wnd--2020-12-24--Our children could be the heroes future generations read about

A common fear expressed by many over the past few years , and increasingly since the 2020 general election , is concern for the future of children or grandchildren and the world in which they will have to live .
You see it on social media , in comment sections and discussions around the dinner table .
For those of us who work in media , it is a frequent topic of email from our audience .
Months of riots , shocking destruction of public and private property and the breakdown of basic civic order in many cities has a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of our nation will even be in place in the near future , much less what lies beyond for young people and those not yet born .
Everything is going to be OK , though .
As believers , we have the confidence that our children and grandchildren , just like every other generation , are born for the time in which they live .
Our duty is to ensure they have all the tools , knowledge and solid foundation they need to meet the challenges they will face .
When we read @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people and generations who faced great national traumas and overcame their trials .
Just in our own nation 's relatively short history there have been dark and frightening eras through which our ancestors had to struggle .
The American War for Independence , the War Between the States , the Great Depression and World War II are just the biggest examples of times when previous generations faced an uncertain future and rose to the occasion .
Those of us who live in the times between those national tragedies revere and celebrate the successes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their fear and overcame their challenges .
It is why we dedicate monuments to people and events , and commemorate important dates .
Not only as a reminder for generations too young to remember , but also to inspire those who may be called upon to do great things in the future .
As we read accounts of the trials and victories that showed greatness in people and entire generations , we do so from the perspective of knowing how their struggle turned out .
Without exception , though , they faced up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would end .
And that is why they made history .
That is why they are remembered .
That is what makes them heroes .
None of us knows for certain what events are going to unfold , or in what order .
There is a palpable tension in America , though , about what will happen over the next month , year and beyond .
That uncertainty , combined with the unprecedented events of the past year , is fueling the fear of the unknown plaguing so many Americans today .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , time does not pause , and we have no control over the actions of others .
All we can do is the best we can do as events present themselves .
If we can help our families , friends and neighbors along the way , all the better .
TRENDING : Poll : Nearly half of registered voters believe election was fraudulent Rather than be afraid or discouraged about our increasingly uncertain future , we need to see the big picture and recognize our place in time , and understand that our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we can and equip young people for whatever may happen .
If , as some claim , `` our darkest days are ahead of us , '' it should be viewed as both a challenge and an opportunity to reveal greatness .
Our children and grandchildren may have the chance to be the heroes future generations read about .
Content created by the WND News Center is available for re-publication without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience .
For licensing opportunities of our original content , please @ @ @ @ @ @

A common fear expressed by many over the past few years, and increasingly since the 2020 general election, is concern for the future of children or grandchildren and the world in which they will have to live. You see it on social media, in comment sections and discussions around the dinner table. For those of us who work in media, it is a frequent topic of email from our audience. Months of riots, shocking destruction of public and private property and the breakdown of basic civic order in many cities has a lot of Americans questioning if the foundations of our nation will even be in place in the near future, much less what lies beyond for young people and those not yet born.
Everything is going to be OK, though. As believers, we have the confidence that our children and grandchildren, just like every other generation, are born for the time in which they live. Our duty is to ensure they have all the tools, knowledge and solid foundation they need to meet the challenges they will face.
When we read history, we focus on studying those people and generations who faced great national traumas and overcame their trials. Just in our own nation's relatively short history there have been dark and frightening eras through which our ancestors had to struggle. The American War for Independence, the War Between the States, the Great Depression and World War II are just the biggest examples of times when previous generations faced an uncertain future and rose to the occasion. Those of us who live in the times between those national tragedies revere and celebrate the successes of those generations and people who faced their fear and overcame their challenges. It is why we dedicate monuments to people and events, and commemorate important dates. Not only as a reminder for generations too young to remember, but also to inspire those who may be called upon to do great things in the future.
As we read accounts of the trials and victories that showed greatness in people and entire generations, we do so from the perspective of knowing how their struggle turned out. Without exception, though, they faced up to their challenge without knowing how it would end. And that is why they made history. That is why they are remembered. That is what makes them heroes.
None of us knows for certain what events are going to unfold, or in what order. There is a palpable tension in America, though, about what will happen over the next month, year and beyond. That uncertainty, combined with the unprecedented events of the past year, is fueling the fear of the unknown plaguing so many Americans today. But, whether we are ready or not, time does not pause, and we have no control over the actions of others. All we can do is the best we can do as events present themselves. If we can help our families, friends and neighbors along the way, all the better.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
Rather than be afraid or discouraged about our increasingly uncertain future, we need to see the big picture and recognize our place in time, and understand that our duty is to set the best example we can and equip young people for whatever may happen. If, as some claim, "our darkest days are ahead of us," it should be viewed as both a challenge and an opportunity to reveal greatness. Our children and grandchildren may have the chance to be the heroes future generations read about.
Content created by the WND News Center is available for re-publication without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].


wnd--2020-12-23--Getting the vaccine? Here's what you should know

Note : Dr. Orient is executive director of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons , AAPS .
The trucks are rolling , bringing pallets of COVID-19 vaccine to distribution centers .
If you are in the 1A allocation group , you 'll be among the first to get the vaccine .
Should you take some precautions ?
A nurse apparently fainted on live television while touting the vaccine she had just received .
Fortunately , people close by eased her to the floor , so she did not fall and injure herself .
People commonly faint after getting injections @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cause for specific concern about the COVID-19 vaccine .
Just be aware of the possibility and take precautions for at least 15 minutes .
There have been six cases of anaphylactic shock post-vaccine in the U.S. , not all in patients with a history of severe allergic reactions .
A nurse in Alaska spent at least one night in the hospital , as symptoms recurred when the initial treatment wore off .
Symptoms include a rash , wheezing , swollen lips and tongue , and difficulty breathing .
If the airway completely closes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of asphyxiation .
Fortunately , there is effective treatment .
You should get the vaccine only in a place that is staffed and equipped to treat you .
Shots are being given in drive-through `` pods . ''
You are advised to wait for a time in the parking lot before driving away .
Medical personnel will be on the scene .
Consider taking someone with you to be sure that you can summon help in time , in case this rare complication happens to you .
TRENDING : Poll : Nearly half @ @ @ @ @ @ @ After the second injection , most people get mild or moderate systemic symptoms such as fever , fatigue , headache , or achyness .
If you are a workplace supervisor , you might want to stagger the injection schedule so that your staff members are not all absent at once .
Bell 's palsy ( paralysis of half the face ) has occurred in four trial subjects out of about 22,000 who received the Pfizer vaccine ; three of about 15,000 who received the Moderna vaccine ; and one who received the Moderna @ @ @ @ @ @ @ known to cause frequent reactions ) .
Although Pfizer claims this is about the same as the background rate ( 1/10,000 per year ) , this is 2/10,000 within a two to three month period , and is thus 8 to 12 times the annual background – and much higher if the paralysis occurred within a two-week period following the shot .
In most people , Bell 's palsy is temporary , beginning to improve within a few weeks , with complete recovery in six months .
Sufferers need to protect the eye @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID vaccines are not recommended for women who are pregnant or might become pregnant .
How long might a deleterious effect on pregnancy or ability to become pregnant last ?
We may know in a few years .
There simply has not been enough time for long-term effects to emerge .
Antibody-dependent enhancement ( ADE ) could occur in persons who get infected after vaccination .
This has been reported with dengue , respiratory syncytial virus ( RSV ) and related coronaviruses such as SARS-CoV-1 .
Getting vaccinated may keep you from getting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infected with SARS-CoV-2 ( the cause of COVID-19 ) , but may not prevent transmissions to others .
And rare individuals might get sicker due to ADE .
Hence , you need to continue infection-control measures .
Be sure to read and keep the Fact Sheets that come with your vaccine .
You will also have the opportunity to sign up for the smartphone app v-safe , which you can use to tell CDC about any side effects and which will remind you to get your second dose .
For more information on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Guide to COVID Treatment . ''
For a variety of treatment protocols and physician resources , see c19protocols.com .

Note: Dr. Orient is executive director of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, AAPS.
The trucks are rolling, bringing pallets of COVID-19 vaccine to distribution centers. If you are in the 1A allocation group, you'll be among the first to get the vaccine. Should you take some precautions?
A nurse apparently fainted on live television while touting the vaccine she had just received. Fortunately, people close by eased her to the floor, so she did not fall and injure herself. People commonly faint after getting injections, so this may not be a cause for specific concern about the COVID-19 vaccine. Just be aware of the possibility and take precautions for at least 15 minutes.
There have been six cases of anaphylactic shock post-vaccine in the U.S., not all in patients with a history of severe allergic reactions. A nurse in Alaska spent at least one night in the hospital, as symptoms recurred when the initial treatment wore off. Symptoms include a rash, wheezing, swollen lips and tongue, and difficulty breathing. If the airway completely closes off, the untreated patient will die of asphyxiation.
Fortunately, there is effective treatment. You should get the vaccine only in a place that is staffed and equipped to treat you. Shots are being given in drive-through "pods." You are advised to wait for a time in the parking lot before driving away. Medical personnel will be on the scene. Consider taking someone with you to be sure that you can summon help in time, in case this rare complication happens to you.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
After the second injection, most people get mild or moderate systemic symptoms such as fever, fatigue, headache, or achyness. If you are a workplace supervisor, you might want to stagger the injection schedule so that your staff members are not all absent at once.
Bell's palsy (paralysis of half the face) has occurred in four trial subjects out of about 22,000 who received the Pfizer vaccine; three of about 15,000 who received the Moderna vaccine; and one who received the Moderna "placebo" (a meningococcal vaccine known to cause frequent reactions). Although Pfizer claims this is about the same as the background rate (1/10,000 per year), this is 2/10,000 within a two to three month period, and is thus 8 to 12 times the annual background – and much higher if the paralysis occurred within a two-week period following the shot.
In most people, Bell's palsy is temporary, beginning to improve within a few weeks, with complete recovery in six months. Sufferers need to protect the eye that can't close properly.
The COVID vaccines are not recommended for women who are pregnant or might become pregnant. How long might a deleterious effect on pregnancy or ability to become pregnant last? We may know in a few years. There simply has not been enough time for long-term effects to emerge.
Antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) could occur in persons who get infected after vaccination. This has been reported with dengue, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and related coronaviruses such as SARS-CoV-1. Getting vaccinated may keep you from getting mild or severe symptoms if you get infected with SARS-CoV-2 (the cause of COVID-19), but may not prevent transmissions to others. And rare individuals might get sicker due to ADE. Hence, you need to continue infection-control measures.
Be sure to read and keep the Fact Sheets that come with your vaccine. You will also have the opportunity to sign up for the smartphone app v-safe, which you can use to tell CDC about any side effects and which will remind you to get your second dose.
For more information on protecting yourself, see "A Home-Based Guide to COVID Treatment." For a variety of treatment protocols and physician resources, see c19protocols.com.


wnd--2020-12-24--Vote fraud hits close to home for Georgia elections official

( WASHINGTON EXAMINER ) -- Georgia 's outspoken elections manager has clocked hundreds of hours investigating voter fraud and defending @ @ @ @ @ 's election system .
But recently , one case of alleged illegal voting hit a @ @ @ @ @ for Gabriel Sterling .
Sterling said he received a third-party election flier at his house @ @ @ @ @ at the Sandy Spring address to pick up the absentee ballot she requested and to @ @ @ @ @ ensure your vote is counted , '' according to a report from Fox 5 Atlanta @ @ @ @ @ the voter , Meron Fissha , moved to Maryland two years ago after selling her @ @ @ @

(WASHINGTON EXAMINER) -- Georgia's outspoken elections manager has clocked hundreds of hours investigating voter fraud and defending the integrity of the state's election system. But recently, one case of alleged illegal voting hit a little too close to home for Gabriel Sterling.
Sterling said he received a third-party election flier at his house reminding a voter who lived at the Sandy Spring address to pick up the absentee ballot she requested and to "return it quickly to ensure your vote is counted," according to a report from Fox 5 Atlanta.
The problem is that the voter, Meron Fissha, moved to Maryland two years ago after selling her home to Sterling.
Read the full story ›


wnd--2020-12-24--COVID patient accused of killing roommate in hospital

( FOX NEWS ) -- A coronavirus patient is accused of beating his 82-year-old hospital roommate to death with an @ @ @ @ @ Calif. , last week because he was upset with his Catholic prayers , according to @ @ @ @ @ a two-person room at Antelope Valley Hospital with the suspect , 37-year-old Jesse Martinez .
@ @ @ @ @ for COVID-19 , according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff ’ s Department .
The @ @ @ @ @ other , but the elderly victim ’ s praying upset Martinez on the morning of @ @ @ @ @ .
The suspect is accused of grabbing an oxygen tank and pummeling the victim .

(FOX NEWS) -- A coronavirus patient is accused of beating his 82-year-old hospital roommate to death with an oxygen tank in Lancaster, Calif., last week because he was upset with his Catholic prayers, according to authorities.
The victim shared a two-person room at Antelope Valley Hospital with the suspect, 37-year-old Jesse Martinez. They were both undergoing treatment for COVID-19, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
The two did not know each other, but the elderly victim’s praying upset Martinez on the morning of Dec. 17, authorities said. The suspect is accused of grabbing an oxygen tank and pummeling the victim.
Read the full story ›


wnd--2020-12-25--New York could lose U.S. House seat because so many people are fleeing

( NATIONAL PULSE ) – More residents escaped from New York over the last year than from any other state @ @ @ @ @ by the U.S. Census Bureau on Tuesday .
Some 126,355 people hightailed it out of @ @ @ @ @ 2019 and July 2020 , a dip of 0.65 percent , the preliminary figures show @ @ @ @ @ losing locals since 2016 , but the most recent drop was significantly larger than in @ @ @

(NATIONAL PULSE) – More residents escaped from New York over the last year than from any other state, according to estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Tuesday.
Some 126,355 people hightailed it out of the Empire State between July 2019 and July 2020, a dip of 0.65 percent, the preliminary figures show.
New York has been losing locals since 2016, but the most recent drop was significantly larger than in years past.
Read the full story ›


wnd--2020-12-25--Biden team complains Twitter won't transfer Trump followers to new administration's account

Joe Biden 's transition team is complaining that Twitter wo n't transfer millions of followers from the Trump administration to the Biden administration .
`` Twitter 's reluctance to transfer millions of followers from the Trump administration to the Biden administration unnecessarily politicizes what otherwise should be a routine transfer of communication from one administration to the next , '' spokesman Cameron French told CNN .
The Biden team argued the transfer was made from Obama to Trump .
However the Obama account had about 13 million followers while Trump has some 60 million .
In addition , President Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over which he will retain control , has nearly 90 million people following .
TRENDING : Poll : Nearly half of registered voters believe election was fraudulent The existing followers of the Trump administration account will be sent a message that the account is being archived and they have the option of following the new administration .
French said in a statement that it 's all about the executive branch communicating with the nation .
`` Twitter has failed to articulate a clear reason for why they have chosen this abrupt reversal in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a response to CNN , Twitter spokesman Nick Pacilio said Twitter users will be given the choice to follow Biden .
One Twitter user commented that Twitter was doing Biden a favor by sparing his administration of a mass `` unfollowing . ''
Biden 's existing channel has included such statements as `` In the 21st century , 12 years of school is n't enough '' and `` It 's long past time we pay teachers what they deserve . ''
And there was a wish for a Merry Christmas from Biden 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such as `` Trump sucks '' from Stephen King and a claim from Andrea Junker that `` Trump 's malevolence '' cost 332,964 Americans their lives to the COVID pandemic .
Content created by the WND News Center is available for re-publication without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience .
For licensing opportunities of our original content , please contact [ email protected ] .

Joe Biden's transition team is complaining that Twitter won't transfer millions of followers from the Trump administration to the Biden administration.
"Twitter's reluctance to transfer millions of followers from the Trump administration to the Biden administration unnecessarily politicizes what otherwise should be a routine transfer of communication from one administration to the next," spokesman Cameron French told CNN.
The Biden team argued the transfer was made from Obama to Trump. However the Obama account had about 13 million followers while Trump has some 60 million.
In addition, President Trump's personal account, @realDonaldTrump, over which he will retain control, has nearly 90 million people following.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
The existing followers of the Trump administration account will be sent a message that the account is being archived and they have the option of following the new administration.
French said in a statement that it's all about the executive branch communicating with the nation.
"Twitter has failed to articulate a clear reason for why they have chosen this abrupt reversal in policies," French charged.
In a response to CNN, Twitter spokesman Nick Pacilio said Twitter users will be given the choice to follow Biden.
Should Twitter transfer Trump followers to Biden? 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. 2% (5 Votes) 98% (257 Votes)
The Biden camp is now complaining that Twitter not giving them the Trump Admin’s millions of followers “unnecessarily politicizes what otherwise should be a routine transfer of communication” https://t.co/mi2W4fGwqv — Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) December 24, 2020
One Twitter user commented that Twitter was doing Biden a favor by sparing his administration of a mass "unfollowing."
Biden's existing channel has included such statements as "In the 21st century, 12 years of school isn't enough" and "It's long past time we pay teachers what they deserve."
And there was a wish for a Merry Christmas from Biden's dogs.
And he has retweeted comments such as "Trump sucks" from Stephen King and a claim from Andrea Junker that "Trump's malevolence" cost 332,964 Americans their lives to the COVID pandemic.
Uh Joe, if they like you, they'll follow you. Maybe they're just not that into you.https://t.co/YKB7lB9we4 — David Henry (I have zero interest in Parler) (@imau2fan) December 24, 2020
Content created by the WND News Center is available for re-publication without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].


wnd--2020-12-25--Trump commutes sentence of former GOP congressman Steve Stockman

President Trump on Wednesday commuted the 10-year prison sentence of former Republican Rep. Steve Stockman of Texas .
Stockman was convicted in 2018 of misusing funds donated to charities for which he worked .
His supporters argue it took prosecutors four attempts at presenting the case to a grand jury before he was indicted .
Former Reps. Bob McEwen of Ohio and Bob Barr of Georgia were among the many public figures who called for Stockman 's release .
Craig Shirley , a Reagan biographer and presidential historian , contended the charges against Stockman were `` cooked up by Barack @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of retribution . ''
TRENDING : Poll : Nearly half of registered voters believe election was fraudulent Shirley noted Stockman challenged IRS official Lois Lerner for targeting church and tea party groups under President Obama .
`` As a congressman , Steve was a relentless voice against Obama ’ s tactics against conservatives through cronies like Lerner at the IRS , '' he said .
`` When he continued to raise his voice against what was obviously an Obama hit job on conservative nonprofits , Rep. Stockman found himself in the crosshairs of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Alexander contended the charges against Stockman were `` made up , '' noting an Obama judge sentenced him .
Then , while `` every other diabetic over age 60 in his prison was released to home confinement due to COVID-19 , he was not due to political bias , and he ended up contracting the virus . ''
Dozens of conservative leaders asked for Stockman to be given home detention .
L. Brent Bozell of the Media Research Center , James Dobson of the James Dobson Family Institute , former Energy and Interior @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Priests for Life were among the leaders , according to Richard Viguerie 's Conservative HQ .
`` With diabetes and a lung condition , Stockman is among the non-violent , non-sex crime prisoners whose health conditions and the conditions within our federal prison system make them 'sitting ducks ' for a fatal COVID-19 virus infection .
Steve Stockman poses no danger to society , but remaining in prison may be a death sentence for him , '' the petition said .
`` Prisoners with pre-existing bad health conditions are particularly vulnerable to being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and feeding facilities , '' it stated .
`` These prisoners were sentenced for crimes , but the present circumstances literally make them at risk for a death sentence , a punishment that does not fit their crimes .
These prisoners lack advocates on their behalf , and are even treated with contempt by some within the prison and criminal justice system . ''
It said Stockman was serving `` under what many have reason to believe was a political prosecution – using three failed grand juries before a fourth indicted him – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lawlessness at the IRS under Lois Lerner , and corruption in the Ukraine . ''
`` A successful man of intense Christian faith , Steve poses no danger to society , but remaining in prison may be a death sentence for him .
Due to the unusual and extreme length of the judge ’ s sentence , Steve is not eligible for release under the First Step Act , '' the petition said .
Alexander said the case against Stockman should alarm all nonprofits .
`` If you raise money for a nonprofit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the projects you were raising it for , you could go to prison for 10 years .
This is no exaggeration .
This is what happened to former Rep. Steve Stockman of Texas . ''
The central issue was that Stockman raised money from donors for a charity , from which he was paid a salary .
Not all of the planned projects eventually were accomplished , but the donors raised no concerns or objections .
The prosecutors then focused on what Stockman did with his salary , claiming it was an inappropriate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ witnesses for the prosecution , Ben Wetmore , later insisted Stockman is innocent .
Content created by the WND News Center is available for re-publication without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience .
For licensing opportunities of our original content , please contact [ email protected ] .

President Trump on Wednesday commuted the 10-year prison sentence of former Republican Rep. Steve Stockman of Texas.
Stockman was convicted in 2018 of misusing funds donated to charities for which he worked. His supporters argue it took prosecutors four attempts at presenting the case to a grand jury before he was indicted.
Former Reps. Bob McEwen of Ohio and Bob Barr of Georgia were among the many public figures who called for Stockman's release.
Craig Shirley, a Reagan biographer and presidential historian, contended the charges against Stockman were "cooked up by Barack Obama’s minions as a form of retribution."
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
Shirley noted Stockman challenged IRS official Lois Lerner for targeting church and tea party groups under President Obama.
"As a congressman, Steve was a relentless voice against Obama’s tactics against conservatives through cronies like Lerner at the IRS," he said. "When he continued to raise his voice against what was obviously an Obama hit job on conservative nonprofits, Rep. Stockman found himself in the crosshairs of another hit job."
Columnist Rachel Alexander contended the charges against Stockman were "made up," noting an Obama judge sentenced him.
Then, while "every other diabetic over age 60 in his prison was released to home confinement due to COVID-19, he was not due to political bias, and he ended up contracting the virus."
Should former GOP congressman Steve Stockman be released from prison? 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% (93 Votes) 1% (1 Votes)
Dozens of conservative leaders asked for Stockman to be given home detention.
L. Brent Bozell of the Media Research Center, James Dobson of the James Dobson Family Institute, former Energy and Interior Secretary Donald Hodel and Frank Pavone of Priests for Life were among the leaders, according to Richard Viguerie's Conservative HQ.
"With diabetes and a lung condition, Stockman is among the non-violent, non-sex crime prisoners whose health conditions and the conditions within our federal prison system make them 'sitting ducks' for a fatal COVID-19 virus infection. Steve Stockman poses no danger to society, but remaining in prison may be a death sentence for him," the petition said.
"Prisoners with pre-existing bad health conditions are particularly vulnerable to being infected in over-crowded cells, dorms, and feeding facilities," it stated. "These prisoners were sentenced for crimes, but the present circumstances literally make them at risk for a death sentence, a punishment that does not fit their crimes. These prisoners lack advocates on their behalf, and are even treated with contempt by some within the prison and criminal justice system."
It said Stockman was serving "under what many have reason to believe was a political prosecution – using three failed grand juries before a fourth indicted him – for criticizing the Obama administration, the lawlessness at the IRS under Lois Lerner, and corruption in the Ukraine."
"A successful man of intense Christian faith, Steve poses no danger to society, but remaining in prison may be a death sentence for him. Due to the unusual and extreme length of the judge’s sentence, Steve is not eligible for release under the First Step Act," the petition said.
Alexander said the case against Stockman should alarm all nonprofits.
"If you raise money for a nonprofit, but don't finish all of the projects you were raising it for, you could go to prison for 10 years. This is no exaggeration. This is what happened to former Rep. Steve Stockman of Texas."
The central issue was that Stockman raised money from donors for a charity, from which he was paid a salary. Not all of the planned projects eventually were accomplished, but the donors raised no concerns or objections.
The prosecutors then focused on what Stockman did with his salary, claiming it was an inappropriate use of donor money.
A key witnesses for the prosecution, Ben Wetmore, later insisted Stockman is innocent.
Content created by the WND News Center is available for re-publication without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].


wnd--2020-12-25--Pick your favorite version of Christmas season favorite 'Silent Night'

`` Silent Night , '' sung in more than 300 languages on every continent , is 202 years old this Christmas .
Philadelphia radio station WRTI notes it first was sung , with guitar accompaniment , by Austrians attending a Christmas Eve mass in St. Nicholas Church in Oberndorf .
A young priest , Joseph Mohr , wrote the words and Franz Xaver Gruber the melody .
Mohr , on that quiet night in 1818 , played the guitar and sang along with Gruber .
TRENDING : Poll : Nearly half of registered voters believe election was fraudulent An organ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ copy of the song , and it was picked up by traveling folks singers .
In 1834 , it was sung for the King of Prussia , and by 1839 it was at Trinity Church in New York .
`` It was sung in churches , in town squares , even on the battlefield during World War I , when , during a temporary truce on Christmas Eve , soldiers sang carols from home , '' WRTI said .
`` 'Silent Night , ' by 1914 , known around the world , was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ English . ''
Hear the song , in its many version , by top artists : By the Mormon Tabernacle choir and orchestra : By For King and Country :

"Silent Night," sung in more than 300 languages on every continent, is 203 years old this Christmas.
Philadelphia radio station WRTI notes it first was sung, with guitar accompaniment, by Austrians attending a Christmas Eve mass in St. Nicholas Church in Oberndorf.
A young priest, Joseph Mohr, wrote the words and Franz Xaver Gruber the melody.
Mohr, on that quiet night in 1818, played the guitar and sang along with Gruber.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
An organ builder working at the church took a copy of the song, and it was picked up by traveling folks singers. In 1834, it was sung for the King of Prussia, and by 1839 it was at Trinity Church in New York.
"It was sung in churches, in town squares, even on the battlefield during World War I, when, during a temporary truce on Christmas Eve, soldiers sang carols from home," WRTI said. "'Silent Night,' by 1914, known around the world, was sung simultaneously in French, German and English."
Hear the song, in its many version, by top artists:
By Hillsong:
Is Silent Night your favorite Christmas carol? 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. 74% (234 Votes) 26% (81 Votes)
A capella by Pentatonix:
By Kelly Clarkson, Trisha Yearwood and Reba McEntire:
By the Mormon Tabernacle choir and orchestra:
By Carrie Underwood:
By Muan Valte:
By Alan Jackson:
By Bing Crosby:
By For King and Country:
By Cedarmont Kids:
By Jackie Evancho:
On jazz piano:
On acoustic guitar:
By 1,200 singers:
In German:
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wnd--2020-12-25--WATCH:  Worst of media's Trump Derangement Syndrome in 2020

The Media Research Center this week has been highlighting the `` most obnoxious liberal bias of 2020 . ''
On Monday , the focus was journalists fawning over liberal or left-wing icons , on Tuesday it was the media playing politics with the pandemic and Wednesday it was the most rancid quotes attacking Republicans or conservatives who support President Trump .
On Christmas Eve , it 's the media 's Trump Derangement Syndrome .
Among the examples is MSNBC 's Lawrence O ’ Donnell calling Trump `` a Russian operative , CNN 's Christiane Amanpour linking Trump to the Nazis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Chris Matthews and CNN ’ s Jim Acosta , calling the president a `` dictator . ''
TRENDING : Poll : Nearly half of registered voters believe election was fraudulent Last month , on the anniversary of the Kristallnacht pograms against Jews , Amanpour compared Trump 's four years in office to the Nazi `` attack on fact , knowledge , history and truth . ''
In the introduction to her London-based global affairs show , `` Amanpour , '' she noted the 82nd anniversary this week of Kristallnacht , said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shot across the bow of our human civilization that led to genocide against a whole identity . ''
`` And in that tower of burning books , it led to an attack on fact , knowledge , history and truth , '' Amanpour continued as period film footage rolled .
`` After four years of a modern-day assault on those same values by Donald Trump , the Biden-Harris team pledges a return to norms , '' she concluded .
Content created by the WND News Center is available for re-publication without charge to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a large audience .
For licensing opportunities of our original content , please contact [ email protected ] .

The Media Research Center this week has been highlighting the "most obnoxious liberal bias of 2020."
On Monday, the focus was journalists fawning over liberal or left-wing icons, on Tuesday it was the media playing politics with the pandemic and Wednesday it was the most rancid quotes attacking Republicans or conservatives who support President Trump.
On Christmas Eve, it's the media's Trump Derangement Syndrome.
Among the examples is MSNBC's Lawrence O’Donnell calling Trump "a Russian operative, CNN's Christiane Amanpour linking Trump to the Nazis and the many, such as MSNBC’s Chris Matthews and CNN’s Jim Acosta, calling the president a "dictator."
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
Last month, on the anniversary of the Kristallnacht pograms against Jews, Amanpour compared Trump's four years in office to the Nazi "attack on fact, knowledge, history and truth."
In the introduction to her London-based global affairs show, "Amanpour," she noted the 82nd anniversary this week of Kristallnacht, said it was "the Nazis' warning shot across the bow of our human civilization that led to genocide against a whole identity."
"And in that tower of burning books, it led to an attack on fact, knowledge, history and truth," Amanpour continued as period film footage rolled.
"After four years of a modern-day assault on those same values by Donald Trump, the Biden-Harris team pledges a return to norms," she concluded.
Does the mainstream media suffer from Trump Derangement Syndrome? 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% (119 Votes) 1% (1 Votes)
See MRC's "Trump Derangement Syndrome" videos
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wnd--2020-12-24--China restricts electricity use amid coal shortage

( OIL PRICE ) – Despite the swift industrial recovery from the pandemic , factories in areas in China are @ @ @ @ @ residents in several provinces are asked to save electricity , while authorities are turning off @ @ @ @ @ warning of coal shortages this winter .
In at least three provinces in China , @ @ @ @ @ electricity use , saying there could be shortages of coal , The New York Times @ @ @ @ @ time , Chinese authorities vehemently deny that the potential shortages have had anything to do @ @ @ @ @ Australia , which has turned into a true energy trade war , with China banning @ @ @ @ @ of its major suppliers .

(OIL PRICE) – Despite the swift industrial recovery from the pandemic, factories in areas in China are working only part-time, and residents in several provinces are asked to save electricity, while authorities are turning off street lights and billboards, warning of coal shortages this winter.
In at least three provinces in China, authorities have ordered limits on electricity use, saying there could be shortages of coal, The New York Times reports.
At the same time, Chinese authorities vehemently deny that the potential shortages have had anything to do with the diplomatic spat with Australia, which has turned into a true energy trade war, with China banning imports of coal from one of its major suppliers.
Read the full story ›


wnd--2020-12-24--China apparently building foothold in Atlantic less than 100 miles from Florida

( PATRIOT PROJECT ) – For many , the problem of a rising China appears to be an issue for @ @ @ @ @ , despite the meteoric rise of the communist giant ’ s economy , military and @ @ @ @ @ s Republic lacks the basic ability to project power and maintain a force abroad thanks @ @ @ @ @ Now , however , it seems that in the chaos of 2020 , China is @ @ @ @ @ of advanced arms but is actively working on an Atlantic Ocean foothold less than 100 @ @ @ @ @

(PATRIOT PROJECT) – For many, the problem of a rising China appears to be an issue for future generations.
After all, despite the meteoric rise of the communist giant’s economy, military and culture, the People’s Republic lacks the basic ability to project power and maintain a force abroad thanks to its second-rate navy.
Now, however, it seems that in the chaos of 2020, China is not only rapidly increasing production of advanced arms but is actively working on an Atlantic Ocean foothold less than 100 miles from American shores.
Read the full story ›


wnd--2020-12-24--COVID travel ban leaves hundreds of trucks stuck in UK

( DW.COM ) – Hundreds of trucks were stuck in massive traffic jams in the port of Dover on England @ @ @ @ @ , with drivers expressing anger and sadness over the sudden travel ban .
France shut @ @ @ @ @ Kingdom on Sunday , imposing a ban on travel by land , sea , rail @ @ @ @ @ new strain of the coronavirus was discovered in Britain .
The sudden restrictions to prevent @ @ @ @ @ more infectious strain have snarled one of Europe 's most important trade routes .

(DW.COM) – Hundreds of trucks were stuck in massive traffic jams in the port of Dover on England's southern coast on Tuesday, with drivers expressing anger and sadness over the sudden travel ban.
France shut its borders with the United Kingdom on Sunday, imposing a ban on travel by land, sea, rail and air, after a new strain of the coronavirus was discovered in Britain.
The sudden restrictions to prevent the spread of the potentially more infectious strain have snarled one of Europe's most important trade routes.
Read the full story ›


wnd--2020-12-24--Taxpayers on the hook for nearly half of apartment building mortgages

( SCHIFF GOLD ) – This is not the ideal time to own an apartment building .
Millions are struggling @ @ @ @ @ the extension of the federal eviction moratorium through Jan. 31 in the latest stimulus bill @ @ @ @ @ will likely face eviction in the coming months .
According to data released in November @ @ @ @ @ behind on rent or mortgage payments .
Of course , this has a trickle-down effect @ @ @ @ @ pay their rent , that makes it difficult for apartment building owners to keep up @ @ @ @ @ If they default , who 's on the hook ?

(SCHIFF GOLD) – This is not the ideal time to own an apartment building. Millions are struggling to pay rent and despite the extension of the federal eviction moratorium through Jan. 31 in the latest stimulus bill, a lot of people will likely face eviction in the coming months. According to data released in November, 17 million households are behind on rent or mortgage payments.
Of course, this has a trickle-down effect. If renters can't pay their rent, that makes it difficult for apartment building owners to keep up with their mortgage payments. If they default, who's on the hook?
Increasingly, the U.S. taxpayer.
Read the full story ›


wnd--2020-12-24--Shipping container shortage triggers delays for Costco, Honda

( ZEROHEDGE ) – New reports show a shortage of shipping containers in Asia continues to create logistical chaos for @ @ @ @ @ automobiles , electronics , toys , clothes , and personal protective equipment to the world @ @ @ @ @ ending up in the wrong places , producing significant delays that now stretch from factories @ @ @ @ @ highlighted that `` severe shortages '' of containers across Asia has already hit export flows @ @ @ @ @ trade balance – exporting three containers for every one imported recently – and delays in @ @ @ @ @ to the pandemic overseas , a severe shortage is now starting to pinch export flows @ @ @ @ @ global goods move by container , and according to United Nations trade data there are @ @ @ @ @ worldwide . ''

(ZEROHEDGE) – New reports show a shortage of shipping containers in Asia continues to create logistical chaos for Asian companies manufacturing appliances, automobiles, electronics, toys, clothes, and personal protective equipment to the world.
Empty shipping containers are ending up in the wrong places, producing significant delays that now stretch from factories to seaports.
We recently highlighted that "severe shortages" of containers across Asia has already hit export flows: "China's lopsided trade balance – exporting three containers for every one imported recently – and delays in containers returning to China due to the pandemic overseas, a severe shortage is now starting to pinch export flows. Roughly 60% of global goods move by container, and according to United Nations trade data there are close to 180 million containers worldwide."
Read the full story ›


wnd--2020-12-26--Newt Gingrich: 'Alternative worlds' of left and right bode ill for future

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich says that since the Nov. 3 , election , he 's experienced `` a level of outrage and alienation unlike anything I had experienced in more than 60 years involvement in public affairs . ''
In a column for the Washington Times , he said it took several days after the election to `` understand the depth of my own feelings '' after four years of `` watching the left # Resist President Donald Trump and focus entirely on undoing and undermining the 2016 election . ''
The problem , he said , is that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disagreeing with the left within a commonly understood world . ''
`` We live in alternative worlds , '' he wrote .
The left 's establishment world , he said , clashes with `` the populist rebellion which believes we are being destroyed , our liberties are being cancelled and our religions are under assault . ''
He noted that after the 2016 victory of Trump — the `` outsider candidate , who was rough around the edges and in the Andrew Jackson school of controversial assaults on the old order '' — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years later , he said it 's clear that Hillary Clinton 's team `` financed the total lie that fueled this attack , '' referring to the bogus Steele dossier .
The FBI helped Clinton avoid prosecution while seeking to destroy Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn and spying on the Trump campaign , using the dossier as its primary evidence .
`` The national liberal media aided and abetted every step of the way .
All this was purely an attempt to cripple the new president and lead to the appointment of a special @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' he said .
Now , conservatives are being told to stop resisting and cooperate with the new president .
He recalled the Washington Post published a story on Democratic impeachment plots on Trump 's first day in office , and nearly 70 Democratic lawmakers boycotted his inauguration .
`` A massive left-wing demonstration was staged in Washington the day after , where Madonna announced she dreamed of blowing up the White House to widespread applause , '' Gingrich wrote .
And yet , he said , these `` same forces want me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Gingrich explained he 's `` not reacting to the votes so much as to the whole election environment . ''
He noted establishment media ignored the explosive New York Post stories about Joe Biden 's son receiving $ 5 million from an entity controlled by America 's No .
1 adversary , China .
`` It was a blatant payoff , and most Americans who voted for Mr. Biden never heard of it — or were told before the election it was Russian disinformation , '' he said .
`` Once they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said they would have switched their votes , according to a poll by the Media Research Center .
That ’ s the entire election .
The censorship worked exactly as intended . ''
Gingrich also pointed to the $ 400 million that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerburg pumped into Democratic strongholds `` without any regard to election spending laws or good governance standards . ''
Then there 's Apple , like many global corporate giants , adhering to a rule of never irritating China .
The election was `` the final straw in creating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and deepening for many millions of Americans . ''
`` Aside from a constant stream of allegations of outright fraud , there are some specific outrages — any one of which was likely enough to swing the entire election , '' he said .
Officials in key swing state broke their own laws to send out millions of ballots or ballot applications to every registered voter then suspended normal requirements for verifying absentee ballots .
In addition , establishment media blamed Trump for the global pandemic `` even as he did literally everything @ @ @ @ @ @ @ multiple debates , the moderators outright stated that he was lying about the U.S. having a vaccine before the end of the year ( note Vice President Mike Pence received it this week ) .
If Americans had known the pandemic was almost over , that too was likely the difference in the election , '' he said .
And the anti-Trump debate commission canceled the second debate at a critical time .
`` If there had been one more debate like the final one , it likely would have been pivotal , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the beginning , he said , but `` any one of those things alone is enough for Trump supporters to think we have been robbed by a ruthless establishment — which is likely to only get more corrupt and aggressive if it gets away with these blatant acts . ''
`` For more than four years , the entire establishment mobilized against the elected president of the United States as though they were an immune system trying to kill a virus .
Now , they are telling us we are undermining democracy , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this in genuine sorrow , because I think we are headed toward a serious , bitter struggle in America , '' Gingrich concluded .
`` This extraordinary , coordinated four-year power grab threatens the fabric of our country and the freedom of every American . ''
Content created by the WND News Center is available for re-publication without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience .
For licensing opportunities of our original content , please contact [ email protected ] .

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich says that since the Nov. 3, election, he's experienced "a level of outrage and alienation unlike anything I had experienced in more than 60 years involvement in public affairs."
In a column for the Washington Times, he said it took several days after the election to "understand the depth of my own feelings" after four years of "watching the left #Resist President Donald Trump and focus entirely on undoing and undermining the 2016 election."
The problem, he said, is that he and other conservatives "are not disagreeing with the left within a commonly understood world."
"We live in alternative worlds," he wrote.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
The left's establishment world, he said, clashes with "the populist rebellion which believes we are being destroyed, our liberties are being cancelled and our religions are under assault."
He noted that after the 2016 victory of Trump — the "outsider candidate, who was rough around the edges and in the Andrew Jackson school of controversial assaults on the old order" — the Democrats blamed the Russians.
Four years later, he said it's clear that Hillary Clinton's team "financed the total lie that fueled this attack," referring to the bogus Steele dossier. The FBI helped Clinton avoid prosecution while seeking to destroy Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn and spying on the Trump campaign, using the dossier as its primary evidence.
"The national liberal media aided and abetted every step of the way. All this was purely an attempt to cripple the new president and lead to the appointment of a special counsel — who ultimately produced nothing," he said.
Are the 'alternative worlds' of left and right boding ill for the future? 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. 98% (187 Votes) 2% (3 Votes)
Now, conservatives are being told to stop resisting and cooperate with the new president.
He recalled the Washington Post published a story on Democratic impeachment plots on Trump's first day in office, and nearly 70 Democratic lawmakers boycotted his inauguration.
"A massive left-wing demonstration was staged in Washington the day after, where Madonna announced she dreamed of blowing up the White House to widespread applause," Gingrich wrote.
And yet, he said, these "same forces want me to cooperate with their new president."
Gingrich explained he's "not reacting to the votes so much as to the whole election environment."
He noted establishment media ignored the explosive New York Post stories about Joe Biden's son receiving $5 million from an entity controlled by America's No. 1 adversary, China.
"It was a blatant payoff, and most Americans who voted for Mr. Biden never heard of it — or were told before the election it was Russian disinformation," he said.
"Once they did hear of it, 17% said they would have switched their votes, according to a poll by the Media Research Center. That’s the entire election. The censorship worked exactly as intended."
Gingrich also pointed to the $400 million that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerburg pumped into Democratic strongholds "without any regard to election spending laws or good governance standards." Then there's Apple, like many global corporate giants, adhering to a rule of never irritating China.
The election was "the final straw in creating the crisis of confidence which is accelerating and deepening for many millions of Americans."
"Aside from a constant stream of allegations of outright fraud, there are some specific outrages — any one of which was likely enough to swing the entire election," he said.
Officials in key swing state broke their own laws to send out millions of ballots or ballot applications to every registered voter then suspended normal requirements for verifying absentee ballots.
In addition, establishment media blamed Trump for the global pandemic "even as he did literally everything top scientists instructed."
"In multiple debates, the moderators outright stated that he was lying about the U.S. having a vaccine before the end of the year (note Vice President Mike Pence received it this week). If Americans had known the pandemic was almost over, that too was likely the difference in the election," he said.
And the anti-Trump debate commission canceled the second debate at a critical time.
"If there had been one more debate like the final one, it likely would have been pivotal," Gingrich said.
That's only the beginning, he said, but "any one of those things alone is enough for Trump supporters to think we have been robbed by a ruthless establishment — which is likely to only get more corrupt and aggressive if it gets away with these blatant acts."
"For more than four years, the entire establishment mobilized against the elected president of the United States as though they were an immune system trying to kill a virus. Now, they are telling us we are undermining democracy," he said.
"I write this in genuine sorrow, because I think we are headed toward a serious, bitter struggle in America," Gingrich concluded. "This extraordinary, coordinated four-year power grab threatens the fabric of our country and the freedom of every American."
Content created by the WND News Center is available for re-publication without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].


wnd--2020-12-26--WATCH Muslim singer's threats: 'We'll put an end to your existence'

More than 20 million viewers have watched a Palestinian singer threaten the lives of his listeners with a throat-cutting motion and more .
The video , posted Oct. 12 , was still on YouTube at the time this article was published Monday .
Palestinian Media Watch said the Gazan singer , Abdallah Saaideh , calls for `` a fierce war , '' presumably against Israel , warning that anyone who `` crosses the border '' will be killed .
Target identified and the machine gun is ready Prepare the shrouds , bring them to the funerals And ask the battlefield @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time has come for a fierce war When we enter it , we will teach them a lesson… Declare readiness with the sound of rifles The armies are arranged in lines and waving the flags… The smell of gunpowder is more pleasant than perfume… O my people of the tents , in war they are a troop of soldiers… Whoever fights them endangers his life Don ’ t get yourself in trouble , ask your ancestors .
Shut up and don ’ t cross the border If you cross it , we ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Saaideh was praised by Palestinian Authority official Laila Ghannam , the Ramallah and El-Bireh District governor , PMW noted .
Ghannam invited Saaideh to meet with her while he was in the West Bank for medical reasons .
In a post on Ghannam 's official Facebook page , the singer and his song were mentioned in connection with `` the Palestinian popular artistic heritage . ''
The Facebook post said Ghannam praised that `` heritage and all the efforts whose goal is to preserve it , pass it on to the coming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ here and abroad . ''
The singer had a garage of exotic cars and motorcycles for his backdrop , with a gun and bullets for props .
Content created by the WND News Center is available for re-publication without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience .
For licensing opportunities of our original content , please contact [ email protected ] .

More than 20 million viewers have watched a Palestinian singer threaten the lives of his listeners with a throat-cutting motion and more.
The video, posted Oct. 12, was still on YouTube at the time this article was published Monday.
See the video:
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
Palestinian Media Watch said the Gazan singer, Abdallah Saaideh, calls for "a fierce war," presumably against Israel, warning that anyone who "crosses the border" will be killed.
The lyrics:
Target identified and the machine gun is ready
Prepare the shrouds, bring them to the funerals
And ask the battlefield about the people of miracles.
The time has come for a fierce war
When we enter it, we will teach them a lesson…
Declare readiness with the sound of rifles
The armies are arranged in lines and waving the flags…
The smell of gunpowder is more pleasant than perfume…
O my people of the tents, in war they are a troop of soldiers…
Whoever fights them endangers his life
Don’t get yourself in trouble, ask your ancestors.
Shut up and don’t cross the border
If you cross it, we’ll put an end to your existence.
Saaideh was praised by Palestinian Authority official Laila Ghannam, the Ramallah and El-Bireh District governor, PMW noted.
Should singers be making threats? 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. 1% (2 Votes) 99% (172 Votes)
Ghannam invited Saaideh to meet with her while he was in the West Bank for medical reasons.
In a post on Ghannam's official Facebook page, the singer and his song were mentioned in connection with "the Palestinian popular artistic heritage."
The Facebook post said Ghannam praised that "heritage and all the efforts whose goal is to preserve it, pass it on to the coming generations, and instill knowledge about it here and abroad."
The singer had a garage of exotic cars and motorcycles for his backdrop, with a gun and bullets for props.
Content created by the WND News Center is available for re-publication without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].


wnd--2020-12-26--Report: 'Stable' Antarctica feels 50,000 quakes in 3 months

Scientists at the University of Chile 's Seismological Center say that Antarctica , normally a stable region of the world , has had thousands of earthquakes in just the last three months .
The estimates range from 30,000 to 50,000 , with some measuring less than 1 on the Richter scale .
Others are up to 6 , reported Israel365 News .
`` The Antarctic is characteristically seismically stable leading geologists to joke that an earthquake would shake all of the people in the world down to the icy peninsula at the globe 's bottom , '' the report noted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ belied that statement with an unprecedented 30,000-50,000 tremors shaking the Antarctic in the past three months , all concentrated in one spot . ''
The spot is the Bransfield Strait , a 60-mile-wide body of water extending for some 300 miles .
The report explained that before the quakes , the strait was expanding by about one-third of an inch per year .
Now it 's moving at six inches annually .
`` Most of the seismicity is concentrated at the beginning of the sequence , mainly during the month of September , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day , '' the Seismological Center said .
The area already is under scrutiny for its melting ice cap , and some have suggested buried volcanoes could be a reason .
If there are volcanoes , they also could explain the seismic activity and the huge chunks of ice falling off of ice floes into the ocean .
`` It is also possible that the shaking is being caused by methane vents opening up .
Earlier this year , a team of researchers with Oregon State University has confirmed the first active leak @ @ @ @ @ @ @ situated in the Ross Sea .
Scientists believe that there is a large amount of methane sealed beneath the ocean floor off the coast of Antarctica , '' the report said .
Content created by the WND News Center is available for re-publication without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience .
For licensing opportunities of our original content , please contact [ email protected ] .

Scientists at the University of Chile's Seismological Center say that Antarctica, normally a stable region of the world, has had thousands of earthquakes in just the last three months.
The estimates range from 30,000 to 50,000, with some measuring less than 1 on the Richter scale. Others are up to 6, reported Israel365 News.
"The Antarctic is characteristically seismically stable leading geologists to joke that an earthquake would shake all of the people in the world down to the icy peninsula at the globe's bottom," the report noted. "But the past season has belied that statement with an unprecedented 30,000-50,000 tremors shaking the Antarctic in the past three months, all concentrated in one spot."
The spot is the Bransfield Strait, a 60-mile-wide body of water extending for some 300 miles.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
The report explained that before the quakes, the strait was expanding by about one-third of an inch per year. Now it's moving at six inches annually.
"Most of the seismicity is concentrated at the beginning of the sequence, mainly during the month of September, with more than a thousand earthquakes a day," the Seismological Center said.
The area already is under scrutiny for its melting ice cap, and some have suggested buried volcanoes could be a reason.
If there are volcanoes, they also could explain the seismic activity and the huge chunks of ice falling off of ice floes into the ocean.
Is Antarctica destabilizing? 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. 73% (260 Votes) 27% (95 Votes)
"It is also possible that the shaking is being caused by methane vents opening up. Earlier this year, a team of researchers with Oregon State University has confirmed the first active leak of sea-bed methane discovered at McMurdo Sound situated in the Ross Sea. Scientists believe that there is a large amount of methane sealed beneath the ocean floor off the coast of Antarctica," the report said.
Content created by the WND News Center is available for re-publication without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].


wnd--2020-12-26--China using green agenda to gain advantage over America

[ Editor 's note : This story originally was published by Real Clear Energy . ]
Shortly before the Soviet Union collapsed , Greenpeace opened an office in Moscow .
It enjoyed the patronage of a leading member of the Soviet Academy of Sciences and enjoyed Kremlin funding , laundered through a state-owned record company .
The green activist group made clear that it would have nothing to do with environmental groups in the Baltic republics .
Recycling standard Soviet propaganda , Greenpeace denounced them as little more than separatist organizations .
This was by no means a one-off .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ fought on the wrong side of the Cold War .
In the early 1980s , it used the “ nuclear winter ” scare to try to stop Ronald Reagan ’ s nuclear build-up and undermine the West ’ s ability to negotiate the arms agreement that effectively ended the Cold War .
It turns out that nuclear winter had been concocted by the KGB and transmitted to America by executives of the Rockefeller Family Fund .
A nuclear winter conference held in 1983 was supported by 31 environmental groups , including the Environmental @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and the Natural Resources Defense Council ( NRDC ) .
This pattern , wherein the West ’ s enemies use the environmental movement – whether NGOs like Greenpeace , foundations , or “ concerned scientists , ” to undermine Western interests – is now being repeated , this time in respect to China .
A report by Patricia Adams for the London-based Global Warming Policy Foundation released earlier this month lays bare the role of the green movement in acting as China ’ s propagandists .
Since Xi Jinping became general secretary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ago , almost everyone who believed China ’ s communist regime would become more benign internally and less threatening externally has revised his opinion – everyone , that is , apart from climate activists .
“ Rather than becoming cautious about China ’ s role in the world , these groups lavish it with praise for its environmental efforts , ” Adams notes .
NRDC ’ s head of Asia strategy , Barbara Finamore , has even written a book , Will China Save the Planet ?
Perhaps the only surprise is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is based on hydrocarbons , which generate 86 % of primary energy consumption .
China added 11.4 gigawatts of new coal capacity in the first six months of 2020 ( by contrast , the whole of 2019 saw 15.1 GW of coal capacity retired in the U.S. ) .
Chinese state-owned utilities are expanding their coal fleets by about 10 % over the next five years .
Beijing is investing heavily in oil-refining capacity and now has the largest refining capacity after the U.S. China is also the world ’ s largest importer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Russia ’ s Gazprom ensures that China will import an average of 1.3 trillion cubic feet of natural gas a year through the newly constructed , 1,875-mile Power of Siberia pipeline to December 2049 .
( For comparison , last year Gazprom supplied 2.0 TCF of gas to Germany through multiple pipelines ) .
Additionally , China is expanding output from its coal mines to feed ( at an estimated cost of $ 90 billion ) 35 coal-to-chemicals projects – a technology more carbon-intensive than conventional petrochemical production .
According to its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Paris Agreement , China aims to peak carbon dioxide emissions around 2030 .
Beijing therefore has an incentive to ramp up its greenhouse gas emissions in the current decade to bank the maximum possible peak .
But the billions that China is pouring into new , long-lived carbon-emitting assets demonstrates the worthlessness of China ’ s accompanying NDC pledge to make “ best efforts ” to peak emissions before 2030 .
A western country so flagrantly in breach of its Paris commitments would be slammed by green NGOs as a climate criminal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Prioritizing sustainability will cement China ’ s legacy as it assumes a larger role on the global stage , ” declared Greenpeace .
This is more than deluded wish fulfillment .
Adams shows how a 2017 law governing green NGOs has turned these organizations into propaganda tools of the regime .
They now must be sponsored by a designated agency or government department that monitors and supervises their activities , and they must submit annual workplans and budgets to these bodies .
Failure to comply can result in seizure of assets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ban from conducting activities in China for five years – with no right of appeal .
Beijing doesn ’ t even need to pay for the propaganda work it wants to do inside the United States .
The San Francisco-based NGO , Energy Foundation China , has disbursed over $ 330 million to U.S. registered organizations operating in China , funding provided by multibillion-dollar foundations such as the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation .
The CEO of Energy Foundation China is Ji Zou , a Chinese national @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ China is a big country and other countries are small countries , and that ’ s just a fact , ” Beijing ’ s foreign minister , Yang Jiechi famously told a meeting of South East Asian nations in 2010 .
During the Cold War , Sweden , a small country , found itself precariously balanced between East and West .
Hoping to transcend East-West tensions , it embraced environmentalism and preened as a moral superpower .
In 1972 , Sweden hosted the first UN conference on the environment , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It later led the push on climate change .
But the underlying geopolitical realities of the Cold War were not dissolved – or even much affected – by holding conferences on environmental doom .
China is a great power using global warming to advance its geopolitical interests .
Unlike the Soviet Union ’ s sclerotic economy , China ’ s is far from a state of collapse .
Indeed , China is likely to be the only major economy to emerge larger at the end of 2020 than at the beginning .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ strategic opportunity .
Decarbonizing the rest of the world makes China ’ s economy stronger – it weakens its rivals ’ economies , reduces the cost of energy for its hydrocarbon-hungry economy , and sinks energy-poor India as a potential Indo-Pacific rival .
The question for the incoming Biden administration concerns how America should respond : As a small country , or as a great power ?
Climate change is a national security threat , but not in the way that the national security establishment thinks .
Obsessive focus on climate change threatens @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by desensitizing national security professionals to geopolitical realities and subordinating them to the illusion of planetary salvation .
China and its NGO allies won ’ t do anything to disabuse them of that illusion .
Rupert Darwall is a senior fellow of the RealClear Foundation and author of Green Tyranny .
[ Editor 's note : This story originally was published by Real Clear Energy . ]

[Editor's note: This story originally was published by Real Clear Energy.]
By Rupert Darwall
Real Clear Energy
Shortly before the Soviet Union collapsed, Greenpeace opened an office in Moscow. It enjoyed the patronage of a leading member of the Soviet Academy of Sciences and enjoyed Kremlin funding, laundered through a state-owned record company. The green activist group made clear that it would have nothing to do with environmental groups in the Baltic republics. Recycling standard Soviet propaganda, Greenpeace denounced them as little more than separatist organizations.
This was by no means a one-off. The inconvenient truth: the environmental movement fought on the wrong side of the Cold War. In the early 1980s, it used the “nuclear winter” scare to try to stop Ronald Reagan’s nuclear build-up and undermine the West’s ability to negotiate the arms agreement that effectively ended the Cold War. It turns out that nuclear winter had been concocted by the KGB and transmitted to America by executives of the Rockefeller Family Fund. A nuclear winter conference held in 1983 was supported by 31 environmental groups, including the Environmental Defense Fund, Friends of the Earth, and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
This pattern, wherein the West’s enemies use the environmental movement – whether NGOs like Greenpeace, foundations, or “concerned scientists,” to undermine Western interests – is now being repeated, this time in respect to China. A report by Patricia Adams for the London-based Global Warming Policy Foundation released earlier this month lays bare the role of the green movement in acting as China’s propagandists.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
Since Xi Jinping became general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party eight years ago, almost everyone who believed China’s communist regime would become more benign internally and less threatening externally has revised his opinion – everyone, that is, apart from climate activists. “Rather than becoming cautious about China’s role in the world, these groups lavish it with praise for its environmental efforts,” Adams notes. NRDC’s head of Asia strategy, Barbara Finamore, has even written a book, Will China Save the Planet? Perhaps the only surprise is the question mark.
China’s economy is based on hydrocarbons, which generate 86% of primary energy consumption. China added 11.4 gigawatts of new coal capacity in the first six months of 2020 (by contrast, the whole of 2019 saw 15.1 GW of coal capacity retired in the U.S.). Chinese state-owned utilities are expanding their coal fleets by about 10% over the next five years. Beijing is investing heavily in oil-refining capacity and now has the largest refining capacity after the U.S. China is also the world’s largest importer of natural gas.
A 2014 deal with Russia’s Gazprom ensures that China will import an average of 1.3 trillion cubic feet of natural gas a year through the newly constructed, 1,875-mile Power of Siberia pipeline to December 2049. (For comparison, last year Gazprom supplied 2.0 TCF of gas to Germany through multiple pipelines). Additionally, China is expanding output from its coal mines to feed (at an estimated cost of $90 billion) 35 coal-to-chemicals projects – a technology more carbon-intensive than conventional petrochemical production.
According to its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement, China aims to peak carbon dioxide emissions around 2030. Beijing therefore has an incentive to ramp up its greenhouse gas emissions in the current decade to bank the maximum possible peak. But the billions that China is pouring into new, long-lived carbon-emitting assets demonstrates the worthlessness of China’s accompanying NDC pledge to make “best efforts” to peak emissions before 2030.
Is China using the green agenda to gain an advantage over America? 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. 97% (119 Votes) 3% (4 Votes)
A western country so flagrantly in breach of its Paris commitments would be slammed by green NGOs as a climate criminal imperiling planetary survival. China is different. “Prioritizing sustainability will cement China’s legacy as it assumes a larger role on the global stage,” declared Greenpeace. This is more than deluded wish fulfillment. Adams shows how a 2017 law governing green NGOs has turned these organizations into propaganda tools of the regime. They now must be sponsored by a designated agency or government department that monitors and supervises their activities, and they must submit annual workplans and budgets to these bodies. Failure to comply can result in seizure of assets, detention of staff, and a ban from conducting activities in China for five years – with no right of appeal.
Beijing doesn’t even need to pay for the propaganda work it wants to do inside the United States. The San Francisco-based NGO, Energy Foundation China, has disbursed over $330 million to U.S. registered organizations operating in China, funding provided by multibillion-dollar foundations such as the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The CEO of Energy Foundation China is Ji Zou, a Chinese national and former government official and climate negotiator.
“China is a big country and other countries are small countries, and that’s just a fact,” Beijing’s foreign minister, Yang Jiechi famously told a meeting of South East Asian nations in 2010. During the Cold War, Sweden, a small country, found itself precariously balanced between East and West. Hoping to transcend East-West tensions, it embraced environmentalism and preened as a moral superpower. In 1972, Sweden hosted the first UN conference on the environment, which led to UN treaties on acid rain. It later led the push on climate change. But the underlying geopolitical realities of the Cold War were not dissolved – or even much affected – by holding conferences on environmental doom.
China is a great power using global warming to advance its geopolitical interests. Unlike the Soviet Union’s sclerotic economy, China’s is far from a state of collapse. Indeed, China is likely to be the only major economy to emerge larger at the end of 2020 than at the beginning. For China, climate change offers a strategic opportunity. Decarbonizing the rest of the world makes China’s economy stronger – it weakens its rivals’ economies, reduces the cost of energy for its hydrocarbon-hungry economy, and sinks energy-poor India as a potential Indo-Pacific rival.
The question for the incoming Biden administration concerns how America should respond: As a small country, or as a great power? Climate change is a national security threat, but not in the way that the national security establishment thinks. Obsessive focus on climate change threatens the vital interests of the United States by desensitizing national security professionals to geopolitical realities and subordinating them to the illusion of planetary salvation. China and its NGO allies won’t do anything to disabuse them of that illusion.
Rupert Darwall is a senior fellow of the RealClear Foundation and author of Green Tyranny.
[Editor's note: This story originally was published by Real Clear Energy.]


wnd--2020-12-26--WHO pledges not to find 'guilty' party during coronavirus investigation in China

A team of scientists leading a World Health Organization mission to China to investigate the origins of the novel coronavirus is not looking to assign guilt to the communist regime over its failure to prevent the pandemic , a member of the delegation says .
“ This is not about finding a guilty country or a guilty authority , ” Fabian Leendertz , a scientist at the Robert Koch Institute , Germany ’ s infectious disease agency , told Agence France-Presse ( AFP ) , the French media outlet .
“ This is about understanding what happened to avoid that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ risk.
” Leendertz and a team of 10 other scientists will visit Wuhan , China in January to investigate how the virus jumped from animals to humans , according to AFP .
Most scientists believe that the virus transmitted from an animal to a human at one of Wuhan ’ s open-air food markets .
Western health officials have long criticized the Chinese government for doing little to regulate the food markets , which can be breeding grounds for viruses like the coronavirus .
Health officials in the U.S. have accused the World @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to confront Chinese leaders for withholding information about the coronavirus early on in the pandemic .
The WHO said in a statement citing Chinese officials on Jan. 14 that there was no evidence that the virus spread from person-to-person contact .
That assurance , which is now known to be false , likely slowed the response of health officials outside China at a crucial point in the pandemic .
Preliminary investigations conducted by the Chinese authorities have found no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission of the novel # coronavirus ( 2019-nCoV ) identified @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
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?
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?
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pic.twitter.com/Fnl5P877VG Bruce Aylward , a WHO official who led a fact-finding mission to China in February , also claimed based on information obtained by local health officials that the coronavirus was likely not transmitted easily by asymptomatic carriers .
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently estimated that more than half of people infected with coronavirus are asymptomatic or show few symptoms .
Aylward came under scrutiny in March after he cut off an interview with a reporter who implied that Taiwan is independent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Taiwan ’ s independence .
Citing WHO ’ s obsequious response to China ’ s deception , President Donald Trump said this summer he would cut off funding to WHO .
President-elect Joe Biden has promised to restore that funding when he takes office .
Leendertz asserted that Chinese government officials are “ really interested in finding out what happened ” at the beginning of the pandemic .
“ The meetings we had so far with Chinese colleagues were really productive and very good , ” Leendertz told AFP .
This story originally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Foundation .
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience .
For licensing opportunities of our original content , please contact [ email protected ]

By Katrina Haydon
Daily Caller News Foundation
A team of scientists leading a World Health Organization mission to China to investigate the origins of the novel coronavirus is not looking to assign guilt to the communist regime over its failure to prevent the pandemic, a member of the delegation says.
“This is not about finding a guilty country or a guilty authority,” Fabian Leendertz, a scientist at the Robert Koch Institute, Germany’s infectious disease agency, told Agence France-Presse (AFP), the French media outlet.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
“This is about understanding what happened to avoid that in the future, to reduce the risk.”
Leendertz and a team of 10 other scientists will visit Wuhan, China in January to investigate how the virus jumped from animals to humans, according to AFP.
Most scientists believe that the virus transmitted from an animal to a human at one of Wuhan’s open-air food markets. Western health officials have long criticized the Chinese government for doing little to regulate the food markets, which can be breeding grounds for viruses like the coronavirus.
Health officials in the U.S. have accused the World Health Organization (WHO) of failing to confront Chinese leaders for withholding information about the coronavirus early on in the pandemic.
Will the WHO deliberately avoid pinning guilt on China for the pandemic? 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. 100% (90 Votes) 0% (0 Votes)
The WHO said in a statement citing Chinese officials on Jan. 14 that there was no evidence that the virus spread from person-to-person contact. That assurance, which is now known to be false, likely slowed the response of health officials outside China at a crucial point in the pandemic.
Preliminary investigations conducted by the Chinese authorities have found no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission of the novel #coronavirus (2019-nCoV) identified in #Wuhan, #China????????. pic.twitter.com/Fnl5P877VG
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) January 14, 2020
Bruce Aylward, a WHO official who led a fact-finding mission to China in February, also claimed based on information obtained by local health officials that the coronavirus was likely not transmitted easily by asymptomatic carriers.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently estimated that more than half of people infected with coronavirus are asymptomatic or show few symptoms.
Aylward came under scrutiny in March after he cut off an interview with a reporter who implied that Taiwan is independent from China. The Chinese government disputes Taiwan’s independence.
Citing WHO’s obsequious response to China’s deception, President Donald Trump said this summer he would cut off funding to WHO. President-elect Joe Biden has promised to restore that funding when he takes office.
Leendertz asserted that Chinese government officials are “really interested in finding out what happened” at the beginning of the pandemic.
“The meetings we had so far with Chinese colleagues were really productive and very good,” Leendertz told AFP.
This story originally was published by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].


wnd--2020-12-25--Christmas is a message of feminist empowerment?

I think I finally got it .
I think I finally understand why progressives dislike Christmas as a faith celebration .
It 's because it 's so difficult to twist biblical characters into politically correct roles .
From dissing the Patriarchs for being , well , Patriarchs , to trying to portray Jesus as gay , progressives have twisted themselves into pretzels to revamp the Good Book as a Woke Book .
I 'm sure you 've already heard the weary ( and roundly debunked ) arguments that Joseph , Mary and Jesus were homeless/refugees/immigrants ( take your pick ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ orders to report for taxation .
Or how about a bishop for the Church of Sweden who is developing a new Bible for children because the old ones did n't have a sufficient `` gender and diversity perspective '' ?
And now we have another attempt , this one by a progressive female pastor with the United Church of Christ , who tweeted : `` Christmas season is about God choosing a woman to lead a revolution of re-organizing the structures of societal power by her leadership , tenderness , and faith .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to unlearn broken patterns of thinking . ''
Of course , in the ultimate portrayal of feminist `` empowerment , '' Mary would have done away with Jesus before He was even born .
In 2017 , feminists in Argentina carried out a shocking `` performance art '' in which they portrayed that precise scenario .
`` They literally want to abort Jesus off the face of the earth in every manifestation of His presence today , '' mourned a priest , who condemned the `` grotesque and blasphemous act '' he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
But this is just part of a progressive continuum .
Left is right , bad is good , evil is beautiful .
In their worldview where traditional masculinity is considered a disease , the Bible ( full of manly men ) is an embarrassment .
`` Progressives are at war with anything perceived as normal and traditional , '' observes Mark Tapson on FrontPage Mag .
`` Everything that has made us in the West who we are , and made us the freest , most prosperous , most accomplished , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ religious beliefs , our values , our traditions , our art and literature , our history , our heroes , even our science – is now deemed either racist , sexist , classist , homophobic , Islamophobic , colonialist , oppressive , exploitative , or a toxic combination thereof , and must be erased .
Our past and any links to it are unacceptably unwoke , and so Progressives seek relentlessly to redefine , or preferably eradicate , every cultural norm in order to remake the world according to their self-righteous , allegedly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' And this , of course , includes the birth of Jesus .
He ca n't possibly be the Son of God and the Savior of the world .
Instead , he 's an illegitimate brat who grew up insufficiently tutored in woke principles and whose radical teachings must be therefore roundly debunked by people who consider themselves a lot smarter .
This is why wishing someone a Merry Christmas is so offensive .
Progressives , as always , are demanding we tiptoe around their feeeelings as we enter this Dark Winter .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ secularists ( who violently opposed to the `` Christian nationalist movement '' because `` it provides constant cover for white supremacy '' ) their opportunity to dominate a Biden administration . ''
`` If COVID has taught us anything it 's taught us that natural-born tyrants really do not WANT to see religious believers having any constitutional protections of their rights , '' notes Wes Walker on Clash Daily .
Over and over again , I am amazed at the ability of the left to suck every last bit of joy out of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and they 'll find the bad .
Give them a happy story , and they 'll speculate what unseen ugliness lurks below the surface .
The ultimate source of joy is the source liberals paradoxically love to hate : faith .
How dare a God try to tell them what to do ( or not to do ) ?
How dare a God imply they might one day be accountable for their actions to someone besides themselves ?
It 's why progressives mock and taunt believers for their childish faith in a God @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And of course , during this Christmas season they ca n't take comfort or joy in celebrating the birth of a Savior since , of course , there is no God , and Jesus ( if He existed at all ) was just some bearded hippie dude dumb enough to let himself be murdered by the Romans .
But most people , it seems , are n't having it .
Struggling in the wake of the events of 2020 , they 're seeking the comfort of Christmas celebrations as both a mental refreshment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ message of feminist empowerment .
That 's why people are attending church despite government mandates to cease and desist .
That 's why a quarter of Americans say their faith has increased during this difficult year .
That 's why the Wall Street Journal reported Christmas decorations are in short supply : `` Americans fill dark , increasingly cold pandemic days by buying up more lights , trees and ornaments at a rapid pace . ''
`` Here 's the point in plain English , '' wrote Chuck Norris .
`` Follow the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like synagogues and churches during the escalation of deaths of despair is exactly like shutting down hospitals during escalating death rates from COVID-19 . ''
As I see it , we 've just been through a hellacious year , with `` deaths of despair '' at an all-time high .
The upcoming year does n't look like it will bode much better .
If there 's any time we need to comfort of a Savior , it 's now .
Christmas is not a message of feminist empowerment .
It 's a message @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the prize , folks .
It 's all we have .
Content created by the WND News Center is available for re-publication without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience .
For licensing opportunities of our original content , please contact [ email protected ] .

I think I finally got it. I think I finally understand why progressives dislike Christmas as a faith celebration. It's because it's so difficult to twist biblical characters into politically correct roles. From dissing the Patriarchs for being, well, Patriarchs, to trying to portray Jesus as gay, progressives have twisted themselves into pretzels to revamp the Good Book as a Woke Book.
I'm sure you've already heard the weary (and roundly debunked) arguments that Joseph, Mary and Jesus were homeless/refugees/immigrants (take your pick) when in fact they were obeying government orders to report for taxation.
Or how about a bishop for the Church of Sweden who is developing a new Bible for children because the old ones didn't have a sufficient "gender and diversity perspective"?
And now we have another attempt, this one by a progressive female pastor with the United Church of Christ, who tweeted: "Christmas season is about God choosing a woman to lead a revolution of re-organizing the structures of societal power by her leadership, tenderness, and faith." She added, "We need to unlearn broken patterns of thinking."
Yay Christmas, a message of feminist empowerment!
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
Of course, in the ultimate portrayal of feminist "empowerment," Mary would have done away with Jesus before He was even born. In 2017, feminists in Argentina carried out a shocking "performance art" in which they portrayed that precise scenario. "They literally want to abort Jesus off the face of the earth in every manifestation of His presence today," mourned a priest, who condemned the "grotesque and blasphemous act" he said "represents what every abortion actually is."
But this is just part of a progressive continuum. Left is right, bad is good, evil is beautiful.
In their worldview where traditional masculinity is considered a disease, the Bible (full of manly men) is an embarrassment. "Progressives are at war with anything perceived as normal and traditional," observes Mark Tapson on FrontPage Mag. "Everything that has made us in the West who we are, and made us the freest, most prosperous, most accomplished, most civilized civilization in history – our religious beliefs, our values, our traditions, our art and literature, our history, our heroes, even our science – is now deemed either racist, sexist, classist, homophobic, Islamophobic, colonialist, oppressive, exploitative, or a toxic combination thereof, and must be erased. Our past and any links to it are unacceptably unwoke, and so Progressives seek relentlessly to redefine, or preferably eradicate, every cultural norm in order to remake the world according to their self-righteous, allegedly inclusive, collectivist, utopian vision."
And this, of course, includes the birth of Jesus. He can't possibly be the Son of God and the Savior of the world. Instead, he's an illegitimate brat who grew up insufficiently tutored in woke principles and whose radical teachings must be therefore roundly debunked by people who consider themselves a lot smarter.
This is why wishing someone a Merry Christmas is so offensive. Progressives, as always, are demanding we tiptoe around their feeeelings as we enter this Dark Winter.
The events of 2020 have given militant secularists (who violently opposed to the "Christian nationalist movement" because "it provides constant cover for white supremacy") their opportunity to dominate a Biden administration." "If COVID has taught us anything it's taught us that natural-born tyrants really do not WANT to see religious believers having any constitutional protections of their rights," notes Wes Walker on Clash Daily.
Over and over again, I am amazed at the ability of the left to suck every last bit of joy out of life. Give them good news, and they'll find the bad. Give them a happy story, and they'll speculate what unseen ugliness lurks below the surface. The ultimate source of joy is the source liberals paradoxically love to hate: faith. How dare a God try to tell them what to do (or not to do)? How dare a God imply they might one day be accountable for their actions to someone besides themselves? It's why progressives mock and taunt believers for their childish faith in a God who helps, rescues and saves.
And of course, during this Christmas season they can't take comfort or joy in celebrating the birth of a Savior since, of course, there is no God, and Jesus (if He existed at all) was just some bearded hippie dude dumb enough to let himself be murdered by the Romans.
But most people, it seems, aren't having it. Struggling in the wake of the events of 2020, they're seeking the comfort of Christmas celebrations as both a mental refreshment and a spiritual lifeline, not a message of feminist empowerment. That's why people are attending church despite government mandates to cease and desist. That's why a quarter of Americans say their faith has increased during this difficult year. That's why the Wall Street Journal reported Christmas decorations are in short supply: "Americans fill dark, increasingly cold pandemic days by buying up more lights, trees and ornaments at a rapid pace."
"Here's the point in plain English," wrote Chuck Norris. "Follow the Harvard science: shutting down faith centers like synagogues and churches during the escalation of deaths of despair is exactly like shutting down hospitals during escalating death rates from COVID-19."
As I see it, we've just been through a hellacious year, with "deaths of despair" at an all-time high. The upcoming year doesn't look like it will bode much better. If there's any time we need to comfort of a Savior, it's now.
Christmas is not a message of feminist empowerment. It's a message of salvation. Keep your eyes on the prize, folks. It's all we have.
Content created by the WND News Center is available for re-publication without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].