Ten ideas for a New Contract With America

From Steven J. Maricic on American Thinker.com (Jan. 30):

“What are Republicans for?” asked Joe Biden at his recent press conference. It’s an important question, and it calls for a simple and clear answer. We Republicans need to write a New Contract With America, packed with ideas that will resonate with American voters in 2022. Here are some suggestions:

1. We will “Refund, Reform, and Respect the Police!” We will do whatever we can to end the crime wave devastating American neighborhoods.

2. We will make America energy independent again! We will lower the cost of energy and thereby lower the price of all the things that depend on energy, such as gasoline, heating oil, and even groceries. To do this, we will encourage an “all of the above” energy policy. We will build solar farms, wind farms, and safe nuclear power plants. We will drill for oil and gas, and open our pipelines—stimulating economic growth and enhancing America’s security.

3. We will bring vital industries back to America! This includes the manufacture of microchips, medicines, and medical supplies, and the mining of lithium for electric car batteries. We will encourage building state-of-the-art factories in America. We cannot rely on the goodwill of the Chinese Communist Party to supply us with our necessities. We must decouple from China until its totalitarian leaders veer away from their belligerent and dangerous course.

4. We will take politics out of the Supreme Court. We will pass an Amendment to the United States Constitution with these provisions: the Court will remain at nine justices forever; the Senate must vote nominees up or down within 60 days; no filibustering of nominees will be allowed, but at least 55 percent of Senators must confirm a nomination; there shall be life-time tenure for the justices, except for either traditional impeachment or an inability to discharge the duties of the office.

5. We will respect parents’ rights to guide their children’s education! We will take money already budgeted for the federal Department of Education and use it to fund $500 vouchers that parents can give to the accredited school of their choice. There were 73.2 million students of all ages in the US in October 2020; the Biden Administration asked for $102 billion for the Department of Education for FY2022—that is roughly $1,400 per student; let’s shift at least 35% of that money to these vouchers. In addition, we will set up a certification process for homeschoolers so that parents who meet basic educational qualifications can use the vouchers for books, computers, software, and supplies.

6. We will finish the wall on our southern border and institute policies that control cross-border traffic. American citizens should decide who comes into our country, just as a homeowner decides who comes into her house. We do not blame people for wanting to come here to make a better life for themselves and their families, but in this time of COVID and criminal cartels, we must protect our citizens. We cannot afford to grant generous benefits to the millions of people around the world who would cross our borders illegally if they had the chance.

7. When the wall is complete and the border situation stabilized, we will pass legislation to tie legal immigration and temporary work visas to the unemployment rates in America, the number of jobs available, the type of jobs, etc. Subject to these metrics, we welcome legal immigrants of every race and from every nation!

8. We will rein in the power of the Tech Giants and limit their ability to stifle free speech! We will pass laws allowing Americans to file lawsuits against Big Tech corporations who breach good faith user agreements by censoring political speech and unjustly defaming those with whom they disagree. We will break up Big Brother monopolies because they threaten our rights; we will encourage competition and the innovation it brings.

9. We will do whatever is possible to help small companies recover from the devastating hits they have taken over the last two years. That includes keeping federal tax rates low, especially for small corporations, so that, as they regain profitability, they can hire American workers.

10. Our foreign policy and our defense policy will be guided by Ronald Reagan’s wise maxim “Peace Through Strength!” We will participate in alliances such as NATO and the Quad, but we will insist that our allies and friends share the costs and the burden.

Those are my ideas. I also have a Call to Action: Please send your own ideas to Republican party leaders. Insist that they hammer out a New Contract With America that speaks with a simple, clear, and united voice. [source]

Great ideas! More republicans should have ran on these during the last election. They might have taken over the senate. Then again the turtle only gave money to the candidates he liked.

Flight attendant fired for pro-life activism receives $5.1M in damages

From Christian Post.com (July 15):

A flight attendant who alleges she was fired from her position due to her vocal religious opposition to abortion and union dues being used to support abortion-related causes has won a $5.1 million federal lawsuit against her former employer and union.

The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation announced in a statement Thursday that Charlene Carter, a pro-life Christian who formerly worked as a flight attendant for Southwest Airlines, prevailed in her religious discrimination lawsuit with the airline and the Transportation Workers Union of America.

Carter will receive $5.1 million in combined compensatory and punitive damages against TWU and Southwest as a jury deemed that both organizations played a role in an unlawful termination.

The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, which describes itself as "a nonprofit, charitable organization" working to "eliminate coercive union power and compulsory unionism," provided Carter with free legal representation.

"This long overdue verdict vindicates Ms. Carter's fundamental right to dissent from the causes and ideas that TWU union officials – who claim to 'represent' Southwest flight attendants – support while forcing workers to bankroll their activities," said National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix.

"No American worker should have to fear termination, intimidation, or any other reprisal merely for speaking out against having their own money spent, purportedly in their name, to promote an agenda they find abhorrent."

The verdict from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas comes nearly five years after Carter filed a lawsuit against the TWU of America and Southwest Airlines following her termination after more than 20 years of service.

While Carter joined the Transport Union Workers of America's Local 556 union in September 1996, she resigned her membership in September 2013 upon discovering that her union dues were funding causes that contradicted her religious beliefs as a pro-life Christian.

However, Carter was still forced to pay union dues even though she did not belong to the union because the airline and railway employees are subject to the federal Railway Labor Act requirements.

The Railway Labor Act supersedes state-level Right to Work laws that prevent employees from having to pay union fees as a condition of employment and permits the termination of employees for refusal to pay union dues or fees.

At the same time, the Railway Labor Act allows employees to refrain from joining a union, criticize union leadership and lobby for a change in the union leadership.

In the time between her 2013 withdrawal from the union and her termination, Carter repeatedly shared her concerns about Local 556's political stances with union leadership.

In January 2017, Carter learned that union dues were probably used to attend the "Women's March on Washington DC," which advocated for legal abortion and funding for America's largest abortion provider Planned Parenthood. Abortion and the funding of the practice stand in direct contradiction to Carter's religious beliefs.

Carter made clear her opposition to using union dues to support the Women's March in several Facebook groups for Southwest flight attendants and in a message to Local 556 President Audrey Stone.

When Carter sent another email to Stone expressing support for a National Right to Work bill, Carter was ordered to attend a meeting with Southwest leadership to discuss "Facebook postings they had seen."

In those posts, Carter expressed her pro-life beliefs. The lawsuit claims that superiors at Southwest characterized her social media postings as a form of harassment and fired her for violating the company's "Workplace Bullying and Hazing Policy" and its "Social Media Policy" by posting content deemed "highly offensive in nature."

In May, a federal judge rejected the attempt from Southwest and the Transportation Union Workers of America to dismiss the lawsuit. The organizations argued that Carter did not have a "private right of action" to enforce her rights under the Railway Labor Act and characterized her case as a "minor" dispute that the district court did not have jurisdiction over.

"Even with this basic right under the Railway Labor Act successfully defended, however, TWU union officials still enjoy the enormous government-granted privilege of being able to force airline workers to financially subsidize their activities as a condition of employment," Mix added. "While we're proud to stand with Ms. Carter and are pleased by the verdict, there ultimately should be no place in American labor law for compelling workers to fund a private organization that violates their core beliefs." [source]

Good for her!

EU To Make "Intelligent Speed Assist" And Data Recorders Mandatory By 2024

From Enrico Punsalang on Ride Apart.com (July 14):

As technology advances, both the performance and the safety of vehicles take quantum leaps forward. Sure, cars and bikes are faster than they ever have been, but they're also safer. A new regulation set to be implemented in the European Union, however, looks to put an end to reckless driving altogether as early as 2024.

The idea of installing mandatory equipment designed to monitor driving data and limit speed began back in 2018 with the European Commission. Subsequently in May 2021, Regulation 2019/2144 was published in the Official Journal, with implementation set to happen in July 2022. So now that we're in July, 2022, what exactly is going to happen? Well, quite a bit, actually.

For starters, new cars will have to come equipped with an Event Data Recorder (EDR) as standard. It makes use of the same technology as the black boxes found in aircraft, minus the voice recording feature—well, at least, hopefully. It keeps track of driving data such as speed, location, and even the amount of brake force applied. It's important to note, however, that this data is recorded only in the event of an accident. Furthermore, the data recorded will remain anonymous, and will only be used to improve infrastructure and the vehicles themselves. That said, any suspicions of our cars actually spying on us can, for now, be quelled.

Up next, all cars will soon have to be fitted with ISA, or Intelligent Speed Assist. Similar to how traditional adaptive cruise control works, the ISA system knows the speed limit of certain areas, and will give an audible and visual alert to the driver warning them that they are exceeding the speed limit. That said, ISA can be disabled, but is designed to automatically reactivate on every startup. Just like the EDR, though, the decree states that any and all data collected by the ISA cannot and will be kept private. How ISA works can be seen in a quick video from ZF Group below.

Apart from the EDR and ISA, other features commonly found on high-end cars will now also be mandatory. These include autonomous emergency braking, lane-keep assist, rear obstacle warnings, and rest alerts to prevent drivers from falling asleep behind the wheel. All that being said, all brand new cars that will be sold from 2024 onwards must have all these features installed.  As such, it goes without saying that we can expect the prices of cars to go up, especially in the entry-level market, as technology like this in a car like a base-model Suzuki Swift will certainly drive prices skyward.

Now I know what you're thinking: what does this have to do with us motorcyclists? Well, unfortunately, we'll eventually have to comply with these rules, as well, as European authorities have also expressed interest in installing such data recorders and intelligent speed assist features on motorcycles. That said, however, for the time being, there is no solid plan for the implementation of such features on motorcycles. [source]

To totalitarian gov’ts like China tracking motorists is a great idea. Big EU is watching you.

The Four Horsemen of the Left's Artificial Apocalypse

From JB Shurk on American Thinker.com (Jan. 7):

Let me state firmly my belief that we are on the precipice of a dramatic shift in human relations.  The institutions, authorities, and cultural puppet masters that have hoarded power for centuries are screaming out today because they're breaking...and panicking.  What have the last twenty-five years of technological innovations shown people?  Among other things, the vast smorgasbord of free information that has exploded forth during this Digital Age big bang has put all the traditional "gatekeepers" on their back feet.  The evening news broadcasts, the late-night comedy shows, and the White House Press Corps no longer maintain an exclusive monopoly over what is newsworthy.  With ordinary people on social media proving themselves just as talented as most celebrity entertainers, Hollywood and the music industry no longer maintain an exclusive monopoly over what shapes our culture.  And with the rise of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, we are fast approaching a time when central banks (and their client governments) no longer maintain a monopoly over fiat currencies that allow politicians and bankers to tax, punish, spend, and control citizens' wealth and livelihoods from the shadows of elite and insular economic clubs.

What these trends above represent is a fundamental transformation for human existence but not one toward international socialism, powerful oligarchies, or citizen subsistence.  It is rather the rise of individual freedom at the expense and exclusion of government regulation and authority.  These last twenty-five years of technological development have made it possible for humans to trade goods and services, knowledge, security, spiritual connection, and entertainment without consulting politicians, bureaucrats, pop stars, or corporate boards of directors.  When you see this reality for what it truly is — nothing short of a technologically enabled revolution for human freedom and independence — it becomes obvious why those with power today have embraced authoritarianism and totalitarianism wherever we look.  They have everything to lose and nothing to gain from our rising liberation.  Their tyranny is their only salvation.  In other words, the powers that be are all deeply afraid. 

In response to their fear, everything the global elite do today is about pushing back against this organic revolution by consolidating power and wealth into as few hands as possible while trying to take over the technologies that have paved the way for greater individual freedom.  These initiatives are collectivist (leftist) and globalist (oligarchical) in nature, and they all pursue the same aim: to weaken individual sovereignty and strengthen governmental control.

(1) COVID-1984 Bringing the Great Reset's Conquest

The Chinese Flu may be a minor pestilence, but after two years of scientific dictatorship taking hold around the world, it is clear that the lockdowns, small business devastation, church closures, and punishments for disobeying arbitrary and capricious mandates devised by petty tyrants have all been about conditioning national populations to accept total government control over their lives.  Plain and simple: Governments love the virus they have taught the world to fear.  It is their weapon of choice for initiating, in their own words, a "Great Reset" that allows them to conquer free nations and remake them into slave states mastered by a small coterie of the fantastically wealthy and politically powerful.

Just as NAFTA and other "free trade" agreements have had the effect of destroying American manufacturing and middle-class wealth these last thirty years, the mass formation psychosis of COVID-1984 has obliterated small business solvency and personal savings while transferring unprecedented wealth to a small number of corporations (Amazon, Walmart, and Pfizer, among others) and financial heavyweights (BlackRock, Vanguard, and the Machiavellian cabal of Davos royalty).

Extraordinary executive unilateralism has been unleashed (without regular statutory authority), allowing leaders with constitutionally limited jurisdiction to rule by whim and decree while dispensing with any pretense that their powers rest with the laws or votes of the people.  Seventy-five years ago, tyrants such as ours were called Führer or Il Duce or Chairman.  Today, they spout nonsense about "building back better" or "saving democracy" or sacrificing for "health and security," all while they emulate the very madmen we overthrew last century. 

(2) Racial Violence Bringing War

Polling on race relations in the United States was at all-time highs until Barack Obama and Eric Holder taught an entire generation of Americans to hate each other for the moral atrocities of distant ancestors.  We were on our way to being a race-blind society.  Now we are required by governing authorities to view everything through the lens of race.  College admissions, health treatments, social welfare, job hiring, and even movie scripts are all explicitly race-based now — something that not only plainly is unconstitutional, but also was withering to extinction twenty years ago.

Racism is now both encouraged and practiced by the State.  If it seems inexplicable that the U.S. government would actively encourage racial animosity among its citizens, then consider how successful it has been in its "divide and conquer" strategy to keep Americans from uniting together against an increasingly hostile and all-powerful national security Deep State.  There's a reason Democrats are quickly transitioning from a COVID-1984 pandemic to the absurdity of a "racism pandemic."  It is an evil game that allows them to divide Americans further while creating an even more expansive Big Government solution for controlling American lives.

Our politicians like race war.  They need race war.  Voilà: I give you Black Lives Matter.

(3) Communist Inflation Bringing Famine

Supply chain crises, product shortages, sky-high energy prices, and runaway inflation — these are the fruits of increasingly communist government agencies regulating success out of existence and redistributing property in the name of "fairness."  What businesses COVID-1984's stifling edicts haven't yet killed, Green New Deal blunt force will finish off.  Why does government work so hard to impoverish its people?  Because a weak and poor populace lacks the will to fight back.  Government welfare is government enslavement.  Cradle-to-grave dependence is just another name for indentured servitude.  And the glamorous fantasies of communism's endless promises always bring nothing but poverty, famine, and death.

(4) Climate Change Doomsayers Bringing Death

For over two hundred years, the Malthusians have been obsessed with controlling the world's population.  Eugenics, genocide, and abortion are a few of the evils they have wrought.  Replacing the family with government is an easy and effective way for government to decide who may reproduce.  Convincing people that hydrocarbon energy must be swapped for energies popular a thousand years ago is the surest way to hinder innovation, economic wealth, and generational growth.  Brainwashing people into believing that the planet is about to die is the kind of psychological terror that coerces free people into subjugating themselves by handing total power to unscrupulous government thugs.  How do you conquer a population?  By convincing it that death is inevitable for the holdouts.  It worked for the Khans of the Mongol empire.  It is working on the devotees of "climate justice" today. 

In essence, Big Government oligarchs have unleashed their own "four horsemen of the apocalypse" as a last-ditch attempt to strangle to death the rise of unprecedented individual freedom and personal power.  Take a moment to ponder our reality.  Technology has opened up the door for the flourishing of human liberty.  Old Guard political and economic actors stand to lose everything.  And whereas the growing capacity for self-government and individual sovereignty is naturally coming to fruition, globalists and collectivists are artificially doing everything they can to stop what cannot be stopped.

Why is tyranny exploding across the planet?  Because everything necessary for a freedom renaissance is here.  So buckle up! [source]

I agree. All the four horsemen are man caused. The author didn’t talk about pestilence but if you think about it killer bees were caused by breeding a honey bee with a more aggressive bee. Not only does racism cause war, but so can famine as countries might fight for resources. They are connected with one another. 

Thanksgiving and a Civics Lesson in Gratitude

From Heritage.org (Nov. 27, 2013):

Thanksgiving is a wonderful time. Families gather to give thanks for their blessings and to reaffirm the bonds of kin and friendship. We remember the Pilgrims and other times in our history for which we are grateful.

But there is a deeper meaning to Thanksgiving. Something about the virtue of gratitude that the holiday embodies transcends the particulars of the Thanksgiving story.

“Gratitude,” said Cicero, “is not only the greatest of virtues but the parent of all others.” It is nearly impossible for a grateful person to be hateful or selfish. If you count your blessings more than your grievances, you are bound to become more compassionate and generous than someone who does not.

Theologians and philosophers understand the deeper meaning of gratitude. They see it not only as a good emotion but as a fundamental virtue in and of itself.

Martin Luther believed gratitude was the “basic Christian attitude.” It is often referred to as the “heart of the gospel.” This view is not limited to Christianity. In Judaism, there is nothing more central than the idea that we should love and be eternally thankful to God. The sentiment is not only theologically central but morally foundational. All other virtues—from kindness and humility to charity and justice—would not be possible were it not for the belief that we should give thanks to something outside ourselves, whether it be to God, our nation, our family and friends.

There’s also a civics lesson in properly understanding the virtue of gratitude. That great moral philosopher, Adam Smith, thought gratitude necessary for a free society. It can inspire people to care for others when there is no threat of coercion and no incentive. It is altruism, the sense of mutual cooperation and individual responsibility wrapped up in one. For most of our history, it made American civil society work.

Smith put it this way: “Beneficence is always free.” And from that freedom flows charity, volunteerism and, as Alexis de Tocqueville says, the many “associations” of civil society that once made America a successful nation.

Unfortunately this understanding of gratitude as a civic virtue is not as prevalent as it once was. The once-fierce sense of individual responsibility that prevailed for much of American history has given way today to a sense of collectively enforced compassion. We expect the government to do for us what we once insisted we must do for ourselves.

This switch has come at a price. Government-enforced compassion, whether as “giving back” to society or showing “how much I care,” sucks all the virtue out of the acts. As Smith observed, to oblige a person “by force to perform what in gratitude he ought to perform, and what every impartial spectator would approve of him for performing, would, if possible, be still more improper than his neglecting to perform it.”

In other words, an act cannot be virtuous if it is coerced. It can be virtuous only if it is voluntary.

There is another problem. Forcing gratitude or compassion corrupts those who receive the beneficence of the act. It replaces the virtue of gratitude with the vice of entitlement. If we feel entitled to something regardless of whether we have earned it, we are not only taking something away from someone who has, we are also destroying the very idea of gratitude. Those who feel entitled never feel gratitude; they are, after all, only getting what they feel they deserve.

So there’s not only an ethical lesson in Thanksgiving, but a civic one. A free society depends on the freedom of individuals to be grateful and compassionate. Remember this the next time you offer a blessing for America. That freedom, after all, is what made America a great country to begin with. [source]

Biden Blows off Major Campaign Promise to Miners With Latest Bow to Climate Extremists

From Red State.com (Jan. 28):

Joe Biden was apparently not content with “simply” and purposely creating an energy crisis on Day One of his occupation of the Oval Office — in part by killing the Keystone XL pipeline — nor with recently pledging to block the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline if Russia invades Ukraine. Yeah, not even close.

Team Biden on Wednesday canceled two major mineral leases, effectively killing the project and handing a major win to environmentalists. As reported by Mining.com, the U.S. Department of the Interior canceled the leases for Antofagasta PLC‘s proposed Twin Metals copper and nickel mine in Minnesota, throwing yet another Biden campaign promise under the bus — this one made to America’s miners.

As reported by Reuters in October 2020, then-candidate Biden told miners he would support boosting domestic production of metals used to make electric vehicles — we know how much Joe loves electric vehicles — solar panels, and other products “crucial to his climate plan.”

Just one problem.

As noted by Yahoo, electric vehicles (EVs) use a “ton” of copper — particularly when compared with “fossil fuel burning” vehicles. (Emphasis, mine.)

[Copper] is an essential component in EVs, and is used in electric motors, batteries, inverters and wiring. Also, the EV charging infrastructure is largely based on copper-based technologies. Copper is a key component of charging infrastructure and is found in cables, transformers and wiring to the electric panel.

Importantly, usage of copper in EVs is up to 4 times more than in conventional cars. Per the Copper Development Association Inc., traditional cars have 18-49 pounds of copper, hybrid EVs contain approximately 85 pounds and plug-in hybrid EVs use 132 pounds.

While battery BEVs contain 183 pounds, a hybrid electric bus and a battery-electric bus contain 196 and 814 pounds of copper, respectively.

Um, Joe?

According to Mining.com, the leases for the proposed mine in northern Minnesota had first been pulled by then-President Barack Obama’s administration in 2016. (Who knew?) But Donald Trump’s administration reversed that decision. Biden officials on Wednesday said Trump erred in giving the leases back, said U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, as transcribed by Mining. com:

“We found the leases were improperly renewed in violation of applicable statutes and regulations, and we are taking action to cancel them,” [and to] ensure that no lessee receives special treatment.

Shockingly, Haaland didn’t elaborate on any “special treatment.”

Twin Metals, which is controlled by Chile’s Antofagasta, is convinced the decision to cancel the leases was based solely on politics and not science. Hmm. Politics vs. science. We’ve seen this movie for two years, haven’t we? In “another area,” I mean? Said Twin Metals spokesperson Kathy Graul:

We will challenge this attempt to stop our project and defend our valid existing mineral rights. We expect to prevail.

Best wishes to the efforts of Twin Metals, of course, but Biden has had his “climate change” sights on Minnesota copper mining since at least October, as reported by CBS Minnesota at the time.

The administration announced it had ordered a study that could lead to a 20-year ban on mining upstream from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Antofagasta hoped to build an underground mine in the area that would supply copper for electric vehicles, Joe’s favorite mode of transportation. Except for Amtrak, of course, but I digress.

Becky Rom of the Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters conservation group was thrilled by the administration’s latest “climate change” nail in the copper-mining industry coffin. Per Mining.com:

It is heartening to have an administration making decisions with integrity. Twin Metals leases should never have been reinstated in the first place, and this announcement should stop the Twin Metals mine threat.

And Joe “Existential threat of our time” Biden gladly folded up like a cheap suit.

Just one more problem. Consider the following headlines:

Forbes, June 2021: The Race for Copper, the Metal of the Future

Bloomberg, March 2021: The World Will Need 10 Million Tons More Copper to Meet Demand

S&P Global, October 2021: Energy Transition to Boost Demand for Copper, Nickel Over Next Decade

CNBC, July 2021: Why a Looming Copper Shortage Has Big Consequences for the Green Economy

Yet, as he did on Day One by killing Keystone XL, Biden now seeks to create a crisis in America’s copper and nickel mining industry. But fear not my fellow Americans, Joe can always resort to plan B.

As with the case when Biden killed Keystone and raced to once again make America energy-dependent, Joe can always beg Russia and China for copper and nickel.

As Putin and Xi laugh their a**es off. Again. Make that, still. [source]

Not surprising. The crazy Left owns The Demented One. He does their biding.

China uses AI to 'improve' courts - with computers 'correcting perceived human errors in a verdict' and JUDGES forced to submit a written explanation to the MACHINE if they disagree

From Daily Mail.co.uk (July 13):

China is using artificial intelligence to 'improve' its court system by recommending laws, drafting documents and alerting 'perceived human errors' in rulings.

Judges must now consult the AI on every case by law, Beijing's Supreme Court said in an update on the system published this week, and if they go against its recommendation they must submit a written explanation for why.

The AI has also been connected to police databases and China's Orwellian social credit system, handing it the power to punish people - for example by automatically putting a thief's property up for sale online.

Beijing has hailed the new technology for making 'a significant contribution to the judicial advancement of human civilization' - while critics say it risks creating a world in which man is ruled by machine.

China has even introduced a highly specialized 'internet court' that deals solely with cases related to the virtual world - such as online loans, domain name disputes, and copyright issues.

It has led to the creation of huge databases where information on all cases - almost 100,000 per day - are uploaded.

Artificial intelligence has now been plugged into those databases with the aim of learning from those cases and then spitting out judgements and recommendations for new laws based on what it finds.

Instead of merely collecting data, it means the AI is now making decisions on behalf of judges who must justify themselves if they want to overrule it.

An AI prosecutor has even started charging people in Shanghai with crimes it believes they have committed, the South China Morning Post reports.

And linking the AI up with China's social credit system means it can punish people who refuse to comply with judgements - such as blocking a person refusing to pay a fine from purchasing plane or train tickets.

Zhang Linghan, professor of law at the China University of Political Science and Law, warned the rapid rise of AI risks creating a world where man is ruled by machines.

'Humans will gradually lose free will with an increasing dependency on technology,' she argued in a paper recently published online.

'We must be alert to the erosion of judicial power by technology companies and capital,' she added. [source]

Losing freewill is what the Chi-coms and the New World Order elites wants. It makes control easier. People become like cattle. You know the AI will have pro-gov’t bias. That’s a given.

Leo Hohmann Shares New insights on Klaus Schwab’s ‘You Will Own Nothing and Be Happy’: How AI and the Internet of Things Will Control Everything You Do in Life

From Joe Hoft on The Gateway Pundit.com (July 15):

A friend contacted me today and informed me that the luxury carmaker BMW has announced plans to charge car owners $18 a month for heated seats.

By itself, this sounds like no big deal. Most folks can’t afford a BMW anyway. But it fits into a broader trend that I think captures the true meaning of the World Economic Forum’s slogan related to the Great Reset, that “You will own nothing, you will have no privacy, and you will be happy.”

When Klaus Schwab or some other globalist tells you that you will own nothing, they don’t necessarily mean that you will literally not own a thing and just rent everything from the billionaires.

If that happened, Amazon and Walmart would go out of business. And we all know that cannot be allowed to happen.

So while you may technically still own a house, a car, computers, appliances, a cellphone, etc., in the emerging digital economy, do you really own it? By that I mean, do you have full control over the usage of those products?

If you have a deed or a receipt that says “paid in full,” are there special service fees required for the “privilege” of using that product? Even if there are no fees, does any outside entity have the ability to monitor or shut down whatever device you own? How much of your personal user data is being sent back to the manufacturer, which then uses it to sell you other products, or sells your data to the government and other corporations?

Bill Gates’ Microsoft may have been the first to lure people into this trap, with his Windows Operating System and Office Suite. You buy it, they own it. If you don’t continuously update the software, feeding Microsoft data on your usage with each new update, you eventually lose it. It won’t work anymore, or at least not very efficiently. The same goes for your iPhone.

Now it is happening with vehicles, and not only with luxury add-ons such as heated seats. You buy it, they own the software to block certain features. You have to pay them to unlock those features. Or, at the very least, they require you to “register” the product to unlock certain features.” You may not need to pay them but by registering you still hand over your personal data for free, which they use to bolster profits.

And it’s about to get worse: By 2026 the federal government has mandated that all vehicle manufacturers include a remote “kill switch” in every vehicle that leaves their factories.

Now we’re talking about not just a seat that won’t heat, but a car that potentially won’t run. Then you really won’t own that car at all, because as soon as your social credit score dips below a certain level the government can just flip the kill switch and your car has been rendered inoperable.

This strategy will soon be extended to your house as well. Builders are building “smart houses” within “smart cities.” Trendy folks with more money than they know what to do with love these types of houses where everything is done for them. They don’t have to lift a finger. They walk into their smart house and bark out a certain command, or clap their hands, and the lights come on. The air-conditioning resets to the evening temperature they desire, and so on and so forth.

But even homes that don’t carry the label of a “smart home,” are wirelessly connected and have vast potential for technocratic mischief by third parties who don’t live in your home.

Why? Because 80 percent of U.S. homes already have the mechanism in place for the technocrats to intervene in your energy consumption. They’re called smart meters — little chips that interact with the power grid, monitoring not only how much power we’re using in real time but where exactly that power is drawing from. Every appliance made over the last 20 years or so contains a chip that is talking to the smart meter and telling the power company everything it needs to know about where your electric power usage is coming from.

If you have guests at your house, your water supplier can tell by how many times the toilet flushes and the dishwasher runs how many living souls are staying there and for how long.

Think of the possibilities.

In the so-called “green economy” being pushed by the WEF, governments will at some point implement quotas on energy usage. If you have exceeded your monthly allotment for water or electricity, citing the latest climate change regulations, they automatically shut off the spigot, or maybe they will shut off certain appliances that have been overused by an “irresponsible” citizen that routinely exceeds his assigned carbon footprint. I can hear it now: “Three strikes and you’re out! No more power for you! No more water!”

Oh, but don’t worry. Your friendly government regulator or his corporate partner will call you up and inform you that for wasteful folks like you, they have a special deal in which you can get some extra energy added to your monthly allotment if you pay the power company a fee to get it turned back on.

Same thing goes for that shiny new electric car the politicians and media are telling you that you need to buy. How many charges will you be allowed before you’ve outstripped your allotment? Tesla, in fact, just warned its customers in Texas to “limit the number of charges” on their vehicles due to the heat wave.

On Wednesday, The Verge reported that Tesla sent a notice to the computer screens inside Tesla vehicles in Texas saying, “A heat wave is expected to impact the grid in Texas over the next few days.”

“The grid operator recommends to avoid charging during peak hours between 3pm and 8pm, if possible, to help statewide efforts to manage demand,” the alert added.

Expect more of this in the future. The warnings on your screen will get progressively less polite and more punitive. They will sound less like recommendations and more like orders.

We hear much talk in the mainstream media today about energy not being sufficiently available for the ultra-hot summers brought on by climate change, which is of course a lie — the real reason energy is lacking is because they have taken so many coal-fired power plants offline and are increasingly reliant on unreliable wind and solar.

When you hear this kind of propaganda in the media, and you start to experience pre-planned blackouts, you should know that they are setting us up for the new resource-based digital economy of the Great Reset, where you will truly own nothing and learn to like it.

But don’t get fooled by that word “own.”

By “owning” nothing, what they are really telling us is that even the things we think we own are not under our control.

Even firearms are moving in this direction. Digitally connected “smart guns” are said to be the wave of the future and threaten to obliterate the Second Amendment.

This is why the globalist elites pushing the Great Reset want so desperately to usher in a new digital economy where everything is connected to the Internet, because it’s only through digitization that the technocrats will be able to truly monitor and control all facets of human activity. That’s what the Internet of Things is all about.

Way back in 1970, Zbigniew Brzezinski, predicted this day would come.

In his book, Between Two Ages: America’s Role in the Technetronic Era, he stated:

“The technotronic era involves the gradual appearance of a more controlled society. Such a society would be dominated by an elite, unrestrained by traditional values. Soon it will be possible to assert almost continuous surveillance over every citizen and maintain up-to-date complete files containing even the most personal information about the citizen. These files will be subject to instantaneous retrieval by the authorities. ”

Folks, we are there. In this world, government policies are increasingly driven by the private sector. Those in government just follow the money and the money is always in the latest, most invasive, artificial intelligence-driven technology.

Everything is coming under the increasing control of Big Tech, Big Banks, and Big Pharma in collusion with the firmly entrenched administrative state.

I can foresee a time when we may still own a lot of stuff on paper, but do we really own it? Or does it own us? And if you can’t learn to be happy living in such a society, if you complain too much and too loudly, there’s a special place set aside for such people. It’s called the gulag. This will not necessarily be a physical gulag, but it will be a place where all your privileges are taken away.

In a technocracy, you have no rights, only privileges.

So for the non-compliant, there will be no car, no house, no digital money in the bank, no cellphone in the pocket. You become a non-person. Now that’s a place we need to learn to like. Not the technocrats’ one-world digital order of total information surveillance, but our own private world of off-grid survival. Now is the time to start practicing how to survive in the non-digital, off-grid world.

Aldous Huxley, author of the 1932 dystopian novel Brave New World, also foresaw the coming technocracy.

Huxley wrote [in 1931]:

"The perfect dictatorship would have the appearance of a democracy, but would basically be a prison without walls in which the prisoners would not even dream of escaping. It would essentially be a system of slavery where, through consumption and entertainment, the slaves would love their servitudes. "

So now you have it. The true meaning of “you will own nothing and be happy.”

Don’t be deceived. Be smart. Prepare for the inevitable. [source]

The truth is the elites will own everything (they actually love capitalism), but the commoner won’t because if they did own property, money, gold, etc. then they are threat to the Ruling Class’ power. They don’t need the Ruling Class anymore. That’s what happened to the knights templar. They got too rich and the king of France back then got nervous and tried to destroy them.

American Prophet: Ronald Reagan

From David Butler on American Thinker.com (Jan. 4):

The prophets of the Bible are individuals chosen by God to speak for God.  Many mentions of prophets are made in the Bible. In fact, a section of the Old Testament is devoted to a collection of books by them. Their names, and quotes, appear all over the New Testament and are the subject of sermons to this day.

What they all had in common was a heart for God, an anointing to hear from Him, and the faithfulness to impart his message to others.

“For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21).

Prophets speak loudly from the pages of the past, their words seem to take on greater meaning over time, are more relevant than ever and provide us with insights into the past and counsel for our present and future.

As a fan of American history, I often think of historic figures as similar to the prophets of the Bible, whose lives, experiences, achievements and words take on greater meaning over time and provide us with guidance concerning the great challenges we face today as a nation.

In my view, three such American Prophets are former Presidents George Washington, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan, each of whom presented the American people with prophetic farewell messages that speak loudly today and, if we listen closely, can provide us with guidance and counsel to guide our collective future.

Ronald Reagan became the 40th President of the United States, defeating incumbent President Jimmy Carter, on November 4, 1980. Reagan won a decisive victory over Carter, carrying 44 states and receiving 489 electoral votes to Carter's 49 in six states plus D.C. He also won the popular vote, receiving 50.7 percent to Carter's 41.0 percent, with independent John B. Anderson garnering 6.6 percent.

It's fair to say that the presidencies of Eisenhower and Reagan served as bookends, at the beginning and end of the Cold War against the Soviet Union, both determined to avoid global war while seeking to stop the spread of communism. Like Washington, Reagan led the United States out of a period of great uncertainty and often utilized simple but patriotic prose to inspire the American people to achieve greater things for themselves, their families, and their nation.

Through determination, optimism, and a commitment to a clear set of principles grounded in faith – including his faith in America’s founding and Constitution, faith in our free-market system and faith in the goodness of the American people, during his eight years in the White House, Reagan reignited the American economy, reestablished American leadership in the world and renewed the American public’s sense of pride and purpose.

In a televised speech from the White House, President Reagan delivered his farewell address to the nation. Like Washington and Eisenhower, Reagan sought the opportunity to share his experience and perspective with the American public, noting “soon it'll be time for me to go. But before I do, I wanted to share some thoughts, some of which I've been saving for a long time.”

The way I see it, there were two great triumphs, two things that I'm proudest of. One is the economic recovery, in which the people of America created -- and filled -- 19 million new jobs. The other is the recovery of our morale. America is respected again in the world and looked to for leadership.

Reagan reminded the American people of the ever-present naysayers, experts and talking heads who were confident his plans wouldn’t work, that his simple approach was not enough to tackle complex problems.

Well, back in 1980… pundits said our programs would result in catastrophe. Our views on foreign affairs would cause war. Our plans for the economy would cause inflation to soar and bring about economic collapse. I even remember one highly respected economist saying, back in 1982, that ``The engines of economic growth have shut down here, and they're likely to stay that way for years to come.'' Well, he and the other opinion leaders were wrong. The fact is, what they called ``radical'' was really ``right.'' What they called ``dangerous'' was just ``desperately needed.''

Once again Reagan expressed confidence in America’s founding principles and his faith in the American people, noting that personal, political, and economic freedom is the “secret sauce” to sustained prosperity for all people.

But as long as we remember our first principles and believe in ourselves, the future will always be ours. We meant to change a nation, and instead, we changed a world. Countries across the globe are turning to free markets and free speech and turning away from the ideologies of the past.

Reagan reminded the American people that the success of his administration was the result of his consistent focus on the fundamentals, as I call it. The guidance, the wisdom and the truth in the founding of the United States and the unique notion that the people are sovereign and the government’s power is derived from the consent of the people -- a departure from all governments in the past and many in the present.

Ours was the first revolution in the history of mankind that truly reversed the course of government, and with three little words: ``We the People.'' ``We the People'' tell the government what to do; it doesn't tell us… Almost all the world's constitutions are documents in which governments tell the people what their privileges are. Our Constitution is a document in which ``We the People'' tell the government what it is allowed to do.

In looking ahead, Reagan outlines a challenge to Americans… to maintain our freedom and prosperity as individuals and as a nation, we must nurture and cultivate an appreciation for our nation’s founding principles in every succeeding generation.

But now…some things have changed. Younger parents aren't sure that an unambivalent appreciation of America is the right thing to teach modern children. We've got to do a better job of getting across that America is freedom -- freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of enterprise. And freedom is special and rare. It's fragile; it needs protection. And let me offer lesson number one about America: All great change in America begins at the dinner table. So, tomorrow night in the kitchen I hope the talking begins. And children, if your parents haven't been teaching you what it means to be an American, let 'em know and nail 'em on it. That would be a very American thing to do

Washington, Eisenhower and Reagan.  Three presidents who led America thorough three periods of crisis, uncertainty and conflict and whose experience, achievements and insights offer us wisdom and guidance today.

Like the prophets of the Bible, the words from these American Prophets present insights to address the complicated issues of today:

• Promote unity as Americans, first and foremost
• Guard against factions, foreign entanglements and so-called experts in industry, science, academia and the bureaucracy
• Maintain faith in our nation’s founding principles, the American people and Almighty God

It’s simple, really. Most profound things are. As we learned from Jesus, the one whom the Prophets foretold:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and all the Prophets hang on these two commandments.  Matthew 22:37-40

[source]

Biden administration introduces plan to lower speed limits and expand bike lanes in bid to reach 'zero' traffic fatalities

From The Blaze.com (Jan. 27):

Lower speed limits and more bike lanes may soon be coming to your community, courtesy of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

Buttigieg told the Associated Press Thursday that the Biden administration is preparing to roll out a new "safe system" plan designed to decrease traffic fatalities nationwide. The plan comes as new federal data will be released this week showing traffic fatalities significantly increased in the third quarter of 2021 compared to the same period in 2020. The AP reported that the half-year traffic death total for 2020 was 20,160, the highest half-year figure since 2006.

“It doesn’t look good, and I continue to be extremely concerned about the trend,” Buttigieg said.

“Somehow it has become over the years and decades as normal, sort of the cost of doing business,” he added. "“Even through a pandemic that led to considerably less driving, we continue to see more danger on our roads.”

According to the Department of Transportation, almost 95% of transportation deaths in the U.S. occur on its streets, roads, and highways.

“We cannot tolerate the continuing crisis of roadway deaths in America. These deaths are preventable, and that's why we're launching the National Roadway Safety Strategy today - a bold, comprehensive plan, with significant new funding from President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” Buttigieg said in a statement.

The transportation secretary's plan to reach "zero roadway fatalities" is to spend $5 billion in grants and issue guidance encouraging cities to lower speed limits, adopt safer road design by creating dedicated bike and bus lanes, and improve street lighting and crosswalks.

Funding for the grants was included in the $1.2 trillion infrastructure law signed by President Joe Biden, which also included $4 billion in funding for the Highway Safety Improvement Program, DOT said.

The agency added that roadway safety is "inextricably linked with the Biden-Harris Administration's equity and climate goals," observing that traffic fatalities "disproportionately affect communities of color, people living in rural areas, people with disabilities, and older adults."

Other components of the plan include pilot programs to study and promote increased use of traffic cameras; updates to the federal manual that sets the requirements for U.S. street markings and design; regulations mandating automatic emergency braking in all new passenger vehicles; new standards for car safety performance; and enforcing requirements from the infrastructure law for automakers to install anti-drunken driving technology in motor vehicles.

At a press conference announcing the strategy, Buttigieg cited Hoboken, New Jersey as an example of a U.S. city that has achieved zero traffic fatalities by making roadway improvements like curb extensions and better-timed traffic lights.

“Today we commit that our goal is this: zero. Our goal is zero deaths," Buttigieg said.

"The decision to commit to that goal in a serious way at a national level changes the way cities and towns design roads, changes the way companies build cars, changes the way people drive.” [source]

Dumb. More stupid regulations.

Chinese elite have paid some $31 million to Hunter and the Bidens

From New York Post.com (Jan. 27):

For those wondering why Joe Biden is soft on China, consider this never-before-reported revelation: The Biden family has done five deals in China totaling some $31 million arranged by individuals with direct ties to Chinese intelligence — some reaching the very top of China’s spy agency.

Indeed, every known deal that the Biden family enjoyed with Beijing was reached courtesy of individuals with spy ties. And Joe Biden personally benefited from his family’s foreign deals.

What are these deals? And who are the individuals who made them happen for the Bidens?

Here, then, are a few key facts about the Biden family’s $5 million-plus deals with individuals in bed with Chinese intelligence.

In 2018, I was the first to report on Hunter Biden’s involvement with a Chinese investment fund called Bohai Harvest RST (BHR). Hunter even introduced his dad to a company executive in December 2013 when father and son flew to Beijing on Air Force Two.

In October 2019, Hunter Biden’s lawyer George Mesires said Hunter would be resigning from the BHR board, without receiving any return on his investment or shareholder distributions.

What Team Biden failed to address was the fact that Hunter Biden still owned a stake in the investment fund, said to be 10%.

When I first reported on Hunter Biden’s China ties in 2018, Team Biden denied that they existed. Then they absurdly claimed that his stake in the BHR investment fund was only $420,000.

Steven Kaplan, who conducts research on issues in private equity, venture capital, entrepreneurial finance, corporate governance and corporate finance at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, said a private equity fund with $2 billion under management will typically generate fees over its life of hundreds of millions of dollars.

“It is difficult to imagine, if not incomprehensible, that a 10% stake in those economics is worth only $420K,” Kaplan said via email. “The distinction they appear to be making is they capitalized the management company with $4.2M even if the fund manages $2B. The value of that management company is likely far in excess of $4.2M if they are managing $2B.”

Kaplan pointed to two large publicly traded private equity firms for reference, both of which have a market value of about 10% of the assets under their management. Using that as a rough guide, that would put the value of Hunter Biden’s share closer to $20 million, he said.

Two months ago, Hunter Biden’s lawyer said he sold his equity stake. They have not disclosed how much he made.

But courtesy of the Hunter Biden emails on his abandoned laptop, we now know two of the key individuals who made that deal happen. And at the time, they had close ties to the very top of the Chinese intelligence apparatus. [read more]

The DEI Regime

From Christopher F. Rufo on City-Journal.org (July 13):

“The chief business of the American people is business,” President Calvin Coolidge once said. One hundred years later, Americans’ chief business increasingly is managing racial and sexual politics through the ideology of “diversity, equity, and inclusion.”

I have surveyed the programming of every Fortune 100 company and have confirmed that all of them have now adopted so-called DEI programs. These initiatives are no longer limited to high-technology firms in the coastal enclaves; they have spread to traditionally conservative sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, insurance, and oil and gas. The result is clear: every major corporation in the United States has submitted to DEI ideology and begun to make it a permanent part of its legal and human resources bureaucracy.

No doubt some of these programs are benign. Many companies adopt DEI policies out of pressure to conform. Other companies, however, use diversity, equity, and inclusion to promote the most virulent strands of critical race theory and gender ideology. I have documented many examples: Bank of America teaching employees that the United States is a system of “white supremacy”; Walmart telling workers they are guilty of “internalized racial superiority”; Lockheed Martin forcing executives to deconstruct their “white male privilege”; and Disney promising to abolish the words “boys” and “girls” in its theme parks and inject “queerness” into its children’s programming.

Three factors drive corporate executives to adopt DEI programs. First, these initiatives serve as an insurance policy against frivolous race- and sex-discrimination lawsuits. The legal department can point to mandatory trainings and policies as evidence that the company is “doing something” to prevent discrimination. Second, executives create these programs to appease internal activist groups that want to use the corporation as a platform for left-wing race and gender activism. Third, splashy DEI initiatives, such as Wal-Mart’s $100 million “Center for Racial Equity,” form part of a reputation-laundering strategy, improving a company’s public image and preempting Black Lives Matter-style protests through fashionable philanthropy. As a bonus, corporate executives, most of whom are rich but not famous, can use the associated galas, events, and junkets to boost their social status and hobnob with celebrities and political figures.

Some conservative commentators have pointed out the internal contradiction of corporate DEI policies: they don’t reflect the values of customers and don’t serve the bottom line; the political meaning of the word “equity,” for example, is predicated on an anti-capitalist worldview. But this assessment misses the broader point that, given the current political, social, and legal incentive structure, executives are making a rational decision to adopt DEI policies, even if they are doing so in bad faith.

Conservatives’ goal should not be to point out the executives’ hypocrisy but to change their incentives in order to change their behavior. This goal is eminently feasible. In recent months, Florida governor Ron DeSantis has begun to develop a model for challenging the hegemony of the DEI bureaucracy. He has abandoned the traditionally Republican premise of corporate non-intervention and embraced a more muscular, Teddy Roosevelt-style strategy for combatting corporate malfeasance. Last year, he passed the Stop W.O.K.E. Act, which prohibits companies from promoting critical race theory-style scapegoating, stereotyping, and harassment. Next, he won a high-profile fight with Walt Disney Co., stripping the company of its special governing status and dealing a significant blow to its public reputation.

These actions in Florida have already had a ripple effect nationally. Corporate executives have been wondering about how to “avoid becoming the next Walt Disney Co.” Some firms, including Netflix, have laid off diversity, equity, and inclusion employees—in anticipation of economic headwinds, no doubt, but also because the recent controversies around DEI more generally have opened up the space to do so.

Conservatives need to build on these efforts by developing a comprehensive agenda for pushing back against left-wing ideology in corporate America. First, legislators must protect firms from frivolous discrimination lawsuits and abolish the “disparate-impact doctrine,” which presumes that firms are guilty of discrimination if all identity groups don’t achieve equal outcomes. Next, political and business leaders must work to rein in the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) policies driven by the BlackRock–Vanguard–State Street shareholder nexus through antitrust enforcement at the governmental level and by fostering new competitors in the private sector—such as Vivek Ramaswamy’s recently launched Strive Asset Management, a firm that promises to restore the primacy of “excellence over politics.” Finally, conservative activists should follow the Disney model and vigorously target the reputation of firms that insist on promoting critical race theory and gender ideology at work. A clear message should be sent to executives: “declare neutrality in the culture war, or we will make you pay a price in the marketplace.”

The road ahead will be difficult. Bureaucracies have an instinct for self-preservation, and DEI ideology has embedded itself in the country’s prestige institutions. But nothing is more important for the success of American innovation and self-governance than prevailing over a regime that seeks to supplant “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” with “diversity, equity, and inclusion” as the governing principle of the United States. [source]

I prefer the acronym DIE. It is more suitable and you can remember it easier. As an added benefit, it might aggravate the woke Left.

Oklahoma man allegedly killed friend while fishing because he thought the victim would feed him to Bigfoot

From Fox News.com (July 13):

An Oklahoma man allegedly killed his friend over the weekend because he thought that the victim had summoned Bigfoot to kill him while they were fishing, according to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation and local media reports. 

Larry Doil Sanders, 53, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder.

He had gone noodling, or fishing with bare hands, on Saturday at the South Canadian River with his friend, Jimmy Knighten.

A confrontation ensued and Sanders told authorities he struck and strangled Knighten, whose body was found the next day in the river, according to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.

A special agent for the state law enforcement agency wrote that Sanders told him he discovered at the river that Knighten "intended to feed him to sasquatch/Bigfoot," according to an affidavit obtained by The Oklahoman.

"LARRY advised he believed JIMMY was trying to get away from him so that the sasquatch could eat LARRY," the agent reportedly wrote in the report.

"LARRY would not let JIMMY get away. LARRY punched JIMMY and struck JIMMY with a stick. LARRY and JIMMY fought for an extended amount of time on the ground."

Sanders remains in the Pontotac County Jail. [source]

Weird. I didn’t know Bigfeet eat people. Maybe that’s what Bigfeet do only in Oklahoma. And what’s with capitalizing the victim’s and perp’s names?

What Are Miracles and How Can We Know?

From John Stonestreet and Shane Morris on Breakpoint.org (Jan. 4):

In his new book, A Simple Guide to Experience Miracles: Instruction and Inspiration for Living Supernaturally in Christ, renowned Christian philosopher J.P. Moreland makes a provocative claim. Ninety-five percent of what the average evangelical church accomplishes in a given year, suggests Moreland, could be explained even if God didn’t exist.

In other words, too much of our sermons, programs, and worship could be explained away (and perhaps dismissed by outsiders) as due to skillful leadership, public speaking, and production quality. No work of God required.

While I would suggest that Christians should strive to see God at work anywhere, including in the mundane and ordinary, Moreland’s claim is provocative. His book, as we’ve come to expect from the professor at Biola’s Talbot School of Theology, is carefully reasoned and worthy of consideration. In it, Moreland explores what miracles are, investigates whether they are still happening today, and offers guidance to Christians for identifying and experiencing them.

True to his profession, Dr. Moreland begins by defining his terms. A miracle is a “supernatural intervention” into the course of natural events, either by God or an angelic being. Included in Moreland’s definition would be those answers to prayer that come through what theologians often call “providence,” in which God works events together toward specific ends.

In fact, Moreland provides over forty accounts of supernatural intervention: from miraculous healings, to stunning answers to prayer, to near-death experiences, to spiritual warfare. He even includes stories in which God provided what we might consider being small requests: a pool table, a hot water bottle, even a parakeet. Dr. Moreland not only stands by the accounts included in his book, he stakes his reputation on the reliability of the eyewitnesses he interviewed. And, he includes accounts of miracles he personally witnessed and received.

In making his case, Moreland does more than simply rely on stories. He offers a biblical case for why Christians should believe that miracles still happen today, perhaps more regularly than we recognize.

Recently, Dr. Moreland discussed his book with Shane Morris for the Upstream Podcast. It’s an inspiring and important conversation, especially in a “disenchanted” culture like ours that tends to dismiss the supernatural without due consideration. 

As Shane points out in the Upstream discussion, not every theologian shares this expectant attitude toward modern miracles. Some critics, such as 19th-century Princeton theologian B. B. Warfield, argued that miracles were “part of the credentials of the Apostles as the authoritative agents of God in founding the church.” Because that main purpose has already been fulfilled, Warfield believed that miracle-working as a gift “passed away” with the Apostles.

Moreland disagrees with this view, even though his academic training makes him cautious about supernatural claims. Still, he believes that Christians ought to expect miracles as a regular part of the Church’s life. He goes so far as to urge readers to “err on the side of belief.”

Perhaps the most unique contribution of this book is Moreland’s step-by-step guide on how to recognize a miracle and distinguish it from mere coincidence. Borrowing from the sciences, he employs what he calls the “Intelligent Agency Principle.”

A true miracle must meet two criteria: First, it must be very improbable—in other words, not something that typically happens by accident. And second, it must be independently meaningful, or have “specificity.” It must answer a prayer or fulfill a need that clearly shows God at work. By applying these two principles, Moreland believes it’s possible to distinguish miracles from coincidences with almost perfect accuracy and give God the glory He deserves as a result.

There’s much more to the book, as well, like the discussion on angels and demons and an exploration of why God doesn’t always miraculously answer prayers. It’s a must-read for anyone curious about how God works in the world today and how we can experience it. Also, Dr. Moreland’s discussion with Shane Morris on Upstream touches on nearly all of these subjects.  Come to BreakPoint.org, click on this commentary, and we’ll link you to the discussion, as well as how you can get a copy of J. P. Moreland’s A Simple Guide to Experience Miracles. [source]

Scientific Ghostwriting Factories Booming in China

From The Epoch Times.com (Jan. 22):

An official Chinese state media outlet recently revealed how illegal paper mills in China are operating to get fake manuscripts published, including in top international journals.

In China, a very high metric for publishing academic papers is required for individuals to get promoted in certain professions or academic fields; but for many people, this indicator is almost out of reach. Thus, a gray industry of scientific ghostwriters has evolved offering a “one-stop service” where submissions and publications are done in the name of the client.

By typing in keywords on Chinese search engines, you can easily find a large number of essay factories.

A reporter from Xinhua Viewpoint, a column of official media Xinhua, posing as a cardiovascular and cerebrovascular physician contacted numerous paper factories and was told that all levels of dissertation could be written and published for him as long as the delivery time was not too short, according to Xinhua in a Jan. 11 report.

A customer service agent described the process of “producing” a domestic periodical essay. A factory first sends a provisional journal for the client’s verification, then asks for a fee of 1,600 yuan ($250) for writing and publishing an essay in the latest issue of the said journal. If both sides agree, the client pays a deposit of 600 yuan ($95) for the manuscript to be published, then makes the final payment after receiving an essay acceptance notification. The company later sends an electronic version of the final edition, followed by a sample issue in the mail.

The reporter paid the deposit and then received messages about three writing approaches as he requested. After selecting one approach, the paper factory sent him an essay within two days, saying it was written by their professional staff and could be revised as required.

When asked how to publish an essay in international journals of Scientific Citation Index (SCI), an internationally recognized search system of scientific and technical literature, one factory’s customer service agent replied that the client needed to provide basic information such as name, occupation, and research direction to “match” an appropriate journal, while another one directly selected for him a SCI Zone 3 journal. SCI has four zones, and Zone 1 has the highest academic value. If the client pays a 50 percent deposit, the company will immediately arrange a ghostwriter and send the manuscript to the client when it is completed. He pays the remaining amount when he is satisfied with the final revision. Publication of the article can be also arranged.

At another paper mill, after the reporter expressed an urgent need to publish in a top international medical journal, the agent recommended a basically finished English-language essay on orthopedic neck research and delivered a portion of it for review, at a cost of 37,500 yuan ($5,900) for both writing and submitting for publication.

“The manuscript was written by our professional team’s teacher to meet a previous invitation from the editor of a top journal and would be confirmed for publication in a month at the earliest,” the customer service agent said.

Liu Qingyu (a pseudonym) used to work for a ghostwriting company and almost became a formal working writer. He told Xinhua Viewpoint that those involved in the “production” of medical papers have a certain competence that can ensure the quality of the writing, have a systematic medical education background, are even Doctors of Medicine, and have worked in biotechnology companies; yet some of them are not fully aware that they are in a thesis ghostwriting factory before they join.

In some instances, buying and selling research results might be more profitable than doing the research itself.

Liu also said that essays produced by this kind of factory are actually not very good, the factory just works hard to grasp the preferences of the major journals, and then chooses the research areas that are easiest to “apply the formula” to and produce articles on a mass scale.

According to the reporter’s investigation, with paper factories submitting a large number of manuscripts regularly, their relationship with some journals become close, and there are paper “producers” who became co-reviewers for some journals. Some paper factories directly pay off the journal editors so that their writings can be published without obstruction.

Shen Yang, Professor of Tsinghua University in Beijing, said in 2010 that the sale of papers and the proliferation of fake academic journals have spawned an illegal industry in China, which a research team from Wuhan University found had a production value of 1 billion yuan ($160 million) in 2009, a conservative estimate according to State-run Yangtze River Daily. [read more]

Twelve Serious Questions for the Next Twelve Months

From American Thinker.com (July 14):

1. Facing an electoral wipeout in November, will Democrats try to meddle in the elections?

Chances of using a crisis like the 2020 pandemic to alter, bypass, or influence local elections in the name of fairness are less likely now that some states have tightened voter ID requirements.  In addition, nineteen states have either prohibited or regulated private funding of elections.  That leaves four possible options, all of which are much more overt.

One is for Congress to pass an amnesty bill turning all of the millions of illegal aliens residing in the country into U.S. citizens, allowing them to vote.  President Biden could try using an executive order to do the same thing.  However, it is doubtful that the Supreme Court would see that as constitutional.

A second possibility is that Congress passes something similar to the For the People Act, which passed by the House of Representatives in 2021 but stalled in the Senate.  This would give the federal government control of the election process in all 50 states.  In addition, it would likely result in the expanded use of mail-in ballots, drop boxes, and ballot-harvesting, which were cited as problems during the 2020 election.

A third option, actually in progress, is using federal resources — money and employees — to register voters friendly to Democrats and spur turnout.  This is part of an executive order issued on March 7,2021, which encourages federal agencies to work with third-party organizations on voter outreach, registration, and participation activities.  The executive order also gives federal workers time off to vote.  Some or all of these activities may be violations of the Hatch Act.

The fourth option is that President Biden cancels the election over some real or imaginary threat in the name of national security or climate change.  It is difficult to imagine something like this, but anything is possible.  The real issue is, what happens if the election is canceled?

2. Are aspects of U.S. foreign policy being influenced by Hunter Biden?

This is a scary thought.  This goes back to Hunter's appointment to the board of directors of the Ukrainian energy company Burisma.  When Burisma was being investigated by Ukrainian authorities, Vice President Joe Biden famously threatened to withhold one billion dollars of foreign aid to get the Ukrainian chief prosecutor fired.  This action protected Hunter's position and his salary of $1 million per year.

Hunter later bragged that his father would talk about anything he wanted, including working Hunter's suggestions into his political platform.  Considering Hunter's previous ties to China, does this influence extend to disbanding an initiative to combat Chinese espionage?  What about removing restrictions on TikTok, a Chinese social media platform whose managers can access U.S. users' personal data, or possibly eliminating tariffs on Chinese imports?

3. Does some entity or group within the Democrat party have a financial interest in promoting mass illegal immigration and drug-smuggling across our southern border?

Democrats obviously have a political interest in terms of new voters.  But it is difficult to believe they allow Mexican cartels to make billions from human trafficking and drug smuggling without getting a piece of the action.  I am tempted to finger Hunter Biden, but this is too big and bold for him.  We may have to wait for a Republican Congress to investigate. [read more]

Flying Car Certified to Fly, Paving Way for Mass Production of ‘Very Efficient Flying Cars’

From The Epoch Times.com (Jan. 26):

A hybrid car-airplane known as “AirCar” has been issued a certificate of airworthiness by the Slovakian civil aviation authority, potentially paving the way for the future of flying vehicles.

The dual-mode car-aircraft vehicle, which looks like a sports car, was created by a team of eight highly-skilled specialists at the Slovakian company Klein Vision, which was founded by Professor Stefan Klein.

Klein has devoted the last 20 years to making the flying car a reality.

It was awarded the certificate by the Slovak Transport Authority after successfully completing 70 hours of “rigorous flight testing compatible with European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) standards,” Klein Vision said in a statement (pdf).

Flight tests included over 200 takeoffs and landings and a full range of various flight and performance maneuvers that Klein Vision says demonstrated “astonishing static and dynamic stability in the aircraft mode.”

The takeoff and landing procedures were achieved even without the pilot having to touch the flight controls, the company said.

It took the team of specialists over 100,000 man hours to convert design drawings of the air vehicle into mathematical models and to then create the final two-seater 1,000-kilogram (2,200-pound) vehicle that is powered by a 1.6-liter BMW engine.

“AirCar certification opens the door for mass production of very efficient flying cars. It is official and the final confirmation of our ability to change mid-distance travel forever,” said Klein, who is also responsible for research projects in cooperation with brands such as Audi, Volkswagen, and BMW.

“Transportation Authority carefully monitored all stages of unique AirCar development from its start in 2017. The transportation safety is our highest priority. AirCar combines top innovations with safety measures in line with EASA standards. It defines a new category of a sports car and a reliable aircraft. Its certification was both a challenging and fascinating task,” said René Molnár, the director of the Civil Aviation Division (Transport Authority of Slovakia).

The company told CNN that it hopes to have the AirCar commercially available within 12 months, but a pilot’s license is required to drive the hybrid vehicle, meaning we won’t be seeing many of the flying cars anytime soon.

Anton Zajac, co-founder of Klein Vision, said that the vehicle can fly at a maximum operating altitude of 18,000 feet, and runs on “fuel that is sold at any gas station.”

AirCar successfully completed its first 35-minute inter-city flight last June between airports in Nitra and the capital Bratislava in Slovakia.

After landing, it took the car less than three minutes to transform back into a sports car, which can reduce travel time by a factor of two.

Klein Vision has also completed tests of a powerful and lightweight “ADEPT” Airmotive aviation engine and finalized drawings and technical calculations for the upcoming monocoque model, which will have a variable pitch propeller that could reach speeds over 300 kph (186 mph) and a range of 1,000 kilometers (620 miles). [source]

Jetsons here we come!

Update: Texas Grid Operator Takes Emergency Measures to Avoid Rolling Blackouts As Wind Turbines Fail to Produce Energy Due to Low Winds

From The Gateway Pundit.com (July 13):

Texas grid operator ERCOT was forced to take unprecedented emergency measures on Wednesday to avoid rolling blackouts amid a heatwave as wind turbines failed to produce energy due to low winds.

ERCOT manages electric power to more than 26 million Texas customers and represents 90% of the state’s electric load, according to the company.

On Monday ERCOT asked customers to voluntarily raise thermostats a degree or two, turn off lights, avoid using ovens, washing machines and dryers, and unplug appliances if possible during the hours of 2-8 pm.

According to ERCOT, a heatwave along with very low winds is causing the latest conservation alert.

“Wind generation is currently generating significantly less than what it historically generated in this time period,” ERCOT said in a press release. “Current projections show wind generation coming in less than 10 percent of its capacity.”

ERCOT was forced to take emergency action two days after it issued a conservation alert.

“ERCOT blamed forced outages at coal- and natural gas-fed power plants, and low wind power generation.” Reuters reported.

Of course a spokesman for ERCOT did not provide specifics on the types of generating plants that were experiencing outages.

Reuters reported:

Texas’s power grid operator on Wednesday took emergency measures to avoid rolling blackouts as soaring electricity demand threatened to outpace available supplies amid a stifling heatwave.

The emergency notice came after ERCOT began paying suppliers an average of $5,000 per megawatt hour to keep generators running. That price is the highest the grid operator pays.

“They were pulling a lot of levers to avoid going into emergency operations and rolling blackouts,” said Doug Lewin, president of consultants Stoic Energy LLC.

With temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius), higher than the average for this time of the year, the state had projected Wednesday’s peak demand to hit 78,762 megawatts.

Stoic’s Lewin said there was less coal and natural gas generation capacity available on Wednesday than on Monday when ERCOT last called for conservation measures.

It was the third time this year that ERCOT has called on residents to cut power usage and the second time it has warned of the potential for rolling blackouts. As on Monday, it avoided forced cuts when big power consumers agreed to halt operations.

Recall, Texas got hit with a rare cold snap in February 2021 that spanned to the southern part of the state and the power grids gave out.

Power outages were initiated by ERCOT during the cold snap.

Millions of Texans went without electricity for several days in a row last year.

Temperatures fell into the teens near Dallas and 20s around Houston with wind chills near zero.

According to state authorities, nearly half of the wind turbines in Texas froze, hurting the power supplies.

Millions of Texans suffered blackouts partly due to the frozen wind turbines.

And now Texans are being asked to raise their thermostats in the middle of summer because of low wind generation. [source]

Not surprising. This is what happens when you rely on the weather for your energy. The weather doesn’t always cooperate.