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
Christian persecution is raging across the globe, with a new report finding an estimated 200 to 300 million Christians worldwide face some form of rebuke for their beliefs.
Jeff King, president of International Christian Concern (ICC) and one of the world’s most knowledgeable experts on religious freedom and persecution, told CBN Digital his organization’s recent “2023 Persecutors of the Year” report paints a bleak picture of what believers experience.
In particular, he underscored the staggering nature of the 200 to 300 million under duress.
“I’ve been doing this for 20-some years, and … that’s bigger than the populace of Christians in the United States,” he said of the startling estimate. “It ranges from light [persecution] to the decimation of the church, which is the murder and assassination, and torture.”
Watch King explain:
While some of this persecution raging across the world is intense and deadly, King warned that Christians in the U.S., too, face much lighter forms of denunciation — but that the rebuke is necessary to mention and explore.
“You see the job discrimination, that exclusion from the public square, the silencing, the firing, the court cases,” he said. “All that stuff is persecution.”
Listen to them on the latest episode of “Quick Start”
And while King said he doesn’t want to be an alarmist, he cautioned the “storm clouds are gathering,” describing the current dynamic in America as “persecution light.”
“But people need to wake up, because we are the frog in the kettle,” he said. “And, if you just follow the trajectory, we need to do something. … We need to raise our voice. We need to shout and we need to cry foul when a foul is being perpetrated against us.”
***As the number of voices facing big-tech censorship continues to grow, please sign up for Faithwire’s daily newsletter and download the CBN News app, developed by our parent company, to stay up-to-date with the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***
As we gather around the table, sharing laughter and gratitude, there’s a whisper in the air, a sacred reminder echoing through the ages: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
“…remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’’ (Acts 20:35).
These words, not etched anywhere in the four Gospels but remembered in the book of Acts, hold a truth that make sense to Christians, especially on this Thanksgiving day.
It’s my aspiration, my goal during this time, to hold onto this saying in every prayer, letting it guide my actions and thoughts.
Remember, none of us are exempt from this calling — to embrace the joy of giving, to live it out in our everyday lives. It’s not merely a suggestion; it’s the true key to a beautiful life, one that exemplifies true grace and love.
But why do we give? It’s the unmerited grace, the divine extension of love from Christ, that propels us to be givers. When we embrace this grace, we comprehend our role as children of God, driven by a belief that compels us to give of ourselves.
Imagine standing in the presence of holy light, seeing ourselves as God sees us, acknowledging our need for a Savior. That holy Savior, born among us, lived a flawless life, and willingly bore the weight of our sins upon the cross. Christians see this. We see the cross, the wages of our sin. He died for the sins of others. We see that!
We understand what a life of love looks like. The resurrection, the living Savior — this is the core of our faith. It’s this truth that aligns our hearts with His, merging His story of death and resurrection with our own, birthing us anew and securing our place in eternity.
The world is watching, and you are God’s display.
Gratitude pours out naturally from this understanding. The life we lead becomes a response to the selflessness of the cross. It’s not about earning but responding — responding with a life of love and giving.
So how do we truly give? We start by giving to God, offering what we can, yet what He truly desires is our heart. Our worship, both public and private, becomes an offering. We become a living display of God’s love.
Living as children of God means honoring Him through our actions, serving with conviction, uncertain of the impact we make — but steady in our faith.
For in our giving, we walk by faith, trusting in His wisdom and guidance. He knows, He knows!
“Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.” (Revelation 14:13).
Our deeds, our acts of love and service, will follow us through eternity.
God, in His infinite kindness, rewards our service to Him, placing us in the path of others in need. His faithfulness empowers us to give, knowing that what’s done for Christ has everlasting significance.
Even during life’s trials and temptations, the faint voice within urges us to shed selfish desires, to recognize the fleeting nature of this earthly life. Living for Christ and for others infuses each day with purpose and joy, making every moment worthwhile.
So, this Thanksgiving, let’s pause, reflecting on the call to live for something greater than ourselves. Let’s embrace the truth that what’s done for Christ endures, making this one life we have truly count.
Someday, we’ll look back and realize it was worth it all.
‘Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else’ — Isaiah 45:22
This is a promise of promises. It lies at the foundation of our spiritual life. Salvation comes through a look at Him who is “a just God and a Saviour.” How simple is the direction! “Look unto me.” How reasonable is the requirement! Surely the creature should look to the Creator. We have looked elsewhere long enough; it is time that we look alone to Him who invites our expectation and promises to give us His salvation. Only a look! Will we not look at once? We are to bring nothing in ourselves but to look outward and upward to our LORD on His throne, whither He has gone up from the cross. A look requires no preparation, no violent effort: it needs neither wit nor wisdom, wealth nor strength. All that we need is in the LORD our God, and if we look to Him for everything, that everything shall be ours, and we shall be saved. Come, far-off ones, look hither! Ye ends of the earth, turn your eyes this way! As from the furthest regions men may see the sun and enjoy his light, so you who lie in death’s borders at the very gates of hell may by a look receive the light of God, the life of heaven, the salvation of the LORD Jesus Christ, who is God and therefore able to save.
Yes, the saints are to have peace. The passage from which this gracious word is taken speaks of peace “with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground.” This is peace with earthly enemies, with mysterious evils, and with little annoyances! Any of these might keep us from lying down, but none of them shall do so. The Lord will quite destroy those things which threaten His people: “I will break the bow and the sword, and the battle out of the earth.” Peace will be profound indeed when all the instruments of disquiet are broken to pieces.
With this peace will come rest, “So he giveth his beloved sleep.” Fully supplied and divinely quieted, believers lie down in calm repose. This rest will be a safe one. It is one thing to lie down but quite another “to lie down safely.” We are brought to the land of promise, the house of the Father, the chamber of love, and the bosom of Christ: surely we may now “lie down safely.” It is safer for a believer to lie down in peace than to sit up and worry.
“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures,” We never rest till the Comforter makes us lie down.
Have you ever come to the Lord in repentance, confessing your wrongdoing, and yet still felt guilty?
Sometimes the problem is that we can’t forgive ourselves.
Therefore, we go into a self-punishing mode, repeatedly replaying the sin until we feel unworthy not only of pardon but also of blessings, answers to prayer, and the Father’s love. Eventually we build a prison of guilt because our offence seems unforgivable.
But what does such behaviour tell us about our faith in God and our estimation of ourselves? According to the Bible, our Father freely bestows forgiveness on the basis of His Son’s payment of our sin debt—and has removed our transgression “as far as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12). Is our refusal to forgive ourselves a way of saying we consider Christ’s sacrifice insufficient? In other words, is our standard of righteousness higher than the Lord’s?
Two men in Scripture teach us about the importance of accepting God’s full forgiveness. One is Peter, who denied knowing Christ, and the other is Paul, who persecuted Christians. The Bible gives no evidence that either one of them refused to forgive himself. Although their offences were great and both men probably regretted their actions, they received God’s forgiveness and lived in the freedom of His grace.
To be free of an unforgiving spirit toward ourselves, we must realize it’s the result of self-focus. Instead of believing the truth of God’s forgiveness, we’ve been relying on our own feelings and making them superior to His Word. It’s time to humble ourselves and place trust in God—not in our feelings.
God Forgave our Sins, Past, Present and Future| by Katherine Kehler “He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.” Psalm 103: 12. Do you ever think that you have sinned so much that God can’t forgive you?
You Can Live Forgiven | by Max Lucado If you haven’t accepted God’s forgiveness, you’re doomed to live in fear. No pill, pep talk, or possession can set the sinner’s heart at ease.
Are You Forgiven | by Sherry Yarger As a young Christian, there were times when satan, my accuser, would rob me of my peace as he caused me to question my forgiveness.
The Problem is We Won’t Forgive Ourselves | by Jon Walker ‘Then he (Jesus) said to him, “Follow me!” John 21:19 (NIV). We believe God will forgive us; the problem, though, is we won’t forgive ourselves.
“…for His name’s sake your sins were forgiven” 1 John 2:12
We were flying to a conference. I was in the middle seat – certainly not my choice – but my husband and I have an agreement that if a woman is sitting by the window, I sit in the middle, if a man is in the seat by the window, Marvin sits in the middle.
Barely was I settled, when I discerned that the young woman sitting next to me was very sad and deep in thought. Making conversation, I asked her where she was from, where she was going and what she did.
She was a student and had been attending university in Poland – the homeland of her father. Then she told me sadly that her father had died. She had chosen to attend college in Poland against her father’s wishes and their relationship had been strained. They hadn’t forgiven each other when he died.
She seemed so sad and I recognized a deeper issue. I asked her if she had forgiven herself for not complying with her father’s wishes. She answered that she couldn’t forgive herself and felt so guilty. Slowly, I began to tell her about God’s love and forgiveness. Because of Christ’s death on the cross, her sins were forgiven and guilt was removed. I encouraged her to trust that because God had forgiven her, she could forgive herself no matter how awful she thought she had been. As I spoke, I prayed and my husband prayed.
I told her about something I had done as a teenager for which I had felt guilty about for many years. How I had come to the place where I was faced with the choice of forgiving myself because Christ had already forgiven me or I could continue feeling guilty the rest of my life. I had chosen to forgive myself.
The light in her eyes went on. She began to understand she was totally forgiven and could forgive herself. She could be free and happy. “God meant for you to sit with me today,” she told me at the end of the flight.
How about you? Is there something in your life for which you feel guilty? You don’t need to.
Simply accept God’s love and forgiveness.
If you don’t have Christ in your life, you can invite him by saying a simple prayer:
Sample prayer:
Dear God, today I bring you my life, my hopes, my dreams, my deepest yearnings … You know me intimately. You knew me even before I was formed in the womb. You called me into this world to do good and live the life I was uniquely and specifically created for. I ask for Courage and Wisdom to live this life–the life of my dreams. Show me where to start and help me be open to hearing your Voice today. I ask for a greater consciousness of your Presence, today and every day of my life. Amen.
On World’s Children Day, Israel’s UN ambassador says UN cares for wellbeing of all children – unless they are Israeli As the world celebrates #WorldChildrensDay , 40 children are being held hostage by terrorists in Gaza. Children who had to watch their families murdered before their eyes. Children who had their innocence ripped away from them. on the occasion that commemorates the Declaration of the Rights of the Child by the United Nations General Assembly on Nov. 20, 1959, UNICEF’s Executive Director Catherine Russell failed to mention the abducted children in her annual statement. UNICEF has also disregarded the Israeli hostage children online, even though it posted a video of Palestinian children in Gaza sharing their wishes amidst the ongoing escalation of hostilities.
Iran Wants Russia To Be More Active In Seeking Gaza Peace: Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian stressed that significant efforts are needed to stop the violent displacement and killing of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank and voiced his wish for Moscow to play a more active role in trying to bring an end to what he described as Israel’s ethnic cleansing campaign.
Israel battles Hamas near another Gaza hospital sheltering thousands Israeli forces pressed their offensive against Hamas in northern Gaza on Monday, battling militants around a hospital where thousands of patients and displaced people have been sheltering for weeks, raising Palestinian fears of another painful standoff and evacuation of a medical facility.
butterflies blanket Israeli border towns devastated by Hamas Over the weekend, a resident of Moshav Ohad in southern Israel shared a video on Facebook capturing the remarkable sight of thousands of butterflies near her home. In the video, she specifically documented several plain tiger butterflies, scientifically known as Danaus chrysippus. There were thousands of butterflies! I reached out with my hands and they came to me, and it looked like millions.
Wounded IDF soldier: ‘Terrorists attacked us, we decided to fight for our lives’ Sergeant Yuval of the IDF Golani brigade, who was wounded during the Hamas invasion of Israel, spoke with Arutz Sheva – Israel National News about his ordeal. “We got an alert and rushed to the border in an armored vehicle. There were about a hundred terrorists waiting for us. They fired 10 RPGs at us within a few minutes, and our armored vehicle was knocked out of commission.”
Israel Reportedly Accelerating Deployment of Game-Changing Laser Aerial Defense System Recent tests of Iron Beam in the Negev have shown promising results, with the system successfully intercepting various airborne threats. The heart of the system is an electric laser pointer, capable of targeting and sending out a powerful laser beam, invisible to the naked eye.
Any Hostage Swap Would Be a Terrible Mistake for Israel Negotiating with Hamas for the release of the hostages in Gaza through comprehensive, all-inclusive deals mediated by Qatar (“everyone for everyone”) would undermine Israel’s strategy in the Swords of Iron war. It’s time to make a fundamental change in Israel’s policy on this issue and readopt the Entebbe Doctrine, which can save the lives of the current hostages and prevent the taking of more in the future.
US to deploy new land-based missiles, Army’s Pacific commander says Next year, U.S. Army Forces Pacific will deploy new intermediate-range missiles to the region as part of its efforts to deter China from invading Taiwan, its commander said Saturday. “We have tested them and we have a battery or two of them today,” Flynn said. “In [20]24. We intend to deploy that system in your region. I’m not going to say where and when. But I will just say that we will deploy them.”
Bahrain ‘unequivocally’ condemns Hamas massacre, demands hostage release During a keynote address on Friday, Bahrain’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa “unequivocally” condemned Hamas for the October 7th massacre and the taking of hostages, becoming the first Arab leader to make such a statement.
My Law is Torah’: Strong Israel supporter elected president of Argentina in ‘political earthquake’ In a development that has been called a “political earthquake,” the ardently pro-Israel libertarian economist Javier Milei has been elected president of Argentina. Milei, who has claimed “my law is Torah” and studies with a rabbi regularly, has won close to 56% of the vote in the decisive run-off, compared to 44% for his center-left opponent Sergio Massa of the Union for the Homeland party.
Biden Pentagon Exposed for Buying Russian Fuel Oil, Evading Wartime Sanctions – Report A blistering exposé from The Washington Post is casting new aspersions on the oversight — or lack thereof — stemming from President Joe Biden’s administration. “Forbidden Russian oil flows into the Pentagon supply chain,” the ominous, exclusive report warned readers right off the bat.
Guaíba River overflows in Porto Alegre’s center in third-highest flood since 1941, Brazil The Guaíba River in Porto Alegre, Brazil, reached a historic water level of 3.01 m (9.8 feet) on the morning of November 20, 2023. This marked the third-highest flood level since 1941, following heavy rainfall across its contributing basins. The rising waters led to the river overflowing its banks at the Central Wharf, a rare occurrence in the city’s recent history. The river is expected to continue rising as the peak flow from the Taquari and Caí rivers arrives.
Hamas, Drugs and Warfare Hamas activists were drugged up as they launched the horrific attack on Israel last month. According to the Jerusalem Post, Israeli forces found Captagon pills on several Hamas terrorists after they were killed.
Fruit Loops Giving Kids Free Diversity, Equity And Inclusion Digital Library With Cereal Purchases Kids are not safe from woke propaganda anywhere — even at the breakfast table. Kellogg’s boxes in Canada now include free access to a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion digital library with purchase. The woke e-books are part of the brand’s partnership with the leftist Boys and Girls Club (BGC) of Canada.
Controversial new video: Each individual charging station uses the equivalent power of 280 homes every hour… A new, controversial video is stirring up heated debates online. The video’s creator claims to have uncovered the “truth” about electric cars, claiming that each individual power station consumes the equivalent power of 280 homes every hour. That’s a really bold claim, right? Is it accurate? We lay out both sides of this argument and leave it to you to draw your own conclusions.
Airline Mayday Radio Calls Up 386% in 2023 “What is causing steep rise of in-flight medical emergencies since 2021? The following is a very spooky chart. SQUAWK 7700 is the airline radio code that indicates a serious issue onboard the aircraft. It can be input by pilots or instructed by Air Traffic Control, and it alerts controllers and ground crew to prepare for the arrival of the aircraft.”
Israel arrests NBC journalist for inciting terror, glorifying Hamas A journalist employed by NBC was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of inciting terrorism and identifying with a terrorist organization. Marwat Al-Azza, a 45-year-old journalist, employed by the NBC television network and living in east Jerusalem, was arrested after four recent posts on her personal Facebook page regarding the October 7 terror attack by Hamas from the Gaza Strip, in which at least 1,200 people were murdered and 240 taken hostage.
Dr. Andrew Wakefield: Fertility rates are dropping dramatically, we are on an extinction curve ….“Sperm counts are plummeting, infertility in women in general is so much worse particularly, apparently, in the face of the HPV vaccine, for example, and the covid vaccine. So, we have known causes of infertility, deliberately by the hand of man, and then all these other causes. And we now have a situation where the natality, the birth rate, in all countries is exceeded by the death rate. In other words, we are on an extinction curve,”
“To prevent crimes, is the noblest end and aim of criminal jurisprudence.” —James Wilson (1790)
Fellow Patriots, on this day in 1620, the Pilgrims recently arrived from England crafted the The Mayflower Compact. It was November 11 by the Old Style calendar; November 21 by the current one. Today, we have the freedom to grumble about how much our Thanksgiving meal may cost this year. As they say, First World problems. —Mark Alexander
Texas governor Greg Abbott, leader of the nation’s biggest and most important red state, is all in on Donald Trump.
Douglas Andrews
This past weekend, Donald Trump picked up a big endorsement. A yuuuge endorsement.
On Sunday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott was in Edinburg, Texas, for his annual pre-Thanksgiving tradition of serving tamales to Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and Texas National Guardsmen — those deployed along the southern border as part of Abbott’s Operation Lone Star program, which seeks to ameliorate the ruinous and never-ending wave of illegal immigration that Joe Biden and his fellow Democrats have invited.
And Donald Trump was there with Abbott, serving up tamales to the troops, smiling for selfies, and collecting the official endorsement of the governor of the nation’s biggest and most important red state. “Today, I am proud to endorse Donald J. Trump for President,” Abbott posted. “Now more than ever, America needs a President who will secure the border and prioritize national security. President Trump is the clear choice to get the job done.”
The endorsement comes two weeks after Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds endorsed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and it comes amid a winnowing of the Republican field, with South Carolina Senator Tim Scott having recently dropped out. It also comes amid what seems to be a growing lead for Trump among the Republican electorate and a growing preference for him over Joe Biden among all voters. According to the latest Harvard Harris poll, Trump is preferred by 67% of GOP voters, with DeSantis and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley at 9% and 8% respectively. In addition, the poll has Trump beating Biden 53% to 47% head-to-head.
Then, of course, there’s Biden’s increasingly horrendous polling. A recent NBC News poll has him trailing Trump for the first time in the poll’s history. More significantly, though, is that Biden is 30 points underwater with independents. As one independent voter from New York told Fox News yesterday: “I think it’s a different election from last time. We got to see how Biden operates. We got to see some scandals and corruption within his family, and I think people are finally over with this woke agenda, and we need commonsense policy. I do believe age is just a number — Happy Birthday to President Biden — but listen: There’s a clear difference in the four years between him and Trump. Trump is clearly stronger. He’s got the wit. He’s got the stamina and the energy. And I think, at the end of the day, that’s gonna be Biden’s downfall.”
Barack Obama strategist David Axelrod is equally pessimistic about Biden’s chances. “I think he has a 50-50 shot here, but no better than that, maybe a little worse,” he told New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd. “He thinks he can cheat nature here and it’s really risky. They’ve got a real problem if they’re counting on Trump to win it for them. I remember Hillary doing that, too.”
Axelrod got under Scranton Joe’s skin recently when he looked at some recent polling in the battleground states and gently suggested Biden might perhaps maybe reconsider his reelection bid. Biden apparently dismissed Axelrod with an obscenity that rhymes with “stick.” To which Axelrod told Dowd, “I don’t care about them thinking I’m a [word that rhymes with ‘stick’] — that’s fine. I hope they don’t think the polls are wrong because they’re not.”
Indeed, perhaps the most shocking finding in the aforementioned NBC News poll is that Biden trails Trump 46-42 among voters age 18-34, a cohort that normally votes solidly for Democrats. But never fear, says one steady Biden surrogate, Delaware Senator Chris Coons, who downplays the importance of polling a full year before an election, noting on Fox News Sunday, “Head-to-head polls a year out frankly don’t say much at all.” That attitude, to us, is wishful thinking.
Former George W. Bush strategist Karl Rove wishes both Biden and Trump would step aside in favor of new leadership: “For 32 years,” he says, we’ve been “governed by Boomers.” Interestingly, though, Rove doesn’t think Gavin Newsom becomes the favorite if he jumps in instead of Biden. “He’s from California, and we’ve all seen what happened to California.” Rove thinks another Democrat governor — such as Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer, New Jersey’s Phil Murphy, Illinois’s J.B. Pritzker, or Colorado’s Jared Polis — would be favored over Trump. Big Gretch? Really?
Perhaps noting the declining physical and mental condition of our current president — and the American people’s growing concern about it — Trump celebrated Biden’s 81st birthday by posting a letter from his personal physician, Dr. Bruce Aronwald, who says that his patient’s “overall health is excellent,” and that his “physical exams were well within the normal range and” — here’s the important part — “his cognitive exams were exceptional.” Further, it is Aronwald’s opinion that with Trump’s “continued interest in preventative health monitoring and maintenance, he will continue to enjoy a healthy active lifestyle for years to come.”
Caveats apply, of course. After all, it was just a few months ago when a quack named Kevin O’Connor, who claims to be Joe Biden’s longtime physician, disgracefully declared the current president to be “a healthy, vigorous, 80-year-old male who is fit to successfully execute duties of the presidency.”
And if you believe that, you’re either a Democrat or you haven’t been paying attention these past three years. But we repeat ourselves.
Thanksgiving prices: If you find less food on your table this Thanksgiving, you can thank Bidenflation. Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre claimed that this Thanksgiving will be the fourth cheapest ever based on average earnings. The price tag for the average American family feast comes in at $61.17, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF). That is down from last year’s record high of $64.05, but Jean-Pierre should be eating crow. Americans are still shelling out 25% more for the meal than they did in 2019. AFBF says that reason the price tag is so high is due to “high supply costs and inflation have had on food prices since before the pandemic.” That inflation didn’t materialize out of thin air. Thanks to Joe Biden’s massive spending policies, Americans are weathering a bad economy. But hey, maybe there’s a silver lining: Higher food costs might help to slow America’s obesity epidemic.
Get ready for “savings”: Black Friday is coming, but are the famous sales and savings coming with it? According to the personal finance company WalletHub, Black Friday savings won’t be as big on some categories of items as they have been in the past. Indeed, 35% of items won’t be any cheaper than they were prior to the sale. WalletHub notes that the three worst categories for finding sales will be computers and phones, electronics, and furniture. Meanwhile, the best deals can be found in home appliances and apparel, with discounts of 28% and 32% off sticker prices, respectively. The stores reporting the biggest discounts include Belk, Costco, Dell, and Macy’s, while Target and Home Depot come in with the least discounted items. Last Black Friday, 112.7 million Americans went to stores in person with an additional 130.2 million shopping for deals online.
Bidenomics at work: Speaking of Bidenflation, Americans’ 401(k)s have shrunk by an average of 4% thanks in large part to folks having to dip into their retirement savings early in order to pay the bills. On average, Americans’ 401(k) plans dropped from $112,400 in the second quarter down to $107,700 in the third quarter. IRAs also declined from $113,800 down to $109,600. Yet the Biden administration continues to insist the economy is oh so good. The trouble with early withdrawal is that one not only loses savings but often will be liable for taxes on the withdrawal. Talk about frustration — shelling out more of your hard-earned cash to a government that can’t seem to stop spending money like a drunken sailor, causing inflation to remain high.
DEI sure is expensive: The purpose of the military is to defend the nation against foreign enemies. Ever since the Obama administration, however, the Department of Defense has increasingly used the military as an incubator for a hard-leftist woke agenda. And under Joe Biden that has only gotten worse. Case in point has been Biden’s spending on a diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) agenda. In short, it’s the Biden administration’s effort to disseminate Marxist critical race theory through the military. And taxpayer funding for spreading the anti-American ideology has been increasing year over year, with the Pentagon spending upwards of $270 million on DEIA since 2022. Republican Representative Mike Waltz (FL), himself a decorated U.S. Army veteran, warned: “Our military is not focused on lethality. They’re focused on diversity and climate. That’s going to result in our enemies not fearing us and respecting us as they should.” Waltz further observed that government officials “holding the keys to power, those with their finger on the nuclear button or on incredibly powerful surveillance capabilities” are being “indoctrinated that our civilian institutions are inherently racist, are systemically misogynistic and have a colonialist past and therefore bad.”
Is a cease-fire looming in the Israel-Hamas War? Forty-five days ago, Hamas launched a barbaric attack on Israel, and the terrorist organization has been reaping the whirlwind ever since. To be sure, though, so have many innocent civilians in Gaza, who’ve been used by Hamas as human shields. And yet, according to Fox News, a five-day cease-fire may be on the horizon — a cease-fire that would include the delivery of humanitarian aid and the release of some number of hostages. “Reports indicate it would include the release of dozens of Israeli and foreign citizen hostages,” said Fox News’s Trey Yingst. “The hostages are expected to be only women and children and would be exchanged for [Palestinian] prisoners being held in Israel.” Yingst also says that a 3-to-1 ratio of hostages for Palestinian prisoners is being negotiated. Hamas shouldn’t get too comfortable, though. “It will only be a temporary cease-fire,” said Israeli spokesman Mark Regev. “They need that time out and, as a result, we believe the probability of their agreeing to release our people has gone up.” After that, Israel will get back to the bloody but necessary business of destroying those who would otherwise destroy them.
Musk vs. Media Matters: Media Matters for America will never be confused with a legitimate watchdog organization nor a patriotic one — at least not by anyone who’s paying attention. Instead, the raison d’etre of the Soros-funded hacks has long been to obsessively watch Fox News and harass its advertisers by sucker-punching the network for inaccuracies that are often sensationalized or taken out of context. Recently, though, MMFA has found another reason for being: to stifle free expression by attacking the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. Elon Musk’s X promotes free speech and is thus a threat to the establishment Leftmedia, but Media Matters hasn’t attacked the platform in the conventional way — confronting Musk directly in the marketplace of ideas. Instead, they’ve done so indirectly, by attacking X’s advertising revenue. And, according to Musk, they’ve done so by fraudulently manipulating the platform’s advertising data. As The Federalist’s John Daniel Davidson reports, MMFA “released a bogus ‘report’ alleging that X … runs ads for Apple, Bravo, IBM, Oracle, and Xfinity next to ‘pro-Nazi content.’ Sure enough, after this report was published Thursday, Apple, IBM, and a bunch of other companies fell for the scam and announced they were pulling ads from X.” Musk has responded by threatening to hit Media Matters with “a thermonuclear lawsuit,” and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has opened an investigation into MMFA as well. We wish them both every success.
SCOTUS won’t review Chauvin’s appeal: It was an unlikely outcome, to be sure, but lawyers for former Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin were unable to convince the Supreme Court to take up their appeal that their client should be granted a new trial and a new venue. As The Washington Times reports: “In a petition to the high court, a lawyer representing Chauvin asked the justices to review the trial court’s denial of a change of venue citing jury bias, saying it ran afoul of Chauvin’s Sixth Amendment rights. The lawyer said several jurors expressed safety concerns due to the ongoing riots and presence of news media covering the murder trial. One juror asked to be released from serving due to his fear about his identity being public, but that request was denied.” We covered Chauvin’s case last month, noting that he was convicted in 2021 for the death of a non-compliant six-foot, six-inch career criminal and drug addict named George Floyd. Chauvin’s sentence is 22.5 years, but, in the words of a key witness, “the actual evidence [didn’t] match up with the public narrative that everyone’s already decided on.”
Emphasis on the Empire State: Every people gets the government they deserve, and New Yorkers — who had a chance last year to oust their Big Government leftist governor, Kathy Hochul, for a popular and highly regarded small government conservative, Lee Zeldin — are getting theirs good and hard. As the New York Post reports, “New York once again has the dubious distinction of being labeled ‘the least free state’ in America, according to a report issued by libertarian-leaning think tank The Cato Institute. The Empire State ranked dead last — 50th — for policies impacting economic, social and personal freedoms in 2022, the report claims.” In contrast, the Free State of Florida ranked second in the report, perhaps fittingly behind only the “Live Free or Die” state of New Hampshire as the most free state in the union. “It is little wonder,” said the report’s authors, “that New Yorkers are fleeing the state in droves. New Yorkers have been voting with their feet for years.” And who can blame them?
Headlines
2024 general election debates announced (Townhall)
Trump calls to “revamp the RNC” if GOP debates go ahead (The Hill)
Whistleblower: FBI official ordered to scrub anti-Trump social media posts before big promotion (Washington Times)
Texas Dem Cardenas is the 10th congressional retiree this month (Washington Examiner)
Sam Altman to join Microsoft research team after OpenAI ousts him (USA Today)
Internal Senate memo highlights Biden admin efforts to tie highway funding to woke priorities (Fox News)
White House program enabling mass phone surveillance of Americans could be illegal (Daily Caller)
Maryland hate crime task force member claimed babies murdered by Hamas were “fake,” compared Israel to Nazis (Fox News)
Humor: Karine Jean-Pierre claims Biden is youngest president of all time (Babylon Bee)
Here at The Patriot Post, we work hard to ensure an accurate and penetrating analysis of the week’s news, policy, and opinion — all from a constitutional perspective. Reader funding alone has kept our analysis coming for more than 27 years, allowing us to reach a vast reader audience with the message of Liberty without the limitations of a subscription fee. We humbly request your support for our mission as we work to meet our daily operating budget requirements. From each of us here, our sincerest thanks for your support. —Nate Jackson, Managing Editor
The Biden administration’s “clean” energy do-gooders have declared war on inexpensive and reliable natural gas.
Michael Swartz
Remember when we said government bureaucrats were coming for our gas stoves? Remember how they insisted up and down they weren’t going to do it?
“To be clear,” said Consumer Product Safety Commission Chairman Alexander D. Hoehn-Saric at the time, “[we are] not looking to ban gas stoves, and the CPSC has no proceeding to do so.” Turns out it wasn’t an outright ban, but a regulatory squeeze that would act in the same manner.
Later, during the summer, we revealed that Congress was on to the ruse. “There are other rulemakings under consideration for dishwashers, refrigerators, water heaters, furnaces, air conditioners, and other household appliances under the guise of improving energy efficiency as proscribed by the Environmental Policy and Conservation Act,” explained Texas Congressman Pat Fallon, who chairs the House Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs.
As winter approaches, though, many Americans rely on their furnace to keep their homes warm. For many in urban areas, that furnace burns natural gas to provide the heat, while rural areas generally have a propane system. In both cases, consumers have essentially decided that they prefer the warmth of a gas furnace, but that’s not good enough for the regulatory do-gooders in the Biden administration. Back in September, the Department of Energy proposed stringent new regulations that would eliminate much of the current gas furnace technology by 2028.
That was step one. Now, in the wake of the most recent National Climate Assessment — an assessment rigged to make it appear we’re in a crisis — the regime has decided to dust off the 1950 Defense Production Act to reward the makers of electric heat pumps to the tune of $169 million in “investments” and game the home heating market still further.
“Today’s Defense Production Act funds for heat pump manufacturing show that President Biden is treating climate change as the crisis it is,” says ancient bureaucrat and longtime Beltway insider John Podesta, who was once chief of staff for Bill Clinton and is now our nation’s “clean energy czar.” “These awards will grow domestic manufacturing, create good-paying jobs, and boost American competitiveness in industries of the future.” This might almost make sense, except the funds are going to several multinational corporations — meaning there’s no real guarantee of domestic job creation.
It didn’t take analysts long to put two and two together. As energy expert Robert Bryce pointed out: “Some of America’s richest NGOs are pushing policies that ban the direct use of natural gas in homes and businesses. While they claim the ban on gas is needed to address climate change, these bans will result in dramatic increases in energy costs and impose a regressive tax on the poor and the middle class.” Bryce also cited Energy Information Administration data stating that average homeowners who heat with electricity will pay a 77% premium this winter over those homeowners who can heat with gas. For a home in the snowy Northeast, the electricity toll is $1,465, compared to just $761 for gas. These are the numbers provided by the same federal government that’s trying to regulate away both gas furnaces and the production of electricity from natural gas sources. Yet natural-gas-powered electricity is still necessary as a backup plan if the favored “renewable” wind and solar power isn’t available.
Furthermore, “Biden’s action to promote heat pumps was ‘necessary’ because Biden’s new regulations on gas furnaces will make them unaffordable where they aren’t unavailable,” explained PJ Media’s Stephen Green. “When the new regs go into effect in 2028, Biden’s rules mandate that all new gas furnaces operate at 95% efficiency, up from today’s 80%. The non-condensing furnaces used in most homes almost certainly won’t make the cut.”
While there are already duly efficient gas furnaces on the market, the difference comes from the expensive process of sealed combustion. This brings outside air directly into the furnace via additional retrofitted ductwork, which is required to convert an 80% efficient furnace to a 95% one.
So here’s the bottom line: Through the onerous power of regulation, the Biden administration is trying to eliminate natural gas as a fuel source. Why? Because it’s inexpensive and reliable and was once considered “clean” but has fallen out of favor with environmentalists, who now prefer that we use less reliable but more profitable solar and wind power, for which components are generally not available domestically but are sold to us by a nation with missiles pointed at us — China.
As we see it, this is awe-inspiring stupidity. But elections have consequences.
A Los Angeles resident defended himself against would-be home invaders only to have the state rescind his concealed carry permit.
Thomas Gallatin
The Second Amendment is not a second class right, but all too often it is treated as such.
The right to bear arms is recognized primarily to protect free citizens against potential government tyranny — it is the palladium of liberties. But more often in practice it is the right of free citizens to protect themselves, their loved ones, and their property from those who seek to do them wrong. Inherent in the Second Amendment is the right to self-defense.
Los Angeles, California, resident Vince Ricci recently exercised his Second Amendment rights when he was confronted by two armed men outside his house as he returned from working out. Fortunately for Ricci, he had a concealed carry weapon (CCW) permit and was carrying.
Ricci quickly turned the tables on the two attackers as he pulled his firearm and fired, sending the two fleeing. No one was hurt in the firefight, but Ricci was clearly incensed by the situation, and voiced some of his frustration by yelling at LA Police officers who eventually came to investigate the incident.
Evidently, robberies have been a growing problem in the gated community in which Ricci lives; his home was broken into months prior. For Ricci, whose five-month-old child, wife, and nanny were in his house at the time of the attack, his frustration over the LAPD’s apparent lack of action to tackle the crime problem is understandable.
Fortunately, the entire attack and firefight was caught on Ricci’s home security camera, which left no question that he had responded appropriately and within the bounds of the law in defending himself and his family. If it had not been caught on camera, one wonders if Ricci would have found himself in legal hot water with LA’s leftist District Attorney George Gascon.
Yet despite the fact that video proves that Ricci not only properly used his Second Amendment rights but also demonstrated that the CCW permit he had spent months seeking to obtain was fully justified, Ricci was soon notified by the LAPD that his CCW permit had been “temporarily” rescinded.
Ricci believes that the LAPD revoked his permit because he yelled after it took three days for officers to respond and initiate an investigation of the attempted assault and burglary. Furthermore, he accused them of sloppy policing for failing to pick up shell casings at the scene.
The LA county sheriffs department offered a boilerplate response. “We recognize that this incident was extremely traumatic and startling for the Ricci family and we hope the individuals responsible for this crime are arrested and held accountable,” the sheriff’s office stated. “The CCW permit may be immediately reinstated as long as the permit holder has also followed all required CCW policies (i.e. proper notifications, use of properly documented weapon, etc.). The DOJ has been notified and there are avenues for Mr. Ricci to re-apply for his permit. We have been in contact with the Ricci family and have been providing information to them about CCW protocols and guidelines in an effort to ensure their Second Amendment rights are protected.”
That is a classic example of viewing Ricci’s Second Amendment rights as second class. California already makes it extremely difficult for residents to obtain CCW permits, and apparently when a resident actually needs to use his permit in a clear and unequivocal example of justified self-defense, the state quickly rescinds the permit and restarts the hoop process.
The only caveat here is that there may be some yet undisclosed information that provides justifiable rationale to rescind Ricci’s CCW permit. However, thus far nothing caught on his security camera, nor any other reported information justify the state’s actions.
Another media smear job hits Republicans for talking tough on crime, the border, and foreign policy.
Nate Jackson
“The Republican presidential primary campaign is heavy on bloodlust,” warns NBC News in a headline. Gee, that does sound bad.
Until you read the story, that is. Then you realize that “bloodlust” is actually an appeal for restoring Rule of Law.
Obviously, NBC is a key outlet for Democrat propaganda, and anyone reading or watching its “news” should beware of the old saying, “garbage in, garbage out.”
The story starts out as alarmist as you’d expect: “The candidates have talked about heads on stakes, slit throats and executions,” the subheader reads, followed by the first sentence that says, “Republican presidential hopefuls are out for blood — literally.” To supposedly prove this point, the quartet of scribes point to examples of Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, and Vivek Ramaswamy saying tough things about serious problems confronting our nation.
Trump talked about shooting shoplifters and executing child traffickers, and in NBC’s mendacious framing, “recently lamented that former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley couldn’t be put to death for assuaging China’s concerns following the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol.” Trump’s actual point was the treason is serious.
DeSantis warned that drug smugglers from Mexican cartels could end up “stone cold dead.” He has also stiffened the death penalty in Florida and, NBC says, “backed legislation offering immunity to people who run over protesters with their vehicles.” That, of course, is not a license to kill as you might assume from NBC, but putting some responsibility on protesters who illegally block public streets. He also promised to “start slitting throats” of federal bureaucrats “on Day 1” — an obvious figure of speech for firing deep state actors.
Haley’s offense was also talking tough on the border, promising to “eliminate” drug cartels “just like we eliminated ISIS.” Her other one was to proclaim after October 7 that Israel should “finish the job once and for all with these butchers, Hamas.”
Even the more dovish Ramaswamy got an implied scolding for saying he’d “love nothing more than for the IDF to put the heads of the top 100 Hamas leaders on stakes and line them up on the Israel-Gaza border.”
Perhaps these candidates would do better to tone it down. It’s perfectly possible to speak about securing the border, fighting crime, and enacting foreign policy without sounding like you’re reading the script of a war movie. NBC isn’t the only outlet to decry “bloodlust” among Republicans — Politico did so more than a year ago, and the rabidly anti-Trump and supposedly conservative team at The Bulwark did so earlier this year.
On the other hand, tough times call for tough talk and real action.
Joe Biden’s cognitive disabilities and total supplication to the radical Left have created a humanitarian crisis on our southern border and an alarming threat to our children from sexual groomers, as well as wars erupting around the world. Deep state figures undermined President Trump for four years, and Milley was at best a fellow traveler with them. It’s not unreasonable to promise that figurative heads will roll under the next Republican administration.
Most voters are angry these days, too, about a great many things, and candidates are merely reflecting that.
On the Left, they’re angry about the so-called “insurrection.” Hillary Clinton called for “deprogramming” Trump fans. Joe Biden yelled a speech in front of that Nazi-like backdrop. To those of us who know the history of totalitarian regimes reeducating citizens or enforcing ideological “purity,” those things invoke an awful lot of bloody imagery.
Leftists are also rabidly pro-abortion, marching all over the country demanding a “right” enjoyed in only six other countries in the world — to end the life of a child all the way through pregnancy. We might call that bloodlust.
On the Right, people are furious about how Democrats destroyed the integrity of elections. They spent years rejecting any Republican victory as illegitimate, and then pounced with the idiotic “election denier” rhetoric the moment Republicans had a problem with an election compromised by bulk-mail ballots.
Most Americans are appalled that our southern border is nonexistent while millions of people pour across, many with evil intent, including drugs that kill tens of thousands of Americans every year. Peaceful citizens are alarmed by the rampant crime destroying our cities.
Of course some folks are going to speak in harsh terms about such things.
For the entirety of his lengthy career, Biden has constantly used the word “literally” when he means “figuratively,” so maybe some of these media folks are simply as confused as he is. But most competent adults know that serious problems require serious solutions, and sometimes that means using intense language to convey the point. Calling it “bloodlust” arguably discredits the media, not the candidates.
“We are home for this uniquely American holiday thanks to the sacrifices of friends and neighbors who answered the call to defend what makes us a nation.”
Mark Alexander
California native James Allen Taylor signed up to serve our nation at age 19. He enlisted in the Army and was commissioned as an officer in 1965. On November 9, 1967, then-1LT Taylor was executive officer of Troop B, 1st Squadron, 1ST Calvary unit in Vietnam. On the battlefield west of Que Son, Taylor repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire in order to rescue crewmen from damaged assault vehicles and personnel carriers. For his extraordinary actions on that day, he was awarded the Medal of Honor and his full citation can be read here.
Ahead of Thanksgiving five years ago, now-retired MAJ Taylor penned a timeless reminder about Thanksgiving:
Coming home on Thanksgiving is a great American tradition — a fact that is true even when we may not be coming back to the Norman Rockwell version of Thanksgiving. Yes, we all have a relative or two we sometimes could do without. But for one day out of the year, we still come together as a family.
This year we’re coming together in divisive times. There will be more than a few arguments around the table. Some unkind words may be said. But in time they’ll be forgiven or forgotten. What really matters — family — will soften any short-lived unpleasantness.
I remember coming home at a particularly difficult time for America. It was 50 years ago, during the Vietnam War era, when things were far more contentious than they are today. My friends and I went to war because that was what young men did back then. Tens of thousands of my fellow soldiers returned with grievous wounds, and far too many never saw home again. We didn’t think much about geopolitical strategy in Southeast Asia. For the most part, we fought for our friends, families, and comrades in arms. We fought to come home. But some of us came home to a place where that kind of service was no longer honored.
In 1968, America was torn by political violence that cut down our most charismatic leaders, racial conflict so raw it set whole cities on fire, a social upheaval so revolutionary that our culture has never been the same. But, through it all, we remained a nation indivisible. Over time, the heat cooled and we went back to being a family again.
Today we need another reminder of what makes us one American family. The temper of the times is hot again, stoked by technology and an information age that amplifies our disputes and celebrates our divisions. There seems to be no common ground where we can all say, “this is who we are.”
This Thanksgiving we’ll observe the usual national rituals, a big meal and maybe football on the TV. And there will likely be the usual debates and sharp words. But let’s remember that we are, in a sense, a big and varied family — together in an often inhospitable world. We are home for this uniquely American holiday thanks to the sacrifices of friends and neighbors who answered the call to defend what makes us a nation. God bless our troops and God bless America.
MAJ James Allen Taylor, your example of valor — an American Patriot defending your fellow warriors and Liberty for all above and beyond the call of duty and disregarding the peril to your own life — is eternal.
On June 6, 1984 at Pointe du Hoc on Normandy beach in France, the 40th anniversary of the Normandy invasion, Ronald Reagan delivered one of his most memorable tributes to his Greatest Generation of American Patriots — words that resonate for all generations.
He closed his remarks about “the boys of Pointe du Hoc” by saying, “Strengthened by their courage, heartened by their valor, and borne by their memory, let us continue to stand for the ideals for which they lived and died.”
Indeed.
This Thanksgiving, please join us with a heart of gratitude in prayer for our nation’s Military Patriots and Veterans, and their families.
“Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one’s life for his friends.” (John 15:13)
Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis Pro Deo et Libertate — 1776
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.
The Truth About American Colonialism — Historian Dr. Jeff Fynn-Paul discusses his book Not Stolen: The Truth About European Colonialism in the New World, “stolen land,” Thanksgiving, and colonialism.
Families Are Ditching Public School — Teachers union president Randi Weingarten shared an article on X that criticized homeschooling, and it seems to stem from the school system’s lack of control at home.
Penny Chokehold Case: Prosecution Gets Desperate — Prosecutors double down on their case that Daniel Penny was reckless in the subway chokehold of Jordan Neely, but their arguments are getting obviously desperate.
Top Conservative Leaders Take on the Biggest Issues — Presidential candidates Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, and Vivek Ramaswamy at a family discussion moderated by The FAMiLY Leader President and CEO Bob Vander Plaats.
“Voters have managed to notice that Mr. Biden is showing his years. Seventy-seven percent of Americans say he’s too old for another term, according to an August AP poll, including 69% of Democrats, 74% of independents, and 89% of Republicans. And who says Mr. Biden hasn’t united the country?” —The Wall Street Journal
“Joe Biden has 50 years in elected office. He has very little to show for it, other than expensive homes and a fat bank account.” —Karen Townsend
Political Futures
“Although President Biden is too old and feeble, and Democrats fear he could lose to former president Trump, it would be politically dicey for them to cashier him — especially when the heiress apparent is Vice President Harris, with whom they would run a greater risk of losing to Trump. This is a problem of partisan political miscalculation; while we’re all the worse for it, it’s not a legal problem.” —Andrew McCarthy
“In Biden, lots of Americans see lots of reasons to worry — the light schedule; the rarity of sit-down interviews; the sudden angry outbursts; the odd, confused, and erratic behavior at public events; the shuffling feet and occasional falls; the meandering stories, with his voice trailing off; and the frequent off-the-cuff declarations that his own staff won’t allow him to answer questions. He’s not the same man he was when he was vice president or senator, and we can all see it.” —Jim Geraghty
“I think [Joe Biden] has a 50–50 shot [of winning in 2024], but no better than that, maybe a little worse. He thinks he can cheat nature here and it’s really risky. They’ve got a real problem if they’re counting on Trump to win it for them. I remember Hillary doing that, too.” —David Axelrod
Belly Laugh of the Week
“I would put the president’s stamina, the president’s wisdom, ability to get this done on behalf of the American people, against anyone — anyone, on any day of the week.” —White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre
Foot in Mouth
“It is just unquestionable at this point that he cannot see public office again. He is not only unfit. He is destructive to our democracy. He has to be eliminated.” —Congressman Daniel Goldman, who later apologized that he “mistakenly used the wrong word” to express how important it is to defeat Donald Trump
How to Change
“Pro-life laws in many states have already saved tens of thousands of innocent lives. We can save even more, but only if we realize a critical truth. We need to win over the culture if we hope to start winning at the ballot box.” —Tim Busch
Bidenomics
“People loathe inflation because it blows apart their budgets, devalues their savings, makes it difficult to plan for the future, and triggers interest-rate hikes that render prohibitive the cost of borrowing for a home or car. Inflation is a concrete, not an abstract, problem.” —Charles C.W. Cooke
Countering Hate
“People have bought this idiot meta-Marxism, which is that the way to look at every social relationship that people ever have is through the lens of power. … The leftists have already decided the Palestinians are the victims. … If you’re a victim, then you’re morally righteous. And even more conveniently, if you stand for the victim then you’re morally righteous regardless of what you do with your own life.” —Jordan Peterson
“When anti-Semitism moves from the shameful fringe into the public square, it is not about Jews. It is never about Jews. It is about everyone else. It is about the surrounding society or the culture or the country. It is an early warning system — a sign that society itself is breaking down. That it is dying.” —Bari Weiss
On Monday, former President Donald Trump took to social media to share his medical report, which seems to be a subtle jibe at Joe Biden who celebrated his 81st birthday and a turkey pardon at the White House South lawn.
Biden, who joked about his age during the annual White House turkey pardon, also confused Taylor Swift and Beyonce when talking about the origin of the massive birds.
The turkeys, named ‘Liberty’ and ‘Bell,’ were shipped to D.C. from Minnesota.
“I just want you to know it’s difficult turning 60,” Biden joked.
“Now, just to get here, Liberty and Bell had to beat some tough odds, a competition. They had to work hard to show patience and be willing to travel over a thousand miles,” Biden said. “You could say even this is harder than getting a ticket to the Renaissance tour, or, or Britney’s tour she’s down in – it’s kind of warm in Brazil right now.”
Biden apparently was referring to Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” – which was notorious for difficulty in getting tickets, and who recently canceled a tour date in Brazil after one of her fans passed away from heat exhaustion – and Beyonce’s “Renaissance” tour, which recently wrapped up at the start of October.
In an Instagram post, Joe Biden’s staffer wrote, “Thanks for the birthday well-wishes today, everyone. Turns out on your 146th birthday, you run out of space for candles!”
In a timing that seemed far from coincidental, former President Donald Trump took to Truth Social on Biden’s birthday to broadcast a detailed health assessment.
The report, issued by Dr. Bruce Aronwald from Morristown Medical Group, detailed comprehensive examinations and specialist consultations, citing “excellent” overall health.
It emphasized Trump’s “exceptional” cognitive exams, “normal” cardiovascular studies, and negative cancer screenings. The report also noted Trump’s successful weight reduction through diet and physical activity, painting a picture of robust health and vitality.
Trump’s release of his medical report is to reassure voters about his health amidst ongoing public scrutiny of presidential fitness for office.
I have been President Donald J. Trump’s personal physician since 2021. During this time, I have conducted several comprehensive examinations, the most recent being September 13, 2023, and have supervised specialist consultations along with ancillary testing for screening and preventative health maintenance.
I am pleased to report that President Trump’s overall health is excellent. His physical exams were well within the normal range and his cognitive exams were exceptional. In addition, his most recent extensive laboratory analysis remains well within normal limits and was even more favorable than prior testing in some of the most significant parameters, most likely secondary to weight reduction.
Cardiovascular studies are all normal and cancer screening tests are all negative. President Trump has reduced his weight through an improved diet and continued daily physical activity, while maintaining a rigorous schedule. It is my opinion that President Trump is currently in excellent health, and with his continued interest in preventative health monitoring and maintenance, he will continue to enjoy a healthy active lifestyle for years to come.
Screenshot: Truth Social
In September, The Wall Street Journalran a poll on Joe Biden and President Trump on the “age issue.”
The poll found that President Trump leads Joe Biden by 26 points on the issue of age. It should be 100%, and we all know it.
It is clear to all Americans that Joe Biden does not have the physical or mental capacity to be president. Even the lapdogs in the mainstream media know this but dare not report this truth to the American public.
In response, former President Trump slammed the Wall Street Journal, and then he challenged Joe Biden, Rupert Murdoch, his leftie sons, and the Wall Street Journal bigwigs to an acuity test!
Trump wrote in Truth Social: “In a phony and probably rigged Wall Street Journal poll, coming out of nowhere to softened the mental incompetence blow that is so obvious with Crooked Joe Biden, they ask about my age and mentality. Where did that come from? A few years ago I was the only one to agree to a mental acuity test, & ACED IT. Now that the Globalists at Fox & the WSJ have failed to push their 3rd tier candidate to success, they do this. Well, I hereby challenge Rupert Murdoch & Sons, Biden, WSJ heads, to acuity tests!”
Screenshot: Truth Social
President upped the ante. Trump said the mental acuity challenge will now include a physical challenge.
“I will name the place and the test, and it will be a tough one. Nobody will come even close to me! We can also throw some physical activity into it. I just won the Senior Club Championship at a big golf club, with many very good players. To do so you need strength, accuracy, touch and, above all, mental toughness. Ask Bret Baier (Fox), a very good golfer. The Wall Street Journal & Fox are damaged goods after their failed DeSanctimonious push & stupid $780,000,000 “settlement.” MORONS!!!” Trump wrote.
Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu claims Kiev has suffered “colossal” November casualties at the front
Ukraine has lost over 13,700 troops and approximately 1,800 tanks and other heavy weaponry so far this month, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu told his government colleagues on Tuesday during a ministerial meeting.
Russian forces have been actively thwarting Kiev’s attempts to breach their defensive lines and continue to reduce Ukraine’s military capacity, the senior official said. He claimed that Ukrainian soldiers were surrendering in droves after realizing the futility of their counteroffensive.
The minister issued his last assessment of Ukrainian casualties in late October, when he said they had surpassed 90,000 since the start of Kiev’s ill-fated counteroffensive in early July. During this week’s meeting, Shoigu described the cost paid by Ukrainian soldiers in the conflict as “colossal.”
Valery Zaluzhny, Ukraine’s top general, previously said that the conflict with Russia had reached a “stalemate” and that his armed forces would likely not achieve a breakthrough in the confrontation anytime soon. President Vladimir Zelensky has disputed the assessment, claiming that progress was still being made in his nation’s attempt to return Ukraine to its pre-2014 borders.
On Monday, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin visited Kiev to meet Zelensky and announce Washington’s latest package of military assistance, worth some $100 million. The Pentagon, however, has warned that it is running out of money authorized by Congress to be spent on Ukraine.
The funding has become contentious on Capitol Hill; the conservative wing of the Republican party opposes further aid. Critics of the White House’s pledge to support Kiev for “as long as it takes” have complained about a lack of transparency and argued that the US has more important priorities.
Some GOP lawmakers have described the Zelensky government as a problematic recipient of aid, in light of a string of graft scandals this year, including in the Ukrainian Defense Ministry.
On Tuesday, the Ukrainian leader welcomed more foreign dignitaries in the capital, including German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, European Council President Charles Michel and Moldovan President Maia Sandu. The country is commemorating the 10th anniversary of what Kiev calls the “Revolution of Dignity,” the mass protests and armed overthrow of Ukraine’s democratically-elected government that ultimately led to the current confrontation with Russia.
Moscow has described the Ukraine conflict as part of a US-led proxy war against Russia, in which Ukrainians are used as “cannon fodder.” Anatoly Antonov, Moscow’s ambassador to Washington, called the latest package of aid “a sedative pill” for the Zelensky government, as it edges closer to complete collapse.
Rep. Beth Van Duyne R-Tex., discusses the rise of antisemitism on college campuses, a federal probe into universities, the White House pushing back on the ‘Genocide Joe’ nickname and Biden’s low poll numbers. #foxbusiness
“We will not let up until they are returned”. that’s the word from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on regaining the freedom of the hostages captured by Hamas. The Israel Defense Forces mandate the highest standards of conduct for their soldiers of any military in the world. More than 370 Israeli soldiers have died since the October 7th Hamas attack. Now, with nearly 4% of the country’s population serving. Although Jews make up less than 3% of the American population, the FBI states they are the targets of 60%of all hate crimes. We’ve heard about God moving this year on college campuses or in cities here in the U.S. well – imagine evangelizing an entire country. They are doing just that in Nicaragua.
We were told by no less than President Biden himself that this was the “worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War.”
The FBI was unleashed by the Biden Administration to hunt down hundreds of participants in this “insurrection” and lock them up in the gulag where they awaited trial in torturous conditions – many in solitary confinement.
A Congressional Committee was set up under then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi to “get to the bottom” of the “Trump-led insurrection.” It did not include a single Representative nominated by the opposition Republican Party, but rather two “Republicans” – Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger – who could be relied on by Pelosi and the Democrats to toe the line.
“Since when did such student guests in the United States feel empowered to shut down bridges during commute hours, tear down American flags on Veterans Day, and scout out and hunt-down Jewish-Americans on campus?”
(Victor Davis Hanson – American Greatness) It took the widely reported, repellent, and exempt wave of anti-Semitism and violent pro-Hamas protestors harassing Jews, finally to convince Americans that their own hallmark universities are illiberal centers of mediocrity and intolerance—and increasingly unsafe.
Of course, Americans had long known that something had gone wrong at their colleges. They had increasingly encountered college graduates who were poorly educated in basic skills and lacked general knowledge—and yet highly politicized, and intolerant of different views and opinions. Ignorant but arrogant is a sad way to start an adult life.
College, the public knew, has certainly eroded from our cherished idea of a four-year idealized respite from adult employment. It once was intended to be a place where youth learned to be open-minded, tolerant, skilled, and eager to learn the nature and traditions of Western civilization, art, literature, languages, philosophy, and history. View article →
As noted by English writer GK Chesterton, the fundamental Creed of America is found in our Declaration of Independence which appeals to the ‘Laws of Nature and Nature’s God.’
It’s not called the “Empire of Lies” for nothing. Deception is the oxygen of empire. 44,000+ hours of January 6th footage has been released, and it’s quite obvious as to why they weren’t released in the first place. Also today, Javier Milei was elected in Argentina. Is change coming to the South American nation?
OIDAC says that Christians and churches are increasingly being attacked for their biblical beliefs by radical political groups, jihadists, Satanists, and even by their own supposedly tolerant governments.
A group that monitors persecution of Christians reported that hate crimes against Christians in Europe increased 44 percent last year, with arson attacks jumping 75 percent.
Last Thursday, the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians (OIDAC) released its annual report regarding hate crimes against Christians in Europe. The report details an increase in vandalism, arson, defacement, threats, assaults, and government persecution of Christians over the reporting period, which ran from September 2022 to August 2023.
OIDAC said there were 748 anti-Christian hate crimes in 30 European countries. This was an increase from 519 in 2021-2022. Arson attacks rose from 60 to 105.
Of the attacks, 38 were acts of physical violence.
The majority of anti-Christian hate crimes were acts of vandalism committed by unknown perpetrators. However, the report found that hate crimes committed by radicalized members of political groups increased. The majority of these were perpetrated by far-left political groups such as Antifa, radical feminists, or pro-LGBT groups. The report also showed a sharp increase in hate crimes in which the motive was clearly extremism. While previously crimes were usually anonymous and motives weren’t clearly established, many crimes in 2022 showed the reason behind the crimes and the group often took credit for the crime.
Christians were also victims of hate crimes by Satanists and Muslims in 11 cases by each group.
The report showed that hate crimes are becoming normalized and more visible.
Another element of the report focused on legal efforts that criminalized Christian belief or actions.
The organization highlighted hate speech laws, explaining that the term “hate speech” has no definition and is often used to stymie Christians sharing or even demonstrating their beliefs through prayer. One law the report cited is an Irish speech law that criminalizes the mere possession of materials that could be considered to incite hate against a group. The law also reverses the burden of proof, requiring the person who possesses the material to prove that they did not intend to use the material to spread hate.
Countries with similar laws are Spain, the United Kingdom, and Norway. Spain’s “hate speech” law, for example, allows for up to two years in prison for those who “harm the dignity of persons through actions that entail humiliation, disregard or discredit of any of the groups [members belong to an ethnicity, race or nation, national origin, gender, sexual orientation or identity, or due to gender, illness or disability]”.
In the U.K., it is a crime if a person “displays any writing, sign or other visible representation which is threatening, abusive or insulting, thereby causing that or another person harassment, alarm or distress.”
This has led to numerous arrests of Christians due to other people claiming to feel distress on hearing or reading Christian beliefs.
Norway’s hate speech law led to the Church of Norway being asked to remove crosses from its chapels and cemeteries, as they were deemed “threatening.”
The report also cited laws that create “buffer zones” around abortion clinics. These buffer zones ban anyone from holding signs, counseling women, or silently praying within areas surrounding the clinics. While these censorship areas have drawn a great deal of attention in the U.K., they have also been implemented in Spain, Ireland, and Germany.
Another area of concern discussed by the OIDAC report is the push to remove conscience protections for Christians in the medical field. Some in the United Nations and World Health Organization have called for requiring all medical workers to perform abortions and transgender surgeries and hormone treatments.
Also listed were bans on so-called conversion therapy or anything other than affirmation of a person’s sexual orientation and gender identity. One Spanish law prohibits “The practice of methods, programs and therapies of aversion, conversion or counterconditioning, in any form, aimed at modifying the sexual orientation or identity or gender expression of persons is prohibited, even if they have the consent of the person concerned or his or her legal representative.”
Some European nations are also working to criminalize parents who do not affirm their child’s gender identity. Newly introduced legal provisions in Iceland would subject parents to a prison sentence of up to five years for putting their child through conversion therapy, which is defined as “any type of therapy (….) discouraging someone’s identity.”
In England and Wales the “Trans Equality Statement” would label it domestic abuse if a parent is guilty of “withholding money for transitioning” or “refusing to use their [children’s] preferred name or pronoun.”
OIDAC summed up its findings by saying,
“The criminalisation of expressions of mainstream religious teachings — which do not incite violence or hatred — as ‘hate speech’ is dangerous on various levels: it blurs the line between legitimate conscience-related convictions and actual incitement to hatred (with the former being a human right and the later a crime), it undermines the plurality of democratic western societies, curbing free speech and thus essentially rendering a free discourse impossible, it stigmatises religion and thus leads to a ‘chilling effect’, affecting believers in the whole region, and it disproportionality infringes on fundamental human rights such as freedom of expression, assembly — and, of course, the freedom to thought, conscience, and religion.”
Socialism has taken root in Europe and is quickly leading to the loss of God-given freedoms in most of its nations. Europe shows the dangers of abandoning Judeo-Christian values, adopting secular humanism as the state belief system, and then letting in untold millions of supposed refugees who hold to ideologies that are anathema to Western civilization without proper vetting. Europe’s culture and its legacy are crumbling while its leaders are operating the wrecking ball. Without protections for free speech, its fall will be swift and great.
America is far from protected from a similar fate.
Our nation is quickly abandoning its founding values and embracing the same godlessness, the same socialism, and the same government elimination of freedom as those across the Atlantic. Meanwhile, the southern border has been left unchecked even as millions of immigrants, some coming from China and Iran, storm our nation. If Americans don’t hold leaders to our Constitution and demand the protection of constitutional liberties, we will soon find ourselves criminalized for praying and sharing our faith in public, supporting pro-life pregnancy resource centers, and refusing to call our children by their “preferred” pronouns or to allow them to undergo Frankensteinian surgeries.
Europe is the canary in the coal mine, and it is starting to warble a death song. If Americans don’t cry out to God for help and His great mercy, we too will soon find our God-given freedoms, bought and secured by the blood of patriots, to be little more than a distant memory.
The Church must be involved in public discourse and influence. That’s why we write —so our readers can be equipped to understand and pursue righteous change in the world. For more timely, informative, and faith-based content, subscribe to the Standing for Freedom Center newsletter.
In the past week, the Biden administration gave another $10 billion dollars to the world’s worst terror state, Iran. What sane person would do that? And why?
Obama gave a hundred billion to Iran a few years back. Biden (and his boss Obama) have given Iran $80 billion more since Biden as elected- including $6 billion only a couple weeks before the Hamas terror attack on Israel.
Biden (and his boss Obama) either directly paid for the Hamas attack on Israel, or emboldened Iran by foolishly giving them billions with no preconditions.
But as bad as that was…at least Biden (and his boss Obama) released all those billions of dollars BEFORE the Hamas attack on Israel.
How can anyone explain the fact that Biden (and his boss Obama) just released another $10 billion to Iran AFTER the worst mass murder of Jews since the Holocaust. No one in the world can be that dumb. Not even a brain-dead president wearing diapers. So this is more about evil, than dumb.
But wait, there is more.
Look at our open borders. Who in their right mind would leave our border with Mexico open and wave the whole world in- including violent criminals released from the world’s worst prisons, rapists, murderers, drug traffickers, human traffickers, pedophiles, migrants bringing third world disease, MS-13 gangbangers, Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists, and military-age males from our worst enemy- China.
Did I mention the drugs coming into our open border- like Fentanyl? Drug overdoses kill well over 100,000 Americans a year. The way illicit drugs are pouring through our wide-open border, that number is certain to rise to 150,000 deaths annually, maybe even 200,000, or 250,000.
That’s a lot of dead Americans- mostly young Americans.
Do the math. Over the next decade that could add up to TWO MILLION dead American kids. That’s on top of the million American kids who have already died in recent years from drug overdoses. These are all someone’s sons and daughters.
One of them could one day soon be YOUR child.
Knowing all of this, who could possibly want the border open? Who could possibly want to welcome the whole world in to ruin the greatest nation in world history, ever blessed by God?
Who would wave in fentanyl that will kill huge numbers of American kids? Who would wave in millions of third world foreigners with deadly third world diseases like TB, polio, smallpox, or Ebola? It just can’t be a mistake. No one is this dumb, or incompetent.
This is the intentional destruction of America.
The people who are purposely leaving the border open, allowing America to be overrun by an invasion of barbarians sent by our enemies…that will either bankrupt us all and collapse our economy under a mountain of debt…or kill our children with drug overdoses…or kill us all with disease…or just murder us…
Are the exact same people giving billions of dollars to Iran to fund terrorism all over the world- including monies used to savagely mass murder Jews and even Jewish babies in Israel.
And anyone with a brain knows that because of the open border we will soon be experiencing terrible terror attacks right here in the USA.
The thing is…
We know exactly who is doing these terrible, evil, unimaginable things to America- Joe Biden (and his boss Obama) and the Democrat Party.
Why would anyone allow this? Why would anyone commit both these heinous acts at the same time? Let’s really think about this.
Are they crazy? Mentally insane? Suicide bombers? Communist traitors?
Or could they be “on the take?”
Are Democrats being bribed billions of dollars into offshore accounts to allow our enemies to poison our population, collapse our economy, murder our own people, and destroy the greatest nation in world history?
I’m thinking they’re all getting big bribes from Iran. And even bigger bribes from the Mexican Drug Cartels. And the biggest bribes of all from China. They’ve sold us out. Et tu, Brute?
There is only one other explanation…
Could Biden (and his boss Obama), and the leadership of the Democrat Party be taking orders from the devil himself? Is this Satan’s vision the Democrats are carrying out? Is Satan in charge? Are we in “end times?”
It’s time to really look at what is happening and why. There really is no other rational explanation for the madness of the people running our country.
Democrats are either insane…evil…self-hating suicide bombers…communist traitors…corrupt, bribed and playing for our enemies…or playing for Satan.
These horrifying choices are the only way to explain what is happening to America.
Only God and Donald J. Trump can save us now.
Wayne Allyn Root is known as “the Conservative Warrior.” Watch Wayne’s TV shows- “America’s Top Ten Countdown” on Real America’s Voice TV Network on Saturdays at Noon ET…and Wayne’s daily TV show on Lindell TV 2 at 7 pm ET at FrankSpeech.com. He is also host of the nationally-syndicated “Wayne Allyn Root: Raw & Unfiltered” on USA Audio Network, daily at 6 pm ET. Wayne’s latest book is a #1 bestseller, “The Great Patriot BUY-cott Book.” You can order here:https://www.amazon.com/Great-Patriot-BUY-cott-Book-Conservative/dp/099173372X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1676215826&sr=8-1
FOX News contributor Karl Rove joined ‘America’s Newsroom’ to discuss a potential third-party run from Joe Manchin and Biden’s dwindling poll numbers ahead of 2024. #FOXNews
“Since when did such student guests in the United States feel empowered to shut down bridges during commute hours, tear down American flags on Veterans Day, and scout out and hunt-down Jewish-Americans on campus?”
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