“During the course of administration, and in order to disturb it, the artillery of the press has been leveled against us, charged with whatsoever its licentiousness could devise or dare. These abuses of an institution so important to freedom and science are deeply to be regretted, inasmuch as they tend to lessen its usefulness and to sap its safety.”
~ Thomas Jefferson
Gee, sounds like he’s describing today’s irresponsible, agenda-driven mainstream media doesn’t it?
Founding Wisdom [Flouted by the Foolish]
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Saturday Shorts – 2-24-18
Random links of interest, concern or curiosity from the past week or so, that deserve at least a SHORT mention:
CNN and MSNBC Helped Russia Sow Discord by Promoting Fake Anti-Trump Rally ~ Hey, whatever helps advance their Trump=evil narrative ~
November 12 coverage showed (that) both CNN and MSNBC gave enthusiastic coverage to the Russian-organized anti-Trump rally that day, with live reports every hour. Correspondents celebrated the idea that it was “a love rally,” and repeated the marchers’ anti-Trump mantras, such as: “We reject the President-elect.” […]
Of course, none of the networks were aware of who was allegedly behind the march, but CNN and MSNBC reveled in the inflammatory messages of the march. At one point, MSNBC anchor Alex Witt credulously responded to the ridiculously alarmist rhetoric: “That woman, when she’s saying she’s concerned that black people will be shot in the street….Is that a legitimate concern for her? Because, that’s scary.”
Why are You Surprised? ~ Another week, another mass shooting. Could our rotten culture have anything to do with it? The Stream poses some compelling questions ~
I am told I am my own king, my own God, my own reality. I can be a male today, a female tomorrow and you gladly oblige me. Today I want to be a killer. Who are you to deny me? Why are you surprised?
Mass shootings and psychiatric drugs: the connection ~ Another compelling cause & effect that the gun controllers choose to dismiss ~
The drugs aren’t the only causative factor, but they produce what I call the Johnny Appleseed effect throughout society. Sprinkle enough of the drugs among enough people and you get otherwise unexplainable violence popping up—in schools, in workplaces. The psychiatric plague eats out the country from the inside.
What Kind Of Society Condemns Prayer After A School Shooting? ~ One that doesn’t think it needs Him?
No matter our passion and sincerity, human wisdom alone will not solve the terrible problem of mass shootings in America. To solve that problem, we need God. And we need each other.
We need prayer.
Seattle Residents Complained About A ‘Confederate Flag.’ It Was Actually The Flag Of Norway ~ Ignorance begets outrage ~
“That’s a Norwegian flag,” said the Norwegian owner of the flagpole in question. “It’s been up there since the start of the Olympics.”
New California declares ‘independence’ from California in bid to become 51st state ~ Secessionists have had it with progressive politics and their destructive effect on the Golden State. They propose leaving the mid-section of the coast to the loony leftists
“After years of over taxation, regulation, and mono-party politics the State of California and many of it’s 58 Counties have become ungovernable,” the group said in a statement, citing a “decline in essential basic services” including education, law enforcement, infrastructure and health care.
And who can blame them? San Francisco Spends $30 Million Cleaning Feces, Needles
Islamic State Fighter On Trial Admits Terror Group Sent Him Disguised As Refugee ~ Oh, who would have ever guessed?
The 27-year-old said that he trained with the terror group in its former capital of Raqqa for three months with four different weapons before heading to Europe. An Islamic State member also gave him a forged passport along with a sum of $1,500.
China wages war on funeral strippers
~ Now here’s a trend we haven’t imported yet (Although Hugh Hefner may have had a few at his memorial service) ~
“According to the interpretation of cultural anthropology, the fete is originated from the worship of reproduction,” media professor Kuang Haiyan said, according to The Global Times. “Therefore the erotic performance at the funeral is just a cultural atavism.”
Hungary PM: ‘Christianity is Europe’s last hope’ ~
Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on Sunday said Christianity is Europe’s “last hope” and he will oppose efforts by the United Nations or the European Union to make migration acceptable to the world.
So Hungary won’t wind up like this ~ UK: 150 schools now make it compulsory for girls to wear hijab
Colorado Legislator, Columbine Survivor Champions Legislation to Expand Concealed Carry in School Zones ~ There’s a reason gun-free zones are the target of choice for would-be mass murderers ~
Colorado State Rep. Partick Neville (R.), who attended Columbine High School during the tragic 1999 school shooting, has filed legislation to remove restrictions prohibiting concealed carry permit holders from being able to carry a firearm on public elementary, middle, junior high, and high school grounds.
“As a former Columbine student who was a sophomore during the shootings on April 20, 1999, I will do everything in my power to prevent Colorado families from enduring the hardships my classmates and I faced that day,” Neville told the Washington Times.
Burger King responds after family says children saw sex scene playing on TV ~ This was here in metro Detroit just last week – on a Sunday afternoon!
Avery says when he informed restaurant workers at 2:30 pm last Sunday, they did not seem overly concerned or take action. After waiting for several minutes, he says he took it upon himself to turn off the TV.
Delaware Proposal Would Let Students ‘Choose’ Their Race, Gender Without Parental Consent ~ When the government becomes the child abuser ~
The state of Delaware has proposed a controversial regulation that would allow students as young as five to choose their own race and gender without parental consent.
Some parents support Regulation 225 and say they are open to a more welcoming climate for their non-binary or transgender children, while others argue the measure will infringe on their parental rights, Fox News reported Tuesday.
13 Countries at the Winter Olympics Where Christianity Is Under Threat ~ Open Doors World Watch list ~
Many countries that have differences put them aside for two weeks as they compete for gold. But of course, there are realities that don’t go away during the games. Countries at war don’t necessarily have a cease-fire; human rights abuses don’t disappear; and for Christians in many of the countries participating in the games, religious persecution doesn’t end.
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The facts about America’s “Peculiar Institution”
In honor of Black History Month, I’d like to present some inconvenient truths about the abominable institution of slavery. Because – without discounting in any way the horrible realities of one group of human beings enslaving another – it’s important to keep our uniquely American experience in perspective. Michael Medved does that quite effectively in this 2007 article ~
(T)he current mania for exaggerating America’s culpability for the horrors of slavery bears no more connection to reality than the old, discredited tendency to deny that the U.S. bore any blame at all. No, it’s not true that the “peculiar institution” featured kind-hearted, paternalistic masters and happy, dancing field-hands, any more than it’s true that America displayed unparalleled barbarity or enjoyed disproportionate benefit from kidnapping and exploiting innocent Africans.
An honest and balanced understanding of the position of slavery in the American experience requires a serious attempt to place the institution in historical context and to clear-away some of the common myths and distortions.
Medved’s entire essay is excellent and a very worthwhile read; he makes six key points ~
1. SLAVERY WAS AN ANCIENT AND UNIVERSAL INSTITUTION, NOT A DISTINCTIVELY AMERICAN INNOVATION
At the time of the founding of the Republic in 1776, slavery existed literally everywhere on earth and had been an accepted aspect of human history from the very beginning of organized societies […]
Contrary to the glamorization of aboriginal New World cultures, the Mayas, Aztecs and Incas counted among the most brutal slave-masters of them all — not only turning the members of other tribes into harshly abused beasts of burden but also using these conquered enemies to feed a limitless lust for human sacrifice. The Tupinamba, a powerful tribe on the coast of Brazil south of the Amazon, took huge numbers of captives, then humiliated them for months or years, before engaging in mass slaughter of their victims in ritualized cannibalistic feasts.
In Africa, slavery also represented a timeless norm long before any intrusion by Europeans. Moreover, the Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch or British slave traders rarely penetrated far beyond the coasts: the actual capture and kidnapping of the millions of victims always occurred at the hands of neighboring tribes.
2. SLAVERY EXISTED ONLY BRIEFLY, AND IN LIMITED LOCALES, IN THE HISTORY OF THE REPUBLIC – INVOLVING ONLY A TINY PERCENTAGE OF THE ANCESTORS OF TODAY’S AMERICANS
Even in the South, more than 80% of the white population never owned slaves. Given the fact that the majority of today’s non-black Americans descend from immigrants who arrived in this country after the War Between the States, only a tiny percentage of today’s white citizens – perhaps as few as 5% — bear any authentic sort of generational guilt for the exploitation of slave labor.
3. THOUGH BRUTAL, SLAVERY WASN’T GENOCIDAL: LIVE SLAVES WERE VALUABLE BUT DEAD CAPTIVES BROUGHT NO PROFIT
By definition, the crime of genocide requires the deliberate slaughter of a specific group of people; slavers invariably preferred oppressing and exploiting live Africans rather than murdering them en masse […]
For slave owners and slave dealers in the New World, however, death of your human property cost you money, just as the death of your domestic animals would cause financial damage […]
Rather than eliminating the slave population, profit-oriented masters wanted to produce as many new, young slaves as they could. This hardly represents a compassionate or decent way to treat your fellow human beings, but it does amount to the very opposite of genocide.
4. IT’S NOT TRUE THAT THE U.S. BECAME A WEALTHY NATION THROUGH THE ABUSE OF SLAVE LABOR: THE MOST PROSPEROUS STATES IN THE COUNTRY WERE THOSE THAT FIRST FREED THEIR SLAVES
All analyses of Northern victory in the great sectional struggle highlights the vast advantages in terms of wealth and productivity in New England, the Mid-Atlantic States and the Midwest, compared to the relatively backward and impoverished states of the Confederacy.
While a few elite families in the Old South undoubtedly based their formidable fortunes on the labor of slaves, the prevailing reality of the planter class involved chronic indebtedness and shaky finances long before the ultimate collapse of the evil system of bondage. The notion that America based its wealth and development on slave labor hardly comports with the obvious reality that for two hundred years since the founding of the Republic, by far the poorest and least developed section of the nation was precisely that region where slavery once prevailed.
5. WHILE AMERICA DESERVES NO UNIQUE BLAME FOR THE EXISTENCE OF SLAVERY, THE UNITED STATES MERITS SPECIAL CREDIT FOR ITS RAPID ABOLITION
~ In condemning the U.S. for its participation in slavery, myopic critics typically discount the enormous cost of the Civil War in blood and treasure ~
While the United States (and the British colonies that preceded our independence) played no prominent role in creating the institution of slavery, or even in establishing the long-standing African slave trade pioneered by Arab, Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch and other merchants long before the settlement of English North America, Americans did contribute mightily to the spectacularly successful anti-slavery agitation. As early as 1646, the Puritan founders of New England expressed their revulsion at the enslavement of their fellow children of God […]
Julia Ward Howe’s powerful and popular “Battle Hymn of the Republic” called on Federal troops to follow Christ’s example: “as he died to make men holy/let us die to make men free.” And many of them did die, some 364,000 in four years of combat—or the stunning equivalent of five million deaths as a percentage of today’s United States population. Moreover, the economic cost of liberation remained almost unimaginable.
6. THERE IS NO REASON TO BELIEVE THAT TODAY’S AFRICAN-AMERICANS WOULD BE BETTER OFF IF THEIR ANCESTORS HAD REMAINED BEHIND IN AFRICA
(T)o bring American blacks in line with their cousins who the slave-traders left behind in Africa would require a drastic reduction in their wealth, living standards, and economic and political opportunities. No honest observer can deny or dismiss this nation’s long record of racism and injustice, but it’s also obvious that Americans of African descent enjoy vastly greater wealth and human rights of every variety than the citizens of any nation of the Mother Continent.
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Furthermore, as I pointed out last month – and the anti-America malcontents don’t wish to acknowledge – slavery as hardly been eradicated from the earth. If fact, “despite more than a dozen international conventions banning slavery in the past 150 years, there are more slaves today than at any point in human history.”
Medved concluded with this observation ~
In short, politically correct assumptions about America’s entanglement with slavery lack any sense of depth, perspective or context. As with so many other persistent lies about this fortunate land, the unthinking indictment of the United States as uniquely blameworthy for an evil institution ignores the fact that the record of previous generations provides some basis for pride as well as guilt.
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Related:
Democrats’ Racist Roots – a reminder ~ While it’s mostly Leftists who are hypercritical of America’s past experience with slavery, it’s their party that’s been on the wrong side of history for centuries.
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The World’s War on Christendom – Latest Dispatch from the Front
As I’ve written about before (here, here and here), Nigeria is not the best place on the planet to be Christian these days. The latest atrocity ~ Armed gangs WIPE OUT 15 villages in mass Christian slaughter in Nigeria ~
Dozens of people have been killed after the gangs ransacked towns and villages to clear them of all aspects of the Christian faith.
Houses belonging to believers have also been razed with authorities doing little to help, an anti-persecution watchdog claimed.
Open Doors spoke to one Christian who described the broad daylight attack carried out by a group of Fulani – one of Africa’s largest ethnicities.
A spokeswoman said: “One attack took place in broad daylight, as people were about to go to church. The assailants chased and killed the villagers and burned down nine churches and many more houses.” […]
The shocked witness said Christians needed more protection from the country’s leader or lives would continue to be lost.
They said: “Despite several calls to the governor and his deputy, and other security apparatus, the government remained silent as the atrocities continued.
“The Fulani were able to carry out their deadly attack. They stayed for hours in the vicinity, moving at will, unchallenged.”
Why does this genocide continue mostly unchecked? Short answer: Nigeria is a Muslim-majority country (Stage-Two Jihad); three years ago they elected Muhammadu Buhari, a Muslim with alleged ties to Boko Haram. (Incidentally, the evil David Axelrod was instrumental in smearing the country’s previous president and getting Buhar elected. And BHO probably helped.) ~
A spokeswoman for Open Doors said: “Believers experience discrimination and exclusion, and violence from militant Islamic groups, resulting in the loss of property, land, livelihood, physical injury or death; this is spreading southwards.
“Corruption has enfeebled the state and made it ill-equipped to protect Christians. Rivalry between ethnic groups and raids by Fulani herdsmen compound the persecution. Converts face rejection from their Muslim families and pressure to recant.”
Open Doors ranks the country #14 on their list of countries with the highest levels of Christian persecution ~
In the southern part of Nigeria, Christians experience religious freedom. However, in the northern and Middle Belt regions, they suffer from violence perpetrated by Islamic militant groups. Death, physical injury and loss of property are commonplace, as well as loss of land and livelihood. In northern Nigeria, society as a whole treats Christians as second-class citizens who deserve to be discriminated against and excluded. Christians from Muslim backgrounds also face persecution from their own families who reject and pressure them to renounce Christianity. To make matters worse, corruption has made the government ill-equipped to protect Christians from violent attack.
Reuters reported on a small bit of good news today ~ Nigeria rescues 76 schoolgirls after Boko Haram attack, others missing ~
BAUCHI, Nigeria, Feb 21 (Reuters) – The Nigerian military rescued 76 schoolgirls and recovered the bodies of two others on Wednesday, after the students went missing during a Boko Haram attack on a village, three parents, a resident and a local government official told Reuters.
“Everybody is celebrating their coming with songs and praises to God almighty,” said Babagana Umar, one of the parents whose daughter had disappeared. “The only sad news is that two girls were dead and no explanation.”
Much too little too late – but better than nothing (or at least better than launching aid raids on innocent villagers [see below]!).
Please pray for the Christians in Nigeria.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Video via Open Doors
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Related:
Why Don’t We Care About the Slaughter of Nigerian Christians? ~ from Michael Brown ~
For the last several months, a good friend and Christian missionary serving the poorest of the poor in Nigeria has been sending me emails with terrifying news. Fulani tribesmen raping and killing villagers. Children being used as Islamic suicide bombers, resulting in scores of casualties. One horrible report after another.
Yet with each email I received, as I scoured the major news agencies in the West, I found nothing reported. Not a word.
Buhari Goes After Pastor Over Comment On Herdsmen; Nigeria Arrests Cameroon Activists; Ethiopians… ~ Video that plainly shows how Nigerian President Buhari is on the wrong side of this genocide.
Nigerian bishops accuse government of failing to protect citizens from ‘terrorist’ herdsmen (Feb. 9, 2018) ~ A delegation of 11 bishops delivered a strongly worded message on behalf of the Nigerian bishops’ conference during a meeting on Feb. 8th
These attacks “have led to a near civil war situation in many parts of the country”, they asserted.
Attacks attributed to Fulani herdsmen on the properties of agriculturalists in the country’s Middle Belt have become increasingly common in recent years.
However, observers have voiced concern that in recent months, the assailants have been armed with AK47s and other expensive weaponry, rather than just machetes, suggesting that they are receiving external funding. […]
The bishops went on: “Innocent citizens in different communities across the nation are brutally attacked and their sources of livelihood mindlessly destroyed.
“Property, worth billions of Naira, including places of worship, schools, hospitals and business enterprises, are torched and turned to ashes.
“We are still more saddened by the recent massacre of unarmed citizens by these terrorists in some communities […]
Yet they said “the government, whose responsibility it is to protect the life and property of every citizen, seems either incapable or unwilling to do this. The silence of the federal government … is, to say the least, shocking”.
Nigeria: 75 killed in renewed Fulani attacks on Christian community in Plateau (Feb. 6, 2018)
Nigerian Air Force complicit in massacre of Christian villagers, says Amnesty (Feb. 2, 2018) ~
Fighter jets sent by the Nigerian Air Force fired rockets at villages where Fulani herdsmen were attacking Christian residents, according to a report released this week by Amnesty International […]
Osai Ojigho, Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, said: “Launching air raids is not a legitimate law enforcement method by anyone’s standard. Such reckless use of deadly force is unlawful, outrageous and lays bare the Nigerian military’s shocking disregard for the lives of those it supposedly exists to protect.”
New IS branch discovered in Nigeria, as UK archbishop calls for end to violence (Jan. 25, 2018)
Posted in Good vs.Evil, Unvarnished
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Progressives ejected God from public schools – so now we have crazed kids with guns instead
“The moral principles and precepts contained in the Scripture ought to form the basis of all our civil constitutions and laws. All the miseries and evil men suffer from vice, crime, ambition, injustice, oppression, slavery, and war, proceed from their despising or neglecting the precepts contained in the Bible.”
~ Noah Webster, father of public education in America
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Oddly enough, our public schools weren’t regularly used for target practice by unhinged malcontents back in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. Is anyone wondering why that’s changed over the last few decades? After all, forty – fifty years ago, gun ownership in America was as prevalent as it is today. The biggest difference? Our society wasn’t in meltdown mode yet.
In 1962, progressives demanded that we take prayer out of the public schools based on their bogus dogma of separation of church and state. Since then, their leftist policies have broken everything – and now they’re baffled by the chaos they’ve created. We’re drowning in the detritus:
• Broken marriages
• Broken families
• Broken schools
• Broken government
• Broken morality
• Broken sexuality
Kicking God out of schools has resulted in a free-for-all as far as morality goes. In fact the only thing that’s no longer tolerated in public education is traditional Judeo-Christian morality. We can’t even teach children the Golden Rule anymore.
When schools at least acknowledged God’s existence (not incidentally our most important founding principle), most of us understood that we’ll all eventually be accountable to our Creator for the life we’ve led, a belief which led naturally to much better behaved children.
In the 50’s, kids sticking chewing gum to desks and floors was the most serious disciple issue most schools faced. Today it’s a mentally-disturbed sociopath with a gun. What changed?
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There’s been a mocking Twitter meme going around aimed at we silly Christians, rebuking us for appealing to God after a tragedy like the latest school shooting in Florida; “prayers can’t stop bullets.” It’s a lie.
Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and beg Thy blessing upon us, our parents, our teachers and our Country. Amen
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Related:
School Shootings, Gun Rights, and the Imitation of Evil
In FL, a mass murderer shoots up a school. On the same day, a teacher in CO is arrested for making a student stand during the Pledge of Allegiance. Leftist hand-wringers wonder what's gone wrong in our society. The problem is self-evident. Teaching respect is now outlawed in US.
— Lee Jackson (@Stonewall_77) February 15, 2018
Posted in Good vs.Evil, Unvarnished
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President (George Washington)’s Day
Over the years, retailers have managed to convince consumers that the third Monday in February is “Presidents’ Day.” But officially it’s still the day we commemorate George Washington’s birthday.
It’s unfortunate that we’ve taken the focus off our first president because Washington’s steadfast leadership was so very crucial to America’s formative years. As The American Patriot’s Almanac points out, the Indispensible Man’s influence was critical in at least three major ways ~
• He Led American forces during the fight for independence
• He presided over the writing of our Constitution
• He served as our first president (setting the tone and modeling virtuous character for his successors)
George Washington firmly believed in the power of prayer. In his June 8, 1783 Circular Address to the States he asked the Lord to bless America with national unity and character (two things we desperately need today!) ~
Almighty God, we make our earnest prayer that You will keep the United States in Your holy protection, and that You will incline the hearts of the citizens to entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another. We pray that You will most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that charity, humility, and pacific temper of mind which were the characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion, and without a humble imitation of whose example in these things, we can never hope to be a happy nation.
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Related:
Updated: 2-21-17
Added: The Mystery of George Washington: Land-Grabber, Warmonger, then Statesman ~ John Zmirak at The Stream believes it was Washington’s flawed human nature that ultimately helped transform him into the virtuous man and the faithful, much-admired leader that we honor today.
Posted in Comfort & Joy
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The difference between North and South Korea; a brief history lesson for ignorant progressives
Despite all the evidence that North Korea is a communist hellhole which no sane person would ever want to live in, somehow U.S. Olympic commentators are naively intrigued by the totalitarian regime. Naturally, the South Koreans are baffled by this startling fascination ~ South Koreans Found American Media’s Infatuation With Kim Jong Un’s Sister ‘Mind-Boggling’
A variety of media outlets drew criticism for writing warmly about Kim Yo Jong, a director of propaganda for the rogue country, with several stories noting she smiled a lot as part of a “charm offensive.” She is North Korea’s propaganda and agitation director, playing a key role in the cult of personality around her brother’s dictatorship.
Despite this and North Korea’s abysmal human rights record, CNN declared Kim Yo Jong was “stealing the show” at the Olympics, and Reuters penned a piece quoting analysts as saying North Korea was going for a “diplomacy gold medal.” The New Republic‘s Jeet Heer called the North Korean charm offensive “surprisingly successful.”
Our mainstreams’ should be ashamed of their ignorance and complete lack of historical perspective. They clearly missed this important chapter in American -and world – history. As historian Victor Davis Hanson asserts in this Prager University video, the Korean War “deserves to be remembered and studied with pride” ~
Maybe before they embarrass themselves on the international stage again, our progressive mainstream media types should open a world history book.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Related:
Why It’s Insane To Welcome North Korea To The Olympic Games
Seoul police scuffle with protesters burning Kim Jong-un portraits & N. Korean flags (VIDEO) ~
The activists had gathered in South Korea’s capital on Sunday to voice their discontent about North Korea’s participation in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. Chanting “Let’s tear Kim Jong-un to death!” the crowd ripped up posters of the North Korean leader and burnt images of him, as well as the North Korean flag and posters of a united Korea, until police ran in to put it out.
Posted in Good vs.Evil, MSM Malpractice, Unvarnished
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Saturday Shorts – 2-17-18
Random links of interest, concern or curiosity from the past week or so, that deserve at least a SHORT mention:
DOJ backs conservative students in lawsuit against Berkeley ~ Finally – some official push-back against the campus thought-police! ~
• The Department of Justice has filed a statement in support of two conservative student groups that are suing UC-Berkeley for infringing on their First Amendment rights.
• The students allege that administrators used a new “High-Profile Speaker Policy” to stymie their efforts to bring conservative speakers to campus, particularly Ann Coulter.
Ben Carson Responds to Atheist Group’s Suit: ‘I Will Not Stop Being a Christian’ ~ The atheists at Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) are whining because some Trump cabinet members meet weekly for Bible study. (Where were they 200 years ago when church services were being held in the U.S. Capitol building?) ~
“I refuse to be intimidated by anti-religious groups into relinquishing my spirituality or religious beliefs. One of the principles of our nation’s founding is freedom of religion. I will not stop being a Christian while in service to this country.” Added (HUD Secretary Ben Carson), “In fact, it is my faith that helps me serve the nation even better.”
Amen.
Black Writer: Black Caucus’ Behavior During SOTU Shows They Are ‘Slaves’ to Democratic Party ~
The YouTube star (Candace Owens – @RealCandaceO) also came to the defense of black conservatives who are often ostracized and ridiculed for sociopolitical beliefs that differ from 87% of the black community that politically aligns with the Democratic Party.
“For too long, blacks that have been trying to help the black community have been labeled coons, while those that wish to destroy it have been celebrated as heroes,” Owens wrote. “That chapter is coming to an end.
‘Sinking’ Pacific Island Actually Getting Bigger Shock ~ According to climatists, Tuvalu was doomed ten years ago ~
There were even dire forecasts of environmental refugees fleeing to Australia and New Zealand.
Tuvalu – the Pacific island group often cited by climate alarmists as the nation most immediately at risk from rising sea levels caused by ‘global warming’ – is not sinking after all.
Feminists protest over decision to let transgender women use ladies-only pool on Hampstead Heath ~ Because the Left’s reality-free ideology inevitably clashes with itself ~
The City of London Corporation who are responsible for the facility said self-identifying trans women were now welcome to use the pond and the female changing rooms.
In a statement, the Corporation said: ‘Over the last year all lifeguards and managers at Hampstead Heath ponds have taken transgender awareness training courses, which have been offered to, and taken by, the ponds’ swimming associations as well […]
But Mayday 4 Women have been campaigning against the change and have produced flyers to ‘keep the Hampstead Heath ladies’ pond a sanctuary for women’.
According to the group: ‘Males already have have access to two ponds: the men’s pond and the mixed pond. Why should they have access to three ponds when they already have access to two?’
Hong Kong Catholics hold prayer vigil to oppose Vatican capitulation to China ~ The pope may be confused, but these folks aren’t ~
(A)bout 200 Hong Kong Catholics gathered for an all night-vigil to pray and express alarm over the Vatican’s pending capitulation to mainland China’s push for more communist control over the Chinese Catholic Church […]
John, an underground priest, told ucanews.com that the Vatican’s plan is “like asking the underground church to take communion with the devil.” The underground church feels abandoned and betrayed, he said.
He went on to say that the “Holy See is mistaken if it believes it can achieve unity by supporting the Communist Party-controlled Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association.”
Bermuda Becomes First Country to Repeal Gay Marriage ~ They still recognize domestic partnerships – for benefits, etc., but at least this is an affirmation that marriage is a union between one man and one woman ~
“The act is intended to strike a fair balance between two currently irreconcilable groups in Bermuda, by restating that marriage must be between a male and a female while at the same time recognising and protecting the rights of same-sex couples,” commented (Walton Brown, Minister of Home Affairs), whose ruling Progressive Labour Party (PLP) suggested the repeal.
A Racist Con-Man: Obama’s Portrait Artist, Who Hires Cheap Chinese Labor To Paint “His” Work, Says “Kill Whitey” Is A Major Theme ~ Obama’s finally free to show his true colors; cheap, vile racism.
Justice Clarence Thomas says he’s ‘worn down’ with victimhood culture ~ During an on-stage interview at the Library of Congress in Washington this week ~
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas said in a rare public appearance Thursday he’s exhausted with how everyone seems to consider themselves a victim these days […]
“When I was a kid, there were tons of people who were in really bad circumstances,” Thomas said. “My grandfather would not let us wallow in that.”
‘You guys are lucky I don’t know how to build a bomb,’ St. Kate’s arson suspect allegedly said ~ Guns aren’t necessarily the weapon of choice for all school terrorists. Although this particular terrorist was Islamic – and a female ~
A former St. Catherine University student charged with setting fires on the college’s St. Paul campus told police she did it because she’d “been reading about the U.S. military destroying schools in Iraq or Afghanistan and she felt that she should do exactly the same thing,” according to a criminal complaint filed Friday.
“You guys are lucky that l don’t know how to build a bomb because l would have done that,” Tnuza Jamal Hassan, 19, of Minneapolis allegedly told investigators after being arrested Wednesday afternoon in a campus dorm lounge.
Leave Right Now or Arm Yourself to the Teeth: Life in Caracas ~ Conditions in Venezuela just keep going from bad to worse ~
There’s little left now of the rich radio scene of yesteryear. Over the last decade, scores of programs—and entire stations—have been driven off the air by censorship, harassment and the purchase of media outlets by groups close to the socialist government. Those that didn’t come under attack were done in by the economic collapse.
Boys play with trucks, girls play with dolls: new study finds gender is biological ~ Who knew? ~
Research revealed in the Infant and Child Development Journal concluded that gender preferences in children are not so much the result of their environment and upbringing as they are intrinsic within the child. These findings contradict prevailing LGBTQQICAPF2K+ belief that gender is both externally directed and fluid.
Olympic God Medalist: ‘What captured me was that God loved me.’ ~ Halfpipe rider Kelly Clark became a Christian in 2004 ~
Clark’s coach, Rick Bower, said that he could see the change in her. “[Her faith] helped her focus,” he said. “It gave her some perspective that was beyond just herself. She found a purpose in life.”
Others could see the transformation, too. “They knew how much I partied, what kind of lifestyle I had, and how emotionally volatile I was,” Clark said. “After time, by watching me, they were able to come to the conclusion that, ‘Wow, this is a really, really great thing for Kelly.’”
Now Clark wants to lead others to Christ. “My ministry, and what God is doing in my life, is really found in my career in the marketplace,” she said. “I’m in an industry where it’s very foreign and it’s very counter-cultural. I get to love these people really well who would never step foot in a church.”
Check out Kelly’s story HERE.
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Recovering from the winter blahs
Wow. What started as a blogging break due to the flu (which BTW, I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy!) morphed into a much-needed break from an endless stream of depressing news. A couple weeks away has improved my outlook considerably.
The Winter Olympics have definitely been a nice distraction. 🙂 I wanted to share a wonderful feel-good story of inspiring faith from the games that’s helped me put things in perspective, and re-focus on what’s really important; Alexa Scimeca Knierim and Chris Knierim were part of the U.S. figure skating team that won a team bronze medal last week in Pyeongchang ~
‘Glorify God’: Christian Olympic Skaters Credit Their Faith to Overcoming Debilitating Illness ~
The Knierim’s have overcome a potentially deadly illness that left Alexa weighing only 80 pounds. Just competing at this year’s Olympics is a victory for the couple. And for that victory, they give all credit to their faith.
In April of 2016 Alexa became ill at a competition. She was diagnosed in August of that year with a serious intestinal illness that required immediate surgery. She would undergo three operations in total.
The couple withdrew from all competition for the first half of 2017. “My life, our life, changed drastically in that time period — life was on hold and we weren’t really sure what life would be for the two of us,” Alexa told People […]
On Sunday, Alexa and Chris spoke to reporters about how their Christian faith sustained them. “It’s the reason I was able to get back on the ice,” said Alexa.“I stopped worrying and stopped trying to control life, because I couldn’t. In the moment, you know, I was so sick and didn’t really know where things were going to go for me, whether it was skating or life in general. So I finally just threw my hands up and said like, ‘You lead the way,’ and it’s my testimony and I stay true to it.”
She said being at the Olympics it isn’t about her. “I have fans out there who know that I am a true believer in the Lord and I’m trying my best to shine his light and let people know that it’s okay to promote him and do things for him, because in the Christian life that’s kind of what we’re supposed to.”
Alexa added that being at the Olympics was an opportunity to “glorify God, and my followers know that’s my purpose and it makes me happy. I’m living my dream, and if that’s the way that I have to go about it, I’ll keep doing it.”
Posted in Comfort & Joy
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Time to end the “Dreamer” nightmare?
Their parents broke the law – illegally dragging them into our country when they were just minors – and somehow… it’s our fault. They’re innocents, just dreaming of free health care, food stamps and college tuition…
Well, except for these guys ➡ 2 DACA recipients arrested over suspicion of human smuggling. And these guys ➡ Five young Americans killed by Dreamers. And these guys ➡ ‘Dreamers’ and demons ~ Democratic platitudes are whitewashing the bloody reality.
Whether most Americans have seen any statistics on illegal alien crimes or not, a majority do want something done about immigration overall and border security. A recent Harvard-Harris poll found that ~
• Most Americans want annual legal immigration capped at 500,000 a year or less — far lower than the current annual rate of 1.3 million.
• More than 60 percent of voters said current border security is inadequate, and 54 percent said they support “building a combination of physical and electronic barriers across the U.S.-Mexico border.”
• Voters agree with President Trumps’ position that skills and ability to assimilate in the U.S. should be weighted over extended family ties, by a 79 percent to 21 percent margin.
Unfortunately, the poll also revealed that a majority support legalization for Dreamers by 77 percent to 23 percent margin. I’m convinced that’s because ~
• They’ve been intimidated by the Left into believing they’re horrible people if they don’t support the Dreamers
• They haven’t been directly affected by illegal alien crime
• They’ve never been told that DACA was an illegal executive action to begin with (only Congress has the authority to change immigration law)
Even less known is the fact that Obama’s flawed DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) program has not even been complied with as written since its inception. Hans von Spakovsky pointed out the inconsistencies in a December Daily Signal article ~
Educational requirements have been waived ~
DACA required that beneficiaries enroll in school, graduate from high school, obtain a GED certificate, or receive an honorable discharge from the military […]
However, the Obama administration appeared to routinely waive the education (or its equivalent) requirement as long as the illegal alien was enrolled in some kind of program. Only 49 percent of DACA beneficiaries have a high school education—despite the fact that a majority of them are adults.
Vetting has been spotty at best ~
(B)ased on documents obtained by Judicial Watch, it is apparent that the Obama administration used a “lean and light” system of background checks in which only a few, randomly selected DACA applicants were ever actually vetted.
And DACA only looked at convictions anyway; arrest records apparently irrelevant ~
(So) even if a Homeland Security background investigation—which apparently was almost never done—produced substantial evidence that an illegal alien might have committed multiple crimes, the alien would still be eligible for DACA unless Homeland Security referred the violation to state or federal prosecutors and the alien was convicted.
Fluency in English was never a requirement ~
We were told that these poor kids just want to be part of the American dream – but how can they do that if they don’t even learn our language?
The Center for Immigration Studies estimates that “perhaps 24 percent of the DACA-eligible population fall into the functionally illiterate category and another 46 percent have only ‘basic’ English ability.” […]
In fact, it seems rather that a significant percentage of DACA beneficiaries may have serious limitations in their education, experience, and English fluency that negatively affected their ability to function in American society.
Providing amnesty to low-skilled, low-educated aliens with marginal English language ability would impose large fiscal costs on American taxpayers resulting from increased government payouts and benefits, and would be unfair to legal immigrants who obeyed the law to come here.
Gee, could it be by design? Because it almost seems like those were DACA’s intended consequences – with little regard for the welfare of regular Americans. And it’s not even a compassionate way to treat the Dreamers; it keeps many of them locked in a perpetual underclass. (Not to mention highly inclined to vote Democrat for more handouts.)
And all for the bargain-basement price of just $26 billion ~
We can’t afford it! On the other hand, here’s an idea that might just work ~
They are trying it all over Europe—paying the migrants to go home!
Last spring, Austria announced that it would give 1,000 euros (roughly $1,219 USD) to the first 1,000 refugees who signed up to leave on their own.
The program was successful, and the government extended the offer to more refugees. It’s an incentive that’s gaining traction across Europe.
Either way, President Trump needs to fulfill his campaign promises, stop trying to make deals with the open borders crowd, and just bring President Obama’s illegal DACA to a screeching halt.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Related:
Another rogue California judge makes stuff up
Illegal Aliens Block Disneyland to Protest for Immigration Deal ~
A small group of 15 to 20 amnesty activists blocked the entrance to the Disneyland theme park in Anaheim, California, on Monday, calling for legislation that would give legal status to millions of illegal aliens.
Posted in Fruits of Their Labors, Unvarnished
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Time-travelers – or mind-numbed robots?
A week before President Trump is set to give his first State of the Union address (on Jan 30th), these students already knew what he said. Amazing. Does NYU have a time machine? Or are these kids so prejudiced, unwilling or unable to face reality, that they’ll fall for anything – or just make stuff up – to go along with their warped worldview?
Donald Trump’s State of the Union address is coming up this Tuesday, but some students must have gotten a sneak peek, because they already hated it.
Campus Reform interviewed several millennials at NYU ~
“Crazy” ~ “Offensive” ~ “Racist” ~ “Hateful” ~ “The temperament of a 3 year-old”
Poor Trump just can’t catch a break with these astute young people.
Posted in Arrested Development, Fantasyland, Unvarnished
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Oops. How do evolutionists explain butterflies living 70 million years without flowers?
As we know, Darwinism is an ever-evolving theory, so its devotees will undoubtedly manage to come up with another convoluted corollary for this recent discovery ~
New fossil evidence puts the squeeze on Darwinians, making butterflies appear suddenly, with complex mouth parts, before there were any flowers to pollinate […]
Moths and butterflies existed during Jurassic era, millions of years before flowering plants, team reports (Science Daily). “A team of scientists report on new evidence that primitive moths and butterflies existed during the Jurassic period, approximately 50 million years earlier than the first flowering plants, shedding new light on one of the most confounding cases of co-evolution.” It wasn’t co-evolution, though, if butterflies lived just fine for 50 million Darwin Years before the plants they were supposed to co-evolve with first appeared.
The Oldest Butterflies on Earth Had No Flowers to Feed On (Live Science). “Some of the fossils share features with modern moths in the suborder Glossata, which have a straw-like proboscis that can suck up fluids like nectar,” writes Darwinist reporter Laura Geggel. “Given their complexity, and the time it would’ve taken to evolve to have such complex features, these fossils push the calculated age of glossatan moths back by about 70 million years to the Late Triassic ‘refuting ancestral association of the group with flowering plants,’ the researchers wrote in the study.”
So according to the Darwinists, these fully-evolved, modern-looking butterflies appeared 200 million years ago (millions of years before there were any flowering plants) – and no transitional versions of these insects have ever been discovered. Hmmm…
Posted in Fantasyland, Unvarnished
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