Today’s breakfast at the Castlewood Restaurant in Sturtevant was interrupted by a bearded guy with press credentials hanging from a lanyard around his neck. Every Wednesday, we five men gather to have a meal and talk and occasionally come up with brilliant solutions to the problems of this world. With an average age just north of eighty, there’s a lot of wisdom gathered, or at least a bunch of experience. This morning was our chance to shine.

Now this young man, Dan Petrella, from the Chicago Tribune, was in the hinterlands of Wisconsin, seeking opinions on today’s visit by President Joe Biden to our corner of the state. A pit stop on the interstate between Chicago and Milwaukee is what we are.

The duly elected President Biden was in town to “celebrate” a new high tech plant that Microsoft is building. I opined that Joe was in town for the photo-op since he needs all the votes he can get in this purple state. I also opined that Donald Trump, who was not elected President in 2020, made a similar stop a few years back to “celebrate” the promised construction of a “huge” (it was supposed to be pretty big) high tech facility by Foxconn, said to eventually employ ten thousand people. Most of that remains unbuilt, and what is there employs a few hundred folks and nobody knows what they actually produce there.

The questions then turned to the Trump-Biden fall election. Again I articulated my thoughts, saying that both candidates were unworthy of the office. As for Trump’s legal problems, I referred to the Bible which says we are all sinners which should prevent us from pointing fingers. However the difference between me and the Donald is that I regularly confess my sins while he claims that he’s never had the need to. Trump’s choice to hawk Bibles to raise cash for legal fees, I said, was blasphemous. I said that the choices we face next November are difficult; I will not vote for Donald Trump and I don’t want to vote for Joe Biden whose positions on nearly every level are those to which I am opposed.

Dan had photographer with him who asked if he could grab a snapshot of our elite group. He caught me praying over my eggs and hash browns.

Although there was no beer or cheese on our table, I hope Dan got a good impression of five Christian old guys from Wisconsin. Doubt we’ll make the front page of the ‘Trib, but it was good to be asked our opinion. It was the first, and probably last time anyone did that.

A final note about angst over politics and the election. God already knows the outcome; and furthermore, it will fit in with His plans for this world and the fractious people who dwell here. So I will make a choice in the Fall, because that’s my obligation as a citizen. But I’m not sweating the results.

“He makes nations great, and he destroys them; he enlarges nations, and leads them away. He takes away understanding from the chiefs of the people of the earth and makes them wander in a trackless waste.” Job 12:23-24 (ESV)

“For kingship belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations.” Psalms 22:28 (ESV)