wnd--2020-08-03--Marines give in to 'cancel culture,' veto seminar by Christian man

The `` cancel culture '' has struck again , this time in the Marine Corps , with the cancellation of a training session for reservists because of the instructor 's Christian faith .
Air Force veteran Jay Lorenzen was scheduled to lead a U.S. Marine Corps Judge Advocate General training session on July 17 before a complaint by the non-profit Military Religious Freedom Foundation , or MRFF , prompted Marine brass to cancel him .
MRFF 's complaint centered on a completely separate course Lorenzen teached in his freed time course for the Christian group Cru , formerly known as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Gospel Courageous and the Gospel Corrective Leader . ''
In Lorenzen 's defense , the non-profit First Liberty Institute contended the content of his presentation to the reservists `` did not contain any explicit religious instructions . ''
`` In the MRFF ’ s twisted , mythical version of the Constitution , Lorenzen ’ s content is unsuitable to help Marines get fit for battle , all because he gives religious instruction and helps others grow in their spiritual lives on his own time as a free citizen , '' First Liberty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the JAG session a `` vicious '' violation of the Constitution .
First Liberty called the cancellation `` outright religious bigotry and hostility . ''
`` Not only is this attack outrageous , it also runs contrary to the Constitution , Supreme Court precedent and military policy , all of which clearly state that you can not discriminate against someone because of their religious beliefs , '' the group said .
`` Americans expect those who serve in the military to prepare for battle , not cater to the 'cancel culture ' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be put in the position of having to cave into the ludicrous complaints of a radical , outside group like the MRFF . ''
In June , Sen. Ted Cruz , R-Texas , sent a letter to Defense Department Secretary Mark Esper urging the department to protect the religious liberties of service members .
He pointed out that MRFF has demanded removal of videos posted by chaplains asking for prayer in response to the COVID-19 crisis .
An Army chaplain 's message of hope on social media was removed , and another chaplain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under investigation .
In Germany , MRFF forced a U.S. military chaplain to stop preaching from the balcony of his apartment .
First Liberty said that what 's `` most revealing ( if not ironic ) is that this war on faith and religious freedom is being waged against our military service members , the heroes who put their lives on the line to preserve the very freedoms we all enjoy under the Constitution . ''
Why is America suddenly in the grip of a violent revolution – and why are so many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ answers are found in “ CANCEL AMERICA : Under cover of racial grievance , an all-out Marxist cultural revolution explodes , ” the newest issue of WND ’ s acclaimed monthly Whistleblower magazine .
Available in both print and digital versions .
Better yet , subscribe at a discounted rate !

The "cancel culture" has struck again, this time in the Marine Corps, with the cancellation of a training session for reservists because of the instructor's Christian faith.
Air Force veteran Jay Lorenzen was scheduled to lead a U.S. Marine Corps Judge Advocate General training session on July 17 before a complaint by the non-profit Military Religious Freedom Foundation, or MRFF, prompted Marine brass to cancel him.
MRFF's complaint centered on a completely separate course Lorenzen taught in his free time, a course for the Christian group Cru, formerly known as Campus Crusade for Christ, called "The Gospel Courageous and the Gospel Corrective Leader."
In Lorenzen's defense, the non-profit First Liberty Institute contended the content of his presentation to the reservists "did not contain any explicit religious instructions."
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
"In the MRFF’s twisted, mythical version of the Constitution, Lorenzen’s content is unsuitable to help Marines get fit for battle, all because he gives religious instruction and helps others grow in their spiritual lives on his own time as a free citizen," First Liberty said.
MRFF called Lorenzen's part in the JAG session a "vicious" violation of the Constitution.
First Liberty called the cancellation "outright religious bigotry and hostility."
"Not only is this attack outrageous, it also runs contrary to the Constitution, Supreme Court precedent and military policy, all of which clearly state that you cannot discriminate against someone because of their religious beliefs," the group said.
Is the political left looking to cancel Christianity? Yes No Completing this poll entitles you to WND news updates free of charge. You may opt out at anytime. You also agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use You're logged in to Facebook. Click here to log out. 99% (279 Votes) 1% (3 Votes)
"Americans expect those who serve in the military to prepare for battle, not cater to the 'cancel culture' – and the USMC shouldn’t be put in the position of having to cave into the ludicrous complaints of a radical, outside group like the MRFF."
In June, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, sent a letter to Defense Department Secretary Mark Esper urging the department to protect the religious liberties of service members.
He pointed out that MRFF has demanded removal of videos posted by chaplains asking for prayer in response to the COVID-19 crisis. An Army chaplain's message of hope on social media was removed, and another chaplain who recommended a book to colleagues was under investigation. In Germany, MRFF forced a U.S. military chaplain to stop preaching from the balcony of his apartment.
First Liberty said that what's "most revealing (if not ironic) is that this war on faith and religious freedom is being waged against our military service members, the heroes who put their lives on the line to preserve the very freedoms we all enjoy under the Constitution."
Why is America suddenly in the grip of a violent revolution – and why are so many public officials enabling it? The shocking answers are found in “CANCEL AMERICA: Under cover of racial grievance, an all-out Marxist cultural revolution explodes,” the newest issue of WND’s acclaimed monthly Whistleblower magazine. Available in both print and digital versions. Better yet, subscribe at a discounted rate!


wnd--2020-08-03--Imprisoned anti-deep state Rep. Stockman gets COVID

The government is letting all kinds of violent felons out of prison early due to COVID-19 , while keeping political prisoners at high risk for the disease behind bars .
Last week , an inmate serving an 84-years-to-life prison sentence for murder was released to parole in California due to COVID-19 .
Terebea Williams shot 23-year-old Kevin `` John '' Ruska Jr. in the abdomen in 2001 , shoved his body into the trunk of a car and left him in a hotel room to die .
In contrast , conservative former Congressman Steve Stockman of Texas has been prohibited @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he is in his 60s and has diabetes , hypertension , osteoporosis , asthma and more .
Every single inmate over 60 who has diabetes in his federal prison in Beaumont , Texas , has been allowed to leave for home arrest except him .
Now he 's contracted COVID-19 .
Stockman has found out that high-level bureaucrats within the Bureau of Corrections are the ones preventing him from leaving .
He is trying to alert Attorney General William Barr to his situation .
Barr specifically instructed federal prisons to release vulnerable inmates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ served a certain percentage of their sentence .
Stockman has served over two and a half years of a 10-year sentence .
Barr also instructed prisons hard hit with COVID-19 to take priority in releasing those inmates .
The outbreak spiked at Stockman 's prison in July with 672 inmates infected .
So there is absolutely no reason why Stockman should have been forced to remain and predictably contract the virus .
The prison stopped filling his zinc prescription in February – bizarre considering the pandemic was beginning when he would need it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ news channel aired a story about Stockman 's situation at 10 p.m. Friday evening did the prison finally send him to the hospital .
There they X-rayed his lungs , gave him an IV of antibiotic azithromycin and a prescription for azithromycin and hydroxychloroquine .
Stockman was convicted of charity fraud for supposedly raising money for two conservative nonprofits on false pretenses .
He did n't ; he merely did not finish the objectives he was raising money for .
The two donors were aware of this and did not have a problem @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shaky it took four grand juries to finally indict him and cost taxpayers $ 15 to $ 20 million .
It was full of lies , such as claiming Stockman spent the money he raised on frivolous items .
Not one defense motion was sustained , and only two defense witnesses were permitted .
This case set a terrifying precedent for nonprofits everywhere .
Richard Viguerie , L. Brent Bozell III and Jenny Beth Martin , joined by 24 other prominent conservatives , filed an amicus curiae in his appeal expressing their deep @ @ @ @ @ @ @ witnesses for the prosecution , Ben Wetmore , has subsequently said Stockman is innocent .
He called it a `` show trial – a real-life , Soviet-style prosecution . ''
Former DOJ attorney Sidney Powell , who is now representing Michael Flynn , said , `` It is highly likely [ the Justice Department Public Integrity Section ] targeted former Congressman Stockman and have been extremely and unreasonably harsh toward him because he was so outspoken in trying to hold Lois Lerner , the Clintons , and Obama accountable . ''
Stockman was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Obama administration because he was an outspoken conservative who went after Hillary Clinton , Eric Holder and Lois Lerner .
Just two weeks after he introduced a resolution calling for the arrest of Lois Lerner , the FBI showed up at his door .
Politico called him `` Obama 's No .
1 Needler '' in 2013 .
He was featured on the Drudge Report more than any other member of Congress in 2014 .
Conservatives who set out to make a difference learn the hard way that this makes them targets .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ you with its deep pockets funding the prosecution , it is very difficult to fight back .
A lot of people would have just caved in , pleaded guilty and taken the plea agreement knowing the odds were stacked against them .
Not Stockman , so now he 's paying for it .
Not releasing Stockman while releasing the rest of the diabetics over age 60 in his prison could be construed as an attempt to kill him .
It is unknown whether he received the hydroxychloroquine in time to kill the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or dies .
He has symptoms including badly inflamed lungs , causing breathing problems , weakness and fatigue .
The last denial of Stockman 's request came from the Home Confinement Committee of the Correctional Programs Division .
He is asking people to contact the division director , Andre Matevousian , at ( 202 ) 307-3198 and David Brewer , acting senior deputy assistant director , at ( 202 ) 353-3638 .
Friends are also hoping for a pardon from President Trump .

The government is letting all kinds of violent felons out of prison early due to COVID-19, while keeping political prisoners at high risk for the disease behind bars. Last week, an inmate serving an 84-years-to-life prison sentence for murder was released to parole in California due to COVID-19. Terebea Williams shot 23-year-old Kevin "John" Ruska Jr. in the abdomen in 2001, shoved his body into the trunk of a car and left him in a hotel room to die.
In contrast, conservative former Congressman Steve Stockman of Texas has been prohibited from leaving prison, despite the fact he is in his 60s and has diabetes, hypertension, osteoporosis, asthma and more. Every single inmate over 60 who has diabetes in his federal prison in Beaumont, Texas, has been allowed to leave for home arrest except him. Now he's contracted COVID-19.
Stockman has found out that high-level bureaucrats within the Bureau of Corrections are the ones preventing him from leaving. He is trying to alert Attorney General William Barr to his situation. Barr specifically instructed federal prisons to release vulnerable inmates. They are not required to have served a certain percentage of their sentence. Stockman has served over two and a half years of a 10-year sentence. Barr also instructed prisons hard hit with COVID-19 to take priority in releasing those inmates. The outbreak spiked at Stockman's prison in July with 672 inmates infected. So there is absolutely no reason why Stockman should have been forced to remain and predictably contract the virus.
The prison stopped filling his zinc prescription in February – bizarre considering the pandemic was beginning when he would need it the most. Only after a local news channel aired a story about Stockman's situation at 10 p.m. Friday evening did the prison finally send him to the hospital. There they X-rayed his lungs, gave him an IV of antibiotic azithromycin and a prescription for azithromycin and hydroxychloroquine.
Stockman was convicted of charity fraud for supposedly raising money for two conservative nonprofits on false pretenses. He didn't; he merely did not finish the objectives he was raising money for. The two donors were aware of this and did not have a problem with it. The case was so shaky it took four grand juries to finally indict him and cost taxpayers $15 to $20 million. It was full of lies, such as claiming Stockman spent the money he raised on frivolous items. Not one defense motion was sustained, and only two defense witnesses were permitted.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
This case set a terrifying precedent for nonprofits everywhere. Richard Viguerie, L. Brent Bozell III and Jenny Beth Martin, joined by 24 other prominent conservatives, filed an amicus curiae in his appeal expressing their deep concerns. And one of the key witnesses for the prosecution, Ben Wetmore, has subsequently said Stockman is innocent. He called it a "show trial – a real-life, Soviet-style prosecution."
Former DOJ attorney Sidney Powell, who is now representing Michael Flynn, said, "It is highly likely [the Justice Department Public Integrity Section] targeted former Congressman Stockman and have been extremely and unreasonably harsh toward him because he was so outspoken in trying to hold Lois Lerner, the Clintons, and Obama accountable."
Stockman was targeted by left-wing DOJ prosecutors in the Obama administration because he was an outspoken conservative who went after Hillary Clinton, Eric Holder and Lois Lerner. Just two weeks after he introduced a resolution calling for the arrest of Lois Lerner, the FBI showed up at his door. Politico called him "Obama's No. 1 Needler" in 2013. He was featured on the Drudge Report more than any other member of Congress in 2014.
Conservatives who set out to make a difference learn the hard way that this makes them targets. And once the deep state comes after you with its deep pockets funding the prosecution, it is very difficult to fight back. A lot of people would have just caved in, pleaded guilty and taken the plea agreement knowing the odds were stacked against them. Not Stockman, so now he's paying for it.
Not releasing Stockman while releasing the rest of the diabetics over age 60 in his prison could be construed as an attempt to kill him. It is unknown whether he received the hydroxychloroquine in time to kill the virus; time will tell whether he lives or dies. He has symptoms including badly inflamed lungs, causing breathing problems, weakness and fatigue.
The last denial of Stockman's request came from the Home Confinement Committee of the Correctional Programs Division. He is asking people to contact the division director, Andre Matevousian, at (202) 307-3198 and David Brewer, acting senior deputy assistant director, at (202) 353-3638. Friends are also hoping for a pardon from President Trump.


wnd--2020-08-03--America and the 'Clock of Judgment' (it's ticking)

This week I am releasing the fourth installment of my book `` Dynasty of Darkness : Satan 's long serpentine trail through human history in the role of successive Antichrists , and the imminent rise of his last days kingdom '' in text and video formats .
As I do with all of my writings , I am offering this without charge to anyone requesting it by email : [ email protected ] In this installment I analyze the books of Joshua and Judges to profile the Antichrists of the 400-year period of the pre-monarchic Israelite republic , when the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Holy Land .
That season of biblical history has special prophetic significance for Americans because it parallels the 400 years of our republic from its founding in 1620 .
Was pre-monarchic Israel a republic ?
Yes .
The term `` republic '' is the Latin translation of a sixth century B.C .
Greek term `` res publica , '' coined to distinguish governments `` owned by the public '' from those `` owned by the rulers . ''
Historically , it included any alternative to monarchy , as was true during the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when the concept of a `` constitutional republic '' began to mature toward its present form .
The Hebrew nation established through Abraham by God has , of course , always been a `` theocracy '' ( a term coined by Josephus in the first century A.D. ) , but the terms `` republic '' and `` theocracy '' are not mutually exclusive .
Indeed , the transition of the nation of Israel , from `` republic '' to `` monarchy '' during the time of the Prophet Samuel did not change its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ultimately ruled both as the same lawgiver above the same law that both types of government were equally subject to .
Is America a modern iteration of the Israelite republic ?
I believe it is .
America 's first written constitution was the Mayflower Compact , a covenantal oath of Pilgrim Separatists who crossed the Atlantic Ocean with the specific intention to create a nation `` for the advancement of the Christian faith '' – just as the Hebrews crossed the Jordan River to establish a nation upon the Torah , and whose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ' successor , Joshua , was to corporately reaffirm God 's Abrahamic covenant as codified in the Mosaic law .
Both republics acknowledged God as the Supreme Authority , and their leaders managed the day by day national affairs according to the rule of law He had established through human agents .
After the U.S. Constitution had been drafted `` in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty seven '' ( a quote from the signature clause ) , resistance at the state level raised doubt it would ever @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Langdon 's sermon `` The Republic of the Israelites as an Example to the American States '' inspired New Hampshire to cast the final ratifying vote .
Does America 's history parallel that of the Israelite republic ?
Yes .
Like Israel , America started morally strong and grew weaker over time , being intermittently `` revived '' to spiritual health .
God raised up Judges to rescue the Israelites from their sin after its painful consequences caused them to repent and beseech Him for deliverance .
America 's pattern was similar and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( First Great Awakening , 1730s-1770s ) , Charles Finney ( Second Great Awakening 1790s-1830s ) , and others .
It is human nature to forget God 's law during times of peace and plenty until sin-produced suffering reminds us to repent .
It is Satan 's nature to exploit and institutionalize our sin to increasingly weaken us from cycle to cycle .
I call this the `` Clock of Judgment '' because it cycles like the hands of a mechanical clock from Morally Healthy at Noon , to Backsliding by Three , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Nine , to Restoration through Revival at Twelve , over and over again .
Eventually , due to the institutionalization of sin , the `` revivals '' become so compromised they ca n't overcome entrenched societal corruption .
In the Israelite republic , the turning point was under the sixth Judge , Gideon , whom we tend to lionize in modern sermons but whose father built the town altar to Baal , and who himself took a Canaanite concubine whose son Abilelech became the first-ever Hebrew Antichrist .
Gideon 's `` revival @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the time of his death , and soon afterward Abilelech slaughtered all 70 of his male siblings ( except Jotham who escaped ) to make himself king of ( Canaanite ) Shechem .
God then killed Abimelech by His own hand using a nameless woman ( Judges 9:56 ) , NOT by raising a deliverer .
After that the republic disintegrated slowly into anarchy until `` every man did what was right in his own eyes . ''
There were other Judges raised to preserve Israel as a nation in the Holy Land @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a whole return to full spiritual health .
In America , the turning point was under `` Antichrist '' ( or Antichrist-ally ) Judge Hugo Black .
As the `` swing vote '' on the Supreme Court , he wrote two majority opinions ( Everson v. Board of Education , 1947 ; and Torcaso v Watkins , 1961 ) , converting Jefferson 's `` Separation of Church and State '' metaphor into binding constitutional law .
In these , this former KKK clansman who helped LBJ cheat his way into the U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the court was illegal , pushed America off the bedrock of the Bible onto the shifting sand of Secular Humanism with the Everson ruling .
This fulfilled a key Antichrist objective in 2 Thessalonians 2 , setting the court `` above God and everything worshiped as god '' as arbiter of all religious claims relating to public policy , under the deceptive rubric of `` benevolent neutrality . ''
And in Torcaso he made Atheism a `` religion '' equal to Christianity , legally empowering militant God-haters , including Madalyn Murray O'Hair , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protection '' clause to purge Christianity from public life , starting with public school prayer in 1963 .
Nov. 18 will be the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrims 's landing at Plymouth , two weeks past the 2020 election .
Is America doomed to soon surrender its republic to a wicked King Saul as Israel did ?
Or will we truly repent and be healed as a nation ?
The Clock of Judgment is ticking .

This week I am releasing the fourth installment of my book "Dynasty of Darkness: Satan's long serpentine trail through human history in the role of successive Antichrists, and the imminent rise of his last days kingdom" in text and video formats. As I do with all of my writings, I am offering this without charge to anyone requesting it by email: [email protected].
In this installment I analyze the books of Joshua and Judges to profile the Antichrists of the 400-year period of the pre-monarchic Israelite republic, when the Hebrews fought the Canaanites for control of the Holy Land. That season of biblical history has special prophetic significance for Americans because it parallels the 400 years of our republic from its founding in 1620.
Was pre-monarchic Israel a republic? Yes. The term "republic" is the Latin translation of a sixth century B.C. Greek term "res publica," coined to distinguish governments "owned by the public" from those "owned by the rulers." Historically, it included any alternative to monarchy, as was true during the 1600s in Western Europe and Great Britain when the concept of a "constitutional republic" began to mature toward its present form. The Hebrew nation established through Abraham by God has, of course, always been a "theocracy" (a term coined by Josephus in the first century A.D.), but the terms "republic" and "theocracy" are not mutually exclusive. Indeed, the transition of the nation of Israel, from "republic" to "monarchy" during the time of the Prophet Samuel did not change its essential "theocratic" nature since God ultimately ruled both as the same lawgiver above the same law that both types of government were equally subject to.
Is America a modern iteration of the Israelite republic? I believe it is. America's first written constitution was the Mayflower Compact, a covenantal oath of Pilgrim Separatists who crossed the Atlantic Ocean with the specific intention to create a nation "for the advancement of the Christian faith" – just as the Hebrews crossed the Jordan River to establish a nation upon the Torah, and whose first act in the land under Moses' successor, Joshua, was to corporately reaffirm God's Abrahamic covenant as codified in the Mosaic law. Both republics acknowledged God as the Supreme Authority, and their leaders managed the day by day national affairs according to the rule of law He had established through human agents.
After the U.S. Constitution had been drafted "in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty seven" (a quote from the signature clause), resistance at the state level raised doubt it would ever be adopted, until Rev. Samuel Langdon's sermon "The Republic of the Israelites as an Example to the American States" inspired New Hampshire to cast the final ratifying vote.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
Does America's history parallel that of the Israelite republic? Yes. Like Israel, America started morally strong and grew weaker over time, being intermittently "revived" to spiritual health. God raised up Judges to rescue the Israelites from their sin after its painful consequences caused them to repent and beseech Him for deliverance. America's pattern was similar and God raised up men like Jonathan Edwards (First Great Awakening, 1730s-1770s), Charles Finney (Second Great Awakening 1790s-1830s), and others.
It is human nature to forget God's law during times of peace and plenty until sin-produced suffering reminds us to repent. It is Satan's nature to exploit and institutionalize our sin to increasingly weaken us from cycle to cycle. I call this the "Clock of Judgment" because it cycles like the hands of a mechanical clock from Morally Healthy at Noon, to Backsliding by Three, to Judgement by Six, to Repentance by Nine, to Restoration through Revival at Twelve, over and over again.
Eventually, due to the institutionalization of sin, the "revivals" become so compromised they can't overcome entrenched societal corruption.
In the Israelite republic, the turning point was under the sixth Judge, Gideon, whom we tend to lionize in modern sermons but whose father built the town altar to Baal, and who himself took a Canaanite concubine whose son Abilelech became the first-ever Hebrew Antichrist. Gideon's "revival" had virtually no residual power at the time of his death, and soon afterward Abilelech slaughtered all 70 of his male siblings (except Jotham who escaped) to make himself king of (Canaanite) Shechem. God then killed Abimelech by His own hand using a nameless woman (Judges 9:56), NOT by raising a deliverer. After that the republic disintegrated slowly into anarchy until "every man did what was right in his own eyes." There were other Judges raised to preserve Israel as a nation in the Holy Land, but never again did the republic as a whole return to full spiritual health.
In America, the turning point was under "Antichrist" (or Antichrist-ally) Judge Hugo Black. As the "swing vote" on the Supreme Court, he wrote two majority opinions (Everson v. Board of Education, 1947; and Torcaso v Watkins, 1961), converting Jefferson's "Separation of Church and State" metaphor into binding constitutional law. In these, this former KKK clansman who helped LBJ cheat his way into the U.S. Senate, and whose own appointment to the court was illegal, pushed America off the bedrock of the Bible onto the shifting sand of Secular Humanism with the Everson ruling. This fulfilled a key Antichrist objective in 2 Thessalonians 2, setting the court "above God and everything worshiped as god" as arbiter of all religious claims relating to public policy, under the deceptive rubric of "benevolent neutrality." And in Torcaso he made Atheism a "religion" equal to Christianity, legally empowering militant God-haters, including Madalyn Murray O'Hair, to weaponize the 14th Amendment "equal protection" clause to purge Christianity from public life, starting with public school prayer in 1963.
Nov. 18 will be the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrims's landing at Plymouth, two weeks past the 2020 election. Is America doomed to soon surrender its republic to a wicked King Saul as Israel did? Or will we truly repent and be healed as a nation? The Clock of Judgment is ticking.


wnd--2020-08-03--Hey, blacks: Why follow an insane seditionist like Karl Marx?

What is it that would draw people to admire an insane homicidal seditionist like Karl Marx ?
What would make seemingly normal young people turn into the `` Wolf Man after beginning life as a Larry Talbot '' ?
It 's the susceptibility to the fanciful promise of an idealistic utopia that has at no time in history worked .
I argue it 's also an alchemy comprised of weak , ineffectual parents who eschew discipline and absolutes , children who are the victims of any of a plethora of childhood traumas , negative peer reinforcement and the public school @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emotionally damaged individual who blamed his low opinion of self on others and specifically on a political and economic system from which he felt estranged .
Francis Wheen 's biography of Marx accurately described him as a highly unlikely candidate for a personality cult .
Wheen described Marx as : `` A hard-drinking , chain-smoking man , scruffy and shambolic , cadging money from his friends and cheating on his wife with his housekeeper … who suffered from terrible trouble with genital boils .
… In his darkest moments , the man who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time attacking the pus-filled boils on his bottom with a cut-throat razor . ''
( See : `` Titan of Terror : The left-wing acolytes who say Karl Marx ca n't be blamed for the millions slaughtered in his name are deluded – bloodshed was at the heart of his philosophy , '' Dominic Sandbrook , The Daily Mail , May 4 , 2018 . )
Sandbrook notes that Marx died in penniless obscurity in 1883 , with 11 people attending his funeral ; but within 50 years his reputation had been transformed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Marxism to be successful : `` Keep people from their history and they are easily controlled . ''
This is a truism without dispute .
Instead of Marx being accurately depicted as a bitter , hebephrenic , genitally diseased madman , driven insane by his own phantoms , myths of his erudition replaced the dark truth .
In a scant few years he was extolled as a singularly brilliant man .
He may have been brilliant , but his tortured belief that utopia could be mandated into the world through social engineering and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scientists in an extraordinarily bad low-budget sci-fi film .
With the careful selective editing of history , many in the world , and especially the United States , believed Marx was a great man who may have lectured in Vienna and was revered by his peers .
The separation of truth from history has nowhere achieved the desired outcome of Marxist philosophy as much as with blacks and the malleable-minded young .
The great majority of blacks are inculcated from the womb to be blinded to the great opportunity that exists for them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bon vivant is the person who sticks it in the eye of the white man .
Blacks like LeBron James et al .
understand this very well , which is why his kind race to the microphones and cameras to promote desecration of the flag and national anthem .
Thus it should be no surprise that the public school system would work hand-in-hand with groups like Blacks Lives Matter .
Keeping black people angry and blind to the truth of their well-being is key to the advancement of Marxism 's diabolical agenda to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more blacks truly understood their factual history and the great contributions they enjoined other Americans in developing and delivering for the benefit of all mankind , their animus would evaporate .
Blacks ostensibly fall into two categories : the `` Talented Tenth '' and the rest .
The Talented Tenth are the so-called classically educated who are engineered into automatons who parrot hate and blame America capitalism for the ills of the world , specifically as such ills adversely impact blacks .
The success of this Marxian brainwashing is based upon the fact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that they have suffered disproportionately in America specifically because of skin color .
But , this was not the work of the American public school system alone .
It was a global effort , in which Charles Darwin , Friedrich Nietzsche , Friedrich Engels , John Maynard Keynes , to reference but a few , paved the way for the dissolution of factual history .
They exchanged that which was historically true for the deceitful lie of selective immiseration based upon skin color .
This has been the work of the Talented Tenth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they 're getting less than they deserve because they 're black .
The lower-economic class of blacks are told that their station in life is n't the result of bad decisions ; it 's the result of the white man working against them .
Somehow it goes unnoticed that the very people spreading this lie are themselves whites who secretly are unwilling to share their spoils .
This is evidenced by the slaughter of 60 million or more people killed by Mao , Lenin , Stalin , etc .
Americans need to awaken @ @ @ @ @ @ @ utopia at the end of the Marxist rainbow nor do they get to share in the pie when ( or more accurately if ) Marxism were to ever succeed to the extent Marxists are committed to have happen .
How many of the ordinary working man and/or the rich participated in the spoils of the Marxists and neo-Leninists , ( i.e.
, high-bred Communists ) , scattered around the world today ?
It is important to note that the devil is n't in the habit of sharing his spoils with his minions – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Marxist hierarchy want you to know and/or figure out .
Order Mychal Massie 's new book , `` I Feel the Presence of the Lord , '' a collection of devotions intended to encourage the reader to seek and see the Lord in every aspect of life .

What is it that would draw people to admire an insane homicidal seditionist like Karl Marx? What would make seemingly normal young people turn into the "Wolf Man after beginning life as a Larry Talbot"? It's the susceptibility to the fanciful promise of an idealistic utopia that has at no time in history worked.
I argue it's also an alchemy comprised of weak, ineffectual parents who eschew discipline and absolutes, children who are the victims of any of a plethora of childhood traumas, negative peer reinforcement and the public school system.
Marx was at best an emotionally damaged individual who blamed his low opinion of self on others and specifically on a political and economic system from which he felt estranged.
Francis Wheen's biography of Marx accurately described him as a highly unlikely candidate for a personality cult. Wheen described Marx as: "A hard-drinking, chain-smoking man, scruffy and shambolic, cadging money from his friends and cheating on his wife with his housekeeper … who suffered from terrible trouble with genital boils. … In his darkest moments, the man who called for a world revolution spent his time attacking the pus-filled boils on his bottom with a cut-throat razor." (See: "Titan of Terror: The left-wing acolytes who say Karl Marx can't be blamed for the millions slaughtered in his name are deluded – bloodshed was at the heart of his philosophy," Dominic Sandbrook, The Daily Mail, May 4, 2018.)
Sandbrook notes that Marx died in penniless obscurity in 1883, with 11 people attending his funeral; but within 50 years his reputation had been transformed.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
Herein is the foundational necessity for Marxism to be successful: "Keep people from their history and they are easily controlled." This is a truism without dispute.
Instead of Marx being accurately depicted as a bitter, hebephrenic, genitally diseased madman, driven insane by his own phantoms, myths of his erudition replaced the dark truth.
In a scant few years he was extolled as a singularly brilliant man. He may have been brilliant, but his tortured belief that utopia could be mandated into the world through social engineering and behavioral programming is the philosophy of crazed scientists in an extraordinarily bad low-budget sci-fi film.
With the careful selective editing of history, many in the world, and especially the United States, believed Marx was a great man who may have lectured in Vienna and was revered by his peers.
The separation of truth from history has nowhere achieved the desired outcome of Marxist philosophy as much as with blacks and the malleable-minded young.
The great majority of blacks are inculcated from the womb to be blinded to the great opportunity that exists for them. The majority of blacks believe a bon vivant is the person who sticks it in the eye of the white man. Blacks like LeBron James et al. understand this very well, which is why his kind race to the microphones and cameras to promote desecration of the flag and national anthem.
Thus it should be no surprise that the public school system would work hand-in-hand with groups like Blacks Lives Matter. Keeping black people angry and blind to the truth of their well-being is key to the advancement of Marxism's diabolical agenda to destroy capitalism and United States.
If more blacks truly understood their factual history and the great contributions they enjoined other Americans in developing and delivering for the benefit of all mankind, their animus would evaporate.
Blacks ostensibly fall into two categories: the "Talented Tenth" and the rest. The Talented Tenth are the so-called classically educated who are engineered into automatons who parrot hate and blame America capitalism for the ills of the world, specifically as such ills adversely impact blacks.
The success of this Marxian brainwashing is based upon the fact that so many have bought the lie that they have suffered disproportionately in America specifically because of skin color.
But, this was not the work of the American public school system alone. It was a global effort, in which Charles Darwin, Friedrich Nietzsche, Friedrich Engels, John Maynard Keynes, to reference but a few, paved the way for the dissolution of factual history. They exchanged that which was historically true for the deceitful lie of selective immiseration based upon skin color.
This has been the work of the Talented Tenth. They have convinced middle-class blacks that they're getting less than they deserve because they're black. The lower-economic class of blacks are told that their station in life isn't the result of bad decisions; it's the result of the white man working against them.
Somehow it goes unnoticed that the very people spreading this lie are themselves whites who secretly are unwilling to share their spoils. This is evidenced by the slaughter of 60 million or more people killed by Mao, Lenin, Stalin, etc.
Americans need to awaken to the fact that there is no utopia at the end of the Marxist rainbow nor do they get to share in the pie when (or more accurately if) Marxism were to ever succeed to the extent Marxists are committed to have happen.
How many of the ordinary working man and/or the rich participated in the spoils of the Marxists and neo-Leninists, (i.e., high-bred Communists), scattered around the world today?
It is important to note that the devil isn't in the habit of sharing his spoils with his minions – but this is the very last thing Marxist hierarchy want you to know and/or figure out.
Order Mychal Massie's new book, "I Feel the Presence of the Lord," a collection of devotions intended to encourage the reader to seek and see the Lord in every aspect of life.


wnd--2020-08-03--End the filibuster … and imperil the republic

`` When the people find that they can vote themselves money , that will herald the end of the republic . ''
This was the nightmare of Ben Franklin .
Yet , with passage this spring of a $ 4 trillion bailout of an economy facing historic losses because of the COVID-19 pandemic , and Nancy Pelosi 's House having voted out another $ 3 trillion , we may have reached Franklin 's peril point .
Indeed , if Democrats capture the Senate and win the White House , as many polls now project , it is not easy to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ explosion of fresh spending and a concomitant expansion of federal power .
Consider .
In his eulogy to John Lewis at Ebenezer Baptist Church , Barack Obama called on Democrats , if victorious in November , to kill the Senate filibuster , all but calling the filibuster an instrument of systemic racism .
Yet , the filibuster has been and remains one of the distinguishing features of the United States Senate .
It allows for extended deliberation by requiring not 51 but 60 votes , a supermajority , to shut off debate and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Senate and abolish the filibuster , the Republican minority in 2021 would be stripped of virtually the only effective weapon in its arsenal to halt , slow , or shape U.S. law .
That is exactly what Obama was urging in his eulogy to Lewis .
`` If politicians want to honor John , '' said a surprisingly militant Obama , `` let 's honor him by revitalizing the law he was willing to die for … ( And ) once we pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act , we should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' ?
To where ?
Said Obama : `` By making sure every American is automatically registered to vote , including former inmates … By adding polling places , and expanding early voting , and making Election Day a national holiday … By guaranteeing that every American citizen has equal representation … including the American citizens who live in Washington , D.C. , and in Puerto Rico .
`` If all this takes eliminating the filibuster , another Jim Crow relic … then that 's what we should do . ''
By calling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' the ex-president was putting progressives on notice that failure to get rid of it would be to collaborate with racists .
After abolishing the filibuster , says Obama , Democrats should ram through statehood for Puerto Rico and D.C. , thereby expanding the Senate to 104 members , and adding four new Democratic senators .
That new Senate , says Obama , should enact every law possible to enlarge and expand the electorate , including extending the ballot to ex-convicts .
His eyes open to the potential of a Senate where 51 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sen. Bernie Sanders hastily endorsed Obama 's call : '' President Obama is absolutely right .
… Getting rid of the filibuster would enable Democrats to pass a comprehensive agenda to guarantee the rights and dignity of everyone in this country . ''
This is but the beginning .
If Democrats deprive a Republican minority of the filibuster , there would be no one stopping Congress from passing or the president from signing new anti-gun legislation .
The door would be open to legislation putting DACA `` dreamers '' on a fast track @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to illegal migrants , and to putting the 11 million to 22 million who are already here on the road to citizenship and the ballot box .
With amnesties , open borders bills , a renewal of chain migration , an end to deportations and new restrictions on ICE and the Border Patrol , a Democratic Congress , by opening the gates to millions , could turn traditionally red states such as Arizona , Georgia and Texas as blue as New York , Illinois and California .
As The Wall Street Journal also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Biden-Bernie-AOC Democratic Party is the raising of payroll taxes , personal income taxes , corporate taxes , capital gains taxes and estate taxes .
All of these newer and higher tax rates are included in a $ 3 trillion package to which Joe Biden has signed on .
If Democrats gain control of Congress and the filibuster is killed , reparations for slavery , the Green New Deal , `` Medicare for All '' and harsh climate change laws are on the table for Democrats to decide alone , without hearing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public letter , Democrats endorsed the retention of the filibuster , both on principle and because of the unique character of the Senate : `` We are steadfastly committed to ensuring that this great American institution continues to serve as the world 's greatest deliberative body . ''
If the filibuster is thrown out , writes the Journal , `` The door to radicalism is getting busted wide open , and Americans of both parties may not like what comes out the other side . ''
Another Ben Franklin quote comes to mind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ keep it , '' Franklin told the lady in Philadelphia who had asked what kind of government they had created .
If the filibuster goes , and the Democratic left runs wild in the next two years , will that republic survive the disfiguring surgery ?

"When the people find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic."
This was the nightmare of Ben Franklin.
Yet, with passage this spring of a $4 trillion bailout of an economy facing historic losses because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Nancy Pelosi's House having voted out another $3 trillion, we may have reached Franklin's peril point.
Indeed, if Democrats capture the Senate and win the White House, as many polls now project, it is not easy to see who or what prevents an uncontrolled explosion of fresh spending and a concomitant expansion of federal power.
Consider. In his eulogy to John Lewis at Ebenezer Baptist Church, Barack Obama called on Democrats, if victorious in November, to kill the Senate filibuster, all but calling the filibuster an instrument of systemic racism.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
Yet, the filibuster has been and remains one of the distinguishing features of the United States Senate. It allows for extended deliberation by requiring not 51 but 60 votes, a supermajority, to shut off debate and pass major bills.
If Democrats capture the Senate and abolish the filibuster, the Republican minority in 2021 would be stripped of virtually the only effective weapon in its arsenal to halt, slow, or shape U.S. law.
That is exactly what Obama was urging in his eulogy to Lewis.
"If politicians want to honor John," said a surprisingly militant Obama, "let's honor him by revitalizing the law he was willing to die for … (And) once we pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, we should keep marching."
"Keep marching"? To where?
Said Obama: "By making sure every American is automatically registered to vote, including former inmates … By adding polling places, and expanding early voting, and making Election Day a national holiday … By guaranteeing that every American citizen has equal representation … including the American citizens who live in Washington, D.C., and in Puerto Rico.
"If all this takes eliminating the filibuster, another Jim Crow relic … then that's what we should do."
By calling the filibuster "another Jim Crow relic" the ex-president was putting progressives on notice that failure to get rid of it would be to collaborate with racists.
After abolishing the filibuster, says Obama, Democrats should ram through statehood for Puerto Rico and D.C., thereby expanding the Senate to 104 members, and adding four new Democratic senators.
That new Senate, says Obama, should enact every law possible to enlarge and expand the electorate, including extending the ballot to ex-convicts.
His eyes open to the potential of a Senate where 51 Democrats can enact a socialist agenda, Sen. Bernie Sanders hastily endorsed Obama's call:
"President Obama is absolutely right. … Getting rid of the filibuster would enable Democrats to pass a comprehensive agenda to guarantee the rights and dignity of everyone in this country."
This is but the beginning. If Democrats deprive a Republican minority of the filibuster, there would be no one stopping Congress from passing or the president from signing new anti-gun legislation.
The door would be open to legislation putting DACA "dreamers" on a fast track to citizenship, and to granting amnesty to illegal migrants, and to putting the 11 million to 22 million who are already here on the road to citizenship and the ballot box.
With amnesties, open borders bills, a renewal of chain migration, an end to deportations and new restrictions on ICE and the Border Patrol, a Democratic Congress, by opening the gates to millions, could turn traditionally red states such as Arizona, Georgia and Texas as blue as New York, Illinois and California.
As The Wall Street Journal also notes, one of the agenda items of the Biden-Bernie-AOC Democratic Party is the raising of payroll taxes, personal income taxes, corporate taxes, capital gains taxes and estate taxes.
All of these newer and higher tax rates are included in a $3 trillion package to which Joe Biden has signed on.
If Democrats gain control of Congress and the filibuster is killed, reparations for slavery, the Green New Deal, "Medicare for All" and harsh climate change laws are on the table for Democrats to decide alone, without hearing from the GOP.
In a 2017 public letter, Democrats endorsed the retention of the filibuster, both on principle and because of the unique character of the Senate: "We are steadfastly committed to ensuring that this great American institution continues to serve as the world's greatest deliberative body."
If the filibuster is thrown out, writes the Journal, "The door to radicalism is getting busted wide open, and Americans of both parties may not like what comes out the other side."
Another Ben Franklin quote comes to mind.
"A republic if you can keep it," Franklin told the lady in Philadelphia who had asked what kind of government they had created.
If the filibuster goes, and the Democratic left runs wild in the next two years, will that republic survive the disfiguring surgery?


wnd--2020-08-04--Lisa Page on BLM protest: 'That's awful'

( JUST THE NEWS ) -- Cable news network MSNBC 's hosts have relentlessly embraced Black Lives Matter , routinely @ @ @ @ @ group 's Marxist roots while showcasing celebrities who support the racial justice group .
`` @ @ @ @ @ human rights statement , '' WNBA star Sidney Colson declared on the network in a @ @ @ @ @ Velshi that encapsulated the network 's embrace of the group .
So it may come @ @ @ @ @ one of MSNBC 's newest and most celebrated hires , the ex-FBI lawyer Lisa Page @ @ @ @ @ legal analyst , offered a not-so-fond message about the group 's protests .
At least @ @ @ @ @ then-lover , the now-fired FBI agent Peter Strzok , during the Russia collusion probe four @ @ @

(JUST THE NEWS) -- Cable news network MSNBC's hosts have relentlessly embraced Black Lives Matter, routinely ribbing Republicans critical of the group's Marxist roots while showcasing celebrities who support the racial justice group.
"Black Lives Matter is a human rights statement," WNBA star Sidney Colson declared on the network in a recent interview with host Ali Velshi that encapsulated the network's embrace of the group.
So it may come as somewhat a surprise that one of MSNBC's newest and most celebrated hires, the ex-FBI lawyer Lisa Page who now serves as a legal analyst, offered a not-so-fond message about the group's protests. At least when she texting with her then-lover, the now-fired FBI agent Peter Strzok, during the Russia collusion probe four years ago.
Read the full story ›


wnd--2020-08-04--Seattle police chief warns council of 'doing business by mob rule'

( FOX NEWS ) -- Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best is urging elected leaders to `` stand up for what @ @ @ @ @ group of protesters appeared outside her home over the weekend as pressures continue to mount @ @ @ @ @ reform measures .
In a Monday letter to the nine-member City Council , Best said @ @ @ @ @ was targeted Sunday night by `` aggressive '' protesters , prompting concerns from her neighbors @ @ @ @ @ able to trespass or engage in illegal behavior , Best said , despite their attempts @ @ @ @ @ These direct actions against elected officials , and especially civil servants like myself , are @ @ @ @ @ go against every democratic principle that guides our nation , '' she wrote .
`` @ @ @ @ @ new way of doing business by mob rule here in Seattle , and across the @ @ @ @ @ you must forcefully call for the end of these tactics . ''

(FOX NEWS) -- Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best is urging elected leaders to "stand up for what is right" after a group of protesters appeared outside her home over the weekend as pressures continue to mount over the enactment of police reform measures.
In a Monday letter to the nine-member City Council, Best said her home in Snohomish County was targeted Sunday night by "aggressive" protesters, prompting concerns from her neighbors. The crowd wasn't able to trespass or engage in illegal behavior, Best said, despite their attempts to do so.
"These direct actions against elected officials, and especially civil servants like myself, are out of line with and go against every democratic principle that guides our nation," she wrote. "Before this devolves into the new way of doing business by mob rule here in Seattle, and across the nation, elected officials like you must forcefully call for the end of these tactics."
Read the full story ›


wnd--2020-08-05--Shutdown cost Disney $3.5 billion in theme park operating income

( CNBC ) -- While Disney was able to reopen most of its international theme parks in recent months , @ @ @ @ @ World and Disneyland in the U.S. resulted in a big financial hit .
On Tuesday @ @ @ @ @ Covid-19 outbreak cost its Parks , Experiences and Products segment around $ 3.5 billion in @ @ @ @ @ fiscal third-quarter .
That unit includes all six of Disney ’ s international theme parks @ @ @ @ @ hotels and tours , as well as its merchandise .

(CNBC) -- While Disney was able to reopen most of its international theme parks in recent months, the continued closure of Disney World and Disneyland in the U.S. resulted in a big financial hit.
On Tuesday, the company said the Covid-19 outbreak cost its Parks, Experiences and Products segment around $3.5 billion in lost operating income during its fiscal third-quarter.
That unit includes all six of Disney’s international theme parks, its cruise lines, hotels and tours, as well as its merchandise.
Read the full story ›


wnd--2020-08-05--$765 million: Kodak reportedly under SEC investigation

( CNBC ) -- The Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating Eastman Kodak ’ s disclosure about getting awarded a @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. government to start producing drug ingredients , which sent the stock up on @ @ @ @ @ official announcement , The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday .
On July 27 , a @ @ @ @ @ well as President Donald Trump , announced the deal to make ingredients in generic drugs @ @ @ @ @ pandemic , shares of the film pioneer soared nearly 25 % with trading volumes far @ @ @ @ @ .
The SEC ’ s probe , which is still at an early stage , @ @ @ @ @ disclosed the deal with the government , the Journal reported , citing people familiar with @ @ @

(CNBC) -- The Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating Eastman Kodak’s disclosure about getting awarded a $765 million loan from the U.S. government to start producing drug ingredients, which sent the stock up on heavy volume ahead of the official announcement, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.
On July 27, a day before Kodak, as well as President Donald Trump, announced the deal to make ingredients in generic drugs in response to the coronavirus pandemic, shares of the film pioneer soared nearly 25% with trading volumes far exceeding those in previous sessions.
The SEC’s probe, which is still at an early stage, is focused on how Kodak disclosed the deal with the government, the Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
Read the full story ›


wnd--2020-08-05--The media and its myths about gun control

[ Editor 's note : This story originally was published by Real Clear Politics . ]
The push to disarm Americans , such as Pamela and Mark McCloskey of St. Louis , stems from the belief that disarming the public will make us safer .
But those beliefs arise from myths perpetrated by the media .
The news media give people a very skewed view of guns and crime , and push policies that , paradoxically , endanger people ’ s lives .
They do this not only by choosing what crimes to cover ( or not cover ) , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that they choose to relay .
After the New York Times recently fired its opinion page editor for publishing a conservative viewpoint , it isn ’ t surprising that news articles have become increasingly selective in what they choose to report .
Here are just five of the three dozen myths that I discuss in my new book , “ Gun Control Myths.
” Myth 1 : Los Angeles Times : “ Why the U.S. is No .
1 — in mass shootings ” This claim is based on one study by Adam @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lankford asserted that the U.S. accounted for 31 % of mass public shooters from 1966 to 2012 , despite having less than 5 % of the world population .
But for over four years , he refused requests from both academics and media outlets , including Real Clear Politics , Fox News , and the Washington Post , to release his data .
When he finally released his list of cases after I had published an academic paper going through the data , it was clear why he had waited so long .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and missed thousands of others in the rest of the world .
The United States accounted for just 1 % of the shooters — far less than its share of the world population .
France , Switzerland , Russia , Finland , and Norway all have substantially higher per capita fatality rates than does the U.S .
Indeed , France ’ s rate is 111 % higher than ours .
By far , the worst mass public shootings have occurred in Europe .
Americans may be surprised by these numbers , because they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other countries .
The dozens of times in recent years that such shootings are stopped by concealed handgun permit holders is also ignored .
Something else the news media won ’ t tell you : Since 1950 , 94 % of the mass public shootings have occurred in gun-free zones , places where citizens are banned from having guns .
One of media and gun control activists ’ favorite claims is that gun ownership is declining ( also here ) .
Their go-to survey for this is the General Social Survey .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over 50 % of American households reported owning guns .
But by 2018 , that was down to 34 % .
Tom Smith , who directs the survey , felt that the large drop would “ make it easier for politicians to do the right thing on guns.
” The GSS finding is an extreme outlier , however .
If you look at the most recent surveys by Quinnipiac University , CNN , PEW , CBS/YouGov , NBC/Wall Street Journal , ABC News/Washington Post , Monmouth University , and Gallup , ownership estimates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of American households .
These surveys found very similar percentages going back decades .
Still , these surveys probably underestimate the true ownership figure .
As much as 9 % of households refuse to answer if they own a gun .
Even if just 40 % of such households own guns , that would add another four percentage points to the totals .
In Illinois , where people are required to have a Firearm Owners Identification card to own a gun , the number of such licenses rose from 1.2 million to 2.3 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ GSS survey , by contrast , claims that household gun ownership in the state over that same period fell by 300,000 .
It ’ s hard to believe that gun ownership has fallen .
The number of concealed handgun permits has exploded , rising from 2.7 million permits in 1999 to 19 million in 2019 .
But headlines about a supposed drop in gun ownership are probably intended to make gun owners feel isolated .
In fact , having a gun is very much in the American mainstream .
Myth 3 : Guns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ easily .
Vox explains : “ Perhaps the reason access to guns so strongly contributes to suicides is that guns are much deadlier than alternatives like cutting and poisons.
” But this gives a very misleading impression of the effectiveness of different suicide methods .
A 1995 study looked at 4,117 suicide cases in Los Angeles County and found very high “ success ” rates for many methods .
Taking cyanide , jumping from a height , being hit by a train , or hanging oneself had virtually the same likelihoods of success @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shotgun blast to the chest .
There are lots of effective ways for people to commit suicide , and that ’ s why suicides haven ’ t decreased when gun bans have been enacted .
After every mass public shooting , gun control advocates call for “ universal ” background checks that impose scrutiny on the private transfer of guns .
But media outlets don ’ t ask these talking heads to point to one single example of an attack that such a law would have actually stopped .
At least in this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attack that would have been stopped if such a law had been in effect .
Actually , academics are very skeptical of gun control .
The New York Times garnered attention with its 2017 surveys of academics , but it asked only 32 of them -- and the vast majority were public health researchers , with only a few criminologists or economists .
Many respondents had never done empirical research on gun control , let alone published a peer-reviewed paper on the subject .
With Arthur Berg at Harvard and Gary Mauser at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the largest-ever survey of 120 academics who have published such research and found that academics were overall quite skeptical that gun control lowered murder rates or the frequency of mass public shootings .
The differences across the three types of researchers is also very stark .
While criminologists and economists think that getting rid of gun-free zones would stop mass public shootings and that “ red flag ” laws don ’ t help , public health researchers are divided on red flag laws and skeptical about getting rid of gun-free zones .
At @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and ordered to stand down during riots , gun control advocates are pushing as hard as ever to restrict people ’ s right to defend themselves .
Especially in high crime , urban areas , minorities need to have a way of fighting back against crime .
Gun control and restrictions on police are making black lives more vulnerable than they have been in many decades .
[ Editor 's note : This story originally was published by Real Clear Politics . ]

[Editor's note: This story originally was published by Real Clear Politics.]
By John R. Lott Jr.
Real Clear Politics
The push to disarm Americans, such as Pamela and Mark McCloskey of St. Louis, stems from the belief that disarming the public will make us safer. But those beliefs arise from myths perpetrated by the media.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
The news media give people a very skewed view of guns and crime, and push policies that, paradoxically, endanger people’s lives. They do this not only by choosing what crimes to cover (or not cover), but also by the statistics and research that they choose to relay. After the New York Times recently fired its opinion page editor for publishing a conservative viewpoint, it isn’t surprising that news articles have become increasingly selective in what they choose to report.
Here are just five of the three dozen myths that I discuss in my new book, “Gun Control Myths.”
Myth 1: Los Angeles Times: “Why the U.S. is No. 1 — in mass shootings”
This claim is based on one study by Adam Lankford at the University of Alabama. Lankford asserted that the U.S. accounted for 31% of mass public shooters from 1966 to 2012, despite having less than 5% of the world population. But for over four years, he refused requests from both academics and media outlets, including Real Clear Politics, Fox News, and the Washington Post, to release his data. When he finally released his list of cases after I had published an academic paper going through the data, it was clear why he had waited so long. He had over-counted cases in the U.S. and missed thousands of others in the rest of the world.
The United States accounted for just 1% of the shooters — far less than its share of the world population. France, Switzerland, Russia, Finland, and Norway all have substantially higher per capita fatality rates than does the U.S. Indeed, France’s rate is 111% higher than ours. By far, the worst mass public shootings have occurred in Europe.
Americans may be surprised by these numbers, because they hear so little about mass shootings in other countries. The dozens of times in recent years that such shootings are stopped by concealed handgun permit holders is also ignored. Something else the news media won’t tell you: Since 1950, 94% of the mass public shootings have occurred in gun-free zones, places where citizens are banned from having guns.
Myth 2: Gun ownership is declining.
One of media and gun control activists’ favorite claims is that gun ownership is declining (also here). Their go-to survey for this is the General Social Survey. It found that in the early 1970s, over 50% of American households reported owning guns. But by 2018, that was down to 34%.
Tom Smith, who directs the survey, felt that the large drop would “make it easier for politicians to do the right thing on guns.”
The GSS finding is an extreme outlier, however. If you look at the most recent surveys by Quinnipiac University, CNN, PEW, CBS/YouGov, NBC/Wall Street Journal, ABC News/Washington Post, Monmouth University, and Gallup, ownership estimates range from 40% to 46% of American households. These surveys found very similar percentages going back decades.
Still, these surveys probably underestimate the true ownership figure. As much as 9% of households refuse to answer if they own a gun. Even if just 40% of such households own guns, that would add another four percentage points to the totals.
In Illinois, where people are required to have a Firearm Owners Identification card to own a gun, the number of such licenses rose from 1.2 million to 2.3 million between 2005 and 2018. The GSS survey, by contrast, claims that household gun ownership in the state over that same period fell by 300,000.
It’s hard to believe that gun ownership has fallen. The number of concealed handgun permits has exploded, rising from 2.7 million permits in 1999 to 19 million in 2019.
But headlines about a supposed drop in gun ownership are probably intended to make gun owners feel isolated. In fact, having a gun is very much in the American mainstream.
Myth 3: Guns allow people to kill themselves much more easily.
Vox explains: “Perhaps the reason access to guns so strongly contributes to suicides is that guns are much deadlier than alternatives like cutting and poisons.”
But this gives a very misleading impression of the effectiveness of different suicide methods. A 1995 study looked at 4,117 suicide cases in Los Angeles County and found very high “success” rates for many methods. Taking cyanide, jumping from a height, being hit by a train, or hanging oneself had virtually the same likelihoods of success as a gunshot to the head or shotgun blast to the chest.
There are lots of effective ways for people to commit suicide, and that’s why suicides haven’t decreased when gun bans have been enacted.
Myth 4: Background checks stop mass pubic shootings.
After every mass public shooting, gun control advocates call for “universal” background checks that impose scrutiny on the private transfer of guns. But media outlets don’t ask these talking heads to point to one single example of an attack that such a law would have actually stopped.
At least in this century, there is not one single attack that would have been stopped if such a law had been in effect.
Myth 5: Academics think that gun control reduces crime.
Actually, academics are very skeptical of gun control. The New York Times garnered attention with its 2017 surveys of academics, but it asked only 32 of them -- and the vast majority were public health researchers, with only a few criminologists or economists. Many respondents had never done empirical research on gun control, let alone published a peer-reviewed paper on the subject.
With Arthur Berg at Harvard and Gary Mauser at Simon Frazer University, I recently completed the largest-ever survey of 120 academics who have published such research and found that academics were overall quite skeptical that gun control lowered murder rates or the frequency of mass public shootings. The differences across the three types of researchers is also very stark. While criminologists and economists think that getting rid of gun-free zones would stop mass public shootings and that “red flag” laws don’t help, public health researchers are divided on red flag laws and skeptical about getting rid of gun-free zones.
At a time when police are being defunded and ordered to stand down during riots, gun control advocates are pushing as hard as ever to restrict people’s right to defend themselves.
Especially in high crime, urban areas, minorities need to have a way of fighting back against crime. Gun control and restrictions on police are making black lives more vulnerable than they have been in many decades.
[Editor's note: This story originally was published by Real Clear Politics.]


wnd--2020-08-05--Amish face having carriages run into ditch by Gov. Cuomo

[ Editor 's note : This story originally was published by Real Clear Energy . ]
The Swartzentruber Amish community in Cattaraugus County , New York are in danger of having their horse-drawn carriages run into the ditch by Gov .
Andrew Cuomo ’ s all-renewable-energy express train .
That train is barreling out of Albany station and aims to plant huge numbers of wind turbines and solar panels across upstate New York , including the 340-megawatt Alle-Catt wind project .
But the Swartzentruber , who are among the most conservative of the Amish , might derail some of Cuomo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into the climate-change promised land .
And it may be the Amish sect ’ s religious devotion and the First Amendment that does the derailing .
Let me explain .
Last year , New York passed a law requiring the state ’ s utilities to be getting 70 percent of the electricity they sell from renewables by 2030 and to be selling 100 percent “ clean ” electricity a decade later .
Thus , Cuomo wants lots of renewable-energy capacity built in New York and he wants it done as soon as possible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when Cuomo ’ s appointees at the New York State Siting Board rendered a quick 5-0 vote to approve the Alle-Catt project , which if built , would be the biggest non-hydro renewable project in the northeastern U.S .
The owner of the Alle-Catt project -- Chicago-based Invenergy – wants to build 117 turbines each standing approximately 600 feet high , across 30,000 acres ( about 47 square miles ) in Allegany , Cattaraugus , and Wyoming counties .
Invenergy says the $ 550 million project will return some $ 9.1 million per @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 15 or 16 Swartzentruber families in Cattaraugus County don ’ t want the giant wind machines built near their homes or churches .
On that fact rests a big test for the First Amendment rights – and land rights -- of the Swartzentruber .
In a recent interview , Ginger Schröder , a member of the Cattaraugus County Legislature , who lives in Farmersville and is opposed to the wind project , told me that the Swartzentruber take seriously the line in Matthew that says “ ‘ where two or three are gathered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in your midst.
’ To them , that means whenever there is a community gathering , God is amongst them , and they don ’ t need to build a building to the glory of God .
So they worship in their homes , they worship in their barns.
” Earlier this month , lawyers representing the opponents of the Alle-Catt project filed petitions for rehearing with the Siting Board in which they claim that the project will violate the First Amendment rights of the Swartzentruber to practice their religion .
For more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ landowners from Scotland to Hawaii have been fighting the encroachment of wind-energy projects due to concerns about noise , human health , reduction of property values , tourism , and despoliation of ridgetops and viewsheds .
The Alle-Catt case marks the first time opponents have used the First Amendment .
The petitions for rehearing seek to overturn the June 3 vote by the State Siting Board .
The board members , who include New York Public Service Commission chair John B. Rhodes , and New York State Energy Research and Development Authority chairman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ despite the objections of several towns , including Freedom and Farmersville .
At issue in the Alle-Catt case are the religious practices of the Amish as well as the home-rule rights of small communities to determine zoning within their jurisdictions .
The rural backlash in New York against large-scale renewable projects has been so fierce that earlier this year , Cuomo pushed through a measure that allows the state to override the regulations implemented by local governments when siting energy projects .
In a recent phone interview , Farmersville Supervisor Pete Lounsbury -- @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anti-wind platform -- told me that when the town passed its law restricting the size and location of wind turbines , “ We gave the Amish houses greater setbacks in the town law because they are used as places of worship.
” Farmersville ’ s law required a 2,200-foot setback between wind turbines and the Swartzentrubers ’ homes .
Lounsbury said that Cuomo ’ s appointees are “ pushing thru anything that they can and are completely ignoring local opposition ” and the rights of the Swartzentruber .
If the petition for rehearing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said , “ I guess we will have to sue.
” In one of the petitions for rehearing , Gary Abraham , a Great Valley-based lawyer who represents the Coalition of Concerned Citizens , a local group opposed to Alle-Catt , wrote that the Siting Board ’ s June 3 decision made “ no effort to consider a reasonable accommodation ” for the Swartzentruber and rejected “ the town ’ s interpretation and application of its own local law.
” He added that the Swartzentruber refused to lease any of their land @ @ @ @ @ @ @ believe the 600-foot-high turbines will “ adversely affect their ability to continue to live in harmony with the land and with God ” and will “ disrupt their religious ritual and practice.
” The battle over the Alle-Catt project is also about class .
Allegany and Cattaraugus are among the poorest counties in New York .
Of the 62 counties in New York , the two rank 59th and 58th respectively , in median household income .
In Allegany County , the median household income is $ 47,033 .
In Cattaraugus County , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the New York median household income is $ 65,323 .
( Wyoming County ranks 24th in median household income ) .
On July 20 , lawyers representing the Alle-Catt wind project filed a brief in opposition to the petition for rehearing in which they claim that opponents of the wind project don ’ t have standing to represent the Swartzentruber and that “ there is no proof of an ‘ injury in fact ’ ” to the Amish .
It continues , saying “ The record contains no evidence that members of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have their properties , or any buildings , declared a ‘ church ’ or ‘ place of worship ’ for purposes of the Town ’ s zoning law.
” There ’ s no small bit of irony that a handful of Amish families stand in the way of Cuomo ’ s devotion to renewables .
The Swartzentruber don ’ t vote .
They don ’ t file lawsuits .
And they don ’ t use electricity .
Indeed , by nearly every metric that modern society cares about , the Swartzentruber are an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ requires them to shun modern conveniences , may be the thing that saves them from the encroachment of Big Wind .
As Schröder told me this week , “ You don ’ t have to vote to be protected by the First Amendment.
” Robert Bryce is a visiting fellow at the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity , the host of the Power Hungry Podcast , and producer of a new feature-length documentary : Juice : How Electricity Explains the World .
[ Editor 's note : This story originally was published @ @ @ @ @ @

[Editor's note: This story originally was published by Real Clear Energy.]
By Robert Bryce
Real Clear Energy
The Swartzentruber Amish community in Cattaraugus County, New York are in danger of having their horse-drawn carriages run into the ditch by Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s all-renewable-energy express train. That train is barreling out of Albany station and aims to plant huge numbers of wind turbines and solar panels across upstate New York, including the 340-megawatt Alle-Catt wind project.
But the Swartzentruber, who are among the most conservative of the Amish, might derail some of Cuomo’s efforts to turn New York into the climate-change promised land. And it may be the Amish sect’s religious devotion and the First Amendment that does the derailing.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
Let me explain. Last year, New York passed a law requiring the state’s utilities to be getting 70 percent of the electricity they sell from renewables by 2030 and to be selling 100 percent “clean” electricity a decade later. Thus, Cuomo wants lots of renewable-energy capacity built in New York and he wants it done as soon as possible. That was made apparent last month when Cuomo’s appointees at the New York State Siting Board rendered a quick 5-0 vote to approve the Alle-Catt project, which if built, would be the biggest non-hydro renewable project in the northeastern U.S.
The owner of the Alle-Catt project -- Chicago-based Invenergy – wants to build 117 turbines each standing approximately 600 feet high, across 30,000 acres (about 47 square miles) in Allegany, Cattaraugus, and Wyoming counties. Invenergy says the $550 million project will return some $9.1 million per year to local communities.
But the 15 or 16 Swartzentruber families in Cattaraugus County don’t want the giant wind machines built near their homes or churches. On that fact rests a big test for the First Amendment rights – and land rights -- of the Swartzentruber.
In a recent interview, Ginger Schröder, a member of the Cattaraugus County Legislature, who lives in Farmersville and is opposed to the wind project, told me that the Swartzentruber take seriously the line in Matthew that says “‘where two or three are gathered in my name, I will be in your midst.’ To them, that means whenever there is a community gathering, God is amongst them, and they don’t need to build a building to the glory of God. So they worship in their homes, they worship in their barns.”
Earlier this month, lawyers representing the opponents of the Alle-Catt project filed petitions for rehearing with the Siting Board in which they claim that the project will violate the First Amendment rights of the Swartzentruber to practice their religion. For more than a decade, rural governments and landowners from Scotland to Hawaii have been fighting the encroachment of wind-energy projects due to concerns about noise, human health, reduction of property values, tourism, and despoliation of ridgetops and viewsheds. The Alle-Catt case marks the first time opponents have used the First Amendment.
The petitions for rehearing seek to overturn the June 3 vote by the State Siting Board. The board members, who include New York Public Service Commission chair John B. Rhodes, and New York State Energy Research and Development Authority chairman Richard Kauffmann, approved the Alle-Catt project despite the objections of several towns, including Freedom and Farmersville.
At issue in the Alle-Catt case are the religious practices of the Amish as well as the home-rule rights of small communities to determine zoning within their jurisdictions. The rural backlash in New York against large-scale renewable projects has been so fierce that earlier this year, Cuomo pushed through a measure that allows the state to override the regulations implemented by local governments when siting energy projects.
In a recent phone interview, Farmersville Supervisor Pete Lounsbury -- who was elected last November on an anti-wind platform -- told me that when the town passed its law restricting the size and location of wind turbines, “We gave the Amish houses greater setbacks in the town law because they are used as places of worship.” Farmersville’s law required a 2,200-foot setback between wind turbines and the Swartzentrubers’ homes.
Lounsbury said that Cuomo’s appointees are “pushing thru anything that they can and are completely ignoring local opposition” and the rights of the Swartzentruber. If the petition for rehearing on the Alle-Catt project is rejected, he said, “I guess we will have to sue.”
In one of the petitions for rehearing, Gary Abraham, a Great Valley-based lawyer who represents the Coalition of Concerned Citizens, a local group opposed to Alle-Catt, wrote that the Siting Board’s June 3 decision made “no effort to consider a reasonable accommodation” for the Swartzentruber and rejected “the town’s interpretation and application of its own local law.” He added that the Swartzentruber refused to lease any of their land for the wind project and that they believe the 600-foot-high turbines will “adversely affect their ability to continue to live in harmony with the land and with God” and will “disrupt their religious ritual and practice.”
The battle over the Alle-Catt project is also about class. Allegany and Cattaraugus are among the poorest counties in New York. Of the 62 counties in New York, the two rank 59th and 58th respectively, in median household income. In Allegany County, the median household income is $47,033. In Cattaraugus County, it is $47,240. For comparison, the New York median household income is $65,323. (Wyoming County ranks 24th in median household income).
On July 20, lawyers representing the Alle-Catt wind project filed a brief in opposition to the petition for rehearing in which they claim that opponents of the wind project don’t have standing to represent the Swartzentruber and that “there is no proof of an ‘injury in fact’” to the Amish. It continues, saying “The record contains no evidence that members of the Farmersville Amish community have sought to have their properties, or any buildings, declared a ‘church’ or ‘place of worship’ for purposes of the Town’s zoning law.”
There’s no small bit of irony that a handful of Amish families stand in the way of Cuomo’s devotion to renewables. The Swartzentruber don’t vote. They don’t file lawsuits. And they don’t use electricity. Indeed, by nearly every metric that modern society cares about, the Swartzentruber are an anachronism.
But their faith, which requires them to shun modern conveniences, may be the thing that saves them from the encroachment of Big Wind. As Schröder told me this week, “You don’t have to vote to be protected by the First Amendment.”
Robert Bryce is a visiting fellow at the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity, the host of the Power Hungry Podcast, and producer of a new feature-length documentary: Juice: How Electricity Explains the World.
[Editor's note: This story originally was published by Real Clear Energy.]


wnd--2020-08-05--Study actually says transgender surgery makes people more likely to have anxiety disorders

Researchers who conducted the world 's largest study of patients who have undergone sex-reassignment announced last year to much fanfare their conclusion that the surgery reduced the need for mental health treatment .
But over the weekend , the editors of the American Journal of Psychiatry and the authors of the October 2019 paper issued a startling correction , wrote Ryan T. Anderson , a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation .
After a barrage of criticism of their study , the researches now find `` the results demonstrated no advantage of surgery in relation to subsequent mood or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only did the largest dataset on sex-reassignment procedures reveals that such procedures do not bring the promised mental health benefits , it showed patients who had sex-reassignment surgeries did worse in their treatment for anxiety disorders than those who did not .
The study is titled `` Reduction in Mental Health Treatment Utilization Among Transgender Individuals After Gender-Affirming Surgeries : A Total Population Study . ''
`` As the title suggests , the paper claimed that after having had sex-reassignment surgeries , a patient was less likely to need mental health treatment , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` do not bring mental health benefits . ''
The authors now say individuals diagnosed with gender incongruence who had received gender-affirming surgery were more likely to be treated for anxiety disorders compared with individuals diagnosed with gender incongruence who had not received gender-affirming surgery . ''
The correction , he explained , was prompted by `` a deluge of criticisms and letters to the editor . ''
One of the first scholars to raise questions was Mark Regnerus , a professor of sociology at the University of Texas at Austin .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its finding that there were `` no mental health benefits for hormonal interventions in this population . ''
Anderson also pointed out `` that in a dataset of 9.7 million people , the results of the original analysis the authors put forward hinged on the outcomes of just three people . ''
The new conclusions align with what the Obama administration found in 2016 , when the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid said `` the four best designed and conducted studies that assessed quality of life before and after surgery using validated ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ demonstrate clinically significant changes or differences in psychometric test results after GRS [ gender reassignment surgery ] . ''
Anderson said : `` So when the media tout studies that track outcomes only for a few years , and claim that reassignment is a stunning success , there are good grounds for skepticism .
Indeed , it will be interesting to see which media outlets report on this past weekend ’ s correction – and the true results of the study . ''

Researchers who conducted the world's largest study of patients who have undergone sex-reassignment announced last year to much fanfare their conclusion that the surgery reduced the need for mental health treatment.
But over the weekend, the editors of the American Journal of Psychiatry and the authors of the October 2019 paper issued a startling correction, wrote Ryan T. Anderson, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation.
After a barrage of criticism of their study, the researches now find "the results demonstrated no advantage of surgery in relation to subsequent mood or anxiety disorder-related health care."
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
No only did the largest dataset on sex-reassignment procedures reveals that such procedures do not bring the promised mental health benefits, it showed patients who had sex-reassignment surgeries did worse in their treatment for anxiety disorders than those who did not.
The study is titled "Reduction in Mental Health Treatment Utilization Among Transgender Individuals After Gender-Affirming Surgeries: A Total Population Study."
"As the title suggests, the paper claimed that after having had sex-reassignment surgeries, a patient was less likely to need mental health treatment," Anderson said.
But the surgeries "do not bring mental health benefits."
The authors now say individuals diagnosed with gender incongruence who had received gender-affirming surgery were more likely to be treated for anxiety disorders compared with individuals diagnosed with gender incongruence who had not received gender-affirming surgery."
The correction, he explained, was prompted by "a deluge of criticisms and letters to the editor."
One of the first scholars to raise questions was Mark Regnerus, a professor of sociology at the University of Texas at Austin. He noted the study's inconsistencies, including its finding that there were "no mental health benefits for hormonal interventions in this population."
Anderson also pointed out "that in a dataset of 9.7 million people, the results of the original analysis the authors put forward hinged on the outcomes of just three people."
The new conclusions align with what the Obama administration found in 2016, when the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid said "the four best designed and conducted studies that assessed quality of life before and after surgery using validated (albeit non-specific) psychometric studies did not demonstrate clinically significant changes or differences in psychometric test results after GRS [gender reassignment surgery]."
Anderson said: "So when the media tout studies that track outcomes only for a few years, and claim that reassignment is a stunning success, there are good grounds for skepticism. Indeed, it will be interesting to see which media outlets report on this past weekend’s correction – and the true results of the study."