But wait; there’s more! The Good Book, in Proverbs 6:16-19, does list seven other things the Lord hates as abominations, namely: A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren.”

Those seven deadly sins

Pride (Vanity), Lust, Greed, Envy, Wrath (Anger), Sloth, Gluttony.

CONSIDER FOR A MOMENT, as starters today, the legendary Seven Deadly Sins. Then add to the mix the character of Donald Trump. That alone is enough to give rise to wonder over how this individual ever was elected President of the United States. Pride (Vanity), Lust, Greed, Envy, Wrath (Anger), Sloth, Gluttony. Rearrange them in any order you want and they still spell Trump.

These particular sins, I’m told, aren’t found specifically listed in the Bible as many suppose—but just were assembled over time to be accepted and recognized as the basic framework of sin.

But wait; there’s more! The Good Book, in Proverbs 6:16-19, does list seven other things the Lord hates as abominations, namely: A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren.

So now we have not just 7, but 14 aspects of sinful character from which to choose in evaluating Donald Trump. And there’s another Biblical bit that’s the frosting on the cake: Galatians 5:19-21, which states: “Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Donald can be pronounced as innocent of drunkenness—and “sorcery” would be a stretch (beyond voodoo economics). But otherwise it seems he might have quite a bit to account for in all of the foregoing paragraphs when one considers the evidence of his words and deeds. However, rather than attempting to justify himself or otherwise debating intelligently, Donald will just shout the usual “fake news” with a dismissive wave of his hand.

Despite my atheistic tendencies, I do maintain a respect for the Bible—as a great source of history and a contribution to philosophy. Also as a reminder that the battle between good and evil (intelligence and stupidity, altruism and greed) has always been a feature of human existence—and that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

MEANWHILE, back at the ranch . . . There’s the usual daily flurry of tweets flying out from the White House through the darkness of about 3:30 onward, aimed at distracting the voting public from reality.

—A State Department intelligence official who was blocked by the White House from submitting written congressional testimony on climate change last month is resigning. Rod Schoonover—who worked in the Office of the Geographer and Global Issues' Bureau of Intelligence and Research—spoke about the security risks the country faces due to climate change before the House Intelligence Committee on June 5.

But White House officials would not let him submit the bureau's written statement that climate impacts could be "possibly catastrophic" Read more here: https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-official-resigns-climate-change-102424002.html

—Fox news. a.k.a. “The Trump Channel,” aired some news unfavorable to Donald and he went all nuclear against the organization he has long been using as if it were his personal tool. He claimed Fox was hiring too many Democrats and accused the network of betraying him, who “made them what they are today.” He assumes, I guess, that he somehow deserves to rotate Fox staff like he handles things in the White House.

If Emperor Donald had his own coliseum he’d be continuing to throw all sorts of people to the lions. See this site among others: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/03/16/us/politics/all-the-major-firings-and-resignations-in-trump-administration.html

—Donald also continues to butt into English politics. Who should be prime minister or mayor of London . . . as well as whether England should withdraw from the European Union—which, in turn, he also hates because of its multi-lateral nature. Oh yes, and there’s the English ambassador who was one of the latest to describe Donald as incompetent, etc. and subsequently resigned. Donald has pretty much destroyed our greatest traditional alliance and is generally detested throughout the United Kingdom.

—Remember the disaster that was that phony Trump University? Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos is carrying forward Donald’s assault on public education with an initiative to benefit for-profit colleges.

DID YOU KNOW? A 2018 report showed that more than 3,100 U.S. counties now have no local newspaper. The country has lost some 1,800 newspapers since 2004. And, as columnist Leonard Pitts Jr. pointed out, hundreds of others “have hollowed out until they are little more than ghosts of what they used to be.”