A Left-centered, not a God-centered, nation

From American Thinker.com (Oct. 10, 2021):

For 400 years, with the landing of displaced Christians on Plymouth Rock, America has been a Judeo-Christian, God-centered nation. 

As a God-centered nation, America pursued light and truth. Our laws and our culture were, as Alexis de Tocqueville asserted, great because we were good. Our subsequent Declaration of Independence and Constitution affirmed the centrality and supremacy of God.

Our Founders didn’t imply that all persons are Godly, or that being a follower of God was a prerequisite to participation in our great nation, but that our country was established to serve a purpose greater than itself.

…………

Throughout America’s existence, we have moved between conservative and liberal philosophical paradigms, but throughout this time, we were centered (anchored) by, again, something greater than ourselves.

America is not, and never was a perfect nation, but we are an exceptional nation. Never before was a nation-state established on the premise of self-governance of the people, endowed with certain unalienable rights, with government being established to protect said rights. 

Our existence was founded on: equal justice, freedom to speak, assemble and worship, freedom to redress grievances in our elected officials through the ballot box, freedom to own personal property, freedom to earn an honest living and provide for our families, freedom to defend ourselves against the rise of a tyrannical state, freedom from false imprisonment, freedom of conscience, and more. These freedoms are deemed inalienable rights.

Today, we have transitioned from being a God-centered nation to a Left-centered one. The freedoms highlighted above exist today only insofar as our views and ideals comport to our new higher power – government bureaucrats and technology oligarchs.

The hard Left in America abandoned God years ago. Following Karl Marx’s prescription, they’ve replaced God with the state.

Our existence and new reality are premised on the whims of our new overlords – government bureaucrats, radical activist storm troops, propagandist media, and big tech oligarchs.

Justice has been thrown on its ear. Criminality is being rewarded, if it serves the objectives of the Left. Freedom to earn a living or own personal property is being plundered under the guise of “racial equity.” Our abilities to speak, assemble, and worship are being suppressed under the premise that our opposition to the cultural/political changes taking place in America are deemed domestic violent extremism. Our ability to redress grievances through the ballot box has been subverted through illegality and fraud.

While God still reigns supreme in the universe, America should no longer consider the premise that we operate at His pleasure. We are at the onset of a dark winter. A very dark winter. [read more]

Abraham Lincoln once said: “At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.”

When the fledgling nation of Israel in the Bible ignored God by following wicked kings into idolatry and harlotry they too died. America is no exception. Babylon (Jeremiah 51) was destroyed by God for wickedness. The Flood came when the whole world became wicked. Jesus said before He returns similar conditions will happen.

FBI report shows 41% increase in hate crimes with anti-white bias

From Washington Examiner.com (Oct. 28, 2021):

Joseph Messina woke up one February morning to find an anti-white racial slur spray-painted on his house in South Philadelphia. It also included threats and the word “die.” It is believed the incident stemmed from bullying incidents at the 12-year-old’s school. This is an example of a phenomenon that has had a significant increase recently but does not get widespread media scrutiny: hate crimes with an anti-white bias. Earlier this week, the FBI released its hate crime report for 2020, and it showed a nearly 41% increase in hate crimes with an anti-white bias from 2019. Good luck finding any media outlet reporting this.

“To write the word 'die,' that's really ... taking it far. It wasn't just a racial comment. It was 'die,'” Messina said.

A slur and a threat to a child’s life would be national news if the aggressor were white and the victim black. But this incident received no attention. Something as significant as a year-over-year 41% increase in hate crimes against a racial group would draw national outrage had the victims been any race other than white. But it would be a little bit tricky for the media to explain how their own promotion of racial resentment is generating hate.

According to the data in the FBI Crime Data Explorer , in 2019, there were 761 total incidents of hate crimes with an anti-white bias. In 2020, this number jumped to 1,072. Additionally, this included a 22% increase in “simple assaults” with an anti-white bias. It also included a 34% increase in “aggravated assaults” with an anti-white bias. The offense with the biggest increase was “intimidation” with an anti-white bias, which saw a 54% increase between 2019 and 2020.

Most media reports announced that the FBI hate crime report revealed a dramatic increase in overall hate crimes from 2019 to 2020. And when detailing this, most of the attention was given to the increase in hate crimes against black people and Asian Americans. These are all true and equally horrifying and deserve attention. But so should the crimes with an anti-white bias.

As a country, we should be striving to have the total amount of hate crimes be zero. Any crime committed against anyone because of their race is unquestionably disgusting and horrific and should not be tolerated. However, the entire story should be told, not just the hate crimes that fit the agenda of liberals and Democrats. Any media scrutiny on the FBI’s hate crime report must include the statistics showing the 41% increase in anti-white hate crimes. [read more]

Another hate crime that the lame-stream-press doesn’t care about:

Christianity: The #1 Recipient of Hate Crimes

Meet Ray Epps: The Fed-Protected Provocateur Who Appears To Have Led The Very First 1/6 Attack On The U.S. Capitol

From Revolver.news (Oct. 25, 2021):

In a House hearing on Thursday, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) questioned AG Merrick Garland about a mysterious man, Ray Epps, instructing protesters to enter the US Capitol building on January 5, and who later shepherded crowds towards the Capitol on January 6.

If Revolver News’s previous reporting points to a proactive role of the federal government in relation to the conspiracy cases against Oath Keepers and Proud Boys, the Ray Epps story that follows suggests a similar, yet more egregious, explicit, direct and immediate degree of federal involvement in the breach of the Capitol itself.

Here is a transcript of Thomas Massie’s exchange with the Attorney General, just in case you skipped past the video above.

Rep. Massie: As far as we can determine, the individual who was saying he’ll probably go to jail, he’ll probably be arrested, but they need to go into the Capitol the next day, is then directing people into the Capitol the next day, is then the next day directing people to the Capitol. And as far as we can find. You said this is one of the most sweeping in history. Have you seen that video, or those frames from that video?

AG Garland: So as I said at the outset, one of the norms of the Justice Department is to not comment on pending investigations, and particularly not to comment on particular scenes or particular individuals.

Rep. Massie: I was hoping today to give you an opportunity to put to rest the concerns that people have that there were federal agents or assets of the federal government present on January 5 and January 6. Can you tell us, without talking about particular incidents or particular videos, how many agents or assets of the federal government were present on January 6, whether they agitated to go into the Capitol, and if any of them did?

AG Garland: So I’m not going to violate this norm of, uh, of, of, of, the rule of law.

[Looks down and away]

I’m not going to comment on an investigation that’s ongoing.

There is good reason why AG Garland ran from Massie’s question faster than he could find words — and why he couldn’t even keep eye contact as he was dodging Massie’s gaze.

After months of research, Revolver’s investigative reporting team can now reveal that Ray Epps appears to be among the primary orchestrators of the very first breach of the Capitol’s police barricades at 12:50pm on January 6. Epps appears to have led the “breach team” that committed the very first illegal acts on that fateful day. What’s more, Epps and his “breach team” did all their dirty work with 20 minutes still remaining in President Trump’s National Mall speech, and with the vast majority of Trump supporters still 30 minutes away from the Capitol.

Secondly, Revolver also determined, and will prove below, that the the FBI stealthily removed Ray Epps from its Capitol Violence Most Wanted List on July 1, just one day after Revolver exposed the inexplicable and puzzlesome FBI protection of known Epps associate and Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes. July 1 was also just one day after separate New York Times report amplified a glaring, falsifiable lie about Epps’s role in the events of January 6.

Lastly, Ray Epps appears to have worked alongside several individuals — many of them suspiciously unindicted — to carry out a breach of the police barricades that induced a subsequent flood of unsuspecting MAGA protesters to unwittingly trespass on Capitol restricted grounds and place themselves in legal jeopardy. [read more]

Another article about Ray Epps:

It wasn't just uncharged Ray Epps leading the Capitol breach. He had helpers.

'Your papers, please': Feds announce plans requiring fliers to show COVID documents

From WND.com (Oct. 27, 2021):

When COVID-19 exploded around the world, and the first shots became available – on an experimental basis as they are now – there were concerns over a "papers please" requirement on the part of law enforcement in which travelers would be required to show their health status.

Those concerns now are reality, according to a report on Hotair.com.

It documents that officers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "will spot-check passengers who arrive in the U.S. for compliance, according to an administration official. Airlines that don't enforce the requirements could be subject to penalties of up to nearly $35,000 per violation."

The new requirement is part of a series of new travel rules announced for international travelers this week.

Those demand most travelers to America be vaccinated against COVID-19 with exceptions for children under 18, immigrants, those who have had reactions to shots, and those coming from countries where shots are in short supply.

The report explained tests and negative results also will be demanded.

"The U.S. will accept any FDA-approved vaccine for regular or emergency use or approved by the World Health Organization," the report said. "These include Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca and China's Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines."

The reported noted that airlines will be forced to do the enforcement.

Those demand most travelers to America be vaccinated against COVID-19 with exceptions for children under 18, immigrants, those who have had reactions to shots, and those coming from countries where shots are in short supply.

The report explained tests and negative results also will be demanded.

"The U.S. will accept any FDA-approved vaccine for regular or emergency use or approved by the World Health Organization," the report said. "These include Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca and China's Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines."

The reported noted that airlines will be forced to do the enforcement. [source]

Dumb. And yet the illegals don’t require COVID papers. Actually, they don’t require any papers.

EPIC! Marine Veteran Hero Who Stopped Robbery in Progress Receives Valor Award – And Shows Up Wearing “Let’s Go Brandon” T-Shirt and MAGA Hat

From The Gateway Pundit.com (Oct. 26, 2021):

The Yuma County Sheriff’s Offices honored Marine veteran James Kilcer with their valor award on Tuesday.

Kilcer stopped a robbery in progress on the morning of October 20th at a Chevron gas station near Fortuna Road and the I-8.

The Sheriff Wilmot announced over the weekend that James Kilcer would receive the Citizen’s Valor Award on Tuesday.

On Tuesday James Wilcox showed up for his Valor Award wearing a MAGA hat and a Let’s Go Brandon T-shirt!

Last week James Wilcox ended his FOX News appearance saying, “Epstein didn’t kill himself.” [source]

Good for him in wearing the shirt and stopping the robbery.

Everyone Wants to Live Forever

From Breakpoint.org (Oct. 6, 2021):

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is among a group of billionaires looking for the secret to immortality. Bezos funds Altos Labs, a startup pursuing breakthroughs in biological reprogramming technology. The ambitious new field has already seen some promising, not to mention terrifying, results in animal testing. Biological reprogramming technology attempts to revert cells to an embryonic state. If successful, this could unlock the potential to “rejuvenate” organs, perhaps entire bodies.

On the one hand, there’s nothing unusual or controversial about the human desire to go on living. Christianity affirms that death is not a natural part of life in the strictest sense. It’s a result of the fall. Death is, to borrow a phrase from theologian Neil Plantinga, “not the way it’s supposed to be.” Scripture calls death “an enemy.” When Jesus arrived at the tomb of Lazarus, He wept at the death of his friend and the pain it caused, even though He clearly planned on turning that funeral into a party. 

At the same time, the desperate race for immortality is not an attempt to reverse the effects of sin. Rather, it reflects how desperate man without God is to exert complete control over the cosmos, and to have life on our own terms.

Jeff Bezos is certainly not the first person in history willing to go to such extreme lengths to stave off the inevitable, only the latest and most resourced. Some speculate that this is nothing more than a mid-life crisis for the 56-year-old tech mogul. After all, Bezos’s 25-year marriage ended in 2019, and, in July, he stepped down as CEO of one of the biggest and most powerful companies in the history of the world.  Perhaps he’s just looking for ways to spend his $200 billion. It would take a lot of trips to outer space to spend that fortune.

Perhaps he’s reacting to the age-old truth, that even all the wealth in the world cannot ultimately satisfy a hole in the heart that is God-shaped. Another, more ancient billionaire once lamented, “When I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” Of course, if life truly is meaningless in the first place, more of it won’t fix the problem.

The Bible teaches that we can never be satisfied until we are reconciled with the God who made us. Until then, we remain enemies, selfish rebels at war with life itself. Living forever in this state wouldn’t be an accomplishment. It would be a nightmare.*

Genesis tells us that, after the fall, God kept Adam and Eve from the Garden in order to prevent them from eating of the Tree of Life:

Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.

God’s actions were as much of mercy here as of judgment. 

Later, King Solomon would describe how God “set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what [He] has done from beginning to end.” We are created beings created for eternity. C.S. Lewis famously put it this way, “If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.”

The desire for immortality ultimately points us to, and can only be satisfied by, God Himself. He made us to live forever. He is life itself. The eternal life we seek, both the why and the how, is only found in Him. [source]

Those who want to live forever are probably afraid of dying.

*I agree. Not too mention psychopaths. I wouldn't want them to live forever.

Senate Dems Propose Corporate Minimum Tax Expected to Reach 200 Companies

From News Max.com (Oct.26, 2021):

Leading Democrat senators unveiled legislation Tuesday to impose a 15% minimum tax on the most profitable U.S. corporations, saying the levy would help finance President Joe Biden's social policy and climate change plans.

The proposal, part of a two-pronged legislative strategy to curtail tax avoidance by corporations and the wealthy, was put forward by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., along with Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, who caucuses with the Democrats.

The corporate minimum tax targets public and privately owned companies that post more than $1 billion in annual profits over a three-year period.

The lawmakers said it would dovetail with the global corporate minimum tax agreed by 136 countries, which is aimed at corporations that pay little or no tax by gaming the international tax system.

"What we have put together is built around the proposition that corporations ought to pay their fair share and profitable corporations should never pay zero tax," Wyden told reporters.

The corporate tax would apply to around 200 companies and raise hundreds of billions of dollars over a decade, the lawmakers said.

Wyden said he will also unveil a new "billionaires tax" that would impose a levy on individuals with unrealized assets worth more than $1 billion and a three consecutive years of annual income of $100 million. [read more]

All that is going to happen, if this bill passes, is the corporations are just going to pass the tax on to the consumers. With high inflation that is bad news.

China launches suspected anti-satellite weapon into space

From Washington Times.com (Oct. 25, 2021):

China has launched a new satellite that analysts say can be used as a weapon capable of grabbing and crushing American satellites.

The Shijian-21 satellite was sent aloft on Sunday atop a rocket booster from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, ostensibly for cleaning “space debris,” according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, Beijing’s state-run space company. The company stated that the satellite is “tasked with demonstrating technologies to alleviate and neutralize space debris.”

The robotic satellite launch followed a suspected recent test of a new hypersonic missile that Chinese officials said was a peaceful space experiment.

The commander of the U.S. Space Command, Air Force Gen. James Dickinson told Congress in April that spacecraft like the Shijian-21 is part of an effort by China to seek “space superiority through space and space-attack systems.”

“One notable object is the Shijian-17, a Chinese satellite with a robotic arm,” Gen. Dickinson said. “Space-based robotic arm technology could be used in a future system for grappling other satellites.”

The Shijian-17 satellite is used for communications and monitoring space debris. It is said to be capable of maneuvering close to orbiting satellites and grabbing or crushing the spacecraft.

Gen. Dickinson said the co-orbital robotic spacecraft is part of a growing arsenal of space weaponry fielded by the Chinese military. [read more]

Not good at all.

More threats from China on America’s national security:

• China Prepares to Challenge the US Navy
• Nimble Chinese satellite grabs hi-res images of US city in seconds: researchers
• ‘Not messing around’: China’s rapid military advances stoke fear, catch Pentagon by surprise
• FBI chief Wray: China engaged in large-scale hacking operations targeting U.S. tech
• Hackers backed by the Chinese government compromised computer networks of at least six American States

Jeff Bezos to Launch Business Park in Space

From News Max.com (Oct. 25, 2021):

Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin on Monday announced it would be opening a business park in space.

According to documents obtained by The Hill, Blue Origin indicated it was working with Boeing and Sierra Space to develop a commercial space park known as "Orbital Reef."

The company stated that the low-earth orbit facility would be a "mixed use business park" with plans to launch in the second half of the decade.

"Orbital Reef will provide anyone with the opportunity to establish their own address on orbit. This unique destination will offer research, industrial, international, and commercial customers the cost competitive end-to-end services they need including space transportation and logistics, space habitation, equipment accommodation, and operations including onboard crew," the company's statement read.

"Seasoned space agencies, high-tech consortia, sovereign nations without space programs, media and travel companies, funded entrepreneurs and sponsored inventors, and future-minded investors all have a place on Orbital Reef."

The Blue Origin space station is expected to hold roughly 10 people at a time, approximately the same amount as the International Space Station.

Recently, Blue Origin's new Shepard spacecraft carried famed "Star Trek" actor William Shatner into space. [source]

Interesting.

Kerry Holds $1M Stake in Chinese Equity Fund Linked to Rights Abuses, Uyghur Labor Exploitation

From News Max.com (Oct. 25, 2021):

Biden administration climate czar John Kerry holds a $1 million stake in a Chinese private equity fund, Hillhouse China Value Fund, that is both invested in a tech company blacklisted for human rights abuses and is a major shareholder in a solar panel firm connected to labor abuses of the Uyghurs, The Washington Free Beacon reported on Monday.

Hillhouse China Value Fund L.P. bought last December a 6% stake in LONGi Green Energy, a Chinese solar panel manufacturer, making it the company’s second largest shareholder.

Human rights groups and U.S. lawmakers have accused LONGi of sourcing many of its raw materials from companies that are believed to use forced labor in Xinjiang, a region where the Chinese government has abused the Uyghur population and other ethnic minorities.

Hillhouse is also a major funder of a tech firm connected to Beijing’s surveillance of the Uyghurs, a revelation last week that led Republican senators to urge Biden to fire Kerry over ethics concerns.

The newest revelations raise more questions about whether Kerry is using his position as climate envoy to prevent regulations on Chinese solar panel imports.

"On the one hand, we’re saying to [China], ‘You have to do more to help deal with the climate,’" Kerry said last month. "And on the other hand, their solar panels are being sanctioned, which makes it harder for them to sell them."

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said Kerry has been actively lobbying against his bill that would bar Chinese imports made with slave labor, which passed the Senate with bipartisan support but is languishing in the House, according to the Free Beacon. [read more]

Kerry and the Dems don’t care about slave labor. I guess it’s okay for China to have slaves, but when America did it in our past, it’s America’s original sin. Slavery in any country is evil. It’s too bad America can’t make its own solar panels.

God’s not “They:” Divine Pronouns Matter

From Breakpoint.org (Oct. 4, 2021):

Last week, professor of religion Mark Silk suggested that we should use the pronoun “they” when referring to God, instead of “He.” Writing over at Religion News Service, Silk offered a couple of “textual” arguments to support his admonition, but his primary aim was to update our God-talk with what he called “the imperative of gender-inclusive language.”

Silk isn’t the first to suggest something like this. And, it’s not strictly accurate to say his ideas promote gender inclusivity. Calling God “she” or “her” or “Mother” was a way to dismantle the patriarchy not so long ago, but, in this cultural moment, the call is to de-gender God altogether, along with everything else, including us.

Silk’s best theological argument is that Elohim, a common Old Testament word for God, is plural. However, while Elohim is technically plural, so are the Hebrew words for face, panim, and Egypt, Mizraim. No one suggests that plural pronouns are required for these words. This grammatical quirk of Hebrew isn’t as significant as Silk makes it.

The more significant problem with Silk’s idea is that by abandoning biblically gendered language, we abandon the words God chose to describe Himself, and this alters our understanding of God. While God doesn’t reveal himself as “male” in an embodied gendered sense (like humans), God does uniformly use masculine terms to reveal Who He is. He acts like a mother, according to a few passages in Holy Scripture, but He reveals Himself as the Father throughout Holy Scripture. 

This may not seem like a big deal. Some will argue that God is a big boy and can handle being called “her” or “zhe” or “they.” Plus, others add, God is infinite, beyond our comprehension. He can’t be bothered by pronouns. To that, I reply, No way.

Call your spouse by the wrong name, and see if it matters. Describe your wife as you want her to be, not the way she is… what will she say? Tell her you love her for characteristics that she does not have, and see how that goes over. Our experience tells us that language matters, especially descriptive language that someone uses to define oneself.

As a person, who God reveals Himself to be matters… a lot. Things that do not matter to objects do matter to persons. Rocks and trees and books don’t care how they’re addressed – they don’t care about anything! Animals will get used to whatever you call them most often, especially if you have food. But persons care how they’re addressed. This isn’t a weakness; this is the glory of being a person. What’s more, without the personness of God as the foundation of our own personness, the things we most value about being human would be lost to the cold calculus of cause and effect.

God isn’t a force or an energy with no opinion of what we think about Him. God is a person, with specific characteristics. God is not a nebulous blob to be molded according to our wishes. God is infinite, but He is not indefinite. He makes Himself known as a God of justice, holiness, compassion, and love. These are defined realities of his character. It is not for us to decide which parts of His self-revelation are passé. [read more]

China Limits Abortions For All the Wrong Reasons

From Break Point.org (Oct. 22, 2021):

After more than 35 years of various versions of its “the one-child policy,” which experts estimate cost the country between 200 and 400 million lives, China is attempting an about-face.

Back in 2015, the government “officially” ended the one-child policy by allowing couples to have up to two children in some circumstances. Then, In May of this year, the controlled number was increased to three. Now, as of September, Chinese leaders have officially started discouraging “non-medical” abortions.

To be clear, abortion is wrong. Preborn lives are human lives – and they’re always worth protecting. However, the Chinese ruling elite has had no such moral awakening.

Instead, this is about China’s looming demographic crisis. The 2020 census revealed that China’s fertility rate is the lowest since they began tracking it in the 1950s. An aging population means fewer workers and more retirees. Decades of sex-selective abortions mean China is facing a disproportionate shortage of young women. The question now is whether the country has entered an irreversible population decline.

It’s a serious crisis – but it’s one that the Chinese Communist Party created. In the late 1970s, reacting to fears of overpopulation and its impact on the state-planned economy, China went to extreme – often Orwellian – lengths to limit the number of children each woman could have. Now Chinese officials need to increase the fertility rate by any means necessary, or face the real possibility of economic disaster.

This kind of policy whiplash creates its own cruel ironies. One is that a state which has forced hundreds of millions of abortions is now advising women about its negative health impacts. Chinese state media is now describing abortion as “very harmful” and argues it could cause “serious psychological disorders” for unmarried women. Given how recently the state was forcing Chinese women into abortions, it’s hard to think the state’s concern is genuine.

The overall human cost of these policies has been tremendous. One Chinese mother told of having to choose between aborting her second child and paying a fine of 200,000 yuan (or, $31,250 USD). She and her husband couldn’t raise the money, and their preborn child was aborted. Two months later, Beijing rescinded the one-child Policy. Their baby would have been born the following Spring.

These tragic ironies extend to China’s Uyghur Muslim population also. A core element of China’s genocide of this ethnic group is the practices of forced abortion and sterilization. Even as China seeks to boost fertility in some regions, there is little hope that forced abortions among Uyghur Muslim women will be stopped.

The Chinese vision of a disposable population runs deep. In 1957, Chinese dictator Mao Zedong was asked whether he feared a nuclear attack on his country. “What if they killed 300 million of us?” he replied. “We would still have many people left.”

…………….

The bottom line is that no matter what the Chinese Communist Party does, whatever policies they enact, people are people. They aren’t a means to an end that is the state; they are the end, and the state should be thought of as the means for enabling their flourishing. That goes for unborn children, mothers, Uyghurs, and everyone. Human lives should never be contingent on the whims of the state. It is the purpose of a truly just government to protect people’s God-given rights.

America’s founders, for all their flaws, enshrined this principle into law.  They believed that people weren’t products of the state but were endowed with “inalienable rights” by their Creator, rights that pre-existed the state. Of course, that should make Westerners ask whether we’re living up to that belief. China might be sacrificing – or saving – preborn children for the good of the state, but we often do the same thing on the altar of individual preference.

Though China’s attempt to restrict abortion does save lives, it does so for all the wrong reasons. A worldview that elevates the state’s role at all costs will inevitably bulldoze sound economic principles, the sanctity of life, and the fundamental rights of people again and again. The inevitable outcome, no matter which direction the policy pendulum swings, is that the abuses will continue.

…………………

The bottom line is that no matter what the Chinese Communist Party does, whatever policies they enact, people are people. They aren’t a means to an end that is the state; they are the end, and the state should be thought of as the means for enabling their flourishing. That goes for unborn children, mothers, Uyghurs, and everyone. Human lives should never be contingent on the whims of the state. It is the purpose of a truly just government to protect people’s God-given rights.

America’s founders, for all their flaws, enshrined this principle into law.  They believed that people weren’t products of the state but were endowed with “inalienable rights” by their Creator, rights that pre-existed the state. Of course, that should make Westerners ask whether we’re living up to that belief. China might be sacrificing – or saving – preborn children for the good of the state, but we often do the same thing on the altar of individual preference.

Though China’s attempt to restrict abortion does save lives, it does so for all the wrong reasons. A worldview that elevates the state’s role at all costs will inevitably bulldoze sound economic principles, the sanctity of life, and the fundamental rights of people again and again. The inevitable outcome, no matter which direction the policy pendulum swings, is that the abuses will continue. [read more]

White House Knew About Letter That Compared Parents to Domestic Terrorists

Free Beacon.com (Oct. 21, 2021):

The country's largest school board association collaborated with the Biden White House before sending a controversial letter calling on the FBI to investigate parents as potential domestic terrorists, according to previously unreported emails.

The emails, obtained by Parents Defending Education through public records requests and reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon, reveal that the National School Board Association's president and CEO sent the letter to Biden on Sept. 29 without approval from the organization's board. The letter said that the acts of some parents at school board meetings across the country could be considered "a form of domestic terrorism and hate crimes."

The emails also show that the White House asked the association for examples of threats against school board members days before Attorney General Merrick Garland created a task force of officials from the FBI and the Justice Department to determine how to prosecute alleged crimes at school board meetings.

The letter makes clear that the White House was aware of the letter before it was released, while raising questions about whether the White House colluded with the association on the letter to prompt federal action. The letter has sparked allegations that the Biden administration is trying to stifle dissent among parents who oppose mask mandates and the teaching of critical race theory at America's schools. School board meetings have become battlegrounds for factions of parents torn on those issues. Parents in some districts have organized recall efforts to remove school board members who support mandates or radical curricula.

The emails also show that members of the National School Board Association's board of directors voiced frustration that officials sent out the letter without their approval.

One director at the association said that the letter had "reawakened hostilities" that were just beginning to subside.

"Many of us have been put in a position now of explaining or defending this action of our association as we are asked by members of our community if we consider them domestic terrorists for showing up to our meetings and expressing their opinions," John W. Halkias, a director from the association's Central Region, wrote on Oct. 1.

Halkias said that he and other board members would not have likely approved the letter, which he said "used terms that were extreme, and asked for action by the Federal Government that many of us would not request."

Viola Garcia, the president of the association, and Chip Slaven, the CEO, disclosed in other emails to the board that they had been in consultation with the White House and the Department of Education regarding an alleged rise in cases of irate parents showing up to school board meetings.

Slaven wrote on Sept. 29 that he and Garcia sent their letter to Biden "concerning threats to public schools and school board members." He said that "in talks over the last several weeks with White House staff," the administration had "requested additional information on some of the specific threats." [read more]

WH Changes the IRS Snooping Provision but Here's How Deceptive That Is

From Red State.com (Oct. 19, 2021):

The Biden Administration seemed to cave, somewhat, today on the IRS snooping provision they have been pushing — getting reports on accounts that had inflow/outflow of $600 or more, a provision which would basically then give them the ability to look at everyone’s account.

Now, they’re claiming that they will scale it back to $10,000. But it’s $10,000 over the course of a year that they’re proposing now.

From Fox Business:

“Today’s new proposal reflects the administration’s strong belief that we should zero in on those at the top of the income scale who don’t pay the taxes they owe, while protecting American workers by setting the bank account threshold at $10,000 and providing an exemption for wage earners like teachers and firefighters,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement.

But this is actually pretty deceptive. Because while it might not pick up a salary coming in, according to the Republicans, the provision will pick up the money going out, which again most Americans will spend more than $10,000 in a year if they are working adults. It’s also going to pick up people who are paid but don’t get a W2 or regular salary with the money coming in.

So this is basically a distinction without a difference as the outflow would pick up basically everyone anyway according to Republicans. Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA), Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA), and Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID) blasted the effort today. [read more]

Another Democrat slight of hand.

Another article on the matter:

Dems’ sneaky new rule will let IRS target and harass little guys over $600 payments

Man Saves Motorist from Approaching Train: ‘God Had Everything to Do with It’

From Breitbart.com (Oct. 18, 2021):

Lewis Medina was driving with his daughter and grandson in Sugar Grove Township, IL on the evening of October 9 when he came across the vehicle and knew something was amiss. He observed a 72-year-old motorist who had taken a turn off of Barnes Road and drove down the train tracks, according to NBC 5.

The motorist had been driving for a moment but his wheels became stuck on the outside rails of the track, according to Fox 32.

“The way the wheels were spinning, I knew somebody was in there,” Medina said to NBC 5.

Medina sprung into action.

“I told the gentleman ‘how about I get you out of the car to a safe area, and we’ll get your car off the tracks before a train comes,’” Medina told the outlet, but the 72-year-old was suffering from a medical emergency and could not move.

Medina called 911 for help but he observed a train approaching down the tracks and understood time was ticking away, NBC reports.

“I said ‘I don’t think we have time,’ so I unbuckled him, I grabbed him a bear hug, thinking he’ll put his arms around me, but he just slipped right out of my arms,” Medina told NBC 5. “So I grab him by his shirt and pants and he fell right between the tracks so now I’m really panicking.”

Medina’s daughter, Hannah, was still in her father’s vehicle and began to worry, NBC 5 reports.  “I looked out the window and I saw the arm coming down, and at that moment I tried to listen for my dad or any sign that he didn’t get hit, but I couldn’t hear anything over the sound of the horn,” she said.

Medina was able to bring the man to safety as they tumbled down a hill beside the tracks, according to Fox 32.

“As soon as I got him at the bottom of the hill, the train smashed the car,” Medina told CBS 2.

Medina informed CBS 2 that he learned the 72-year-old man had been suffering from diabetic shock after he was released from the hospital.

Medina will be honored for his selfless rescue at the county board meeting next month.

“I know it was God because there was no way I could have picked that man up there, there’s no way,” Medina told NBC 5. “So I know God had everything to do with it.” [source]

The Terror of Freedom

From Red State.com (Sept. 30, 2021):

On Thursday morning, RedState reporter Nick Arama alerted us to a giant fail of a propaganda video against the state of Florida. That’s right…the entire state. The ad positions Florida as a state modeled after the horror movie “The Purge” (and all its sequels) and uses dystopian images intercut with hysterical news reports of COVID numbers and mask bans. It includes clips of Governor Ron DeSantis (drenched in the dystopian color schemes of darkened, washed-out blues and grays) asserting that Floridians can make their own health decisions.

Terrifying.

To the freedom-oriented, the ad comes off as a glowing advertisement for Florida life. The ad itself was commissioned by a group called Remove Ron, headed by lawyer Daniel Uhlfelder and sponsored by Act Blue. Apparently Uhlfelder is frightened by the ideas of freedom and bodily autonomy, and sees that as a reason to remove the governor. We wouldn’t want people making decisions for themselves, would we? Look at what too many do with that type of freedom — start businesses, attend school, travel, go to amusement parks, infuse the economy with their dollars, go to *gasp* sporting events where they do incredibly dangerous things like cheer and yell. Responsible Americans like Uhlfelder want to make sure such heinous acts don’t continue to flourish.

Making your own choices? Disgusting.

But that really is what this is all about, isn’t it? A response from DeSantis’ Press Secretary Christina Pushaw succinctly sums up the real problem progressives are having with this virus, vaccine, and the varying responses of Americans.

Lol. Do Democrats genuinely find it terrifying to make their own decisions?

6:49 AM · Sep 30, 2021

That’s it in a nutshell, isn’t it?

Cancel culture isn’t just a tactic of progressive meanies trying to dunk on the rest of us. It is the outcropping of a “culture of perfection” that ironically began as a rejection of the “culture of perfection” of post-WWII America. My parents belonged to that era. Boomers decided they didn’t want their parents’ rules. They burned their bras, got on The Pill, and told everyone they were going to free America — free love, free sex, free drugs. Freedom…but really they just meant the freedom to be like them. To choose another path became sinful, and now we hold people to the same standards of perfection as those awful parents of Boomers did…just from the other side of the ideological spectrum.

Freedom cannot thrive if it does not come with a moral baseline. If there is no standard-bearer to look toward, we cannot help but be sucked into sin.

Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. – President John Adams

I love that quote from one of our greatest leaders. Adams’ point stands today — freedom is based on the notion that every human is endowed with God-given rights that cannot be usurped by man. Human rights can only be protected by a society that believes they are not the arbiters of human rights. If you can’t understand the concept of Original Sin (or at least the non-religious notion that humans are not naturally inclined towards goodness to one another), then you can’t understand that humans will always lurch towards bondage. It’s in our DNA.

…………

Pushaw is absolutely correct. Progressive liberals aren’t terrified of COVID or Trump or pro-lifers or whatever boogeyman of the day they’ve dreamt up. They are terrified of making choices and thus can’t imagine a world in which anyone should be free to do so.

Keep that in mind as this battle rages on. It isn’t about COVID. When COVID has disappeared from the public psyche, it will be something else. We are in a battle not for vaccines, but for freedom itself.

Do not grow weary. [read more]

It’s all about control for the Left. That’s all they have.

America’s Descent into Medical Fascism

From Rob Jenkins on Town Hall.com (Oct 17, 2021):

I debated whether to include “medical” in this headline. After all, fascism is fascism, right? It hardly requires a modifier.

Moreover, fascism and the medical profession share a long and sordid history. During the 1930s, German doctors joined the Nazi party at four times the rate of other professionals. Among the Nazis’ most heinous crimes against humanity were their medical experiments on human subjects—atrocities that gave rise to the Nuremberg Code, which states that “the voluntary consent of the human subject is absolutely essential.”

From that international treaty comes our modern notion of “informed consent”—something we’re now ignoring in our push to force-vaccinate everyone regardless of age, health status, prior immunity, or conscience. But I digress.

In a sense, then, the term “medical fascism” is redundant. Nevertheless, I thought it might be helpful to identify the purported rationale for today’s attempted fascist takeover: We must surrender our freedom, we are told, for the good of society, to “combat the virus.”

Our oppressors don’t even bother denying it. They simply frame their tyranny as a matter of “public health.” That none of the draconian, liberty-crushing measures foisted upon us have been effective in “combatting the virus” doesn’t enter into the conversation. We must simply do as we’re told, or else.

I debated whether to include “medical” in this headline. After all, fascism is fascism, right? It hardly requires a modifier.

Moreover, fascism and the medical profession share a long and sordid history. During the 1930s, German doctors joined the Nazi party at four times the rate of other professionals. Among the Nazis’ most heinous crimes against humanity were their medical experiments on human subjects—atrocities that gave rise to the Nuremberg Code, which states that “the voluntary consent of the human subject is absolutely essential.”

From that international treaty comes our modern notion of “informed consent”—something we’re now ignoring in our push to force-vaccinate everyone regardless of age, health status, prior immunity, or conscience. But I digress.

In a sense, then, the term “medical fascism” is redundant. Nevertheless, I thought it might be helpful to identify the purported rationale for today’s attempted fascist takeover: We must surrender our freedom, we are told, for the good of society, to “combat the virus.”

Our oppressors don’t even bother denying it. They simply frame their tyranny as a matter of “public health.” That none of the draconian, liberty-crushing measures foisted upon us have been effective in “combatting the virus” doesn’t enter into the conversation. We must simply do as we’re told, or else. [read more]

52 terrorists heading toward U.S. blocked by Panama, congressman says

From Washington Times.com (Oct. 18, 2021):

Panama has caught 52 people on terrorist watch lists who were en route to the U.S., a Republican congressman said in a new podcast Monday, citing a conversation with Panama’s foreign minister.

Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas was speaking on the Republican National Committee’s “Real America” podcast when he revealed his conversation with the top Panamanian diplomat, who said there are more than 100,000 migrants in her country headed toward the U.S. right now.

Panama screens people it encounters who are making the journey, and Mr. Gonzales said he asked whether anyone on terrorist watch lists had been detected.

Panama has caught 52 people on terrorist watch lists who were en route to the U.S., a Republican congressman said in a new podcast Monday, citing a conversation with Panama’s foreign minister.

Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas was speaking on the Republican National Committee’s “Real America” podcast when he revealed his conversation with the top Panamanian diplomat, who said there are more than 100,000 migrants in her country headed toward the U.S. right now.

Panama screens people it encounters who are making the journey, and Mr. Gonzales said he asked whether anyone on terrorist watch lists had been detected.

Panama has caught 52 people on terrorist watch lists who were en route to the U.S., a Republican congressman said in a new podcast Monday, citing a conversation with Panama’s foreign minister.

Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas was speaking on the Republican National Committee’s “Real America” podcast when he revealed his conversation with the top Panamanian diplomat, who said there are more than 100,000 migrants in her country headed toward the U.S. right now.

Panama screens people it encounters who are making the journey, and Mr. Gonzales said he asked whether anyone on terrorist watch lists had been detected. [source]

Good for Panama. At least one country is screening out the bad illegals. America doesn’t seem to be doing it anymore.

Talking about watch lists:

Group Biden Removed from the Terror List Hopes That, Allah Willing, Its Missiles Will Soon Reach NY

Trump sues Hillary Clinton, DNC over ‘unthinkable’ Russia ‘plot’ in 2016 election

From NY Post.com (Mar. 24):

Former President Donald Trump on Thursday filed a $24 million federal lawsuit alleging that Hillary Clinton and the Democratic National Committee launched a wide-ranging “unthinkable plot” in 2016 to smear him and his campaign as colluding with Russian officials.

In the suit, filed in the Southern District of Florida, Trump claims the goal was to fabricate a scandal in an effort to “cripple” his bid for the presidency.

“In the run up to the 2016 Presidential Election, Hillary Clinton and her cohorts orchestrated an unthinkable plot — one that shocks the conscience and is an affront to this nation’s democracy,” he says in the 108-page complaint.

“Acting in concert, the Defendants maliciously conspired to weave a false narrative that their Republican opponent, Donald J. Trump, was colluding with a hostile foreign sovereignty.”

The 45th president alleges that the scheme concocted by Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, and others falsified evidence, deceived law enforcement and exploited “access to highly-sensitive data sources” — and was “so outrageous, subversive and incendiary that even the events of Watergate pale in comparison.”

Using the guise of opposition research and data analytics — an apparent nod to the highly controversial Christopher Steele dossier — Clinton and the Democrats sought to “sway the public’s trust,” according to the filing.

“They worked together with a single, self-serving purpose: to vilify Donald J. Trump. Indeed, their far-reaching conspiracy was designed to cripple Trump’s bid for presidency by fabricating a scandal that would be used to trigger an unfounded federal investigation and ignite a media frenzy,” claims the suit, filed nearly six years after the election in which he defeated Clinton, claims.

The scheme was “conceived, coordinated and carried out by top-level officials at the Clinton Campaign and the DNC — including ‘the candidate’ herself — who attempted to shield her involvement behind a wall of third parties,” the suit says. [read more]

Good for him! Hope he wins.

Another lawsuit from Trump:

“We Have Another Suit That Will Be Filed Shortly – I’ll Be Back… Next Week” – Trump Attorney Alina Habba Announces a New Lawsuit Will Be Filed Next Week (VIDEO)

Biden Has Chosen a Supreme Court Nominee

From Town Hall.com (Feb. 25):

President Joe Biden is expected to announced D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Ketanji Brown as his nominee to replace retiring Supreme Court nominee Stephen Breyer. Brown is 51-years-old and if confirmed, will be the first black woman to hold the position.

Biden committed to making his decision on Breyer's replacement by the end of February. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is expected to get her confirmation hearing underway as soon as possible.

News broke Thursday Democratic Senator Joe Manchin preferred U.S. District Court Judge Michelle Childs as Biden's choice.

The Judicial Crisis Network is warning Brown is not a mainstream replacement for Breyer. [read more]

Based on her answers from the Senate committee questioner her, she’s slippery like most of the Left. Hey, Judge Childs do you think your husband is racist?

Other articles on the matter:

• Biden's Supreme Court nominee is an abortion extremist
• Mike Lee: ‘Concerns Me’ that Judge Jackson Dodged Court-Packing Question — Reflects Her ‘Judicial Philosophy’
• Biden’s Supreme Court Justice Nominee Challenged On CRT, Basic Biology
• WATCH: Biden’s SCOTUS Pick Says She ‘Can’t’ Define What A Woman Is “I Can’t, I’m Not a Biologist”
• The first black woman...or is she?
• Senator Kennedy Stumps Supreme Court Nominee with One Question
• Ted Cruz Exposes the Problems in Ketanji Brown Jackson's Answers
• Ketanji Brown Jackson is a Trojan Horse
• Who will vote to confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson and why?
  

Recovering Our Common Sense Means Rediscovering The Divine

From The Federalist.com (Sept. 24, 2021):

Common sense is a strange thing. It’s supposed to be a universal trait across all humanity – that’s why it’s called “common” – but ask any stranger on the street, and many will tell you it’s in short supply, whether among everyday Americans, politicians, and even among technocratic experts.

Consider commentary regarding COVID-19 and the Centers for Disease Control, a federal organization with a $6.5 billion budget employing almost 11,000 people. Double-masking against mutant forms of the coronavirus “just makes common sense,” Dr. Anthony Fauci told NBC’s “Today Show” in January.

“The CDC is being overly cautious in a way that defies common sense,” said CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen in May, commenting on the CDC’s handling of the pandemic. More recently, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds in turn denounced the CDC’s recently revised face mask guidance for the fully vaccinated as “not grounded in reality or common sense.”

What is common sense? Is it simply a faux concept we employ to ridicule people we view as misguided or stupid? If it is lacking not only among American citizens writ large but also among respected, well-educated professionals, how can it be “common” at all?

Although few may know it, common sense derives from a particular philosophical thesis that has provoked controversy since antiquity. The ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus believed all things are in a constant state of change or “becoming.”

Another ancient Greek, Parmenides, in contrast argued for the reality of eternal, unchanging being. Aristotle in turn argued for a sort of synthesis of the two, proposing that all of reality can be understood in regards to potency (what one has the potential to be) and act (the exercise of the fulfillment of that potential, i.e. change).

……………

We may pretend there is no meaning in the cosmos, but if our plumber were to shrug his shoulders about a water leak because life has no purpose, we’d be less than thrilled. We may claim there’s no free will, but if our waiter brought us something different than what we had ordered — perhaps casually asserting that our choices are irrelevant — we’d protest and refuse to pay.

But if we expect others to practice common sense, we must be willing to do so ourselves, and accept the logical deductions that follow from its premises. This includes recognizing that our intellect and will, which abstract from the material, must necessarily be immaterial. That being so, that would mean our soul, which is the agent of our intellect and will, is also immaterial. And if the soul is immaterial, that means its ultimate object — a being that is the ultimate origin and perfection of being — must be too. Or, as God said to Moses, “I am who I am.”

Recovering our common sense, it appears, requires recovering a sense of the divine, as well. And that, one imagines, would likely affect how we view the often hysteric, frequently contradictory approaches to this pandemic. [read more]