Random links of interest, concern or curiosity from the past week or so, that deserve at least a SHORT mention:

 
Pro-Life Dems (Gathered) Tuesday Ahead of Second Debate, Call for Inclusion in Party ~ Sorry to disappoint, but “Pro-Life Democrat” is an oxymoron these days ~

“Polls consistently indicate that one-third of Democrats are pro-life,” (Democrats for Life director Kristen Day) said in a press release Monday. And yet, “None of the men or women vying to be our next President are seeking the support of the 21 million Democratic voters who would like to see abortion less necessary and less common.”
 
It’s not just that Democratic candidates aren’t reaching out to pro-life voters. They’re running in the opposite direction.

 
Chinese Schools Urging Kids to Report Christian Relatives ~ Shades of Stalin’s U.S.S.R.; foment familial discord so human connections become frayed and one’s only loyalty is to the State ~

The Chinese government continues to tighten its grip on Christianity by actively discouraging young people to engage in things of faith. Under the last year’s new Regulations on Religious Affairs legislation, schoolchildren are even encouraged to report any family members who espouse Christian views.
 
According to Chinese persecution watchdog, Bitter Winter, the new policy has created fierce rifts amongst families as children are encouraged to questions and undermine the religious beliefs of those closest to them. In addition, the youngsters are fully aware that, if they report members of their family, it could result in their arrest and prosecution.
 
“My teacher says that Christianity is an evil cult,” one boy explained to his mother. “[That] if you believe in it, you will leave home and not take care of me. You might set yourself on fire, too.”

 
Venezuela’s socialist dictator publicly offers sanctuary to fugitive Colombian FARC narco-terrorists ~ Birds-of-a-feather…

With fellow Cuban dictatorship sock puppet Miguel Diaz Canel at his side, socialist dictator Nicolas Maduro publicly offered sanctuary in Venezuela to fugitive terrorists from FARC, the Marxist Colombian narco-terrorist group. The announcement came at the Sao Paulo Forum, a gathering of corrupt Latin American leftists and socialist tyrants.

 
Report: Co-Founder Of Small Nonprofit That Raises Millions For Priests Accused Of Sexual Abuse Is Accused Of Sexual Abuse ~ My my, what a coincidence ~

A small nonprofit group with alleged ties reaching all the way to the Vatican has quietly aided hundreds, if not thousands, of Catholic priests accused of sexual abuse for nearly two decades, according to an Associated Press report published Monday.
 
The nonprofit, Opus Bono Sacerdotii, has reportedly provided money, shelter, and legal aid to accused priests since 2002, setting up meetings in unmarked buildings with the clergymen in the tiny town of Dryden, Michigan. One of the organization’s founders, Rev. Eduard Perrone of the Archdiocese of Detroit, was reportedly removed from ministry earlier this month due to an allegation that he sexually abused a minor decades ago, which he denies.

 
Opposition To Judicial Nominees Skyrocketed After Trump Took Office ~ Kavanaugh’s ordeal was just the most notorious example ~

Since President Donald Trump took office, the regular order of the confirmation process has turned on its head. The percentage of judicial nominees facing opposition – even a single vote – to confirmation has skyrocketed from the traditional 3 percent to more than 70 percent.

 
Archaeologists Unearth the Church of the Apostles Near Sea of Galilee ~

A team of American and Israeli archaeologists say they have discovered the Church of the Apostles on top of what was once a home for two of Jesus’ disciples […]

 
Early Christian pilgrims wrote about the Byzantine church. Bavarian Bishop (and saint) Willibald mentioned it in 725 A.D. “[Willibald] states that the church was in Bethsaida built over the house of Peter and Andrew, among the first disciples of Jesus,” Notley told Fox News.

Gillette Comes within a Whisker of Disaster ~ How’s that gender-bender propaganda working out for Proctor & Gamble? Not so well ~

After a string of male-bashing, transgender shaving ads, the parent company of Gillette got nicked so badly, market experts wonder if the brand will survive. Gillette’s CEO insists the radical activism was “worth the price.” Let’s hope so — because so far, that price is a whopping $8 billion dollars.

 
Green Activists With Ties to China Advised Obama State Department ~ The enemy within ~

The Natural Resources Defense Council held close ties to the Obama administration, providing advice on joining the Paris Agreement while simultaneously maintaining ties to China, according to attorneys and policy analysts who have reviewed email records obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request […]
 
“NRDC’s opposition to America’s fossil-fuel development comports with China’s goal of hamstringing its chief global rival,” said Cohen. “The Paris Climate Agreement heavily restricted U.S. energy development, which is exactly what NRDC and Beijing want.”

 
Asteroid 2019OK’s Near Miss Rocks Scientism: Why a Little Humility is in Order ~ Not only did it pass just by us at just 20% of the distance between earth and the moon, no one even saw it coming. Maybe science isn’t omniscient after all.
Furthermore, as John Stonestreet points out, the danger of our arrogance is much more palpable when it comes to other issues, such as playing God with the human genome ~

We simply cannot predict the physical and social impact of gene-editing technology. Of course, that won’t stop us. The potentially disastrous process of “trial and error” with this technology won’t cause us to admit we aren’t nearly as smart as we think we are.

 
‘Hidden’ NOAA temperature data reveals that 6 of the last 9 months were below normal in the USA – and NOAA can’t even get June right ~ And yet the spin continues ~

The data, taken directly from NOAA’s national climate data page, shows not only that much of 2019 was below average, but that the US Temperature average is actually cooler now for 2019 than we were in 2005, when the dataset started.

 
Famed Yale computer science professor quits believing Darwin’s theories ~ Always encouraged to see folks like this who have sincerely considered the evidence for evolution… and found it to be pretty much non-existent ~

In May, the Claremont Review of Books published a column by David Gelernter headlined “Giving Up Darwin.” In it, he explained how his readings and discussions of Darwinian evolution and its competing theories, namely intelligent design, have convinced him Darwin had it wrong.
 
In particular, he cited Stephen Meyer’s 2013 book Darwin’s Doubt as well as The Deniable Darwin by David Berlinski […]
 
“My argument is with people who dismiss intelligent design without considering, it seems to me — it’s widely dismissed in my world of academia as some sort of theological put up job — it’s an absolutely serious scientific argument,” Gelernter said during his interview. “In fact it’s the first and most obvious and intuitive one that comes to mind. It’s got to be dealt with intellectually.”