Pope Leo’s political side or his elongated interaction with President Trump’s policies. The Church could be the one remaining bastion of unity in America, and I see it crumbling because of the Pontiff’s political angst. So tell me about the separation of Church and State? ✝️💝☮️

The Athletic: “Caitlin Clark condemns harassment after Alyssa Thomas reveals threats.” Caitlin’s response: “None of that is OK.” That is maturity. Instead of stoking or inflaming hate into the drama, which isn’t even that huge in terms of an incident in a sport, the Indiana Fever appeals for calm. Unlike how today’s media rabble-rouses or contributes to escalation of Left vs. Right catfight or the “culture war” caterwaul. 

       In the internet/Social Media “environment,” use of language is imperative, significant, and should be handled with super-sensitive care. Not like how many, including some of my longtime friends, who zealously thumb-up a hateful meme et al just because the snide or slur feeds their partisanship angst or massive rage vs. you-know-who. A major reason why I blurred my ideological paradigm years ago. I do respect Left or Right protestations vs. powers that currently rule, but I don’t concur with how they carry out their dissent. 🏀⛹️‍♀️🏀

BBC: “Crowds chant revenge as Iran begins Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's funeral.” Iran’s population is 93.2 million. Who are the mourners of the Supreme Leader and who are the mourners of the thousands who were massacred by the IRGC (on Mr Khamenei’s command) before this war? Both? I don’t know. People, cultural truths and political realities–still confound me big time.

      Iran is majority Shia, the more hardline Muslim humanity, or should we say Western-hating people. Militant Shias operate under Iran's transnational "Axis of Resistance" network. Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and various Iraqi militias. But the less rageful Sunni, which is essentially the Arab League, also has radical armed organizations—such as the Islamic State, Al-Qaeda, and regional affiliates, notably the Hamas.

      Given all these, I must say the Middle East is the most conflicted region on Planet Earth. But it doesn’t mean Peace can never be achieved out there. Longer peace is possible. The League’s economic priorities and significant interface with Western-styled influences + China and the BRICS trade bloc’s increased investments in MENA signal a road to less hostilities in favor of business agreements. Still, I believe the dove will prevail in the open bright light, even as the hawk lurks in the shadows of darkness. 🇮🇷🇮🇷🇮🇷

JULY 4th THOUGHT. Classic definition: Countries celebrate Independence Day to commemorate their liberation from colonial rule, occupation, or oppressive regimes, marking the birth of their sovereignty and right to self-governance. Yet people from countries that weren’t “colonized” still exude nationalism or patriotism, such as Thailand, Japan, Ethiopia, Nepal, and Bhutan.

       Definitions of “nationalism” and “patriotism” shouldn’t be confused with individual politics. Nationalism is an ideology that emphasizes collective loyalty, devotion, and allegiance to a nation or nation-state. Patriotism is the feeling of love, devotion, and attachment to one's country or homeland. How do we differentiate those two feelings or beliefs? Ergo, love for a country and its people has nothing to do with political partisanship or how we feel/think about the government or its (current) leadership. HAPPY JULY 4th TO Y’ALL! ☮️🗽☮️

Yahoo: “LeBron James's agent shares what ultimately drove his Lakers departure.” Nope! LeBron has not retired. He just plans to move to another team. Meaning, he’ll just  “relocate” his $52.6 million salary (2026 rate). Mr James is already worth an estimated $1.4 billion! The first active NBA player to reach billionaire status, building his wealth through historic league contracts, a lifetime Nike deal, and a diverse portfolio of business ventures and investments.

      But if you are thinking that at age 41, he is the oldest dude ever in the league? Nah ah! The NBA's oldest ever in an active roster was Nat Hickey of 1948’s Providence Steamrollers; he was 45 years old. But then those names that are familiar with us? Kevin Willis was 44 when he retired in 2007, and Robert “The Chief” Parish was 43 in 1997. So, maybe LeBron has four more years to earn $50+ million a season? 🏀⛹️🏀

Yahoo: “Democratic socialist Melat Kiros defeats 15-term congresswoman in Colorado.” Too much ado about all these Soc-Dem stuff. All I see is a political novelty, especially to the young who haven’t seen many. If we are in a generally socialist government, such as in Nordic leadership, I’d say this would make a lot of sense. But America stays as a highly capitalist society, a major reason why the U.S. is the world’s #1 economy. This warrants a lot of discussion though. Meanwhile, NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani is The Measure. But we still have to see how all these pan out. 🏛🗽🏛