COP 28: United Nations Scientists Seek Fauci-like ‘Powers’

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Gore and Kerry demand phase-out of fossil fuels – ‘Clothing limited to 3 new items per person’.

DUBAI — CFACT’s Climate Depot’s Marc Morano Special Reports from DUBAI COP 28 UN Climate Summit

Morano: “This is the 18th UN COP climate summit that I have attended in person since my first in 2004. I have also attended two UN Earth Summits (2002 & 2012), for a total of 20 (so far) of these UN summits. Let’s all hope for the total failure of the UN climate agenda and Net Zero goals!”

Dubai News Round Up

Scientist Dictators emerge at Cop28! UN IPCC scientists declare: ‘We need power to prescribe climate policy’ – ‘Scientists should be allowed to make policy prescriptions & potentially oversee implementation’

Morano Comment: “The UN scientists were jealous when they saw how public health officials could implement authoritarian policies during COVID & and now they want Fauci-like powers!”

Gore declares: Agreement to phase out fossil fuels would be ‘one of the most significant events in the history of humanity’

NYT: U.S. Supports ‘Largely’ Phasing Out Fossil Fuels, John Kerry Says at UN Climate Summit – We have no choice! Kerry: ‘We’ve got to do what the science tells us to do’

Watch: Morano on Fox News from Dubai: Unelected ‘climate potentate’ John Kerry’s decreeing the end of coal will benefit China – ‘This is the Great Reset summit. We did not vote on shutting down coal – W/ Laura Ingraham

Biden Admin Pledges $3 Billion To The UN’s Neocolonialist ‘Green Climate Fund’

Climate Colonialism: ‘The looming land grab in Africa for carbon credits’ – Western carbon offset companies look to lock up ‘a tenth of Liberia’s land mass, a fifth of Zimbabwe’s, & swaths of Kenya, Zambia & Tanzania’

Watch: UN fashion police’s ‘Runway to Net Zero’ event – UN’s keynote speaker says ‘It depends’ when asked if ‘clothing should be limited to 3 new items per person’ to fight climate

Watch Morano on Fox & Friends Live from Dubai: COP28 is about the UN ‘gaining more control so we don’t have a say in our democracy & our lives — from freedom of movement, to food, to energy’

Climate Emperor John Kerry decrees no coal plants should be ‘permitted anywhere in the world’

UN delegates circulate petition to shut down US natural gas production as global climate summit kicks off

Watch: Morano on Fox: ‘Net Zero is just a central planning Soviet-style effort to reign in the USA & the West”

All G20 nations are missing climate goals: ‘Not a single G20 country has policies in place that are consistent’ with the UN Paris pact

Lord Christopher Monckton: ‘Cancel the King: Charles ‘disgraced himself, the monarchy & the UK with his half-witted’ speech to UN climate summit – ‘It is time to sweep the monarchy away’

Watch: Morano on TV on UN climate summit: ‘This is about control of the food supply ultimately’ – Bill Gates mission is to get rid of farmers, farms & have everything grown in laboratories’

UN Climate summit president slips & says there’s ‘no science’ behind need to phase out fossil fuels – He is correct – Even UN scientists have admitted temperature goals ‘pulled out of thin air’

‘I’m not buying new stuff any more’: The young people getting into ‘degrowth’ – ‘Cancelling some TV subscriptions & keeping coats & socks much longer’

IMF Boss Says Governments Need to Impose Global Carbon Tax on Citizens to Punish Them for Using Energy ‘to fight climate change’

Private Jets Flock To Dubai For COP 28: Event Set To Have Biggest Carbon Footprint In History

Undercurrent at the UN Climate Summit – Green Colonialism – By Peter Murphy

UN hosting its “dirtiest” climate conference ever in Dubai – By Craig Rucker

COP 28: UN targets America By Craig RuckerEurope tried it green and failed: ‘The architect of the European Green Deal has resigned, & next year’s EU elections are announcing a shift away from environmentalist ideas”

“Many gathering in Dubai believe the talks can only be considered a success if they result in a deal to ‘phase out’ all fossil fuels’

©2023. All rights reserved.

Jewish Unity During Times of Crisis

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For perhaps the first time since the Yom Kippur War, Jews from across the political spectrum were able to find common ground.

“Who is a Jew?” may be considered a politically charged question, but it actually has an easy answer. Simply stated, a Jew is defined by Halakha (Jewish law) as one born of a Jewish mother or who joins the Jewish people in accordance with Jewish law. That is the baseline accepted by everyone – it is neither vague nor ambiguous and is a question to be determined by the Jewish people themselves.

However, the question “what do Jews do?” is more controversial because it often implicates perceptions and stereotypes instead of substance and presumes unflattering definitions foisted upon us from the outside. Moreover, it is often employed by anti-Semites to disparage Jewish integrity, provoke discord, and shatter Jewish unity.

Even without the pressures of antisemitism, divisions within Jewish society can seem insurmountable to the point of dysfunction.

Since October 7th, however, the Jewish world has come together in a spirit of “achdut” (oneness) not seen in a long time, and it seems to have restored the Torah imperative to seek commonality rather than dissimilitude. As stated in the Gemara (Shevuot, 39a), “kol yisrael arevim zeh bazeh,” or “all Jews are responsible for one another.” Forgetting this principle in the past has led to senseless hatred among Jews, which according to the Sages was the reason for the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem.

Whereas deviations from core halakhic doctrines and principles may well be irreconcilable, other differences are often illusory or based on acquired local custom. Many Jews have experienced the discomfort of non-substantive parochialism.

I had such an experience a few months ago when returning from a trip to New Orleans on an indirect flight with a layover in Florida. The first plane departed New Orleans too early for me to daven Shacharit (the morning prayers), so I planned to do so while waiting for my connecting flight in Fort Lauderdale. As I donned my tefillin in Fort Lauderdale International, however, I got sideways glances from a nearby group of Haredim – I suppose because I wasn’t dressed like someone they would expect to see davening in an airport (I was wearing khaki pants, a short-sleeved shirt, and sneakers because I like to travel in comfort). Few frequent flyers would have looked twice at yet another Jew praying while waiting for a flight, but I was regarded curiously by fellow Jews because I dressed differently and wore a different hat. And some of them did a doubletake when, after finishing, and I pulled a Hebrew book out of my carry-on to study while waiting to board.

Although I found it humorous, the incident made me consider how even peripheral differences between Jews can detract from the symbiotic responsibilities discussed in the Gemara. And perhaps it took a national catastrophe to help us overcome our superficiality and realize our obligations to Klal Yisrael.

A week after Hamas’s brutal attack, I was in court with a client who happened to be a Satmar Hasid, and as we were waiting for our case to be called, we discussed how the war was affecting friends and family in Israel. He expressed nothing but worry and compassion for his fellow Jews, whether secular or observant. Though his community never supported political Zionism, disapproval of secular governance does not constitute a rejection of Jewish peoplehood or desire for national destruction. Moreover, he saw no moral difference between radical leftists who reject Torah-inspired nationhood and those Neturei Karta outliers (an extremist haredi minority) who openly side with Israel’s enemies.

The Talmudic dictum that “all Jews are responsible for one another,” he said, demands that we all pray for the citizens of Israel because we are part of the same “mamlechet kohanim v’goy kadosh” (kingdom of priests and holy nation) wherever we happen to live. His concern for the safety and welfare of all Israelis was sincere and it mirrored the spontaneous love and support we have seen among many Israeli Jews themselves – whether Haredi, religious Zionist, secular, or somewhere in between.

One particular video (now viral) expressing this sentiment shows a group of shtreimel-wearing Hasidim visiting evacuees from southern Israel (most of whom appeared to be secular) to embrace them, dance, and show support in the face of adversity. It was a moment of pure achdut demonstrating the bond between all Jews despite differences in appearance or observance.

As expressed by my Satmar friend, there are no insurmountable differences between Jews, and those in Diaspora should be concerned for their brethren in Israel as if the war were on our own doorstep. And his observation proved prescient within a few days, when the war was effectively exported to the larger Jewish world as progressive, antisemitic pro-Hamas mobs polluted university campuses and major cities throughout North America and the West, with rabid demonstrators shouting, “death to Israel” and “gas the Jews.”

For perhaps the first time since the Yom Kippur War in 1973, Jews from across the political spectrum were able to find common ground and recognize Jew-hatred without partisan blinders. Many Jewish Democrats finally acknowledged the existence of antisemitism on the left and within their own party and conceded that white supremacists are not driving the train. Some even began to question liberal political loyalties handed down for generations by parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents, acknowledging that conservatives and Republicans are generally more serious about confronting antisemitism and supporting Israel than progressive Democrats.

Radical elements of the Jewish left, unfortunately, continue to pillory Israel, with some applauding Hamas and falsely claiming that terrorism is caused by an “occupation” that does not exist. Others, including some progressive rabbis, have lobbied the Biden administration to impose a ceasefire before Israel can achieve her military goals, which would actually threaten Jewish lives. Though leftist clergy nonsensically insist that such advocacy reflects Jewish values, it actually shows gross ignorance of Torah, including the law commanding: “You shall not stand idly by the shedding of your fellow’s blood.” (Vayikra (Leviticus), 19:16.) This is further elucidated in the Talmud, where it states: “The Sages taught…From where [is it derived] that with regard to one who pursues another…to kill him, [the pursued party] may be saved [at the cost of the pursuer’s] life? From the verse stating: ‘You shall not stand idly by the blood of another.’” (Sanhedrin, 73a.) Thus, forcing Israel to lay down arms before destroying Hamas would be inconsistent with Halakha and antithetical to Jewish values.

Considering the wave of solidarity binding diverse segments of the Jewish world together after Hamas’s genocidal attack, those who advocate forcing Israel to capitulate have abdicated any moral authority their status as clergy or community leaders might otherwise imply. It is important for the Jewish establishment to recognize this and resist the partisan cajolery of those who rationalize or condone leftist and minority Jew-hatred or treat Israel as a pariah state. But this may be difficult for organizations that skew leftward and have a history of ignoring antisemitism from progressives and the identity communities they coddle.

It is equally important for those who have always stood with Israel and were never blind to leftist antisemitism to recognize who our friends truly are. They should not automatically affirm the sincerity of all who profess love for the Jewish people during times of crisis without first scrutinizing their motivations. Indeed, some (perhaps many) effusive Christian advocates of Israel in this war have ulterior motives, especially those Torah-ignorant missionaries who are using the opportunity to escalate evangelical activity in Israel. It is not at all ironic that even as Hamas seeks our physical extermination, missionaries pursue our spiritual destruction under the guise of friendship and so-called Judeo-Christian traditions that exist only in the Christian mind.

If Jewish unity in the face of Hamas’s atrocities and the ensuing war teaches anything, it is that Jews can only rely on themselves, their common history, shared beliefs, and enduring faith in G-d to overcome any and all existential threats – whether physical or spiritual. It also emphasizes that Jews cannot depend on external goodwill or a global community that has a history of undermining Israel and enabling or perpetrating genocide against them. At the end of the day, Jews must draw on their bond as a nation and their belief in HaShem’s providence.

Indeed, King David expressed this latter sentiment in verse nearly 3,000 years ago, when he wrote:

“A song for ascents. I shall raise my eyes to the mountains, from where will my help come. My help is from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to falter; Your Guardian will not slumber. Behold the Guardian of Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” (Tehillim, 121:1-4.)

The Jewish People need look no further for strength and guidance.

©2023. Matthew Hausman, J.D.. All rights reserved.

BLM Arsonists Receive No Jail Time, Only $500 Fine

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A pair of arsonists who burned down a fast-food restaurant during the 2020 Black Lives Matter riots are only being given a $500 fine and no jail time. Chisom Kingston and Natalie Hanna White pleaded guilty last week to two counts of first-degree arson and one count of conspiracy to commit arson related to an Atlanta-area Wendy’s they torched in June of 2020. The pair were sentenced to five years on probation, 150 hours of community service, and a $500 fine.

Fulton County’s far-left District Attorney Fanni Willis previously said, “It is unacceptable to burn down a building in our community even in the name of a protest,” just a few months before offering the arsonists a plea deal with no jail time. She added, “We certainly know it’s one of your constitutional rights but what we do not tolerate is violent protest.”

On June 12, 2020, police attempted to arrest Rayshard Brooks for exceeding the legal limit on a breathalyzer test, outside the Wendy’s. Brooks then assaulted Atlanta Police Department officer Devan Brosnan, stole his taser, ran, and shot the taser at officer Garrett Rolfe, prompting a defensive reaction from the officer. In August last year, a Georgia special prosecutor determined that Brosnan and Rolfe “acted in accordance with well-established law and were justified in the use of force regarding the situation.”

However, media outlets reported that police had shot an “unarmed black man,” prompting riots from Black Lives Matter (BLM) protestors. The night after Brooks was shot, protestors stormed the Wendy’s and began setting fire to the restaurant and nearby cars. One of the rioters explained, “We burned this one specifically because of what happened here … This goes back to what our mission is, making sure that there is justice served for the person that died over here at this Wendy’s.” White, who was Brooks’s girlfriend, and Kingston were identified by police in video footage of the riot. A third arsonist, John Wesley Wade, was also identified and has pleaded guilty to federal arson charges, having also burned several postal trucks after setting fire to the Wendy’s.

Arielle Del Turco, director of the Center for Religious Liberty at Family Research Council, commented to The Washington Stand, “Laws must not be enforced based on ideological trends, and prosecutions must never be determined by what is politically palatable for the Left.” She added, “Some have suggested that by selectively enforcing laws like the FACE Act, the Biden administration is signaling what kind of politically motivated protests will and will not be tolerated. Under Biden, the Department of Justice has brought more than a dozen FACE Act cases, most of them against peaceful pro-life protesters.”

For example, several pro-life protestors were convicted of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act in August and were immediately remanded into custody. A total of nine pro-life activists affiliated with the Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising (PAAU) group had blockaded a Washington, D.C. abortion facility in 2020, distributing pro-life pamphlets and advocating against the slaughter of the unborn. The PAAU members face up to 11 years in prison. Del Turco noted, “We need to think about what it means for our society when pro-lifers trying to save babies are dealt harsh punishments while leftist rioters face almost no consequences.”

AUTHOR

S.A. McCarthy

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

RELATED ARTICLE: Judge Hands Bigtime Victory To Conservatives

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.

Poll: Americans Strongly Identify as Parents Despite Marriage Decline

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“Almost 90% of the world’s population now live in countries with falling marriage rates,” CNBC declared recently. In the U.S. alone, marriage rates have decreased “by 60% since the 1970s.” In July, when that article was published, the primary factor in these declining rates centered around a declining economy. However, recent research shows there may be factors outside of valid economic concerns to why less people are getting married.

Deseret News released a poll on Tuesday that found, as marriage rates continue to drop, the rates “of people identifying as parents” remains steady. As reported by the Higher Ground Times, it appears “parenting is more central to [American] identity than being a spouse or partner.”

To get a more accurate read of the survey, however, it’s important to note the overall emphasis on marriage and parenting as it relates to political identity. Christopher F. Karpowitz, the survey’s coinvestigator and research director at Brigham Young University, mapped out the dichotomy between churchgoing Republicans and non-religious Democrats. He described the survey results as a worrisome sign of “culture war tensions.”

The report stated that churchgoing “Republicans argue that marriage is important, but they are far less willing to support families through government spending.” On the other hand, the report said Democrats “express support for public spending that supports families and children, but they have decided to leave arguably the most important institutional support for children off of their agenda: marriage.”

It concluded, “A true coalition for families is lurking out there, but it requires our key factions to give up some of their prejudices. Republicans would have to admit that what we support financially is a key measure of what we truly value. Democrats would have to admit that marriage is a positive good for people and children.”

Joseph Backholm, senior fellow for Biblical Worldview and Strategic Engagement at Family Research Council, shared with The Washington Stand, “The fact that there are partisan differences in how people view marriage … makes sense.” He continued, “The worldview of the Left devalues marriage for the same reason it values abortion and transgenderism — it values short-term personal happiness above familial or societal good.” Yet simultaneously, Backholm emphasized, “The more we value the long-term benefit of children and strong societies, the more value we will give to marriage.”

Ultimately, “The Right and the Left think differently about marriage because they have a different understanding of what produces strong people, family, and cultures,” he added. “The pursuit of immediate personal happiness above all else devalues marriage because marriage requires long-term commitment regardless of how we’re feeling about it today.” He discussed how it is a contradiction to a good family dynamic to be a great parent while also being a bad spouse or not having a spouse, since there is overwhelming evidence that a healthy marriage promotes healthy child development.

Backholm concluded, “The created order established, and social science has confirmed, that the ideal situation for children is in a home where they are loved by their mother and father. Marriage is good because marriage encourages this. The idea that we can separate parenting from marriage without significant consequences is in the same category as the belief that men can get pregnant.”

AUTHOR

Sarah Holliday

Sarah Holliday is a reporter at The Washington Stand.

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.

Riley Gaines Torches the Dems’ Gender Deniers in House Fight for Girls’ Sports

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If Riley Gaines had it to do over again, the All-American swimmer says she’d have never raced against Lia Thomas. It would’ve meant giving up everything she’d trained for — but some things, she’s decided, are more important than titles. “I believe everything happened for a reason, but I wish I realized what a slippery slope this was when we were told to smile and step aside so a man could have our place at the podium,” Riley insisted. “My actions would be different now, and I wouldn’t compete. I know it’s easier said than done, but sacrifices are necessary for the greater good.”

More than a year and a half after the moment that changed her life forever, Riley has made plenty of sacrifices. As the face of the movement to save women’s sports, she’s been targeted, harassed, and mocked — and that was just Tuesday.

Though Gaines wasn’t surrounded, punched, or held hostage, she was openly demeaned by people claiming to be leaders in Congress. As a witness in the Republicans’ hearing, “The Importance of Protecting Female Athletics and Title IX,” Riley talked about what it was like to be a pawn in the NCAA’s political game. Despite tying with Thomas, a biological male, Gaines was intentionally elbowed out of the spotlight. “I was denied the trophy because the NCAA claimed it was necessary for Thomas to hold the trophy when photos were being taken,” she explained.

But if anything was worse than being forced to “validate the feelings and the identity of a male,” Riley fumed, it’s that she and the other girls were forced to share an intimate locker room with the same man. “And as I’ve testified previously, we were not forewarned of this arrangement,” she said of being confronted with Thomas’s “fully intact male genitalia.” “We were not asked for our consent, and we did not give our consent to this exposure and to be exploited.”

Female Democrats (and their chosen witnesses) shrugged off Gaines’s concerns, insisting that anyone trying to keep men out of girls’ sports is a bigot. “It’s disappointing to me,” leftist Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.) said, “that although the title of this hearing implies a much-needed discussion we’re likely going to be forced to listen to transphobic bigotry. Because actually protecting female athletes and Title IX is important. Participating in sports provides so many benefits to our young people.”

“… [If] my testimony makes me a transphobic bigot,” Riley fired back, “then I believe your opening monologue makes you a misogynist,” she declared to Lee, who, ironically, tried to have Gaines’s comment scrubbed from the record. Like most Republicans, Doug LaMalfa (Calif.) was appalled by the exchange, pointing out the absurdity that Lee would move to have Riley’s response stricken “because she cared to disagree with the [Democrats’] name-calling…”

“I believe being called transphobic for saying that women deserve privacy, that we deserve safety, that we deserve equal opportunities, that we deserve to maintain our dignity — I believe that is certainly an attack on my character,” Riley interjected.

Another “squad” member, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) leaped into the ridiculous by suggesting that the people protecting girls’ sports would be “opening up all women and girls to genital examinations when they are underage, potentially just because someone can point to someone and say, ‘I don’t think you are a girl.’”

In one of the hearing’s more jaw-dropping moments, Fatima Goss Graves, president of the so-called National Women’s Law Center, suggested that girls like Riley “learn to lose gracefully,” a statement roundly mocked on social media. “I don’t know what the National Women’s Law Center does,” Christian Collins tweeted, “but if this is their president, they aren’t helping women.” Tennis great Martina Navratilova was equally infuriated. “I think National Women’s Law center needs to change their name and just be called National Law Center,” she posted. “No point calling it women’s law center since according to the president there are so many variations of women?”

Ranking Republican Lisa McClain (Mich.) was appalled, calling Graves’s “lose gracefully” advice a “slap in the face of any athlete who worked so hard.” “I am a woman,” she insisted, “and let me tell you, hear me roar, because I will not stop protecting women. You want to know why? Because we have rights, too. … And our daughters have rights, too. Let me be explicitly clear on that — I will never stop protecting our daughters. I will never stop protecting women. That is my job as a mother, and it is the right thing to do.”

Graves, unfortunately, did little to dig herself out of the hole she’d created, at one point outing herself as a graduate of the Ketanji Brown Jackson School of Biology by saying she couldn’t answer if men and women are different because, after all, she’s “not a scientist.” Instead, she accused Gaines and others of making the hearing “about attacking and dehumanizing transgender people” — a charge Riley didn’t take lightly.

“There’s a place for everybody to play sports in this country,” Gaines said, noting transgender Americans were included in her view. “But unsafe, unfair and discriminatory practices must stop.” All the Left cares about, she argued, is “minimize[ing] harm to trans-identified athletes.” “But what about the harm to us?” she demanded. “Who was working to minimize the harm done to female athletes?”

Macy Petty, a former Family Research Council intern, is one of the growing chorus of athletes affected by the Left’s march through girls’ sports. As an NCAA volleyball player, she’s had to face off against a male player — despite the obvious advantage the women’s game provided. “When the rule-makers ignored the basic biological differences, they ignored the fact that women’s volleyball nets are over seven inches shorter than men’s volleyball nets,” she pointed out. “Simple things like that that acknowledge the differences between sexes and allow us to also pursue athletic excellence. But in ignoring that, they allowed this male athlete … [to] use so many biological advantages against us as female athletes. And at this point of my life, I was trying to compete in front of her recruiters for an athletic and academic scholarship one day.”

Macy was catapulted into the spotlight when she decided to speak out about the injustice of it all, walking a path blazed, in large part, by Riley Gaines. Like so many female athletes, she’s watched Gaines do battle with everyone from members of Congress to talk show hosts and extremist students without giving an inch.

“I thought that Riley did a fantastic job today,” she told FRC President Tony Perkins on “Washington Watch” after the hearing. “I know that I was among many who were praying for her, just that she could relay truth and light into Congress. And I think that’s exactly what she did. She went in with a clear message and simply said, ‘We cannot keep elevating this, this inclusion message and leave behind so many female athletes who have been fighting their entire lives to be collegiate athletes, to be high school athletes. And this message that they keep pushing is definitely reversing the clock 50 years and going against the original intent of Title IX.”

As she’s linked arms with women and girls across the country, Macy says that “something that has been increasingly clear to me is that this is a spiritual battle, and that this is a war on the creation and the Creator Himself, and an attack on what it means to be male and female.” But as she’s exposed to more hostility, she says she’s equally encouraged by the light starting to shine through the darkness. “Thankfully, I’ve seen more and more people lean into the Word of God and just the confidence that He can bring throughout the fight.”

AUTHOR

Suzanne Bowdey

Suzanne Bowdey serves as editorial director and senior writer at The Washington Stand.

RELATED ARTICLE: ‘Stand Up Against Child Abuse’: GOP Candidates Clash Over Trans Surgeries for Minors at Fourth Debate

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.

House Republicans Release Text Of Impeachment Inquiry Resolution For Joe Biden

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North Dakota Republican Rep. Kelly Armstrong introduced a 14-page resolution Thursday that would authorize an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.

“Directing certain committees to continue their ongoing investigations as part of the existing House of Representatives inquiry into whether sufficient grounds exist for the House of Representatives to exercise its Constitutional power to impeach Joseph Biden, President of the United States of America, and for other purposes,” the resolution reads.

The resolution is set to be marked up Tuesday, Dec. 12 and a vote could occur Wednesday.

“It’s time for the House to take the next step in the Biden impeachment investigation and adopt an impeachment inquiry resolution. The White House and multiple witnesses have repeatedly refused to cooperate with the investigation and have rejected subpoenas. Despite this refusal, the investigation has uncovered alarming details that demand further scrutiny,” Armstrong said in a statement.

READ THE RESOLUTION HERE: 

(DAILY CALLER OBTAINED) — BILLS 118hres918ih 0 by Henry Rodgers on Scribd

“The Biden family and associates received more than $24 million from foreign nationals. Joe Biden received $200,000 from his brother, James Biden, the same day James received a $200,000 loan from a failing rural hospital operator. Joe Biden also received $40,000 in laundered Chinese money from his brother and sister-in-law. It’s become clear that the Biden family sold influence around the world using Joe Biden’s name as the product. An investigation in any jurisdiction around the country would move forward if it had these facts. A vote on an impeachment inquiry puts the House in the best position to prevail in court and uncover the truth,” Armstrong continued.

This is a developing story. More information will be added as it becomes available.)

AUTHOR

HENRY RODGERS

Chief national correspondent. Follow Henry Rodgers On Twitter.

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

Muslim Lives Matter. Jewish Lives Don’t.

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Attacks on Muslims and Jews are treated very differently.

On Nov 5, Paul Kessler, a 69-year-old Jewish man, was killed at a pro-Israel rally in California.

A pro-Hamas protester had previously displayed a gun to intimidate the pro-Israel ralliers. While Kessler lay bleeding on the ground, the Muslim protesters chanted, “Hitler should’ve smashed you ” and threats of violence from Hamas. The media reported none of this, instead it described the killing of Kessler as an accident. Once the killer was arrested, CNN did not interview Paul’s friends, but quoted claims that his Muslim assailant was really a “man of peace.”

Few local officials, no state officials and certainly no one in the Biden administration said a word.

On November 25, three Arab Muslim men were shot in Burlington, VT, during a confrontation with Jason James Eaton, a mentally unstable Biden supporter described as “the hippie guy.”

Even though Eaton had denounced “Amerika” as “imperialist and corrupt,” was not Jewish, had no apparent interest in Middle East politics or Israel, politicians and the media without a single shred of evidence claimed that the wounded Muslim men who identified as ‘Palestinian’ had been targeted because of Israel’s campaign against Hamas and an imaginary ‘Islamophobia’.

Paul Kessler’s killer was not arrested at the scene and not arrested at all until ten days later. Bail was initially set for him at $1 million, which was cut to $50,000, and he’s out on the street.

Eaton was arrested by agents of the ATF, a federal agency, and is being held without bail. The FBI and “several other federal, state, and local agencies” are investigating the shooting of the three Muslim men. No such investigation was tracked for Kessler’s death in California.

While Biden did not comment on the killing of Paul Kessler, Biden issued a statement about the wounding of the Muslim men, declaring that, “there is absolutely no place for violence or hate in America” implying without evidence that there had been some hateful motive in the altercation.

Kamala Harris, who had made no statement about Paul Kessler’s killing, even though it took place in her home state, claimed that “far too many people live with the fear that they could be targeted and attacked based on their beliefs or who they are.”

Governor Phil Scott, Senator Peter Welch, Senator Bernie Sanders, and numerous other public officials also issued statements. So did multiple senators who aren’t even from Vermont.

Sen. Welch condemned “hate and Islamophobia” and claimed that the “conflict in the Middle East have brought an alarming spike in Islamophobic incidents across the United States.”

The same media outlets which had minimized or ignored Paul Kessler’s death launched a full-court press promotional campaign for the Burlington shootings. NBC News deployed a ‘liveblog’ site to cover a few seconds of violence that quickly ended with Eaton’s arrest. NBC showed a photo of one of the Muslim men, who is 20 years old, as an 11-year-old boy.

NBC News provided a platform for the Muslim men and their Islamic allies to blame Israel for the shooting and promote the terrorist cause. This was not a privilege provided to the dozen black people shot in Chicago around the same time.

Brown University President Christina H. Paxson claimed, falsely and without evidence, that the shooting was “latest evidence of anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian discrimination and hate spiraling across this country and around the world”. Despite that she was booed off the stage at a ‘vigil’ for not agreeing to boycott the Jewish State. Then a professor read a letter from the injured Muslim man claiming falsely that Israel would have shot him and left him to die.

The vast difference between how Paul Kessler’s killing and the wounding of the Muslim men were treated is a microcosm of the political bias and media narratives. The media rushed to cover the Burlington shootings, but rushed to cover up Paul Kessler’s death. Politicians issued statements about what happened to the Muslim men, but not about what happened to Paul.

The attack on Paul was indisputably motivated by hatred for Jews. It came in the context of support for the mass murder of Jews and chants about Hitler. Yet the media has refused to discuss any of that. It has however covered non-stop an altercation in which the motive is unclear as if it were demonstrably occasioned by hostility to Arabs, Muslims or “Palestinians.”

This is not anecdotal: it’s part of an ugly pattern of political and media double standards.

Since the Hamas massacres of Oct 7, there has been a 400% increase in antisemitic incidents and on campuses, 73% of Jewish and 44% of non-Jewish students described witnessing antisemitism. But those are just statistics. What does it look like on the ground?

On the eve of the anniversary of Kristallnacht, the Museum of Tolerance screened footage of the Hamas atrocities, and was descended upon by a pro-terrorist mob that justified the violence. Members of the Jewish community were assaulted by the pro-Hamas mob. Neither the media nor local officials condemned one of the most brazen antisemitic campaigns in American history.

Mayor Karen Bass reposted a media report misleadingly describing a scene in which “two groups outside LA’s Museum of Tolerance” clashed and condemned “unacceptable violence” rather than the equivalent of the KKK showing up in a black neighborhood. No public officials to my knowledge issued a statement condemning an attack on a Holocaust museum on the anniversary of Kristalnacht. Some of those officials, including DA George Gascon, list endorsements from the hate groups behind the attack. Some of the leftists responsible have since targeted another Holocaust museum in the Los Angeles area with pro-terrorist rallies.

In another part of Los Angeles, Daniel Garcia, a leftist activist, broke into the home of a Jewish family and threatened to kill them, “because you are Jewish… Israel kill people.” As he was being arrested, he went on shouting, “Free Palestine” and “Brown Lives Matter”.

Despite his long history of leftist activism, which included working as a field organizer on the Bernie Sanders campaign and serving on the boards of multiple leftist groups, the official word was that he was suffering from mental illness. And that it was not a political act.

In reality, Garcia had a long history of posting anti-Israel material on social media. After being released, he went on posting it including videos from terrorists attacking Israel. His social media, with its BDS videos, Islamic propaganda, Norman Finkelstein clips and all the rest of it is easily publicly accessible. No one in the media has bothered to report on it. And it will stay that way.

The Left has not even broken ties with Garcia in the aftermath of his attack on a Jewish family.

Attacks on Jews and Muslims are treated very differently for political reasons. Unless the attacks on Jews are carried out by far-right perpetrators, they are ignored and buried. When they are carried out by Muslims or anti-Israel leftists, they’re covered up, not reported on.

A Muslim can kill a Jewish man in broad daylight and the media will try to minimize it. Leftists and Muslims can attack a Holocaust museum on the anniversary of one of the most infamous dates in the Holocaust, and politicians and the media will call it a “both sides” problem. And a Leftist calling for the murder of Jews and ‘free Palestine” can invade a Jewish family’s home and it will strictly be a local crime story. But when there is any incident involving Muslims, it automatically becomes front page news regardless of how little evidence there is to it.

Anything that bolsters the ‘Islamophobia’ narrative and the claim that Muslims are the victims is always in demand.

On Oct 23, Hesham A. Ayyad claimed that a driver hit him with a car while shouting, “kill all Palestinians,”and “long live Israel.” CAIR demanded that the police and the FBI “collect all the information they need to charge this individual with a hate crime.” Vox quickly picked it up. So did other media outlets. Police however found he had actually been beaten up by his brother.

Vox has yet to correct its story which still lists it among other “Islamophobic” crimes caused by Israel’s war against Hamas.

Why did Paul Kessler’s killer think he could get away with it? And why have there been so many open attacks on Jews, especially on college campuses, in the past month? Because politicians and the media have shown that some lives matter more than others. Jewish lives don’t matter.

Only Muslim lives do.

AUTHOR

DANIEL GREENFIELD

RELATED ARTICLES:

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Hamas jihadis had ‘a thing with sexual organs’ and targeted genitalia of Israeli victims

Islamic scholar says caliphate’s “armies will advance, saying ‘Allahu akbar,’ to invade France and conquer Rome”

Harvard President: Calling for Genocide of Jews ‘Depends on the Context’

Georgetown Prof: All Non-Muslims Had To Do To Be Equal Was Convert to Islam

Samaria: 30-40 ‘Palestinians’ pelt four Israeli shepherds with rocks as they tend their goats

Heard on the Street: Hamas Leaders Made Billions from October 7 Attack

UK: London-based Muslim TV station openly supports Hamas and Hizballah, authorities ‘powerless’ to stop it

Italy: Two Muslims arrested for spreading Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Islamic State and al-Qaeda propaganda

Presidents of Harvard and Penn say calling for genocide of Jews not necessarily against their rules

French interior minister on Paris jihad murder: ‘Terrorism is changing and exploiting the weaknesses of our system’

Everybody Is Upset About Civilian Casualties in Gaza, but Where Do the Numbers Come From?

EDITORS NOTE: This Jihad Watch column is republished with permission. ©All right reserved.

FAIR Applauds Senate Republicans for Holding Firm and Demanding that National Security Starts at Home

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Democrats’ Insistence on Open Borders Blocks Assistance to Allies Abroad

December 6, 2023, Washington, D.C. — The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) commends Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans for insisting that national security begins at home and for demanding that Congress incorporate immigration policy changes as part of any aid package to allies who are defending their own sovereignty.

Today, Senate Majority Chuck Schumer attempted to proceed on a foreign aid package that ignores the crisis raging at the southern border. The budget supplemental legislation offered by Senate Democrats merely seeks to throw more money at the problem so border agents can process and release illegal aliens into the country faster. It does nothing to address the ruinous policies that have created the greatest surge of illegal immigration in U.S. history. “It makes no sense to allocate billions of dollars to help other countries defend their security, while leaving our borders wide open. Senate Republicans are right to insist that meaningful changes to Biden administration policies that have created this national security crisis be attached to the aid package,” said Dan Stein, president of FAIR.

Fortunately, Senator Schumer’s efforts to move this legislation forward failed as Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Minority Whip John Thune and the entire Republican caucus were united in stopping the motion to proceed on the legislation. That motion required 60 votes to pass; Democrats could not even get a majority, as it failed 49-51.

In blocking this vote, Senate Republicans demonstrated that they understand how important reforming immigration policy is to Americans and how Americans understand that border security is national security. In a letter sent to congressional leaders today, a broad coalition of public interest groups and policy experts representing millions of Americans demanded inclusion of H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act, passed by the House in May, in the bill. Policy changes set forth in H.R. 2 must be “the bare minimum required to regain control of America’s southern border and provide credibility for our nation’s immigration system,” states the letter to which FAIR is a signatory.

“Intransigence on the part of the Biden administration and congressional Democrats about stopping the border crisis is the impediment to approving foreign aid,” charged Stein. “To be clear, it is not Senate Republicans who are standing in the way of this assistance. Rather, it is the administration’s insistence on keeping America’s borders wide open and blocking any meaningful policy changes that might end the rampant abuse of our asylum system that is holding up approval of the foreign aid package.

“Without real reforms to asylum policy, expedited removal of people attempting to defraud our asylum system, and an end to the Biden administration’s wholesale abuse of humanitarian parole authority, the chaos at our borders and in our cities, and threats to national security, will grow even more dire,” continued Stein.

“There is bipartisan support for approving an assistance package to help our allies fight the same enemies and adversaries that threaten our own security. But tragically, that aid is being held hostage to the narrow, ideologically-driven agenda of the Biden administration and its allies in Congress whose policy is open borders and mass amnesty for millions of illegal aliens, no matter the danger or the cost to the American people,” Stein concluded.

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Poppy Harlow Tells Mayorkas Point-Blank Not Even Democrats Are Supporting Biden’s Border Policies

EDITORS NOTE: This FAIR press release is republished with permission. Copyright (C) 2023 Federation for American Immigration Reform. All rights reserved.

AI Enters Politics: Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain

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First they came for your drive-thru, then they came for your pastors. Now they’re here for your legislators.

The Associated Press reported recently that in Brazil, the first known artificial intelligence (AI) generated law was passed in October. City councilman Ramiro Rosário of Porto Alegre, Brazil apparently had some trouble crafting a city ordinance. Rosário, instead of shopping around for model legislation from another town or special interest group, did the most 2023 thing he could: he asked ChatGPT. The AP reports:

“Rosário told The Associated Press that he asked OpenAI’s chatbot ChatGPT to craft a proposal to prevent the city from charging taxpayers to replace water consumption meters if they are stolen. He then presented it to his 35 peers on the council without making a single change or even letting them know about its unprecedented origin.

“‘If I had revealed it before, the proposal certainly wouldn’t even have been taken to a vote,’ Rosário told the AP by phone on Thursday. The 36-member council approved it unanimously and the ordinance went into effect on Nov. 23.

“‘It would be unfair to the population to run the risk of the project not being approved simply because it was written by artificial intelligence,’ he added.”

When he was facing leadership challenges in the church due to his age, the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, “Let no one despise you for your youth.” Now we have Brazilian lawmakers speaking up for the oppressed AI, which apparently gets no respect. The councilman is not only the champion of the stolen water meter, he’s the voice of AI in government, speaking up for the little bot who has none.

I don’t fault an ill-equipped lawmaker for getting help doing his job, but it does say something about a society where a presumably elected official needs to resort to something that an adept 10-year-old can do. It raises the question, is the councilman even needed if his duties have been reduced to writing a query instead of writing legislation?

After President Lincoln had put Ulysses S. Grant in charge of the Union forces during the Civil War, there was worry among some as to whether the army could match Lee’s rebel forces. When someone asked about Grant’s chances, Doris Kearns Goodwin writes in “Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln,” that Lincoln told this anecdote:

“The question reminds of me of a little anecdote about the automaton chess player, which many years ago astonished the world by its skill in that game. After a while the automaton was challenged by a celebrated player, who, to his great chagrin, was beaten twice by the machine. At the end of the second game, the player, significantly pointing his finger at the automaton, exclaimed in a very decided tone, ‘There’s a man in it.’”

Putting aside the fact that there were apparently “automaton chess players” before the Civil War (who knew?), it was clear then that military and political operations were not automatic. Military operations required people. Political operations required people. Even mechanical chess players required people.

That remains true today. Politics — nasty business as it is — requires people. While we may joke about it being better off without them, we should think long and hard before we relinquish our leadership to something that doesn’t have to eat three squares a day. ChatGPT may be able to compose a water meter ordinance, but it won’t inspire people to use their water in a better way. People need to be led by people.

Just like the automated chess player, for ChatGPT there’s also “a man in it.” AI may have a body of silicon, precious metals, and transistors, but its intellectual framework of ones and zeros can never amount to a soul. AI may be able to write its own answers, and interpret what we want, but it can’t run without programming and someone feeding its server farms the electricity it needs.

No matter how much the hype-mongers of artificial intelligence may tell us to pay no attention to the man behind the curtain, there’s always a man in it. The question for us as we see the advent of AI applied to politics, is which man do we want? The one we elected, or the people doing the programming? It’s only a matter of time before we’re faced with this here in the U.S. And as much as we think a robot might do a better job than whichever current leader you’ve elected (I bet you can think of a few…), the solution is not to defer to some unelected artificial Oz behind the curtain. The solution is to elect better leaders.

AUTHOR

Jared Bridges

Jared Bridges is editor-in-chief of The Washington Stand.

RELATED ARTICLE: Thwarting the Left’s Assault on America

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.

Is it Christmas or Xmas?

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Keeping things in perspective…

This is an updated version of what I wrote last year, as the situation has not improved.

If you like short videos, then please watch this spot-on musical video. It is musically conveying the same message that I’m trying to do here, verbally…

As a minimum, Christmas is a remembrance of the birth of Jesus Christ. (Note the “Christ” part of the word Christmas.) As a historical event, it is something that anyone of any faith (or even atheists) can choose to acknowledge and/or celebrate — just as anyone can acknowledge and appreciate the historical event Hanukkah is based on

Why Christians would give such emphasis to that birth, is due to what Jesus Christ stood for. (Carefully read the New Testament for specifics.) The bottom line is that His message was one of love, acceptance, and forgiveness. Shouldn’t we all support that?

Centuries later, various related secondary religious traditions evolved in parallel with the birth of Jesus Christ’s remembrance. One is Saint Nicholas — now translated to what we in the US call Santa Claus… Another is the Christmas Tree, which also has some religious connotations (here is one explanation).

Regretfully, we live in times where secularization is all the rage, and Religion (and the Bible) are out of vogue — is it any wonder that we can no longer even have respectful discussions about our different perspectives? What happens now is that one party will bludgeon the other with the moral superiority card (SEL, CRT, DEI, Woke, etc.). Other responses that fall into this category are phony virtue signaling and absurd relativism.

Humans instinctively need a moral code, so the reason that all these happen every day is that we are abandoning what was a widely shared value system: Judeo-Christianity. But since the Ten Commandments, the Sermon on the Mount, the Bible, etc. are old-fashioned, here are three questions to ponder:

  1. Where is this new set of “moral standards” and “virtues” publicly posted?
  2. Who has the credentials to create such an official list?
  3. Where does the authority come from to enforce adherence to such standards?

One excuse for this secularization is the assertion that some people espousing Religions have a long history of going off the rails.

We need to be clear that when there are bad events associated with a Religion, it is the people involved who are the problem, not the Religion. For example, when some early Catholic Popes were evil men, that was not a reflection on Jesus Christ or His Church, but on those individuals. (Similarly, when the US has Presidents who are self-serving, it is not a reflection on the Constitution, but on those people.)

An experience I recently had is one of many that puts this secularization of our society, including Christmas, into focus… Every year my wife and I snail mail Christmas cards to select friends and family. Every year we chose a Christmas card with a clear traditional birth of Jesus Christ theme. (We then usually add a wintry personal picture plus an informative few paragraphs about what’s up with us.)

This year I again went to where we have been buying such cards: Vista-Print (which is a large purveyor of a wide variety of products from business cards to wedding gifts). I started like I always do and selected: 4×8 cards —> Christmas —> religious. Hmmm: all of the “religious cards” were just photos of family members, Christmas trees, etc.

What struck me was that there was not a single religious card (i.e., about the birth of Jesus Christ), a star over Bethlehem, the three wise men, etc. In the past, Vista-Print had multiple options for these. I then did several searches and nothing came up.

I decided to call the company and see if I was doing something wrong. I chatted with a pleasant customer service person. After much looking on her part she confirmed that Vista-Print had no 4×8 Christmas cards with any Christ-related scene!!

As polite as I could be (not my forte), I strongly objected to this startling and unacceptable degradation of Christmas. She agreed with me and suggested that I submit a request for Vista-Print to make up a “custom” card. I had seen that and there was a $10 cost involved! She said I would get a credit for that.

I followed her directions and submitted a request for a Christmas card with a religious scene on it. (IMO it’s mind-boggling that I would have to do this.) Sure enough by the next day I was emailed a religious scene Christmas card to use, and I did. I’m sure in Vista-Print’s files that they have over a hundred nativity, etc. scenes to use on 4×8 Christmas cards, but that they chose zero in 2023 is disturbing.

As a scientist, I’m a curious person (take that any way you like), so I decided to see if Vista-Print was an aberration or the norm. For comparison, I decided to check out Walmart’s 4×8 card options, since they are another major seller of Christmas cards. I looked through their online site to see how many nativity scene Christmas cards they were offering, and again I found none… Same for Shutterfly and Snapfish.

My closing Christmas thought is this…

Since we are experiencing unprecedented threats to our personal freedoms and lives, maybe we ought to re-think our commitment to God. As American’s participation in Religion has steadily gone downhill, the evil and incompetence we are seeing on a daily basis has steadily increased. Draw your own Critical Thinking conclusions, but IMO that correlation is not a coincidence.

In summary: Jesus is the Reason for the Season.

I hope that you and your family have a happy, holy Christmas and holiday season!

©2023. John Droz, Jr. All rights reserved.

Youth and Muslim Voting Blocs Show Signs of Moving Away from Biden

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Heading into the 2024 election, early polling of young voters as well as public anger manifested by Muslim groups over events in the Middle East indicate that President Joe Biden may be losing ground in at least two key voting blocs that have traditionally voted strongly blue in past elections.

Last week, The New York Times reported on an unusual phenomenon currently happening among young voters in America: they do not seem to be leaning in the Democrats’ direction by the same overwhelming margins that they have in past elections. In the last two presidential elections, young voters (aged 18-29) heavily favored the Democratic candidate, with 55% going to Hillary Clinton versus 37% to Donald Trump in 2016 and over 60% going to Biden (with Trump garnering under 40%) in 2020.

But the same pattern does not appear to be materializing in 2024. “Virtually every poll shows a close race between Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump among young voters,” the NYT’s Nate Cohn observed. He went on to contend that the reason behind the turnaround is likely because young voters “are by far the likeliest to say he’s just too old to be an effective president.” In addition, “[m]any are upset about his handling of the Israel-Hamas war. And all of this is against the backdrop of Mr. Biden’s longstanding weakness among young voters, who weren’t enthusiastic about him in 2020, and Mr. Trump’s gains among nonwhite voters, who are disproportionately young.”

Meanwhile, Muslim American voters, another key Democratic demographic, also appear to be moving away from the president due to his administration’s support for Israel following the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7 and the resulting war in Gaza. At a conference in Detroit on Saturday, Muslim leaders from eight swing states across the country, including Michigan, Minnesota, Arizona, Wisconsin, Florida, Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania, gathered to pledge their withdrawal of support for Biden because of his “refusal to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.”

Despite only making up about 1.1% of the U.S. population at 3.45 million, experts say that Muslim Americans can have an outsized influence on the election due to their propensity to largely vote for Democrats. As noted by Axios, Biden won Arizona by only 10,500 votes in a state with an Arab American population of about 60,000, and in Georgia, the president won by only 11,800 votes in a state with about 57,000 Arab Americans.

“Recent polling shows a tightening race in a hypothetical matchup between the 45th and 46th presidents,” Matt Carpenter, director of FRC Action, told The Washington Stand. “President Biden won voters aged 18-34 by 20 points in 2020, and recent data shows younger voters would choose Biden over Trump in a possible rematch by just four points, a remarkable switch in sentiment among this key group of voters. Given the 2020 election was ultimately decided by about 44,000 votes across three states, small movements among key demographics can produce dramatic effects in the electoral college.”

Carpenter continued, “Look also at some of the movement among Muslim Americans. While they are a very small group of voters in America, they voted overwhelmingly for Biden in 2020, giving him almost 70% of their vote. In important swing states, like Michigan, Muslim voters wield an outsized influence on the Democratic Party’s vote share every election cycle. It’s possible in a hypothetical matchup between Biden and Trump we see these key groups of voters return to their historical voting behavior, but I wouldn’t count on it.”

Carpenter went on to point to additional voting blocs that appear to be shifting away from Biden as the 2024 election approaches.

“We have also seen dramatic moves among key voting blocs since 2016, when Donald Trump won by assembling a coalition of non-college educated white voters, who voted for Obama twice, alongside the traditional GOP base,” he observed. “And we have also seen steady movement among Hispanic voters to the GOP in recent cycles, particularly in Florida and Texas. The more these key groups of voters balk at the idea of another four years of the Biden administration, the ceiling lowers a little on Biden’s reelection hopes. There is still a long way to go before election day, including a presidential primary, and anything can happen. But, it’s safe to say the Biden campaign has to be sweating their decline among these key groups of voters.”

AUTHOR

Dan Hart

Dan Hart is senior editor at The Washington Stand.

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.

COP 28: United Nations’ Fashion Police and Kamala’s Cash

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They are talking about limiting your access to fashion at the UN climate conference in Dubai. Really.

However, V.P. Kamala Harris isn’t worried about limits on her power under the U.S. Constitution.  Kamala just pledged $3 billion of your money (Congress didn’t appropriate) to the UN Green Climate Fund.

Watch Marc Morano’s exclusive interview with fashionista Dame Ellen MacArthur.  Marc asked Dame Ellen at COP 28 about the “C40” Mayors group plan to limit you to three clothing purchases per year.

“It’s how they have access to the product,” MacArthur explained, “as much as the product itself. And there are different ways to have access to clothing products.”

Maybe the UN could create a clothing wait list modeled after the way the old East Germany distributed cars to the unconnected. It was very efficient. It only took 13 years to put you behind the wheel of a cramped little Trabant with a noisy two cycle engine.  You know, like your lawn mower.  Think how well that could work for a pair of coveralls or a prom dress.

V.P. Kamala Harris spoke at COP 28 after President Biden gave it a pass.  Peter Murphy reports  at CFACT.org that the V.P. came bearing gifts for the UN in the form of a pile of Kamala climate cash.  Murphy asks: “on a $34 trillion U.S. debt, what’s another $3 billion?” If only the Biden Administration would ask hard questions and act responsibly.

Murph’ interviewed a project coordinator for a group called “The Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative.  They want developing nations to forego reliable electricity and “leapfrog” to wind and solar.  Like so many walking the UN’s halls of climate power, they expect the U.S. to fork over “the lion’s share” of the expense.

As Murphy explains, that’s where Kamala Harris and the UN Green Climate Fund come into play.  “The U.S. Department of Treasury said at the tail end of its statement issued last week that the Vice President’s pledge ‘is subject to the availability of funds.’ Exactly. The U.S. Constitution stipulates that Congress, not the Executive branch, authorizes spending by the federal government.”

Can the Constitution stop the Biden Administration from sending your tax dollars to the UN?

It didn’t stop Barack Obama.

For nature and people too.

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

Harvard Donors Start to Notice the Shift in Culture at this Formerly Great Institution

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Billionaire Harvard Donor, Bill Ackman writes letter exposing the fully communist nature of the culture at Harvard.

Daily Mail: Bill Ackman posts excoriating letter to Harvard’s president Claudine Gay taking aim at anti-Semitism, free speech and discrimination against straight white men and Asian students in the guise of ‘equity’

Billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman took aim once again at Harvard University’s leadership in a scathing open letter in which he highlights their failure to address anti-Semitism and other forms of discrimination on campus. 

Ackman, 57, posted the letter on his X page on Sunday. In one section he wrote that anti-Semitism is ‘the canary in the coal mine for other discriminatory practices at Harvard.’

The Harvard graduate also alleged that straight white males are subject to discrimination and denied opportunities at the school.

The Daily Mail article emphasizes Harvard’s antisemitism. But Ackman equally excoriated Harvard for its anti-White hatred, where antisemitism is merely a subset of anti-white hatred because Jews are seen as white. Sadly, this means that while Ackman is capable of observing what is obvious and stating it, he is not yet understanding what is taking place on the Harvard Campus. Communism views things in terms of power. What they view is the group holding power must be overthrown, and those who do not have power must be elevated in what will be a PERPETUAL revolution. Exactly like the pamphlet said in the anti-Israel protest in Ottawa a couple of weeks ago. The photo below is from the Trotskyist League at the anti-Israel demo, Nov. 25th

To get a good read on the Ackman letter, please check out that segment of Today’s Charlie Kirk show.

It is well worth the time. And as Kirk said, when you meet Harvard grads, at least recent ones, its time to treat them as they are. Not as the legacy they bought.

WATCH:

IN FOCUS: College Presidents Defend Antisemitism with Rep. Mary Miller – OAN

Congressional hearing with the University Presidents

Major Democrat Donor Calls Out Harvard for Participating in the War on White People

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Ivy League Presidents Invoked Free Speech To Defend Anti-Jewish Protests. Here’s How They’ve Treated Conservatives

Enlightened Jew hatred

RELATED PODCAST: Moral Bankruptcy of Harvard, MIT and Penn!

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

Florida Republican Registrations Report — November 2023

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Note: The registrations numbers in this writing refer to active registrations, a subset of total registrations.

Note: The Republican Party of Florida, at least occasionally, has issued their own monthly registrations report and their numbers usually differ only slightly from the numbers presented in this report. The numbers for this report are generated from those numbers listed on the various Supervisor of Elections (SOE) websites after business hours on the last day of the month, with the exception of some counties who post their registration numbers monthly (an example of a county which posts a monthly number is Miami-Dade County).

Some, perhaps most, counties which post their numbers as being up to date, are likely to be at least a day behind in their postings. The difference in registration reports is usually small, and since this report is consistent in the manner in which the numbers are collected, the immediacy of the report is thought to be more important than the normal minor differences that exist in the date of data collection. Also owing to immediacy, if updated numbers are not available by noon of the third business day of the month, the county will have an asterisk by their name in the tables, and the numbers for the county will be the numbers from the prior month.

Last month, the normal small difference in the two reports was fairly large owing to Palm Beach and Sarasota Counties, which had significant differences in the number that was posted on their website on the last day of the month, and the official number reported to the state. This large change is believed to be caused by the adjustments being made by the change in law instituted to more easily move voters to the inactive voter status (see note below).

Florida Republicans continue the trend of making relative gains in active voter registrations as Republican registrations relative to Democrat registrations increased by 36,058 registrations in November and by 386,718 registrations since the book closing for the 2022 general election. Florida Republicans now have a 692,668 relative registrations advantage over the Democrats. Republican registrations were 38.09% of total registrations and Republicans now enjoy a 5.12% of total registrations advantage over the Democrats (click here to view tables).

The Democrats lost 50,736 additional registrations in November, 509,285 registrations since the 2022 book closing, and 841,210 registrations since the 2020 election. The Republican registrations decreased by 14,678 in November, and the number of registrations which are neither Republican nor Democrat decreased by 49,751 registrations in November (click here to view the charts).

Note: There have been some relatively large shrinkages in the number of registrations in Florida Counties. The law was changed to make it easier to shift voters into the inactive voter category, a category where the process of removing voters from the voter rolls is initiated. The decreases in the number of registrations should end when the supervisors of elections complete the job of making the transfers in accordance with the new measures.

The Year in Review

The intent of this report is to provide information to operatives so they can monitor their efforts to grow the Republican share of the vote, which between elections may be the best measured by changes in voter registrations. Of interest is that none of the recommendations made in this report over the past year have been implemented, and as far as what is known, the recommendations are not even being considered for implementation. The Republican political class appears content with the status quo at the local, state, and national level.

What is the Republican status quo? The Republican status quo (RSQ) consists entirely of campaign efforts, of which there are four pillars: candidate, money, message, and voter turnout. The RSQ does not take the underlying political orientation of an electorate, the most significant election factor in nearly every state, into consideration. The pillars of the RSQ only matter when the underlying political orientation of an election district is somewhat neutral.

The RSQ believes Republican candidates in California (where Republicans captured 12 of 52 (23%) national congressional seats in 2022) have the same chance of Republicans winning elections as they have in Florida (where Republicans captured 20 of 28 (71%) national congressional in 2022). The RSQ is total nonsense.

In the 2022 Florida general election there were five state senate seats, and 14 state house seats where Republicans did not field candidates. If elections depend on a simple yet potent formula: candidates, messaging, money, and voter turnout, and not about the underlying political orientations, then why were there no Republicans candidates in these races?

The RSQ needs to change! Republicans should be actively working to positively change the underlying political orientation of election districts.

Republicans limiting themselves to the RSQ has defied explanation, but current gender confusion may provide some clarity. Some people believe that gender identity should be up to the individual to decide. In this line of thinking, biological males may identify as females and biological females may identify as males.

What does gender confusion have to do with political strategy? There exists political confusion in the Republican Party. The Republican Party may identify as a political party. Republicans can deeply believe the Republican Party is a political party. Without strategies to change the underlying political orientation of electorates, the Republican party is not a political party, the Republican Party is a campaign organization.

The Republican presidential candidate carried 49 states in 1984, 30 states in 2000, and 25 states in 2020. The pool of states where the underlying political orientation favors Republicans, or where the underlying political orientation is neutral enough for Republicans to win, has shrunk to a critical level. This is no time to let sleeping dogs lie.

The California/Florida Conundrum

The Democrat takeover of California should have led to the Republicans adopting new strategies, but the takeover has led to no such thing. Democrats have totally outfoxed, and continue to outfox, Republicans. For Republicans not to adopt strategies that positively change the underlying political orientations of electorates is political malpractice.

One way for Democrats to politically prosper is to corrupt real estate markets. Corrupted real estate market results in increased home prices, forcing a higher percentage of voters to rent. Renters vote Democrat at a much higher rate than homeowners vote Republican, and therefore Democrats make outsized political gains by marginally raising the rates of rentership.

Perhaps owing to Republican voters generally gaining financially from having corrupted real estate markets, the gains in wealth arising from higher home values, there has been little or no political opposition by Republicans to the corruption of the real estate markets.

Comparing 2022 congressional races in California and Florida demonstrates the dynamism of the Democrat strategy of corrupting real estate markets. California Democrats captured a super majority (40 of 52, 77%) of 2022 California national congressional races while in Florida Republicans captured a super-majority (20 of 28, 71%) of 2022 Florida national congressional races. Housing is the difference!

The various housing metrics are as follows. California national congressional districts captured by Republicans had an average rentership rates of 34.24%, slightly higher than the 30.15% rate found in Florida congressional districts captured by Republican congressmen. California congressional districts captured by the Democrats had an average rentership rate of 46.95%, 12.71% higher than the average California districts captured by Republican congressmen. Florida congressional districts captured by Democrats had an average rentership rate of 39.98%, 9.83% higher than the average Florida districts captured by Republican congressmen.

The average rentership rate of California national congressional districts captured by Democrats was roughly 7% higher than the average rentership rate found in Florida national congressional seats held by Democrats. Most of this difference between the rentership rates in California and Florida Democrat districts was owing to California having districts where the rentership rates were exceedingly high such as 61.85% (CD42, Congressman Robert Garcia), 62.27% (CD11, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi), 67.56% (CD30, Congressman Adam Schiff), 69.04% (CD37, Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove), and 77.09% (CD34, Congressman Jimmy Gomez) skewing their average to be higher. The highest rentership rate found in a Florida congressional district (CD24, Frederica Wilson) was 50.62%.

California has a higher overall statewide rentership rate of 44.5% and a super-majority Democrat congressional delegation compared to Florida’s overall 33.5% statewide rentership rate and super-majority Republican congressional delegation.

Republican success in Florida has not been obtained by purposefully adopting policies that lead to lessening of the rentership rate, it is owing to Florida not being as bad as California.

Given these numbers, and assuming Republicans wish to win elections, why isn’t there a Republican Party effort to improve Republican chances of winning elections by positively changing the underlying political orientation of electorates?

The Anti-Conservative Republican Primary System

Florida has a primary election law that often leads to the election of the most liberal Republican candidates in local elections. The pool of local politicians is often the source of candidates for higher office. This leads to Republican office holders who are generally much more liberal than the Republican Party as a whole. This is a problem owing to liberal Republican politicians tend to support policies that tend to change the underlying political orientation of an election district to become more Democrat.

The item at the primary level that is so troublesome for Florida Republican conservatives is the universal primary. A universal primary is required when there are only candidates from one political party in the election. In this case, the normally closed primary, a primary where only registered members of the party may vote, becomes universal, allowing all registered voters, regardless of a voter’s party registration designation, to vote. Since the voter pool of the entire electorate is more liberal than is the pool of registered Republican voters, the winner of a universal primary, awarded the office at the primary level, is likely to be the most liberal Republican in the race.

There is little stopping a Democrat candidate from reregistering as a Republican and becoming a Republican candidate. A Democrat strategy in areas that are heavily Republican is to have their candidates do just that, and to not enter a candidate in the primary. The crazy Florida primary system favors the election of these Democrats, turned Republicans, to win. Since the system is full of Republicans who were elected in this crazy system, that is no political will to change the law.

I have, who I would refer to as a political friend, who became disenchanted with the Republican Party, and joined the Constitution Party. Republicans should be actively trying to get the Constitution Party candidates to enter primary elections. This would put a halt to the Democrat strategy of winning the local elections by running their candidates as Republicans.

Please join the efforts to positively change underlying political orientations of election districts to build support for The U.S. Constitution, and by extension, the Republican Party!

©2023. Steve Meyer. All rights reserved.

DISSENT TV: Interview with Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff an Austrian mother devoted to the preservation of freedom of speech.

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Today’s guest on DISSENT TV is Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff.

Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff is an Austrian mother devoted to the preservation of freedom of speech. A diplomat’s daughter, she was a child in Iran during the Islamic Revolution of 1979, and later lived in Iraq, Kuwait, and Libya. During the 1990 invasion of Kuwait by Iraq, she was among the Austrian citizens who were held hostage.

Elizabeth subsequently worked as assistant to the Vice Chancellor of the Republic of Austria, at the Austrian Embassy Kuwait and the Austrian Embassy Tripoli, Libya.

She recently published her book “Truth Was My Crime – A Life fighting For Freedom”, which details her decade of fighting for her right to free speech.

Watch our full interview with Elizabeth [which begins at the 4:21 mark].

Elisabeth will return to the United States in February until March of 2024 and can be booked for speaking engagements. If you wish to have Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff as a guest speaker please contact her at: esab_kwt@yahoo.com

ABOUT ELISABETH SABITSCH-WOLF

Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff is a woman caught up in extraordinary times.

She has been hectored, vilified, persecuted and prosecuted for the grave offense of telling the truth about Mohammed and his “marriage” to a very young child as related in Islamic sacred literature.

Her case has exposed the grave danger to freedom of speech (and thus, freedom of thought itself) in Europe.

She fought bravely in the legal arena through the Austrian courts and on to the European Court of Human Rights to defend her freedom (and by extension the rights of all Europeans), to freely voice her opinion.

She lost.

In Europe, human rights are no longer thought to be intrinsic to the individual as a gift given by God, but are rather thought to be a gift of the state, which can be limited and revoked at will. This is a dangerous development and it has already made its way to America.

The book, which is an updated, revised version of her 2019 book The Truth is No Defense, begins by relating Elisabeth’s life’s odyssey, living in a number of Muslim countries even as a young child. Her father served in the Austrian diplomatic corps. She was living in Iran when the Islamic Revolution broke out.

Later, she too followed the path of diplomatic service and gained extensive experience working in the Muslim world. She was living in Kuwait when Saddam Hussein invaded. Elisabeth knows whereof she speaks.

Her book serves as a warning call, because she believes that there are many Americans willing to preserve their God-given right to free speech and because there is still still enough freedom in America to fight for freedom. Freedom of expression the basis for all freedom. There is no other freedom without it.

A key quote from the book:

The appeals court verdict is interesting, but even more shocking that the first guilty verdict. The judge explained that while it is certainly within the law to say that “Mohammed had sex with a 9-year-old,” calling this spade a spade is considered “excessive” and thus “denigrating.” Imagine that you were no longer allowed to call a murderer “heinous” because you might be convicted of having an “excessive” opinion as a result.

To read more about Elisabeth’s fight for freedom of expression in the Austrian and European justice systems, get the full book at Amazon.com. It is available in paperback and Kindle formats.

Visit TruthWasMyCrime.com.

©2023. Dr. Rich Swier. All rights reserved.