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Protestant politician explains that he became a Muslim because of his church’s approval of same-sex marriage

February 1, 2018/in Culture War, Policy, Religion/by Jihad Watch

Excoriating the Protestant church’s “moral decline” is one thing, but now Wagner has joined a religion that teaches that homosexuals must be put to death:

The Qur’an contains numerous condemnations of homosexual activity:

“And [We had sent] Lot when he said to his people, ‘Do you commit such immorality as no one has preceded you with from among the worlds? Indeed, you approach men with desire, instead of women. Rather, you are a transgressing people.’…And We rained upon them a rain [of stones]. Then see how was the end of the criminals.” (Qur’an 7:80-84)

Muhammad specifies the punishment for this in a hadith:

“The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, ‘Whoever you find doing the action of the people of Loot, execute the one who does it and the one to whom it is done.’” (Sunan Abu Dawud 4462)

Moral decline or moral myopia, giving a divine sanction to murder? Wagner has chosen the latter.

“Right-Wing AfD Ex-Member Explains Why He Moved to Become a Muslim,” South Africa Today, January 31, 2018 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):

Speaking to the Bild newspaper on Wednesday, Arthur Wagner, former member of the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party’s national executive committee, revealed that his converting to Islam was caused by the Protestant church’s “moral decline.”

“One of the reasons is tied to changes that have taken place in the church, which no longer reflects my values,” he said, referring to clerics’ stance on the AfD as well as their approval of same-sex marriage and gay parades.

Wagner described the situation as “unacceptable” when the church supports “marriage for all” and pastors take part in Christopher Street Day, an annual gathering of the LGBT community in some German and Swiss cities, “where are children.”

Earlier this month, media reports said that Wagner stepped down from the AfD after he decided to convert to Islam.

He made it clear at the time that he hadn’t resigned due to his new religious affiliation, saying that “there was no pressure” and that “it has not changed anything.”

AfD spokesman Daniel Friese, for his part, said that Wagner resigned for personal reasons and that the party “has no problem” with the fact that Wagner became a Muslim….

EDITORS NOTE: This column originally appeared in Jihad Watch.

Trump Puts State of the Union in Strong Hands of Americans

January 31, 2018/in Culture War, Featured, Healthcare, Immigration, Policy, Politics/by Family Research Council

Last night, President Trump turned his first State of the Union Address into an American pep rally. Cheering the American people for helping one another overcome a year of natural and man-made tragedies, the president cast a winning vision of unity.“We endured floods and fires and storms,” the president said in the opening of his address. “But through it all, we have seen the beauty of America’s soul, and the steel of America’s spine.” The president even gave a shout-out to the Cajun Navy. “We saw the volunteers of the ‘Cajun Navy,’ racing to the rescue with their fishing boats to save people in the aftermath of a devastating hurricane.”This may seem like a throwaway line, but like so much in the president’s remarkable speech last night, it was an affirmation of the “American way,” which as President Trump said last night, we are rediscovering. Throughout the speech, Trump pointed not to the government as the key to solving America’s problems, but to our faith in God and one another.“In America, we know that faith and family, not government and bureaucracy, are the center of the American life. Our motto is “in God we trust,” the president affirmed

This speech was a sea-change from the previous president in that it celebrated all things American. “…We celebrate our police, our military, and our amazing veteran as heroes who deserve our total and unwavering support.” But what made this speech one of the most remarkable addresses I’ve heard from the House chamber is the way the president wove in powerful, accounts of heroism, sacrifice, patriotism, compassion, and commitment. Two such accounts were the actions of Albuquerque Police Officer Ryan Holets and North Korean-born Ji Seong-ho.

As the president shared last night:

“…Ryan was on duty when he saw a pregnant, homeless woman preparing to inject heroin. When Ryan told her she was going to harm her unborn child, she began to weep. She told him she did not know where to turn, but badly wanted a safe home for her baby. In that moment, Ryan said he felt God speak to him: ‘You will do it — because you can.’ He took out a picture of his wife and their four kids. Then, he went home to tell his wife Rebecca. In an instant, she agreed to adopt. The Holets named their new daughter Hope.”

Several powerful messages were conveyed to the American people as Officer Ryan and his wife stood in the gallery to the applause of Congress. First, in the two and half minutes that the president highlighted the compassion of Officer Holets, the last eight years of hostility towards law enforcement that’s been fomented by statements and actions from Washington officially ended.

Even more powerful was the message of the sanctity of life that has become a hallmark of the Trump administration. This affirmation of life was not missed by the pro-abortion crowd. Tweeting in response, Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards said, “If the government won’t change, WE will change the government. Like never before, women are the most powerful political force in this country. Together, we are going to transform America into the country we know it can be.”

The reality is that President Obama already took us to that point with his pro-abortion agenda and the American people rejected it.

But there was more communicated through Officer Holets, a very subtle, but compelling endorsement of religious freedom. It was Holets’s faith — on the job — that caused him to reach out with compassion to this homeless, drug-addicted, pregnant mom.

This is America at its best. This is religious freedom!

Picking up on the power of faith, President Trump shared the story of Mr. Ji Seong-ho:

“In 1996, Seong-ho was a starving boy in North Korea. One day, he tried to steal coal from a railroad car to barter for a few scraps of food. In the process, he passed out on the train tracks, exhausted from hunger. He woke up as a train ran over his limbs. He then endured multiple amputations without anything to dull the pain.

The president continued:

“Later, he was tortured by North Korean authorities after returning from a brief visit to China. His tormentors wanted to know if he had met any Christians. He had — and he resolved to be free.

Seong-ho traveled thousands of miles on crutches across China and Southeast Asia to freedom. Most of his family followed. His father was caught trying to escape, and was tortured to death.

Today he lives in Seoul, where he rescues other defectors, and broadcasts into North Korea what the regime fears the most – the truth. Today he has a new leg, but Seong-ho, I understand you still keep those crutches as a reminder of how far you have come. Your great sacrifice is an inspiration to us all. Seong-ho’s story is a testament to the yearning of every human soul to live in freedom.”

I’m not easily impressed with political speeches, but the president’s address to the nation last night was indeed impressive. The message was clear. To use the president’s words, “Together, we are rediscovering the America way.” Faith, family, and freedom!

Tony Perkins’ Washington Update is written with the aid of FRC senior writers.

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VIDEO: Watch the ad the NFL doesn’t want you to see. Tell the NFL that You Stand With Vets!

January 31, 2018/in Culture War, Must Read, Policy, Politics, Waste, Fraud and Abuse/by 2ndvote .com

This is the ad the NFL doesn’t want you to see!

For the last two seasons, the National Football League has lost its way. Not only have football games become a platform for the left’s protests, but the NFL is now poised to funnel millions of dollars to liberal activists. Because of the controversial and disrespectful national anthem protests, viewer ratings dropped 10% over the course of the 2017 season and the NFL earned the distinction of becoming America’s most unpopular sports league.

Instead of putting an end to the kneeling, the NFL institutionalized the protests as part of pregame ceremonies and pledged to donate $90 million to “social causes” as directed by the players, including 501(c)(4) organizations that can engage in political activity. This is especially concerning because the NFL Players Association has a history of supporting so-called “resistance” organizations tied to liberal billionaire, George Soros.

Yet, the NFL deemed an ad from American Veterans (AMVETS) “too political” for the official Super Bowl program because it simply asked fans and players to #PleaseStand for the national anthem.

At 2ndVote, we #STANDwithVets and we ask you to join us.

Telling the NFL that we want football, not left-wing activism.

EDITORS NOTE: Please support 2ndVote today!

State of the Union Unveiled the Democrats Last Night, the Media Today

January 31, 2018/in Commentary, Culture War, Immigration, Policy, Politics/by Rod Thomson

Last night’s State of the Union was revelatory — not in the substance of the speech, which was powerful, emotional, energetic and hopeful — but in the stoney responses of Democratic leadership seated in the chamber and in the wildly negative, unrealistic media reporting today.

President Trump was at his very best, delivering an optimistic, bold, energetic, accomplished, emotional speech, the “presidential” act so many people have been claiming to want. It is possible we are seeing a guy not only learning how to govern in a deeply corrupt environment, but also perhaps showing a different way forward for America from here that looks more like the later 1980s than the 2000s.

That was some of the best Trump ever…unless you are in the media or a partisan Democrat. Americans agree with that assessment.

A CBS Poll found that the speech was very well received by Americans who watched it, with 75 percent being positive and 25 percent negative. Even 44 percent of self-identified Democrats found it positive. Similarly, a CNN Poll found 48 percent positive to 22 percent negative, the rest being “somewhat positive.” Those polls will likely shift with media “coverage.”

These have always have partisan affairs, with the party out of power not standing or clapping for elements. But last night was something totally different. At least 11 Democrats boycotted it, and one walked out during it. There was virtually no unity, even in the most basic patriotic, flag-waving, mom-and-apple-pie moments.

The speech and Democrats

The high points:

➡ For everyone who wanted Trump to be more presidential, there it was. In fact, that was almost a classic speech, quintessentially conservative, traditionalist and, most importantly, pro-American. Most Americans outside D.C. and the media don’t have a problem with a pro-American policy.

➡ There is nothing Trump, or Republicans, can do at this point to try to unify the most partisan Democrats (which is most of those in Congress.) The media is overboard in its bias, and Americans who watch the speech and then see the “reporting” realize just how little they can trust these media outlets. This is the largest driving cause of the bifurcation in the country — those who watch, trust and believe the media and those who do not.

➡ There were at least three tear-swelling moments. The very real stories of tragedies stemming from terrible policies. There was the story of two black girls brutally murdered in their school by six MS13 gang members who came into the country illegally. (Democrats embarrassingly groaned and the Congressional Black Caucus was stoney-faced.) There was the tragedy of the American student tortured and killed by North Korea and the North Korean defector who was tortured and escaped across China and Asia on crutches to reach freedom. These are brutalities previous presidents could have prevented or limited. If you didn’t feel something when the four parents of the girls’ murdered and the parents of the Ohio student killed by North Korea were trying to hold it together, unsuccessfully, you have no heart. Step far, far away from politics, far away from Trump news, and reassess your life.

➡ I kept wondering how many votes Democrats were losing with each of their sourpuss, angry, muttering, seething faces. How does that win support? And this all happening during a speech touting an awful lot of good stuff going on — and popular decisions taken, according to the CBS Poll. It’s not clear that the Democrats’ slam-dunk to win the House in November is any more assured than their (non) victories in November 2016.

➡ The Congressional Black Caucus stayed angry and hateful when Trump reported the black unemployment rate is the lowest in 45 years and incomes are rising. This was not a good look.

➡ Trump encouraged patriotism, standing for the flag, etc. Democrats sat on their hands. Perhaps the driving hatred of Trump by Democrats and the media is that he is pursuing traditional conservative policies at a rapid rate and seeing success, while wrapping those policy successes around an unusual and sometimes abrasive presidential personality.

➡ Trump proposed $1.6 trillion in infrastructure (which is a totally liberal policy) and amnesty for about four million illegal immigrants (DACA former kids, which is supportable, and chain migration for their families, which is also liberal.) So two liberal policies Democrats love and push for and both go beyond what Obama even tried. And still Democrats sat on their hands and seethed. It doesn’t really look like they want what is best for America — even when they are the very policies they think are best — if it comes from Trump.

The State of the Union media coverage

The high points:

➡ First, if you did not watch the address, do not watch or read any media coverage. It is a partisan divorce from reality. Watch the speech on Youtube, so you aren’t deceived. Even moderate, media-loving Hugh Hewitt has finally seen it, saying this morning “the media has totally thrown in with Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer. This is very bad for the country.” Yes. First I’ve heard anything like that from him.

➡ ABC’s Martha Raddatz called the speech “gloomy.” (How much do you have to hate Trump to listen to the content of his speech and call it “gloomy?” That’s a rhetorical question.)

➡ A CNN analysis called it “open-handed and clenched fist.” Clenched fist? The analysis went on to spend time on the “corrosive daily toll of the Russia investigation” and then returned to it later “as the Russia scandal races to a crisis point.”

➡ NBC Meet the Press moderator Chuck Todd said that : Trump’s speech “set things back,” and “offended a lot of Democrats.”

➡ ABC News’ Chief Political Analyst Matthew Dowd said, “The last time (a super blue blood moon) was visible in the United States was in the 1860s and I think we are as divided now as we were then, back when that rose the last time in the United States.” That was a clumsy reference to a unique astronomical event.

➡ NBC News Chief Foreign Correspondent Richard Engel conflated Trump’s comments on illegal immigration with a discussion of all immigration. “It’s the anti-immigrant rhetoric from a nation of immigrants that has many world powers confused,” he commented. Well yes, there is confusion here.

➡ Bloomberg’s headline and lead focused on the “divisive tone.”

➡ Fox News’ Chris Wallace immediately labeled the speech “way too long.”

➡ CNN’s Editor-at-Large Chris Cillizza‏ made fun of how Trump read the speech: “Trump reading the teleprompter is an odd thing. He always seems sort of surprised by the next words.”

➡ And amazingly, CNN White House reporter Kate Bennett pondered out loud why First Lady Melania Trump went to the capitol separately from the president, implying problems, and then actually tried to suggest Melania wore white to protest her husband’s policies against women because last year female members of Congress wore white to the event.

You get the picture. The media response to the speech was as pre-ordained as the Democrats’ official rebuttal and is totally unrelated in a fair and honest way to the content of the speech.

Last night, the veil was pulled back on Democrats. Today, it is pulled back on the media.

Our country is not in a good place on the unity front. But less and less does it appear to be on Trump and more and more on the wildly inappropriate reactions to Trump by a deeply dishonest, partisan media and almost shockingly hate-filled Democrats.

EDITORS NOTE: This column originally appeared on The Revolutionary Act. Please visit The Revolutionary Act’s YouTube channel.

Tenth Wave of Judicial Nominees Announced by President Trump

January 30, 2018/in Courts & Law, Culture War, Featured, Policy, Politics/by Dr. Rich Swier

President Donald J. Trump announced his intent to nominate a tenth wave of judicial nominees as follows:

If confirmed, John B. Nalbandian of Kentucky will serve as a Circuit Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. John Nalbandian is a partner in the litigation practice group of Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP, where he has practiced since 2000. He is the firm’s lead appellate lawyer and also practices complex litigation in State and Federal courts. He is board certified as a specialist in appellate law. Prior to joining Taft Stettinius, Mr. Nalbandian practiced for five years in the appellate section of a law firm in Washington, D.C. Upon graduation from law school, Mr. Nalbandian clerked for Judge Jerry E. Smith of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. In 2010, the U.S. Senate confirmed him to serve as a board member of the State Justice Institute, a nonprofit organization established by the federal government to improve the administration of justice in state courts. Mr. Nalbandian resides in Union, Kentucky, and is a member of the Kentucky and Ohio Bars. In 2007, Governor Fletcher appointed him as a Special Justice to the Kentucky Supreme Court. He has also served on the Magistrate Judge Merit Selection Panel for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, as a Board Member of the Northern Kentucky Tri-County Economic Development Board of Directors, and as a Board Member of the Telecommunications Board of Northern Kentucky. Mr. Nalbandian is involved with issues of importance to minority communities as a board member of the Greater Cincinnati Minority Counsel Program, and as a board member of the Asian-Pacific Bar Association of Southwest Ohio. Mr. Nalbandian earned his B.S., magna cum laude, from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he was inducted into the Order of the Coif and served as managing editor of the Virginia Law Review.

If confirmed, Joseph L. Falvey, Jr., of Michigan will serve as a Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. Joseph Falvey is a 30 year veteran of the United States Marine Corps, having served 14 of those years on active duty. In 2011, he retired from the Marine Corps as the Commander of the Marine Corps’ Reserve Legal Support Section. He previously served as a prosecutor, defense counsel, or judge in over 300 trials, and served as an appellate judge on the United States Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals. In the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, he was mobilized in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and served in Afghanistan in 2002. In his civilian career, Mr. Falvey served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the national security unit of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan from 2008-2011. Before joining the Department of Justice, Mr. Falvey spent over a dozen years as a professor of law at two law schools in Michigan. Currently, Mr. Falvey is the District Counsel for the United States Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District. Mr. Falvey earned his B.A. from the University of Notre Dame, his J.D., cum laude, from Notre Dame Law School, where he was editor-in-chief of the Journal of College and University Law, and his masters of law (LL.M.) with honors from the Judge Advocate General’s School of the Army.

If confirmed, Alan D. Albright of Texas will serve as a District Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. Judge Alan Albright is a partner in the Austin office of Bracewell LLP, where his practice focuses on a wide range of complex commercial and civil matters, with a particular emphasis on intellectual property and patent litigation. From 1992 to 1999, Judge Albright served as a United States Magistrate Judge in the Austin Division of the Western District of Texas. For several years, he also served as an adjunct professor at the University of Texas School of Law, where he taught trial advocacy, and in 2017, he was inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers. Judge Albright earned his B.A., with honors, from Trinity University and his J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law, where he was a member of the Texas Law Review.

If confirmed, Susan Brnovich of Arizona will serve as a District Judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona. Judge Susan Brnovich currently serves as a trial court judge on the Maricopa County Superior Court, where she has served since 2009. She has presided over criminal, civil and family court calendars. Prior to becoming a judge, she served for five years as a commissioner on the Maricopa County Superior Court, where she presided over numerous criminal jury trials. Prior to assuming the bench, Judge Brnovich served for eight years as prosecutor with Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. Judge Brnovich earned her B.B.A., M.S., and J.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

If confirmed, J. Campbell Barker of Texas will serve as a District Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. Cam Barker serves as Deputy Solicitor General in the Texas Attorney General’s Office. In that role, he argues appeals on behalf of the State of Texas in State and Federal courts, and he litigates and advises on other cases and matters of significance to Texas. He previously was a partner at Texas litigation boutique Yetter Coleman LLP, where he practiced commercial and intellectual property law. Before entering private practice, Mr. Barker served for four years in the criminal division of the United States Department of Justice, where he also served on detail to the Eastern District of Virginia as a Special Assistant United States Attorney. Earlier in his career, Mr. Barker served as a law clerk to Judge William C. Bryson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and to Judge John M. Walker, Jr. of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Mr. Barker earned his B.S., summa cum laude, from Texas A&M University and his J.D., with highest honors, from the University of Texas School of Law.

If confirmed, Courtney Dunbar Jones of Virginia will serve as a Judge on the U.S. Tax Court. Courtney Dunbar Jones serves as a senior attorney in the Tax-Exempt and Government Entities division in the Office of Chief Counsel of the Internal Revenue Service. Prior to joining the Chief Counsel’s office six years ago, Mrs. Jones practiced for three years in the exempt organizations and intellectual property practice groups of the Washington, D.C.-based firm Caplin & Drysdale. Before relocating to the Washington area, she practiced for four years at Bird, Loechl, Brittain & McCants, a boutique law firm in Atlanta. Since 2015, Mrs. Jones has served on the Board of Trustees of Hampton University, where she earned her B.S., magna cum laude and was the recipient of the President’s Award for Exceptional Achievement. Mrs. Jones then earned her J.D. from Harvard Law School, where she served for two years as the editor in chief of the Harvard BlackLetter Law Journal, (which has since been renamed the Harvard Journal on Racial & Ethnic Justice). During law school, Mrs. Jones was recognized for a variety of achievements; she was named a scholar in the Earl Warren Legal Training Program sponsored by the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, and received the National Bar Institute African American Law Student Fellowship.

If confirmed, Jeremy D. Kernodle of Texas will serve as a District Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. Jeremy Kernodle is currently a partner at Haynes and Boone, LLP, where he founded and chairs the firm’s False Claims Act practice group and focuses on representing healthcare providers and government contractors in Federal courts throughout the country. Before entering private practice, Mr. Kernodle served as an attorney-advisor in the Office of Legal Counsel at the United States Department of Justice. Before that, Mr. Kernodle was an associate at Covington and Burling LLP in Washington, D.C., where his practice focused on complex commercial and appellate litigation. Earlier in his career, Mr. Kernodle served as a law clerk to Judge Gerald Bard Tjoflat of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Mr. Kernodle earned his B.A. and B.B.A., both summa cum laude, from Harding University, and his J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School, where he graduated first in his class.

If confirmed, Dominic W. Lanza of Arizona will serve as a District Judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona. Dominic Lanza serves as the Chief and Executive Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona. Before joining the United States Attorney’s Office nine years ago, Mr. Lanza practiced for five years as an associate in the constitutional and appellate law practice group of Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP. After graduating from law school, Mr. Lanza served as a law clerk to Judge Pamela A. Rymer of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Mr. Lanza earned his A.B., summa cum laude, from Dartmouth College, where he was an All-Ivy League, All-America, and Academic All-America football player and was named the outstanding member of his graduating class, and his J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School, where he served as editor and transition chair of the Harvard Law Review.

If confirmed, Maureen K. Ohlhausen of Virginia will serve as a Judge on the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. Maureen Ohlhausen was confirmed as a commissioner on the Federal Trade Commission in 2012, and currently serves as its Acting Chairman. Prior to her confirmation, she was a partner and head of the FTC practice group in the Washington-based firm Wilkinson Barker Knauer, LLP. From 1998 through 2008, Commissioner Ohlhausen held a variety of posts at the FTC, starting as an attorney in the Office of the General Counsel and concluding as Director of the Office of Policy Planning. Before joining the staff of the FTC, Commissioner Ohlhausen served as a staff attorney on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and later as a law clerk to Judge David B. Sentelle of that court. Upon graduation from law school, Commissioner Ohlhausen served as law clerk to Judge Robert J. Yock of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. She earned her B.A., with distinction, from the University of Virginia, and her J.D., with distinction, from the George Mason University School of Law.

If confirmed, Robert R. Summerhays of Louisiana will serve as a District Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana. Judge Robert Summerhays serves as a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Western District of Louisiana and recently completed an eight-year term as Chief Bankruptcy Judge. Prior to assuming the bench in 2006, Judge Summerhays was a partner in the Dallas office of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, where his practice focused on commercial, corporate, multidistrict, and securities litigation. Upon graduation from law school, Judge Summerhays served as a law clerk to Judge W. Eugene Davis of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Judge Summerhays earned his B.A., with high honors, from the University of Texas at Austin, where he was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. He also earned his J.D., with high honors, from the University of Texas at Austin, where he was inducted into the Order of the Coif, and served as an associate editor of the Texas Law Review.

If confirmed, Michael J. Truncale of Texas will serve as a District Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. Mike Truncale is a partner at Orgain Bell & Tucker, LLP, where he has handled a wide range of litigation matters, including products liability and commercial disputes, since joining the firm as an associate in 1985. During his time in private practice, Mr. Truncale has devoted considerable time to public service. Governor Perry appointed Mr. Truncale to serve a four-year term as a regent of the Texas State University System and Governor Abbott appointed him to serve a six-year term as a board member of the Prepaid Higher Education Tuition Board. Mr. Truncale is Board Certified in civil trial by the National Board of Trial Advocacy and is Board Certified in personal injury trial law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He also has extensive experience in alternative dispute resolution, serving as a mediator in more than 2,000 cases in state and federal courts throughout Texas. Mr. Truncale received his B.B.A., magna cum laude, from Lamar University, his M.B.A. from the University of North Texas, and his J.D. from the Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law.

If confirmed, Wendy Vitter of Louisiana will serve as a District Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. Wendy Vitter serves as General Counsel of the Roman Catholic Church of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. She previously served in the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office, beginning as a law clerk and ultimately rising to chief of the Felony Trials Division. During that period, she focused on homicide prosecutions and litigated over 100 jury trials. Previously, Ms. Vitter practiced maritime and complex litigation at a boutique firm. She is also involved in her community and recently concluded a three-year term as President of the Cancer Association of Greater New Orleans Board of Directors. Ms. Vitter earned her B.A. from Sam Houston State University, and her J.D. from Tulane University Law School.

VIDEO: U.S. immigration lawyers: Go North! Canada: NON! [English, NO!]

January 30, 2018/in Culture War, Immigration, Policy, Politics, Video/by Ann Corcoran

Sticking it to President Trump in January 2017, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, welcomed one and all to Canada… Justin Trudeau’s view on Diversity in 2016.

….now two years later it is oopsy! Never mind!

Here are the opening paragraphs in the New York Times on January 28, 2017:

OTTAWA — As President Trump’s executive order on immigration stranded people around the world and provoked condemnation, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada took to social media to restate the country’s open-door policy.

“To those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith,” Mr. Trudeau wrote on Twitter on Saturday afternoon. “Diversity is our strength.”

And, thousands and thousands believed him and are headed north (to the open-door!), with perhaps the largest number so far being the Haitians who have lost Temporary Protected Status here in the US. It is feared Salvadorans will be next.

To try to cut them off at the pass, Trudeau is sending representatives like this one who visited California recently.

From the LA Times:

In a private dining room at Zov’s restaurant in Tustin, a Canadian envoy made his pitch to about a dozen immigration attorneys and immigrant rights leaders.

Pablo Rodriguez, a member of Parliament, leaned over from his seat in the middle of the table and asked everyone to spread the word: Please do not cross into Canada illegally.

Trudeau and Pablo Rodriguez

“Get the facts and make a decision based on the right facts, before leaving your jobs and taking your children out of school and going up there hoping to stay there forever,” Rodriguez said. “Because if you don’t qualify … you will be returned and in this case not to the United States. You will have lost your status and would be returned to your country of origin.”

Worried that anti-immigrant rhetoric and decisions from the Trump administration could drive more people across its border, the Canadian government is trying to nip that in the bud.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau dispatched Rodriguez to California.

The whip for the majority Liberal Party in Parliament, Rodriguez arrived in the U.S. a few days after President Trump announced his decision to end temporary protected status of an estimated 200,000 Salvadorans in the country.

His message was not that different from immigration hardliners in the U.S. But it was delivered with a nicer Canadian soft sell.

World Relief, one of the nine federal resettlement contractors paid to place refugees in your towns, was there. Before you continue know that the DACA ‘children’ are NOT REFUGEES even if the contractors want you to think they are.

Moments before the meeting, Glen Peterson, director of the refugee resettlement agency World Relief’s office in Garden Grove, said he had told one of his staffers he was meeting with a Canadian member of Parliament regarding immigration issues.

“Oh good,” she said. “Are they taking refugees?”

Peterson said the woman is a beneficiary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which has protected nearly 700,000 young immigrants who were brought to the United States as children and are currently in the country illegally. In September, Trump decided to terminate the program in six months, forcing Congress to find a solution.

There is much more, click here. Note that U.S. immigration attorneys are disregarding Pablo’s message and are prepping their clients to head to Canada.

See my Canada category here. What a mess they have now with Trudeau and first his Syrian airlift and now Central Americans and Somalis especially heading north.

This post is also filed in my ‘Laugh of the day’ category, here.

Transgender Ideology Hurts Kids

January 30, 2018/in Commentary, Culture War, Policy, Politics, Science, Waste, Fraud and Abuse/by The Daily Signal

Properly understanding sex, gender, gender identity, and gender dysphoria will continue to be pressing concerns in 2018.

A proper understanding is a prerequisite for properly forming people in the truth and properly ministering to people in need.

As new gender ideologies are promoted throughout America, their lies will impact not only those who suffer from gender dysphoria, but all children who need to mature in their self-understanding as a boy or girl, man or woman, a potential husband or wife, father or mother.

In 2007, Boston Children’s Hospital “became the first major program in the United States to focus on transgender children and adolescents,” as its website brags. A decade later, more than 45 pediatric gender clinics have opened their doors to our nation’s children.

Parents are told that puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones may be the only way to prevent their children from committing suicide.

Never mind that the best studies of gender dysphoria show that between 80 and 95 percent of children who express a discordant gender identity will come to identify with their bodily sex if natural development is allowed to proceed.

Never mind that “transitioning” treatment has not been shown to reduce the extraordinarily high rate of suicide attempts among people who identify as transgender (41 percent, compared with 4.6 percent of the general population).

Never mind that people who have had transition surgery are 19 times more likely to die by suicide.

These statistics should be enough to halt the headlong rush into “transitioning” and prompt us to find more effective ways to prevent these tragic outcomes. Most of all, we shouldn’t be encouraging children to “transition,” or making heroes and role models of those who have done so.

We should be tolerant—indeed, loving—toward those who struggle with their gender identity, but also be aware of the harm done to the common good, particularly to children, when transgender identity is normalized.

Transgender activists are not merely asking for tolerance or kindness. They are demanding affirmation, not just from adults but from children and adolescents who are already challenged by the normal process of sexual development.

In a culture where transgender identities are not only affirmed but celebrated, everyone will be compelled to construct their own gender identity, unaided by a common understanding of sex differences and why they matter.

In my new book “When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment,” I show that the best biology, psychology, and philosophy all support an understanding of sex as a bodily reality, and an understanding of gender as a social manifestation of bodily sex. Biology isn’t bigotry.

A sound understanding of gender rejects sex stereotypes on the one hand and androgyny on the other. The virtuous mean is a view of gender that reveals meaningful sex differences and communicates the difference they make—a view that takes sex differences seriously while upholding the fundamental equality of the sexes as complements to one another.

The most helpful therapies do not try to remake the body to conform with thoughts and feelings—which is impossible—but rather to help people find healthy ways to manage their tension and move toward accepting the reality of their bodily selves.

My book provides a nuanced view of our sexed embodiment, a balanced approach to policy issues involving transgender identity and gender more broadly, and a sober and honest survey of the human costs of getting human nature wrong.

COMMENTARY BY

Ryan T. Anderson

Ryan T. Anderson, Ph.D., is the William E. Simon Senior Research Fellow in American Principles and Public Policy at The Heritage Foundation, where he researches and writes about marriage, bioethics, religious liberty and political philosophy. Anderson is the author of several books and his research has been cited by two U.S. Supreme Court justices in two separate cases. Read his Heritage research. Twitter: @RyanTAnd. For more on how to understand transgender issues, get a copy of Ryan Anderson’s new book “When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment.”

RELATED ARTICLES:

Planned Transgenderhood

The Ugly Truth About Sex Reassignment the Transgender Lobby Doesn’t Want You to Know [+video]

A Note for our Readers:

Trust in the mainstream media is at a historic low—and rightfully so given the behavior of many journalists in Washington, D.C.

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Now journalists spread false, negative rumors about President Trump before any evidence is even produced.

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Why Do Black People Allow the Mainstream Media to Choose their Leaders?

January 29, 2018/in Commentary, Culture War, Policy, Politics/by Raynard Jackson

I am fond of saying, “weak people take strong positions on weak issues.”

There is no better example of this than the embarrassing behavior of the weak Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and the National Urban League (NUL).

These groups have all feigned righteous indignation about the alleged negative comments made by President Trump two weeks ago about Haiti, Africa, and El Salvador.

Yes, our president can be extremely hyperbolic at times, but the essence of what he said was very true. Those countries, including many in Africa, are basket cases.

So, all of the aforementioned radical liberal groups ran over their mothers to get to a news camera to denounce the president for his alleged statement.

With all the issues facing the Black community, CBC members joined other Democrats to attempt to pass a resolution through the U.S. House of Representatives to censure Trump for his comments, a symbolic gesture that must have kept Trump awake all night.

Derrick Johnson, the president and CEO of the NAACP called Trump a “racist.”

Wow. I am sure that Trump is going to change his ways now.

Marc Morial, the president and CEO of the NUL, said that “President Trump’s crude comments further reveal the repugnant racial motivations behind his administration’s immigration policies.”

Trump must be shaking in his boots.

I challenge my readers to find any issue directly related to Blacks in the U.S., i.e. American citizens, that these groups have put so much political and emotional capital in. It seems that these “media-appointed” Black leaders care more about those in the country illegally, homosexuals, or other groups that have no connection to America than they do the very people they “claim” to represent.

Juxtapose their reactions to Trump’s alleged comments to their relative silence on the murder of Laquan McDonald in Chicago in 2014. He was murdered by Chicago police; they claimed that it was in self-defense, but the actual video revealed that the police lied and that McDonald posed no threat to the policemen.

Former Democratic congressman and Obama’s first chief of staff and Chicago mayor at the time of the police murder, Rahm Emanuel refused to release the video until after his campaign for re-election in 2015 (which he ultimately won).

Emanuel has proven his total disdain for Blacks with his actions, not his rhetoric. Chicago is one of the most dangerous and violent cities in America. Where was the CBC’s outrage at this? Why was there no attempt to censure Emanuel? Why are they not marching through the streets of Chicago?

The NAACP and the UL have not convened a meeting or massive demonstration against Emanuel to denounce him as a racist. Oh, I forgot, he is a Democrat, therefore, he can’t be racist.

Just because you are the head of an organization, doesn’t mean you are a leader. Can you name me the leaders of the White community? But, I digress.

Members of the CBC are willing to oppose the short-term, Republican-sponsored spending bill, because that bill didn’t include a long-term fix for President Barack Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program; even though this move would have devastating effects on the Black community, the same group they “claim” to represent.

Can you name me one issue that was of specific urgency to the Black community that the CBC has ever shut down the government for? Name me one member of the CBC that has a bill passed in his name? Name me one member of the CBC that has his name attached to a bill that became law, i.e. Sarbanes-Oxley, or the Hyde Amendment.

To the NAACP and the UL: Why is amnesty for illegals a “moral” imperative, but the high crime rate in the Black community isn’t? Why wasn’t the double-digit Black unemployment rate under eight years of Obama a “moral” imperative?

Remember the famous quote from former chair of the CBC and congressman from Mo., Emanuel Cleaver from September 2011: “If Obama were White, we’d be marching on the White House.” This remark was made in regard to Obama doing nothing to reduce the Black unemployment rate, which was around 17 percent at the time.

Why do these “media-appointed” leaders make everyone else’s issues their issue? When have you heard the illegals speaking out against the high unemployment rate in the Black community or discrimination in college admissions?

When have you seen the homosexual community speak out against housing discrimination towards Blacks or lack of access to capital for Black business owners?

Can anyone explain to me why these radical, Black liberal groups are ignoring the needs of their own community to focus on the issue of those who have absolutely no connection to our community?

Your first obligation as a parent is to take care of your own family. Period. Do you really think Michael Jordan gave a damn about Magic Johnson getting injured during a game in which they were playing against each other? Hell, no.

So, then, why are we fighting everyone else’s battles at the expense of our own community?

RELATED VIDEO: Jay Z slaps and hits a little black girl after she takes a picture of him.

EDITORS NOTE: This column originally appeared in Black Press USA.

When Community Initiatives Don’t Wait Around for Government Intervention

January 29, 2018/in Culture War, Economy/by Chrissy Randall

Homes for Heroes announced their intention to continue their enterprise of providing homes for modern-day heroes. These heroes include the likes of the American war veterans who come back to American soil with a bit more on their minds than merely kicking off their boots and soaking up the glory of heroism. Only 66% of war veterans receive employment resources, which means it requires a powerful ally to stand in the gap for them. Homes for Heroes provides more than just a glimmer of hope, they provide the keys to a new home.

A New Beginning

There are a number of reasons military veterans may need additional assistance when they come back home. Instead of merely just facing challenges, these veterans can look forward to ongoing support in the form of rehabilitation thanks to funding initiatives. When Homes for Heroes isn’t busy scoping out new plots for homes for their heroes, they’re funding initiatives to help returning soldiers with rehabilitation, both physical and emotional. Injured soldiers such as Air Force Capt. Nathan Nelson can now enjoy a comfortable home specifically designed around his unique injuries. Capt. Nelson suffered severe injuries that left him immobile from the waist down and also the limited use of his hands. Not only did a specialized team design the perfect layout to accommodate his injuries, but the property is entirely mortgage free.

More Than Just the Occasional Free Home

Homes for Heroes strives to raise fundsto assist all wounded heroes not only get the help they need to deal with their trauma, but also have a home of their own. Military personnel, emergency response technicians, healthcare professionals, teachers, and more are on this list of heroes. The project receives its funding from generous donors but also raises capital through its home-buying initiative. With it, these heroes can apply for mortgages and enjoy massive savings that will allow them to better afford a home of their own. These heroes will then also help other heroes get back on their feet without even lifting a finger.

Veterans make up around 12% of the homeless population in America and one of the biggest reasons is their struggle to integrate with others. With the right support from families, communities, and organizations that recognize these needs. Support programs are vital during this phase and families of soldiers are encouraged to support them during this period. For a hero, the ability to walk through a door that now belongs to their very own home is more than just a roof over their heads. It’s also a token of a nation rallying behind them and reminding them that their sacrifices were not in vain.

These men and women stand on the front line to protect the freedom of the nation and on their return, communities should rally together and welcome them back into the fold. With each act of kindness towards these heroes, it’s another life saved or another family restored. Those are the things these heroes strive to protect.

VIDEO: Want to Make the World a Better Place? First Fix Yourself!

January 29, 2018/in Culture War, Science, Video, Waste, Fraud and Abuse/by Prager University

Want to make the world a better place? Start by bettering yourself. Best-selling author and clinical psychologist Jordan Peterson explains how incremental daily changes can lead to a better life and ultimately a more harmonious world.

EDITORS NOTE: Please consider donating today to PragerU! http://l.prageru.com/2eB2p0h

The Clueless versus Trump the Bare Knuckled Fighter for the American People

January 29, 2018/in Culture War, Featured, Immigration, Policy, Politics, Taxes, Waste, Fraud and Abuse/by Dr. Rich Swier

President Donald J. Trump will deliver his first State of the Union Address on January 30th, 2018 in accordance with Article II of the Constitution, which states that the President:

“[S]hall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.”

The Congress will assemble, less some who are boycotting the address, to listen to President Trump outline what he has accomplished and what he plans to accomplish in the coming year. The difference is that President Trump is in a bare knuckled fight with some in his own party and most, if not all, of the opposition parties (Democrats and Independents alike).

But President Trump is a fighter. Evan Sayet in a July 2017 column titled He Fights wrote:

My Leftist friends (as well as many ardent #NeverTrumpers) constantly ask me if I’m not bothered by Donald Trump’s lack of decorum. They ask if I don’t think his tweets are “beneath the dignity of the office.” Here’s my answer:

We Right-thinking people have tried dignity. There could not have been a man of more quiet dignity than George W. Bush as he suffered the outrageous lies and politically motivated hatreds that undermined his presidency. We tried statesmanship. Could there be another human being on this earth who so desperately prized “collegiality” as John McCain? We tried propriety – has there been a nicer human being ever than Mitt Romney? And the results were always the same.

This is because, while we were playing by the rules of dignity, collegiality and propriety, the Left has been, for the past 60 years, engaged in a knife fight where the only rules are those of Saul Alinsky and the Chicago mob.

Read more.

Which is better? Being nice or getting things done?

Nike Quotes published this on its Twitter page, “This world is against me. It wouldn’t be fair otherwise.” This sounds like it could be the motto of President Trump.

But President Trump is doing what he promised to do during his Inaugural Address one year and ten days ago. During his Inaugural Address President Trump said:

Today’s ceremony, however, has very special meaning. Because today we are not merely transferring power from one Administration to another, or from one party to another – but we are transferring power from Washington, D.C. and giving it back to you, the American People.

For too long, a small group in our nation’s Capital has reaped the rewards of government while the people have borne the cost.

Washington flourished – but the people did not share in its wealth.

Politicians prospered – but the jobs left, and the factories closed.

The establishment protected itself, but not the citizens of our country.

Their victories have not been your victories; their triumphs have not been your triumphs; and while they celebrated in our nation’s Capital, there was little to celebrate for struggling families all across our land.

That all changes – starting right here, and right now, because this moment is your moment: it belongs to you.

It belongs to everyone gathered here today and everyone watching all across America.

This is your day. This is your celebration.

And this, the United States of America, is your country.

The politicians didn’t listen to President Trump and they are now paying a price for not hearing his words.

Bret Stephens in a column titled Clueless Versus Trump published in the New York Times on January 19th, 2018 notes:

Apple’s announcement on Wednesday that it will repatriate most of the estimated $274 billion that it holds in offshore earning is great news for the United States. Uncle Sam will gat a one-time $38 billion tax payment. The company promises to add 20,000 jobs to its U.S. work force, a 24 percent increase, and build a new campus. Another $5 billion will go toward a fund for advanced manufacturing in America.

C’mon. What’s with the long face?

In December this column warned that hysterical opposition to the Republican tax bill was a fool’s game for Democrats that could only help Donald Trump. Yes, there were things to dislike in the legislation, from both a liberal and a conservative perspective.

Bit it was not the moral and fiscal apocalypse its critics claimed.

Read more.

President Trump during his first State of the Union speech lay out how he has empowered the American people and taken power away from politicians and bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. This is why they fear him. He is systematically taking away their power to control the people. As he does this he strengthens the economy and has made America competitive globally. As former President Bill Clinton said, “It’s the economy stupid.” For far to many in Washington, D.C. its not about the economy but about growing the federal government’s power to tax, spend and regulate. This trend has trickled down to city, county and state governments like California.

President Trump will most likely talk about his immigration plan and his administration’s efforts to take people off of welfare and putting them back into the work force. For at one time there were two classes of Americans, the working class and all others. America was built on the ideal that work is the best and most effective cure for poverty. That remains so today. The more people working the better.

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Behind Trump’s Davos triumph

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EDITORS NOTE: Here are excerpts from the Annual Message to the Congress on the State of the Union given on January 30, 1961 by President John F. Kennedy:

The present state of our economy is disturbing. We take office in the wake of seven months of recession, three and one-half years of slack, seven years of diminished economic growth, and nine years of falling farm income.

Business bankruptcies have reached their highest level since the Great Depression. Since 1951 farm income has been squeezed down by 25 percent. Save for a brief period in 1958, insured unemployment is at the highest peak in our history. Of some five and one-half million Americans who are without jobs, more than one million have been searching for work for more than four months. And during each month some 150,000 workers are exhausting their already meager jobless benefit rights.

[ … ]

In short, the American economy is in trouble. The most resourceful industrialized country on earth ranks among the last in the rate of economic growth. Since last spring our economic growth rate has actually receded. Business investment is in a decline. Profits have fallen below predicted levels. Construction is off. A million unsold automobiles are in inventory. Fewer people are working–and the average work week has shrunk well below 40 hours. Yet prices have continued to rise–so that now too many Americans have less to spend for items that cost more to buy.

[ … ]

We cannot afford to waste idle hours and empty plants while awaiting the end of the recession. We must show the world what a free economy can do–to reduce unemployment, to put unused capacity to work, to spur new productivity, and to foster higher economic growth within a range of sound fiscal policies and relative price stability.

[ … ]

Meanwhile this country has continued to bear more than its share of the West’s military and foreign aid obligations. Under existing policies, another deficit of $2 billion is predicted for 1961–and individuals in those countries whose dollar position once depended on these deficits for improvement now wonder aloud whether our gold reserves will remain sufficient to meet our own obligations.

[ … ]

But all these problems pale when placed beside those which confront us around the world. No man entering upon this office, regardless of his party, regardless of his previous service in Washington, could fail to be staggered upon learning–even in this brief 10 day period–the harsh enormity of the trials through which we must pass in the next four years. Each day the crises multiply. Each day their solution grows more difficult. Each day we draw nearer the hour of maximum danger, as weapons spread and hostile forces grow stronger. I feel I must inform the Congress that our analyses over the last ten days make it clear that–in each of the principal areas of crisis–the tide of events has been running out and time has not been our friend.

In Asia, the relentless pressures of the Chinese Communists menace the security of the entire area–from the borders of India and South Viet Nam to the jungles of Laos, struggling to protect its newly-won independence. We seek in Laos what we seek in all Asia, and, indeed, in all of the world-freedom for the people and independence for the government. And this Nation shall persevere in our pursuit of these objectives. In Africa, the Congo has been brutally torn by civil strife, political unrest and public disorder. We shall continue to support the heroic efforts of the United Nations to restore peace and order–efforts which are now endangered by mounting tensions, unsolved problems, and decreasing support from many member states.

In Latin America, Communist agents seeking to exploit that region’s peaceful revolution of hope have established a base on Cuba, only 90 miles from our shores. Our objection with Cuba is not over the people’s drive for a better life. Our objection is to their domination by foreign and domestic tyrannies. Cuban social and economic reform should be encouraged. Questions of economic and trade policy can always be negotiated. But Communist domination in this Hemisphere can never be negotiated.

Read the full speech.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri: The Most Anti-White Movie Ever Made

January 29, 2018/in Culture War, Must Read, Policy, Politics, Waste, Fraud and Abuse/by Dr. Rich Swier

Martin McDonagh

I went with family and friends to see the movie Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri written and directed by Martin McDonagh. Three Billboards won four awards at the 2017 Golden Globes, including Best Screenplay for McDonagh.

The Washington Post’s film critic Ann Hornaday wrote this about Three Billboards:

The film is as dark as they come, a pitch-black, often laceratingly [trashingly] funny look at human nature at its most nasty, brutish and dimwitted.

In the film Three Billboards who’s portrayed as nasty, brutish and dimwitted? Answer: White middle class people living in flyover America.

Irish born McDonagh, who is white and privileged, makes Three Billboards the ultimate movie about I hate myself for being white and privileged. It’s self-flagellation on the silver screen. It is also an attack against “fly over America” and those (nasty, brutish and dimwitted) deplorables who overwhelmingly voted for Donald J. Trump, who is white and privileged.

The characters in Three Billboards are a “basket of deplorables” in the eyes of McDonagh, Hollywood, Hillary Clinton and her supporters.

The theme of Three Billboards fits the narrative pushed by Robert Jensen, author of the book The Heart of Whiteness: Confronting Race, Racism, and White Privilege, who wrote “The world does not need white people to civilize others. The real White People’s Burden is to civilize ourselves.” Jensen blames white people for being uncivilized, i.e. nasty, brutish and dimwitted.

Metrocosm produced the below map showing the county-level results for the 2016 election. In the map we see that the state of Missouri overwhelmingly voted for Donald J. Trump. Missouri has a Republican Governor and both houses of the Missouri legislature are controlled by the Republican Party.

Map by Metrocosm.

Three Billboards is a great way for those who voted for Hillary Clinton to laugh out loud at those unsophisticated dolts who live in flyover America.

Every character in Three Billboards, who is white, is dysfunctional. The mother of the daughter raped and killed is divorced and told her daughter to walk to a party and wished that her daughter be raped on her walk back home. The mother’s wish comes true. The mother then blames the sheriff, who is white, of not doing enough to catch the killer of her daughter, the suspect being white and in the military. This leads to the infamous use of three bill boards which leads to a series of emotional revenge filled acts (beatings, property destruction, attacks by and against law enforcement). The white mother, the local law enforcement officers, who are all white, and the local community, which is portrayed as predominantly white, progressively go down a “dark as they come” path. A path that leads to physical violence, which begets escalating physical violence and ends with a vigilantly quest by two white people (the mother and former deputy) to find another white military man they suspect is a rapist.

That’s the theme of the movie. White people are nasty, brutish and dimwitted.

It fits perfectly with the narrative of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s statement that the goal of President Trump’s immigration plan is to, “make America white again.”

According to the U.S. Census Bureau in 2016 an estimated 76.9% of Americans are white. If you’re white and go to see this movie be prepared to see yourself through the lens of Hollywood. Those like you are portrayed as dimwitted, violent, revengeful and stupid. And Hollywood wonders why it’s box office revenues are in the tank.

William R. Hawkins in an article titled Culture Wars: Supporting “Them” Over “Us” Until We’re Dead writing about another Hollywood film that has been nominated for multiple Academy Awards states:

This “them over us” attitude has penetrated mainstream entertainment, as the even more spoiled Hollywood Left portrays America as a place where an increasingly alien and monstrous “them” are to be embraced as being superior to us. For example, “The Shape Of Water,” a movie directed by Guillermo del Toro which was considered headed for a number of high awards. It is billed as a fairy tale romance between an American girl and an amphibious monster from the Amazon. This is not “Beauty and the Beast” where the beast is no such thing. Del Toro has taken “The Creature from the Black Lagoon” as his inspiration, turning it on its head. As he told NPR (Dec. 1), if the movie had been made in 1962, the year in which it is set, the government agent who captured the monster would be the hero, but now he is the villain. “And the image of the monster or ‘the other’ carrying the girl on his arms would be the image of horror.” In Del Toro’s imagined world, however, the girl falls in love with the monster and willing commits acts of bestiality with it. To Del Toro, “the moment she and the creature get together is done almost like a painting. It is so poetic and balletic that, you know, you never see anything shocking except the notion.” Yet, Del Toro is very frank about the nature of the creature, “He stays in its carnal form – an animal. And he still has a very controversial diet of raw protein that includes cats, you know? And he doesn’t get civilized and eat a cat with a fork and a knife.” The monster is also described as “ a god-like figure” which goes back to the long tradition of “the noble savage” who being closer to primitive nature sits on a higher plane than those of us who have succumbed to civilization.

As Stefan Molyneux an Irish-born Canadian author and commentator said, “History has been stolen from us and replaced with guilt inducing lies.”

Cecil B. DeMille, who gave us the 1956 Academy Award winning film The Ten Commandments, said, “Give me any two pages of the Bible and I’ll give you a picture.” Cecil B. DeMille also said, “It is impossible for us to break the law. We can only break ourselves against the law.” DeMille was speaking about God’s laws, the Ten Commandments, everyone one of which was broken by the characters in Three Billboards.

Isaiah 1:16-18 New King James Version (NKJV) reads:

¹⁶“Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean;
Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes.
Cease to do evil,
¹⁷Learn to do good;
Seek justice,
Rebuke the oppressor;^[a]
Defend the fatherless,
Plead for the widow.

¹⁸“Come now, and let us reason together,”
Says the Lord,
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be as wool.

Perhaps McDonagh in particular and Hollywood in general should heed the Word of God?

Hawaii: Missile Alert Investigator has Conflict of Interest

January 29, 2018/in Culture War, Featured, National Security, Policy, Politics, Waste, Fraud and Abuse/by Hawaii Free Press

News Release from Office of Rep. Gene Ward.

Rep. Gene Ward (R-Hawaii Kai, Kalama Valley) wrote a letter to Governor David Ige putting forth the questions he was not given an opportunity to ask in the Legislative Hearing held at the State Capitol Auditorium on January 19, 2018.

Ward’s letter noted, “I was not allowed to ask you any questions in last Friday’s hearing because my last name started with “W” and you left the hearing after 38 minutes, the exact same period of time the people of Hawaii were traumatized by the January 13th’s false missile attack alarm.

“Your early departure connoted the amount of concern you gave this subject — more akin to a budget hearing rather than a total breakdown of communications with the people of Hawaii. I am also of the opinion that the Chairman of the hearing was not seriously interested in having a detailed Information Briefing into the Missile Alert Fiasco when the period allotted was just a 2-hour time slot at the Capitol Auditorium for you and three of your Generals. This was a matter of serious national interest and it was treated with less attention than a hearing on homelessness at the Capitol.

Ward asked a number of questions to the Governor and then ended his letter with a warning about a possible conflict of interest:

Lastly, I raise the issue of conflict of interest if you expect the people of Hawaii to believe your final report when it is being written by General Hara, who is too close to the situation at HI-EMA, a close personal friend of General Miyagi and under the command of General Logan. According to the Department of Defense, General Logan serves as the Director of the Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency, so how can he be evaluated by his Deputy Director, General Hara? How can he investigate his boss and colleague General Miyagi and his assigned responsibilities at HI-EMA in an objective manner?”

SA: Ige Defends Hara Investigation

Dear Governor Ige,
January 22, 2018

I was not allowed to ask you any questions in last Friday’s hearing because my last name started with “W” and you left the hearing after 38 minutes. Two pretty lame excuses, unless of course you and the Chair were attempting to send a message that 38 minutes is what you want to be remembered for.

My point is you were too easily dismissed by the Chairman to be responsible to the people of Hawaii to answer legislators’ questions. Your early departure connoted the amount of concern you gave this subject — more akin a budget hearing rather than a total breakdown of communications with the people of Hawaii. I am also of the opinion that the Chairman of the hearing was not seriously interested in having a detailed Information Briefing into the Missile Alert Fiasco when the period allotted was just a 2-hour time slot at the Capitol Auditorium for you and three of your Generals. This was a matter of serious national interest and it was treated with less attention than a hearing on homelessness at the Capitol.

I’m writing this follow-up letter to you today not only because I could not ask you any questions in last Friday’s Hearing, but also because the people of Hawaii did not receive the detailed answers they deserve. Until those answer are provided, the images of a father putting his daughter in a sewer manhole for protection and UH students fleeing for their lives on campus, and a constituent of mine having a heart attack, will be indelibly linked to the future credibility and trust of your Administration.

I trust you are prepared to regain the confidence of the people of Hawaii and you could certainly begin that by promptly answering this letter.

Below are questions I would have asked you as a member of the House Committee on Veterans, Military, & International Affairs, & Culture and the Arts, plus a few others as new information has been forthcoming since the hearing:

My opening statement: Thank you Governor Ige for being here, but more important, taking responsibility for what I have called the Missile Alert Fiasco. You have said the “buck stops here” and should be commended for this (as President Trump did on national TV) but regardless of how many “mea culpas” or “kala mais” you constantly repeat, there are simply too many unanswered questions to accept your apologies and promise of “never again.”.

(Some of the questions below were asked in my January 15 letter to the Governor and I will paraphrase them with the other questions I was intending to ask at the Hearing.)

First, Governor Ige, how can the emergency alert system you set up issue an official “live” missile alert without first getting permission from PACOM? PACOM is the only authority that knows there is a missile threat. How can you override that with your so-called drill when your message of January 13 did not say it was one?
Is there a protocol from PACOM that has to first signal to you that the state is actually under a missile threat before you send out an alert? If not, why not? Your button should not be allowed to be pushed without this clearance protocol, so why was it? Did you discuss this with your software vendor and allow a single individual to make the determination on his own? How this has been explained so far borders on incompetence of personnel or a ‘Rube Goldberg’ software system for which we should get our money back.
Because there are so many gaps in time and knowledge of what precisely happened on the morning of January 13, I requested in my January 15 letter to you what I called a “forensic tour” of the HI-EMA facilities so legislators can fully understand what happened on the morning of January 13, 2018. Will you organize and allow your generals to conduct such a tour so legislators will be able to explain exactly what happened to their constituents?

Now what follows are the questions that I asked to Generals Logan and Miyagi in your absence. This includes the partial questions I asked and others that I was not allowed to ask.

QUESTION 1: CAN WE KICK THE TIRES OF HI-EMA?: I basically asked the same question as above to General Logan about HI-EMA organizing a “forensic tour” of HI-EMA and a walk through of the events of the morning of January 13. General Logan gave a vague “yes” with a bit of dancing between the need for transparency and how a study by General Hara will have details available that Legislators can see. Your answer to this question will be more important than his response to date.

QUESTION 2: “MOTHER MAY I” FROM FEMA REQUIRED: I then asked General Logan if he, you, or General Miyagi had said that HI-EMA had to ask FEMA for permission to retract the message that was incorrectly sent out? While he was answering this question, KHON reporter Gina Mangieri shook her head at his response because she had spoken with FEMA and was told that no such permission or clearance was required by them — some misinformation initially put out by your Administration suggesting that Hawaii had to do a “mother may I” with FEMA before retracting your false alarm. General Miyagi stepped up to the microphone and fell on his sword on this one.

Unfortunately, before I got beyond General Miyagi’s “HI-EMA Mea Culpa” — I was cut off by the Chairman as I was in the process of asking General Miyagi: “If you were still on active duty during the January 13 events and they occurred on your watch and under your supervision, what would your response be to what happened regarding personnel, and what would your commanding Generals likely do to you after how you handled this event?”

So, will heads roll, Governor? Sometimes the most honorable thing is for those in error is to remove themselves.

GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY I WOULD HAVE ALSO ASKED A RHETORICAL QUESTION WITH A TOUCH OF LEVITY: Mr. Chairman, may I call Gina Mangieri of KHON TV to the stand? She appears to know more about this event and what went wrong than most people in this room. (I knew he would object to this suggestion, though as a former reporter himself, the Chair might appreciate the intent.)

But let the facts be known, Gina Mangeri has uncovered a number of half-truths that put HI-EMA in a very unfavorable light, particularly noting that FEMA did not have to give permission to HI-EMA to retract the Missile Alert, and that the so-called “wrong click of the mouse” on a single screen, turns out to be a series of screens and a series of clicks required as uncovered by Ms. Mangeri.

THE LAST QUESTION WAS TO ASK GENERAL LOGAN ABOUT THE FCC COMING TO HAWAII AND THIS HEARING: Who was responsible for the 3 FCC members being here today? Did you invite them, or did the Federal Government see fit to intervene, or perceive we needed outside help and could NOT do this on our own?

So Governor Ige, thank you for the opportunity to ask these questions to you, albeit some days later but nonetheless still as important and in print.

TRANSPARENCY REQUESTED:

As earlier stated, I am disappointed that you and your Generals did not spend more time with us. I am very curious about what was on your schedule, on Friday morning, January 19 that did not allow you to stay longer than 38 minutes in the hearing. I and a few others are interested to learn of what kept you from answering further questions.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST:

Lastly, I raise the issue of conflict of interest if you expect the people of Hawaii to believe your final report when it is being written by General Hara, who is too close to the situation at HI-EMA, a close personal friend of General Miyagi and under the command of General Logan. According to the Department of Defense, General Logan serves as the Director of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, so how can he be evaluated by his Deputy Director, General Hara? How can he investigate his boss and colleague General Miyagi and his assigned responsibilities at HI-EMA in an objective manner?

General Hara is an honorable man, but may I suggest you work with the Legislature in forming an investigative panel to ensure the objectivity of this report and that it is received with the highest credibility. The way it is currently structured looks to incestuous and unobjective.

Thank you ahead of time for responding to these questions I have posed to you and your Generals. I trust the nature of this subject and its importance to the people of Hawaii will be reason to answer these questions in an expeditious manner. Mahalo.

Respectfully,

Rep. Gene Ward, Member
House Committee on Veterans, Military, & International Affairs, & Culture and the Arts

EDITORS NOTE: Gene R. Ward is an American politician and a Republican member of the Hawaii House of Representatives since January 2007 representing District 17. He currently serves as the Minority Floor Leader.

Down The Rabbit Hole: The Occupation and Conquest of California

January 28, 2018/in Culture War, Must Read, Policy, Politics, Taxes, Video, Waste, Fraud and Abuse/by Dr. Rich Swier

Down the rabbit hole is a metaphor for an adventure into the unknown. California is certainly a metaphor for an adventure in the now known outcomes of extreme progressive policies implemented by the Democratic Party.

The Republic of California has become the poster child for how far down the rabbit hole a state can go.

California has recently been plagued by massive wildfires consuming 1,381,405 acres of land, a spreading flu epidemic, earthquakes with more expected and moral scandals of Biblical proportions. Fiscally, California is insolvent. Some are even calling for the establishment, under the California Constitution, for a New State of California (video). California State Representative Ian C. Calderon (D-Whittier) has introduced AB-1884 which inserts new language into the Retail Food section of the California Health and Safety Code, prohibiting restaurants from providing plastic straws to its customers. According to Snopes.com, “[V]iolations of which are misdemeanors ‘punishable by a fine of not less than $25 or more than $1,000, or by imprisonment in the county jail for a term not exceeding 6 months, or by both.’”

What has happened to the once beautiful and prosperous State of California?

Perhaps the below video of a California citizen cycling through Santa Ana in Orange County, California can enlighten us all:

Another issue is San Diego, California’s Chicano Park. Chicano (in North America) is a person of Mexican origin or descent, especially a man or boy. Until the late 1970s, Los Angeles’s Pico-Union district was populated by Mexican immigrants, Chicanos , African Americans, and European Americans.

Some citizens of San Diego are calling Chicano Park a “Huge monument honoring Communism and La Raza ultra nationalism.”

Chicano Park Day – Anti-American, La Raza Celebration:

Chicano Park, Patriot Picnic II – ABC 10 News Report

Looking at the murals in Chicano Park tell the story:

Note the United Farm Workers Union (UFW with black eagle) logo. The UFW is pro-open borders, pro-amnesty and pro-Dreamers.

Note the images of Ernesto “Che” Guevara, Fidel Castro and other revolutionaries on the mural. The phrase “La Lucha Cintinua” translated means “The Fight Continues.”

The saying translated reads “our sacred land Aztec Chicano Park.” The Chicano in the mural is holding a map showing the entire South West portion of the United States as part of Mexico.

California continues to go deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole. It’s policies have become extremist and the government more costly and controlling. California is now asking that all companies in the state give 50% of their federal tax refund to the keep the state government running. When will Californians wake up and take back their state?

RELATED ARTICLES:

California Bill Threatens Waiters With Jail for Providing Plastic Straws

We Hear You: The Schumer Shutdown, ‘Dreamers,’ 2 Marches, and California’s Tax Grab

Pico Rivera councilman and El Rancho High teacher Gregory Salcido caught on video degrading military

EDITORS NOTE: The featured image titled “The Chicano Mural movement began in the southwest” by Amanda

The Moral Crisis of Our Time

January 28, 2018/in Culture War, Religion, Waste, Fraud and Abuse/by The Catholic Thing

William “Will” Herberg lectures. c 1968

James H. Toner, re-reading a prescient Will Herberg essay from 1968, notes that it’s bad to violate moral standards but deadly to repudiate them.

Nineteen sixty-eight is rightly remembered as a year of chaos, confusion, and confrontation. As the year began, the noted sociologist of religion, William “Will” Herberg (1901-1977), published an essay entitled “What Is the Moral Crisis of Our Time?” in the Intercollegiate Review (January-March 1968). As a college senior reading that essay, I was struck by its analytical and prophetic power.

In Catholic tradition, the word work means efforts that bring order out of chaos. Will Herberg’s essay “worked” for me. Its thesis was – and, I believe, is – so clear and so compelling that it effectively provides a moral and intellectual beacon with which we can see through the darkness of our day and find a path (cf. Deuteronomy 5:32-33) leading to ethical sanity. In short, Herberg’s essay was, to use the literary term, an anagnorisis for me – a kind of mental “Road-to-Damascus Moment” – that drew the loose threads of the day into a recognizable fabric.

Fifty years ago, at the dawn of the fateful year of 1968, there was still hope (as Herberg points out) that out of the rampant chaos then beginning to reign a new morality would emerge from the ashes. (Little did he, or we, know what lay before us as the terrible months of 1968, and beyond, elapsed.) But the situationalism of that new “morality” would fail, Herberg said, “unless [there was] some principle, some standard transcending the particular context.” Without objective standards, “nothing but moral chaos and capriciousness can result.”

If such chaos leads to personal pleasure, though, Herberg warned us, it would be considered desirable. After all, we send our children off with a hearty “Have Fun!” and hardly anyone even remembers saying, “Go with God.” About the rising and ubiquitous sybaritic “culture” of our day, Herberg was prescient.

Herberg’s thesis was as perceptive as it was succinct: “the moral crisis of our time consists primarily not in the widespread violation of accepted moral standards . . . but in the repudiation of those very moral standards themselves.” The moral code of the Greeks, based upon reason, and of the Hebrews, based upon Revelation, had atrophied, he wrote, to the point of dissolution. We were “rapidly losing all sense of transcendence.” We were adrift, by choice, in a sea of disorder with no “navigational” standards to consult.

Where we had looked to knowledge as truth, we were starting to exalt knowledge as power, complemented by the ideology of technology worship. In 1968, Will Herberg did not foresee the grave dangers of unlimited artificial intelligence – the cyborg Sophia did not then exist – but Herberg knew that a kind of technopolis was on the horizon, and he warned us about it.

He pointed to Jean-Paul Sartre’s advice to a young man living in Nazi-occupied France as an example of the moral bewilderment increasingly held as “authentic” in the 1960s. The man had asked Sartre if he should fight the Nazis in the Resistance movement or cooperate with them, obtaining a sinecure in the Vichy Regime. The choice hardly mattered, said Sartre, as long as the decision was authentic and inward. If there are no objective standards to govern moral choice, then what is chosen does not matter. The only concern is whether one chooses “authentically.” Thus Herberg concluded: “The moral crisis of our time is, at bottom, a metaphysical and religious crisis.”

Herberg prophesied rabid subjectivism, all-pervasive antinomianism, and a soul-searing secularism, what Pope Benedict was much later to call the “dictatorship of relativism.” In contending that standards cannot exist unless tradition is respected and revivified, Herberg quoted the Greek elegiac poet Theognis (about sixth century B.C.), who said: “Only he who has the tradition has the standard.”

We now may be so mired in narcissistic norms that we cannot even understand Herberg’s jeremiad: “No human ethic is possible that is not itself grounded in a higher law and a higher reality beyond human manipulation or control.” The reason of the Greeks and the Revelation of the Hebrews are now replaced by modernist profane worship of man by man: thus, tyranny beckons and awaits.

Herberg quotes cultural historian Jacob Burckhardt (1818-1897): “When men lose their sense of established standards, they inevitably fall victim to the urge for pleasure or power.” Herberg, who was Jewish (and also wrote a book on American religion still worth reading Protestant, Catholic, Jew), does not quote St. Paul, but he could have: “when [people] measure themselves [only] by one another, and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.” (2 Cor 10:12) Nor does he quote St. John, but he could have: “Stop judging by appearances, but judge justly.” (7:24)

Here, exactly, is the crux of the crisis of our day. Is there any rule, canon, standard, or authority that we justly accept as governor of our morals, our politics, our very lives? We know that the substitution of self or state for God leads to the Gulag. There is a reason, in short, that the First Commandment is first, for God’s wisdom “ordereth all things sweetly.” (Wisdom 8:1 DRB) Do we have eyes to see and ears to hear?

In 1968, Herberg wrote that he could not be sanguine about the prospects of restoring tradition and of revitalized moral standards based upon reason and God’s revelation. Plaintively, he asked, “Is it ever really possible simply to regain what has once been lost?” Were Will Herberg living today, would he have any cause for greater optimism now than he did fifty years ago?

James H. Toner

Deacon James H. Toner, Ph.D., is Professor Emeritus of Leadership and Ethics at the U.S. Air War College, and author of Morals Under the Gun and other books. He has also taught at Notre Dame, Norwich, Auburn, the U.S. Air Force Academy, and Holy Apostles College & Seminary.

EDITORS NOTE: © 2018 The Catholic Thing. All rights reserved. For reprint rights, write to: info@frinstitute.org. The Catholic Thing is a forum for intelligent Catholic commentary. Opinions expressed by writers are solely their own.