WATCH: Megyn Kelly on the most disgusting Anti-Israel and Pro-Hamas protests we’ve seen around the world

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“You obviously do not like America – so just get out!”

Megyn Kelly begins the show by discussing some of the most disgusting anti-Semitic and pro-Hamas displays around the world over the weekend, New York’s anti-Israel protest over the weekend and their disturbing chants, dangerous protests in the U.K., some positive developments with pro-Israel demonstrations in Paris, and more.

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EDITORS NOTE: This Newsrael News Desk column with video is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

‘Bah Humbug’: Pa. School Districts Warns Bus Drivers against Christmas Decorations

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A Keystone State school board is banning school bus drivers from putting up Christmas decorations. On Friday, just over a week before Christmas, the Wallingford-Swarthmore school district in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, issued a memo to school bus drivers saying, “If you have decorated your bus with anything specific to the Christmas Holiday or any other decorations relating to a specific religion, please remove them immediately.”

The memo concludes, “In addition, employees are instructed not to wear clothing related to Christmas or any other religious holiday.” According to the memo, school district leadership “has been receiving complaints from parents concerning District employees displaying ‘Christmas’ themed decorations and/or wearing clothing of the same nature.” A note adds that the policy is not specific to school bus drivers but “APPLIES TO ALL DISTRICT EMPLOYEES.”

According to reporter Chris O’Connell of Fox 29 Philadelphia, who shared the memo on social media, school bus drivers have responded to the memo with variations of “Bah humbug.”

In comments to The Washington Stand, Meg Kilgannon, senior fellow for Education Studies at Family Research Council, asked, “Are there drivers with Pride flags? BLM flags? Culturally sensitive flags of other nations? Just what kinds of personal expressions are okay in the school district?” She further noted, “When even the commercialized and virtually-religion-free Christmas observance is disallowed, we have lost all sense of identity as Americans and certainly Western civilization. Woe to the bus driver who tries to create an atmosphere of joy, peace, and love for the children on his or her bus.”

Joseph Backholm, FRC’s senior fellow for Biblical Worldview, told TWS that the ban on Christmas decorations is “an issue of people in leadership who always follow rather than lead.” He said, “The school district apparently received a complaint from someone that a bus driver was spreading too much Christmas cheer, and instead of telling that parent they encourage every bus driver to be as festive as possible, they decided it was their job to protect the emotionally fragile.” Although “Christmas” is named explicitly in the memo, Backholm noted that the inclusion of “any other religious holiday” was “certainly done on the advice of their lawyers, because it would be illegal to just ban Christmas displays and clothing.”

“There’s nothing illegal about employees who wear holiday clothing at work, which is why we see it all the time. But in this case the school district decided to side with the complaints of the few against the joy and celebrations of the many,” Backholm explained. “We now live in a world where some people are looking for reasons to be offended and they often find reason to be offended in the joy of others. The public square will once again be open once we stop pretending people have a right not to be offended by things.”

According to Fox 29 Philadelphia, the school district clarified Friday night that their intent was “not clear” and reversed the ban on holiday decorations and clothing, emphasizing instead a need for bus drivers to create “an inclusive environment.”

“The parents who want to remove the decorations should spend a week on the bus to see what kind of environment their children and the bus drivers experience daily,” Kilgannon said. “Parents know that in many school districts bus discipline is nonexistent and enforcing any behavioral norm is often punished — by just this kind of complaint. Taxpayers on the other hand who have no kids in school have no idea that this kind of situation is funded by their generosity.”

AUTHOR

S.A. McCarthy 

S.A. McCarthy serves as a news writer at The Washington Stand.

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EDITORS NOTE: This Washington Stand column is republished with permission. All rights reserved. ©2023 Family Research Council.

The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. We invite you to stand with us by partnering with FRC.

PODCAST: The Ethics of Voting As A Christian

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As 2023 comes to an end, many Americans are looking into 2024 with one specific national event on their mind: the presidential election.

Be it Republican or Democrat, Libertarian or Independent, there are a lot of options to choose from, but how does one know whom to pick?

Host Joseph Backholm is joined by Andrew Walker, Associate Dean in the School of Theology, and Associate Professor of Christian Ethics and Public Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary to discuss the morals and methods that Christians should implement when voting.

To Walker, politics is about promoting the common good and loving your neighbor.

Listen now to better understand how to ethically vote for candidates that align with your values!

GUESTS

Joseph Backholm

Joseph Backholm is Senior Fellow for Biblical Worldview and Strategic Engagement at Family Research Council.

Andrew Walker

EDITORS NOTE: This Washington Stand column is republished with permission. All rights reserved. ©2023 Family Research Council.

The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. We invite you to stand with us by partnering with FRC.

VIDEO: USA’s Child Trafficking Crisis • Unmasking the Hidden Epidemic

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In the United States, a silent epidemic is raging, mostly unnoticed, yet devastating in its impact. Child trafficking, a term that evokes horror and disbelief, is not a problem confined to remote parts of the world. It is happening right here, in our neighborhoods, in our cities, and across our nation. This blog post aims to shed light on this hidden epidemic, underscoring the problems, the solutions, and how each one of us can join hands in supporting the mission to protect our children and be part of the solution.

Understanding the Issue

Child trafficking involves the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, or receipt of children for the purpose of exploitation. This exploitation can range from forced labor and organ trade to sexual exploitation. In the digital age, online predation has given traffickers new tools, making it easier for them to exploit innocent lives, often hiding in plain sight.

The Stark Reality

  • The USA is the main source and destination for this nefarious industry on the planet.
  • Annually, it’s estimated to generate a staggering $38-50 billion within the country.
  • On average, 1 predator victimizes around 70 children in their lifetime.

These numbers are not just statistics; they represent real children, real suffering, and a real call to action.

The Heart of the Problem

While trafficking thrives in the shadows, some contributing factors to its rise include:

  • Lack of Awareness: The misconception that child trafficking is a foreign problem prevents effective local action.
  • Technological Advancement: The internet has provided traffickers with tools to operate discreetly and efficiently.
  • Gaps in the System: Loopholes in our legal and social systems are often exploited by traffickers.

Actionable Solutions

  1. Education and Awareness: Informing the public, educating our children about online safety, and training law enforcement on recognizing the signs of trafficking are crucial steps.
  2. Strengthen Laws: Advocating for stricter laws and penalties for traffickers is essential in deterring this crime.
  3. Support Frontline Organizations: Groups like Veterans For Child Rescue are vital in the fight against child trafficking. They conduct operations to arrest traffickers and rescue children.

Demanding Accountability

It’s time for us, as a society, to hold our leaders accountable. The government must prioritize child safety and allocate more resources towards combating trafficking. When we unite as a collective voice, our impact can be monumental.

Join the Fight

Child trafficking is a grave issue, but it is not insurmountable. With determination, unity, and action, we can make a significant difference. Vets4ChildRescue.org is at the forefront of this battle, but they need our support.

  1. Support the Mission: Your contribution, whether through donations, raising awareness, or volunteering, can make a tremendous difference in the lives of vulnerable children.
  2. Educate Yourself and Others: Knowledge is power. The more we know and share about this issue, the harder it becomes for traffickers to operate.

Advocate for stronger laws and better systems to protect our children.

CLICK HERE TO WRITE YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS

 Teaching children and teenagers about the dangers of trafficking and online safety can equip them with the knowledge to protect themselves and their peers.

If you see something, say something. Your vigilance can save a life.

In conclusion, while the battle against child trafficking in the USA is daunting, it is one that we can win. By raising awareness, advocating for change, and supporting organizations that are truly making a positive impact, we can protect our children and create a safer future. The time to act is now. Join us in this vital mission, and be a part of the solution. Together, we can and will eradicate child trafficking from our nation.

CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO V4CR

RELATED VIDEO: Former Mexican Law Enforcement Officer Ed Calderon Explains Cartel Terrorism

EDITORS NOTE: This V4CR column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

VIDEO: ‘Why DEI Must End for Good’—Bari Weiss Gets a Lot Right Here

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This is very good. But it’s our view that if you see what is taking place and describe it, in effect you are controlled opposition. Seeing what is happening but failing to understand its nature or intent actually perpetuates it. Makes you a slave to it one way or another. This is not hypocrisy by McGill at Harvard or the other university heads. This is a very clear use of the dialectic to move the revolution forwards. It is nothing short of that. Bari is great here in terms of describing what took place at the hearings where these women shocked the nation with their stammering defence of calls for genocide as protected speech, but implemented punishments for “misgendering”. Which is proof of exactly our thesis. But goes off the rails when she claims that saying this or that is the moral equivalent of screaming the N word in public. The N word was just an earlier dialectic. One of the first tactics to make it a crime to use a word in ANY context at all. And yeah, while you may not find it as a crime on the law books, everyone knows that the punishment they fact for using it is tantamount to a criminal punishment. What you call it, makes no difference. Unless you call it the N word of course.

At 12 minutes though, she does in fact get way closer to the real issue. But the issue of DEI appears to be tactical. That is to say, the way the communists intend to destroy Israel. They are destroying Ireland, Scotland, Italy and other Western nation states through mass immigration and other forms of dialectical negation. Making it illegal to acknowledge the culture of the majority of the people in Western nations  such as Christmas etc. but forced to accept massive street prayers by Muslims is another. The strategy, is the total and utter destruction of the nation state, of reason, of logic, and mostly of the individual. The rest is tactics. Get bogged down in those and you may win a battle or two now and again but you lose the war. Our failure, well one of many, is failing to think big enough to understand the enemy’s plans for us. Which is why so few could believe the vaxx was a bad idea.

Barri is awesome. We were so happy when she left the NYT as one of their editors, and still follow Alex Berenson, another ex-NYT professional who saw where it was heading. But antisemitism, while real, while the consequences of it will be catastrophic for a lot of people, seems to be another vector of attack from the meta view.

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EDITOR NOTE: This Vlad Tepes Blog column with video posted by Eeyore is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

WATCH: Elie Wiesel’s son harassed at pro-Hamas protest, told to hide Israeli flag

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Elisha Wiesel, the son of famed Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel (of Night fame), recently revealed how pro-Hamas supporters harassed him for proudly wearing an Israeli flag.

The incident reportedly happened at Penn Station in New York on Monday when several men in masks began harassing him.

“[I] threw an Israeli flag around myself when I saw a crowd of angry Hamas supporters flood the area. They are cowardly and hide behind their masks. NYPD insisted I remove the flag as the situation was getting dangerous. Would not let me counterprotest,” he announced on X.

Wisel later posted a video of the incident, which indeed showed the men in masks harassing him before police stepped up to quell the situation.

“That’s a flag of terrorism,” a masked man could be heard telling Wiesel, presumably referring to the Israeli flag draped over his shoulders.

According to NBC New York, the pro-Palestinian “demonstration gathered inside Penn Station’s Moynihan Train Hall in midtown Manhattan on Monday evening.”

“The group came from the Port Authority Bus Terminal and earlier marched down 42nd Street from Grand Central Terminal where the MTA earlier warned commuters about travel restrictions,” it noted. “Police could be seen barricading and blocking entrances to Penn Station around 5 p.m., including a NJ TRANSIT entrance on 7th Avenue, but the group appeared able to enter the building on 33rd Street.”

In his riveting op-ed for the Hill in November, Wiesel wrote that antisemitic hatred would spread beyond Jews and sabotage the whole world if left unchecked.

“After bearing witness to the horrors of Auschwitz, [my father] demanded that the world fight evil. He warned that hatred which begins with antisemitism inevitably threatens the whole world,” he said.

“So many of us have woken up since Oct. 7 to a nightmare where we are told that we must accept terror attacks as the price for living in our ancient homeland. We are told that we may not destroy enemies that are trying to destroy us,” he continued.

Source: Breitbart

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EDITORS NOTE: This Newsrael News Desk column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

This is the Best Piece of Evidence That Trump Can Win in 2024

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The more Democrats and their supporters attack, persecute and indict President Donald J. Trump the more popular he becomes.

These attacks on President Trump make him a symbol of righteousness. A man persecuted for his love of America. A man demonized for speaking truth to power.

WATCH: This is the Best Piece of Evidence That Trump Can Win in 2024

WATCH: Why Ed Martin is Confident Trump Won’t Be Convicted in a Federal Trial Before the 2024 Election

Remember what President Donald J. Trump said on January 7, 2020.

WATCH: Ed Martin Makes a Prediction: The Supreme Court Will Shut Down Trump’s D.C. Trial

The Bottom Line

We now know that those who truly embrace decency and show respect are being persecuted.

Those who embrace America and its Constitutional Republican form of government are now labeled as domestic terrorists or white supremacists by those in the White House, by “The Firm” and “The Deep State.”

Thomas Jefferson wrote, “Dissent is the highest form of patriotism.”

Today we have seen those who dissent charged, tried and imprisoned, for dissenting the outcome of the 2020 election on January 6th, 2020—a date that will live in infamy.

The more effective that person’s dissent is, the harsher their treatment. Which explains what is happening to President Donald J. Trump perfectly.

Today we have only two parties. The party of the patriots and the party of the traitors. The patriots are descent and respectful people. The traitors are decadent people who are self-indulgent elitists.

These are the only two choices on the 2024 ballots from the school house to the White House.

We ask that you choose wisely on November 5, 2024.

Our Constitutional Republic’s survival depends on it.

©2023. . All rights reserved.

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Birthright is resuming its free trips to Israel for the first time since Oct. 7

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Birthright Israel announced that it would resume its free, 10-day educational trips to Israel in January after suspending them amid the ongoing war with Hamas.

Around 350 participants, students and young adults primarily from the United States, are expected to travel to Israel beginning the week of January 5, 2024, the organization said in a statement.

The 350 participants are a small fraction of the 23,000 Birthright had planned to send to Israel this year. Still, the resumption of the programs is a powerful symbol of a potential return to normalcy for Israel, which has been in war mode since Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7. Even as Israeli leaders say they are unwilling to put an end date on their military operations in Gaza, universities are gearing up to reopen Dec. 31 and on Monday, the government raised limits on gathering sizes, citing reduced concerns about rocket attacks.

The decision to resume Birthright trips was made after “careful consideration and conversations” with the group’s local partners in Israel, the group’s statement said, and will “operate under strict safety and security standards” set by the Israel Defense Forces’ Homefront Command.

Birthright CEO Gidi Mark said that while the trips will continue to prioritize the organization’s goals of “positive Jewish identity building,” they will also incorporate a focus on the Hamas attack and its impact on Israeli society and Jewish communities around the world.

“Everything is different post-Oct. 7 from an educational perspective. The people of Israel are different and the young adults arriving to Israel are different,” Mark told JTA. “We are preparing the educational teams to deal with broad discussions and an open dialogue. We believe that participants will come to explore and learn about what happened and what is occurring now, and also share about the reality back home and the rise of antisemitism.”

Travel to and from Israel has been limited to Israeli carriers since Oct. 7, and the war has taken a steep toll on tourism.

Last month, Birthright announced the launch of volunteer programs in Israel after it canceled its regular scheduled trips for December amid security concerns. More than 3,300 of its alumni had applied to volunteer in kibbutzes and other Israeli communities “to harvest crops in the absence of the thousands of foreign field workers,” the organization said in a statement at the time.

Even with the resumption of its regular programs, the two-week volunteer trips – which are exclusively for Birthright alumni – would continue in tandem, Mark told JTA.

“Naturally, alumni of January classic trips will be able to extend their stay in Israel, for an additional two-week volunteering experience,” he added.

Birthright Israel has brought some 850,000 young Jewish adults to Israel on a free tour of Israel since its launch in 1999. The organization had previously canceled trips only once before, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Facing financial woes, it has scaled in the years since.

EDITORS NOTE: This Newsrael News Desk column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

WATCH: Anti-Israel protesters march through New York City, disrupt traffic

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The protesters were seen holding PLO flags and anti-Israel signs.

Pro-Palestinian Arab protesters marched through New York City on Monday afternoon, making stops at major transportation hubs and disrupting traffic along the way, Fox News reported.

The hundreds of protesters walked in traffic lanes while passing buses and cars, demanding a ceasefire in Gaza.

Many of the protesters were seen holding Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) flags and signs that read, “From Gaza to Jenin, Revolution until Victory,” and “Support Palestinian Resistance,” among other things.

The protest began at Grand Central Station before moving to the Port Authority Bus Terminal, and there were reports the protest would move to Penn Station next.

One protester was heard on video saying the US was just as responsible for the “genocide” against Palestinian people in Gaza as the Israelis were responsible, according to Fox News.

Anti-Israel protests have been a regular occurrence in New York City since the start of Israel’s war against Hamas on October 7.

In late November, pro-Palestinian Arab protesters halted traffic in New York City by descending at the foot of the Manhattan Bridge and demanding a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

The demonstration occurred a day after hundreds of demonstrators packed Columbus Circle, at one point dragging a burning Israeli flag down the street and warning those who support Israel: “Your days are numbered.”

Two days earlier, a group of about 30 anti-Israel protesters ran into the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in Manhattan and some of them glued themselves to the street.

Source Hindustan Times

RELATED ARTICLE: Jerry Seinfeld, Scooter Braun arrive to Israel in show of support

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EDITORS NOTE: This Newsrael News Desk column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

Life-Size Nativity Scene Figures Beheaded

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On Sunday night, all the nativity figures were decapitated: Joseph, Mary, the Three Wise Men and even the donkey.

Life-size nativity figures beheaded in the migrant stronghold of Rüsselsheim, Germany

By: Medforth, December 18, 023;

Attack on the life-size nativity scene in the city of the Opel car. On Sunday night, all the nativity figures were decapitated: Joseph, Mary, the Three Wise Men and even the donkey.

The people of Rüsselsheim are shocked: the nativity scene is located at the Protestant market church in the heart of the city, right next to the town hall, during the Advent season. The figures of the Holy Family with Jesus are life-size. Surrounded by two Christmas trees. Donated by the Rüsselsheim Trade Association 1888 e.v.!

But on the morning of December 17, the nativity scene looks like a battlefield. All the figures have had their heads cut off. Joseph has been kicked over, Mary beaten away. Jesus is first missing, later found under the rubble.
The trade association tries to play down the incident: “Unknown perpetrators have obviously allowed themselves a macabre joke and cut off the heads of the figures.”

This does not necessarily make the situation any better for the trade association. The situation is beginning to flare up in Rüsselsheim. A local resident told the newspaper BILD: “A joke is when you can laugh about it. What’s funny about beheading Mary and Joseph?”

People on the Internet are also stunned by the violence directed at the nativity scene. People are angry at the perpetrator(s). One person posted on Instagram under the trade association’s publication: “It’s a barbaric act! Criminal offences must not be trivialised.”

Some figures had their heads chopped off in 2021 and 2022. There were no such incidents in the many decades before that.

The trade association comments: “Despite the regrettable incident, we would like to try to face this situation with humour (…) We see this ‘headless night’ as an opportunity to stand together and bring light into the darkness.”

The police will bring light into the darkness. A spokesperson confirmed to BILD that charges have been filed and investigations are already underway – including into a religiously motivated offence.

Read more.

AUTHOR

Pamela Geller

RELATED VIDEO: Christians Devastated as Armed Moroccan Migrant Burns Historic Church and Nativity, Ruins 17th Century Organ Before Christmas

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EDITORS NOTE: This Geller Report is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

God Is Love: Do You Realize How Amazing That Is?

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Unbelievers all seem to have their own ideas of who or what God is. For many, they claim He doesn’t exist. For others, He does exist, but He’s not active in creation in any personal way. Then there are some who believe, if He exists, He would have to be some kind of tyrannical, destructive, selfish, mean dictator — otherwise how do you explain pain, disease, natural disasters, starvation, and human suffering?

At least, that’s what I’ve heard on more than one occasion. But I think it goes without saying that no unbeliever can be faulted for their view of God — whatever it may be — because they don’t know Him. And they don’t understand sin.

Romans 1 says all are “without excuse” in terms of the existence of God, but a tree isn’t going to transmit the Gospel of John or the Old Testament into anyone’s soul. Considering the pretenses of the unconverted, it also goes without saying that God is not going to seem loving to them. After all, “A god that allows any kind of evil could not possibly be loving.” Moreover, “A god who sends people to hell could not possibly be loving.”

Unpacking those arguments against God would require their own articles. However, reflecting on how unbelievers define Him made me realize something: How amazing is it that God is not like that? That He is just toward the wicked, and wrathful toward sin, and yet, He is a loving Father. You don’t know this until you know Him by being in a relationship with Him. And even then, I believe we undermine how significant this truly is.

R.C. Sproul, pastor and theologian, once said, “[A]n evangelist can always get a crowd if he continually speaks in meaningless terms about the love of God.” In other words, it’s easy to be flippant because, as he continued to say, “I don’t think there’s any word in the English language that’s been stripped of the depth of meaning such as that word love.” These statements are pulled from his sermon series, “Loved by God,” in which he emphasized the crucial distinction between secular love and biblical love — more specifically, the slippery slope of viewing biblical love through the lens of secular love. It’s a conflation we ought to avoid.

When we view the love of God by any secular standard or definition, we flatten it. We strip it of its magnitude, and we only do ourselves a disservice in the process. Yes, to some extent, our perspectives will always be tainted by our finite understandings, but we (particularly believers) should strive to understand Scripture as it pertains to its holy Author, not by its flawed readers. The reason why Sproul emphasized the common misuse of the word “love” is because, in relation to God, it should cause us to be dumbfounded. Truly analyzing the love of God should leave us breathless and in awe.

God could have been all wrath, all fury, all judgement, and all the things many unbelievers make Him up to be. But instead, even before the foundation of the world, He is (and will always be) love. He didn’t need to create us, because even before us, He, the Son, and the Spirit all had their being within one another — the perfect and holy Trinity. However, He chose to create us. And the Garden of Eden was one of His first depictions of love toward us because it was a depiction of how things were supposed to be. Work was not laborious but enjoyable. Adam and Eve could walk with God, unhindered, in the cool of the day. Sin had not flooded into the earth, which meant there was no separation between the Creator and His created beings.

But God also showed us His love by giving us free will, even though Adam and Eve used that free will to rebel against Him. However, their rebellion is what led to the most perfect display of love we could ever fathom both in the macro and the micro sense of the term.

In love, God made a plan to redeem us. He sent down His Son, who then walked among us, despised and rejected. The Son of Man was mocked, beaten, and scorned by the men of earth. He stripped Himself of His glory, faced the complete wrath of His Father, and died an indescribably painful death. He suffered in more ways than one, but in no way greater than by taking on the sins of all mankind to make us right with God. He rose again on the third day and shortly after ascended to the right hand of the Father.

And still, we were not left alone.

The Spirit of God flooded the earth and now dwells in those who believe. So, even amid the horrors of this life — the pain, suffering, illnesses, disasters, wars, and persecution — we have never been left alone. The unbeliever could never understand how these evils only exist because of sin. Nor could they understand how much they reveal God’s love and goodness.

But you see it, right? Even before the fall, God already had a plan to restore the perfect union represented in the garden to an even greater capacity. He has never stopped pursuing His people. All of time portrays the message of Romans 8:35-39:

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, ‘For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

My God is Love. He sent His own Son to die for me. He is faithful, merciful, and gracious to ensure nothing could separate us from Him. The God I serve is patient when I fall short. He is tender and kind. My God is sovereign and holds me in His righteous right hand. He walks me through the valley of the shadow of death. He keeps me afloat in the bottomless pool and unscathed in the middle of the fire. He disciplines and guides me when I go astray. Even when I ignore or disobey, He remains planted with arms wide open, ready to embrace even the most dreadful of sinners.

All of this is true because my God is love.

Sproul said no word is more stripped of its meaning than the word “love,” because there are no number of words that could do it justice. But this I know: If you really pay attention to the love of God and it doesn’t leave you starstruck, then you’re either reading it with too much of a secular understanding or you’re simply serving the wrong god.

AUTHOR

Sarah Holliday

Sarah Holliday is a reporter at The Washington Stand.

RELATED ARTICLE: CDC: Teen Girls Say Their Faith Is the Top Reason They Haven’t Had Sex

EDITORS NOTE: This Washington Stand column is republished with permission. All rights reserved. ©2023 Family Research Council.

The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. We invite you to stand with us by partnering with FRC.

Greg Abbott Signs Bill Allowing Texas Cops To Arrest Illegal Aliens

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Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas signed legislation Monday allowing local law enforcement officers to arrest illegal aliens.

Abbott’s signature on the legislation, known as SB4, means it will enter into law in March 2024, CBS News reported. The legislation makes illegal entry into Texas a state misdemeanor, CBS reported, with those convicted under the law facing a fine of up to $2,000 or 180 days in jail.

Repeat offenders could face a felony charge and up to 20 years in jail.

“The goal of Senate Bill 4 is to stop the tidal wave of illegal entry into Texas,” Abbott said as he signed the bill in the border city of Brownsville, according to CBS.

Opponents of the measure claim it is unconstitutional and have criticized the Biden administration for not opposing Texas’ efforts more strongly, according to The Associated Press.

The Border Patrol shut down two bridges on the Texas border to combat the entry of illegal aliens on rail cars hours before Abbott signed the legislation, according to the San Antonio News-Express.

Over 188,000 illegal immigrants have been encountered at the U.S.-Mexico border during fiscal year 2024, according to data released by United States Customs and Border Protection, following 2,045,838 encounters in fiscal year 2023, 2,206,436 in fiscal year 2022 and 1,659,206 in fiscal year 2021. A CBP official told the Washington Examiner that there were at least one million “gotaways,” people who evaded Border Patrol, in fiscal year 2023.

AUTHOR

HAROLD HUTCHISON

Reporter.

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Trump-Appointed Judge Halts Removal Of Confederate Monument At Arlington Cemetery

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A Trump-appointed federal judge has temporarily halted removal proceedings for the Confederate memorial at Arlington National Cemetery that began Monday, the Associated Press reported.

Defend Arlington filed a lawsuit in a federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, on Sunday for a temporary restraining order, the AP reported. Work had already begun to remove the bronze elements of the memorial in accordance with recommendations in the Congressionally-mandated Naming Commission’s final report to scrub Department of Defense (DOD) assets of any symbolism that could be seen to honor the Confederacy.

A hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, according to the AP. The memorial has not been dismantled.

“Safety fencing was installed around the Memorial yesterday, Dec. 17 and the deliberate deconstruction process is currently underway,” cemetery spokesperson Rebecca Wardwell told the Daily Caller News Foundation earlier on Monday.

The Army previously said it anticipated the removal process to take place over four days.

Defend Arlington sued the Army and the Department of Defense (DOD) in a district court in February to halt the removal. The district judge dismissed the case on Dec. 12.

The cemetery claims removing the memorial is required by Congress and that doing so will comply with environmental regulations and leave the 400 Confederate graves encircling the monument undisturbed, according to the AP. However, Defend Arlington’s lawsuit argues the Army unlawfully bypassed certain regulations.

“The removal will desecrate, damage, and likely destroy the Memorial longstanding at ANC as a grave marker and impede the Memorial’s eligibility for listing on the National Register of Historic Places,” the lawsuit states, according to the AP.

A Department of Defense spokesperson referred the DCNF to Arlington National Cemetery. The cemetery did not immediately respond to a renewed request for comment.

U.S. District Judge Rossie Alston, who issued the restraining order, said the parties should be prepared to discuss Defend Arlington’s prior, dismissed case at the court date, saying it could affect his decision whether or not to extend the stay beyond Wednesday, the AP reported.

Alston wrote that he “takes very seriously the representations of officers of the Court and should the representations in this case be untrue or exaggerated the Court may take appropriate sanctions,” AP reported.

The new lawsuit differs from the previous one in that the plaintiffs now have concrete evidence the removal efforts are disturbing the graves, David McCallister, a spokesperson for the advocacy group Save Southern Heritage Florida, told the AP.

“The Memorial represents a symbol of reconciliation aimed at healing a country divided during a brutal sectional war and reconstruction,” Defend Arlington wrote in the prior lawsuit.

Congress created the Naming Commission in 2021, which was tasked with identifying and removing names, bases and other DOD assets honoring the Confederate States of America. The final report recommended removing the bronze upper and leaving the granite base intact to avoid disturbing graves.

“The elaborately designed monument offers a nostalgic, mythologized vision of the Confederacy, including highly sanitized depictions of slavery,” Arlington National Cemetery’s web page reads.

AUTHOR

MICAELA BURROW

Investigative reporter, defense.

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The Polls For Joe Biden Might Even Be Worse Than You Think

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  • While President Joe Biden continues to lag behind former President Trump in national and battleground state polls, his poll numbers are even worse on several key issues he’ll need to gain ground on to win reelection.
  • Biden is polling behind Trump on key questions on who voters benefited from most while in office, who they trust to handle top issues and who they believe is best fit to serve another term, according to recent polling.
  • “All of these polls point to voters having already decided against Biden on the current merits,” Jon McHenry, a GOP polling analyst and vice president at North Star Opinion Research, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “They just don’t think he’s up to the job, whether we’re asking about traits like stamina and sharpness or about policies like the economy and immigration.”

As President Joe Biden continues to poll behind former President Donald Trump for a potential head-to-head matchup in 2024, recent surveys indicate he is also faring much worse than the Republican on issues that are most important to voters.

Trump has been trending ahead of Biden in national and crucial battleground state polls a year out from a hypothetical rematch, and is currently up by 3.2 points in the RealClearPolitics (RCP) average. Additionally, Biden is down by double digits against Trump on questions of basic presidential competency, including the handling of voters’ top issues and concerns over the Democrat’s age, according to recent polling data.

“He should be worried, and Democrats more generally should be worried,” Dr. Charles Bullock, elections expert and political science professor at the University of Georgia, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “The kinds of issues that Biden is trailing Trump on seem to be the issues that are foremost on most peoples’ minds.”

A Wall Street Journal survey released on Dec. 9 found that only 23% of voters believe Biden’s policies have helped them, compared to nearly 50% who said the same of Trump’s administration.

Ron Faucheux, president of nonpartisan polling firm President of Clarus Research Group, believes this statistic is “the worst omen for Biden,” and told the DCNF “this contrast is deadly” ahead of 2024.

“When Democrats decided to package their economic policies under the single label, ‘Bidenomics,’ it backfired, and gave a name to something voters neither liked nor trusted,” Faucheux said.

Inflation has spiked under the Biden administration, which many critics attribute to the president’s record spending advanced by congressional Democrats. The Inflation Reduction Act, the American Rescue Plan, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and other pieces of Biden’s economic agenda are responsible for green-lighting trillions in spending.

The WSJ poll found that Biden was down by double digits against Trump on who voters trust to handle issues relating to the economy and inflation, as well as immigration, crime and the wars in Ukraine and Israel.

Recent battleground state polling has affirmed the national surveys, finding that Biden is far behind Trump on key issues voters are concerned about going into election year.

A Morning Consult/Bloomberg survey published Thursday shows that across seven swing states — Arizona, Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada and North Carolina — 51% of voters said the country’s economy was better off under Trump compared to 34% under Biden. The numbers were nearly identical when asked if they’re better off financially now than they were when Trump was president.

Trump also scored double-digits higher than Biden on who the electorate trusts to handle the economy, crime and immigration — which voters said were some of the most pressing issues to them ahead of 2024, according to the Morning Consult/Bloomberg poll.

CNN/SSRS polls in Michigan and Georgia released Monday indicated Trump scored far ahead of Biden for their respective “policy decisions on major issues.”

Another battleground state poll, conducted by Redfield & Wilton Strategies in Arizona, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, Michigan and Pennsylvania, yielded similar results. In all of the states, Trump was ahead of Biden by double digits on issues concerning who “can get the economy going again” and “who will be tough on China.”

“The voters see the same decline for our country where we look weak. Where the economy’s bad, where our enemies are taking advantage of this weakness, and you’ve got a world where you’ve got really bad wars in Ukraine and now in the Middle East, and Biden can’t stop it,” John McLaughlin, CEO and partner of McLaughlin & Associates, which works closely with the Trump campaign, told the DCNF. “The sooner the election happens, the better off the voters will be, and the better off the country will be.”

Biden is also lagging far behind Trump on who voters believe are better fit to serve another term, given the current and former presidents are 81 and 77 years old, respectively.

Trump led Biden 45% to 29% on the question of who “is mentally up for the job” in the WSJ poll, and was ahead by 34 points on “physical stamina.”

An Economist/YouGov survey released Wednesday found that 55% of voters believe Biden’s health and age would “severely limit his ability to do the job,” while only 26% said the same of Trump.

The battleground state polls yielded similar results on the president’s sharpness, stamina and physical and mental health.

Bullock argued that Trump has been successful in messaging on the age issue, noting his “Sleepy Joe” nickname for Biden, posing a sharp contrast between the two men.

“It has taken hold, and it’s been augmented by some things, like when Biden stumbles or falls or that sort of thing,” Bullock told the DCNF. “Well, that kind of underscores, or reinforces, the message that Trump has been putting out.”

Additionally, polling suggests Trump fares better on some personal attributes that are essential to the presidency.

The Economist/YouGov poll found that only 36% of voters believe Biden is a strong leader, compared to nearly 60% who said the same of Trump. Biden was also down by double digits on questions of who the stronger leader is and who knows how to get things done in nearly all of the swing states Redfield & Wilton Strategies surveyed.

“All of these polls point to voters having already decided against Biden on the current merits,” Jon McHenry, a GOP polling analyst and vice president at North Star Opinion Research, told the DCNF. “They just don’t think he’s up to the job, whether we’re asking about traits like stamina and sharpness or about policies like the economy and immigration.”

The last time an incumbent president had nearly as low of an approval rating going into an election year as Biden does, it was Jimmy Carter in November 1979, according to Gallup. Biden’s most recent job performance score was at 37% in November, which is 3 points lower than Carter’s was just a year before he lost to Republican Ronald Reagan by nearly 10 points.

“As we move closer to the start of 2024, this may be the last opportunity for Biden to question his own political assumptions —and to decide not to run,” said Faucheux. “That would be the lighting strike that changes everything.”

The RCP average for a 2024 national Democratic and Republican primary, based on the most recent polling, indicates Biden and Trump are leading their respective fields with 68% and 60% support, respectively.

Neither Biden nor Trump’s campaigns responded to the DCNF’s requests for comment.

AUTHOR

MARY LOU MASTERS

Contributor.

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BETSY MCCAUGHEY: America’s Border Crisis Will Continue To Fester While Taxpayers Foot The Bill For Social Safety Net

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When Emma Lazarus wrote her famous line in 1883, “Give me your tired, your poor,/ Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” there was no Medicaid, food stamps, housing vouchers and government-run shelters. Those who came knew they were on their own. Now they arrive with their hands out.

A country can have open borders or a generous social safety net, but not both. President Joe Biden is the poster boy for that mistake, and cities across the U.S. are paying the price.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has warned that the cost of sheltering, feeding and providing health care and other services to the deluge of migrants will “destroy” the city. Yet Adams returned empty-handed from a visit with Biden’s staff on Dec. 8 to seek federal help. For the second time, New Yorkers are being told by a U.S. president, in so many words, to “drop dead.”

Biden is also turning his back on Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles and other cities beleaguered by the busloads of destitute migrants from the southern border. Chicago Alderman Raymond Lopez says in the black community there is “no longer feeling the love from Uncle Joe,” as Biden leaves the city to struggle alone with the cost of feeding and sheltering migrants.

Windy City Democrats, outraged by the burden thrust on them, are vowing to disrupt the Democratic National Convention next summer and make their voices heard.

Americans everywhere feel the same. Charity is supposed to begin at home. Chicagoans want to take care of their own first, including the 68,000 locals who are homeless.

Immigration is spiking to all-time highs, exceeding even the wave of newcomers from Europe in the late 19th century, when Lazarus wrote her poem.

About half the spike is due to Biden’s open-border policies. A record 12,000 broke through the southern border last Tuesday, the biggest one-day surge ever.

Immigration per se is not the problem. The U.S. economy needs more workers. With the birthrate declining and baby boomers retiring, the U.S. has a people-shortage problem that can only be solved by immigration.

But Biden is welcoming destitute migrants, instead of newcomers who are educated, have job skills to succeed in today’s economy, speak English and arrive ready to provide for their families.

Biden’s open border means anyone who wades across the Rio Grande gets in. Biden’s legal immigration policy — introduced into the Senate in 2021 — also prioritizes everything but economic self-sufficiency.

Biden’s predecessor, former President Donald Trump, ramped up enforcement of the longstanding “public charge” rule that bars anyone from getting a green card and permanent residence who is likely to depend on Medicaid, food stamps or housing vouchers. Biden reversed this policy.

Countries with smart immigration policies — Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom — have point systems giving preference to educated immigrants with language and job skills.

In contrast, two-thirds of legal immigrants to the U.S. get a green card based solely on having a family member here, whether they can support themselves or not.

It’s no wonder that a staggering 55% of households headed by an immigrant who has not yet attained citizenship use at least one welfare program, according to Census Bureau data.

Biden’s proposed immigration “reform” actually loosens the standards for family-based migration even more, never mind the impact on taxpayers and city social services.

And here’s the wackiest legal immigration program: the diversity lottery. Fifty thousand immigrants from “underrepresented nations” are literally admitted randomly every year. Biden wants to expand that. Canada is recruiting Ph.Ds. Biden is prioritizing diversity.

Sens. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) and John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) introduced a bill on Nov. 24 to establish a point system or “skills-based approach” here. Americans tired of supporting the strangers coming to their shores, when their own neighbors need help, should support this bill. That includes New York Democrats such as Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries — a New Yorker — charges that Republican reform plans, including deterring illegal migration, are “anchored in xenophobia.” Wrong. They’re anchored in survival.

Unless the U.S. acts to shut down illegal migration and reform legal immigration to favor self-sufficiency, New York and other cities face even tougher days ahead.

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AUTHOR

BETSY MCCAUGHEY

Betsy McCaughey is a former lieutenant governor of New York and chairman of the Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths. Follow her on Twitter @Betsy_McCaughey. To find out more about Betsy McCaughey and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.

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