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Daily Archives: October 11, 2024
OCTOBER 11 | CHOOSING GOD’S WILL DOES NOT DENY MAN’S FREE WILL
…Paul answered…I am ready…to die at Jerusalem for the name of the LORD Jesus. And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, The will of the LORD be done.
ACTS 21:13, 14
Someone has asked a thoughtful question: “When we pray ‘Not my will, but Thine be done,’ are we not voiding our will and refusing to exercise the very power of choice which is part of the image of God in us?”
The answer to that question is a flat No, but the whole thing deserves further explanation.
No act that is done voluntarily is an abrogation of the freedom of the will. If a man chooses the will of God he is not denying but exercising his right of choice. What he is doing is admitting that he is not good enough to desire the highest choice nor is he wise enough to make it, and he is for that reason asking Another who is both wise and good to make his choice for him. And for fallen man, this is the ultimate use he should make of his freedom of will!
Tennyson saw this and wrote of Christ, “Thou seemest human and divine,
The highest, holiest manhood, Thou; Our wills are ours, we know not how;
Our wills are ours, to make them Thine.”
There is a lot of sound doctrine in these words—“Our wills are ours, to make them Thine.” The true saint acknowledges that he possesses from God the gift of freedom. He knows that he will never be cudgeled into obedience nor wheedled like a petulant child into doing the will of God; he knows that these methods are unworthy both of God and of his own soul!1
1 Tozer, A. W., & Smith, G. B. (2015). Evenings with Tozer: Daily Devotional Readings (p. 309). Moody Publishers.
October—11 | And the king said unto Esther at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: And what is thy request? even to the half of the kingdom it shall be performed.—Esther 5:6.
My soul! thou hast lately been at the banquet of wine indeed, even of the Redeemer’s blood, which Jesus holds at his table; and didst thou not behold the numberless petitioners who attended there with thyself? Surely, if the Persian king made so generous an offer to Esther, to perform her petition, be it what it might, to the half of his kingdom, thy Jesus, thy heavenly King, with whom are all the treasures, and the unsearchable riches of grace and glory, did not suffer a poor humble petitioner to go empty away. Tell me, ye that attended there, did ye not find the King most gracious? How went the matter with you? I pray you tell me. Did the poor man find Jesus indeed rich; and did the trembling sinner, under the apprehension of wrath, find himself delivered by him “from the wrath to come?” Surely, Jesus had a suited mercy for every case. And, sure I am, that the heart that was prompted by his grace to look to him, the eye and heart of Jesus, were looking with mercy upon that poor sinner. Oh! what gifts, what graces, what pardons, doth every renewed banquet of Jesus scatter among the people! At his table the doors are thrown open, and nothing is needed to ensure welcome, but a sense of need and a hungering to partake. How often, my soul, hast thou seen the people made joyful in the Lord’s house of prayer, and returning, as they did after the feast of the dedication of Solomon’s temple, to their tents, “joyful and glad in heart?” Yea, how often hast thou returned thyself, and left all thy sorrows, sins, and wants behind thee, when the King hath held forth his sceptre of grace, and given thee faith to touch it! Come, ye polluted, poor, exercised, distressed souls, ye wandering, weary, backsliding people; come to Jesus; he holds a feast, and every case and every need, he can, and will supply. Let but a sense of need be inwrought by the blessed Spirit in the heart, and the language of our Jesus is to this amount: “What is thy petition, and what is thy request? and it shall be granted thee.”1
1 Hawker, R. (1845). The Poor Man’s Evening Portion (A New Edition, pp. 293–294). Thomas Wardle.
Evening, October 11 | “Whom he did predestinate, them he also called.”—Romans 8:30
In the second epistle to Timothy, first chapter, and ninth verse, are these words—“Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling.” Now, here is a touchstone by which we may try our calling. It is “an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace.” This calling forbids all trust in our own doings, and conducts us to Christ alone for salvation, but it afterwards purges us from dead works to serve the living and true God. As he that hath called you is holy, so must you be holy. If you are living in sin, you are not called, but if you are truly Christ’s, you can say, “Nothing pains me so much as sin; I desire to be rid of it; Lord, help me to be holy.” Is this the panting of thy heart? Is this the tenor of thy life towards God, and his divine will? Again, in Philippians, 3:13, 14, we are told of “The high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Is then your calling a high calling? Has it ennobled your heart, and set it upon heavenly things? Has it elevated your hopes, your tastes, your desires? Has it upraised the constant tenor of your life, so that you spend it with God and for God? Another test we find in Hebrews 3:1—“Partakers of the heavenly calling.” Heavenly calling means a call from heaven. If man alone call thee, thou art uncalled. Is thy calling of God? Is it a call to heaven as well as from heaven? Unless thou art a stranger here, and heaven thy home, thou hast not been called with a heavenly calling; for those who have been so called, declare that they look for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God, and they themselves are strangers and pilgrims upon the earth. Is thy calling thus holy, high, heavenly? Then, beloved, thou hast been called of God, for such is the calling wherewith God doth call his people.1
1 Spurgeon, C. H. (1896). Morning and evening: Daily readings. Passmore & Alabaster.
October 11.—Evening. [Or July 21.] | “His sweat was, as it were, great drops of blood.”
Mark 14:32–42
AND they came to a place which was named Gethsemane (or the olive-press): and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray. (Company yields solace to a heavy heart; the disciples could not bear any part of our Lord’s griefs, but they might have watched with him.)
33, 34 And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy: and saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch. (He wished to have them near, but not too near: his woes were not to be seen of mortal man. The Man of Sorrows now began to enter the great deeps of woe.)
35 And he went forward a little and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.
36 And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt. (Blessed prayer! Its sweet resignation to the Father’s will should be an example to every tried child of God.)
37 And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour?
38 Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak. (It is said by Luke that they were sleeping for sorrow. Their kind Master, knowing this, was ready with an excuse for them, and did not chide them for what looked unkind.)
39 And again he went away, and prayed, and spake the same words.
40 And when he returned, he found them asleep again, (for their eyes were heavy,) neither wist they what to answer him. (Luke tells us, “Being in an agony, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was as it were great drops (or clots) of blood falling down to the ground.” Oh, the amazing grief’s which were laid upon Jesus when our sins became his burden. We bless him with all our hearts for agonizing this for us.)
41 And he cometh the third time, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: it is enough, the hour is come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
42 Rise up, let us go; lo, he that betrayeth me is at hand. (His agony in the garden was over, and he went calmly on to meet death and finish the great work of our redemption.)
Matthew 26:47–56
AND while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people.
48 Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast.
49 And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, Master; and kissed him.
50 And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? (Still did the traitor mix a hypocritical respect with his baseness, as betrayers of Jesus are ever apt to do. How would such a kiss have provoked us! and yet our gentle Lord spake not one harsh word, his meekness endured to the end.) Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him.
51 And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest’s, and smote off his ear.
52, 53 Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?
54 But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?
55 In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me.
56 But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.
Where now were brave Peter and loving John? Alas for poor human nature! Far be it from us to imagine that we should have done better. These flying disciples warn us to pray that we may be kept faithful in the hour of trial.1
1 Spurgeon, C. H. (1964). The Interpreter: Spurgeon’s Devotional Bible (p. 605). Baker Book House.
October 11 Evening Verse of the Day
6 In the previous verse Qohelet described the wise person as one who knows the “time and custom.” Now, while he reaffirms that there is a time and custom for everything, he states that it is of no real benefit to anyone. Humankind is rather beset by trouble and unable to know what the future will bring (v. 7).
The first half of the verse not only calls to mind v. 5 but also 3:1 and its context. There we read that there is “a time for every activity under heaven” (see comments on that verse for philological discussion). There, as here, Qohelet tells us that, though there is a “ ‘right time’ for everything, it is known only to God, who has concealed it from his creatures, so rendering them helpless and unable to plan or exercise control over events.”
Human limitations are the subject of the second part of the verse (and continue into v. 7). One matter of difficulty is the force of the conjunction kî, here translated but. kî actually occurs four times in vv. 6 and 7. The kî that opens the verse is clearly causal, in that it supplies the motivation for the previous verse. While some take this second occurrence as concessive (“though”), the contrast with the first part of the verse suggests the adversative.
We have already encountered the noun trouble (rāʿat), most often with a strong moral connotation. Indeed, a minority of commentators render it as “evil” here as well. However, I agree with Whybray30 that in the context “Qoheleth is here worried about man’s ignorance and not his sin,” taking our cue from v. 7. I should also point out that the Septuagint and Theodotion read “knowledge,” but this results from a confusion of the letter resh with a dalet (thus producing daʿat).1
Ver. 6.—Because. This and the three following clauses all begin with ki, “since,” “for,” and the conjunction ought to have been similarly rendered in all the places. Thus here, For to every purpose there is time and judgment. Here commences a chain of argument to prove the wisdom of keeping quiet under oppression or evil rulers. Everything has its appointed time of duration, and in due course will be brought to judgment (see Ch. 3:1, 17; 12:14). Therefore (for) the misery of man is great upon him. This is a further reason, but its exact signification is disputed. Literally, the evil of the man is heavy upon him (comp. Ch. 6:1). This may mean, as in the Authorized Version, that the affliction which subjects suffer at the hand of a tyrant becomes insupportable, and calls for and receives God’s interposition. Or “the evil” may be the wickedness of the despot, which presses heavily upon him, and under retributive justice will ere long bring him to the ground, and so the oppression will come to an end. This seems to be the most natural interpretation of the passage. The Septuagint, reading differently, has, “For the knowledge of a man is great upon him.” Though what this means it is difficult to say.2
6. Looking for ‘times’ and ‘procedures’ is a general principle for every matter. The explanatory phrase, for the calamity of man is great upon him, has been taken to refer to (i) a burdensome punishment which rests upon man; (ii) man’s inherent weakness or evil: ‘A wise courtier will find an opportunity to execute his designs, because human weakness is widespread, and an opening is sure to appear’ (Gordis); (iii) Jones’s explanation, that ‘Man has enough trouble already without asking for further difficulty through open defiance of the king. He should wait and his time will come’. Taken within the total context of Ecclesiastes the ‘calamity’ must be human frustration, perplexity and strain at the oppressive (‘great upon man’) burden of life. Hence (rsv although is better translated ‘Because’ or ‘For’, as in rv) the need to mark well the ‘times’ and ‘procedures’ of wise action.3
1 Longman, T. (1998). The Book of Ecclesiastes (pp. 213–214). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
2 Spence-Jones, H. D. M., ed. (1909). Ecclesiastes (pp. 200–201). Funk & Wagnalls Company.
3 Eaton, M. A. (1983). Ecclesiastes: An introduction and commentary (Vol. 18, p. 136). InterVarsity Press.
October 13 – The Prophetic Voice of the Church | VCY
TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
Jeremiah 22:1-23:20
2 Thessalonians 1:1-12
Psalm 83:1-18
Proverbs 25:11-14
Jeremiah 22:1 — As I write this, we are less than a month from the next election. We’ll be electing leaders who will be passing laws. How will they decide which laws are worth passing? That comes from their personal morality. Is it more important to do X or to do Y? The job of the church in relation to the government is to teach biblical values in order to inform the policies made. As we’ve all heard, all legislation is morality; it’s just a question of whose morality we’re going to legislate.
Jeremiah 22:13 — Morality begins in the home. It is not until we repair our relationships that we can be blessed by God.
Jeremiah 22:30 — From Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers:
Write ye this man childless.–The meaning of the prediction, as explained by the latter clause of the verse, was fulfilled in Jeconiah’s being the last kingly representative of the house of David, his uncle Zedekiah, who succeeded him, perishing before him (Jeremiah 52:31). In him the sceptre departed, and not even Zerubbabel sat upon the throne of Judah. Whether he died actually childless is less certain. In 1 Chronicles 3:17 Assir (possibly, however, the name should be translated “Jeconiah the prisoner”) appears as his son, and as the father of Salathiel, or Shealtiel; and in Matthew 1:12 we find “Jechonias begat Salathiel.” In these genealogies, however, adoption or succession, or a Levirate marriage so constantly takes the place of parentage, that nothing certain can be inferred from these data, and St. Luke (Luke 3:27) places Salathiel among the descendants of Nathan, as though the line of Solomon became extinct in Jeconiah, and was replaced by the collateral branch of the house of David (see Note on Luke 3:23). The command, “write ye this man childless,” is apparently addressed to the “scribes who kept the register of the royal genealogies (Ezekiel 13:9; Psalm 69:28-29). They were told how, without waiting for his death, they were to enter Coniah’s name in that register.
Jeremiah 23:4 — This month is Pastor Appreciation Month – thank God for good pastors!
Jeremiah 23:16 — 1 John 4:1 commands us to “try the spirits” and not secretly adopt them. There are many people today who are similar to the false prophets, walking after the imaginations of their hearts.
2 Thessalonians 1:5 — Worthiness for the kingdom comes from suffering in this life? No wonder Paul had to write to clarify his instructions from previously!
Psalm 83:6 — The tabernacles of Edom? Jimmy DeYoung explores Edom in his documentary: “Esau and the Palestinians.”
Psalm 83:18 — Praise the LORD – there is no other, there is no other by His name!
Proverbs 25:11 — Discernment and application are great life-long skills to have.
Share how reading through the Bible has been a blessing to you! E-mail us at 2018bible@vcyamerica.org or call and leave a message at 414-885-5370.
A Quiet Heart | VCY
In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength.Isaiah 30:15
It is always weakness to be fretting and worrying, questioning and mis-trusting. What can we do if we wear ourselves to skin and bone? Can we gain anything by fearing and fuming? Do we not unfit ourselves for action and unhinge our minds for wise decision? We are sinking by our struggles when we might float by faith.
Oh, for grace to be quiet! Why run from house to house to repeat the weary story which makes us more and more heart-sick as we tell it? Why even stay at home to cry out in agony because of wretched forebodings which may never be fulfilled? It would be well to keep a quiet tongue, but it would be far better if we had a quiet heart. Oh, to be still and know that Jehovah is God!
Oh, for grace to be confident in God! The holy One of Israel must defend and deliver His own. He cannot run back from His solemn declarations. We may make sure that every word of His will stand though the mountains should depart. He deserves to be confided in; and if we would display confidence and consequent quietness, we might be as happy as the spirits before the throne.
Come, my soul, return unto thy rest, and lean thy head upon the bosom of the Lord Jesus.
Differences Between Millenials and Gen Z
WRETCHED TV episode 2501
Todd Friel, on his show Wretched, discusses how understanding generational traits can aid in effectively presenting the gospel without compromising its message. He highlights that while Generation Z has a short attention span and excels at multitasking, it’s essential not to water down the gospel but to present it in engaging ways. Friel also notes that Generation Z values digital communication and convenience, preferring efficient, tech-driven interactions and often prioritizing digital platforms over traditional methods. The key takeaway is that churches should adapt their approach to reach younger generations without altering the core message of Christianity.
The post Differences Between Millenials and Gen Zappeared first on Wretched.
Differences Between Millenials and Gen Z
What is the meaning of the Parable of the Unjust Steward in Luke 16:1-13? | GotQuestions.org
The Parable of the Unjust Steward in Luke 16:1-13 is all about understanding what’s behind Jesus’ words. In this video, we’ll break down the parable and its lessons, highlighting how Jesus teaches us to be wise stewards of what we have. Get ready to dive into worldly versus spiritual wisdom. In this video, pastor nelson answers your question: What is the meaning of the Parable of the Unjust Steward in Luke 16:1-13?
*** Source Article:
https://www.gotquestions.org/parable-unjust-steward.html
Source: What is the meaning of the Parable of the Unjust Steward in Luke 16:1-13? | GotQuestions.org
Just How Much Is a Soul Worth? | Bible Apologetics – A DAILY DEVOTIONAL
Just how much are you worth? If we were to add up all of your weekly paychecks, by year end, most people would find that they earned anywhere from $20,000 to $100,000. This is one way of looking at how much you are worth.
Many people, when they take inventory of their financial position, realize if they were to die, their spouse would be the beneficiary of their life insurance policy proceeds. With the advent of “term life insurance,” many people now have $500,000 policies. Viewing it from this angle, your worth would now carry a price tag of $500,000.
A chemist one day investigated how much all the different substances that make up the human body are worth. Distilling us down into the very elements we are composed of, he found that if we sold all of them on the open market, including the rare elements we all are made from, we would be worth about $5,000,000.
But, may I challenge you to consider that you are worth far more than even $5,000,000! In fact most of us are billionaires today, and don’t even know it. Before you say that your bank account would certainly indicate otherwise, think about the following: Would you be willing to accept a tax free gift of one billion dollars! The only stipulation is that in return for this gift, you would have to forfeit your eyesight!
With one billion dollars you could do everything you ever dreamed of. Only you would have to do it in a complete lifetime of darkness. Most people, I believe, would refuse to make this deal – thus acknowledging how rich they really are.
But there is a Scripture verse that I will quote later, that places your worth still much higher than this. If you, all of a sudden, were to lose one of your legs, you would still be you. If you lost both of your legs, your name wouldn’t change. Even if you were to lose both legs and both arms, your very essence wouldn’t change one bit. This is because your personality, your thoughts, your emotions, and your will are all intangible and invisible, yet vital to describing who you really are. Your external frame just provides a covering for the real you. At the very core of who you are, lies what the Bible calls your soul – your very essence.
The Bible verse I mentioned I would share earlier is (Mark 8:36) which says: “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?” Clearly the Bible realizes that your soul is worth more than the entire world! Think about it, you could own our entire planet, but if when you die, your soul becomes no more, or as the Bible states, can become eternally separated from God, just where would that leave you.
Just how much are you worth? From everything we have shared so far your value is infinite! I ask you to take a little time to ponder just how valuable and wealthy you really are.
So often Satan places before us a sea of trivial problems that serve to distract our minds from truly realizing just how incredibly blessed we are; and who we are in Christ.
From what perspective we view ourselves holds so many of the keys to a joyful and peaceful life. Satan always tries to show us what we don’t have or what we need to be happy, but I would rather spend my time reflecting on how truly rich I really am and who I am in Christ.
The post Just How Much Is a Soul Worth? appeared first on Bible Apologetics – A DAILY DEVOTIONAL.
Source: Just How Much Is a Soul Worth?
11 Oct 2024 News Briefing
Death toll from Hurricane Milton rises as Florida picks up the pieces from the storm’s destruction
Milton is being blamed for at least 17 deaths across eight counties in Florida. Despite the worst-case scenario for the state not playing out, more than a dozen deaths were attributed to the storm, with many caused by a tornado outbreak that left mobile home parks flattened.
Former CBS staffers call for ‘outside investigation’ into ’60 Minutes’ controversy: ‘There’s a problem here’
CBS News is accused of editing Vice President Kamala Harris’ ‘word salad’ answers on Israel. CBS News has been at the center of outrage after it aired an edited clip of Vice President Kamala Harris during its primetime “60 Minutes” election special Monday that was different from a preview of the unflattering exchange she had with veteran correspondent Bill Whitaker that was widely panned by critics.
Biden “Migrant” Charged in Texas Horror Robbery Is Tren de Aragua Gang Member
Yet again, a Venezuelan “migrant” whom border authorities released into the nation on the long-standing orders of Biden has been identified as a member of the murderous Tren de Aragua gang. Wilmer Gonzalez, who was arrested after a stand-off with police in Dallas and the robbery and pistol-whipping of a woman in her home. Three other Venezuelan thugs were arrested as well.
Russia Ambassador Exits US With Warning of ‘Nuclear Catastrophe’
The Kremlin announced on Thursday that Russian Ambassador Anatoly Antonov had been officially relieved of his duty after seven years of service. In the lead-up to his departure, Antonov spoke with Newsweek about the troubled state of relations between Moscow and Washington, which show no signs of improving as the war in Ukraine continues and NATO doubles down on military support for Kyiv amid recent advances by the Russian military.
Disturbing Details Emerge About Afghan Arrested for Planning ISIS Attack on Election Day
The Islamic man from Afghanistan who was arrested in Oklahoma on Monday for allegedly planning an ISIS terror attack on Election Day reportedly worked as a security guard in Afghanistan for the CIA. Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi entered the U.S. on humanitarian parole, which “entails far less screening than a special immigrant visa.”
Mexican mayor assassinated 6 days after taking office in the state of Guerrero
Alejandro Arcos, 43, was killed six days after he took office as mayor of Chilpancingo, a city in southwestern Mexico. It came just three days after the new city government’s secretary, Francisco Tapia, was shot to death. Guerrero has become one of the deadliest states for aspiring and elected public officials, as well as for journalists. At least six candidates for public office were killed in the state in the run-up to Mexico’s June 2 elections.
Report | Iran warning US allies: Help Israel and you’re next
Iran is issuing covert diplomatic warnings, threatening to target oil-rich Gulf Arab states and other US allies in the Middle East if their territories or airspace are used for attacks on Iran.
Globalists Are Taking The Mask Off, And That’s A Bad Sign…
When globalists are honest about what they truly want, it usually coincides with an engineered calamity. When political elitists and their lackeys start attacking free speech, it’s usually in preparation for a major crisis they hope to use as a vehicle to eliminate public freedoms…. Whatever the next crisis ends up being, they will definitely seek to silence the alternative media and any rebellious social media platforms before they move forward.
Headlines – 10/11/2024
New top Sephardic rabbi backs rulings that soldiers in combat must eat on Yom Kippur
A dissident in Iran awaits Israeli reprisal: ‘There’s a very real fear of all-out war’
John Bolton: ‘This Is The Moment’ For Israel to Hit Iran’s Nukes
Gulf countries lobbying US to prevent Israeli strike on Iran’s oil facilities
U.S. Frustrated by Israel’s Reluctance to Share Iran Retaliation Plans
Biden administration leverages war with Hezbollah to push for election in Lebanon
US said seeking to install new Lebanese president, push aside weakened Hezbollah
Major Israeli strike in central Beirut said to target senior Hezbollah official
Iran general’s whereabouts in question after Israeli strikes on Hezbollah
Quds Commander Qaani Suspected of Espionage, Suffers Heart Attack in Interrogations
600,000 Lebanese internally displaced by Israel’s offensive, UN says
UN peacekeepers in Lebanon say ‘we are staying’ despite Israeli attacks
UN peacekeepers in Lebanon say Israel has fired on their bases deliberately
International anger mounts over tank fire that injured UN peacekeepers in Lebanon
Israel Strikes Damascus, Targeting Hezbollah Weapons Smuggler
Senior Hezbollah figure appears to escape as Israeli strikes rock central Beirut
IDF places hopes in new laser anti-rocket systems amid expanding war
Scholz vows Germany to soon send Israel more weapons amid deep drop in deliveries
Israeli Soldiers Threaten to Stop Fighting Unless Hostage Deal is Reached
3 reserve soldiers killed in northern Gaza as IDF presses offensive in Jabaliya
Al Jazeera says two cameramen shot in Gaza by ‘increasingly hostile’ forces
Israeli strike on Gaza school sheltering displaced kills 28, paramedics say
UN probe claims Israel seeking to ‘destroy’ Gaza healthcare system
UNRWA retains Nobel Peace Prize candidacy despite evidence proving its ties to Hamas
UNRWA headquarters in Jerusalem to be seized
UN-appointed experts accuse Israel of war crimes in damning report
US envoy slams Israel over Gaza humanitarian situation, effort to ban UNRWA operations
US calls out Israel at UN for ‘catastrophic conditions’ in Gaza
US Shocks Israel At UNSC; America Now Backs Two Pro-Palestinian Resolutions It Earlier Blocked
White House pressed over Biden’s fracturing relationship with Netanyahu
IAF strikes terror cell in Tulkarm in the West Bank
5 Israelis linked to ISIS arrested for plot to bomb Azrieli Mall in Tel Aviv
Man dies of injuries sustained in Hadera terror stabbing
UK reports religious hate crimes rose at record rate, with Oct. 7 kindling the flame
Israeli arms maker said to be target of shooting in Sweden’s Gothenburg
‘Serve the nation, kill a Jew’ graffitied on prominent Buenos Aires monument
Yemen’s Houthis say they targeted two vessels in Red Sea and Indian Ocean
Iran-backed Houthis attack chemical tanker in Red Sea; no injuries or fire reported
Russia Announces They Have Evidence US and UK Were Behind Nord Stream Pipeline Bombings
Russia Ambassador Exits US With Warning of ‘Nuclear Catastrophe’
World Bank board approves new Ukraine fund, with money from US, Japan, Canada, sources say
Rahm Emanuel pitches an economic coalition against ‘isolator’ China
Obama Judge Chutkan Agrees to Unseal Jack Smith’s ‘Evidence’ Against Trump in Dirty October Surprise
DOJ Blames FBI Informant for Deleting Jan. 6 Capitol Riot Footage
Kremlin Regrets Russia Being Dragged Into US Election Muck
Afghan Man Charged with Plotting Election Day Terror Attack Worked for the CIA: Report
Walz silent on support for eliminating Electoral College after Harris camp says it doesn’t back ban
Senator fears some ‘insane enough’ to follow professor’s call to shoot men who don’t vote Harris
WSJ: The Evangelicals Calling for ‘Spiritual Warfare’ to Elect Trump
Far-right site Gateway Pundit settles defamation suit with election workers
Nolte: Disgraced CBS Aired Kamala Giving Two Separate Answers to Same Question
Trump: Harris ’60 Minutes’ Cover Up ‘Fake News Scam’
Trump Calls On CBS to Lose its Broadcasting License: ‘They Are A Threat To Democracy!’
‘Sleeper Agent’ Bots on X Fuel US Election Misinformation, Study Says
Verizon hit with nationwide outage
Spectrum internet outage reported across the country
Hackers Claim ‘Catastrophic’ Internet Archive Attack
DOJ may force Google to sell Chrome, Android to break up online search monopoly
L.A.’s quake mystery: 2024 brings the most seismic activity in decades. Why now?
5.4 magnitude earthquake hits the southeast Indian Ridge
5.3 magnitude earthquake hits the central Mid-Atlantic Ridge
5.1 magnitude earthquake hits the Southwest Indian Ridge
Sabancaya volcano in Peru erupts to 22,000ft
Sangay volcano in Ecuador erupts 20,000ft
Popocateptl volcano in Mexico erupts to 20,000ft
Ruiz volcano in Colombia erupts to 19,000ft
Fuego volcano in Guatemala erupts to 15,000ft
Santa Maria volcano in Guatemala erupts to 15,000ft
Semeru volcano in Indonesia erupts to 14,000ft
Lewotobi volcano in Indonesia erupts to 10,000ft
Nagar Gri mud volcano erupts in Myanmar’s Ramree Island
Over 200 feared burried in large landslide in Manacapuru, Brazil
Chad’s Logone River Surge Ignites Decades-High Flood Chaos
Category 3 Hurricane “Milton” makes landfall near Siesta Key, Florida
Death toll rises after Milton strikes Florida with powerful 100-mph winds, destructive tornadoes
Hurricane Milton leaves at least 10 dead, millions without power in Florida
Hurricane Milton spawned high number of destructive, deadly tornadoes
7th confirmed tornado of the day hits Florida as Milton’s storm surge begins
Hurricane Milton Map: Florida Rivers Forecast to Break Water Level Records
Tampa Bay survived Hurricane Milton after reverse storm surge
Why Milton’s ‘reverse surge’ sucked water away from flood-fearing Tampa
Trump Again Slams Federal Hurricane Response; Biden Says Rival Should ‘Get a Life’
Biden tells Trump to ‘get a life, man’ and stop storm misinformation
DHS Sec. Mayorkas says FEMA ‘will need additional funds’ after Hurricanes Helene, Milton
FEMA needs more funds after spending nearly half of 2025 ‘disaster budget’ in 8 days
FEMA Does Damage Control After Mayorkas Says Agency ‘Does Not Have the Funds’ for Hurricane Season
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis: WH ‘Misspending FEMA Funds’
Rep. Carlos Gimenez: FEMA Funds There If Not Spent on Illegals
Rep. Greg Steube: WH Claims on FEMA ‘Outright Lie’
Grandmother’s Bible survives Hurricane Helene after storm destroys her home: ‘It was the Lord’
Hurricane Milton disrupts Yom Kippur plans for Florida Jews
After Hurricane Milton, a growing risk: Flooded electric cars going up in flames
Russia shares AI images of Hurricane Milton as disinformation abounds in US
Commentary: Is Hurricane Milton the storm that finally breaks climate-change deniers in Florida?
Climate Alarmists: ‘Wild Weather’ Is Now the ‘Global Norm’
Bill Nye Calls for Voters to Back Dems – Right ‘Has No Plans’ for Climate Change
Vance Vindicated: Egg Prices Are Up Nearly 40% as Food Inflation Surges Again
Major Bank Hit with Record Fine Over Drug Cartel Money Laundering Scandal
Prosecutors reviewing ‘new evidence’ in Marilyn Manson sexual abuse probe
NYC Mayor Eric Adams to Spend $2.3 Billion on Hotel Rooms for Migrants Through 2025
Leftists Freak Out in EU Parliament as Orban Calls for Trump-Style Response to Migrant Crisis
Gangs Massacre Haitians as Mayorkas Extracts Cops, Doctors, Teachers for Bidenomics Jobs
ICE arrests illegal immigrant accused of child rape after release from Massachusetts court
Georgia university leaders request NCAA ban transgender women from women’s sports
About 6% of U.S. adults have ADHD, drug shortages are affecting treatment
Cluster of drug-resistant mpox identified in five states, US officials report
Third Human Bird Flu Case in Calif., Possibly More
Oxford scientists develop first vaccine aiming to prevent ovarian cancer
Mid-Day Snapshot · October 11, 2024
“From The Patriot Post (patriotpost.us)”.
THE FOUNDATION
“Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire called conscience.” —George Washington (1748)
IN TODAY’S DIGEST
- Executive News Summary
- Featured Analysis: The Presidential Politics of Hurricanes
- More Analysis
- Best of Right Opinion
- Best of Videos
- Short Cuts
- Memes and Cartoons
EXECUTIVE NEWS SUMMARY
Douglas Andrews, Thomas Gallatin, & Jordan Candler
Government & Politics
- Are the pollsters pollagandizing for Harris? Betting markets have swung toward Donald Trump recently after having been in Harris’s favor for the previous month or so. But the RealClearPolitics national polling average, which has also favored Harris for weeks, has shifted only two-tenths of a point toward Trump, even as states — and especially the battleground states — show a stronger shift toward him. As Just the News reports, “Polling averages currently show Trump poised to take Pennsylvania, Michigan, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Arizona. Harris, for her part, holds narrow leads in Minnesota and Nevada. Should such results hold, Trump would handily carry the Electoral College, barring major upsets.” Why might the disparity exist? Polls are lagging indicators, of course, but this seems odd. It’s almost as if these left-leaning polling organizations are using the polls to propagandize on behalf of Harris. If only there were a term to describe this biased behavior.
- Harris rakes in $1 billion: Vice President Kamala Harris reached a political milestone this week, but it may act as more of a political millstone. The Harris campaign has raised more than $1 billion since entering the presidential race, and yet she’s only narrowly leading Donald Trump in the national polls. All that money, and a mainstream media thoroughly in the tank for her, and yet Harris is still struggling to win voters. All that cash, and she’s still trailing in some must-win states. As CBS News reports, “The Harris campaign’s money will continue to be ‘heavily spent’ on battleground-state advertising and operations, including field offices and staffing up during the next four weeks.” So, if you’re not yet sick of Harris ads, you most certainly will be by the time November 5 rolls around.
- Ex-CBS staffers call for outside probe of “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris amid editing scandal (NY Post)
- Obama warns “brothers” who won’t vote for Kamala that sexism could cost her election (Daily Mail)
- Humor: 10 differences between Kamala Harris and Joe Biden (Babylon Bee)
- Christians are planning to not vote: A recently released survey from the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University found that 51% of “people of faith” said they will likely not vote in the upcoming election. The study’s designation of “people of faith” encompasses roughly 104 million individuals, including 41 million who identify as Christians, of which 32 million regularly attend church. ACU President Len Munsil responded with “two huge take-aways”: “First, that Christians could be the deciding factor in a bunch of federal and state races — and are choosing not to be. And second, that they are longing for their local church to instruct them on how to think biblically about policy and politics.” The study noted reasons given for why Christians are not planning to vote: 68% are not interested in politics, 57% don’t like either major party’s candidates, 52% believe their vote won’t make a difference, and 48% think the election results will be manipulated. Dr. George Barna, the study’s lead researcher, observed that the number represents “a far larger margin than the combined number of votes that decided the 2020 election in key battleground states.” Roughly 258 million Americans are eligible to vote.
- Michigan’s governor is both gross and sacrilegious: It looked both slightly religious and slightly pornographic, and that was no doubt the intent. That’s just the way today’s culturally rotten Democrats roll. We’re speaking of a video posted to Instagram yesterday in which Michigan Governor and 2028 presidential hopeful Gretchen “Big Gretch” Whitmer is seen feeding a Doritos chip, communion style, to feminist author Liz Plank, who is suggestively on her knees. Plank captioned the video, “if he won’t, big gretch will.” She soon edited it, however: “If he won’t, Gretchen Whitmer will. Chips aren’t just delicious, the CHIPS Act is a game-changer for U.S. tech and manufacturing, boosting domestic production of semiconductors to reduce reliance on foreign suppliers! Donald Trump would put that at risk.” Such sacrilege shouldn’t surprise us, as it comes from a political party that regular folks are describing as “weird,” “disgraceful,” and “disgusting.”
- Climate change on military recruitment: Historically, the military has existed to defend our nation from foreign military threats. However, the expansive mission creep that has become a featured hallmark of Washington’s bureaucracy has, unfortunately, also significantly impacted the U.S. military. As Sherri Goodman, former deputy secretary of defense for environmental security and current secretary general of the International Military Council on Climate and Security, recently stated, “The Department of Defense now sees combating climate change as central to its mission.” Underlining this ridiculous mission creep was Goodman’s touting of her record in helping develop an emissions-reduction plan so the military could meet its “clean-energy targets.” What about bettering the military’s ability to hit and destroy enemy targets? The truth is that this focus on “climate change” is actually hamstringing the military’s ability to fight. And we wonder why recruitment is down.
Security
- Election Day terror suspect employed by CIA: This story, which we covered Wednesday, got really weird really fast. Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, 27, an Afghan who entered the U.S. on September 9, 2021, just weeks after our forces hastily and disastrously pulled out of Afghanistan, was taken into custody on Monday after having obtained weapons and ammo with which to carry out a suicidal terrorist attack on Election Day, November 5, on behalf of ISIS. But now we’re learning that Tawhedi was employed by the CIA as a security guard in Afghanistan prior to coming to the U.S. It’s unclear how long the would-be terrorist had worked for the CIA, or whether he was suspected of having ties to radical Islam before being granted entry. Regardless, Tawhedi should have been thoroughly screened beforehand. And judging from the unwillingness of the Biden-Harris administration to talk about it, we’d surmise they have something to hide. House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green, for one, wants some answers.
- Mayorkas dodges reporter’s questions about Afghan arrested over Election Day terror plot (Daily Caller)
- 600K Russian casualties: The number of Russian casualties from Vladimir Putin’s war with Ukraine has topped 600,000, more than Russian military casualties in all Russian/Soviet Union conflicts combined since World War II. This past September has been one of the bloodiest — Russian forces suffered a daily average casualty count of 1,271. Nevertheless, there’s no sign that Moscow is looking to throw in the towel anytime soon. As one U.S. military official put it, “It’s kind of the Russian way of war where they continue to throw mass into the problem, and I think we’ll continue to see high losses.” As the war nears its third year, Putin has been able to avoid mass mobilization by significantly increasing the pay of voluntary soldiers. The question is how long he can keep this up with such a high casualty rate.
- Iran’s warning to U.S. allies: Don’t help Israel, or you’re next (WSJ)
Culture
- Star Wars to introduce gender-confused stormtrooper: The systematic destruction of George Lucas’s Star Wars universe has become par for the course for woke Disney. The latest example of this comes with the news that Disney plans to introduce into the Star Wars franchise a “trans woman” stormtrooper (a.k.a. a man who identifies as a woman) who will be named “Sister” and will be sporting armor painted with blue and pink stripes. This character is said to be one of the clone stormtroopers, which, of course, for Star Wars lore raises a significant consistency issue. The whole point of the clone stormtrooper army is that they all exhibit the same identity traits because they are all effectively the same. Of course, one could argue that since Disney blew up this one-clone notion with its introduction of Finn in the first sequel movie, what does it matter to inject another stormtrooper with an individual identity? Well, this lack of consistency to the original Star Wars universe has many old diehard Star Wars fans rejecting Disney’s desecration of the franchise and dubbing it Disney Wars.
Misc.
- Ethel Kennedy, the widow of Robert F. Kennedy, dies at 96 after suffering stroke (Just the News)
- Court strikes down part of New York’s restrictive gun law in win for Second Amendment (Daily Caller)
- Humor: What a jerk! Kamala wants to help with hurricane relief but DeSantis refuses to tell her where Florida is (Babylon Bee)
For the Executive Summary archive, click here.
Follow Thomas Gallatin and Jordan Candler on X/Twitter.
FEATURED ANALYSIS
The Presidential Politics of Hurricanes
Douglas Andrews
When Hurricane Katrina made landfall near New Orleans on August 29, 2005, George W. Bush was eight months into his second term. Thus, presidential election politics didn’t weigh into the harsh criticism his administration received for its relief response.
Still, regarding Katrina, Bush is remembered for two moments: that iconic image of his well-meaning but ill-considered 30,000-foot Air Force One flyover, and that throwaway comment he made to his hapless FEMA director during the height of the suffering: “Brownie, you’re doing a heck of a job.”
Never mind that within four days of the hurricane’s landfall, Bush signed a $10.4 billion aid package and sent 7,200 National Guard troops to the region, and that a few days later, he got congressional approval for an additional $51.8 billion in aid.
Never mind that Bush was on the ground in the affected areas of Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana four days later, on September 2, whereas it took Joe Biden a full week after Hurricane Helene’s landfall to shake the Rehoboth Beach sand out of his shoes and visit the devastation in western North Carolina.
And never mind that a full 30 months after the Katrina disaster, Democrats were still politicizing it. Take presidential candidate Barack Obama, for example, who was demonizing Bush on the campaign trail in February 2008: “When the people of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast extended their hand for help, help was not there,” he said. “We can talk about levees that couldn’t hold, about a FEMA that seemed not just incompetent but paralyzed and powerless, about a president who only saw the people from the window of an airplane instead of down here on the ground.”
The Bush administration worked hard during Katrina’s aftermath, but the Democrats and their mainstream media water carriers had already seized the narrative.
With this relatively recent history in mind, it’s no surprise that the battle over the Hurricane Helene narrative is still raging and that the Democrats have become awfully defensive. Indeed, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are railing against “the lies” of Donald Trump, while Biden’s binder-toting press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, is shutting down serious journalistic inquiry as “misinformation.” Here’s a smattering of Biden’s invective:
The last few weeks, there’s been a reckless, irresponsible, and relentless promotion of disinformation and outright lies. It’s undermining confidence in the incredible rescue and recovery work that has already been taken [sic] and will continue to be taken [sic]. It’s harmful to those who need help the most.
Assertions have been made that property is being confiscated. That’s simply not true. They’re saying people impacted by these storms will receive $750 in cash and no more. That’s simply not true. They’re saying the money needed for this crisis is being diverted to migrants. What a ridiculous thing to say. It’s not true. We’re controlling the weather — it’s beyond ridiculous. It’s got to stop, moments like this. There are no red or blue states.
I don’t know. I simply don’t know. You can speculate, but I just find it — I’ve used the phrase more than I’ve used it ever my whole career — un-American. It’s un-American. It’s not who the hell we are. What are they talking about?
Here, Biden is taking the out-of-context comments from the fringes of social media — that the Democrats are confiscating people’s land and controlling the weather — and passing these comments off as mainstream criticism from the Right. It’s rubbish, but it’s not beneath Joe Biden.
And as for “lies,” how about this two-headed whopper: “They’re getting everything they need. And they’re very happy across the board.” That was Joe Biden himself last week, in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
Donald Trump has indeed been critical of the Biden-Harris administration’s response, and, as is his style, he’s relied on superlatives to do so. Trump called it “the worst hurricane response since Katrina.” But is he wrong? Has the Biden-Harris regime and its FEMA operatives really done a decent job?
“She’s just led the worst rescue operation in history in North Carolina,” Trump said at a campaign event on Wednesday. “The worst ever, they say.”
In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, JD Vance was more specific:
Shortly after Helene made landfall in the U.S. on Sept. 26, Joe Biden was at his house in Rehoboth Beach, Del. Vice President Kamala Harris was flying between ritzy California fundraisers, hobnobbing with celebrities. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was in Los Angeles, presiding over an awards ceremony. Before the storm, Ms. Harris had blown off her disaster-response briefings, which were a staple of the Trump administration’s disaster-response planning. The lack of prioritization had real-world ramifications. …
On Oct. 2, six days after the storm made landfall, the Defense Department announced that 1,000 troops had been authorized to deploy to the hurricane-response zone, including elements of the 82nd Airborne Division from Fort Liberty, N.C. … As evening fell on Friday, Oct. 4, fewer than half of the 1,000 troops were conducting operations and deployed to Western North Carolina.
These are scathing, fact-based criticisms, but the White House is trying to silence it. Indeed, Karine Jean-Pierre “stomped away from her briefing Monday” after a back-and-forth with Fox News’s Peter Doocy over the administration’s response and its prioritization of funds.
As the New York Post reports: “Doocy asked Jean-Pierre to explain why the Biden-Harris administration had nearly $157 million at the ready to assist displaced people and refugees in Lebanon, but needs to beg Congress for additional funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, as FEMA faces a shortfall in the aftermath of the devastation wrought by Hurricane Helene.”
Jean-Pierre’s non-response? “We’ve taken this very seriously. More than $200 million that we have provided to the impacted areas, but instead, people want to do disinformation, misinformation, which is dangerous.”
If you can’t stand the heat, dismiss it as “disinformation” and “misinformation.”
It’s hard to say what the longer-term political ramifications of Hurricane Helene will be, but it’s fair to say that what goes around comes around. The Biden-Harris administration is on defense, and deservedly so.
MORE ANALYSIS
- Nate Jackson: CBS Troubles Typify the Entire Leftmedia — America’s mainstream media outlets propagandize for Democrats through virtually any means necessary.
- Emmy Griffin: The DEI Administration — The federal government is forcing police and fire departments to implement laughably low standards.
- Brian Mark Weber: The Shame of Chicago’s Schools — The city elected a union-beholden leftist, and now its children are paying the price.
- Mark Alexander: Profiles of Valor: He Saved Our Lives — “Leave no man behind.”
- Ron Helle: Faulty Logic — As Christians, we often apply faulty logic in many of our expectations of God.
- RNC: Kamala’s Policies Continue to Push Prices Higher, Up 20.5% — President Trump will end inflation and make America affordable again.
BEST OF RIGHT OPINION
- Michael ReaganKamala Has Nothing in Mind
- David HarsanyiAmerica’s Bipartisan Spending Suicide Pact
- Tim GrahamWhat if Bob Woodward Wrote a Book on Doug Emhoff?
- Josh HammerOne Year After Oct. 7, American Voters Face Stark Foreign Policy Choice
- Victor Davis HansonTry a Little Honesty About Israel
For more of today’s columns, visit Right Opinion.
BEST OF VIDEOS
- ‘How the Hell Would a Wall Street Analysts Be Able to Know?’ — Gov. Ron DeSantis mocks Wall Street analysts’ estimates for damage by Hurricane Milton.
- Meet Florida’s ‘Lieutenant Dan’ — While Floridians hunkered down to ride out the hurricane, the rest of the world watched social media updates on the crazy Florida man who decided to weather the storm on his sailboat.
- Sheriff Shoots a Judge — Why did he do it?
- I’m Off the Fence on Israel’s War — Konstantin Kisin explains why he has come to his views on Israel’s war against Hamas and Hezbollah.
- PopCon #65: Floods, Strikes, and Girly Men — The aftermath of Hurricane Helene has decimated Eastern Tennessee and Western North Carolina.
- Humor: Washington’s Dream — George Washington (Nate Bargatze) tells his soldiers more of his dreams for the country.
SHORT CUTS
Non Compos Mentis
“He’s coming over to help with this storm.” —Joe Biden when asked, “What did Prime Minister Netanyahu tell you about his plans related to retaliation?”
“Mr. President Trump, former President Trump: Get a life, man. Help these [hurricane victims].” —Joe Biden
“Tone Down the Rhetoric”
“I think he’s un-American.” —Joe Biden regarding Donald Trump
“As a black lesbian, who Donald Trump doesn’t believe has genes as good as his, is he going to attempt to exterminate me when he gets elected?” —Democrat strategist Aisha Mills
The BIG Lies
“Donald Trump in the White House results in Americans being less safe.” —Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ)
“We’re leaning into it. … Donald Trump wasn’t doing anything about [illegal immigration].” —Tim Walz
“Now you see them spinning some of these conspiracy theories because the momentum is with us.” —Tim Walz
For the Record
“One of the Biden/Harris ‘refugees’ who supposedly wanted to escape ISIS and the Taliban was planning to attack Americans on Election Day and become a martyr for ISIS. What happened? Did he change his mind about loving America? No, he never loved America. The Biden/Harris retreat from Afghanistan was so messed up that any normal human being would look at that and say, ‘How could you possibly vet anyone in that chaos?’ The irony is that the withdrawal was so bad that Afghan translators and people we had vetted were left behind, along with many Americans.” —Gary Bauer
Observations
“Trump is a polarizing figure, no question. But Trump is only a symptom; the real cause of the heated rhetoric around all things political is the explosive expansion of the federal government’s powers into every aspect of our lives. It’s quite simple, really: The more control the federal government has, the more it matters who controls the government.” —Laura Hollis
“‘Fair’ must be a poll-tested word, but it has no meaning unless it is defined. Democrats have been invoking it for years, but they never say what they mean. In some states the successful are paying more than half their income to federal, state and local governments. Is it fair when governments penalize success and subsidize its opposite? And who will define affordable?” —Cal Thomas
“The meaning of ‘globalize the intifada’ is not an enigma: It is an exhortation to terrorize and kill Jews wherever they live, which is why the phrase is popular with so many of those who applaud or justify the slaughter, rape, and kidnapping of Oct. 7, 2023. In the weeks that followed that terrible day, I often heard it said that for American Jews, everything had changed. A year on, I think it is more accurate to say that Oct. 7 finally made it clear that nothing had changed. … An inescapable lesson of Jewish history is that golden ages end.” —Jeff Jacoby
“We expected Hamas to kill Jews. We didn’t expect Americans to celebrate it.” —Bari Weiss
And Last…
“I’ll concede that we need some new conspiracy theories, but it’s because all the old ones turned out to be true.” —Senator John Kennedy (R-LA)
“At this point the October surprise would be Kamala coherently answering a question.” —Jimmy Failla
MEMES & CARTOONS
For more of today’s memes, visit the Memesters Union.
For more of today’s cartoons, visit the Cartoons archive.
“From The Patriot Post (patriotpost.us)”.
Images of Xi Jinping replacing Jesus in Chinese Christian churches
China’s government is cracking down on Catholic and Protestant churches in the country by ordering the removal of images of Jesus and his replacement with photos of President Xi Jinping, according to a U.S. government report on anti-religious activities in China.
Source: Images of Xi Jinping replacing Jesus in Chinese Christian churches
Former CCM Singer Alisa Childers: Christian Music Industry Is ‘Just a Business’ | ChurchLeaders
Apologist Alisa Childers, a former Christian recording artist, is sharing her thoughts on worship and the state of contemporary Christian music (CCM). In new video clips, she emphasizes that Christians must use discernment about many CCM songs and recognize that “true worship is God-centered.”
Childers, daughter of CCM pioneer Chuck Girard, sang with the Christian group ZOEgirl. The latest book from the podcaster and author is titled “The Deconstruction of Christianity: What It Is, Why It’s Destructive, and How to Respond.”
Alisa Childers: Not All Writers of Christian Music Are Christian
In a clip posted to YouTube by Cross Examined on Oct. 9, Childers is asked about ties between deconstruction and Christian music—and whether believers should be concerned about popular culture’s influence on the genre.
RELATED: DC Talk’s Kevin Max Says He’s Been Deconstructing His Faith for Decades
Childers, 49, responded by sharing insights about the current state of the industry. Regarding CCM record labels based in Nashville, Tennessee, the industry is really “just a business,” she said. “It’s run like a business. [Labels are] owned, for the most part, by secular companies, and that’s who the higher-ups are answering to.”
As a result, Childers said, “There’s not really a theological standard in contemporary Christian music that people have to match up to. It’s really just what’s going to sell.”
The industry provides what churches want, she added, saying, “So they’re not necessarily writing from a perspective of like, ‘Hey, let’s give the church these theologically rich songs.’ They’re trying to get on the radio.”
Childers clarified, “I’m not saying all the Christian artists have that mentality. There are some really great people in that industry that are full of integrity and doing a really good job.”
Most worship music churches now use, she said, comes from labels formed by major churches, such as Bethel. “As far as how we approach quote unquote Christian music, we need to be incredibly discerning and realize that not everybody who’s writing Christian music is even a Christian,” said Childers. “Don’t just assume because something has a Christian label on it that it’s inherently even Christian.”
Worship Should Be Stable, Not Emotional, Says Alisa Childers
About what music Christians should listen to, Alisa Childers said the secular-Christian divide is complicated because a lot of “really solid Christian artists would say, ‘Well, we don’t like being called a ‘Christian artist.’”
RELATED: ‘God Perfectly Orchestrated My Career’—Forrest Frank Shares How He Balances Faith and Success
She urged parents to listen to music and talk to their kids about worldviews, because many lyrics have “really subtle messages.” Pointing to Taylor Swift, Childers said the pop star’s latest album is “super sexually charged,” so parents must determine whether that’s something they want to let form their kids spiritually.
In a video posted to Facebook and Instagram on Oct. 9, Childers offered thoughts about the correct approach to worship. Even without “big” emotions, she said, our minds can line up with God’s mind when we focus not on ourselves “but on the nature and character of God as revealed in Scripture.”
Letting Christ transform our minds into his image and likeness is “a more stable way to approach worship, rather than focusing on myself, because I’m fallen and my emotions are constantly changing,” said Childers. “So when I extol and worship Christ in spirit and in truth, then I find often I do feel better, but not always, and that’s okay.”
She concluded, “When I realized that in my life, it gave me such stability, to not get on this roller coaster of emotions and trying to seek this spiritual high because true worship is God-centered.”
Source: Former CCM Singer Alisa Childers: Christian Music Industry Is ‘Just a Business’
Jamie Dimon says geopolitical risks are surging: ‘Conditions are treacherous and getting worse’
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon sees risks climbing around the world amid widening conflicts in the Middle East.
Source: Jamie Dimon says geopolitical risks are surging: ‘Conditions are treacherous and getting worse’
The U.S. Government Is Dramatically Expanding The Use Of Facial Recognition Technology | The Economic Collapse
Do you want to live in a society where you are required to have your face scanned wherever you go? If not, you may want to speak up now while you still can. As you will see below, the U.S. government is aggressively expanding the use of facial recognition technology for identification verification purposes. For now, the use of facial recognition technology will be optional. But as we have seen before, once a voluntary option is adopted by enough people our leaders have a way of making it mandatory. Of course it isn’t just our government that is pushing facial recognition technology. It is popping up throughout our society, and given enough time it would literally be everywhere.
Login.gov is billed as “a single sign-on solution for US government websites”, and now users of Login.gov will be given the option to use facial recognition technology to verify their identities…
An online hub for Americans to access benefits and services across the federal government is giving its users a new option to sign on.
The General Services Administration will begin offering facial recognition technology as an option for users of Login.gov, a one-stop for government-provided public services, to verify their identities.
GSA’s Technology Transformation Services announced Wednesday it will allow Login.gov users to verify their identity online through facial technology that meets standards set by the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s 800-63-3 Identity Assurance Level 2 (IAL2) guidelines.
We are being told that this will help reduce identity theft and fraud, and I don’t know anyone that likes identity theft and fraud.
But do we really want to live in a dystopian world where our faces are constantly being scanned all the time?
I certainly don’t.
We are being told that this new facial recognition system will rely on “best-in-class facial matching algorithms”…
After months of testing and a delay in 2023, users will now be able to verify their identity using a ‘proven facial matching technology’ approved by the General Services Administration, which will follow the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and will rely on ‘best-in-class facial matching algorithms’
All of this sounds really creepy to me.
And this is certainly a way for the government to start getting all of our faces into a giant database.
Login.gov already has more than 100 million users, and lots of them will inevitably choose the “convenience” and “security” of facial recognition…
Federal agencies use Login.gov for people to verify their identities when logging in to access government benefits and services. The offering has over 100 million users already across over 50 federal and state agencies, and this news could affect how future users have to verify their identity to access information and benefits.
“Proving your identity is a critical step in receiving many government benefits and services, and we want to ensure we are making that as easy and secure as possible for members of the public, while protecting against identity theft and fraud,” said GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan in a statement.
For now, you will still be able to use other identification verification options.
But once most people start using facial recognition, those other options could easily be taken away.
Sadly, it isn’t just the government that we need to be concerned about.
AI programs such as ChatGPT have turned out to be quite adept at identifying faces…
Using “a crafted prompt designed to bypass the safeguard mechanisms of ChatGPT,” the researchers were able to test the program’s biometric capabilities – which they found to be significant.
“Our study reveals that ChatGPT recognizes facial identities and differentiates between two facial images with considerable accuracy,” says their summary. “Additionally, experimental results demonstrate remarkable performance in gender detection and reasonable accuracy for the age estimation tasks.”
Even more alarming is what a couple of Harvard students have been able to accomplish.
They integrated PimEyes facial recognition software into a pair of Meta’s smart glasses, and they were able to instantly pull up the personal information of strangers by scanning their faces…
Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses offer an iconic wearable packed with some smart features that allow users to engage in a hands-free experience. Two Harvard students have integrated smart glasses with a facial recognition system that helps automatically dox strangers and access their information in public.
According to 404media, the facial recognition system called I-XRAY can be used to retrieve information such as phone numbers, addresses, or even social security numbers of strangers. All the user needs to do is look at the person. While software capabilities have been making the rounds, it is the hardware running the software that has been the talk of the town, which is Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses.
Nguyen and Ardayfio created I-XRAY using Meta’s smart glasses along with PimEyes facial recognition software, which is currently the largest search engine. The entire system of fetching information on the individual is automatic, and the smart glasses start digging the data as soon as the face is in the frame.
If we stay on the current trajectory that we are on, it would likely only be a matter of time before this sort of technology is everywhere.
Can you imagine what criminals could do with this?
A predator would not even need to follow you home. He could just scan your face without you even realizing it, and by scanning your face he could get your address, your phone number, and a whole host of other private details about your life.
A lot of people out there just don’t get it.
In a society without any privacy, the bad guys can always find you.
Of course in a society without any privacy, there would be no hiding from tyranny either.
When facial recognition technology is literally everywhere, there will be nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.
Every time your face is scanned, your location will be known.
Needless to say, most people already carry around phones that constantly monitor where they are anyway.
But as the Big Brother surveillance grid that is being constructed all around us becomes even more pervasive, it won’t be too long before there is literally no opting out.
I have been a very vocal advocate for privacy for over a decade, but during that time our privacy rights have been greatly eroded.
Now is the time to take a stand, because once our privacy rights are completely gone it will be nearly impossible to get them back.
Michael’s new book entitled “Why” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com.
About the Author: Michael Snyder’s new book entitled “Why” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com. He has also written eight other books that are available on Amazon.com including “Chaos”, “End Times”, “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”. When you purchase any of Michael’s books you help to support the work that he is doing. You can also get his articles by email as soon as he publishes them by subscribing to his Substack newsletter. Michael has published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and he always freely and happily allows others to republish those articles on their own websites. These are such troubled times, and people need hope. John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” If you have not already done so, we strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.
The post The U.S. Government Is Dramatically Expanding The Use Of Facial Recognition Technology appeared first on The Economic Collapse.
Kamala uses teleprompter for ‘unscripted’ townhall.
How the Government Manipulates Information | VCY
Phyllis Schlafly Eagles · October 11 | How the Government Manipulates Information
Secretary Antony J. Blinken participates in Session III of the NATO Foreign Ministers Meeting in Brussels, Belgium, November 29, 2023. (Official State Department photo by Chuck Kennedy)
America’s promise as a global leader in liberty is under siege, not by foreign adversaries, but by the very institutions meant to protect it. Mike Benz, a former State Department official, joined James Poulos, host of Zero Hour on the Blaze network, for a discussion on these topics. Benz revealed how the U.S. government actively undermines the crown jewels of the American republic—free speech and the rule of law.
Benz paints a grim picture of the State Department’s growing influence over the flow of information. They wield sanctions and censorship as tools to silence dissent and force a global narrative of left-wing radicalism. This is a far cry from the free trade and pro-American principles that once guided our economic policy. Now, any nation that challenges the radical leftist dictates of the narrative machine will face economic retaliation. Benz highlights Hungary as a prime example, where the U.S. threatens sanctions simply because Hungary refuses to endorse the State Department’s agenda on Ukraine and LGBT issues.
The implications are severe. In weaponizing sanctions against nations and businesses that don’t toe the line, America is driving countries like Hungary into the arms of China. This both weakens our global standing and accelerates the rise of a regime that poses a genuine threat to Western values. China’s economic tentacles are reaching into every country it can grab, and the U.S. is accelerating this process.
America once led by being an example of freedom of speech and fair trade. But today, as Benz warns, those principles are being eroded from within. If we continue down this path, we risk losing not just our influence but the very soul of our nation. The time to reclaim our values and restore our global leadership is now before it’s too late.
Politicizing the Hurricane Aftermath | The NEWSMAX Daily (10/11/24)
On today’s NEWSMAX Daily podcast:
[3:51] -President Biden tells Trump “Get a life, man!” over hurricane “misinformation.”
[4:58] -Former President Trump again criticizes hurricane response and calls out CBS in Detroit while promising to save the auto industry. [Newsmax Breaking]
[9:12] -Newsmax’s Rob Schmitt looks at the editing of the 60 Minutes Kamala interview. [Rob Schmitt Tonight]
[15:32] – Rob Finnerty says a vote for Trump is a vote for free and independent media. [Finnerty]
[19:43] -Andrew Napolitano: “Judges shouldn’t make rulings based on elections.” [Wake Up America]
Source: Politicizing the Hurricane Aftermath | The NEWSMAX Daily (10/11/24)
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