There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true. —Soren Kierkegaard. "…truth is true even if nobody believes it, and falsehood is false even if everybody believes it. That is why truth does not yield to opinion, fashion, numbers, office, or sincerity–it is simply true and that is the end of it" – Os Guinness, Time for Truth, pg.39. “He that takes truth for his guide, and duty for his end, may safely trust to God’s providence to lead him aright.” – Blaise Pascal. "There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily" – George Washington letter to Edmund Randolph — 1795. We live in a “post-truth” world. According to the dictionary, “post-truth” means, “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Simply put, we now live in a culture that seems to value experience and emotion more than truth. Truth will never go away no matter how hard one might wish. Going beyond the MSM idealogical opinion/bias and their low information tabloid reality show news with a distractional superficial focus on entertainment, sensationalism, emotionalism and activist reporting – this blogs goal is to, in some small way, put a plug in the broken dam of truth and save as many as possible from the consequences—temporal and eternal. "The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it." – George Orwell “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” ― Soren Kierkegaard
Isaiah 45:12 — Creation is not just a doctrine taught in Genesis. It’s emphasized again and again throughout the Bible (Psalm 102:25; Nehemiah 9:6; Isaiah 40:28, 42:5, 44:24, 45:12, 45:18; Jeremiah 27:5, 32:17; Zechariah 12:1; Hebrews 11:3).
Isaiah 45:18 — Evolution says that modern man (homo sapiens) has been around for only 0.078% of the alleged 4.5 billion years that the earth has been here. Yet, the earth was created to be inhabited. Theistic evolution compromises the authority of God’s Word.
Isaiah 45:22 — God declares a universal invitation – look and live!
Isaiah 45:23 — This promise is echoed throughout the New Testament, but especially in Romans 14:11 and Philippians 2:10. Notice that Isaiah stops short – what will every tongue declare? Paul says in Philippians that they’ll declare Jesus Christ is LORD!
Isaiah 47:10 — “None seeth me.” Throughout the prophets, we’ll see God attacking this false belief.
Ephesians 4:3-6 — The unity of believers is a beautiful thing. However, we must be united in truth.
Ephesians 4:11 — What gift has God given you that you can use for the ministry? We see in this verse the free gifts (vs. 11), the function of the gifts (vs. 12), and the fulfillment of the gifts (vs. 13).
Ephesians 4:15 — The balance between speaking the truth and speaking it in love is tough. On the one hand, you have groups dedicated to “love.” Love is love, according to them, but they never define love. On the other hand, you have the Westboro Baptist Church gang that preaches “truth.” The path of the straight and narrow is framed by deep ditches on each side!
Psalm 68:19 — What a great prayer of thanksgiving to declare each morning!
Proverbs 24:3 — Yes, wisdom is the foundation and the building block of our lives!
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In those days, and in that time, saith the Lord, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I will pardon them whom I reserve.Jeremiah 50:20
A glorious word indeed! What a perfect pardon is here promised to the sinful nations of Israel and Judah! Sin is to be so removed that it shall not be found, so blotted out that there shall be none. Glory be unto the God of pardons!
Satan seeks out sins wherewith to accuse us, our enemies seek them that they may lay them to our charge, and our own conscience seeks them even with a morbid eagerness. But when the Lord applies the precious blood of Jesus, we fear no form of search, for “there shall be none”; “they shall not be found.” The Lord hath caused the sins of His people to cease to be: He hath finished transgression and made an end of sin. The sacrifice of Jesus has cast our sins into the depths of the sea. This makes us dance for joy.
The reason for the obliteration of sin lies in the fact that Jehovah Himself pardons His chosen ones. His word of grace is not only royal but divine. He speaks absolution, and we are absolved. He applies the atonement, and from that hour His people are beyond all fear of condemnation. Blessed be the name of the sin-annihilating God!
Israel’s war front shifts dramatically to north against Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorists Signs of a third full-blown war between Israel and the U.S.-designated terrorist movement, Hezbollah, which runs a state-within a state in Lebanon, are rapidly solidifying. Israel has fought two previous wars against terrorist forces embedded in Lebanon, in 1982 and 2006, and a third war appears to be looming.
IDF Chief of Staff: ‘We gave a clear message to Hezbollah and the Middle East’ Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi makes a special statement: ‘The price that Hezbollah is paying is multiplying; the attacks will increase.’ “The IDF is currently at its peak level of readiness. We will do what is necessary to deal with threats to Israel. If Hezbollah has not understood this, they will receive another blow and another, until they understand. We have other capabilities, that we haven’t used yet; both in defense and attack and we are well prepared for the next steps,”
Minister Gallant: ‘Past week was hardest for Hezbollah in its history’ “The action taken by the IDF in Dahieh is significant, important, and powerful. We have a [clear] goal – ensuring the safe return of Israel’s northern communities to their homes – and we will take all the necessary measures to achieve it,” he added. Gallant concluded: “The sequence of actions [taken by the IDF] serves the goal that we have set. We will continue using all the means at our disposal to achieve our goals,
Older single men are using surrogacy to purchase children without a background check: report Single men over 60 are increasingly applying to have children with help from surrogates since law change. This should be highly concerning. Think about that hard for a moment: single, middle-aged men are renting women to gestate the children they have purchased and then becoming the legal, single parents of those children.
‘We’ll return northern residents home – and will hit Hezbollah until it understands this,’ IDF chief vows Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi, vowed Israel would continue to attack the terror group until it reaches the goal of enabling the safe return of northern Israel’s residents. Halevi said Hezbollah was “shaken” by the Israeli strike that took out almost all of its Radwan Unit’s command structure in Beirut. The severe blow to Hezbollah also sent the message to the broader region that Israel can reach anyone of its enemies, the general said.
In message directed to international community, Netanyahu says ‘no country can accept rocketing of its cities’ Hezbollah hasn’t stopped attacking Israel ‘for a single day’ since Oct 7 “Hezbollah attacked Israel completely unprovoked,” Netanyahu said. “They fired missiles and rockets into our cities. They made 60,000 Israelis leave their homes along the Lebanon border, becoming refugees in their own land.” “No country can accept the wanton rocketing of its cities,” the prime minister stated. “We can’t accept it either.
IDF kills armed gunmen attempting to hijack humanitarian aid convoy in Gaza over weekend The IDF announced on Saturday that troops from the Tzabar Battalion, part of the Givati Brigade, identified armed militants attempting to rob a humanitarian aid truck in southern Gaza. In a video released by the IDF, armed gunmen can be seen surrounding one of the cargo trucks and climbing on top of the vehicle. The soldiers used armed drones to strike a vehicle carrying several armed gunmen, killing them. Two others who fled on foot were also targeted and eliminated shortly after.
Several hurt as Hezbollah fires 100 rockets deep into north Israel Several people were hurt when Hezbollah launched more than 100 rockets and drones at northern Israel in waves of attacks overnight Saturday and Sunday morning. Rockets hit the Haifa bayside suburb of Kiryat Bialik and Moreshet, a community in the Lower Galilee, the military said. The IDF’s aerial defense array intercepted some of the projectiles.
UNRWA demands immunity for employees implicated in October 7th massacre In an official document submitted to the US court, the UN, backed by the US Department of Justice, claims that UNRWA employees who participated in the October 7th massacre be granted immunity from prosecution. A full 10% of UNRWA employees are affiliated with a terror group, and at least 12 UNRWA employees participated directly in the October 7 massacre: Six were part of the wave of terrorists who breached the border fence and participated in the assault, two helped kidnap Israelis, two were tracked to sites where scores of Israelis were massacred, and other coordinated logistics for the attack – including the procurement of weapons.
Arab miscalculation about the Jewish fighting spirit The military and intelligence strategies employed by Israel in Gaza and in Lebanon have confused Arab strategic “experts.” Anti-Israel Arab research institutes as well as Egyptian and Syrian researchers and think tanks, have come to the conclusion – and some have admitted – that Israel’s firm stand in the past year is not what they expected. They expected that Israel’s resolve would not last. That internal and external pressures would overwhelm the country.
Iran’s ‘Torture Master’ dies after brain surgery A notorious Iranian interrogator has reportedly died following brain surgery on Saturday. Reza Seraj’s career in Iran’s security apparatus spanned decades and was marked by controversy. Beginning in the 1990s, he rose through the ranks as a senior interrogator within IRGC Intelligence. Operating under the alias “Alavi,” Seraj became notorious for extracting forced confessions through pressure and torture.
Netanyahu, Macron exchange harsh words over escalation in war with Hezbollah Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and … Emmanuel Macron held a difficult conversation last week over the escalating situation in Lebanon, On Thursday, France voted in favor of a United Nations General Assembly resolution proposed by the Palestinian Authority to impose sanctions and an arms embargo on Israel. Macron, who initiated the call, hurled harsh accusations at the Israeli premier for leading Israel and Lebanon to the brink of a full-scale war. Netanyahu replied: “Instead of putting the pressure on us, it’s about time you pressured Hezbollah.
Israeli hospitals are moving underground to avoid Hezbollah missiles All hospitals in Israel’s north are moving their patients to protected spaces and even underground as a result of the heavy rocket barrages Hezbollah has launched since very early Sunday morning. Rambam Hospital in Haifa is shifting to its reinforced underground parking lot, which was prepared long ago with the infrastructure needed to care for patients in this alternative space.
M6.0 earthquake hits La Rioja, Argentina A strong earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.0 hit La Rioja Province, Argentina at 21:24 UTC on September 21, 2024. The agency is reporting a depth of 130 km (81 miles). EMSC is reporting the same magnitude and depth.
Unusually heavy snowfall leaves hundreds stranded on roads in South Africa A severe snowstorm swept across South Africa on Friday and Saturday, September 20 and 21, 2024, stranding hundreds of motorists, including those on the N3 highway between Johannesburg and Durban. Many were trapped on the roads for 24 hours without access to food or water. One person has passed away after spending the night trapped in sub-zero temperatures.
Early winter hits Mongolia as temperatures drop to -5 °C (23 °F) Mongolia is seeing an early advent of winter, with temperatures dropping to -5 °C (23 °F) and snowfall reaching 7 cm (3 inches) in northern, western, and central provinces such as Khuvsgul and Zavkhan.
IDF strikes Lebanon after Hezbollah rocket attack on Israel’s North Hezbollah fired its deepest barrage into Israel since the beginning of the current war, with four rounds of over 140 rockets and drones fired into the Jezreel Valley in the early hours of Sunday morning, the IDF confirmed.
Caterpillar Pulls Back On DEI, Joining John Deere, Ford, and Others Caterpillar Inc. has introduced new guidelines that refocus the company’s various employee programs on core business goals as part a broader review of its Code of Conduct and other underpinnings of corporate culture.
Chinese state-sponsored hackers compromised more than a million internet devices worldwide to steal sensitive personal data The FBI has disrupted a botnet controlled by Chinese state-sponsored hackers that infected over 1.2 million devices worldwide, including over 385,000 in the US. The botnet, utilizing a variant of the Mirai malware, targeted consumer devices like routers, cameras, and storage devices to steal personal information and potentially conduct cyberattacks. The hackers, identified as Integrity Technology Group, are a publicly traded company in China that sold access to the botnet to customers.
Re-Visiting Deagel 2025 Population Forecast: An Accidental Warning? In 2014, the military and advanced technology company Deagel posted an article showing population growth for each country. This article created alarm for many as it showed some very frightening statistics concerning many Western nations predicted for 2025, and with us fast approaching that time, we take a look at these predictions to see if what we were being shown was just a mistake, or was there a hidden agenda behind this article?
NHS Whistleblower: Staff Was Essentially Instructed to Euthanize Patients to Inflate COVID Death Toll While Hospitals Sat Empty An NHS whistleblower, who wishes to remain anonymous, has come forward with allegations that the NHS hospitals were not overwhelmed during the COVID-19 pandemic, as was reported by authorities and the mainstream media. The whistleblower also confirmed that the little care given throughout the pandemic amounted to negligence and that the government and NHS bosses essentially instructed staff to let people die, or in some cases kill them through the ‘End of Life Care’ programme and falsely label the deaths as being due to Covid-19.
“The great object of my fear is the federal judiciary. That body, like gravity, ever acting, with noiseless foot, and unalarming advance, gaining ground step by step, and holding what it gains, is ingulfing insidiously the special governments into the jaws of that which feeds them.” —Thomas Jefferson (1821)
Douglas Andrews, Thomas Gallatin, & Jordan Candler
Government & Politics
House to pass spending bill without electoral reform: It’s become a campaign staple for the Democrats, a hardy perennial almost as predictable and reliable as a baseless charge of racism. We’re speaking of the government shutdown — the threat of which invariably favors the Democrats and thus causes Republicans to quake in their boots. The latest example of this came just yesterday when House Republicans moved ahead with a “clean” stopgap spending bill to fund our bloated federal government at current levels until mid-December. The wafer-thin Republican majority has dropped its insistence that a proof-of-citizenship voting measure be part of this funding. For some reason, Democrats also remain intractably opposed to the no-longer-attached SAVE Act, which established a commonsense bar for election integrity. So much for honest elections. And so much for ensuring that only American citizens vote in our federal elections. After all, we’ve got a debt-ridden government to fund.
Noncitizens added to voter rolls via DMV: Some number of noncitizens have been added to the voter rolls in several states via the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA). Thanks to the law, when people are getting a driver’s license, they are pushed to register to vote. This has resulted in noncitizens being registered to vote in states such as Pennsylvania, California, Arizona, and Texas. According to J. Christian Adams, president of the Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF), “We’ve collected over the years of the data on how non-citizens get in, and it’s largely by not telling the truth in the motor voter process. And it includes people here on green cards, people here legally.” Adams noted, “Most of the people who get registered to vote, according to the data we’ve collected, are actual, legal residents, like 90% of them, 95%. And so they get sucked into the system, through motor voter, through DMV, and they get registered to vote that way, and it’s a big problem.” This is yet another reason why election integrity measures are needed.
Is a second debate on the horizon? “I will gladly accept a second presidential debate on October 23.” So said cowardly Kamala Harris, who conveniently failed to mention that she only participates in rigged debates, like the one ABC orchestrated on her behalf 13 days ago. Trump, understandably, doesn’t see a benefit in doing another three-on-one debate, saying of ABC and its moderators, David Muir and Linsey Davis, “I think she had the questions. And I think that the anchors … were a disgrace to American journalism.” But that refusal has the Democrats on the offensive. “The American people deserve another opportunity to see [Trump and Harris] debate before they cast their ballots,” said Harris-Walz campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon. “It would be unprecedented in modern history for there to just be one general election debate.” Were we advising the former president, we’d agree to a debate on Fox News, and we’d challenge Harris to appear before a pair of moderators who aren’t in the tank for her. Then we’d see just how “gladly” accepting she is of another debate.
The first debate had no major effect on battleground state polling (More)
Kamala Harris to skip Al Smith dinner, a traditional event for major presidential candidates (More)
Is Jill Biden really running the country? Any day now, we expect to see Joe Biden’s cognitively addled mug on the back of a milk carton. Think about it: Where has he been since that swan song speech of his at the Democratic National Convention more than a month ago? And does anyone care? Certainly not the mainstream media, which has all but ceased reporting on the daily activities of the president and commander-in-chief. As the Washington Examiner’s Paul Bedard reports: “This week’s White House Report Card focuses on the latest evidence that first lady Jill Biden is, and long has been, the power in the West Wing. On Friday, the White House wasn’t hiding it. At a rare Cabinet meeting, the president handed over the leadership to the first lady, sitting at the head of the table, her prepared notes in front of her.” As surreal as it seems, we’re living through a modern-day version of the last days of the Woodrow Wilson presidency, when the stroke-addled president’s wife was running the country in his absence.
Hamtramck’s Muslim mayor endorses Trump: Politics, it’s been said, makes strange bedfellows, and none could be stranger than the most pro-Israel president in American history, Donald Trump, and the Muslim mayor of a Muslim-majority enclave in the middle of Detroit. As Fox News reports: “Amer Ghalib, mayor of the Detroit-area suburb [sic] Hamtramck, announced his endorsement of Trump in a Facebook post Sunday. While admitting he and Trump didn’t ‘agree on everything,’ he said he regarded the former commander-in-chief as ‘a man of principles.’” Hamtramck isn’t a suburb; it’s an enclave entirely within the city of Detroit. It was once the home of Detroit’s large Polish population, but the Poles have long since abandoned the city, and the Muslims have moved in. Ghalib calls Trump “the right choice for this critical time,” and it makes some sense, given the naturally socially conservative nature of Arabs and Muslims generally. But it’s puzzling in light of Democrats playing both sides in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. It’ll be interesting to see what this endorsement does in the swing state of Michigan come November 5.
Georgia hand counts: The Georgia Election Board ruled 3-2 that all ballots must be hand-counted at local precincts in addition to the machine count. The decision didn’t sit well with many local election officials, who argued that the change would add cost and time to the vote-tabulating processes. Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr argued that these late rule changes “would not withstand a legal challenge.” Raffensperger contended, “Georgia voters can be confident that the reforms we’ve enacted since 2020 and have defended in court from frivolous attacks by Stacey Abrams will ensure only American citizens vote in our elections. Our reforms have made Georgia elections the safest in the nation and I work every day to keep it that way.” Janelle King, one of the board members voting in favor of the rule change, said she was more concerned about accuracy over speed: “I can guarantee you as a voter I would rather wait another hour to ensure … that the count is accurate than to get a count or get a number within that hour, and then to find out at the close of an election, after certifications, that we have people suing because the count was not accurate.”
“Probably should not have said that”: Harris tells Oprah anyone breaking into her home is “getting shot” (More) | Just a “joke,” campaign adviser says (More)
Bipartisan House group urges Biden to stop controversial EU deforestation ban (More)
Judicial training in climate science raises concerns about creating bias against oil, gas companies (More)
Security
Secret Service blames “complacency” for security gaps in Butler: In a press conference on Friday, Secret Service Acting Director Ronald Rowe blamed the gaps in security in Butler, Pennsylvania, where Donald Trump was nearly assassinated, on “complacency” among some USSS members. “While some members of the advance team were very diligent, there was complacency on the part of others that led to a breach of security protocols with respect to accountability,” Rowe explained. He added, “These employees will be held accountable, and this agency has among the most robust table of penalties in the entirety of the federal government.” Rowe noted that the agency “is nearing its completion” of its internal investigation, and he promises accountability. Meanwhile, federal prosecutors revealed that the man behind the second assassination attempt against Trump left a handwritten note behind in case he failed. The note reads, “Dear World, This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump, but I am so sorry I failed you. I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster. It’s up to you to finish the job; and I will offer $150,000 to whomever can complete the job.”
Israel kills another Hezbollah leader: On Friday, Israel’s military announced that it had killed Ibrahim Aqil, a Hezbollah leader who was behind a string of bombings in the 1980s that killed over 250 Americans. Aquil, who was known as “Tahsin,” was a member of Hezbollah’s highest military body, the Jihad Council, and was described by the IDF as the “principal leader” of the group responsible for carrying out the April 18, 1983, bombing of the U.S. embassy in Beirut, which killed 63 people, including 17 Americans, and the October 23, 1983, bombing of the Marine Corp barracks in Beirut that killed 241 U.S. troops. The IDF noted that Aquil and other Hezbollah commanders were developing plans to “kidnap and murder innocent civilians in a similar manner to the October 7 Massacre” when they were taken out by the targeted airstrike. Meanwhile, Israel has ratcheted up its airstrikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, which borders Israel, hitting some 300 terrorist targets.
Chicago gangbangers rage against newly arrived Venezuelan migrants as Tren de Aragua moves in (More)
Misc.
Infamous Three Mile Island is back — and Microsoft wants its nuclear power to fuel AI ambitions (More)
Black & Decker nukes entire corporate “diversity” effort (More) | Caterpillar makes policy changes in yet another corporate DEI rollback (More)
Humor: 15 seconds into Kamala Harris interview, Oprah decides to endorse Trump (More)
“We can’t afford four more years of this!” thundered Tim Walz the other day.
He was slamming Donald Trump by way of creating a contrast with his running mate, Democrat presidential appointee Kamala Harris. But if you take just that line out of context, it might as well have been approved by the Trump campaign. It certainly goes to the overarching question of this entire election: Who’s the candidate of change?
Harris and Walz want you to think that they will bring change. Walz, of course, has been Minnesota governor since 2019, where he steered the state through the COVID pandemic with a strong dose of woke tyranny. More importantly, Harris has been Joe Biden’s vice president since January 20, 2021. She is effectively the incumbent.
Back to Harris, a new CBS News/YouGov poll shows that she’s closing the gap on Trump on a critical issue: the economy. A few weeks ago, she was trailing 43% to 56% but is now behind by a much closer 47% to 53%. If she continues that trend, it’ll spell big trouble.
In addition to Leftmedia messaging on behalf of Democrats, the primary reason for this shift is that the economy is incredibly resilient. Despite Harris casting the tiebreaking votes for major inflationary bills in the Senate, and despite inflation hitting a crushing 9.1% in 2022 and standing at a cumulative 20% since 2021, the rate of increase has slowed a lot this year. The Federal Reserve finally cut interest rates last week (timing that Trump questioned), and other economic indicators like gas prices seem to be at least tolerable. It’s not fantastic by any stretch, but we’re no longer in crisis.
So, when Harris begins non-answers with “I was raised a middle-class kid” and prepares a set of economic proposals supposedly aimed at helping the middle class, she gets a media pass. When she claims to represent working people by targeting her ire at “the wealthy,” no media outlet dares bring up her true record.
Hence, voters start to waffle.
The other factor here is that Trump kind of is an incumbent. He certainly ran the GOP primary that way, and he did serve as president for four years. Voters will have to set aside or reduce in importance Trump’s personality chaos and the feeling that, ugh, we’ve been there before. Instead, they’ll have to remember just how good the economy was running during the first three years of his administration. Change means bringing that back.
But never underestimate the power of Leftmedia pollaganda. NBC News has a great example in a story about another poll showing that Harris leads by nine points on which candidate better represents “change.” The story contains a couple of lines that reveal the entire agenda if you know what to look for: “Harris’ favorability has jumped 16 points since July. … No major-party presidential candidate in the 35-year history of the NBC News poll has seen this kind of jump in popularity in an election.”
Why has her favorability skyrocketed? Two corollary reasons: Media negativity on Trump has always been astronomical and is even more so when compared to the fawning favorability shown to Harris. Second, she’s been hiding from the media, doing only three softball interviews and zero press conferences since seizing the nomination from Biden in July.
That illustrates pollaganda: Media outlets uniformly report only bad things about Trump and only good things about Harris. Next, they ask voters if they can repeat what the media told them. And then they report the poll as a story showing momentum in the desired direction.
Voila! Kamala Harris, the incumbent of the last four years, is suddenly the “candidate of change.”
In fact, as Mark Alexander plans to build out later this week in “The Audacity of Deception,” Harris has something in common with Barack Obama in 2008. “I serve as a blank screen,” Obama wrote in his 2006 book The Audacity of Hope, “on which people of vastly different political stripes project their own views.” Harris has benefited from a similar dynamic simply because she is not technically Joe Biden.
Never mind that Harris will do all the same things as Biden did to create crisis (economy) after crisis (immigration) after crisis (world events). Never mind her own personal role in creating those crises.
The Leftmedia will tell us she represents “change,” and voters informed only by the Leftmedia will believe it.
Thomas Gallatin: The Great Biden/Harris Border Cover-Up — A former high-ranking Border Patrol officer testified that he was instructed to hide the truth of the border crisis from the public.
Douglas Andrews: Losing North Carolina — The Tar Heel State’s Republican gubernatorial candidate is a black man, and that means he’s a target for the Left.
Emmy Griffin: Duped Women Voters — The ever-deepening gap between male and female voters really got started with the birth of intersectional coalitions under Obama.
Joe Biden Passes Mic to the Wife — President Biden on Friday opened his first cabinet meeting in nearly a year by giving the floor to First Lady Jill Biden.
Schools Are Hostile to Boys’ Instincts — Christina Hoff Sommers discusses the growing struggles of boys in a culture increasingly dictated by a toxic strain of Marxist feminism.
The Censorship Is Just Beginning — Konstantin Kisin discusses the rising threat of censorship in England and shares his perspective on the future of America.
SHORT CUTS
Double Standards
“Listen, these are the facts: [Trump] is a threat. Period. Point blank.” —Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett (D-TX)
“If somebody breaks into my house, they’re getting shot. Sorry. Probably should not have said that. But my staff will deal with that later.” —Kamala Harris (“In 2020, Harris said Stand Your Ground laws were racist.” —The Daily Wire)
Gaslighting
“I believe [it’s] important for the country to recognize this progress, because if we don’t, the progress we made will remain locked in the fear of negative mindset and dominate our economic outlook.” —Joe Biden
Word Salad
“In terms of both rightly having the right to have aspirations and dreams and ambitions for your family and working hard and finding that the American Dream is, for this generation and so many recently, far more elusive than it’s been, and we need to deal with that.” —Kamala Harris
Political Futures
“Ironically, it’s because the contemporary left’s position on abortion is so morally unfathomable that the media can gaslight voters. … On abortion, there is only one extremist on the ballot.” —David Harsanyi
“Harris thinks her delays, deceptions, and vilifications for the next 47 days will ensure her victory. But if so, it will be because she, her stealth campaign, and her self-proclaimed guardians of democracy have been willing to systematically destroy it.” —Victor Davis Hanson
For the Record
“All sides are not equally culpable for the terrible situation America finds itself in today. … The Left has had a violent streak going back at least as far as Karl Marx’s calls for a global revolution of the proletariat — and the French Revolution even before that. And in today’s post-truth world, an expedient narrative often trumps cold facts.” —Josh Hammer
“Being a progressive means you can lie with impunity and the media will declare you a truth-teller.” —Erick Erickson
Today’s 20-min top headline news brief includes:
[0:35] -Former President Donald Trump participated in a tele-rally with Virgina Gov. Glenn Youngkin last night to encourage his supporters to take advantage of early voting.
[1:46] -President Biden hosts QUAD summit at his Delaware home.
[3:16] -Trump at MAGA rally in Wilmington NC: “Where is the common sense in any of Kamala’s policies??” [NEWSMAX Breaking]
[7:40] -Trump Sr. Advisor Jason Miller talks Trump campaign with NEWSMAX’s Rob Schmitt. [Rob Schmitt Tonight]
[12:42] -NEWSMAX host Lidia Curanaj says God is protecting Donald Trump. [NEWSMAX 2]
[16:53] -NY Rep. Anthony D’Esposito: “People of NY are seeing the disaster of Gov. Kathy Hochul and this far left woke agenda.” [Saturday Report]
Diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman on the Iraqi coalition that has fired six drones at Israel in the past 24 hours, plus updates on hostage release negotiations The post appeared first on The Times of Israel .
In this eye-opening The Way I Heard It, Mike Rowe and Victor Davis Hanson delve into the sudden name change of Junípero Serra Plaza and its deeper implications. Discover how a certain popular search engine’s and media bias, historical erasure, and political double standards are reshaping our world. Can popular outrage challenge institutional control?
Israel prepares to launch more strikes against Hezbollah, including targeting their stockpile of Russian-made missiles in Lebanon, as the IDF warns people in the region to evacuate; Hezbollah launched 150 rocket attacks deep into Israel over the weekend, sending hundreds of thousands racing to bomb shelters & closing schools; Chris Mitchell talks about how Israel’s recent major strike killed top Hezbollah commanders when they were meeting to plan an Oct 7- style attack on Israel, the impact of the beeper attacks on the leadership of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, the threat to Israel from cruise missiles, a possible Israeli ground invasion, and an unconfirmed report of Yahya Sinwar’s death; how the US is concerned over Iran’s involvement in the battles in the Middle East, with Republicans criticizing the Biden Administration for being weak in its response; with six weeks to go before the election, the Presidential race is a tossup, with former President Trump saying he won’t run again in 2028, or debate Kamala Harris again (which she wants to do); how Bibles can be rebound to preserve them for the future; and Regent University presents former US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman with the “Defender of Israel” award.
Meanwhile, school shootings, though a focus for many liberals, have claimed an average of only 53 lives annually over the past eight years, including both adults and children.
Gangs are central to the drug crisis, as they primarily fund their operations by selling drugs. The resulting gun violence often arises from drug deals gone wrong or turf wars over distribution control.
The high profit margins in the drug trade make it enticing for individuals to risk their lives as distributors.
Meanwhile, the Mexican cartels, raking in billions, are difficult to rein in, as the income they generate far surpasses that of most legitimate alternatives, making it nearly impossible to persuade them to shift to lawful business ventures.
Mexican cartels profit from marijuana, cocaine, and fentanyl, but an analysis of the economics reveals why fentanyl has become their top earner. Fentanyl now drives about 80% of overdose deaths and fuels countless gang-related murders in the U.S., making it the new moneymaker for cartels.
Marijuana, which is bulkier and less concentrated than other drugs, has a lower wholesale value, ranging from $3,500 to $10,500 per kilogram, and a less dramatic street-level markup.
In contrast, cocaine is far more profitable, with import costs between $93,000 and $163,000 per kilogram, yielding substantial profits when broken down into smaller quantities for street sales. Fentanyl represents a major economic shift.
Priced at just $1,500 to $3,000 per kilogram, it can be cut and sold in pill form, generating up to $20 million in revenue. These numbers are illustrative and may not reflect the exact, current prices of drugs.
Having said that, the stark difference in profit margins is still clear, particularly with synthetic drugs like fentanyl, which highlights the economic incentives driving Mexican cartels’ dominance in trafficking, further cementing their influence in the global drug trade.
Over the past forty years, Mexican drug cartels have transformed from marijuana and heroin traffickers in the 1980s into dominant forces in the drug trade. Initially, they lacked the flash and influence of Colombia’s Medellín and Cali cocaine cartels, which at the time controlled the lucrative cocaine market and wielded significant political and economic power across the Americas.
However, in the 1990s and 2000s, as Colombian cartels weakened due to law enforcement and internal conflicts, Mexican cartels expanded their role in transporting cocaine from South America to the U.S. Seizing this opportunity, they gradually gained control of much of the cocaine trade into the U.S., growing more powerful and wealthy in the process.
By the 2000s, Mexican cartels had expanded beyond cocaine, controlling marijuana, heroin, and emerging synthetic drugs like methamphetamine and fentanyl which are sold at tremendous mark up.
The versatility of cartels like the Sinaloa Cartel and Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) has made them even richer and more powerful as they move into new synthetic drugs and other illicit activities.
Human trafficking, now a major revenue source, generates more money for some cartels than drug trafficking. Additionally, Mexican and Latin American cartels partner with U.S. street gangs like MS-13, the Latin Kings, and Tren de Aragua to control distribution networks for drugs, illegal labor, and sex trafficking across U.S. cities. These partnerships ensure cartel dominance in both the drug trade and other criminal enterprises.
In addition to their illicit activities, cartels have diversified into legitimate businesses, such as avocado exports, where they control farmers and demand protection money. The rising popularity of avocados in the U.S. has provided cartels with another lucrative revenue stream.
They also invest in mining and real estate, further solidifying their financial power. Like any business, diversification helps cartels weather market fluctuations. When one market slows, another thrives.
Selling drugs, prostitution, and other vices offers a key advantage—they are largely recession-proof. Cartels continue profiting during economic downturns as more people turn to vice during hardship.
Meanwhile, economic recessions and political instability in Latin America fuel a constant supply of individuals desperate to be trafficked into the U.S., generating more income.
In some cases, cartels traffic individuals on credit, trading debt for labor once they arrive, securing cheap and captive workers. This is cartel economics 101—adaptation, diversification, and profit regardless of market conditions.
This entire system of crime, drugs, violence, overdoses, prostitution, cartel power, and gang proliferation in the U.S. is perpetuated by open border policies that not only allow illegal entry but incentivize it with the promise of potential citizenship.
There is little deterrence for those crossing illegally, as they know that in most cases, they will not face significant prosecution. At worst, they may be caught and released or sent back to Mexico, only to try again.
This lack of serious consequences fuels a continuous cycle of trafficking, as individuals see minimal risk, while cartels profit from the steady flow of migrants, offering entry in exchange for future labor or hefty fees. This creates a lucrative, sustainable business model for the cartels, further solidifying their power.
The United Nations’ General Assembly is gathering heads of state and diplomats from all over the world in New York, this week.
One of the main characters in this ensemble, as has been the case in the last few years, is Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
He will bring his much-talked-about ‘victory plan’ to show it firsthand to enfeebled US President Joe Biden before he can present it to the other Ukraine backers.
As part of his plan, Volodymyr Zelensky will reportedly push US President Joe Biden to provide an official invitation to join NATO, as well as commit to a ‘sustained supply of advanced weapons.’
Zelensky thinks his plan will facilitate an end to the war with Russia.
“Zelensky is expected to present the plan, which also requests a clear pathway to European Union membership as well as other economic and security arrangements, to Biden when they meet in Washington Sept. 26, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified as the information is private.”
Zelensky curiously envisions an outcome in which the nation that is losing the war badly can set conditions for the opponent that is winning it.
He describes his plan as ‘a blueprint for how to force Russian President Vladimir Putin to seek peace’.
Kiev is also worried that a cease-fire without guarantees would leave Russia able to strike again whenever it wants to.
(Never mind that Russia has already stated that it accepts none of the conditions by Kiev.)
Zelensky has not provided details of this plan, saying that he must first present it to Biden.
He also means to discuss it with presidential candidates Vice Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, as well as members of Congress from both parties.
“’We will discuss all the details with the US president because some points depend on positive will and support of the US’,” Zelensky told reporters Friday at a joint press conference with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. ‘The plan relies on quick decisions of our partners, which should be taken from October to December. We need it like that because we think then the plan will work out’.
Zelensky has said the ‘victory plan’ will help lead to his earlier pitched ‘peace plan’, which includes Russia’s total withdrawal. That proposal failed to garner widespread support at a Swiss-hosted summit in June as many countries in the Global South, which have been ambivalent about isolating Russia, refused to endorse it.”
Zelensky also wants to hold a ‘second peace summit’ by the end of the year that would this time include Russia – that has already ruled out participation, by the way.
“Some of Ukraine’s supporters are starting to examine options for a negotiated cease-fire, Bloomberg News reported Tuesday. Amid those discussions, Zelensky has stuck to his earlier position that Ukraine cannot cede territory captured by Russia, one of the people said.”
Zelensky has been very vocal in his criticism of Ukraine’s partners this September over what he sees as their ‘flagging support.’
Russia, meanwhile, sees success all over the frontline and has stepped up attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure ahead of what is shaping up to be a tragic winter for Ukraine.
The Ukrainian strategically meaningless incursion into Russia’s Kursk territory – as well as Kiev’s insistent request to use US and UK weapons for strikes deeper into Russia – have raised questions from Washington and allies over Zelensky’s strategy heading into 2025.
“’Our job is to put Ukraine in a strong position on the battlefield so that they are in a strong position at the negotiating table’, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Sept. 14, adding that the administration hopes to have ‘a conversation that puts all of the pieces together’.”
Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in Indiana, Pa. Watch the full rally on NEWSMAX and NEWSMAX2. …
Guest post by Leo Hohmann – republished with permission
Russian Zircon Hypersonic Missile
Western media stays mum on the biggest story of the century and Americans remain fixated and distracted by petty politics and whether Haitians are eating cats in Ohio. It’s just a matter of time — days or perhaps hours — before the Biden administration approves Ukraine’s use of U.S. missiles to strike daggers deep into the heart of Russia: Putin has removed all confusion, saying such action amounts to a de facto declaration of war against the nuclear-armed 1,100-year-old sovereign state of Russia. He will respond in kind. It appears to be a matter of when, not if, the Biden administration grants approval for Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied long-range ATACMS missiles against Russia.
These missiles were sent by the U.S. to Ukraine about a year ago but with restrictions that they could not be launched into Russia proper. The British sent their Storm Shadow missiles with similar restrictions. But now the rules of the game are about to change and I see no sense of urgency by the Western media to explain the potential consequences to everyday Americans, Canadians and Europeans. They’d rather report on cat-eating Haitians and the latest political salvo between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.
The heads of state in the United Kingdom and Canada, perhaps the U.S.’s closest NATO allies, are pushing hard for Biden to approve long-range hits on Russian cities and infrastructure, almost guaranteeing the start of World War III. The regime of Russian President Vladimir Putin has made it clear that nothing less than a direct retaliation against the U.S. and U.K. will result from such a fateful decision by the lame duck president, Joe Biden, or whoever is running Joe Biden.
Over the weekend another powerful voice came out in favor of Ukraine launching missiles at Russian cities.
Breitbart reports the head of NATO’s military committee said Saturday that Ukraine has the solid legal and military right to strike deep inside Russia to gain combat advantage – reflecting the beliefs of a number of U.S. allies – even as the Biden administration balks at allowing Kyiv to do so using American-made weapons.
“Every nation that is attacked has the right to defend itself,” said Admiral Rob Bauer, speaking at the close of the NATO committee’s annual meeting. “And that right doesn´t stop at the border of your own nation.”
I wonder if the shoe were on the other foot and Russia was sending long-range missiles to Mexico with instructions and training on how to use them against American cities if the esteemed admiral would say Mexico had a “right” to fire those Russian missiles northward.
The consequences of these comments are absolutely stunning, and yet they are made with the flippancy of a Cub Scout leader deciding which is the best way to sharpen a pocket knife.
I agree that Ukraine has every right to defend itself. But common sense says let them defend themselves without placing entire Western populations, who want no part of this war, in grave danger of nuclear annihilation.
Breitbart notes that Admiral Bauer, of the Netherlands, also added that nations have the sovereign right to put limits on the weapons they send to Ukraine. But, standing next to him at a press briefing, Lt. Gen. Karel Rehka, chief of the General Staff of the Czech Armed Forces, made it clear his nation places no such weapons restrictions on Kyiv.
“We believe that the Ukrainians should decide themselves how to use it,” Rehka said.
Sorry, Mr. Rehka, but that’s a very deceptive statement. You’re not giving your people the whole truth. Putin has already made it clear that Ukraine using NATO weapons, targeted with the satellite technology of NATO countries and trained by NATO forces, will be seen by Russia as the same as NATO declaring war on Russia.
The idiotic comments by these Western puppet politicians (doing the bidding of their international financiers and political handlers) came as Biden is weighing whether to allow Ukraine to use American-provided long-range weapons to hit deep into Russia.
The perception being presented in the Western media is that there remain deep divisions within NATO over this issue of letting Ukraine off the leash in its use of NATO-supplied long-range missiles. I’m not buying it. I believe it’s all stagecraft. The U.S. government has likely already made the decision to lift the restrictions on Ukraine’s use of these missile batteries but they are trying to make it look like these other Western governments are out ahead of the U.S. and begging for U.S. approval.
Biden met with far-left British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday. U.S. officials “familiar with the discussions” said they believed Starmer was seeking Biden’s approval to allow Ukraine to use British Storm Shadow missiles for expanded strikes against Russia.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also has publicly voiced his support for the long-range strikes against Russia to begin.
Here is Trudeau essentially declaring war on Russia and rooting for potentially massive death tolls as Russia will inevitably respond with long-range missile strikes against America and Canada.
And, yet, if you look at the top stories today at the major corporate media sites, you see little to no coverage of this all-important decision in which the potential future of Western civilization hangs in the balance.
No one in the West can say we weren’t warned.
Here is Putin laying out the stakes as far back as February 2024.
🚨🌎🇷🇺 “There will be no winners”
Putin with a direct & stark warning to NATO & The West
“Any attempt to bring back Crimea by military means, will bring European countries into direct conflict with Russia”
And there have been many more warnings by Putin and his various spokespersons since the above statement, the most recent of which Putin said if the U.S. and U.K. greenlight the missile launches from Ukraine, they will become a direct party to the war. That means it’s no longer a Western proxy war against Russia but a direct war of NATO vs Russia. He shouldn’t have to explain what that means but he did, saying the U.S. will no longer be able to “hide” from the fact that it’s at war with his country.
Still, the Western madmen push forward with their insane policy of inviting war with Russia.
Pray for peace while preparing for war. If you are totally new to this information, get your family at least a six-week supply of food and water now. If you already have that, work on a three-month supply or a six-month supply (and no, I’m not trying to sell you storable food or anything else because I have no such products to sell and no relationship with other vendors who are giving me a cut of their sales. I just really feel in my gut that the extended time of peace we have enjoyed in the West is coming to a close).
LeoHohmann.com is totally independent and ad free, dependent only on readers to support the journalism of Leo Hohmann. If you appreciate these updates and wish to support my work, you may send a donation of any size c/o Leo Hohmann, PO Box 291, Newnan, GA 30264, or donate via credit card here. Thank you.
Did you know that gangbangers in Chicago are extremely upset because a migrant gang from South America is starting to take over territory that once belonged to them? As you will see later in this article, law enforcement authorities in Chicago have completely lost control of the Windy City, and a major gang war could erupt at any time. But of course it isn’t just Chicago that has descended into a state of complete and utter chaos. In Los Angeles, a horde of approximately 50 young criminals ruthlessly looted a 7-Eleven on Friday evening…
A group of about 50 juveniles on bikes ransacked a 7-Eleven in Pico-Robertson on Friday evening, the latest in a string of recent robberies targeting the convenience chain, authorities said.
The group of juveniles, estimated to be between ages 12 and 15, entered the store at 8500 W. Olympic Blvd. around 7:25 p.m. and stole many items, according to a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson. Most of the juveniles had fled the scene by the time officers arrived, he said.
The reason why this incident barely even made a blip in the news cycle is because this sort of thing now happens in Los Angeles on a regular basis…
The same store was targeted — also reportedly by a group of around 50 teens on bikes — on Aug. 9, according to Fox 11 Los Angeles.
A week later, a group of young men on bikes robbed two convenience stores, reported to be 7-Elevens, in Hollywood. And on Aug. 24, a similar ransacking unfolded at a 7-Eleven in San Pedro.
In the middle of the country, the streets of Indianapolis are constantly under siege.
In fact, it is being reported that police in the city recently had to “break up five different street takeovers in 48 hours”…
Police said they were met with violent crowds when they tried to break up five different street takeovers in 48 hours in Indianapolis.
Indianapolis was once such a quiet city.
But now everything has changed.
When Indianapolis police go out to break up these “street takeovers”, they are often viciously attacked…
IMPD says officers and Indiana State Police troopers were attacked and their cars were damaged while responding to several street racing and spinning events in Indianapolis over the weekend.
The first incident was reported around 2:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 14 near East Washington and Pine streets, just east of downtown Indianapolis. Officers conducting a traffic stop saw 100-200 cars “engaged in reckless driving,” including spinning, in a parking lot, the department said in a statement.
Chaos is even reigning in major cities in the Bible Belt.
This weekend, there was a horrifying mass shooting in Birmingham, Alabama that made headlines all over the nation…
At least four people were killed and dozens more were injured when gunfire broke out in Birmingham, Alabama. Investigators believe there were multiple shooters.
“We have dozens of gunshot victims from this area,’’ police spokesman Truman Fitzgerald told the Birmingham News. “I’m told at least four of those gunshot victims are life-threatening.”
The shooting happened in the city’s popular Five Points South entertainment district. At least 17 of the gunshot victims were seriously injured.
Needless to say, there has been chaos in our streets for a long time, but now things are going to an entirely new level.
Many are blaming the surge in migration that we have been witnessing while Joe Biden has been in the White House.
Reports of shoplifting and vehicle theft increased considerably in Springfield, Ohio, following the arrival of thousands of Haitian refugees, according to data obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation through a records request.
The town, which had a population of 58,622 in 2020, has taken in between 12,000 and 20,000 Haitian refugees over the past three years, marking a population increase of between 20.4% and 34.1%. From 2021 to 2023, Springfield also saw a 51.5% jump in motor vehicle theft reports and a 112.8% spike in reports of shoplifting, data provided by the Springfield Police Division shows.
In Chicago, migration has been fueling the growth of criminal gangs, and gang members now outnumber the police by more than ten to one.
With numbers like that, there is no way that the police can maintain any sort of control.
A migrant gang from Venezuela known as Tren de Aragua is now steadily taking over territory that once belonged to local gangs, and members of those local gangs are furious because the migrants are getting far more government handouts than they are…
“There’s been a lot going on with (the migrant gangs) that nobody’s even hearing about,” Zacc Massie, 27, a street leader who first went to prison in 2015 and just recently got out.
“They be moving in our own territory and robbing people but they don’t get arrested like we do. I actually talked to one on the translator app. He told me all the things he got going on; how they helped him get a car, an apartment, (EBT) card, all this stuff. They giving them thousands, we get maybe $400 a month. And they don’t even have Social Security numbers!”
It is even being reported that teachers in Chicago elementary schools are being told to “give their migrant students a 70 percent in every subject and pass them on to the next grade” even if they don’t speak any English…
The teachers we spoke with work in CPS elementary schools and say they spoke no Spanish, while their migrant students spoke no English, making communication virtually impossible. They also added that because their schools were located in predominantly Black neighborhoods, they offered no English as a Second Language (ESL) support. Despite this, they say they were instructed by school administrators to give their migrant students a 70 percent in every subject and pass them on to the next grade.
Teachers say this was the case even if their migrant students displayed severe academic deficiencies.
The locals that have been suffering in deeply impoverished sections of Chicago for many years understand very clearly what is going on, and they are deeply frustrated.
Tensions in the city have never been higher, and one ex-gang member that has gone straight told the New York Post that it is just a matter of time before a gang war begins…
“When the black gangs here get fed up with the illegalities and criminal activities of these migrants or non-citizens, the city of Chicago is going to go up in flames and there will be nothing the National Guard or the government can do about it when the bloodshed hits the streets. It’ll be blacks against migrants.”
Law enforcement has already lost control of the streets in cities all over the country, and the violence, theft, drug dealing and sex trafficking only get worse with each passing day.
Meanwhile, millions of additional migrants come pouring into this nation illegally every single year.
Our politicians have created ideal conditions for widespread civil unrest, and once it fully erupts nobody is going to be able to control it.
Events in the Middle East and in Ukraine are bringing us dangerously close to the unthinkable, but meanwhile most people in the western world are paying very little attention to what is going on. We literally have not been this close to an apocalyptic global war since the end of World War 2, and yet most of the population is partying. Unfortunately, it won’t be too long before they are shaken out of their slumber.
On Sunday, it was being reported that a Ukrainian drone has hit a facility in Russia that houses one of the highly sophisticated nuclear missiles that Russia has started to produce…
A Ukrainian kamikaze drone strike reportedly struck Vladimir Putin’s Satan-2 nuclear missile, prompting an apocalyptic explosion yesterday morning.
A secret ammunition silo facility at Toropets in Tver region that housed one of the Russian President’s nuke missiles was hit by Ukrainian drone, it was claimed yesterday.
It allegedly happened just ten miles from an ‘indestructible’ 30,000 ton munitions storage site that had been obliterated on Wednesday.
It is literally insane to use kamikaze drones to attack nuclear missiles.
But that is the entire point.
The Ukrainians are losing the war, and so they are desperately trying to provoke an “over the top” reaction from the Russians that will force NATO to get directly involved in the fighting.
And they need to do it before the U.S. presidential election in November, because if Trump wins he fully intends to try to end the war.
So that is why the Ukrainians just attacked a nuclear missile. They are in a race against time.
Of course Ukraine does not have the ability to identify strategic targets deep inside Russia.
As far as these long-range drone attacks are concerned, we frequently pick the targets, and in many cases we actually guide weapons to their targets.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged Joe Biden to allow Ukraine to carry out long-range strikes inside Russia with US-supplied weapons, and to earn “a place in history” by “strengthening Ukraine” before he leaves office.
Speaking before a crucial trip next week to Washington, where he will meet Biden and the US vice-president and presidential nominee, Kamala Harris, and address the UN, Zelenskyy said he would present a “victory plan” to end the war.
This could easily spark World War 3, because it would cross very important “red lines” that the Russians have established.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has once again stressed the importance of not crossing those “red lines”…
“We talk about red lines, expecting that our assessments, statements will be heard by intelligent, decision-making people. It is not serious to say that if tomorrow you do not do what I demand of you, we will press the ‘red button,’” the Russian foreign minister said. “I am convinced that in such situations, decision makers have an idea of what we are talking about. Nobody wants a nuclear war.”
When the Russians speak of “nuclear war”, they are being deadly serious.
Why can’t our leaders seem to understand this?
Meanwhile, the war in the Middle East appears to have reached a critical turning point.
On Sunday, Hezbollah continued to pummel northern Israel with rockets. In fact, we are being told that some even landed near the city of Haifa…
Israel and Hezbollah continued to trade hundreds of strikes on Sunday as the sides appear to be spiraling toward an all-out war following months of escalating tensions.
The Iran-backed militant group launched more than 100 rockets across a wider and deeper area of northern Israel, with some landing near the city of Haifa. The barrage overnight set off air raid sirens across northern Israel, sending thousands of people scrambling into shelters.
Israel’s military said the rockets were fired “toward civilian areas,” pointing to a possible escalation after previous barrages had mainly been aimed at military targets.
One of the areas that has been getting hit the hardest is the little town of Nazareth.
“Another barrage of Hezbollah rockets at Nazareth. The hometown of Jesus, a town which is 70% Muslim & 30% Christian and almost entirely Arab,” noted American Evangelical leader Johnnie Moore, president of the Congress of Christian Leaders, on social media.
“For months Hezbollah has been targeting the Galilee, the geographic heart of Jesus’ ministry.”
The IDF has been attempting to minimize the damage by taking out as many rocket launchers as it can.
In fact, it was being reported on Sunday that Israeli aircraft hit about “400 militant sites” over a 24 hour period…
The Israeli military said that it carried out a wave of strikes across southern Lebanon over the past 24 hours, hitting about 400 militant sites, including rocket launchers. Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an Israeli military spokesman, said those strikes had thwarted an even larger attack.
It also appears that Israel has started to use bigger bombs than we have seen in the past…
BREAKING: Lebanon hit with massive bomb, one of the largest Israel has ever sent.
Developing.
Shockwave felt many many miles away..
Both sides just continue to escalate matters, and it is just a matter of time before an all-out war erupts.
When an all-out war erupts, Hezbollah will be able to count on assistance from allies all over the region.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan believes that Israel acts as a terrorist organization, its target being not only the Gaza Strip but the whole region.
“I have been saying all along that Israel targets not only the Gaza Strip. The recent attacks on Lebanon have confirmed our suspicion that the Israeli leadership’s plan is to spread the war to the entire region. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his gang have been staging all kinds of provocations to implement their radical Zionist ideology. The pressure on Israel must be intensified further to prevent the region from being dragged into an even greater disaster,” Erdogan told the media before flying to the United States for the UN General Assembly session.
He said he would address the UNGA on the first day to ask the participants to remember “the need for taking action against genocide in the Gaza Strip and Israel’s aggressive policies.”
The Biden administration seems to think that a major regional war could be coming too.
On Saturday, the U.S. State Department warned all Americans living in Lebanon that they should leave while they still can…
The US State Department on Saturday urged Americans in Lebanon to leave the country while commercial options remain available, as the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah flares.
“Due to the unpredictable nature of ongoing conflict between Hezbollah and Israel and recent explosions throughout Lebanon, including Beirut, the US Embassy urges US citizens to depart Lebanon while commercial options still remain available,” the State Department said in an updated advisory.
“At this time, commercial flights are available, but at reduced capacity. If the security situation worsens, commercial options to depart may become unavailable,” it added.
Personally, I think that this warning is not nearly strong enough.
Once all-out war erupts, you will not want to be anywhere in the entire region.
As I have repeatedly warned, my personal opinion is that this is going to be an “apocalyptic” war that far surpasses anything that we have ever witnessed in the Middle East before.
Events have pushed both sides to the brink of a precipice, and what is going to happen over the next few months will change our world forever.
To the best of my memory, I have never spoken with Steve Lawson nor had my picture taken with him. I very rarely was in an audience when he was the speaker. It has been several years, even, since I consulted any of his work in the course of my ministry.
So yesterday’s news about his dismissal from Trinity Bible Church of Dallas due to “an inappropriate relationship” with a woman did not hit me personally in the way that it did many of you.
I briefly debated whether to make this post, but since I think it may help the people of God process the news, I now proceed.
The primary question for which I want to give some perspective is: “How does a prominent Bible teacher DO that? How could he preach the Word, by outward appearances with power, in the midst of such sin and compromise?”
It is a difficult question and one that is not easy to answer to the satisfaction of those who feel betrayed and hurt.
Without much expansion, let me offer you five principles to consider.
1. Exercising a Spiritual Gift is Not the Same as Growing in Sanctification
I’ll stipulate, for the purpose of this discussion anyway, that SL has been a gifted Bible teacher. He wouldn’t have reached the prominence in so many Christian teaching ministries otherwise. But my dear friends, Scripture plainly teaches us not to confuse gifting with sanctification from sin.
You need look no further than the church of Corinth in 1 Corinthians 12-14. They had spiritual gifts, including speaking gifts, but Paul had to correct them for the carnal and ungodly way that they exercised them.
2. Exercising a Spiritual Gift Is Not the Same as Fearing God
Yes, this one hurts. But in my opinion the fear of God is largely lost on the modern church with devastating consequences. Scripture plainly says: “By the fear of the LORD one keeps away from evil.” (Proverbs 16:6)
Do you see a man—any man—who is walking in sin? No matter the outward appearance, somewhere in his life he has forsaken the fear of the Lord.
3. You Can Fool All of the People Some of the Time
This worldly maxim has a biblical counterpart. Judas was a traitor and a thief in the inner circle of Jesus, but none of the eleven suspected him. When Jesus said, “One of you will betray me,” they didn’t all look at Judas as the culprit. With broken hearts they entertained the possibility, “Lord, is it I?
Only in retrospect did they see Judas for who he was. He had fooled them all.
So I do not fault those who were close to Steve Lawson for not seeing this sooner. Their trust was broken. Rather, I commend them for taking public action when it became known to them.
4. Scripture Must Be Joined with Faith and Obedience
Now I turn from Steve Lawson to the outwardly professing church of God. Rather than speculate about how a man could do this, the biblical perspective is to turn humbly to self-examination:
12 Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. (Hebrews 3:12-13)
Satan, sin, and even our very selves are deceptive and subject to deception. A man thinks he will never fall, or that he will not be exposed when he does, or that the thrill is worth it. Whatever. Lies, every one of them.
It’s not without reason that Scripture says:
For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. (Hebrews 2:1)
Do you see a fallen leader? Okay. Next question. What unconfessed sin is in your life? There’s your focus going forward.
5. Let the Mockers Be Warned
The usual suspects will chortle over the news. Sinners will be emboldened to dismiss the gospel; others are already smearing other prominent Christians by their association with Steve Lawson. Such is inevitable, but still I must warn them: let you enemies of the truth hold your tongues:
17 Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles;18 Or the LORD will see it and be displeased, and turn His anger away from him. (Proverbs 24:17).
It is a true wretch who can gloat over this news when it greatly hurts and hinders so many lives, families, churches, and institutions. Indeed, I’m not unmindful that the mud splashes onto all biblical pastors by casting unfounded suspicion on them.
The Lord sees it all, and it kindles His wrath when you boast over a fallen one.
Conclusion
This is a time of chastening for the church, but not a time for despair. Christ, the Head of the Church, still reigns and will never forsake us. His Word tells us enough to have perspective to go forward in the battle.
I am sad, frustrated, and even angry at this news. Many innocent people are harmed and betrayed. The dear gospel of Christ is exposed to ridicule due to the sin of one who was supposedly one of its champions.
That’s not okay.
But as for me and my house, our faith and hope are in Christ, and were never in any man—certainly not this man. So I plan to keep walking forward with confidence in the risen Lord and make my path to the celestial city to come.
I invite you to do the same.
Pastor Don Green posted his thoughts on Facebook, 9/20/24.
Most of you have heard about the Australian government misinformation bill that is being pushed by Albanese and Co. As with bits of most government legislation, it is worded in such a way as to sound quite innocuous and safe – even helpful and necessary. But that is so often not the case, and the opposite outcome is what we must fear.
Indeed, whenever you hear about the State determining what is mis- and disinformation, you should be very worried indeed. This is how the government begins its explanation of the bill:
The Albanese Government will introduce legislation to Parliament to give the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) new powers to hold digital platforms to account and improve efforts to combat seriously harmful misinformation and disinformation. The Communications Legislation Amendment (Combatting Misinformation and Disinformation) Bill 2024 is focused on combatting the most seriously harmful content on digital platforms, and contains strengthened protections for freedom of speech. https://minister.infrastructure.gov.au/rowland/media-release/government-introduce-legislation-combat-seriously-harmful-misinformation-and-disinformation
As mentioned, just what is “harmful” misinformation and disinformation? The government not long ago declared that anyone questioning the Covid panic porn, lockdowns, and medical tyranny was spreading false info, and they took steps to suppress it.
As has often been said, ‘These guys don’t ban hate speech, they ban speech they hate’. That of course can include anything, including criticisms of the government. There certainly is plenty to criticise about the Government, but with these new powers people can be penalised for daring to open their mouths and share their concerns.
Many have already warned about the Big Brother implications of this bill. Claire Lehmann for example said this in part:
The bill defines misinformation as “content (that is) reasonably verifiable as false, misleading or deceptive” and “reasonably likely to cause or contribute to serious harm”. The definition of “serious harm” includes harm to electoral or referendum processes, harm to public health, vilification of a group, as well as imminent harm to the Australian economy.
The body in charge of interpreting these definitions and ensuring that digital platforms (social media companies) comply with this legislation is the Australian Communications and Media Authority. It will be vested with increased powers. The bill “will lead to a culture of pre-emptive censorship and chilling effects”, Sydney barrister Gray Connolly told me. “Measures taken to combat misinformation and disinformation could themselves risk undermining Australia’s democracy and freedoms,” Human Rights Commissioner Lorraine Finlay wrote.
And in a submission on the bill the Law Council of Australia has said: “Given the breadth of the definition of ‘misinformation’ as outlined above, the Law Council cautions that a digital platform is unlikely to have sufficient expertise or adequate resources to make accurate and completely informed determinations as to whether content is false.” To be compliant with the law, platforms will be required to self-censor large swathes of information that appears online.
It is possible to recognise that the spread of false and malicious information is a problem, while also recognising that any centralised top-down control of information is a bigger problem. This bill will embolden those who already exploit the term to brook no dissent, foreclose inquiry and declare commonly shared words and concepts to be harmful.
Queensland Senator Matthew Canavan said that the “proposed misinformation laws are just a modern reincarnation of blasphemy laws. Misinformation laws are there to protect them, not you.” He said further:
Last week. the federal government tabled in parliament a modern spin on blasphemy laws, with the words updated. Anyone who has the temerity to engage in free speech will now be guilty of spreading misinformation. Notionally, these laws are to protect us from wicked and evil people who spread lies on social media. According to the government’s own explanatory materials for the Bill. these devious people can even go as far as causing others to have lower confidence in government and lower trust in scientific institutions.” The horror! The government gets more specific when it highlights that its misinformation laws could help silence people who spread “false, misleading or deceptive information about … referendum proposals”.
Keep in mind that these laws come just a year after the Australian people comprehensively said “No” to Labor’s Voice referendum proposal. Rather than accept that most people had a different view to him, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese blamed his loss on misinformation. Misinformation laws are not there to protect you, they are there to protect the powerful from scrutiny.
The laws only suppress views that cause “serious harm”. But serious harm is defined broadly and can mean anything from causing harm to electoral processes. public health measures (such as lockdowns). the economy or even “public confidence in the banking system”.
Michelle Pearse of the ACL said this in part:
“Misinformation” includes content that the digital platform provider would deem “misleading” and “reasonably likely” to “contribute to serious harm”. “Serious harm” includes “vilification” of a group distinguished (among other things) by sexual orientation and gender identity – we know how broad the definition of “vilification” can be. It also includes “physical injury” to an individual, where “physical injury” (as described in the explanatory notes) includes “spreading false information that attempts to undermine and reverse the rights of women and LGBTIQ+ people – by implying that these rights are coming at the expense of other groups.”
But that is exactly what’s happening in Australia. The rights of LGBITQ+ people are coming at the expense of other groups, including women and Christians. Facebook, Instagram, X, or any other digital platform provider would be forced to remove content highlighting this fact, silencing the legitimate concerns of Australians.
Digital platforms can be penalised for non-compliance with government expectations but not for over-censorship. It’s highly likely that posts regarding abortion and the dangers of puberty blockers would be deemed as harm to public health, that criticism of trans ideology or immigration policy would be deemed as vilification. There’s no knowing where this will end.
Where the Australian Communications & Media Authority (ACMA) should be safeguarding the free speech of Australians, instead they will be requiring digital platforms to control our public discourse. In essence, ACMA becomes the Ministry for Truth. From public health to politics to the economy and ideology, ACMA will determine what you are allowed to say online.
Also, Australian attorney Chris Baxter said this:
Today is the darkest day for Freedom of Speech in Australian history. The Labor party has introduced its revised misinformation legislation to Parliament. Having read the legislation and posted my interim thoughts throughout the day, here is a summary of why you should be extremely concerned about it.
This legislation creates a two-tier rule book for what Australians can say, depending on who they are. On the one hand, Government approved “professional” media gets a free pass to publish whatever they want, and on the other, all sorts of punitive actions can be taken against platforms that allow citizen journalism. Whilst the punitive measures are cleverly not directly aimed at authors, they are such that digital platforms will have no choice but to shadow ban or otherwise silence those who persist with posting information the Government deems as misinformation or disinformation. Government has also created mechanisms for the state to intrude within private chat groups that are beyond a threshold size that they will decide.
A register of misinformation will be created and maintained by ACMA and published on their website. No doubt this will become an important reference tool for institutionalising the Government’s narrative, if it is not already, within mainstream media and education. Of course no totalitarian imposition on free speech is possible without threats to the individual and so now any person who ACMA deems to have information in relation to what it regards as misinformation can be hauled before its “secret police”, at threat of fines.
And various sites are campaigning on this war against free speech, including using petitions to present to the Australian government. George Christensen has written this about the proposed bill:
This Bill is about controlling what you say, what you share, and what you believe. Your voice and mine will be censored, and the government will have the power to decide what’s true and what’s not….
With this Bill, Big Tech will be ordered to enforce the government’s narrative, censoring anything deemed “misinformation.” But who decides what’s misinformation? They do. Unelected bureaucrats will have the power to control the flow of information.
This Bill isn’t just a threat to free speech—it’s a threat to your personal freedom. Once the government can control speech, they control everything. You won’t be able to challenge the system, question policies, or express opinions without fear of being silenced. Think it won’t affect you? Think again. If you challenge government policies, criticise election outcomes, or question health advice, your posts could be erased without warning. This Bill is a direct attack on free speech, and we can’t afford to let it pass. Sign the petition on this page NOW to tell the Senate Committee to reject this Orwellian Bill before it’s too late.
What’s at stake? If we lose this fight, free speech in Australia is finished. The government will have the power to silence anyone who speaks out. Australians will be afraid to share their thoughts or express opinions, knowing that everything they say online could be erased.
Public debate will die, and we’ll be left with a one-sided narrative controlled by the government. But if we win? It will be a turning point. It will show that the people still have power, that we will not be silenced. It will be a victory for free speech and democracy.
The government is moving fast, and they want this Bill passed before anyone realises what’s happening. We need to act NOW. This is your chance to defend free speech in Australia and stop the Online Censorship Bill from becoming law. Sign the petition on this page NOW and tell the Senate Committee to protect our fundamental right to free speech. Together, we can stop this Bill and preserve our democracy. https://citizengo.org/en-au/node/13999
These various warnings are spot on. And we must recall earlier warnings about the Statist control of ideas and information. As George Orwell put it in his important novel 1984:
Do you realize that the past, starting from yesterday, has been actually abolished? ….. Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book has been rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street and building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And that process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right.
We are very quickly heading to that dark place. Please speak out now while you still have a chance to do so.
(Pastor Don Green) My thoughts on Steve Lawson.
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