thestream--2020-08-20--To Be a Democrat Today, You Have To Believe …

‘ There ’ s no use trying , ’ she said : ‘ one can ’ t believe impossible things.
’ ‘ I daresay you haven ’ t had much practice , ’ said the Queen .
‘ When I was your age , I always did it for half-an-hour a day .
Why sometimes I ’ ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.
’ — Through The Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll As I watch the nightly news from urban liberal war zones like Portland or force my eyeballs to stay open through the Democrats ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ We ’ re through the looking glass , people !
” And that ’ s not just an expression .
I mean that , like Carroll ’ s mad Red Queen , in order to be a Democrat in 2020 , you are required to believe an unlimited number of impossible things .
The Party ’ s embrace of “ Alice In Wonderland ” level madness inspired me to start making a list of these impossible things .
To be a Democrat today , you have to believe … 1 .
That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ human being deserving of protection from killing , and neither is a baby that was born 10 minutes ago if the mother decides she doesn ’ t want to keep it .
2 .
That capitalism , which has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty and despair worldwide , is evil ; but socialism , which has caused the oppression , impoverishment , starvation and death of hundreds of millions of people over the past century , is the only hope of the future .
3 .
That the best @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and violence in the streets is to defund the police .
4 .
That all the gains in the economy under Trump were really caused by Obama , but the worldwide economic crash following China ’ s unleashing of a pandemic was caused by Trump .
5 .
That Trump has a plan to rig the next election that involves making the Obama Administration remove thousands of mailboxes several years ago .
Also , that the Post Office is removing little-used mailboxes in Oregon because the key to Trump ’ s reelection is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And on that subject , that nobody ever complained about the US Post Office being slow , inefficient and unreliable until Trump was elected .
7 .
That America is an oppressive , racist , white supremacist nation that ’ s the root of all evil in the world and its culture is inferior to that of other nations , including the many nations where people are willing to risk their lives just for the chance to come to America .
8 .
That Trump built “ cages for children ” on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 9 .
That viruses spread like wildfire at church services , but not at crowded protest rallies for left wing causes .
Also , viruses spread at bars that serve chips , but not at bars that serve sandwiches .
Because “ science !
” Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political , Economic and Moral Issues of Our Day .
10 .
That people with male genitals are women just because they say they are , but people who say that actually having female genitals makes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
11 .
Also , hospitals must be forced to give gynecological exams to “ women ” with male genitals , and taxpayers forced to pay for abortions for them .
12 .
Again on that subject , that someone born male who developed a muscular masculine physique before deciding he was a girl has no unfair physical advantage in sports over the much smaller teenage girl whose face ( s ) he is crushing into the wrestling mat .
13 .
That Trump botched the response to COVID-19 by xenophobically shutting down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a shutdown , but Democrats would have prevented both the pandemic and the crash by not stopping travel from China and shutting down the economy sooner , harder and longer .
Also , it ’ s absolutely impossible for Trump to keep people from crossing our border , but he could have kept a virus from crossing our border .
14 .
That an acceptable way to express how much you care about black lives is to burn black neighborhoods , loot black-owned businesses and tear down statues of abolitionist leaders .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ except those of black cops , black Republicans , and black pre-born babies .
15 .
That free healthcare is a right , free college is a right , free food is a right , a guaranteed paycheck is a right and citizenship for illegal immigrants is a right ; but free speech and freedom of religion are not rights .
16 .
That the people who presided over the rise of ISIS , the Iraq and Afghan wars , a nuclear Iran and North Korea and even Iran falling to the Mullahs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ diplomatic professionals , while the man who crushed ISIS , dealt with Iran and North Korea and crafted a historic Middle East peace agreement is a dangerous amateur who ’ s destroying our foreign policy .
17 .
That disproven rumors are evidence that Trump colluded with Russia to undermine a presidential election , but Democrats paying Russians for disproven rumors and using them as “ evidence ” to launch a Deep State coup is not collusion with Russia to undermine a presidential election .
18 .
That 2 + 2 only equals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That there are 57 genders but only one acceptable political viewpoint .
20 .
That burning a flag is protected free speech , but objecting to someone burning a flag is not .
Okay , this could go on forever , so I ’ m going to stop at 20 and let you add to the list in the comments .
Have fun , if that ’ s not impossible these days … Mike Huckabee is the former governor of Arkansas and longtime conservative commentator on issues in culture and current events @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he hosts the weekly talk show Huckabee on TBN .

‘There’s no use trying,’ she said: ‘one can’t believe impossible things.’ ‘I daresay you haven’t had much practice,’ said the Queen. ‘When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.’ — Through The Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
As I watch the nightly news from urban liberal war zones like Portland or force my eyeballs to stay open through the Democrats’ virtual convention, I keep thinking, “We’re through the looking glass, people!” And that’s not just an expression. I mean that, like Carroll’s mad Red Queen, in order to be a Democrat in 2020, you are required to believe an unlimited number of impossible things. The Party’s embrace of “Alice In Wonderland” level madness inspired me to start making a list of these impossible things. To be a Democrat today, you have to believe …
1. That a pre-born human baby is not a human being deserving of protection from killing, and neither is a baby that was born 10 minutes ago if the mother decides she doesn’t want to keep it.
2. That capitalism, which has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty and despair worldwide, is evil; but socialism, which has caused the oppression, impoverishment, starvation and death of hundreds of millions of people over the past century, is the only hope of the future.
3. That the best solution for rioting, looting, arson and violence in the streets is to defund the police.
4. That all the gains in the economy under Trump were really caused by Obama, but the worldwide economic crash following China’s unleashing of a pandemic was caused by Trump.
5. That Trump has a plan to rig the next election that involves making the Obama Administration remove thousands of mailboxes several years ago. Also, that the Post Office is removing little-used mailboxes in Oregon because the key to Trump’s reelection is for him to win Oregon.
6. And on that subject, that nobody ever complained about the US Post Office being slow, inefficient and unreliable until Trump was elected.
7. That America is an oppressive, racist, white supremacist nation that’s the root of all evil in the world and its culture is inferior to that of other nations, including the many nations where people are willing to risk their lives just for the chance to come to America.
8. That Trump built “cages for children” on the border during the Obama Administration.
9. That viruses spread like wildfire at church services, but not at crowded protest rallies for left wing causes. Also, viruses spread at bars that serve chips, but not at bars that serve sandwiches. Because “science!”
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
10. That people with male genitals are women just because they say they are, but people who say that actually having female genitals makes them women are intolerant, transphobic bigots.
11. Also, hospitals must be forced to give gynecological exams to “women” with male genitals, and taxpayers forced to pay for abortions for them.
12. Again on that subject, that someone born male who developed a muscular masculine physique before deciding he was a girl has no unfair physical advantage in sports over the much smaller teenage girl whose face (s)he is crushing into the wrestling mat.
13. That Trump botched the response to COVID-19 by xenophobically shutting down travel from China and crashing the economy with a shutdown, but Democrats would have prevented both the pandemic and the crash by not stopping travel from China and shutting down the economy sooner, harder and longer. Also, it’s absolutely impossible for Trump to keep people from crossing our border, but he could have kept a virus from crossing our border.
14. That an acceptable way to express how much you care about black lives is to burn black neighborhoods, loot black-owned businesses and tear down statues of abolitionist leaders. Also, that all black lives matter except those of black cops, black Republicans, and black pre-born babies.
15. That free healthcare is a right, free college is a right, free food is a right, a guaranteed paycheck is a right and citizenship for illegal immigrants is a right; but free speech and freedom of religion are not rights.
16. That the people who presided over the rise of ISIS, the Iraq and Afghan wars, a nuclear Iran and North Korea and even Iran falling to the Mullahs in the first place, are trusted diplomatic professionals, while the man who crushed ISIS, dealt with Iran and North Korea and crafted a historic Middle East peace agreement is a dangerous amateur who’s destroying our foreign policy.
17. That disproven rumors are evidence that Trump colluded with Russia to undermine a presidential election, but Democrats paying Russians for disproven rumors and using them as “evidence” to launch a Deep State coup is not collusion with Russia to undermine a presidential election.
18. That 2 + 2 only equals 4 because of white supremacy.
19. That there are 57 genders but only one acceptable political viewpoint.
20. That burning a flag is protected free speech, but objecting to someone burning a flag is not.
Okay, this could go on forever, so I’m going to stop at 20 and let you add to the list in the comments. Have fun, if that’s not impossible these days …
Mike Huckabee is the former governor of Arkansas and longtime conservative commentator on issues in culture and current events. A New York Times best-selling author, he hosts the weekly talk show Huckabee on TBN.
Originally published at MikeHuckabee.com. Reprinted with permission.


thestream--2020-08-20--We’re on the Eve of Destruction Again

We’re on the Eve of Destruction Again

It was 1965 when Barry McGuire ’ s # 1 hit song , “ Eve of Destruction ” was released , and I heard it as a 10-year-old boy .
As I grew into my teens , I began to understand the lyrics , which expressed the frustration and hopelessness of the younger generation .
We were old enough to be shipped off to Vietnam to die but not old enough to vote .
And as the world was all ready to explode in a hail of nuclear bombs , there was nothing we could do .
Worse still , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pleaded .
Don ’ t you understand ?
Can ’ t you see ?
Why won ’ t you believe that we are really on the eve of destruction ?
“ This whole crazy world is just too frustratin ’ , ” and neither Washington nor Civil Rights marches could fix it .
Why , oh why , won ’ t anybody listen ?
It was 19-year-old P. F. Sloan who wrote the song , and after it became famous , he explained to the Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this razor ’ s edge about what God is saying every time I sing this song .
He ’ s telling me , ‘ Don ’ t believe we ’ re on the eve , I ’ m not going to allow it.
’ And then other times when I sing it , I get the message he ’ s going to allow destruction to happen .
Every time I sing it , I get an insight into what ’ s going on.
” Fast forward now to the year 2020 , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if we ’ re on the eve of destruction .
But this time , it ’ s not because of the threat of nuclear war ( although that is always possible ) .
Nor is it because of global warming ( despite the apocalyptic warnings of some ) .
It ’ s not even because of the pandemic ( although COVID-19 certainly has turned the world upside down ) .
Why are We on the Eve of Destruction This Time ?
Instead , it is because , once again , we are destroying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We are on the verge of tearing apart at the seams .
And , as I have warned in recent days , we stand on the precipice of a very dangerous cultural shift .
Falling over this cliff , it will be almost impossible to find our way back .
A June 3 , 2020 video of New York City filmed by Inside Edition was titled , “ Luxury Stores Board Up Along Manhattan ’ s 5th Avenue.
” The narration started with the words , “ New York looks like a city @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to The Stream ‘ s John Zmirak for posting the video in his insightful article . )
This is a microcosm of our country : We are a nation under siege , and we are on the eve of self-destruction .
It is an urgent time .
It calls for an urgent response .
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political , Economic and Moral Issues of Our Day .
My guest on the Monday broadcast of the Line of Fire was New York Times # 1 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his newest book , The Harbinger II .
We also spoke about the national ( and global ) repentance event he is organizing , The Return .
Jonathan spoke with great passion and deep concern as we discussed the state of the nation , not as an author trying to sell a book or promote an event .
Rather , he spoke as a prophetic voice who has been warning for years that divine judgment is at the door .
Yet neither the Church nor the society is getting the message .
What @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Giving Us Over to Self Destruction ?
I too have shared this deep burden , sometimes shaking on the inside when I consider the state of America .
It seems certain that divine judgment is already in our midst , seen , at the very least by the evidence of withheld blessings .
It also seems certain that He is giving us over to our own fleshly desires , barely holding us back from implosion .
And it seems certain that His fiery judgment could soon be poured out .
Even if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ m saying in terms of divine judgment , then believe this : We are absolutely destroying ourselves .
Is that not cause enough for deep concern ?
For alarm ?
For prayer and fasting and repenting ?
I have shared recently how jarring it was to revise the text of my book Revolution !
, first published in 2000 and now being released in updated form for October , 2020 .
The full , new title is : Revolution : An Urgent Call to a Holy Uprising , and every word of that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than a gospel-based , moral and cultural revolution will turn the tide , and the message and call are urgent .
We must have a holy uprising !
In the first edition of the book , in 2000 , I wrote , “ School shootings like Columbine could soon appear tame .
Churches and synagogues could require metal detectors at the doors , just like airports and , tragically , so many of our schools.
” That was before school massacres like Sandy Hook and Parkland and before the church and synagogue massacres @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Pennsylvania .
I wrote , “ In the coming days , child pornography could grow even uglier and more rampant.
” Need I share the horrifying online statistics here ?
I added , “ Our inner cities could become virtual war zones , while real family life could all but vanish from city streets .
Trash talk TV shows could stoop even lower — who would have ever thought they could have stooped so low ?
— while those even daring to suggest the need for some kind of moral standards could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and extreme .
What I am saying is not that outlandish !
” Yet few would listen back in 2000 , and so I raise my voice again , as do Jonathan Cahn and a host of others , crying out , “ Wake up America !
Wake up Church !
Turn to God before it ’ s too late.
” Jonathan told me during our interview that he and the organizers had been planning The Return event well before 2020 , picking the exact date of September 26 last year .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ place before the tumultuous events of this year of chaos and death .
The Sabbath of Repentance and Return To Jonathan ’ s surprise , when he looked at the Jewish calendar , he realized that this day , which is a Saturday , is called Shabbat Shuvah , which means , the Sabbath of repentance/return .
He knew that it was the Sabbath between Rosh Hashanah , the traditional Jewish New Year , and Yom Kippur , the Day of Atonement .
And that ’ s why this day was picked .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ with “ The Return ” until the date was locked in .
One of the passages read in the synagogues on this sabbath is Joel 2:15-27 , which calls for a solemn assembly , for fasting and prayer and repentance — with urgency .
This may be the only thing that will hold us back from the eve of destruction .
May God have mercy !
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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Connect with him on Facebook , Twitter or YouTube .

It was 1965 when Barry McGuire’s #1 hit song, “Eve of Destruction” was released, and I heard it as a 10-year-old boy. As I grew into my teens, I began to understand the lyrics, which expressed the frustration and hopelessness of the younger generation. We were old enough to be shipped off to Vietnam to die but not old enough to vote. And as the world was all ready to explode in a hail of nuclear bombs, there was nothing we could do. Worse still, no one would listen.
The lyrics pleaded. Don’t you understand? Can’t you see? Why won’t you believe that we are really on the eve of destruction? “This whole crazy world is just too frustratin’,” and neither Washington nor Civil Rights marches could fix it. Why, oh why, won’t anybody listen?
It was 19-year-old P. F. Sloan who wrote the song, and after it became famous, he explained to the Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, “It’s an endless dance around this razor’s edge about what God is saying every time I sing this song. He’s telling me, ‘Don’t believe we’re on the eve, I’m not going to allow it.’ And then other times when I sing it, I get the message he’s going to allow destruction to happen. Every time I sing it, I get an insight into what’s going on.”
Even if you believe none of what I’m saying in terms of divine judgment, then believe this: We are absolutely destroying ourselves.
Fast forward now to the year 2020, and, once again, it feels as if we’re on the eve of destruction. But this time, it’s not because of the threat of nuclear war (although that is always possible). Nor is it because of global warming (despite the apocalyptic warnings of some). It’s not even because of the pandemic (although COVID-19 certainly has turned the world upside down).
Why are We on the Eve of Destruction This Time?
Instead, it is because, once again, we are destroying ourselves, especially here in America. We are on the verge of tearing apart at the seams. And, as I have warned in recent days, we stand on the precipice of a very dangerous cultural shift. Falling over this cliff, it will be almost impossible to find our way back.
A June 3, 2020 video of New York City filmed by Inside Edition was titled, “Luxury Stores Board Up Along Manhattan’s 5th Avenue.” The narration started with the words, “New York looks like a city under siege today.” (My appreciation to The Stream‘s John Zmirak for posting the video in his insightful article.)
This is a microcosm of our country: We are a nation under siege, and we are on the eve of self-destruction. It is an urgent time. It calls for an urgent response.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
My guest on the Monday broadcast of the Line of Fire was New York Times #1 bestselling author Jonathan Cahn, talking about his newest book, The Harbinger II. We also spoke about the national (and global) repentance event he is organizing, The Return.
Jonathan spoke with great passion and deep concern as we discussed the state of the nation, not as an author trying to sell a book or promote an event. Rather, he spoke as a prophetic voice who has been warning for years that divine judgment is at the door. Yet neither the Church nor the society is getting the message. What will it take to wake us up?
Giving Us Over to Self Destruction?
I too have shared this deep burden, sometimes shaking on the inside when I consider the state of America. It seems certain that divine judgment is already in our midst, seen, at the very least by the evidence of withheld blessings. It also seems certain that He is giving us over to our own fleshly desires, barely holding us back from implosion. And it seems certain that His fiery judgment could soon be poured out.
Even if you believe none of what I’m saying in terms of divine judgment, then believe this: We are absolutely destroying ourselves. Is that not cause enough for deep concern? For alarm? For prayer and fasting and repenting?
I have shared recently how jarring it was to revise the text of my book Revolution!, first published in 2000 and now being released in updated form for October, 2020. The full, new title is: Revolution: An Urgent Call to a Holy Uprising, and every word of that title is meant seriously. Nothing less than a gospel-based, moral and cultural revolution will turn the tide, and the message and call are urgent. We must have a holy uprising!
Repeated Warnings to Wake Up
In the first edition of the book, in 2000, I wrote, “School shootings like Columbine could soon appear tame. Churches and synagogues could require metal detectors at the doors, just like airports and, tragically, so many of our schools.” That was before school massacres like Sandy Hook and Parkland and before the church and synagogue massacres in Sutherland Springs, Texas and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
I wrote, “In the coming days, child pornography could grow even uglier and more rampant.” Need I share the horrifying online statistics here?
I added, “Our inner cities could become virtual war zones, while real family life could all but vanish from city streets. Trash talk TV shows could stoop even lower — who would have ever thought they could have stooped so low? — while those even daring to suggest the need for some kind of moral standards could be rejected out of hand as dangerous and extreme. What I am saying is not that outlandish!”
Yet few would listen back in 2000, and so I raise my voice again, as do Jonathan Cahn and a host of others, crying out, “Wake up America! Wake up Church! Turn to God before it’s too late.”
Jonathan told me during our interview that he and the organizers had been planning The Return event well before 2020, picking the exact date of September 26 last year. This means that the plan was put in place before the tumultuous events of this year of chaos and death.
The Sabbath of Repentance and Return
To Jonathan’s surprise, when he looked at the Jewish calendar, he realized that this day, which is a Saturday, is called Shabbat Shuvah, which means, the Sabbath of repentance/return. He knew that it was the Sabbath between Rosh Hashanah, the traditional Jewish New Year, and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. And that’s why this day was picked. But he failed to realize the connection with “The Return” until the date was locked in.
One of the passages read in the synagogues on this sabbath is Joel 2:15-27, which calls for a solemn assembly, for fasting and prayer and repentance — with urgency.
This may be the only thing that will hold us back from the eve of destruction. May God have mercy!
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--2020-08-20--Steve Bannon And Brian Kolfage Indicted for Allegedly Defrauding Crowdfunded Border Wall Donors

Former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon and triple-amputee Air Force veteran Brian Kolfage were indicted Thursday for allegedly defrauding hundreds of thousands of donors who donated to their crowdfunded border wall project .
Kolfage and Bannon raised more than $ 25 million into their nonprofit group We Build The Wall under the false pretense that all money raised would be spent on construction , the Justice Department said .
“ While repeatedly assuring donors that Brian Kolfage , the founder and public face of We Build the Wall , would not be paid a cent , the defendants secretly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dollars to Kolfage , which he used to fund his lavish lifestyle , ” Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said in a statement .
Kolfage and Bannon , who served as the advisory board chair of the nonprofit group , “ schemed to hide their misappropriation of funds by creating sham invoices and accounts to launder donations and covering up their crimes , showing no regard for the law or the truth , ” Inspector-in-Charge Philip Bartlett added .
“ This case should serve as a warning to other fraudsters that no one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a disabled war veteran or a millionaire political strategist.
” By routing payments through another nonprofit group under Bannon ’ s control , Kolfage took more than $ 350,000 from We Build The Wall for his personal use , while Bannon received over $ 1 million from the group , according to the Justice Department .
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political , Economic and Moral Issues of Our Day .
Kolfage had texted another individual indicted Thursday in connection with the scheme , Andrew Badolato @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confidential ” and on a “ need to know ” basis , according to the Justice Department .
Kolfage launched a viral crowdfunding campaign to help fund a southern border wall in late 2018 that raised over $ 20 million .
Kolfage told his donors at the onset he would transfer all funds raised through his crowdfunding effort to the federal government but in January 2019 he launched We Build The Wall to construct a piecemeal wall along the southern border .
The Daily Caller News Foundation reported at the time that charity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a huge risk by placing their trust in Kolfage , who was refusing to answer basic questions about his nonprofit group .
“ With no established track record , Kolfage should be even more willing to be transparent with the public , ” Charity Watch analyst Stephanie Kalivas told the DCNF at the time .
“ The apparent lack of established governing documents , and Kolfage ’ s unwillingness to make available to the public the ‘ white paper ’ he claims has been prepared ‘ to every detail ’ are additional red @ @ @ @ @ @ @ huge risk in blindly trusting that Kolfage will keep to , or be able to execute on , his claims , especially considering the magnitude of the purported mission , ” Kalivas added .
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 licensing @ dailycallernewsfoundation.org .

Former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon and triple-amputee Air Force veteran Brian Kolfage were indicted Thursday for allegedly defrauding hundreds of thousands of donors who donated to their crowdfunded border wall project.
Kolfage and Bannon raised more than $25 million into their nonprofit group We Build The Wall under the false pretense that all money raised would be spent on construction, the Justice Department said.
“While repeatedly assuring donors that Brian Kolfage, the founder and public face of We Build the Wall, would not be paid a cent, the defendants secretly schemed to pass hundreds of thousands of dollars to Kolfage, which he used to fund his lavish lifestyle,” Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said in a statement.
Kolfage and Bannon, who served as the advisory board chair of the nonprofit group, “schemed to hide their misappropriation of funds by creating sham invoices and accounts to launder donations and covering up their crimes, showing no regard for the law or the truth,” Inspector-in-Charge Philip Bartlett added.
“This case should serve as a warning to other fraudsters that no one is above the law, not even a disabled war veteran or a millionaire political strategist.”
By routing payments through another nonprofit group under Bannon’s control, Kolfage took more than $350,000 from We Build The Wall for his personal use, while Bannon received over $1 million from the group, according to the Justice Department.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
Kolfage had texted another individual indicted Thursday in connection with the scheme, Andrew Badolato, that his pay arrangement was “confidential” and on a “need to know” basis, according to the Justice Department.
I thought it was pretty clear. I made a promise that I would NEVER take a penny 100% of fundraising through @gofundme donations will only go towards the wall, 100% means 100% right? Board won't see any of that money! Donations will be accountable by an audit committee as well. — Brian Kolfage (@BrianKolfage) January 13, 2019
Kolfage launched a viral crowdfunding campaign to help fund a southern border wall in late 2018 that raised over $20 million. Kolfage told his donors at the onset he would transfer all funds raised through his crowdfunding effort to the federal government but in January 2019 he launched We Build The Wall to construct a piecemeal wall along the southern border.
The Daily Caller News Foundation reported at the time that charity experts warned donors that they were taking a huge risk by placing their trust in Kolfage, who was refusing to answer basic questions about his nonprofit group.
“With no established track record, Kolfage should be even more willing to be transparent with the public,” Charity Watch analyst Stephanie Kalivas told the DCNF at the time. “The apparent lack of established governing documents, and Kolfage’s unwillingness to make available to the public the ‘white paper’ he claims has been prepared ‘to every detail’ are additional red flags.”
“Donors are taking a huge risk in blindly trusting that Kolfage will keep to, or be able to execute on, his claims, especially considering the magnitude of the purported mission,” Kalivas added.
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--2020-08-20--Freedom Upheld: California Church That Holds Services Despite Cease and Desist ‘Order’ Wins in Court

“ A lot of people who are talking about this in the media ask the question , ‘ What right does Grace Community Church have to open in the midst of this mandate ? '
” Thomas More attorney Jenna Ellis told The Stream .
“ Well , that ’ s not the appropriate question .
The question , of course , is what power does the city and state and county have to force churches to close ?
And the bottom line is they don ’ t. ” Even so , lack of power didn ’ t stop Los @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and desist ” order to Grace Community Church and its pastor , John MacArthur , for holding church services .
The July 29 order threatened the church and Pastor MacArthur personally with a $ 1,000 fine per day and up to 90 days in jail .
Ellis ’ s team at Thomas More is representing Pastor John MacArthur and Grace Community Church in a lawsuit filed after the cease and desist order was issued .
The Los Angeles County Superior Court announced Thursday that there was no order prohibiting Pastor MacArthur and Grace @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Ellis reacted to the news in a statement : We are pleased with the outcome today .
Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff correctly found there is no court order prohibiting Grace Community Church from holding indoor services .
LA County continues to harass and target Pastor MacArthur .
Having failed to get a court order to shut down the church they have sought three times , they ’ re going to try again by hauling us back into court .
Ironically , LA County said in its application for contempt that , ‘ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the court when decisions don ’ t go its way , ’ yet that ’ s precisely what LA County is now doing themselves .
We will simply continue to defend our client ’ s constitutionally protected rights because church is essential .
How It All Began For 63 years , Grace Community Church , in Sun Valley , Calif. , has been serving their community .
For 51 of those years , John MacArthur has been the lead pastor .
When COVID-19 hit , MacArthur and his elder board decided , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ services only .
But the models for the pandemic didn ’ t turn out as first advertised .
For three weeks , MacArthur preached to an empty church .
By the fourth week , his parishioners began to return .
More and more people began showing back up for services .
“ The … crowd just kept growing every week as they began to realize that the statistics weren ’ t what they thought they were going to be , ” said MacArthur .
“ Our elders put out a statement on that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
‘ We ’ re going to have church and you ’ re welcome to come.
’ And they started coming.
” That statement on their website was dated July 24 .
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political , Economic and Moral Issues of Our Day .
Within days , Grace Community Church and MacArthur received the cease and desist order .
Not only that , but the mayor , Eric Garcetti , has threatened to shut off water and power to the church if they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the county even came to church to observe the service , on a number of occasions , presumably to make sure masks were worn and people were “ socially distanced.
” But the statistics don ’ t match up with the projections , MacArthur explained .
“ Now , if we felt that people were dying from COVID , it would ’ ve been one thing .
But on this situation , the governor started saying , ‘ You can ’ t worship .
You can ’ t sing , you have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he was stepping into the very worship and expression of the church.
” MacArthur ’ s church of 7,000 people have yet to have anyone ill with COVID .
MacArthur explained why his church members felt that they could return to church .
“ At the time we opened , there were 8,500 deaths in California of 40 million people .
That ’ s .02 % .
” He continued : So that means you had a 99.98 % chance of not dying from this .
And by the way , half of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over 80 years of age .
So if you ’ re under 80 years of age , it was 99.99 % .
So we didn ’ t buy the narrative anymore .
It just wasn ’ t anything like it , you know , even the people in the health area were saying hospitals , many hospitals were virtually empty .
It wasn ’ t what they said it would be and our people made those decisions on their own , and they just started to come back realizing we had no one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who was sick from COVID .
And that ’ s a large congregation .
No one had that we knew of in our church had been hospitalized .
So it just didn ’ t make sense .
And people had been interacting in smaller groups because it ’ s , the church basically is where they have developed their friendship .
So they were getting together and I just think they felt safe and they started coming back .
For Ellis and MacArthur , the intrusion by the state and local government is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are safe .
“ Constitutionally , it ’ s absolutely targeted discrimination at this point against churches and against the free exercise of religion and the freedom of association.
” Ellis pointed out that churches are specifically protected through the First Amendment .
However , protesters can march without masks or socially distancing .
“ They ’ re turning a blind eye to political protests .
… It ’ s an unconstitutional overreach.
” “ The hypocrisy of it is patently obvious , ” said MacArthur .
From August 2 through August 7 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protests without any thought to social distancing .
The very week MacArthur ’ s church received the order , those protests were taking place with “ no restraints.
” MacArthur will continue to preach .
“ God does his best work through us when we struggle and when we ’ re weak we ’ re really strong .
So there ’ s no fear here.
” MacArthur has asked for prayers for his church and himself during this situation .
“ Pray that we will remain faithful and that the Lord Jesus Christ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the salvation of our leaders .
We don ’ t hate them .
They ’ re not our enemies , they ’ re the mission field.
” He also wants to be an example for other churches to follow .
“ My passion and desire is to set an example , to get other pastors , to be willing to say , look , the governor is not the head of the church .
The CDC is not the head of the church .
Jesus Christ is the head of the church @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a virus is inconsequential when compared with the harm that can be done when the church loses its profile as a shining light , when it loses its voice in the world .
If any generation ever needed the gospel voice , it is now.
” Nancy Flory is an associate editor at The Stream .
You can follow her @ NancyFlory3 , and follow The Stream @ Streamdotorg .

“A lot of people who are talking about this in the media ask the question, ‘What right does Grace Community Church have to open in the midst of this mandate?'” Thomas More attorney Jenna Ellis told The Stream. “Well, that’s not the appropriate question. The question, of course, is what power does the city and state and county have to force churches to close? And the bottom line is they don’t.”
Even so, lack of power didn’t stop Los Angeles county from issuing a “cease and desist” order to Grace Community Church and its pastor, John MacArthur, for holding church services. The July 29 order threatened the church and Pastor MacArthur personally with a $1,000 fine per day and up to 90 days in jail. Ellis’s team at Thomas More is representing Pastor John MacArthur and Grace Community Church in a lawsuit filed after the cease and desist order was issued.
The Los Angeles County Superior Court announced Thursday that there was no order prohibiting Pastor MacArthur and Grace Community Church from holding indoor church services. Ellis reacted to the news in a statement:
We are pleased with the outcome today. Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff correctly found there is no court order prohibiting Grace Community Church from holding indoor services. LA County continues to harass and target Pastor MacArthur. Having failed to get a court order to shut down the church they have sought three times, they’re going to try again by hauling us back into court. Ironically, LA County said in its application for contempt that, ‘Grace Church cannot thumb its nose at the court when decisions don’t go its way,’ yet that’s precisely what LA County is now doing themselves. We will simply continue to defend our client’s constitutionally protected rights because church is essential.
How It All Began
For 63 years, Grace Community Church, in Sun Valley, Calif., has been serving their community. For 51 of those years, John MacArthur has been the lead pastor. When COVID-19 hit, MacArthur and his elder board decided, like many churches, to offer live-stream services only. But the models for the pandemic didn’t turn out as first advertised. For three weeks, MacArthur preached to an empty church. By the fourth week, his parishioners began to return. More and more people began showing back up for services. “The … crowd just kept growing every week as they began to realize that the statistics weren’t what they thought they were going to be,” said MacArthur. “Our elders put out a statement on that two weeks ago, just our stand. ‘We’re going to have church and you’re welcome to come.’ And they started coming.” That statement on their website was dated July 24.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
Within days, Grace Community Church and MacArthur received the cease and desist order. Not only that, but the mayor, Eric Garcetti, has threatened to shut off water and power to the church if they don’t comply. Health workers from the county even came to church to observe the service, on a number of occasions, presumably to make sure masks were worn and people were “socially distanced.”
Stats Don’t Match the Projections
But the statistics don’t match up with the projections, MacArthur explained. “Now, if we felt that people were dying from COVID, it would’ve been one thing. But on this situation, the governor started saying, ‘You can’t worship. You can’t sing, you have to wear masks.’ And obviously … he was stepping into the very worship and expression of the church.” MacArthur’s church of 7,000 people have yet to have anyone ill with COVID.
MacArthur explained why his church members felt that they could return to church. “At the time we opened, there were 8,500 deaths in California of 40 million people. That’s .02%.” He continued:
So that means you had a 99.98% chance of not dying from this. And by the way, half of those 8,500 or more than half were over 80 years of age. So if you’re under 80 years of age, it was 99.99%. So we didn’t buy the narrative anymore. It just wasn’t anything like it, you know, even the people in the health area were saying hospitals, many hospitals were virtually empty. It wasn’t what they said it would be and our people made those decisions on their own, and they just started to come back realizing we had no one in our church that we knew of who was sick from COVID. And that’s a large congregation. No one had that we knew of in our church had been hospitalized. So it just didn’t make sense. And people had been interacting in smaller groups because it’s, the church basically is where they have developed their friendship. So they were getting together and I just think they felt safe and they started coming back.
Targeted Discrimination
For Ellis and MacArthur, the intrusion by the state and local government is much more than just making sure people are safe. “Constitutionally, it’s absolutely targeted discrimination at this point against churches and against the free exercise of religion and the freedom of association.” Ellis pointed out that churches are specifically protected through the First Amendment. However, protesters can march without masks or socially distancing. “They’re turning a blind eye to political protests. … It’s an unconstitutional overreach.”
“The hypocrisy of it is patently obvious,” said MacArthur. From August 2 through August 7, there were days and nights of protests without any thought to social distancing. The very week MacArthur’s church received the order, those protests were taking place with “no restraints.”
A Shining Example
MacArthur will continue to preach. “God does his best work through us when we struggle and when we’re weak we’re really strong. So there’s no fear here.”
MacArthur has asked for prayers for his church and himself during this situation. “Pray that we will remain faithful and that the Lord Jesus Christ will be honored. … We pray for the salvation of our leaders. We don’t hate them. They’re not our enemies, they’re the mission field.”
He also wants to be an example for other churches to follow. “My passion and desire is to set an example, to get other pastors, to be willing to say, look, the governor is not the head of the church. The CDC is not the head of the church. Jesus Christ is the head of the church and whatever harm might be done by a virus is inconsequential when compared with the harm that can be done when the church loses its profile as a shining light, when it loses its voice in the world. If any generation ever needed the gospel voice, it is now.”
Watch how MacArthur welcomed his church Sunday:
John MacArthur: “Welcome to our ‘peaceful protest’”: pic.twitter.com/knjNkwZ5x6 — Phil Johnson (@Phil_Johnson_) August 9, 2020
Nancy Flory is an associate editor at The Stream. You can follow her @NancyFlory3, and follow The Stream @Streamdotorg.


thestream--2020-08-20--Ted Cruz: Will Democrats Defend the Police? I Wouldn’t Count on It

This week , Democrats from all across the country convened for the “ virtual ” Democratic National Convention .
During their pledges to ban fracking , raise taxes , and advance other policy objectives of the far Left , the Democratic Party failed to address an issue that has become more and more apparent : its problem with law and order .
The Democrats held their convention in Milwaukee , which is fitting .
Milwaukee is a Democrat-controlled city where local leaders catered to the violent mob and voted to defund their police department by 10 % in next year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the convention , more than 100 police agencies pulled out of agreements to provide security for the event , citing an order that would hamstring law enforcement ’ s ability to protect themselves .
And who would blame them ?
For more than 12 weeks , cities run by local Democrat officials have been subject to violent riots that left police cars firebombed , police officers assaulted and killed , and businesses burned to the ground .
Legitimate , peaceful protests against police brutality and for equal justice have their rightful place in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the right to speak and exercise his or her First Amendment rights .
But for three months , these demonstrations have been hijacked by Antifa and other anti-American anarchists who hate our country , hate law enforcement , and want to sow division .
Nowhere have these criminals been more empowered to engage in violence than in major U.S. cities , where Democrats have a stronghold .
We Saw This Coming Despite local elected Democrats dialing up their criticism of our brave men and women in blue in recent months , the Democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ order is really nothing new .
Two years ago , then-candidate Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez won her seat by calling for the abolition and dissolution of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement .
I introduced a resolution denouncing this hateful demand , but unfortunately , my Democratic colleagues were largely silent .
At the time , the Mainstream Media waved off Rep. Ocasio-Cortez ’ s calls against the federal law enforcement agency as a radical idea from the fringe Left .
Just two months ago , Rep. Ilhan Omar said , “ we need to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” and went on to refer to the department as a cancer at a Democrat rally .
Today ’ s Democratic Party finds itself facing calls to support the dangerous ‘ Defund the Police ’ movement , which has gained steam in at least 13 major Democrat-controlled cities .
To no one ’ s surprise , these are cities where violent crime is on the rise .
In New York City , where Mayor Bill de Blasio announced his plans to cut $ 1 billion from the NYPD , shootings are up 46 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up 23 % for the first half of the year , and burglaries are up 46 % year-to-date .
In Minneapolis , where the city council voted to abolish the police department , there were more than 40 shootings in the first half of July , prompting residents to form their own armed security groups to protect their communities .
In Portland , where Mayor Ted Wheeler pledged to divert millions from the police bureau and the city council even voted to disband the city ’ s “ Gun Violence Reduction Team , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the first 12 days of July alone , we ’ ve witnessed an increase in gun violence by over 380 % .
” Just last weekend , after attempting to set the police precinct on fire , the criminal chaos continued with rioters hurling rocks and dangerous fireworks at officers and causing “ extensive damage ” to patrol vehicles by filling pool noodles with nails and placing them on the road .
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political , Economic and Moral Issues of Our Day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seen a “ 120 % increase in murders from Jan. 1 to Aug. 13 compared with the same time last year.
” It ’ s also seen more than 100 murders over the course of the eight-month period , compared with the 46 reported during the same time in 2019 .
And in Austin , in my home state of Texas , the Austin City Council is defunding the police department by $ 150 million , which will mean fewer police officers on the force and cuts to forensic work and services for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ violent mob puts every American life at risk — including those individuals who freely exercise their First Amendment rights or serve in law enforcement .
To fail to tell the truth about the valuable role law enforcement plays in American cities is moral and political malpractice .
Are there law enforcement officers who violate the law ?
Yes , and when they do they should be prosecuted .
But to impugn the integrity of everyone working in law enforcement — like the Democrats do — is a disservice to this country .
So @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they condemn these radical calls ?
Will they stand with the brave men and women of law enforcement who risk life and limb to protect our communities ?
Ted Cruz is a U.S .
Senator for Texas and a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee .
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of our original content , please contact licensing @ dailycallernewsfoundation.org .

This week, Democrats from all across the country convened for the “virtual” Democratic National Convention. During their pledges to ban fracking, raise taxes, and advance other policy objectives of the far Left, the Democratic Party failed to address an issue that has become more and more apparent: its problem with law and order.
The Democrats held their convention in Milwaukee, which is fitting. Milwaukee is a Democrat-controlled city where local leaders catered to the violent mob and voted to defund their police department by 10% in next year’s city budget.
Ahead of the convention, more than 100 police agencies pulled out of agreements to provide security for the event, citing an order that would hamstring law enforcement’s ability to protect themselves. And who would blame them? For more than 12 weeks, cities run by local Democrat officials have been subject to violent riots that left police cars firebombed, police officers assaulted and killed, and businesses burned to the ground.
Legitimate, peaceful protests against police brutality and for equal justice have their rightful place in our public dialogue. Every American has the right to speak and exercise his or her First Amendment rights. But for three months, these demonstrations have been hijacked by Antifa and other anti-American anarchists who hate our country, hate law enforcement, and want to sow division. Nowhere have these criminals been more empowered to engage in violence than in major U.S. cities, where Democrats have a stronghold.
We Saw This Coming
Despite local elected Democrats dialing up their criticism of our brave men and women in blue in recent months, the Democratic Party’s problem with law and order is really nothing new.
Two years ago, then-candidate Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez won her seat by calling for the abolition and dissolution of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. I introduced a resolution denouncing this hateful demand, but unfortunately, my Democratic colleagues were largely silent. At the time, the Mainstream Media waved off Rep. Ocasio-Cortez’s calls against the federal law enforcement agency as a radical idea from the fringe Left.
Not anymore.
Just two months ago, Rep. Ilhan Omar said, “we need to completely dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department,” and went on to refer to the department as a cancer at a Democrat rally.
Defund the Police Frenzy
Today’s Democratic Party finds itself facing calls to support the dangerous ‘Defund the Police’ movement, which has gained steam in at least 13 major Democrat-controlled cities. To no one’s surprise, these are cities where violent crime is on the rise.
In New York City, where Mayor Bill de Blasio announced his plans to cut $1 billion from the NYPD, shootings are up 46% year-to-date, the murder rate is up 23% for the first half of the year, and burglaries are up 46% year-to-date.
In Minneapolis, where the city council voted to abolish the police department, there were more than 40 shootings in the first half of July, prompting residents to form their own armed security groups to protect their communities.
In Portland, where Mayor Ted Wheeler pledged to divert millions from the police bureau and the city council even voted to disband the city’s “Gun Violence Reduction Team,” Wheeler recently conceded “in just the first 12 days of July alone, we’ve witnessed an increase in gun violence by over 380%.” Just last weekend, after attempting to set the police precinct on fire, the criminal chaos continued with rioters hurling rocks and dangerous fireworks at officers and causing “extensive damage” to patrol vehicles by filling pool noodles with nails and placing them on the road.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
In Milwaukee, the city has seen a “120% increase in murders from Jan. 1 to Aug. 13 compared with the same time last year.” It’s also seen more than 100 murders over the course of the eight-month period, compared with the 46 reported during the same time in 2019.
And in Austin, in my home state of Texas, the Austin City Council is defunding the police department by $150 million, which will mean fewer police officers on the force and cuts to forensic work and services for victims of crime.
American Lives at Risk
Catering to the violent mob puts every American life at risk — including those individuals who freely exercise their First Amendment rights or serve in law enforcement.
To fail to tell the truth about the valuable role law enforcement plays in American cities is moral and political malpractice. Are there law enforcement officers who violate the law? Yes, and when they do they should be prosecuted. But to impugn the integrity of everyone working in law enforcement — like the Democrats do — is a disservice to this country.
So when will Democrats speak up? Will they condemn these radical calls? Will they stand with the brave men and women of law enforcement who risk life and limb to protect our communities?
I wouldn’t count on it.
Ted Cruz is a U.S. Senator for Texas and a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of 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].
Copyright 2020 The Daily Caller News Foundation


thestream--2020-08-20--Let’s Talk About the Soul of America

Let’s Talk About the Soul of America

“ We ’ re in a battle for the soul of America , ” the Democratic nominee for president recently said .
I happen to think that ’ s true .
But my tolerance for listening to Joe Biden talk about it is officially something like nonexistent .
There was a time in my life when I think I could have entertained the idea of voting for Biden .
Knowing that he had locked himself into choosing a woman , and likely a Black woman , as his running mate , I wondered about the mayor of Washington , D.C. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She didn ’ t seem as hostile to religious entities during the height of the pandemic as , say , New York mayor Bill de Blasio , who threatened to shut places of worship down when a Hasidic community had the audacity to mourn their dead .
And Bowser , like Biden , is a baptized Catholic .
As a senator , Biden had long supported the Hyde Amendment , which prevents taxpayer funding of abortion .
But in his old age , the former vice president will have nothing to do with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , even though he ’ s admitted that an unborn baby may be a human life .
Even though Biden may personally tell a priest that abortion is wrong , he ’ s all-in as a candidate with whatever the most radical wing of the Democratic party insists on .
And to think : When Bill Clinton minted the “ safe , legal and rare ” language about abortion not all that long ago , there was a tone of regret and last resort to it — even of grief .
Tragically , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ abortion ideology that it can not see through to smart politics , never mind something more humane .
If you had any doubts about Biden ’ s commitment to the party line , he confirmed it by choosing Kamala Harris , who brings all the zeal of the abortion-on-demand movement .
I fear that a kind of indifference has set into Americans ’ hearts about abortion .
We hear from abortion activists on both sides .
But what about the rest of America ?
Some polls suggest the majority favors restrictions .
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quo .
And somewhere in his heart , Joe Biden knows this , even as he trips over himself to utter every Planned Parenthood talking point there is .
One recent Biden campaign video talks about his love for religious sisters .
Here , too , he knows better than his actions .
Catholic nuns have played a pivotal role in American history .
And yet , these days , they are being persecuted .
As you may have noticed , the Little Sisters of the Poor had to go to the U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because of the Obama-Biden administration .
And back in the early days , behind the scenes , Biden was reportedly among those who advised against mandating that nuns cover contraception and abortion-inducing drugs in their employee insurance plans .
But he gave in , and became a disingenuous mouthpiece — pretending there was no conscience problem at all — for the policy .
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political , Economic and Moral Issues of Our Day .
When you talk about the battle for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ does , we had better start reflecting on what the conscience of America looks like .
Could it be that surrender to the tyranny of the abortion industry has something to do with all the violence , death and misery that we sometimes seem to be drowning in ?
There is a poison in our body politic .
We need leaders who know this and can lead us to something better .
Biden somewhere in there knows the truth — but he has forgotten , or chosen to ignore it .
God help @ @ @ @ @ @ @ senior fellow at the National Review Institute , editor-at-large of National Review magazine and author of the new book A Year With the Mystics : Visionary Wisdom for Daily Living .
She is also chair of Cardinal Dolan ’ s pro-life commission in New York .
She can be contacted at klopez @ nationalreview.com .

“We’re in a battle for the soul of America,” the Democratic nominee for president recently said. I happen to think that’s true. But my tolerance for listening to Joe Biden talk about it is officially something like nonexistent.
There was a time in my life when I think I could have entertained the idea of voting for Biden. Knowing that he had locked himself into choosing a woman, and likely a Black woman, as his running mate, I wondered about the mayor of Washington, D.C. Muriel Bowser is an adoptive mother. She didn’t seem as hostile to religious entities during the height of the pandemic as, say, New York mayor Bill de Blasio, who threatened to shut places of worship down when a Hasidic community had the audacity to mourn their dead. And Bowser, like Biden, is a baptized Catholic.
Biden’s Commitment to the Party Line
As a senator, Biden had long supported the Hyde Amendment, which prevents taxpayer funding of abortion. But in his old age, the former vice president will have nothing to do with finding common ground with the pro-life camp, even though he’s admitted that an unborn baby may be a human life. Even though Biden may personally tell a priest that abortion is wrong, he’s all-in as a candidate with whatever the most radical wing of the Democratic party insists on.
And to think: When Bill Clinton minted the “safe, legal and rare” language about abortion not all that long ago, there was a tone of regret and last resort to it — even of grief. Tragically, the Democratic party is so blinded by abortion ideology that it cannot see through to smart politics, never mind something more humane.
If you had any doubts about Biden’s commitment to the party line, he confirmed it by choosing Kamala Harris, who brings all the zeal of the abortion-on-demand movement.
The Conscience of America
I fear that a kind of indifference has set into Americans’ hearts about abortion. We hear from abortion activists on both sides. But what about the rest of America? Some polls suggest the majority favors restrictions.
We can do better than the current status quo. And somewhere in his heart, Joe Biden knows this, even as he trips over himself to utter every Planned Parenthood talking point there is.
One recent Biden campaign video talks about his love for religious sisters. Here, too, he knows better than his actions. Catholic nuns have played a pivotal role in American history. And yet, these days, they are being persecuted. As you may have noticed, the Little Sisters of the Poor had to go to the U.S. Supreme Court not once, but twice because of the Obama-Biden administration. And back in the early days, behind the scenes, Biden was reportedly among those who advised against mandating that nuns cover contraception and abortion-inducing drugs in their employee insurance plans. But he gave in, and became a disingenuous mouthpiece — pretending there was no conscience problem at all — for the policy.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
When you talk about the battle for the soul of America, as Joe Biden does, we had better start reflecting on what the conscience of America looks like. Could it be that surrender to the tyranny of the abortion industry has something to do with all the violence, death and misery that we sometimes seem to be drowning in? There is a poison in our body politic. We need leaders who know this and can lead us to something better. Biden somewhere in there knows the truth — but he has forgotten, or chosen to ignore it.
God help us all.
Kathryn Jean Lopez is senior fellow at the National Review Institute, editor-at-large of National Review magazine and author of the new book A Year With the Mystics: Visionary Wisdom for Daily Living. She is also chair of Cardinal Dolan’s pro-life commission in New York. She can be contacted at [email protected].


thestream--2020-08-20--Weekly Jobless Claims Increase, Surpass 1 Million Mark

The number of Americans filing new unemployment claims increased to 1,106,000 last week as the economy continues to suffer the @ @ @ @ @ , according to the Department of Labor .
The Department of Labor figure released Thursday @ @ @ @ @ new jobless claims compared to the week ending on Aug. 8 .
That number was @ @ @ @ @ ’ expectations , according to Reuters .
Economists estimated the number of jobless claims for @ @ @ @ @ to come in at 925,000 , Reuters reported .
Jobless claims fell below 1 million @ @ @ @ @ August marking the first time the number fell below 1 million since March .
Please @ @ @ @ @ Christians to Think Clearly About the Political , Economic and Moral Issues of Our Day @ @ @ @ @ a national emergency in March as coronavirus spread rapidly around the world .
Content created @ @ @ @ @ Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large @ @ @ @ @ of our original content , please contact licensing @ dailycallernewsfoundation.org .

The number of Americans filing new unemployment claims increased to 1,106,000 last week as the economy continues to suffer the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Department of Labor.
The Department of Labor figure released Thursday represented an increase of 135,000 new jobless claims compared to the week ending on Aug. 8. That number was higher than Wall Street analysts’ expectations, according to Reuters.
Economists estimated the number of jobless claims for the week ending Aug. 15 to come in at 925,000, Reuters reported. Jobless claims fell below 1 million in the first week of August marking the first time the number fell below 1 million since March.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
President Donald Trump declared a national emergency in March as coronavirus spread rapidly around the world.
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--2020-08-20--Could It Be That the Republicans Actually Want to Win?

Some people are joking that the Democrats clearly don ’ t want to win the White House .
How else to explain the recent behavior of party leaders nationwide ?
I ’ d have loved to be a fly on the wall at the Zoom meeting where some strategist laid out his plan .
Okay , we ’ ve spent years indulging every crackpot conspiracy theory we could to nullify people ’ s votes in 2016 .
We wasted most of Trump ’ s time in office , and blunted his key ideas .
Now we just have to run @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s most important at this point is … to keep the loyalty of 29-year-old white guys who live in their parents ’ basements .
If we don ’ t have their enthusiasm , energy , and talent , we ’ re lost .
So here ’ s what we ’ re gon na let them do : Anything they want .
Just let them run wild .
They can put on Ninja Turtle get-ups and hockey masks like Jason in Halloween .
Then beat up whoever they please .
Let ‘ em @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and blind them , doesn ’ t matter .
We ’ ll just redefine whatever they do as a “ peaceful protest.
” And anybody who criticizes them we ’ ll accuse of being a “ racist.
” Also , to keep the vital swing constituency of twenty-something enraged black ex-cons , we ’ ll let those folks loot whatever stores they want in any city we control .
That will convince Americans that we ’ re serious about Change .
If someone at the meeting raised any objections , this Democrat kingmaker @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ll spread the rumor that the president is going to take away people ’ s mailboxes .
Everyone loves all the mail that comes every day , especially the companies that manufacture shredders .
That will also make sure that federal employees vote Democrat .
We ’ ll get Bill Clinton on TV to talk about restoring dignity to the White House .
And Michelle Obama to scare people that they might disappoint her again .
We ’ ll even get Andrew Cuomo out there as the public face of our COVID @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t sick of their whiny old grandparents , right ?
Certainly not the people who stick them in nursing homes .
The Old GOP : Losing Gracefully to the Globetrotters Of course no such meeting happened .
As I wrote in my last column , what ’ s really driving the Democrats is frustration and rage .
They don ’ t believe that Republicans have the right to govern anywhere , and they seem intent on scaring people into voting them into office — with threats of more riots and rumors of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seem to imagine that this is the same GOP they faced in 2008 and 2012— that is , the Washington Generals , whose job it is to lose gracefully and make the Globetrotters look good .
But that Republican party died with John McCain .
It was buried along with him inside his pyramid , right on the National Mall .
I remember watching Dubya hold hands with Michelle Obama at the funeral and between them they shed a tear .
Some Nervy Choices for the GOP Convention By contrast , the Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ smart decisions recently .
Perhaps it finally shook the influence of establishment Republicans , who cooperated with Democrats in frittering away two whole years of GOP control of Congress , and Trump ’ s first two years in power .
The most encouraging bits of news entail whom the Republicans will feature at their convention .
Nick Sandmann , the young man who as a minor had the gall , the sheer caucasity , to attend a pro-life rally , wear a MAGA hat , and wait for a bus .
He aggressively @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Black Hebrew Israelites ( Black Lives Matter ’ s JV team , some say ) called on him to apologize and take a knee .
But would he ?
No .
He callously ignored the pleas of these vulnerable Americans that he and his “ faggot ” friends “ go straight to hell , ” with all the other “ white devils.
” Then , as the mainstream media told it , he grossly mocked and humiliated an Indian tribal elder who marched on him with a war drum , by not running @ @ @ @ @ @ @ smiling while white .
Sandmann ’ s offenses , carefully curated by the media , sent major conservative commentators screaming for their fainting couch , from which they joined his own Catholic bishop , thin-skinned pro-life leaders , and all of America ’ s chattering class in denouncing him .
Joking aside , Sandmann ’ s grace and self-restraint , and the dignified way he pursued the rule of law to make the media pay in court for their lies , should inspire us .
He ’ s an icon of how the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ holding to their beliefs with false , hysterical charges and real-world threats of ruin .
This underdog took on the richest man on earth , Jeff Bezos who owns the Washington Post , and won .
He made CNN squeal like a pig .
I want to hear from him , and so do most Americans .
No , You Don ’ t Get to Kill My Dog Mark and Patricia McCloskey .
That ’ s right , the couple in St. Louis who faced a mob of “ peaceful protesters ” swarming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to burn their historic home and kill their dog .
The McCloskeys waved around two guns ( one of them an inoperable prop — don ’ t do this people ) , to scare them off .
Nobody got hurt .
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political , Economic and Moral Issues of Our Day .
So of course the local prosecutor , installed with the money Marxist capitalist George Soros made by raping Asian economies , took action .
She charged these two citizens with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under the bus , as GOP leaders in 2008 or 2012 would have done , Trump championed them .
Now the party is highlighting them , as icons of law-abiding Americans faced with political mobs , and elected officials ready to shred the Constitution .
Bravo !
Abby Johnson .
She ’ s the closest thing we have in these post-Cold War years to a defector from the Soviet Communist Party .
Or an apostate priestess from the Democrats ’ established religion , Abortianity .
She will highlight the absolute extremism of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( Abortion on demand , for all nine months of pregnancy , for any reason , in 50 states , on the taxpayer ’ s dime . )
A former clinic director for Planned Parenthood , she will speak ( I hope ) to that organization ’ s blatantly racist roots .
To its sale of human baby parts , which Kamala Harris tried to cover up by imprisoning the reporters who exposed it .
It ’ s invigorating to see the GOP fully embrace cultural , social , and moral issues like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ previous years , when the party seemed desperate to appeal to the basest human impulses .
That is , to people who wanted to make a little more money , pay a little less tax , and not have to think about anything unpleasant .
That kind of Republican isn ’ t in charge anymore .
In fact , they ’ re over at the Democrat convention , faintly waving rah-rah as has-beens like John Kasich and Christine Todd Whitman join never-wases like Susan Molinari , and some 80 percent of the 100 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the country .
They ’ re championing “ traditional norms ” and “ civility ” at a convention whose agenda is set by Antifa .
I wish them lots of luck , and hope that militants decide to “ occupy ” their hotel .
A Moment of Silence for the Fallen There ’ s just one thing missing , but there ’ s still time to fix it .
You know what the GOP needs at its convention ?
Something addressing the pandemic , and the contrast between the two parties ’ track @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seriousness , I urge the Republicans to observe a full minute of silence , in honor of the tens of thousands of American seniors who needlessly died in nursing homes , where Democrat governors dumped COVID patients , for no apparent reason .
The hall should be darkened at first , until thousands of candles , one for each victim of Andrew Cuomo , Gavin Newsome , or other Democrat governors ’ callous cruelty .
By the time a candle burns for each of those souls , the room will be blazing like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 .
”

Some people are joking that the Democrats clearly don’t want to win the White House. How else to explain the recent behavior of party leaders nationwide? I’d have loved to be a fly on the wall at the Zoom meeting where some strategist laid out his plan.
Okay, we’ve spent years indulging every crackpot conspiracy theory we could to nullify people’s votes in 2016. We wasted most of Trump’s time in office, and blunted his key ideas. Now we just have to run out the clock. I think what’s most important at this point is … to keep the loyalty of 29-year-old white guys who live in their parents’ basements. If we don’t have their enthusiasm, energy, and talent, we’re lost. So here’s what we’re gonna let them do: Anything they want. Just let them run wild. They can put on Ninja Turtle get-ups and hockey masks like Jason in Halloween. Then beat up whoever they please. Let ‘em … shine lasers into cops’ eyes and blind them, doesn’t matter. We’ll just redefine whatever they do as a “peaceful protest.” And anybody who criticizes them we’ll accuse of being a “racist.” Also, to keep the vital swing constituency of twenty-something enraged black ex-cons, we’ll let those folks loot whatever stores they want in any city we control. That will convince Americans that we’re serious about Change.
If someone at the meeting raised any objections, this Democrat kingmaker had a ready answer:
Listen, listen, I get it. You think it’s risky. But we have that covered. We’re going to reassure the timid, suburban voters by having an old hippy and a black tranny sing a tune from the 1960s, all about riots.
And we’ll spread the rumor that the president is going to take away people’s mailboxes. Everyone loves all the mail that comes every day, especially the companies that manufacture shredders. That will also make sure that federal employees vote Democrat. We’ll get Bill Clinton on TV to talk about restoring dignity to the White House. And Michelle Obama to scare people that they might disappoint her again. We’ll even get Andrew Cuomo out there as the public face of our COVID response. I mean, who isn’t sick of their whiny old grandparents, right? Certainly not the people who stick them in nursing homes.
The Old GOP: Losing Gracefully to the Globetrotters
Of course no such meeting happened. As I wrote in my last column, what’s really driving the Democrats is frustration and rage. They don’t believe that Republicans have the right to govern anywhere, and they seem intent on scaring people into voting them into office — with threats of more riots and rumors of actual secession should they lose.
They seem to imagine that this is the same GOP they faced in 2008 and 2012— that is, the Washington Generals, whose job it is to lose gracefully and make the Globetrotters look good. But that Republican party died with John McCain. It was buried along with him inside his pyramid, right on the National Mall. I remember watching Dubya hold hands with Michelle Obama at the funeral and between them they shed a tear.
Some Nervy Choices for the GOP Convention
By contrast, the Trump campaign has made some really solid, smart decisions recently. Perhaps it finally shook the influence of establishment Republicans, who cooperated with Democrats in frittering away two whole years of GOP control of Congress, and Trump’s first two years in power.
To keep the vital swing constituency of twenty-something enraged black ex-cons, we’ll let those folks loot whatever stores they want.
The most encouraging bits of news entail whom the Republicans will feature at their convention.
Nick Sandmann, the young man who as a minor had the gall, the sheer caucasity, to attend a pro-life rally, wear a MAGA hat, and wait for a bus. He aggressively stood his ground for an hour as Black Hebrew Israelites (Black Lives Matter’s JV team, some say) called on him to apologize and take a knee. But would he? No. He callously ignored the pleas of these vulnerable Americans that he and his “faggot” friends “go straight to hell,” with all the other “white devils.”
Then, as the mainstream media told it, he grossly mocked and humiliated an Indian tribal elder who marched on him with a war drum, by not running for cover, but standing still and smiling while white. Sandmann’s offenses, carefully curated by the media, sent major conservative commentators screaming for their fainting couch, from which they joined his own Catholic bishop, thin-skinned pro-life leaders, and all of America’s chattering class in denouncing him.
Joking aside, Sandmann’s grace and self-restraint, and the dignified way he pursued the rule of law to make the media pay in court for their lies, should inspire us. He’s an icon of how the “cancel culture” targets Americans for holding to their beliefs with false, hysterical charges and real-world threats of ruin. This underdog took on the richest man on earth, Jeff Bezos who owns the Washington Post, and won. He made CNN squeal like a pig. I want to hear from him, and so do most Americans.
No, You Don’t Get to Kill My Dog
Mark and Patricia McCloskey. That’s right, the couple in St. Louis who faced a mob of “peaceful protesters” swarming over their front lawns, shouting threats to burn their historic home and kill their dog. The McCloskeys waved around two guns (one of them an inoperable prop — don’t do this people), to scare them off. Nobody got hurt.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
So of course the local prosecutor, installed with the money Marxist capitalist George Soros made by raping Asian economies, took action. She charged these two citizens with felonies. Instead of throwing these people under the bus, as GOP leaders in 2008 or 2012 would have done, Trump championed them. Now the party is highlighting them, as icons of law-abiding Americans faced with political mobs, and elected officials ready to shred the Constitution. Bravo!
An Apostate from Abortianity
Abby Johnson. She’s the closest thing we have in these post-Cold War years to a defector from the Soviet Communist Party. Or an apostate priestess from the Democrats’ established religion, Abortianity. She will highlight the absolute extremism of the Democrats’ stance on the subject. (Abortion on demand, for all nine months of pregnancy, for any reason, in 50 states, on the taxpayer’s dime.) A former clinic director for Planned Parenthood, she will speak (I hope) to that organization’s blatantly racist roots. To its sale of human baby parts, which Kamala Harris tried to cover up by imprisoning the reporters who exposed it.
It’s invigorating to see the GOP fully embrace cultural, social, and moral issues like this. And a real contrast to previous years, when the party seemed desperate to appeal to the basest human impulses. That is, to people who wanted to make a little more money, pay a little less tax, and not have to think about anything unpleasant.
That kind of Republican isn’t in charge anymore. In fact, they’re over at the Democrat convention, faintly waving rah-rah as has-beens like John Kasich and Christine Todd Whitman join never-wases like Susan Molinari, and some 80 percent of the 100 or so NeverTrump Republicans still left in the country. They’re championing “traditional norms” and “civility” at a convention whose agenda is set by Antifa. I wish them lots of luck, and hope that militants decide to “occupy” their hotel.
A Moment of Silence for the Fallen
There’s just one thing missing, but there’s still time to fix it. You know what the GOP needs at its convention? Something addressing the pandemic, and the contrast between the two parties’ track records in fighting it.
In all seriousness, I urge the Republicans to observe a full minute of silence, in honor of the tens of thousands of American seniors who needlessly died in nursing homes, where Democrat governors dumped COVID patients, for no apparent reason. The hall should be darkened at first, until thousands of candles, one for each victim of Andrew Cuomo, Gavin Newsome, or other Democrat governors’ callous cruelty. By the time a candle burns for each of those souls, the room will be blazing like noontide.
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--2020-08-21--Joe Biden Accepts DNC Nomination, Speaks of ‘Light’ and ‘Darkness’

Former Vice President Joe Biden ’ s dentures did not fall out as he accepted the Democratic nomination Thursday night .
And for that , his speech is being hailed as the greatest in his life .
Yes , it was emotional and personal .
Joe ’ s an emotional guy .
And he ’ s been through some things , even if he has a habit of fudging the details .
He spoke for 25 minutes .
That ’ s the shortest acceptance speech ( by far ) since George McGovern in 1972 .
( By comparison , both @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about an hour in 2016 . )
Biden looked and sounded like an actor from the golden age of movies honored in the twilight with a lifetime Oscar , commanding the Academy stage one last time .
Thanking his family and those who helped him along the way , choking up at mention of those lost , offering a passionate plea for unity and light .
And yet , there was also , toward the end , a rage .
An anger that jumped out as if turned on by a switch .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , in a beloved pastor of a similar age , in scenes still painful . )
There was also a moment so heinous , so galling , so repulsive that it ’ s easy to lose all sympathy for the frail and fading player .
Joe Biden repeated the disgusting Charlottesville lie about Donald Trump .
He made that Trump saying there were “ very fine people on both sides ” referred to the white supremacists who marched in Charlottesville .
That is a flat out lie .
As this PragerU video proves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supremacists .
His remark clearly referred to other people .
And yet Biden repeats what is probably the closest thing we have to a blood libel in America .
And he dare speaks of unity and healing .
What ’ s more , Biden claims the statement is what made him run .
Said Joe , “ it ( Trump calling White Supremacists ‘ very fine people ’ ) was a wake up call for us as a country and for me , a call to action .
At that moment , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , if true , that he ’ s running on the basis of a media hoax .
Pathetic , if true , that it ’ s yet another Biden biographical fantasy .
Joe wasn ’ t going to talk much about policy .
Because the radical policies he ’ s been forced to embrace couldn ’ t even sell on eBay .
So he raced through a vague list that had little to do with his compact with socialist Bernie Sanders .
Joe talked about how he ’ d defeat COVID-19 .
( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ already done or doing . )
He blamed Trump for America ’ s COVID deaths and employment loss from the shutdown .
Remember when I spoke of Biden turning to rage ?
This was when he declared that he would not coddle dictators or let foreign governments interfere in our elections .
Thank God there wasn ’ t a convention crowd or he would have melted their styrofoam hats .
Unfortunately , it was his Obama/Biden administration that cuddled with Castro , bowed before China , let Kim Jong Un advance their nuke @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dream of global uranium domination , and loaded terrorist Iran with billions of dollars and a path to a nuke .
And when it comes to election interference , he apparently forgot that if Russia messed in any way in the 2016 election , it was on his watch .
Biden effectively celebrated the one word that describes America , “ possibilities.
” He raved that in America , anything can be accomplished .
“ This is the United States of America !
” Nice .
All that was missing was the “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But then you consider the streets , see all those rioters and protesters — and DNC speakers — condemning America , tearing down her heroes , openly wanting to tear down its economic and political systems .
Joe had no words for them .
Joe spoke in spiritual terms .
Joe Biden promises to lift America out of its “ darkness.
” Except the darkness the sane among us see is the side-winding kick to the head of an innocent man , the burned out black businesses , the lusty calls for abortion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A Netflix film sexualizing 11-year-olds .
( Biden ’ s VP runner up Susan Rice is on the board of Netflix .
Biden ’ s old boss Obama is getting a pirate ’ s treasure from the entertainment giant . )
Joe spoke of bringing light .
Perhaps he meant the blinding laser lights Antifa is shining in the eyes of peace officers .
Or the flames from churches and courthouses set ablaze … without comment or condemnation .
Joe used a phrase used a lot this week by the Democratic speakers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ soul of the nation.
” Does he mean a love of liberty ?
No .
He ’ s got Beto set to take guns .
He ’ s got Google and YouTube and Twitter and Facebook targeting non-progressive ideas and conservative thinkers .
Does he mean “ E pluribus Unum ” … “ From the many one ” ?
No , not when he ’ s pandering to specific splices of the American Pie ?
Freedom of Religion ?
No , not when he ’ s happy with churches being shut and picked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made clear she thinks people of traditional faith ( like a member of the Knights of Columbus ) makes them unfit to serve .
Freedom of the Press ?
Not when this same VP nominee jails journalists who expose the criminal deeds of her friends .
Perhaps by “ soul of the nation ” he means the American notion that all are created equal .
That we judge each other not by the color of our skin but by the content of our character .
Except try saying “ All Lives Matter ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And try imaging Biden picking Kamala Harris if her skin were white .
And in Joe Biden ’ s America , try even praising the man who wrote that “ all men are created equal.
” In Joe Biden ’ s America , they ’ ll pull that man ’ s statue down on your head .
Still , what he said in closing is true : “ For love is more powerful than hate .
Hope is more powerful than fear .
Light is more powerful than dark.
” And “ love @ @ @ @ @ @ @ soul of the nation.
” Joe ended by saying , “ God bless you ” and “ God bless our troops.
” He left out God blessing America .
Jill Biden came out for a hug and kiss .
The two went to a huge screen displaying numerous feeds of people cheering him on .
Wisely , the DNC didn ’ t double up images as had been done the night before .
Oddly , for Joe , the screen was not full .
Kamala Harris and her husband came out , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The two couples crossed towards each other .
Joe did a fist-pumping motion toward Harris … and then passed right by her like she was a panhandler in downtown Wilmington .
Harris was left standing there , clearly expecting something more , actually reaching toward him .
But Joe was long gone .
She retreated to the other side of the stage , a bit more waving with her husband , and the couples both exited .
There was not a single moment when the presidential nominee and VP nominee were together @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inside the venue .
No moment when the two were side-by-side waving at the screens semi-full of supporters .
They did go outside , fully masked , and for one brief second the two couples held their hands high , with Joe and Kamala in the center .
But even then no shot of just the two .
What good ’ s a ticket already ripped in half .
We began with the image of the aged actor taking a bow accepting an honorary Oscar at the end of a half-century long career @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actor on the political stage gave a coherent , emotional speech .
But would you hire him to star in a four-year long action-packed thriller ?
Here ’ s a transcript of Joe Biden ’ s speech accepting the Democratic nomination for president .
Al Perrotta is the Managing Editor of The Stream and co-author , with @ JZmirak , of The Politically Incorrect Guide to Immigration .
You can follow him at @ StreamingAl .
And if you aren ’ t already , please follow The Stream at @ Streamdotorg .

Former Vice President Joe Biden’s dentures did not fall out as he accepted the Democratic nomination Thursday night. And for that, his speech is being hailed as the greatest in his life.
Yes, it was emotional and personal. Joe’s an emotional guy. And he’s been through some things, even if he has a habit of fudging the details. He spoke for 25 minutes. That’s the shortest acceptance speech (by far) since George McGovern in 1972. (By comparison, both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump spoke for about an hour in 2016.)
Biden looked and sounded like an actor from the golden age of movies honored in the twilight with a lifetime Oscar, commanding the Academy stage one last time. Thanking his family and those who helped him along the way, choking up at mention of those lost, offering a passionate plea for unity and light.
And yet, there was also, toward the end, a rage. An anger that jumped out as if turned on by a switch. (I’ve seen it before, in a beloved pastor of a similar age, in scenes still painful.)
The Charlottesville Lie
There was also a moment so heinous, so galling, so repulsive that it’s easy to lose all sympathy for the frail and fading player. Joe Biden repeated the disgusting Charlottesville lie about Donald Trump. He made that Trump saying there were “very fine people on both sides” referred to the white supremacists who marched in Charlottesville. That is a flat out lie. As this PragerU video proves, Trump condemned the Nazis and white supremacists. His remark clearly referred to other people. And yet Biden repeats what is probably the closest thing we have to a blood libel in America. And he dare speaks of unity and healing.
What’s more, Biden claims the statement is what made him run. Said Joe, “it (Trump calling White Supremacists ‘very fine people’) was a wake up call for us as a country and for me, a call to action. At that moment, I knew I had to run.” Tragic, if true, that he’s running on the basis of a media hoax. Pathetic, if true, that it’s yet another Biden biographical fantasy.
The Content
Joe wasn’t going to talk much about policy. Because the radical policies he’s been forced to embrace couldn’t even sell on eBay. So he raced through a vague list that had little to do with his compact with socialist Bernie Sanders. Joe talked about how he’d defeat COVID-19. (Basically, doing everything Trump’s already done or doing.) He blamed Trump for America’s COVID deaths and employment loss from the shutdown.
Remember when I spoke of Biden turning to rage? This was when he declared that he would not coddle dictators or let foreign governments interfere in our elections. Thank God there wasn’t a convention crowd or he would have melted their styrofoam hats.
Unfortunately, it was his Obama/Biden administration that cuddled with Castro, bowed before China, let Kim Jong Un advance their nuke and missile programs, gave Putin his dream of global uranium domination, and loaded terrorist Iran with billions of dollars and a path to a nuke.
And when it comes to election interference, he apparently forgot that if Russia messed in any way in the 2016 election, it was on his watch.
Biden effectively celebrated the one word that describes America, “possibilities.” He raved that in America, anything can be accomplished. “This is the United States of America!” Nice. All that was missing was the “C’mon, man!”
But then you consider the streets, see all those rioters and protesters — and DNC speakers — condemning America, tearing down her heroes, openly wanting to tear down its economic and political systems. Joe had no words for them.
Light and Darkness
Joe spoke in spiritual terms. Joe Biden promises to lift America out of its “darkness.” Except the darkness the sane among us see is the side-winding kick to the head of an innocent man, the burned out black businesses, the lusty calls for abortion even if a child is born alive. A Netflix film sexualizing 11-year-olds. (Biden’s VP runner up Susan Rice is on the board of Netflix. Biden’s old boss Obama is getting a pirate’s treasure from the entertainment giant.)
Joe spoke of bringing light. Perhaps he meant the blinding laser lights Antifa is shining in the eyes of peace officers. Or the flames from churches and courthouses set ablaze … without comment or condemnation.
Joe used a phrase used a lot this week by the Democratic speakers. He promised to restore the “soul of the nation.” Does he mean a love of liberty? No. He’s got Beto set to take guns. He’s got Google and YouTube and Twitter and Facebook targeting non-progressive ideas and conservative thinkers. Does he mean “E pluribus Unum” … “From the many one”? No, not when he’s pandering to specific splices of the American Pie?
Freedom of Religion? No, not when he’s happy with churches being shut and picked as his Vice President a woman who made clear she thinks people of traditional faith (like a member of the Knights of Columbus) makes them unfit to serve.
Freedom of the Press? Not when this same VP nominee jails journalists who expose the criminal deeds of her friends.
Perhaps by “soul of the nation” he means the American notion that all are created equal. That we judge each other not by the color of our skin but by the content of our character. Except try saying “All Lives Matter” in Joe Biden’s America. And try imaging Biden picking Kamala Harris if her skin were white.
And in Joe Biden’s America, try even praising the man who wrote that “all men are created equal.” In Joe Biden’s America, they’ll pull that man’s statue down on your head.
Still, what he said in closing is true: “For love is more powerful than hate. Hope is more powerful than fear. Light is more powerful than dark.” And “love and hope and light battle for the soul of the nation.”
The Very Odd Ending
Joe ended by saying, “God bless you” and “God bless our troops.” He left out God blessing America.
Jill Biden came out for a hug and kiss. The two went to a huge screen displaying numerous feeds of people cheering him on. Wisely, the DNC didn’t double up images as had been done the night before. Oddly, for Joe, the screen was not full.
Kamala Harris and her husband came out, and they waved at the screen stage right.
The two couples crossed towards each other. Joe did a fist-pumping motion toward Harris … and then passed right by her like she was a panhandler in downtown Wilmington. Harris was left standing there, clearly expecting something more, actually reaching toward him. But Joe was long gone.
She retreated to the other side of the stage, a bit more waving with her husband, and the couples both exited. There was not a single moment when the presidential nominee and VP nominee were together, in front of the camera, inside the venue. No moment when the two were side-by-side waving at the screens semi-full of supporters.
They did go outside, fully masked, and for one brief second the two couples held their hands high, with Joe and Kamala in the center. But even then no shot of just the two.
What good’s a ticket already ripped in half.
One Final Note
We began with the image of the aged actor taking a bow accepting an honorary Oscar at the end of a half-century long career. We’re glad this longtime actor on the political stage gave a coherent, emotional speech. But would you hire him to star in a four-year long action-packed thriller?
Here’s a transcript of Joe Biden’s speech accepting the Democratic nomination for president.
WATCH:
Al Perrotta is the Managing Editor of The Stream and co-author, with @JZmirak, of The Politically Incorrect Guide to Immigration. You can follow him at @StreamingAl. And if you aren’t already, please follow The Stream at @Streamdotorg.