Monthly Archives: January 2024
Who Is Jesus? The Door of the Sheep | The Cripplegate
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Where is true life to be found?
This is a centuries-old question that philosophers, scholars, theologians, and everyday people seeking to experience what it means to be truly alive have wrestled with and repeatedly asked. After a dramatic or thrilling experience, countless people have said, “For the first time, I felt what it is like to be truly alive!”
People want to experience life. Men and women will experiment with all kinds of things to find what, to them, feels like genuine, meaningful, and purposeful life. People will pursue life by satisfying physical senses in food and drink or in alcohol or drugs, believing that fleshly gratifications with food, drink, or bodily experiences will result in truly living. Others are consumed with sexual encounters, supposing that what makes a person genuinely alive is embracing and expressing their sexual identity, which has become the one identity that truly matters in today’s culture. Individuals find their reason for living in their jobs, building their identity and value in life out of their work or wealth. Some people find the meaning of life in their family, feeling like their life counts because of their children’s accomplishments.
Many of these things in the right context are gifts from God, Food and drink, sexual intimacy in marriage, work, and family are all wonderful things God wants us to enjoy. Tragically, though, people take these pleasures too far and often look for life in these things in and of themselves. Unbelievers also seek life through false religion, thinking that they must earn the favor of a god or gods if they want to enjoy the good life and have a life that matters. None of these answers can give anyone genuine life, and they all lead ultimately to death.
In John 10:7-10, Jesus speaks to this question of where true life is to be found, declaring that He is the door of the sheep and leading us to the entrance of eternal life, namely, Himself.
When Jesus said that He is the door of the sheep, the Jews around Him would have understood His exact meaning. The door for the sheepfold was the way the sheep got out to eat and find nourishment, and it was protection when the sheep came back in to spend the night. The door for the sheep was essentially what gave these animals life.
We see that Jesus didn’t simply declare Himself to be the door of the sheep, but He also highlighted the difference between Himself and the thieves and robbers. In addition to natural predators like wolves, shepherds and owners of sheep would build structures to keep out thieves and robbers, who were an immense danger to the flock. In Jesus’ immediate context, His contrast here would refer to the Pharisees, who excommunicated the man who had been healed from his blindness. However, we can go further than the Pharisees because Jesus was not limiting His application merely to the religious leaders present when He spoke these words.
Thieves and robbers, according to Christ, are anyone seeking to turn someone from the Lord to false religion. These are the anti-evangelists Jesus described in Matthew 23:15 – religious zealots who go out to seek converts, entrapping their proselytes into eternal condemnation. These thieves and robbers, played by the Pharisees in Jesus’ context, are represented today by all promoters of false religion. Whether that be overtly religious people like Mormon missionaries or Word-Faith huckster selling a so-called prosperity gospel, or less-obvious but equally religious zealots from the LGBTQ religion trying to intimidate and force others into bowing down to their perverted view of sexual identity – those who desire to lead people away from Christ are all thieves and robbers.
Jesus not only distinguishes the false teachers from the truth by exposing their true nature as thieves and robbers, but He shows there is a difference in how His sheep respond to them. Jesus’ true sheep do not listen to proponents of false religion after they hear His voice and recognize that He is the true shepherd. This is why the blind man who was healed was unpersuaded by the Pharisees’ threats – he did not hear the truth in their voice; he had heard Jesus’ voice and all others had no appeal to him. So it is for all those who know Christ.
In John’s passage, Jesus repeats the declaration that He is the door of the sheep. The Messiah’s emphasis shows how significant it is that Jesus is the entrance into eternal life. Jesus says that through Him – and Him only – can people be saved. This emphatic declaration asserts that salvation is only obtained through Jesus Christ; there is no other way to be saved, no other door to eternal life, no other Savior, and no other hope for forgiveness of sins. The entrance to heaven only has one door, and that door is Jesus Christ.
We should understand, though, that every door in this world is marked ‘heaven.’ No door is marked ‘eternal destruction’ in the eyes of the world. Even people who celebrate the fact that they are going to hell do not think that hell is a bad place to be; they think hell is heaven. Make no mistake, however: there is only one door marked ‘heaven’ that truly opens into eternal life with God, instead of an eternity under the wrath of God – and that door is named Jesus Christ.
Jesus talks about what this salvation consists of – the sheep can go in and out of the sheepfold. When Jesus says we will be saved if we enter through Him – by believing in His name – He means that He will be our protector from the enemies threating to destroy us. Our salvation is certain – not because we are strong enough to maintain it until we breathe our last – but because our Savior allows us to come in to His sheepfold. Christ protects us from our enemies so that we will not perish.
Not only do we have Christ’s protection as His sheep, but we have His provision for our needs. Christ leads us out from the sheepfold, which pictures His loving care of us to ensure that we get the spiritual nourishment we need through Him. This great provision and protection, as illustrated in Psalm 23:2, only comes to those who enter through Him. It is incumbent upon us to act on our Lord’s invitation and enter through Christ, turning away from our sins and putting our faith alone in Jesus.
As Jesus concludes His short statement, He highlights the intentions of the thieves and robbers. Jesus notes these false teachers come to steal, kill, and destroy. False teachers and messiahs are not well-intentioned people who are misguided, but rather people who come to kill souls with lies. They are used by Satan to destroy souls who will burn in hell for eternity because everything about the evil one is opposed to Christ and the life that He came to bring His sheep.
There is a sharp contrast here between Jesus and thieves and robbers. Jesus, the door of the sheep and the entrance to eternal life, did not come to bring destruction, death, or loss. He came that we might have life in abundance! True life is eternal life, as John later explains in John 17:3. Jesus came to bring us to God and to reconcile us to God through the blood of His cross so that we might know Him, giving us true, real, lasting, satisfying, eternal life. Knowing Christ is what makes life worth living.
To Others an “Ensample” | VCY
Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you. (Philippians 4:9)
It is well when a man can with advantage be so minutely copied as Paul might have been. Oh, for grace to imitate him this day and every day!
Should we, through divine grace, carry into practice the Pauline teaching, we may claim the promise which is now open before us; and what a promise it is! God, who loves peace, makes peace, and breathes peace, will be with us. “Peace be with you” is a sweet benediction; but for the God of peace to be with us is far more. Thus we have the fountain as well as the streams, the sun as well as his beams. If the God of peace be with us, we shall enjoy the peace of God which passeth all understanding, even though outward circumstances should threaten to disturb. If men quarrel, we shall be sure to be peacemakers, if the Maker of peace be with us.
It is in the way of truth that real peace is found. If we quit the faith or leave the path of righteousness under the notion of promoting peace, we shall be greatly mistaken. First pure, then peaceable, is the order of wisdom and of fact. Let us keep to Paul’s line, and we shall have the God of peace with us as He was with the apostle.
Set Apart | Daily Thoughts about God.
“Know that the Lord has set apart the godly for Himself; the Lord will hear when I call to Him.” Psalm 4:3
The sharply dressed young people lined the room. They looked fresh, eager and expectant, as they stood ready to step into their new roles. These were the teaching teams for the schools in the villages. They knew they had a unique opportunity to help shape the lives and the future of the children in this corner of Central America.
For two and a half hours I watched them each step forward and declare out loud to one another and to those of us there that they were setting themselves apart this year to be completely dedicated to God in their roles.
Their leaders gathered around each one and prayed earnestly for them. With hands turned upward toward God they received the blessings prayed over them.
With repentant hearts they went to one another to ask for forgiveness in places where relationships were not right. God’s presence was there!
Then they turned and with the others present they gathered around their leaders and prayed for God’s blessing, strength and wisdom for them in the year ahead. I was moved by the depth of sincerity and by the deep awareness of their need for God to be the one who led them into this new school year.
Openly they set themselves apart to be His vessels in this place. I was challenged in my own heart. “Set apart”. What does that look like for you and for me today as we head into this new year?
I thought of Psalm 4:3 where it says,
“The Lord has set apart him who is godly for Himself. The Lord will hear when I call unto Him.”
God has set us, as believers, aside for Himself. He calls us to live godly lives in open repentance and forgiveness, in open declaration that we seek Him in all we undertake to accomplish.
As I go about my day this means I will keep my heart open to His Spirit. I will guard my heart attitudes, my thoughts and my schedule as I ask Him what is on His heart for me to do today.
“Set apart” for God Himself. “Set apart” to be active in the family business of giving His love away. “Set apart” from the noise of my day to listen to the quiet voice of His Spirit.
Today you and I are “set aside” for the greater purposes of His plans. “Set apart” from the rest of the world to hear and obey His voice in the places our feet go today.
Heavenly Father, thank you for Your divine plans and purposes that are part of my life. Thank you that You have called me to be set apart for You. May I be aware today of being Your vessel. What is on Your heart today, Lord? I present myself to You to be available to step into Your story today. I pray this in the name of Jesus, Amen.
What has God set you apart for this year?
by Gail Rodgers
Used by Permission
FURTHER READING
• Willing to Love, Able to Save by Bill Strom
• Cry of the Hungry and Thirsty | A Perspective on Adversity by Lynn Mosher
• Differences – by Roy Lessin
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The post Set Apart can be found online at Daily Thoughts about God.
You Make a Difference | Daily Thoughts about God.
God is using you for His special purpose.
To Shine His light.
To Share His love.
To Shape His People.
You are making a difference in ways you don’t even realize. And you’re very much appreciated.
“God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work”. 2 Corinthians 9:8
By Roy Lessin
Used by Permission
FURTHER READING
• Forgiveness – Yourself / Others
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Follow Us On: Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • Pinterest
The post You Make a Difference can be found online at Daily Thoughts about God.
31 Jan 2024 News Briefing
US moving nuclear weapons to UK: Report
The outlet reported that the Pentagon documents confirm that the United States is planning to store nuclear warheads three times more powerful than the Hiroshima atomic bomb at the U.K. air base. The Telegraph’s report claimed that the Pentagon has ordered new military equipment for Lakenheath, including ballistic shields that are designed to protect military members from enemy attacks on “high value assets.” The unnamed individual, who the memo only identifies as a member of the Somali terror group al-Shabaab, was released shortly after being caught illegally crossing the southern border near San Ysidro, Calif., on March 13, 2023,
Terrorist arrested in Minnesota roamed free for a year after illegally crossing border
Federal authorities caught a terrorist at the U.S. southern border and released him into the country, where he roamed freely for nearly a year before being arrested in Minnesota just days ago, according to an internal federal memo …
AI Can Design Totally New Proteins From Scratch—It’s Time to Talk Biosecurity
Two decades ago, engineering designer proteins was a dream. Now, thanks to AI, custom proteins are a dime a dozen. Made-to-order proteins often have specific shapes or components that give them abilities new to nature. From longer-lasting drugs and protein-based vaccines, to greener biofuels and plastic-eating proteins, the field is rapidly becoming a transformative technology. Custom protein design depends on deep learning techniques. With large language models—the AI behind OpenAI’s blockbuster ChatGPT—dreaming up millions of structures beyond human imagination, the library of bioactive designer proteins is set to rapidly expand.
Speaker Johnson Rejects Pending Border Deal: Illegal Crossings “Must Be Zero”
After years of insisting otherwise, the White House now calls the situation at the southern border “a crisis.” The administration had often rejected that phrase, preferring instead to describe the historic influx of migrants crossing illegally as “a challenge.”
New York May Screw 4,000 Legal Residents Out Of A Job – So Migrants Can Have Them
Amid an influx of over 170,000 migrants bussed from southern border states ill-equipped to handle them, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) has proposed a $2.4 billion plan to help provide for them. She’s also called on the Biden administration to speed up work permits, and boost federal aid for the migrants – arguing that letting them work would help the state’s economy and mitigate the humanitarian crisis. Nevermind the 14% of New York state that’s already living in poverty, or the roughly 436,000 unemployed legal New York residents.
Just Months After “Massive Labor Deal,” UPS Announces Massive Layoffs
Five months after unionized UPS workers ratified a massive five-year labor deal that included massive pay bumps (read: here), the logistics company announced on Tuesday morning that 12,000 jobs, or about 14% of its 85,000 management jobs, would be cut.
2024 ‘X’ Solar Eclipse: Coincidence Or Final Warning?
What’s likely to become the biggest travel event during 2024 in America? Some might think it would be the Super Bowl or another sporting event such as the Indianapolis 500. However, according to the Washington Post, it will be the solar eclipse that will cross the U.S. on April 8, 2024. This eclipse sparks added interest among prophecy watchers because of its relationship to another darkening of the sun that occurred on August 21, 2017. The two eclipses, seven years apart, will form an X on America intersecting at Little Egypt, a small town in southern Illinois.
IDF’s ‘breakthrough’ Atlantis project floods Gaza tunnels with massive amounts of water
The Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday revealed new details about the Atlantis project to neutralize underground terrorist infrastructure in the Gaza Strip by channeling large volumes of seawater into the tunnels, and announces that it has become operational.
Missouri Rep. Cori Bush under federal criminal investigation
Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), one of Israel’s most strident critics in Congress, is reportedly under a federal criminal investigation for misspending personal security funds. The U.S. Department of Justice served the House sergeant at arms, William McFarland, with a grand jury subpoena to turn over related materials, McFarland informed the House on Monday.
IDF floods Hamas tunnels, Netanyahu affirms ‘total victory’
IDF close to defeating Hamas in Khan Yunis, half of terror group’s forces ‘out of combat’ • Hamas ‘studying’ Gaza hostage deal, Haniyeh says
UNRWA chat exposes numerous staff members for supporting Oct. 7th massacre
The Wall Street Journal subsequently reported that one in 10 UNRWA employees is either an active member or has ties to Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad. “Just a few bad apples?” tweeted UN Watch Executive Director Hillel Neuer on Jan. 28. “There are 249,000 messages, replete with celebrations of Hamas terrorism,” referring to his group’s new report.
Hamas chief says he may consider Paris hostage deal
This announcement comes after Hamas said on Monday evening they would reject any deal that wouldn’t entail a permanent ceasefire and a withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip. Although Haniyeh said that the permanent ceasefire was still a condition of Hamas agreeing to the deal, the fact that the Hamas leader is traveling to Paris to discuss the deal further may signal a willingness to negotiate the terms.
Israel must have military control of Gaza after war, says Defense Minister
Addressing members of the Knesset, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant insisted that Israel must have military control over Gaza after the war similar to the arrangement in Judea and Samaria.
Gallant told members of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, “After the war, when it’s over, I think it’s completely clear that Hamas won’t control Gaza.”
Egyptian Film Depicts Agreement Between Grandsons of Hitler and Mufti to Erase Israel
Apparently, there is a new Egyptian independent film, “A Century and Six Years,” that tells the fictitious story of a Sheik Hareth, the Egyptian grandson of Mufti Amin al-Husseini, traveling Germany to demand the Germans to honor Hitler’s promise to the Arabs, through his… pic.twitter.com/aBM8tn4uHk While the story is a work of fiction and sounds preposterous, it is based in real events.
Hamas weighing new hostage deal proposal despite initial rejection
Despite initial reports that Hamas had rejected the latest proposal for a deal to free Israeli hostages in return for incarcerated terrorists and a truce in the fighting, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said on Tuesday that the terror group would “study” the proposal before submitting a definitive answer.
Daring raid: Israeli forces eliminate Hamas squad in Jenin hospital planning Oct. 7-style attacks against Israelis
An armed terror squad of Hamas terrorists that was planning an imminent attack on Israelis was eliminated by IDF, Shin Bet security and Israel Border Police forces in a daring raid of Ibn Sina Hospital in the West Bank city of Jenin early on Tuesday morning, the IDF announced. The Israeli commando unit that carried out the raid entered the hospital dressed up as Arab citizens, including some who were dressed as women with headscarves, and others dressed as Muslim teachers
RCMP to fund ‘sex changes’ for officers up to $75k: report
In addition to asserting a false reality that one’s sex can be changed, transgender surgeries and drugs have been linked to permanent physical and psychological damage, including cardiovascular diseases, loss of bone density, cancer, strokes and blood clots, infertility, and suicidality.
Emmer calls on Ilhan Omar to resign for ‘appalling, Somalia-first’ speech
The video of Rep. Omar’s alleged remarks was first circulated by Ambassador Rhoda J. Elmi, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Republic of Somaliland. “The U.S. government will only do what Somalians in the U.S. tell them to do! They will do what we want and nothing else. They must follow our orders and that is how we will safeguard the interest of Somalia.” Rep. Tom Emmer, the majority whip of the U.S. House of Representatives, issued a statement to Alpha News saying: “Ilhan Omar’s appalling, Somalia-first comments are a slap in the face to the Minnesotans she was elected to serve and a direct violation of her oath of office. She should resign in disgrace.”
Anchorage sees fastest climb to 100″ of snow on record
Anchorage hit a rare milestone Monday morning with the overnight snow dump and set a new record for reaching it. With the 13.7 inches of snow that Anchorage has seen since Sunday, the seasonal snowfall total for the city has now officially climbed above 100 inches. Sitting at 101.4″ of snowfall for the season as of Monday morning, this year has brought many rare occurrences:
The highest temperature ever recorded in Europe
The World Meteorological Organization confirmed a temperature of 48.8 °C (119.8 °F) in Syracuse, Sicily, on August 11, 2021, as the highest ever recorded in Europe, surpassing the previous record set in 1977.
Record-breaking winds hit parts of northern Norway, causing widespread damage
A powerful storm brought hurricane-force winds to northern Norway on January 29, 2024, tearing down buildings and disrupting transport, while leaving thousands without power. Another storm system is expected to rapidly intensify before making landfall in Norway on January 31, bringing extremely strong winds and heavy snowfall.
German diocese led by head of bishops’ conference ordained zero priests in 2023
A diocese in Germany led by the head of the nation’s bishops’ conference ordained zero priests for the first time in history in 2023.
The Power Of Love
…Today, millions of Americans are on antidepressants and other psychiatric drugs. In fact, it has been reported that more than 250 million prescriptions are issued for antidepressants in the United States each year. Others try to self-medicate by using illegal drugs, alcohol, sex, gambling or other forms of entertainment to make themselves feel better. If it seems like most people in the general population are desperately unhappy, that is because most people in the general population really are desperately unhappy.
Australian Surfing Co. Rip Curl Slammed for Hiring Male-Born Trans Model as Female Brand Ambassador
The Australian surfing company Rip Curl is taking heat for hiring a male-born transgender model as one of its new “female brand ambassadors.”
Pope Francis Says Africans Are a ‘Special Case’ in Their Fierce Rejection of ‘Same-Sex Blessings’ – Labels Other Opponents as ‘Small Groups’ That Must Be Ignored
Globalist Pope Francis is still trying to normalize his train-wreck document Fiducia Suplicans, that prompted negative reactions from hundreds of Conservative bishops all over the world.
Neuralink implants the first human brain chip
Elon Musk’s brain-chip startup Neuralink achieved a significant milestone on Sunday, January 28, 2024, by implanting its first human patient with a brain-computer interface. Musk said on Monday the patient is recovering well and initial results are showing neuron spike detection.
‘Is this going to turn into a civil war?’ Texas’ Lt. Gov. slams Biden for failing to stop ‘invasion’ of migrants and calls them a ‘cartel army’ – as he’s asked if WAR could break out between Texas National Guard and Border Patrol
The deputy to Texas governor Gregg Abbott has insisted his state has the right to defend America as he was challenged over whether its stand-off with the White House could plunge the country into civil war.
Another Fast & Furious Scandal? Mexico Demands Answers As Cartels Acquire US-Military Grade Weapons
Mexico is furious and demands an investigation into how belt-fed machine guns, rocket launchers, and grenades are ending up in the hands of cartel members, the country’s top diplomat said.
Bible professor at Catholic university makes false claims about gender ideology and Scripture
A Protestant professor at a Catholic university in Ohio claimed in an op-ed this week that the Bible presents “gender as a colorful spectrum, not a rigid binary.” The educator used the inaccurate claims to undergird an argument against a new law in the state to shield children from destructive transgender drugs and surgeries and protect female sports.
Left Forces Try Transgendering Jesus For Holy Week 2024
Just in time for Easter (Holy) Week 2024, anti-Christian left forces are trying to transgender God’s Only Begotten Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Yahoo headline, ’Effeminate’ Christ poster angers Spanish conservatives’ should read ‘Effeminate Christ poster hurts and angers Christians world-wide’.
IDF commandos, dressed as doctors, foil terror attack in Jenin hospital
Israeli counterterrorism forces foiled an October 7-inspired terror attack overnight on Tuesday, targeting a cell hiding and planning the attack from the Ibn Sina hospital in Jenin, the West Bank.
Some of the threats menacing Canadians’ freedoms online and how to overcome them
On Dan Fournier’s ‘Down the Rabbit Hole’ podcast, Gabriel from Libre Solutions Network discussed the technological threats menacing Canadians’ freedoms online and what solutions can be employed to counteract them. Discussing tyrannical measures such as digital IDs and “digital kill switches” as well as offering solutions such as “Operation Beehive,” this podcast covers a lot of ground.
Slovakia: Prime Minister launches investigation into the “whole covid circus” and chooses an “anti-vaxxer” to lead it
“Have you seen the statistics on how our deaths from various cardiovascular events have risen because of vaccinations?” Prime Minister Robert Fico asked the Slovak parliament. “The Slovak public simply needs an answer. Needs an answer about vaccination, what it actually was. Why people were vaccinated with various experimental vaccines. Why all sorts of drugs were pushed into people,” he said.
Headlines – 1/31/2024
UK will consider recognising Palestinian state to help end conflict – Cameron
Trump nominated for Nobel Peace Prize by GOP rep for ‘historic’ Abraham Accords
2 Prominent Democrats Urge Biden To Pressure Netanyahu To Change Course In Gaza
Hamas says it is studying proposal for new pause in Gaza fighting
Gallant: IDF to retain security control in Gaza after Hamas defeated
Netanyahu: Israel won’t free ‘thousands of terrorists’ or withdraw IDF for hostage deal
US urges ‘all possible efforts be brought to bear on Hamas’ amid push for hostage deal
As Khan Younis battles intensify, Gallant says IDF will maintain control of Gaza
At least half of Gaza’s buildings damaged or destroyed, new analysis shows
IDF confirms flooding Hamas tunnels in Gaza with seawater
Blinken says evidence of UNRWA staffers’ Oct. 7 involvement ‘highly, highly credible’
Education watchdog warns: Exposed UNRWA-Hamas links ‘just a drop in the ocean’
UNRWA must make ‘fundamental changes’ before funding can resume, US says
Commentary: Israel’s opportunity – Make UNRWA go away
We oppose axing UNRWA mid-war, senior Israeli official says amid global funding halt
Protesters Block Aid to Gaza: It’s Going Directly to Hamas
Panel votes 14-2 to expel MK Cassif for Gaza genocide claims; now Knesset will vote
Swedish artists call to ban Israel from Eurovision over Gaza ‘war crimes’
Dem Rep. Bowman’s Reelection in Jeopardy Due to Anti-Israel Views
Experts debate whether Ivy League antisemitism probe is overreach or overdue
Mapped: how Gaza war led to violence spreading around the Middle East
Israeli Defense Minister Announces Imminent Ground Troop Deployment on Lebanese Border
CIA director says Mideast ‘more explosive’ than ever, points finger at ’emboldened’ Iran
Iran girds for US attack over troop deaths in Jordan but sees war as unlikely
China Warns Against ‘Cycle Of Retaliation’ After US Troop Deaths In Jordan
Powerful Iran-backed militia in Iraq to suspend military ops against US forces in region
UAE sends first ambassador to Syria since civil war began
Houthi leader warns militant group prepared for ‘long-term confrontation’ with US
Red Sea, Panama Canal issues are worse than people realize, expert says
Iran’s Currency Falls, Forty Percent Inflation
Oil Prices Climb on Geopolitical Tensions, Positive Economic Data
The BRICS Wealth Report: Challenging The Global Economic Order
BRICS’ share in global economy overtakes G7: Russia
BRICS Making Good Progress On Their Golden Path
Russian banks post record profits despite western sanctions
Eurozone Economy Flatlines, Zero Growth in Fourth Quarter as Germany Falters
EU threatened ‘Armageddon’ to force vote on Ukraine aid, Orban says
EU Plotting to ‘Sabotage’ Hungarian Economy over Orban’s Opposition to Ukraine Funding: Report
Report: Zelenskyy to Replace Top Ukraine Commander
Ukraine’s Zelensky Reportedly to Fire General Zaluzhny After Months of Infighting
WW3 Watch: Prepare For Russian Missiles, Drones, Sabotage Against European Cities Says NATO Officer
Ukraine Takes Fight to Russian Land, Damaging Putin in Election Year
Hong Kong moves to pass its own national security law, raising fears of further crackdown on dissent
Pakistan Jails Its Most Popular Politician Imran Khan for 10 Years, 9 Days Before Election
Maldivian politicians brawl during key vote
Maldives top lawyer brutally stabbed amid political crisis: Report
Republicans Call for Ilhan Omar to ‘Resign in Disgrace’ over ‘Appalling Somalia-First’ Speech
Joe Biden’s brother to sit for closed-door deposition in impeachment inquiry
CNN, Joy Reid melt down over Jack Posobiec saying Taylor Swift will be used for Biden in 2024
Franken: It’s the ‘Patriotic Duty’ of Former Trump Officials to Warn the Country He’s Dangerous
Bolton: Second Trump Term ‘Could Cause Government Functions Almost to Break Down’
Trump’s former national security adviser says world leaders think he’s a ‘laughing fool’
Secret Obama Memo Could Impact Jack Smith’s Classified Documents Case Against Trump
Gloating E. Jean Carroll Offers to Take Rachel Maddow on Shopping Spree with Trump’s $83 Million
Megyn Kelly Thinks E. Jean Carroll May Have Just Handed the Election to Trump
Fulton County systems still down due to hack
Donald Trump can stay on 2024 Illinois ballot despite push to disqualify him, state officials rule
Trudeau Liberals move to expand voting period, mail-in ballot use ahead of 2025 election
Is American Journalism Headed Toward an ‘Extinction-Level Event’?
Nolte: Atlantic Contributor Wants Taxpayers to Save Media from ‘Extinction Level Event’
The Messenger fighting to avoid shutdown as CEO scrambles to secure funding: sources
NSA Purchases Americans’ Internet Browsing Data Without Warrants, Senator’s Documents Show
Elon Musk’s X/Twitter Beefs Up ‘Trust & Safety’ Censor Squad After Taylor Swift AI Deepfake Fiasco
Georgia Bill Seeks to Ban AI Deepfakes in Elections, Make Releasing Them a Felony Crime
Congress confronts security risks as it seeks to expand Hill’s AI use
S2 – Moderate solar radiation storm following M6.7 solar flare
Total solar eclipse April 8, 2024: The longest and most visible for the US in 100 years
5.1 magnitude earthquake hits near Hihifo, Tonga
5.1 magnitude earthquake hits the South Sandwich Islands region
5.0 magnitude earthquake hits near Bitung, Indonesia
Popocateptl volcano in Mexico erupts to 25,000ft
Sabancaya volcano in Peru erupts to 23,000ft
Ruiz volcano in Colombia erupts to 20,000ft
Sangay volcano in Ecuador erupts to 20,000ft
Reventador volcano in Ecuador erupts to 16,000ft
Fuego volcano in Guatemala erupts to 15,000ft
Semeru volcano in Indonesia erupts to 15,000ft
Santa Maria volcano in Guatemala erupts to 14,000ft
Record-breaking winds hit parts of northern Norway, causing widespread damage
Alaska sees record 8ft ‘pandemic of snow’ in just two months as roofs collapse
The highest temperature ever recorded in Europe
Red alert issued for extreme heat in Chile’s Santiago Metropolitan Region
Top U.S. Automaker Reports $1.7 Billion Loss on Electric Vehicles in Fourth Quarter
Christian Veteran Who Beheaded Satanic Altar in Iowa Capital Charged with Hate Crime
House GOP takes party-line vote toward Mayorkas impeachment as border becomes 2024 campaign issue
Somali terrorist roamed free in US for a year after being released by Biden’s border agents
15 actions Biden has taken to open the US border without Congressional approval
White House claims Biden can’t close the border until Congress approves more funding
‘Simply Untrue’: Speaker Dismisses Biden Claim ‘I’ve Done All I Can’ to Secure the Border
Jesse Watters: The president has always had the power to secure the border
46K Migrants Apprehended in Arizona Border Sector in Last 4 Weeks
Dem-led Denver buckling after 40,000 illegal immigrants flood in, create tent city
Border Patrol facing loss of agents from retirement, flat recruitment as border crisis intensifies
Biden’s America: Migrant Mob Beats and Kicks New York City Cops Near Times Square
Study: Online ‘Sextortion’ is Fastest-Growing Crime Targeting Minors
Christian pastor dropped by radio network stands by advice to grandmother on attending LGBTQ wedding
Trans-identified male runner breaks New York school’s women’s records again in track and field
Florida barring gender changes on driver’s license puts trans residents at risk, critics say
Six Pro-Life Activists Found Guilty, Face 11 Years in Prison for Peaceful Protest
Anti-Israel Protestors Heckle Kamala Harris, Sophia Bush at Abortion Event, Demand ‘Ceasefire Now’
France on-track to constitutionalize abortion rights
Report: Canada ‘Poised to Lead World’ in Assisted Suicide Deaths
Canada Delays Killing Mentally Ill People amid Widespread Public Disgust
Israel: Hospitals across country issued patients wrong prescriptions due to system glitch
Biden’s got pharma’s back in global pandemic treaty negotiations
Syphilis cases surge in the US, reaching levels unseen since 1950
Mid-Day Snapshot · January 31, 2024
“From The Patriot Post (patriotpost.us)”.
THE FOUNDATION
“An honest man can feel no pleasure in the exercise of power over his fellow citizens.” —Thomas Jefferson (1813)
| Fellow Patriots, this day in history is full of American achievements. In 1958, we launched our first satellite, Explorer I, into space. In 1961, we sent the first primate into space — Ham the Chimp. And in 1990, American capitalism planted a flag in Moscow with the opening of the first McDonald’s in the former Communist Soviet Union. Isn’t America great? —Mark Alexander |
IN TODAY’S DIGEST
- Trans Surfing USA
- Omar Pledges Allegiance to Somalia
- Steyn v. Mann and Climate Speech Suppression
- Executive News Summary
- Ranked Choice Voting Is a Trojan Horse
- Finally, Biden Admits: There’s a Crisis at the Border
- DAILY FEATURES: Videos, Best of Right Opinion, Short Cuts, Memes, and Cartoons.
ON THE WEB
- Jack DeVine: American Unity?
- Linda Moss Mines: Guardian of the West
- In Brief: The UN’s War on Israel
FEATURED ANALYSIS
Trans Surfing USA
Rip Curl ditches an amazing woman athlete for the “transgender” agenda.
Emmy Griffin
Bethany Hamilton is possibly the most recognizable professional surfer for surfing and non-surfing fans alike. She was attacked by a shark while surfing at age 13 and ended up losing her left arm. But instead of giving up, she got back on her surfboard and went on to win national titles and become a professional surfer at age 17. In spite of only having one arm and birthing four kids, she is still surfing professionally and is holding her own in the sport.
However, in February 2023, she posted this video explaining why she wouldn’t be participating in the World Surf League.
The World Surf League, following an ambiguous and poor ruling by the International Olympics Committee, decided to allow gender-confused men to compete in the women’s league. Hamilton made her video simply to ask questions of her audience, particularly the World Surf League. She asks them to really think about the consequences of the rule change. She makes her own position clear and asks that biological men with gender issues be granted their own division.
Though this is a benevolent thought, it is a position that seems to gratify the notion of appeasement toward these men. The bottom line, however, is that males shouldn’t compete in female sports because they are men.
The sad, likely result of Hamilton making her position and opinion public was that she was dropped by her sponsor of many years, Rip Curl.
Rip Curl is an iconic surfing brand based in Australia. To add insult to injury, Rip Curl, within months, decided to sign on and promote surfer Sasha Jane Lowerson, a man who now identifies as a woman. Lowerson, whose name is really Ryan Egan, was a professional surfer for the men’s division and was pretty average. Now in his 40s, he is winning at longboarding competitions against much younger women surfers in their prime.
For their part, other women surfers decided to take a stand with Hamilton after Rip Curl put out an ad featuring Lowerson. Rip Curl got Bud Lighted by female surfers and its supporters online. It first disabled the comments on the ad, then eventually took it down. The backlash hasn’t stopped, and it shouldn’t.
This past Saturday, in an attempt at public placation, Rip Curl posted a different ad with female models in their swimsuits. Swimmer Riley Gaines, another other heroic woman speaking out against men in women’s sports, had this to say: “Hahahaha Ripcurl suddenly knows what a woman is. They’ve also since deleted all posts promoting a male surfer posing as a woman after dropping Bethany Hamilton. They want you to forget about their contempt for women. Don’t.”
For her part, Hamilton has doubled down on her position. After the Rip Curl ad was taken down, she wrote: “Male-bodied athletes should not be competing in female sports. Period.”
She is absolutely right. How many more stories do we need to read about boys and men dominating the girls’ and women’s divisions? What hope do our girls have to participate meaningfully and safely in sports? If more and more women like Bethany Hamilton, Riley Gaines, and all those amazing women cyclists continue to take a stand, there is a strong possibility that this disaster can be ameliorated.
Bethany Hamilton is famous for overcoming many obstacles in her path; being dropped by Rip Curl is just another. She is standing strong, although Rip Curl may need to be rebranded as R.I.P. Curl if the boycott keeps up.
Omar Pledges Allegiance to Somalia
The Minnesota Democrat has once again disgraced herself, and now she’s fighting off calls for her resignation.
Douglas Andrews
Ilhan Omar — Jew-hater, terrorist sympathizer, skirter of our immigration laws, home-wrecker, supplier of millions of dollars to her husband’s consulting firm — may have finally gone too far.
Omar, a hard-left House Democrat and “Squad” member who represents Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, delivered a speech on Saturday at the Hyatt Regency in Minneapolis, but we suspect she wasn’t counting on it being translated from Somali and published in English on the Internet. That was her first mistake.
Her second mistake was speaking in a way that can only be described as nakedly anti-American. Here’s a sample:
The U.S. government will only do what Somalians in the U.S. tell them to do. They will do what we want and nothing else. They must follow our orders, and that is how we will safeguard the interest of Somalia. We Somalians must have the confidence in ourselves that we call the shots in the U.S. … As Somalis, one day, we will go after our missing territories.“
Let that sink in: Omar thinks the U.S. takes its orders from Somalia.
Attorney Marina Medvin posted this translation of Omar’s speech. As Medvin observed: “Ilhan Omar, an American congresswoman, tells Somalians that she is Somalian first, Muslim second, and … [no, American wasn’t even mentioned]. Oh, and she says that her primary job in Congress is to protect Somali interests.” (Brackets in original.)
Omar seemed to take issue with the translation. “It’s not only slanted but completely off,” she posted, “but I wouldn’t expect more from these propagandists. I pray for them and for their sanity. … Somalis in Somalia and in the diaspora are united … and I stand in solidarity with them. No amount of harassment and lies will ever change that.”
How refreshing it would be for Omar to just once say she stands in solidarity with her fellow Americans. Heck, it’s as if she isn’t even American after all.
Incidentally, Omar became a U.S. citizen in 2000. As part of that process, she would’ve taken the Naturalization Oath of Allegiance to the United States of America. That oath reads as follows:
I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God.
It’s impossible to read that part about “absolutely and entirely [renouncing] … all allegiance and fidelity to any … state, or sovereignty … of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen” and not come to the conclusion that Omar has broken this solemn pledge.
“One thing about that Ilhan Omar clip,” says blogger Matt Walsh, “is that she speaks with such pride and admiration for the failed state of Somalia, a country that contributes nothing of significance to the world besides piracy and terrorism. Our representatives rarely speak that way about our own nation. Omar certainly doesn’t. But few of them do. Maybe we should ask ourselves why we keep electing people who can’t muster the same affinity for our country that Somalian refugees have for the country they fled from.”
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, a fellow Minnesotan, is hardly a bomb-thrower. Yet he didn’t hold back on his congressional colleague: “Ilhan Omar’s appalling, Somalia-first comments are a slap in the face to the Minnesotans she was elected to serve and a direct violation of her oath of office,” he said. “She should resign in disgrace.”
As The Federalist’s John Daniel Davidson writes: “In light of Omar’s candidness, it’s fair to ask: Why is she allowed to serve in Congress? Why is she even allowed to remain in the United States? Omar is an immigrant and a U.S. citizen, but clearly she is not an American. She appears to have no allegiance to her adopted country — a country that took her in, sheltered and protected her, provided a safe haven from the chaos and violence of her homeland, and elevated her to a position of power and influence.”
Omar should’ve been thrown out of the country when it became clear that she’d made a mockery of our immigration laws by marrying her brother to get him into the country. She’s a lawmaker, and yet she flouts our laws.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who once served in Congress with Omar, would seem to agree. “Expel from Congress, denaturalize and deport!” he said in one of the pithiest posts you’ll ever see from a politician.
Ultimately, it’ll be the Democrats who need to police their own. But if they’re unwilling to do so, if they’re unwilling to boot Ilhan Omar from Congress, then they deserve every bit of disgrace and embarrassment that comes their way.
Steyn v. Mann and Climate Speech Suppression
A defamation case yields two big lessons about free speech and the power of Climate Inc.
Nate Jackson
There’s a big defamation case in the news and we don’t mean E. Jean Carroll’s lawfare against Donald Trump. However, Mark Steyn v. Michael Mann does have some similarities to that case. Someone writes a book and makes spurious claims to boost sales. Someone else harshly criticizes the author and ends up getting sued.
That’s oversimplifying, of course, but in a way that sheds some light on the cases. So, to the background.
Michael Mann is a climate researcher alarmist fanatic who writes books and, unfortunately, indoctrinates young people at the University of Pennsylvania. Mark Steyn is a highly entertaining conservative firebrand who rarely puts his criticisms of the Left politely. He’s been a regular guest on Fox News over the years and often filled in for the late, great Rush Limbaugh, but this case deals with a blog post for National Review way back in 2012.
Steyn’s post was partly a response to a separate article for the Competitive Enterprise Institute by Rand Simberg, and in it, Steyn attacked as “fraudulent” Mann’s infamous “hockey-stick” graph ostensibly showing that global warming spiked in the 20th century. Mann, said Steyn, is “the very ringmaster of the tree-ring circus.” Simberg was more crass, comparing then-Penn State professor Mann to that university’s Jerry Sandusky, the assistant football coach who had molested numerous students. “Instead of molesting children,” Simberg said, Mann “has molested and tortured data in the service of politicized science that could have dire economic consequences for the nation and planet.”
In the current age of playing the legal lottery, Mann sued because the Sandusky comparison really hurt his feelings and once made someone scowl at him in public. It “was maybe the worst thing that I had ever experienced,” he lamented.
Never mind that Steyn and Simberg — not to mention National Review and the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) — were engaging in protected journalistic commentary about a public figure and that Mann therefore had a high bar to clear to prove defamation. Indeed, in 2021, National Review and CEI were removed from the case.
How high is the bar? According to the most relevant Supreme Court precedent, New York Times v. Sullivan, a defamation plaintiff must prove that his critics are guilty of “actual malice” in whatever they said. Harsh criticism does not meet that threshold. Sarah Palin couldn’t prevail in a case against The New York Times that had far more merit than Mann’s.
Besides, Mann is arguably the one guilty of actual malice. “My hope is that we can ruin this pathetic excuse for a human being through this lawsuit,” Mann wrote of Steyn in a 2012 email. “He has been libeling and lying his whole life. We will put an end to it.” In other correspondence, he anticipated the “possibility that I can ruin National Review,” which he called a “filthy organization,” a “threat to our children,” and beholden to “greedy fat cat corporate masters.”
He specifically sought to destroy or at least severely censor Steyn and the rest via litigation, which he admitted has cost him nothing, though he won’t say what fat cat is funding him. By contrast, the defendants have spent vast amounts of money and time on this bogus case, which, for Mann, is the whole point.
Mann also has a history of viciously smearing his critics on social media, including accusing them of — drumroll please — “white supremacy.” He’s a “guy who can dish it out but can’t take it,” Steyn said during the trial.
Despite suffering multiple heart attacks in recent years, Steyn is currently representing himself (though not Simberg) at trial this month in Washington, DC. If you’ve ever seen or heard Steyn, you can imagine that his sharp wit has made for entertaining exchanges, including complaining that the heat in the courtroom was “cruel and unusual punishment.” Hilariously, he’s even paying for his defense by selling $100 “Liberty sticks” that are signed and etched with passages of the U.S. Constitution.
Now, for the moral of the story.
Actually, there are two. First is the First Amendment, which protects free speech — the right of the people to say what’s on their minds, especially when it comes to public policy and political issues. Steyn, Simberg, and anyone else writing online has this right, even if they’re conservative and the Big Tech censors work to silence them.
Second is that Climate Inc. is a corrupt industry of ecofascists who manipulate data to achieve particular policy ends. Climate models, like those produced by Mann, are only as good as the data entered. And those models are often wrong. In fact, Mann was at the center of a collection of publicized emails that became known as Climategate because they revealed the manipulation, alteration, and suppression of climate data related to that infamous hockey stick graph.
Also, remember Mann’s phony claim to a Nobel Peace Prize. Mann is not an honest man.
The two morals of this story are closely related because dissent from The Climate Narrative™ is not permitted. The Wall Street Journal’s William McGurn makes an apt observation: “Anthony Fauci isn’t the only oracle of science who regards dissent from his findings as heresy.”
That “heresy” is often punished with censorship, which Mann admitted wanting to inflict upon Steyn and Simberg. He’s part of a cadre of angry enforcers of manipulated climate science who want to foist certain expensive “solutions” on the entire world. In other words, we all have an interest in the outcome of this case.
Executive News Summary
Mayorkas absorbs Biden’s impeachment, NYC cops attacked and beaten by illegals, Cori Bush under criminal investigation, and more.
Douglas Andrews, Thomas Gallatin, & Jordan Candler
Cross-Examination
- Mayorkas absorbs Biden’s impeachment: It’s long overdue, but Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is finally being held to account for his malfeasance. We were calling for this guy’s impeachment more than a year ago, and we’re not sure what kept House Republicans from doing their duty, but here we are. Mayorkas, for his part, didn’t waste any time dismissing the proceedings: “I assure you that your false accusations do not rattle me and do not divert me from the law enforcement and broader public service mission to which I have devoted most of my career and to which I remain devoted,” he wrote in a letter to Tennessee’s Mark Green, who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee. The New York Times, for its part, dutifully absolved Mayorkas, weakly suggesting that this was Joe Biden’s fault, but also buying Biden’s phony line that the Republicans “refused to provide resources, blocked efforts to update laws and openly defied federal officials charged with maintaining security and order along the 2,000-mile border.” Unfortunately, the Wall Street Journal editorial board can’t seem to see the sense of holding government officials accountable. As it meekly observes: “House Republicans are marking up articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and the question is why? As much as we share the frustration with the Biden border mess, impeaching Mr. Mayorkas won’t change enforcement policy and is a bad precedent that will open the gates to more cabinet impeachments by both parties.” Translation: Leave him alone. We like the cheap labor.
- NYC cops attacked and beaten by illegals: If only someone had warned us that “when Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best.” If only someone had, years ago, recognized the problem of rampant illegal immigration across our southern border and told us: “They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with [them]. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime.” If only. On Saturday, the wreckage of Joe Biden’s open border revealed itself to two New York City cops near Times Square as they tried to disperse a crowd of illegals. As the New York Post reports: “The footage shows an NYPD officer and lieutenant initially telling the migrants to move along around 8:30 p.m. Saturday on West 42nd Street in Manhattan — before things quickly get rowdy as a scuffle breaks out between the cops and a suspect who is wrestled to the ground.” The footage is stunning in the reckless disregard it shows for law and order and the violence it shows toward the two cops. This wasn’t a case of some rowdy hoodlums getting into a shoving match with cops. This was a case of illegal immigrants alternately kicking and head-stomping the officers. It gets worse. As The Daily Wire reports, “Four illegal immigrants were eventually apprehended and identified,” but “all four were reportedly released without bail after being charged with assault.” We’re sure that’ll teach ‘em.
- Our nation’s capital is a crime-ridden leftist hellhole: A man might think he’d be safe in the heart of our nation’s capital, waiting to pick up his wife late in the afternoon in DC’s bustling City Center area. But, sadly, he’d be wrong. Mike Gill, a married father of three and a former Trump administration official, is now in critical condition fighting for his life after having been shot during an attempted carjacking. About 70 minutes later, the assailant shot and killed another driver, 35-year-old Alberto Vasquez Jr., himself a father of two. “He would never hurt anyone,” said Vasquez’s father. That the alleged murderer was later shot and killed during a confrontation with DC cops is surely of little consolation to the families of Gill and Vasquez. Indeed, the Gill family statement is heart-wrenching: “Mike is a catalyst for unity and friendship. The most important thing about Mike that all of his friends know is how much he loves his family and how proud he is of his three children. You can’t know Mike without hearing proud stories of each one of his kids and hearing about his love and respect for his wife, Kristina.” DC Democrat Mayor Muriel Bowser unhelpfully called the crimes “indiscriminate” and “unthinkable.” According to The Washington Post, this was just the latest incident to plague the nation’s capital city, which has seen carjackings more than double from 2022 to 2023 to 950 incidents.
- Cori Bush under criminal investigation: House “Squad” member Cori Bush (D-MO) is being investigated by the Justice Department for allegedly misusing taxpayer funds to hire her own private security. We’ve previously noted Bush’s blatant hypocrisy over her advocacy of the “defund the police” movement while then hiring her own private security service. Last year, a Federal Election Commission complaint was raised against Bush after it was discovered that she had married one of the members of the private security firm she used hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to hire. Since 2019, Bush has spent over $750,000 on private security. Bush’s husband has received at least $74,000 of those campaign funds for his security services. The nonpartisan Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust raised a complaint against Bush to the FEC last year. “It appears Rep. Bush’s campaign may have made payments for services that were unnecessary or above fair market value because of her personal relationship with the payee,” stated the organization’s executive director, Kendra Arnold. “If so, these payments would qualify as either impermissible payments to a family member or an impermissible gift.” Perhaps the FEC agrees.
- Chicago illegals evade eviction: Chicago Democrat Mayor Brandon Johnson recently backed off the planned removal of migrants from a shelter in the city that is intended to serve as a temporary place for migrants to stay. Johnson had created his 60-day policy in an effort to free up space in shelters. However, due to growing outrage from these illegal aliens over potentially being forced to move from the shelter, especially during the middle of winter, Johnson has reversed course. “We have made the decision to extend the shelter stay policy based on original exit dates from mid-January through the end of March,” Johnson stated in a news conference. The extension allows 5,673 migrants originally scheduled for eviction on January 16 to stay until March 16. Johnson came up with his 60-day shelter eviction policy after the city abandoned plans to build new shelters due to high costs. Chicago leaders wrestling with this growing migrant problem can thank Joe Biden for creating this crisis thanks to his open-border policy.
- Biden admin tells SCOTUS that racial profiling is “necessary” for military: On the eve of Black History Month, Joe Biden continued his party’s ongoing insult of whites as irredeemably racist and blacks as patently inferior and in desperate need of government intervention. This latest episode concerns his administration’s efforts to continue counting by race despite the Supreme Court’s ruling last year that such race-based discrimination is unconstitutional. As The Washington Times reports: “The Biden administration, in a filing on Tuesday, asked the Supreme Court not to halt West Point from considering race in its application process. U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, arguing on behalf of the federal government and West Point, told the justices that a ‘diverse officer corps is necessary for an effective fighting force.’ ‘For more than forty years, our Nation’s military leaders have determined that a diverse Army officer corps is a national-security imperative and that achieving that diversity requires limited consideration of race in selecting those who join the Army as cadets at the United States Military Academy at West Point,’ she wrote.” To say that our military can’t succeed unless it puts race before merit is either a purposeful lie or a lazy, ridiculous, demonstrably ignorant falsehood. Diversity doesn’t make great fighting forces. Merit makes great fighting forces. Leadership makes great fighting forces. Courage and cohesion and integrity and indomitable spirit make great fighting forces. If only we had a commander-in-chief who understood this.
- Reaping what you sow: Roughly 12,000 UPS workers will soon be handed their walking papers, which may come as a surprise to them since this comes just months after the Teamsters labor union representing UPS employees agreed to a new labor contract. Under the new labor agreement, UPS drivers’ average annual pay and benefits will rise to $170,000 by the end of the five-year contract. That’s good news for 340,000 of UPS’s roughly 500,000 workers covered under the deal, yet thanks to a downturn in revenue last quarter the company is reducing its employee headcount to cut cost. As UPS CEO Carol Tome explained, “We are going to fit our organization to our strategy and align our resources against what’s wildly important.” Tome also noted that office-based UPS employees will soon be ordered to actually return to the office five days a week.
- Corruption in … Ukraine?! It’s tough to fight a war when government officials steal funds intended to purchase weaponry for the war effort and instead line their own pockets. That is what five Ukrainian officials are accused of doing, as they allegedly stole almost $40 million in funding intended for the purchase of military equipment. These five members of Ukraine’s defense ministry allegedly conspired with a Ukrainian arms firm to embezzle tens of millions in funds intended for the purchase of mortar shells. With the U.S. having already sent billions of dollars in equipment and military aid to Ukraine, and this type of blatant corruption by government officials, any sensible person would think twice about giving the war-torn country more aid without first ensuring that a stringent system of oversight is in place to track every bullet and dollar. And yet Congress has still not demanded this as a requirement for any potential future military aid sent to Ukraine, nor has Congress required an accounting for the billions already spent.
Headlines
- “I hold them responsible”: Biden says he’s made a decision on response to attack in Jordan (USA Today) | Iran threatens to “decisively respond” to any U.S. strikes (New York Post)
- Calls grow for Ilhan Omar to be expelled from Congress after she says she’s advocating for her homeland of Somalia (Daily Wire)
- Speaker Johnson faces backlash from blue-state Republicans over tax deal (Washington Times)
- Is Biden losing New Mexico — and Hispanics? (Hot Air)
- Pro-life demonstrators found guilty, face up to 11 years in federal prison (Daily Wire)
- Utah is the latest state to ban diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts on campus and in government (AP) | Utah joins 10 other states in regulating bathroom access for “transgender” people (AP)
- FBI violated hundreds of Americans’ constitutional rights in Beverly Hills raid, appeals court rules (Fox News)
- More bad news for Harvard as its finances take another massive hit (RedState)
- Stacey Abrams’s organization is in danger of going belly-up despite $100 million in seed money (National Review)
- Elon Musk’s $56 billion Tesla compensation voided by judge (CNBC)
- Policy: Biden’s destructive decision to stymie natural gas (National Review)
- Humor: Conservatives uncover Democrat plot to turn Taylor Swift into an international pop star and the Kansas City Chiefs into a dynasty so Swift could date a Chiefs player and leverage the collective media coverage to get Joe Biden reelected (Babylon Bee)
For more editors’ choice headlines, click here.
Ranked Choice Voting Is a Trojan Horse
Wealthy leftists are pushing the election mechanism to gain more control over who gets elected.
Thomas Gallatin
Democrats increasingly warn that “our democracy is under serious threat,” and then they proceed to point to any Republican political successes as evidence to support their claim. Ironically, one of the issues about which Democrats will scream the loudest is the passage of election integrity laws, such as were passed in Georgia and Texas. Specifically, Democrats object to voter ID laws, ridiculously asserting that they are racist, and they disenfranchise minority voters. Never mind the fact that arguing minorities are somehow less capable of obtaining IDs is itself inherently racist.
Meanwhile, these same Democrats push for election laws that are ripe for fraud, such as massive mail-in balloting. As we have repeatedly observed, the bipartisan Commission on Federal Election Reform led by Jimmy Carter back in 2005 warned against mail-in balloting because it lacked the necessary controls to protect against fraud.
But it’s not just efforts to expand voting beyond commonsense election integrity safeguards that Democrats are pushing; they are also scheming about underhanded election practices that favor leftist candidates.
One of the most insidious of these election schemes is ranked choice voting. As our late Lewis Morris observed, “Ranked choice voting is a rotten system.” He explained:
In a ranked choice election, voters are encouraged to rank all the candidates on the ballot from favorite to least favorite. First-place votes are counted, and if one candidate emerges with at least 50%-plus-one of the vote, then that person is declared the winner and the election is over. However, if no clear winner emerges, then another round of vote counting takes place in which the candidate with the lowest number of votes is eliminated. The votes of those who cast their ballot for an eliminated candidate instead go to their next choice. This process continues until only two candidates remain, with the winner being the one with the most votes in the final round.
Proponents of ranked choice argue that it will give everyone greater voting choices, give less popular candidates a greater opportunity to win, and eliminate the extreme fringe candidates.
The trouble is that it does no such thing. Instead, ranked choice is a mechanism that allows wealthy mega-donors to thwart the will of the majority. For proof, we need only look at who lavishly supports this disingenuous election scheme: One of its biggest funders is George Soros, and the overwhelming majority of those supporting ranked choice are on the Left, like Hillary Clinton’s former campaign fundraiser, Kathryn Murdoch.
Ranked choice voting is “overwhelmingly a crusade funded by left-wing Democrats,” observed Scott Walter, president of the conservative watchdog Capital Research Center. “I see it as a further weakening of the two-party system. And as bad as the two parties are, they are a lot more accountable and a lot better than the megadonors.”
Well, with the likes of Soros and Clinton pushing this election scheme, it’s hard to argue. Furthermore, with ranked choice expanding from 10 cities in 2016 to now 50, and with recent election outcomes having favored the Democrats, it becomes clear that this scheme is designed to undermine Republican-controlled localities and states.
For example, thanks to ranked choice voting, Democrats in 2022 “won” their first House seat in Alaska in 50 years. In 2018 in Maine, Republican incumbent Bruce Poliquin was unseated by ranked choice voting despite the fact that he had won 46.3% of the initial vote and bested his Democrat challenger Jared Golden by 2,171 votes. However, because more secondary votes went to Golden, he won the election and flipped the seat to the Democrats.
The truth is, ranked choice voting is a bigger threat to America’s democratic process than anything Democrat politicians and Leftmedia talkingheads can point to. This coming November, residents in Oregon and Nevada will vote to decide if their states will adopt this dubious election scheme. Efforts are underway to get ranked choice onto the ballot in Colorado, Idaho, and Montana.
Ranked choice voting is a Trojan Horse that appeals to many voters and seems benign to many others. In the end, though, it may rob voters of their power at the ballot box.
Finally, Biden Admits: There’s a Crisis at the Border
A major step in the president admitting reality.
Byron York
What do you call it when somewhere between 6 and 8 million people enter the United States illegally in the course of three years? Many people would call it a crisis, albeit a man-made one, since the reason so many have been able to cross illegally into the United States is the refusal, by President Joe Biden, to enforce immigration laws that authorize him to stop the incursion at any time.
For years, the Biden administration denied the seriousness of the situation and steadfastly refused to call the crisis a crisis. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, in particular, has gone to great lengths to avoid the word. On many occasions Mayorkas has conceded that the situation is a “challenge,” but definitely, absolutely, totally not a crisis.
On March 1, 2021, as the Biden administration was just beginning its long, ambitious project to open the border, Mayorkas met the press in the White House briefing room and pointedly declined to call the situation on the border, in which the number of illegal crossers was already skyrocketing, a “crisis.” Mayorkas wouldn’t even discourage illegal crossers from coming to the border. He just asked them to wait a little while so the Biden administration could get things ready for them.
“We are not saying, ‘Don’t come,’” Mayorkas said. “We are saying, ‘Don’t come now because we will be able to deliver a safe and orderly process to them as quickly as possible.’”
And on it went. As the number of illegal crossings grew and grew, Mayorkas would declare, with a straight face, that the border was “closed.” He told potential illegal border crossers not to come while at the same time worked to increase the administration’s ability to process, care for, and relocate the illegal crossers. Talk about a mixed message. Nobody listened to the administration’s declaration that the border was “closed.” Instead, they just came right in, and, as promised, Biden allowed most of them to stay.
Through it all, the president would never agree that the situation on the border constituted a crisis. So now, fast forward to today’s standoff in the Senate over a bill that would include, all in one big package, aid to Ukraine, aid to Israel, aid to Taiwan and a far-reaching reworking of the immigration system. Biden has insisted that they must all be passed together, all or nothing. If Congress were to pass a bill with one or two of those provisions, but not the others, Biden has said he would veto it.
The problem with Biden’s ultimatum is that it is almost impossible to pass a far-reaching reworking of the immigration system. Lawmakers have tried and failed for decades. It is the most difficult and intractable issue in American politics. So Biden has linked desperately needed aid to Ukraine, for example, to passing an immigration bill, which reduces the chances of success to nearly zero.
With Congress deadlocked, Biden has begun to make wild promises. Campaigning in South Carolina recently, he said, “If that bill were the law today, I’d shut down the border right now and fix it quickly.” That’s hard to believe, to say the least. From the moment he became president of the United States, Biden has had the authority to stop or restrict the flow of illegal migrants into the U.S. He needs no new law to give him that authority. In fact, what the bill under consideration would actually do is regularize the arrival of up to 5,000 illegal migrants into the United States each and every day. Only if the level rose above that for a week would Biden take action to stop the flow. And even then, as always, there would be a lot of restrictions.
But give Biden this: In his desperate campaigning for an immigration bill, the president has done something else neither he nor anyone in his administration has ever done: He has admitted that the situation on the border is a crisis.
In a statement last Friday, Biden said he had directed administration officials “to begin negotiations with a bipartisan group of senators to seriously, and finally, address the border crisis.” He finished the statement with a challenge to Congress: “If you’re serious about the border crisis, pass a bipartisan bill and I will sign it.”
A crisis! Finally, Biden has conceded what has been obvious from nearly the moment he took office. That won’t make the Capitol Hill negotiations go any better — they are probably doomed to fail — but it is a major step in the president admitting reality.
This content originally appeared on the Washington Examiner at washingtonexaminer.com/daily-memo/2827440/biden-finally-admits-theres-a-crisis-at-the-border/.
VIDEOS
- What Changed? — Back in October, the Biden administration was saying the Middle East was “quieter” than in two decades. Now it’s saying it’s as dangerous as it has been since at least 1973.
- Who Saw This Coming? — Democrat Senator John Fetterman breaks with his party over illegal immigration and the border crisis.
- Iran Murdered U.S. Troops — Iran murders American troops in Jordan while Biden funds the ayatollah.
- Rip Curl Doesn’t Stand for Women. Bethany Hamilton Does. — Bethany Hamilton, one of the most famous surfers in the world, allegedly lost her biggest brand partnership over her beliefs about gendered sports.
- ‘The Weed Made Me Do It’ — A woman was given only probation after stabbing to death a man she went on a date with. She blamed her actions on a drug-induced psychosis.
- PopCon #28: Netflix’s ‘The Crown’ and British Monarchy — Netflix has released the 6th (and ostensibly final) season of its popular series “The Crown” for streaming. The show has been wildly popular with Americans, and that poses some questions.
BEST OF RIGHT OPINION
- GARY BAUERFailing Again
- BEN SHAPIROWeakness Breeds Aggression
- BETSY MCCAUGHEYYes, America Is Being Invaded
- STAR PARKERFreedom Is Not Free
- RICH LOWRY’Masters of the Air’ Does a Public Service
For more of today’s columns, visit Right Opinion.
SHORT CUTS
The Right Hand Doesn’t Know What the Left Hand Is Doing
“I would argue that we have not seen a situation as dangerous as the one we’re facing now across the region since at least 1973.” —Secretary of State Antony Blinken
“The Middle East region is quieter today than it has been in two decades.” —National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan three months ago
A Trip Down Memory Lane
“As the walls close in on this man [Trump], I’m worried that he is going to get us into a war with Iran.” —Joe Biden, 2020
For the Record
“This attack would never have happened if I was president, not even a chance. Just like the Iranian backed Hamas attack on Israel would never have happened. The war in Ukraine would never have happened, and we would right now have peace throughout the world. Instead we are on the brink of World War III.” —Donald Trump
“Iran is waging war on the administration, on America, on our servicemen and women. And Joe Biden is so utterly weak, he doesn’t do a damn thing about it. Not only is he too weak to respond with force, but even worse than that, Biden funded this. Understand, Joe Biden is responsible for flowing roughly $100 billion to the Iranian regime.” —Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX)
“We have known for years that UNRWA was hopelessly corrupt and biased against Israel. That’s why Donald Trump cut off all UNRWA funding in 2018. Joe Biden, in his infinite wisdom, chose to restore funding to the radical organization, just as he chose to restore funding to Iran after Trump spent years tightening sanctions on the radical regime. By the way, Donald Trump also put the Iranian-backed Houthis on the list of foreign terrorist organizations. But Biden took them off, only to put them back on after they started attacking Israel and our ships. (Do you see a pattern here?!)” —Gary Bauer
Spin Doctor
“Two months ago, I instructed my team to begin negotiations with a bipartisan group of Senators to seriously, and finally, address the border crisis. … If you’re serious about the border crisis, pass a bipartisan bill and I will sign it.” —Joe Biden
The BIG Lies
“I’ve done all I can do.” —Joe Biden regarding the border (“‘Done all [he] can do’ to create the worst U.S. border crisis on record.” —Tommy Pigott)
“The president is very clear — he wants to make sure that we deal with … border security.” —White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre
“[Biden] needs additional authorities to secure the border.” —Principal Deputy Press Secretary Olivia Dalton
“The Donald Trump and MAGA plan is alligator moats, bombing northern Mexico, shooting migrants in the legs, and electrifying the fence and putting spikes on them.” —Congressman Robert Garcia (D-CA)
World’s Smallest Violin
“In recent months, right-wing organizations have launched baseless complaints against me, peddling notions that I have misused campaign funds to pay for personal security services.” —Congresswoman Cori Bush (D-MO)
“I live in frustration. And as you heard, every loss truly traumatizes me in my stomach and in my heart. But I have to get up the next morning and keep on fighting.” —Justice Sonia Sotomayor on every conservative Supreme Court win
Saying the Quiet Part Out Loud
“I think most Americans know that prices are not likely to fall.” —Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen
Belly Laugh of the Day
“I think Bobby Kennedy said it best: What the world needs are the qualities of youth — not a time of life, a state of mind. A quality of imagination. That’s Joe Biden.” —California Governor Gavin Newsom
Insight
“There can be no doubt that socialism is inseparably interwoven with totalitarianism and the abject worship of the State. Liberty, in all its forms is challenged by the fundamental conceptions of socialism.” —Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
And Last…
“The problem is that the Palestinians don’t want peace with Israel, but peace without Israel. … [It’s] not the absence of a Palestinian state but the opposition to a Jewish state that is the obstacle to peace.” —Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
TODAY’S MEME
For more of today’s memes, visit the Memesters Union.
TODAY’S CARTOON
For more of today’s cartoons, visit the Cartoons archive.
“From The Patriot Post (patriotpost.us)”.
Hohmann: Biden Regime Expanding Intrusive Facial Recognition Scans to All 430 ‘Federalized’ Airports | The Gateway Pundit
Guest post by Leo Hohmann – republished with permission
A bipartisan group of Senators has introduced a bill to prevent the expansion of this program citing an invasion of privacy, but TSA launches it anyway
Despite complaints from several members of Congress from both parties, Joe Biden’s Transportation Security Administration is moving forward with plans to expand facial-recognition technology at 430 U.S. airports.
The TSA says it will install enhanced Credential Authentication Technology (CAT) devices at the airports, an upgrade from previous units used in a pilot program at nearly 30 U.S. airports.
The latest CAT scanners, known as CAT-2 units, incorporate facial recognition technology by capturing real-time pictures of travelers and comparing them against their photo IDs. These units have been deployed at nearly 30 airports nationwide and will now be rolled out at more than 400 “federalized” airports in the coming years, reports MSN.
As of now, participation in facial recognition screenings is supposedly optional for travelers, who can choose to stick with the standard physical ID verification process. But there have been countless firsthand accounts from airport passengers who have indicated that they were not given any option by TSA to reject the face scans.
The CAT-2 units utilize one-to-one verification, comparing photos against government-issued identification. They say they delete the images from their system soon after taking them (who are they fooling, we know they keep this data for a very long time if not indefinitely).
According to MSN: “The TSA emphasizes that photos are not stored after a positive ID match, except during limited testing for evaluating technology effectiveness. This testing involves a block of two to four weeks at specific locations, with data collected and submitted to the DHS Science and Technology Directorate for independent analysis.”
Here’s the catch: TSA may not keep the data for more than a few weeks, but they have no control over Homeland Security and other entities to which they pass the information on.
A bipartisan group of senators, led by Senators John Kennedy (R-Louisiana) and Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon), introduced legislation in November 2023 to ban TSA from using facial recognition, citing privacy concerns. The government’s increasing reliance on facial recognition has prompted calls for greater regulations around its quickly expanding usage.
The senators say their bill, called the Travelers’ Privacy Protection Act, or TPPA, would prevent the agency from “further exploiting the technology and storing traveler’s biodata.”
The decision by the Biden regime to go ahead and expand this invasive, tyrannical tracking program in the face of congressional concerns, tells you all you need to know about this regime. They could care less what the people or their representatives think about their globalist beast-system policies.
The senators stressed that the overwhelming majority of Americans are unaware that they have the right to opt out of the facial screenings. Nobody is asked if they wish to grant permission for the government to scan their faces, it’s just sneakily performed on the spot.
Airports are supposed to have a sign alerting travelers that their photo will be taken as part of the pilot program and that they have the right to opt out, but most passengers say the signs are so small they didn’t even notice them.
Michele Bachmann, a former Republican member of Congress from Minnesota who ran for president in 2012, contacted me this past weekend to inform me of a recent experince encountered at a U.S. airport.
“I walked up to the agent at security in Norfolk; rather than handing her my ID she told me to put it in a card-reader machine.
“Then she said, ‘look into the camera.’ Before I could respond, the camera had taken my picture. She told me the camera matched my face with my ID!
“There was no choice.”
I also recently reported that the TSA is allowing illegal aliens to board airplanes without showing any ID at all. They are politely asked if they will submit to a face scans but have the option of saying “no.”
This is part of the “two Americas” system that is taking shape in this country. One set of standards applies to foreign nationals and another to U.S. citizens. Two Americas — often operating within the same jurisdiction within a two-tiered system of justice which they refer to as a “democracy.” Any U.S. citizen who complains about this system, or even questions it, risks getting placed on a government watchlist of persons considered to be, as described by the globalists who run the government and media, “a threat to our democracy.”
It won’t be long before this face-scanning technology is required of patrons checking into hotels, casting their votes in elections, checking into a hospital, and any number of other everyday functions in life.
To receive new posts and support Leo Hohmann’s work, consider becoming a paid subscriber if you aren’t yet at leohohmann.substack.com
The post Hohmann: Biden Regime Expanding Intrusive Facial Recognition Scans to All 430 ‘Federalized’ Airports appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
Israel Fights on Multiple Fronts Amid Hostage Talks | CBN NewsWatch – January 31, 2024
Israel taking on terrorists in both Gaza and the West Bank (Judea and Samaria), which Prime Minister Netanyahu calls a “super important” arena, as well as preparing for the possibility of a war with Hezbollah; CBN’s Chris Mitchell talks about Israel’s ongoing battles with Hamas, a hostage deal which could lead to a ceasefire, and Netanyahu’s response, and the fighting in the West Bank and against Hezbollah; witnesses tell Congress UNRWA should be defunded after reports some of its workers took part in the Hamas attacks on October 7th; Republicans and Democrats come together for the International Religious Freedom Summit in Washington; and Studio 5 talks to cast members and previews season four of “The Chosen,” which begins its debut Thursday.
CBN News. Because Truth Matters™
Source: Israel Fights on Multiple Fronts Amid Hostage Talks | CBN NewsWatch – January 31, 2024
‘COMPLETELY FULL OF IT’: Sen. Johnson blasts Biden over border efforts
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., discusses the Senate border deal, Ukraine aid funding, Biden saying he’s done all he can on the border, and Eric Schwerin’s testimony before lawmakers. #foxbusiness
Source: ‘COMPLETELY FULL OF IT’: Sen. Johnson blasts Biden over border efforts
Bombs Away, Biden?
Will it be a direct strike on Iran? More bombs in Iraq? Syria? And will he bother to get authorization from Congress? Also today, John Bolton’s “dire” warnings about Trump 2.0.
Iran Vows To Hit Back If US Strikes Target Its Soil; US Destroyer Comes Under Attack In Red Sea | ZeroHedge News
Iran has signaled it is prepared to counterattack in response to any US strike on its soil or assets abroad, as the world still awaits the coming White House response to the Sunday drone attack on the American base in Jordan (Tower 22) which killed three US soldiers and wounded over 40.
The Guardian reported Tuesday that a ‘warning’ over red lines has been issued via diplomatic channels. “Iran has told the US via intermediaries that if it strikes Iranian soil directly, Tehran will itself hit back at American assets in the Middle East, drawing the two sides into a direct conflict,” according to the report.
The Islamic Republic remains on ‘high alert’ – while in Iraq one of the main Shia militias in Iraq which is believed responsible for the killing of the Americans, Kataib Hezbollah, announced it is suspending all operations against US troops and bases in Iraq and Syria.
“We announce the suspension of military and security operations against the occupation forces,” Kataib Hezbollah said in the statement. The group said it was motivated in large part because it did not want to cause “embarrassment to the Iraqi government.” The Iraqi government has lately clarified its stance that it wants to immediately see all US and Western coalition forces exit the country on a permanent basis.
The announcement was immediately subject of much speculation. Is it a ploy to buy more time? Is it a last-ditch effort toward peace? Is it a deception? Most US media pundits looked upon it as meaningless.
The US administration’s response has essentially been that it’s ‘too late’ and President Biden has already made the decision. Given no attack came in the overnight hours, there’s a likelihood it will happen tonight.
The Pentagon has indicated it is ignoring the Kataib Hezbollah message and that it won’t change the US plans for a major response. Kataib Hezbollah has at no point taken credit for the Tower 22 attack, while US officials have said it has the “footprint” of the group linked to Iran. And more from Tehran officials…
“We hear threats coming from US officials, we tell them that they have already tested us and we now know one another, no threat will be left unanswered,” the Commander in Chief of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), Major General Hossein Salami said on Wednesday. “The enemies have prepared wars against Iran in all fields, militarily, economically, in the media, and psychologically.”
Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh echoed Biden in placing ultimate responsibility (albeit indirectly) on Iran. “In terms of attribution for the attack, we know this is an [Iran]-backed militia. It has the footprints of Kataib Hezbollah, but [we’re] not making a final assessment,” Singh said at a press briefing. “Iran continues to arm and equip these groups to launch these attacks, and we will certainly hold them responsible.”
Iran says ‘no threat will be left unanswered’ as US response to Jordan attack looms https://t.co/4ugRr7kZ49
— Sharmine Narwani (@snarwani) January 31, 2024
Meanwhile, even while in Iraq and Syria there’s an eerie quiet and lull before storm, the Yemeni Houthis have once again launched missiles at Red Sea vessels. Late Tuesday the Houthis directly targeted a US destroyer which has long been engaged in action there protecting commercial shipping:
An anti-ship cruise missile launched this week from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen was targeting the Navy destroyer that shot it down, making it the second militant attack on a U.S. warship patrolling in the Red Sea in recent days.
At about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, USS Gravely shot down one missile over the Red Sea, U.S. CENTCOM said in a statement Wednesday.
The USS Gravely did not suffer damage nor were there any casualties, while the Houthis took responsibility and vowed more attacks, even after some dozen coalition airstrikes have been launched over the past weeks on Houthi positions.
The Houthis in a fresh statement have vowed more attacks on US and UK warships in the Red Sea, in what’s clearly become an open state of war, despite Biden officials’ insistence that the US is not at “war”.
Source: Iran Vows To Hit Back If US Strikes Target Its Soil; US Destroyer Comes Under Attack In Red Sea
Day 117 – 3 soldiers killed, 5 wounded as fighting continues in southern and northern Gaza Strip | All Israel News
Over the last day, IDF soldiers from the 401st Brigade operating in the northern Gaza Strip continued to conduct raids against Hamas terror infrastructure.
In one raid on terror infrastructure inside a school, approximately 10 Islamic Jihad terrorist operatives, who were using the school as a hideout, were apprehended by IDF troops.
The soldiers also located and destroyed five ready-to-fire rockets in the vicinity of the school. IDF soldiers eliminated more than 15 Hamas terrorists during battles in the area.
Soldiers from the 5th Brigade’s battlegroup, operating near Al-Shati in the northern Gaza Strip, discovered a group of armed terrorists maneuvering nearby, posing an immediate threat to the forces. In cooperation with the Israeli Air Force (IAF), the soldiers called in an airstrike, eliminating the terrorists.
Soldiers conducted searches of Hamas sites in the area, where they located large quantities of weapons, as well as documents, and military equipment belonging to the terrorist organization.
In fighting in the central Gaza Strip, IDF troops from the Nahal Brigade reported eliminating more than 10 armed terrorists in under an hour.
Meanwhile, in western Khan Younis, a group of paratroopers identified an armed terror cell near their position. Following the identification, IDF troops directed an airstrike, killing the terror cell.
During additional activity in the area, forces from the 98th Division and the IAF conducted a joint strike on a site being used by Hamas to carry out ambushes on IDF soldiers.
On Wednesday morning, IDF Spokesman Brig.-Gen. Daniel Hagari announced that three reserve soldiers were killed during fighting in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday.
Warrant Officer Yuval Nir, 30, and Captain Gavriel Shani, 28, were killed in fighting in the southern Gaza Strip, while Major Netzer Simchi, 30, was killed in combat in the northern Strip.
In addition, five other fighters were injured, two in the fighting that killed Nir and Shani, one in the fighting in the central Gaza Strip, and two in the northern Gaza Strip.
The IDF also announced that a police officer, Ran Gavili, had been killed during fighting on Oct. 7 near Alumim, and his body is believed to be held by Hamas.
The Israeli military continues to press hard against Hamas ahead of a possible hostage release deal, which could see a six-week ceasefire, according to the latest reports in Hebrew media. An Egyptian newspaper claimed that a new hostage deal could be announced as soon as next week.
Source: Day 117 – 3 soldiers killed, 5 wounded as fighting continues in southern and northern Gaza Strip
‘The cautionary signals are off the charts.’ Ominous warnings point to a market correction – particularly in tech
Corporate insiders are buying less and selling more of their own company’s shares
Brace for a recession that may trigger a stock-market meltdown worse than 2022, says top economist David Rosenberg
- There’s a recession looming that threatens to hammer stocks, David Rosenberg says.
- The veteran economist said the potential sell-off makes 2022’s decline look like an “appetizer.”
- Labor hoarding and debt-fueled spending can’t shore up the economy for much longer, he says.
The economy is barreling toward a recession — and it could trigger a stock-market meltdown that puts 2022 to shame, David Rosenberg warned.
Comedian Tells Joe Rogan He’s No Longer on the Left, Reveals What Made Him Say, ‘I Can’t Do It Anymore’ | The Gateway Pundit | by Rachel M. Emmanuel, The Western Journal
Stand-up comedian, actor, and podcaster Bobby Lee, known for his appearances on shows like “MADtv” and films like “A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas,” is not exactly what one would call a “family values conservative.”
But during an appearance on “The Joe Rogan Experience” with podcaster Joe Rogan, Lee admitted that he’s now in what he considers the “middle” politically.
During the show, Rogan praised “regular people” from Boston and admitted that he used to be a part of the “blue bubble” and was “one hundred percent a left-leaning person who lived in Los Angeles” and who never voted Republican, especially with any social issues although he said he was a little more conservative when it came to financial issues.
“But California went nuts, man. It’s gone like full communist. It’s out of its f***g mind,” Rogan said, going on to specifically criticize its “insane” approach to law enforcement, including no-cash bail and lax theft prosecution policies that have damaged once-great cities like San Francisco.
“San Francisco is non-existent,” he said.
“They ruined it,” Lee agreed with Rogan.
Rogan said that Californians could bring the state back, but only if they had some “hardcore Rudy Giuliani type motherf***er to come in there and knock heads.” He said that “nobody wants that. They’re peace, love and granola and f***ing wear a mask.”
“I’m in the middle now,” Lee whispered as if making a horrifying admission. “I never thought I would I would ever say that.”
Lee said that his change in attitude had only occurred in the last year — and said it was liberals who brought it about.
“I just went — I can’t do it anymore,” he said.
“People that you thought were aligned with you are now like mad at you about s***,” he said.
“They’re in a cult,” Rogan cut in, likening the current political climate to a closed religious group, including the excommunication, shaming, and “group think.”
“It’s a cult,” he said, and Lee agreed.
Rogan said that the left will attack you like people in a cult will attack you — not for reasonable beliefs — but “like someone attacks religious beliefs.”
As an example, he cited men claiming to be “transgender” to use women’s public bathrooms, pointing out that creeps and pedophiles are “real.”
“It doesn’t mean trans people aren’t real also,” he said. “But those guys are f***ing real.”
“And to even say that those guys are real, you get excommunicated, you get treated like you’re a Nazi,” Rogan said.
“I never even cared about it,” Lee said, raising his voice in frustration.
“Yeah, I mean… whatever you want, I don’t give a s***… you know what I mean?” he said.
“But it’s like … I can’t do it anymore,” Lee said.
A video excerpt of the conversation is below:
WARNING: The video below contains graphic language that some viewers will find offensive.
Rogan and Lee’s comments were dead on. Conservatives may disapprove of some levels of humor, but they will support the comedian’s right to speak.
The left, on the other hand, is fine with filth or the mocking of organized religion, but don’t you dare question their dogmas or sacred cows. Joke about race, gender, or any form of non-heterosexuality, and you can kiss your career goodbye.
In an interview with comedian Rob Schneider on the U.K. talk show “The Dinosaur Hour,” according to GB News, veteran British comedian John Cleese, well known for his work on “Monty Python’s Flying Circus” and “Fawlty Towers,” referred to the new “woke” ideology as “totalitarianism.” [3.00 on website]
“It is,” Schneider responded. “It’s a closed system of thought or fundamentalism, which means ‘This is the way the world is, and that’s the way it is, and that’s the way I want to keep it.’”
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
The post Comedian Tells Joe Rogan He’s No Longer on the Left, Reveals What Made Him Say, ‘I Can’t Do It Anymore’ appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
How’s Life in Obama’s Fundamentally-Transformed America Working Out for You So Far? | American Greatness
It should be painfully obvious to everyone by now that we are living in the fast-hardening cement of what Barack Obama promised to wildly cheering crowds on the campaign trail in 2008—”a fundamental transformation of America.”
Anyone who can remember back to the decades before the Obama presidency will recall a country committed to fairness and common sense: judging a person based on the content of their character rather than the color of their skin; welcoming a person who came lawfully into this country who applied for citizenship through traditionally prescribed means; never giving a second thought about girls’ and women’s sports being reserved only for a person born female and without a speck of steroids, let alone testosterone, in their bodies; expecting that immensely immature men dressed as fat-slob, over-face-painted, faux women would remain hidden inside “special” bars and clubs and not held up as twerking examples to kindergarten children; acknowledging unequivocally that Marxism was a bad idea and not a glorified ideal; realizing that only a tyrant would actually jail their political opponents for simply questioning highly-suspicious presidential election results; and, generally, in a more fair-minded time: no one even considered ever gleefully calling “evil good and good evil.”
This, of course, is but a very short list of the slop that is being shoveled on a daily basis down the throats of ordinary, common-sense Americans. (We will leave it to the reader to shout out a few dozen more.)
All of this slow-boiling of the pot, with the American-citizen frog paddling lethargically within, began with the nomination of Barack Obama.
People so desperately wanted what Obama was peddling, “Hope and Change,” that they inserted into that second word whatever it was their hearts desired most. And certainly the color of the man’s skin was the huge selling point. Sure, the candidate had no track record, and, let’s face it, had he been white, Hillary Clinton would have been the Democrats’ candidate that election season. But the biracial aspect was seen, perhaps even symbolically, as a way of finally unifying this country after so much racial tension throughout the previous decades.
Many conservatives like to push back on the charge that America is “systemically racist” by pointing to the 2008 election. The basis of their argument: “Would a racist nation vote a black man into office?”
However, isn’t it more accurate to say that voting for someone based on their skin color is also racist? Racism goes both ways. That’s why anyone who says that Blacks cannot be racist is making a racist statement.
“It’s not about skin,” a friend once told me, “it’s about sin.”
The Bible puts it this way: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” It doesn’t matter who you are; some have a penchant to steal, some to cheat, some to lie, some to murder, and some to treat others in a derogatory way. And, of course, so many of us are pretty good at choosing from time to time a smorgasbord of most everything (and then some) on that list.
So, where does all this leave us?
Except for the bump in the road after the Obama presidency that the left was not anticipating (i.e., the Trump presidency), in a few short years we have fallen as far as Bedford Falls of “It’s a Wonderful Life” had descended into Pottersville. The United States has been transformed into Obamasville.
The hour is late, no doubt, and that pot is on the verge of boiling over. This election will decide.
And if, as some pundits are beginning to believe, the Democrats’ standard-bearer suddenly turns out to be yet another Obama, with the added twist of possibly becoming the history-making First Woman U.S. President—well, let’s just hope there are enough common-sense citizens who would not do something “systemically sexist” by voting for her.
Vigilance is necessary this time around to insure a free and fair election and to keep the cement of fundamental transformation from hardening into unbreakable rock.
____________
Albin Sadar is author of Obvious: Seeing the Evil That’s in Plain Sight and Doing Something About It, as well as the children’s book collection Hamster Holmes: Box of Mysteries.
Originally published at Stream.org
Source: How’s Life in Obama’s Fundamentally-Transformed America Working Out for You So Far?
Are We A Nation Out of Time? – Shane Idleman
This article was taken from the sermon, “God Breaks You to Make You”, watch it here for more on this very important topic.
Whether it’s children twerking on TikTok as adults applaud (it’s not cool; it’s sick and perverted), drag queens reading at libraries, pedophiles being protected, enemies entering our borders, musicians worshiping Satan while millions applaud — or an array of other disasters — what’s it going to take to break us?
If you truly care for America, It’s time to look in the mirror and own it. At this stage of spiritual cancer, the only remedy is deep repentance and brokenness over sin.
Personally, I’m still holding on to God’s words here: “Return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and He relents from sending calamity. Who knows? He may turn and relent and leave behind a blessing…” (Joel 2:13-14).
A Proud Church is Not a Powerful Church
In these dire times, why do many Christians reflect the heart of the Laodecians rather than the power of the upper room? We have loud music but little worship, programs but no power, and big voices but little truth.
Where are the weepers and the worshippers like the Prophets who cried out to “return to the Lord,” and pleaded with the people to “walk humbly with your God”? Where are those who follow in the footsteps of Isaiah, who said, “I am undone,” or David, who thanked God for breaking the pride out of him?
Those are the voices God hears. He is no respecter of persons, but He is a respecter of principles, and the principle of brokenness is profound.
We are Going Nowhere Fast
It’s extremely hard watching our nation crumble from within, but do we honestly think that God is pleased with arrogant memes, angry tweets, or bombastic tirades? I can assure you that He is not … something needs to change. We are going nowhere fast.
If we don’t have love and humility, we have nothing (cf. 1 Cor. 13). Boldness without humility will get us nowhere as our nation continues to spiral out of control.
As Victor Davis Hansen wisely said: “Our descent is self-induced; it is not a symptom of a foreign attack or subterfuge. Our erosion is not the result of poverty and want, but of leisure and excess.”
In the same way that Israel grew fat with food and “abandoned the God who made them and rejected the Rock their Savior” (Deut. 32:15), America is making the same mistake. Our pride has made us fat and full of ourselves. This is why fasting is critical: it starves the flesh in order to be filled with the Spirit. (If you need help in this area, my fasting books are available as free downloads here.)
Repentance, Not Remington
“When God gets us alone through suffering, heartbreak, temptation, disappointment, sickness, or by thwarted desires … when He gets us absolutely alone, and we are totally speechless, unable to ask even one question, then He begins to teach us” (Oswald Chambers).
I believe that this is EXACTLY what God is doing today. Salvation is not coming on Air Force One. God is trying to wake us up so we draw closer to Him. When we are desperate, God finally has our attention.
Most don’t seek the Lord until there is pressure: “Only when our hand is forced do we yield — when our back is to the wall and our fleshly attempts at deliverance are all washed away” (Michael Catt). But surprisingly, our nation’s crisis is not driving us to our knees but to the gun store. We’re not using heavenly ammunition (2 Cor. 10:4), but trusting in Smith & Wesson.
The Blessing of Brokenness
I’ll never forget the day I read the following quote by A.W. Tozer over two decades ago: “It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until He has hurt him deeply.”
I was going through a very difficult season and I soon realized that God was breaking me down to build me up. I was at a turning point: I could become bitter and resentful or humble myself and grow from the experience.
And this is where the majority of Christians find themselves today: Instead of getting better, we become bitter. Instead of humbling ourselves, we become more arrogant. Instead of emptying ourselves to be filled with the Spirit, we are full of pride and selfish ambition. THIS MUST CHANGE!
The Shepherd of the Shattered
But be encouraged, broken crayons still color. God is the Shepherd of the shattered and the rebuilder of the broken. God breaks us to rebuild us but we must humble ourselves so the Potter can shape the clay, or an eleven day journey through the wilderness may take us forty years (cf. Joshua 5:6).
We must let our pain crucify our pride. He rebuilds the broken, elevates the humble, and restores the wounded. We can rebuild the breach and strengthen what remains but we must pray this today: “O God, take me, break me, and make me.”
The clock is ticking — being broken by God is our only hope!
The post Are We A Nation Out of Time? appeared first on Shane Idleman.
Poll: Nearly 70% of Americans support Texas in border battle, only 27% oppose
Squishy Republicans! Pay attention!
Source: Poll: Nearly 70% of Americans support Texas in border battle, only 27% oppose
Iran Issues Threat to Joe Biden Over Response to US Troop Deaths
“No threat will be left unanswered” Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ chief Hossein Salami said.
Source: Iran Issues Threat to Joe Biden Over Response to US Troop Deaths
Truth2Freedom's Blog 