There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true. —Soren Kierkegaard. "…truth is true even if nobody believes it, and falsehood is false even if everybody believes it. That is why truth does not yield to opinion, fashion, numbers, office, or sincerity–it is simply true and that is the end of it" – Os Guinness, Time for Truth, pg.39. “He that takes truth for his guide, and duty for his end, may safely trust to God’s providence to lead him aright.” – Blaise Pascal. "There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily" – George Washington letter to Edmund Randolph — 1795. We live in a “post-truth” world. According to the dictionary, “post-truth” means, “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Simply put, we now live in a culture that seems to value experience and emotion more than truth. Truth will never go away no matter how hard one might wish. Going beyond the MSM idealogical opinion/bias and their low information tabloid reality show news with a distractional superficial focus on entertainment, sensationalism, emotionalism and activist reporting – this blogs goal is to, in some small way, put a plug in the broken dam of truth and save as many as possible from the consequences—temporal and eternal. "The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it." – George Orwell “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” ― Soren Kierkegaard
Francis Schaeffer has an extremely high view of the church and great expectations as any Christian should. He details some solemn responsibilities that the church of Jesus Christ must consider.
We Must Adhere to the New Testament Boundaries for the Local Church
Schaeffer’s primary assertion is that Scripture mandates eight specific norms for the New Testament church (The Church At The End Of The Twentieth Century, 51-60). The first norm: Local congregations are to exist and should be made up of Christians. Schaeffer would have clearly opposed the so-called seeker sensitive movement that is so prevalent in the church today. While he believed that the church ought to evangelize the lost, he would have had real problems with the present day fascination of catering to the non-believer.
Second, Dr. Schaeffer believed these congregations ought to meet in a special way on the first day of the week. He clearly has Sunday as the specific meeting day in mind, although I am inclined to think that Schaeffer would be comfortable with the new trend toward Saturday evening services and the like. The critical issue for him was that the church met regularly each week.
Third, the church should have elders who have a responsibility to shepherd the flock of God.
Fourth, there should also be deacons responsible for the community of the church in the area of material things.
Fifth, Schaeffer strongly believed that these elders and deacons should be qualified in accordance with the Pauline standards set forth in 1 Timothy 3:1-13 and Titus 1:5-9.
The sixth norm is that the church must engage in church discipline. Schaeffer goes to great lengths to show the necessity and benefits of church discipline in accordance with the principle set forth by Jesus in Mathew 18. Schaeffer explains, “The New Testament stresses such purity, for the church is not to be like an ameba so that no one can tell the difference between the church and the world. There is to be a sharp edge. There is to be a distinction between one side and the other – between the world and the church, and between those who are in the church and those who are not” (The Church At The End Of The Twentieth Century, 57). He writes in no uncertain terms: “For a church not to have discipline in life and doctrine means that it is not a New Testament church on the basis of the New Testament norms” (The Church At The End Of The Twentieth Century, 57).
Finally, Schaeffer declares that a vital mark of the church is the administration of two ordinances: baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
These seven norms are non-negotiable principles in the thinking and ecclesiology of Francis Schaeffer. These norms are commanded by God. Any church that fails to engage in even one of these crucial norms forfeits the right to be called a true church. However, Dr. Schaeffer believes there are many areas in which the church is left free. There is a form and there is also a freedom. “It is my thesis that as we cannot bind men morally except where the Scripture clearly commands (beyond that we can only give advice), similarly anything the New Testament does not command concerning church form is a freedom to be exercised under the leadership of the Holy Spirit for that particular time and place” (The Church At The End of The Twentieth Century, 59-60).
In many ways, Francis Schaeffer may be considered very conservative in his approach to “doing church.” But in other ways, he is a bit of a radical. His views on form and freedom leave room for creativity, spontaneity and a wide variety of ministry options.
We Rise to Evil by Degrees 2 Corinthians 2:11; 1 Timothy 4:2; James 3:5–6
As little sticks set the great ones on fire, and a wisp of straw often enkindles a great block of wood, so we are drawn on by the lesser evils to greater, and by the just judgment of God allowed to fall into them, because we made no conscience of lesser. The lesser commandments are a rail about the greater, and no man grows downright wicked at first, but rises to it by degrees.
THOMAS MANTON
Ritzema, E., & Vince, E. (Eds.). (2013). 300 Quotations for Preachers from the Puritans. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
Focus in Prayer Is Difficult to Recapture 1 Corinthians 7:35; 2 Timothy 1:7
He who interrupts the course of his spiritual exercises and prayer is like a man who allows a bird to escape from his hand; he can hardly catch it again.
JOHN OF THE CROSS
Ritzema, E. (2013). 300 Quotations for Preachers from the Reformation. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous, not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. – 1 Peter 3:8,9
Scripture reading: 1 Peter 3:8-12
Some of you may have been thinking that since you are not a wife, a husband, a servant, or an employee, that none of what Peter writes applies to you. But here Peter brings it all home. “Finally,” he says, this call to loving, compassionate, Christ-like surrender and service of one another, applies to all of you.
Peter calls us to love one another as brothers. This call to compassion and tender-heartedness is a beautiful description of the church of God. It also remains for us exiles the most effective cultural strategy there could be. They will know we are Christians by our love.
When we are sinned against, or when we are reviled, because of what Christ has done for us, we may follow His example of not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling. That is never easy. It may cost us, but never more than what we have been given in the gospel. By God’s grace, we seek to be at peace, to overcome evil with good and put up with ridicule. Because we know the hope of our calling, we have the certainty of our inheritance.
That is why, even in trying circumstances, we can say, “We love life! These are good days!” That’s astounding if you think about it. But we have been born again to a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus! Peter also gives us this assurance from Psalm 34: The eyes of the Lord are fixed upon us; His ears are attentive to our cries.
Suggestions for prayer
Ask God to increase your love for one another in the church. Thank God that by grace we may love life and see good days. Thank Him for His loving, watchful care.
Rev. John A. Bouwers is pastor of the Hope Reformed Church (URCNA) in Brampton, ON, where he has served since December 2017. He is married to Julie and they have been blessed with six children and twelve grandchildren. This daily devotional is also available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional.
Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say. (Exodus 4:12)
Many a true servant of the Lord is slow of speech, and when called upon to plead for his Lord, he is in great confusion lest he should spoil a good cause by his bad advocacy. In such a case it is well to remember that the Lord made the tongue which is so slow, and we must take care that we do not blame our maker. It may be that a slow tongue is not so great an evil as a fast one, and fewness of words may be more of a blessing than floods of verbiage. It is also quite certain that real saving power does not lie in human rhetoric, with its tropes, and pretty phrases, and grand displays. Lack of fluency is not so great a lack as it looks.
If God be with our mouth, and with our mind, we shall have something better than the sounding brass of eloquence or the tinkling cymbal of persuasion. God’s teaching is wisdom; His presence is power. Pharaoh had more reason to be afraid of stammering Moses than of the most fluent talker in Egypt; for what he said had power in it; he spoke plagues and deaths. If the Lord be with us in our natural weakness we shall be girt with supernatural power. Therefore, let us speak for Jesus boldly, as we ought to speak.
“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” Philippians 4:11
Thought
Paul tells Timothy that one of life’s greatest treasures is to find contentment in godliness (1 Timothy 6:6). With this treasure, our physical circumstances become far less important to us than the character we display in those circumstances. Our bottom line is less important than loving God from the bottom of our heart. Those who are wealthy and show godliness, a very difficult challenge according to Jesus, are those who have demonstrated that they are content to be godly and will be that kind of person with or without wealth. Those who are poor and are godly have demonstrated the same ability. So the bottom line is not how rich are we in money, but how rich are we in grace!
Prayer
Steadfast and Faithful Father, still my restless and sometimes covetous heart and help me find my contentment in your presence and character in my life. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
“You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are, no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.” Matthew 5:5 (MSG)
Contentment. According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, to be contented is “feeling or showing satisfaction with one’s possessions, status, or situation.” This past summer I watched neighbors buy luxury SUV’s and new furniture and paint their homes. Some have elaborate play structures in their backyards; others are constantly remodelling. For the first time in my life, I had to come face to face with the notion of “keeping up with the Jones’s.” At the same time, I’ve read Raising Kids for True Greatness by Dr. Tim Kimmel.
My inner world felt turbulent as I grappled with my own notions of success. How do I define a successful life? Is that really what God calls me to? Instead, Kimmel suggests, we follow in Jesus’ footsteps and aim for true greatness. It’s still hard when you watch what feels like an entire neighborhood marching to a different drummer. Recently I caught a snippet of a radio broadcast on our local Christian station. One of the speakers shared how his children were constantly saying, “It’s not fair.” He challenged them through the parable of the workers in the vineyard (Matthew 20) to realize that when we compare our lives with others, we lose our contentment. Instead we focus on what we have and turn our hearts to gratitude. “Comparison ruins contentment,” he added. That’s exactly what I needed to hear. In our home, we have decided to follow Jesus and follow the beat of His heart. What a relief not to have to live up to any other expectations.
Reflection:
– What moves you out of your place of contentment? – What are you grateful for today?
Dear Lord, Thank You that You are my shepherd and I have everything I need. Your love covers me, lifts me and fills me. Today, again, I choose to dance to the beat of Your heart. I love You, Amen.
Early Christian Worship and Persecution Matthew 5:10–12; 24:9; Luke 21:12; John 15:20; 2 Timothy 3:12; Revelation 2:10
They [Christians] affirmed the whole of their guilt, or their error, was, that they met on a stated day before it was light, and addressed a form of prayer to Christ, as to a divinity, binding themselves by a solemn oath, not for the purposes of any wicked design, but never to commit any fraud, theft, or adultery, never to falsify their word, nor deny a trust when they should be called upon to deliver it up; after which it was their custom to separate, and then reassemble, to eat in common a harmless meal. From this custom, however, they desisted after the publication of my edict, by which, according to your commands, I forbade the meeting of any assemblies. After receiving this account, I judged it so much the more necessary to endeavour to extort the real truth, by putting two female slaves to the torture, who were said to officiate in their religious rites: but all I could discover was evidence of an absurd and extravagant superstition.… In fact, this contagious superstition is not confined to the cities only, but has spread its infection among the neighbouring villages and country. Nevertheless, it still seems possible to restrain its progress. The temples, at least, which were once almost deserted, begin now to be frequented; and the sacred rites, after a long intermission, are again revived; while there is a general demand for the victims, which till lately found very few purchasers. From all this it is easy to conjecture what numbers might be reclaimed if a general pardon were granted to those who shall repent of their error.
PLINY THE YOUNGER*
Ritzema, E. (Ed.). (2012). 300 Quotations for Preachers. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
Giving Up Our Opinions for the Blessings of Peace Psalm 29:11; Romans 12:10; Ephesians 4:2–3; Philippians 2:3
Everyone, it is true, wishes to do as he pleases and is attracted to those who agree with him. But if God be among us, we must at times give up our opinions for the blessings of peace.
THOMAS À KEMPIS*
Ritzema, E., & Brant, R. (Eds.). (2013). 300 quotations for preachers from the Medieval church. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
It seems like everywhere you look these days while driving on the road – especially on college campuses – an odd-phrased bumper sticker with religious symbols spelling “COEXIST” can be seen. This phrase contains the spiritual symbols of the major religions or fallen spiritual ideologies of mankind (Rom. 1:18-32).
Every letter in the “COEXIST” phrase has a symbol representing a religious system or fallen spiritual ideology: “C” for the crescent and star (representing Islam); “O” is dotted with the Karma Wheel (Buddhism) “E” as energy in the relativity equation (Science); “X” illustrating the star of David (Judaism); the “I” representing the pentagram (Wicca/Pagan); “S” for the Tao symbol; and “T” for the cross for Christianity.
Every letter in the “COEXIST” phrase has a symbol representing a religious system or fallen spiritual ideology..
The subtle demonic goal of this movement is the promotion of a pluralistic and universal utopian worldview, which is rooted in spiritual relativism. At the heart of this movement is found the abandonment of core moral and spiritual absolutes ordained by this world’s RIGHTEOUS ETERNAL Creator. In this abandonment of these God-ordained RIGHTEOUS absolutes and values is found the outworking of Satan’s relativistic delusion (moral and spiritual) for the furtherance of his kingdom of darkness and rebellion against his RIGHTEOUS ETERNAL Creator (John. 8:44, 2 Cor. 4:3-4; 11:13-15, Eph. 2:1-2, 2 Thess. 2:10-12, Rev, 13). This movement seeks to undermine personal beliefs rooted in spiritual absolutes and practices for the supposed “betterment” of world unification. Its most damnable feature, however, is the staunch rejection of the SOVEREIGNTY and REALITY of Almighty God, His authoritative Word (the Bible), and His Savior for all fallen men, the Lord Jesus Christ (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 John 2:22-23). One of the chief promoters of this godless ecumenical movement is the godless music industry and the pop icon Bono from the band U2. Many in Hollywood and the fashion industry also seek to promote this movement with an array of clothing products, gear, and bumper stickers.
A phrase from the Coexist website states, “Coexist is a concept brand for everyone, connecting people and planet, together we symbolize life, love, and global harmony.”
The Coexist phenomenon is the product of the subjective secular Left. The majority of the Coexist followers are secular liberals. This ideology of religious pluralism actually intersects with all three political ideologies (liberal, moderate, and conservative), but it has its greatest hold in the secular liberal mind (Romans 1:18-32; 8:5-8).
The true core of the Left are secularists who wish to promote a delusional, pluralistic universe that combines all godless ideologies. However, their main goal and real agenda is to rid the world of all religious ideologies in favor of a secular, godless one.
However, their main goal and real agenda is to rid the world of all religious ideologies in favor of a secular, godless one.
Though at first glance the motivation behind this movement seems sincere, noble and virtuous, the very subtle hiss of Luciferian (Satanic) mass deception can be distinctly heard. This movement seeks to bring about a godless unification – while rejecting sound moral absolutes – of the scattered inhabitants of nations following the Tower of Babel rebellion ~ 4,300 years ago (Gen. 11:1-9; Dan. 2:31-35, 37-45; Rev. 13:12-14). Lucifer is the Master Kool-aid maker and pourer when it comes to mass deception of unregenerate humanity. The taste of Lucifer’s Kool-Aid is sweet and satisfying to man’s fallen (i.e., unregenerate) humanity (John 3:19; Rom. 8:5-8; Gal. 5:17-21; 2 Cor. 2:14), while his poison brew of lies seeks to counteract the reality of the ETERNAL and natural laws of Almighty God (Rev. 17:2-3). The final destiny of these Satanic Kool-Aid drinkers is physical and eternal death (Rom. 3:23; Rev. 20:12-15; 21:8). Lucifer’s master plan is the unification of all the scattered children of Babel (Gen 11:1-9; Rev. 13), and reigning over them as their fascist, despotic master (Isa. 14:12-17; Ezek. 28:13-19; John 8:44; Rev. 13:8, 16-18).. The true core of the Left are the secularists who wish to promote a delusional, pluralistic universe that combines all godless ideologies. However, their main goal and real agenda is to rid the world of all religious ideologies in favor of a single secular, godless one.
Prior to the creation (Gen 1:1), the fallen Angelic realm rebelled against Almighty God in ETERNITY past abandoning all ABSOLUTE TRUTH and REALITY (Isa. 14:12-17, Ezek. 13-19, John 8:44, Jude 6; Rev. 12:4), causing evil (spiritual darkness) to first appear in God’s perfect creation. Fallen Humanity also follows suit in attempting to replace the Reality (truth) of Almighty God and His ETERNAL absolutes with that of a temporal earthly delusional (false) one. All that remains to those who reject God’s absolutes is a decadent, delusional state of “universal pluralism” that ends in darkness and ETERNAL damnation (John 3:19; 2 Thess. 2:10-12; Rev. 20:12-15). Pluralism and Universalism and The Whore The philosophy of Pluralism stipulates that all religions or spiritual ideologies exist on an equal footing. Universalism is the belief that any and all religions or spiritual philosophies lead to “God,” and everyone will be saved in the end regardless of what is practiced. Religion is the godless spiritual ideology of unregenerate (fallen) man.
The final outworking of the Coexist movement of pluralism, tolerance, and universalism will lead to a global abandonment of all “faiths” in receiving the mark of the Beast (Rev. 13) after the Rapture of God’s Church, as God’s infallible Word declares. In the end, this “godless morass” will be violently destroyed by the Anti-Christ (Lucifer’s secular servant) and his confederacy of 10 nations or global regions (Rev. 13:1; 17:12, 15-17). Following the destruction and removal of this Whore (the Coexist movement), the Anti-Christ will fill the global void with the worship of himself and Lucifer by way of a blasphemous, idolatrous Image (Dan. 11:37; Matt. 24:15; 2 Thess. 2:4; Rev. 13:4, 8, 12, 15, 18:2). This will be the fulfillment of Satan’s age-long plan to gain worship and sovereignty in his delusional reality without Almighty God and His ETERNAL Sovereignty. The final outworking of the Coexist movement of pluralism, tolerance and universalism will lead to a global abandonment of all “faiths” in receiving the mark of the Beast.,
This short-lived reign will only last 3 1/2 years (Rev. 13:5), and his promise of “Peace and a Global Utopia” will be the furthest thing from the truth (Matt 24:21-22; 1 Thess. 5:3). EXPONENTIAL lawlessness and absolute anarchy will be the fruit of his demonic agenda until the ETERNAL God of REALITY and TRUTH, the Son of Almighty God, comes to crush Lucifer’s godless rebellion and establish His Kingdom on earth in Reality and Truth FOREVER and EVER! (Dan 2:44; 7:21-22; 2 Thess. 2:8; Rev. 19:11-21; 20:10) True Coexistence is Only Possible through Jesus Christ. The Coexistence of fallen humanity can only come about through the Person and Work of Jesus Christ (John 17:20-23; Romans 10:4). He alone is Almighty God’s solution and remedy for His lost creation and the unregenerate state and condition of fallen man (Acts 4:12; John 14:6). For any and all who place their trust in Him, Almighty God will deliver from the judgment, bondage, and mortality of their fallen estate (Rom. 12:2; 1 Cor. 15: 42-44; Gal. 1:4; Heb. 2:14-15; 2 Peter 2:20). FOREVERMORE in the Kingdom age to come and in ETERNITY future will they dwell in absolute righteousness to serve Almighty God in spirit and truth (John 4:23; Dan. 2:44; 7:13, 14, 18). They will be permanently delivered from the bondage and presence of a sinful nature and a cursed world (Rom. 7:24; 8:21-23; 1 Cor. 15:42-44; Rev. 21; 22:1-5). To those who choose to Coexist in a state of spiritual delusion and rebellion against the ETERNAL absolutes and natural laws of Almighty God, they will die (i.e., be separated) in their trespass and sin, and ultimately assigned to God’s ETERNAL prison called the Lake of Fire (John 8:24; Roms 3:23; Rev 21: 8, 27). The Two Different Co-habitations of Forever Note the vastly different ETERNAL destinies of those who by faith receive Almighty God’s remedy (solution) for their fallen estate, and those who by unbelief reject it. The Redeemed:(see Matt 5:6; 25: 34; 1 Cor. 2:9; 1 John 3:2; Rev 21:1-7; 22:1-5). (Click for Picture example) The Unregenerate:(see Isa. 66:24; Matt. 3:12; 25:41, 46; Mark 9:48; John 8:24; 2 Thess. 2:12; Rev. 14:10-14; 21:8). (Click for Picture example) My friend, Almighty God in His goodness wants to pardon you from your trespasses against His Perfect Person and Nature. He created you to know Him and to enjoy Him FOREVER. He loves you and sent His Son to die in your place. He reaches out to you even now. Don’t turn your back on Him. Don’t deceive yourself or harden your heart, which may be heavy laden with sin, bitterness, and hate, and allow unbelief to deprive you of God’s great love and tranquility. Place your trust in Him and His never-changing Word. You will be so glad that you did. My friend, God’s love will transform you such that you will never be the same! Let it be so for you. In the midst of a secular, “pluralistic universalism” global movement which will soon engulf the whole world, be not deceived! Turn your heart to the One who is “the Way, the Truth and the Life,” even the Lord Jesus Christ! Jesus said, “Enter ye in at the strait (narrow) gate: for wide is the gate, and broad (wide) is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat” (Matt 7:13). “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). The Kingdom of heaven is at hand! DJP I.F. We have a gospel tract on this topic if you are interested!
“The principle of spending money to be paid by posterity, under the name of funding, is but swindling futurity on a large scale.” —Thomas Jefferson (1816)
Joe Biden says everything’s great and no one is worried about inflation.
Nate Jackson
Who are you going to believe — Joe Biden or your lying eyes?
That’s the silly question we can all answer very easily after the president’s ridiculous remarks yesterday on the economy in general and inflation in particular.
The economy is historically great, he said. Nobody’s worried about inflation, he said. Someone doth protest too much.
Biden went out to reassure the country about the state of the economy and the stock market promptly lost 700 points. That’s obviously overly simplistic, but it also speaks volumes of the confidence Americans have in the man vainly attempting to read coherently from the teleprompter.
To be sure, the stock market is doing well on the whole, and there are plenty of other indicators of economic health and growth. Yet as all presidents are wont to do, Biden dismissed or ignored the bad signs and claimed undue credit for the good things.
“There’s nobody suggesting there’s unchecked inflation on the way,” he said. “No serious economist.”
“Our experts,” he said, “believe and the data shows that most of the price increases we’ve seen are — were expected and expected to be temporary.”
Biden’s “experts” have been wrong in their inflation expectations for months.
“My administration understands that if we were to ever experience unchecked inflation over the long term that would pose real challenges to our economy,” Biden explained. “ So while we’re confident that isn’t what we are seeing today, we’re going to remain vigilant about any response that is needed.”
Translation: We know there’s unchecked inflation, but we’re going to tell you there’s not while we print more money for our redistribution schemes.
“If we increase the availability of quality, affordable childcare, eldercare, [and] paid leave, more people will enter the workforce,” the president argued. “These steps will enhance our productivity — raising wages without raising prices. That won’t increase inflation. It will take the pressure off of inflation, give a boost to our workforce, which leads to lower prices in the years ahead.”
The exact opposite is the case. Biden’s American Rescue Plan has added to the cradle-to-grave welfare state, including paying people more to not work than to find jobs. That, in turn, has caused businesses to raise wages in a desperate bid to fill openings with workers. His insistence that such wage pressure doesn’t raise prices is delusional and deceitful.
As Mark Alexander put it last week, “The economic consequence of Biden’s ploy has been to suppress economic recovery and simultaneously inflate prices for all Americans.”
More of the same is all Biden has to offer.
There are two big hurdles to economic recovery at the moment. First is still COVID, though maybe more accurately it’s the messaging coming from the Biden administration and other Democrat leaders. They’re still trotting out Anthony Fauci to insist that we need to be masking up our three-year-olds while Biden is blaming the unvaccinated for every pandemic and economic woe. Rather than exuding optimism about a waning pandemic, the administration is still sowing fear.
Second is, again, Biden’s rampant spending plans. After a year of huge amounts of emergency spending, adding trillions of dollars in more spending, financed by low-interest debt and money printing, is only going to hamper economic growth with higher prices for everything. Biden is goosing demand without increasing supply. That’s a textbook recipe for inflation.
If Biden’s not careful, the only winning he’s going to spur is for Republicans in 2022.
While he backed off his false claim, he doubled down on calling for more censorship on social media.
Thomas Gallatin
On Monday, following blowback specifically from Facebook, Joe Biden somewhat walked back his outrageous comment from last week that Facebook is “killing people.” Asked by a reporter to explain himself, he said, “Facebook isn’t killing people.” Well, that’s a relief.
However, clearly keen on keeping his ridiculous fearmongering claim going, Biden explained that “60% of that misinformation came from 12 individuals” and “anyone listening to it is getting hurt by it.” Indeed, he says, “It is killing people. It’s bad information.”
Just to be clear, Biden still says the disseminating of “misinformation” “is killing people.” This is Biden’s version of the Left’s flawed assertion that speech is violence. This dubious logic is the very reason our Founding Fathers codified the protection of free speech in the Constitution with the First Amendment — to prevent authoritarians like Biden from attempting to silence the speech of those with whom they disagree.
As we have previously noted regarding Congress’s apparent bipartisan criticism of Big Tech, the bipartisanship ends there. While Republicans decry suppression of speech by monopolistic corporations, Democrats and the Biden administration contend that Big Tech is not doing enough censoring. Biden made this point when he was attempting to clarify his “killing people” comment, once again chiding Facebook for being insufficiently vigilant in preventing “the outrageous misinformation” from being disseminated on its site. “That’s what I meant,” he stated.
Once again, neither Biden nor his administration are backing down from their demands that Big Tech engage in censorship of “misinformation” on their platforms. This was Biden warning Facebook that it needs to go harder on censoring content that his administration wants silenced.
Twitter certainly got the message loud and clear. The social media giant temporarily suspended the account of Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) over the claim that she had disseminated “misleading information” about COVID.
The great hypocrisy is that Biden essentially admitted to peddling misinformation with his “killing people” claims, though he excused it on the grounds that he’s “trying to make people look at themselves, look in the mirror, think about that misinformation going to your son, your daughter, your relative, someone you love.” The sheer arrogance and lack of self-awareness of that statement is mind-boggling.
Does Biden really believe that people sharing information — or even questions — about the coronavirus and vaccines that doesn’t comport with the administration’s unilaterally declared “truth” narrative is due to them desiring to willfully deceive people they love? Is Biden really claiming to love people’s family members more than they love and care for them? Maybe, just maybe, it’s because people don’t trust the information being fed to them by the Biden administration.
The fact of the matter is that no one — absolutely no one — has all the information. Furthermore, the Biden administration and many government “experts” have repeatedly disseminated misleading information and flat-out misinformation on everything from the coronavirus to voter integrity legislation. It’s precisely because people care about those they love that they may be sharing information regarding COVID despite the fact that the Biden administration has declared it “misinformation.”
In a free society, people are free to express their ideas, opinions, and information. Within its constitutional bounds, our government should be concerned with protecting its citizens’ freedoms, not acting to reduce them. Clearly, Biden has little concern with protecting Americans’ most fundamental freedom.
Clearly, there’s one tier of justice for Trump supporters and another tier for Black Lives Matter supporters.
Douglas Andrews
On the one hand, a case can be made that Paul Hodgkins got off easy. After all, a measly eight months in prison for having helped carry off what Joe Biden called “the worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War”? Wow. Given the gravity of the crime, that’s some serious kid-glove treatment.
Of course, it’s hard to take President Hyperbole seriously. Especially when he seems to compare everything that his political opponents do to the nation’s worst-ever cataclysm. (Recall that just last week, he denounced the very modest voter reform efforts of certain Republican-controlled state legislatures by calling them “the most significant test of our democracy since the Civil War.”)
As for the unarmed non-insurrection of January 6, the not-so-speedy wheels of two-tiered American justice turned just a bit yesterday, when the first of what promises to be many sentences was handed out to a guy who walked into The People’s House without an invitation while carrying a “Trump 2020” flag. As the Washington Examiner reports:
The first person to be convicted of a felony regarding actions during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot has been sentenced to eight months in prison.
Paul Allard Hodgkins, a 38-year-old Tampa resident, received his sentence on Monday after he pleaded guilty to obstructing a proceeding last month, though he was not accused of assault or damaging property.
“If I had any idea that the protest … would escalate (the way) it did … I would never have ventured farther than the sidewalk of Pennsylvania Avenue,” Hodgkins told the judge, according to the Associated Press, adding, “This was a foolish decision on my part.”
Prosecutors were gunning for an 18-month sentence, while the Florida man’s defense team sought no time behind bars, arguing that their client’s actions were similar to those of Anna Morgan Lloyd, a 49-year-old from Indiana, who got three years of probation for misdemeanor disorderly conduct. No dice.
Perhaps Hodgkins’s defense would’ve been better off invoking the names of one Black Lives Matter rioter after another, who burned and looted our nation’s urban centers with relative impunity last summer during the Left’s preferred insurrection.
Take Matè Farrakhan Muhammad, a leader of the Des Moines Black Liberation Movement, who had nine felony counts against him dismissed earlier this year by a judge who ruled that the local attorney’s office violated Muhammad’s right to a speedy trial by waiting 46 days after his arrest to file a formal charging document — one more day than allowed by law.
His crime? Shining a laser into the eyes of several University of Iowa police officers during an August 31 protest in Iowa City — a crime that left several officers with temporary vision loss, headaches, and other health problems.
Seems a bit more harmful than taking a “Trump 2020” flag into The People’s House and scaring some members of Congress, or propping one’s feet upon a desk in Nancy Pelosi’s office, no?
At least Muhammad was actually arrested, though. Which is more than can be said for most BLM rioters.
To be clear, Hodgkins pleaded guilty. And he was guilty. As the Examiner reported, “Hodgkins left Florida on a bus with a backpack, and inside it was rope, protective goggles, and latex gloves, which [prosecutors] argue shows he was prepared for violence.” He wasn’t some Trump supporter who simply got swept up in the moment.
But still, what we’re beginning to see here as the January 6 prosecutions roll out is a clear case of two-tiered justice: one tier for those on the Left, and one for those on the Right.
Speaking of which, why hasn’t Hunter Biden had his day in court yet yet?
Sometimes victory requires compromise. The question is always how much.
Harold Hutchison
In 2020, Kim Klacik was seen as a rising star. She was taking on an entrenched Democrat in Baltimore in a very heavily Democrat district. Many grassroots Patriots rightly applauded her for attempting to win her city, which hasn’t seen a Republican mayor in over half a century. While she lost the House race, she proved to be a prodigious fundraiser and there was a chance she could be a potentially game-changing candidate statewide in Maryland.
At least, that was the case until Candace Owens leveled a series of charges, some of which are serious ones involving fraud and the misuse of campaign donations. While Klacik has denied the charges, Owens is not the only person to have raised questions.
Harmeet K. Dhillon, who is one of those sitting on the Republican National Committee, noted that while Klacik raised $8.2 million, she lost by 44 points. Dhillon’s concern appears to be more about the strategic wisdom of backing admittedly long-shot candidates like Klacik, given the finite resources of the Republican Party. When one considers that a swing of less than 50,000 votes (assuming the 2020 presidential election counts were accurate and above-board) would have given Donald Trump Arizona, Georgia, and Wisconsin, forcing the House of Representatives to decide the presidential election, Dhillon is asking a fair question.
There is, however, a counterpoint to Dhillon’s concern: Not fighting in the long-shot districts frees up the Left’s resources to hit swing districts. In addition, many of the big cities that have serious problems with violent crime and urban blight are Democrat strongholds that should be vulnerable, and someone like Klacik could spotlight those statewide or nationally — and it might convince people to change their votes. Over the long haul, efforts may make those districts more competitive. There are compelling arguments on both sides of this debate.
But Klacik’s 2020 campaign isn’t the only type of situation that presents tough calls for grassroots Patriots to make. In Ohio, J.D. Vance is among those running to succeed retiring Senator Rob Portman. Some past criticism Vance directed at Trump emerged. Vance has since said that in retrospect, he was wrong about Trump. Vance is running in a crowded field, including former Ohio treasurer Josh Mandel. But should he be written off based on his past criticism of Trump?
If grassroots Patriots want to do that, then by that same logic, they must also sideline Candace Owens, who once slammed Trump before she changed her mind and became one of his most ardent defenders. Others who would have been dismissed to the sidelines would include Ronald Reagan, Burgess Owens, Susana Martinez, and Trump himself. The self-appointed commissars all too often forget that if grassroots Patriots are to save this country, a lot of it will be the result of successfully convincing those who have opposed Trump — or conservative positions — to change their minds.
Similarly, grassroots Patriots also need to recognize that candidates are human, and they will have flaws. They may have had rougher times in life. Perhaps they once held positions on issues that didn’t line up, but changed those positions based on experience or persuasion.
Picking the right candidate is a big deal, as we have noted elsewhere. Good ones have the potential to be huge game-changers. Bad ones can set the cause of Liberty back. There are no guarantees in life, but grassroots Patriots can ask candidates for office at the federal, state, and local levels questions, do their research, and then make the decision that seems best.
A poll that explores Americans’ desire to depart from the union reveals some “arrestingly high” support.
Douglas Andrews
We’re not sure what the folks at YouGov and Bright Line Watch were expecting when they did the polling, but we probably could’ve saved ‘em a lot of time and money — especially in their topline results, all of which suggested that our nation is deeply divided.
Just how divided? Consider the results of this question, which was just one among many:
President Biden made it a signature goal to reunite a country scarred by partisan and regional divides. Our surveys seek to assess whether the animus that characterized the Trump era persists. We therefore repeated a question from our January/February 2021 survey asking respondents in our public sample about their support for breaking up the United States. As in last winter’s survey, we asked respondents the following:
“Would you support or oppose [your state] seceding from the United States to join a new union with [list of states in new union]?”
As in the previous survey, levels of expressed support for secession are arrestingly high, with 37% of respondents overall indicating willingness to secede. Within each region, the dominant partisan group is most supportive of secession. Republicans are most secessionist in the South and Mountain regions whereas it is Democrats on the West Coast and in the Northeast. In the narrowly divided Heartland region, it is partisan independents who find the idea most attractive.
If we consider Joe Biden’s inaugural pledge, wherein he promised to “work as hard for those who didn’t vote for me as those who did,” we might call this “The Unity Question.” We might also look back to that pledge and see, in retrospect, how disingenuous it was, and how unsurprising these polling results actually are. Take a look at the map:
As the survey’s authors note: “These patterns are consistent from our January/February survey, but the changes since then are troubling. Our previous survey was fielded just weeks after the January 6 uprising. By this summer, we anticipated, political tempers may have cooled — not necessarily as a result of any great reconciliation but perhaps from sheer exhaustion after the relentless drama of Trump.”
What comes across as an interesting and deeply detailed survey is, unfortunately, corrupted by the bias of the polling organization, Bright Line. Language like “the relentless drama of Trump” gives the game away. Another giveaway: Many of the questions poll not only Republicans and Democrats but “an expert sample of political scientists” as well. And in every case, these “experts” track even further left in their responses than do the Democrats. For example, DC statehood and the abolition of the filibuster are overwhelmingly supported by these political scientists, while “policies that limit voting” (note the partisan nature of that phrasing) and local officials refusing to certify election results meet with near-unanimous opposition.
More evidence of the pollsters’ bias can be found in the wording of their topline results. For example: “Among the electoral reform proposals recently adopted or currently under consideration in the states, experts perceive grave threats from bills that encroach on the political independence of local election officials and that restrict mail voting.” And this: “Experts rate Donald Trump’s continued refusal to accept the results of the 2020 election as highly abnormal and important.”
In sum: Yes, we’re a deeply divided nation. Yes, Joe Biden has exacerbated that divide. And yes, pollsters should be viewed with great suspicion.
Larry Sanger says that “Wikipedia is more one-sided than ever.”
Thomas Gallatin
Wikipedia cofounder Larry Sanger has once againblasted the total leftist takeover of his crowd-sourced creation, observing in a recent interview, “Wikipedia is more one-sided than ever.”
Just how thorough is the Left’s takeover of Wikipedia? Well, Sanger explains, “It is not too far to say that Wikipedia, like many other deeply biased institutions of our brave new digital world, has made itself into a kind of thought police that has de facto shackled conservative viewpoints with which they disagree.”
In fact, it has gotten so bad that Sanger charges Wikipedia with becoming exactly the opposite of what it was intended to be. It has, he says, “become an opponent of vigorous democracy.” As evidence supporting his contention, he observes that citations of mainstream conservative news organizations such as Fox News have been outright banned by Wikipedia. And any attempt to correct an entry to make it less biased and more neutral has been disallowed — as “if only one version of the facts is allowed.”
Sanger noted an example from Wikipedia’s page on Joe Biden:
Biden’s article, if you look at it, has very few concerns Republicans had about it. So if you want to have something that remotely resembles the Republican take on Biden, you’re not going to get it from the article. And there is a paragraph — and it’s quite a long article, so there should be at least one paragraph — on the Ukrainian scandal. Very little of this can be found on Wikipedia. The little that can be found is extremely biased and really reads like a defense attorney’s brief.
This author can personally attest to experiencing such treatment at the hands of the leftist Wikipedia “police” for daring to attempt to correct entries to remove obvious political bias within articles, and subsequently being suspended for these good-faith efforts. The authoritarian Left cannot tolerate dissenting opinion nor the challenging of its own demonstrably biased narrative as anything other than “the facts.”
“The dumbest idea in the history of the Senate”: Lindsey Graham warns Democrats aim to sneak amnesty into infrastructure deal that can pass without a GOP vote (Fox News)
House bill allocates $40 million for hazardous “red flag” gun confiscation program (AMN)
National Security
Kevin McCarthy names five Republicans to serve on January 6 special committee inquisition (Washington Times)
New chief picked for Capitol Police six months after riot (Washington Examiner)
Microsoft Exchange hack formally blamed on China (AP)
U.S. transfers Guantanamo Bay prisoner to Morocco; Gitmo population drops to 39 (Washington Times)
Heartland & Health
“Defund police” advocates are silent after DC already passes 100 homicides in 2021 (Fox News)
Sixth Texas Democrat tests positive for COVID (NBC News)
University of Indiana’s vaccine mandate upheld by Trump appointee Judge Damon R. Leichty, who cites early 20th century smallpox vaccine mandate (National Review)
American Academy of Pediatrics ridiculously recommends masks in school for everyone over the age of two (Washington Times)
Annals of the “Social Justice” Caliphate
Even women willing to be objectified can’t get ahead: Sports Illustrated releases swimsuit issue with transgender biological male cover model (The Hill)
Marie Claire sickeningly urges Hollywood to depict more parents having abortions (Fox News)
Pentagon contractor investigating “extremism” asserts that web searches about BLM raise concerns about white supremacy (Fox News)
Other Notables
Twitter oligarchs suspend Marjorie Taylor Greene over “misleading” COVID info (NY Post)
It’s official: The COVID recession lasted just two months, the shortest in U.S. history — but not inflation (CNBC)
Two-thirds of likely voters say VP Harris not ready to be president, even though in reality she’ll never be ready (Washington Times)
Irony Award
AOC invests over $1.4 million in “Tax the Rich”-themed political merchandise (Daily Caller)
Closing Arguments
Policy: The Democrats’ budget agreement would burn the economy (Daily Signal)
Policy: Expand Medicare? How about we fix it first? (The Dispatch)
Humor: McDonald’s employee who said “my pleasure” under fire for appropriating Chick-fil-A culture (Babylon Bee)
For more of today’s editors’ choice headlines, visit Headline Report.
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Editor’s Note: Each week we receive hundreds of comments and correspondences — and we read every one of them. Click here for a few thought-provoking comments about specific articles. The views expressed therein don’t necessarily reflect those of The Patriot Post.
Insight: “Honesty is the rarest wealth anyone can possess, and yet all the honesty in the world ain’t lawful tender for a loaf of bread.” —Josh Billings (1818-1885)
For the record: “It’s important to understand that the term ‘antiracism’ as used by [Ibram] Kendi, which sounds non-threatening enough, does not mean what you think. Indeed, far from being antiracist, the ideology promoted by Kendi and fellow travelers is anything but. It redefines reality to assign guilt and blame based solely on race. Classifying persons in such a manner is literally the definition of racism.” —Ben Carson
A trip down memory lane: “The most equal multiracial country in our hemisphere … would be Cuba. Cuba has the least inequality between black and white people anyplace really in the hemisphere. … And that’s largely due to socialism — which I’m sure no one wants to hear.” —1619 Project writer Nikole Hannah-Jones in 2019
Demagogue: “We stand here with these people of courage, with freedom fighters who came to Washington, DC, to seek salvation because they are not going to be able to get that governor of Texas to protect the voting rights of the people of Texas.” —Senator Amy Klobuchar regarding the Texas Dems who fled voter integrity
Non sequitur: “Six months into my administration, the U.S. economy has experienced the highest economic growth rate in nearly 40 years.” —Joe Biden (Government lockdowns caused GDP to crater. The rebound was inevitable. What wasn’t inevitable was Biden’s Carteresque inflation.)
Non compos mentis I: “My worry is that all this [COVID] misinformation that’s floating around is having a real cost that can be measured in lives lost and that is just tragic.” —Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy
Non compos mentis II: “It’s very reasonable for counties to take more mitigation measures, like the mask rules that you see coming out in LA.” —Dr. Vivek Murthy
Grand delusions: “Simply put, limiting or otherwise trying to stifle access to safe, legal abortion services not only harms pregnant people but also the children they’re already caring for.” —Danielle Campoamor in a MarieClaire.com article titled, “We Need to See More Parents Having Abortions in Film and Television”
Belly laugh of the week: “We believe it is inconsistent with our values for Ben & Jerry’s ice cream to be sold in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). … We have informed our licensee that we will not renew the license agreement when it expires at the end of next year.” —Ben & Jerry’s, which could use a lesson in Islamist “values”
And last… “Remember when the Democrat sales pitch for Biden a year ago was that he would unite America, calm things down, and help the middle class afford stuff like gas, housing and groceries? Hilarious.” —Buck Sexton
China threatens to begin World War III “When we liberate Taiwan, if Japan dares to intervene by force, even if it only deploys one soldier, one plane and one ship, we will not only return reciprocal fire but also start a full-scale war against Japan,”
‘Mega comet’ 60 miles wide is about to fly through the solar system A comet unlike any other in recorded history is on a trajectory to zip through the inner solar system in less than a decade, but like most space rocks that make the news, it isn’t anything to lose sleep over. Comet 2014 UN271 was observed during a mission called the Dark Energy Survey back in 2014, but skywatchers didn’t realize that the data gathered was showing a comet until mid-June of this year. This discovery could be one for the record books, leading some to call it a “mega comet.” It is estimated to be between 60 and 230 miles wide, which could make it the largest comet ever discovered,
Multiple tropical threats churn in West Pacific After a brief lull in tropical activity in the West Pacific, AccuWeather forecasters say the basin has the opportunity to crank out as many as three tropical features this week. The first two tropical features of note are already churning over open waters. The first to form, and likely the most potent of the two, is Severe Tropical Storm In-fa.
Canada pushes to place sanctions on circumcision Manitoba: Circumcisions only in a medical facility The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba issued new standards of practice which, as written, would only permit a male infant circumcision to be performed in a medical facility or doctor’s office. This restriction would go into effect in the fall and would effectively ban brit milah, the Jewish rite that was first described as being performed by Abraham in the Bible.
Pence flatlines as 2024 field takes shape “I don’t imagine he’d have a whole lot of support,” said Raymond Harre, vice chair of the GOP in eastern Iowa’s Scott County. “There are some Trump supporters who think he’s the Antichrist.” Harre said Pence “did a good job as vice president,” and he called the vitriol directed at him “kind of nutty.” Still, he said, “I don’t see him overcoming the negatives.”
U.S. drone strikes truck in Syria used by Iran-backed militia The attack came amid increasing tensions in the region between the U.S. military and Iran-backed Iraqi militias in recent weeks. The Americans have targeted militants who used drones and rockets to hit bases housing U.S. troops.
Two rockets fired from Lebanon towards Israel Sirens were sounded overnight Monday in communities located in the Western Galilee near the border with Lebanon. Among the localities in which sirens were heard: Rosh Hanikra, Yaara, Hanita, Netiv HaShayara and Shlomi. The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said that two rockets had been fired from Lebanon towards Israeli territory.
Syria claims Israel carried out air strikes near Aleppo Air defense systems in Syria were activated over the city of Aleppo on Monday night, Syrian media reported. Syria’s official news agency, SANA, reported that the air defense systems acted against an “Israeli air aggression” in the Al-Safira area. According to the reports, the Syrian air defense systems were activated following the air strike. Explosions were also reported to have been heard near Latakia.
Behind the escalation between the Iranian mullahs and the US an objective reading of what happened says that the mullahs’ regime provoked the Biden administration. They tested the limits of its power by inspiring one of their armed arms in Iraq to carry out an attack on buildings under the control of US forces in Iraq. The mullahs likely planned to attack US forces and attract a US response that would further confuse the Iraqi scene to achieve several objectives.
Novel nanoparticles react to radiotherapy to kill cancer from within Radiation therapy is currently one of the best treatments we have against cancer, but it could benefit from being more targeted to spare healthy cells. Now, researchers in Japan have developed nanoparticles that can penetrate tumors and kill them from within, after being activated by external X-rays..
US accuses China of massive Microsoft hack on 250,000 servers worldwide On Monday, the Biden administration joined allied nations in formally naming People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-sponsored hackers as responsible for exploiting an estimated 250,000 servers in the Microsoft Exchange hack discovered in March, a senior administration official told American Military News on a press call Sunday. The senior administration official said China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS) has used criminal contract hackers “to conduct unsanctioned cyber operations globally.”
Has Iran launched a new stealth missile boat? Iran has launched one of its new stealthy catamaran “missile corvettes” according to open-source intelligence analyzed by expert H.I. Sutton, who runs the Cover Shores website. He noted that this took place as many have been distracted by monitoring the Iranian Makran warship which is sailing close to the UK this week.
Ben & Jerry’s board wanted to boycott all of Israel Ben & Jerry’s Independent Board of Directors wanted to boycott Israel in its entirety, but was stopped from doing so by the ice-cream makers CEO and the British based parent company Unilever. “The statement released by Ben & Jerry’s regarding its operation in Israel and the Occupied Palestine Territory does not reflect the position of the Independent Board nor was it approved by the Independent Board,” read a statement…
Abdullah seeks to revive two-state solution, bury ‘Jordan is Palestine’ Jordan is hoping that King Abdullah’s meeting with US President Joe Biden will pave the way for the kingdom to return to center stage in regional developments, particularly the Israeli-Arab conflict. Jordan is also hoping that the meeting will put an end to the talk about transforming the kingdom into a Palestinian state.
House bill allocates $40 million for federal ‘Red Flag’ gun confiscation program The House Appropriations Committee FY22 funding bill includes $40 million for a program to pressure states into establishing “Red Flag” gun confiscation laws in an effort to support “safer communities” and expand “gun violence prevention efforts.” According to a draft of the FY22…funding bill released July 11, nearly $150 million in “Gun Violence Reduction Grants” is “aimed at reducing gun violence.”
Iraq attack: Bombing at Baghdad market kills Eid shoppers At least 30 people have been killed and dozens more wounded in a bomb attack on a busy market in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, security sources say. The device exploded in the al-Wuhailat market, in the northern Sadr City area, as families prepared for the Islamic festival of Eid al-Adha on Tuesday. It was the deadliest bombing in Baghdad in six months.
Syrian air defences ‘intercept’ Israeli attack over Aleppo Syria’s air defences have intercepted an Israeli attack on al-Safirah area of southern Aleppo, Syrian state media reported, a location where Israel has repeatedly hit a growing Iranian presence. “At around 23:37 on Monday [20:37 GMT] … the Israeli enemy carried out an aerial attack towards southeast Aleppo, targeting positions in the al-Safirah area,” Syrian state news agency SANA cited a military source as saying.
Austria Becomes the First European Country to Ban the Muslim Brotherhood’s Activities Outright My hat is off to the young Chancellor of Austria concerning his stand against the Muslim Brotherhood (MB). This murderous Islamist group poses as peaceful and benign, but don’t let them fool you. They are well known by Al Qaeda, Hezbollah, Hamas, ISIS and all Israel-hating groups across the planet.
At least 800 tons of dead sea life washed up in Tampa Bay Hundreds of tons of dead sea life washed up along the shores of Tampa Bay due to a natural phenomenon known as a “red tide,” and now local officials calling on the state government for help in cleaning up the massive mess.
Lake Tahoe wildfire burns, forces evacuations and closures A wildfire roaring near Lake Tahoe that forced hundreds to flee blew up to cover 30 square miles Sunday, one of more than 80 major fires raging across the hot, drought-stricken West, fire officials said.
China threatens to begin World War III A video has appeared online that reportedly is circulating among Chinese Communist Party channels in which the repressive regime on the mainland there threatens to unleash a “continuous” nuclear war on the world.
China’s New Missile Silos Spark Concerns of War Over Taiwan China is building 120 new silos for intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) near its northwestern desert city of Yumen, indicating a significant expansion in its nuclear forces and sparking concerns of a Taiwan-related conflict between China and the United States.
Is the new “morning after pill” a Covid vaccine? There are now three ways of ending a pregnancy: in-clinic abortion, the abortion pill, or a Covid vaccine. All China Flu vaccines are free and available without a prescription, and have now been proven in a clinical trial to kill 4 out of every 5 babies in the womb during the first two trimesters, or 20 weeks
The weirdest thing about the Biden administration tasking itself with the censorship of “disinformation” on social media is that the United States is the hub of a globe-spanning empire that is built upon a foundation of disinformation, maintained by disinformation, and facilitated by disinformation.
If the propaganda engine of the US-centralized empire ceased actively deceiving the public about the world, it would collapse immediately. There would be mass unrest at home and abroad, status quo politics would be abandoned, alliances and coalitions would crumble, leaders official and unofficial would be ousted, and US unipolar hegemony would end.
The only thing keeping this from happening is the vast amounts of wealth and energy which are poured into continuously deceiving the people of America and its allies about what’s really going on in their nations and political systems, and in the world as a whole.
Getting people believing they live in separate, sovereign nations which function independently from one another, instead of member states within a single undeclared empire which moves as one unit on the international stage.
Getting people believing they control the fate of their nation via the democratic process, when in reality all large-scale politics are scripted puppet shows controlled by a plutocratic class who owns both the politicians and the media outlets which report on them.
Getting people believing they are part of a virtuous rules-based international order which opposes totalitarian regimes to spread freedom and democracy, instead of a tyrannical empire that works to destroy any nation which disobeys its dictates.
And above all, manufacturing the illusion that the oppressive, exploitative imperialist status quo is normal.
It’s not the big, famous lies like those which preceded the invasion of Iraq that make up the bulk of the adhesive holding the empire together, it’s the small, mundane lies we’re fed every single day by the plutocratic media. The ones which distort our worldview by half-truths, spins and omissions designed to normalize a status quo of murder, theft and ecocide.
This normalization happens in the way pundits and politicians treat any attempt to end wars or redress income inequality as freakish extremism and unrealistic fantasy, when in reality it’s the most sane and normal thing in the world and the only thing unrealistic about it is the fact that attempts to advance those agendas are always sabotaged by those same pundits and politicians.
The normalization also happens in the way endless wars, starvation deaths by US sanctions, the looming threat of total extinction via climate collapse or nuclear war, rapidly exacerbating income inequality and increasing tyranny at home and abroad are not treated as newsworthy stories, while celebrity gossip and partisan bickering between AOC and Marjorie Taylor Greene makes headline news. Every day the news media fail to report on the greatest horrors that the empire has unleashed on our world while focusing on vapid trivialities, they help normalize the horrors.
If the mass media actually existed to share important information about the world, the US-backed genocide in Yemen would be front-page news every day instead of something which gets a marginal mention once every few weeks. Every day it isn’t, this outrageous abuse is normalized.
If the mass media actually existed to share important information about the world, the fact that Americans are getting poorer and poorer while billionaires multiply their wealth during the pandemic would be brought front and center to everyone’s attention. Every day it isn’t, this outrageous abuse is normalized.
If the mass media actually existed to share important information about the world, the fact that the US military just spent trillions of dollars on a decades-long occupation of Afghanistan that accomplished nothing besides making horrible people rich would have been a national scandal. Every day it isn’t, this outrageous abuse is normalized.
But the mass media do not exist to share important information about the world. They exist to share important disinformation about the world. If they did not do this, the same US empire which is decrying the spread of disinformation today would collapse into its own footprint.
The US empire is without exception the single most corrupt and destructive force on this planet, and it’s not even close. It is the very last institution on earth that should be in charge of deciding what online content is true and what is “disinformation”. Absolute dead last, without exaggeration.
Depraved institutions which lie constantly and have killed millions and displaced tens of millions just since the turn of this century should not be the Ministry of Truth for the world’s online communication systems. This should be extremely obvious to everyone.
Recent weeks have brought to light evidence of repeated plagiarism of multiple sources on the part of Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) President Ed Litton. This sinful behavior and the lack of forthrightness when exposed is inconsistent with the character and integrity Southern Baptists rightfully expect from their president (Ex. 20:15, Prov. 28:6, 1 Tim. 3:2).
Compounding the concern surrounding President Litton’s irrefutable pattern of plagiarism is the silence of nearly all SBC leaders. Further eroding the testimony of the SBC to a watching world is the way some SBC leaders have excused and even minimized this troubling behavior. Scripture says acquitting the guilty (Prov. 17:15) and calling evil “good” (Isaiah 5:20) are wrong. Deceitful behavior on the part of a pastor is doubly egregious as those holding this office are called to be “able to teach,” and to “study to show yourself approved.” Plagiarism is a violation of the 8th and 9th commandments, and Scripture warns that men leading Christ’s local churches will be judged with even greater strictness (James 3:1).
The Conservative Baptist Network delayed commenting on this matter publicly in the hope that personal conversations and counsel with President Litton would lead him to acknowledge his error and repent (James 1:19, Gal. 6:1). Sadly, this has not occurred. As further evidence of what appears to be serial plagiarism continues to surface in at least six videos from a variety of named sources, the Conservative Baptist Network calls on the leaders of the SBC to address this matter promptly and biblically. For the sake of the gospel, it is best for President Litton to step down from office and focus on his personal spiritual development with his local church.
The testimony of Southern Baptists and of the gospel is at stake.
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For additional related resources, please see the following episodes from 9Marks here, from Founders Ministries here, and previously by Albert Mohler here.
In this episode of the Keiser Report, Max and Stacy look at the opinion piece from the Guardian arguing that only the ‘right’ is concerned about inflation. They look at recent headlines cataloging the human catastrophes wrought by inflation on the poor.
Kentucky Senator Rand Paul asked National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci about research that was funded in Wuhan, China prior to the start of the Coronavirus pandemic – Via Newsmax’s ‘National Report.’
WH chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci and Sen. Rand Paul called each other liars, shouting back and forth after the senator’s time had expired, over National Institutes of Health-funded research at a lab in Wuhan during a Senate hearing Tuesday.
“Dr. Fauci, knowing that it is a crime to lie to Congress, do you wish to retract your statement of May 11, 2021? Do you still claim that NIH never funded gain-of-function research in Wuhan?” Paul asked Fauci.
“I have never lied before the Congress and I do not retract that statement,” he said. “Sen. Paul, you do not know what you are talking about, quite frankly. And I want to say that officially. You do not know what you are talking about.”
“All the evidence is that [COVID-19] came from the lab, and there will be responsibility for those who funded the lab, including yourself,” Paul said.
“I totally resent the lie that you are now propagating, Senator,” Fauci said. “Because if you look at the viruses that were used in the experiments that were given in the annual reports that were published in the literature, it is molecularly impossible.”
“No one’s saying those viruses caused the pandemic,” Sen. Paul said. “We’re alleging that gain-of-function research was going on in that lab and the NINH funded it.”
“You are implying that what we did was responsible for the deaths of individuals. I totally resent that and if anybody is lying here, senator, it is you,” Fauci said. “I have never lied, certainly not before Congress. Case closed.”
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