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
I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it. (Revelation 3:8)
Saints who remain faithful to the truth of God have an open door before them. My soul, thou hast resolved to live and die by that which the Lord has revealed in His Word, and therefore before thee stands this open door.
I will enter in by the open door of communion with God. Who shall say me nay? Jesus has removed my sin and given me His righteousness; therefore I may freely enter. Lord, I do so by Thy grace.
I have also before me an open door into the mysteries of the Word. I may enter into the deep things of God. Election, union to Christ, the Second advent-all these are before me, and I may enjoy them. No promise and no doctrine are now locked up against me.
An open door of access is before me in private and an open door of usefulness in public. God will hear me; God will use me. A door is opened for my onward march to the church above, and for my daily fellowship with saints below. Some may try to shut me up or shut me out, but all in vain.
Soon shall I see an open door into heaven: the pearl gate will be my way of entrance, and then I shall go in unto my Lord and King and be with God eternally shut in.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28
Jesus words to his disciples confused me as a child, and honestly they still do now. When I was young I thought a godly life meant avoiding things that others in town enjoyed freely. I was on the outside looking in as my youthful peers spoke of their first cigarette, drink, and engagements with girls. Their lives seemed carefree, and mine a burden.
I remember commenting once to my father as a teenager that I wish I had come to faith from a life of drug addiction because then my testimony would be powerfully compelling. He smiled and said, “But just think of all the heartache you’ve avoided by the path you have taken.”
Dallas Willard speaks similarly in a chapter titled “The Secret of the Easy Yoke.” He writes, “To depart from righteousness is to choose a life of crushing burdens, failures, and disappointments, a life caught in the toils of endless problems that are never resolved. Here is the source of that unending soap opera, that sometimes horror show known as normal human life. The ‘cost of discipleship,’ though it may take all we have, is small when compared to the lot of those who don’t accept Christ’s invitation to be a part of his company in The Way of life.” (In The Spirit of the Disciplines).
Do you seek reprieve from a “soap opera” life? Have you been fed the lie that following God will mean just one more burden? What’s keeping you from leaning on God and following his ways? Doing so may bring rest for your soul like you have never known.
God, I desperately seek the restful yoke of following you. Help me choose your way so that I may know your pleasure and peace rather than the horror show I know today.
Thought: Name one thing you know you want to do but will only lead to heartache. Name an alternative action that you know will bring peace.
“I waited patiently for the Lord, he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out…he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.” Psalm 40:1-2
In the English language, “rock” is a dichotomous word – a word that has opposing meanings. It can mean shaky and unstable—the shocking news rocked my world. It can also mean, solid, strong, and immovable. That is the Rock of our salvation—Jesus. As the old hymn states, “On Christ the solid rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand.”
Think of the movies with scenes in the deserts in Arabia. There are miles and miles of sand hills that shift and move in the wind. No foothold. No relief. You can sink up to your knees in the sand and pulling your legs through it is an arduous struggle. It drains you of your strength. Then, at last there it is. A boulder peeking up. A place where you can rest. Refuge.
“I waited patiently for the Lord, he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out…he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.” Psalm 40:1-2
If you are in the shifting sands of life right now, seek out Jesus.
He will be your rock, your stronghold, your refuge.
You can rest in Him. Let Him give you a respite from your troubles and struggles. Renew your strength by tapping into His.
Dearest Lord, let us always turn to You for strength and safe refuge when we’re struggling in the shifting sands of this world. Be the solid thing on which we can stand, and the firm foundation on which we can rest. Amen.
Thought: If you are in an uncertain place right now, pick up a small stone and carry it in your pocket. Each time you feel overwhelmed, grab hold of it and let it remind you of Christ, Your Rock.
Prigozhin Is Quietly Buried, With Fitting Subterfuge Yevgeny Prigozhin was a buried in a private service on Tuesday, and the Washington Post notes that it was especially fitting in one respect: The burial came amid the same kind of secrecy and subterfuge in which Prigozhin traveled while alive.
Nancy Mace Issues Direct Warning to Biden: ‘We’re Coming For You’ Republican South Carolina Rep and House Oversight Committee member Nancy Mace warned President Joe Biden on Monday that House Republicans are “coming for” him amid the investigations surrounding his son, Hunter Biden.
IRS lost millions of taxpayers’ personal data, report says; GOP rep. responds Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) gave a scathing rebuke of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) after the Treasury Inspector General reported that the IRS lost millions of taxpayer’s personal information. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration released a report earlier this month that revealed the IRS was not able to account for millions of taxpayers’ personal information that had been stored on microfilm.
Turkish, Russian leaders to meet ‘soon’ for grain deal: Ankara President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet soon to discuss the resumption of the grain deal, both Ankara and Moscow have confirmed, as well as efforts to end the Russian-Ukrainian war that has been continuing since February 2022. Ömer Çelik, the spokesman of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has announced that Erdoğan is planning to go to Russia’s resort city of Sochi very soon to meet Russian President Putin.
Pentagon To Develop Drone Swarms With Eye Toward Future China War At a conference hosted by the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA), Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks said Washington is initiating a program to launch thousands of land, air and sea drones simultaneously.
Student Kicked Out Of Classroom For Wearing Gadsden Flag Patch Because It’s “Racist” Jaiden, a 12-year-old student at The Vanguard School in Colorado Springs; a charter school which is 90% publicly funded but privately administrated. He wears a Gadsden Flag patch on his backpack to show his support for the ideals of constitutional liberty. However, the Director of Operations at Vangaurd sees that flag very differently. This student was kicked out for the Gadsden flag on his backpack in Colorado
Joe Biden Used Pseudonyms In At Least 5,400 Emails The jarring number was revealed in a letter from the Archives to the Southeastern Legal Foundation (SLF), which last year filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for any documents that referenced three pseudonymous email accounts:
“A Very Dangerous Moment” – Hungary’s Orbán Warns Tucker “A 3rd World War Is Knocking On The Door” what exactly is going on in Ukraine right now (given the propagandic opacity of news in America). “It is not just a misunderstanding, it is a lie,” Orban begins, when asked about the fact that American media continue to claim that ‘Ukraine is winning’ the war. He criticizes Vice President Kamala Harris for suggesting that Ukraine could join NATO, saying it was an unrealistic proposal that escalated tensions.
Republicans Raise Questions About Purported State Department Memo Published in Iranian Media An alleged State Department internal memo informing US Iran Envoy Rob Malley that his security clearance had been suspended which was released on Sunday by Iranian state-affiliated media is raising concern among American lawmakers. On Monday, Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN) and Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) questioned how the Iranian outlet received the memo. “How did Iran’s regime get this SBU memo? [The State Department] owes US Senators answers to these & many other critical questions.”
X will allow political ads from candidates, parties ahead of US election X, the social media company formerly known as Twitter, said Tuesday it would now allow political advertising in the US from candidates and political parties and expand its safety and elections team ahead of the 2024 presidential election. Before billionaire Elon Musk acquired the company in October, Twitter had banned all political ads globally since 2019.
Oslo protocols declassified: Rabin doubted Palestinian elections The Oslo I Accord, also called the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements, provided for the establishment of an interim Palestinian government which would eventually lead to a permanent peace agreement. The agreement would be in effect for a transitional period of at most five years. Rabin told the cabinet that he believed that the chances of Palestinian elections being held and the council actually being formed were “small.”
Rare blue supermoon to appear with Messianic undertones A rare blue supermoon will appear on Wednesday night. The third supermoon of the year, it will be the brightest and largest moon of the year. In kabbalistic terms, this is an emphasis of the feminine aspect as a necessary part of the Messianic process. The blue moon of August 2023 will also be joined by a special guest in the sky. Saturn … .
‘Widespread fuel contamination’ reported at some Florida gas stations as Idalia looms Florida officials are warning of a “potentially widespread fuel contamination” that may have resulted in people getting fuel from some Florida gas stations that could harm or disable their engines just as Tropical Storm Idalia may put residents on the road or in search of gas to power their generators.
Third-Largest U.S. Oil Refinery Forced to Shut Down Following Devastating Fire in Garyville, Louisiana A towering inferno erupted at a south Louisiana oil refinery on Friday morning, sending plumes of black smoke and forcing an emergency evacuation of residents within a two-mile radius. Although no injuries were reported, the incident has reignited concerns about the safety of such facilities, especially as it’s the third fire to hit the plant in less than a year.
Biden Attempted To Form an Agreement With TikTok That Would Give The US Government Unprecedented Access …It’s clear why people are concerned about China’s ultimate control of the TikTok app; they don’t want their data to be spied on by the Chinese Communist Party or to have the same party influence content on the platform. But people are also concerned about the growing access to the data that the US government has on apps too.
EU’s Social Media Censorship Laws Are Now Officially Enforceable The European Union’s draconian new laws on social media content have officially come into force. The internet has created a global platform allowing almost anyone on the planet to access and share huge amounts of information, so it’s hardly surprising that governments and globalists want to be able to filter what is being said and what is heard….for their own benefit.
Study calls for a shareholder-based carbon tax as 69,700 of the wealthiest US households are found to be “super emitters” of CO2 A new study that analysed US household income data over the last three decades found that the bottom 90 per cent of households’ share of emissions has fallen, while the top 10 per cent’s share has increased. The wealthiest 10 per cent are the source of 40 per cent of US national greenhouse gas emissions, according to research published in the journal PLOS Climate on 17 August 2023.
Smart Cities Connect Conference, Is Your City Included? The 2023 Smart Cities Connect Spring Conference & Expo occurred May 16-18, 2023, in Denver, Colorado. According to its website, Smart Cities Connect provides “meaningful content and connect a thoughtful community of decision-makers to empower smart cities at all stages of growth. We accelerate the adoption of smart technology solutions, aid in problem solving, and amplify city resources for the betterment of cities, communities, and their citizens.”
“When all government, domestic and foreign, in little as in great things, shall be drawn to Washington as the center of all power, it will render powerless the checks provided of one government on another.” —Thomas Jefferson (1821)
On this day in Patriot history, a French fleet with 3,000 troops arrived in Yorktown, Virginia, which was the beginning of the end for British forces — and the end of the beginning for the Americans. In today’s news, we cover pseudonyms, price controls, Biden ghosting the WNBA champs, and a great Profile of Valor from World War II. —Mark Alexander
If we might mock the Angry Left: “What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now!”
Douglas Andrews
If you’re like us, you’re growing weary. You’re getting the sense that Washington is a rigged town with a two-tiered justice system — a system in which only those on the Right are held accountable for their wrongdoing.
Heck, sometimes they’re held accountable for wrongdoing they didn’t even do, or for actions that weren’t wrongdoing in the first place.
Democrats, though, get to walk even when the evidence against them is overwhelming, like it was with Russiagate’s Michael Sussmann. They get their verdicts from sweetheart DC juries whose electoral pool went 19-to-1 for Joe Biden over Donald Trump. And they get the kid-glove treatment from in-the-tank prosecutors like Delaware’s David Weiss, who dragged his feet for five years on a pair of cut-and-dried charges against Hunter Biden, tipping off defense attorneys about IRS search warrants, letting the statute of limitations run out on tax evasion charges, and woefully undercharging on a federal gun felony.
And Weiss’s reward for those miscarriages of justice? The Big Guy’s corrupt attorney general, Merrick Garland, has tabbed him as special counsel to run out the clock on look into the Big Guy himself.
As Sean Connery’s Sam Malone character said of Chicago in “The Untouchables,” “This town stinks like a [house of ill repute] at low tide.” Or, as Obi-Wan said to Luke, “You’ll never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.”
It’s enough to make a guy cynical, to make him wonder: Why the heck would we even bother with an impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden? He’ll never be convicted and removed by the Democrat-controlled Senate, and he’ll never get the justice that’s due to a man who sells out his country for Chinese and Ukrainian cash.
All that, sadly, is true. No matter how mountainous the evidentiary pile against Biden becomes, the Democrats will keep spewing forth denials that don’t pass the giggle test — denials like this one from New York Congressman Dan Goldman: “There is not a shred of evidence of a single conflict of interest of President Biden ever doing anything in connection or in relation to Hunter Biden’s business ventures other than advocating for the removal of a prosecutor general who was advantageous to Burisma.”
More recently, we’ve learned that when Joe Biden was Barack Obama’s vice president, he made plentiful use of fake names such as Robin Ware, Robert L. Peters, and JRB (get it, Joseph Robinette Biden?) in order to conceal his name on thousands of email correspondences, including many that included his son Hunter.
National Archives officials have found as many as 5,400 records containing the pseudonyms President Joe Biden used while he was vice president, the agency said in a letter on Monday. A search of Biden’s vice presidential records found “approximately 5,138 email messages, 25 electronic files and 200 pages of potentially responsive records” for a Freedom of Information Act request filed last year in search of three email addresses Biden was known to use to conceal his name.
The Examiner added, “Biden used the email addresses robinware456@gmail.com, JRBWare@gmail.com, and Robert.L.Peters@pci.gov to communicate at times during his vice presidency — including, on occasion, with his son.”
Why might an honest guy like Scranton Joe want to conceal his name within so many email threads?
We’d venture to guess that, like Hillary Clinton’s illegal private email server, the intent was to cover up pay-to-play influence peddling — hers at the State Department, and Biden’s in the White House itself.
In any case, House Republicans aim to get to the bottom of it — or at least get those emails out of the clutches of the National Archives and into the public domain, where their contents can at least be assessed and adjudicated in the court of public opinion.
“Joe Biden has stated there was ‘an absolute wall’ between his family’s foreign business schemes and his duties as Vice President,” said House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, “but evidence reveals that access was wide open for his family’s influence peddling.”
But that was two weeks ago. The evidence since then has continued to mount. As the New York Post’s opinion page editors rightly argue: “If Biden or executive-branch personnel who work for him try to block access to these emails, the only possible conclusion is that they hold clear evidence of wrongdoing. From the day our first laptop story landed weeks before the 2020 election, government insiders and much of the media have been covering for the Biden family. America can’t let the coverup continue all the way to the 2024 vote.”
Elsewhere within The Swamp, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told his fellow GOP lawmakers on Monday that an impeachment inquiry is “the natural progression from our investigations that have been going on.”
Apparently, McCarthy “suggested the House would vote on opening an impeachment inquiry next month.”
No one really likes pharmaceutical companies all that much, but price controls are a terrible policy.
Nate Jackson
Price controls didn’t work when Richard Nixon enacted them in the 1970s, and they won’t work now that Joe Biden is implementing them on a list of pharmaceuticals.
Earlier this week, the Biden administration announced what it euphemistically called “price negotiations” on 10 drugs — the first round of more to come. In reality, they’re price controls, and they’re based on his laughably named Inflation Reduction Act, which he now admits, “I wish I hadn’t called it that.” The law empowered Medicare to, for the first time, directly engage in such negotiations with drug manufacturers, and new prices will go into effect in 2026.
“This is just going to put more money back in the pockets of millions of Americans,” Biden said. “This plan is a key part of Bidenomics.”
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra added, “We have never been closer than we are right now to everyone having access to healthcare that they need and that they can afford.”
Given the government’s poor track record over the last 60 years, nothing should scare anyone more than a Democrat promising “affordable healthcare.” That’s doubly so for Biden’s drug cartel.
CNBC reports: “Here are the 10 drugs subject to the initial talks this year:”
Eliquis, made by Bristol-Myers Squibb, is used to prevent blood clotting, to reduce the risk of stroke.
Jardiance, made by Boehringer Ingelheim, is used to lower blood sugar for people with Type 2 diabetes.
Xarelto, made by Johnson & Johnson, is used to prevent blood clotting, to reduce the risk of stroke.
Januvia, made by Merck, is used to lower blood sugar for people with Type 2 diabetes.
Farxiga, made by AstraZeneca, is used to treat Type 2 diabetes.
Entresto, made by Novartis, is used to treat certain types of heart failure.
Enbrel, made by Amgen, is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis.
Imbruvica, made by AbbVie, is used to treat different types of blood cancers.
Stelara, made by Janssen, is used to treat Crohn’s disease.
Fiasp and NovoLog, insulins made by Novo Nordisk.
Several companies are suing to stop the negotiations, arguing that forcing major discounts will undermine the market. The companies also allege multiple constitutional violations. The Fifth Amendment says, “nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.” The Eighth Amendment prohibits “excessive fines,” which would be imposed if drug makers balk at “negotiations.” Finally, the companies say coercing them into agreement violates their free speech rights under the First Amendment. They promise to fight all the way to the Supreme Court.
Biden is banking on a few things working in his favor.
First of all, few Americans have much sympathy for Big Pharma. How many movies and TV shows over the years have made villains of pharmaceutical companies? Heck, we could argue that the coronavirus pandemic was a little too close to the plot of “Mission Impossible II” for comfort. Step 1: Drug company manufactures virus. Step 2. It also produces the only vaccine. Step 3: Profit.
Are these companies the villains because Hollywood always vilifies (other) capitalists? Or is it because doing so resonates with Americans who generally feel like they’re being totally fleeced for healthcare?
To that point, some of the prices for drugs are utterly mind-blowing, and insurance (which is astronomically pricey enough) doesn’t always help much. In fact, many patients don’t get the treatment they need effectively because some actuary at the insurance company decided as much.
Medicare is bankrupt and will be totally insolvent in a few short years. Profligate government spending and out-of-control costs for drugs and treatments for a longer-living population will do that. So it seems reasonable that something should be done to control those costs.
Medicare recipients are often on a fixed income, and many of them will look as favorably on Biden’s drug dealing as student borrowers do on his “forgiveness” scam.
Then again, according to The Wall Street Journal, “Total U.S. out-of-pocket spending on prescription drugs in nominal dollars is lower than it was in 2003 and accounted for only 1% of the $4.25 trillion the U.S. spent on healthcare in 2021.”
Moreover, Biden is the titular head of the “get your laws off my body” party, but here he is getting between you and the drugs you take.
He’s also the one who mandated COVID vaccines, which oh by the way created massive profits for a few pharmaceutical giants.
Charitably put, the free market allows people who want to help people to earn a profit while doing so. To play on those words, however, the free market isn’t charity. Companies that produce life-improving or -saving drugs ought to reap a reward for all the research and development put into them. For every one drug that goes to market, many don’t, which is a cost of doing business that must be covered by profits on the one that did.
In this case, reducing profits for drugs sold to Medicare recipients means the rest of us will pay more for insurance and drugs to subsidize the loss. It will also mean fewer drugs make it to market. Lives will be made worse or lost.
The fundamental question is this: Why is Joe Biden the one who gets to decide how much companies should be paid? Who does he think he is, Bernie Sanders? Or Walter White?
It’s notable that many drug deals on the street involve guns (and, we might add, deadly violence among Democrat constituents). Well, Biden is going to be “negotiating” drug prices at the virtual point of a gun. “If a drugmaker declines to negotiate,” CNBC notes, “it must either pay an excise tax of up to 95% of its medication’s U.S. sales or pull all of its products from the Medicare and Medicaid markets. The pharmaceutical industry contends that the penalty can be as high as 1,900% of a drug’s daily revenues.”
That’s not negotiation but cartel extortion, which the influence-peddling Joe Biden and his drug-addict son Hunter have apparently perfected.
The good doctor is the man boldly standing up against the authoritarian Left that has taken over Canada.
Thomas Gallatin
Last week, world-renowned psychologist Dr. Jordan Peterson was ordered by Canada’s Ontario Superior Court of Justice Divisional Court to undergo social media sensitivity training. As you may imagine, he took that well.
The case was brought against Peterson by the College of Psychologists of Ontario over claims that his public comments made on social media were “degrading, demeaning and unprofessional,” and furthermore posed “moderate risks of harm to the public.”
And what were these supposed “moderate risks of harm”? Well, the college claimed that Peterson was “undermining public trust in the profession of psychology” and his comments “may also raise questions about Dr. Peterson’s ability to appropriately carry out his responsibilities as a registered psychologist.”
The charge against Peterson was not predicated on complaints made by any of his previous patients, nor by any of his students. In fact, his comments were not made when he was acting in any professional capacity. As Peterson’s legal defense team, the Canadian Constitution Foundation (CCF), pointedly observed, all the comments in question were made “off the clock.”
To make matters worse, the comments that Peterson is being raked over the coals for were clearly taken out of context, and half the instances are Peterson sarcastically expressing the nonsense of the claim he’s condemning.
So, what was it that Peterson said? In a nutshell, it amounted to criticism of hard-leftist politics and ideology. For example, Peterson has been widely critical of the climate change narrative, noting that it is anti-human. He has also expressed criticism of Canada’s hard-left Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. And he has repeatedly blasted the “transgender” cult pushing a radical ideology that he notes destroys any genuinely sound clinical psychological approach to helping troubled people. “Remember when pride was a sin?” he asked in one post about it.
For these “word crimes,” Peterson will be required to undergo what is in effect reeducation training — at his own expense — or he risks losing his license.
From a legal standpoint, the Canadian court effectively talked out of both sides of its mouth. On the one hand, it sought to affirm that Peterson had freedom of speech rights to express the opinions he stated. Yet on the other hand, the court claimed, “The order is not disciplinary and does not prevent Dr. Peterson from expressing himself on controversial topics; it has a minimal impact on his right to freedom of expression.”
He either has freedom of speech or he doesn’t. Anything else is disingenuous parsing of the truth.
Following the ruling, Peterson responded on X, “If you think that you have a right to free speech in Canada, you’re delusional.” He then threw down the proverbial gauntlet by warning: “I will make every aspect of this public. And we will see what happens when utter transparency is the rule… Bring it…”
While Peterson will look to appeal the ruling, should that fail and he be subject to this woke reeducation, he promises to document and film every session and post it online for the world to see.
The truth is that Peterson has become one of the biggest thorns in the side of the hard Left. He has regularly and demonstrably exposed the motives behind its twisted ideology, and many hate him for it. This court result is merely the latest example of the long-running smear campaign the radical Left has waged against Peterson ever since he refused to bow to its language policing.
We hope Peterson inspires many more Canadians, Americans, and lovers of Liberty to stand up against the authoritarian Left.
Brandon Johnson is now making people yearn for the previous failed mayor.
Gary Bauer
Chicago is so off the rails it’s hard to describe just how bad it is. The last mayor of the Windy City was a total disaster. So much so that the voters fired her. She finished third in the primary.
There was a chance for the city’s residents to do a course correction by supporting a relatively moderate, pro-business, pro-police Democrat. Unfortunately, they choose a far-left Marxist candidate, Brandon Johnson, who is now making people yearn for the previous failed mayor.
Here’s the latest in left-wing lunacy courtesy of Chicago. In response to the skyrocketing number of carjackings in his city, Mayor Johnson is suing carmakers Kia and Hyundai for making it too easy for the city’s feral youth to steal their cars.
This is how the left handles, or more accurately mishandles, crime. It doesn’t blame the criminals. It blames businesses and innocent people.
In order to combat a rash of thefts, Illinois progressives recently proposed legislation requiring banks, grocery stores, gas stations and pawn shops to hire armed security guards.
Think about that for a moment. Leftist politicians refuse to put armed guards in schools to protect our children, but they will require certain businesses to have armed guards.
And the first time one of those armed guards shoots a violent criminal, we know exactly what’s going to happen: Leftists will blame the guard and the business, not the criminal.
This is the equivalent of victim shaming. It’s not the thief’s fault, it’s the car’s fault or the store owner’s fault.
Speaking on “Fox & Friends” Monday, Chicago Alderman Raymond Lopez (D) mocked Johnson, saying his lawsuit is a “play from a socialist playbook.”
“Clearly, we don’t have a crime problem,” Lopez said sarcastically. “We have a Kia problem in the city of Chicago, according to Mayor Johnson. The numbers speak for themselves… A 234% increase in vehicle thefts from two years ago, but yet it’s the car’s fault.”
“We have yet to hear our mayor say anything, one word, about the criminals running rampant in our streets,” he continued. “All he does is lambast those who try to hold criminals accountable by playing word games.”
Lopez is absolutely right about Mayor Johnson’s word games. After one particularly violent weekend, Johnson lashed out at a reporter who asked the mayor what he was going to do about the out-of-control “mob actions.”
But in Johnson’s fevered mind, the problem wasn’t the rioters, it was calling them a “mob.”
Prior to that, Johnson scolded city residents for allegedly “demonizing youth who have otherwise been starved of opportunities.”
The Women’s National Basketball Association champions have been snubbed twice by the president.
Emmy Griffin
The Las Vegas Aces were the first professional team in Nevada to win a national title. They achieved this feat by winning the WNBA’s 2022 Championship. Their team still continues to set records in the league, though the New York Liberty won the 2023 Championship. The Aces’ 2020 and 2022 regular season MVP A’ja Wilson scored 53 points in a game last week, tying the all-time record for most points scored in a game. These women are some of the best to play the game of women’s basketball, and yet they were overlooked by the president not once but twice.
The first offense was when Joe Biden’s official X account (formerly Twitter) posted: “Congrats to the Vegas @GoldenKnights on their first Stanley Cup in just their sixth season. The first major professional franchise in such a proud American city. Today, the team and entire community are champions.” This was on June 14. A’ja Wilson called attention to the snub and to the fact that it was the Aces who had already achieved that particular distinction.
The WNBA team was then very publicly invited to the White House by the president and first lady.
But this past week, when the event took place, it was not Joe and Jill Biden who welcomed the WNBA champs. The president and his wife decided instead to extend their vacation on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe an extra day. Vice President Kamala Harris was delegated the honor of meeting with the Aces in their place.
You’ve got to feel a little bit sad for the Las Vegas Aces. They’ve been snubbed not once but twice by the president of the United States.
It demonstrates an overall lack of knowledge and support for women’s sports that the Bidens supposedly are huge advocates of.
The other aspect of this story — the one that deals with Biden’s decision to extend his vacation one more day — calls into perspective other rumblings. Is Joe doing alright health-wise? He has been on vacation more often than not this summer, and when he did make appearances, he did not look or sound like a well man, particularly in Maui.
Something else that seems to correspond with such speculation on the fitness of the commander-in-chief is that Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders gave a speech in New Hampshire this past weekend. Sanders was Biden’s rival in the Democrat primary in 2020 and was shafted by the DNC in favor of Joe.
The likes of Politico have spun Sanders’s New Hampshire visit as an effort to rally the troops on behalf of Biden’s reelection campaign. Sanders is having to play proxy for the failing president because Biden snubbed New Hampshire and tried to strip it of its first-in-the-nation-primary status. Because of that, the president is sending advocates to the state instead of coming himself.
If true, it’s still a weak excuse not to campaign in the state himself.
Perhaps Biden and his campaign team are hoping to get him elected again by keeping him out of sight and out of mind during the campaign, just like they did in 2020. Perhaps that is also why COVID mandates are being pushed on the American people once again, even after all their lies have been disproven. The masks don’t work. Vaccines may cause more harm than good. Even more sinisterly, perhaps they are hoping to reinstate all the COVID-era policies that helped the Democrats rig the 2020 election.
Whatever the cause may be, President Joe Biden doesn’t seem to be doing well. He snubbed the Vegas Aces twice (though this is tame compared to his “no comment” reaction to the Maui disaster) and is not fit for another four years in the highest office in the land.
Gender confusion is the source of an incredible amount of harm and hardship in our society.
Samantha Koch
Debunking the age-old phrase that parents use to toughen their children against schoolyard bullies, sticks and stones are not the only way to harm others.
The words we speak and the ideas we believe can have far more of an impact than throwing rocks. We are finding out that not only can what we say either bring health or harm, but whether or not what we say is the truth will determine the outcome.
District Court Judge Alan Johnson ruled against a sorority at the University of Wyoming this week, throwing out a lawsuit against Kappa Kappa Gamma for allowing fellow college student Artemis Langford, who is a male, to self-identify as a woman and live in the all-female home.
The women have previously reported that sharing a living space with this person had made them uncomfortable. That’s putting it mildly — they detail several instances of Langford (allegedly) “voyeuristically peeping on them while they were in intimate situations, and, in at least one occasion, had a visible erection while doing so.” He also allegedly made inappropriate, derogatory comments during group conversations.
In the suit, the girls state that the sorority broke its own rules by admitting a male into the organization, as the official documents that outline the rules for participation specify that the group is to be reserved exclusively for females. Through their case, they also pushed the court to establish a definition for the word “woman” to mean “adult human female.”
Unfortunately, Judge Johnson decided in favor of social justice over actual justice. He rejected the pleas of these young women for their space, privacy, and rights to be legally and officially protected, particularly from opportunistic men who are only too happy to wear makeup and feminine clothing if that’s all they have to do to be able to live in a home with dozens of beautiful women.
The case was dismissed based on the ridiculous idea that there is no true definition of the word “woman.” The young women who must deal with the consequences of this abandonment of reality cannot gatekeep the term and withhold it from anyone who wants to use it at any time for any reason.
At the opposite end of the country, legendary musician Alice Cooper is facing backlash for daring to explain, accurately, that children are prone to influence, and the things they believe or want when they’re young are more than likely to change as they get older.
“I’m understanding that there are cases of transgender,” Cooper said, “but I’m afraid that it’s also a fad, and I’m afraid there’s a lot of people claiming to be this just because they want to be that.” Then, asking his wider audience to think about what children are truly capable of understanding, he continued: “I find it wrong when you’ve got a six-year-old kid who has no idea. He just wants to play, and you’re confusing him, telling him, ‘Yeah, you’re a boy, but you could be a girl if you want to be.’”
There was nothing controversial or non-factual about the concepts Cooper outlined in his comments.
Children are the most vulnerable and impressionable people in society. That’s why we have laws to protect them from being taken advantage of or from being led to do things that could cause long-term psychological and/or physical harm.
Teens are notorious for changing their interests, wardrobe, style, hobbies, and friends as often as they change their mood. So it goes against reality to commit them to a decision they make today, largely based on the hormones and anxiety that come with this stage of development, and not consider the high likelihood that there will be a level of regret once maturity and life experience come into the picture.
Yet simply for saying true things, Cooper found himself canceled from a brand deal with Vampyre Cosmetics. On the company’s Instagram account, the public announcement read: “In light of recent statements by Alice Cooper, we will no longer be doing a makeup collaboration. We stand with all members of the LGBTQIA+ community and believe everyone should have access to healthcare.”
Apparently, referring to children’s verified lack of development and questioning their ability to comprehend what it means to permanently alter their minds and bodies is interpreted as denying rights. Young kids simply can’t appreciate their future need for their reproductive organs, but it’s mean to tell them the truth.
To a degree, we have gotten used to dealing with a certain level of insanity. There is a small yet impressively raucous group of people who are so weak-minded that there is nothing they cannot be convinced to accept as normal and demand as a right. That’s happening even as the cost is for women to lose their ability to speak freely and to advocate for their own safety, or for children to face a lifetime of unnecessary medical complications and irreversible damage.
Though the percentage of the population that adheres to this insanity is small, it is not insignificant. It is at the behest of the loudest, most extreme voices of today’s society that entire groups of women are being forced to endure living with mentally ill men; that rapidly growing numbers of children are being admitted into gender clinics; that the demand for services like “gender-affirming therapy” is so high that wait lists are needed; and that even the law is being swayed to accommodate the thoughts and feelings of those with the highest tendencies toward lewdness and abuse.
This growing movement does not need sticks to make women feel threatened, and they do not need stones to cause permanent damage. Their words and ideas are causing a crisis of instability, and no one is safe from the impact.
A small win against the Rainbow Mafia, hypocrite mayors, Kyle Rittenhouse sued, and more.
Thomas Gallatin & Jordan Candler
Cross-Examination
Good news: Empowered woman: The newest “Mrs. American” winner, Hannah Neeleman, had quite the inspiring response when she was asked during the pageant, “When have you felt the most empowered?” Neeleman, a 33-year-old mother of seven, answered: “I have felt this feeling seven times now as I bring these sacred souls to the earth … [and] I hold that newborn baby in my arms. The feeling of motherhood … is the most empowering feeling I have ever felt.” Neeleman works a farm with her husband in Utah, is a graduate of Juilliard, and was previously crowned “Miss New York City.” But of those notable accomplishments, it’s beautiful that she views her experience of being a mother as the most significant.
Good news: A small win against the Rainbow Mafia: A Canadian appellate court has ended a father’s incarceration and eliminated a $30,000 fine he was assessed when he was found guilty of violating a ridiculous law designed to stop parents from preventing their child from “transitioning.” Robert Hoogland had been found guilty by a judge of “misgendering” his 13-year-old daughter when he fought to prevent her from being injected with testosterone. According to British Columbia’s Infant Act, minors are free to receive gender-bending procedures without parental consent. Hoogland was imprisoned for speaking out against this as well as for referencing his daughter as “daughter.” The British Columbia Court of Appeals agreed that the judgment of a six-month sentence and $30,000 fine was excessive. Hoogland sees the ruling as momentum-changing: “The tide is turning, and to finally get a big win after just all these horrific losses and the way things were going — I think that’s just critical for morale, at the very least.”
Hypocrite mayors and security: When politicians pander to a radical constituency, but don’t really embrace the “cause,” they are rightly to be labeled as hypocrites. When the leftist Black Lives Matter movement gained prominence in 2020 in the wake of George Floyd’s death, it took the opportunity to push an anti-law enforcement agenda calling to “defund the police.” Several Democrat mayors of major cities didn’t reject the false narrative and instead jumped on board the insanity bandwagon. Mayors of such cities as Los Angeles, Denver, Milwaukee, and Minneapolis all acted by various means to cut down the size of their city’s police departments. Of course, the predictable result was a crime wave that continues to plague the residents of these cites. At the same time these mayors were cutting police budgets, they were quietly ensuring their own personal security details. In other words, these mayors knew that cutting policing budgets was dangerous, but they did it anyway to promote the woke narrative without suffering consequences themselves.
School treads on kid: A 12-year-old student at a public charter school in Colorado Springs, Colorado, was sent home for having a Gadsden flag patch on his backpack. The famous Revolutionary War-era flag features a coiled rattlesnake on a yellow field over the words “Don’t Tread on Me.” (You can buy one at the Patriot Post Shop.) When his mother confronted the school over the issue, an administrator falsely claimed that the Gadsden flag was associated with “slavery” and “the slave trade.” The student’s mother captured the meeting on video, which also shows the administrator asserting, “We can’t have that [flag] around other kids.” Furthermore, the administrator claimed she was merely following the school district’s policy. However, there is no such policy, which the student’s mother pointed out. As this story came to light, to his credit, Colorado Democrat Governor Jared Polis weighed in, calling the Gadsden flag “a proud symbol of the American revolution and an iconic warning to Britain or any government not to violate the liberties of Americans.” In fact, this incident is “a great teaching moment for a history lesson!” Thankfully, the school has reversed course and has reinstated the student, permitting him to attend with the Gadsden flag patch visible.
Rittenhouse sued by deceased child molester’s estate: Ever since Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted of murder charges in relation to the use of deadly force to defend himself against a mob of leftist rioters, the Left has painted a target on his back. Recently, the estate of one of those killed while attacking Rittenhouse — that of Joseph Rosenbaum, a convicted child molester — has raised a civil lawsuit against Rittenhouse over “wrongful death” claims. Rosenbaum was the first of two individuals to be killed while chasing after and attacking Rittenhouse. With the entire incident caught on video, there is simply no compelling evidence to suggest that Rittenhouse was in any way acting as the instigator or the aggressor. Indeed, when threatened, he sought to flee his attackers before as a last resort using his firearm to protect himself. This is a textbook case of self-defense, which appears to be why the Left is trying so hard to attack it. They don’t want this precedent.
Thoughts on Oliver Anthony — Matt Walsh addresses Anthony’s recent apparently divisive comments toward Republicans.
Why Communism Is Even Worse Than Fascism — Russian-British satirist, social commentator, and author Konstantin Kisin explains why communism is even worse than fascism.
“[Ron DeSantis] has blood on his hands. He has had … an all-out attack on the black community with his anti-woke policies, which we know very well was nothing more than a dog whistle to get folks … riled up in the way in which it just happened.” —Florida State Representative Angie Nixon vis-à-vis the Jacksonville shooting
“The issue with that kind of language is that it places the onus on one individual and the actions of one individual as opposed to a nationwide sickness of white supremacy in this country and the violence that it fuels.” —MSNBC’s Trymaine Lee regarding DeSantis’s reference to the Jacksonville shooter as a “scumbag”
“We see the Trump signs constantly … on our streets. And we know from that standpoint that there’s hatred.” —Jacksonville NAACP President Isaiah Rumlin
“When it comes to teaching black history, when it comes to the importance of diversity, equity, inclusion, all of those things — to fight against them kind of lessens our worth and also causes people to have the type of hate that can go into a Dollar General and shoot people just because of the color of their skin.” —Tallahassee NAACP President Mutaqee Akbar
“You know, we have Nazis holding up flags saying that this is DeSantis’ country. We have Nazis protesting outside of Disney because DeSantis is making claims against Disney.” —Mutaqee Akbar
“Donald Trump, you know, came to office on a pretty openly white nationalist campaign. We see people like Tucker Carlson who are allowed to have a major platform on the most watched cable news television in the country and who openly talked white nationalist talking points. So we kinda have this wink and a nod racism, but it’s barely concealed, and all of us can hear it.” —1619 Project author Nikole Hannah-Jones
“Since 1968, it is no longer legal in this country to explicitly discriminate against black Americans. So, of course, we’ve learned over the last 60 years that you have to use different language, that you have to use language that appears to be race-neutral but that sends the same dog whistle. So, we can look at, you know, Ron DeSantis running on this platform against what he’s calling ‘wokeism,’ but where those of us who study history, who understand the societies we live in, understand that that’s often coded as language against black Americans, as language against other marginalized groups.” —Nikole Hannah-Jones
The BIG Lies
“[DeSantis] banned the teaching of African American advanced placement studies in the state.” —Nikole Hannah-Jones
“You look at things like ‘don’t say gay’ laws that are punishing people for being who they are and loving who they love.” —Kamala Harris
“Bidenomics is working for American families and the economy as well.” —White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre
Theater of the Absurd
“The U.S. intelligence community has determined that domestic terrorism rooted in white supremacy is the greatest terrorist threat we face in the homeland.” —Joe Biden
“[Republicans] just continue to take orders from Donald Trump, their puppet master-in-chief, who has directed them to persecute and to go after Joe Biden, which may take the form of an illegitimate impeachment inquiry.” —House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY)
Belly Laughs of the Day
“President Biden is … continuing to show, at home and abroad, that he is a capable and effective president. … We haven’t had a seasoned and capable leader on the world stage in many years.” —Senator Chris Coons (D-DE)
“The American people know fundamentally that Joe Biden is a good and decent man.” —Hakeem Jeffries
“We’ve been busy governing, and that’s important because we’ve delivered historic results for the American people on issue after issue after issue.” —Hakeem Jeffries
Non Compos Mentis
“There is no yes or no answer to this. It is complicated.” —Karine Jean-Pierre when asked, “Does [Biden] think it’s fair for girls to have to compete against biological males?”
Dezinformatsiya
“The myths about children and COVID — that kids aren’t really harmed by it, that school closures were a massive and avoidable mistake, that they caused learning loss and mental health issues — those myths, and they are myths, dangerous myths, have endured for so long, become so ingrained, so pervasive, that they’re not just something Fox viewers believe. I’m sure many of you watching at home have, sadly, come to accept many of these myths as true.” —MSNBC’s Mehdi Hasan
Inquiring Minds Want to Know
“The most comprehensive study by experts at Johns Hopkins University found death rates from [COVID] lockdowns were reduced by 0.1 percent. But how many people died from the isolation of lockdowns, delayed health screening from cancer, the increase in drug overdoses?” —Stephen Moore
Re: The Left
“Democrats favor Marxist-derived segregation of people into classes — economic, race, or sexual proclivity — and then they pit those classes against one another. Don’t cut taxes across the board, they insist; stick it to ‘the rich’ by taking what they have and giving it to someone else. In private practice, that’s theft. In government, it’s ‘equity’ and ‘Bidenomics.’” —Nate Jackson
“The dirty little secret is the message Democrats embed in all of this income redistribution: Blacks can’t succeed without Democrats. … The oppressors and villains of America are keeping constituents down to the point that success isn’t possible without Democrat saviors. That’s not the American Dream. It’s not Dr. King’s dream. It’s a Democrat nightmare.” —Nate Jackson
“If people were to recognize that communism has been the greatest source of evil in the modern age in terms of numbers murdered, number of lives destroyed, liberty stolen, and the sheer amount of human suffering inflicted (greater by those metrics than those of the Nazis before they were forcibly stopped), the Left would lose much of its appeal.” —Dennis Prager
“Here’s the latest in left-wing lunacy courtesy of Chicago. In response to the skyrocketing number of carjackings in his city, Mayor Johnson is suing carmakers Kia and Hyundai for making it too easy for the city’s feral youth to steal their cars. This is how the left handles, or more accurately mishandles, crime. It doesn’t blame the criminals. It blames businesses and innocent people.” —Gary Bauer
Fox News saw a ratings drop from previous Republican debates because of “four T’s” – Tucker, trust, talent, and Trump – Elizabeth “Beth” Ailes told Newsmax on Tuesday night.
The Spectator editor-at-large Ben Domenech discusses polls showing Trump behind one point Biden in a 2024 rematch and Republican voters thinking that he can beat the president. #foxbusiness
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO — A quiet community was thrown into chaos in the early hours of Wednesday morning, as a tactical team from the Federal Bureau of Investigation stagds a pre-dawn raid at the home of 6th-grader Jaiden Rodriguez. Reports indicated the boy’s backpack, which has a Gadsden flag patch, was seized in the raid.
“We have secured a highly dangerous item,” said FBI spokesperson Chad Rookstool. “There was an anonymous tip from a concerned citizen in the area who reported a young man at this residence was in possession of a backpack that posed a threat to democracy itself. That threat has now been neutralized.”
Controversy erupted on social media yesterday after it was learned Jaiden had been sent home from school for wearing his backpack, with faculty believing the Gadsden flag was a sign of Jaiden plotting a coup to overthrow the U.S. government. “Thank God it’s been addressed by the authorities,” said frightened schoolteacher Stephanie Dean. “That backpack was just out in public, threatening the lives of everyone who saw it. Democracy is once again safe.”
School officials advised Jaiden to find a new, less-threatening backpack before returning to school. “He can choose from Pride patches, BLM patches, even a sickle and hammer patch,” a member of the school’s administrative staff explained. “However, a backpack displaying an important image from American history has no business at an American school.”
At publishing time, Jaiden was reportedly prepared to return to class with his new, bright red “Make America Great Again” backpack.
In Disney’s upcoming reboot of 1937’s Snow White, will the Prince kiss the sleeping princess? Or will he obtain her consent first?
The mother of a Colorado middle schooler who was reportedly kicked out of class for displaying several patches on his backpack, including one of a Gadsden flag, claims his First Amendment rights have been violated.
“In Matthew 7:21-23, [Jesus] warns that not everyone who calls Him ‘Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only those who do the will of His Father.”
(The Dissenter) In this ongoing series, we continue to strip away the veneer of faux spirituality to expose the rotting core of myths that have led many astray in their understanding of Christ and His teachings. These fabrications are not harmless misunderstandings—they are perverse distortions designed primarily to accommodate secular progressive ideologies.
Today, we confront another such mutation: the myth of Jesus as a Universalist. This distorted view has its roots deeply entwined with the blossoming of liberal theology in the 19th and 20th centuries, gaining considerable momentum in the age of moral relativism. Under the guise of grace and inclusion, this perversion of biblical doctrine claims a wide and growing influence, even within mainstream Evangelicalism. The stakes could not be higher. At risk is not just the clarity of Christian doctrine but the eternal destiny of souls. View article →
A majority of Americans, more than seven in 10, don’t think President Donald Trump can get an impartial jury in his ongoing legal battles according to a new survey about Americans’ trust in the broader legal system.
Former President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after being booked at the Fulton County jail on 13 charges related to the 2020 election, in Atlanta, Ga. on Aug. 24, 2023. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
The poll, conducted by Ipsos, surveyed Americans from the general population and the population of those who have served on juries in the past 10 years to learn their attitudes toward various aspects of the criminal justice system.
The poll found that former jurors were more likely than the general population to trust in the criminal justice system as a whole, including attorneys across all fields, judges, and state and local law enforcement.
They also had a nearly 20 percent more favorable view of their fellow citizens serving on juries than their peers: 76 percent of former jurors reported “a great deal” or “a fair amount” of trust in jurors, compared to 58 percent of non-jurors—the highest level of trust across both groups for all legal positions discussed.
But Americans are less optimistic about former President Donald Trump’s chances of receiving an impartial jury in one of the cases against him relating to his alleged illegal retention of classified documents. Only the documents case, one of four ongoing trials against the former president, was asked about.
In the survey, 1,017 members of the general population—those who haven’t served on a jury in the past 10 years—were asked, “If the cases against Donald Trump go to trial, how confident are you, if at all, that the court will be able to find and seat jurors willing to put aside their prior beliefs about Donald Trump and decide the case based on the evidence presented?”
Overall, 71 percent of those said they were not confident, including 30 percent who said they were “not at all confident” of this outcome and 41 percent who said they were “not too confident” about an impartial jury.
Only 28 percent expressed confidence that President Trump’s jurors could put aside their past perspectives. And the majority of those answering this way, 23 percent, said they were only “somewhat confident” of this outcome. Only five percent said they were “very confident” that President Trump could receive an unbiased jury.
Over the past several decades, Americans’ faith in the jury process, a constitutional pillar of American political life, has remained strong despite a corollary decrease in Americans’ trust of other types of political and legal institutions.
Faith in the jury process has survived several blows, including the acquittal of O.J. Simpson, who many believed to have murdered his wife and her friend, who was later acquitted. Politically-fraught outcomes, including the acquittal of George Zimmerman and Kyle Rittenhouse, and the conviction of Derek Chauvin on murder charges related to George Floyd’s death, have also failed to shake Americans’ core belief in the jury system.
However, the politically fraught criminal cases of the 45th president could erode faith in the system, as members of both the pro-Trump and anti-Trump factions will be unlikely to accept a jury outcome they think was unfair.
Most Cases in Left-Wing Jurisdictions
This problem is only compounded by the political composition of the jurisdictions where President Trump will be tried, as most lean substantially to the left on the political spectrum.
The case related to President Trump’s handling of classified documents will likely take place in Fort Pierce, Florida, part of a county that voted for President Trump in 2020, with jurors pulled from nearby areas.
But other cases against President Trump will be carried out in less favorable political environments.
The first criminal case against him, alleging that he paid adult performer Stormy Daniels hush money to cover up an affair in contravention of campaign finance law, will take place in Manhattan—where, in 2020, 86.7 percent of residents voted for President Joe Biden.
Another case filed against President Trump alleges that he sought to illegally overturn the 2020 election. That case will be held in Washington, D.C.—a place where President Trump received only 5.4 percent of the popular vote in 2020 compared to 92.2 percent for President Biden, and where many residents harbor memories and resentment over the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach.
The most recent case filed against President Trump was filed in Fulton County, one of the counties of the greater Atlanta area where President Biden won 72.6 percent of the vote. Nearby counties similarly voted for President Biden by wide margins.
Given the political bent of the areas where the cases are being held, it is even more likely that supporters of President Trump will view any jury pool as suspect.
The Department of Defense announced Tuesday that the Biden Administration will send yet another aid package to Ukraine, totaling $250 million.
This marks the 45th such package since the beginning of Russia’s invasion in February 2022. This allocation brings the total U.S. security assistance to Ukraine to over $43 billion.
“Today, the department also announced an additional security assistance [package] to meet Ukraine’s critical security and defense needs,” said Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh in a statement.
“The U.S. will continue to work with its allies and partners to provide Ukraine with the capabilities to meet its immediate battlefield needs and longer-term security systems requirements,” Singh added.
The latest allocation will include:
AIM-9M missiles for air defense
Additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS)
155 mm and 105 mm artillery rounds
Mine-clearing equipment
Tube-launched, optically-tracked, wire-guided, or “TOW,” missiles
Javelin and other anti-armor systems and rockets
Hydra-70 rockets
Over 3 million rounds of small-arms ammunition
Armored medical treatment vehicles and high-mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle, or Humvee, ambulances
Demolitions munitions for obstacle clearing
Spare parts, maintenance, and other field equipment
Joe Biden earlier this month had already asked Congress to approve an additional $24 billion in assistance, according to Reuters.
It can be recalled Joe Biden said he would support Ukraine’s battle against Moscow “as long as it takes” in a statement last June.
He said that a prolonged dedication to the cause will compel Russia’s President Vladimir Putin to reassess the war’s value and feasibility.
The incessant flow of U.S. military aid to Ukraine has raised serious questions about the U.S.’ role and objectives in the conflict. With over $75 billion already invested, the American taxpayer is left to wonder what the endgame truly is for such an unprecedented and mounting financial commitment.
According to the Council on Foreign Relations, the United States has provided Ukraine with more than $75 billion in assistance since the war began, which includes humanitarian, financial, and military support.
Australian news are highlighting the BA.2.86 variant, nicknamed Pirola,2 while Irish news are warning about an Omicron offshoot dubbed “the real deal” by World Health Organization officials3,4 — just in case you decided that COVID was no big deal anymore.
Seven other COVID variants are also being monitored by the WHO, and an additional three variants have been declared VOI, which calls for more extensive monitoring.5
Considering the many variants that have come and gone since 2020, isn’t it curious that media are now all of a sudden focusing on particular COVID strains again, just as we’re moving into fall and influenza season?
As previously predicted, we were given a short respite over the summer, and in the fall, the fearmongering will ramp up again to drive people into the vaccination clinics where they will be pressured to get not just one but three different shots — a booster for COVID, a flu vaccine and a brand-new fast-tracked vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
And, despite proof that masking is useless and lockdowns were a devastating mistake that should never be repeated, these failed strategies will likely be reimplemented as well. Our only hope, really, is mass disobedience, because those in charge are ignoring both science and the law.
Pirola Detected in Four Countries
Pirola has currently only been detected in Denmark, Israel, the U.S. and the U.K. As a “variant under monitoring” (VUM), the epidemiology of Pirola is being investigated and its characteristics and spread are being tracked.6
In this episode J. Warner talks with the hosts of the Stream Roots Podcast and discuss the cummulative case for the reliability of the New Testament in anticipation of the Updated and Revised Edition of Cold-Case Christianity.
Subscribe to the Cold-Case Christianity Weekly Podcast on iTunes, or add the podcast from our RSS Feed. Subscribe to the Cold-Case Christianity Radio Interview Podcast on iTunes, or add the podcast from our RSS Feed.
Dr. Stephen C. Meyer is my favorite defender of Christianity these days. His first book covered the origin of life. His second book covered the sudden origin of body plans in the fossil record. And his third book covered the origin of the universe and fine-tuning. In this post, we’ll see a recent popular-level article he wrote for The Federalist, and 6 new short videos he made for Prager University.
Here is latest article from my favorite news source – The Federalist. He explains how scientific discoveries provide evidence for a Creator of the universe:
From the first astronomical investigations about the early history of the universe, light, and other forms of radiant energy, have yielded the most important clues about cosmic origins. During the 1920s, astronomers discovered that the wavelengths of light coming from distant galaxies were stretched out, or “red-shifted,” as if the galaxies were moving away from us. Just as sound coming from a train whistle drops in pitch as the result of the sound waves being stretched out as the train recedes, light coming from a distant galaxy changes color (becomes more red) as light waves are elongated as galaxies move away from Earth.
Soon after the discovery of the red shift, Belgian priest-physicist Georges Lemaître and Caltech astronomer Edwin Hubble showed that galaxies farther away from Earth were receding faster than those close at hand. That suggested a spherical expansion of the universe in all directions of space like a balloon inflating from a singular explosive beginning—from a “Big Bang.”
Then in 1965, physicists discovered a different kind of light they thought provided further evidence of the Big Bang. While working at Bell Laboratories in New Jersey, physicists Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson inadvertently discovered an extremely low-energy radiation on their highly sensitive, large antennas. This radiant energy, now known as the Cosmic Background Radiation, is postulated to be a remnant of the earliest moments after the Big Bang when the universe was immensely hot and densely compacted.
Those are the 3 most common pieces of evidence for a cosmic beginning – and therefore, a Cosmic Beginner. And this evidence is likely to be enhanced by NASA’s newest telescope, which Dr. Meyer talks about:
[O]n December 22 NASA will launch a new satellite capable of seeing the first starlight from just after the Big Bang—a light, and an event, that tell us about the creation of the universe and, in their own ways, reveal God to the world.
NASA’s new James Webb Space Telescope will be carried into space this week from French Guiana on the back of an Ariane 5 rocket. The $10 billion, 21-foot telescope features a massive umbrella-like sun shield. It also boasts 15 times the range of motion and six times the light-gathering capability of the Hubble Space Telescope—NASA’s next best instrument for peering deep into space and far back in time.
The light that NASA’s new telescope seeks to detect comes, not from those very earliest moments after the beginning, but from the first stars and galaxies that formed an estimated several hundred thousand years later. Detecting that light will nevertheless provide further confirmation of an expanding universe.
Since the new telescope can detect infrared light—invisible light with extremely long wave-lengths—it can establish whether the most distant galaxies exhibit the amount of red shift that astronomers expect given the Big Bang.
[…]This additional evidence of an expanding universe would further deepen the mystery associated with the Big Bang and add weight to a growing science-based “God hypothesis.” If the physical universe of matter, energy, space, and time had a beginning—as observational astronomy and theoretical physics increasingly suggest—it becomes extremely difficult to conceive of any physical or materialistic cause for the origin of the universe. After all, it was matter and energy that first came into existence at the Big Bang. Before that, no matter or energy—no physics—would have yet existed that could have caused the universe to begin.
Instead, whatever caused the universe to originate must not have been material and must exist beyond space and time. It must further have been capable of initiating a great change of state, from nothing to everything that exists. Such considerations have led other scientists—former Massachusetts Institute of Technology physicist Gerald Schroeder and the late Caltech astrophysicist Allan Sandage, for example—to posit an external creator as the best explanation for the origin of the universe as revealed by modern cosmology.
This new telescope creates an interesting situation for Christians and atheists. Christians are excited about this telescope, and anxious to get back the results that will confirm a supernatural Creator. Atheists are nervous about this telescope. They are committed to an eternally existing universe. One that doesn’t implicate any kind of supernatural first cause of the natural world. If the universe has a beginning, then by definition, the cause of the universe must be supernatural and eternal. Because it existed causally prior to the beginning of the universe. It is not material, because it created matter. It is not in time, because it created the physical universe that marks the passage of time.
Anyway, to share this information, Dr. Meyer has created six new short videos for Prager University. I’ve embedded the 6 videos below, and each title is a link to Prager University where you can find a transcript. These are perfect for busy people to get the big picture.
If you’re looking for a longer lecture, delivered to an audience of students, this one from 2015 is 95 minutes long, and has over 900,000 views:
What I’d like to see is parents and pastors stop worrying about how Christians feel,and whether we are like. Step one of being a Christian is knowing and showing that God exists. It’s not about feelings, community or peer approval. This is not Disney. This is not romance novels. What we need is young Christians who can have productive conversations about Christianity. And those conversations are easy – if we are trained in the mainstream science that confirms the existence of the supernatural Creator / Designer.
“In 
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