The Waiting Room
@thewaitroom.bsky.social
Random thoughts on faith and culture while we wait for Christ to return.
By Victor Clemente
(For my takes on film&TV, you can follow me @platosden.bsky.social)
By Victor Clemente
(For my takes on film&TV, you can follow me @platosden.bsky.social)
While the Federal government spent the first winter storm of the season gunning down a dissenter and then lying about it, the new mayor of my town spent it helping residents stuck in the snow. This is what leadership looks like. Way to go, New York!
January 26, 2026 at 7:40 AM
While the Federal government spent the first winter storm of the season gunning down a dissenter and then lying about it, the new mayor of my town spent it helping residents stuck in the snow. This is what leadership looks like. Way to go, New York!
Dear Mr. Dokoupil (cc: CBS News),
Instead of hectoring us to get along, how about looking into DHS’s account of Renee Good’s shooting to tell us if it was indeed justified? How about some actual reporting?
And if you don’t know, it’s ok to keep your mouth shut until you do. #cbs
Instead of hectoring us to get along, how about looking into DHS’s account of Renee Good’s shooting to tell us if it was indeed justified? How about some actual reporting?
And if you don’t know, it’s ok to keep your mouth shut until you do. #cbs
January 10, 2026 at 7:15 AM
Dear Mr. Dokoupil (cc: CBS News),
Instead of hectoring us to get along, how about looking into DHS’s account of Renee Good’s shooting to tell us if it was indeed justified? How about some actual reporting?
And if you don’t know, it’s ok to keep your mouth shut until you do. #cbs
Instead of hectoring us to get along, how about looking into DHS’s account of Renee Good’s shooting to tell us if it was indeed justified? How about some actual reporting?
And if you don’t know, it’s ok to keep your mouth shut until you do. #cbs
Watching my town’s new #mayor take the oath of office yesterday gave me hope that Americans are not forever destined to elect politicians who mistake cruelty for strength and ignorance for virtue. Way to go, New York!
January 2, 2026 at 11:47 AM
Watching my town’s new #mayor take the oath of office yesterday gave me hope that Americans are not forever destined to elect politicians who mistake cruelty for strength and ignorance for virtue. Way to go, New York!
President Trump’s message to constituents this Christmas…
December 26, 2025 at 11:47 PM
President Trump’s message to constituents this Christmas…
“Music can bring people together, as in a juke joint on the outskirts of town, or tear them apart like Sammie and his father—a familiar dynamic for those who grew up in religious fundamentalist settings.”
An ex-fundamentalist reflects on #Sinners: tinyurl.com/2rdmkry2
An ex-fundamentalist reflects on #Sinners: tinyurl.com/2rdmkry2
December 21, 2025 at 5:12 PM
“Music can bring people together, as in a juke joint on the outskirts of town, or tear them apart like Sammie and his father—a familiar dynamic for those who grew up in religious fundamentalist settings.”
An ex-fundamentalist reflects on #Sinners: tinyurl.com/2rdmkry2
An ex-fundamentalist reflects on #Sinners: tinyurl.com/2rdmkry2
“From Capitol riots to the attempted murder of a presidential candidate, from mass shootings to the burning of police cars and Tesla trucks, the 2020s are shaping up to be a roaring decade of rage.”
Confessions of an Angry Christian…. tinyurl.com/mrn232dw
Confessions of an Angry Christian…. tinyurl.com/mrn232dw
December 20, 2025 at 8:14 AM
“From Capitol riots to the attempted murder of a presidential candidate, from mass shootings to the burning of police cars and Tesla trucks, the 2020s are shaping up to be a roaring decade of rage.”
Confessions of an Angry Christian…. tinyurl.com/mrn232dw
Confessions of an Angry Christian…. tinyurl.com/mrn232dw
From “These United States” by Victor Clemente #immigration
November 9, 2025 at 3:07 PM
From “These United States” by Victor Clemente #immigration
So, to be clear, the Trump administration is honoring the memory and legacy of “true champion of free speech” Charlie Kirk by restricting speech. Are Republicans OK with this? When did they give up on upholding the Constitution? #jimmykimmel
September 18, 2025 at 2:56 AM
So, to be clear, the Trump administration is honoring the memory and legacy of “true champion of free speech” Charlie Kirk by restricting speech. Are Republicans OK with this? When did they give up on upholding the Constitution? #jimmykimmel
Never thought I’d see the day when an American president calls for war on an American city. I assume the deafening silence from the Republican party and their evangelical enablers means they are OK with this.
Please direct all complaints to them. #Chicago
Please direct all complaints to them. #Chicago
September 6, 2025 at 8:08 PM
Never thought I’d see the day when an American president calls for war on an American city. I assume the deafening silence from the Republican party and their evangelical enablers means they are OK with this.
Please direct all complaints to them. #Chicago
Please direct all complaints to them. #Chicago
“Half of America put the hat on and took the mask off and that was that, and that’s where we’re at now.” —Lauren Banks, from The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig, 2025 #Booksky
August 17, 2025 at 6:52 AM
“Half of America put the hat on and took the mask off and that was that, and that’s where we’re at now.” —Lauren Banks, from The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig, 2025 #Booksky
Broadway’s Death Becomes Her supercharges the farcical elements of Robert Zemeckis’ 1992 dark comedy as only musical theater can. The result is a hilariously raucous tale about the vanity, immortality, and decaying bodies of two frenemies who truly deserve each other. #Theatersky
July 9, 2025 at 3:36 AM
Broadway’s Death Becomes Her supercharges the farcical elements of Robert Zemeckis’ 1992 dark comedy as only musical theater can. The result is a hilariously raucous tale about the vanity, immortality, and decaying bodies of two frenemies who truly deserve each other. #Theatersky
Jamie Lloyd’s revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard captures the beating heart of Billy Wilder’s film noir masterpiece in an electrifying stage production that strips Norma Desmond’s world down to light and shadow. Catch it on Broadway before it leaves on July 20th. #Theatersky
July 8, 2025 at 11:37 PM
Jamie Lloyd’s revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard captures the beating heart of Billy Wilder’s film noir masterpiece in an electrifying stage production that strips Norma Desmond’s world down to light and shadow. Catch it on Broadway before it leaves on July 20th. #Theatersky
ICE raids in LA are nothing new. What is new is the level of fear-mongering and cruelty deployed by Trump and his gang when it comes to immigration. What is happening in LA could've been avoided with a more humane approach to the issue, but for MAGA, the cruelty is the point. #ice
June 12, 2025 at 3:34 AM
ICE raids in LA are nothing new. What is new is the level of fear-mongering and cruelty deployed by Trump and his gang when it comes to immigration. What is happening in LA could've been avoided with a more humane approach to the issue, but for MAGA, the cruelty is the point. #ice
The Trump administration has labeled the current anti-deportation protests in LA an “insurrection.” That’s rich coming from the bunch that proudly gave us this five years ago. #immigration
June 8, 2025 at 3:26 PM
The Trump administration has labeled the current anti-deportation protests in LA an “insurrection.” That’s rich coming from the bunch that proudly gave us this five years ago. #immigration
It appears that el presidente Trump and his junta want to enact their own version of “Los desaparecidos” here in the U.S., complete with masked government operatives in paramilitary gear grabbing dissidents off the street. Viva El Caudillo!
March 28, 2025 at 3:26 AM
It appears that el presidente Trump and his junta want to enact their own version of “Los desaparecidos” here in the U.S., complete with masked government operatives in paramilitary gear grabbing dissidents off the street. Viva El Caudillo!
I heard that the president addressed Congress the other night. How’d it go?
March 7, 2025 at 6:31 AM
I heard that the president addressed Congress the other night. How’d it go?
When flirting with white supremacy is an occupational hazard, but you insist that you’re not one of them, the least you can do is call out racist overreach when you see it. I would feel much better about the country’s chances if more people in this administration followed suit.
January 29, 2025 at 2:32 AM
When flirting with white supremacy is an occupational hazard, but you insist that you’re not one of them, the least you can do is call out racist overreach when you see it. I would feel much better about the country’s chances if more people in this administration followed suit.
Birthright citizenship will not go away just because Trump and his rogues gallery say so, but the fact that they are saying it is revealing of their motives. When someone shows you who they are, believe them.
January 25, 2025 at 3:45 PM
Birthright citizenship will not go away just because Trump and his rogues gallery say so, but the fact that they are saying it is revealing of their motives. When someone shows you who they are, believe them.
I’m curious. Do those who oppose DEI programs do so because they have a better solution or because they believe underrepresented groups have already achieved fair treatment and full participation at all employment and education levels? Was the problem solved and I missed it?
January 24, 2025 at 3:49 AM
I’m curious. Do those who oppose DEI programs do so because they have a better solution or because they believe underrepresented groups have already achieved fair treatment and full participation at all employment and education levels? Was the problem solved and I missed it?
Trump’s comments on gender during today’s inauguration—along with the associated executive orders—exude a very “we don't serve their kind here” vibe. I'm not saying the man is xenophobic, but, on the other hand, if it walks like a duck….
January 21, 2025 at 1:02 AM
Trump’s comments on gender during today’s inauguration—along with the associated executive orders—exude a very “we don't serve their kind here” vibe. I'm not saying the man is xenophobic, but, on the other hand, if it walks like a duck….
The depressing reality that algorithms reward culture war profiteers for spewing useless nonsense like this is why I fear that in history’s final accounting, social media will amount to a net negative in the ledger of human progress.
January 10, 2025 at 4:44 AM
The depressing reality that algorithms reward culture war profiteers for spewing useless nonsense like this is why I fear that in history’s final accounting, social media will amount to a net negative in the ledger of human progress.