thestream--2020-07-31--Herman Cain, Business Executive and Conservative Favorite, Felled by COVID-19

Herman Cain , who rose from working-class beginnings in Georgia to become an admired pizza magnate , popular political commentator , and leading Republican presidential contender , has died of COVID-19 , his website announced Thursday .
He was 74 .
Along the way to national prominence , Cain was a Navy specialist in ballistic missiles , ran some 400 Burger Kings around Philadelphia , and hosted a radio talk show .
Dan Calabrese , editor of HermanCain.com and a friend and associate of 15 years , released word of Cain ’ s death .
“ There were hopeful indicators @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when doctors told us they thought he would eventually recover , although it wouldn ’ t be quick , ” Calabrese wrote of the coronavirus that felled Cain .
Although he was basically pretty healthy in recent years , he was still in a high-risk group because of his history with cancer.
” Cain became one of the most prominent business or political figures to die of the coronavirus .
The future presidential candidate first came to the GOP ’ s attention in 1994 , when he calmly and respectfully challenged President Bill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ care in a nationally televised town hall .
At the time , Cain was the successful CEO of Nebraska-based Godfather ’ s Pizza , a subsidiary of the Pillsbury Co .
He later headed the National Restaurant Association in Washington , D.C. On a day when the nation was watching elaborate memorial tributes to the civil rights leadership of a fellow Georgian , Rep. John Lewis , news Thursday of Cain ’ s death from the coronavirus spurred some political opponents to deride the entrepreneur for his loyalty to President Donald Trump rather @ @ @ @ @ @ @ promising jobs for fellow blacks and other minorities .
In particular , ungracious critics mocked Cain for publicly doubting that COVID-19 was a serious public health threat and for dismissing the wisdom of wearing a protective mask in attending Trump ’ s much-criticized June 20 rally in Tulsa , Oklahoma .
In a tweet Thursday , Trump praised Cain as a business leader and friend .
Cain , who had just launched a new talk show on Newsmax , was among black leaders mocked on Saturday Night Live for meeting with Trump at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ During his ascension in business and politics , Cain befriended two leading congressmen and fellow conservatives from Georgia , Newt Gingrich and Jack Kemp .
An early tea party favorite , Cain became a front-runner in the primaries for the 2012 presidential nomination while pitching his catchy 9-9-9 tax reform plan .
He drew fierce blowback from liberals and the news media when , during an appearance at The Heritage Foundation and later on CBS News ’ Meet the Press , he referred to Planned Parenthood , the nation ’ s largest abortion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of blacks .
He dropped out of the race in December 2011 amid allegations of sexual harassment while he headed the National Restaurant Association .
Cain denied the allegations , telling Fox News that October : “ I have never sexually harassed anyone.
” In some ways , Cain foreshadowed Trump ’ s own emergence as a serious presidential contender with a business background .
In a 2014 interview with The Daily Signal ’ s Rob Bluey , Cain criticized Congress for not getting serious about tax reform , especially simplification .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ code , ” he said .
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political , Economic and Moral Issues of Our Day .
“ People in Congress think that if it ’ s too big to do , they don ’ t even try , ” Cain said in the interview .
“ That is the complete opposite of the way the American people think .
Somebody ’ s got to step up and do the tough jobs and heavy lifting.
” Cain , also an associate pastor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , withdrew last year as Trump ’ s nominee to the Federal Reserve Board amid pushback from several Senate Republicans .
Supporters noted that Cain , in addition to his business success , had been deputy chairman and chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City .
Cain ’ s coronavirus infection became known June 29 and he never left the hospital after being admitted two days later .
Years ago , he beat liver cancer and stage 4 colon cancer , which along with his age may have increased his vulnerability @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by his wife Gloria , daughter Melanie Gallo , son Vincent Cain , and several grandchildren .
Here are some of the tweets that reflect his admirers ’ tributes amid crude comments on his death from some on the left .
Ken McIntyre , a 30-year veteran of national and local newspapers , serves as senior editor at The Daily Signal and The Heritage Foundation ’ s Marilyn and Fred Guardabassi Fellow in Media and Public Policy Studies .
Send an email to Ken .
Follow him on Twitter @ KenMac55 .

Herman Cain, who rose from working-class beginnings in Georgia to become an admired pizza magnate, popular political commentator, and leading Republican presidential contender, has died of COVID-19, his website announced Thursday. He was 74.
Along the way to national prominence, Cain was a Navy specialist in ballistic missiles, ran some 400 Burger Kings around Philadelphia, and hosted a radio talk show.
Dan Calabrese, editor of HermanCain.com and a friend and associate of 15 years, released word of Cain’s death.
“There were hopeful indicators, including a mere five days ago when doctors told us they thought he would eventually recover, although it wouldn’t be quick,” Calabrese wrote of the coronavirus that felled Cain. Although he was basically pretty healthy in recent years, he was still in a high-risk group because of his history with cancer.”
Cain became one of the most prominent business or political figures to die of the coronavirus.
The future presidential candidate first came to the GOP’s attention in 1994, when he calmly and respectfully challenged President Bill Clinton’s proposed restructuring of health care in a nationally televised town hall.
At the time, Cain was the successful CEO of Nebraska-based Godfather’s Pizza, a subsidiary of the Pillsbury Co. He later headed the National Restaurant Association in Washington, D.C.
On a day when the nation was watching elaborate memorial tributes to the civil rights leadership of a fellow Georgian, Rep. John Lewis, news Thursday of Cain’s death from the coronavirus spurred some political opponents to deride the entrepreneur for his loyalty to President Donald Trump rather than appreciate his dogged efforts to create promising jobs for fellow blacks and other minorities.
In particular, ungracious critics mocked Cain for publicly doubting that COVID-19 was a serious public health threat and for dismissing the wisdom of wearing a protective mask in attending Trump’s much-criticized June 20 rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
In a tweet Thursday, Trump praised Cain as a business leader and friend.
My friend Herman Cain, a Powerful Voice of Freedom and all that is good, passed away this morning. Herman had an incredible career and was adored by everyone that ever met him, especially me. He was a very special man, an American Patriot, and great friend. I just got off… — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 30, 2020
Cain, who had just launched a new talk show on Newsmax, was among black leaders mocked on Saturday Night Live for meeting with Trump at the White House early this year.
During his ascension in business and politics, Cain befriended two leading congressmen and fellow conservatives from Georgia, Newt Gingrich and Jack Kemp.
In 2011, Herman Cain told me a story about growing up during segregation in Atlanta, Georgia. His campaign turned our interview into this ad. I'll be thinking about it today. RIP! pic.twitter.com/u8uiQRxSOH — Matt Lewis (@mattklewis) July 30, 2020
An early tea party favorite, Cain became a front-runner in the primaries for the 2012 presidential nomination while pitching his catchy 9-9-9 tax reform plan. He drew fierce blowback from liberals and the news media when, during an appearance at The Heritage Foundation and later on CBS News’ Meet the Press, he referred to Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider, as “planned genocide” of blacks.
He dropped out of the race in December 2011 amid allegations of sexual harassment while he headed the National Restaurant Association. Cain denied the allegations, telling Fox News that October: “I have never sexually harassed anyone.”
In some ways, Cain foreshadowed Trump’s own emergence as a serious presidential contender with a business background.
In a 2014 interview with The Daily Signal’s Rob Bluey, Cain criticized Congress for not getting serious about tax reform, especially simplification. He personally favored “replacing the entire tax code,” he said.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
“People in Congress think that if it’s too big to do, they don’t even try,” Cain said in the interview. “That is the complete opposite of the way the American people think. Somebody’s got to step up and do the tough jobs and heavy lifting.”
Cain, also an associate pastor at Atlanta’s Antioch Baptist Church, withdrew last year as Trump’s nominee to the Federal Reserve Board amid pushback from several Senate Republicans.
Supporters noted that Cain, in addition to his business success, had been deputy chairman and chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.
Cain’s coronavirus infection became known June 29 and he never left the hospital after being admitted two days later.
Years ago, he beat liver cancer and stage 4 colon cancer, which along with his age may have increased his vulnerability to the virus.
Cain is survived by his wife Gloria, daughter Melanie Gallo, son Vincent Cain, and several grandchildren.
Here are some of the tweets that reflect his admirers’ tributes amid crude comments on his death from some on the left.
I’m very saddened to learn of the passing of my former boss, Herman Cain. I’m bracing for the cruelty online about how he deserved to get COVID and die because of his politics. We’re living in a dark time. But, they didn’t know him. I did. — Ellen Carmichael (@ellencarmichael) July 30, 2020
Sad to say goodbye to a tremendous businessman, outstanding conservative leader, and friend who loved his country and often put the needs of the American people ahead of his own. Rest in peace, Herman Cain. — Kay C. James (@KayColesJames) July 30, 2020
Praying for @THEHermanCain’s family. He was a trailblazer in politics and set the stage for businesses leaders like President Trump to take their talents straight to the White House #HermanCain https://t.co/vreHC994bk — Jordan Sekulow (@JordanSekulow) July 30, 2020
My friend. A true patriot. Rest peacefully you warrior. Our country misses you already. #HermanCain #Patriot pic.twitter.com/XWxunnsJVH — Paul Gosar (@DrPaulGosar) July 30, 2020
Herman Cain is a beautiful American success story, and those who personally knew him seem to have only the best things to say about him. Here’s a great clip of Cain most respectfully and brilliantly challenging Bill Clinton:https://t.co/y1mtBjx8a0 — Amanda (@AmandaPresto) July 30, 2020
Here let me fix that for you: Herman Cain, first African American to lead a Republican presidential primary, dies from complications of COVID-19. https://t.co/o3cw0Kr4GM — Geoffrey Ingersoll (@GPIngersoll) July 30, 2020
Heartbreaking news. Herman Cain was a bold and compassionate voice for life. Prayers for the repose of his soul and for consolation for his family. https://t.co/6mInFR6ZBi — Lila Rose (@LilaGraceRose) July 30, 2020
compare the way conservatives talked about John Lewis' death and the way libs talk about Herman Cain's, and you'll see who the heartless journalists and politicians are https://t.co/csztXIiHzt — Jessica (Fletcher) O’Donnell (@heckyessica) July 30, 2020
Ken McIntyre, a 30-year veteran of national and local newspapers, serves as senior editor at The Daily Signal and The Heritage Foundation’s Marilyn and Fred Guardabassi Fellow in Media and Public Policy Studies. Send an email to Ken. Follow him on Twitter @KenMac55.
Copyright 2020 The Daily Signal


thestream--2020-07-31--Systemic Racism: The Hoax That Coats the Poison of the Sexual Revolution

Most of us are too young to remember it , but for decades no one really admitted that smoking could kill you .
( My mother got hooked long before that , and smoking 2.5 packs a day did indeed kill her . )
Nowadays we chuckle at pictures of cigarette ads featuring doctors ’ testimonials , or surgeons in white coats endorsing Lucky Strikes .
But it took many decades to establish the cancer-causing effects of cigarette smoking .
And a fierce battle against false , politicized “ science ” on the part of the tobacco industry .
Nowadays @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a cigarette ad today would lose his license .
The industry wouldn ’ t even try it .
From Cutting Up Corpses to Delivering Babies Before that , in the 19th century , an even greater medical scandal afflicted the public .
There was even less excuse for this one .
Male doctors ( they were almost all male ) would dissect human bodies in the morning , then without washing their hands go on to deliver babies .
That ’ s right , their corpse-stinking fingers reached into birth canals , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ appalling : women who gave birth in “ safe , ” “ scientific ” hospitals were 750 percent more likely to die after childbirth than those who gave birth at home .
Some physicians observed this horror and urged their colleagues to wash their hands .
For their courage , they got “ cancelled , ” fired , and ostracized .
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political , Economic and Moral Issues of Our Day .
One of the greatest , Dr. Ignaz Semmelweiss , was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after beatings by his keepers .
Members of the medical establishment attributed all those new mothers ’ deaths on a thousand other causes , from their poor backgrounds or their “ inferior germ plasm ” to their “ vicious ” habits .
Anything , anything , but take the blame themselves .
What if I told you that a black politician who supports the Democrats on social issues was just as depraved as a doctor peddling cigarettes to kids ?
Or delivering babies with death-tainted fingers ?
The same for a politician of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as opposed to our richest elites .
Because what ’ s killing , imprisoning , and tormenting black Americans ( and working class white ones too ) isn ’ t “ systemic racism , ” or capitalism , or any of the other superstitions the left likes to peddle .
It ’ s the Sexual Revolution and its aftermath .
Sexual libertinism is the Marquis de Sade ’ s wistful fantasy that we can cut out the God-given bond that holds families together and generates the whole human race , and turn it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like “ Twister.
” ( De Sade was the first pro-choicer in modern history . )
The Sexual Revolution : Elites ’ Poison for the Poor In the 1960s , the New Left peddled the trinity of “ sex , drugs and rock and roll ” to lure the young to its cause .
The children of the elites , and the upper middle class , could dabble in such practices .
Then later land on their feet .
They could always go to rehab on Daddy ’ s insurance .
Get a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hefner somehow convinced women was in their best interests .
Take a “ gap year ” hitchhiking Europe .
But poor kids , black and white , who embraced promiscuity , or drug use ( as young people are tempted to do ) , didn ’ t have such options .
They ’ d either end up in prison , or trapped in the welfare glue trap which the Democrats helpfully offered , a recycling bin for the masses whom their revolution destroyed .
Fatherless poor white boys do no better in America @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moms on welfare .
The color isn ’ t the issue .
My mother was lucky .
She was born dirt poor — real Hell ’ s Kitchen tenement malnourished “ shanty Irish ” kind of poor .
She was one of 11 kids of an alcoholic cab driver with chronic tuberculosis and a housewife with an 8th grade education .
Only four of Mom ’ s siblings survived past age 3 .
But I say she was lucky , and we were lucky — or rather , blessed — nevertheless .
Because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , not in the 1960s .
Mom didn ’ t have teachers , the media , and everyone else who mattered telling her “ Just do it !
” Mom didn ’ t face abortion clinics promising to “ clean up ” her mistakes .
Or a raft of welfare programs promising her an apartment of her own and a steady income as the reward for getting pregnant .
So I grew up with a father , instead of a monthly check from Uncle Sam .
I had someone to discipline me , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and dish it out when I needed it .
I wasn ’ t raised by “ the community ” ( i.e .
street gangs ) as Black Lives Matter , Inc. advocates .
One Strike and You ’ re Out Poor people can ’ t afford “ sex , drugs and rock and roll ” like slumming Ivy Leaguers whose parents manage hedge funds .
For them life is really “ One strike and you ’ re out.
” And for countless millions in cities across our country , the strikeouts are piling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fatherless sons , the victims not of “ systemic racism ” but hedonistic elites who don ’ t think that their lives matter .
Not a bit .
Elites Can Afford to Live as if God Doesn ’ t Exist It ’ s not systemic racism but contagious hedonism that ’ s poisoning the poor .
Our elites can afford to live as if God does not exist .
( At least , till they meet their Maker . )
They ’ re swathed in thick cushions of money , support and endless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on living the superstitions of Margaret Sanger and Gloria Steinem , of Hugh Hefner and Al Goldstein .
No skin off their privileged noses .
The poor pay with their lives .
No wonder they ’ re angry .
And the lie of “ systemic racism ” is a great way for coddled elites to re-channel that anger .
To deny their guilt , redirect it to greening bronze statues of dead Victorians .
Instead of where it belongs , in their own godless , utility-calculating hearts .
That ’ s why I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s funeral our elites just threw Rep. John Lewis .
Yes , he bravely resisted the vicious evil of segregation , some 60-plus years ago .
He echoed the Christian rhetoric of Rev .
Martin Luther King .
I ’ m grateful that the crusade Rev .
King launched proved successful .
Our Christian vision of the person leaves no room for racial bias .
Selling Out the Poor for Paychecks from Elites But the left quickly sawed off the biblical branch equality sat on .
When their political paymasters demanded it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ went from calling abortion “ black genocide ” to backing Planned Parenthood .
They knew it for a white-run eugenics group that once collaborated with Nazis who ’ d run concentration camps in Africa .
They just didn ’ t care .
Men like Rep. Lewis abandoned the newly vulnerable group , unborn Americans of any color ( but hugely , disproportionately black and brown , in fact ) .
Lewis even supported partial birth abortion , and opposed the bill protecting unborn babies capable of pain .
He voted for unborn babies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ever treated him .
It turned out , for Lewis and his like , that advancing his own group ’ s best interests was much more important than the Gospel .
The bitter irony is : such men weren ’ t even supporting their group ’ s interests .
Not one bit .
They were soothing the consciences of rich , mostly white , spoiled hedonists in comfy gated suburbs .
And gulling their own communities about what is really killing them .
Nice work if you can get it .
Rest in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have mercy on us all .
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 .
”

Most of us are too young to remember it, but for decades no one really admitted that smoking could kill you. (My mother got hooked long before that, and smoking 2.5 packs a day did indeed kill her.) Nowadays we chuckle at pictures of cigarette ads featuring doctors’ testimonials, or surgeons in white coats endorsing Lucky Strikes.
But it took many decades to establish the cancer-causing effects of cigarette smoking. And a fierce battle against false, politicized “science” on the part of the tobacco industry. Nowadays, a doctor who tried to pose in a cigarette ad today would lose his license. The industry wouldn’t even try it.
From Cutting Up Corpses to Delivering Babies
Before that, in the 19th century, an even greater medical scandal afflicted the public. There was even less excuse for this one. Male doctors (they were almost all male) would dissect human bodies in the morning, then without washing their hands go on to deliver babies. That’s right, their corpse-stinking fingers reached into birth canals, all day long.
The results were appalling: women who gave birth in “safe,” “scientific” hospitals were 750 percent more likely to die after childbirth than those who gave birth at home. Some physicians observed this horror and urged their colleagues to wash their hands. For their courage, they got “cancelled,” fired, and ostracized.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
One of the greatest, Dr. Ignaz Semmelweiss, was locked in a madhouse where he died after beatings by his keepers. Members of the medical establishment attributed all those new mothers’ deaths on a thousand other causes, from their poor backgrounds or their “inferior germ plasm” to their “vicious” habits. Anything, anything, but take the blame themselves.
Today’s Black Democrats: Doctors Selling Cigarettes
What if I told you that a black politician who supports the Democrats on social issues was just as depraved as a doctor peddling cigarettes to kids? Or delivering babies with death-tainted fingers? The same for a politician of any color who represents working-class people, as opposed to our richest elites.
Because what’s killing, imprisoning, and tormenting black Americans (and working class white ones too) isn’t “systemic racism,” or capitalism, or any of the other superstitions the left likes to peddle. It’s the Sexual Revolution and its aftermath. Sexual libertinism is the Marquis de Sade’s wistful fantasy that we can cut out the God-given bond that holds families together and generates the whole human race, and turn it into a toy. A harmless game like “Twister.” (De Sade was the first pro-choicer in modern history.)
The Sexual Revolution: Elites’ Poison for the Poor
In the 1960s, the New Left peddled the trinity of “sex, drugs and rock and roll” to lure the young to its cause. The children of the elites, and the upper middle class, could dabble in such practices. Then later land on their feet. They could always go to rehab on Daddy’s insurance. Get a quickie abortion, which men like Hugh Hefner somehow convinced women was in their best interests. Take a “gap year” hitchhiking Europe.
But poor kids, black and white, who embraced promiscuity, or drug use (as young people are tempted to do), didn’t have such options. They’d either end up in prison, or trapped in the welfare glue trap which the Democrats helpfully offered, a recycling bin for the masses whom their revolution destroyed. Fatherless poor white boys do no better in America than black. The same for single moms on welfare. The color isn’t the issue.
A Glue Trap for the Masses
My mother was lucky. She was born dirt poor — real Hell’s Kitchen tenement malnourished “shanty Irish” kind of poor. She was one of 11 kids of an alcoholic cab driver with chronic tuberculosis and a housewife with an 8th grade education. Only four of Mom’s siblings survived past age 3. But I say she was lucky, and we were lucky — or rather, blessed — nevertheless. Because she was born in the Great Depression, not in the 1960s.
Because what’s killing, imprisoning, and tormenting black Americans (and working class white ones too) isn’t “systemic racism,” or capitalism, or any of the other superstitions the left likes to peddle. It’s the Sexual Revolution and its aftermath.
Mom didn’t have teachers, the media, and everyone else who mattered telling her “Just do it!” Mom didn’t face abortion clinics promising to “clean up” her mistakes. Or a raft of welfare programs promising her an apartment of her own and a steady income as the reward for getting pregnant. So I grew up with a father, instead of a monthly check from Uncle Sam. I had someone to discipline me, teach me the limits of violence, and dish it out when I needed it. I wasn’t raised by “the community” (i.e. street gangs) as Black Lives Matter, Inc. advocates.
One Strike and You’re Out
Poor people can’t afford “sex, drugs and rock and roll” like slumming Ivy Leaguers whose parents manage hedge funds. For them life is really “One strike and you’re out.” And for countless millions in cities across our country, the strikeouts are piling up. The jails are full of fatherless sons, the victims not of “systemic racism” but hedonistic elites who don’t think that their lives matter. Not a bit.
Elites Can Afford to Live as if God Doesn’t Exist
It’s not systemic racism but contagious hedonism that’s poisoning the poor. Our elites can afford to live as if God does not exist. (At least, till they meet their Maker.)
They’re swathed in thick cushions of money, support and endless second chances. They can go right on living the superstitions of Margaret Sanger and Gloria Steinem, of Hugh Hefner and Al Goldstein. No skin off their privileged noses. The poor pay with their lives. No wonder they’re angry.
Systemic Hedonism and Godlessness
And the lie of “systemic racism” is a great way for coddled elites to re-channel that anger. To deny their guilt, redirect it to greening bronze statues of dead Victorians. Instead of where it belongs, in their own godless, utility-calculating hearts.
That’s why I can’t take seriously the hero’s funeral our elites just threw Rep. John Lewis. Yes, he bravely resisted the vicious evil of segregation, some 60-plus years ago. He echoed the Christian rhetoric of Rev. Martin Luther King. I’m grateful that the crusade Rev. King launched proved successful. Our Christian vision of the person leaves no room for racial bias.
Selling Out the Poor for Paychecks from Elites
But the left quickly sawed off the biblical branch equality sat on. When their political paymasters demanded it, men like Rev. Jesse Jackson went from calling abortion “black genocide” to backing Planned Parenthood. They knew it for a white-run eugenics group that once collaborated with Nazis who’d run concentration camps in Africa. They just didn’t care.
Men like Rep. Lewis abandoned the newly vulnerable group, unborn Americans of any color (but hugely, disproportionately black and brown, in fact). Lewis even supported partial birth abortion, and opposed the bill protecting unborn babies capable of pain. He voted for unborn babies to be treated much worse than segregationists ever treated him. It turned out, for Lewis and his like, that advancing his own group’s best interests was much more important than the Gospel.
The bitter irony is: such men weren’t even supporting their group’s interests. Not one bit. They were soothing the consciences of rich, mostly white, spoiled hedonists in comfy gated suburbs. And gulling their own communities about what is really killing them. Nice work if you can get it.
Rest in Peace, John Lewis. May God have mercy on us all.
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--2020-08-01--BLM’s Popularity is a Politically Motivated Myth

The supposed popularity of “ Black Lives Matter , Inc. ” is a complete fantasy — willfully repeated ad nauseum by the left and the media — that is distorting public discourse around the wave of radicalism that has ravaged our cities this summer .
Mainstream polls ostensibly show striking levels of “ support ” for Black Lives Matter — up to 69 percent of respondents in one recent survey .
In another poll , 60 percent said they support the “ ideas of the Black Lives Matter movement.
” Predictably , the liberal press have hailed these surveys as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opinion since the first wave of BLM activism in 2014 and 2015 , when most Americans said they did not support the movement .
Some go as far as to interpret these numbers as public support for the “ mostly peaceful protesters ” attacking public monuments and assaulting police .
Joe Biden ’ s handlers see it as a mandate to go all-in on a racially divisive , anti-police campaign strategy .
There ’ s one problem : the entire premise is nonsense .
It Doesn ’ t Mean What You Think It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many of the people who tell pollsters they “ support black lives matter ” have no idea what they ’ re saying .
Americans , like all civilized people , believe that black people have a right not to be killed .
In the extraordinarily rare circumstances when police officers unjustifiably kill black Americans , the public has always believed that the victims ’ lives matter .
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political , Economic and Moral Issues of Our Day .
But that ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” — a for-profit organization founded by Marxists and funded by an outfit with a convicted domestic terrorist on the board — stands for .
That ’ s not what the wider assortment of street radicals waving the “ black lives matter ” banner stand for , either .
What Americans Know About BLM When you ask Americans about the things BLM does stand for , you get a picture very different from the glowing support they now claim .
Only 15 percent of respondents in a recent Gallup poll want to “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police .
That is a central aim of the BLM protests — so much so , that when Washington , D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser had city workers paint a “ Black Lives Matter ” mural near the White House to show her support for the movement , activists quickly added “ defund the police ” and chastised her for leaving that out in the first place .
The same phenomenon is evident with respect to other central BLM goals .
Only one in five Americans , for instance , believe in handing out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ another core BLM aim .
And no pollsters — to my knowledge — have even bothered asking about BLM ’ s even more absurd positions , such as a guaranteed minimum income only for blacks , releasing all blacks from prisons , abolishing private schools , and dismantling the nuclear family .
The biggest problem with this stark disparity between perception and reality is that Joe Biden is trying to exploit it for political gain .
He and his campaign are trying to keep the dissonance and division going as long as possible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lives matter slogan and then shrinking into denials and reproachment every time it would actually be necessary to take a stand for any of the ludicrous policy proposals hiding behind it — even to the point of having the media cover for him when he steps over the line into supporting proposals that BLM actually advocates , such as defunding the police .
It ’ s a cynical ploy to cast the President as out of step when in fact , a plurality of Americans believe that , if anything , President Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down on the violent protests and riots that Biden is pretending they support .
They say there are lies , damn lies , and statistics .
The notion of an overwhelmingly popular BLM movement is nothing but a statistic being peddled by professional liars .
Ken Blackwell , an advisor to the Family Research Council , is a member of the Policy Board of the American Constitutional Rights Union .
He is the former mayor of Cincinnati , Ohio .

The supposed popularity of “Black Lives Matter, Inc.” is a complete fantasy — willfully repeated ad nauseum by the left and the media — that is distorting public discourse around the wave of radicalism that has ravaged our cities this summer.
Proof of Support?
Mainstream polls ostensibly show striking levels of “support” for Black Lives Matter — up to 69 percent of respondents in one recent survey. In another poll, 60 percent said they support the “ideas of the Black Lives Matter movement.”
Predictably, the liberal press have hailed these surveys as proof of a massive shift in public opinion since the first wave of BLM activism in 2014 and 2015, when most Americans said they did not support the movement. Some go as far as to interpret these numbers as public support for the “mostly peaceful protesters” attacking public monuments and assaulting police. Joe Biden’s handlers see it as a mandate to go all-in on a racially divisive, anti-police campaign strategy.
There’s one problem: the entire premise is nonsense.
It Doesn’t Mean What You Think It Means
Further polling makes perfectly clear that many of the people who tell pollsters they “support black lives matter” have no idea what they’re saying. Americans, like all civilized people, believe that black people have a right not to be killed. In the extraordinarily rare circumstances when police officers unjustifiably kill black Americans, the public has always believed that the victims’ lives matter.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
But that’s not really what “Black Lives Matter” — a for-profit organization founded by Marxists and funded by an outfit with a convicted domestic terrorist on the board — stands for. That’s not what the wider assortment of street radicals waving the “black lives matter” banner stand for, either.
What Americans Know About BLM
When you ask Americans about the things BLM does stand for, you get a picture very different from the glowing support they now claim. Only 15 percent of respondents in a recent Gallup poll want to “abolish” or “defund” the police. That is a central aim of the BLM protests — so much so, that when Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser had city workers paint a “Black Lives Matter” mural near the White House to show her support for the movement, activists quickly added “defund the police” and chastised her for leaving that out in the first place.
The same phenomenon is evident with respect to other central BLM goals. Only one in five Americans, for instance, believe in handing out reparations to the descendants of slaves, another core BLM aim. And no pollsters — to my knowledge — have even bothered asking about BLM’s even more absurd positions, such as a guaranteed minimum income only for blacks, releasing all blacks from prisons, abolishing private schools, and dismantling the nuclear family.
Political Pawn
The biggest problem with this stark disparity between perception and reality is that Joe Biden is trying to exploit it for political gain. He and his campaign are trying to keep the dissonance and division going as long as possible, parroting the “popular” black lives matter slogan and then shrinking into denials and reproachment every time it would actually be necessary to take a stand for any of the ludicrous policy proposals hiding behind it — even to the point of having the media cover for him when he steps over the line into supporting proposals that BLM actually advocates, such as defunding the police.
It’s a cynical ploy to cast the President as out of step when in fact, a plurality of Americans believe that, if anything, President Trump has not gone far enough in cracking down on the violent protests and riots that Biden is pretending they support.
They say there are lies, damn lies, and statistics. The notion of an overwhelmingly popular BLM movement is nothing but a statistic being peddled by professional liars.
Ken Blackwell, an advisor to the Family Research Council, is a member of the Policy Board of the American Constitutional Rights Union. He is the former mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio.


The Satanic Left

Riots .
Arson .
Vandalism .
Cancel culture .
Anarchy .
Threats of revolution .
With civil disorder cascading across the landscape , Americans ask , “ What on Earth is going on ?
” Perhaps a more appropriate question would be , “ What the Hell is going on ?
” Because Hell , most assuredly , is going on .
The “ progressive ” Left and its minions in academia , business , entertainment , the media and the Democratic Party embody values and behavior that only can be described as satanic .
You can see this in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interrelated and mutually reinforcing .
First comes the blatant disregard for human life from the womb to the tomb .
Discussing whether abortion should be allowed if a woman becomes pregnant through rape or incest , or if her pregnancy threatens her life , is one thing .
Demanding abortion at any stage of pregnancy , even right before birth , is quite another .
Allowing babies who survive an abortion to be killed belongs in its own perverted category .
Yet Virginia Gov .
Ralph Northam appears open to that possibility .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ spectrum , mostly Democratic governors ordered nursing homes to accept elderly COVID-19 victims to reduce the anticipated strain on hospitals .
As a result , 42 percent of those who died from the disease across the country either resided or worked in nursing homes .
In New York , out of 6,962 cases in nursing homes , 6,497 people died .
New York had 21 nursing homes among the 38 nationwide that recorded at least 50 deaths from COVID-19 .
Meanwhile , a hospital ship in New York Harbor and a field hospital @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Javits Center treated very few patients .
Yet nursing homes accounted for only 20 percent of New York ’ s deaths from COVID-19 .
In Minnesota , however , 76 percent of deaths came from nursing homes .
In Pennsylvania , 47 percent .
Seven of the top 10 states in total nursing-home deaths are governed by Democrats .
A God who hates the shedding of innocent blood is not amused .
Not the Only Thing God Hates Related to the disregard for human life is the inherent injustice of inverted justice .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ release criminals from jail while intimidating law-abiding citizens with unenforceable mandates on wearing masks and self-quarantining .
Democrats use “ social justice ” as an excuse to allow mayhem to careen out of control while threatening police departments with dramatically reduced funding or extinction .
Yet when federal forces try to restore order , Democrats basically call them Nazis .
St. Louis District Attorney Kim Gardner provides one of the most absurd examples .
Gardner arbitrarily released looters arrested while rioting in June after George Floyd ’ s death .
Yet she charged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ July 20 for brandishing weapons while guarding their own property .
A group of protesters had demolished a locked gate that protected the couple ’ s exclusive neighborhood .
With St. Louis plagued by riots and arson , the McCloskeys feared the worst as the mob passed their house .
On July 30 , Missouri ’ s attorney general , Eric Schmitt , dismissed charges against the McCloskeys .
Christians and Jews are Our Misfortune Accompanying inverted justice is increasing persecution of Christians and Jews .
As The Stream has documented , Democrats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worship and to ignore vandalism of church property .
Meanwhile , Twitter called the Star of David “ hateful imagery ” and allowed # JewishPrivilege to trend .
The Philadelphia Eagles ’ DeSean Jackson tweeted an anti-Semitic quote ostensibly attributed to Adolf Hitler .
Entertainer Nick Cannon made anti-Semitic remarks on his podcast .
Only a barrage of pressure forced all three to retreat .
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political , Economic and Moral Issues of Our Day .
Yet “ progressives ” support Islam @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to demand accountability for it ’ s anti-Semitism , terrorism or violence against women and homosexuals .
Former Vice President Joe Biden , the Democrats ’ Presidential nominee , even suggested that public schools teach Islam .
Of course , the Left supports all religions not called “ Judaism ” or “ Christianity ” as part of its commitment to “ tolerance.
” But that commitment is merely a weapon against the civilization both biblical faiths fostered , as well as against those faiths themselves .
Undergirding all that behavior is a pervasive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , slander and bullying .
Cancel culture offers the ultimate proof .
Accompanying the culture of intimidation is a spirit of deception .
Social media censors ideas that challenge conventional wisdom .
Schools become indoctrination centers .
Respected newspapers , magazines and television networks deteriorate into nothing but sources of propaganda .
Providing the energy is the ultimate lie , one that dates back to the Garden of Eden : Humanity doesn ’ t need God .
It ’ s a lie that not only fuels “ progressives.
” It will ignite the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thessalonians 2 : 3-12 .
God ’ s response is both fascinating and frightening .
Give Them What They Want Are we seeing a prelude to the ultimate manifestation of that strong delusion ?
Perhaps , especially when you consider how popular Satanism and witchcraft are becoming , with the entertainment industry ’ s help .
Both promote themselves by emphasizing individualism , nonconformity — and political activism .
Not for nothing did Saul Alinsky , in his activist manual , Rules For Radicals , reserve an acknowledgement for Lucifer .
Joseph D @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outlets as the Jerusalem Post , the American Thinker and Front Page Magazine .
He works as a free-lance writer .

Riots. Arson. Vandalism. Cancel culture. Anarchy. Threats of revolution. With civil disorder cascading across the landscape, Americans ask, “What on Earth is going on?”
Perhaps a more appropriate question would be, “What the Hell is going on?” Because Hell, most assuredly, is going on.
The “progressive” Left and its minions in academia, business, entertainment, the media and the Democratic Party embody values and behavior that only can be described as satanic. You can see this in four ways that are different, yet interrelated and mutually reinforcing.
The Left’s Four Horsemen: Death, Injustice, Persecution, Deception
First comes the blatant disregard for human life from the womb to the tomb. Discussing whether abortion should be allowed if a woman becomes pregnant through rape or incest, or if her pregnancy threatens her life, is one thing. Demanding abortion at any stage of pregnancy, even right before birth, is quite another.
Allowing babies who survive an abortion to be killed belongs in its own perverted category. Yet Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam appears open to that possibility.
A God who hates the shedding of innocent blood is not amused.
On the other side of the age spectrum, mostly Democratic governors ordered nursing homes to accept elderly COVID-19 victims to reduce the anticipated strain on hospitals. As a result, 42 percent of those who died from the disease across the country either resided or worked in nursing homes.
In New York, out of 6,962 cases in nursing homes, 6,497 people died. New York had 21 nursing homes among the 38 nationwide that recorded at least 50 deaths from COVID-19. Meanwhile, a hospital ship in New York Harbor and a field hospital with 2,500 beds in Manhattan’s Javits Center treated very few patients.
Yet nursing homes accounted for only 20 percent of New York’s deaths from COVID-19. In Minnesota, however, 76 percent of deaths came from nursing homes. In Pennsylvania, 47 percent. Seven of the top 10 states in total nursing-home deaths are governed by Democrats.
A God who hates the shedding of innocent blood is not amused.
Not the Only Thing God Hates
Related to the disregard for human life is the inherent injustice of inverted justice. Democrats use COVID-19 as an excuse to release criminals from jail while intimidating law-abiding citizens with unenforceable mandates on wearing masks and self-quarantining. Democrats use “social justice” as an excuse to allow mayhem to careen out of control while threatening police departments with dramatically reduced funding or extinction.
Yet when federal forces try to restore order, Democrats basically call them Nazis.
St. Louis District Attorney Kim Gardner provides one of the most absurd examples. Gardner arbitrarily released looters arrested while rioting in June after George Floyd’s death. Yet she charged Mark and Patricia McCloskey with a felony July 20 for brandishing weapons while guarding their own property.
A group of protesters had demolished a locked gate that protected the couple’s exclusive neighborhood. With St. Louis plagued by riots and arson, the McCloskeys feared the worst as the mob passed their house.
On July 30, Missouri’s attorney general, Eric Schmitt, dismissed charges against the McCloskeys.
Christians and Jews are Our Misfortune
Accompanying inverted justice is increasing persecution of Christians and Jews. As The Stream has documented, Democrats use COVID-19 as an excuse to impede worship and to ignore vandalism of church property.
Meanwhile, Twitter called the Star of David “hateful imagery” and allowed #JewishPrivilege to trend. The Philadelphia Eagles’ DeSean Jackson tweeted an anti-Semitic quote ostensibly attributed to Adolf Hitler. Entertainer Nick Cannon made anti-Semitic remarks on his podcast. Only a barrage of pressure forced all three to retreat.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
Yet “progressives” support Islam to such a degree, they refuse to demand accountability for its anti-Semitism, terrorism or violence against women and homosexuals. Former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democrats’ Presidential nominee, even suggested that public schools teach Islam.
Of course, the Left supports all religions not called “Judaism” or “Christianity” as part of its commitment to “tolerance.” But that commitment is merely a weapon against the civilization both biblical faiths fostered, as well as against those faiths themselves.
The Underlying Root
Undergirding all that behavior is a pervasive culture of intimidation, expressed through accusation, slander and bullying. Cancel culture offers the ultimate proof. Accompanying the culture of intimidation is a spirit of deception. Social media censors ideas that challenge conventional wisdom. Schools become indoctrination centers. Respected newspapers, magazines and television networks deteriorate into nothing but sources of propaganda.
Providing the energy is the ultimate lie, one that dates back to the Garden of Eden: Humanity doesn’t need God. It’s a lie that not only fuels “progressives.” It will ignite the massive rejection of God described in 2 Thessalonians 2: 3-12.
God’s response is both fascinating and frightening.
Give Them What They Want
Therefore God sends upon them a strong delusion, to make them believe what is false, so that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Are we seeing a prelude to the ultimate manifestation of that strong delusion? Perhaps, especially when you consider how popular Satanism and witchcraft are becoming, with the entertainment industry’s help. Both promote themselves by emphasizing individualism, nonconformity — and political activism.
Not for nothing did Saul Alinsky, in his activist manual, Rules For Radicals, reserve an acknowledgement for Lucifer.
Joseph D’Hippolito has written commentaries for such outlets as the Jerusalem Post, the American Thinker and Front Page Magazine. He works as a free-lance writer.


thestream--2020-08-01--The Unpersoning of Herman Cain

The Unpersoning of Herman Cain

I ’ ve been searching for a metaphor for today ’ s leftist establishment .
Sometimes it seems like a corrupt church , as when it hunts for heretics .
J.K. Rowling could speak to that .
At others it ’ s more like a nasty 17th century town , when it ’ s fanatically hunting for witches — and accusing critics of witch-hunting of ( you guessed it ) being … witches .
For that one , speak to doctors who dissent from the penis-snipping , breast-cutting , teenager poisoning pseudo-science of “ gender transition.
” You Will Be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ left is more like The Borg on Star Trek , announcing in an inhuman drone of bloodless self-confidence : “ You will be assimilated.
” That ’ s the tone used when social media leviathans inform private citizens that their speech has been restricted or simply silenced .
They get a boilerplate explanation and no real chance to appeal .
That ’ s what happened to Mike Cernovich , when Amazon canceled his media bias documentary Hoaxed .
When things go well for the left , it behaves like a school of piranhas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ site where one scented blood .
Mike Murphy could tell you all about that , if he were still alive .
When the left hits a wall , on the rare occasions when courage and luck combine and its tactics fail ?
Then we hear a chorus of whimpering like terrified baby seals , as the predators switch in an instant into hapless , innocent victims .
Recall the primal screams aimed at the sky , the collective mental breakdowns that began around 10 p.m. election night in 2016 , and continued for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political , Economic and Moral Issues of Our Day .
Perhaps the left at its worst is its bloody-beaked buzzard mode , as with cold triumph it pokes around in the entrails of the fallen .
That ’ s what Chris Cuomo showed us in his comments on the death of self-made black entrepreneur and former presidential candidate Herman Cain .
The virus is rapidly swallowing us , all colors , all stripes , all creeds .
It just took a former presidential candidate , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the President .
The President says he was a good friend of his .
… I wish that this President have no peace until he thinks about what he ’ s exposing people to .
He didn ’ t even mention that Mr. Cain was at his rally among the masses right before he was diagnosed .
Now , maybe he didn ’ t get it there .
Sure , as hell didn ’ t help .
May Herman Cain rest in peace .
He fell ill not long after that rally in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Oklahoma .
You see him not wearing a mask .
How many lives do we have to lose , how many have to be sick , how many have to have their lives changed ?
Cuomo wasn ’ t alone .
The friends of Mr. Cain who run his website were so inundated with outright gloating by Trump-hating ghouls they felt the need to interrupt their mourning and post a response .
There were a lot of people online yesterday claiming that Herman had this coming because he claimed COVID was a hoax @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mask-wearing and social distancing .
None of that is true .
First of all , Herman certainly never said COVID was a hoax .
( And for the record , neither did the president .
What he said is that Democrats and the media would perpetrate a hoax by lying about the administration ’ s response to the virus .
He never said the virus itself was a hoax . )
It seems remarkable , and not in a good way , that I should have to go through all this today in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s passing .
No one deserves to die because of an idea they expressed , or an opinion they held .
No one ’ s death should be mocked or snickered at because they disagreed with the mocker about something .
We ’ ve always had a rule on this site – and on our social media – that when we report news about a person on the left being sick or dying , we will not allow comments of any kind apart from well-wishes .
We go through these comments and if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
( Don ’ t go combing through them looking for evidence that we didn ’ t .
I ’ m sure we missed a few . )
This is because – again to use Rob ’ s term – we refuse to be ghouls .
Once your politics has driven you to that , you need to step back from it .
We don ’ t root for people to die because there ’ s some political advantage to be gained from it , and we don ’ t applaud when they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ devastates families and breaks children ’ s hearts .
Nothing you want out of politics is worth that .
Going Out Like a Free Citizen Staggering .
Just staggering , that the friends and survivors of a highly successful black American businessman and public figure who just died would have to contest the fact that he somehow “ deserved ” his fate .
But not surprising .
You see , Herman Cain was a conservative , and hence an enemy .
Not a fellow human being , or fellow citizen , as even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ginsburg .
A pinata , a punching bag , and now that he ’ s dead , to some a notch on their belts .
Herman Cain had recently been diagnosed with Stage Four colon cancer .
He knew that his risk of dying if he contracted COVID was much higher than most people ’ s .
But he chose to spend the time he had left in the field he ’ d chosen : constructive politics , in service of his country .
Having watched two parents die horribly of cancer , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ got such a diagnosis ( as I likely someday will ) , I wouldn ’ t have been sitting inside cowering to avoid a virus like COVID — which might cut my suffering short .
I would have chosen to go out pressing the flesh , not wasting away on a morphine drip .
You know a fate I ’ d desperately hope and pray to avoid ?
Being locked up with no escape , no access to friends or family , clergy or consolation , in an isolated nursing home .
Then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even my knowledge , to patients with a deadly disease that could cut my life short by years , at the behest of some faraway governor .
Especially if that governor had carefully made sure that his own elderly mother was safe and sound , far from danger .
That ’ s what Andrew Cuomo did to tens of thousands of New Yorkers , with Chris Cuomo ’ s support .
Neither has expressed the slightest regret for that deadly decision .
So it seems that Chris Cuomo really doesn ’ t object @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infected with COVID and dying .
What really gets his goat is when they get to choose if they ’ re risking exposure .
If they ’ re helpless , passive victims of a bureaucratic decision ?
Then they can die by the boatload , and their bodies be trucked off and burned , without any funerals .
No Room for Herman Cain , or You or Me But God forbid a senior decide to take risks with his remaining time on this earth , and use it to serve his country and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s the kind of behavior the Cuomos won ’ t put up with .
No wonder Andrew Cuomo said that New York is no place for pro-lifers , gun-owners , or Christians .
If Joe Biden wins in November , will America be such a place ?
Herman Cain , go with God .
You deserve better than this .
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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of “ God , Guns , & the Government .
”

I’ve been searching for a metaphor for today’s leftist establishment. Sometimes it seems like a corrupt church, as when it hunts for heretics. J.K. Rowling could speak to that.
At others it’s more like a nasty 17th century town, when it’s fanatically hunting for witches — and accusing critics of witch-hunting of (you guessed it) being … witches. For that one, speak to doctors who dissent from the penis-snipping, breast-cutting, teenager poisoning pseudo-science of “gender transition.”
You Will Be Assimilated
On still other occasions, the left is more like The Borg on Star Trek, announcing in an inhuman drone of bloodless self-confidence: “You will be assimilated.” That’s the tone used when social media leviathans inform private citizens that their speech has been restricted or simply silenced. They get a boilerplate explanation and no real chance to appeal. That’s what happened to Mike Cernovich, when Amazon canceled his media bias documentary Hoaxed.
When things go well for the left, it behaves like a school of piranhas, converging with icy precision on the site where one scented blood. Mike Adams could tell you all about that, if he were still alive.
From Piranhas to Baby Seals
When the left hits a wall, on the rare occasions when courage and luck combine and its tactics fail? Then we hear a chorus of whimpering like terrified baby seals, as the predators switch in an instant into hapless, innocent victims. Recall the primal screams aimed at the sky, the collective mental breakdowns that began around 10 p.m. election night in 2016, and continued for several weeks.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
Perhaps the left at its worst is its bloody-beaked buzzard mode, as with cold triumph it pokes around in the entrails of the fallen. That’s what Chris Cuomo showed us in his comments on the death of self-made black entrepreneur and former presidential candidate Herman Cain.
The virus is rapidly swallowing us, all colors, all stripes, all creeds. It just took a former presidential candidate, Herman Cain. Yes, he supported the President. The President says he was a good friend of his. … I wish that this President have no peace until he thinks about what he’s exposing people to. He didn’t even mention that Mr. Cain was at his rally among the masses right before he was diagnosed. Now, maybe he didn’t get it there. Sure, as hell didn’t help. May Herman Cain rest in peace. He fell ill not long after that rally in June, the one in Tulsa, Oklahoma. You see him not wearing a mask. How many lives do we have to lose, how many have to be sick, how many have to have their lives changed?
Ghouls Hunting the Dead
Cuomo wasn’t alone. The friends of Mr. Cain who run his website were so inundated with outright gloating by Trump-hating ghouls they felt the need to interrupt their mourning and post a response.
There were a lot of people online yesterday claiming that Herman had this coming because he claimed COVID was a hoax, and he dismissed the importance of mask-wearing and social distancing. None of that is true. First of all, Herman certainly never said COVID was a hoax. (And for the record, neither did the president. What he said is that Democrats and the media would perpetrate a hoax by lying about the administration’s response to the virus. He never said the virus itself was a hoax.) … It seems remarkable, and not in a good way, that I should have to go through all this today in response to such cruelty concerning Herman’s passing. No one deserves to die because of an idea they expressed, or an opinion they held. No one’s death should be mocked or snickered at because they disagreed with the mocker about something. We’ve always had a rule on this site – and on our social media – that when we report news about a person on the left being sick or dying, we will not allow comments of any kind apart from well-wishes. We go through these comments and if we find any, we ban people. (Don’t go combing through them looking for evidence that we didn’t. I’m sure we missed a few.) This is because – again to use Rob’s term – we refuse to be ghouls. Once your politics has driven you to that, you need to step back from it. We don’t root for people to die because there’s some political advantage to be gained from it, and we don’t applaud when they do. Death hurts people. It devastates families and breaks children’s hearts. Nothing you want out of politics is worth that.
Going Out Like a Free Citizen
Staggering. Just staggering, that the friends and survivors of a highly successful black American businessman and public figure who just died would have to contest the fact that he somehow “deserved” his fate. But not surprising. You see, Herman Cain was a conservative, and hence an enemy. Not a fellow human being, or fellow citizen, as even the most fervent pro-lifers treat Ruth Bader Ginsburg. A pinata, a punching bag, and now that he’s dead, to some a notch on their belts.
Chris Cuomo really doesn’t object to older people with underlying conditions getting infected with COVID and dying. What really gets his goat is when they get to choose if they’re subject to COVID.
Herman Cain had recently been diagnosed with Stage Four colon cancer. He knew that his risk of dying if he contracted COVID was much higher than most people’s. But he chose to spend the time he had left in the field he’d chosen: constructive politics, in service of his country. Having watched two parents die horribly of cancer, I can tell you that if I got such a diagnosis (as I likely someday will), I wouldn’t have been sitting inside cowering to avoid a virus like COVID — which might cut my suffering short. I would have chosen to go out pressing the flesh, not wasting away on a morphine drip.
The Cuomo Body Count
You know a fate I’d desperately hope and pray to avoid? Being locked up with no escape, no access to friends or family, clergy or consolation, in an isolated nursing home. Then being exposed against my will, without even my knowledge, to patients with a deadly disease that could cut my life short by years, at the behest of some faraway governor. Especially if that governor had carefully made sure that his own elderly mother was safe and sound, far from danger. That’s what Andrew Cuomo did to tens of thousands of New Yorkers, with Chris Cuomo’s support. Neither has expressed the slightest regret for that deadly decision.
So it seems that Chris Cuomo really doesn’t object to older people with underlying conditions getting infected with COVID and dying. What really gets his goat is when they get to choose if they’re risking exposure. If they’re helpless, passive victims of a bureaucratic decision? Then they can die by the boatload, and their bodies be trucked off and burned, without any funerals.
No Room for Herman Cain, or You or Me
But God forbid a senior decide to take risks with his remaining time on this earth, and use it to serve his country and the values he believes in. That’s the kind of behavior the Cuomos won’t put up with. No wonder Andrew Cuomo said that New York is no place for pro-lifers, gun-owners, or Christians.
If Joe Biden wins in November, will America be such a place?
Herman Cain, go with God. You deserve better than this.
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.”


Revival Begins Here

My first introduction to St. Teresa of Avila ( 1515-1582 ) was from church historian Dr. Richard Lovelace when I studied with him for my doctorate at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary .
Teresa , a major figure in the revival we call the Spanish Counter-Reformation , is among the “ Doctors of the Church ” along with Augustine , Aquinas , Basil , Chrysostom , Catherine of Siena , and other great theological minds .
I ’ m not surprised Lovelace assigned Teresa .
She saw the same spiritual dynamics he describes in his book Dynamics of Spiritual Life : An @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that spiritual renewal in individuals , churches , and cultures starts with two preconditions .
First , we need to understand God ’ s holiness .
Yes , God is love , but He is also the holy and just judge .
Lovelace writes , “ God ’ s mercy , patience and love must be fully preached in the church .
But they are not credible unless they are presented in tension with God ’ s infinite power , complete and sovereign control of the universe , holiness , and righteousness .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ clearly presented , compassionate warnings of his holy anger against sin must be given and warnings also of the certainty of divine judgment in endless alienation from God which will be unimaginably worse than the literal description of hell.
” He goes on , “ It is no wonder that the world and the church are not awakened when our leadership is either singing a lullaby concerning these matters or presenting them in caricature which is so grotesque that it is unbelievable.
” Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Issues of Our Day .
In a similar way , St. Teresa warned repeatedly against offending “ His Majesty.
” We should avoid sin to avoid dishonoring this holy God .
“ O Lord , how little do we Christians know You !
” she wrote .
“ What will that day be in which you come as our Judge , since now , when Thou come as a Friend to Your spouse , the sight of You strikes us with such awe ?
O daughters !
What will it be when He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accursed of my Father ?
’ ” Which brings us to Lovelace ’ s second precondition for revival : “ Awareness of the depth of sin.
” Awareness of the Depth of Sin “ The human heart , ” he writes , “ is now a reservoir of unconscious disordered motivation and response , of which unrenewed persons are unaware if left to themselves.
” And thus , without the grace and mercy of the holy and righteous God ( who we daily offend ) , we are lost .
Teresa understood .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ who are advanced in the spiritual life , she taught , must remain aware of the depth of their sin .
“ I was at prayer one day when suddenly , without knowing how , I found myself , as I thought , plunged right into hell , ” she wrote in her autobiography .
“ I realized that it was the Lord ’ s will that I should see the place which the devils had prepared for me there and which I had merited for my sins.
” Note those last words @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my sins.
” Reflecting on that terrifying vision , Teresa realized that it “ was one of the most signal favors which the Lord has bestowed upon me : it has been of the greatest benefit to me , both in taking from me all fear of the tribulations and disappointments of this life and also in strengthening me to suffer them and to give thanks to the Lord , Who , as I now believe , has delivered me from such terrible and never-ending torments.
” The vision of her just punishment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That sounds crazy to us today .
Why ?
Because unlike St. Teresa , John Calvin , Martin Luther , Jonathan Edwards , and Richard Lovelace , we have a fuzzy view of our sin and an even fuzzier view of God ’ s holiness and wrath .
We readily pardon our faults as though they deserve no condemnation or wrath .
After all , as the nineteenth-century German poet , Heinrich Heine is alleged to have said , “ Of course God will forgive me ; that ’ s His job.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prayer , ” “ once saved , always saved , ” so what ’ s the big deal ?
But in his new book , The Next Pope : The Office of Peter and a Church in Mission , George Weigel notes , “ There seems to be a kind of iron law built into the relationship between Christianity and modernity … : Christian communities that have a clear sense of doctrinal and moral identity can survive and even flourish under the challenges posed by contemporary culture ; Christian communities whose sense of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ porous wither — and some die.
” The same holds for individual Christians .
The “ iron law ” has always been true .
Thus recovering and preserving doctrinal and moral identity — beginning with the preconditions of renewal — our awareness of God ’ s holiness and of our sin — is ever the task of a people who want to walk in the fullness of God ’ s life and blessing .
The need for Christian renewal in every church is enormous today .
And whether we are Evangelical , Catholic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ knowing that God is holy and we are helpless in our sin .
Dr. James Tonkowich , a senior contributor to The Stream , is a freelance writer , speaker and commentator on spirituality , religion and public life .
He is the author of The Liberty Threat : The Attack on Religious Freedom in America Today and Pears , Grapes , and Dates : A Good Life After Mid-Life .
Jim serves as Director of Distance Learning at Wyoming Catholic College and is host of the college ’ s weekly podcast , @ @ @ @ @ @ @

My first introduction to St. Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) was from church historian Dr. Richard Lovelace when I studied with him for my doctorate at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Teresa, a major figure in the revival we call the Spanish Counter-Reformation, is among the “Doctors of the Church” along with Augustine, Aquinas, Basil, Chrysostom, Catherine of Siena, and other great theological minds.
I’m not surprised Lovelace assigned Teresa. She saw the same spiritual dynamics he describes in his book Dynamics of Spiritual Life: An Evangelical Theology of Renewal.
Lovelace demonstrates that spiritual renewal in individuals, churches, and cultures starts with two preconditions.
Understanding God’s Holiness
First, we need to understand God’s holiness. Yes, God is love, but He is also the holy and just judge. Lovelace writes, “God’s mercy, patience and love must be fully preached in the church. But they are not credible unless they are presented in tension with God’s infinite power, complete and sovereign control of the universe, holiness, and righteousness. And where God’s righteousness is clearly presented, compassionate warnings of his holy anger against sin must be given and warnings also of the certainty of divine judgment in endless alienation from God which will be unimaginably worse than the literal description of hell.”
He goes on, “It is no wonder that the world and the church are not awakened when our leadership is either singing a lullaby concerning these matters or presenting them in caricature which is so grotesque that it is unbelievable.”
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
In a similar way, St. Teresa warned repeatedly against offending “His Majesty.” We should avoid sin to avoid dishonoring this holy God. “O Lord, how little do we Christians know You!” she wrote. “What will that day be in which you come as our Judge, since now, when Thou come as a Friend to Your spouse, the sight of You strikes us with such awe? O daughters! What will it be when He says in wrath: ‘Go, accursed of my Father?’”
Which brings us to Lovelace’s second precondition for revival: “Awareness of the depth of sin.”
Awareness of the Depth of Sin
“The human heart,” he writes, “is now a reservoir of unconscious disordered motivation and response, of which unrenewed persons are unaware if left to themselves.” And thus, without the grace and mercy of the holy and righteous God (who we daily offend), we are lost.
Teresa understood. Even — or perhaps especially — those who are advanced in the spiritual life, she taught, must remain aware of the depth of their sin.
“I was at prayer one day when suddenly, without knowing how, I found myself, as I thought, plunged right into hell,” she wrote in her autobiography. “I realized that it was the Lord’s will that I should see the place which the devils had prepared for me there and which I had merited for my sins.” Note those last words: “which I had merited for my sins.”
Reflecting on that terrifying vision, Teresa realized that it “was one of the most signal favors which the Lord has bestowed upon me: it has been of the greatest benefit to me, both in taking from me all fear of the tribulations and disappointments of this life and also in strengthening me to suffer them and to give thanks to the Lord, Who, as I now believe, has delivered me from such terrible and never-ending torments.” The vision of her just punishment of hell resulted in spiritual renewal.
Our Fuzzy View
That sounds crazy to us today. Why? Because unlike St. Teresa, John Calvin, Martin Luther, Jonathan Edwards, and Richard Lovelace, we have a fuzzy view of our sin and an even fuzzier view of God’s holiness and wrath.
We readily pardon our faults as though they deserve no condemnation or wrath. After all, as the nineteenth-century German poet, Heinrich Heine is alleged to have said, “Of course God will forgive me; that’s His job.” After all, I prayed “the prayer,” “once saved, always saved,” so what’s the big deal?
But in his new book, The Next Pope: The Office of Peter and a Church in Mission, George Weigel notes, “There seems to be a kind of iron law built into the relationship between Christianity and modernity … : Christian communities that have a clear sense of doctrinal and moral identity can survive and even flourish under the challenges posed by contemporary culture; Christian communities whose sense of identity becomes weak and whose boundaries become porous wither — and some die.” The same holds for individual Christians.
The “iron law” has always been true. Thus recovering and preserving doctrinal and moral identity — beginning with the preconditions of renewal — our awareness of God’s holiness and of our sin — is ever the task of a people who want to walk in the fullness of God’s life and blessing.
The need for Christian renewal in every church is enormous today. And whether we are Evangelical, Catholic, or Orthodox, renewal begins by knowing that God is holy and we are helpless in our sin.
Dr. James Tonkowich, a senior contributor to The Stream, is a freelance writer, speaker and commentator on spirituality, religion and public life. He is the author of The Liberty Threat: The Attack on Religious Freedom in America Today and Pears, Grapes, and Dates: A Good Life After Mid-Life. Jim serves as Director of Distance Learning at Wyoming Catholic College and is host of the college’s weekly podcast, “The After Dinner Scholar.”


thestream--2020-08-01--Offended by Faith: The Pandemic has Exposed an Unbelieving Church

Why are American Christians afraid of a virus ?
The answer is sobering .
Scrolling through Facebook I happened upon a simple yet interesting post .
One of the comments was even more intriguing .
“ Show me the verse in Scripture that says God heals everything but coronavirus.
” A sharp-witted respondent typed : Matthew 13:58 .
That ’ s the sobering answer I alluded to .
Instead of boldly standing in authoritative opposition to a wicked threat , the common reaction of so many of today ’ s American Christians seems to be unbelief .
Those who are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ instead shaken by the winds of the world .
A lack of faith most certainly results in a lack of mighty works .
Matthew 13 makes that clear .
The preceding verse reveals the root of their unbelief : offense .
In our current crisis I ’ m stunned and saddened by the reaction of supposed Christians to the few who are rallying the troops to arise in faith and healing .
These cries for the Church to confidently confront the spirit of the age and to believe without wavering in the healing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resistance .
How can that be ?
Where did this man get all these things ?
That ’ s the question being asked by doubters when people of great faith proclaim the Word of God .
Just who do you think you are ?
What type of hocus-pocus are you communicating ?
Don ’ t you realize how scary this virus is ?
Your lack of concern is foolish .
Your so-called faith is dangerous to our nation ’ s health .
It ’ s true , we are living in a day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to trust in science and medicine than in the Word of God .
Facts trump faith in today ’ s secularized society .
It would do us well to learn from the test that King Asa failed .
The next verse displays very clearly what this strategy of healing results in : If we allow fear to drive us , we will have no choice but to defer to the physicians in our search for health and safety .
Fear destroys faith .
The only way we can approach God for healing or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it ’ s obvious that many in the Church haven ’ t learned from King Asa .
Calls to stand in confident faith are rejected as a nonsensical threat to their safety .
What they don ’ t realize is a refusal to believe sets them up as easy targets of the enemy .
It truly is shocking that many Christians today don ’ t live in the supernatural realm that is so obvious in the Word of God .
As Believers , we have access to mind-boggling benefits that few take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fully reject these spiritual realities .
They become offended when faith-filled Christians challenge them .
“ Where did you get all these things ?
” is the question they ask .
Where did you get these bizarre beliefs that are contrary to common sense ?
The Bible .
That ’ s the answer to their strange , humanistic question .
The truth is that the blood of Jesus is sufficient for coronavirus .
If we are afraid and default to human wisdom as we fight against it , we will lose .
There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can provide .
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political , Economic and Moral Issues of Our Day .
If we live as supernatural people and expect miracles and wonders to surround us , we will thrive no matter what plague may befall us .
Healing , authority , power , freedom , joy and absolute victory are all ours as Believers !
Fear , worry and defeat can not stand against mighty , supernatural faith !
The Church should be sounding a universal proclamation that Jesus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stand !
The world should be amazed and provoked by a joyful , fearless and faith-filled Church .
Life for Christians is radically , wildly , supernaturally different than those who haven ’ t surrendered to the Lord .
No weapon formed against us can prosper !
Instead , so much of the Church is nervous , afraid and campaigning for worldly potions , provision and protection .
Wash your hands .
Wear a mask if called for .
Go to the doctor if needed .
Do your due diligence .
But don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ things .
Our faith is in the miraculous .
It ’ s in the invisible wonders of a loving , omnipotent God .
Don ’ t get offended when someone challenges your response to the threat of a virus .
Instead , admit your unbelief , repent and determine to live in a realm entirely different than where the world lives .
As Christians , we should be experiencing supernatural power and incredible miracles regularly .
The authority we have over the enemy is extreme .
The promises of God open up a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who walk in the mysterious realm of faith .
To think we are limited by science and human wisdom is silliness at best and blasphemous at worst .
It ’ s time for the supernatural , fearless Church to arise !
John is a sought-out teacher , prophetic messenger and revivalist .
He has authored 10 books , is a regular contributor to Charisma Magazine , and directed one of the primary internships at the International House of Prayer ( IHOP ) in Kansas City .
He has planted two churches and has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ school of ministry .

Why are American Christians afraid of a virus? The answer is sobering.
Scrolling through Facebook I happened upon a simple yet interesting post. One of the comments was even more intriguing. “Show me the verse in Scripture that says God heals everything but coronavirus.” A sharp-witted respondent typed: Matthew 13:58.
And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief. Matthew 13:58 (ESV)
That’s the sobering answer I alluded to. Instead of boldly standing in authoritative opposition to a wicked threat, the common reaction of so many of today’s American Christians seems to be unbelief.
Those who are to be driven by fearless faith are instead shaken by the winds of the world.
An Offensive Message
… Where then did this man get all these things? And they took offense at him … Matthew 13:56-57 (ESV)
A lack of faith most certainly results in a lack of mighty works. Matthew 13 makes that clear. The preceding verse reveals the root of their unbelief: offense.
In our current crisis I’m stunned and saddened by the reaction of supposed Christians to the few who are rallying the troops to arise in faith and healing. These cries for the Church to confidently confront the spirit of the age and to believe without wavering in the healing power of Jesus are being met with resistance. How can that be?
Where did this man get all these things? That’s the question being asked by doubters when people of great faith proclaim the Word of God. Just who do you think you are? What type of hocus-pocus are you communicating? Don’t you realize how scary this virus is? Your lack of concern is foolish. Your so-called faith is dangerous to our nation’s health.
It’s true, we are living in a day when many in the Church are quicker to trust in science and medicine than in the Word of God. Facts trump faith in today’s secularized society.
A Test of Faith
It would do us well to learn from the test that King Asa failed.
In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was diseased in his feet, and his disease became severe. Yet even in his disease he did not seek the LORD, but sought help from physicians. 2 Chronicles 16:12 (ESV)
The next verse displays very clearly what this strategy of healing results in:
And Asa slept with his fathers, dying in the forty-first year of his reign. 2 Chronicles 16:13 (ESV)
If we allow fear to drive us, we will have no choice but to defer to the physicians in our search for health and safety. Fear destroys faith. The only way we can approach God for healing or anything else is by faith.
Unfortunately, it’s obvious that many in the Church haven’t learned from King Asa. Calls to stand in confident faith are rejected as a nonsensical threat to their safety. What they don’t realize is a refusal to believe sets them up as easy targets of the enemy.
A Supernatural Church
It truly is shocking that many Christians today don’t live in the supernatural realm that is so obvious in the Word of God.
As Believers, we have access to mind-boggling benefits that few take advantage of. In fact, many fully reject these spiritual realities. They become offended when faith-filled Christians challenge them. “Where did you get all these things?” is the question they ask. Where did you get these bizarre beliefs that are contrary to common sense?
The Bible. That’s the answer to their strange, humanistic question.
… He took our illnesses and bore our diseases. Matthew 8:17 (ESV)
The truth is that the blood of Jesus is sufficient for coronavirus. If we are afraid and default to human wisdom as we fight against it, we will lose. There will be no protection beyond what science can provide.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
If we live as supernatural people and expect miracles and wonders to surround us, we will thrive no matter what plague may befall us. Healing, authority, power, freedom, joy and absolute victory are all ours as Believers! Fear, worry and defeat cannot stand against mighty, supernatural faith!
The Church should be sounding a universal proclamation that Jesus heals and that fear can’t stand! The world should be amazed and provoked by a joyful, fearless and faith-filled Church. Life for Christians is radically, wildly, supernaturally different than those who haven’t surrendered to the Lord. No weapon formed against us can prosper!
Instead, so much of the Church is nervous, afraid and campaigning for worldly potions, provision and protection.
Living in a Natural World
For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (ESV)
Wash your hands. Wear a mask if called for. Go to the doctor if needed. Do your due diligence. But don’t put your faith in such things.
Our faith is in the miraculous. It’s in the invisible wonders of a loving, omnipotent God.
Don’t get offended when someone challenges your response to the threat of a virus. Instead, admit your unbelief, repent and determine to live in a realm entirely different than where the world lives.
As Christians, we should be experiencing supernatural power and incredible miracles regularly. The authority we have over the enemy is extreme. The promises of God open up a world of wonder to all of us who walk in the mysterious realm of faith.
To think we are limited by science and human wisdom is silliness at best and blasphemous at worst.
It’s time for the supernatural, fearless Church to arise!
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Hebrews 11:6 (ESV)
John is a sought-out teacher, prophetic messenger and revivalist. He has authored 10 books, is a regular contributor to Charisma Magazine, and directed one of the primary internships at the International House of Prayer (IHOP) in Kansas City. He has planted two churches and has initiated two city prayer movements and a school of ministry.