New Rules

For those who are fans of Bill Maher, his show, “Real Time,” ends with a segment called “New Rules.”  This is  a humorous rebuttal to the common wisdom and some of the follies of the week.  Yes, I know some of Bill’s language is a bit rough, and his attack on religion gets a bit tiresome, though in many cases we have earned his scorn.

New Rule on flirting: “Humans cannot be trusted to just flirt with other attractive humans.  And the MAGA crowd cannot be trusted to flirt with dictatorship.  Not everyone who flirts cheats but all cheating starts with flirting.  ‘I’m not in bed with Putin; he’s just my work wife.’  Okay, aren’t we kinda past the flirting stage?  Sure, Trump’s love letters to Kim Jong Un, and his siding with Putin at Helsinki and the tanks in the streets on his birthday — all coquettish good fun.  And the ‘lock her up’ chants, and suing the press and calling them the ‘enemy of the people,’ and saying that shoplifters should get shot on sight – innocent flirting, all of it. Except, you know, I don’t know.  Now it seems a little less like just flirting and now more like we’re actually meeting every afternoon at the Motel 6.” 

New Rule – no flirting with dictators and autocrats.  Vladimir Putin and Victor Orban are not our friends.

The old rules on church attire were that woman wore dresses and men wore suits, white shirts and ties.  I still remember the time my brother came up to Inyokern to visit.  That Sunday I overheard one of our teenage boys pleading to his mother: “If the pastor’s brother can wear jeans to church, why can’t I?”

New Rules:  The old dress code is out the window.  Though we did have to have a dress code for our foster daughter whose motto was, if you’ve got it, flaunt it.

Jesus institutes New Rules – the hundreds of laws and customs are boiled down to one simple command in John’s gospel: “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.  Just as I have loved you.”

In the reading from Acts, we see that the Jesus Movement is expanded beyond its Jewish origins.  It is open to all beyond the circumcised.  Beyond those who observe the dietary laws.  “No creed or race can love exclude if honored be God’s name,” as a line of the hymn goes.

Peter, honoring this love commandment, baptizes the Gentiles from Caesarea.  Peter, upon his return to Jerusalem compelled to defend his decision in the Book of Acts.

“Three men, sent to me from Caesarea, arrived at the house where they were.  The Holy Spirit told me to go with them and not make any distinction between them and us.  These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house.  He told us how he saw an angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon, who is called Peter; he will give you a message by which you and your entire household will be saved.’  And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us at the beginning…If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?’”  New Rules, indeed!  All means all.

And so the Jesus Movement grew, energized and enriched by an expanding Love.

Our nation is sorely in need of some New Rules right now.  As this shambolic administration is at one hundred days and then some, New Rules are desperately needed.  Their vision of humanity is so crimped, we’re abandoning even our so-called friends.  Its all about the “Art of the Deal” – old loyalties are cast aside.

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said in a statement on Monday. “Afghanistan has had an improved security situation, and its stabilizing economy no longer prevent[s] them from returning to their home country.”  There’s a reason why these refugees are here under Temporary Protected Status.

Situation improved??? Improved???  Not for these people.

How could this woman be so willfully ignorant?  So devoid of any human decency?  These are Afghans and their families who supported the American effort to defeat the Taliban.  They steadfastly stood beside us in that twenty-year war.  These are people for whom a return means a virtual death sentence.  And the girls will most likely be sold into sexual slavery to the highest bidder.

Improved?  You’ve got to be kidding.  What happened to “Family Values?”  Apparently, that was all a lie.

New Rules – Honor our commitments to those who supported us.

Abandonment will cause what’s left of America’s tattered honor to be dragged through a pit of sewage.

God help us all.  New Rules —

Remember when the nation held the president to the highest standards of probity?  Even old Tricky Dick ultimately respected the rule of law.  He turned over the tapes.

Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that the holder of the highest office in the nation would have the temerity to turn the presidency into “America’s Home Shopping Network.”  Here’s a man who would know the price of everything and the value of nothing, including the sacred trust connected with that office.

It’s all for sale.  Grand opening.  You want a Tesla?  Well, just stroll down the White House driveway and pick the color you want.  Oh, and did we mention the new Donald J. Trump meme coin?  At just a little over $13 each.  You can own your own keepsake of the ruination of this republic.  Buy lots and lots and you might get a free dinner with the most ignorant, opinionated host ever.  Lots and lots more gets you a visit to the White House.

I was surprised that my wife turned down a gift of a Melenia meme coin for Mother’s Day.  But folks, you can phone in your order now.  Operators are on standby.  They’re going fast.

This goes well beyond the Teapot Dome scandal of the Harding administration in the 20s.  Way beyond Nixon or Reagan’s clandestine Iran “Contragate” scandal.  The only legal part of that escapade was the birthday cake Oliver North took over to the Ayatollah. 

And all the money goes right into the Grifter-in-Chief’s pocket.  One buyer has already purchased $148 million worth of Trump coins.  Really hoping for that White House dinner.  It will be the most expensive Big Mac he ever ate.  And how many foreign actors are investing in this grift to curry favor and make deals?  Who knows?  It’s a black box. 

But it looks like he might get a huge jumbo jet to tool around in and, later, for his library for his efforts.  Nice to have friends in rich places.  BTW, did you get a plane, or even a return call?  Buy more coins.  They’re the new hot item.

Meanwhile it’s slash and burn the safety net for the neediest, the least of these.

 Now, where’s that Emoluments Clause?

New Rules – Thou shalt not turn the White House into a den of thieves.

Yes, New Rules – Let the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution be enforced.  Excruciatingly!  No meme coins or Teslas sold from the White House.

New Rules – Greed is out.  Compassion is in.

New Rules — Thou shalt love the Lord your God with your heart, mind and strength.  And the second commandment is like unto it.  You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  On these two, hangs the entire Law.  This is the Love Commandment.

That means respect for the covenant of laws and norms that bind us together as a people — such things as honesty, decency and faithfulness to your office.  Whether that office is an elected one or the office you hold as simply as a citizen of this republic.

It means charity to neighbor and stranger alike – even if they come from Afghanistan.

It means assuming the best of others unless evidence is to the contrary.

It means honoring the rich and diverse fabric of this nation.  As I often say, “All means All.”  E pluribus unum for sure.

In sum, treat others as you would like to be treated.  That’s what that Lady with the Torch who stands astride that golden door in New York harbor is all about.  Let us live up to our highest aspirations and ideals.  In such a New Rule is our personal and our national salvation.  And against such charity there is no rule. 

I close with the words of James Baldwin, “In this world there may not be as much humanity as one would like to see; but there’s enough.” [1]  The same must also be said of America.  There’s enough to right the ship.  Amen.

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[1] Bruce Springsteen’s quote of Baldwin at a Manchester concert tour, May 15.2025.