Thoughts for the Day, March 9, 2026: A call to conscience
It's the economy, stupid!
A call to conscience
From Elliot Kirschner on Substack which he shared an essay by Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, the archbishop of Chicago. It is entitled “A Call to Conscience,” and I share it here with you in full.
As more than 1,000 Iranian men, women and children lay dead after days of bombardment from U.S. and Israeli missiles, the official White House X account on Thursday evening posted a video of scenes from popular action movies spliced with actual strike footage from their war on Iran. The clip was captioned: “JUSTICE THE AMERICAN WAY.”
A real war with real death and real suffering being treated like it’s a video game — it’s sickening. Hundreds of people are dead, mothers and fathers, daughters and sons, including scores of children who made the fatal mistake of going to school that day. Six U.S. soldiers have been killed. They are also dishonored by that social media post. Hundreds of thousands displaced, and many millions more are terrified across the Middle East.
This horrifying portrayal demonstrates that we now live in an era when the distance between the battlefield and the living room has been drastically reduced. The moral crisis we are facing is not just a matter of the war itself, but also how we, the observers, view violence, for war now has become a spectator sport or strategy game. Indeed, the prediction market Kalshi recently paid a $2.2 million settlement related to users who were unhappy with how the company paid out the $55 million wagered on Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s ouster after his was killed.
Journalists now use the term “gamifying” the war to describe this dynamic. What a profound moral failure, for gamifying strips away the humanity of real people. Let’s not forget, a “hit” isn’t putting points on the board; it’s a grieving family whose suffering we ignore when we prioritize entertainment, and profit, over empathy.
Our government is treating the suffering of the Iranian people as a backdrop for our own entertainment, as if it’s just another piece of content to be swiped through while we’re waiting in line at the grocery store. But, in the end, we lose our humanity when we are thrilled by the destructive power of our military. We become addicted to the “spectacle” of explosions. And the price of this habit is almost unnoticeable, as we become desensitized to the true costs of war. But the longer we remain blind to the terrible consequences of war, the more we are risking the most precious gift God gave us: our humanity.
I know that the American people are better than this. We have the good sense to know that what is happening is not entertainment but war, and that Iran is a nation of people, not a video game others play to entertain us.
Now is a time that demands moral clarity, and as Cardinal Cupich writes, a call to our conscience. We must speak out and protest, organize, and vote. We must repudiate the horrific pretenses under which this war is being waged and propagandized in our names.
This war of choice is the height of folly and hubris. And if we do not hold fast to the bonds of our common humanity, we will lose sight of the brutal costs our regime is inflicting upon the world, the rising pain, suffering, and instability that are being repackaged as entertainment.
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MSU vs U of M Men’s Basketball Game
Yesterday’s game lived up to pre-game hype. Both teams left nothing in the tank when the game was finished. In the end, Michigan’s depth was the difference.
Since the game likely had very little bearing on the B1G standings or the teams’ NCAA tournament seeds, it was a game I could just sit back and enjoy.
After the game was over, I reflected on the three referees for the game and how they were probably feeling after the game. My guess is that they were mentally and physically exhausted but extremely satisfied with the job they did.
Michigan’s coach Dusty May said it best when he was interviewed by CBS’s Traci Wolfson eight minutes into the game. May said, “I am hoping a basketball game starts out pretty soon.” This was in reference to all the extracurricular activities that were going on between the two teams.
Fortunately, the game was refereed by three of the best in the game, Ron Groover, D.J. Carstensen, and Jeffrey Anderson who have over 90 years of experience, including over 30 NCAA tournaments. For the first 10 minutes, the refs were willing to let the players try to figure it out. When the players couldn’t figure it out, the refs imposed their will on the players.
At half time the players adjusted, and the refs let the players decide the outcome. This led to one of the most entertaining halves of basketball I have seen all year.
Here are highlights of what the referees had to deal with during the game.
· At the 14:24 mark of the first half, Michigan State guard Jeremy Fears Jr. picked up a technical foul for kicking Michigan guard Elliot Cadeau between the legs.
· Michigan was called for two separate technical fouls later in the first half, first on freshman guard Trey McKenney for touching the ball when it was being inbounded, and another on Aday Mara for pushing Carson Cooper to the floor on a rebound attempt.
· At the 15:39 mark of the second half, Mara was called for his third foul of the game, this time being a flagrant foul as Fears looked to start a fast break following a Michigan turnover.
· In total, 35 fouls called, including three technicals and one flagrant foul.
This game could have gotten out of hand, but the experienced referees took charge and allowed a basketball game to eventually break out. The three referees get my Orchid of the Day.
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It’s the economy, stupid
From The Guardian on March 6.
· The US lost 92,000 jobs in February
· The US gained 126,000 jobs in January
· The US lost 45,000 jobs from July thru December 2025
· The total job growth in 2025 of 181,000 was the weakest since covid and significantly less than the 2 million added in 2024
· The unemployment rate edged up to 4.4% in February.
Things are not as rosy as the president wants us to believe.
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Video of the Day-Lou Holtz
Last week Lou Holtz, a hall of fame college football coach passed away at the age of 89. He served as the head football coach at the College of Willam and Mary, North Carolina State, the New York Jets, the University of Arkansas, the University of Minnesota, Notre Dame and University of South Carolina. compiling a career college head coaching record of 249–132–7. In addition, he was an outstanding motivational speaker who I had the opportunity to see live.
I want to share one of his speeches as my Video of the Day. I want to thank my sister Nancy for sharing it with me.
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Contact your Congressperson
Contact your congressman by following these easy steps
This can be done in a few easy steps.
Step 1: find your congressman by clicking on this link, Find Your Representative | house.gov
Step 2: Put your zip code in the proper space.
Step 3: Click the button “find your representative””
Step 4: In the new page that comes up you will see a picture of your congressman. Click on your congressman’s name under the picture.
Step 5: In the new page that comes up, Click on Contact Me at the top of the page and then click on Email me.
Step 6: Fill out the information as required.
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Quote of the Day: “I am hoping a basketball game starts out pretty soon.” Michigan’s men’s basketball coach when being interviewed by CBS’s Traci Wolfson at the 8-minute mark of yesterday’s M/MSU basketball game.
Orchid of the Day: Ron Groover, D.J. Carstensen, and Jeffrey Anderson, the three referees for the M/MSU men’s basketball game.
Onion of the Day: Michigan Medicine and BCBSM for airing their lack of progress in contract negotiations in public, causing major and unnecessary angst for patients who are concerned about their healthcare coverage and access to care starting July 1, 2026.
Question of the Day: Since when is it OK to treat the carnage of war like it is a video game?
Lyrics of the Day: I have spoke with the tongue of angels
I have held the hand of the devil
It was warm in the night
I was cold as a stone (mm, mm)
I believe in the Kingdom Come
Then all the colors will bleed into one
Bleed into one
But yes, I’m still running
If you know the answer, please feel free to use the comment section of the blog to respond.
Lyrics of the Day for March 5, 2026. One by Metallica
Video of the Day: See above by Lou Holtz
I write reflective, opinionated essays on leadership, politics, sports, and life—grounded in experience rather than ideology. If this perspective resonates with you, you can subscribe here for free.