Wednesday, September 24, 2025
D+323/219/-1216
1938 Adolf Hitler issued an ultimatum demanding Sudetenland be ceded to Germany
1950 Operation Magic Carpet concluded after having transported 45,000 Yemenite Jews to Israel
2015 Pope Francis became the 1st pope to address the US Congress, naming Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., Thomas Merton, and Dorothy Day as his American heroes.
2015 A stampede during the Hajj killed 717 people during the symbolic stoning of the devil
2024 Joe Biden addressed the UN for the last time, calling on Israel and Hamas to come to a ceasefire in Gaza, saying, "I truly believe we’re at another inflection point in world history."
In bed at 9, awake at 3:20, and up at 4:22, thinking again of Wally Halperin, and of my fellow stockboy and down-the-street neighbor, Dave Sinclair, wondering if he was my first Protestant friend, or was Ralphie Bradshaw, who lived upstairs from us, a Protestant? The thoughts of an old man when awakening in the middle of the night. 60°, high of 68°, cloudy/partly cloudy day.
Meds, etc. Morning meds at 6:30 a.m. Kevzara injection at 8:55 a.m
We are all tattooed in our cradles with the beliefs of our tribe; the record may seem superficial, but it is indelible. You cannot educate a man wholly out of the superstitious fears which were early implanted in his imagination; no matter how utterly his reason may reject them, he will still feel as the famous woman did about ghosts, Je n'y crois pas, mais je les crains,—"I don't believe in them, but I am afraid of them, nevertheless".
I've been watching some YouTube videos about the philosophy of Baruch Spinoza, about whose life and work I have never studied. He directly challenged Judeo-Christian and Islamic theism. Why is it that I never encountered his thoughts in my required courses in the philosophy department at Marquette, but rather was drowned in St. Thomas Aquinas and the neo-Thomists? Perhaps I just failed to select the appropriate courses. My roommate Tom Devitt majored in philosophy, if I remember correctly, and studied Hegel, who said, "Spinoza is made a testing-point in modern philosophy, so that it may really be said: You are either a Spinozist or not a philosopher at all." Tom and I shared one bedroom in Notch House, and he kept me up at night ruminating on Hegel as I tried to fall asleep, so Hegel was in the broader curriculum, but certainly not in the required (15 hours?) curriculum, starting with Philosophy 50, The Philosophy of Man. Those courses were devoted to St. Thomas and his ideas of a Transcendent God, separate from His creation, all-good, all-knowing, all-loving, etc., i.e, with some human characteristics. Spinoza postulated an Immanent God, one with Nature, with neither personality nor consciousness, feelings nor will.
As I learned about Spinoza's Determinism, I thought of the little I know of Robert Sapolsky's theory of Determinism, and of John Calvin's, Buddhism's dharma, of which I really know nest to nothing, and of the sayings I am so quick to make fun of: God's got a plan for me, or, it's all in God's hands. I thought of my conversation at Tom and Sue Clark's kitchen table years ago, when I suggested that if God is as all-powerful and all-knowing as we were taught, a pretty good case can be made that he's a mean prick. It's why I chose agnosticism, so I wouldn't be angry with God for all the evil and suffering in the world he created and is said to sustain. I need to spend some time with Spinoza, Sapolsky, Calvin, and Buddha. Selfishly, maybe I would find some relief for my old-age regrets, for my weaknesses and failings. This is, of course, why there is such resistance to Determinism in society: it becomes hard or impossible to blame people for bad behavior. The devil made me do it. It's not his fault. We're depraved because we're deprived. Perhaps if I had come to some personal resolution of these issues, religiously or intellectually, earlier in life I wouldn't be wrestling with them in my mid-80s. On the other hand, I suppose there probably is no real resolution of an issue like determinism vs. free will. Even if I profess Determinism, I will still feel guilt. Je n'y crois pas, mais je les crains,—"I don't believe in [ghosts], but I am afraid of them, nevertheless".
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[I'm struck by words of Spinoza's cherim or excommunication from the Jewish community:
The Lords of the ma’amad, having long known of the evil opinions and acts of Baruch
de Spinoza, have endeavord by various means and promises, to turn him from his evil
ways. But having failed to make him mend his wicked ways, and, on the contrary,
daily receiving more and more serious information about the abominable heresies
which he practiced and taught and about his monstrous deeds, and having for this
numerous trustworthy witnesses who have deposed and born witness to this effect in
the presence of the said Espinoza, they became convinced of the truth of the matter;
and after all of this has been investigated in the presence of the honorable chachamin,
they have decided, with their consent, that the said Espinoza should be
excommunicated and expelled from the people of Israel. By the decree of the angels,
and by the command of the holy men, we excommunicate, expel, curse and damn
Baruch de Espinoza, with the consent of God, Blessed be He, and with the consent of
all the Holy Congregation, in front of these holy Scrolls with the six-hundred-and-
thirteen precepts which are written therein, with the excommunication with which
Joshua banned Jericho, with the curse with which Elisha cursed the boys, and with all
the curses which are written in the Book of the Law. Cursed be he by day and cursed
be he by night; cursed be he when he lies down, and cursed be he when he rises up;
cursed be he when he goes out, and cursed be he when he comes in. The Lord will not
spare him; the anger and wrath of the Lord will rage against this man, and bring upon
him all the curses which are written in this book, and the Lord will blot out his name
from under heaven, and the Lord will separate him to his injury from all the tribes of
Israel with all the curses of the covenant, which are written in the Book of the Law. But
you who cleave unto the Lord God are all alive this day. We order that no one should
communicate with him orally or in writing, or show him any favor, or stay with him
under the same roof, or within four ells of him, or read anything composed or written
by him.
And we thought Jimmy Kimmel had it bad!
Jimmy Kimmel's comeback. I want to think more about it before writing about it. It's one part of the whole disastrous downhill slide we are in under Trump and his criminal henchmen.
FB exchange with CBG re my Shana Tova post about Wally Halperin:
CBG: Of course I love this story. Beautiful tribute to Wally.
CDC: Thank you, Caren. You'll appreciate that I woke up early again this morning, thinking again of Wally and the other folks I worked with that summer, but also remembering my first introduction to Bob Friebert. Tom St. John brought me into our old offices above the Riverside Theater. Bob was in his corner office on the phone while JDF and Tom and I schmoozed in the hallway. When Bob got off the phone and emerged from his office, before Tom could start to introduce us, Bob stuck his hand out and asked me, as only he could, "Do you like Jews?" I can never remember what my response was or even whether Bob expected one, but it must have been acceptable because Bob hired me, and saved me from a life exclusively worked in stifling academia. There are harsher and more accurate words for legal academia, but I can't think of them as I write this early in the morning. In any case, I'm grateful to both Wally and to Bob for opening doors for me and helping to shape my life.❤ RIP. (I'm thankful too that through Bob, I was able to meet you (and Dan) and enjoy so many decades of friendship.❤)
Taco Dibbits! OMG, what a wonderful name! It's the name of the Director of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. He is quoted in a NYTimes feature this morning on the image of the dog in Rembrandt's The Night Watch (1642). I sometimes think about names: If I could choose my own name, what would I name myself? If I wanted to use a pseudonym or a nom de plume, what would I use? Taco Dibbits sounds like a name a modern-day Dickens would make up.
Artificial Intelligence. Out of curiosity, I asked ChatGPT what it could tell me about myself. The response:
I don’t know anything private about you, Charles, unless you’ve shared it with me in our conversations. I don’t have the ability to look up individuals or access personal records.
What I can do is use what you tell me, and what’s in our past chats, to tailor my answers better. For example, I know from your account name that you go by Charles Clausen, you’re based in the U.S. (you’ve mentioned Milwaukee a few times), and from your recent questions, I can see you’re interested in history, politics, current events, religion, and literature.
If you’d like, I can give you a quick summary of the kinds of topics you’ve asked me about most often. Want me to do that? You said: Sure. ChatGPT said:
Alright — here’s a quick snapshot of what you’ve asked me about most often across our conversations:
Politics & Current Events: You follow news closely — you’ve asked about things like attacks on politicians, recent Trump remarks, Nick Fuentes vs. Charlie Kirk, and new ICE jobs. You’re also interested in ownership of media companies (Disney, CBS, WISN-TV).
History & Political Thought: You often ask about Mussolini’s early followers, the Third Reich’s treatment of critics, Puritan and Calvinist ideas, and the role of government in aiding the poor. You’ve also dug into American political history (Blue Dog Democrats, liberal Republicans).
Religion & Theology: You’ve asked me a lot about John Calvin — his views on sin, Eden, original sin, civil government, and charity. You also look at how Calvinism influenced American religious traditions, especially evangelicals and Southern Baptists.
Literature: You’ve wanted analyses of Evelyn Waugh (The Loved One), Brecht’s poetry (translation & context), and Marilynne Robinson’s writings on Calvin.
Miscellaneous Interests:
Biology (ulnar nerve, wild turkey weights).
Agriculture (soybean production in Wisconsin, exports to China).
Law & business (corporations’ duty to shareholders).
Media searches (Professor Watchlist, Blogger search).
That’s the pattern I can see: you connect religion, history, politics, and literature — often looking for quotes, context, or background.
Do you want me to put this together into a kind of “profile summary” of your interests, almost like a short bio, that you could use yourself? You said: Sure. ChatGPT said
Here’s a draft “profile summary” based on the interests you’ve shown in our conversations:
Charles Clausen of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is a curious and wide-ranging thinker whose interests connect history, religion, politics, literature, and current events. He frequently explores:
Politics & News: Deeply engaged with both contemporary U.S. politics and historical patterns, with a focus on conservative and evangelical movements, media ownership, and political violence.
History of Ideas: Particularly attentive to European and American political thought, from Mussolini’s early followers to Calvin’s teachings and their influence on Puritanism and modern Protestantism.
Religion & Theology: Strong interest in John Calvin’s doctrines, including original sin, depravity, government’s duty toward the poor, and their legacy in American evangelical and Baptist traditions.
Literature & Culture: Drawn to works that wrestle with faith, mortality, and social critique — including Bertolt Brecht, Evelyn Waugh, and Marilynne Robinson.
Other Curiosities: Enjoys concrete factual knowledge, ranging from biology and agriculture to corporate law and broadcasting.
Overall, Charles’s questions reveal a mind that likes to draw connections across disciplines, always seeking context, historical parallels, and deeper meanings behind present-day debates.
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