Posted on

Should pro-life Christians stay home on election day?

Concerned about the future of our country as a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, I have been closely following the presidential race this election season. If the polls are correct, it appears that on November 5th Trump could see a victory that is slim enough to overwhelmed (again) by untoward actions by the Left. 

It distresses me to think that many of us feel that the right course of action this November is to abstain from voting because Donald Trump will not pursue a nationwide ban against abortion. This is simply put, upside-down thinking. President Trump has already given us the miracle of overturning Roe v. Wade. To demand a nationwide abortion ban from him now would most certainly and unfortunately, in today’s culture, assure his loss. Donald Trump has done his job.

Now the onus is on “we the people.” Ordinary everyday Christians must do the hard work to change our horrifying death culture. Daunting, to be sure. We face a half-century of society’s acceptance of abortion during which young women have sadly, astonishingly, and wrongly, been indoctrinated with the cruel, abhorrent belief that they have a right to end the life of an innocent child they are carrying. “My body, my choice.” (Agreed, but that choice should be made before the bedroom…).

I could write reams about why abortion is such a heinous choice and I will. Today however our focus is on the first step in that fight. Christians must get out and vote this November to prevent the Left from retaining power. If Harris wins and gives the Left another four years in the White House, Roe v. Wade will surely be reintroduced in some form, codified and our culture war will be set back by far more than half a century.

As Christians today our job is to throw the gauntlet down and roundly say NO! Let’s be grateful for the work that Trump has already done, return him to office (The Lord has indeed blessed us with this ticket! Trump and Vance are two decisive, brilliant, talented, good Christian men in whom we can trust with these high offices). Then let us, many who have been sitting on the sidelines, make war on the abortion death culture in our homes, churches, schools, and neighborhoods.

The Lord saved Donald Trump in Butler and in West Palm Beach. Let’s do our part and get out and vote!

Image: Jordanuh17

via American Thinker Blog

Enjoy this article? Read the full version at the authors website: https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/

Posted on

Biden-Harris Regime’s Unthinkable Betrayal: U.S. Launches Investigation After Intel Leaks Israel’s Potential Attack Plans on Iran

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv on October 12, 2023. (State Department photo by Chuck Kennedy/Public Domain)

The Biden-Harris regime finds itself embroiled in yet another scandal, as U.S. officials scramble to investigate the alarming leak of two highly classified documents that detail Israel’s potential strike plans on Iran.

The Gateway Pundit previously reported that the leaked documents, now being circulated through Telegram channels linked to Iran, contain details about Israel’s military positioning ahead of an expected strike on Iran in response to an October 1 missile barrage.

The leak includes intelligence marked as top secret and is sharable only within the “Five Eyes” intelligence alliance (the U.S., U.K., Canada, New Zealand, and Australia).

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) confirmed on Sunday that the U.S. government is now investigating the unauthorized release of these documents, which are believed to have originated from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency, according to PBS.

Jake Tapper: You spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu yesterday. The U.S. is right now investigating a leak of highly classified intelligence documents posted online that appear to show Israeli plans for a retaliatory strike against Iran. What’s the latest on the investigation into this leak, and what did your conversation with Netanyahu go like? How did that go?

Speaker Johnson: Yeah, the leak is very concerning. There are some serious allegations being made. An investigation is underway, and I’ll get a briefing on that in a couple of hours. There’s a classified-level briefing and others. But we’re following it closely.

Look, I talked to my friend Bibi, Prime Minister Netanyahu, yesterday to encourage him. I mean, he’s done an extraordinary job, I think, prosecuting that war. If he had taken Joe Biden’s advice, they’d be in a much weaker position right now. I think the United States needs to stand unequivocally by our ally right now. Really, we’re on the precipice, I think, Jake, of a new era of security and freedom for Israel.

I think we’re very close, I hope and pray, to ending that conflict there. But we cannot equivocate. We can’t appease Iran. Now is the time for a maximum pressure campaign against the head of the snake. It’s not Hezbollah and Hamas and the proxies that are ultimately the threat; it is Iran itself. I think we need to recognize that reality.

WATCH:

This is not the first instance where the Biden administration has been accused of leaking sensitive information to hostile regimes.

In 2023, House Republicans raised alarms over Robert Malley, the Biden administration’s former Special Envoy to Iran, who was investigated for potentially compromising ties to the Iranian regime.

Malley, a figure with a clear bias against former President Trump, was suspended from his role amid serious allegations of mishandling classified information. Yet, to date, there have been no updates from the FBI regarding this investigation.

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) previously stated that Malley’s security violations were so egregious that he was suspended without pay and had his security clearances revoked.

Read more:

Joe Biden’s Special Envoy to Iran and Principal Architect on Resurrecting Nuclear Deal Accused of Sharing Classified Information with Islamic Regime

The post Biden-Harris Regime’s Unthinkable Betrayal: U.S. Launches Investigation After Intel Leaks Israel’s Potential Attack Plans on Iran appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

via The Gateway Pundit

Enjoy this article? Read the full version at the authors website: https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/

Posted on

The Networks Still Pushing The Bloodbath Hoax, Now Wrapped Around January 6th

With The Bloodbath Hoax having been so swiftly and thoroughly debunked, the evening network newscasts had to scramble to find ways to keep this narrative alive. It appears that they’ve settled on wrapping this latest hoax around the Capitol Riot of January 6th, thus magically eliminating the need for context.
No surprise here, the most hysterical report comes via ABC World News Tonight and Jon Karl, who acknowledged that former President Donald Trump’s remarks were in fact about the automotive industry, before making them about January 6th:
JON KARL: Today Donald Trump is defending comments he made at a rally in Ohio warning of a quote, “bloodbath” if he doesn’t win the presidential election in November. Trump made the comment as he was talking about the auto industry, vowing to impose 100% tariffs on some imported cars. 
DONALD TRUMP: We’re going to put a 100% tariff on every single car that comes across the line, and you’re not going to be able to sell those cars- If I get elected. Now, if I don’t get elected, it’s going to be a bloodbath for the whole — that’s going to be the least of it. It’s going to be a bloodbath for the country. That’ll be the least of it. 
KARL: Today, Trump insisted he wasn’t talking about political violence at all, saying, quote, “I was simply referring to imports allowed by Crooked Joe Biden, which are killing the automobile industry.” But the world saw what happened the last time Trump lost a presidential election, as Trump’s supporters violently attacked the Capitol on January 6th.
There has been a tactical evolution here. Trump’s remarks are now acknowledged as being about Chinese electric cars potentially built in Mexico (a grossly underreported story, as I said to Tim Graham on the NewsBusters Podcast), but here’s the new switcheroo: the full quote has Trump bracketing the “bloodbath” quote with remarks on the automotive industry. Chopping that last part off, even when restoring context in the beginning of the quote, keeps everything vague enough to keep the Bloodbath Hoax plausible and duct-tape January 6th onto it. Now there’s a fresh angle. And for Karl, perhaps, a fourth Trump book.
NBC ran The Bloodbath Hoax as part of its recap of Trump stories as opposed to a standalone item, but with the same basic play:
GARRETT HAAKE: And tonight the presumptive GOP nominee also pushing back, saying Democrats, quote, “pretended to be shocked at my use of the word bloodbath” during this riff about Chinese car makers. 
TRUMP: We’re going to put a 100% tariff on every single car that comes across the line. And you’re not going to be able to sell those cars. If I get elected. Now, if I don’t get elected, it’s going to be a bloodbath for the whole — that’s going to be the least of it. It’s going to be a bloodbath for the country. That’ll be the least of it. 
HAAKE: Mr. Trump saying he was referring to President Biden allowing imports he says are killing the auto industry. Late tonight, calling Democratic attacks, quote, “misinformation”.
TRUMP: The word “bloodbath”, I used it about trade, essentially auto trade, because we’re getting ripped off with Biden’s really dumb auto policy.
HAAKE: The Biden campaign rejecting that it was about only cars. 
MICHAEL TYLER: Every single day, Donald Trump is promoting and endorsing and encouraging political violence on the stump.
The slightly expanded quote with a bit of context but maintaining plausibility, the (indirect) tie-in to January 6th- it’s all there, with a few more quotes with which to provide the illusion of balance.
CBS’s Robert Costa runs the exact same play within his Trump recap, albeit with a slightly different angle. Wash, rinse, repeat:
ROBERT COSTA: Meanwhile, the former president has ramped up his incendiary rhetoric on the campaign trail. 
DONALD TRUMP: We’re going to put a 100% tariff on every single car that comes across the line and you’re not going to be able to sell those cars. If I get elected. Now if I don’t get elected, it’s going to be a bloodbath for the whole — that’s going to be the least of it. It’s going to be a bloodbath for the country.
COSTA: Trump insists he was referring to a potential bloodbath in the automobile industry. In the past, Trump has warned of bedlam if Biden wins, suggesting there will be anger if he is convicted of a crime.
TRUMP: There will be bedlam in the country. It’s a very bad thing. It’s very bad precedent, as we say, it’s the opening of a Pandora’s box. 
The strategy may have evolved in order to provide a smidgen of context, but it remains as shameless and as reliant on multiple suspensions of disbelief as ever. The title of “regime media” is well earned here.
Click “expand” to view the full transcripts of the reports respective as aired on their respective evening newscasts on Monday, March 18th, 2024:
ABC World News Tonight
DAVID MUIR: Back here at home tonight, and to the race for the White House, on the campaign trail, Donald Trump warning of a, quote, “bloodbath” if he loses the election. Tonight, his campaign and what Trump meant by that. The Biden campaign pointing to January 6th. The country and the world seeing what can happen amid dangerous rhetoric. And the moment Trump played the national anthem to honor those who are behind bars for January 6th. Here’s Jon Karl.
JON KARL: Today Donald Trump is defending comments he made at a rally in Ohio warning of a quote, “bloodbath” if he doesn’t win the presidential election in November. Trump made the comment as he was talking about the auto industry, vowing to impose 100% tariffs on some imported cars. 
DONALD TRUMP: We’re going to put a 100% tariff on every single car that comes across the line, and you’re not going to be able to sell those cars- If I get elected. Now, if I don’t get elected, it’s going to be a bloodbath for the whole — that’s going to be the least of it. It’s going to be a bloodbath for the country. That’ll be the least of it. 
KARL: Today, Trump insisted he wasn’t talking about political violence at all, saying, quote, “I was simply referring to imports allowed by Crooked Joe Biden, which are killing the automobile industry.” But the world saw what happened the last time Trump lost a presidential election, as Trump’s supporters violently attacked the Capitol on January 6th. And in Ohio, Trump paid tribute to those arrested for their actions on that day. 
ANNOUNCER: Please rise for the horribly and unfairly treated January 6th hostages (The Star-Spangled Banner)
KARL: He saluted during a rendition of the National Anthem that was recorded by people in prison for what they did on January 6th. Trump called those now serving prison sentences hostages and patriots, suggesting he’d pardon them as soon as he gets back in office. Today, the Biden campaign condemned Trump’s prediction of a bloodbath, accusing him of having an "affection for violence" and a "thirst for revenge" and alleging Trump wants "another January 6th." Not long after Trump paid tribute to the people who attacked the Capitol as, quote, “unbelievable patriots", he posted multiple statements calling for Liz Cheney and other members of the January 6th committee to be prosecuted and sent to jail. In other words, David- Trump wants to pardon those who attacked the Capitol, and he wants to prosecute those who investigated his actions on January 6th. 
MUIR: Jon Karl, covering the campaign for us. Jon, Thank you.
 
NBC Nightly News
LESTER HOLT: His criminal cases may be caught up in a cycle of delays, but things may have moved too quickly for former President Trump in the wake of that stunning civil fraud judgment against him last month. In a court filing today Mr. Trump’s attorneys saying they have been unable to secure the $464 million bond due next week, saying a bond in the full amount is a practical impossibility. The former president, who built his professional reputation in part on his wealth, was held liable last month for fraudulently overstating the value of assets. Today’s development potentially opens the door for New York’s state attorney general to seize and sell off Trump assets while Mr. Trump appeals. Meantime, the former president is on the political defensive tonight over some remarks he made over the weekend. Garrett Haake has our report. 
GAARETT HAAKE: Tonight the fate of former President Trump’s most famous properties could be up in the air, with Trump attorneys telling a judge he’s unable to secure bond in the $464 million civil fraud judgment against him, asking a judge for an emergency stay. Guarantors won’t accept real estate as collateral but want nearly a half billion dollars in cash, which Trump’s company doesn’t have, his lawyers say. If he cannot post bond for the full amount by next week, Democratic New York Attorney General Letitia James could start seizing his assets, potentially even his Trump Tower penthouse. In their filing, Trump attorneys argue the penalty is grossly disproportional when there were, quote, “no victims, no damages and no actual financial losses” in the case. It comes as the Trump campaign also faces blowback amid Mr. Trump’s new inflammatory rhetoric against what he calls criminal migrants. 
DONALD TRUMP: They’re not people in my opinion. But I’m not allowed to say that because the radical left says that’s a terrible thing to say. These are animals. Okay?
HAAKE: Mr. Trump has vowed to bring back his Remain in Mexico policy that keeps migrants waiting outside the U.S. until courts decide their asylum cases. The Biden administration is releasing 85% of migrants into the U.S. while they wait for asylum decisions. And tonight the presumptive GOP nominee also pushing back, saying Democrats, quote, “pretended to be shocked at my use of the word bloodbath” during this riff about Chinese car makers. 
TRUMP: We’re going to put a 100% tariff on every single car that comes across the line. And you’re not going to be able to sell those cars. If I get elected. Now, if I don’t get elected, it’s going to be a bloodbath for the whole — that’s going to be the least of it. It’s going to be a bloodbath for the country. That’ll be the least of it. 
HAAKE: Mr. Trump saying he was referring to President Biden allowing imports he says are killing the auto industry. Late tonight, calling Democratic attacks, quote, “misinformation”.
TRUMP: The word “bloodbath”, I used it about trade, essentially auto trade, because we’re getting ripped off with Biden’s really dumb auto policy.
HAAKE: The Biden campaign rejecting that it was about only cars. 
MICHAEL TYLER: Every single day, Donald Trump is promoting and endorsing and encouraging political violence on the stump.
HOLT:  And Garrett, NBC News also has new reporting tonight about President Biden showing some growing frustration about his re-election campaign. What do we know? HAAKE: Yeah, that’s right, Lester. President Biden shouted and swore about falling poll numbers in a January White House meeting, and has felt cocooned by staff, eager to move more aggressively in campaigning against Mr. Trump, sources tell NBC News. Lester.
HOLT: All right, Garrett Haake. Thank you. 
 
CBS Evening News
NORAH O’DONNELL: We’re going to begin tonight with Donald Trump facing a cash crunch. The former president is on the brink of being forced to surrender some of his most valuable real estate properties to help pay that $454 million civil fraud judgment in New York. He’s already admitted that he doesn’t have the nearly half a billion dollars in cash, and today, his lawyers revealed that more than 30 firms that they were unable to or , quote, "unwilling" to accept the risk associated with such a large bond. The clock is now ticking with that bond due next week. It’s worth remembering the civil judgment stems from a ruling that Trump falsely valued parts of his real estate empire for financial gain. And then on the campaign trail, Trump is also defending himself after a series of disturbing remarks about migrants, January 6th defendants, and warning of a, quote, "bloodbath" if he loses in November. It was all while discussing tariffs on Chinese-made cars. CBS’s Robert Costa is here and he’ll start us off tonight.
ROBERT COSTA: Former President Donald Trump could soon be facing a financial crisis. His lawyers today revealing in a court filing that Trump has failed to obtain a $454 million bond, calling it a practical impossibility. It’s due in just one week and without it, New York Attorney General Letitia James could freeze his bank accounts and seize his prized properties, including Trump Tower and 40 Wall Street. 
DONALD TRUMP: The bottom line is, this is rigged.
COSTA: Trump, who was unable to reach agreement with more than 30 companies that provide appeal bonds, is also scrambling to raise money for the general election. CBS News has learned Trump is considering enlisting his former 2016 campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, a convicted felon who was found guilty of committing several financial crimes in 2018 and later pardoned by Trump. Meanwhile, the former president has ramped up his incendiary rhetoric on the campaign trail. 
TRUMP: We’re going to put a 100% tariff on every single car that comes across the line and you’re not going to be able to sell those cars. If I get elected. Now if I don’t get elected, it’s going to be a bloodbath for the whole — that’s going to be the least of it. It’s going to be a bloodbath for the country.
COSTA: Trump insists he was referring to a potential bloodbath in the automobile industry. In the past, Trump has warned of bedlam if Biden wins, suggesting there will be anger if he is convicted of a crime.
TRUMP: There will be bedlam in the country. It’s a very bad thing. It’s very bad precedent, as we say, it’s the opening of a Pandora’s box. 
COSTA: Over the weekend, Trump also referred to migrants as animals, and described those convicted for crimes related to January 6th as hostages and patriots. That remark drawing criticism from both sides of the aisle.
MIKE PENCE: It’s just, it’s just unacceptable. 
JAMIE RASKIN: A hostage is someone who is being held by a criminal group or a terrorist group for a financial or political ransom. That’s got nothing to do with people who have been criminally charged and given due process. 
COSTA: Meanwhile, former Trump White House advisor Peter Navarro will likely be headed to jail. Today the Supreme Court rejected Navarro’s push to stave off his sentence for refusing to comply with the congressional subpoena and he is now set to report to a correctional facility tomorrow in Florida, Norah. That is some big news. Robert Costa, thank you.
 

via NewsBusters – Exposing Liberal Media Bias

Enjoy this article? Read the full version at the authors website: https://www.newsbusters.org/

Posted on

Nolte: Study Links ‘Woke Attitudes’ to Anxiety, Depression, Unhappiness

A major scientific study in Finland found “heightened instances of anxiety … depression” and unhappiness among the Woketards.

And you thought there would be no good news today.

The study uses the term “woke” in the same way most of us do, as shorthand for a “particular orientation towards social justice — often associated with concepts like intersectionality [and] antiracism.”

Nearly 6,000 participants were studied; the first 851 came from a Finnish university. The remaining 5,000 were chosen from the public at large with the help of Finland’s largest newspaper using a Critical Social Justice Attitude Scale that asked respondents questions like:

  • “Microaggressions should be challenged often and actively.”
  • “If white people have on average a higher level of income than black people, it is because of racism.”
  • Only colonizer women shave their legs.

I made that last one up.

To Normal People, the results weren’t anything close to surprising.

First: “One of the central revelations of the study was that critical social justice attitudes are not as widespread in Finland as might be inferred from public and media discussions.” What? You mean the media here and abroad is trying to gaslight Normal people into believing they are in the minority?

Second: “Three out of five women view ‘woke’ ideas positively, but only one out of seven men.” Yes, fellas, white women are crazy everywhere.

Finally, the good stuff:

An intriguing aspect of the study was its exploration of the relationship between critical social justice and mental well-being. Lahtinen found a correlation between higher agreement with critical social justice attitudes and increased reports of anxiety and depression. Agreement with the statement “If white people have on average a higher income than black people, it is because of racism” exhibited the largest positive correlation with anxiety and depression, and the largest negative correlation with happiness.

Does this surprise anyone with even a basic understanding of human nature? Of course these crybullies are miserable. Those Woketards who are not mentally ill are babies constantly on guard for offense and wrongdoing.

Trust me, that is no way to live.

The key to happiness is appreciating what you have and making peace with what you can’t change. It really is that simple. Anyone who lives any other way is allowing what they don’t have and what they can’t control to control them and their emotions. Can you imagine how miserable the Woke Gestapo are as they watch the rest of us enjoy our lives unconcerned with pronouns, microaggressions, recycling (which is this), skin color, and whether or not we’re listening to Def Leppard and tossing our empties on “colonized land?”

You see, I hate to admit it, but that’s something I take pleasure from — their misery. Hall monitors deserve to be miserable. Little Mister and Misses Bossypants should be unhappy. These people don’t bother me in the least. Why? Because I long ago figured out what I mentioned above: that the key to happiness is appreciating what I have and not worrying about what I can’t control. I can’t control the Woke Gestapo, so when I’m not deliberately violating their edicts, laughing at them, or ignoring them, I’m enjoying their abject, self-inflicted misery.

Fascists should be unhappy, donchathink?

John Nolte’s debut novel Borrowed Time (Bombardier Books) is available today. You can read an exclusive excerpt here and a review of the novel here.  

via Breitbart News

Enjoy this article? Read the full version at the authors website: https://www.breitbart.com

Posted on

NO, THANKS: Bidenomics Is a Big Turkey, and Not Only at Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is meant to be devoted to thankfulness for family and the many other blessings in each of our lives. But, as most American families sit down to a Thanksgiving meal on Thursday, they will also be met with a specter looming over their financial life—namely, Bidenomics.

Rising consumer prices, falling real incomes, a slowing economy, and housing costs that are through the roof are all just some of the economic maladies visited on American families this year by way of the economic policies of the Biden administration.

Bidenomics is, tragically, nothing new. It is the doubling down of an age-old approach to economic policy, the idea that the government is better at using your money than you are. Through reckless federal deficits and money printing, the Biden administration has sown the seeds of economic malaise.

The American Farm Bureau Federation annually publishes the price of a “Classic Thanksgiving Dinner” that attempts to capture the experience of a typical American family.

The federation’s reported price, pre-Biden, for a Thanksgiving meal for 10 in 2020 was $46.90, but now, for 2023, it is $61.17—an increase of more than 30.4%.

This price increase puts an astonishing burden on American households. However, that is only one of many price jumps during the Bidenomics era. Across all categories of food at home, prices are up more than 20% from when President Joe Biden took office, while energy prices are up well over 35%.

This rampant level of inflation hasn’t, however, been a random or unforeseeable occurrence. It’s the direct and predictable result of massive upticks in federal spending. Whenever the government spends, it does so by forcefully taking funding out of the hands of hardworking Americans.

When a business or household borrows, it does so because the lender has faith that the borrower will be able to earn enough money to pay back the loan in the future. When a government borrows, however, that isn’t the case.

Governments are not capable of earning money through merit alone. Nationalizing industries or raising taxes are clearly coercive. Printing more money is another form of theft, forcefully pouring water into the wine of every American’s life savings.

Since these methods are coercive, government borrowing is as well. When a government borrows money, it agrees to use its unique power to pay back the loan with someone else’s money.

For decades, the Left has propagated the lie that government deficit spending was a magical free lunch because the government didn’t hike taxes to pay for massive spending increases. As inflation has shown, in the end, there is no free lunch, just the government eating your lunch at the money market buffet table.

As the federal debt has ballooned by 44% from $23.44 trillion to $33.75 trillion during the COVID-19 pandemic, so too has the inflation tax imposed on every American.

With Biden and so many other politicians committed to deficits at such an absurd level, there is only one further policy outcome: hyperinflation or sky-high interest rates that crowd out economic growth.

In early 2022, the Federal Reserve switched course, having let prices jump more than 12% in less than two  years, and decided to start increasing interest rates by constricting the money supply. While this has slowed inflation, it by no means has stopped it—or the harm it has done to household finances.

Despite the Federal Reserve’s actions, prices are now up more than 20% since the pandemic started and mortgage rates have spiked from around 3% to 7.5%, pushing that pillar of the American dream, homeownership, even further out of reach for tens of millions of Americans.

This goes to show that if the federal government drives up its deficits and spending, there will be nowhere for families to hide. The following chart shows that as the Federal Reserve stopped printing money to cover federal deficits, it traded an inflation crisis for an interest-rate crisis.

That has dramatically pushed up the first year’s interest cost on a typical mortgage from around $8,500 when President Donald Trump left office to well over $24,000 now.

We can do better than trading high inflation for high interest rates as the economy is slowly strangled to death. This all speaks to the immortal wisdom of President Ronald Reagan, who said, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: ‘I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.’”

As the nation comes together this Thanksgiving to be with loved ones and count their blessings, let us recommit to the principles that led us to such prosperity.

May lawmakers reduce the crushing size and scope of the government to allow Americans to keep the fruits of their labors and get back to building a brighter future for generations to come.

Have an opinion about this article? To sound off, please email letters@DailySignal.com, and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state.

The post NO, THANKS: Bidenomics Is a Big Turkey, and Not Only at Thanksgiving appeared first on The Daily Signal.

via The Daily Signal

Enjoy this article? Read the full version at the authors website: http://blog.heritage.org/feed/

Posted on

Thanksgiving is Just One of Five Pilgrim Achievements


The Thanksgiving holiday, which commemorates one part of the Pilgrim story, remains the favorite holiday for many Americans. And for good reasons beyond enjoying a feast. With our country passing through troubled times, it is worth revisiting the Pilgrim’s five significant achievements, which created the seminal story of America, and reveal remarkable insight into who we are and the qualities of character we need to overcome our present challenges.

First, of the many groups of settlers who came to America, only the Pilgrims were singularly motivated by a spiritual quest for religious freedom — one that had its origin with the Protestant Reformation a century before. They repeatedly spoke of their voyage to the New World in terms of a flight from tyranny to freedom, comparing themselves to God’s chosen people — the Israelites — who overcame slavery and abuse in Egypt to get to the Promised Land. Similar to the Israelite’s exodus, the Pilgrims had left what they saw as oppressive and morally corrupt authorities in Great Britain and Europe to create a new life in America. Thus, both American Christians and Jews find profound meaning in the Pilgrim’s Thanksgiving story.

Thanksgiving could be thought of as the holiday that made the other American holidays possible. Without the Pilgrims having courage; absolute faith in their cause and calling; and a willingness to sacrifice and risk everything, they never would have embarked on the 94-foot Mayflower — a ship of questionable seaworthiness. Were it not for their faith and determination to find freedom of conscience and live according to their Biblical beliefs there may never have been a July 4th Independence Day or other subsequent American holidays we take for granted and celebrate each year.

After a harrowing passage across the Atlantic — one that included wild pitching and broadside batterings by gale-force winds and ferocious seas that caused the splitting of the ship’s main beam — the Mayflower was blown off course from the intended destination of the established Virginia Colony territory to wilds of Cape Cod. The Pilgrims knew not where they were nor how to proceed, so they beseeched the Almighty for favor in a making landfall in a suitable place with fresh water and fertile soil to establish a new and independent settlement.

Now in sight of land after a frightening voyage, facing hunger from spoiled and depleted provisions, and anxious about settling outside the purview of Virginia Company charter territory, the secular Mayflower passengers were restless and insolent. And this is when the Pilgrims made their second major achievement that would shape the future of America.

Pilgrim leaders John Carver, William Bradford, and William Brewster, recognized that Mayflower passengers, diverse as they were, needed to maintain unity to survive in a potentially inhospitable environment. So, they drafted a governing agreement that would be acceptable to both their Christian brethren and the secular crew members and merchant adventurers — who made up about half the 102 people aboard the Mayflower. That governing document, known as the Mayflower Compact, provided for peace, security, and equality for everyone in their anticipated settlement. With every man aboard signing the Mayflower Compact the Pilgrims established the foundation for democratic self-government based on the will of people for the first time. The Mayflower Compact laid the cornerstone of the U.S. Constitution, which would be drafted and adopted some 170 years later.

The fact that all the Pilgrims survived the squalid and cramped ship quarters during the dangerous crossing of a vast ocean, is no doubt partially attributable to the good fortune that the Mayflower had previously been enlisted as a wine transport cargo ship. Unlike most merchant ships, she had a “sweet smell,” from all her decks and bilges being “disinfected” with wine sloshing and soaking from broken barrels of Bordeaux and high-alcohol port in the many prior crossings of the sometimes-stormy English Channel.

That all changed once the Mayflower’s passengers settled in “New Plymouth,” Massachusetts in December of 1620. The first winter was devastating, with illness afflicting most and over half the Pilgrims dying, including four entire families. But it could have been worse.

The fate of the Pilgrim colonists would surely have been more difficult had they not settled where they did, adjacent to friendly natives of the Pokanoket Indian village that were part of the Wampanoag tribe. And had they not befriended two who providentially could speak broken English — Squanto and Samoset — perhaps none would have survived. Squanto and his fellow native tribesmen would teach the Pilgrims survival skills, showing them how to hunt, fish, and plant various crops, such as corn, squash, and varieties of beans — which were unknown to the Englishmen.

The Pilgrims’ third major achievement was the Pilgrim-Wampanoag Peace Treaty that was signed on April 1, 1621, by Massasoit and leaders of the Plymouth colony. And a remarkable accomplishment it was, for it lasted more than 50 years — longer than subsequent peace treaties made by other colonizing groups with native Indian tribes. The fact that there were bloody conflicts between other colonists and tribes, such as in the Pequot War fought in Connecticut in 1636-1637, makes the Pilgrims stand out for they succeeded in maintaining the longest-lasting and most equitable peace between natives and immigrants in the history of what would become the United States.

Despite learning from the native Indians how to plant, cultivate ,and harvest new crops in their first year, the Pilgrims complied with their sponsoring Virginia Company charter that called for settlement farmland to be owned and worked communally and for harvests to be equally shared. This socialist common property approach created disincentives to work. William Bradford recorded in his memoirs that while “slackers showed up late for work… everybody was happy to claim their equal share… and production only shrank.”

Although no one is certain of the exact date of the first Thanksgiving, we know it was a Pilgrim initiative, celebrated in November 1621 to give thanks to God for their survival — having lost so many during that first winter in Plymouth, and for the first harvest — meager though it was. When Massasoit was invited to join the Pilgrims, it was assumed that he wouldn’t bring more guests than the 50-odd Mayflower survivor hosts. Massasoit arrived with twice that number, well-stocked with food, fowl, and game of all kinds — including five deer. There was more than enough for everyone, and it turns out that the first Thanksgiving celebration would last three days, punctuated by Indian song, games, and dance, Pilgrim prayers and even a military parade by Myles Standish.

The Pilgrims fourth major achievement was the rejection of socialism and the adoption of private enterprise. After the meager Thanksgiving harvest, the second season of collective farming and distribution proved equally disappointing. Governor Bradford had seen enough, recording that the system “was found to breed much confusion and discontent and retard much employment that would have been to their benefit and comfort.” So, before the 1623 season he scrapped socialist farming and replaced it with private ownership of land for each of the families. As a result of becoming responsible for their own welfare and gaining freedom to choose what to grow for consumption or trade, the Pilgrims’ productivity surged.

The fifth factor that distinguished the Pilgrims was their model relational behavior. While tolerance enabled them to keep relative harmony within their diverse community, they also looked outwardly to serve and help others. In March of 1623, it came to be known that Massasoit was on the brink of death from an unknown illness. Senior Pilgrim elder Edward Winslow immediately set out on a forty-mile journey to administer medicinal broth, natural herbs, and prayers to Massasoit. Astonishingly, upon making a full recovery within days, he remarked, “Now I see the English are my friends and love me; and whilst I live, I will never forget this kindness they have showed me.”

In summary, the Pilgrims’ five achievements and the qualities of character that made them exemplary are as relevant today as ever. A contemporary Thanksgiving makeover might include: rekindling a quest for adventure; developing the faith to hold on to a vision of a promised land no matter what; mustering the courage to go against the crowd and defend the truth; gaining the resolve to endure hardship; revitalizing respect for and tolerance of people of different beliefs; rejuvenating a joyful willingness to sacrifice for others; and renewing the predisposition to extend love, assistance and gratitude at every appropriate opportunity.

Scott Powell is senior fellow at Discovery Institute. This article is a vignette out of his latest acclaimed book, Rediscovering America, which has been a #1 new release in history for eight straight weeks at Amazon. Reach him at scottp@discovery.org

Image: Robert Walter Weir

via American Thinker

Enjoy this article? Read the full version at the authors website: https://www.americanthinker.com/

Posted on

“We’re In The Middle Of A Revolution” – Victor Davis Hanson Warns Tucker: “The Next 12 Months Will Be The Most Explosive In History”

"We’re In The Middle Of A Revolution" – Victor Davis Hanson Warns Tucker: "The Next 12 Months Will Be The Most Explosive In History"

Historian Victor Davis Hanson sat down with Tucker Carlson to discuss his perspective on the current political climate in the US, asserting that American liberalism is characterized by dishonesty, and warning about what he sees as liberal efforts to introduce a highly intolerant age.

"It’s hard for most Americans to comprehend the total dishonesty of American liberalism."

VDH says Trump represents a significant threat to the specific vision held by liberals, who are employing a "critical legal theory," in which traditional moral values are abandoned in favor of whatever gains power.

"Liberals are now telling us they plan to protect American democracy and that’s the clearest possible sign that they intend to end it."

Most specifically, Hanson told Carlson that:

"I think they’ve come to the conclusion that Trump is an existential threat and by association, half the country is to their vision of what they want to transform us into, and so they feel that whatever means necessary are justified."

And this is an issue since Hanson pointed out that while some conservatives were speaking up, they are also fighting a culture in the Republican Party that preferred to "lose nobly" as opposed to winning elections in an "ugly" manner.

Hanson emphasizes that the traditional boundaries and norms are being renegotiated, from the Senate filibuster and the Electoral College to societal understandings of gender and language, raising concerns that:

"We’re in the middle of a cultural, economic, political revolution," but "we think that we’re still playing within the same sidelines or parameters, and we’re not. Everything’s under negotiation.”

Hanson argues that the legal actions against Trump are politically motivated and biased and designed to send a message to the half of America that will not simple ‘comply’:

“The idea is now that we now have the power to do this, and because we have the power to do it, it’s moral and right, and if you don’t like it, what are you doing to do about it?”

Finally, Hanson issues a call to action of sorts, noting that “There are legitimate efforts to rectify and stop this madness and let’s see what happens in 2024."

"You need leaders who will tell people we are in a Jacobin takeover of this country, and the old get along at any cost does not work,” Hanson said.

"I hope everybody can keep their head because I think the next 12 to 18 months are going to be the most explosive in our history since the Great Depression."

Watch the full interview below:

Tyler Durden Tue, 10/03/2023 – 08:45

via ZeroHedge News

Enjoy this article? Read the full version at the authors website: https://www.zerohedge.com

Posted on

GOP Rep. Vows to Block Biden from Weaponizing Treasury to Unleash ESG

“The House Financial Services Committee will hold the Administration accountable for its continued efforts to force their political priorities through our financial system,” Chairman Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) vowed Tuesday, reacting to the Treasury Department’s release of nine “principles” for financial institutions to follow. “With Treasury’s most recent guidance, the Biden Administration is again prioritizing its progressive climate agenda over sound economic management,” Chairman McHenry said in a statement, warning that, while Treasury claims its standards are “voluntary,” institutions will be punished if they don’t comply: “Regulators should be focused on immediate risks to our financial system—not climate policy beyond their expertise and statutory authority. ‘With only a thin veil of setting ‘voluntary standards,’ these so-called principles will almost surely be enforced as though they are laws by unelected federal regulators and Treasury officials who continue to overreach.” “It’s clear Treasury’s intention is to direct credit to politically favored activities in order to appease far-left climate activists,” Chairman McHenry said, promising that his committee “will hold the Administration accountable” for using the Treasury Department to coerce compliance with its political goals. Indeed, Treasury’s nine “principles” encourage financial institutions to invest in, and provide credit to, companies that comply with radical leftist Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) ideology – while shunning those (such as producer of traditional energy) that don’t: “Financial institutions should assess client and portfolio company alignment to their (i.e., financial institutions’) targets and to limiting the increase in the global average temperature to 1.5°C.” (Principle 4). “Financial institutions should align engagement practices — with clients, portfolio companies, and other stakeholders — to their commitments.” (Principle 5) “Incorporating net-zero objectives into resource allocation and business planning…Financial institutions should develop and execute an implementation strategy that integrates the goals of their commitments into relevant aspects of their businesses and operating procedures.” (Principle 6) “Financial institutions should establish robust governance processes to provide oversight of the implementation of their commitments.” (Principle 7) “Financial institutions should, in the context of activities associated with their net-zero transition plans, account for environmental justice and environmental impacts, where applicable.” (Principle 8) The Treasury Department’s advice tells financial institutions to “reallocate financing, investment, and advisory services away from clients and portfolio companies that over time act in ways inconsistent with a financial institution’s commitment and transition plan. In those cases, such reallocation can reduce a financial institution’s exposure to companies facing high transition risk.” Furthermore, financial institutions should be prepared to defend their business decisions, Treasury says: “An institution providing transition finance should be able to explain how its financing results in reductions of its client’s or portfolio company’s emissions. “For example, a financial institution could provide capital to a steel company that is acquiring lower-emitting electric arc furnaces. An institution providing transition finance should be able to explain how its financing results in reductions of its client’s or portfolio company’s emissions.” The Treasury Department’s ESG advocacy doesn’t stop with financial institutions, however. On Tuesday, the Treasury Department convened a meeting of the Treasury Advisory Committee on Racial Equity, whose members advise Treasury Department leadership on “economic and fairness” initiatives – such as “rebalancing enforcement priorities toward high-income, high-wealth individuals, large corporations, and complex partnerships.” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Climate Counselor Ethan Zindler also met with leadership from philanthropies in order to counsel them on how to skew their donations and grants to favor those who support green energy and seek to eliminate carbon emissions. Editor’s Note: This piece was originally published on MRCTV.org.

via NewsBusters – Exposing Liberal Media Bias

Enjoy this article? Read the full version at the authors website: https://www.newsbusters.org/

Posted on

Democrats Say It’ll Take A Lot More Than Eyewitness Testimony, Bank Records, Audio, Video, & Complete Confessions For Them To Believe Biden Did Anything Wrong

Democrats Say It’ll Take A Lot More Than Eyewitness Testimony, Bank Records, Audio, Video, & Complete Confessions For Them To Believe Biden Did Anything Wrong

Via Babylon Bee,

As evidence of bribery and corruption by the Biden family continues to mount, Democrat lawmakers in the nation’s capital have expressed heavy skepticism, saying they will need a lot more than just eyewitnesses, financial records, audio and video recordings, and admissions of guilt from parties involved for them to believe any of it.

"Nah, I’m not buying it," said California Congressman Eric Swalwell.

"If you’re wanting me to believe President Biden and his family have been involved in a far-reaching money-for-favors scheme for years, you’ll need to show me a lot more than rock-solid, irrefutable evidence. If the Biden family was corrupt, I think I would have heard about it from my Chinese spy girlfriend."

The Biden administration maintains absolute innocence, despite an ever-growing collection of evidence that would indicate otherwise.

"The President and his family have done nothing wrong," said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who is a woman and also black and also gay.

"It’s completely normal for families to enrich themselves by selling political influence to foreign corporations and governments. Any assertion to the contrary is simply Republicans grasping at straws. Also, I will not be taking any more questions regarding bribery allegations."

As rumors swirled that additional audio recordings of President Biden accepting bribes may soon be released, Democrats continued to brush them off.

"I see nothing wrong here," said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

"So he’s on tape taking bribes. It’s not like it proves he took bribes or something."

At publishing time, Republicans in Congress said they were waiting on several more truckloads of evidence before beginning impeachment proceedings.

Tyler Durden
Sat, 08/12/2023 – 15:30

via ZeroHedge News

Enjoy this article? Read the full version at the authors website: https://www.zerohedge.com