The Best of the Ricochet Member Feed
Also, updates on the special edition newsletter, our most recent “No Dumb Questions” webcast, the Ricochet Founders’ Cocktail Hour, and two great Ricochet interviews to highlight....
The Best of the Ricochet Member Feed
By The Queen of Stuff
With all the shopping, gift wrapping, cooking, and parties that may have occupied your time this week, perhaps you’ve missed out on some of the Member Feed posts. As always, we’ve got you covered. We’ve pulled together our favorites, which center around multiple topics: God’s sense of fairness, two celebrities’ political leanings, inflation, and a puzzling packaging choice. We’re also sharing news about our most recent “No Dumb Questions” webcast, the Ricochet Founders’ Cocktail Hour, and two great Ricochet interviews.
Reminder: We’ll have a special edition of the newsletter at the end of this month that spotlights the top 10 Member Feed posts of the year. Submit your favorite post for consideration no later than Dec. 20. One per person, please. Include a link to the post, your favorite snippet from it (no more than a few sentences long), and why you chose it. Remember, these are posts that appeared on the Member Feed, not the Main Feed. Email your pick to greatest.hits@ricochet.com or leave a comment about it in this post.
One last note: There won’t be a Greatest Hits newsletter next week, as we’re taking a bit of time off to soak up the holiday season, which includes attending a holiday party that may or may not result in us wearing ugly Christmas sweaters for the first time ever. (Yeah, we can’t believe it either.) Happy holidays, and we’ll see you again later this month!
And don’t forget, as part of our December promotion, you can still offer those who’ve never tried Ricochet a 30-day free trial to an all-access membership. For details, visit ricochet.com/try.
Top Talkers
Kathy Madirosian: Equality- vs- Equity: Just How “Fair” Is God?
A clear reading of the Torah also does not lead me to believe that God is all that interested in equality, at least not in the same way that our current society suggests– i.e., that we all must be given the same resources and opportunities.
As Kathy Madirosian begins examining Jacob’s blessings to his 12 sons, she notes, “Any honest reading of Jacob’s blessing found in Genesis 49 would drive today’s woke activists insane.” That got our attention. Kathy goes on to not only detail what Jacob’s sons received and what that means for how God views equality but also offers an insightful takeaway for those who want to achieve God’s plan for their lives.
WillowSpring: Stagflation and Peanut Butter
When I first heard the phrase “Stagflation”, I was in the part of my career when I was very secure in my job and my income was steadily rising. I didn’t have any real problem with inflation, but I remember thinking that I was very glad I wasn’t retired and on a fixed income. Move forward about 50 years and I am now retired and I was right to think I would be worried.
Do you remember when you first heard about “stagflation?” WillowSpring does. After briefly sharing about that experience, he asks how those who are on a fixed income plan to address inflation. It’s an interesting question, and we were glad to see a few Ricochet members share how they’re handling the current economic debacle. Gold and crypto came up a few times. Check the post and share your advice.
Eustace C. Scrubb: Quote of the Day for December 14th: Records and Shoes
To sell his roster of black singers and musicians, he hired an all white sales staff to get in the stores and radio stations that might not be as receptive back in the mid 20th century to black salespeople. Part of that team was his Italian promotional director, Barney Ales, of whom he said, “When he came in, he said he would build me a great team. I wanted to sell all music to all people: whites, blacks, Jews, gentiles, cops, and robbers.“
So goes the quote of the day — from Motown legend Berry Gordy Jr. — that inspired Eustace C. Scrubb to write about two celebrities’ political leanings. One is a famous, elite athlete who didn’t go out of his way to attack people over their politics. The other is a famous, not elite actor who put people on blast, as the hip kids say. It’s a quick but good comparison with a pointed question at the end.
Stad: Why?
My wife found something interesting about a small jar of bay leaves she bought:
We weren’t sure quite what to expect after reading that opening line (and seeing the photo that followed) in Stad’s brief post. Was there something terrifying inside the jar? Something that would make us swear off ever buying anything from that particular spice company? Well, it was nothing that drastic. But it did make us laugh. Thank you, Stad. (P.S. We, too, are asking, “Why?”)
But Wait, There’s More
Now Available: ‘No Dumb Questions’ With Salena Zito
Did you catch this week’s “No Dumb Questions” webcast with Salena Zito, national political reporter for the Washington Examiner? If not, fear not. You can hear it now! Yes, we did say “hear,” because this week it’s audio only (Internet, sometimes we love you, and sometimes, not so much). In this fourth installment of our webcast, Ricochet Editor-in-Chief Jon Gabriel talks to Salena about what she’s seeing on the country’s back roads and in towns and cities of all sizes. Check it out, and stay tuned for more must-attend member events in 2022!
Party On With the Ricochet Founders!
Please grab your favorite adult beverage and join us for a chat with Peter Robinson and Rob Long at the Ricochet Founders’ Cocktail Hour, Tuesday, Dec. 21, 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, via Zoom.
As always, all topics are on the table: complaints, compliments, suggestions, and name-calling (OK, maybe not the last one).
This is a members-only event, but we have two special membership deals right now. Keep these in mind so your favorite people can join us:
This month only, members can offer those who’ve never tried Ricochet a 30-day free trial to an all-access membership. For details on this deal, visit ricochet.com/try.
Members can give a one-year Calvin Coolidge membership to Ricochet newbies for just $41. That’s a $55 value! To gift this membership, just fill out the form.
RealClearPolitics Spotlights ‘The Ricochet Podcast’
If you heard Stanford University professor Dr. Jay Bhattacharya on the Dec. 10 episode of “The Ricochet Podcast,” you know he had (as always) a ton of great insights to share. RealClearPolitics appreciated his expertise too, sharing a clip about how the government can restore trust in the public health establishment after mishandling the COVID-19 pandemic. If you haven’t heard it yet, check it out (and then listen to the full podcast).
On the Air: James Lileks Interviews Rush Limbaugh’s Screener/Producer
In this terrific interview, Ricochet’s James Lileks chats with another James: James Golden, who served as call screener and producer for conservative political commentator Rush Limbaugh. Golden recently wrote the book “Rush on the Radio: A Tribute From His Sidekick of 30 Years.” Watch the interview for some behind-the-scenes info on working with Rush and picking which callers got on the air.
Help Us Spread the Word About Ricochet
Next time you’re chatting up someone about why they should join Ricochet, feel free to share this handy graphic, which summarizes everything they need to know about our great community.
Comment of the Week
The Member Feed isn’t the only thing that keeps people coming back for more at Ricochet. The comments do too, serving as the backbone of the smart, civil conversation that makes us us. This week’s comment of the week is from James Salerno, pulled from WillowSpring's post inviting people on fixed incomes to share how they’re addressing inflation.
If you want to send us feedback on this newsletter, email greatest.hits@ricochet.com.
Happy Holidays!