rightwingwatch--2020-04-23--Frank Gaffney Suggests China Made Coronavirus to Attack Trump, US, and Hong Kong Protesters

Anti-Muslim conspiracy theorist Frank Gaffney thinks it ’ s possible the Chinese government manufactured the COVID-19 coronavirus as a bioweapon with the purpose of disbanding massive anti-government protests in Hong Kong , grinding the United States ’ economy and military to a halt , and harming President Donald Trump ’ s chances at reelection in November .
Gaffney , president of the anti-Muslim hate group Center for Security Policy , joined right-wing radio host Lars Larson for an interview on “ The Lars Larson Show ” uploaded Tuesday to SoundCloud .
Larson began the segment by characterizing assertions that China @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disband Hong Kong protests as a “ conspiracy theory ”  but said he brought Gaffney on to “ test out ” the notions .
But instead of debunking the right-wing conspiracy theory , Gaffney insisted such theories be treated with a degree of plausibility .
“ I don ’ t know whether they intentionally did that , Lars .
I think that they have successfully taken advantage of it .
There ’ s no getting around that , ” Gaffney said .
“ The pandemic turned off those demonstrations and has created @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Communist ] party evidently now believes it can move swiftly to begin rounding up those who led and , presumably , those who participated over time in those demonstrations.
” As for whether China intentionally manufactured the coronavirus as a bioweapon , Gaffney said , “ We have to actually consider that possibility.
” Larson challenged Gaffney to explain why a country would produce a disease like the coronavirus as a bioweapon since the coronavirus is less infectious than measles and less deadly than many other infectious diseases .
“ Would you use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ maybe even use it on your own people , to obscure the fact that that is what you ’ re doing is engaging in biological weapons ?
It ’ s a hypothesis that warrants examination , ” Gaffney said .
Gaffney said the response to the coronavirus in the U.S. is evidence enough of the kind of damage that such a disease could wreak in a country , “ all without firing a shot.
” “ If they were doing nothing else but just seeing how this worked out or simply responding to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pretty powerful affirmations that biological warfare is useable and can be very , very effective in terms of accomplishing their goals , ” Gaffney said .
Larson compared China releasing the coronavirus to attack the U.S. to someone setting his own home on fire in hopes of damaging his neighbor ’ s home .
China was struck hard and early during the pandemic and thousands of Chinese citizens have died from the disease .
Gaffney went on to theorize that the tactic of China harming its own people wouldn ’ t be entirely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s larger objective was to weaken the U.S. and make sure that Trump was not reelected president .
Gaffney said that he believed that Chinese President Xi Jinping had one overarching objective that overrides all else : destroying Trump .

Anti-Muslim conspiracy theorist Frank Gaffney thinks it’s possible the Chinese government manufactured the COVID-19 coronavirus as a bioweapon with the purpose of disbanding massive anti-government protests in Hong Kong, grinding the United States’ economy and military to a halt, and harming President Donald Trump’s chances at reelection in November.
Gaffney, president of the anti-Muslim hate group Center for Security Policy, joined right-wing radio host Lars Larson for an interview on “The Lars Larson Show” uploaded Tuesday to SoundCloud. Larson began the segment by characterizing assertions that China’s government created the coronavirus to disband Hong Kong protests as a “conspiracy theory” but said he brought Gaffney on to “test out” the notions. But instead of debunking the right-wing conspiracy theory, Gaffney insisted such theories be treated with a degree of plausibility.
“I don’t know whether they intentionally did that, Lars. I think that they have successfully taken advantage of it. There’s no getting around that,” Gaffney said. “The pandemic turned off those demonstrations and has created conditions under which the [Chinese Communist] party evidently now believes it can move swiftly to begin rounding up those who led and, presumably, those who participated over time in those demonstrations.”
As for whether China intentionally manufactured the coronavirus as a bioweapon, Gaffney said, “We have to actually consider that possibility.”
Larson challenged Gaffney to explain why a country would produce a disease like the coronavirus as a bioweapon since the coronavirus is less infectious than measles and less deadly than many other infectious diseases.
“Would you use something that is relatively benign, and maybe even use it on your own people, to obscure the fact that that is what you’re doing is engaging in biological weapons? It’s a hypothesis that warrants examination,” Gaffney said.
Gaffney said the response to the coronavirus in the U.S. is evidence enough of the kind of damage that such a disease could wreak in a country, “all without firing a shot.”
“If they were doing nothing else but just seeing how this worked out or simply responding to it, strategically, those would be pretty powerful affirmations that biological warfare is useable and can be very, very effective in terms of accomplishing their goals,” Gaffney said.
Larson compared China releasing the coronavirus to attack the U.S. to someone setting his own home on fire in hopes of damaging his neighbor’s home. China was struck hard and early during the pandemic and thousands of Chinese citizens have died from the disease.
Gaffney went on to theorize that the tactic of China harming its own people wouldn’t be entirely out of place if the country’s larger objective was to weaken the U.S. and make sure that Trump was not reelected president. Gaffney said that he believed that Chinese President Xi Jinping had one overarching objective that overrides all else: destroying Trump.


rightwingwatch--2020-04-23--Mat Staver Compares Christians Facing Social Distancing Restrictions to Jews Persecuted in Nazi Germ

Mat Staver Compares Christians Facing Social Distancing Restrictions to Jews Persecuted in Nazi Germany

On Todd Starnes ’ radio show Wednesday , Mat Staver , founder and chairman of religious-right legal group Liberty Counsel , compared the plight of Christians in America facing enforcement of social distancing restrictions to the kinds of treatment faced by Jews in Nazi Germany .
Liberty Counsel is making the most of the COVID-19 pandemic to portray itself as a defender of embattled religious liberty and push the group ’ s narrative that Christians in America are facing unprecedented persecution—a narrative that also happens to be one of President Donald Trump ’ s main tactics for motivating and turning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign .
Starnes is himself one of the primary promoters of Christian persecution stories , and he and Staver talked about cases in which local officials have taken action against pastors and churchgoers for violating public health restrictions on group gatherings .
Liberty Counsel is representing Tampa , Florida-based evangelist Rodney Howard-Browne , who was arrested for defying a local stay-at-home order , and others who have run into that kind of trouble .
Staver told Starnes about people who lost their jobs or were told they were unwelcome in a drug store @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had drawn media attention for continuing to gather .
“ It is unbelievable the harassment , the targeting of these churches all over the country , ” Staver said .
And he said a Virginia pastor Liberty Counsel is representing faces a year in prison for having “ six people over the governor ’ s magic number of 10 in a 293-seat sanctuary.
” “ I ’ ve never seen anything like this ever before , anything come close to this , ” Staver said .
“ This is the most outrageous and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve ever seen with regards to the absolute disregard of the Constitution.
” And Staver made what certainly seems to be a comparison to Nazi Germany ’ s treatment of Jews , though he did not use those exact words : So , it is absolutely—I mean , it ’ s a targeting .
It is , you know , I don ’ t want to be too melodramatic , but I ’ m telling you what .
You know , this happened before in history .
We ’ ve seen people being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a particular symbol that you have to wear .
And then so you get targeted with your business , you get terminated from your job , and eventually you get ghettoized .
And what we ’ re seeing here is the absolute targeting of Christians in churches to a level I ’ ve never even imagined would happen in America .
Staver may have said he ’ s never seen anything like this , but he has frequently compared Christians in the United States today to Jews in Nazi Germany .
On @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ReOpen Church ” campaign , “ calling on the churches to open and believers to start meeting again on Sunday , May 3.
” It is clear that in some parts of the country , restrictions on public gatherings will still be in place on May 3 , suggesting that Liberty Counsel may be hoping to provoke additional incidents that they can portray as anti-Christian persecution .
Look , they said that we had to close for two weeks .
Most people were fine with that .
The two weeks went to four @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to six weeks , and it continues to go on .
So , then they said [ gatherings should be limited to ] 250 , then 100 , 50 , 10—in New Mexico , it ’ s five people .
And it goes on and on and on .
When are we going to say enough is enough ?
Look , nobody wants to put their people in jeopardy .
I don ’ t know of any pastor that wants to harm anyone .
But we can take reasonable efforts .
If the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the other things that are open out there , the commercial operations that are open .
Churches have a constitutional right to exist ; those others do not .
They don ’ t have the right to exist .
But the First Amendment guarantee the church ’ s right to exist .
The Greek word for church is ekklesia ; where we get the word synagogue is from a Greek word synagoge .
They both mean ‘ assembly , ’ places of assembly .
So , let ’ s begin that process .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ than ever .
The website promoting Liberty Counsel ’ s “ ReOpen Church Sunday ” encourages churches to “ include appropriate measures of sanitization and appropriate social distancing between families ” and consider a range of options , including seating outside the building and online access for higher risk individuals .

On Todd Starnes’ radio show Wednesday, Mat Staver, founder and chairman of religious-right legal group Liberty Counsel, compared the plight of Christians in America facing enforcement of social distancing restrictions to the kinds of treatment faced by Jews in Nazi Germany.
Liberty Counsel is making the most of the COVID-19 pandemic to portray itself as a defender of embattled religious liberty and push the group’s narrative that Christians in America are facing unprecedented persecution—a narrative that also happens to be one of President Donald Trump’s main tactics for motivating and turning out conservative evangelical voters for his reelection campaign.
Starnes is himself one of the primary promoters of Christian persecution stories, and he and Staver talked about cases in which local officials have taken action against pastors and churchgoers for violating public health restrictions on group gatherings. Liberty Counsel is representing Tampa, Florida-based evangelist Rodney Howard-Browne, who was arrested for defying a local stay-at-home order, and others who have run into that kind of trouble.
Staver told Starnes about people who lost their jobs or were told they were unwelcome in a drug store when people realized they attended churches that had drawn media attention for continuing to gather. “It is unbelievable the harassment, the targeting of these churches all over the country,” Staver said. And he said a Virginia pastor Liberty Counsel is representing faces a year in prison for having “six people over the governor’s magic number of 10 in a 293-seat sanctuary.”
“I’ve never seen anything like this ever before, anything come close to this,” Staver said. “This is the most outrageous and, frankly, unbelievable situation I’ve ever seen with regards to the absolute disregard of the Constitution.”
And Staver made what certainly seems to be a comparison to Nazi Germany’s treatment of Jews, though he did not use those exact words:
So, it is absolutely—I mean, it’s a targeting. It is, you know, I don’t want to be too melodramatic, but I’m telling you what. You know, this happened before in history. We’ve seen people being targeted, that you are being targeted with a particular symbol that you have to wear. And then so you get targeted with your business, you get terminated from your job, and eventually you get ghettoized. And what we’re seeing here is the absolute targeting of Christians in churches to a level I’ve never even imagined would happen in America.
Staver may have said he’s never seen anything like this, but he has frequently compared Christians in the United States today to Jews in Nazi Germany.
On Monday, Liberty Counsel launched its “ReOpen Church” campaign, “calling on the churches to open and believers to start meeting again on Sunday, May 3.” It is clear that in some parts of the country, restrictions on public gatherings will still be in place on May 3, suggesting that Liberty Counsel may be hoping to provoke additional incidents that they can portray as anti-Christian persecution.
Staver told Starnes:
Look, they said that we had to close for two weeks. Most people were fine with that. The two weeks went to four weeks, then the four weeks went to six weeks, and it continues to go on. So, then they said [gatherings should be limited to] 250, then 100, 50, 10—in New Mexico, it’s five people. And it goes on and on and on. When are we going to say enough is enough? Look, nobody wants to put their people in jeopardy. I don’t know of any pastor that wants to harm anyone. But we can take reasonable efforts. If the liquor stores can be open and all the other things that are open out there, the commercial operations that are open. Churches have a constitutional right to exist; those others do not. They don’t have the right to exist. But the First Amendment guarantee the church’s right to exist. The Greek word for church is ekklesia; where we get the word synagogue is from a Greek word synagoge. They both mean ‘assembly,’ places of assembly. So, let’s begin that process. Because the churches are more essential now than ever.
The website promoting Liberty Counsel’s “ReOpen Church Sunday” encourages churches to “include appropriate measures of sanitization and appropriate social distancing between families” and consider a range of options, including seating outside the building and online access for higher risk individuals.


rightwingwatch--2020-04-24--Right Wing Round-Up: Don’t Inject Disinfectant, Not Even Sarcastically

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rightwingwatch--2020-04-24--Right Wing Bonus Tracks: The Finest Private Jet in the World


rightwingwatch--2020-04-24--Before He Became HHS Spokesperson, Michael Caputo Spread Conspiracy Theories on Pro-Trump Cable Netw

Before He Became HHS Spokesperson, Michael Caputo Spread Conspiracy Theories on Pro-Trump Cable Network

Before Michael Caputo was appointed spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services , he appeared on a right-wing cable network , where he urged President Donald Trump to pardon associates convicted of crimes related to Trump ’ s 2016 presidential campaign , seemed to suggest the government may kill GOP political operative Roger Stone in jail , and alleged the motivation behind impeachment was to protect former Vice President Joe Biden ’ s son Hunter from being convicted of a crime .
Caputo , a former 2016 Trump campaign adviser and longtime New York Republican political operative , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at HHS last week , placing him at the epicenter of the government ’ s response to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic .
Prior to being sworn in at HHS , Caputo made occasional appearances from 2018 to 2020 on One America News Network , a right-wing cable channel favored by the president for its unabashed pro-Trump flair and known for broadcasting inaccurate information .
Reached via email , Caputo told Right Wing Watch that he once held the role of “ special correspondent ” with the network after it purchased , edited , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ film he produced called “ One America News Investigates – The Ukraine Hoax : Impeachment , Biden Cash , And Mass Murder With Michael Caputo.
” He told Right Wing Watch that he only held the special correspondent position for the duration of that project .
But visitors to OANN ’ s website will have a hard time finding Caputo ’ s work with the network , except for a January press release for Captuo ’ s film .
Jay McKenzie , and independent researcher who tracks major pro-Trump influencers online , first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s site assigned to Caputo currently displays no content .
Archived copies of the tag page accessed via the Internet Archive ’ s Wayback Machine show the page as having previously had content displayed as early as May 2018 and as recent as January 2020 .
“ When [ Caputo ] was hired as the new HHS spokesman , I looked for those interviews on OANN ’ s website but couldn ’ t find anything .
That ’ s when I decided to search for them in the Wayback Machine archives , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was unaware of content-related decisions at OANN .
Charles Herring , the network ’ s president , told Right Wing Watch that older news stories and programming on OANN ’ s website are “ constantly being removed and replace [ d ] with more relevant content.
” “ We are not currently airing any programming featured Mr. Caputo , and he is not a staff member .
Any implications that there is an effort to remove content based on some nefarious intent is simply inaccurate , ” Herring said .
Although articles featuring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s website , the network ’ s YouTube channel still hosts several segments featuring Caputo .
Right Wing Watch conducted a review of those segments and found that Caputo often encouraged and engaged in fringe pro-Trump rhetoric and conspiracy theories .
Caputo was frequently tapped as a source by OANN to comment on special counsel Robert Mueller ’ s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and on the House of Representatives ’ impeachment inquiry .
During a June 2018 interview , Caputo asserted that there was “ no compelling evidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ colluded with Russia “ in any way ” and accused Democrats of “ slow-walking ” the investigation to make sure it remained “ a political issue ” throughout the 2018 midterm elections .
In a March 2019 interview , Caputo was interviewed by Jack Posobiec , a far-right “ Pizzagate ” conspiracy theorist hired by OANN as a political host and reporter ,  and said that he believed Trump should “ immediately ” pardon Michael Flynn , Roger Stone , and George Papadopoulos—all of whom had been charged with crimes during the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” “ We know for a fact that there is too much evidence , so much evidence , that there is some kind of conspiracy to stop the Republican candidate for president , to spy on his team , and after he got elected president to try to get rid of him , to try to run him out of office , ” Caputo said in that interview .
Later that year , in a November 2019 interview , Caputo joined Posobiec again to discuss the felony conviction of Stone , a longtime @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said that federal officials had “ criminalized the campaign of 2016 ” and “ created a crime scene where politics resides today.
” In the same interview , Caputo encouraged Trump to “ pardon Roger Stone right now on Twitter ” and seemed to suggest that federal officials could harm or kill Stone in jail .
“ If they put Roger Stone in jail on Feb. 4 , I can ’ t tell you he ’ ll survive it until [ after the 2020 election ] .
The same people who put Roger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ serious things to other people that were in jail , ” Caputo told Posobiec .
“ From my perspective , he ’ s not safe.
” Caputo declined to elaborate on his prior comments about pardons to Right Wing Watch or answer whether he would seek to encourage Trump to pardon his former campaign associates .
Calling Stone his “ big brother , ” Caputo told Right Wing Watch , “ As much as I love and worry about my big brother , it is no longer appropriate for me to comment on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the pandemic , only the pandemic , and I ’ m blessed to be here.
” In late 2019 , Caputo began appearing on OANN more frequently to promote his film , “ One America News Investigates – The Ukraine Hoax : Impeachment , Biden Cash , And Mass Murder With Michael Caputo , ” which eventually premiered on OANN in January 2020 .
In a January 2020 interview with Posobiec , Caputo said that making the film led him to believe that the impeachment of Trump was done to protect Hunter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ This whole impeachment isn ’ t just about protecting Joe Biden .
It ’ s about keeping Hunter Biden out of prison , because what he did by lobbying his father—which I think I can prove—and by lobbying Secretary of State John Kerry with his partner Devin Archer—very closely connected to the Kerry family—he lobbied to protect the oligarch who owned Burisma , ” Caputo said. Caputo ’ s appointment to HHS spokesperson has renewed scrutiny of his past public comments .
CNN ’ s KFile reported Thursday that Caputo , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and derogatory comments about Chinese people , said Democrats wanted the coronavirus to kill millions of people and accused the media of intentionally creating panic around the pandemic to hurt President Donald Trump.
” Caputo reportedly deleted his entire Twitter history prior to April 12 .

Before Michael Caputo was appointed spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, he appeared on a right-wing cable network, where he urged President Donald Trump to pardon associates convicted of crimes related to Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, seemed to suggest the government may kill GOP political operative Roger Stone in jail, and alleged the motivation behind impeachment was to protect former Vice President Joe Biden’s son Hunter from being convicted of a crime.
Caputo, a former 2016 Trump campaign adviser and longtime New York Republican political operative, was appointed assistant secretary for public affairs at HHS last week, placing him at the epicenter of the government’s response to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
I’m delighted to have Michael Caputo join our team at @HHSGov as our Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, especially at this critical time in our nation’s public health history. pic.twitter.com/xf2YFeXzqy — Secretary Alex Azar (@SecAzar) April 15, 2020
Prior to being sworn in at HHS, Caputo made occasional appearances from 2018 to 2020 on One America News Network, a right-wing cable channel favored by the president for its unabashed pro-Trump flair and known for broadcasting inaccurate information. Reached via email, Caputo told Right Wing Watch that he once held the role of “special correspondent” with the network after it purchased, edited, and aired a ”documentary” film he produced called “One America News Investigates – The Ukraine Hoax: Impeachment, Biden Cash, And Mass Murder With Michael Caputo.” He told Right Wing Watch that he only held the special correspondent position for the duration of that project.
But visitors to OANN’s website will have a hard time finding Caputo’s work with the network, except for a January press release for Captuo’s film. Jay McKenzie, and independent researcher who tracks major pro-Trump influencers online, first noticed that a tag page on OANN’s site assigned to Caputo currently displays no content. Archived copies of the tag page accessed via the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine show the page as having previously had content displayed as early as May 2018 and as recent as January 2020.
“When [Caputo] was hired as the new HHS spokesman, I looked for those interviews on OANN’s website but couldn’t find anything. That’s when I decided to search for them in the Wayback Machine archives,” McKenzie said.
Caputo said he was unaware of content-related decisions at OANN. Charles Herring, the network’s president, told Right Wing Watch that older news stories and programming on OANN’s website are “constantly being removed and replace[d] with more relevant content.”
“We are not currently airing any programming featured Mr. Caputo, and he is not a staff member. Any implications that there is an effort to remove content based on some nefarious intent is simply inaccurate,” Herring said.
Although articles featuring Caputo are no longer listed on OANN’s website, the network’s YouTube channel still hosts several segments featuring Caputo. Right Wing Watch conducted a review of those segments and found that Caputo often encouraged and engaged in fringe pro-Trump rhetoric and conspiracy theories.
Caputo was frequently tapped as a source by OANN to comment on special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and on the House of Representatives’ impeachment inquiry. During a June 2018 interview, Caputo asserted that there was “no compelling evidence” that Trump’s campaign had colluded with Russia “in any way” and accused Democrats of “slow-walking” the investigation to make sure it remained “a political issue” throughout the 2018 midterm elections.
In a March 2019 interview, Caputo was interviewed by Jack Posobiec, a far-right “Pizzagate” conspiracy theorist hired by OANN as a political host and reporter, and said that he believed Trump should “immediately” pardon Michael Flynn, Roger Stone, and George Papadopoulos—all of whom had been charged with crimes during the Russia investigation—“in one fell swoop.”
“We know for a fact that there is too much evidence, so much evidence, that there is some kind of conspiracy to stop the Republican candidate for president, to spy on his team, and after he got elected president to try to get rid of him, to try to run him out of office,” Caputo said in that interview.
Later that year, in a November 2019 interview, Caputo joined Posobiec again to discuss the felony conviction of Stone, a longtime Trump associate and campaign adviser. Caputo said that federal officials had “criminalized the campaign of 2016” and “created a crime scene where politics resides today.” In the same interview, Caputo encouraged Trump to “pardon Roger Stone right now on Twitter” and seemed to suggest that federal officials could harm or kill Stone in jail.
“If they put Roger Stone in jail on Feb. 4, I can’t tell you he’ll survive it until [after the 2020 election]. The same people who put Roger Stone in jail have done some very serious things to other people that were in jail,” Caputo told Posobiec. “From my perspective, he’s not safe.”
Caputo declined to elaborate on his prior comments about pardons to Right Wing Watch or answer whether he would seek to encourage Trump to pardon his former campaign associates.
Calling Stone his “big brother,” Caputo told Right Wing Watch, “As much as I love and worry about my big brother, it is no longer appropriate for me to comment on his situation. I’m focused on the pandemic, only the pandemic, and I’m blessed to be here.”
In late 2019, Caputo began appearing on OANN more frequently to promote his film, “One America News Investigates – The Ukraine Hoax: Impeachment, Biden Cash, And Mass Murder With Michael Caputo,” which eventually premiered on OANN in January 2020. In a January 2020 interview with Posobiec, Caputo said that making the film led him to believe that the impeachment of Trump was done to protect Hunter Biden from being convicted of a crime.
“This whole impeachment isn’t just about protecting Joe Biden. It’s about keeping Hunter Biden out of prison, because what he did by lobbying his father—which I think I can prove—and by lobbying Secretary of State John Kerry with his partner Devin Archer—very closely connected to the Kerry family—he lobbied to protect the oligarch who owned Burisma,” Caputo said.
Caputo’s appointment to HHS spokesperson has renewed scrutiny of his past public comments.
CNN’s KFile reported Thursday that Caputo, in since-deleted tweets, “made racist and derogatory comments about Chinese people, said Democrats wanted the coronavirus to kill millions of people and accused the media of intentionally creating panic around the pandemic to hurt President Donald Trump.” Caputo reportedly deleted his entire Twitter history prior to April 12.
Update: After the publication of this article, Caputo told Right Wing Watch that for the past three years he has deleted his tweets monthly “to provoke leftists.”


rightwingwatch--2020-04-24--‘Don’t Let the Coronavirus Turn America Into China,’ Warns American Family Association

The American Family Association , like Liberty Counsel and other religious-right groups , is portraying the enforcement of social distancing requirements as a threat to religious liberty .
“ Don ’ t let the coronavirus turn America into China , ” blared an AFA press release distributed Friday .
AFA called it “ extremely troubling ” that some state and local officials have imposed restrictions on public gatherings “ that trample religious liberty underfoot.
” AFA sent an action alert to its members last week with a similar message .
AFA recognizes that temporary , “ evenly applied ” public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” but said it is “ blatantly unconstitutional ” for officials to prohibit churches from holding drive-in services “ while allowing liquor stores , restaurants , and others to offer drive-in or curbside services.
” State and local officials have taken differing approaches to drive-in worship gatherings .
AFA is encouraging activists to tell their governors , “ Extraordinary state actions prohibiting the peaceful gathering of American citizens to exercise their religion violate the U.S. Constitution and are not permissible … I want to encourage you stand ready to defend the peaceful gathering @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their right to do so be infringed upon by any government official or police.
” Some prominent religious-right figures initially resisted and defied social distancing requirements and restrictions on public gatherings , with pastors mocking congregants who stayed home out of fear of the virus , calling other pastors who complied with guidelines “ losers , ” and suggesting that people who didn ’ t show up at church and shake hands were “ pansies.
” But most churches seem to have decided to abide by state and local requirements , with many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ political groups are quick to portray actions taken against religious leaders for violating local guidelines as examples of religious persecution .
Portraying American Christians as persecuted , and Donald Trump as their protector , is a central campaign strategy for Trump and his religious-right supporters .
Recent protests against stay-at-home orders generated and promoted by right-wing groups suggest that conservative strategists are working hard to shift attention and accountability away from the administration ’ s failures and direct anger about economic hardship toward state and local officials .
U.S. Attorney General Barr , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s political narrative that religious freedom in the U.S. is threatened by “ secularists ” and “ totalitarian progressives , ” declared last week that the Department of Justice would take action if any state or local government “ singles out , targets , or discriminates against any house of worship for special restrictions.
” Meanwhile , religious-right groups and their allies in the Trump administration are taking advantage of the pandemic to further their long-term goal of dismantling the separation of church and state .
In addition , the administration is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of religious liberty to propose new rules that “ would actually eliminate certain religious liberty protections for social service beneficiaries.
” Melissa Rogers , who led the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnership for several years during the Obama administration , wrote Friday that “ none of the Trump administration ’ s justifications for its actions hold water .
”

The American Family Association, like Liberty Counsel and other religious-right groups, is portraying the enforcement of social distancing requirements as a threat to religious liberty. “Don’t let the coronavirus turn America into China,” blared an AFA press release distributed Friday. AFA called it “extremely troubling” that some state and local officials have imposed restrictions on public gatherings “that trample religious liberty underfoot.”
AFA sent an action alert to its members last week with a similar message. AFA recognizes that temporary, “evenly applied” public health restrictions “may be permissible,” but said it is “blatantly unconstitutional” for officials to prohibit churches from holding drive-in services “while allowing liquor stores, restaurants, and others to offer drive-in or curbside services.” State and local officials have taken differing approaches to drive-in worship gatherings.
AFA is encouraging activists to tell their governors, “Extraordinary state actions prohibiting the peaceful gathering of American citizens to exercise their religion violate the U.S. Constitution and are not permissible … I want to encourage you stand ready to defend the peaceful gathering of our state’s citizens should their right to do so be infringed upon by any government official or police.”
Some prominent religious-right figures initially resisted and defied social distancing requirements and restrictions on public gatherings, with pastors mocking congregants who stayed home out of fear of the virus, calling other pastors who complied with guidelines “losers,” and suggesting that people who didn’t show up at church and shake hands were “pansies.” But most churches seem to have decided to abide by state and local requirements, with many moving services online.
Religious-right legal and political groups are quick to portray actions taken against religious leaders for violating local guidelines as examples of religious persecution. Portraying American Christians as persecuted, and Donald Trump as their protector, is a central campaign strategy for Trump and his religious-right supporters. Recent protests against stay-at-home orders generated and promoted by right-wing groups suggest that conservative strategists are working hard to shift attention and accountability away from the administration’s failures and direct anger about economic hardship toward state and local officials.
U.S. Attorney General Barr, who has avidly promoted the religious right’s political narrative that religious freedom in the U.S. is threatened by “secularists” and “totalitarian progressives,” declared last week that the Department of Justice would take action if any state or local government “singles out, targets, or discriminates against any house of worship for special restrictions.”
Meanwhile, religious-right groups and their allies in the Trump administration are taking advantage of the pandemic to further their long-term goal of dismantling the separation of church and state.
In addition, the administration is using the religious right’s interpretation of religious liberty to propose new rules that “would actually eliminate certain religious liberty protections for social service beneficiaries.” Melissa Rogers, who led the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnership for several years during the Obama administration, wrote Friday that “none of the Trump administration’s justifications for its actions hold water.”


rightwingwatch--2020-04-24--Dave Hayes: QAnon Is ‘Going to Prove to be the End of All Conspiracies’

Dave Hayes , a self-declared prophet , Christian author , and online QAnon conspiracy theorist who is better known by his moniker the “ Praying Medic , ” joined fellow QAnon conspiracy theorist Ann Vandersteel on her YouTube program yesterday , where he predicted that the QAnon conspiracy theory will eventually “ prove to be the end of all conspiracies.
” Hayes has long been one of the leading proponents of the QAnon conspiracy theory , which posits that Trump administration insiders have been dropping hints for years about a supposed plan to take down the “ deep state ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Near the end of yesterday ’ s broadcast , he declared that those behind the anonymous “ Q ” forum board account leading the conspiracy theory will eventually reveal the truth about everything from the sinking of the Titanic to the 9/11 terror attacks , and even the existence of extraterrestrial life .
In doing so , Hayes said , they will end up answering a lot of the questions that drive such conspiracy theories .
“ The mainstream media paints Q as a vast right-wing conspiracy , ” Hayes said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to prove to be the end of all conspiracies.
” “ Conspiracies exist because people don ’ t accept the official sanctioned narrative on historical events , whether it ’ s the JFK assassination , 9/11 , Sandy Hook , whatever , ” he continued .
“ People just are reluctant to accept official explanations so they developed an alternate theory .
And usually the theory revolves around a conspiracy of some people who plan and organize this thing.
” “ Q is going to , I think , expose the truth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Hayes said .
“ The sinking of the Titanic , what the Federal Reserve is all about , 9/11 , a lot of things that we don ’ t even think about .
Q has occasionally talked about aliens and UFOs , and I think that at some point down the road , Q is going to have shined a light on a lot of subjects of interest to a lot of people and will have probably put to rest the debates on a lot of those subjects .
So rather than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Q is going to answer once and for all a lot of alternate theories on different historical events .
”

Dave Hayes, a self-declared prophet, Christian author, and online QAnon conspiracy theorist who is better known by his moniker the “Praying Medic,” joined fellow QAnon conspiracy theorist Ann Vandersteel on her YouTube program yesterday, where he predicted that the QAnon conspiracy theory will eventually “prove to be the end of all conspiracies.”
Hayes has long been one of the leading proponents of the QAnon conspiracy theory, which posits that Trump administration insiders have been dropping hints for years about a supposed plan to take down the “deep state” and a worldwide satanic pedophilia network. Near the end of yesterday’s broadcast, he declared that those behind the anonymous “Q” forum board account leading the conspiracy theory will eventually reveal the truth about everything from the sinking of the Titanic to the 9/11 terror attacks, and even the existence of extraterrestrial life. In doing so, Hayes said, they will end up answering a lot of the questions that drive such conspiracy theories.
“The mainstream media paints Q as a vast right-wing conspiracy,” Hayes said. “In fact, I think Q is going to prove to be the end of all conspiracies.”
“Conspiracies exist because people don’t accept the official sanctioned narrative on historical events, whether it’s the JFK assassination, 9/11, Sandy Hook, whatever,” he continued. “People just are reluctant to accept official explanations so they developed an alternate theory. And usually the theory revolves around a conspiracy of some people who plan and organize this thing.”
“Q is going to, I think, expose the truth on most of those historical events,” Hayes said. “The sinking of the Titanic, what the Federal Reserve is all about, 9/11, a lot of things that we don’t even think about. Q has occasionally talked about aliens and UFOs, and I think that at some point down the road, Q is going to have shined a light on a lot of subjects of interest to a lot of people and will have probably put to rest the debates on a lot of those subjects. So rather than being just another conspiracy, I think Q is going to answer once and for all a lot of alternate theories on different historical events.”


rightwingwatch--2020-04-27--Right Wing Round-Up: The Miracle of the Two Boats


rightwingwatch--2020-04-27--Right Wing Bonus Tracks: False and Ridiculous


rightwingwatch--2020-04-27--Christian Nationalist David Lane Portrays ‘Reopen’ Calls as Righteous Resistance

Religious-right supporters of President Donald Trump have been adding their voices to the right-wing protests calling on governors to “ reopen ” states by easing restrictions on businesses and public gatherings , while deflecting responsibility for the spread of the virus and the economic consequences away from Trump .
Christian nationalist political operative David Lane joined the fray in over the weekend in a column for Charisma decrying “ unelected government bureaucrats , selected ‘ experts , ’ doomsday soothsayers , computer models and a frenzied media ” for what he characterized as “ overreach ” in response to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his column to reprinting something written April 18 by Steve Riggle , a Houston , Texas-based pastor .
Unlike many of the right-wing protests , which initially targeted Democratic governors , Riggle had harsh words for the very conservative governor of Texas , Greg Abbott : Liberate Texas now .
Time to reopen Texas .
We have been patient , even though every projection of the impact of the coronavirus has been grossly wrong .
We were told to flatten the curve because there was no cure , even though a very small @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comparison with the population and other diseases and causes of death we live with on a daily basis .
Now , over 22,000,000 people have lost their jobs in one month … and there is more economic fallout to follow [ for example , 43 % can ’ t afford to go more than one month without a paycheck , and 24 % have less than $ 250 in their bank accounts preceding payday . ]
In our county , in the same time period , we had five coronavirus-related deaths and 15 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to tell us he was ending the restrictions that have ruined our economy and our livelihoods .
Instead , he made an announcement about an announcement and appointed a task force to further delay getting everyone back to work when he could have restored everything with a stroke of his pen .
Since our governor put the restrictions in place by his edict , he should have simply removed them with some guidelines by the same process .
Shockingly , his big action was to tell those struggling with mental and emotional health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a mask on rather than opening the churches and suggesting they seek help there .
He also decided to allow some elective surgeries since the hospital systems in Texas are losing money because so few are actually in the hospital .
And he allowed retail businesses to open up for curbside shopping .
… He didn ’ t say where the change rooms were , presumably in your car or on the sidewalk .
Enough of the ridiculous !
Riggle wrote that Texas should be opened up based on five words and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are Americans who have a Constitution and a Bill of Rights .
We are Rational .
Consider the following facts from the Texas DSHS website as of April 17 : Population of Texas : 29,000,000 ( 29 million ) .
Tested for COVID-19 : 169,536 ( .0055 or half of 1 % ) .
Positive for COVID-19 : 17,371 ( .0006 or 6/100 of 1 % ) .
Hospitalized for COVID : 1,522 ( .00005 or 5/1000 of 1 % ) .
Deaths due to COVID : 428 ( .000014 or 1/1000 of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s note : Texas updates its state statistics here . ]
You could read the data and interpret it that ‘ protecting some ’ has actually become ‘ needlessly punishing all.
’ We take Risks .
We are Texans who stand tall and realize that life has some risks .
That should be our choice , not the mandate of the state attempting to protect us from perceived harm .
We understand Responsibilities .
We are citizens who will do the responsible thing .
Those who are at risk should stay home .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We will Resist , because it is our right to do so .
We are free people .
Unless an overwhelming number of people let our officials know that we are done with their mandates and edicts we will continue to be controlled by them .
Lane repeats a story told by Riggle that imagines people being in Heaven and hearing the biblical figures of Moses , David , and Gideon regale people with tales of their faith and feats of courage—and then asks listeners what they will say when it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years of recorded history God has placed us here , in 2020 , ” wrote Lane .
“ This is our time … What story are we going to tell ?
”

Religious-right supporters of President Donald Trump have been adding their voices to the right-wing protests calling on governors to “reopen” states by easing restrictions on businesses and public gatherings, while deflecting responsibility for the spread of the virus and the economic consequences away from Trump. Christian nationalist political operative David Lane joined the fray in over the weekend in a column for Charisma decrying “unelected government bureaucrats, selected ‘experts,’ doomsday soothsayers, computer models and a frenzied media” for what he characterized as “overreach” in response to the COVID-19 coronavirus.
Lane devoted much of his column to reprinting something written April 18 by Steve Riggle, a Houston, Texas-based pastor. Unlike many of the right-wing protests, which initially targeted Democratic governors, Riggle had harsh words for the very conservative governor of Texas, Greg Abbott:
Liberate Texas now. Time to reopen Texas. We have been patient, even though every projection of the impact of the coronavirus has been grossly wrong. We were told to flatten the curve because there was no cure, even though a very small number actually die from the virus in comparison with the population and other diseases and causes of death we live with on a daily basis. Now, over 22,000,000 people have lost their jobs in one month … and there is more economic fallout to follow [for example, 43% can’t afford to go more than one month without a paycheck, and 24% have less than $250 in their bank accounts preceding payday.] In our county, in the same time period, we had five coronavirus-related deaths and 15 suicides. We waited for our governor to tell us he was ending the restrictions that have ruined our economy and our livelihoods. Instead, he made an announcement about an announcement and appointed a task force to further delay getting everyone back to work when he could have restored everything with a stroke of his pen. Since our governor put the restrictions in place by his edict, he should have simply removed them with some guidelines by the same process. Shockingly, his big action was to tell those struggling with mental and emotional health issues to go to the state parks with a mask on rather than opening the churches and suggesting they seek help there. He also decided to allow some elective surgeries since the hospital systems in Texas are losing money because so few are actually in the hospital. And he allowed retail businesses to open up for curbside shopping. … He didn’t say where the change rooms were, presumably in your car or on the sidewalk. Enough of the ridiculous!
Riggle wrote that Texas should be opened up based on five words and assertions:
We have Rights; we are Americans who have a Constitution and a Bill of Rights. We are Rational. Consider the following facts from the Texas DSHS website as of April 17: Population of Texas: 29,000,000 (29 million). Tested for COVID-19: 169,536 (.0055 or half of 1%). Positive for COVID-19: 17,371 (.0006 or 6/100 of 1%). Hospitalized for COVID: 1,522 (.00005 or 5/1000 of 1%). Deaths due to COVID: 428 (.000014 or 1/1000 of 1%). [Editor’s note: Texas updates its state statistics here.] You could read the data and interpret it that ‘protecting some’ has actually become ‘needlessly punishing all.’ We take Risks. We are Texans who stand tall and realize that life has some risks. That should be our choice, not the mandate of the state attempting to protect us from perceived harm. We understand Responsibilities. We are citizens who will do the responsible thing. Those who are at risk should stay home. Those who are afraid should stay home. We will Resist, because it is our right to do so. We are free people. Unless an overwhelming number of people let our officials know that we are done with their mandates and edicts we will continue to be controlled by them.
Lane repeats a story told by Riggle that imagines people being in Heaven and hearing the biblical figures of Moses, David, and Gideon regale people with tales of their faith and feats of courage—and then asks listeners what they will say when it is their turn.
“Out of 6,000 years of recorded history God has placed us here, in 2020,” wrote Lane. “This is our time … What story are we going to tell?”


rightwingwatch--2020-04-27--New Report Shows Online Payment Processors Still Have a Hate Group Problem

A new report shows that online payment processors and merchants , including Stripe , Amazon , and DonorBox , continue to facilitate the financial solvency of racist hate groups in a time where extremism-related crimes have spiked .
In a report published Monday , Center for Media and Democracy investigative reporter Alex Kotch found that “ at least 24 white nationalist , neo-Nazi , and neo-Confederate groups use one or more online fundraising services.
” Kotch used Southern Poverty Law Center ’ s 2019 list of hate groups as a reference .
Even as some payment facilitators have attempted to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , determined groups have found ways to get around bans .
“ In some cases , these groups have slipped through the cracks of company policies ; in others , the policies are not strict enough to ban certain white nationalist groups , ” Kotch writes .
Right Wing Watch and ThinkProgress co-published a report in August 2018 that found that many of the country ’ s best known white supremacist groups were still bringing in revenue through the use of several of the largest online payment processors a full year after those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their platforms .
That promise came in wake of the violent Unite the Right white supremacist gathering in Charlottesville , Virginia ,  in 2017 , which resulted in the murder of an anti-hate activist .
Stripe , one of the most-used processors by extremists , was notified of the problem by anti-hate activists last spring , but the company chose inaction .
CMD ’ s report makes clear that the problem continues to persist at an alarming scale .
In one particularly shocking example from the report , founder Philip Lester of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , was asked about his company ’ s handling of payments for the white nationalist hate group American Freedom Party .
After a conversation with the group ’ s web administrator , Lester reportedly determined that there was no “ empirical evidence of racism , hatred or bigotry being promoted ” by AFP , an organization founded by neo-Nazi skinheads and whose leaders engage with anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial .
The number of hate groups continues to increase in the United States , and horrific acts of violence have spun out of white @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
As the United States turns toward 2020 and an election that many extremists view as make-or-break for their movement , it is unclear when , if ever , payment processors will stand up against hate the way many promised they would in 2017 .

A new report shows that online payment processors and merchants, including Stripe, Amazon, and DonorBox, continue to facilitate the financial solvency of racist hate groups in a time where extremism-related crimes have spiked.
In a report published Monday, Center for Media and Democracy investigative reporter Alex Kotch found that “at least 24 white nationalist, neo-Nazi, and neo-Confederate groups use one or more online fundraising services.” Kotch used Southern Poverty Law Center’s 2019 list of hate groups as a reference. Even as some payment facilitators have attempted to revoke these groups’ ability to fundraise, determined groups have found ways to get around bans.
“In some cases, these groups have slipped through the cracks of company policies; in others, the policies are not strict enough to ban certain white nationalist groups,” Kotch writes.
Right Wing Watch and ThinkProgress co-published a report in August 2018 that found that many of the country’s best known white supremacist groups were still bringing in revenue through the use of several of the largest online payment processors a full year after those companies had promised to combat hate on their platforms. That promise came in wake of the violent Unite the Right white supremacist gathering in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017, which resulted in the murder of an anti-hate activist. Stripe, one of the most-used processors by extremists, was notified of the problem by anti-hate activists last spring, but the company chose inaction.
CMD’s report makes clear that the problem continues to persist at an alarming scale. In one particularly shocking example from the report, founder Philip Lester of GiveForms, a paid nonprofit fundraising tool, was asked about his company’s handling of payments for the white nationalist hate group American Freedom Party. After a conversation with the group’s web administrator, Lester reportedly determined that there was no “empirical evidence of racism, hatred or bigotry being promoted” by AFP, an organization founded by neo-Nazi skinheads and whose leaders engage with anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial.
The number of hate groups continues to increase in the United States, and horrific acts of violence have spun out of white nationalist ideology in the last few years. As the United States turns toward 2020 and an election that many extremists view as make-or-break for their movement, it is unclear when, if ever, payment processors will stand up against hate the way many promised they would in 2017.


rightwingwatch--2020-04-27--CNN and Other ‘Fake News’ Journalists Are ‘Traitors to America,’ Says Ed Martin

Right-wing activist , pundit , and would-be politician Ed Martin called CNN reporters purveyors of fake news and “ traitors to America ” in his “ Pro-America Report ” podcast Friday .
Martin is himself a former CNN contributor .
Martin was upset that his mother was “ sucked into ” believing what Martin characterized as “ a CNN lie ” that President Donald Trump had told Americans to drink bleach .
Trump did in fact suggest that ingesting disinfectants might be a way to combat the coronavirus .
Martin encouraged his mother and other people to stop listening to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ included Fox News as media to avoid , saying its “ model is to make people crazy , too.
” Martin promoted his rant in his email newsletter Monday morning , which included a link to a clip of his Friday podcast .
Here ’ s an excerpt from the podcast : It is no longer acceptable to say that the fake news is funny , that the fake news is silly .
We are actually in a cataclysmic moment in American life because of this disease … People are really hurting , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re really anxious , and the fake news is actually making people crazy .
These people—it ’ s treasonous what they ’ re doing .
They ’ re traitors to America … They ’ re traitors to this country .
They ’ re not misleading , they ’ re not unhappy , they ’ re not cognitive dissonance—all those phrases .
No , they ’ re traitors to the country , and they ’ re destroying people .
They ’ re making people unhappy , unhealthy , unwell–they ’ re destroying them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is destroying human beings and damaging the country and is both “ terribly unkind ” and “ terribly un-American.
” Martin cited news corporation owners as well as journalists , calling out targets of Trump ’ s wrath , including Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos .
“ We ’ ve got to do something about it , ” Martin said .
“ I ’ m not sure what to do about it yet , but I ’ m gon na do something about it , I can tell you that.
” Martin runs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out of a messy split among the late right-wing activist Phyllis Schlafly ’ s colleagues toward the end of her life .
Earlier this month , he blamed multiculturalism for the COVID-19 pandemic .

Right-wing activist, pundit, and would-be politician Ed Martin called CNN reporters purveyors of fake news and “traitors to America” in his “Pro-America Report” podcast Friday. Martin is himself a former CNN contributor.
Martin was upset that his mother was “sucked into” believing what Martin characterized as “a CNN lie” that President Donald Trump had told Americans to drink bleach. Trump did in fact suggest that ingesting disinfectants might be a way to combat the coronavirus. Martin encouraged his mother and other people to stop listening to “fake news.” Surprisingly, he included Fox News as media to avoid, saying its “model is to make people crazy, too.”
Martin promoted his rant in his email newsletter Monday morning, which included a link to a clip of his Friday podcast. Here’s an excerpt from the podcast:
It is no longer acceptable to say that the fake news is funny, that the fake news is silly. We are actually in a cataclysmic moment in American life because of this disease … People are really hurting, they’re really nervous, they’re really anxious, and the fake news is actually making people crazy. These people—it’s treasonous what they’re doing. They’re traitors to America … They’re traitors to this country. They’re not misleading, they’re not unhappy, they’re not cognitive dissonance—all those phrases. No, they’re traitors to the country, and they’re destroying people. They’re making people unhappy, unhealthy, unwell–they’re destroying them.
Martin said “fake news” is destroying human beings and damaging the country and is both “terribly unkind” and “terribly un-American.” Martin cited news corporation owners as well as journalists, calling out targets of Trump’s wrath, including Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos.
“We’ve got to do something about it,” Martin said. “I’m not sure what to do about it yet, but I’m gonna do something about it, I can tell you that.”
Martin runs Phyllis Schlafly Eagles, an organization born out of a messy split among the late right-wing activist Phyllis Schlafly’s colleagues toward the end of her life. Earlier this month, he blamed multiculturalism for the COVID-19 pandemic.


rightwingwatch--2020-04-27--James Goll Prophesies Trump Will Become a ‘Great Praying President’ in His Second Term

James Goll , a self-proclaimed prophet and intercessor , did a livestream Saturday with Christian broadcaster Sid Roth , during which he claimed that he had been told by the Holy Spirit that President Donald Trump will win reelection and become “ a great praying president ” during his second term in office , usherin in the next Great Awakening .
“ I believe it is the will of the Lord for President Trump to be reelected for a long-term reason if Jesus tarries any at all , ” Goll proclaimed .
“ It is to turn this nation for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ phrase the Holy Spirit gave me—to true constitutional conservatism .
So I believe it ’ s God ’ s will for him to be reelected.
” Goll said that when he was visiting the Roland Reagan Presidential Library in 2019 , the Holy Spirit spoke to him about Trump and what his reelection will mean for America ’ s future .
“ He spoke something to me about later , in the middle of a second term , ” Goll said .
“ He will become , Lord willing , in the middle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be such an apprehension of God in his life that he won ’ t only have gone in by praying , he will be a great praying president who God will move on his heart , and he will be a part of welcoming in the Great Awakening .
”

James Goll, a self-proclaimed prophet and intercessor, did a livestream Saturday with Christian broadcaster Sid Roth, during which he claimed that he had been told by the Holy Spirit that President Donald Trump will win reelection and become “a great praying president” during his second term in office, usherin in the next Great Awakening.
“I believe it is the will of the Lord for President Trump to be reelected for a long-term reason if Jesus tarries any at all,” Goll proclaimed. “It is to turn this nation for lineage and legacy unto—this was the exact phrase the Holy Spirit gave me—to true constitutional conservatism. So I believe it’s God’s will for him to be reelected.”
Goll said that when he was visiting the Roland Reagan Presidential Library in 2019, the Holy Spirit spoke to him about Trump and what his reelection will mean for America’s future.
“He spoke something to me about later, in the middle of a second term,” Goll said. “He will become, Lord willing, in the middle of the second term, he will—there will be such an apprehension of God in his life that he won’t only have gone in by praying, he will be a great praying president who God will move on his heart, and he will be a part of welcoming in the Great Awakening.”


rightwingwatch--2020-04-28--Right Wing Round-Up: Masks? We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Masks


rightwingwatch--2020-04-28--Right Wing Bonus Tracks: It’s All Factual


rightwingwatch--2020-04-28--David Barton Claims Non-Christians’ Fear of Death Led to Public Policy ‘Panic’ on COVID-19

Religious-right “ historian ” and Republican political activist David Barton said last week that governors have shut down the country out of fear and panic because America has become so secularized that people fear death because they don ’ t have confidence that death will bring them an eternity in Heaven .
Barton is an influential conservative activist who has helped write recent Republican Party platforms .
Barton made his comments during an appearance last week on “ Stand in the Gap , ” a radio program produced by the American Pastors Network .
During the show Barton , true @ @ @ @ @ @ @ used actual facts to promote dubious narratives .
Barton began by listing a series of epidemics and pandemics that have taken place on American soil , beginning with a smallpox epidemic during the colonial period .
Barton said that COVID-19 has killed about 1 out of every 100,000 Americans ( he referred to “ over 30,000 ” U.S , deaths caused by the coronavirus , though as of this writing the number is approaching 60,000 . )
Barton contrasted that death rate with the smallpox epidemic of 1633 , when , he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 70 percent.
” So , he said , “ the fear factor was much , much , much greater back then.
” But people suffering in 1633 didn ’ t panic , Barton said , because of their belief in God : But the difference was they were much more grounded with God .
As you look across Massachusetts , as you look across the New England areas , so many of those guys had come here on the Bible , on religious liberty .
And for them death was , that was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , this is the most secular America has ever been .
And so , we ’ re watching governors and mayors respond out of fear and panic , and shutting down stuff that ’ s never been shut down before because they ’ re just scared to death somebody ’ s going to die .
And so , the confidence of courage is really what we don ’ t see right now nationally .
But a point you made there , I think is worth touching on .
And that is the worldview @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not to panic or to fear because of the fear of death .
Because they knew , as we know as believers , that if we are to pass away , we ’ re only going to step from here into eternity with the Lord .
And that ’ s what we want to do .
But for those who do not know the Lord , or have rejected a biblical worldview understanding of God and redemption , they frankly have a reason to fear at these days .
Wow .
They had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they did not because of belief in God .
Barton ’ s “ history ” has frequently been challenged by legitimate historians .
His Christian publisher pulled his book about Thomas Jefferson after scholars—including conservative Christians—challenged its accuracy .
So , it seemed wise to examine Barton ’ s claims .
Unlike Barton , I do not claim to be a historian .
But just a bit of online research from trusted sources reveals that the smallpox epidemic of 1633 that Barton refers to did not in fact take a huge toll among @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kill vast numbers of Native Americans , wiping out entire tribes and more than 70 percent of the indigenous population in New England .
That ’ s devastating , to be sure , but it ’ s not at all clear how that fits Barton ’ s construction of a narrative comparing God-fearing colonists to death-fearing modern secularists .
Indeed , some European settlers actually believed that it was a sign of divine favor that God inflicted on the indigenous people with whom the settlers were involved in land disputes .
Prominent clergyman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ diseases took on American Indians as “ the sword of the Lord.
” Barton returned to his theme that U.S. policy during the pandemic has been influenced by the increasing number of non-Christian Americans .
He said early American biographers always described how people died , because if a person “ showed fear and panic looking into eternity ” it was a sign that they weren ’ t a Christian , because a Christian “ wouldn ’ t have had a fear of death.
” Barton continued : So , what we see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And we ’ re seeing people go to excessive extremes because they are scared to death of dying , because this is all they know , is what ’ s here .
They don ’ t know of an afterlife , they don ’ t even understand that there will be an afterlife , whether it ’ s Heaven , Hell , or whatever they choose .
It ’ s their choice through Christ .
So that ’ s one thing that stands out to me is , is the whole culture @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to go into eternity .
Are you ready to go into eternity ?
And so , the response is quite different public policy wise .
If you ’ re surrounded with leaders who understand a biblical worldview , what you do is call for days of prayer and fasting , if we can get a hold of God on this and get God to intervene then we can see an end to this .
Barton also talked about the governmental response to the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918 , in which 675,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Woodrow Wilson “ never even mentioned ” the epidemic .
Barton asserts that “ there was absolutely no response from President Woodrow Wilson , because we understood federalism.
” And federalism means that “ the federal government ’ s not in charge of health care .
That ’ s a state and that ’ s a local issue .
And so , this was dealt with state by state and city by city.
” Barton is correct that Wilson was quiet about the pandemic , but that doesn ’ t mean it was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ consequence of his focus on achieving military victory in World War I and the media ’ s complicity in downplaying news of the pandemic in favor of cheering on the war effort .
Barton ’ s assertion that Wilson ’ s silence was somehow a reflection of a shared national commitment to federalism seems laughable when you recall that Wilson is despised by self-declared “ constitutional conservatives ” as a proponent of big-government progressivism .
Barton himself has included Calvin Coolidge in his top five U.S. presidents because “ he did so much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that during the 1918 epidemic , churches initially cooperated with cities ’ public health orders .
“ Then as the numbers started flattening out toward the end , the churches said , ‘ Look , the numbers are flattening .
We ’ re going to go back to worship , we ’ re going to go back to service .
We ’ re going to get back to God , ’ ” he said , adding , “ I think that ’ s kind of where we are now.
” Barton also said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ never really a government full shutdown of work , ” adding that governments curtailed working hours “ but they did not destroy the economy.
” “ And so this is a new one with this fear and panic , ” Barton said .
“ The government interventionists jumped in.
” Barton once again suggested that the level of government intervention in response to the COVID-19 pandemic is connected to secularism and a lack of biblical literacy : This is the most government we ’ ve ever seen in any pandemic in this sense @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government intervention .
There was a lot in 2009 with the swine flu , but again , America is becoming more secular at that point in time .
We also understood less about the Constitution then .
Our constitutional knowledge today and our biblical knowledge [ are ] both at the lowest that they have been in recorded history .
So , with a low constitutional knowledge and a low biblical knowledge , the fear factor is high , the panic factor is high , and the constitutional factor is low .
You @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is the greatest government intervention we have seen historically .
And again , the question is , Will it make a difference ?
Probably not .
Barton also said that government actions to shut down businesses reflected a lack of commitment to what he said was the founding fathers ’ belief in “ an inalienable right to provide for our family , to provide an income , and therefore , government did not interfere with jobs , did not interfere with personal incomes , because that ’ s a God-given responsibility and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New York Gov .
Andrew Cuomo ’ s recent comments that it was collective public health action , not God , that had begun to slow the spread of the virus in New York .
“ Oh my gosh , we would never have thought of saying that in a previous generation , ” Barton said .
Rohrer compared Cuomo ’ s remarks to kings referenced in Psalms 2 inviting God ’ s wrath by shaking their fists at God .
Rohrer closed the segment by saying that while the God who “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Christians through those difficult circumstances is the same one today , ” the country is not the same .
“ We have a lot of people who do not have a fear of God .
We ’ ve rejected God as a nation .
We ’ ve done things to actually upend God ’ s moral law .
And as a result of it , we have a lot more people fearing that which is natural .
”

Religious-right “historian” and Republican political activist David Barton said last week that governors have shut down the country out of fear and panic because America has become so secularized that people fear death because they don’t have confidence that death will bring them an eternity in Heaven. Barton is an influential conservative activist who has helped write recent Republican Party platforms.
Barton made his comments during an appearance last week on “Stand in the Gap,” a radio program produced by the American Pastors Network. During the show Barton, true to form, mangled historical facts and used actual facts to promote dubious narratives.
Barton began by listing a series of epidemics and pandemics that have taken place on American soil, beginning with a smallpox epidemic during the colonial period. Barton said that COVID-19 has killed about 1 out of every 100,000 Americans* (he referred to “over 30,000” U.S, deaths caused by the coronavirus, though as of this writing the number is approaching 60,000.) Barton contrasted that death rate with the smallpox epidemic of 1633, when, he said, “the mortality rate was over 70 percent.” So, he said, “the fear factor was much, much, much greater back then.”
But people suffering in 1633 didn’t panic, Barton said, because of their belief in God:
But the difference was they were much more grounded with God. As you look across Massachusetts, as you look across the New England areas, so many of those guys had come here on the Bible, on religious liberty. And for them death was, that was a step into eternal life. Today, this is the most secular America has ever been. And so, we’re watching governors and mayors respond out of fear and panic, and shutting down stuff that’s never been shut down before because they’re just scared to death somebody’s going to die. And so, the confidence of courage is really what we don’t see right now nationally.
“Stand in the Gap” host Sam Rohrer emphasized Barton’s point:
But a point you made there, I think is worth touching on. And that is the worldview of people at that time caused them not to panic or to fear because of the fear of death. Because they knew, as we know as believers, that if we are to pass away, we’re only going to step from here into eternity with the Lord. And that’s what we want to do. But for those who do not know the Lord, or have rejected a biblical worldview understanding of God and redemption, they frankly have a reason to fear at these days. … Wow. They had reason to fear back there, but they did not because of belief in God.
Barton’s “history” has frequently been challenged by legitimate historians. His Christian publisher pulled his book about Thomas Jefferson after scholars—including conservative Christians—challenged its accuracy. So, it seemed wise to examine Barton’s claims.
Unlike Barton, I do not claim to be a historian. But just a bit of online research from trusted sources reveals that the smallpox epidemic of 1633 that Barton refers to did not in fact take a huge toll among the English colonists, but it did kill vast numbers of Native Americans, wiping out entire tribes and more than 70 percent of the indigenous population in New England. That’s devastating, to be sure, but it’s not at all clear how that fits Barton’s construction of a narrative comparing God-fearing colonists to death-fearing modern secularists. Indeed, some European settlers actually believed that it was a sign of divine favor that God inflicted on the indigenous people with whom the settlers were involved in land disputes. Prominent clergyman Increase Mather later wrote about the toll diseases took on American Indians as “the sword of the Lord.”
Barton returned to his theme that U.S. policy during the pandemic has been influenced by the increasing number of non-Christian Americans. He said early American biographers always described how people died, because if a person “showed fear and panic looking into eternity” it was a sign that they weren’t a Christian, because a Christian “wouldn’t have had a fear of death.” Barton continued:
So, what we see right now is a fear of death. And we’re seeing people go to excessive extremes because they are scared to death of dying, because this is all they know, is what’s here. They don’t know of an afterlife, they don’t even understand that there will be an afterlife, whether it’s Heaven, Hell, or whatever they choose. It’s their choice through Christ. So that’s one thing that stands out to me is, is the whole culture was built around understanding that you are going to go into eternity. Are you ready to go into eternity? And so, the response is quite different public policy wise. If you’re surrounded with leaders who understand a biblical worldview, what you do is call for days of prayer and fasting, if we can get a hold of God on this and get God to intervene then we can see an end to this.
Barton also talked about the governmental response to the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918, in which 675,000 Americans died. Barton said that then-President Woodrow Wilson “never even mentioned” the epidemic. Barton asserts that “there was absolutely no response from President Woodrow Wilson, because we understood federalism.” And federalism means that “the federal government’s not in charge of health care. That’s a state and that’s a local issue. And so, this was dealt with state by state and city by city.”
Barton is correct that Wilson was quiet about the pandemic, but that doesn’t mean it was about federalism. It was a disastrous consequence of his focus on achieving military victory in World War I and the media’s complicity in downplaying news of the pandemic in favor of cheering on the war effort. Barton’s assertion that Wilson’s silence was somehow a reflection of a shared national commitment to federalism seems laughable when you recall that Wilson is despised by self-declared “constitutional conservatives” as a proponent of big-government progressivism. Barton himself has included Calvin Coolidge in his top five U.S. presidents because “he did so much to reverse Woodrow Wilson.”
Barton said that during the 1918 epidemic, churches initially cooperated with cities’ public health orders. “Then as the numbers started flattening out toward the end, the churches said, ‘Look, the numbers are flattening. We’re going to go back to worship, we’re going to go back to service. We’re going to get back to God,’” he said, adding, “I think that’s kind of where we are now.”
Barton also said that in 1918, “there was never really a government full shutdown of work,” adding that governments curtailed working hours “but they did not destroy the economy.”
“And so this is a new one with this fear and panic,” Barton said. “The government interventionists jumped in.”
Barton once again suggested that the level of government intervention in response to the COVID-19 pandemic is connected to secularism and a lack of biblical literacy:
This is the most government we’ve ever seen in any pandemic in this sense. So, this is the most government intervention. There was a lot in 2009 with the swine flu, but again, America is becoming more secular at that point in time. We also understood less about the Constitution then. Our constitutional knowledge today and our biblical knowledge [are] both at the lowest that they have been in recorded history. So, with a low constitutional knowledge and a low biblical knowledge, the fear factor is high, the panic factor is high, and the constitutional factor is low. You throw those two things together. This is the greatest government intervention we have seen historically. And again, the question is, Will it make a difference? Probably not.
Barton also said that government actions to shut down businesses reflected a lack of commitment to what he said was the founding fathers’ belief in “an inalienable right to provide for our family, to provide an income, and therefore, government did not interfere with jobs, did not interfere with personal incomes, because that’s a God-given responsibility and a God-given right.”
Barton was appalled by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s recent comments that it was collective public health action, not God, that had begun to slow the spread of the virus in New York. “Oh my gosh, we would never have thought of saying that in a previous generation,” Barton said. Rohrer compared Cuomo’s remarks to kings referenced in Psalms 2 inviting God’s wrath by shaking their fists at God.
Rohrer closed the segment by saying that while the God who “took our nation’s citizens and Christians through those difficult circumstances is the same one today,” the country is not the same. “We have a lot of people who do not have a fear of God. We’ve rejected God as a nation. We’ve done things to actually upend God’s moral law. And as a result of it, we have a lot more people fearing that which is natural.”
*Update and clarification: Thanks to an alert reader who asked us to check Barton’s math. Thirty thousand deaths out of 330 million Americans—both figures cited by Barton—is approximately one in 10,000, not one in 100,000. Complicating the picture is that Barton’s first reference to his calculation of the death rate limited it to a certain number of states—presumably those with smaller caseloads—but in the same sentence referred to death rates “in America.” Just to make it messier, Barton initially misstated his own assertion as one out of 1,000 before changing it to one out of 100,000. Later in the broadcast he said “right now, we’re one out of 100,000” without limiting his assertion to a subset of states.
For transparency’s sake, here is a transcript of relevant portions of the broadcast:
Barton: “By the way, the death rate right now, in 39 of the 50 states, the mortality rate is 11 persons per million, or about one out of 1,000 are dying in America. So, we have a fairly small percentage that are dying, although we’re now up around over 30,000 deaths, percentage-wise it is small. We have 330 million in America. In 1633, the mortality rate was over 70 percent for the smallpox epidemic. So, seven out of 10, not one out of 1,000—excuse me, not one out of 100,000, which is 11 parts per million. We’re talking 70 out of 100, or seven out of 10. So, the fear factor was much, much, much greater back then.”
Barton, later in the broadcast after Rohrer cited a figure of one out of 1,000: “Sam, let me check what I said. I said one out of 1,000; it was one out of 100,000. So right now, we’re one out of 100,000 as opposed to seven out of 10.”


rightwingwatch--2020-04-28--Sandy Rios Defends Trump’s Disinfectant ‘Injection’ Suggestion

Rios , a weekday religious-right radio broadcaster , began the Monday broadcast of “ Sandy Rios in the Morning ” attacking members of the press who have questioned and criticized Trump after he suggested at a press briefing Thursday that an “ injection ” of disinfectant could be used to treat people diagnosed with coronavirus .
( Trump claimed the next day he made the suggestion to reporters sarcastically “ just to see what would happen.
” ) “ I see the disinfectant that knocks it out in a minute , one minute .
And is there a way we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inside or almost a cleaning ?
” Trump said .
“ As you see , it gets in the lungs , it does a tremendous number on the lungs , so it would be interesting to check that.
” Trump also suggested that UV light could somehow be shone inside the body to fight the virus .
“ So supposing we hit the body with a tremendous , whether it ’ s ultraviolet or just very powerful , light—and I think you said that hasn ’ t been checked , but you ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then I said suppose you brought the light inside the body , which you can do either through the skin or in some other way , ” he said .
In response to Trump ’ s comments , the makers of Lysol issued a statement discouraging people from doing what the president suggested .
The company stated , “ As a global leader in health and hygiene products , we must be clear that under no circumstance should our disinfectant products be administered into the human body ( through injection , ingestion or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ professionals urged Americans not to ingest disinfectants .
But Rios was determined to defend Trump ’ s comments , regardless .
Rios told her listeners that she had been watching a television series about ultra-wealthy businessmen who helped shape the development of large portions of America , such as John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie .
Rios said one of the uniting themes of the “ great minds ” in the series was their “ ability to see things that other people couldn ’ t see.
” Rios questioned whether any of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inventor who was thinking up new solutions to a problem .
“ Ironically , it occurred to me that often when the president says something like that and they quickly accuse him— ‘ He ’ s crazy !
He ’ s out of his mind !
How could he say that ?
’ —often , well let ’ s see , it just turns out to be true , ” Rios said .
Rios then attempted to back up Trump ’ s remarks on UV light by pointing to findings that UV light @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its use on inanimate objects , not people , and warn it would be dangerous to expose the human body to UV light .
Nevertheless , Rios defended Trump ’ s intellect .
“ The president is not , as a matter of fact , crazy at all .
He ’ s crazy like a fox .
He ’ s very smart , and he knows so many more things than those 20 , 30-year-old [ reporters ] , maybe 40 … he might just know more than they know , but they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ They just , they pounce like vultures on a piece of red meat .
”

American Family Association governmental affairs director Sandy Rios defended President Donald Trump’s comments that Americans could possibly inject disinfectant to fight the coronavirus.
Rios, a weekday religious-right radio broadcaster, began the Monday broadcast of “Sandy Rios in the Morning” attacking members of the press who have questioned and criticized Trump after he suggested at a press briefing Thursday that an “injection” of disinfectant could be used to treat people diagnosed with coronavirus. (Trump claimed the next day he made the suggestion to reporters sarcastically “just to see what would happen.”)
“I see the disinfectant that knocks it out in a minute, one minute. And is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside or almost a cleaning?” Trump said. “As you see, it gets in the lungs, it does a tremendous number on the lungs, so it would be interesting to check that.”
Trump also suggested that UV light could somehow be shone inside the body to fight the virus. “So supposing we hit the body with a tremendous, whether it’s ultraviolet or just very powerful, light—and I think you said that hasn’t been checked, but you’re going to test it — and then I said suppose you brought the light inside the body, which you can do either through the skin or in some other way,” he said.
In response to Trump’s comments, the makers of Lysol issued a statement discouraging people from doing what the president suggested. The company stated, “As a global leader in health and hygiene products, we must be clear that under no circumstance should our disinfectant products be administered into the human body (through injection, ingestion or any other route).” Health professionals urged Americans not to ingest disinfectants.
But Rios was determined to defend Trump’s comments, regardless.
Rios told her listeners that she had been watching a television series about ultra-wealthy businessmen who helped shape the development of large portions of America, such as John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie. Rios said one of the uniting themes of the “great minds” in the series was their “ability to see things that other people couldn’t see.” Rios questioned whether any of the reporters criticizing Trump had been with an inventor who was thinking up new solutions to a problem.
“Ironically, it occurred to me that often when the president says something like that and they quickly accuse him—‘He’s crazy! He’s out of his mind! How could he say that?’—often, well let’s see, it just turns out to be true,” Rios said.
Rios then attempted to back up Trump’s remarks on UV light by pointing to findings that UV light can kill viruses on surfaces–but scientists suggest its use on inanimate objects, not people, and warn it would be dangerous to expose the human body to UV light. Nevertheless, Rios defended Trump’s intellect.
“The president is not, as a matter of fact, crazy at all. He’s crazy like a fox. He’s very smart, and he knows so many more things than those 20, 30-year-old [reporters], maybe 40 … he might just know more than they know, but they will never admit it,” Rios said. “They just, they pounce like vultures on a piece of red meat.”


rightwingwatch--2020-04-28--New Coalition Promotes Right-Wing Policies to ‘Save Our Country’

A new coalition of right-wing organizations and leaders is working to steer the nation ’ s path forward from the pandemic shutdowns to the right .
The Save Our Country coalition announced its formation Monday with press releases distributed by some of its convening organizations ; the Tea Party Patriots describes Save Our Country as one project of the “ Great American Reopening ” coalition .
The coalition ’ s National Leadership Council and Steering Committee include prominent figures from the overlapping corporate right , Tea Party right , and religious-right movements , similar to the right-wing movement-spanning Convention of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last week as an organizing force behind recent “ reopen ” protests .
Save Our Country ’ s initial materials do not make it clear whether or not the coalition will be supporting the protests , which are part of a national right-wing political strategy to deflect critical attention and anger about economic disruption away from the Trump administration and its failures and toward the nation ’ s governors .
The coalition ’ s honorary chairman is Art Laffer , considered the father of supply-side economics , who has lavishly praised President Donald @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump with the Presidential Medal of Freedom .
A key Laffer contention—that massive tax cuts will generate so much economic growth they will pay for themselves—has failed real-world tests , including the massive 2017 Trump-GOP tax cuts .
Among the right-wing luminaries included in the new coalition ’ s leadership are Ginni Thomas , right-wing activist and wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas ; Trump economic adviser Stephen Moore ; former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich ; Reagan-era Attorney General Ed Meese ; anti-media activist Brent Bozell ; former Ohio Secretary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ former Education Secretary Bill Bennett ; Floyd Brown , the man behind Citizens United and the infamous “ Willie Horton ” ad ; right-wing strategist and direct-mail guru Richard Viguerie ; former senator and former Heritage Foundation President Jim DeMint ; and Matt Schlapp , chairman of the American Conservative Union , which hosts the annual Conservative Political Action Conference .
The Leadership Council includes Lisa Nelson of the American Legislative Exchange Council , Adam Brandon of Freedom Works , and Jenny Beth Martin of the Tea Party Patriots .
Religious-right political operative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tea Party Patriots and FreedomWorks .
Other figures in the coalition ’ s leadership include : William Walton , vice president of the secretive right-wing Council for National Policy and a Heritage Foundation trustee ; Gary Marx , former executive director of Ralph Reed ’ s Faith and Freedom Coalition ; Kelly Shackelford of the religious-right legal group First Liberty ; Frank Gaffney and Clare Lopez , promoters of anti-Muslim sentiments and conspiracy theories ; and Sandy Rios , American Family Association radio host .
The late Phyllis Schlafly ’ s Eagle Forum @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Policy Network , a collection of mini-Heritage Foundations pushing right-wing policies at the state level .
The Coalition is promoting “ five key principles to abide by in order to reopen US society and preserve the American way of life.
” Unsurprisingly , the principles outline a longstanding right-wing policy agenda to cut taxes , deregulate businesses , and limit people ’ s access to the courts .
Among the specific policies recommended by the coalition is a capital gains tax holiday .
The coalition ’ s website encourages people to enter their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ message to their governor and the White House to “ reopen America.
” It includes a Twitter feed of tweets using the # ReopenAmerica hashtag .
Here are the coalition ’ s stated principles : • Immediately reopen the economy , while implementing the best workplace practices to protect the health of our citizens • Restore the essential principles of limited government and fiscal responsibility by stopping the trillions of dollars of federal spending that is imperiling America ’ s economic future and dangerously escalating our national debt .
• III .
Incentivize @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proven formulas : tax cuts , deregulation , and lawsuit reform • Preserve federalism within the rule of law and respect the rights of the states in dealing with crises such as the coronavirus pandemic • Protect the individual liberties of our citizens from unconstitutional power grabs by the federal , state and local governments

A new coalition of right-wing organizations and leaders is working to steer the nation’s path forward from the pandemic shutdowns to the right. The Save Our Country coalition announced its formation Monday with press releases distributed by some of its convening organizations; the Tea Party Patriots describes Save Our Country as one project of the “Great American Reopening” coalition.
The coalition’s National Leadership Council and Steering Committee include prominent figures from the overlapping corporate right, Tea Party right, and religious-right movements, similar to the right-wing movement-spanning Convention of States group that was identified by reporters last week as an organizing force behind recent “reopen” protests. Save Our Country’s initial materials do not make it clear whether or not the coalition will be supporting the protests, which are part of a national right-wing political strategy to deflect critical attention and anger about economic disruption away from the Trump administration and its failures and toward the nation’s governors.
The coalition’s honorary chairman is Art Laffer, considered the father of supply-side economics, who has lavishly praised President Donald Trump and in turn was honored by Trump with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. A key Laffer contention—that massive tax cuts will generate so much economic growth they will pay for themselves—has failed real-world tests, including the massive 2017 Trump-GOP tax cuts.
Among the right-wing luminaries included in the new coalition’s leadership are Ginni Thomas, right-wing activist and wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas; Trump economic adviser Stephen Moore; former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich; Reagan-era Attorney General Ed Meese; anti-media activist Brent Bozell; former Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell; pundit and former Education Secretary Bill Bennett; Floyd Brown, the man behind Citizens United and the infamous “Willie Horton” ad; right-wing strategist and direct-mail guru Richard Viguerie; former senator and former Heritage Foundation President Jim DeMint; and Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union, which hosts the annual Conservative Political Action Conference.
The Leadership Council includes Lisa Nelson of the American Legislative Exchange Council, Adam Brandon of Freedom Works, and Jenny Beth Martin of the Tea Party Patriots. Religious-right political operative Ralph Reed retweeted launch announcements by the Tea Party Patriots and FreedomWorks.
Other figures in the coalition’s leadership include: William Walton, vice president of the secretive right-wing Council for National Policy and a Heritage Foundation trustee; Gary Marx, former executive director of Ralph Reed’s Faith and Freedom Coalition; Kelly Shackelford of the religious-right legal group First Liberty; Frank Gaffney and Clare Lopez, promoters of anti-Muslim sentiments and conspiracy theories; and Sandy Rios, American Family Association radio host. The late Phyllis Schlafly’s Eagle Forum is represented, as is the State Policy Network, a collection of mini-Heritage Foundations pushing right-wing policies at the state level.
The Coalition is promoting “five key principles to abide by in order to reopen US society and preserve the American way of life.” Unsurprisingly, the principles outline a longstanding right-wing policy agenda to cut taxes, deregulate businesses, and limit people’s access to the courts. Among the specific policies recommended by the coalition is a capital gains tax holiday.
The coalition’s website encourages people to enter their name and contact information to send a message to their governor and the White House to “reopen America.” It includes a Twitter feed of tweets using the #ReopenAmerica hashtag.
Here are the coalition’s stated principles: