Bob Schwartz

July 27, 2026

Monday music

Monday has more songs than other weekdays, fewer than weekends. Some suggestions for today:

Pure pop: Monday Monday by the Mamas & Papas

Also pure pop: Manic Monday by the Bangles

R&B: Blue Monday by Fats Domino

Blues: Stormy Monday by T-Bone Walker

Blues: Stormy Monday performed live by the Allman Brothers

Have to admit these songs all have a bit of—or a lot of—“Monday’s a mess” (Fats Domino). So to balance it out:

I don’t care if Monday’s blue
Tuesday’s grey and Wednesday too
Thursday, I don’t care about you
It’s Friday, I’m in love

Monday you can fall apart
Tuesday, Wednesday break my heart
Oh, Thursday doesn’t even start
It’s Friday, I’m in love

Friday I’m in Love by The Cure

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July 27, 2026

The Godfather Part II Presages the Trump Presidency

“All my people are businessmen; their loyalty is based on that…and on that basis, anything is possible.”

“Free to make our profits without the Justice Department, the FBI…looking for a man who desperately wants to be President of the United States.”

The Godfather Part II

The Godfather Part I and Part II are more than near-perfect movies, two of the most critically-acclaimed films of all time. They are compelling pictures of the unrestrained grab for power and money, fueled by mutual self-interest and governed by no other values.

These two quotes from The Godfather Part II (1974), more than forty years old, encapsulate where America finds itself today:

MICHAEL CORLEONE
“All my people are businessmen; their loyalty is based on that. One thing I learned from my father is to try to think as the people around you think…and on that basis, anything is possible.”

HYMAN ROTH
“If only I could live to see it, kid; to be there with you. How beautifully we’ve done it, step by step. Here, protected, free to make our profits without the Justice Department, the FBI; ninety miles away in partnership with a friendly government. Ninety miles, just a small step, looking for a man who desperately wants to be President of the United States, and having the cash to make it possible.”

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July 25, 2026

Without a Brand New Playbook the Democrats Are Lost (2018)

Sid Gillman is a towering figure in National Football League history—in fact, in the history of American football:

He began his coaching career in an era that taught that running the ball was the surest way to victory.

It was a philosophy with which he disagreed. “The big play comes with the pass,” he would tell anyone who would take time to listen. “God bless those runners because they get you the first down, give you ball control and keep your defense off the field. But if you want to ring the cash register, you have to pass.”

Sid went on to become the foremost authority on forward passing offense. He was the first coach to produce divisional champions in both the National and American Football Leagues. Gillman’s first pro coaching job came in 1955 when he became the Los Angeles Rams head coach. In his first year he led the team to a division crown.

The rest is history. Not only did opposing teams have to learn to defend against the big pass play, which opened up the field, but they had to develop new and innovative playbooks of their own.

Like it or not, there is a new playbook in American politics, at least from one of the teams. Maybe—hopefully—it will return to a game that unconditionally rewards excellence, competence, integrity, morality, ethics, reasonableness, responsibility, accountability, civility and honesty. But not at the moment.

This isn’t to suggest that Democrats adopt the Trump playbook. But just as with the football teams that had to play against Gillman, the Democrats have to spend time—much of which they wasted in 2017—doing more than tweaking the plays or even finding better players. The old playbook is not going to work in 2018, and for all we know, in the foreseeable future.

Whatever you hear the Democrats propose, whoever you see the Democrats running, ask yourself whether it is part of a brand new playbook, or just updated versions of the same old one. Because without that new playbook, winning will remain often out of reach.

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July 24, 2026

To understand America, read Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

Note: A version of this post was first published in 2017. I’ve made a few revisions to mentions of particular years. Otherwise no changes were needed. Which says so much.

We had the best education. We went to school every day. I only took the regular course. Reeling and Writhing to begin with. Then the different branches of Arithmetic—Ambition, Distraction, Uglification, and Derision.
–Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

Read Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland now. Again if it’s been a while, and definitely now if for the first time.

Lewis Carroll (born Charles Dodgson, 1832-1898) was famously creative as a mathematician and logician. He wove puzzles and tortured logic all through his book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

Puzzles and tortured logic are a major component of America in 2026, as they were over the past ten years.

The leadership and the citizens of Wonderland are variously tyrannical, illogical, stupid, or just plain bizarre. Alice literally does not fit in. While she is only a child, she has more sense than everyone she meets combined.

If I had a news network like CNN, I’d interrupt the futile attempts to understand and explain what’s going on by having different news anchors read aloud one chapter from Alice in Wonderland every day. It would actually be more constructive—and more fun—than just listening to their trying to making sense of the nonsensical.

If Trump’s tweets were taken from Alice in Wonderland, would we know the difference? Would he?

Some Trump/Alice tweets:

We must have a trial. Really this morning I have nothing to do. With no jury or judge I’ll be Judge. I’ll be jury. I’ll try the whole cause and condemn you to death.

We’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad. A dog growls when it’s angry and wags its tail when it’s pleased. Now I growl when I’m pleased and wag my tail when I’m angry. Therefore I’m mad.

Be what you would seem to be. Never imagine yourself not to be otherwise than what it might appear to others that what you were or might have been was not otherwise than what you had been would have appeared to them to be otherwise.

You have no right to think. Just about as much right as pigs have to fly. I give you fair warning either you or your head must be off. Take your choice!

We had the best education. We went to school every day. I only took the regular course. Reeling and Writhing to begin with. Then the different branches of Arithmetic—Ambition, Distraction, Uglification, and Derision.

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July 24, 2026

Do we really need organizations and initiatives to promote compassion? Aren’t our religious traditions doing enough?

Do we really need organizations and initiatives to promote compassion? Aren’t our religious traditions doing enough?

Maybe not.

Charter for Compassion

Mission
Our mission is to promote and cultivate the principle of compassion and the Compassionate Way of Life as articulated by the Charter for Compassion so that the principle characterizes all human society and all relationships.

Vision
We envision a world in which the darkness of suffering is healed by the light of compassionate action; in which children and adults are literate and skilled in the transformative nature and power of compassion; and in which we treat ourselves, each other, and the natural world with dignity and respect, manifesting the Golden Rule in all relationships.

Our religious traditions include essential teachings about compassion. In some traditions like Buddhism, compassion is #1. In others, a more nuanced balancing may take place. Compassion is a stated ideal, but circumstances and situations raise other considerations: Sure compassion is important. But that is too absolutist, idealistic and simplistic in a complicated world.

When compassion moves out front and to the top for us, extraordinary things can and will happen.

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July 23, 2026

Trump wins World War II!

At the World Cup championship ceremony, Trump photo-bombed the event, refusing to allow team Spain to have the glory to themselves. The official FIFA photo eliminated Trump.

The White House has restored Trump to the photo.

It made me consider the other moments and photos that Trump might have inserted himself into. The possibilities are endless.

Above is one such possibility. It is the signing of the Japanese surrender that ended World War II.

Was World War II among the many wars that Trump has claimed to have ended? As a practical matter, seemingly impossible, since Trump was born one year after the war ended.

And yet, in this era of anything is possible, why not? As you can see, while Trump was not yet born, was not an admiral, was not in the Navy, was not in the war or any war, there he is.

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July 22, 2026

Saints and Sinners: Balancing Faith, Policies and Character

Saints are in short supply—in your family, in your community, at work, in politics, in your mirror. So if the search for them is likely to come up empty, what’s the point of looking?

In the intersecting realm of faith, policies and character, it is balance we seek, not absolutes or perfection. You stand certain on a line, maybe informed by your god and your traditions, and believe that everything else stands closer or farther on that line, in one direction or another. You can measure the distance and decide when someone has gone too far.

In the case of faith, policies and character, there are at least three dimensions. Trying to evaluate people in that space is hard and uncertain. Some think this gets us creeping toward relativism, where suddenly everyone and everything is acceptable. But it is no such thing. It just means that we are asked to look at everyone and every circumstance on its own, for itself, eyes wide open, in our own well-considered light. That is a lot of work, and so we want a shortcut. We may think we are able to take shortcuts, but there are no shortcuts, only understandably lazy paths.

Saints are in short supply because even saints are not saints. That is the point. Go easy on yourself and others, or go hard. Do the work, if you have the time and inclination, and don’t depend simply on a bible verse, a rule or an ideology. You are gifted, so use those gifts wisely.

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July 21, 2026

Can political leaders be agents of the devil or be the Antichrist?

The Preaching of the Antichrist (1550-1504) by Luca Signorelli

From a religious and theological standpoint, the answer depends entirely on how a specific tradition interprets scripture and spiritual concepts. Throughout history, political figures have frequently been viewed through spiritual lenses—both as divinely appointed leaders and as tools of evil.

Here is a breakdown of how theology, history, and political science view these concepts:

  1. Theological Perspectives

    Christian Eschatology (End-Times Theology)

    In Christian scripture, concepts regarding political power and demonic influence show up in a few distinct ways:

    • The “Antichrist” as a Specific Political Leader: In the Book of Revelation, the “Beast” is described as a powerful global leader who deceives nations, demands worship, and persecutes believers. Many eschatological interpretations (especially Premillennialism) teach that the ultimate Antichrist will be a charismatic political or geopolitical leader who rises to world power.
    • “Antichrist” as a Spirit or Ideology: In the Epistles of John (1 John 2:18, 4:3), the term antichrist is used in the plural to refer to anyone—leader or not—who denies Jesus or opposes divine truth. In this view, it refers to a spirit of deception rather than a single individual.
    • Demonology and Influence: Some Christian traditions hold that political leaders, given their immense power, can be spiritually corrupted, influenced, or manipulated by evil forces (“principalities and powers,” as mentioned in Ephesians 6:12).

    Other Religious Views
    • Islam: Islamic eschatology includes the figure of Al-Masih ad-Dajjal (the False Messiah), a deceptive global figure who will claim divinity and mislead humanity before the return of Isa (Jesus).
    • Judaism: Jewish theology generally does not include a concept of the Antichrist or a personified devil governing human politics. Evil is understood as human free will choosing to turn away from God’s commandments.

  2. The Historical Pattern

    Throughout history, people have routinely labeled prominent or tyrannical political leaders as “agents of the devil” or “the Antichrist.” This label has historically been applied to:

    • Roman Emperors: Early Christians viewed emperors like Nero and Domitian as apocalyptic figures due to their brutal persecution of the church. Many biblical scholars believe the “number of the beast” (666 or 616) was a coded reference to Neron Caesar.
    • Protestant Reformation Figures: During the Reformation, Protestant reformers (including Martin Luther) frequently labeled the Pope as the Antichrist, while the Catholic Church viewed Protestant leaders in a similar light.
    • 20th-Century Dictators: Leaders who oversaw mass atrocities, such as Adolf Hitler or Joseph Stalin, were widely described by religious communities as demonic or demonic-influenced due to the immense scale of their moral evil.

  3. Secular and Sociological Viewpoints

    From a secular or political science perspective:

    • Metaphor for Absolute Power: Terms like “agent of the devil” function as moral categories to express deep concern over extreme authoritarianism, demagoguery, or genocide.
    • Political Rhetoric: Labeling an opponent as “evil” or “the Antichrist” is often used as a powerful rhetorical tool to delegitimize a leader, mobilize followers, or frame a political conflict in absolute, non-negotiable terms.

    Gemini 3.6 Flash
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July 20, 2026

Questions about the likely full-scale war with Iran

Will America pursue a full-scale war with Iran?

Not certain but increasingly likely. Trump is not a statesman and does not practice statesmanship. His foreign policy is personal, chaotic and unreasonable. Alternatives are rapidly diminishing.

What will full-scale war look like?

At one point Trump said he would destroy Iranian civilization, though we can’t tell if what he says is earnest, strategic, immoral or demented. It may not quite come to total destruction, but could be substantial destruction of both infrastructure and people in Iran.

Will other nations join an American full-scale war on Iran?

Very unlikely, with the exception of Israel, which was already an early partner in the war on Iran.

What will be the impact?

Besides substantial loss and destruction in Iran, loss of and injury to American service members, expenditure of American armaments, and disturbance in the American and global economy, the impact is anybody’s guess (see personal, chaotic, unreasonable, immoral, demented above).

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July 20, 2026

David and Donald: The Men Who Would Be King

For those who think that Donald Trump is on his way to becoming an authoritarian strongman, this is far from the first time in history that some citizens have begged for such a leader—against the best advice. We can go way back, biblically back, to the story of how Israel got a king, first Saul then David—against the biggest advice of all.

Here is a passage from Chapter 8 of 1 Samuel, translated by Robert Alter:

And it happened when Samuel grew old that he set his sons up as judges for Israel. And the name of his firstborn son was Joel and the name of his Secondborn was Abijah—judges in Beersheba. But his sons did not go in his ways and they were bent on gain and took bribes and twisted justice.

And all the elders of Israel assembled and came to Samuel at Ramah. And they said to him, “Look, you yourself have grown old and your sons have not gone in your ways. So now, set over us a king to rule us, like all the nations.” And the thing was evil in Samuel’s eyes when they said, “Give us a king to rule us.” And Samuel prayed to the LORD.

And the LORD said to Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for it is not you they have cast aside but Me they have cast aside from reigning over them. Like all the deeds they have done from the day I brought them up from Egypt to this day, forsaking Me and serving other gods, even so they do as well to you. So now, heed their voice, though you must solemnly warn them and tell them the practice of the king that will reign over them.” And Samuel said all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking of him a king. And he said, “This will be the practice of the king who will reign over you: Your sons he will take and set for himself in his chariots and in his cavalry, and some will run before his chariots. He will set for himself captains of thousands and captains of fifties, to plow his ground and reap his harvest and to make his implements of war and the implements of his chariots. And your daughters he will take as confectioners and cooks and bakers. And your best fields and your vineyards and your olive trees he will take and give to his servants. And your seed crops and your vineyards he will tithe and give to his courtiers and to his servants. And your best male and female slaves and your cattle and your donkeys he will take and use for his tasks. Your flocks he will tithe, and as for you, you will become his slaves. And you will cry out on that day before your king whom you chose for yourselves and he will not answer you on that day.” And the people refused to heed Samuel’s voice and they said, “No! A king there will be over us! And we, too, shall be like all the nations and our king will rule us and go out before us and fight our battles.” And Samuel listened to all the words of the people and he spoke them in the LORD’S hearing.

And the LORD said to Samuel, “Heed their voice and make them a king.”

According to the elders of Israel, divine political direction is how they ended up in the swamp. The sons of Samuel were judges who “did not go in his [Samuel’s] ways and they were bent on gain and took bribes and twisted justice.”

Their proposed solution: drain the swamp by doing what other nations did—appointing and anointing a king.

God disagrees. First, because it reflects a lack of faith. Second, because kings are a bad idea, as listed in his parade of horribles:

This will be the practice of the king who will reign over you: Your sons he will take and set for himself in his chariots and in his cavalry, and some will run before his chariots. He will set for himself captains of thousands and captains of fifties, to plow his ground and reap his harvest and to make his implements of war and the implements of his chariots. And your daughters he will take as confectioners and cooks and bakers. And your best fields and your vineyards and your olive trees he will take and give to his servants. And your seed crops and your vineyards he will tithe and give to his courtiers and to his servants. And your best male and female slaves and your cattle and your donkeys he will take and use for his tasks. Your flocks he will tithe, and as for you, you will become his slaves. And you will cry out on that day before your king whom you chose for yourselves and he will not answer you on that day.

As is typical in Bible stories, God advises and then shrugs when nobody listens. You’re going to do what you want to do anyway, he says, just don’t blame me when it all goes wrong. And wrong it went, as the history of the monarchy demonstrates.

The takeaway, which preceded the emergence of modern democracy, is that it may seem that kingship is a good idea, so long as you select the right kind of king rather than the wrong kind. But in the end, that is never the case. You have that on the highest authority.

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