Carolyn and Peter have a blether about some of the week's news, including alarming language from Katie Lam MP (Shadow Minister for the Home Office), what is cultural coherence, the massive demonstrations in the USA under the No Kings banner, differences between absolute monarchies and constitutional monarchies (like UK), meeting King Charles III, and bizarrely revealing responses to demonstrations from the White House (which is quietly being partly demolished to make way for a Trump vanity project).

Carolyn and Peter follow up on their thoughts from last issue about the message of James Talarico with a review of the speech given by Stephen Miller, United States National Security Adviser and White House Deputy Chief of Staff, at the Charlie Kirk Memorial Event/Rally (21 September 2025).

Here's the text of Emma Lazarus' famous poem:

THE NEW COLOSSUS

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she

With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

We mention Pat Kahnke's excellent channel "Culture, Faith and Politics" which you can find here: https://www.youtube.com/@culturefaithandpolitics⁩

A couple of the books mentioned were:

"How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them" by Jason Stanley (https://amzn.eu/d/5Jo51e5)

"Hatemonger: Stephen Miller, Donald Trump, and the White Nationalist Agenda" by Jean Guerrero (https://amzn.eu/d/36ZMsc1)

Carolyn and Peter react to a message given by Texas State Representative James Talarico (sermon in his home church from 2023), while reflecting on some recent events for Rev David Black of First Presbyterian Church in Chicago and Rutgers University Professor Mark Bray.

And some bookish chat on Larry Niven's The Second Coming and the Millennium Series of novels started by Stieg Larsson.

The other book mentioned by Peter was The Last Day by Glenn Kleier.