Keeping the Faith: God, Democracy, and the Trial That Riveted a Nation by Brenda Wineapple (Book Review)

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Before reading this book, I was already intrigued by the Scopes trial, having encountered it through reading Inherit the Wind by Lawrence and Lee in my youth and viewing the film adaptation starring Spencer Tracy as Clarence Darrow.

This book captivated me, not just with the story of the Scopes trial itself but also with the rich background it provides on the cultural and political climate in America leading up to the trial. The country was grappling with racism, antisemitism, women’s disenfranchisement, and a stark divide between the North and South. Religious leaders were increasingly uneasy with the rise of science, and efforts to suppress scientific education in schools were prevalent—an issue that resonates even today.

Wineapple profiles three key figures of the era: Clarence Darrow, H.L. Mencken, and William Jennings Bryan. These profiles were the highlight for me. All three were intelligent, influential, articulate, and deeply flawed. Their strong beliefs on issues like racism, antisemitism, and religion shaped their actions.

Bryan, a staunch defender of the Bible, believed its teachings should be taken literally. His speeches and sermons, especially in the South, were widely popular. Despite three failed presidential campaigns, his political ambition never waned.

Darrow and Mencken, both agnostics, were critical of religious hypocrisy. Liberals in their politics, they used their legal and journalistic skills to push their principles. It’s fascinating that Bryan, Darrow, and Mencken ended up at the center of such a pivotal cultural and political moment.

Reading this book made me reflect on how much progress the United States has—or hasn’t—made in areas like racism, antisemitism, and the influence of religion in education, law, and politics. The challenges to science that existed in the 1920s are still relevant today.

I highly recommend this book as an insightful snapshot of American culture and politics in the 1920s and is still happening today.

Saturday Night will always remain burned in my memory as long as I live, as being the day when I heard the most religion preached, and the least practiced.

Will Rogers

Feeling 30, Living 72

I am a 72-year-old man. Often it’s hard for me to grasp how old I am. I still have this mental image of myself as a man in his 30s. My body, however, tells a different story. The thick brown hair I once had is now gray and thinning in spots. I struggle to hear people even when they’re nearby. My sleep is restless, and while I never used to nap, I now rely on them—sometimes for two or three hours in the afternoon. My face is marked with age spots, and I carry a large scar on my left leg from a cancer removal surgery 13 years ago. I even had to spend over $20,000 on new teeth so I could eat comfortably.

Still, I consider myself lucky. I am moderately active, playing competitive pickleball 3 to 4 times a week. I am not a candidate for knee or hip replacement like so many men and women my age. I still have a decent pace when I walk. I can get out comfortably from my car. With medication, my high blood pressure iand type two diabetes are under control.

Despite my current good fortune, I feel the walls of time, good health and good fortune closing in. How much time do I have before my good luck runs out? They say that there are three phases to retirement, the first is go – go; the second is slow – go and the third is no – go. I have enjoyed the first phase of retirement for about seven years. But I sense a transition is coming soon.

I grow tired quickly lately. Often what my mind and spirit conceive, my body and limited energy cannot achieve. I was once used to pushing past my limits, but now I’m learning, albeit grudgingly, to accept them.

Every day of good health and life is a blessing. I realize this can all change in a flashing moment. When I think of the future, I don’t view it as the next ten years, five years or next year, my future is now.

Snapshot

Pickleball: where tennis players go to die. (Seen on t-shirt)

“Kamala holds the hopes of a lot of people in this country who are praying that she doesn’t fall on her face in the next 72 days. She can take heart that she’s driving Trump crazy. He is jealous of her looks, her crowd sizes, her star power and her vivacious, bodacious vibes. That’s a good start.”

Daffy Donald, Turning Pea Green With Envy NYT Maureen Dowd

Planning a wedding has become so expensive that some couples are asking their guests to pay to attend their special day…Matthew Shaw, the founder of Sauveur, a wedding planning company in London, said that selling tickets “introduces a strange relationship between you and your guests, turning your guests into customers.”

He added, “You’re no longer hosting — you’re offering them a paid experience, which introduces a very different narrative in terms of what guests are expecting.” (NYT)

NYT Hardcover Non-fiction Best Sellers

SHAMELESS by Brian Tyler Cohen

2. MEN HAVE CALLED HER CRAZY by Anna Marie Tendler

3. THE ART OF POWER by Nancy PelosI

“School board candidates backed by Moms for Liberty, a conservative vanguard whose members popularized restrictions on classroom library books, are losing elections in Florida and some swing states. Republican leaders who rallied against critical race theory and LGBTQ+ issues recently faced recalls in red pockets of California.”

Are Republicans losing the culture wars? Politico

Babe Ruth ‘called shot’ Yankees jersey fetches record $24M

Dow 41,175

S&P 5,634

Nasdaq 17,877

2024 Election: No Choice but Kamala

I have been interested in presidential politics since I was eight years old when John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon competed against each other in 1960. If eight-year-olds could vote, I would’ve voted for John Kennedy. However, it would not have disappointed or upset me greatly if Nixon had won. I always had respect for anyone who was nominated by their Party to run for President. That respect extended until 2020. Even in 2016, I understood there was an antipathy towards Hillary Clinton. I really didn’t understand it, but I could grudgingly concede a small rationale for some people voting for Donald Trump.

I certainly don’t feel that way today. There is absolutely no argument or rationale, politically, morally, ethically. or policy wise to vote for Donald Trump and for that matter, just about anybody in the Republican party. I consider Barack Obama a great president. However, if he had lost to either John McCain or Mitt Romney, I would have been disappointed, but not devastated. Both John McCain and Mitt Romney were certainly qualified to be president.

I was not a fan of the George W. Bush/Dick Cheney administration. But I never had the fear that they would try to overthrow our democracy and turn it into a dictatorship. Nixon, as crazy as he was in the last few days of his presidency, had no intention of becoming a dictator. He had at least a modicum respect for the democratic process, our laws and the institutions of government.

I honestly cannot conceive of one rational argument for the election of Donald Trump. It’s scary that between 45 to 50% of potential voters would select him for president. Some of his supporters that I have spoken with don’t even bother trying to justify why Trump should be president. What they normally do is just attack the Democrats and come up with all types of conspiracy theories on how Trump is being persecuted.

if Joe Biden had run, I would’ve understood why some people could not have voted for him. I was also concerned about his age and cognitive abilities. However, with the nomination of Kamala Harris, there are no reasons for Democrats, Independents, and even Republicans to stay home and not vote for her. I truly hope that the positive feelings and enthusiasm for her and the Democratic ticket will last until election day and hopefully there will be a landslide that will swamp Trumpism and fascism.

Political Potpourri

The Democrats are experiencing a bit of “irrational exuberance.” It’s the same feeling that Republicans were feeling about three weeks ago. It’s way too early for any self congratulations. Too many things and events can change. Economic events and the Middle East could change the campaign around. Don’t discount the possible influence and effect that Joe Biden will have on this election.

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If I was Kamala Harris, I would not debate Donald Trump. The man isn’t capable of discussing policy issues. There really isn’t much of an upside for Kamala – – she will be expected to clean the floor with him.

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How can there be any undecided voters for the Presidential election?

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Hard to believe that JD Vance may be a worse Vice Presidential candidate than Sarah Palin, and Dan Quayle.

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Is there anything more insulting to a person’s intelligence then the political commercials being run right now?

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Ideal Presidential Debate Media Team: Hosts: Dana Bash and Jim Acosta (CNN); Questioners: Rachel Scott (ABC) Chris Wallace (CNN) Bret Baier (Fox) and Kara Swisher.

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