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
Fear not little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
LUKE 12:32
Some time ago I heard a man attempt to pour ridicule upon the custom of pastoral preaching. He made a strong point that after conversion, a person should go out at once and begin to win souls, not go to church and hear preaching.
For illustration, he reasoned that a farmer candles his eggs once, not every week, and sends them to market. But there was one very serious weakness in the argument: Christ did not say to Peter, “Candle my eggs”; He said, “feed my sheep.”
Christians are not eggs to be candled; they are sheep to be fed!
Feeding sheep is not a job to be gotten over with once and for all; it is a loving act to be repeated at regular intervals as long as the sheep live. Peter well understood His Lord’s meaning and years later admonished certain elders of the church to “feed the flock of God which is among you.” Not one word did he say about candling eggs!
Figures of speech should illustrate truth, not originate it. Christians are living creatures dependent on food, and must be fed well and often if they are to remain healthy. Our Lord selected the figure of sheep because it accords with the facts. The figure of eggs does not.
Beware the man who makes a figure of speech teach doctrine. There’s something better in the Bible than figures of speech to be twisted to fit our own prejudices!1
In Job’s uttermost extremity he cried after the Lord. The longing desire of an afflicted child of God is once more to see his Father’s face. His first prayer is not “O that I might be healed of the disease which now festers in every part of my body!” nor even “O that I might see my children restored from the jaws of the grave, and my property once more brought from the hand of the spoiler!” but the first and uppermost cry is, “O that I knew where I might find Him, who is my God! that I might come even to his seat!” God’s children run home when the storm comes on. It is the heaven-born instinct of a gracious soul to seek shelter from all ills beneath the wings of Jehovah. “He that hath made his refuge God,” might serve as the title of a true believer. A hypocrite, when afflicted by God, resents the infliction, and, like a slave, would run from the Master who has scourged him; but not so the true heir of heaven, he kisses the hand which smote him, and seeks shelter from the rod in the bosom of the God who frowned upon him. Job’s desire to commune with God was intensified by the failure of all other sources of consolation. The patriarch turned away from his sorry friends, and looked up to the celestial throne, just as a traveller turns from his empty skin bottle, and betakes himself with all speed to the well. He bids farewell to earth-born hopes, and cries, “O that I knew where I might find my God!” Nothing teaches us so much the preciousness of the Creator, as when we learn the emptiness of all besides. Turning away with bitter scorn from earth’s hives, where we find no honey, but many sharp stings, we rejoice in him whose faithful word is sweeter than honey or the honeycomb. In every trouble we should first seek to realize God’s presence with us. Only let us enjoy his smile, and we can bear our daily cross with a willing heart for his dear sake.1
I COMMEND unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea: That ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you: for she hath been a succourer of many, and of myself also. (This godly woman laid herself out for usefulness, and even the apostle was indebted to her. Should not the sisters of the household imitate her?)
3–5 Greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Jesus: Who have for my life laid down their own necks: unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. Likewise greet the church that is in their house. (Both the heads of the family were saved, hence the household grew into a church.) Salute my wellbeloved Epenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ.
6 Greet Mary, who bestowed much labour on us. (This is the third woman whom Paul commends in this chapter as working for the Lord: sex is no hindrance to service.)
7 Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellowprisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.
These relatives of Paid were converted before he became a Christian. Did their prayers lead up to his call by grace?
8–10 Greet Amplias my beloved in the Lord. Salute Urbane, our helper in Christ, and Stachys my beloved. Salute Apelles approved in Christ. Salute them which are of Aristobulus’ household. (But not Aristobulus. It is sad to find the head of a gracious household himself unsaved.)
11–13 Salute Herodion my kinsman. Greet them that be of the household of Narcissus, which are in the Lord. Salute Tryphena and Tryphosa, who labour in the Lord. (Two sisters, and both believers. It is well when it is so.) Salute the beloved Persis, which laboured much in the Lord. Salute Rufus chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine. (The mother of Rufus had no doubt been so kind to Paul that he calls her his mother. Love begets love.)
14, 15 Salute Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Hermes, and the brethren which are with them. Salute Philologus, and Julia, Nereus, and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints which are with them.
16 Salute one another with an holy kiss. The churches of Christ salute you.
17–20 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple. For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil. And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.
21, 22 Timotheus my workfellow, and Lucius, and Jason, and Sosipater, my kinsmen, salute you. I Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord. (Tertius, the amanuensis, could not help putting in this line for himself. Christianity is the mother of courtesy. Kind words cost little, but are of great value.)
23, 24 Gaius mine host, and of the whole church, saluteth you. Erastus the chamberlain of the city saluteth you, and Quartus a brother. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. (Paul cannot finish. He writes postscript after postscript. Letter writing was a serious business in his day, and as he might never be able to write again, he wishes to say all he can. The last postscript is a delightful doxology in which we can heartily unite.)
25–27 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith: To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.
Ezekiel 43:2 — The Glory of the God of Israel! This is the same glory that departed from the temple (Ezekiel 10:18), from Jerusalem, to the Mount of Olives (Ezekiel 11:23). It’s returning from the Mount of Olives, back into the Temple, into the inner court of the Ezekiel Temple!
Ezekiel 43:7 — Who is the glory? From Jimmy DeYoung:
This passage of the prophecy written by the ancient Jewish Prophet Ezekiel is the foretelling of the day that Jesus will return to Jerusalem with the Jews that He has retrieved from the safety of the unique city of Petra. This is the climax of the seven years of terrible judgment on the Earth.
Jesus will have returned to the Earth just days earlier and after building His Temple in Jerusalem, Zechariah 6:12, He will go to the Jezreel Valley for the Battle of Armageddon. Then Jesus will make His way to Petra, Isaiah 63:1-6, to gather the Jews that will have been protected in a “place prepared by God”, Revelation 12:6, for the last half of the seven year Tribulation Period.
They will make their way from Petra, verse 2, across the Jordan Valley, up the back side of the Mount of Olives, across the Kidron Valley and then enter through the “Eastern Gate”, verse 4, and up onto the Temple Mount.
In this passage the word “glory”, used four times, is referring to the person of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. In the record found in the Old Testament of when the “ark of the covenant” was brought into the Temple, 1 Kings 8, the “glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.” This is what happens as this prophecy is fulfilled.
Ezekiel 43:10 — These passages are the greatest proof that God isn’t done with Israel yet. From EnduringWord.com:
“Again, the very detail of the description was assurance to Israel that this was real. Their restoration would be real. This made it important for Ezekiel to write it down in their sight.”
Ezekiel 43:19 — Why in the eschatological future do we have sin offerings? As the Old Testament sin offerings looked forward to the sin offering of Jesus, the Ezekiel Temple offerings look back to His sin offering.
James 5:1 — On days that the stock market goes down, there are billions lost by the tech titans. Be glad your treasure is not in this world (Matthew 6:21).
James 5:16 — Why are there so many sick in churches? In addition to the biological causes, are we seeing people suffering from spiritual maladies? Unconfessed sin breeds bitterness which has many physiological symptoms.
Psalm 119:1 — Welcome back to Psalm 119! We’ve read in Romans that the Law has dominion over us (Romans 7:1). Perhaps you’re a little unhappy with the fact that the Law has dominion. We should be because we can’t keep the Law. But with the Spirit (Romans 8:4) we can have life. Our struggle is not keeping the Law because the Holy Spirit enables us to live the life the Law commanded but could not give us. We can now live the blessings of Psalm 119!
Proverbs 28:7 — Keeping the Law is the path of wisdom. Of course, it’s impossible without the Spirit’s help, but with the Spirit and the Word (Psalm 119:9), the son can gain wisdom on his way!
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Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble.Psalm 41:1
To think about the poor and let them lie on our hearts is a Christian man’s duty; for Jesus put them with us and near us when He said, “The poor ye have always with you.”
Many give their money to the poor in a hurry, without thought; and many more give nothing at all. This precious promise belongs to those who “consider” the poor, look into their case, devise plans for their benefit, and considerately carry them out. We can do more by care than by cash, and most with two together. To those who consider the poor, the Lord promises His own consideration in times of distress. He will bring us out of trouble if we help others when they are in trouble. We shall receive very singular providential help if the Lord sees that we try to provide for others. We shall have a time of trouble, however generous we may be; but if we are charitable, we may put in a claim for peculiar deliverance, and the Lord will not deny His own word and bond. Miserly curmudgeons may help themselves, but considerate and generous believers the Lord will help. As you have done unto others, so will the Lord do unto you. Empty your pockets.
In Luke 15, we are presented with a profound trilogy of parables: the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son. These parables reflect the heart of Christ’s mission to seek and save the lost. Addressed to a mixed audience of tax collectors, sinners, Pharisees, and scribes, these stories highlight the stark contrast between Jesus’ welcoming of sinners and the grumbling self-righteousness of the religious leaders.
The central theme of these parables is joy—a joy rooted in the recovery and restoration of the lost. Jesus employs simple, relatable stories to confront the Pharisees’ disdain for His association with sinners and to reveal the boundless grace of God. These parables highlight the gospel’s transformative power: the lost are found, the estranged are restored, and heaven rejoices.
The Seeking Savior
The opening verses of Luke 15 reveal the stark division between two groups: sinners who draw near to Jesus and religious elites who grumble. The tax collectors and sinners find comfort in Jesus’ presence, while the Pharisees and scribes openly and verbally complain, “This man receives sinners and eats with them” (Luke 15:2). Their grumbling reveals a misunderstanding of God’s heart. Rather than rejoicing, they resent the inclusion of the outcast.
Jesus, however, came explicitly for sinners. As the angel announced at His birth, He is the Savior—Christ the Lord (Luke 2:11). This title underscores His mission: not to inspire or entertain, but to save sinners who are lost. From the outset of Luke’s Gospel, Jesus is portrayed as the one who brings good news to the poor, heals the brokenhearted, and seeks the lost (Luke 4:18).
From the outset of Luke’s Gospel, Jesus is portrayed as the one who brings good news to the poor, heals the brokenhearted, and seeks the lost (Luke 4:18).
The Pharisees were zealous guardians of the law but had turned it into a burden. Their legalism blinded them to God’s grace, making them incapable of recognizing their own need for salvation. Their grumbling against Jesus reveals their hypocrisy and their failure to understand God’s heart for the lost.
Two Stories: Lost and Found
As the Pharisees and law experts grumbled about Jesus’ interaction with the sinners, Jesus told three little stories to confront the unrighteous attitude of the religious elites while explaining the way of the Lord: joy and rejoicing!
The Parable of the Lost Sheep (Luke 15:3–7)
Jesus begins with the parable of the lost sheep. A shepherd leaves ninety-nine sheep in the open country to seek the one that is lost. When he finds it, he places it on his shoulders and rejoices, calling friends and neighbors to celebrate with him. Jesus concludes with this striking truth: “There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance” (Luke 15:7).
The image of the shepherd is rich with Old Testament imagery. God is frequently depicted as the Shepherd of Israel, tenderly caring for His flock (Psalm 23:1; Ezekiel 34:15–16). The lost sheep symbolizes humanity’s spiritual condition: defenseless, directionless, and utterly dependent on the Shepherd.
The shepherd’s joy is a reflection of God’s delight in repentance and restoration of lost sinners.
This parable confronts the Pharisees’ lack of compassion. While they disdain the outcast, God diligently seeks and joyfully rescues them. The shepherd’s joy is a reflection of God’s delight in repentance and restoration of lost sinners.
The Parable of the Lost Coin (Luke 15:8–10)
The second parable amplifies this theme. A woman loses a silver coin, likely a drachma, representing significant value. She lights a lamp, sweeps the house, and searches carefully until she finds it. Like the shepherd, she calls her friends and neighbors to rejoice, saying, “Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost” (Luke 15:9). Jesus draws the parallel: “There is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10).
This story underscores the diligence of the seeker and the immense value of the lost. The woman’s actions symbolize God’s persistence in seeking sinners. The coin, like the lost sheep, illustrates humanity’s helplessness. It cannot find its way back; it must be sought and restored.
Rejoicing in What Was Lost and Found
The final parable of the lost son is more lengthy and has more moving parts to it—but these three stories form a climax of joy and rejoicing as sinners respond to the call to repent and believe the gospel. These three parables form a vivid narrative that reveals God mission to seek the lost with diligence, rescue them with compassion, and rejoices over their restoration. The consistent theme is joy—joy in heaven, joy before the angels, and joy in the heart of God. The recovery of one sinner prompts a celebration that reflects the infinite worth of a soul redeemed by grace.
As Christians, these parables call us to walk in the footsteps of Jesus. We were all once lost, wandering in the wilderness of sin, but were sought and saved by the Good Shepherd. Our response should be one of unceasing gratitude and contagious joy. The church must reflect this joy by embracing the lost, proclaiming the gospel, and trusting in the Lord who saves.
Just as Jesus was a friend of sinners, we too must walk in the footsteps of Jesus as we reach out to the lost with the message of salvation.
Just as Jesus was a friend of sinners, we too must walk in the footsteps of Jesus as we reach out to the lost with the message of salvation. The Pharisees’ grumbling reminds us of the danger of self-righteousness, while the parables encourage us to reflect God’s heart. The older brother who complains at the restoration of the younger brother is like the grumbling Pharisees and scribes who respond improperly. We are called to proclaim the gospel with urgency and rejoice as sinners come to Christ.
Zephaniah 3:17 reminds us that God rejoices over His people with gladness and singing. Let this truth fuel our worship, witness, and walk with Christ. As the redeemed, we are ransomed, healed, restored, and forgiven. Let us live in the joy of our salvation, celebrating with heaven over every sinner who repents.
1 John 4:7-12 In this week’s studies, John returns to the theme of loving one another, pointing out that there is a relationship between loving other Christians and knowing God Himself.
Theme
God’s Nature
John begins with a passionate exhortation to his readers to “love one another,” a phrase which is repeated three times in verses 7, 11, and 12. This is his great concern, and the reasons for that concern are given in connection with this threefold repetition. The first reason is that love is of God’s own nature; therefore, Christians are to “love one another.” The second reason concerns God’s gift in Christ; therefore, Christians are to “love one another.” The third reason is God’s present activity in and through His people; for this reason, too, Christians are to “love one another.” Up to this point love has been seen mostly as a duty binding upon believers. Now it is seen for what it most truly is, a driving disposition arising out of the divine nature which by God’s grace is now also within the Christian.
The first reason why Christians must love other Christians is that the very nature of God is love and that this demands it. John states this in two forms, saying that “love is of God” and that “God is love.” The first of these indicates that God is the source of all love. If this is so, however, the one who loves must love with that love which comes from God and, therefore, he must be born of Him. If he does not love, he does not know God. The second form of John’s statement is that “God is love.” This is more profound than the former, for it regards love not merely as a gift or attribute of God but in the deepest sense as God’s own nature. It is to be taken alongside those two other unequivocal statements of John which tell us that “God is spirit” (John 4:24) and that “God is light” (1 John 1:5).
John links love to the nature of God in a very subtle way in these verses, and this should not be missed. It is seen in the fact that each of these statements regarding love and our need to love is linked to one of the persons of the Trinity, so that the entire Trinity is involved. In verses 7 and 8 the reference is to God the Father; it is this that we have just been considering. In verses 9-11 the reference is primarily to God the Son. God loved us so much that He died for us, and therefore we should love one another. Finally, in verse 12, in the phrase “God abides in us,” the reference is to God the Holy Spirit; and again the conclusion is the same: love one another. In other words, God the Father is love, God the Son is love, God the Spirit is love. Therefore, if we know the God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we will love. It is difficult to see how the matter could be made simpler than this or more pressing upon the conscience of the Christian.
Study Questions
What is the first reason Christians are to love one another?
Explain the difference in meaning between the phrases “love is of God” and “God is love.”
In what way does John link love to the nature of God?
Application
Application: What are some hindrances that keep us from loving other believers? Is there a fellow believer you struggle to love? How does knowing that God Himself is love and that those who claim to know God must love His people motivate you toward loving every Christian around you?
For Further Study: Download for free and listen to James Boice’s message, “No Greater Love.” (Discount will be applied at checkout.)
For Further Study: As you have been studying 1 John with us, have you become more aware of your need to grow in an area of your pursuit of holiness, to become more loving toward fellow believers, or to increase your knowledge of Christian doctrine to better guard against false teaching? If so, perhaps you know someone who could be helped in their Christian life through this series. James Boice’s messages on the epistles of John are available in paperback. Order your copy and receive 30% off the regular price.
In our world today we are faced with so many choices in life. What job should I take? Where should I live? What should I eat for lunch today? The choices seem endless. Some decisions seem pretty minor like what socks should I wear today? Other decisions can be quite major like whom should I marry? But there is only one decision we make in life that has eternal implications; and that is which God should I serve?
Most people serve the god of self. Their activities are centered around making money, buying a bigger car, and getting more pleasure out of life. In this scenario we place ourselves as the central figure in the universe and this point in time as the most important in all eternity.
For these people peace of mind, joy, and true meaning never seem to be found. Instead, they find when they look back on their lives in old age, only memories of what could have been. And, when they look forward only a future fast approaching its terminal point. Little, if any, real meaning has been found, and for such a person, who was of such supreme importance to him or herself, history will record them only on a death certificate and a tombstone.
But praise God there is another God in the universe whom we can choose to serve. And Hid name of course is Jesus. But to serve Jesus one must deny and humble himself to a level of servitude and instead of seeking his own pleasures must seek to please God and his fellow man.
To a world that doesn’t know Jesus this may seem quite foolish and downright stupid. But to those of us who know Jesus, obeying Him is the wisest, most logical, and best sound investment we could ever make. Now don’t get me wrong obedience to Jesus is far from easy. It means a lifetime of sacrifice and service as well as putting others before ourselves. But the rewards are also substantial.
Now God’s standards for obedience are quite high, for we read in (Deut. 10:12-13): “…what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes which I command you today…”
But may I give you ten reasons why I firmly believe that the closer we conform to this pattern of living, the more true joy, meaning, and a wealth of other blessings will overtake us. In today’s Part I devotion, I will share the first of these reasons, in Part II tomorrow, I will share reasons two through six and in Part III on the next day, I will share reasons seven through ten.
Reason 1.
We all want approval for our efforts, whether from a family member, a friend, a boss, or even a stranger. A “thank you,” or “a job well done,” can mean a tremendous boost to our whole day. In (Phil 4:18) we read about a gift that the Philippians gave to Paul. Paul says: “…I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God.” This is in obedience to (Romans 12:13) which says: “contributing to the needs of the saints…” What better approval could we ask for, through our sacrificial giving, then for God to say of our efforts that they are well-pleasing to Him!
“In questions of power, then, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution.” —Thomas Jefferson (1798)
Douglas Andrews, Thomas Gallatin, & Jordan Candler
Politics
The Pennsylvania Pilfer has been stopped: “Pennsylvanians deserve to have their voices heard, and the worth of someone’s vote is not determined by how long it takes to be counted.” So said sleazy Bob Casey, the soon-to-be former senior senator from Pennsylvania, in a strange non sequitur that signals his ongoing unwillingness to concede an election that was called by the Associated Press nearly two weeks ago. Republican challenger Dave McCormick’s lead had, ahem, mysteriously shrunk from around 26,000 votes to around 17,000 votes in recent days, but now, in a decisive setback for Pennsylvania’s cheaters, Democrat Governor Josh Shapiro is doing the right thing and siding with the high court’s ruling yesterday against counting faulty ballots. As Shapiro put it, “Any insinuation that our laws can be ignored or do not matter is irresponsible and does damage to faith in our electoral process. The rule of law matters in Pennsylvania.” Image that. An elected Democrat standing up for the Rule of Law. Said the McCormick campaign, “Bucks County and others blatantly violated the law in an effort to help Senator Casey. Senator-elect McCormick is very pleased with this ruling and looks forward to taking the Oath of Office in a few short weeks.”
Wisconsin GOP’s Eric Hovde concedes Senate race to Tammy Baldwin (Just the News)
Trump naming former Wisconsin Rep. Sean Duffy to be transportation secretary (AP)
Lame-duck Senate nomination battles: Soon-to-be Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer recently called for a spirit of bipartisanship in the wake of Donald Trump’s landslide election victory and the flipping of the Senate majority to the Republicans. However, with roughly two months left before Trump takes office, Schumer has undermined his “get along” rhetoric by seeking to ram through as many of Joe Biden’s judicial nominees as possible. Soon-to-be Senate Majority Leader John Thune called out Schumer’s gambit and has vowed to lead Republicans in doing everything they can to slow-walk the process. As Thune recently stated, “If Sen. Schumer thought Senate Republicans would just roll over and allow him to quickly confirm multiple Biden-appointed judges to lifetime jobs in the final weeks of the Democrat majority, he thought wrong.” Senate Republicans will force Democrats to have roll-call votes on routine procedures, which will drag the Senate’s business to a crawl. The GOP can’t prevent the Democrat majority from confirming judicial nominees, but it can work to limit the total number of confirmations.
FBI bottlenecks for Trump appointees: In the wake of Donald Trump’s resounding electoral victory, corrupt FBI senior brass were reported to be “stunned” and “shell-shocked.” But now, having taken a few deep breaths, they’re back to conspiring against Trump — in this case, against his cabinet nominees. The Washington Times reports, “An official at FBI headquarters in Washington is warning that the bureau’s security clearance division is politicized and can’t be trusted to screen President-elect Donald Trump’s nominees for top administration jobs. … The official said the security clearance process has been ‘contaminated by the political agendas of [security division] officials and other executives in the FBI.’” The SecD, as The Times adds, has already been credibly accused by whistleblowers of weaponizing its office and of targeting and retaliating against conservative and pro-Trump FBI employees. Nonetheless, the FBI cites the Presidential Transition Act of 1963, which names the bureau as “one of the appropriate agencies responsible for candidate background investigations for Presidential appointees.” Will the FBI obstruct, or will it finally bow to the will of the American people?
Oprah’s cash haul: Kamala Harris’s campaign shelled out a reported $1 million for a town hall event hosted by Oprah Winfrey, which aimed to pump up Harris in her failed presidential election bid. Oprah pushed back on the claim that she had been paid to shill for Harris, explaining, “I did not take any personal fee. However, the people who worked on that production needed to be paid. And were. End of story.” Well, it turns out that the fee collected by Oprah’s production company, Harpo Productions, was not merely $1 million; rather, the total bill came in at around $2.5 million, over double what was originally reported. While it may be technically true that the Harris campaign did not personally compensate Oprah, the fact that her production company was paid a whopping two and a half million dollars for what amounted to a 90-minute infomercial does suggest that some folks were getting a fat payday. Evidently, the Harris campaign was throwing around cash like nobody’s business, and celebrities like Oprah were more than willing to receive it.
Security
How far will Trump go to carry out mass deportations? “Promises made, promises kept.” That simple phrase has been a mantra for Donald Trump, and it will surely be tested during the next four years as Trump tries to make good on his promise of mass deportations of the Biden-Harris administration’s millions of illegal immigrants. How will the Trump administration undertake such a massive operation? Trump himself gave us a sense of this yesterday when, as Axios reports, he confirmed that he’s “planning to declare a national emergency and use the U.S. military to carry out mass deportations.” Shortly after the election, Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton posted a statement to that effect on Truth Social, to which Trump posted a one-word, all-caps, three-exclamation-point reply: “TRUE!!!” Think about it: Does an unchecked invasion of one’s country by more than 10 million illegal immigrants — many of them military-age males, many of them in need of taxpayer-funded social services, and most of them relatively unskilled — constitute a national emergency? The answer seems obvious.
The Trump Effect: Haitians are fleeing Springfield: The residents of Springfield, Ohio, are getting relief from the Biden-Harris migrant crisis even before Donald Trump takes office. Springfield became the symbol of Biden’s border malfeasance due to the influx of some 20,000 Haitian migrants that inundated the small town, straining its social services and leading to housing and other issues. However, since Trump’s election victory, a number of Haitian migrants in Springfield are reportedly fleeing the town of 60,000 over deportation fears. According to the cofounder of the Haitian Community Alliance, Jacob Payen, “People are fully aware of the election result, and that is why they are leaving; they are afraid of a mass deportation. Several of my customers have left. One guy with his family went to New Jersey; others have gone to Boston. I know three families that have gone to Canada.”
Biden and Harris bushwhack Israel: The peace-loving citizens of the Jewish state are no doubt pleased that the anti-war candidate won the American presidential election two weeks ago. Unfortunately, Donald Trump won’t take office for two more months — which means that whoever’s calling the foreign-policy shots within the Biden-Harris administration still has plenty of time to make mischief. A case in point would be a recent sanctions regime slapped upon Israel by Team Biden-Harris, coupled with a handsome monetary gift to Israel’s enemies. The Washington Free Beacon reports, “The Biden-Harris administration on Monday unveiled sweeping new sanctions on Israeli Jews, just days after it awarded another $230 million in taxpayer funds to the Palestinians. The back-to-back announcements signal that diplomatic relations between Israel and the outgoing White House will continue to sour until President-elect Donald Trump retakes office next year.” As one senior GOP congressional source put it, “They took a campaign break from scapegoating the Jews, but now that Kamala has lost, the State Department’s intifada caucus is back in charge during the Biden going out of business sale.”
Undersea cables cut in Baltic Sea; sabotage suspected: The two most recent nations to join NATO, Sweden and Finland, have reported that undersea cables in the Baltic Sea were severed within a day of each other. Sabotage is suspected, with a spokesman for the telecommunications company Telia Lithuania stating, “We can confirm that the internet traffic disruption was not caused by equipment failure but by physical damage to the fiber optic cable.” A Finish cable company, Cinia, also reported that a cable between Finland and Germany had been severed. The CEO of Cinia did not directly blame sabotage but certainly hinted at it, saying, “At the moment, there is no way to assess the cause of the cable break, but such breaks without external impact do not happen in these waters.” The prime suspect is Russia, and the U.S. has been warning about Russia targeting undersea infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, especially after Sweden and Finland’s entry into NATO. That said, evidence has yet to be collected to make any conclusive determination.
Ukraine fires first U.S.-made missile into Russia (Daily Mail)
Putin signs Russia’s nuclear doctrine update into law (Newsweek)
Satire: In last-ditch attempt to prevent Trump from taking office, Democrats start World War III (Babylon Bee)
Misc.
“Unknown and unauthorized third party” has gained access to Matt Gaetz depositions (CBS News) | Ethics Committee will meet Wednesday to discuss results of Gaetz probe (Just the News)
Republican to introduce transgender bathroom ban at the U.S. Capitol (ABC News)
Wife of prominent trans writer hacked father to death with ice ax after Trump’s election night victory (NY Post)
DOJ will push Google to sell Chrome to break search monopoly (Bloomberg)
Forty-five Hong Kong pro-democracy activists are sentenced to jail in city’s biggest so-called national security trial (NBC News)
Budget travel icon Spirit Airlines files for bankruptcy protection after mounting losses (CNBC) | Humor: Spirit Airlines announces it will tell you why it went bankrupt for an added fee of $50 (Babylon Bee)
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Republicans won the White House and the Senate, so why are we already talking about recess appointments for Donald Trump’s administration?
Matt Gaetz, that’s why.
Gaetz is the ultimate disruptor, argued our Douglas Andrews last week in explaining what Trump may be thinking in nominating the Florida congressman to serve as attorney general. Frankly, however, Gaetz is a terrible pick. Disruption is one thing, but the attorney general — the guy tasked with upholding and enforcing the Rule of Law at the Justice Department — should be above reproach.
Gaetz is not.
Multiple Republican members of the House said that Gaetz crudely boasted of his sexual conquests, made possible in part by drugs and energy drinks, sometimes even sharing nude pictures and videos of the female subjects of his promiscuous escapades. Gaetz denies it. Maybe Gaetz is telling the truth, and they’re all lying. I doubt it.
Worse, it’s not just high school-level braggadocio at issue here. The Justice Department that Gaetz aims to lead opened an investigation into allegations that he engaged in sex trafficking, including sexual intercourse with a 17-year-old girl in exchange for money. “No part of the allegations against me are true,” he said in 2021, countercharging that the investigation itself was punishment for his effectiveness as a firebrand in the House. He has his defenders on just this point.
He also said, “Every investigation into me ends the same way: my exoneration.” That’s not exactly true. The DOJ eventually declined to press charges, but investigators did not exonerate him. It seems they simply couldn’t produce sufficient evidence to prove the allegations beyond a doubt in court.
The House took up a bipartisan ethics investigation, but Gaetz’s nomination and subsequent resignation came just days before the report on that investigation was due to be released. Some of it has already been leaked, and the committee may still decide to release the whole thing. That leak is that two women told the House panel that Gaetz paid them for sex. One of them said she witnessed him engaging in intercourse with a 17-year-old in 2017 — after he had been elected to Congress.
In any case, Senator John Cornyn says the Judiciary Committee would call the same witnesses in confirmation hearings.
Does Gaetz deserve the presumption of innocence? Legally, absolutely. Does that mean he should be entrusted with leading the DOJ? Sorry, but I’m just not on board with this one.
All that brings me back to Trump’s call for recess appointments, “without which,” he said, “we will not be able to get people confirmed in a timely manner.” Which people? Again, Gaetz, though Pete Hegseth, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Tulsi Gabbard may also prove difficult to confirm.
First of all, Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution grants the president “Power to fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate.” Presidents have always made recess appointments, so this shouldn’t be controversial, right?
Heh.
Trump’s team also points to Article II, Section 3, which gives the president “on extraordinary Occasions” power to “adjourn” either or both the House and Senate “to such Time as he shall think proper.” In other words, long enough to make recess appointments. Former federal prosecutor Andrew McCarthy argues that the clause was “never before used for this purpose” and shouldn’t be now.
In Federalist 76, Alexander Hamilton touted the importance of the Senate confirmation process, calling it “an excellent check upon a spirit of favoritism in the President” that would “prevent the appointment of unfit characters.” (Then again, maybe Hamilton isn’t the ideal witness against Gaetz.) McCarthy rightly notes that the Framers built the system “to avoid vesting too much uncheckable power in the president’s hands.”
That said, the Constitution granted the president power to make recess appointments primarily because of the reality of 18th-century travel. According to the Congressional Research Service, “Until the beginning of the 20th century, the Senate was, on average, in session less than half the year.” A president shouldn’t be hamstrung by this, the Founders reasoned.
In the ensuing years, politics dictated various behaviors. Sometimes, recess appointments spared senators from making difficult votes on controversial nominees, while presidents benefited from having their picks in place without the Senate headache. There were also fights, and the Senate often declared pro forma sessions as a passive-aggressive way to avoid recesses and block recess appointments.
Barack Obama infamously tried to declare the Senate in recess anyway so he could make recess appointments, but the Supreme Court in 2014 sided with the Senate. In NLRB v. Noel Canning, all nine justices agreed, “The Senate is in session when it says it is.”
Incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune said of confirmation hearings, “I’m willing to grind through it and do it the old-fashioned way.” The president’s nominees do deserve a hearing and an up-or-down vote.
Yet aside from Republican infighting, Democrats can either stonewall nominees or filibuster approval of a recess. Thune warned he won’t stand for that. “We must act quickly and decisively to get the president’s Cabinet and other nominees in place as soon as possible to start delivering on the mandate we’ve been sent to execute,” he said over the weekend, “and all options are on the table to make that happen, including recess appointments.”
There’s certainly a lot of posturing now, and we’ll find out exactly how that plays out come January. But a good barometer for whether something is a good idea is to reverse the roles. If a Democrat president advocated that the Senate deliberately take recess so as to allow him to appoint a questionable person to lead the DOJ, would Republicans balk?
Another question: If a president’s nominee can’t even gain the support of the president’s party, is that person really still the only person who can do the job?
Douglas Andrews: They’re Dancing the Trump Dance — The NFL’s woke management is gnashing its teeth, but the players are joyfully dancing the Trump dance.
Jack DeVine: Cabinet-Building, Trump Style — Trump will need the best team he can get, and some advice from the peanut gallery (us) might help him … and the nation.
Thomas Gallatin: Biden Gets Bold on Ukraine — He finally gave Ukraine permission to use U.S. long-range missiles against targets within Russia.
Reader Comments
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‘Morning Joe,’ Then and Now — First, Donald Trump was Adolf Hitler. Now, the MSNBC hosts are meeting him at Mar-a-Lago.
Rape Allegation Against Pete Hegseth Emerges — Megyn Kelly and Glenn Greenwald discuss the allegation of sexual assault against Trump’s defense secretary pick, which has emerged now that he’s in line for a top job.
“There isn’t evidence that these kids are a threat to safety or fairness.” —MSNBC’s Jen Psaki on boys playing girls sports
“There is no evidence [gender-confused athletes] pose any threat to safety or fairness.” —”comedian” John Oliver
Non Compos Mentis
“Illinois has enshrined protections for gender-affirming care to meet this moment — and because of that, you will have a home here always.” —Illinois Governor JB Pritzker
Friendly Fire
“I think there’s a lot of Democrats going around, especially in the House, justifying how we did by saying, ‘Oh we did a little bit better than Harris.’ … We should have cleaned up, from president of the United States to local school board. Democrats should have swept this, and yet we got defeated across the board. So, seriously, we lost big.” —Congressman Seth Moulton (D-MA)
A Blind Squirrel Finds a Nut
“Our military and the role of the military is in the Constitution for a reason and I think we’re really at risk of politicizing the military in a way that we can’t put the genie back in the bottle.” —U.S. Senator-elect Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) on getting politics (DEI) out of the military
Non Compos Mentis, Continued
“There’s no question I consider [Tulsi Gabbard] someone who is likely a Russian asset, who would be … a direct line to our enemies.” —Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL)
“We take pride in the fact we are not rushed.” —California Secretary of State Shirley Weber (Some two weeks after the election, California still has roughly 10% of the vote to count. Florida was basically done after a few hours.)
A Broken Clock Is Right Twice a Day
“Elected Democratic officials in Philadelphia and three other counties — Bucks, Centre and Montgomery — voted … to defy … court decisions at the request of lawyers for Democratic Sen. Bob Casey… These Democrats’ decisions will almost certainly be overturned on appeal, but the mere attempt to defy judicial rulings is corrosive to democracy and invites similar behavior in future elections.” —Washington Post editorial board
“Trans people deserve to be treated with dignity, and the law should protect them from discrimination in areas such as employment and housing. But the realities of human biology raise legitimate questions about any notion that trans women should always and everywhere be treated exactly like cisgender women.” —Washington Post editorial board
Re: The Left
“Progressives are correct about the power of [Joe] Rogan and his cohort of bro podcasters, but they don’t understand how thoroughly anathema their ideology and cultural sensibility are to this kind of programming. … How is the party of policing what people say to ensure that the discussion always stays within a narrow set of guardrails going to create — or even tolerate — freewheeling heterodox media voices?” —Rich Lowry
Belly Laugh of the Day
“I went out last night to get a Subway sandwich and a group of muscular 60 year old men dumped raw milk on my head and yelled THIS IS MAHA COUNTRY.” —Cabot Phillips
And Last…
“We expect certain agencies to be deleted outright. We expect mass reductions in force in areas of the federal government that are bloated.” —Vivek Ramaswamy
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticizes President Biden in a speech to the Knesset, for his faulty judgment and policies, including trying to stop Israel from its offensive in Gaza, and says he and President-elect Donald Trump see ‘eye to eye’ on Iran; US envoy arrives in Beirut for ceasefire talks with Hezbollah, as the terror group launches more rockets at Israel; a look at the opposition groups in Iran who some say could bring down the Islamic regime if the West helps them; Chris Mitchell talks about those Iranian groups, the possibility of a strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, Iran’s potential backing of a Hezbollah ceasefire, and Netanyahu’s criticism of Biden; how ‘Big Brother’ really is watching Americans – as our own devices are tracking us, and vast amounts of information are harvested and sold, sometimes even to our own government; and today makes the 1,000th day of the Russia-Ukraine war – with a new warning from Russia about using nuclear weapons.
“Okay. Here is what Donald Trump believes: the majority of Americans want him to avenge perceived political corruption and not just drain the swamp; they want the morass annihilated.”
(Bill O’Reilly) “It’s business, not personal, Sonny.” – Tom Hagen to Sonny Corleone in “The Godfather”
President Trump is going to the mattresses. He is bent on dismantling the Washington power structure, which has demeaned and persecuted him. Many were shocked when he nominated Matt Gaetz to be Attorney General. But why the surprise? Gaetz is a dynamiter who would cleanse the Justice Department of leftist partisans. That’s the plan, although the Senate will not confirm Mr. Gaetz.
In the MAGA world, it all makes sense. The federal “justice” apparatus has terrorized Trump for nine years. Relentless accusations and investigations. More than 100 million taxpayer dollars spent to ruin the Don. The result: the former president garnered 76 million votes, cruising to a second presidential term. View article →
Nikki Haley, a former Republican presidential candidate, laid into Scarborough and Brzezinski after they revealed on-air Monday they had a face-to-face with Trump at Mar-a-Lago in a bid to “restart communications.”
Melania Trump will again be the First Lady of the United States — and perhaps, this time, the media will treat her as such.
Not one magazine bothered to feature Mrs. Trump on its cover during President Donald Trump’s entire first term, despite her philanthropic work on the “Be Best” anti-bullying campaign, and despite her long and storied career as a cover model (née Melania Knauss) in high demand before her husband entered the political fray.
Breitbart News was the only outlet to feature the First Lady, frequently noting her fashion choices, which were often inspired and original. In contrast, the media had gushed over First Lady Michelle Obama’s outfits — which, while occasionally interesting, were often perceived by the public as garish. The media also fêted Obama and First Lady Jill Biden, with Voguefeaturing the current First Lady days after President Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance.
Melania Trump called out the media’s bias in an interview in 2022, as Breitbart News noted at the time:
Trump’s comments came during an interview with Fox and Friends Weekend’s Pete Hegseth, in which he pointed out that the last three first ladies who were the wives of Democratic presidents had made the cover during their respective tenures in the White House. A clip of the interview was shared on Twitter by former Florida prosecutor Ron Filipkowski.
…
Twice failed presidential candidate and former first lady Hillary Clinton made the cover while her husband, former President Bill Clinton, was in office, and Michelle Obama was featured on the cover three times when she was the first lady, Peopledocumented. Hegseth noted that Jill Biden made the cover five months into Joe Biden’s presidency, and so did Vice President Kamala Harris before assuming office.
…
Trump did grace the cover in 2005 following her marriage to Donald Trump, in which she donned her wedding dress.
In addition to media snubs, the media sought to humiliate the First Lady with constant stories about her husband’s supposed past dalliances, including the story — and later prosecution — regarding adult film actress Stormy Daniels (née Stephanie Clifford). The media also speculated on the personal, intimate life of the President and First Lady, casting them in the worst light possible.
Perhaps this time, with Trump’s win in the popular vote, the media will treat Melania Trump as the First Lady. But in this window of time before the Inauguration, perhaps they should first offer her an apology.
With the outgoing US president seemingly eager to throw a final tantrum before his time is up, it’s up to Moscow to be the adult in the room
By Tarik Cyril Amar, a historian from Germany working at Koç University, Istanbul, on Russia, Ukraine, and Eastern Europe, the history of World War II, the cultural Cold War, and the politics of memory
Never a dull day: America’s political culture is constantly evolving. Currently, we are witnessing a beautifully “bipartisan” competition over who can leave the president’s office as the sorest loser. After the 2020 election, when Donald Trump was defeated and had to vacate the White House to make room for Joe Biden, Trump and his followers would not stop whining about having been cheated (no, they were not). In the end, whatever you think about its political meaning – vulgar riot or full-blown coup attempt – their January 2021 storming of the Capitol in Washington certainly qualified as a tantrum of historic proportions. Think Boston Tea Party, but with very, very tired toddlers.
And now, with Trump riding back into town – and even the New York Times forced to acknowledge that he is not an aberration but a “transformational force” – the outgoing Biden team has found an even more tempestuous way of throwing its toys out of the pram: Whereas the unimaginatively homebound Trumpsters of 2021 could not think of anything better than making a very embarrassing scene at home, the Bidenistas of 2024 – good liberal internationalists that they are – have found a way of going global with their anger management issue. What’s a storming of a national parliament if you can risk triggering World War III?
Because that is what the Biden administration is doing by – after long and well-founded hesitation – allowing the regime of Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky to use American ATACMS missiles for strikes into Russia. The attitude of the EU-NATO Europeans has been muddled. Usually they, of course, fall in line with the US, but there are some signs that this time they might find it too risky or split over the issue. Germany will not – for once (and for now!) – follow the US slavishly: Barely-still-chancellor Olaf Scholz is clinging to his “no” to delivering Taurus cruise missiles to Kiev. France and Britain, too, are reported to be “circumspect,” whatever that may mean in the end.
To be precise, three caveats are in order: The initial news of this shift were, US-style, not fully official but wrapped in a leak released through the as-always-obliging New York Times on November 18. Then, one day later, the White House followed up with neither confirming nor denying the story. The ATACMS attack on the Bryansk region shows that the news was real enough. Second, the Russia being targeted does not “merely” consist of territories that used to be Ukrainian in 1991 but are now claimed by Moscow: The new decision is so explosive because it means firing into territories everyone acknowledges as belonging to Russia. Finally – and crucially – things are made worse by the fact that this is not even really about “allowing” Ukraine to use the ATACMS missiles in this manner. Rather, these weapons do not only come from the US, they also can only be operated with substantial Western assistance. What we are talking about are, in other words, not simply Ukrainian but joined NATO-Ukrainian attacks on Russia with American weapons fired from Ukrainian territory.
Russia has just officially changed and, to an extent, loosened its nuclear arms doctrine. The Russian president Vladimir Putin has long warned the West that Moscow will not tolerate the absurd fiction that these missiles will come only from Ukraine. Instead, such use of the ATACMS, he has been clear, will bring about a (direct and open) state of war between Russia and NATO. In response to the Biden administration’s fresh escalation, Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov has confirmed that this position has not changed: Washington is “pouring oil into the flames,” Peskov has commented, risking escalating “tensions to a qualitatively new level.” In particular, he pointed out that such a US policy also implies “a whole new situation with regard to US involvement in this conflict.”
So, there is no doubt that this Democratic administration, already on its way out after a thorough electoral thrashing by the Trumpist Republicans, is, literally and deliberately, dialing up the tension in a manner that risks World War III – a direct clash between NATO and Russia (and, in that case, most likely, not only Russia).
In effect firing (with and for a friend, so to speak) your missiles at a great-power state with a large nuclear arsenal is always a really, really dicey move. Getting ready to do so just after elections have made clear that you definitely do not represent your nation, especially on that issue, adds a nice touch of contempt for the American people. Say what you will about MAGA-fury and Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, she is right about this one.
Why is this happening? We do not know. There are published rumors that even Biden advisers are split on the issue. Is this, then, a last desperate throw of the dice by the most bellicist White House and State Department faction, trying to escalate to full-scale war before Trump will get his chance to shut the whole thing down? Or is it “merely” an especially cynical maneuver meant to poison the US-Russian relationship even further so that Trump will have as hard a time as possible when trying to fix it? Is it part of an information war strategy aimed most of all at the American public, preparing the ground for the post-proxy war blame game? “We Democrats did everything we could to the last minute, but then they, the Republicans, came in and lost Ukraine!” – That kind of thing.
Or has the whole operation been coordinated with the incoming Trump team to increase the pressure on Russia, a sort of primitive bad-cop-good-cop con, as some speculate? Unlikely, it seems. For that explanation to be plausible, the protests from the Trump side are a little too loud. That Greene has come out guns blazing may not be strong evidence. She is well known for being – cough, cough – extremely outspoken and a bit of a loose cannon, too. But Donald Trump Jr. – currently much in favor with his dad – and Trump senior’s designated national security adviser Mike Waltz have also weighed in: For Trump junior, the Biden move is about the “military industrial complex” trying to “get World War 3 going before my father has a chance to create peace and save lives.” Waltz, meanwhile, has, in effect, publicly agreed with the Russian position by calling the ATACMS move another “step up the escalation ladder” leading into the unknown. He has also stressed that the Biden administration did not inform him in advance – so much for talk about a smooth transition, then.
Whatever the reasons for Biden’s last hooray, no one in Washington even claims that adding these ATACMS strikes will actually make a genuine military difference (that is, in Kiev’s favor). The times when one miracle weapon after the other was sold to Western publics as a “game changer” are over. Now we hear much more modest assertions, such as that, somehow, such ATACMS attacks are the right response to the alleged appearance of North Korean allies on Russia’s side. How? No one really knows or seems to feel they’d need to know. Instead, we hear vague mumbling that the ATACMS will, in essence, teach North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un a lesson. Good luck with that… I bet the man who built himself a nuclear deterrent in defiance of the US and its allies will be immensely impressed.
But let’s not try too hard to understand Washington. To paraphrase a famous line from the nineteenth-century Russian poet Fyodor Tyutchev, late-imperial Washington cannot really be grasped by reason. It’s just too irrational for that. What is more important is to ask what consequences these US antics will have. Here the key fact to keep in mind is that risking World War III is certainly very bad, especially in the context of a dastardly proxy war that should never have happened in the first place. But it’s still not the same as actually starting World War III, fortunately. Washington could, of course, do that as well. Yet as things are, its disruptive activities are limited to making it more likely.
In the end, therefore, the key factor remains Russia. Or to be more precise, how Moscow will choose to respond to a type of attack – once it happens – that it has warned the West about in very clear terms. One option we can rule out is that Russia will simply do nothing. That is impossible because that is not its style nowadays (it’s not the 1990s anymore, as hard as many in the West still find it to process that fact), and, also, it would embolden an out-of-control and lawless West further and allow it to undermine Moscow’s credibility.
Russia will exact a price. The question is how exactly. Even while Putin has warned that a direct state of war between Russia and NATO will follow from joined NATO-Ukrainian ATACMS attacks in Russia, Moscow has, of course, not tied its own hands: Even if it considers itself at war, it will still be Russia’s decision what to do about that. Here the fact remains that the Russian leadership has no interest in a type of retaliation – for instance, a direct attack on NATO bases in Poland, Romania, or Germany – that would play into the hands of Western bellicists, especially while Russia is winning the war on the ground in Ukraine and on the eve of Trump’s return to Washington.
What seems more likely are responses elsewhere in a world that features between 700 and 800 US bases, often in places where no one wants them. It would, for instance, be easy for Russia to dish out painful payback through regional adversaries of the US and their allies, for instance in the Middle East. Moreover, Moscow can, obviously, also retaliate within Ukraine, including against Western black-ops troops and mercenaries, as it has done before.
The bottom line remains that Biden’s last gamble is a double sore-loser move: By a president and a party that cannot accept that Trump – with his at least declared vision of making peace with Russia – has beaten them at the American polls. And by a US foreign policy establishment that won’t admit that its whole hubristic proxy war project of demoting Russia has not only failed but backfired: Moscow has grown stronger and the West weaker. And once again, the world will have to rely on the Russian leadership to be the adult in the room and find a way to respond and, if necessary, retaliate in a smart manner that will avoid global escalation. That, in turn, will only increase Russia’s standing even further. Bidenistas: Slow claps for you, again.
The Trump Dance has become as iconic as the MAGA hat.
In the Americas, in Europe, in Asia… everywhere you look, there’s a Trump dance going on, with people jubilantly celebrating a new day in the world.
In the beginning of the Donald J. Trump 2024 campaign, the signature song was an old Sam & Dave soul track called ‘Hold On, I’m Coming’, which was a pretty direct promise, while also a great song with an infectious beat.
And the crowds loved to see Trump dancing, channeling the incredible energy from his always-packed rallies.
At some point in the long and hard-fought campaign that historians shall determine in the future, the musical attraction became the old 70’s disco hit ‘YMCA’ from the iconic Village People.
After the historic electoral landslide, the ‘Trump Dance’ started spreading around the world in a viral way, reflecting the positive vibes that overtook America and the planet since Trump won as a messenger of common sense and prosperity.
Watch: one of the first to get down to it was former Brazilian President Bolsonaro.
Watch: Greek politician Ariadni Latonopoulou on Antenna Greek TV.
Greek politician Ariadni Latonopoulou has gone viral after posting a video of herself performing Trump-inspired dance moves to the classic tune “YMCA” on Antenna Greek TV. #Latonopoulou#trump#ymcapic.twitter.com/ONxXIbpHlM
The real relevance of the Trump Dance phenomenom is well expressed by Evolutionary Behavioral Scientist Gad Saad:
“The @realDonaldTrump viral dance might seem like a minor issue. It’s NOT. It captures a shift in the zeitgeist. It is now cool to openly show support for Trump, for common sense, for reality. The degenerate left (including most academics) have had a complete stronghold on all institutions that shape culture. It will take a generation to eradicate the parasitic ideas and the suicidal empathy but this is a good first step.”
The Obamas are in deep trouble. Once untouchable, Barack and Michelle are now entangled in credible allegations linking them to disturbing events at Sean “Diddy” Combs’ notorious “Freak Off” parties – events clouded in secrecy, but now facing an unprecedented public reckoning.
Play Video
Worst of all for the Obamas, it’s on film. The feds have it all. And the Democrats no longer control the levers of power in D.C.
Our source? A whistleblower who worked behind the scenes at countless of these parties, witnessing and even participating in some of the most degrading secret acts of the entertainment elite. Now, she’s ready to step into the light, prepared to testify and expose the A-list figures tied to what she describes as Luciferian rituals?
Starting in late September, Russia had unveiled its expanded nuclear doctrine which proposed a lowered threshold for Russian strategic forces’ use of nukes. This was due to the “emergence of new sources of military threats and risks for Russia and our allies” – amid fiercer drone and missile attacks coming across the border from Ukraine. This change in nuclear doctrine has now been formally signed into effect by President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, two days after President Biden authorized Ukraine to begin conducting long-range strikes inside Russia with US-made missiles.
Ukraine has already taken advantage of that, also on Tuesday, using a MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System to strike a military installation in the western Bryansk region. “For the first time, Ukraine’s Defense Forces struck Russian territory with ATACMS ballistic missiles,” RBC Ukraine news agency reported Tuesday.
RBC Ukraine said the military facility near the city of Karachev in the Bryansk region was successfully hit with ATACMS after six missile were fired (with Russia saying it intercepted five of them). This location was about 115 kilometers (71 miles) from the border with Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has described that the nuclear doctrine changes mean that “the Russian Federation reserves the right to use nuclear weapons in the event of aggression using conventional weapons against it and/or the Republic of Belarus.”
Source: Sputnik
“An important element of this document is that nuclear deterrence is aimed at ensuring that a potential adversary understands the inevitability of retaliation in the event of aggression against the Russian Federation or its allies,” Peskov said.
Thus this is the key change and lowering of the threshold – that even conventional weapons used by an enemy could trigger nuclear retaliation if deemed enough of a threat against Russia and its sovereignty.
The Associated Press also spells out, “The new doctrine allows for a potential nuclear response by Moscow even to a conventional attack on Russia by any nation that is supported by a nuclear power.”
Alarmingly, Peskov has already said that a Ukrainian attack like today’s could potentially trigger it:
Asked Tuesday if a Ukrainian attack with longer-range U.S. missiles could potentially trigger a nuclear response, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov answered affirmatively, pointing to the doctrine’s provision that holds the door open for it after a conventional strike that raises critical threats for the “sovereignty and territorial integrity: of Russia and its ally, Belarus.”
Also according to the newly expanded doctrine, in the event Western powers assist another nation in a major attack on Russian soil, those same Western powers will also be held responsible. This can trigger Russian nuclear launch. This appears to be why Peskov answered in the affirmative.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has addressed the nuclear doctrine change from Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro on the sidelines of the G20 Summit.
He asserted that Russia’s position is that nuclear war won’t happen, and that fundamentally Russian nuclear doctrine doesn’t differ from the United States’. But still, he added, Russia will “react accordingly” to Ukraine firing a US long-range missile.
He expressed hope that the West will study the update in Russia’s nuclear doctrine. “The West appears to be working towards escalating the Ukraine conflict,” he said. Meanwhile the US has indicated it won’t respond to Russia’s nuclear doctrine move.
“Okay. Here is what Donald Trump believes: the majority of Americans want him to avenge perceived political corruption and not just drain the swamp; they want the morass annihilated.”
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