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
Here is an expression that, even if you don’t use it, I believe will resonate with you if you’re a Christian:
I want, to want…
“Wanting to want” means this: It means that as Christians, we are to have a different value system than that of the world. We are to value things that, in the eyes of the world, might often look like a waste of time. We are to make eternal kingdom investments rather than spending our time, finances, and emotional energy on earthly things.
Take, for example, the practice of prayer. Prayer is valuable. And it is beneficial. Prayer is the means by which we enter into a deeper relationship with our Creator in whose presence there is fullness of joy. Further, prayer is the God-ordained means by which we can bring real change into the world. By any measure of logic, then, we should not only make it our practice to pray, but that we should actually want to pray.
Problem is we don’t. We want to watch Netflix. Or take a nap. Or just zone out. That leads us to wanting to want when it comes to something like prayer. Ideally, we should desire to pray, and not just pray because we know we should. So we want to want.
That’s true for all kinds of things in the Christian life because our emotions are just as broken by sin as everything else is. As the Spirit of God is making us more like Jesus, He is not only changing our behavior; He is redeeming our emotional lives as well.
Someday, in heaven, our emotions and our actions will be brought into harmony with each other. We won’t just do the right thing; we will feel the right thing. But until then, we want to want.
Which brings us to the subject of the Bible. Here’s what we want to be true about us:
That God’s Word is a lamp to our feet and light to our path (Ps. 119:105).
That we treasure God’s Word in our hearts (Ps. 119:11).
That we delight in the statutes as revealed in the Bible (Ps. 119:16).
That the ordinances of the Bible be sweeter than honey dripping from a honeycomb (Ps. 19:10).
That’s what we want. But here is our reality:
Many mornings it’s a discipline rather than joy to open God’s Word.
It feels like we are too busy for 10 minutes with an open Bible.
It’s hard to understand exactly how these verses relate to my life today.
So again, we want to want when it comes to the Bible. But is there a way for us to move in the right direction? Is there some action we can take that will propel us down the road of discipline to joy when it comes to Scripture? There is, and it’s a very simple way indeed:
The way to grow in our love of God’s Word is through reading God’s Word.
Think about it like this: Let’s say there is some other activity in life that you know you should do, but you don’t necessarily enjoy doing right now. Something like exercise. No doubt you should exercise. No doubt it’s beneficial to do so. But it’s been so long since you’ve done it, it’s just hard to keep going.
How do you increase your value of that practice? And how do you increase your enjoyment of that practice? You do it, by doing it.
Another way to say it is this—your heart is going to follow your investment.
You will care more about those things which you are giving yourself to. This is a very encouraging thing because we can’t control how we feel. We feel what we feel. But we can control what we invest ourselves in.
There are, then, really two options before us if we find ourselves wanting to want to read the Bible. Option 1 is that we are paralyzed by this state of being. That we stay stationary in our wanting to want, pining away at our lack of desire. Or, there’s option 2. Option 2 is that we recognize our emotionsare broken, so we pray that God will change our hearts when it comes to reading the Bible. That we would not just do it, but love it. And then in faith, we start reading, believing that God will do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.
If we make that investment, by God’s grace, our emotions will follow our actions, and we will not just read the Word, but love the Word.
This article originally appeared here and is used by permission.
Suffering. Even the mention of the word is something we run from, due to the sense of discomfort it brings.
In a world where we’re constantly surrounded by picture-perfect lives, how do we face the reality of pain?
In a world where it’s often taught that becoming a Christian will solve all of your problems, what do we do when it doesn’t?
When we experience events that crash over us like unexpected waves in the ocean — the ones that hit you just as you’re coming up for air, or circumstances that persist unrelentingly, it is easy to feel like we’ve been abandoned by God.
Like we must have taken the wrong turn or been misguided.
We can easily become disillusioned and discouraged in the midst of a world that places so much pressure on us to have it all together, and to make it known.
In the Church, there is sadly often an added element of pressure to do this. We can feel like our faith will be perceived as inferior if we don’t.
Christlike
When reflecting on the life of the disciples and the early Church, it becomes apparent that it is inevitable for the Christian life to be marked by suffering.
The life of Jesus was. He was in perfect relationship with His Father and was Himself God, but He was not unfamiliar with pain, rejection and sorrow.
“He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” — Isaiah 53:3
Jesus experienced the full spectrum of human emotions, and this culminated at the cross, in the ultimate depths of grief, pain and loss. If we desire to know Jesus, we will come face to face with a man who has known great suffering — the greatest suffering.
“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed.” — 1 Peter 4:12-13
The more we experience pain in this life, the more we can empathise with the pain of those around us and appreciate the deep pain our Saviour endured for us.
When we love God in the midst of trials and pain, it shows the world that we have found a treasure in Him that is not based on superficial things He can give us — much like the life of Job.
When we experience suffering, it can either be the catalyst that drives us into the arms of our suffering Saviour, or the thing that drives us away from Him in anger and disappointment.
Remember This
If you are going through pain that seems too great to bear, I want to encourage you to keep going.
I want to implore you to look upon Jesus, the one who suffered for you.
As you do, may you be reminded that the reason He suffered was for you.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” — Hebrews 12:1-2
You were the joy set before Him.
If you lack joy today, if you feel overwhelmed and downcast, look to Him.
He has not forgotten you and He is with you through it all, in the darkness. And the darkness is as light to him.
Whether or not your circumstances remain or change, may you find hope in the truth that you are His joy, and that there will be a day when suffering will be no more.
“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” – Revelation 21:4
Until that day comes, may you find comfort in knowing that He is weeping with you.
In recent years, the issue of suicide has become an alarming concern, with increasing numbers of lives lost to this tragic act. As a physician specialising in mental illness and a Christian, I believe it is crucial to address this issue from a personal and faith-based perspective.
In this essay, I will explore the antidote to loss, guilt, shame, loneliness, isolation, and resentment, particularly in the context of suicide prevention.
Understanding the Problem
The statistics on suicide deaths in Australia reveal a distressing trend. Despite advancements in mental health awareness, reduced stigma, and the presence of support services, the number of suicides has outpaced population growth.
While some suicides can be attributed to mental illness and substance abuse, many are directly linked to profound emotional struggles such as loss, guilt, shame, and resentment, which often lead to feelings of loneliness and isolation.
The Power of Connection
Isolation has a profound impact on individuals, heightening their vulnerability and making suicidal thoughts more accessible. In the absence of meaningful human contact, despair, resentment, and self-loathing can become overwhelming. Therefore, fostering connections and combating loneliness is crucial in preventing suicide.
The Antidote: Love, Repentance, and Forgiveness
The antidote to the debilitating emotions associated with loss, guilt, shame, and resentment lies in love, repentance, and forgiveness — both for oneself and others.
In Mark 11:25, Jesus emphasises the importance of forgiveness, stating,
“And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
Similarly, Martin Luther King Jr. asserts that the capacity to forgive is essential for the capacity to love.
Embracing the Antidote
As Christians, we can draw upon the grace and example of Jesus to apply this antidote effectively. Ephesians 1:7 reminds us that through Jesus, we have redemption and forgiveness. Following Jesus’ commandment in Matthew 22:39 to love our neighbours as ourselves, we can approach individuals at risk of suicide with honesty and love.
Practical Steps to Implement the Antidote
Treat each person as equal in the sight of God: Recognise the inherent worth and dignity of every individual, regardless of their struggles or circumstances. By doing so, we create an environment that fosters a sense of belonging.
Overcome isolation through personal connection: Engage in one-on-one communication with individuals, demonstrating genuine interest and attention. Let them know that they are valued and deserving of care.
Encourage community involvement: Invite individuals to become part of a caring church community or other supportive groups. Creating a sense of belonging and social support can alleviate feelings of loneliness and isolation.
Practice active listening: Approach the individual with an open and inquisitive mindset. Give them space to express their feelings of loss, guilt, shame, and resentment, without judgment or interruption.
Facilitate spiritual healing: Encourage individuals to seek solace and forgiveness in Christ. Introduce them to the transformative power of God’s love, which can offer profound healing and a renewed sense of purpose.
Seek professional help: While love and spiritual guidance are essential, it is crucial to ensure that individuals receive appropriate professional help for any identified mental health issues or underlying problems.
As Christians, we possess a powerful antidote to the emotional burdens that lead to suicide. Love, repentance, and forgiveness are potent forces that can counteract feelings of loss, guilt, shame, loneliness, isolation, and resentment. By embodying these principles and following the example of Jesus, we can create a compassionate and supportive environment for individuals at risk.
Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be. (Deuteronomy 33:25)
Here are two things provided for the pilgrim: shoes and strength.
As for the shoes: they are very needful for traveling along rough ways and for trampling upon deadly foes. We shall not go barefoot—this would not be suitable for princes of the blood royal. Our shoes shall not be at all of the common sort, for they shall have soles of durable metal, which will not wear out even if the journey be long and difficult. We shall have protection proportionate to the necessities of the road and the battle. Wherefore let us march boldly on, fearing no harm even though we tread on serpents or set our foot upon the dragon himself.
As for the strength: it shall be continued as long as our days shall continue, and it shall be proportioned to the stress and burden of those days. The words are few, “as thy days thy strength,” but the meaning is full. This day we may look for trial, and for work which will require energy, but we may just as confidently look for equal strength. This word given to Asher is given to us also who have faith wherewith to appropriate it. Let us rise to the holy boldness which it is calculated to create within the believing heart.
This most beautiful, blessed hymn is sung by Aileen Gilchrist, and I thank her for the privilege and honor in allowing me to share it on my YouTube channel. Here is the link to Aileen’s iTunes page, where you will find more of her beautiful, God-glorifying songs: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/aileen-gilchrist/id278582144
The Lord’s My Shepherd / 23rd Psalm – Aileen Gilchrist / Hymn / Lyrics
Lyrics Date: 1850 Key: F Theme: God’s Faithfulness
Composer: Jessie S. Irvine
Music Date: 1871
Tune: CRIMOND
Meter: C.M.
Scripture: Psalm 23
“The Lord’s My Shepherd, I’ll Not Want” first appeared in print in the Scottish Psalter of 1650. This Psalter was assembled by the Westminster Assembly, which also gave us the Westminster Confession and the Book of Common Prayer. In it, portions from various sources were combined to create the beautiful hymn we know today.
Though it was well-loved in Scotland, “The Lord’s My Shepherd” did not enjoy popularity outside the Church of Scotland for nearly 300 years. It finally appeared in the Methodist Hymnal of 1876 and later the Congregational Hymnal of 1916. But it wasn’t included in an Anglican hymnbook until 1965.
The hymn version of Psalm 23 remains faithful to David’s psalm. Its popularity in England grew in part because of its use during the 1947 marriage ceremony between Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip. Since that time, it’s become a well-known hymn, often requested for weddings and funerals today.
The Lord’s my Shepherd, I’ll not want. He makes me down to lie In pastures green; He leadeth me The quiet waters by.
My soul He doth restore again; And me to walk doth make Within the paths of righteousness, Even for His own Name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk in death’s dark vale, Yet will I fear none ill; For Thou art with me; and Thy rod And staff me comfort still.
My table Thou hast furnished In presence of my foes; My head Thou dost with oil anoint, And my cup overflows.
Goodness and mercy all my life Shall surely follow me; And in God’s house forevermore My dwelling place shall be.
“I the LORD do keep it; I will water it every moment: Lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day” — Isaiah 27:3
When the LORD Himself speaks in His own proper person rather than through a prophet, the word has a peculiar weight to believing minds. It is Jehovah Himself who is the keeper of His own vineyard; He does not trust it to any other, but He makes it His own personal care. Are they not well kept whom God Himself keeps? We are to receive gracious watering, not only every day and every hour “but every moment.” How we ought to grow! How fresh and fruitful every plant should be! What rich clusters the vines should bear! But disturbers come; little foxes and the boar. Therefore, the LORD Himself is our Guardian, and that at all hours, both “night and day.” What, then, can harm us? Why are we afraid! He tends, He waters, He guards; what more do we need?
Twice in this verse the LORD says, “I will.” What truth, what power, what love, what immutability we find in the great “I will” of Jehovah! Who can resist His will? If He says “I will,” what room is there for doubt? With an “I will” of God we can face all the hosts of sin, death, and hell. O LORD, since Thou sayest, “I will keep thee,” I reply, “I will praise Thee!”
“You need to keep on patiently doing God’s will if you want Him to do for you all that He has promised” Hebrews 10:36
During a Bible study on this passage, Ted made this contribution: “Spiritually,” he said, “I’m a sprinter, not a long distance runner.”
Numerous Christians would identify with that for there is little patience, persistence and tenacity among believers. When adversity comes, many of us are prone to give up and lose our wind. That is the reason James 1:2-4, says,
“Dear brothers, is your life full of difficulties and temptations? Then be happy, for when the way is rough, your patience has a chance to grow. So let it grow, and don’t try to squirm out of your problems. For when your patience is finally in bloom, then you will be ready for anything, strong in character, full and complete.”
You will note the emphasis on patience. All of us are faced with problems, testings, temptations, adversities and trials in varying degrees. We can determine, by our attitudes and actions, whether or not our tragedies will turn to triumph. Our heartache and sorrow can become joy and rejoicing simply by our patience, which is the ability to relax in the confidence that God rules in the affairs of men and nations. Everything is under His control.
And as we walk in faith and obedience, we will be a part of His wonderful and perfect plan.
But the question may be asked, how can we increase this rare trait or gift of patience that unlocks the door to supernatural living? The answer is simple. It is found in Galatians 5:22-23 in the listing of the fruit of the Spirit, for one of the nine characteristics mentioned is patience or longsuffering.
Are you patient with your husband, wife, parents, children, neighbors and those with whom you work in the office? Or do you find yourself critical and complaining – more prone to judge than to bless?
As we more and more yield ourselves to God’s indwelling Holy Spirit, the fruit of patience is increased, along with all the other fruit.
Bible Reading:Hebrews 6:12-15
Today’s Action Point: I will invite the Holy Spirit to control and empower my life moment by moment, day by day, knowing that the fruit of the Spirit, including patience, will increase and mature in my life.
After listening to someone share how they blew it by losing their patience over a very small matter when their sincere intention was to keep calm in a disagreeable situation, I was reminded how recently a similar thing had happened to me.
Just when I think I am making progress in an area, I turn around and blow it again. I wasn’t looking to lose my control and say things I didn’t mean to say. And yet a simple conversation and small disagreement with my husband spiraled into heated words and I definitely blew it with my tongue. It was so trivial and stupid of me. I blew it again…
I was madder at myself than my husband was. For him it blew over very quickly but I continued to punish myself with the question, why did I do it? I didn’t want to do it! But I did it.
Why am I so prone to sin? Does that sound familiar?
“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” Romans 7:15 (NIV)
Why can’t I do a better job of reigning myself in? Why did I do something I didn’t even want to do?
Do you hear the condemnation ringing loud in this battle raging within me? There is an answer. There is now no condemnation.
There–is–now–no-condemnation.
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:1-2 (NIV)
When I blow it again, there is no condemnation because Jesus took care of that for me. I am so thankful for this truth. I need to accept this beautiful gift of no condemnation. It is part of my inheritance as a born again believer and child of God.
I don’t want to blow it again. But I probably will.
Israel: Netanyahu Announces Ambitious Plan for ‘Communications Corridor’ “Today we are reaping more fruit of the historic Abraham Accords that we brought. We will connect fiber optic cables from Asia, Arab nations, from Eilat to Ashkelon and the rest of the world,” stated Netanyahu. PM Netanyahu: “This will attract investors and turn Israel into a global communications center. This will jump-start the Israeli economy. Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, thank you for leading this important effort.”
“Rantings Of A Demagogue” – Parents Angered By Princeton President’s Graduation Address “President Eisgruber’s commencement speech was a disgrace,” a mother of a graduating senior told The College Fix in an email. “The primary assault on free speech takes place on every campus in this country – including Princeton.” “It takes the form of blocking and shouting down faculty and invited speakers who dare to stray from the liberal orthodoxy,” she said. “…He chose to use his 2023 commencement address to deliver the rantings of a demagogue.”
Burisma Owner Allegedly Recorded Biden Bribe Convos As ‘Insurance Policy’ — And FBI Covered Up: Grassley Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) on Monday dropped yet another bombshell in the recent spate of Biden corruption headlines – that the foreign national who allegedly bribed then-VP Joe Biden kept seventeen secret recordings of both Hunter and Joe Biden as an ‘insurance’ policy. Two of the recordings are allegedly between Joe Biden……………………..
New IDF intel unit preparing for possible Israel-Iran war The unit’s objective is to prepare for a potential conflict between Israel and Iran; its establishment is a major step in the Israeli military’s strategic planning – the unique nature of such conflict necessitates a different approach compared to previous military operations
Israel and the Ring of Fire vigilance is a watchword for Israel’s government leaders, the IDF military strategists, and her multi-layered security organizations and vast intelligence networks. They have been planning and coordinating for such a scenario for many years. The bottom line is that the IDF will be forced to fight on multiple fronts against overwhelming odds. Rest assured major plans have been developed for the movement of Israeli populations to areas where the people will be as safe as possible. However, no part of Israel will be untouched.
Crashed UFOs and U.S. government secrets: Extraterrestrial frenzy reaches U.S. Congress The United States House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, the main investigative committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, plans to hold a hearing on the subject of UFOs following allegations by a former intelligence officer that the U.S. found crashed alien spacecraft on Earth. Grusch also hinted that the government possesses bodies of extraterrestrials.
Palestinians rail at Likud lawmaker’s proposal to divide Temple Mount Dividing the Aqsa Mosque compound (Temple Mount) between Muslims and Jews would cause “overwhelming anger,” the results of which cannot be expected, Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh warned on Monday.
Israel notifies U.S. of plan to greenlight thousands of new settlement homes Israel has notified the Biden Administration of its intention to greenlight the construction of 4,000 new housing units in Judea and Samaria this month, the Axios news site reported on Monday. In a bid to prevent embarrassing the White House, American and Israeli officials confirmed that the Israeli government had informed their counterparts in Washington.
Iran confirms ‘exchange of messages’ with US over nuke deal Speaking at a press conference, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said that indirect diplomatic engagement between the US and Iran continues to be carried out through intermediary countries, specifically thanking Oman for its role as a go-between.
Muslims Again Admit Jewish Temples Stood on Temple Mount Long before the Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque, the Jewish Temple dominated Jerusalem’s skyline. And a new photo book confirms it. And many older Muslim sources likewise acknowledge the Temple Mount was the location of the temples built or expanded by King Solomon, Nehemiah and Herod the Great.
Pope calls sex abusers ‘children of God’ deserving of ‘love’ Pope Francis raised some eyebrows while discussing sex abusers, whom he labeled “children of God” who deserve love and “pastoral care” — as well revolting “enemies” who must be punished. The pontiff made his remarks last month during a private meeting with a group of Jesuit priests in Hungary, but they were only published Tuesday by La Civilta Cattolica, an Italian Jesuit journal.
Mayo retaliates against prof who strayed from ‘prescribed messaging’ on trans athletes The Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science (MCCMS) banned Dr. Michael Joyner, an anesthesiology professor, from speaking with journalists without the institution’s approval and denied his annual raise after he made public comments on COVID-19 and gender that strayed from the institution’s “prescribed messaging,” according to a letter from the Mayo Clinic published by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE).
Teachers union tells members to toss letter on opting out ‘in the garbage’ The St. Paul Federation of Educators (SPFE) is encouraging teachers to ignore a letter from the Freedom Foundation notifying them of their right to opt out of Education Minnesota, the state’s teachers union. Opt Out Today is a campaign from the Freedom Foundation encouraging union members nationwide to reclaim their personal freedoms and get out of unions.
Biden allegedly received $5 million ‘bribe’ from Ukrainian executive, FBI doc shows According to an FBI document, President Joe Biden was allegedly paid $5 million by a Ukrainian executive as part of a bribery scheme during his time as former President Barack Obama’s vice president. After the Republican-controlled House of Representatives threatened to hold FBI Director Christopher Wray in contempt of Congress in response to his initial refusal to comply with the House Oversight Committee’s subpoena for the FD-1023 document regarding the alleged bribery scheme, Wray allowed members of the committee to securely view the FBI-generated FD-1023 form. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) told Fox News correspondent Chad Pergram there is “no doubt” in her mind that Biden is “guilty of bribery.”
World’s largest earthquake early warning system announced in China China’s Earthquake Early Warning System (EEWS), the largest of its kind globally, has been completed, according to an announcement by Min Yiren, the head of the China Earthquake Administration (CEA), on June 8, 2023. The system is anticipated to be fully functional by the end of the year, covering more than 15 000 monitoring stations, three national centers, 31 provincial centers, and 173 prefectural and municipal information release centers.
US Senators Reintroduce ‘Gene Act’ to Protect Americans’ Genetic Data From Chinese Regime Two Republican senators have reintroduced a bill aimed at protecting the genetic data of Americans in response to the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) collection of such data. BGI Group (BGI), a leading company in the Chinese genomics industry, has been repeatedly accused of extensively collecting the genetic data of Americans.
WEF Wants To Slaughter Millions of Pet Cats and Dogs To Fight Climate Change The World Economic Forum has recently launched a controversial new initiative that will have animal rights activists up in arms. The World Economic Forum is now calling for millions of cats and dogs worldwide to be slaughtered in an effort to reduce the “carbon pawprint” they produce as a result of eating meat.
Through its members and offshoot organisations, the Fabian Society’s influence is global The Fabian Society is a British organisation that has aimed, and still aims, to promote socialist ideas and policies through a very slow and reformist approach. The society’s members include activists, intellectuals and politicians – such as former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, London Mayor Sadiq Khan, former Prime Minister of Canada Pierre Trudeau and former US President Bill Clinton – who advocate for social justice, equality and other neo-Marxist nonsense.
Dr. Thomas Binder: The entire modified RNA platform must be banned immediately Thomas Binder, a Swedish medical doctor, warned in a video he tweeted yesterday that the pharmaceutical is currently working on transferring all vaccinations onto using the mRNA platform. “Even having a trace of intelligence, is enough to realise that the modified RNA vaccine platform is totally nonsensical and life-threatening,” he said. “The entire modified RNA platform must be banned immediately.”
“In proportion as the structure of a government gives force to public opinion, it is essential that public opinion should be enlightened.” —George Washington (1796)
Another day, another example of the FBI withholding damning evidence of Joe Biden’s corruption.
Douglas Andrews
The news keeps getting worse and worse for Joe and Hunter Biden — so much so that we half expect to see, any day now, some kompromat of the Big Guy cavorting around with his son and some of those Russian prostitutes.
We’re sorry about that. Some things are tough to unsee.
Otherwise, it’s hard to imagine how things could get worse for the Biden Crime Family — or, for that matter, for the FBI’s corrupt “Republican” director, Chris Wray — given the recent FBI whistleblower revelations that the bureau has been sitting on damning evidence of a 2015 payment of $5 million each from Burisma owner Mykola Zlochevsky to both then-Vice President Biden and his influence-peddling son Hunter in a scheme to stop an investigation of the corrupt Ukrainian energy company by a state prosecutor.
Oh, we suppose there could be, say, some audio recordings of these incriminating conversations between Zlochevsky and the Bidens — something that Team Biden’s lawyers couldn’t obfuscate their way out of, something that the American people could really sink their teeth into.
We suppose. But what are the odds?
As it turns out, pretty good.
Iowa Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, the 89-year-old corncob in the Bidens’ britches, said Monday that the Burisma executive who allegedly bribed Joe and Hunter Biden thusly kept 17 audio recordings of his conversations with them as an “insurance policy.”
These latest revelations, Grassley said, are related to the now-infamous FBI FD-1023 form — the form whose very existence Wray denied before finally fessing up when Grassley informed him that he’d already seen it thanks to the aforementioned whistleblower. So much for Wray’s Herculean efforts to hide these truths from the American people and run out the clock on behalf of the Bidens.
In a decent world with a decent attorney general, Chris Wray would be unemployed by now, and he’d be back home sorting through a couple of banker’s boxes, wondering where to put the extra stapler and the extra scissors and the extra Scotch tape dispenser. In a decent world.
“According to the 1023,” said Senator Grassley, “the foreign national possesses 15 audio recordings of phone calls between him and Hunter Biden. According to the 1023, the foreign national possesses two audio recordings of phone calls between him and then-Vice President Joe Biden. These recordings were allegedly kept as a sort of insurance policy for the foreign national in case he got into a tight spot. The 1023 also indicates that then-Vice President Joe Biden may have been involved in Burisma employing Hunter Biden.”
Apparently, the Burisma bigwig believes this present spot to be of surpassing tightness, or perhaps he’s simply not satisfied with the return he’s gotten for his investment in the Biden Crime Family.
It’s funny, not funny: This is the kompromat that we were warned about; the smoking gun of Donald Trump’s collusion with the Russians; the thing we were regularly and repeatedly promised by Adam Schiff and countless other Trump-hating Democrats throughout the course of his presidency. Except it isn’t Trump who’s compromised. It’s Joe Biden.
Remember: These aren’t classified materials. The bureau isn’t protecting national security secrets here. Congress should have access to them — and so should we, the American people.
Grassley concluded: “So, as I’ve repeatedly asked since going public with the existence of the 1023, what, if anything, has the Justice Department and FBI done to investigate? The Justice Department and FBI must show their work. They no longer deserve the benefit of the doubt.”
Indeed, the FBI long ago lost the benefit of the doubt. For years now, the bureau has behaved more like the Democrat Party’s secret police rather than the world’s foremost investigative agency. And if, as the old Greek adage goes, a fish rots from the head, then Chris Wray is rotten. As was Andrew McCabe before him. And smarmy, simpering James Comey too.
So, two questions: First, where are the calls for Wray’s resignation? “Republican” or not, he’s a disgrace and an embarrassment, and we’d rather have a corrupt Democrat leading the bureau than a corrupt Republican. At least then, we’d know what to expect.
And second, where’s the special counsel for the Biden Crime Family? Trump’s special counsel has been working overtime, while the special counsel who was appointed by Merrick Garland to look into Biden’s, ahem, innocent mishandling of decades’ worth of classified materials has apparently checked into the bureau’s witness protection program. Does anyone even remember that dude’s name? It’s Robert Hur.
We’re not alone in wondering about a special counsel. Here’s the Washington Examiner’s editorial board:
The “big guy” himself and his top aides repeatedly took meetings with shady foreigners who were funneling millions of dollars to Joe Biden’s family when he was overseeing policy toward those foreign interests. Complicated policy questions in Ukraine, Russia, Romania, China, and elsewhere were pursued in ways seemingly beneficial to the Biden family’s benefactors. Payments were funneled through shell corporations not just to Hunter and Jim Biden but to widows and paramours and even Joe Biden’s grandchildren.
With all of these indicators of corruption, and with three different people saying the “big guy” is involved, the Justice Department’s inaction looks incoherent and inexcusable, especially as Trump is being dragged into court. … A special counsel should be appointed to investigate it.
This has gone on long enough. As the New York Post reports, “The bribery allegation against Biden was first made in 2017, but the informant file read by House lawmakers last week was created by the FBI in June 2020 after that tip received fresh attention.” In other words, these materials have been in the FBI’s possession almost as long as they’ve had Hunter’s laptop.
And yet this is the first we’re hearing about them.
Remind us: Just who is the FBI supposed to be working for, and just what is its mission supposed to be?
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A report from a UK newspaper indicates that the coronavirus wasn’t merely leaked from the Wuhan lab.
Nate Jackson
Some things never change. More than 10 years ago, political observer David Burge quipped: “Journalism is about covering important stories. With a pillow, until they stop moving.”
One story that illustrates that as well as any is the theory that the coronavirus leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. As comedian Jon Stewart famously mocked: “There’s a novel respiratory coronavirus overtaking Wuhan, China, what do we do? Oh, you know, who we could ask? The Wuhan novel respiratory coronavirus lab. The disease is the same name as the lab.”
Even with lefties like Stewart clearly on the case, American authorities and the Leftmedia preferred to cover the Wuhan lab leak … with a pillow. In fact, Leftmedia “fact-checkers” routinely tried to stamp out that story in favor of the preposterous idea that bats infected people at a wet market. Slowly, as the evidence mounted, that suppression eased, and more news outlets grudgingly and quietly admitted that COVID probably came from the lab.
In any case, the UK’s Sunday Times committed actual journalism and dropped a bombshell report alleging that not only was the virus leaked, but the Chinese military was involved.
Researchers “were combining the world’s most deadly coronaviruses to create a new mutant virus,” the Times says. This gain-of-function research using viruses collected from bats was funded in part with U.S. taxpayer money funneled from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) through EcoHealth Alliance, which almost certainly lied to keep the funding coming, and conducted by “researchers from the Chinese military” who were “pursuing bioweapons.”
Even most proponents of the lab-leak theory have been hesitant to claim COVID was the result of deliberate bioweapon development, so if true this is huge.
Aside from the appalling lack of curiosity by the American media, the Chinese government has stonewalled at every turn. The ChiComs have denied the virus even originated in China, blamed the U.S. military, and ludicrously undercounted Chinese deaths. They effectively control the World Health Organization.
And they likely are responsible for at least seven million deaths worldwide.
The Times lays out an extensive report on the progression of events and decisions leading up to the first reported infections. Journalists at the Times pored over documents, reports, memos, and the like, as well as interviewed State Department investigators. That last part is key in terms of corroborating the Times’s conclusions.
Are any American media reporting on this blockbuster? Nope.
Searching Google, all you’ll find is foreign or off-beat sources. No New York Times, no Washington Post, no CBS News, no nothing. Either American media outlets are waiting for the parchment copy of the news to arrive on the next boat from England, or they’ve covered the news with a pillow.
The consequences of the virus, the lies, the censorship, and the tyrannical response to it all are hard to overstate. Millions died, often totally alone with loved ones locked outside. Our roaring economy was gutted by shutdowns and then massive government spending. Perhaps $420 billion in supposed relief money was stolen and wasted, news reports just yesterday indicate. Our children were kept out of school and suffered loss of education and mental health issues. President Donald Trump was defeated, leading to a prolonged economic malaise and a weaker America to oppose China.
More than three years later, a news outlet — in Great Britain — finally gets around to reporting that the Chinese military was behind it the whole time. This pandemic was as destructive and debilitating as a major war, and it worked about as well to weaken the West as the most malevolent Chinese military leaders could have imagined.
If only initial reports about the lab had been called the Wuhan Dossier, the American people might have known about it in time for it to matter for public policy and elections instead of just the history books.
Carlson gets cease and desist letter, Planned Parenthood’s “transgender” business plan, and more.
Thomas Gallatin & Jordan Candler
Cross-Examination
Carlson gets cease and desist letter from Fox: Tucker Carlson is technically still under contract with Fox News after he was suddenly sidelined with still no explanation given, and he has been sent a cease and desist letter from the cable news media giant following the airing of his second Twitter show. The first episode of that show drew more than 100 million views. Carlson’s legal team, headed by attorney Harmeet Dhillon, a regular guest on Carlson’s Fox News show, contended that the letter was Fox “demanding that Tucker Carlson be silent until after the 2024 election.” Apparently, Carlson is planning to ignore the letter. His executive producer, Justin Wells, who has also left Fox, noted that Carlson’s next Twitter episode will be posted today. The legal wrangling may end up revealing the real reason behind Fox’s decision to cancel Carlson.
Polling post-Trump indictment: it’s political: An ABC/Ipsos poll following Donald Trump’s indictment for allegedly mishandling classified documents found that nearly half of Americans (48%) support it and 42% of Americans believe these charges to be very serious. The poll also showed that nearly the same percentage of Americans (47%) believe the indictment to be politically motived. Unsurprisingly, the breakdown by political affiliation shows that the vast majority of Democrats (86%) support the charges, while 67% of Republicans oppose them. As we said yesterday, whatever you thought of Donald Trump before the indictment, you likely still think of Donald Trump.
Planned Parenthood’s “transgender” business plan: Planned Parenthood’s recently released annual report for last year reveals that the organization’s embrace of the “transgender” agenda is ultimately all about money. The country’s number one abortion provider is actively working to corner the market on providing “transgender” services. For the nation’s largest abortion mill, the financial impact of the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade has yet to be fully determined, but given the fact that abortion numbers are down, it’s bound to have negatively impacted Planned Parenthood’s bottom line. But it would appear that Planned Parenthood has long anticipated this and has become the leading organization trumpeting what is euphemistically dubbed “gender-affirming care.” Indeed, Planned Parenthood’s “other services,” which predominately include so-called gender services procedures, increased from 15,902 the year prior to 256,550 last year. In other words, “transing” the kids has become a key feature of the business model moving forward.
The hemorrhaging of the UMC: America’s second-largest Protestant denomination has been hemorrhaging congregations in staggering numbers over the last few years. Since the United Methodist Church (UMC) General Conference approved a measure in 2019 that allows individual UMC congregations to keep their buildings and church property should two-thirds of the congregants vote to leave, more than 5,000 churches have left the denomination. But the root cause behind this mass exodus is the UMC’s embrace of LGBTQ ideology despite the fact that the General Conference voted to uphold the church’s biblical ban on ordaining homosexuals and officiating same-sex weddings. Conservative congregations are leaving the UMC in response to the Left’s advances.
Jeffrey Epstein settlement: Yesterday, JPMorgan Chase settled a civil lawsuit that had been raised against the bank last year by a victim of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking. In the $290 million settlement, JPMorgan did not admit liability for Epstein’s crimes, though the bank did acknowledge that it maintained an account with Epstein for years after his first sex-crime conviction. JPMorgan and the attorneys representing the victims released a statement noting, “The parties believe this settlement is in the best interests of all parties, especially the survivors who were the victims of Epstein’s terrible abuse.” The bank is not out of the legal woods yet, as it is still facing a lawsuit raised by the U.S. Virgin Islands over its business relationship with Epstein. The common thread to these lawsuits is JPMorgan’s former head, Jes Staley, who had a close relationship with Epstein and kept him as a client with the bank after his 2008 conviction.
Headlines
Trump says he’ll plead not guilty at arraignment, won’t make statement (The Hill)
Inflation rose at a 4% annual rate in May, the lowest in two years (CNBC)
Feds blew $3 trillion on “improper” payments over the last 20 years (Washington Times)
Biden admin stands by misleading denial of Chinese spy activity in Cuba (Free Beacon)
Dozens of war games show U.S. unprepared for “horrifically bloody” war with China (Free Beacon)
Biden preparing plans to evacuate Americans from Taiwan (Townhall)
Biden admin says encounters with illegal aliens are way down at border. Is it true? (Daily Signal)
Gavin Newsom admits California “has not made progress” on its homelessness crisis (Daily Wire)
Multiple Target stores across U.S. hit with bomb threats for “betraying the LGBTQ+ community” (Daily Wire)
New study shows that a large percentage of people who identify as LGBT end up switching to heterosexual in just a few years time (Not the Bee)
Most Americans believe “trans” athletes should compete against those with same biological gender (Fox Sports)
Fact-check: Nearly 100% of political contributions from fact-checkers go to Democrats (Free Beacon)
Washington Post publisher leaving after nine years (Axios)
Policy: The UK just banned chemical castration for kids. America should do the same and more. (The Federalist)
Humor: Biden instructs military to shoot anyone who calls U.S. a banana republic (Babylon Bee)
Who could’ve imagined that the government’s meddling in the student loan affair would actually make matters worse?
Michael Swartz
It’s been said that elections have consequences. And one clear case of this is the mess we’ve made of student loans.
Donald Trump’s administration instituted a pause on student loan payments back in 2020 as a temporary measure to help people who may have been thrown out of a job because of pandemic-related shutdowns. Yet here we are in June 2023, and an edict that was initially supposed to be two months long will finally be rescinded in August, when the recently passed debt ceiling agreement is implemented.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is expected to announce its decision later this month regarding Joe Biden’s shameless attempt to forgive a portion of almost everyone’s student loan — which of course outrages those of us who scrimped and sacrificed to pay off our own college debt after years or even decades. Sanity is expected to hold there, as the Court is expected to declare that portion of Biden’s idea unconstitutional. We’ll believe it when we see it.
Here in our humble shop, we’ve spent a lot of time over the last few years talking and writing about this issue. While the political endgame has been debated here, we’ve generally been of one mind that the idea of the government magically forgiving someone’s student loan debt sets a very bad precedent, with the government-decreed pause in payments also setting a poor example.
To that end, we’re a bit surprised it’s taken this long for economists to see the effects that this lengthy student loan payment back-and-forth has had on the financial habits of those who’ve benefited from it. If you believe Emma Camp at Reason Magazine, the verdict is in: The student loan pause has made borrowers worse off.
While we agree with Camp’s assessment, it’s always helpful to look at the source. A “working paper” by three University of Chicago researchers at the National Bureau of Economic Research comes to the conclusion that the beneficiaries of this forbearance went into debt elsewhere instead of holding a little bit back for when the party came to an end. The trio compared borrowers who were subject to the payment pause because of the source of the loan — the federal government — with those who weren’t subject to it because they borrowed from private entities with simply a government guarantee. The results, frankly, were not surprising.
“Comparing borrowers whose loans were frozen with borrowers whose loans were not frozen due to differences in whether the government owned the loans, we show that borrowers used the new liquidity to increase borrowing on credit cards, mortgages, and auto loans rather than avoid delinquencies,” said researchers Michael Dinerstein, Ching-Tse Chen, and Constantine Yannelis. They went on to note that the pause had a stimulus effect of increasing the consumption of those freed from paying on student loans, but they were consuming more than the paused amount allowed for.
“We find that the payment pause had a large effect on immediate consumption,” they continued. “Policymakers focused on boosting short-term consumption, especially for stimulus effects, may then find debt moratoria to be effective policy tools at relatively low long-term fiscal cost. At the same time, we find that the student debt payment moratorium led to higher levels of overall leverage, not only through borrowers not paying down student debt balances, but also through the accumulation of other types of household debt. By the end of the sample period, student debt borrowers have about 5% more household debt, driven roughly half by student and non-student debt. Perhaps paradoxically, temporary student debt relief leads to higher overall household debt levels and larger future debt burdens.”
But so long as it leads to more Democrat votes in 2024 — as it may well have in 2022 — then the Biden administration doesn’t care about these unintended consequences.
There’s also a secondary aspect to this that should be discussed as well. Thousands of borrowers are taking advantage of a different sort of loan forgiveness called an Income-Driven Repayment Plan that the left-leaning Brookings Institution claimed last September will “turn student loans into untargeted grants.” This may be a windfall for the “funemployment” crowd, which can simply borrow extra to cover their living expenses.
“While students certainly need to pay rent and buy food while in school, under the administration proposal a student can borrow significant amounts for ‘living expenses,’ deposit the check in a bank account, and not pay it all back,” noted Adam Looney of Brookings. “Some people will use loans like an ATM, which will be costly for taxpayers and is certainly not the intended use of the loans.”
Looney also notes, “On average, borrowers (current and future) might only expect to repay approximately $0.50 for each dollar they borrow,” adding that some lucky folks may have their debts completely forgiven, and will in essence be getting free money.
Of course, it won’t be free for the suckers productive and hardworking people out there who’ve made good on their debts and paid back their student loans. For us, it’s just an expensive lesson in Democrat politics.
The MLB franchise’s brainwashing operation is nearly complete.
Emmy Griffin
The United States’ top hat, Canada, is more leftist than most Americans care to admit. It is proudly pushing its people toward assisted suicide, its “free” healthcare kills more people than it actually helps (particularly if you’re a cancer patient waiting on much-needed doctors’ appointments), and its radical transgender ideology is all-encompassing.
The latest and most pertinent example is from Major League Baseball’s Toronto Blue Jays. Their relief pitcher, Anthony Bass, recently voiced his opinion in favor of boycotting Target and Anheuser-Busch. Bass was then called on the carpet by the Blue Jays organization and made to give a public apology for his opinion. As columnist David Harsanyi put it, it followed the struggle session pattern: “First, the confession for wrongthink. … Then the apology and promise of reform.”
Bass should have stuck to his guns. For his flip-flop, baseball fans on both sides of the issue booed him at games. This, however, wasn’t the end of the Blue Jays’ woke saga.
As the New York Post reported, “Blue Jays manager John Schneider said the apology was a ‘first step,’ but it would take more than Bass’ initial words to make things right.”
The Blue Jays are making an example of Bass because there will never be an apology that will mollify the radical Rainbow Mafia. Plus, there was an interesting admission by Bass post-booing. In an interview this past Thursday, Bass said: “I stand by my personal beliefs and everyone is entitled to their personal beliefs, right? But I also mean no harm to any groups of people.”
Bass still wants to have it both ways. He wants to have that middle road. Sadly, there is no middle road anymore in the culture war. The gender cultists are taking no prisoners, as is perfectly illustrated by what happened next to the unfortunate Anthony Bass.
Bass was supposed to play a key role during the Blue Jays’ Pride Weekend with games against the Minnesota Twins. He was supposed to catch the first pitch, likely as a gesture of humility. Activist leZlie Lee Kam was slated to throw the first pitch.
But hours before the game on Friday, June 9, the Blue Jays announced that Bass had been designated for assignment. In other words, he has been cut from the team and the Blue Jays have seven days to trade him or put him on waivers. Bass didn’t ultimately catch that first pitch of the game; pitcher Kevin Gausman did instead.
What was the given justification for the disgraced pitcher being cut? Blue Jays General Manager (GM) Ross Atkins told reporters: “Performance is usually the driving one and performance was a large aspect of this decision. Distraction was a small part of it and something we had to factor in.”
Even though the GM insists that Bass is being replaced largely due to his performance not being good enough, the timing — just on the heels of the controversy and apology — is suspicious to say the least.
Clearly, they want Bass out of Toronto. Bass is a dissenting voice (albeit a faint and very wishy-washy one) that they cannot allow to taint the rest of the team. One bad apple spoils the barrel — or, in this case, it seems they needed to make an example to keep their other players in line.
The majority’s decision, warned Alito, “unnecessarily sets the [Voting Rights Act] on a perilous and unfortunate path.”
Hans von Spakovsky
Chief Justice John Roberts famously wrote in a 2007 case: “The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race.”
He was exactly right in saying so in that Supreme Court decision in Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1.
Too bad Roberts didn’t follow his own admonition in Allen v. Milligan, the Alabama redistricting decision released last week by the Supreme Court.
In it, Roberts joined with the high court’s three liberal justices and, unfortunately, Justice Brett Kavanaugh to uphold the mistaken finding of a lower federal court. The lower court had decided that challengers to Alabama’s 2022 congressional redistricting plan were likely to succeed in their claim that the plan was discriminatory and violated a provision of the Voting Rights Act.
Of the state’s seven congressional districts, one has been a majority/minority district where black voters could elect their candidate of choice since 1992, when a federal court imposed that requirement in another lawsuit filed under the Voting Rights Act. Since then, Alabama legislators have maintained that single district’s boundaries after each subsequent census, including the 2020 census, with only marginal changes.
The challengers, who include the NAACP, sued over the 2022 plan that maintained the boundaries of that one congressional district. They claimed that changes in the state’s population entitled black voters to two majority/minority districts under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which prohibits “the denial or abridgment of the right to vote of any citizen” based on race or color.
A three-judge panel of the lower court found that Alabama’s 2022 redistricting plan likely violated Section 2 and issued a preliminary injunction enjoining the use of the plan in the upcoming congressional election.
Roberts wrote the majority opinion in the Supreme Court decision issued Thursday, claiming that more than enough evidence in the record supported the lower court’s finding. The chief justice was mistaken.
As Justice Clarence Thomas pointed out in his dissent — joined by Justices Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett, and Samuel Alito — the only real basis for the lower court’s decision concluding that the redistricting plan diluted blacks’ votes was because “it is possible to draw two majority-black districts” in Alabama (emphasis in the original).
But the critical question, Thomas wrote, is whether votes are diluted compared to what benchmark. The text of Section 2 “and the logic of vote-dilution claims require a meaningfully race-neutral benchmark, and no race-neutral benchmark can justify” the lower court’s finding of vote dilution, he wrote.
In fact, Thomas wrote, the “only benchmark that can justify” the ruling, and the one applied by the lower court, “is the decidedly nonneutral benchmark of proportional allocation of political power based on race.”
In other words, because blacks constitute about a quarter of Alabama’s population, the lower court concluded that they are entitled to two of the seven congressional seats allocated to the state.
Two major problems accompany that reasoning, problems that the lower court ignored, and Roberts’ opinion essentially glossed over.
The first problem is that the Voting Rights Act specifically warns in Section 2 that nothing in the statute “establishes a right to have members of a protected class elected in numbers equal to their proportion of the population.” Yet that is exactly what the lower court did.
Second, as Thomas again points out, the Supreme Court’s prior precedents, including Shaw v. Reno (1993), have held that when race is the predominant factor used to draw boundary lines to separate voters into different districts based on race, that is a prohibited violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution.
Thomas castigated the majority, concluding that this decision is “yet another installment in the disastrous misadventure of this court’s voting rights jurisprudence” that lays “bare the gulf between our ‘color-blind’ Constitution … and the consciously segregated districting system being constructed in the name of the Voting Rights Act.”
The question presented in this case, Thomas wrote, is whether Section 2 requires Alabama “to intentionally redraw its longstanding congressional districts so that black voters can control a number of seats roughly proportional to the black share” of the state’s population.
As Thomas declares, “Section 2 demands no such thing, and, if it did, the Constitution would not permit it.”
Moreover, he said, “nothing in Alabama’s geography or demography makes” the racial redistricting plans proposed by the challengers “the best way, or even a particularly attractive way, to draw” congressional districts.
Thomas wrote that Alabama has “obvious legitimate, race-neutral reasons to prefer its own map — notably, its interest in ‘preserving the cores of prior districts’ and the Gulf Coast community of interest” in one specific district that the challengers’ proposed redistricting map would break up.
Alito also filed a separate dissent, joined by Gorsuch, severely criticizing the high court’s majority in this case.
Alito pointed to “conspicuous violations of traditional districting criteria” by the challengers to Alabama’s plan, criteria such as compactness and contiguousness, which “constitute strong circumstantial evidence of unconstitutionality” (emphasis in original). And it is “direct evidence of illegality” when, as here, “it is shown that the configuration of a district is attributable predominantly to race” (emphasis in original).
Alito concluded that the majority’s opinion is “inconsistent with the text of [Section] 2, our precedents on racial predominance, and the fundamental principle that states are almost always prohibited from basing decisions on race.”
The majority’s decision, warned Alito, “unnecessarily sets the [Voting Rights Act] on a perilous and unfortunate path.”
Alito is right in that assessment. As a result of this flawed opinion, we will see race become an even more dominant and contentious feature in the redistricting process.
We should be moving away from that type of irresponsible behavior, not approving and encouraging it.
Douglas Andrews: Daniel Penny Defends Himself Again — In a video released by his legal team, the New York City subway’s good Samaritan tells his side of the Jordan Neely story.
Mike Rhinehart: Flyover Country — Living in flyover country reminds me of a gentler time in America. One that I miss.
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.
‘This Is Preposterous’ — A CNN analyst blasts the DOJ for slow-walking its Hunter Biden investigation.
‘Take a Look at Your President’ — Fox News host Sean Hannity made California Governor Gavin Newsom watch a compilation of Joe Biden’s “embarrassing struggles” after Newsom defended Biden from accusations that he was cognitively unfit to be president.
Rekindling the Spirit of the Classic Democrat — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. discusses his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election; his thoughts on key issues such as climate change, woke ideological capture, Big Pharma’s stranglehold on Democrat campaign funding, and the legacy media; and how the ideals that unite Americans are stronger than the ones that divide.
Over 100 Million Views — Tucker Carlson’s show on Twitter is destroying mainstream media viewership numbers.
U.S. Women’s Soccer Team Loses 24-1 to Men’s Teams — In three different games against men’s teams, U.S. Women’s Soccer gets predictably demolished, demonstrating the farce behind their equal pay complaint.
“When a person can be married in the morning and thrown out of a restaurant for being gay in the afternoon, something is still very wrong in America.” —Joe Biden
“We need to push back against the hundreds of callous and cynical bills and laws introduced in states targeting transgender children, terrifying families, and criminalizing doctors and nurses. These bills and laws attack the most basic values and freedoms we have as Americans — that’s not hyperbole.” —Joe Biden
“Let me close with what I see today at the White House, and I mean this from the bottom of my heart. I see families who testified in state capitols against laws stripping them of their freedom. I see students who are leading walkouts and protests of hateful bills like ‘Don’t Say Gay.’ … You’re some of the bravest and most inspiring people I’ve ever known.” —Joe Biden
“We know that this year’s Pride is caught between the push and pull of progress. Outside the gates of this house are those who want to drag our country backwards.” —Jill Biden
The BIG Lies
“The president respects the Department of Justice. He respects the rule of law. … He particularly wants to make sure that we restore the integrity of the Department of Justice, that we do not politicize the Department of Justice.” —White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre
“I think there’s no evidence that the federal Department of Justice has been weaponized.” —Senator Chris Coons (D-DE)
“I think the best thing for Joe Biden to do in this campaign is to keep showing that he is an effective and capable president by continuing to solve big problems.” —Chris Coons
“We know how to be good journalists because we do it every single day.” —CNN’s Dana Bash
Faux Pas
“How Ukraine’s Dam Collapse Could Become the Country’s ‘Chernobyl.’” —Time magazine headline
For the Record
“Last week, the Wall Street Journal published a shocking investigative report on how Instagram is enabling pedophilia and horrific crimes against children. … Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal report comes at the very same time that prominent people are insisting that young children be exposed to drag queen shows so that men can do suggestive dances in front of them. This investigative report was printed at exactly the same time when major corporations, sports teams and even the president of the United States are demanding that children, who can barely tie their shoes, be indoctrinated by adults to believe there are ‘no norms’ when it comes to complicated subjects like sex and gender.” —Gary Bauer
And Last…
“There is literally no greater expression of hatred and hostility towards women than to erase us as an entire category of people.” —former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard
‘Varney & Co.’ host Stuart Varney warned the nation could be in for a ‘decade of trouble’ if we don’t find a president who can restore confidence in the U.S. #foxbusiness #varney
I worked in places where I met Democrat voters who also attended church. And when Obama was being elected, and same-sex “marriage” was being legalized, I remember what they would say to me. They said “how would gay marriage affect your marriage?” And I explained to them how the redefinition of marriage to eliminate the complementary sexes would have a HUGE effect on society.
Here are a couple of stories showing what comes after same-sex “marriage”.
California lawmakers are advancing a bill that would redefine the inability of men to get pregnant as “infertility” and entitle them to insurance-covered fertility treatments.
The legislation, which passed in the Senate late last month and is about to be taken up by the Assembly, would require employer-sponsored insurance plans to cover all nonexperimental fertility treatments, including artificial insemination of pregnancy surrogates. Supporters of…
On Tuesday’s “National Report,” Rep. Andy Ogles has introduced Articles of Impeachment against President Joe Biden and explains why. Watch NEWSMAX, an independent news network with a conservative perspective, available in 100M+ U.S. homes.
Joe Biden delivers remarks on the South Lawn of the White House Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, prior to signing H.R. 4346, ‘The CHIPS and Science Act of 2022.’ (Official White House photo by Erin Scott)
A Democrat-orchestrated investigation – and indictment – has President Trump appearing in court on charges related to his handling of government documents.
So where, a growing number of editorials are asking, is the similar investigation of the Biden clan?
A headline by Elizabeth Stauffer in the Washington Examiner said, “Let’s apply the Jack Smith standard to Biden and Hillary Clinton,” Smith being the prosecutor specially picked out by the partisan attorney general, Merrick Garland, to orchestrate something against Trump.
She explained, “I read the Department of Justice’s indictment this weekend, and yes, it was a mess. Frankly, one can easily imagine former President Donald Trump ordering the movement of storage boxes from one location to another (and back again) and even waving a ‘senior military officials” attack plan in front of a writer for dramatic effect. Reckless? Yes. A violation of the law? Maybe. As corrupt as Hillary Clinton’s mishandling and destruction of classified material? Or the Biden family’s alleged influence-peddling operation? Not by a long shot.”
“One need not defend Trump’s behavior as outlined in the indictment to point out that the Justice Department’s charges in this case are the result of selective prosecution. Consider, for example, the many cases of rule-bending and breaking that the DOJ has turned a blind eye to at Trump’s expense,” the commentary said.
She cited, “In March 2019, Fox News obtained a copy of an internal FBI chart created during its ‘Midyear Exam’ investigation into Clinton’s use of a private server when she was secretary of state. The following comment appeared next to 18 U.S. Code 793 (f) , the section of the statute most applicable to Clinton’s case: ‘NOTE: DOJ not willing to charge this; only known cases are Military, cases when accused lost the information (e.g. thumb drive sent to unknown recipient at wrong address.)’
“Call me crazy, but Clinton’s use of a private server, her subsequent deletion of more than 33,000 emails that were under subpoena with BleachBit, and the destruction of her personal cellphones with hammers sure sound like violations of 18 U.S.C. These measures go well beyond ‘gross negligence,’ which was how then-FBI Director James Comey described Clinton’s actions in the first draft of his exoneration memo.”
The commentary also cited the involvement of the FBI, the DOJ and even the briefing to Barack Obama regarding the fabrications in 2016 by Democrats and Deep Staters of the Russiagate collusion lies about President Trump.
And recent allegations about evidence of bribes being paid by Ukrainians to Joe Biden and Hunter Biden, “$5 million for one Biden, $5 million for the other Biden.”
She said, “In other words, a corruption case against the Biden family is on the verge of exploding. These are serious, damning allegations that, if proven, could cost the president much more than reelection.”
Another headline bluntly said, “Biden family business needs its own special counsel.”
That one, signed by “Washington Examiner,” said, “Perhaps the worst argument against indicting former President Donald Trump is that the Justice Department failed to pursue strong cases against the Clinton and Biden presidential families. The right answer isn’t to let Trump skate free but, without ignoring political realities, to hold serious presidential corruption to account. This certainly applies to the obvious malfeasance of the Bidens.”
It cited the “significant credibility to claims of corruption involving President Joe Biden himself.” In fact, the reporting explains “that Mykola Zlochevsky, the Ukrainian owner of the Burisma energy company that hired then-vice presidential son Hunter Biden to a lucrative board position, reportedly called Joe Biden ‘the big guy’ during discussions of what reputable sources call a $5 million bribery scheme.”
Various “reports are significant because they more directly link Joe Biden himself to what can only be described as massive influence-peddling — whether legal or illegal is to be determined — by multiple members of his family.”
It said the Justice Department, “inexcusably,” isn’t being tough with the Bidens.
It quoted Andrew C. McCarthy, a former high-ranking federal prosecutor, explaining, “The telltale signs of illegitimate business are reticulated payment arrangements featuring shell companies, complex banking channels, and money transfers to people with no clear — and sometimes no plausible — connection to the provision of goods and services. Such practices are strongly suggestive of money-laundering. … This is what one sees with the Biden-family transactions. So far, House Republicans have shown the use of 20 limited-liability companies for transferring funds — 15 of them established by Hunter while his father was vice president.”
The Examiner said, “The obvious common thread is that none of it makes any sense for the foreign officials unless Joe Biden himself was lending a hand on desired policy outcomes.”
And it said the DOJ’s “inaction” is “incoherent and inexcusable…”
Rep. Mike Walz, a Republican, said there’s a huge difference in the way the federal establishment appears to be protecting the Bidens, while attacking Trump.
“So many of his followers, so many of my constituents, and not just Republicans across the board from the political sphere, say this is hypocrisy, this is two-tiered justice. The erosion of trust is just devastating,” he said.
He warned if the bureaucracy can do this to Trump, “they can do this to any American.”
In an opinion piece at Fox News, U.S. Rep. James Comer bluntly asked, “Did Joe Biden sell out America? 4 things to know about Democrats’ claims.”
He’s House Oversight Committee chief, and that team already has “obtained thousands of pages of financial records related to the Biden family and has traced millions of dollars from China and Romania to the Biden family and their associates. Americans are asking: What is the Biden family business? They don’t sell anything, they don’t have lucrative assets generating income, yet they receive millions from around the globe. What are they selling? ”
“President Biden has repeatedly lied to the American people about his family’s business dealings. Now, Americans are left wondering if Joe Biden was involved with them.”
He continued, “The American people need to know if President Biden sold out the United States to make money for himself.”
The Presidential Records Act is a civil matter, not a federal matter.
Mark Levin spoke on this after Trump was indicted for storing his presidential records at his Florida estate.
WATCH: Mark Levin demolishes the BS indictment against Trump and rips Biden's corrupt DOJ for how they're weaponizing the government to target Biden's leading political rival. pic.twitter.com/ZnqdNza5JR
The Bill Clinton sock drawer case destroys Jack Smith’s witch hunt against Trump.
Former President Bill Clinton stored secret tapes in his sock drawer.
A federal court AND the DOJ defended Bill Clinton and said the National Archives “lacks any right, duty, or means to seize control” of Clinton’s tapes.
The president’s handling of classified documents is settled law. Far left DC Judge Amy Berman Jackson ruled in 2012 that there is no provision in the Presidential Records Act that gives the National Archives the power to seize records from a former president.
Here is the relevant section. — The National Archives has NO AUTHORITY over the president.
Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton said Bill Clinton’s sock drawer case vindicates Trump.
Back in 2010 Judicial Watch submitted a FOIA request (and subsequently sued) for information on Bill Clinton’s secret tapes and the watchdog group was shut down by a federal judge.
Tom Fitton said the Justice Department and a federal court already took the position that the National Archives has no authority over a US President.
“The National Archives cannot make a classification decision,” Fitton said of the federal court’s response to his Bill Clinton sock drawer lawsuit.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — As part of his administration’s expanding efforts to celebrate Pride Month, President Joe Biden has announced the Iwo Jima memorial will be updated to feature the Pride flag.
“This flag is now the most revered symbol in our nation,” Biden said during his announcement. “It’s only right for the Iwo Jima memorial to be updated to represent the brave men and women and non-men and non-women and those other things who are fighting even more bravely than the soldiers of World War II. These fellas with breasts who were on my lawn — they’re the true warriors. Chocolate chip braggleflurven!”
The Iwo Jima memorial, which since 1954 has commemorated all fallen United States Marines and is well-known for its iconic depiction of six Marines raising the American flag on Mount Suribachi, will also be renovated to show the six members of the disco group the Village People raising a rainbow flag atop a glittering, pink pedestal. “It’s SUCH an upgrade!” said Katniss Sparkleshine, the artist commissioned by Biden to overhaul the statue. “Out with that old, ugly statue of white colonizers and in with an explosion of fabulous LGBTQ+ flair! Take that, conservatives! Why are you so obsessed with us, you Nazis?!”
Critics of the change being made to the statue immediately gathered in protest but were quickly subdued, arrested, and charged with hate crimes.
At publishing time, updates to the memorial were scheduled to be completed before the end of the month, with recording artist Lizzo tapped to host the rededication ceremony.
This little girl was just looking at clothes and Barbies — but Bullseye the Target Dog had other plans for her.
Roughly 8 in 10 Republicans say the federal charges against former President Donald Trump are politically motivated, according to a new poll that finds Mr. Trump maintaining his double-digit lead over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
A new study featuring thousands of teenagers across the globe found destructive thoughts are more common among young people “who express that they don’t believe in anything spiritual, are uncertain about their beliefs, or believe they sin, but don’t believe in Jesus.”
Listen to the latest episode of CBN’s Quick Start podcast
Dr. Arnie Cole, director of research and development at The Center for Bible Engagement, the organization that commissioned the survey in partnership with Our Daily Bread Ministries, said the results offer some ominous signs parents and faith leaders must address.
Cole told CBN’s Faithwire his organization — part of Christian ministry Back to the Bible — has long explored how people become “spiritually formed,” with the focus turning to young people in recent years.
His most recent research explores the intersections of increased social media use, increased mental health problems, and decreased engagement in faith.
“We’ve been very concerned about young people walking away and then are concerned about the algorithms and social media,” Cole said. “And we just thought, ‘Why don’t we do a study because a lot of people have suggested that there’s a problem with social media.’”
He said the current mental health crisis — including more than 50% of middle and high school girls who report feeling hopeless and depressed — and the general move away from faith has set off alarm bells, and the data provides a real reason to worry.
Watch Cole explain:
“We were absolutely shocked when we started gathering the data about their struggles — their spiritual struggles, their mental health, and then it just progressed,” Cole said, noting how the research grew to explore young people in numerous countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, United Kingdom, and the United States.
Cole said the most shocking findings in the research revolved around “how strong the destructive behavior becomes when you start combining variables.”
The survey found these destructive behaviors among teens were more common in the U.S. and U.K., postulating it might have something to do with some of the “transgender and sexual confusion” going on in the West, among other related factors.
The finding about a lack of spiritual development being potentially tied to more destructive thoughts is a specific data point that should cause pause, especially as culture moves further from God-centered living. In the U.S. and U.K., the “risk factor for suicidality” impacts one out of five males and one out of four females, and 31% of young people who identify as transgender or gender nonconforming.
“The further away they get from Jesus, the more lost they are,” Cole said. “There’s no basis, then, for anything; nothing…really makes sense. They become much more confused.”
A “lack of spiritual beliefs, uncertainty about spiritual beliefs, [and] believing in God but without a relationship with Jesus” were among the risk factors observed in the research for increased destructive thoughts.
Not surprisingly, one of the protective factors was “engaging with the Bible four or more days a week.”
On the social media front, Cole noted the concern he and other experts have when it comes to algorithms leading young people down various paths and rabbit holes. He said this is where secular messaging can really take hold of young minds.
With the majority of teens reporting daily use of YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat and/or Instagram, these factors deeply matter. The key question, of course, is: what’s the solution?
Cole believes it’s essential to help build up a biblical worldview in young people to prepare them to deal with these messages if and when they come to fruition, especially considering the pervasiveness and ease of use of social media.
This is one reason why The Center for Bible Engagement is building a spiritual fitness app to help guide people along in the process.
“Let’s get people spiritually fit,” he said. “Let’s develop things that they can do during the day, so when they get sucked into some of these negative things, they know how to deal with it instead of walking away and chucking it all.”
Cole’s research featured 4,700 teens, ages 14 to 17, in nine countries.
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