Catholic Women Don't Require Theological Conference Dispensation To Use Artificial Contraception

  Fr. Alvin Holloway, S.J. -- taught that artificial contraception was same as 'mutual masturbation' in Loyola Ethics course.

                                                             

 

                      "You really gonna try and dictate limits on my sex life?"

 Last month's 3-day conference of Catholic Theologians in Rome was emphatic in declaring the moral injunctions against artificial contraception were not passé. But newsflash! Catholic women have already moved on and need no theological imprimatur.

Francis X. Rocca, the Wall Street Journal's Vatican correspondent, warned in his recent column ('Is the Catholic Church Rethinking Contraception?', 12/30, p. C4)  that:  

  "Conservatives warn that lifting the categorical ban on artificial birth control would open a Pandora’s box by contradicting the reasoning behind other prohibitions."

Let's note that his term "conservatives" refers to that faction of the Church that had basically been under the hegemony of Joseph Ratzinger, or Pope Benedict XVI. But since his death it might well be the case, as Rocca surmises, that the RC Church re-examines the morality of contraception (by which I will always mean the artificial type, not the cockeyed 'rhythm' method)  Rocca also admitted in a subsequent column (yesterday, WSJ, p. A16,  WSJ, p. A16, 'Predecessor’s Death Removes Constraint on Pope Francis') that Pope Francis will now be at relative liberty to push through further "progressive" reforms.

I also predicted (see my Jan. 2 post) one of these - allowance of artificial contraception - would be considered by Pope Francis for married couples.  This in contravention of the encyclical Humanae Vitae - which was more a declaration of unthinking dogma based on a specious pseudo principle ("natural law") than a reasoned moral argument.  Rocca in his original WSJ piece goes on:

"The church has traditionally taught that it is wrong to prevent procreation except through abstinence from sexual intercourse. The explanations for this teaching have varied over time in accordance with developments in theology, philosophy and science, as recounted in John T. Noonan, Jr.’s book, “Contraception: A History of Its Treatment by the Catholic Theologians and Canonists.”

For what it's worth this is nonsense. Biologist Elizabeth A. Daugherty  has asked ('The Lessons of Zoology'. in the monograph  Contraception and Holiness, p. 110):

"Why do we call secondary the ends of the sexual act which have been accorded in fullness to us, and why do we call primary the end which we share with the lower animals?"

She's referring to the fact that the core of Pius XI's  original anti-contraception encyclical Casti Connubii was that the "sin" of artificial contraception inhered in making primary a sexual aspect that in reality is only "secondary". According to that pontiff:

"Since therefore the conjugal act is destined primarily by nature for the begetting of children, those who in exercising it deliberately frustrate its natural power and purpose sin against nature."

Which is irredeemable codswallop. As Daugherty notes in her chapter (op. cit.)  what the pontiff and his ilk really sought to do is reduce humans to the state of lower animals, at the behest of their "natural" reproductive cycles. In this sense, unlike the lower animals, humans have the intellectual capacity and sense of novelty to introduce a vast variety of pleasure-play into their sex relations. They aren't yoked to  primitive instincts to simply mount and hump at specific times. As Daugherty notes (pp. 96- 97):

"After ovulation, all mammalian females are under the influence of progesterone from the corpus luteum. This is a period of rapidly declining estrogenic activity which ends the sexual receptivity of the lower mammalian female, whether or not fertilization occurs.
 

But (in humans) marital relations continue during this progesterone -dominated period before the abrupt onset of menstruation. It is the period of lowest estrogenic activity and the progesterone-dominated period after ovulation which are known as the 'safe period' for marital relations."

This then, is what the Catholics'  “rhythm method” (of  Ogino-Kaus)  seeks to do: establish the "safe period" for a particular woman and then ordain that this is the time to safely have sexual relations if one wishes to not have any kids. The trouble is, it requires meticulous temperature taking at various times during a cycle to establish where that safe period begins and ends, and often this will be for no more than 10 days or so in a given month. Presumably, the couple is quite happy to do without sex the other two thirds of the time!

Thus, the moralizers of the Vatican are actually demanding that married couples act UNNATURALLY, since as Daugherty observes (ibid.):

"Humans are free from physiologically determined sexual desires so we possess a more or less permanent sexuality from adolescence to old age."

The next words of Rocca are also revelatory:

"Biblical warrant for the prohibition has been found in the story of Onan in the book of Genesis, struck dead by God for practicing coitus interruptus. "

The biblical writer here is referring to none other than masturbation, which is what coitus interruptus amounts to.  I harken back to my Loyola Ethics prof - equally bamboozled by ancient biblical tales - who tried to say artificial contraception is the same as "mutual masturbation."  But even if it is, so what?  Is he going to call it a "sin"?  Yes, under the fictitious natural law as Rocca then invokes (ibid.):

"But the primary reasons for the church’s condemnation of contraception have come not from scripture but from natural law—a tradition of moral philosophy with roots in classical antiquity that holds that there is moral order in the universe that is discernible by reason even without divine revelation. For medieval theologians such as the 13th-century St. Thomas Aquinas, Noonan wrote, “the first argumentation against the unnaturalness of contraception rested on its contradiction of the natural purpose of the genital organs and the genital act.”

Aquinas views in his reference to the 'natural purpose of the genital organs and the genital act' then betrays an allegiance to Aristotelian modes of thought. These tend to fix behaviors to mistaken 'norms' of the time and fixed definitions of the 'normal' construed as 'natural' but which are not. Indeed, as contributor Julian Pleasants observed in the same monograph (p. 88) the RC Church has always been hostage to:

"Aristotelian modes of thought which tend to fix behaviors within very limited and fixed definitions and categories."

Thus, the Church once believed it "natural" that some men be enslaved because they were “unable to manage their own affairs”  (ibid.) So why be surprised when the same Church seeks to ordain all her members abide by a sexuality more fitting of lower primates?   The abiding question for me is: Why should 21^st century rational adults- Catholics or not -    be yoked  to Aristotelian modes of thought regarding the so-called "pelvic sins". 

Viewed from a scientific Materialist’s perspective, Aquinas’ (and similar clerics’) statements reflect an exaggerated, over solicitous concern for the biology of one higher ape relative of the chimpanzee, on one ordinary planet.  Worse, it signifies a brazen attempt to intrude in personal affairs that don’t concern Catholic moralists or theologians.  Especially after the RC sexual abuse scandal (which Ratizinger helped to conceal) that essentially deep-sixed the Church’s “pelvic” sins moral offense category one time.

Natural law then was invented purely as a theological sophistry; a device to control and manipulate people's lives.  And while we’re at it, let me remind the Ratzinger followers and Rocca that the birth control proscription has never been stated ex Cathedra so it’s not an infallible dogma. It is proposed under the Magisterium or Teaching Office, which is why the RCs now are allowing "conscience" to factor into decisions.  Indeed, even Rocca himself writes:

"What has changed since 1968? Pope Francis has laid increased emphasis on the role of an individual’s conscience in discerning factors that mitigate culpability in particular circumstances."

But that choice was actually there all along. As one honest padre once confided to me ca. 1977: "You are free to use your own conscience in this regard, since the teaching isn't binding." 

The key takeaway in all of this is that the vast bulk of Catholics has already moved on in terms of the morality of artificial contraception. Indeed, a 2016 Pew Research poll found only 13 percent of practicing Catholics believed it to be morally wrong. For all intents the "Catholic debate on contraception" is now over, has been over for some time.   

Rocca insists the Theological Conference is still considering the precept:

"Every human life should be the result of an act of love, and no instance of sexual intercourse can be fully loving unless it is open to the potential of new life."

But what might have been weakly defensible 100 years ago, or even 60 - no longer is with 8 billion humans crowding out every wild space and responsible for the most massive mass extinction since the demise of the dinosaurs 66 million years ago from a large asteroid. See e.g.

Dr. Paul R Ehrlich on 60 Minutes CBS - YouTube

The Right tries to dismiss Ehrlich, always has, but he has been correct on a number of counts since his book, The Population Bomb.

Thus, as Isaac Asimov put it in a lecture he delivered in Barbados back in 1976, 

The Woman who refuses to breed, who practices birth control, is now the heroine of the planet.  In this light,  last month's 3 -day conference of Catholic theologians and philosophers in Rome reduces to a mere exercise in rarefied, academic uselessness. 

Their intended desire to "defend and explain" the Church's prohibition of contraception" is therefore irrelevant, antiquated. Moreover, it is the actual immoral act given it adds to the destruction of the planetary home humans need to survive by adding more people than the planet can sustain. Thereby leading to mass destitution and desperate mass migration to escape poverty, famine, war and civil violence. 

 In this sense science writer Arthur C. Clarke was totally correct to also have dubbed John Paul II a dangerous man, e.g.

 See Also:

"To Breed Or Not To Breed?" The Answer Ought To Be Obvious By Now!

And:

Prof. Albert Bartlett Skewers The Trope That "The Total Global Population Is A Meaningless Number"

And:

Conservatives and the Right

Is the Right to Contraception About To End in America?

by Thom Hartmann | January 5, 2023 - 6:35am | permalink

— from The Hartmann Report

Excerpt:

To paraphrase Pastor Niemöller, first they came for our abortion rights. Now they’re coming for our birth control.

Psychologist Dr. Marty Klein notes at Psychology Today that there are typically only a few reasons why people oppose birth control. They are:

— Fundamentalist religions fear sexual pleasure, which birth control facilitates

— Contraception effectively limits family size, empowering women

— Contraception promotes personal autonomy [making women more likely to challenge male authority]

— Birth control may make abortion more acceptable to society

As of last week, Republican efforts to ban birth control in America have officially started, and teenagers in Texas are its first victims.

The Chaos In The House: A Prelude For What's Coming If "Freedom Caucus"' Gains GOP House Control

 

This just in (10:50 a.m ET)  - NY Times

Representative Kevin McCarthy of California offered fresh concessions to a hard-right band of rebels in a desperate effort to lock down the votes to become speaker, as a historic Republican deadlock that has paralyzed Congress entered its third day on Thursday with no resolution.

After losing a half-dozen consecutive votes for the post over two humiliating days, Mr. McCarthy privately agreed to more demands from the right-wing rebels that he had previously refused to countenance, including allowing a single lawmaker to force a snap vote at any time to oust him from the speakership, 

"If this is the chaos that ensues just to choose a Republican Speaker, what hope is there of a functioning legislature even if a Speaker is eventually chosen ."  - The Republicans Descent Into Dysfunction', The Financial Times

"What you are seeing is a version of the January 6th insurrection brought indoors.  You are seeing supporters of overturning the last presidential election in a generally non-violent, polite battle with each other, in which they use votes instead of bear spray."- Lawrence O'Donnell, The Last Word, MSNBC last night

"House Republicans say they want to drain the swamp and save America, but they can’t even get through Day 1 without a display of dysfunction." - 'The GOP Chaos Caucus Returns', WSJ editorial yesterday

Norm Ornstein, appearing on ALL In last night, put the best perspective on the MAGA wing of the GOP now creating chaos in the House of Representatives -  which basically has devolved to a defunct arm of government.  He compared it to the Tea Party in 2011 which nearly sent the U.S. "over the cliff" because of an attempt at default with the debt ceiling.  Then, we were saved by John Boehner who had the leverage to salvage the situation. But as Ornstein noted, neither McCarthy or anyone else in any remote position of leadership is going to be able to do that now.  Further "the Tea party looks like Milquetoasts compared to the Freedom Caucus now."

But how bad can it get?  Ornstein stated if the "never Kevin"  vote - from the cabal now called the "Taliban 20" is 20 or even 19, this standoff could go on for days or longer.  All the time the House existing merely as a defunct branch of government, basically "the Walking Dead" in Ornstein's parlance.

 Is he exaggerating? No, because this deranged wing isn't seeking to build a coalition to govern, to pass specific policies. Their primary goal it to throw "sand into the gears" to block Dems and any moderate Reeps from passing any key legislation and that may include raising the debt ceiling limit.

Even FOX blowhard Sean Hannity was exasperated Monday night in the 1st round of McCarthy rejections as he addressed the GOP’s intra-party fracas, blabbering:

“It is day one of the 188th [sic, 118th] Congress, and House Republicans now are on the verge of becoming a total clown show if they’re not careful,” Hannity began. Then adding "But at least it's not a total clown show....yet."   

But it will be again today, sonny. As it was yesterday.  Hannity then addressed any concerns his viewers might have, spouting this balderdash; 

"Now, McCarthy has already publicly laid out his Commitment to America plan. That is exactly the America-first, MAGA agenda that so many of you I know like.”

Like?!  It's Liz Truss version 2.0.  E.g.

• UK P.M. Liz Truss Forced To Resign After Major Tax Cut Attempt..

Kevin McCarthy, for over ten years, has fantasized about becomong House Speaker. But Monday with it seemingly in his grasp (after he moved all his junk into the Speaker's office) a Red state MAGA revolt upended his cherished desires.  This even after promising the GOOP Visigoths everything they asked for - including investigations of the January 6th committee and even blocking its documents from the National Archives.  No, folks you can't make this shit storm up. It's real and as appalling as it sounds.  These are the clowns that managed to somehow flip the House away from the adults (Dems) to a squabbling band of dyspeptic toddlers. 

Worse, as MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell aptly compared it to the January 6th insurrection taken indoors. (See quote at top). Is he being hyperbolic? Not at all. Both the January 6th insurrection and the current Speakership fight show that a large segment of Reeps - voters as well as elected officials - are incited to tear down long-standing norms and restraints.  All that in pursuit of goals that cannot be achieved democratically, and in various forums (e.g. WSJ op-ed comments) they make it clear that they are opposed to normal governance.

 The revolt on Wednesday was worse with two more rounds of no votes which saw poor little Kevin almost sobbing, spouting F-bombs, so desperate to capture the speakership.   But don't look for resolution.  The Red state "freedom caucus" rabble are determined to raise havoc. No matter the concessions made to those on the far right and McCarthy has made plenty of them.  Even if he succeeds after "130 rounds of votes",  his hold will be tenuous, fragile. Because only rejection by five members will be enough to topple him from his perch.

These 'Freedom Caucus' mutts meanwhile consider themselves Uber MAGA conservatives who are destined to deep six or blow up the "Deep State" come hell or high water.  Such runaway renegades cannot be placated even if all their demands are met because as David Jolly noted last night (ALL In) they are not interested in governance but chaos and vengeance on Biden and Dems.  Their agenda is mostly to defund, disrupt and dismantle government, not to participate in it.  

Oh and they are intent on investigations and bogus impeachments. But fortunately, as Amanda Marcotte has noted, the Biden administration saw this clown show coming and was ready for it. As she writes (see more at link below):

On Thursday, White House lawyer Richard Sauber metaphorically crumpled up Republican requests for materials on various fake scandals, telling them they don't have the authority yet and will have to redo all the paperwork in the new year.

"Should the Committee issue similar or other requests in the 118th Congress, we will review and respond to them in good faith, consistent with the needs and obligations of both branches," he wrote. "We expect the new Congress will undertake its oversight responsibilities in the same spirit of good faith."

One can smell the sarcasm dripping off the letter, of course. Even a cursory review of the requests shows that "good faith" is not a concept that holds much meaning for House Republicans.

So Jim Jordan and his Reepo Witch hunters will have one hell of a time trying to move on with their assorted vengeance and grievance tour.  Meanwhile, these asswipe idiots can't even find common cause to elect their own House Speaker, so how the hell are they going to find the to move on to their bogus investigations - or even get docs from the Biden administration?

The main worry, however, is no matter how corrupt, traitorous and inept this bunch are, they can still wreak havoc on the nation if they choose to default on U.S. debt by not raising the debt ceiling, e.g.  

FT Columnist Edward Luce Predicts 'Only Real Damage' GOP Could Do: "Send Stock Market Crashing" - Or Worse

Which malfeasance could well lead to a catastrophe of global proportions.  This is why, as Amanda Marcotte writes in Salon.com, the media must get its act together and treat the GOP House as what it is: a Trump Cult bent on revenge and characterized by governing nihilism.  This MAGA tribe, should it gain control of the House, will essentially precipitate the decapitation of one entire branch of government.  What you are witnessing now with the Speaker election chaos is just a taste of what lies ahead.  

On balance, let's be thankful that at least the $1.7 trillion Omnibus bill was passed last month, given sane people in both parties could see once the Chaos Caucus entered the House there'd be no policy discussions or legislation. Nothing but a nonstop circus and social media grandstanding - performance 'art' for the losers on 4chan, 8chan, 'Truth Social' and 'The Donald'.

See Also:

Republicans

House Shitshow Has a Message for America: GOP Can’t Govern and Doesn’t Want To

by Heather Digby Parton | January 5, 2023 - 7:51am | permalink

— from Salon

Excerpt:

If anyone still labors under the impression that Donald Trump invented the shitshow that is the modern Republican Party, Tuesday's performance on Capitol Hill will have disabused them of that notion. It was déjà vu all over again, just like in 2015 when Kevin McCarthy was humiliated by far right bomb-throwers simply because he was so easy to humiliate, thus giving them leverage and pleasure in equal measure. Poor McCarthy spent the next seven years groveling and genuflecting to these extremists under the foolish impression that they would reward him for his fealty. As Salon's Rae Hodge lays out in detail, on Tuesday afternoon they simply laughed in his face and humiliated him again.

And:

Republicans

McCarthy Debacle Comes With a Lesson: There’s a Downside to Being a Party of Fascist Trolls

by Amanda Marcotte | January 6, 2023 - 8:41am | permalink

— from Salon

And:

Media | Republicans

The GOP Is About To Go Wild With Phony Biden Investigations. The Media Must Not Take the Bait.

by Amanda Marcotte | January 4, 2023 - 8:51am | permalink

— from Salon

Excerpt:

Dark Brandon strikes again! Republiicans have been drooling openly for weeks now over the small House majority they will have in the new year, and not because they have plans for legislation that will improve the lives of Americans. Nah, the blueprint for 2023 is all revenge on Democrats, all the time. Republicans are still salty over House Democrats investigating Donald Trump for minor transgressions like attempting to overthrow democracy and sending a murderous mob after Congress and his own vice president. The main form this revenge will take will be endless, stupid "investigations" into the various conspiracy theories about President Joe Biden that have been dredged up from the bowels of right wing media.

And:

Can Republicans Be Redeemed and Readmitted to the Human Race?

by Jaime O’Neill | January 4, 2023 - 8:36am | permalink

It seems Republicans need a lot of help these days, and though I'm loath to give them aid and comfort, I am, after all, a liberal, so I hate to see the suffering of any wretched creatures from human to animal. And, we surely must admit, with apologies to both humans and animals, that even Republicans exist within that spectrum. We need to show a little mercy for people as confused, as misguided, as divisive, and as morally uncentered as they have so amply demonstrated they are.

And:

Kevin McCarthy

Kevin’s Big Day: Ongoing Humiliation. House Adjourns With No Speaker Elected

by Joan McCarter | January 4, 2023 - 8:04am | permalink

— from Daily Kos

The vote for House Speaker continues, moving to round three in with Kevin McCarthy’s hapless bid to lead the tiny minority in the new Congress. This is the first time in 100 years that the Speaker was not elected on the first ballot, something that’s only happened 14 times in history.

Stick with us for as long as this goes, and watch all the fun. We could be here for days

And:

Stephen Colbert Dubs Kevin McCarthy’s House Speaker Drama ‘Ass Onion: A Kev’s Out Mystery’ (Video) (thewrap.com)

And: 

The GOP’s Chaos Caucus Returns

And:

Donald Trump | Kevin McCarthy

Donald Trump Refuses To Say if He Still Supports Kevin McCarthy After Humiliating Speakership Flop

by Brandon Gage | January 4, 2023 - 8:16am | permalink

— from Alternet

A New Comet Arrives Then "Ring of Fire" Eclipse & And Other 2023 Astronomical Events (Updated Comet Finder Map)

 

     Comet C 2022 E3 (ZTF) may be visible to naked eye observers later this month

The comet, named C/2022 E3 (ZTF), is currently passing through the inner solar system. It will make its closest approach to the sun, or perihelion, on Jan. 12, and will then whip past Earth making its closest passage of our planet, its perigee, between Feb. 1 and Feb. 2.  If the comet continues to brighten as it currently is, it could be visible in dark skies with the naked eye.  (An image of the new comet - taken by Hisayoshi Sato, is shown above).  Would -be observers should look for C/2022 E3 (ZTF) when the Moon is dim in the sky, with the new moon on Jan. 21 offering such an opportunity, weather permitting. 

According to the website Starlust(opens in new tab), the comet will be in the Camelopardalis constellation during its close approach.  ASTRONOMY magazine recommends looking for the comet through 7 x 50 mm binoculars through late January up to February 1-3.  (On Jan. 29 it lies 10 deg from Polaris - the North Star)   By Feb. 5th, however, the full Moon means you will definitely need binoculars to spot it near the star Capella. 

OTHER EVENTS TO LOOK FOR:

Venus-Jupiter Conjunction on March 1st, e.g.

      Jupiter-Venus conjunction on March 1st from Colorado Springs

On the night of March 1st Venus will be within the angular width of the full Moon (30 ') to Jupiter.  The graphic above, from my Cybersky program, shows Venus in pink adjacent to Jupiter.  The pair will make a splendid sight about 1 hour after sunset in the southwest sky.  No binoculars needed but a small telescope with a 1 degree or larger field of view provides the best view.

Mammoth Sunspots - Solar Activity In May: 

ASTRONOMY projects a rise in solar activity with cycle 25 ramping up from May.   This cycle has already been showing some of the most rapid increases in activity in decades.  Probably since my cycle 20 observations in the early 1980s.  But bear in mind special solar filters are needed for observations.  To get a good handle on potential events check out this space weather website:

Sunspot regions | Solar activity | SpaceWeatherLive.com

Venus Dominates In June As Evening Star:

On June 1st Venus appears 25 degrees above the western horizon an hour after sunset providing an excellent opportunity for observation by naked eye, binoculars or telescope.   At a magnitude of -4.4, see e.g.

Selected Questions- Answers From All Experts Astronomy Forum(Stellar Brightness- Magnitude Scale)

Solutions to Simple Astronomy Problems (3)

Venus will appear brighter than any other celestial object, against the background of the constellation Gemini. Venus remains at this angular distance from the Sun for two weeks on either side of the reference date, so don't fret over a rainy night or two.

Saturn At Opposition:

Saturn will present a spectacular view at opposition, and also a radically different one from the aspect we've been used to.  To fix ideas, for the past 13 years we've been looking down on the giant planet's northern hemisphere so the rings were clearly visible, tipped to our line of sight. But now the planet will commence a 2 year process over which the ring angle with respect to us will change, being essentially edge on by 2025. E.g. from a previous ring change,

In the current opposition the rings will still be visible but barely.  In May, when Saturn appears in the morning sky, the rings tilt 8 degrees to our line of sight. It then dips down to 7 deg and back to 9 degrees in late August. The optimal viewing occurs on Aug. 29th at opposition when the disk spans 18" of arc, with the ring length more than double that. 

Mercury is at optimal viewing in September:

Mercury has always been an elusive planet on account of its brief orbital period (58 days), so it alternates relatively rapidly between being a morning and evening object.  But in September Mercury outdoes itself by providing its best morning appearance for the year.   After passing between Sun and Earth on Sept. 6th it quickly ascends higher in the predawn sky, reaching greatest elongation on Sept. 22nd when it lies 18 deg west of the Sun and 8 deg in altitude 45 minutes before sunrise.  This may be the best chance to see the tiny planet in years, and I for one plan to take advantage of the propitious alignment.

"Ring of fire" Annular Eclipse in October:

 One of the most spectacular annular eclipses, dubbed a "ring of fire" effect will transpire over parts of the U.S. on October 14th.   The map below displays the path of annularity within which the eclipse will provide an optimal display.

A similar annular eclipse occurred in February, 2017 and you get some idea of what to expect from the image below:

Jupiter dominates late fall sky:

"Big Jupe" attains opposition over Nov. 2/3 and ought to present a stunning sight. It will reach a magnitude of -2.9 and this will ensure the attention of any random stargazers.  Through a small telescope - like the one I have (a Tasco 2.4 in. refractor) its width spans 50" which means I will easily be able to observe the atmospheric belts, e.g.

Geminid Meteor Shower:  

From December 4-17 the Geminids make their appearance and the New Moon on December 12th provides special dark viewing.   Observers may see up 150 meteors per hour.

All in all, weather permitting, it should be a great year for observing a diverse set of astronomical events!

See Also:

Tackling Intermediate Astronomy Problems (2) 

Updated comet finder map: for end of January through Feb. 5th:

Some Strategic (And Controversial) Predictions For 2023.

 

All this past year we've seen increased violence, and political polarization in the U. S. as well as rising authoritarianism throughout the civilized world.  Not to mention ever more climate and geological catastrophes.  So what does 2023 portend?  My forecasts under five main headers below:

Political: 

The buzz on Jake Tapper's CNN morning show today was whether the new GOP House could "keep it together" and get any policy work completed.  This as opposed to going off the rails with grievance-driven investigations, attempted impeachments, e.g. of Biden and the DHS deputy secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.    So the answer is no, they won't back off from a planned grievance circus, and "providing material for FOX News".

New House Judiciary leader (and perpetual bomb-thrower) Jim Jordan will drive much of the GOP 'anger-tainment'- but will find his subpoena and oversight efforts blocked.  This will be after being informed by the Biden Admin. he must commence oversight documentation requests anew and cannot use what the J6 committee has compiled.

Fortunately, a newly elected more moderate set of GOP House members will have something to say about the "revenge" antics.  Thus, the GOP House will fracture into factions by March - with Kevin McCarthy losing his tenuous hold on the Speaker's seat.  This after having caved to Marjorie Taylor-Greene, Jim Jordan and Matt Gaetz, and following months of unsuccessful hearings, investigations of  Mayorkas, Joe Biden, Anthony Fauci and Hunter Biden.

Donald Trump will finally be indicted by Garland's DOJ but will still run for president on the GOP ticket - and will be endorsed, embraced by the GOP base. 

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will run again on the D-ticket to once again seek to take down the Trump threat.

George Santos will be forced to resign from the House in April after facing prosecuted for violating campaign financial laws by the Feds.

Economics:

The Federal Reserve under Jay Powell will reduce interest rate hikes by 25 basis points ( e.g. 0.25% ) by March.  This will follow reports that inflation has gone down to 5.5.%

Housing prices will still continue to fall, despite lower interest rates because the mortgage rate annual avg. remains near 6%.

The GOP House will attempt to hold the debt ceiling hostage, but after warnings from economists that any default will precipitate a global market meltdown, they back off.

The stock market will rebound - with the DOW over 34,000 after Fed announces lower rate hikes.

Climate-Environment:

By late May the atmospheric concentration of CO2 will reach 429 ppm, the highest ever - recorded from Mauna Loa - and the strongest signal yet we are headed for a climate tipping point.

Speaking of which, by late April a new "atmospheric river" will manifest dumping records amount of rain on the South and midwest- in some case up to 7 inches per hour. (Similar to what struck the Pacific Northwest and northern California last month)

The Union of Concerned Scientists will again issue another climate alert on the approach of a tipping point, while repeating again that the climate statistics - especially in temperature rise globally - have been under-reported.

New, more serious melting of permafrost will be reported in Alaska and Siberia, releasing megatons more methane into the atmosphere.

Science & Technology:

A new, more serious COVID 19 mutation will emerge out of China  by early February.  This new variant will, alas, be found to be nearly impervious to Covid vaccines.

By October, an 'all-in -one' flu vaccine will be introduced, but FDA approval will have to wait another year.

A brand new dentifrice will be available by August, which kills the fungi that enable bacteria to spread on teeth - causing cavities. (As per a Scientific American report (January, p. 20) on the discovery of oral fungi that work in concert with bacteria to destroy tooth enamel.

A newly developed cell phone will be introduced next fall which ceases operation if use is attempted while driving.

A specially convened NASA conference this summer will announce that the UAP videoed by Nimitz pilots are not "trash, foreign craft or illusions" but actual unknown objects with "unusual dynamical properties."

Religion- Faith:

Pope Francis will embark on a new, bold path after Benedict's death, to loosen current restrictions of the misconceived and irrational policy on artificial contraception.  For the first time, Francis will acknowledge its serious shortcomings and how it has been responsible for much of the world's destitution with too many people for far too few available resources.

Predictably, Francis will receive blowback from the conservative Ratzinger wing of the Church, but - like Pope Paul I before him - will know that what he's doing is right.

See Also:

Joe Biden

Who Dares To Mock Dark Brandon Now? Joe Biden Keeps Rolling Up the Wins

by Heather Digby Parton | January 2, 2023 - 8:05am | permalink

— from Salon

And:

Republicans

Bizarre Personal Life Aside, There’s a Lot of Hinky Money Behind George Santos

by Joan McCarter | January 2, 2023 - 7:41am | permalink

— from Daily Kos

Now that The New York Times has decided to pay attention to the many bizarre stories of fabulist Rep.-elect George Santos, they’re really digging in. It would have been helpful if they’d been paying attention before the election, while local New York papers like the North Shore Leader were raising the alarm about Santos’ finances. That paper concluded he was too “bizarre, unprincipled and sketchy” to hold office.

And:

Prof. Albert Bartlett Skewers The Trope That "The Total Global Population Is A Meaningless Number"

And:

• Are Laser Plasma Holographs Created By "Foreign Adveraries" Really The UFOs Reported By Navy Pilots?...