It would be funny if it weren’t so sad. Changing the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America. What many of us didn’t realize was that the trade talks with Canada involved more than trade. Although U.S. trade officials are trying to walk back their comments, evidently one of the demands was to soften or possibly eliminate Canada’s bilingual French cultural and language protections.
Of course, the lake isn’t the only thing to be renamed. In a move to get around the court decision that the Kennedy Center had to remain so named absent an act of Congress, the hand-picked Board of Trustees now wants a “President Donald J. Trump Plaza” in front of the Center. There’s been no judicial ruling on that one yet.
In the meantime, we’re still stuck without resolution on Iran, the last entirely Christian village in Palestine is under siege, Putin continues his war in Ukraine, and medical personnel are concerned about measles outbreaks as children return to school with lower vaccination rates thanks to RFK, Jr. One would think we would be more concerned with these issues than a petulant President changing the name of a lake.
Prayer for the Day
The world around us seems so bleak, O God,
And we wonder how we will move ahead;
Looking to you for strength, O Lord,
We are often not sure where to turn
Give us insight and wisdom to reflect on our lives,
Enabling us to see beyond the short term.
In the name of the One who is our guide,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
NATO countries in Eastern Europe, particularly the Baltic nations, have voiced alarm that Putin might step up pressure or authorize increasingly provocative incursions, building on airspace violations and apparently errant drones.
Warren Stroebel, Natalia Abbakumova in Riga, The Washington Post
A vacuum in public health information never stays empty — it gets filled by whoever moves fastest and cares least about accuracy.
Amesh Adalja, MD, infectious disease expert
Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe in your commandments.
Psalm 119: 66