thestream--2020-12-16--Farewell Twitter, Goodbye Youtube

Farewell Twitter, Goodbye Youtube

After multiple short-term suspensions , and the doubling of my followers thanks to my pieces on Sidney Powell , Twitter at last expelled me .
The last straw was a Swiftian joke I made in response to the latest transgenderist attack on the existence of human biology .
Remember the rules , people .
It ’ s okay to argue that every young person on earth should have his or her puberty blocked , using dangerous hormones .
It ’ s fine to promote , in all seriousness , hunting down every last unborn baby with Down Syndrome , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to defend China ’ s massive use of Uyghur slave labor to make Nike sneakers , Apple products , or just plain pick cotton in the fields .
It ’ s also acceptable to promote a global totalitarian religious state that persecutes homosexuals — as long as that state is Muslim .
Obsessed Billionaires Trying to Transform Our Species But don ’ t cross the trans community .
It has obsessed trans billionaires funding it , as Jennifer Bilek documents in her can ’ t-miss piece at The Standard .
( One of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Illinois . )
Pharmaceutical companies stand to make many billions more selling sex-change hormones to young people whom the trans movement convinces that they need them .
Given how few people naturally develop gender dysphoria ( are we still allowed to call it that ? )
, and how much money is behind encouraging their delusions and imposing them on us all , the trans cause may be the best-funded evil cause , per capita , on earth .
Its goals are modest : force the whole human race to deny we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , coherent sexes .
To break down every human institution ( which is most of them ) built on that solid , biological fact .
And to silence all speech to the contrary , if need be by threats of prison .
Is that too much to ask ?
The transgenderist demands exceed those of Communist revolutionaries , who only wish to wipe out private property , religion , and the family .
If Marxists believe that we are not social mammals but actually insects meant to live in hives like termites , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wants to portray us as moray eels or clownfish , which spontaneously change their sexes .
Of course , we can ’ t do that naturally .
To manage the unconvincing , sterile , and usually grotesque outcome of trans transitions , we must pour money ( including public money ) into the coffers of massive pharmaceutical companies and well-heeled plastic surgeons .
Standing on the tracks trying to hold back this freight train are … a few churches that still cling to the truth about human nature , and philosophers here and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ purged from campus .
The kind of people who showed up at the Jericho March this past weekend , trying to stop the theft of the 2020 election , only to face cruel mockery by comfort-loving conservatives .
They won ’ t be comfy for long .
We have seen what the Democrats have in mind for America .
It looks like … New York City , now turning into a ghost town of dead restaurants , emptied office buildings , plummeting rents , and arbitrary tyranny .
All this built on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whom Governor Andrew Cuomo outright murdered by dumping COVID patients among them .
All this to achieve a COVID death rate no better than that of Florida , which followed none of those insane policies .
The Democrat America looks like last spring ’ s riots , where Marxist and anarchist thugs get to loot , beat , burn , and terrorize at will , while cops stand with hands in their pockets .
Their Anarcho-Tyrannical masters , the Democrat mayors and governors , reserve deadly force for arresting … citizens who defend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mark and Patricia McCloskey , and Jake Gardner ( RIP ) .
And farewell Youtube , too .
The video Eric Metaxas and his crack producer Chris Himes made of my parody song , “ Biden Did You Know ?
” hit 200,000 views last night .
And disappeared this morning .
That ’ s how things go .
A little conservative or Christian speech may be let in between the cracks , so long as it ’ s viewed as harmless .
Once it passes a certain threshold , it sets off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” such as Twitter , Youtube , and Facebook .
Then they take out the gags and start frantically hitting the Cancel button .
We should keep on pushing back as hard as we can , if only for the sake of our own self-respect .
We want to be able to tell our kids , and Our Lord on the day of Judgment , that we never chose comfort or false respectability over the truth .
We should stand by our allies , even those who might stand outside our comfort zone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including President Trump .
Find Me on Facebook ( for now ) and Parler If you like my columns , please make a point of sharing them on Twitter — for as long its overpaid , brainwashed employees permit you to .
You may also follow me , for the moment , on my revived Facebook page , and over at Parler .
Please go ahead and share Eric ’ s video , which is still alive over at Rumble.com .
We Can Still Stop the Steal Meanwhile , keep praying .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and continues on many fronts .
The most urgent is our effort to save the 2020 election from foreign interference and home-grown fraud .
As Trump aide Stephen Miller told Fox & Friends : The only date in the constitution is Jan 20 , so we have more than enough time to right the wrong of this fraudulent election result and certify Donald Trump as the winner of the election .
As we speak today , an alternate slate of electors in the contested states are going to vote and we ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ congress .
This will ensure that all of our legal remedies will remain open .
That means that if we win these cases in the courts , that we can direct that the alternate slate of electors will be certified .
We also have the fight for two Georgia Senate seats .
Should the Steal succeed , they would make the difference between gridlock under a discredited , scandal-plagued “ President ” Biden , and one-party rule that destroys the U.S. Constitution by packing the Supreme Court .
Should that happen , kiss @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most of our other key liberties goodbye .
John Zmirak is a senior editor at The Stream , and author or co-author of ten books , including The Politically Incorrect Guide to Immigration and The Politically Incorrect Guide to Catholicism .
He is co-author with Jason Jones of “ God , Guns , & the Government .
”

After multiple short-term suspensions, and the doubling of my followers thanks to my pieces on Sidney Powell, Twitter at last expelled me. The last straw was a Swiftian joke I made in response to the latest transgenderist attack on the existence of human biology.
Remember the rules, people. It’s okay to argue that every young person on earth should have his or her puberty blocked, using dangerous hormones. It’s fine to promote, in all seriousness, hunting down every last unborn baby with Down Syndrome, and killing him in the womb. Or to defend China’s massive use of Uyghur slave labor to make Nike sneakers, Apple products, or just plain pick cotton in the fields. It’s also acceptable to promote a global totalitarian religious state that persecutes homosexuals — as long as that state is Muslim.
Obsessed Billionaires Trying to Transform Our Species
But don’t cross the trans community. It has obsessed trans billionaires funding it, as Jennifer Bilek documents in her can’t-miss piece at The Standard. (One of them is the brother of Governor Pritzker of Illinois.) Pharmaceutical companies stand to make many billions more selling sex-change hormones to young people whom the trans movement convinces that they need them.
Given how few people naturally develop gender dysphoria (are we still allowed to call it that?), and how much money is behind encouraging their delusions and imposing them on us all, the trans cause may be the best-funded evil cause, per capita, on earth.
Its goals are modest: force the whole human race to deny we are mammals, divided into two clear, coherent sexes. To break down every human institution (which is most of them) built on that solid, biological fact. And to silence all speech to the contrary, if need be by threats of prison.
Countless Billions for Pharmaceutical Giants
Is that too much to ask? The transgenderist demands exceed those of Communist revolutionaries, who only wish to wipe out private property, religion, and the family. If Marxists believe that we are not social mammals but actually insects meant to live in hives like termites, the trans agenda goes further. It wants to portray us as moray eels or clownfish, which spontaneously change their sexes.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
Of course, we can’t do that naturally. To manage the unconvincing, sterile, and usually grotesque outcome of trans transitions, we must pour money (including public money) into the coffers of massive pharmaceutical companies and well-heeled plastic surgeons.
David Against Leviathan
Standing on the tracks trying to hold back this freight train are … a few churches that still cling to the truth about human nature, and philosophers here and there who haven’t yet been purged from campus. The kind of people who showed up at the Jericho March this past weekend, trying to stop the theft of the 2020 election, only to face cruel mockery by comfort-loving conservatives. They won’t be comfy for long.
We have seen what the Democrats have in mind for America. It looks like … New York City, now turning into a ghost town of dead restaurants, emptied office buildings, plummeting rents, and arbitrary tyranny. All this built on the skeletons of thousands of nursing home patients whom Governor Andrew Cuomo outright murdered by dumping COVID patients among them. All this to achieve a COVID death rate no better than that of Florida, which followed none of those insane policies.
Anarcho-Tyranny, Coming to Your Home Town
The Democrat America looks like last spring’s riots, where Marxist and anarchist thugs get to loot, beat, burn, and terrorize at will, while cops stand with hands in their pockets. Their Anarcho-Tyrannical masters, the Democrat mayors and governors, reserve deadly force for arresting … citizens who defend themselves. People like Kyle Rittenhouse, Mark and Patricia McCloskey, and Jake Gardner (RIP).
And farewell YouTube, too. The video Eric Metaxas and his crack producer Chris Himes made of my parody song, “Biden Did You Know?” hit 200,000 views last night. And disappeared this morning. That’s how things go. A little conservative or Christian speech may be let in between the cracks, so long as it’s viewed as harmless. Once it passes a certain threshold, it sets off the alarms at the “neutral platforms” such as Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook. Then they take out the gags and start frantically hitting the Cancel button.
We should keep on pushing back as hard as we can, if only for the sake of our own self-respect. We want to be able to tell our kids, and Our Lord on the day of Judgment, that we never chose comfort or false respectability over the truth. We should stand by our allies, even those who might stand outside our comfort zone, and be loyal to our champions, including President Trump.
Find Me on Facebook (for now) and Parler
If you like my columns, please make a point of sharing them on Twitter — for as long its overpaid, brainwashed employees permit you to. You may also follow me over at Parler. Eric’s video is still alive here for the moment.
We Can Still Stop the Steal
Meanwhile, keep praying. This fight is far from over, and continues on many fronts. The most urgent is our effort to save the 2020 election from foreign interference and home-grown fraud. As Trump aide Stephen Miller told Fox & Friends:
The only date in the constitution is Jan 20, so we have more than enough time to right the wrong of this fraudulent election result and certify Donald Trump as the winner of the election. As we speak today, an alternate slate of electors in the contested states are going to vote and we’re going to send those results up to congress. This will ensure that all of our legal remedies will remain open. That means that if we win these cases in the courts, that we can direct that the alternate slate of electors will be certified.
We also have the fight for two Georgia Senate seats. Should the Steal succeed, they would make the difference between gridlock under a discredited, scandal-plagued “President” Biden, and one-party rule that destroys the U.S. Constitution by packing the Supreme Court. Should that happen, kiss religious freedom, gun rights, and most of our other key liberties goodbye.
John Zmirak is a senior editor at The Stream, and author or co-author of ten books, including The Politically Incorrect Guide to Immigration and The Politically Incorrect Guide to Catholicism. He is co-author with Jason Jones of “God, Guns, & the Government.”


thestream--2020-12-15--Catholic Bishops OK Pfizer, Moderna Vaccines, Call AstraZeneca ‘Morally Compromised’ Due to Connecti

Catholic Bishops OK Pfizer, Moderna Vaccines, Call AstraZeneca ‘Morally Compromised’ Due to Connections to Abortions

Catholic bishops said Monday that under the current “ sufficiently serious ” conditions of the pandemic , Catholics may take the COVID-19 vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna but should avoid the “ morally compromised ” AstraZeneca vaccine due to its use of aborted baby cells .
“ In view of the gravity of the current pandemic and the lack of availability of alternative vaccines , the reasons to accept the new COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna are sufficiently serious to justify their use , despite their remote connection to morally compromised cell lines , ” United States Conference @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend and Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas said in a document released Monday .
The bishops noted that “ while neither vaccine is completely free from any connection to morally compromised cell lines , in this case the connection is very remote from the initial evil of the abortion.
” The AstraZeneca vaccine , however , is “ more morally compromised ” and thus “ should be avoided , ” the bishops said .
“ It may turn out , however , that one does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , at least , not without a lengthy delay in immunization that may have serious consequences for one ’ s health and the health of others , ” the bishop chairmen added .
“ In such a case … it would be permissible to accept the AstraZeneca vaccine.
” “ While having ourselves and our families immunized against COVID-19 with the new vaccines is morally permissible and can be an act of self-love and of charity toward others , we must not allow the gravely immoral nature of abortion to be obscured , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the highly anticipated coronavirus vaccines would use cells from aborted babies posed weighty moral problems for many Americans who object to abortion .
Analysis from the Charlotte Lozier Institute ( CLI ) found that most of the major vaccine candidates do not use cell lines derived from abortions in their production , though several used abortion-derived cell lines in laboratory testing .
AstraZeneca uses abortion-derived cell lines in development , production , and lab testing , the analysis found .
Pfizer and Moderna sometimes abortion-derived cells in testing but do not use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the vaccine , the analysis found .
CLI Vice President Dr. David Prentice previously explained to the Daily Caller News Foundation that when abortion-derived cell lines are used in the production of a vaccine , that means the cells are “ directly involved in making the final product , the vaccine that is injected in our arms.
” “ It is an essential element for the final vaccine , ” Prentice said of abortion-derived cell lines used in the production of a vaccine .
“ Although the connection is distant both in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ occurred decades ago and the cells have been grown in the lab ever since , that connection to abortion remains and is of concern to many Americans .
” Laboratory testing using abortion-derived cell lines is potentially less morally problematic , since it is “ anther step removed ” Prentice said .
“ When an abortion-derived cell line is used in laboratory testing , that is not done within the production line , ” he explained .
“ It ’ s a confirmatory test done on the final vaccine , to validate what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” “ So this is another step removed , and there was nothing touching the abortion-derived cell line that ended up in the final vaccine product , or in our arms , ” he continued .
“ For some , it doesn ’ t completely remove the concern .
It is important to note that there are testing methods that can be done with cells not derived from abortion.
” Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience @ @ @ @ @ @ @ content , please contact licensing @ dailycallernewsfoundation.org .

Catholic bishops said Monday that under the current “sufficiently serious” conditions of the pandemic, Catholics may take the COVID-19 vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna but should avoid the “morally compromised” AstraZeneca vaccine due to its use of aborted baby cells.
“In view of the gravity of the current pandemic and the lack of availability of alternative vaccines, the reasons to accept the new COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna are sufficiently serious to justify their use, despite their remote connection to morally compromised cell lines,” United States Conference of Catholic Bishops chairmen Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend and Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas said in a document released Monday.
The bishops noted that “while neither vaccine is completely free from any connection to morally compromised cell lines, in this case the connection is very remote from the initial evil of the abortion.”
The AstraZeneca vaccine, however, is “more morally compromised” and thus “should be avoided,” the bishops said.
“It may turn out, however, that one does not really have a choice of vaccine, at least, not without a lengthy delay in immunization that may have serious consequences for one’s health and the health of others,” the bishop chairmen added. “In such a case … it would be permissible to accept the AstraZeneca vaccine.”
U.S. Bishop Chairmen for Pro-Life and Doctrine Address Ethical Concerns
on the New COVID-19 Vaccines: https://t.co/1wjdN6kMiJ. pic.twitter.com/SaOu7TEWrv — U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (@USCCB) December 14, 2020
“While having ourselves and our families immunized against COVID-19 with the new vaccines is morally permissible and can be an act of self-love and of charity toward others, we must not allow the gravely immoral nature of abortion to be obscured,” the bishops said.
The potential that the highly anticipated coronavirus vaccines would use cells from aborted babies posed weighty moral problems for many Americans who object to abortion. Analysis from the Charlotte Lozier Institute (CLI) found that most of the major vaccine candidates do not use cell lines derived from abortions in their production, though several used abortion-derived cell lines in laboratory testing.
AstraZeneca uses abortion-derived cell lines in development, production, and lab testing, the analysis found. Pfizer and Moderna sometimes abortion-derived cells in testing but do not use abortion-derived cell lines in development or production of the vaccine, the analysis found.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
CLI Vice President Dr. David Prentice previously explained to the Daily Caller News Foundation that when abortion-derived cell lines are used in the production of a vaccine, that means the cells are “directly involved in making the final product, the vaccine that is injected in our arms.”
“It is an essential element for the final vaccine,” Prentice said of abortion-derived cell lines used in the production of a vaccine. “Although the connection is distant both in time and space, since the abortion occurred decades ago and the cells have been grown in the lab ever since, that connection to abortion remains and is of concern to many Americans. ”
Laboratory testing using abortion-derived cell lines is potentially less morally problematic, since it is “anther step removed” Prentice said.
“When an abortion-derived cell line is used in laboratory testing, that is not done within the production line,” he explained. “It’s a confirmatory test done on the final vaccine, to validate what the scientists believe they’ve produced.”
“So this is another step removed, and there was nothing touching the abortion-derived cell line that ended up in the final vaccine product, or in our arms,” he continued. “For some, it doesn’t completely remove the concern. It is important to note that there are testing methods that can be done with cells not derived from abortion.”
Copyright 2020 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].


thestream--2020-12-15--Human Rights Campaign Wants Christian Schools to Abandon Beliefs or Lose Accreditation

The Human Rights Campaign — a large , influential LGBTQ advocacy group — recently released a policy brief with recommendations for a Biden administration , and the suggestions are alarming .
The organization ’ s “ Blueprint for Positive Change 2020 ” describes itself as “ a comprehensive list of 85 individual policy recommendations aimed at improving the lives of LGBTQ people.
” Abandoning Protections of the First Amendment But the Human Rights Campaign fails to mention just how much these suggestions for former Vice President Joe Biden , if implemented , would infringe on the rights of religious believers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , all under the guise of helping a community that they claim is still marginalized .
One of the more alarming suggestions from the organization ’ s proposal concerns accreditation for religious schools and universities , stating : Language regarding accreditation of religious institutions of higher education in the Higher Education Opportunity Act could be interpreted to require accrediting bodies to accredit religious institutions that discriminate or do not meet science-based curricula standards .
The Department of Education should issue a regulation clarifying that this provision , which requires accreditation agencies to ‘ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ institutions , does not require the accreditation of religious institutions that do not meet neutral accreditation standards including nondiscrimination policies and scientific curriculum requirements .
From the sound of it , the Human Rights Campaign essentially is calling for faith-based education — from K-12 schools to colleges and universities — to adopt the campaign ’ s positions on gender identity , same-sex marriage , transgender transitioning and more , or fail to be accredited .
We ’ ve Seen This Movie Before Albert Mohler , president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ education facilities are “ to be coerced into the sexual revolution or stripped of accreditation.
” The blueprint calls this “ science-based curricula , ” but we ’ ve seen this movie before : What leftist activists call science , conservatives call a distortion of biology .
It ’ s just a way for the activists to claim credibility for identity politics .
It sounds like the Human Rights Campaign is co-opting this moment — with a liberal likely becoming president — essentially to push faith-based education facilities out of the marketplace by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or lose their ability to legally “ compete.
” Mohler again summarizes this aptly on his website : “ This would mean abandoning biblical standards for teaching , hiring , admissions , housing , and student life .
It would mean that Christian schools are no longer Christian.
” Let ’ s hope that if a Biden administration even attempted to follow this policy suggestion , enough faith-based institutions would fight back and it would fail .
Still , the effort would be costly , and the attempt to force religious schools out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ given the authoritative protections of the First Amendment .
The Human Rights Campaign ’ s blueprint makes other suggestions that are equally frustrating because , like the one about accreditation , they stem from a worldview that not only favors identity politics over ideology or beliefs , but acts as if their LGBTQ beliefs should trump everyone else ’ s .
Policy in this country should reflect core American values of equality and freedom , not entitlement for select groups .
The blueprint suggests that a Biden administration “ appoint openly-LGBTQ justices , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ For starters , some judges and executive employees already are openly LGBTQ .
The proposal also flips the supposed aim of the movement , which is to accept people for who they are — regardless of faith , sex , gender , race , creed , or sexual orientation — to giving preference to people specifically because of their sexual orientation .
The blueprint also suggests that Biden establish “ an interagency working group to protect and support LGBTQ rights globally.
” This sounds nice , but there ’ s only one problem @ @ @ @ @ @ @ discriminate in the United States based on a person ’ s sexual orientation , so there ’ s no need to pluck out this group and give it special protections .
These policy suggestions are ignorant , shortsighted , and just plain false .
By suggesting LGBTQ individuals need extra care , they undermine cases such as Bostock v. Clayton County that already made it illegal to discriminate on the basis of gender identity .
By suggesting LGBTQ rights need to be protected more , the blueprint perpetuates the myth that somehow in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with more sexual parity than almost anywhere else , LGBTQ individuals remain marginalized and disenfranchised .
There ’ s little evidence to show that ’ s the case .
The Human Rights Campaign has enormous influence .
It ’ s one thing to stand up for equality in a giant policy brief .
But it ’ s quite another to use that brief as a guise to push religious bigotry , such as by suggesting that faith-based schools lose accreditation if they don ’ t fall lockstep in line with the newest LGBTQ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s “ Blueprint for Positive Change ” does its community members no favors by gaslighting them into believing that it ’ s legal to discriminate against them and suggesting that all will be well when they receive entitlement , not just equality .
Few groups have pushed — and received — more recognition for equality , and then some , than the LGBTQ community .
To suggest otherwise is disingenuous and blatant identity politics .
Nicole Russell is a contributor to The Daily Signal .
Her work has appeared in The Atlantic , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Politico , The Washington Times , The American Spectator , and Parents Magazine .

The Human Rights Campaign — a large, influential LGBTQ advocacy group — recently released a policy brief with recommendations for a Biden administration, and the suggestions are alarming.
The organization’s “Blueprint for Positive Change 2020” describes itself as “a comprehensive list of 85 individual policy recommendations aimed at improving the lives of LGBTQ people.”
Abandoning Protections of the First Amendment
But the Human Rights Campaign fails to mention just how much these suggestions for former Vice President Joe Biden, if implemented, would infringe on the rights of religious believers, conservatives, and Americans in general, all under the guise of helping a community that they claim is still marginalized.
One of the more alarming suggestions from the organization’s proposal concerns accreditation for religious schools and universities, stating:
Language regarding accreditation of religious institutions of higher education in the Higher Education Opportunity Act could be interpreted to require accrediting bodies to accredit religious institutions that discriminate or do not meet science-based curricula standards. The Department of Education should issue a regulation clarifying that this provision, which requires accreditation agencies to ‘respect the stated mission’ of religious institutions, does not require the accreditation of religious institutions that do not meet neutral accreditation standards including nondiscrimination policies and scientific curriculum requirements.
From the sound of it, the Human Rights Campaign essentially is calling for faith-based education — from K-12 schools to colleges and universities — to adopt the campaign’s positions on gender identity, same-sex marriage, transgender transitioning and more, or fail to be accredited.
We’ve Seen This Movie Before
Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, says it’s clear that faith-based education facilities are “to be coerced into the sexual revolution or stripped of accreditation.”
The blueprint calls this “science-based curricula,” but we’ve seen this movie before: What leftist activists call science, conservatives call a distortion of biology. It’s just a way for the activists to claim credibility for identity politics.
It sounds like the Human Rights Campaign is co-opting this moment — with a liberal likely becoming president — essentially to push faith-based education facilities out of the marketplace by forcing them either to abandon their beliefs or lose their ability to legally “compete.”
Mohler again summarizes this aptly on his website: “This would mean abandoning biblical standards for teaching, hiring, admissions, housing, and student life. It would mean that Christian schools are no longer Christian.”
Let’s hope that if a Biden administration even attempted to follow this policy suggestion, enough faith-based institutions would fight back and it would fail.
Still, the effort would be costly, and the attempt to force religious schools out of the marketplace should never happen, given the authoritative protections of the First Amendment.
Entitlement, Not Just Equality
The Human Rights Campaign’s blueprint makes other suggestions that are equally frustrating because, like the one about accreditation, they stem from a worldview that not only favors identity politics over ideology or beliefs, but acts as if their LGBTQ beliefs should trump everyone else’s.
Policy in this country should reflect core American values of equality and freedom, not entitlement for select groups.
The blueprint suggests that a Biden administration “appoint openly-LGBTQ justices, judges, executive officials and ambassadors.” For starters, some judges and executive employees already are openly LGBTQ.
The proposal also flips the supposed aim of the movement, which is to accept people for who they are — regardless of faith, sex, gender, race, creed, or sexual orientation — to giving preference to people specifically because of their sexual orientation.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
The blueprint also suggests that Biden establish “an interagency working group to protect and support LGBTQ rights globally.” This sounds nice, but there’s only one problem: It’s already illegal to discriminate in the United States based on a person’s sexual orientation, so there’s no need to pluck out this group and give it special protections.
These policy suggestions are ignorant, shortsighted, and just plain false. By suggesting LGBTQ individuals need extra care, they undermine cases such as Bostock v. Clayton County that already made it illegal to discriminate on the basis of gender identity.
By suggesting LGBTQ rights need to be protected more, the blueprint perpetuates the myth that somehow in the freest country in the world, with more sexual parity than almost anywhere else, LGBTQ individuals remain marginalized and disenfranchised. There’s little evidence to show that’s the case.
Blatant Identity Politics
The Human Rights Campaign has enormous influence. It’s one thing to stand up for equality in a giant policy brief. But it’s quite another to use that brief as a guise to push religious bigotry, such as by suggesting that faith-based schools lose accreditation if they don’t fall lockstep in line with the newest LGBTQ orthodoxy.
The Human Rights Campaign’s “Blueprint for Positive Change” does its community members no favors by gaslighting them into believing that it’s legal to discriminate against them and suggesting that all will be well when they receive entitlement, not just equality.
Few groups have pushed — and received — more recognition for equality, and then some, than the LGBTQ community. To suggest otherwise is disingenuous and blatant identity politics.
Nicole Russell is a contributor to The Daily Signal. Her work has appeared in The Atlantic, The New York Times, National Review, Politico, The Washington Times, The American Spectator, and Parents Magazine.
Copyright 2020 The Daily Signal


thestream--2020-12-15--3 Things to Know as 2020 Election Challenge Moves to Congress

After their party ’ s presidential nominee lost in the Electoral College , some House members lined up to object to and challenge the results during the Jan. 6 joint session of Congress to count the electoral votes .
House Democrats made 11 objections .
In each case , then-outgoing Vice President Joe Biden — presiding over the session in his role as Senate president — asked if the objection had a Senate sponsor .
Then-House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi , D-Calif. , said she didn ’ t encourage the objection , but would “ support ” the objections from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ D-Calif. , demanded a senator join the challenge against certifying the results .
With no senators backing the objections , members of Congress counted the votes , and Biden said , “ It ’ s over , ” gaveling the official end of the 2016 election with a victory , giving it to President Donald Trump .
Fast-forward nearly four years to Monday , and the Electoral College voted to make Biden president , an apparent victory over Trump in the 2020 election .
However , a joint session of Congress still will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what will be the last long-shot challenge for the Trump campaign .
Still , Trump hasn ’ t conceded the election .
Rep. Mo Brooks , R-Ala. , pledged to make objections in counting the battleground states of Pennsylvania , Georgia , Arizona , Wisconsin , and Nevada .
Objections from House members — as happened in 2016 — have become almost routine when Republican presidents were elected , as was the case with George W. Bush after the 2000 and 2004 elections .
But in 2021 , the tables will turn , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ differences beyond just party affiliation .
1 .
What Could Be Different This Time ?
It appears likely that Brooks will have at least two Senate sponsors , as required by law for the objection to be debated .
Republican Sens .
Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Rand Paul of Kentucky indicated they were open to sponsoring the challenges .
By the time Congress votes on the certification , the number of House and Senate Republicans ready to challenge the Electoral College count could expand .
More than 100 House Republicans joined the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wisconsin , and Georgia , which the Supreme Court declined to hear on Friday .
Brooks tweeted : “ No question it ’ s an uphill climb to do what is necessary to protect the sanctity of America ’ s election system .
But we never know who will win these political fights until we fight them .
I ’ m going to fight !
” Notably , 2016 didn ’ t set any new precedents .
Past disputes were brought during the counting .
What will be different this year is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t conceded the election .
The 2020 postelection is frequently compared with the 2000 election dispute .
Then-Vice President Al Gore , a Democrat , conceded the 2000 election to Bush after the Supreme Court ruled against his campaign ’ s efforts to win Florida .
The Electoral College voted for Bush .
However , more than a dozen House Democrats made 20 separate objections during the joint session on Jan. 6 , 2001 .
Gore , as vice president , presided over the session , each time asking for a Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He gaveled out the session and certified Bush as the winner .
2 .
How Does It Work ?
Now that the electors have voted to give Biden 306 electoral votes to Trump ’ s 232 votes , the states have until Dec. 23 to submit their electors ’ votes to Congress .
Congress is scheduled to convene to count the votes in a joint session Jan. 6 .
As Biden did four years ago , Vice President Mike Pence , in his role as Senate president , in January will preside over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ based on a law passed in 1887 .
An objection must be declared in writing by a House member and signed by at least one senator for any particular state as an attempt to prevent certification .
As was the case in past years , an objection requires sponsorship from both chambers .
If an objection is filed with support from at least one member from each chamber , then the proceedings would stop and both the House and the Senate would be required to debate the objection for two hours .
A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have to agree on disregarding a state .
While this seems highly unlikely now , it does potentially buy time for the Trump campaign legal team to produce more evidence of alleged election fraud , whether that ’ s actual voter fraud or whether a jurisdiction obeyed the law regarding election administration .
The Trump campaign has made challenges on both fronts .
If the House and Senate agree to toss out enough electoral votes to reduce Biden ’ s tally below the 270-vote threshold needed to win , the presidential election could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Representatives for the first time since 1824 .
However , presuming the current Electoral College vote holds , Pence would play a role similar to that of then-Vice Presidents Dan Quayle in 1993 and Walter Mondale in 1981 , by certifying the defeat of his own ticket .
Pence would declare the winner of the election after the counting concludes .
3 .
Have Senators Ever Signed on Before ?
Although objection from House members is routine , Senate sponsorship is not .
Since the law was passed in 1887 , only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ member , according to the Congressional Research Service .
In 1968 , Republican Richard Nixon defeated Democrat Hubert Humphrey and independent candidate George Wallace , a rare third-party candidate to win some electoral votes .
In 1969 , then-Rep. James O ’ Hara , D-Mich. , and then-Sen. Edmund S. Muskie , D-Maine , who had been Humphrey ’ s vice presidential running mate , objected in writing to counting the vote of an elector from North Carolina , who had voted for Wallace even though Nixon had won the state .
Both @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and voted separately to reject it .
The Senate voted 58 to 33 against the objection and the House voted 228 to 170 against it .
At the time , the House and Senate were controlled by Democrats .
When the joint session resumed , the challenged electoral vote was counted for Wallace , who won a total of 46 electoral votes after carrying five states .
North Carolina did not have a law preventing so-called faithless electors .
The Supreme Court in June upheld the constitutionality of states imposing penalties on faithless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Congress that year , then-Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones , D-Ohio , and then-Sen. Barbara Boxer , D-Calif. , objected in writing to the Ohio electoral votes .
Both chambers withdrew from the joint session to consider the objection .
The House and Senate , in separate votes , each rejected the objection .
The Senate voted 74-1 against the challenge , while the House voted 267-31 against it .
At the time , Republicans controlled both the House and Senate .

After their party’s presidential nominee lost in the Electoral College, some House members lined up to object to and challenge the results during the Jan. 6 joint session of Congress to count the electoral votes.
House Democrats made 11 objections. In each case, then-outgoing Vice President Joe Biden — presiding over the session in his role as Senate president — asked if the objection had a Senate sponsor.
Then-House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said she didn’t encourage the objection, but would “support” the objections from her caucus. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., demanded a senator join the challenge against certifying the results.
With no senators backing the objections, members of Congress counted the votes, and Biden said, “It’s over,” gaveling the official end of the 2016 election with a victory, giving it to President Donald Trump.
Fast-forward nearly four years to Monday, and the Electoral College voted to make Biden president, an apparent victory over Trump in the 2020 election. However, a joint session of Congress still will have to certify the votes, in what will be the last long-shot challenge for the Trump campaign. Still, Trump hasn’t conceded the election.
It’s official, folks. Tune in as I deliver remarks on today’s electoral college vote certification and the strength and resilience of our democracy. https://t.co/Qp2c92mYUV — Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) December 15, 2020
Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Ala., pledged to make objections in counting the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, Wisconsin, and Nevada.
Objections from House members — as happened in 2016 — have become almost routine when Republican presidents were elected, as was the case with George W. Bush after the 2000 and 2004 elections. But in 2021, the tables will turn, and there likely will be some other differences beyond just party affiliation.
1. What Could Be Different This Time?
It appears likely that Brooks will have at least two Senate sponsors, as required by law for the objection to be debated.
Republican Sens. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Rand Paul of Kentucky indicated they were open to sponsoring the challenges.
LEADERSHIP? Who will be first US Senator to join @RepMoBrooks in objecting to Electoral College votes from compromised elections? Call and ask your Senators what their position is on the compromised elections in PA, MI, GA, WI, AZ, NV. 202-224-3121. @realDonaldTrump https://t.co/gvZWc7U80S — Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) December 14, 2020
By the time Congress votes on the certification, the number of House and Senate Republicans ready to challenge the Electoral College count could expand. More than 100 House Republicans joined the Texas lawsuit against Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Georgia, which the Supreme Court declined to hear on Friday.
Brooks tweeted: “No question it’s an uphill climb to do what is necessary to protect the sanctity of America’s election system. But we never know who will win these political fights until we fight them. I’m going to fight!”
No question it's an uphill climb to do what is necessary to protect the sanctity of America’s election system. But, we never know who will win these political fights until we fight them. I’m going to fight! Watch my interview on @FoxNews! pic.twitter.com/6ZYlXTsLAq — Mo Brooks (@RepMoBrooks) December 6, 2020
Notably, 2016 didn’t set any new precedents. Past disputes were brought during the counting. What will be different this year is the loser of the Electoral College vote hasn’t conceded the election.
“Why did the Swing States stop counting in the middle of the night?” @MariaBartiromo Because they waited to find out how many ballots they had to produce in order to steal the Rigged Election. They were so far behind that they needed time, & a fake “water main break”, to recover! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 14, 2020
The 2020 postelection is frequently compared with the 2000 election dispute.
Then-Vice President Al Gore, a Democrat, conceded the 2000 election to Bush after the Supreme Court ruled against his campaign’s efforts to win Florida. The Electoral College voted for Bush.
However, more than a dozen House Democrats made 20 separate objections during the joint session on Jan. 6, 2001. Gore, as vice president, presided over the session, each time asking for a Senate sponsor and each time receiving none. He gaveled out the session and certified Bush as the winner.
2. How Does It Work?
Now that the electors have voted to give Biden 306 electoral votes to Trump’s 232 votes, the states have until Dec. 23 to submit their electors’ votes to Congress. Congress is scheduled to convene to count the votes in a joint session Jan. 6.
As Biden did four years ago, Vice President Mike Pence, in his role as Senate president, in January will preside over the counting.
The objections procedure is based on a law passed in 1887. An objection must be declared in writing by a House member and signed by at least one senator for any particular state as an attempt to prevent certification. As was the case in past years, an objection requires sponsorship from both chambers.
If an objection is filed with support from at least one member from each chamber, then the proceedings would stop and both the House and the Senate would be required to debate the objection for two hours. A Republican-controlled Senate and a Democrat-controlled House would have to agree on disregarding a state.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
While this seems highly unlikely now, it does potentially buy time for the Trump campaign legal team to produce more evidence of alleged election fraud, whether that’s actual voter fraud or whether a jurisdiction obeyed the law regarding election administration. The Trump campaign has made challenges on both fronts.
If the House and Senate agree to toss out enough electoral votes to reduce Biden’s tally below the 270-vote threshold needed to win, the presidential election could then potentially be thrown to the House of Representatives for the first time since 1824.
However, presuming the current Electoral College vote holds, Pence would play a role similar to that of then-Vice Presidents Dan Quayle in 1993 and Walter Mondale in 1981, by certifying the defeat of his own ticket. Pence would declare the winner of the election after the counting concludes.
3. Have Senators Ever Signed on Before?
Although objection from House members is routine, Senate sponsorship is not. Since the law was passed in 1887, only twice has a senator joined a House member, according to the Congressional Research Service.
In 1968, Republican Richard Nixon defeated Democrat Hubert Humphrey and independent candidate George Wallace, a rare third-party candidate to win some electoral votes.
In 1969, then-Rep. James O’Hara, D-Mich., and then-Sen. Edmund S. Muskie, D-Maine, who had been Humphrey’s vice presidential running mate, objected in writing to counting the vote of an elector from North Carolina, who had voted for Wallace even though Nixon had won the state.
Both the House and Senate debated the objection and voted separately to reject it. The Senate voted 58 to 33 against the objection and the House voted 228 to 170 against it. At the time, the House and Senate were controlled by Democrats.
When the joint session resumed, the challenged electoral vote was counted for Wallace, who won a total of 46 electoral votes after carrying five states.
North Carolina did not have a law preventing so-called faithless electors. The Supreme Court in June upheld the constitutionality of states imposing penalties on faithless electors.
In 2005, Democrats alleged voting irregularities in Ohio.
During a joint session of Congress that year, then-Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, D-Ohio, and then-Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., objected in writing to the Ohio electoral votes.
Both chambers withdrew from the joint session to consider the objection. The House and Senate, in separate votes, each rejected the objection. The Senate voted 74-1 against the challenge, while the House voted 267-31 against it. At the time, Republicans controlled both the House and Senate.
Copyright 2020 The Daily Signal


thestream--2020-12-15--To My Prophetic Friends: You Were Either Right or You Were Wrong

This is not the time for flights of spiritual fantasy .
Either the charismatic prophets who declared unanimously that Donald Trump would be reelected to a second consecutive term were right or they were wrong .
Either there is going to be some last minute , seemingly miraculous intervention that overturns the vote of the electoral college , or Trump will not serve a second consecutive term .
There is no middle ground .
There is no third option .
There is no reality in which Trump actually did win but in fact didn ’ t win .
Or in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ God ’ s sight but not in man ’ s sight .
Not a chance .
To entertain possibilities like this is to mock the integrity of prophecy and to make us charismatics look like total fools .
( To our critics , we already do look like fools , but that ’ s another matter .
Sometimes truth itself can seem foolish to those who reject it . )
To be clear , I myself am a charismatic , having spoken in tongues since January 24 , 1972 .
I have even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ charismatic movement by those outside of the movement .
And I am a strong believer in prophetic ministry today , having participated in it on different levels over the years .
Not only so , but some of the prophetic voices most clearly proclaiming a Trump victory ( even to this moment ) are respected colleagues , genuine men of God .
Some are even friends .
And if they end up being wrong , I will not throw them under the bus .
Instead , I will do my best to meet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and ask , “ What went wrong ?
How could so many miss it together so badly ?
How could so many claim to be speaking for the Lord while at the same time misrepresenting His voice ?
” These will be serious questions and there must be serious accountability , reflection , and even repentance .
That ’ s why it ’ s important that we lay out the options plainly now : they were either right or wrong .
“ But , ” someone will say , “ what if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but were contingent on our faith ?
” In theory that could be an option .
But it evaporates when someone says , “ I guarantee it .
Joe Biden will not serve a single day in the White House .
Trump will serve another four years.
” Plus , even when the words have not been that direct , there has been plenty of faith for Trump ’ s reelection .
That ’ s why so many believers were shocked when the votes went Biden ’ s way .
And in any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on every prophecy that was not fulfilled , all accountability would go out the window .
“ You see , my prophecy over you was true .
God promised that you would be a billionaire within 12 months of my word , but you didn ’ t have enough faith .
It ’ s on you.
” Too bad the false prophets in biblical days didn ’ t figure this excuse out .
It might have saved them from being stoned as false prophets .
“ But , ” you say , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Trump will end up serving this next term and that massive fraud will be uncovered , but only if we pray enough.
” To that I say : I have never seen so much mobilized prayer in my life .
If prayer was going to do it , Trump would be president until he was 90 .
No , the fact is that either these prophets heard accurately from God , as some of them did more than four years ago when they said Trump would be our next president , seemingly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not hear accurately from God .
Period .
Let us not make a mockery of truth .
A friend sent me a video where a prophetic leader now claims that the real results will not be made manifest until March .
Inauguration Day , he declared , will have no meaning .
And on and it will go until reality has been exchanged for fantasy — and in the name of the Holy Spirit at that .
To witness this unfold is as heartbreaking as it is scary .
Where does it end @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to faith in late 1971 , the pastor told us an amusing story .
A guest speaker was ministering to the congregation , and after the sermon , he had some personal prophetic words for the people .
He told one woman standing in the front of the building that God was calling her as a missionary to India .
He told another man standing in the back of the building that God was calling him as a missionary to China .
What the guest speaker didn ’ t know was that they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the car , they were both very excited .
The wife said , “ The man of God told me we ’ re called to be missionaries and we ’ re going to India !
” He replied , “ No , the man of God told me we ’ re called to be missionaries and we ’ re going to China !
” Confused , they went back into the building to ask for clarification , explaining to the speaker that he gave them two conflicting prophecies .
He smiled and said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no contradiction .
God is calling you to Indochina.
” I appeal to my prophetic friends and colleagues ( and those I don ’ t know personally ) , please don ’ t play spiritual games like this .
Please don ’ t bring further reproach to the name of the Lord whom we love and serve .
Either your words will come to pass with astonishing accuracy and the nation will witness the miraculous reelection of Donald Trump , or your words will prove false .
Will you sign on the dotted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” and “ no rationalizations ” commitment today ?
The world is watching .
Dr. Michael Brown ( www.askdrbrown.org ) is the host of the nationally syndicated Line of Fire radio program .
His latest book is Evangelicals at the Crossroads : Will We Pass the Trump Test ?
Connect with him on Facebook , Twitter or YouTube .

This is not the time for flights of spiritual fantasy. Either the charismatic prophets who declared unanimously that Donald Trump would be reelected to a second consecutive term were right or they were wrong. Either there is going to be some last minute, seemingly miraculous intervention that overturns the vote of the electoral college, or Trump will not serve a second consecutive term.
There is no middle ground. There is no third option. There is no reality in which Trump actually did win but in fact didn’t win. Or in which he’s the president in God’s sight but not in man’s sight.
Not a chance. To entertain possibilities like this is to mock the integrity of prophecy and to make us charismatics look like total fools. (To our critics, we already do look like fools, but that’s another matter. Sometimes truth itself can seem foolish to those who reject it.)
“What Went Wrong?”
To be clear, I myself am a charismatic, having spoken in tongues since January 24, 1972. I have even been called the leading apologist for the charismatic movement by those outside of the movement. And I am a strong believer in prophetic ministry today, having participated in it on different levels over the years.
Not only so, but some of the prophetic voices most clearly proclaiming a Trump victory (even to this moment) are respected colleagues, genuine men of God. Some are even friends. And if they end up being wrong, I will not throw them under the bus. Instead, I will do my best to meet with them, together with other leaders, and ask, “What went wrong? How could so many miss it together so badly? How could so many claim to be speaking for the Lord while at the same time misrepresenting His voice?”
These will be serious questions and there must be serious accountability, reflection, and even repentance.
That’s why it’s important that we lay out the options plainly now: they were either right or wrong.
“But,” someone will say, “what if the prophecies expressed God’s desire but were contingent on our faith?”
In theory that could be an option. But it evaporates when someone says, “I guarantee it. Joe Biden will not serve a single day in the White House. Trump will serve another four years.”
Lack of Faith? Hardly.
Plus, even when the words have not been that direct, there has been plenty of faith for Trump’s reelection. That’s why so many believers were shocked when the votes went Biden’s way.
And in any case, if we could blame unbelief on every prophecy that was not fulfilled, all accountability would go out the window. “You see, my prophecy over you was true. God promised that you would be a billionaire within 12 months of my word, but you didn’t have enough faith. It’s on you.”
Too bad the false prophets in biblical days didn’t figure this excuse out. It might have saved them from being stoned as false prophets.
“But,” you say, “I’ve heard Christian leaders say that Trump will end up serving this next term and that massive fraud will be uncovered, but only if we pray enough.”
To that I say: I have never seen so much mobilized prayer in my life. If prayer was going to do it, Trump would be president until he was 90.
No, the fact is that either these prophets heard accurately from God, as some of them did more than four years ago when they said Trump would be our next president, seemingly against all odds, or they did not hear accurately from God. Period.
Let us not make a mockery of truth.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
A friend sent me a video where a prophetic leader now claims that the real results will not be made manifest until March. Inauguration Day, he declared, will have no meaning.
And on and it will go until reality has been exchanged for fantasy — and in the name of the Holy Spirit at that.
To witness this unfold is as heartbreaking as it is scary. Where does it end?
An Amusing Story
In the church where I came to faith in late 1971, the pastor told us an amusing story.
A guest speaker was ministering to the congregation, and after the sermon, he had some personal prophetic words for the people.
He told one woman standing in the front of the building that God was calling her as a missionary to India. He told another man standing in the back of the building that God was calling him as a missionary to China. What the guest speaker didn’t know was that they were married.
When they got in the car, they were both very excited.
The wife said, “The man of God told me we’re called to be missionaries and we’re going to India!”
He replied, “No, the man of God told me we’re called to be missionaries and we’re going to China!”
Confused, they went back into the building to ask for clarification, explaining to the speaker that he gave them two conflicting prophecies.
He smiled and said, “No, there’s no contradiction. God is calling you to Indochina.”
I appeal to my prophetic friends and colleagues (and those I don’t know personally), please don’t play spiritual games like this. Please don’t bring further reproach to the name of the Lord whom we love and serve.
Either your words will come to pass with astonishing accuracy and the nation will witness the miraculous reelection of Donald Trump, or your words will prove false.
Will you sign on the dotted line and make that “no excuses” and “no rationalizations” commitment today? The world is watching.
(See here for my extended video on this subject.)
Dr. Michael Brown (www.askdrbrown.org) is the host of the nationally syndicated Line of Fire radio program. His latest book is Evangelicals at the Crossroads: Will We Pass the Trump Test? Connect with him on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.


thestream--2020-12-16--What is the Christian Perspective on Borders and Immigration?

We , as Christians , are called to love our neighbor , care for those in need , and see @ @ @ @ @ eyes of God .
But we are also to seek justice and act with wisdom @ @ @ @ @ when considering the issue of immigration .
When looking at immigration from a Christian perspective @ @ @ @ @ between legal and illegal immigration ?
And what should the government ’ s role be @ @ @ @ @ or the church ?
Please watch as we continue our Foundations Video Series and visit @ @ @ @ @ more .
Also be sure to check out The Politically Incorrect Guide to Immigration by @ @ @ @ @ John Zmirak Marissa Hays works for LIFE Today – an innovative television talk show sharing @ @ @ @ @ all over the world .
Marissa is honored to serve as the host of The @ @ @ @ @ passionate about the unparalleled love and unprecedented grace available to us in Jesus Christ .
@ @ @ @ @ reside in Texas with their adorable son and affectionate pug .

We, as Christians, are called to love our neighbor, care for those in need, and see all as equal in the eyes of God. But we are also to seek justice and act with wisdom. All these gather together when considering the issue of immigration.
When looking at immigration from a Christian perspective, is there a distinction between legal and illegal immigration? And what should the government’s role be versus that of the individual or the church?
Please watch as we continue our Foundations Video Series and visit our Foundations page to explore more. Also be sure to check out The Politically Incorrect Guide to Immigration by Stream editors Al Perrotta and John Zmirak.
Marissa Hays works for LIFE Today — an innovative television talk show sharing the Gospel message with people all over the world. Marissa is honored to serve as the host of The Stream: Foundations and is passionate about the unparalleled love and unprecedented grace available to us in Jesus Christ. She and her husband currently reside in Texas with their adorable son and affectionate pug.


thestream--2020-12-16--When 2 Year Olds Are Thrown Off Airplanes, You Know America Has Changed

You may have seen the video of the family thrown off a United Airlines airplane because the 2-year-old daughter would not wear a mask .
Though the family wore masks and the father promised to cover his daughter ’ s face with a mask that he placed on her face , it made no difference .
Though the child was completely asymptomatic , and though it is exceedingly rare for a child to transmit COVID-19 to an adult — that is why Sweden kept its schools open all spring and summer , with its students not wearing masks — the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flight attendant duly obeyed them .
As I watched the video , I wondered what the flight attendant thought .
For example , did he think this was absurd , not to mention cruel ?
Did he know that 2-year-olds present virtually no health risk ?
Did he wonder why adults can sit without masks inches from other passengers while eating but a 2-year-old seated only next to family needed a mask ?
Or did he think he was performing a noble service in kicking a family off an airplane because their 2-year-old @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I hope he thought he was enforcing an idiotic rule and had no choice .
Then there is hope for him and for America .
Otherwise , he ’ s an irrational automaton , among the scariest people in any society .
Does United Airlines think it ’ s enforcing a rational and humane policy , regarding 2-year-olds as dangerous disease spreaders ?
Here is what we can assume : United Airlines has made the calculation that if it doesn ’ t enforce every directive from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1 ) People will be too scared to fly United ; 2 ) If anyone gets COVID-19 after a United flight on which a 2-year-old was allowed to fly without a mask , the airline will be sued .
Regarding children and mask-wearing , the CDC website states , “ Masks should NOT be worn by children under the age of 2.
” The CDC capitalizes “ NOT.
” So , while the CDC is adamant children under the age of 2 must NOT wear a face mask , a child who just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ others on the plane — and must be ejected from the plane if she just won ’ t cover her face .
It is not overstated to declare the year 2020 the year it became legitimate to question whether America could still declare itself either “ the Land of the Free ” or “ the Home of the Brave.
” Maybe it really is time to replace the national anthem with some other song that doesn ’ t have us singing what so many of us no longer believe in .
When half @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are no longer referring to themselves or what they want America to be .
About half of us — more or less , the half that voted Donald Trump for president — still believes that America should be the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave .
But half of us , including the entire elite — the major media ; the entire educational system from elementary school through graduate school ; national , most state and all major city bureaucracies ; and the Democratic Party — neither value freedom nor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ see Americans walking outdoors with masks on , my first reaction is to mourn the death of reason and my second is to wonder what college they attended .
Because one of the many other awful things colleges do to most of their students is make them afraid : afraid not only of dying if they pass another human being while walking their dog but also of dying from global warming , and afraid of any ideas not inculcated into them by their school .
That ’ s why they and most of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their school .
To the brainwashed , different ideas are frightening and make them feel “ unsafe ” ( hence , “ safe spaces ” at so many colleges ) .
When viruses killed the equivalent of about 165,000 Americans in 1968 and about 225,000 in 1957 ( numbers adjusted based on the current U.S. population ) , healthy Americans did not quarantine ; no one hid behind masks ; no school closed ; no store or restaurant went out of business .
Why ?
Because people understood that viruses and death are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ never occurred to them to deprive children of their studies , their friends and their childhood .
It didn ’ t occur to Americans that because some people contracted a virus and died , 99 % of the population should stop living and earning livelihoods .
In that America , the news media were not singularly dedicated to frightening Americans .
And most important , the left had not yet succeeded in ruining the country ; after all , far fewer Americans went to college at that time , and high school and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a call to teach , not indoctrinate .
All of this explains how we got to the place where United Airlines could throw a 2-year-old girl off an airplane while presumably half the passengers supported her eviction and the other half was cowed into silence .
Dennis Prager is a nationally syndicated radio talk-show host and columnist .
His latest book , published by Regnery in May 2019 , is The Rational Bible , a commentary on the book of Genesis .
His film , “ No Safe Spaces , ” was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 15 , 2020 .
He is the founder of Prager University and may be contacted at dennisprager.com .

You may have seen the video of the family thrown off a United Airlines airplane because the 2-year-old daughter would not wear a mask. Though the family wore masks and the father promised to cover his daughter’s face with a mask that he placed on her face, it made no difference. Though the child was completely asymptomatic, and though it is exceedingly rare for a child to transmit COVID-19 to an adult — that is why Sweden kept its schools open all spring and summer, with its students not wearing masks — the airline had its orders, and the flight attendant duly obeyed them.
As I watched the video, I wondered what the flight attendant thought. For example, did he think this was absurd, not to mention cruel? Did he know that 2-year-olds present virtually no health risk? Did he wonder why adults can sit without masks inches from other passengers while eating but a 2-year-old seated only next to family needed a mask?
Or did he think he was performing a noble service in kicking a family off an airplane because their 2-year-old wouldn’t wear a mask?
I hope he thought he was enforcing an idiotic rule and had no choice. Then there is hope for him and for America. Otherwise, he’s an irrational automaton, among the scariest people in any society.
United Airlines’ Policy
Does United Airlines think it’s enforcing a rational and humane policy, regarding 2-year-olds as dangerous disease spreaders?
Here is what we can assume:
United Airlines has made the calculation that if it doesn’t enforce every directive from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, two bad things will result: 1) People will be too scared to fly United; 2) If anyone gets COVID-19 after a United flight on which a 2-year-old was allowed to fly without a mask, the airline will be sued.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
Regarding children and mask-wearing, the CDC website states, “Masks should NOT be worn by children under the age of 2.” The CDC capitalizes “NOT.”
So, while the CDC is adamant children under the age of 2 must NOT wear a face mask, a child who just turned 2 constitutes a mortal danger to others on the plane — and must be ejected from the plane if she just won’t cover her face.
Welcome to America 2020.
It is not overstated to declare the year 2020 the year it became legitimate to question whether America could still declare itself either “the Land of the Free” or “the Home of the Brave.” Maybe it really is time to replace the national anthem with some other song that doesn’t have us singing what so many of us no longer believe in.
When half of America sings those words, they are no longer referring to themselves or what they want America to be. About half of us — more or less, the half that voted Donald Trump for president — still believes that America should be the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave. But half of us, including the entire elite — the major media; the entire educational system from elementary school through graduate school; national, most state and all major city bureaucracies; and the Democratic Party — neither value freedom nor seek to be brave.
The Death of Reason
When I see Americans walking outdoors with masks on, my first reaction is to mourn the death of reason and my second is to wonder what college they attended. Because one of the many other awful things colleges do to most of their students is make them afraid: afraid not only of dying if they pass another human being while walking their dog but also of dying from global warming, and afraid of any ideas not inculcated into them by their school.
That’s why they and most of their professors object to conservatives speaking at their school. To the brainwashed, different ideas are frightening and make them feel “unsafe” (hence, “safe spaces” at so many colleges).
Should We Stop Living?
When viruses killed the equivalent of about 165,000 Americans in 1968 and about 225,000 in 1957 (numbers adjusted based on the current U.S. population), healthy Americans did not quarantine; no one hid behind masks; no school closed; no store or restaurant went out of business. Why? Because people understood that viruses and death are tragic parts of life, and it never occurred to them to deprive children of their studies, their friends and their childhood.
It didn’t occur to Americans that because some people contracted a virus and died, 99% of the population should stop living and earning livelihoods. In that America, the news media were not singularly dedicated to frightening Americans. And most important, the left had not yet succeeded in ruining the country; after all, far fewer Americans went to college at that time, and high school and elementary school teachers still viewed their vocation as a call to teach, not indoctrinate.
All of this explains how we got to the place where United Airlines could throw a 2-year-old girl off an airplane while presumably half the passengers supported her eviction and the other half was cowed into silence.
Dennis Prager is a nationally syndicated radio talk-show host and columnist. His latest book, published by Regnery in May 2019, is The Rational Bible, a commentary on the book of Genesis. His film, No Safe Spaces, was released to home entertainment nationwide on September 15, 2020. He is the founder of Prager University and may be contacted at dennisprager.com.
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thestream--2020-12-16--Military Photo of the Day: Maximum Aircraft Launch Exercise

U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Ospreys recently arrive at a landing zone during a maximum aircraft launch exercise on the island @ @ @ @ @ Thank you to Cpl .
Jacob Wilson for capturing this image .

U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Ospreys recently arrive at a landing zone during a maximum aircraft launch exercise on the island of Oahu in Hawaii.
Thank you to Cpl. Jacob Wilson for capturing this image.
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thestream--2020-12-16--Forget the Myths, Ignore the Hype; Here’s What We Really Know About Jesus’ ‘Missing Years’

I ’ ll bet you missed this in the post-election brouhaha : “ Christmas ” began for Hindus with their Divali celebration in November .
It fits for them because Jesus is the son of Brahman , one of their avatars ( divine incarnations ) , the son of ( Brahman ) .
He spent six of his “ missing ” years in India , then went on to Tibet for further study in Buddhism .
So some folks say , anyway .
It makes me ill just quoting them .
The one good thing I can say is that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ name .
Every religion except Judaism , it seems , wants Him as one of theirs .
But how do we know it ’ s not true ?
And what do we know of Jesus ’ “ missing years ” ?
More than you might think , actually , but no more than it would do us any good to know .
We know He was sinless , that is , spiritually and morally perfect .
I ’ ve already raised the question of how utterly strange that must have been for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t mean He never knocked His food over accidentally as a toddler , or that He never cut a board or a stone wrong while working in Joseph ’ s shop .
He had things to learn , just like we do , just not the part where it has to do with learning how to relate in righteousness with God and others .
Who Did They Think His Father Was ?
Jesus ’ earthly father , Joseph , died before He began His adult ministry .
We know this because he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Still in Luke 4:22 His neighbors in Nazareth call Him “ Joseph ’ s son.
” Apparently that meant good things to them , as they were all speaking well of Jesus , for the moment , anyway .
It took until a bit later in the chapter before they ’ d try to throw Him off a cliff .
( More on that in a moment . )
His enemies thought He was a bastard — a child born illegitimately .
In a way you can ’ t blame them ; He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They didn ’ t believe the “ miraculous ” part of that , naturally .
You can hear them sneering it in John 8:19 , where they ask , “ Where is your father ?
” Some Bibles capitalize “ father , ” but that ’ s the translators ’ decision .
It ’ s not in the original Bible , and I think they got that part wrong .
Surely Jesus ’ enemies wouldn ’ t have seen Him relating to God as His Father , the same way He did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
John 8:27 tells us plainly , in fact : They didn ’ t understand He ’ d been sent by God the Father .
They thought He was a Samaritan ( John 8:48 ) , a half-breed , not fully a Jew .
They said of Him in John 9:29 , “ As for this fellow , we don ’ t know where He is from.
” ( If they were wondering where He ’ d been brought up , they could have just asked . )
And John 8:41 must have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We were not born of fornication , ” with the rest of the sentence left hanging thick though unspoken in the air : “ We were not born of fornication like You were.
” The Young Jesus Knew Who His Father Was Jesus knew exactly who His Father was , and He knew it very early .
Some theologians like to ask whether Jesus really knew He was God , and how old He was when He realized it .
A famous passage in Luke 2 explains a lot .
He was twelve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brought Him to a feast in Jerusalem , and He displayed His future independent cast of mind by staying behind when they left .
They came back looking , and after three days found Him in the Temple “ listening and asking questions.
” Everyone who heard him , the text says , was “ astonished at His understanding and His answers ” ( verses 46-47 ) .
Don ’ t you wish you could have heard that !
What kind of questions did He ask ?
Later on in His adult ministry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ teach .
How much was He teaching even then ?
Mary was mortified , though ( 48-49 ) : “ Son , why have You done this to us ?
Look , Your father and I have sought you anxiously.
” He said , “ Why did you seek Me ?
Did you not know that I must be about My Father ’ s business ?
” Look closely .
He was saying , “ No , Mother .
How can you not remember ?
Joseph isn ’ t my Father .
Only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Get This Teaching From Anywhere Back East He knew .
Even at age twelve He understood , and He didn ’ t get it by traveling to Tibet .
Sure , other religions like to say , “ Look , He taught our stuff !
” There are truths that anyone can learn anywhere .
If a person lets his imagination roam freely enough , with his eyes and his brain skipping past about 95 percent of what Jesus said , he really could make some of it out to be Eastern-seeming .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , though , with Jesus ’ teaching on the Kingdom of God — the core of His message in the first three Gospels .
He ’ d have even more trouble ( if that ’ s even possible ) in John , where He is clearly the unique Son of the only true God .
Two can play that game though .
Let ’ s use some imagination and selective reading ourselves .
We ’ ll use a passage we ’ ve already glanced at once here , Luke 4:16-22 .
Imagine some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after years and years away , learning the “ superior wisdom ” of the East .
Picture that young man doing what Jesus did in Luke 4:16 , 20 , and 21 , going into the synagogue , standing up to read from the Scriptures , then getting ready to teach .
That ’ s Not Why They Tried to Throw Him Off the Cliff And then we ’ re going to imagine what would happen next .
And hey , we ’ re in luck !
It ’ s right there in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to skip over the part where they ’ re speaking well of Him and enjoying His “ gracious words.
” We ’ ll need to jump on past the good word they speak of Joseph , His adoptive father .
Then we ’ ll need to completely ignore what Jesus taught them from their own Scriptures , letting them know He wasn ’ t going to play the hometown boy role for them , and that God loved other people too .
Skip all that , go straight to verse to 28 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ll finally find the answer that makes sense : “ They were filled with wrath , and rose up and thrust Him out of the city ; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built , that they might throw Him down over the cliff.
” That ’ s the first thing that would ’ ve happened to any Jewish boy who ’ d left Nazareth and come teaching Hindu or Buddhist “ wisdom.
” Jesus never would have made it as far as standing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have stoned Him .
Immediately .
Yes , three years later the religious leaders had Him executed , but it wasn ’ t for teaching the Wheel of Samsara .
It was for teaching Himself as the one unique Teacher , God , King , and Judge .
Forget the Missing Years Myths ; Be Thankful for What We Know So forget the myths and stick with what we know .
It isn ’ t much , and it isn ’ t all we wish we knew .
Honestly , though , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
God gave us what we need .
I believe it would have harmed more than helped us if He ’ d given us more of the story of Jesus ’ early years .
I ’ ve spoken about that on my podcast , and I ’ ll have more to say on it here in print later this week .
I think you ’ ll be thankful , too , that we have exactly as much of the life of Christ as we have .
In the meantime , if this has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new ways from the Scriptures ( not from other religions ’ fevered imaginations ) , you can find much more like it in Too Good to be False : How Jesus ’ Incomparable Character Reveals His Reality .
Please pick up your copy today and find yourself knowing Jesus better than ever — in time to share with others for Christmas , even !
Tom Gilson ( @ TomGilsonAuthor ) is a senior editor with The Stream and the author or editor of six books , including the recently released Too Good To @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Character Reveals His Reality .

I’ll bet you missed this in the post-election brouhaha: “Christmas” began for Hindus with their Divali celebration in November. It fits for them because Jesus is the son of Brahman, one of their avatars (divine incarnations), the son of (Brahman). He spent six of his “missing” years in India, then went on to Tibet for further study in Buddhism. So some folks say, anyway. It makes me ill just quoting them. The one good thing I can say is that it shows the great power of Jesus’ name. Every religion except Judaism, it seems, wants Him as one of theirs.
But how do we know it’s not true? And what do we know of Jesus’ “missing years”? More than you might think, actually, but no more than it would do us any good to know.
We know He was sinless, that is, spiritually and morally perfect. I’ve already raised the question of how utterly strange that must have been for His family. Remember, that doesn’t mean He never knocked His food over accidentally as a toddler, or that He never cut a board or a stone wrong while working in Joseph’s shop. He had things to learn, just like we do, just not the part where it has to do with learning how to relate in righteousness with God and others.
Who Did They Think His Father Was?
Jesus’ earthly father, Joseph, died before He began His adult ministry. We know this because he never appears again after Luke 2. Still in Luke 4:22 His neighbors in Nazareth call Him “Joseph’s son.” Apparently that meant good things to them, as they were all speaking well of Jesus, for the moment, anyway. It took until a bit later in the chapter before they’d try to throw Him off a cliff. (More on that in a moment.)
His enemies thought He was a bastard — a child born illegitimately. In a way you can’t blame them; He really was born miraculously out of wedlock. They didn’t believe the “miraculous” part of that, naturally. You can hear them sneering it in John 8:19, where they ask, “Where is your father?”
Even at age twelve He understood, and He didn’t get it by traveling to Tibet.
Some Bibles capitalize “father,” but that’s the translators’ decision. It’s not in the original Bible, and I think they got that part wrong. Surely Jesus’ enemies wouldn’t have seen Him relating to God as His Father, the same way He did, or the way we do today.
John 8:27 tells us plainly, in fact: They didn’t understand He’d been sent by God the Father. They thought He was a Samaritan (John 8:48), a half-breed, not fully a Jew. They said of Him in John 9:29, “As for this fellow, we don’t know where He is from.” (If they were wondering where He’d been brought up, they could have just asked.) And John 8:41 must have been meant as an insult: “We were not born of fornication,” with the rest of the sentence left hanging thick though unspoken in the air: “We were not born of fornication like You were.”
The Young Jesus Knew Who His Father Was
Jesus knew exactly who His Father was, and He knew it very early. Some theologians like to ask whether Jesus really knew He was God, and how old He was when He realized it. A famous passage in Luke 2 explains a lot. He was twelve years old. Mary and Joseph had brought Him to a feast in Jerusalem, and He displayed His future independent cast of mind by staying behind when they left. They came back looking, and after three days found Him in the Temple “listening and asking questions.” Everyone who heard him, the text says, was “astonished at His understanding and His answers” (verses 46-47).
Don’t you wish you could have heard that! What kind of questions did He ask? Later on in His adult ministry He used one question after another to teach. How much was He teaching even then?
Mary was mortified, though (48-49): “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought you anxiously.” He said, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” Look closely. He was saying, “No, Mother. How can you not remember? Joseph isn’t my Father. Only God is.”
Jesus Didn’t Get This Teaching From Anywhere Back East
He knew. Even at age twelve He understood, and He didn’t get it by traveling to Tibet. Sure, other religions like to say, “Look, He taught our stuff!” There are truths that anyone can learn anywhere. If a person lets his imagination roam freely enough, with his eyes and his brain skipping past about 95 percent of what Jesus said, he really could make some of it out to be Eastern-seeming.
He wouldn’t get anywhere that, though, with Jesus’ teaching on the Kingdom of God — the core of His message in the first three Gospels. He’d have even more trouble (if that’s even possible) in John, where He is clearly the unique Son of the only true God.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
Two can play that game though. Let’s use some imagination and selective reading ourselves. We’ll use a passage we’ve already glanced at once here, Luke 4:16-22. Imagine some other young lad from Nazareth returning there after years and years away, learning the “superior wisdom” of the East. Picture that young man doing what Jesus did in Luke 4:16, 20, and 21, going into the synagogue, standing up to read from the Scriptures, then getting ready to teach.
That’s Not Why They Tried to Throw Him Off the Cliff
And then we’re going to imagine what would happen next. And hey, we’re in luck! It’s right there in the same passage! We just have to skip over the part where they’re speaking well of Him and enjoying His “gracious words.” We’ll need to jump on past the good word they speak of Joseph, His adoptive father. Then we’ll need to completely ignore what Jesus taught them from their own Scriptures, letting them know He wasn’t going to play the hometown boy role for them, and that God loved other people too.
Skip all that, go straight to verse to 28, and there’s where you’ll finally find the answer that makes sense: “They were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff.”
That’s the first thing that would’ve happened to any Jewish boy who’d left Nazareth and come teaching Hindu or Buddhist “wisdom.” Jesus never would have made it as far as standing up to read. They’d have stoned Him. Immediately.
Yes, three years later the religious leaders had Him executed, but it wasn’t for teaching the Wheel of Samsara. It was for teaching Himself as the one unique Teacher, God, King, and Judge.
Forget the Missing Years Myths; Be Thankful for What We Know
So forget the myths and stick with what we know. It isn’t much, and it isn’t all we wish we knew. Honestly, though, we should be careful what we wish for. God gave us what we need. I believe it would have harmed more than helped us if He’d given us more of the story of Jesus’ early years. I’ve spoken about that on my podcast, and I’ll have more to say on it here in print later this week. I think you’ll be thankful, too, that we have exactly as much of the life of Christ as we have.
In the meantime, if this has led you to think about Jesus in new ways from the Scriptures (not from other religions’ fevered imaginations), you can find much more like it in Too Good to be False: How Jesus’ Incomparable Character Reveals His Reality. Please pick up your copy today and find yourself knowing Jesus better than ever — in time to share with others for Christmas, even!
Cross-posted at Thinking Christian
Tom Gilson (@TomGilsonAuthor) is a senior editor with The Stream and the author or editor of six books, including the recently released Too Good To Be False: How Jesus’ Incomparable Character Reveals His Reality.


thestream--2020-12-16--The Sin of Suppression in Our 2020 Election

Three weeks before the election , the New York Post broke a “ smoking gun ” story on Hunter Biden ’ s introduction of his father to Vadym Pozharskyi , a leading Ukrainian energy executive .
The meeting took place just months before Vice President Joe Biden pressured Ukrainian officials to fire the prosecutor investigating his son ’ s business dealings and his $ 50,000 monthly salary from Burisma .
The media suppressed this story for weeks leading up to the 2020 election .
The reason is clear : It went against Joe Biden ’ s narrative that he knew @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dealings .
The 2020 election season pulled back the curtain on an ever-increasing codependence between Big Tech , the mainstream media , and far-left Democrats .
Much of it involved media suppression of negative news about Biden .
The Apostle Paul spoke of those “ who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth ” ( Rom .
1:18 ESV ) .
The apostle was speaking in this passage of people suppressing truth they should know about God .
I suggest there are other cases besides this where suppressing truth is a sin .
One @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one-sided party bias , progressive group-think , and blatant lies as journalism .
Here are just a few of the ways the media rigged the election .
Mainstream media moguls chose the same poll strategy they foisted on us in 2016 : Puff the Democrats through every corrupt poll .
Make Hillary and Joe look like run-away winners .
Tell us they ’ re on the way to landslide victories over Trump .
CNN crowed about the Quinnipiac poll , for example , which had Biden up by 15 points over Trump in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sermon : Impossible Win for Donald J. Trump !
Knowing that America loves a winner , they hoped that many voters would dump Trump and join the winning Democrat team .
Hunter Biden was allegedly paid millions of dollars by Burisma when Joe Biden was vice president .
Investigators gleaned this information from Hunter ’ s laptop computer , which he had left at a computer repair shop in Wilmington , Delaware .
Joe Biden was overseeing U.S. policy in Ukraine at the time .
Tucker Carlson brought Tony Bobulinski , a former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his Fox News show to discuss their overseas business dealings .
Bobulinski gave credible testimony that Joe Biden knew of his son ’ s business affairs .
Both Facebook and Twitter squashed the story , however .
Twitter banned the New York Post from tweeting it .
Facebook kept the piece from appearing on feeds , saying they were “ fact-checking ” it .
Other media outlets played squash along with them .
Imagine the feeding frenzy if the mainstream media piranhas had uncovered a father-and-son Trump scandal .
Nothing like that happened @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Amistad Project , an initiative of the Thomas More Society , says Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg donated $ 350 million toward 2020 election causes .
He channeled the funds through the left-leaning Center for Tech and Civic Life .
This organization doles out funds to counties , towns , and cities across America to administer elections .
Their largest donations go to staunchly Democratic areas .
Dallas County in Texas received over $ 15 million , while the city of Philadelphia received over $ 10 million .
Does Zuckerberg expect something in return @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kline , director of the Amistad Project , stated , “ Mark Zuckerberg is providing nearly as much money to this year ’ s election administration as the federal government.
” He adds , “ The American people have a right to know what has driven him to take this extraordinary action , and where all the money is going.
” George Soros , patron of progressivism , gave $ 28.3 million for election causes early in 2020 .
A big chunk of it went to Win Justice .
This group proudly pats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House to Democrats in 2018 , and turning many governorships blue .
How long would it take for good investigative journalists to discover who benefits from this potentially corrupt currency ?
The bread crumb trails shouldn ’ t be that hard to find and follow .
Recently the Media Research Center and The Polling Company measured the effect of media ’ s censorship of eight negative news stories on Joe and Hunter Biden prior to the election .
They surveyed 1,750 Biden voters in the seven swing states of Arizona , Georgia , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pennsylvania , and Wisconsin .
One of every six Biden voters surveyed ( 17 % ) said “ they would have abandoned the Democratic candidate had they known the facts about one or more of these news stories.
” This would have easily swung the election to Trump .
The media robbed American voters of important facts and critical information .
They stole Americans ’ ability to wisely choose the next president .
Stealing is a sin !
Ron F. Hale is a freelance writer and serves as guest preacher and interim pastor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to write a chapter in the newly released book , The Right to Believe , published by Vide Press and co-edited a book entitled Victory Over Death : Funeral Messages of Hope and Healing .

Three weeks before the election, the New York Post broke a “smoking gun” story on Hunter Biden’s introduction of his father to Vadym Pozharskyi, a leading Ukrainian energy executive. The meeting took place just months before Vice President Joe Biden pressured Ukrainian officials to fire the prosecutor investigating his son’s business dealings and his $50,000 monthly salary from Burisma.
The media suppressed this story for weeks leading up to the 2020 election. The reason is clear: It went against Joe Biden’s narrative that he knew nothing of his son’s business dealings.
One of every six Biden voters surveyed (17%) said “they would have abandoned the Democratic candidate had they known the facts about one or more of these news stories.”
The 2020 election season pulled back the curtain on an ever-increasing codependence between Big Tech, the mainstream media, and far-left Democrats. Much of it involved media suppression of negative news about Biden.
Enemies of Truth
The Apostle Paul spoke of those “who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth” (Rom. 1:18 ESV).
The apostle was speaking in this passage of people suppressing truth they should know about God. I suggest there are other cases besides this where suppressing truth is a sin. One is when media outlets pass off their one-sided party bias, progressive group-think, and blatant lies as journalism.
Here are just a few of the ways the media rigged the election.
Media Poll Manipulation
Mainstream media moguls chose the same poll strategy they foisted on us in 2016: Puff the Democrats through every corrupt poll. Make Hillary and Joe look like run-away winners. Tell us they’re on the way to landslide victories over Trump. CNN crowed about the Quinnipiac poll, for example, which had Biden up by 15 points over Trump in July.
It’s a one-point sermon: Impossible Win for Donald J. Trump! Knowing that America loves a winner, they hoped that many voters would dump Trump and join the winning Democrat team.
Back to the Burisma Blackout
Hunter Biden was allegedly paid millions of dollars by Burisma when Joe Biden was vice president. Investigators gleaned this information from Hunter’s laptop computer, which he had left at a computer repair shop in Wilmington, Delaware. Joe Biden was overseeing U.S. policy in Ukraine at the time.
Tucker Carlson brought Tony Bobulinski, a former business associate of Hunter Biden, onto his Fox News show to discuss their overseas business dealings. Bobulinski gave credible testimony that Joe Biden knew of his son’s business affairs.
Both Facebook and Twitter squashed the story, however. Twitter banned the New York Post from tweeting it. Facebook kept the piece from appearing on feeds, saying they were “fact-checking” it. Other media outlets played squash along with them.
Imagine the feeding frenzy if the mainstream media piranhas had uncovered a father-and-son Trump scandal. Nothing like that happened for the Bidens, though.
Zuckerberg’s Zillions
The Amistad Project, an initiative of the Thomas More Society, says Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg donated $350 million toward 2020 election causes. He channeled the funds through the left-leaning Center for Tech and Civic Life. This organization doles out funds to counties, towns, and cities across America to administer elections. Their largest donations go to staunchly Democratic areas.
Dallas County in Texas received over $15 million, while the city of Philadelphia received over $10 million. Does Zuckerberg expect something in return? What would that be?
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
Phil Kline, director of the Amistad Project, stated, “Mark Zuckerberg is providing nearly as much money to this year’s election administration as the federal government.” He adds, “The American people have a right to know what has driven him to take this extraordinary action, and where all the money is going.”
George Soros, patron of progressivism, gave $28.3 million for election causes early in 2020. A big chunk of it went to Win Justice. This group proudly pats itself on the back for delivering the House to Democrats in 2018, and turning many governorships blue.
How long would it take for good investigative journalists to discover who benefits from this potentially corrupt currency? The bread crumb trails shouldn’t be that hard to find and follow.
Sinsorship of Negative Biden and Positive Trump News
Recently the Media Research Center and The Polling Company measured the effect of media’s censorship of eight negative news stories on Joe and Hunter Biden prior to the election. They surveyed 1,750 Biden voters in the seven swing states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
One of every six Biden voters surveyed (17%) said “they would have abandoned the Democratic candidate had they known the facts about one or more of these news stories.” This would have easily swung the election to Trump.
The media robbed American voters of important facts and critical information. They stole Americans’ ability to wisely choose the next president. Stealing is a sin!
Ron F. Hale is a freelance writer and serves as guest preacher and interim pastor. In 2020, he was invited to write a chapter in the newly released book, The Right to Believe, published by Vide Press and co-edited a book entitled Victory Over Death: Funeral Messages of Hope and Healing.