What Is Truth?

What time is it? Why it’s Mueller time, of course. With the release of the report, we go full Mueller on this week’s show as we enlist Law Talk’s John Yoo to help us with the legal angle, and Byron York (he’s got a podcast too) to guide us through the political ramifications. Also, the fire at Notre Dame and a mediation (really!) on Good Friday.

Music from this week’s show:  Somebody Lied by Ricky Van Shelton

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  1. DJ EJ Member
    DJ EJ
    @DJEJ

    The archaeological artifacts associated with and ancient texts that make reference to Pontius Pilate are:

    1. A broken block of carved limestone was discovered on the Israeli coast at Caesarea Maritima in 1961. It is now on display in The Israel Museum in Jerusalem. Caesarea Maritima was the capital of the Roman province of Judea during the time Pilate was Prefect/Governor from (26 – 36 AD). The partially preserved inscription reads (brackets indicate the proposed reconstruction):

    [DIS AUGUSTI]S TIBERIÉUM     To Augustus Tiberius

    […PONTI]US PILATUS                   …Pontius Pilate

    […PRAEF]ECTUS IUDA[EA]E      …Prefect of Judea

    […FECIT D]E[DICAVIT]                 …has dedicated this

    2. A copper alloy sealing ring that was discovered in the 1960’s during the excavation at Herodium, Herod the Great’s ancient fortress and palace south of Bethlehem, bore an inscription that has only recently been deciphered thanks to advanced photographic techniques. Inscribed in Greek (the lingua franca of the eastern Mediterranean), it translates as “of Pilate” (indicating possession, i.e. “belonging to Pilate”), and surrounds a depiction of a wine vessel called a “krater” (large hi-res image here). The plainness of the ring leads some archaeologists to argue against Pilate himself having worn it, but it’s possible he may have used it to seal/mark official documents and correspondence and Pilate’s servants could have used it to seal/mark items/documents on Pilate’s behalf. The Roman name of Pilate was not common to the region at that time (or any time as far as I know).

    3. In addition to the 63 references to Pilate in the New Testament (Matthew (11 times), Mark (12 times), Luke (13 times), John (23 times), Acts (3 times), and 1 Timothy (1 time)), Pilate is also mentioned in Flavius Josephus’s Antiquities of the Jews Book XVIII, Philo of Alexandria’s Embassy to Gaius, and a brief mention in the Annals of Tacitus in reference to the fire of Rome during Nero’s reign:

    “But neither human help, nor imperial munificence, nor all the modes of placating Heaven, could stifle scandal or dispel the belief that the fire had taken place by order. Therefore, to scotch the rumour, Nero substituted as culprits, and punished with the utmost refinements of cruelty, a class of men, loathed for their vices, whom the crowd styled Christians. Christus, the founder of the name, had undergone the death penalty in the reign of Tiberius, by sentence of the procurator Pontius Pilatus, and the pernicious superstition was checked for a moment, only to break out once more, not merely in Judaea, the home of the disease, but in the capital itself, where all things horrible or shameful in the world collect and find a vogue.” Book XV, 44, 26b-29.

    • #1
  2. Peter Robinson Contributor
    Peter Robinson
    @PeterRobinson

    DJ EJ (View Comment):

    The archaeological artifacts associated with and ancient texts that make reference to Pontius Pilate are….

    Absolutely fascinating. Thanks for this. 

    And Happy Easter.

    • #2
  3. OccupantCDN Coolidge
    OccupantCDN
    @OccupantCDN

    Peter Robinson (View Comment):

    DJ EJ (View Comment):

    The archaeological artifacts associated with and ancient texts that make reference to Pontius Pilate are….

    Absolutely fascinating. Thanks for this.

    And Happy Easter.

    You can’t handle the Tooth! Too funny! Great ad-lib line.

    Hiding eggs? Did you ever have the experience that a maybe a few months later – there is a strange odor, and you’re able to recover the eggs that had been successfully hidden?

    I always took Pontius Pilate to be like a small state governor… A big deal in his little pond – well removed from anything important – but a nobody in the real power circles.

    • #3
  4. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    OccupantCDN (View Comment):

    Peter Robinson (View Comment):

    DJ EJ (View Comment):

    The archaeological artifacts associated with and ancient texts that make reference to Pontius Pilate are….

    Absolutely fascinating. Thanks for this.

    And Happy Easter.

    You can’t handle the Tooth! Too funny! Great ad-lib line.

    Hiding eggs? Did you ever have the experience that a maybe a few months later – there is a strange odor, and you’re able to recover the eggs that had been successfully hidden?

    I always took Pontius Pilate to be like a small state governor… A big deal in his little pond – well removed from anything important – but a nobody in the real power circles.

    But powerful enough to get people executed.

    • #4
  5. Columbo Inactive
    Columbo
    @Columbo

    Great minds think alike … thanks for giving legs to my analogy … Not A Few Good Men.

    • #5
  6. Rightfromthestart Coolidge
    Rightfromthestart
    @Rightfromthestart

    Let’s see, inherited a multi million dollar enterprise turned it into a multi billion dollar one, went into TV and had a top rated show for 14 years, went into politics and won the Presidency first time out, not to mention the supermodel wife, yet you all agree he’s an idiot, scrambled eggs for brains, monkey with fez, etc. I’m reminded of Winston Churchill: 

    “When I warned them that Britain would fight on alone whatever they did, their generals told their Prime Minister and his divided Cabinet, ‘In three weeks England will have her neck wrung like a chicken.’ Some chicken! Some neck!” — Winston Churchill, Ottawa, Dec. 30, 1941

    • #6
  7. OccupantCDN Coolidge
    OccupantCDN
    @OccupantCDN

    kedavis (View Comment):

    OccupantCDN (View Comment):

    Peter Robinson (View Comment):

    DJ EJ (View Comment):

    The archaeological artifacts associated with and ancient texts that make reference to Pontius Pilate are….

    Absolutely fascinating. Thanks for this.

    And Happy Easter.

    You can’t handle the Tooth! Too funny! Great ad-lib line.

    Hiding eggs? Did you ever have the experience that a maybe a few months later – there is a strange odor, and you’re able to recover the eggs that had been successfully hidden?

    I always took Pontius Pilate to be like a small state governor… A big deal in his little pond – well removed from anything important – but a nobody in the real power circles.

    But powerful enough to get people executed.

    Yes, just like a small state governor.

    • #7
  8. Annefy Member
    Annefy
    @Annefy

    Scrambled eggs? 

    • #8
  9. JuliaBlaschke Lincoln
    JuliaBlaschke
    @JuliaBlaschke

    Rightfromthestart (View Comment):

    Let’s see, inherited a multi million dollar enterprise turned it into a multi billion dollar one, went into TV and had a top rated show for 14 years, went into politics and won the Presidency first time out, not to mention the supermodel wife, yet you all agree he’s an idiot, scrambled eggs for brains, monkey with fez, etc. I’m reminded of Winston Churchill:

    “When I warned them that Britain would fight on alone whatever they did, their generals told their Prime Minister and his divided Cabinet, ‘In three weeks England will have her neck wrung like a chicken.’ Some chicken! Some neck!” — Winston Churchill, Ottawa, Dec. 30, 1941

    The first million is the hardest and Trump’s failed businesses are legion. A top rated show? Can’t say because I never watched it, but there is no accounting for taste. I bet the money came in handy for him to get him through some failed business ventures though. He did not win the Presidency the first time out. He ran and failed before. And lastly the man had two failed marriages and couldn’t even stay faithful to the supermodel wife when she was nursing his child. Yes, he’s an idiot, scrambled eggs for brains and couldn’t be further from Winston Churchill or the spirit of the British people, Churchill was describing.

    And Trump still hasn’t got the one thing he really desires. To be seen as a great man by the New York elite. And he never will. 

    • #9
  10. Basil Fawlty Member
    Basil Fawlty
    @BasilFawlty

    JuliaBlaschke (View Comment):
    And Trump still hasn’t got the one thing he really desires. To be seen as a great man by the New York elite. And he never will. 

    Well, at least he has that going for him.

    • #10
  11. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    JuliaBlaschke (View Comment):
    The first million is the hardest and Trump’s failed businesses are legion. A top rated show? Can’t say because I never watched it, but there is no accounting for taste. I bet the money came in handy for him to get him through some failed business ventures though.

    Why is this meaningful? 

    • #11
  12. cdor Member
    cdor
    @cdor

    John Yoo would volunteer his own disbarment were he to represent Donald Trump…hee hee hee hee. It sure is a good thing that Trump is so stupid, otherwise he would be indicted for having the gall to defend himself.

    • #12
  13. Annefy Member
    Annefy
    @Annefy

    JuliaBlaschke (View Comment):

    Rightfromthestart (View Comment):

    Let’s see, inherited a multi million dollar enterprise turned it into a multi billion dollar one, went into TV and had a top rated show for 14 years, went into politics and won the Presidency first time out, not to mention the supermodel wife, yet you all agree he’s an idiot, scrambled eggs for brains, monkey with fez, etc. I’m reminded of Winston Churchill:

    “When I warned them that Britain would fight on alone whatever they did, their generals told their Prime Minister and his divided Cabinet, ‘In three weeks England will have her neck wrung like a chicken.’ Some chicken! Some neck!” — Winston Churchill, Ottawa, Dec. 30, 1941

    The first million is the hardest and Trump’s failed businesses are legion. A top rated show? Can’t say because I never watched it, but there is no accounting for taste. I bet the money came in handy for him to get him through some failed business ventures though. He did not win the Presidency the first time out. He ran and failed before. And lastly the man had two failed marriages and couldn’t even stay faithful to the supermodel wife when she was nursing his child. Yes, he’s an idiot, scrambled eggs for brains and couldn’t be further from Winston Churchill or the spirit of the British people, Churchill was describing.

    And Trump still hasn’t got the one thing he really desires. To be seen as a great man by the New York elite. And he never will.

    If that is what scrambled eggs for brains looks like I’ll take a double order please. 

    • #13
  14. James Lileks Contributor
    James Lileks
    @jameslileks

    yet you all agree he’s an idiot, scrambled eggs for brains, monkey with fez, etc.

    I  believe I said that’s what his detractors believe.

    • #14
  15. Basil Fawlty Member
    Basil Fawlty
    @BasilFawlty

    James Lileks (View Comment):

    yet you all agree he’s an idiot, scrambled eggs for brains, monkey with fez, etc.

    I believe I said that’s what his detractors believe.

    Irony is hard.

    • #15
  16. Petty Boozswha Inactive
    Petty Boozswha
    @PettyBoozswha

    Trump inherited $500 million of prime NYC real estate in 1977 – the absolute nadir of the New York real estate market. If he had bought a yacht and spent the intervening years partying with Stormy Daniels and friends he should have been worth north of $20 billion. Of all the nitwit statements about Trump the notion he’s somehow an astute businessman and that is a qualification for his “management style” is one of the most galling.  

    • #16
  17. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    Petty Boozswha (View Comment):

    Trump inherited $500 million of prime NYC real estate in 1977 – the absolute nadir of the New York real estate market. If he had bought a yacht and spent the intervening years partying with Stormy Daniels and friends he should have been worth north of $20 billion. Of all the nitwit statements about Trump the notion he’s somehow an astute businessman and that is a qualification for his “management style” is one of the most galling.

    I heard that he compounded less than the stock market, but I’ve never seen an article about it.

    • #17
  18. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    The other thing is, how do you know what he is really worth? You can’t just add up his properties and subtract the debt. He makes money off of leasing his brand, too. 

    • #18
  19. Annefy Member
    Annefy
    @Annefy

    Petty Boozswha (View Comment):

    Trump inherited $500 million of prime NYC real estate in 1977 – the absolute nadir of the New York real estate market. If he had bought a yacht and spent the intervening years partying with Stormy Daniels and friends he should have been worth north of $20 billion. Of all the nitwit statements about Trump the notion he’s somehow an astute businessman and that is a qualification for his “management style” is one of the most galling.

    I do believe Warren Buffett said the same about his own portfolio. I don’t have enough expertise to opine 

    • #19
  20. Petty Boozswha Inactive
    Petty Boozswha
    @PettyBoozswha

    Annefy (View Comment):

    Petty Boozswha (View Comment):

    Trump inherited $500 million of prime NYC real estate in 1977 – the absolute nadir of the New York real estate market. If he had bought a yacht and spent the intervening years partying with Stormy Daniels and friends he should have been worth north of $20 billion. Of all the nitwit statements about Trump the notion he’s somehow an astute businessman and that is a qualification for his “management style” is one of the most galling.

    I do believe Warren Buffett said the same about his own portfolio. I don’t have enough expertise to opine

    I was working as a teenager on Wall Street when the Dow hit 1000 points, today its between 26000 and 27000.

    • #20
  21. Hoyacon Member
    Hoyacon
    @Hoyacon

    Annefy (View Comment):

    Petty Boozswha (View Comment):

    Trump inherited $500 million of prime NYC real estate in 1977 – the absolute nadir of the New York real estate market. If he had bought a yacht and spent the intervening years partying with Stormy Daniels and friends he should have been worth north of $20 billion. Of all the nitwit statements about Trump the notion he’s somehow an astute businessman and that is a qualification for his “management style” is one of the most galling.

    I do believe Warren Buffett said the same about his own portfolio. I don’t have enough expertise to opine

    Neither do I.  But I have enough to question the initial assertion, as I would any alleged statements of “fact” without sources.

     

    • #21
  22. EDISONPARKS Member
    EDISONPARKS
    @user_54742

    Hoyacon (View Comment):

    Annefy (View Comment):

    Petty Boozswha (View Comment):

    Trump inherited $500 million of prime NYC real estate in 1977 – the absolute nadir of the New York real estate market. If he had bought a yacht and spent the intervening years partying with Stormy Daniels and friends he should have been worth north of $20 billion. Of all the nitwit statements about Trump the notion he’s somehow an astute businessman and that is a qualification for his “management style” is one of the most galling.

    I do believe Warren Buffett said the same about his own portfolio. I don’t have enough expertise to opine

    Neither do I. But I have enough to question the initial assertion, as I would any alleged statements of “fact” without sources.

     

    Petty Boozswha (View Comment):

    Trump inherited $500 million of prime NYC real estate in 1977 – the absolute nadir of the New York real estate market. If he had bought a yacht and spent the intervening years partying with Stormy Daniels and friends he should have been worth north of $20 billion. Of all the nitwit statements about Trump the notion he’s somehow an astute businessman and that is a qualification for his “management style” is one of the most galling.

    If Trump were worth $20 billion you would only hate him 10 times more than you already do.

    If being worth $3.1 billion is your definition of business failure, I’m sure there are billions of people on this planet who would love to fail just like Trump has.

    • #22
  23. Stina Inactive
    Stina
    @CM

    kedavis (View Comment):

    OccupantCDN (View Comment):

    Peter Robinson (View Comment):

    DJ EJ (View Comment):

    The archaeological artifacts associated with and ancient texts that make reference to Pontius Pilate are….

    Absolutely fascinating. Thanks for this.

    And Happy Easter.

    You can’t handle the Tooth! Too funny! Great ad-lib line.

    Hiding eggs? Did you ever have the experience that a maybe a few months later – there is a strange odor, and you’re able to recover the eggs that had been successfully hidden?

    I always took Pontius Pilate to be like a small state governor… A big deal in his little pond – well removed from anything important – but a nobody in the real power circles.

    But powerful enough to get people executed.

    When there is no rapid communication technology, it’s easy to be both nothing much in the circles of power (it’s possible Pilate was being punished with the troublesome judean province) and still powerful enough to execute the natives.

    • #23
  24. Petty Boozswha Inactive
    Petty Boozswha
    @PettyBoozswha

    EDISONPARKS (View Comment):

    Hoyacon (View Comment):

    Annefy (View Comment):

    Petty Boozswha (View Comment):

    Trump inherited $500 million of prime NYC real estate in 1977 – the absolute nadir of the New York real estate market. If he had bought a yacht and spent the intervening years partying with Stormy Daniels and friends he should have been worth north of $20 billion. Of all the nitwit statements about Trump the notion he’s somehow an astute businessman and that is a qualification for his “management style” is one of the most galling.

    I do believe Warren Buffett said the same about his own portfolio. I don’t have enough expertise to opine

    Neither do I. But I have enough to question the initial assertion, as I would any alleged statements of “fact” without sources.

     

    Petty Boozswha (View Comment):

    Trump inherited $500 million of prime NYC real estate in 1977 – the absolute nadir of the New York real estate market. If he had bought a yacht and spent the intervening years partying with Stormy Daniels and friends he should have been worth north of $20 billion. Of all the nitwit statements about Trump the notion he’s somehow an astute businessman and that is a qualification for his “management style” is one of the most galling.

    If Trump were worth $20 billion you would only hate him 10 times more than you already do.

    If being worth $3.1 billion is your definition of business failure, I’m sure there are billions of people on this planet who would love to fail just like Trump has.

    Nice try, but I was talking about the respect Trump gets as a “businessman” not about my feelings for his personality or character. I’m quite confident I could have run a real estate business starting with Trump’s advantages better than he has – at least I wouldn’t have needed to sell Trump steaks or Trump water or Trump University diplomas to stay on top.

    • #24
  25. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    Petty Boozswha (View Comment):
    Nice try, but I was talking about the respect Trump gets as a “businessman” not about my feelings for his personality or character. I’m quite confident I could have run a real estate business starting with Trump’s advantages better than he has

    How well has this ever been sorted out?

    – at least I wouldn’t have needed to sell Trump steaks or Trump water or Trump University diplomas to stay on top.

    Total red herring. What is he supposed to do, not lease out his brand?

     

     

     

     

    • #25
  26. Peter Robinson Contributor
    Peter Robinson
    @PeterRobinson

    OccupantCDN (View Comment):

    Hiding eggs? Did you ever have the experience that a maybe a few months later – there is a strange odor, and you’re able to recover the eggs that had been successfully hidden?

    I have indeed had just that experience. Also of mowing the lawn in, say, July or August–and finding a plastic egg sucked up into the blades. 

     

    • #26
  27. EDISONPARKS Member
    EDISONPARKS
    @user_54742

    Petty Boozswha (View Comment):

    EDISONPARKS (View Comment):

    Hoyacon (View Comment):

    Annefy (View Comment):

    Petty Boozswha (View Comment):

    Trump inherited $500 million of prime NYC real estate in 1977 – the absolute nadir of the New York real estate market. If he had bought a yacht and spent the intervening years partying with Stormy Daniels and friends he should have been worth north of $20 billion. Of all the nitwit statements about Trump the notion he’s somehow an astute businessman and that is a qualification for his “management style” is one of the most galling.

    I do believe Warren Buffett said the same about his own portfolio. I don’t have enough expertise to opine

    Neither do I. But I have enough to question the initial assertion, as I would any alleged statements of “fact” without sources.

     

    Petty Boozswha (View Comment):

    Trump inherited $500 million of prime NYC real estate in 1977 – the absolute nadir of the New York real estate market. If he had bought a yacht and spent the intervening years partying with Stormy Daniels and friends he should have been worth north of $20 billion. Of all the nitwit statements about Trump the notion he’s somehow an astute businessman and that is a qualification for his “management style” is one of the most galling.

    If Trump were worth $20 billion you would only hate him 10 times more than you already do.

    If being worth $3.1 billion is your definition of business failure, I’m sure there are billions of people on this planet who would love to fail just like Trump has.

    Nice try, but I was talking about the respect Trump gets as a “businessman” not about my feelings for his personality or character. I’m quite confident I could have run a real estate business starting with Trump’s advantages better than he has – at least I wouldn’t have needed to sell Trump steaks or Trump water or Trump University diplomas to stay on top.

    In theory you have a point …. he should be worth more.

    However, in the real world $3.1 Billion is tough to sell as failure.

    Now if he had a negative net worth of $3.1 billion then you’d be on to something

    • #27
  28. Petty Boozswha Inactive
    Petty Boozswha
    @PettyBoozswha

    EDISONPARKS (View Comment):
    Now if he had a negative net worth of $3.1 billion then you’d be on to something

    If our bankruptcy courts treated the top .01% the way they treat the bottom 99% Trump would be a bag boy at a supermarket today.

    • #28
  29. EDISONPARKS Member
    EDISONPARKS
    @user_54742

    Petty Boozswha (View Comment):

    EDISONPARKS (View Comment):
    Now if he had a negative net worth of $3.1 billion then you’d be on to something

    If our bankruptcy courts treated the top .01% the way they treat the bottom 99% Trump would be a bag boy at a supermarket today.

    Unfortunately, (IMO) the bankruptcy courts are overly lenient to 100% of bankruptcy petitioners,  which I can attest to having to written off far too many customer(former) bankruptcy related bad debts in my years as a business owner.

    • #29
  30. Petty Boozswha Inactive
    Petty Boozswha
    @PettyBoozswha

    EDISONPARKS (View Comment):

    Petty Boozswha (View Comment):

    EDISONPARKS (View Comment):
    Now if he had a negative net worth of $3.1 billion then you’d be on to something

    If our bankruptcy courts treated the top .01% the way they treat the bottom 99% Trump would be a bag boy at a supermarket today.

    Unfortunately, (IMO) the bankruptcy courts are overly lenient to 100% of bankruptcy petitioners, which I can attest to having to written off far too many customer(former) bankruptcy related bad debts in my years as a business owner.

    I agree completely. Under the common law bankruptcy was supposed to be in a court of equity where a petitioner could not pray for relief without clean hands.  But I still think some are considered more equal than others.

    • #30
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