Remembering
James Robison

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The Brew: An Historic (and Fascinating) Gathering of Presidents

Former U.S. Vice Presidents Al Gore and Mike Pence, Karen Pence, former U.S. President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former U.S. President George W. Bush, Laura Bush, former U.S. President Barack Obama, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, Melania Trump, Joe and Jill Biden, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, and Doug Emhoff react during the state funeral for former U.S. President Jimmy Carter at Washington National Cathedral on January 9.

By Al Perrotta Published on January 10, 2025

Happy Friday!

Our final Brew of the week comes after an historic day in Washington and another horrible day for Los Angeles.

Five U.S. Presidents Gather for Former President Jimmy Carter’s State Funeral

We may not match the Brits when it comes to pomp and ceremony, but we do clean up pretty nice.

On Thursday in Washington, D.C., the five living presidents and four first ladies gathered at the National Cathedral for the state funeral of former President Jimmy Carter, who passed away at the age of 100 on December 29.

Joe Biden delivered the eulogy as Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump looked on. In fact, before the service, Obama and Trump were sitting next to each other, chatting and chuckling.

I’m surprised the Secret Service didn’t confiscate the daggers protruding from Kamala Harris’s eyes as the two talked.

But Trump and Obama getting cozy? Perhaps someone could take some of the ice that has just now formed in Hell, melt it down, and send it to Los Angeles to help put out the fires there. Or maybe just melt the ice between Jill Biden and Kamala Harris. Even CNN noted how chilly the greeting was between those two.

Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence also met for the first time since the drama of January 2021. That went about as warmly as the handshake at a playoff game coin-toss.

A touching moment came when former First Son Steven Ford read a eulogy to Carter that his father, the late President Gerald Ford, wrote many years ago. After their bitter election battle in 1976, the pair became dear friends.

Throughout the service, Carter was remembered for his decency, humility, and unwavering service to humanity, and, of course, his devout Christian faith — which made his pre-planned request for Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood to sing the atheist anthem “Imagine” at his memorial service a bit, uh, peculiar. You’d think a guy who spent nearly every weekend of his adult life teaching Sunday school would have a problem with the couplet “Imagine there’s no heaven. It’s easy if you try. No hell below us, above us only sky.”

But on his funeral day, should we quibble about Carter’s taste in music or his policy failures? Or just soak in the bipartisan spirit of the occasion?

Trump and Carter’s Homey Connection

Here’s a curious bit of presidential trivia: It’s thanks to Jimmy Carter that Donald Trump owns Mar-a-Lago. Heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post had bequeathed the magnificent spread in West Palm Beach to the U.S. government for use as a southern White House and presidential retreat. As with the presidential yacht Sequoia, Carter thought Mar-a-Lago too extravagant a perk for a U.S. president, so he gave it back to Post’s foundation. And years later, Trump was able to pick up the magnificent property and historic landmark for a song.

The L.A. Fires Rage On

The worst wildfire in Los Angeles history will continue to get worse, especially with nasty Santa Ana winds expected to keep blowing at least through tonight, though thankfully not as strongly. However, L.A. did catch one break yesterday: Firefighters were about to stop the Sunset fire that broke out Wednesday night in the Hollywood Hills, threatening many Hollywood landmarks. All evacuation orders for that area have now been lifted. Had that fire made a run downhill into the highly populated area of West Hollywood, we’d be looking at urban devastation never before seen outside of a disaster movie.

The heat from the flames is matched by the heat California and L.A. Democrats are getting from residents for the ongoing disaster. Those angry residents, including celebrities, are incensed over the state’s years-long mismanagement of brush and undergrowth, as well as their practice of dumping endless millions of gallons of fresh water into the ocean rather than into reservoirs, and cutting funding for the local fire department.

HINT: The fire department in a major world city that is prone to wildfires and disasters should not be using women’s handbags to carry water to douse flames. (Is that a Birkin?)

Actress Jean Smart has an idea she shared on Instagram: She wants the TV networks to drop plans to air upcoming awards shows and give money to relief efforts instead. Maybe a better idea would be to turn the awards shows into fundraising telethons. Don’t hand out awards to each other; hand them out to first responders. (That would actually be a good way for Hollywood to get back in the good graces of the American people.)

Another idea? Change the name of Pacific Palisades to Kiev. There’d be an unlimited stream of funding for it then as long as Biden is still hanging around.

Biden Rushes $500 Million in New Aid … to Ravaged Los Angeles? Nope. Ukraine

On his way out the door, Joe Biden continues sending as much money as he can to Ukraine. As L.A. burns, the White House announced Volodymyr Zelenskyy is getting another half a billion dollars in military aid.

Is it fair to bring up the wildfires in L.A. when talking about Ukraine? Yup. In 2022, the Los Angeles Fire Department, at the request of city officials, gathered “surplus” equipment to send to Ukraine. According to ABC 7 Eyewitness News, the equipment included “turnouts, boots, helmets, gloves, body armor and medical supplies.” While we understand the altruistic impulse, we also understand that since 2021, American politicians (on both sides of the aisle) have had a “Ukraine First” mentality — and the American people have been paying for it in the form of hurricanes and now wildfires ever since.

Let’s pray the U.S. raiding its military stockpiles to help Ukraine doesn’t burn us in the same way donating fire equipment to Ukraine is hurting Los Angeles.

Victory: Title IX Is Saved!

Girls and women nationwide won a major victory Thursday: The White House’s effort to rewrite Title IX to allow males to compete with women and share females’ facilities has failed. A federal court has vacated Biden’s rewrite, effective nationwide.

https://twitter.com/Riley_Gaines_/status/1877391800823853333

Biden had tried to change Title IX’s references to “sex” to “gender,” which not only would have allowed males into the facilities and competitions of females, but would have punished schools that tried to stop it.

The court recognized reality.

“When Title IX is viewed in its entirety, it is abundantly clear that discrimination on the basis of sex means discrimination on the basis of being a male or female,” the court wrote. “As this Court and others have explained, expanding the meaning of ‘on the basis of sex’ to include ‘gender identity’ turns Title IX on its head.”

“This is a colossal win for women and girls across the country,” said Alliance Defending Freedom President Kristen Waggoner. “The Biden administration’s radical attempt to redefine sex not only tossed fairness, safety, and privacy for female students out the window, it also threatened free speech and parental rights.”

Along The Stream…

John Zmirak tells us “How Donald Trump Could Save My Church From Lavender Bishops Like McElroy … and Pope Francis.”

Meanwhile, new contributor Pamela Prince Pyle offers some thoughtful reflections on death in “The Most Important Preparation.”

 

Al Perrotta is The Stream’s Washington bureau chief, coauthor with John Zmirak of The Politically Incorrect Guide to Immigration, and coauthor of the counterterrorism memoir Hostile Intent: Protecting Yourself Against Terrorism.