Hi everyone and welcome to this week's edition of Laura's Links.
I was going to start this column with a short vignette of my Sabbath morning, a literal ray of light which followed a few very tough days. I kind of worked it out in my head, and tried to remember some of the words that were floating around in my mind (among the other prohibitions of the Sabbath, religious Jews do not use electronics or write anything with paper and pen on the Sabbath, no 'creation' of anything new).
I went over it a few times as I was out walking throughout the day, reminding myself of certain phrases that I wanted to recall when my fingers were finally allowed to touch my keyboard as the day turned to dusk and then nightfall. That was my plan anyway. But when I opened my phone after the end of the Sabbath, the first thing I saw in my email was a two-word note from a close friend in America who knew that I would not have seen the news all day: "Trump shot." What horrible news to end the week. I quickly got caught up on everything and saw that miraculously, and in my belief, due to the hand of G-d, President Trump survived the assassination attempt. So his survival is what started my new week.
A lot has been said about the events of Saturday by persons with much more experience and wisdom than I, especially by my ever gracious host Mark Steyn. His assessments and analysis can be read here and here and here and on the latest Clubland Q&A. So other than wishing President Trump and his VP choice, J.D. Vance, godspeed, I'll let Mark and others take the reins on these astonishing events and also point you toward Mark's dear friend Dr.
"I have seen up close how the unlimited power of the Presidency, and the nearness to unlimited power of the Vice Presidency, can destabilize the wisest judgement and seduce the strongest mind. This level of power has an addictive quality. People cannot stand to give it up. They will do almost anything to keep it."
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I'll now share a little bit of the past week from a more personal level. Last week, Mr. C sent me a reel from Instagram which was titled "sometimes autism looks like this." It's a hard video to watch and I think that the mom who filmed it did a positive thing. As hard as it is to watch, it's even harder to live. For the most part, only people who actually walk this particular walk know what it's all about. The video was a kind of call for understanding about what special needs parents deal with on an ongoing basis. I started crying watching it because I had a couple of consecutive extremely hard days with my own son last week on Thursday and Friday, and the challenges were full days, both days, lasting right up to the very moment that I lit my Shabbat candles.
On Saturday morning, I was sitting having a cup of coffee and looking out at the porch. It had rained during the night. The deck was still damp but everything else was mostly dry. I was feeling a bit sorry for myself and for my son, and then I looked out the window and there was a bright light bouncing off a bit of foliage in the backyard in one specific spot. I moved my head around a little and no matter what at angle I looked at the spot, it was reflecting bright – dazzlingly bright – sunlight.
I guess there might have been a drop of water left there. But there was no other place on the foliage reflecting light, nor anywhere else in the yard that I could see. I kind of thought I was going crazy, and I took another sip of coffee, pretended nothing had happened and then took another peek. The light was still brightly dancing in that one, single spot and as I looked into it, I suddenly felt a deep sensation of peace. And then the light was gone. And so was the feeling.
I thought about that beam of light today as I tried to piece myself together again after my son suffered from a rather terrifying seizure first thing Wednesday morning. He seems to be OK now as I file my column at nightfall, but it certainly knocked the wind out of him, and me too, by extension. I've been fighting back tears most of the day, grasping for words when I try to have regular conversations, fighting a kind of post traumatic brain fog, and hoping and praying there will be no repeat performance. I'm trying to remember the beam of light and that strange moment of warm peace and reassurance, and to not be angry. I'm trying so hard not to be angry at G-d, angry at the small bit of chromosome that my son is missing, and wildly angry at the electrical currents and wiring of his precious, small body and his brain that simply betray him and make him suffer. I remind myself that it's OK even for (or perhaps especially for) strong people, the people you think always have it together, to sometimes, or often not be OK.
There's really a lot on my plate.
I'll have words, no doubt, with G-d before turning in for the night as I attempt to lull myself to sleep visualizing a completely uneventful tomorrow.
~
North America
"The dam broke for me and others today..."
Reclaiming the virtue of judgment.
I think this is a fair and important observation.
James Lindsay roasts Canada and Prime Minister Blackface Hairdo.
Old but lovely: "J.
President Trump was nearly assassinated, but Jen Psaki tells us who the real victims are.
"If there is one thing Donald Trump loves more than a Day One supporter... it is a convert.
Using the government as a safeguard for children. What could possibly go wrong?
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Jews and Israel:
Lovely. This is really great.
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The Formerly Great Britain:
One woman's personal experience with Sharia law in the U.
"I'm gonna kill that kufar b*tch.
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Europe:
Please explain to me slowly why Europe NEEDS immigrants such as this and why they ought not be dropped off by helicopter right in the middle of the Moroccan mountains. . I'll listen very closely. What does one actually have to do to get deported from a Western country nowadays? Oh wait, I know: homeschool your Christian children!
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Kooks:
These maniacs really live in a different reality. My question is where do they think the money is going to come from to actually, you know, run the state, once all the producers are gone?
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Human Grace:
Asking the right questions! Right time, right place!
It's open thread time! Log into SteynOnline and let Laura know what you think of these stories or other happenings from week that was. Commenting privileges are among the many perks of membership in The Mark Steyn Club. While going off topic is permitted on Laura's Links, do stick to the other rules as you engage: no URLs, no profanity, and no ad hominem attacks.