thestream--2020-09-14--Foundations: A Christian Perspective on the Issue of Immigration

We , as Christians , are to love our neighbor , care for those in need , and see all as equal in the eyes of God .
We are also to seek justice and act with wisdom .
All these gather together when considering the issue of immigration .
When looking at immigration from a Christian perspective , it helps to break it down along two tracks : Do Not Oppress the Stranger … But Who ’ s the Stranger ?
Supporters of de facto open borders like to run to the Bible for ammo — many for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are particularly fond of citing Leviticus , “ When a stranger resides with you in your land , you shall not oppress the stranger .
The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you.
” ( Leviticus 19:33 . )
So scripture clearly teaches us we must welcome the stranger .
Yes .
But when it comes to immigration , who is the stranger ?
The Hebrew word used for “ stranger ” is “ ger.
” This refers to one given sojourn to live as an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It is one who agrees to abide by the nation ’ s ways .
In our terms , this is someone granted legal authority to be in the U.S .
The legal alien .
This is distinguished from nekhar or zar , meaning , foreigner .
One who does not have such permission .
The illegal alien .
This distinction also warns us against welcoming large numbers of people who in principle reject our nation ’ s ways .
For instance , intolerant Islamists who favor sharia law .
( Remember that Israel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ So , a legal alien willing to assimilate is to be welcomed .
What does this mean in practice ?
The Book of Numbers gives us an idea : For example , the ger could receive social benefits such as the right to glean in the fields ( Lev 19:9-10 , Deut 24:19-22 ) .
The ger and citizen deserved equal pay ( Det 24:14 ) .
And so forth .
As the Center for Immigration Studies notes , “ no such provision is extended to the nekhar or zar.
” So a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ role in immigration does have to acknowledge there is a difference between a legal and illegal immigrant .
There is a difference between a stranger agreeing to abide by our laws and a foreigner whose first act is to violate our laws .
Or immigrants who move here with the intent to replace our religious freedom with something very different .
This statement puts it well : Incidentally , that ’ s from the 2008 party platform of the Democratic Party .
As a Christian , one must consider the corrosiveness of illegal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people forced to live in shadows .
We know how often illegal immigrants in this country end up exploited .
We know about the violent crimes too many of them commit .
We hear less about how a vast majority of illegal immigrants are committing the crime of identity theft with the use of false documents .
Overall , we see a system built on sin .
But let ’ s look at an example of a more subtle way illegal immigration is morally corrosive : Speaking of children , how Christian is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to send their children along with vicious coyotes on the dangerous journey to America ?
Policies that encourage a journey where between 30 % and 80 % of the women and girls will be sexually assaulted .
“ See that you do not despise one of these little ones , ” said Jesus Christ .
( Matthew 18:10 ) And illegal immigration also undermines the very strength that has allowed America to be the world ’ s most generous country for decades now .
“ I Was Thirsty and You Gave Me Drink @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a difficult question : How are we to treat those who do arrive in this country illegally ?
Jesus gives us the answer : “ I was hungry and you gave me food , I was thirsty and you gave me drink , I was a stranger and you welcomed me.
” Matthew 25:31-40 : In the biblical Greek , the word “ stranger ” is xenos , which means “ alien or foreigner , ” with a secondary meaning of “ guest.
” Further , the Lord ’ s parable of The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ care for those who are in need , regardless of who they are .
Yet , what one is quick to notice is these are personal acts .
You gave the Lord food , it says .
Not the government .
The Good Samaritan took care of the injured man , personally paid for his care .
We can not off-load our responsibility .
We do what we can do , as called , as the body of Christ and as individual followers of Christ .
During the Great Depression , Mexican immigrants @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the streets of Los Angeles .
Pentecostal evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson set up a commissary at her Angelus Temple .
Her ministry fed and saved the lives of tens of thousands of people .
During the recent pandemic , stories abound of churches doing miraculous work assisting their communities .
Understand , the nature of the help takes many forms .
Some feel called to assist arriving illegals with food and water .
Others teach immigrants English so they can more quickly assimilate and achieve the American dream .
God calls some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lift citizens so they need not make the journey ; instead they can raise their own nation .
Some are called to be border agents .
Some are called to fight for a sane , sensible , practical national approach .
Two Stream writers John Zmirak and Al Perrotta wrote a book on the history of immigration in America — good , bad and ugly — which offers clear thinking and solutions .
Check out The Politically Incorrect Guide to Immigration .
As Christians we are to treasure each person as a unique @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we can not destroy the common good by rashly interpreting those words .
America is not the Kingdom of Heaven .
It doesn ’ t have room for everyone .
So how do we , as a nation do what is healthiest for our nation ?
We start by rejecting the idea of America as a melting pot .
You can not toss just anything into a melting pot and expect to end up with gold .
Instead we look to a phrase used by Founding Father Alexander Hamilton , himself an immigrant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into the country , Hamilton desired a “ harmony of ingredients.
” In other words , those who would bring their unique flavors , but were capable of blending together .
In this case , those who share the Judeo-Christian values undergirding the nation .
Those who value the individual , valued self-reliance , valued God .
It ’ s not about ethnicity .
It ’ s about ethics .
Give us a million tired and poor who thirst for liberty over a thousand scholars well-fed on secularism .
Or , as Europe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Muslims open to jihad .
Give us those who are happy to say “ God Bless America.
” Patrick Buchanan , The Death of the West .

We, as Christians, are to love our neighbor, care for those in need, and see all as equal in the eyes of God. We are also to seek justice and act with wisdom. All these gather together when considering the issue of immigration.
When looking at immigration from a Christian perspective, it helps to break it down along two tracks:
Legal vs Illegal Immigration. The government’s role versus that of the individual or the church.
Do Not Oppress the Stranger … But Who’s the Stranger?
Supporters of de facto open borders like to run to the Bible for ammo — many for the only time in their lives. They are particularly fond of citing Leviticus, “When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the stranger. The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you.” (Leviticus 19:33.)
So scripture clearly teaches us we must welcome the stranger. Yes. But when it comes to immigration, who is the stranger?
The Hebrew word used for “stranger” is “ger.” This refers to one given sojourn to live as an alien with God’s people. It is one who agrees to abide by the nation’s ways. In our terms, this is someone granted legal authority to be in the U.S. The legal alien. This is distinguished from nekhar or zar, meaning, foreigner. One who does not have such permission. The illegal alien. This distinction also warns us against welcoming large numbers of people who in principle reject our nation’s ways. For instance, intolerant Islamists who favor sharia law. (Remember that Israel was not to welcome idolaters.)
So, a legal alien willing to assimilate is to be welcomed. What does this mean in practice? The Book of Numbers gives us an idea:
There shall be one statute for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you, a statute forever throughout your generations. You and the sojourner shall be alike before the LORD. One law and one rule shall be for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you (Numbers 15:15-16)
For example, the ger could receive social benefits such as the right to glean in the fields (Lev 19:9-10, Deut 24:19-22). The ger and citizen deserved equal pay (Det 24:14). And so forth.
As the Center for Immigration Studies notes, “no such provision is extended to the nekhar or zar.”
Stealing Citizenship?
So a Christian looking at the government’s role in immigration does have to acknowledge there is a difference between a legal and illegal immigrant. There is a difference between a stranger agreeing to abide by our laws and a foreigner whose first act is to violate our laws. Or immigrants who move here with the intent to replace our religious freedom with something very different.
This statement puts it well:
We cannot continue to allow people to enter the United States undetected, undocumented and unchecked … Those who enter our country’s borders illegally and those who employ them disrespect the rule of law.
Incidentally, that’s from the 2008 party platform of the Democratic Party.
Illegal Immigration is Morally Corrosive
As a Christian, one must consider the corrosiveness of illegal immigration. We often hear talk of people forced to live in shadows. We know how often illegal immigrants in this country end up exploited. We know about the violent crimes too many of them commit. We hear less about how a vast majority of illegal immigrants are committing the crime of identity theft with the use of false documents. Overall, we see a system built on sin.
But let’s look at an example of a more subtle way illegal immigration is morally corrosive:
At a Home Depot in Van Nuys, California, a pavilion stands out in the parking lot. In the pavilion are day laborers, mostly legal aliens, who have been cleared to legal work in the United States. However, circulating around the parking lot and lined up on the street are other day laborers, illegal aliens. Imagine being the legal alien looking out, watching as a pick-up truck filled with construction gear pulls up and waves into the back a couple of the illegals. You did it right, yet you’re not the one earning a wage that day. What’s that do to your spirit? What lesson does your child learn?
Speaking of children, how Christian is it to support policies that encourage parents to send their children along with vicious coyotes on the dangerous journey to America? Policies that encourage a journey where between 30% and 80% of the women and girls will be sexually assaulted. “See that you do not despise one of these little ones,” said Jesus Christ. (Matthew 18:10)
And illegal immigration also undermines the very strength that has allowed America to be the world’s most generous country for decades now.
“I Was Thirsty and You Gave Me Drink”
All this said, we face a difficult question: How are we to treat those who do arrive in this country illegally?
Jesus gives us the answer: “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” Matthew 25:31-40: In the biblical Greek, the word “stranger” is xenos, which means “alien or foreigner,” with a secondary meaning of “guest.” Further, the Lord’s parable of The Great Samaritan shows us we are to care for those who are in need, regardless of who they are.
Yet, what one is quick to notice is these are personal acts. You gave the Lord food, it says. Not the government. The Good Samaritan took care of the injured man, personally paid for his care. We cannot off-load our responsibility. We do what we can do, as called, as the body of Christ and as individual followers of Christ.
During the Great Depression, Mexican immigrants (legal and illegal) were starving on the streets of Los Angeles. Pentecostal evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson set up a commissary at her Angelus Temple. Her ministry fed and saved the lives of tens of thousands of people.
During the recent pandemic, stories abound of churches doing miraculous work assisting their communities.
Many Gifts, Many Callings
Understand, the nature of the help takes many forms. Some feel called to assist arriving illegals with food and water. Others teach immigrants English so they can more quickly assimilate and achieve the American dream. God calls some to support missions in struggling lands to lift citizens so they need not make the journey; instead they can raise their own nation. Some are called to be border agents. Some are called to fight for a sane, sensible, practical national approach.
Two Stream writers John Zmirak and Al Perrotta wrote a book on the history of immigration in America — good, bad and ugly — which offers clear thinking and solutions. Check out The Politically Incorrect Guide to Immigration.
The Harmony of Ingredients
As Christians we are to treasure each person as a unique creation of God. As citizens, we cannot destroy the common good by rashly interpreting those words. America is not the Kingdom of Heaven. It doesn’t have room for everyone.
So how do we, as a nation do what is healthiest for our nation? We start by rejecting the idea of America as a melting pot. You cannot toss just anything into a melting pot and expect to end up with gold. Instead we look to a phrase used by Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, himself an immigrant. When considering whom we should welcome into the country, Hamilton desired a “harmony of ingredients.”
In other words, those who would bring their unique flavors, but were capable of blending together. In this case, those who share the Judeo-Christian values undergirding the nation. Those who value the individual, valued self-reliance, valued God. It’s not about ethnicity. It’s about ethics.
Give us a million tired and poor who thirst for liberty over a thousand scholars well-fed on secularism. Or, as Europe has actually experienced, a million orthodox Muslims open to jihad.
Give us those who are happy to say “God Bless America.”
FURTHER READING
Roy Beck, The Case Against Immigration.
George Borjas, We Wanted Workers.
Patrick Buchanan, The Death of the West.
Anne Coulter, Adios America.
Douglas Murray, The Strange Death of Europe.


thestream--2020-09-14--Foundations: What Should Christians Think About Climate Change?

There is no single “ Christian ” view of climate change .
Why ?
Because it involves a bundle of diverse claims about science , economics , the earth , and so forth , on which Christians may disagree .
That doesn ’ t mean there are no good arguments one way or the other .
And since so much hinges on the question , any thoughtful Christian should take a hard look at the evidence for human-induced global warming ( which could lead to climate change ) .
Unfortunately , the frenzy around the topic means we have to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and truth from propaganda .
So , let ’ s do that .
The Christian View of the Environment Before talking about climate change , we should remind ourselves of some truths that all Christians ( should ) agree on .
First , this is God ’ s world , not ours : “ The Earth is the Lord ’ s and all that is in it , the world , and those who live in it ” ( Ps .
24:1 ) .
Although we may own property , God holds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , when God created human beings as his image bearers , he commanded us : “ Be fruitful and multiply , and fill the earth and subdue it ; have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.
” Genesis 1 speaks of “ dominion , ” not “ domination.
” The Bible is describing the rule of good stewards who represent the good God to the rest of his creation .
As stewards , we ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ use it .
We ’ re part of God ’ s good creation , as well as its crowning achievement .
“ God saw everything that he had made , ” says Genesis , “ and indeed , it was very good ” ( 1:31 ) .
Third , God means for us to transform the natural world around us for good purposes .
Adam and Eve were put in a garden before the fall and told to “ tend and watch over it ” ( Gen. 2:15 ) .
Working and transforming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s blessing .
It ’ s not a curse .
Work and change did not arise from our fall into sin .
The fall simply turned work into toil , since the ground would resist our efforts to cultivate it .
Fourth , the world is good , but it ’ s now fallen .
“ The creation was subjected to futility , ” Paul says , “ the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now ” ( Rom .
8:20 , 22 ) .
As fallen creatures in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s no surprise that we can mess things up .
We can and do pollute .
We can and do act irresponsibly , ignoring the unintended but bad consequences of our actions .
Fifth , we can ’ t build God ’ s kingdom on our own , but we can make a difference for good .
As Christ foreshadows the kingdom to come , so , too , does the work of his body — the Church .
Caring for God ’ s creation , or at least the tiny portion we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ responsibilities .
Christians can agree on these five basic truths , before we start thinking about climate change or that environmental issue .
So , back to our topic .
What about climate change ?
It ’ s complicated , but the basic outline is easy to grasp .
The central claim is that human beings , by releasing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere , are warming it .
That , in turn , will lead to catastrophic climate change .
And if we don ’ t do something @ @ @ @ @ @ @ too late .
However you judge it , the claim bundles together issues that we need to consider one at a time .
There are at least four questions you can ask about global warming : • If the planet is warming , is human activity ( like carbon dioxide emissions ) causing it ?
• If the planet is warming , and we ’ re causing it , is that bad overall ?
• If the planet is warming , we ’ re causing it , and that ’ s bad , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ difference ?
Based on current evidence , to the first question I would answer : “ Probably.
” That is , we ’ re probably in a slight warming trend , if you pick a popular baseline of , say , 1870 .
Despite what you ’ ve been told , this is the only question on which there really is a scientific consensus .
There ’ s plenty of debate and no consensus on the other stuff .
By the way , we ’ re actually cooler now than in the year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ makes a big difference .
In a trivial sense , though , the climate is “ changing ” — the earth ’ s average temperature is increasing right now .
I say this is trivial , because we know from natural “ data recorders ” like ice cores that the earth ’ s climate is always changing .
In fact , the last several thousand years of recorded human history have been strangely mild .
The changes we are now experiencing are well within the known natural variations in global climate .
Are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two ?
Are our carbon dioxide emissions causing this warming ?
The question isn ’ t whether carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas .
The question is whether the carbon dioxide we ’ ve put into the atmosphere in the last century is the main cause of the warming .
Remember , with predictions of future climate change , almost all the work is done by the assumptions plugged into the computer models , not by direct evidence of what ’ s causing warming , or of how warming will lead to other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ almost all the favored computer models have been running hot .
That is , they have predicted about double the warming that we ’ ve actually observed .
Why ’ s that ?
Because they assume that the various feedbacks will amplify the warming that could be expected by carbon dioxide alone .
By itself , adding more CO2 to the atmosphere will have less and less effect .
In fact , to add about one more degree centigrade of warming , we would need to keep doubling the amount of carbon dioxide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is based on assumption , not evidence — which become more out of step with each passing year .
That ’ s why no alarmists predicted the lack of warming from 1998 to 2016 .
But there ’ s still the question , Are we causing most of the warming we do see ?
Right now , the prudential answer to that question would be : “ We don ’ t know.
” What about question three ?
Do we know that global warming would be bad overall ?
No , we don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ droughts in some places , but to warmer , wetter , more productive weather elsewhere .
The total might be a net gain .
We know that , within limits , warm weather is better than cold weather — that ’ s why most Canadians live close to their southern border with the United States .
( It ’ s not because they love Americans . )
And we use less energy in warm weather than in cold .
Even the recent U.N. report on climate change concedes that moderate warming in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bad .
So , we have no reason to assume that some warming would be bad .
Recent estimates point in that direction .
A decade ago , Bjørn Lomborg calculated that about two hundred thousand people die in Europe each year from extreme heat , but that extreme cold contributes substantially to 1.5 million deaths per year .
You can ’ t focus just on the two hundred thousand , as is the custom in almost every story about the harm of warming .
You have to weigh those deaths against the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ human carbon dioxide emissions could be preventing an overdue ice age .
Neither of these proves long-term warming would be better than cooling on balance .
But these are just the sorts of factors that any serious judgment on the issue will have to take into account .
In any case , we don ’ t know what the best average global temperature is .
So , for all we know , moderate warming is good rather than bad .
Finally , remember the economic trade-off .
As Jonah Goldberg once put it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Celsius warmer in the twentieth century while it increased its GDP by 1,800 percent , by one estimate.
” Even if we caused all the warming , that ’ s a great bargain .
What about question four ?
Is it obvious that reducing carbon dioxide emissions in the United States , for example , would make much difference ?
No , it ’ s not .
Take the Kyoto Protocol , which required participating countries to reduce annual emissions to 5.2 percent below 1990 levels .
The official estimate is that such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an undetectable 0.07 degrees centigrade by 2050 .
In other words , it wouldn ’ t do squat , but it would cost a lot .
To comply , the estimated cost to the worldwide economy would be between $ 10 trillion and $ 50 trillion .
Imagine what it would cost to reduce carbon emissions by 80 to 90 percent without benefit of a new form of energy .
In contrast , the economists who form the “ Copenhagen Consensus ” estimated that it would cost about $ 200 billion to outfit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ capacity , which is 50 to 250 times cheaper than the estimated cost of Kyoto .
Unless we ’ re interested in practicing random acts of piety that don ’ t do anything except squander money that would be much better spent elsewhere , we should be skeptical of the Kyoto Protocol and other similar attempts to restrict carbon emissions by fiat .
Kyoto has ended , and the U.N. is now touting the Paris Climate Accord , will also calls on nations to reduce carbon dioxide emissions .
Bjørn Lomborg has analyzed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that has signed the agreement does what it says , the result will be … pretty much nothing : This is not cooling .
It ’ s just a slowing in the rate of warming — by four years .
And this is based on the assumptions adopted by the U.N. panel on climate .
Even so , the chances of this happening are close to zero .
And once again , the costs would be enormous : one to two trillion dollars a year !
That ’ s a $ 100 trillion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ four years .
All-pain-almost-no-gain is the essence of a stupid policy .
Where Does This Leave Us ?
In light of all this , I think the best bet is to avoid groupthink , stay open to the evidence , be a good steward of God ’ s gifts , and don ’ t spend too much time worrying that driving a car is going to burn up the planet .
For more on how to think clearly on this issue , see here .

There is no single “Christian” view of climate change. Why? Because it involves a bundle of diverse claims about science, economics, the earth, and so forth, on which Christians may disagree.
That doesn’t mean there are no good arguments one way or the other. And since so much hinges on the question, any thoughtful Christian should take a hard look at the evidence for human-induced global warming (which could lead to climate change).
Unfortunately, the frenzy around the topic means we have to use discernment when sifting data from assumption, and truth from propaganda. So, let’s do that.
The Christian View of the Environment
Before talking about climate change, we should remind ourselves of some truths that all Christians (should) agree on.
First, this is God’s world, not ours: “The Earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it” (Ps. 24:1). Although we may own property, God holds the ultimate title on everything.
Second, when God created human beings as his image bearers, he commanded us: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” Genesis 1 speaks of “dominion,” not “domination.” The Bible is describing the rule of good stewards who represent the good God to the rest of his creation. As stewards, we’re responsible for how we treat and use it. We’re part of God’s good creation, as well as its crowning achievement. “God saw everything that he had made,” says Genesis, “and indeed, it was very good” (1:31).
Christians can agree on these five basic truths, before we start thinking about climate change or that environmental issue.
Third, God means for us to transform the natural world around us for good purposes. Adam and Eve were put in a garden before the fall and told to “tend and watch over it” (Gen. 2:15). Working and transforming the earth is part of God’s blessing. It’s not a curse. Work and change did not arise from our fall into sin. The fall simply turned work into toil, since the ground would resist our efforts to cultivate it.
Fourth, the world is good, but it’s now fallen. “The creation was subjected to futility,” Paul says, “the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now” (Rom. 8:20, 22). As fallen creatures in a fallen world, then, it’s no surprise that we can mess things up. We can and do pollute. We can and do act irresponsibly, ignoring the unintended but bad consequences of our actions.
Fifth, we can’t build God’s kingdom on our own, but we can make a difference for good. As Christ foreshadows the kingdom to come, so, too, does the work of his body — the Church. Caring for God’s creation, or at least the tiny portion we can affect, is one of our responsibilities.
Christians can agree on these five basic truths, before we start thinking about climate change or that environmental issue.
Climate Change: Four Questions
So, back to our topic. What about climate change?
It’s complicated, but the basic outline is easy to grasp. The central claim is that human beings, by releasing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, are warming it. That, in turn, will lead to catastrophic climate change. And if we don’t do something about it soon, it will be too late.
However you judge it, the claim bundles together issues that we need to consider one at a time.
There are at least four questions you can ask about global warming:
Is the planet warming? If the planet is warming, is human activity (like carbon dioxide emissions) causing it? If the planet is warming, and we’re causing it, is that bad overall? If the planet is warming, we’re causing it, and that’s bad, would the most popular policies make any difference?
Is It Warming?
Based on current evidence, to the first question I would answer: “Probably.” That is, we’re probably in a slight warming trend, if you pick a popular baseline of, say, 1870. Despite what you’ve been told, this is the only question on which there really is a scientific consensus. There’s plenty of debate and no consensus on the other stuff.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
By the way, we’re actually cooler now than in the year 1000, so which baseline you pick makes a big difference. In a trivial sense, though, the climate is “changing” — the earth’s average temperature is increasing right now. I say this is trivial, because we know from natural “data recorders” like ice cores that the earth’s climate is always changing. In fact, the last several thousand years of recorded human history have been strangely mild. The changes we are now experiencing are well within the known natural variations in global climate.
Are We Causing It?
What about question two? Are our carbon dioxide emissions causing this warming? The question isn’t whether carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas. The question is whether the carbon dioxide we’ve put into the atmosphere in the last century is the main cause of the warming.
Remember, with predictions of future climate change, almost all the work is done by the assumptions plugged into the computer models, not by direct evidence of what’s causing warming, or of how warming will lead to other changes.
What’s more, almost all the favored computer models have been running hot. That is, they have predicted about double the warming that we’ve actually observed. Why’s that? Because they assume that the various feedbacks will amplify the warming that could be expected by carbon dioxide alone. By itself, adding more CO2 to the atmosphere will have less and less effect. In fact, to add about one more degree centigrade of warming, we would need to keep doubling the amount of carbon dioxide.
The extreme warming predicted by alarmists is based on assumption, not evidence — which become more out of step with each passing year. That’s why no alarmists predicted the lack of warming from 1998 to 2016.
But there’s still the question, Are we causing most of the warming we do see? Right now, the prudential answer to that question would be: “We don’t know.”
Is It Bad?
What about question three? Do we know that global warming would be bad overall? No, we don’t. It might lead to droughts in some places, but to warmer, wetter, more productive weather elsewhere. The total might be a net gain.
We know that, within limits, warm weather is better than cold weather — that’s why most Canadians live close to their southern border with the United States. (It’s not because they love Americans.) And we use less energy in warm weather than in cold. Even the recent U.N. report on climate change concedes that moderate warming in the near future will be more good than bad.
So, we have no reason to assume that some warming would be bad.
We don’t know what the best average global temperature is. So, for all we know, moderate warming is good rather than bad.
Recent estimates point in that direction. A decade ago, Bjørn Lomborg calculated that about two hundred thousand people die in Europe each year from extreme heat, but that extreme cold contributes substantially to 1.5 million deaths per year. You can’t focus just on the two hundred thousand, as is the custom in almost every story about the harm of warming. You have to weigh those deaths against the 1.5 million.
Another study suggests that human carbon dioxide emissions could be preventing an overdue ice age.
Neither of these proves long-term warming would be better than cooling on balance. But these are just the sorts of factors that any serious judgment on the issue will have to take into account.
In any case, we don’t know what the best average global temperature is. So, for all we know, moderate warming is good rather than bad.
Finally, remember the economic trade-off. As Jonah Goldberg once put it, “Earth got about 0.7 degrees Celsius warmer in the twentieth century while it increased its GDP by 1,800 percent, by one estimate.” Even if we caused all the warming, that’s a great bargain.
Would Policy X Make Any Difference?
What about question four? Is it obvious that reducing carbon dioxide emissions in the United States, for example, would make much difference? No, it’s not. Take the Kyoto Protocol, which required participating countries to reduce annual emissions to 5.2 percent below 1990 levels.
The official estimate is that such a reduction would slow current warming by an undetectable 0.07 degrees centigrade by 2050. In other words, it wouldn’t do squat, but it would cost a lot. To comply, the estimated cost to the worldwide economy would be between $10 trillion and $50 trillion. Imagine what it would cost to reduce carbon emissions by 80 to 90 percent without benefit of a new form of energy.
In contrast, the economists who form the “Copenhagen Consensus” estimated that it would cost about $200 billion to outfit the rest of the world with water-sanitation capacity, which is 50 to 250 times cheaper than the estimated cost of Kyoto. Unless we’re interested in practicing random acts of piety that don’t do anything except squander money that would be much better spent elsewhere, we should be skeptical of the Kyoto Protocol and other similar attempts to restrict carbon emissions by fiat.
Kyoto has ended, and the U.N. is now touting the Paris Climate Accord, will also calls on nations to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Bjørn Lomborg has analyzed this as well. If every country that has signed the agreement does what it says, the result will be … pretty much nothing:
If all nations keep all their promises, temperatures will be cut by just 0.05°C (0.09°F). Even if every government on the planet not only keeps every Paris promise, reduces all emissions by 2030, and shifts no emissions to other countries, but also keeps these emission reductions throughout the rest of the century, temperatures will be reduced by just 0.17°C (0.3°F) by the year 2100.
This is not cooling. It’s just a slowing in the rate of warming — by four years. And this is based on the assumptions adopted by the U.N. panel on climate. Even so, the chances of this happening are close to zero. And once again, the costs would be enormous: one to two trillion dollars a year! That’s a $100 trillion price tag to delay conjectured warming by four years. All-pain-almost-no-gain is the essence of a stupid policy.
Where Does This Leave Us?
In light of all this, I think the best bet is to avoid groupthink, stay open to the evidence, be a good steward of God’s gifts, and don’t spend too much time worrying that driving a car is going to burn up the planet.
For more on how to think clearly on this issue, see here.
This article is part of a new Stream series called Foundations. As we approach this year’s election, it appears that the most fundamental principles upon which the American republic was founded are being called into question. Foundations is a tool for pastors, teachers, leaders and all people of faith to learn why, from a Biblical view, we should continue to support the Constitution — with an emphasis on the First and Second Amendments, and wise policies that promote freedom. Visit the Foundations page to see all the articles in this series.


thestream--2020-09-14--A Vital Message to Everyone in the Military

About a week ago , I brought you THE most important pre-election story of them all , about Democrats readying for a possible “ coup , ” and linked to this piece by Michael Anton in American Mind .
Since we presented it as a must-read , I ’ ll link to it again here to make sure you don ’ t miss it .
Since its publication , that piece has created quite a stir — at least among conservatives — and Mark Levin had Mr. Anton on his FOX News TV show on Sunday .
The Twisted Plot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the Democrat Party and the media ( but I repeat myself ) have no intention of allowing President Trump to be re-elected , no matter what .
They will do anything within their power , legitimate or otherwise , to stop it from happening .
The tradition of Election Day has been rendered almost moot as it is , with early voting starting this year even before any scheduled presidential debates ( if they happen at all ) , along with the horror of widespread , essentially uncontrolled mail-in balloting .
As @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the whole plot to make it seems as though TRUMP is the one who will resist the will of the people , as though it ’ s TRUMP who will destroy the public ’ s faith in the system , when they are the ones openly doing those very things .
They hide their activity in plain sight .
They ’ re the ones who plan to count the ballots until they win .
If Biden wins enough electoral votes after the first count , they will somehow head off any recounts .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and count , and … “ find ” more ballots … and count again until Biden miraculously has just enough electoral votes , and then the counting will be over .
Recall the quote often attributed to Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin , who may or may not have said it : “ The people who cast the votes decide nothing .
The people who count the votes decide everything.
” Anton , who was a member of the National Security Council under Trump and is now a senior fellow at the Claremont @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” which is a good idea ) and a research fellow at Hillsdale College , has a new book out that might be as much of a must-read as his “ coup ” commentary , called “ THE STAKES : America at the Point of No Return.
” I don ’ t think I have to tell you that we ’ re very close to that no-return point on numerous fronts right now .
Specifically , though , Anton is talking about the threat of one-party as opposed to two-party government , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as in , say , Oregon , but coast to coast .
Yikes .
Of what the left is already doing to advance the “ coup , ” he says , “ There are 10 or 12 data points one could point to .
To me , the strongest is when Hillary Clinton herself , who lost to Donald Trump in 2016 , said , ‘ Joe Biden should not concede under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.
’ ” Presumably , Hillary was talking even about a 50-state Trump landslide .
She does not care @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ their ” voters want .
Anton said that of all the times there have been recounts , he can think of only one in which the Republican ended up pulling ahead , and that was in 2000 for George W. Bush in Florida , when the Supreme Court finally had to step in and stop the process .
Biden himself has talked about getting the military involved to “ drag ” Trump out of the White House .
Disgraceful .
And we had the story last week about the two former Army @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff , advising preparation to deploy an active-duty combat unit to remove Trump from office on January 20 , 2021 , should that be necessary .
( Fortunately , Gen. Mark Milley responded that the military would play “ no role ” in any transfer of power . )
Anton had a message he hoped would get passed along to everyone in the military , so here ’ s where we can all do our part .
He is hoping that every military officer , current @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out to “ friends who are loyal to the U.S. military , who are loyal to the Constitution , ” to “ knock off ” this kind of talk .
“ And if someone tries to whisper in your ear that this is what you need to be doing in January of 2021 , ” he said , “ tell them to BUZZ OFF , and that you are loyal to the Constitution , you are loyal to your oath and you are loyal to the American military that was founded literally in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our cornerstone institutions that defend our freedom.
” Amen .
Got that ?
Please spread this message to everyone you know who ’ s serving our country in the military .
Levin tied Democrats ’ effort to use the armed forces this way to that thoroughly-debunked piece in The Atlantic that said Trump had called them contemptible names .
Anton , who worked around the President a great deal during the first 14 months of his administration ( including visits to military bases and all foreign trips ) and never saw anything from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our troops , agreed that this was part of the strategy .
“ It ’ s impossible for me to believe that he could have said something like that , ” Anton said .
“ I think that story is completely made up.
” : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political , Economic and Moral Issues of Our Day .
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political , Economic and Moral Issues of Our Day .
He explained that they ’ re able to get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just about control the media ( Fox News and conservative sites like this one being the exception ) , including cable , broadcast , pop culture ( Hollywood , music , etc . )
and social media .
He discusses this in his book , calling it “ the megaphone.
” The left hold the megaphone .
These institutions push out the narrative , he said , which is that “ Trump is illegitimate , Trump was elected by the Russians.
” Those who find out the contradictions and try to enlighten others @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into muzzling anything pro-Trump this year .
This is why millions of Americans STILL think Trump “ colluded ” with Russia .
If ( when ! )
Trump wins , they ’ ll rehash the same “ Russia Russia Russia !
” routine .
Who knows how many phony “ dossiers ” are being passed around right now ?
The Unimaginable — And The Vital Message Levin and Anton also discussed something quite interesting in Bob Woodward ’ s new book .
Now , I wouldn ’ t believe one thing Woodward said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anecdote about then-Secretary of Defense Jim Matttis .
According to the book — which I ’ ll remind you is anonymously sourced — Mattis , along with former Director of National Intelligence Dan Coates , discussed possibly “ colluding ” with some Cabinet members to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove Trump .
It might be that “ 7th floor ” officials at the FBI weren ’ t the only ones contemplating an “ insurance policy.
” And here , it involved top-level military .
This sort of thing used to be unimaginable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this message needs to get out to our military , now , at all levels : Do not allow yourselves or others within your ranks to be used in such a way to subvert the Constitution and the will of the voters .
It will mark the end of our republic if you do .
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 .

About a week ago, I brought you THE most important pre-election story of them all, about Democrats readying for a possible “coup,” and linked to this piece by Michael Anton in American Mind. Since we presented it as a must-read, I’ll link to it again here to make sure you don’t miss it.
Since its publication, that piece has created quite a stir — at least among conservatives — and Mark Levin had Mr. Anton on his FOX News TV show on Sunday.
The Twisted Plot by the Democrats
It’s true that the Democrat Party and the media (but I repeat myself) have no intention of allowing President Trump to be re-elected, no matter what. They will do anything within their power, legitimate or otherwise, to stop it from happening. The tradition of Election Day has been rendered almost moot as it is, with early voting starting this year even before any scheduled presidential debates (if they happen at all), along with the horror of widespread, essentially uncontrolled mail-in balloting.
As we discussed, they’ve twisted the whole plot to make it seems as though TRUMP is the one who will resist the will of the people, as though it’s TRUMP who will destroy the public’s faith in the system, when they are the ones openly doing those very things. They hide their activity in plain sight.
They’re the ones who plan to count the ballots until they win. If Biden wins enough electoral votes after the first count, they will somehow head off any recounts. If Trump wins, they will count, and count, and … “find” more ballots … and count again until Biden miraculously has just enough electoral votes, and then the counting will be over. Recall the quote often attributed to Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, who may or may not have said it: “The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything.”
The Stakes for America
Anton, who was a member of the National Security Council under Trump and is now a senior fellow at the Claremont Institute (“Recovering the American Idea,” which is a good idea) and a research fellow at Hillsdale College, has a new book out that might be as much of a must-read as his “coup” commentary, called “THE STAKES: America at the Point of No Return.”
I don’t think I have to tell you that we’re very close to that no-return point on numerous fronts right now. Specifically, though, Anton is talking about the threat of one-party as opposed to two-party government, the looming prospect of locked-in blue-state rule, as in, say, Oregon, but coast to coast. Yikes.
Of what the left is already doing to advance the “coup,” he says, “There are 10 or 12 data points one could point to. To me, the strongest is when Hillary Clinton herself, who lost to Donald Trump in 2016, said, ‘Joe Biden should not concede under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.’” Presumably, Hillary was talking even about a 50-state Trump landslide. She does not care what the voters want, only what “their” voters want.
Anton said that of all the times there have been recounts, he can think of only one in which the Republican ended up pulling ahead, and that was in 2000 for George W. Bush in Florida, when the Supreme Court finally had to step in and stop the process.
The Military Involvement
Biden himself has talked about getting the military involved to “drag” Trump out of the White House. Disgraceful. And we had the story last week about the two former Army officers who wrote an open letter to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, advising preparation to deploy an active-duty combat unit to remove Trump from office on January 20, 2021, should that be necessary. (Fortunately, Gen. Mark Milley responded that the military would play “no role” in any transfer of power.)
Do not allow yourselves or others within your ranks to be used in such a way to subvert the Constitution and the will of the voters. It will mark the end of our republic if you do.
Anton had a message he hoped would get passed along to everyone in the military, so here’s where we can all do our part. He is hoping that every military officer, current or former, will get the word out to “friends who are loyal to the U.S. military, who are loyal to the Constitution,” to “knock off” this kind of talk. “And if someone tries to whisper in your ear that this is what you need to be doing in January of 2021,” he said, “tell them to BUZZ OFF, and that you are loyal to the Constitution, you are loyal to your oath and you are loyal to the American military that was founded literally in the American Revolution and is one of our cornerstone institutions that defend our freedom.”
Amen. Got that? Please spread this message to everyone you know who’s serving our country in the military. The Debunked Atlantic Article Levin tied Democrats’ effort to use the armed forces this way to that thoroughly-debunked piece in The Atlantic that said Trump had called them contemptible names. Anton, who worked around the President a great deal during the first 14 months of his administration (including visits to military bases and all foreign trips) and never saw anything from him but deep respect and admiration for our troops, agreed that this was part of the strategy. “It’s impossible for me to believe that he could have said something like that,” Anton said. “I think that story is completely made up.” Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day. He explained that they’re able to get away with making it up because they just about control the media (Fox News and conservative sites like this one being the exception), including cable, broadcast, pop culture (Hollywood, music, etc.) and social media. He discusses this in his book, calling it “the megaphone.” The left hold the megaphone. These institutions push out the narrative, he said, which is that “Trump is illegitimate, Trump was elected by the Russians.” Those who find out the contradictions and try to enlighten others are de-platformed. Big Tech is heavily into muzzling anything pro-Trump this year. This is why millions of Americans STILL think Trump “colluded” with Russia. If (when!) Trump wins, they’ll rehash the same “Russia Russia Russia!” routine. Who knows how many phony “dossiers” are being passed around right now?
The Unimaginable — And The Vital Message
Levin and Anton also discussed something quite interesting in Bob Woodward’s new book. Now, I wouldn’t believe one thing Woodward said about Trump, but this is an anecdote about then-Secretary of Defense Jim Matttis. According to the book — which I’ll remind you is anonymously sourced — Mattis, along with former Director of National Intelligence Dan Coates, discussed possibly “colluding” with some Cabinet members to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove Trump. It might be that “7th floor” officials at the FBI weren’t the only ones contemplating an “insurance policy.” And here, it involved top-level military. This sort of thing used to be unimaginable. It’s another reason why this message needs to get out to our military, now, at all levels: Do not allow yourselves or others within your ranks to be used in such a way to subvert the Constitution and the will of the voters. It will mark the end of our republic if you do.
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--2020-09-14--Honor After a Nightmare

Honor After a Nightmare

I ’ ll bet you remember where you were when it all came down .
Also , what you were doing , who you were with , and how you felt when you first saw the footage that caused so many of us to say “ This can ’ t be happening.
” 2020 has been a miserable year , but nothing in modern American history matches September 11 , 2001 .
It ’ s an event too easily forgotten in the middle of our current madness .
We can not let ourselves forget 9/11 ; a day for honoring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and asking ourselves if we ’ ve learned much since then .
I still remember how we all clung to each other .
Renee and I had been married 14 years by then , our youngest son still in elementary school , our oldest still at home .
We didn ’ t allow TV in the morning , so we were clueless until a friend called to see how we were handling it all .
I snapped the television set on , then we saw what “ it all ” was , gasped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mutely at the screen .
That ’ s when I got my first takeaway lesson : We ’ re more vulnerable than we realize .
Outside forces hated us — never had it been so clear — so we ’ d best close ranks and strive to get , then stay , united .
One of the reasons I am nearly despairing over America is the widespread abandonment of values that used to unite us : personal liberties , freedom of speech , conscience , and religion , pride in country , belief @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That ( used to ) Bind When we ’ re so divided over issues as basic as free enterprise versus Socialism , the right to property versus the entitlement to destroy someone else ’ s if you ’ re angry , or the virtue of seizing a city and decimating it while its Mayor cheers you on , then it ’ s hard to see any future for a house so divided .
19 years ago , we fought back , united in a conviction that America was worth defending and preserving .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ their courses American Contempt while our millionaire athletes take a knee during the National Anthem .
Radical groups terrorize the citizenry while cultural icons say Amen .
Who needs enemies attacking us when we can tear ourselves apart so well ?
There ’ s little hope for us if we ’ re not united in purpose and values .
Ditto for us as the Church , and at a more intimate level , as families and friends .
Strong unity is born of , among other things , a strong sense of need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ affection , but that morning I clutched them with something like desperation , because I was facing something that left me feeling helpless and downright needy .
Yet good grief , I wasn ’ t even there !
So , I won ’ t try imagining what people at Ground Zero went through , nor their loved ones who watched and couldn ’ t intervene .
No words , none .
But I also remember the wake-up call that morning brought , which was that we ’ d better stay tight as believers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we never knew what we ’ ll be called on to face .
Because if 9/11 taught us anything , it ’ s that we ’ ve no clue what we may be called on to face and endure .
Relational bonds , like national borders and treasures , call for vigilance , the high price of freedom and the requirement for safety .
Plenty of forces out there don ’ t want your relationship with God , family and others to thrive , and they ’ ll be only too happy to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Never let them catch you sleeping .
It ’ s Still Out There .
In Here , Too Which leads to another take away : Evil is relentless .
It churned for years before it finally struck us that day , but we knew it existed .
We even knew the name of the group involved and that of its leader .
So it ’ s not that we were clueless about enemy forces .
But just because we knew we were hated by someone who could attack us didn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It ’ s one thing to know you have enemies ; it ’ s another to recognize they ’ re committed , focused , relentless .
Peter also said we have an enemy , the Devil , who prowls around seeking out who he can devour .
( I Peter 5:8 ) And if it ’ s true that Satan hates you , let ’ s not underestimate his hatred for all that ’ s good in your life .
That includes family , friendships , ministry , and everything else bringing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ loved ones to live in harmony means you are stewards of something noble , something sacred .
I ’ ve no doubt Satan loathed the fact that the One he hated so much had lavished such love on these creatures Adam and Eve , placing them in a paradise and commissioning them to live fruitfully and thereby glorify The Enemy .
No wonder his strategy was to first come between man and wife , then strike .
And he ’ s been striking at us , our relationships , and all we ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ To Love , Honor , and Appreciate All the more reason to honor the fallen of 9/11 by treating what God has blessed you with — your body , relations , gifts and calling — as things that are not only precious , but relentlessly loathed by a third party who ’ ll use any device in his arsenal to strike .
Evil , whether that of Al Qaeda or Lucifer , takes no breaks , knows no rest .
No need to live in fear of it , but neither is there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That horrible morning I learned , and am learning , to pray daily for His protection over all He ’ s commissioned to me , and for a healthy eternal perspective including , but certainly not limited to , an awareness of our adversary and his ruthlessness .
This is a day for recalling , respecting , praying and pondering .
Grief over the event we remember is ongoing and I guess it won ’ t stop , nor should it .
Too many lives lost ; too much devastation .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , however small , are marked victories in the face of something unimaginable .
Praise God , it ’ s something we can rise from — if rising in the right direction is what we really want — as a nation , as families , as individuals .
So , I ’ m determined to honor the thousands we lost in many ways .
One of those will be to learn what can be learned from it all , apply the lesson , and rise .
God bless the memories of 9/11 ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ families as well .
May the evil that created it soon be , like death itself , swallowed in victory .
Joe Dallas is the Program Director of Genesis Biblical Counseling and a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors .
His daily blog is Joe Dallas Online .
He is the author of Desires in Conflict , The Game Plan , and When Homosexuality Hits Home .
His latest book is Five Steps to Breaking Free from Porn .
Follow him on Twitter at @ JoeDallasTGP and follow The Stream @ @ @

I’ll bet you remember where you were when it all came down. Also, what you were doing, who you were with, and how you felt when you first saw the footage that caused so many of us to say “This can’t be happening.”
2020 has been a miserable year, but nothing in modern American history matches September 11, 2001. It’s an event too easily forgotten in the middle of our current madness.
We cannot let ourselves forget 9/11; a day for honoring the victims, praising the heroes, and asking ourselves if we’ve learned much since then.
Close Ranks
I still remember how we all clung to each other. Renee and I had been married 14 years by then, our youngest son still in elementary school, our oldest still at home. We didn’t allow TV in the morning, so we were clueless until a friend called to see how we were handling it all.
I snapped the television set on, then we saw what “it all” was, gasped, grabbed each other, and stared mutely at the screen.
That’s when I got my first takeaway lesson: We’re more vulnerable than we realize. Outside forces hated us — never had it been so clear — so we’d best close ranks and strive to get, then stay, united.
One of the reasons I am nearly despairing over America is the widespread abandonment of values that used to unite us: personal liberties, freedom of speech, conscience, and religion, pride in country, belief in individualism and initiative.
The Ties That (used to) Bind
When we’re so divided over issues as basic as free enterprise versus Socialism, the right to property versus the entitlement to destroy someone else’s if you’re angry, or the virtue of seizing a city and decimating it while its Mayor cheers you on, then it’s hard to see any future for a house so divided.
19 years ago, we fought back, united in a conviction that America was worth defending and preserving. Today our universities may as well title their courses American Contempt while our millionaire athletes take a knee during the National Anthem. Radical groups terrorize the citizenry while cultural icons say Amen.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
Who needs enemies attacking us when we can tear ourselves apart so well?
There’s little hope for us if we’re not united in purpose and values. Ditto for us as the Church, and at a more intimate level, as families and friends.
Strong unity is born of, among other things, a strong sense of need. I usually hold my kids with affection, but that morning I clutched them with something like desperation, because I was facing something that left me feeling helpless and downright needy.
Strong Together
Yet good grief, I wasn’t even there! So, I won’t try imagining what people at Ground Zero went through, nor their loved ones who watched and couldn’t intervene. No words, none.
But I also remember the wake-up call that morning brought, which was that we’d better stay tight as believers, family members and citizens, because we never knew what we’ll be called on to face.
Because if 9/11 taught us anything, it’s that we’ve no clue what we may be called on to face and endure. Relational bonds, like national borders and treasures, call for vigilance, the high price of freedom and the requirement for safety. Plenty of forces out there don’t want your relationship with God, family and others to thrive, and they’ll be only too happy to invade and destroy.
Note to self: Never let them catch you sleeping.
It’s Still Out There. In Here, Too
Which leads to another take away: Evil is relentless.
It churned for years before it finally struck us that day, but we knew it existed. We even knew the name of the group involved and that of its leader. So it’s not that we were clueless about enemy forces.
But just because we knew we were hated by someone who could attack us didn’t mean we fully believed that they would. It’s one thing to know you have enemies; it’s another to recognize they’re committed, focused, relentless.
The Other Enemy
Peter also said we have an enemy, the Devil, who prowls around seeking out who he can devour. (I Peter 5:8) And if it’s true that Satan hates you, let’s not underestimate his hatred for all that’s good in your life. That includes family, friendships, ministry, and everything else bringing you joy.
For you and your loved ones to live in harmony means you are stewards of something noble, something sacred. I’ve no doubt Satan loathed the fact that the One he hated so much had lavished such love on these creatures Adam and Eve, placing them in a paradise and commissioning them to live fruitfully and thereby glorify The Enemy.
No wonder his strategy was to first come between man and wife, then strike. And he’s been striking at us, our relationships, and all we’re stewards over, ever since.
To Love, Honor, and Appreciate
All the more reason to honor the fallen of 9/11 by treating what God has blessed you with — your body, relations, gifts and calling — as things that are not only precious, but relentlessly loathed by a third party who’ll use any device in his arsenal to strike.
Evil, whether that of Al Qaeda or Lucifer, takes no breaks, knows no rest. No need to live in fear of it, but neither is there any excuse to be unprepared for it. That horrible morning I learned, and am learning, to pray daily for His protection over all He’s commissioned to me, and for a healthy eternal perspective including, but certainly not limited to, an awareness of our adversary and his ruthlessness.
This is a day for recalling, respecting, praying and pondering. Grief over the event we remember is ongoing and I guess it won’t stop, nor should it. Too many lives lost; too much devastation.
Lessons Can Be Victories
But what lessons can be learned from 9/11, however small, are marked victories in the face of something unimaginable. Praise God, it’s something we can rise from — if rising in the right direction is what we really want — as a nation, as families, as individuals. So, I’m determined to honor the thousands we lost in many ways. One of those will be to learn what can be learned from it all, apply the lesson, and rise.
God bless the memories of 9/11’s heroes, its victims and their families as well. May the evil that created it soon be, like death itself, swallowed in victory.
Joe Dallas is the Program Director of Genesis Biblical Counseling and a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors. His daily blog is Joe Dallas Online. He is the author of Desires in Conflict, The Game Plan, and When Homosexuality Hits Home. His latest book is Five Steps to Breaking Free from Porn. Follow him on Twitter at @JoeDallasTGP and follow The Stream @Streamdotorg.


thestream--2020-09-14--Here’s Why I Believe Trump Will Win

Here’s Why I Believe Trump Will Win

As a Trump supporter , I don ’ t casually dismiss the polls that consistently show he ’ s behind .
But I am cautiously optimistic he ’ s going to win , for many reasons .
Trump won in 2016 against overwhelming odds , the formidable Hillary Clinton machine and almost-unanimous predictions of his defeat .
Though Trump was a well-known public figure , people didn ’ t know whether he would fulfill his campaign promises and govern as a conservative .
Many were skeptical , especially on social issues , based on some of his past positions .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ major part of his appeal , and , yes , Clinton ’ s unlikability helped , but I ’ m unimpressed with the theory that Joe Biden will defeat Trump because Trump has baggage and Biden doesn ’ t have Clinton ’ s negatives .
Biden has plenty of negatives thus far strenuously shielded by the media , and they ’ re becoming more apparent daily .
His main negative , of course , is that he is not even a candidate but a hapless placeholder , a puppet in the Democrats ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agenda under cover of “ centrist ” Biden .
Meanwhile , we ’ ve never seen a Republican president generate more enthusiasm .
He has an electric bond with his supporters , who rightly recognize that he is uniquely situated for these turbulent times .
Conservative , patriotic Americans and everything they hold dear have been under relentless bombardment by the militant left in all sectors of our society — culture , academia , Hollywood , the media .
Everywhere they turn , they ’ re told that America sucks ; that they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Christian bigots , homophobes and sexists .
They are vilified as intolerant by the most intolerant of people and censored by those waving the banner of free speech .
Most people have no way to respond to the bullying .
They ’ re often too intimidated to share their opinions for fear of being demonized .
They have their talk radio and television defenders , but they ’ ve had no one in elective office to stand up for them and their essential goodness and dignity .
No prominent public official has stood @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said , “ Enough is enough.
” But in Trump they ’ ve found their fearless , tireless advocate .
What other Republican president would have had the guts to stand against this high tide of political correctness and challenge the left ’ s divisive ideas , as when he recently banned federal sensitivity training on so-called white supremacy and critical race theory ?
Trump has given freedom-loving patriots a voice , and they will never forget it .
Despite efforts to portray him as a carnival barker , he has proven his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his supporters .
They see his genuine love for America and his steadfast commitment to their shared agenda .
Trump hasn ’ t just paid lip service to his ideas , which is as far as many politicians ever go .
While Trump ’ s opponents cast him as an inveterate liar , he has kept his campaign promises perhaps more than any modern president .
He has produced : on the economy , rebuilding the military , defending life and religious liberty , his stellar judicial appointments , his restoration of America @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wants to reverse through his quixotically reckless promise to eliminate fossil fuels ) and his decisive rejection of the Democrats ’ nationally suicidal Green New Deal agenda .
Indeed , Trump has vigorously resisted enormous pressure from radical environmentalists to surrender our sovereignty to international bodies guided by pseudo-science and a Marxist worldview , hellbent on returning us to the horse and buggy .
He has also kept his promise to secure more favorable trade deals for the United States , and even Joe Biden recently admitted that the USMCA is better than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ manufacturing jobs , which is not lost on American workers .
Unlike his predecessors , he honored his promise to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem .
Granted , some single-issue border-enforcement Trump supporters were frustrated for a time when he was unable to secure Democratic approval for even modest improvements to the southern border wall .
But despite gratuitous Democratic obstruction , Trump is proceeding with the wall and has made substantial progress .
Though the Democrats and media have savaged this president every day for four years , falsely accused him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and impeachment proceedings against him , and given him no favorable coverage , he remains undaunted and presses forward .
On top of all this , America is under siege by leftist street radicals who are fomenting racial tension and turning our cities into hellish war zones , not to advance the cause of racial justice but to dismantle America root and branch and fundamentally convert it into a Marxist state .
Don ’ t tell anyone , but minorities also care about law and order and jobs and are slowly awakening to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President Trump stands as a towering figure against this lawlessness condoned and often enabled by Democratic governors and mayors .
Some polls ( e.g.
, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler ’ s tanking approval ratings ) have begun to reflect even Democrats ’ outrage at this anarchy and their recognition that Biden and the Democrats own it .
The public can ’ t help but notice that a man the left depicts as erratic , unpredictable and unstable has been a steady hand throughout the pandemic ( notwithstanding Democratic propaganda to the contrary ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ onslaught against him .
Democrats are so confident they have irreversibly tarnished Trump that they believe they can defeat him with a candidate who ’ s already ripe for the 25th Amendment .
They are brazenly hiding Biden in the closet with the media ’ s reprehensible complicity .
Dubious polls reinforce their arrogance , though it ’ s not hard to imagine that when prudent people are afraid to wear their Trump hats in public , they may not answer polls forthrightly .
So , take heart , Trump supporters .
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ successful record , running against a Democratic Party that bears little resemblance to the party of JFK .
This new party has no real candidate , no constructive solutions , and a stubborn insistence on dividing Americans based on their group identities and tearing America down .
There are surely enough patriots left to ensure President Trump ’ s reelection .
David Limbaugh is a writer , author and attorney .
His latest book is Guilty by Reason of Insanity : Why the Democrats Must Not Win .
Follow him on Twitter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @

As a Trump supporter, I don’t casually dismiss the polls that consistently show he’s behind. But I am cautiously optimistic he’s going to win, for many reasons.
Trump won in 2016 against overwhelming odds, the formidable Hillary Clinton machine and almost-unanimous predictions of his defeat.
Though Trump was a well-known public figure, people didn’t know whether he would fulfill his campaign promises and govern as a conservative. Many were skeptical, especially on social issues, based on some of his past positions.
Sure, his outsider status was a major part of his appeal, and, yes, Clinton’s unlikability helped, but I’m unimpressed with the theory that Joe Biden will defeat Trump because Trump has baggage and Biden doesn’t have Clinton’s negatives. Biden has plenty of negatives thus far strenuously shielded by the media, and they’re becoming more apparent daily. His main negative, of course, is that he is not even a candidate but a hapless placeholder, a puppet in the Democrats’ sinister scheme to implement a Bernie Sanders agenda under cover of “centrist” Biden.
Meanwhile, we’ve never seen a Republican president generate more enthusiasm. He has an electric bond with his supporters, who rightly recognize that he is uniquely situated for these turbulent times.
Conservatives Under Fire
Conservative, patriotic Americans and everything they hold dear have been under relentless bombardment by the militant left in all sectors of our society — culture, academia, Hollywood, the media. Everywhere they turn, they’re told that America sucks; that they are racist; that they are uncompassionate Christian bigots, homophobes and sexists. They are vilified as intolerant by the most intolerant of people and censored by those waving the banner of free speech.
Most people have no way to respond to the bullying. They’re often too intimidated to share their opinions for fear of being demonized. They have their talk radio and television defenders, but they’ve had no one in elective office to stand up for them and their essential goodness and dignity. No prominent public official has stood athwart this fraudulent, toxic narrative and said, “Enough is enough.” But in Trump they’ve found their fearless, tireless advocate. What other Republican president would have had the guts to stand against this high tide of political correctness and challenge the left’s divisive ideas, as when he recently banned federal sensitivity training on so-called white supremacy and critical race theory?
Trump has given freedom-loving patriots a voice, and they will never forget it. Despite efforts to portray him as a carnival barker, he has proven his sincerity on the things that matter to his supporters. They see his genuine love for America and his steadfast commitment to their shared agenda.
Trump Kept His Promises
Trump hasn’t just paid lip service to his ideas, which is as far as many politicians ever go. While Trump’s opponents cast him as an inveterate liar, he has kept his campaign promises perhaps more than any modern president. He has produced: on the economy, rebuilding the military, defending life and religious liberty, his stellar judicial appointments, his restoration of America’s energy independence (which Biden wants to reverse through his quixotically reckless promise to eliminate fossil fuels) and his decisive rejection of the Democrats’ nationally suicidal Green New Deal agenda. Indeed, Trump has vigorously resisted enormous pressure from radical environmentalists to surrender our sovereignty to international bodies guided by pseudo-science and a Marxist worldview, hellbent on returning us to the horse and buggy.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
He has also kept his promise to secure more favorable trade deals for the United States, and even Joe Biden recently admitted that the USMCA is better than NAFTA. He has studiously protected American manufacturing jobs, which is not lost on American workers. Unlike his predecessors, he honored his promise to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem.
Granted, some single-issue border-enforcement Trump supporters were frustrated for a time when he was unable to secure Democratic approval for even modest improvements to the southern border wall. But despite gratuitous Democratic obstruction, Trump is proceeding with the wall and has made substantial progress.
Pressing Forward
Though the Democrats and media have savaged this president every day for four years, falsely accused him of unspeakable acts, mounted ceaseless investigations and impeachment proceedings against him, and given him no favorable coverage, he remains undaunted and presses forward.
On top of all this, America is under siege by leftist street radicals who are fomenting racial tension and turning our cities into hellish war zones, not to advance the cause of racial justice but to dismantle America root and branch and fundamentally convert it into a Marxist state. Don’t tell anyone, but minorities also care about law and order and jobs and are slowly awakening to Democrats’ taking them for granted.
President Trump stands as a towering figure against this lawlessness condoned and often enabled by Democratic governors and mayors. Some polls (e.g., Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler’s tanking approval ratings) have begun to reflect even Democrats’ outrage at this anarchy and their recognition that Biden and the Democrats own it.
The Left’s Propaganda
The public can’t help but notice that a man the left depicts as erratic, unpredictable and unstable has been a steady hand throughout the pandemic (notwithstanding Democratic propaganda to the contrary), the riots and the endless personal onslaught against him.
Democrats are so confident they have irreversibly tarnished Trump that they believe they can defeat him with a candidate who’s already ripe for the 25th Amendment. They are brazenly hiding Biden in the closet with the media’s reprehensible complicity.
Dubious polls reinforce their arrogance, though it’s not hard to imagine that when prudent people are afraid to wear their Trump hats in public, they may not answer polls forthrightly.
Take Heart
So, take heart, Trump supporters. We have a strong candidate with a remarkably successful record, running against a Democratic Party that bears little resemblance to the party of JFK. This new party has no real candidate, no constructive solutions, and a stubborn insistence on dividing Americans based on their group identities and tearing America down. There are surely enough patriots left to ensure President Trump’s reelection.
David Limbaugh is a writer, author and attorney. His latest book is Guilty by Reason of Insanity: Why the Democrats Must Not Win. Follow him on Twitter @davidlimbaugh and his website at www.davidlimbaugh.com.
COPYRIGHT 2020 CREATORS.COM


thestream--2020-09-14--Wildfires Will Become Worse Thanks to Decades-Old Liberal Policies, Says Fire Expert Who Predicted U

Wildfires Will Become Worse Thanks to Decades-Old Liberal Policies, Says Fire Expert Who Predicted Uptick in Blazes

Former President Bill Clinton made a significant change to federal land management nearly 30 years ago that created the conditions necessary for massive wildfires to consume portions of the West Coast , according to one fire expert who predicted the problem years ago .
Shortly before leaving office in 2001 , Clinton limited the ability of the United States Forest Service to thin out a dense thicket of foliage and downed trees on federal land to bring the West into a pristine state , Bob Zybach , an experienced forester with a PhD in environmental science , told the Daily @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s decision created a ticking time bomb , Zybach argues .
“ If you don ’ t start managing these forests , then they are going to start burning up .
Thirty years later , they are still ignoring it , ” said Zybach , who spent more than 20 years as a reforestation contractor .
He was referring to warnings he made years ago , telling officials that warding off prescribed burns in Oregon and California creates kindling that fuels fires .
Such rules make it more difficult to deploy prescribed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to cull all of the underbrush in forests to lessen the chance of massive fires , Zybach noted .
Years of keeping these areas in their natural state result in dead trees and dried organic material settling on the forest floor , which become like matchsticks soaked in jet fuel during dry seasons , he said .
Zybach ’ s comments come as wildfires continue churning through parts of California , Oregon , and Washington , media reports show .
Fires have killed 26 people in West Coast states since August , including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ culminated in more than half-a-million people evacuating Oregon , a number representing roughly 10 % of the state ’ s overall population .
Roughly 100 massive fires are blazing Saturday in the West , including 12 in Idaho and nine in Montana , the National Interagency Fire Center said Saturday .
All told , the wildfires have churned through more than 4.5 million acres in 12 states .
Shortly before leaving office , Clinton introduced the Roadless Rule that restricted the use of existing roads and construction of new roads on 49 million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ difficult for officials to scan the land for the kind of kindling that fuels massive conflagrations .
The move was part of the Northwest Forest Plan ( NWFP ) , a resolution adopted by Clinton in 1994 to protect forests from being over-logged .
Ten years before Clinton ’ s rule , the Fish and Wildlife Service placed the northern spotted owl on the Endangered Species Act , forcing the Forest Service to adopt a new policy that resulted in a greater reduction in timber harvests .
The amount of timber removed from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accumulated in 2015 by the Reason Foundation .
An average of 10 million feet of timber was removed each year from Forest Service land between 1960 and 1990 , the data show .
Those numbers dropped between 1991 and 2000 and continued dropping — an average of only 2.1 billion feet of timber was removed from the land between 2000 and 2013 , according to the data .
That ’ s an 80 % decline .
“ They ’ ve gone and left hundreds of thousands of acres of burnt timber , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in place because the black back woodpecker prefers that habitat , ” Zybach said .
“ It ’ s great for lawyers , but it ’ s bad for people who breathe air or work in the woods.
” “ The prescribed burns are an ancient form of management for keeping the fuels down so these events don ’ t happen , ” Zybach added , referring to Native American Indians who used controlled burns to ward away pests and prevent wildfires from licking their homes .
The Clinton administration ’ s plan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pristine land free of human interference risked fueling “ wildfires reminiscent of the Tillamook burn , the 1910 fires and the Yellowstone fire , ” Zybach , who is based in Oregon , told Evergreen magazine in 1994 , when the NWFP came into effect .
Western Oregon had one major fire above 10,000 acres between 1952 and 1987 , reports show .
The Silver Complex Fire of 1987 snapped that streak after torching more than 100,000 acres in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness area , killing rare plants and trees the federal government sought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fire suppression across California are helping to build up wildland fuels , which contribute to wildfires , according to Tim Ingalsbee , a fire ecologist who began a career in the 1980s as a wildland firefighter .
The solution is “ to get good fire on the ground and whittle down some of that fuel load , ” he told ProPublica in August .
“ It ’ s just … well … it ’ s horrible .
Horrible to see this happening when the science is so clear and has been clear for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Ingalsbee said , referring to a Greek metaphor people use when they believe their valid warnings are not heeded .
“ Every year I warn people : Disaster ’ s coming .
We got to change .
And no one listens .
And then it happens.
” Other experts have made similar arguments in the past .
Overgrown grasslands , forests , and woodlands contributed to California wildfires in 2017 , Sasha Berleman , a fire ecologist , told High Country News that year .
“ I ’ m more certain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lot we can do between now and the next time this happens to make it so that the negative consequences to people are nowhere near as dramatic , ” she said .
The devastating fires that ran through California ’ s wine country in October of 2017 killed 42 people and destroyed nearly 7,000 buildings , High Country News noted .
The solution might be easier said than done .
Nearly 20 million acres in California , or an area about the size of Maine , will need to experience controlled burns to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from Nature Sustainability found .
Former President Barack Obama suggested in a tweet Thursday that California ’ s wildfires are a result of climate change .
“ The fires across the West Coast are just the latest examples of the very real ways our changing climate is changing our communities , ” Obama wrote in a tweet that included pictures showing how soot and ash from the wildfires are turning San Francisco ’ s sky bright orange .
Obama isn ’ t the only prominent Democrat tying the fires to global warming .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democrat from New York , published a tweet Saturday that read : “ The proof of the urgency of the climate crisis is literally in the air around us.
” Schumer included a link to a Sept. 10 article from CBS blaming climate change for the fires .
Zybach is not convinced .
“ The lack of active land management is almost 100 percent the cause , ” he told the DCNF , noting that climate change has almost nothing to do with fire kindling gathering across the forest floors .
Other researchers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may contribute slightly , but the key factors are mismanaged forests , years of fire suppression , increased population , people living where they should not , invasive flammable species , and the fact that California has always had fire , ” University of Washington climate scientist Cliff Mass told the DCNF in 2018 .
Mass ’ s critique came as Mendocino Complex Fire was spreading across California on its way to becoming the largest wildfire in the state , engulfing more than 283,000 acres .
Content created by The Daily Caller News @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience .
For licensing opportunities of our original content , please contact licensing @ dailycallernewsfoundation.org .

Former President Bill Clinton made a significant change to federal land management nearly 30 years ago that created the conditions necessary for massive wildfires to consume portions of the West Coast, according to one fire expert who predicted the problem years ago.
Shortly before leaving office in 2001, Clinton limited the ability of the United States Forest Service to thin out a dense thicket of foliage and downed trees on federal land to bring the West into a pristine state, Bob Zybach, an experienced forester with a PhD in environmental science, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. The former president’s decision created a ticking time bomb, Zybach argues.
“If you don’t start managing these forests, then they are going to start burning up. Thirty years later, they are still ignoring it,” said Zybach, who spent more than 20 years as a reforestation contractor. He was referring to warnings he made years ago, telling officials that warding off prescribed burns in Oregon and California creates kindling that fuels fires.
Such rules make it more difficult to deploy prescribed burns, which are controlled burns designed to cull all of the underbrush in forests to lessen the chance of massive fires, Zybach noted. Years of keeping these areas in their natural state result in dead trees and dried organic material settling on the forest floor, which become like matchsticks soaked in jet fuel during dry seasons, he said.
Zybach’s comments come as wildfires continue churning through parts of California, Oregon, and Washington, media reports show. Fires have killed 26 people in West Coast states since August, including 19 people in California, and have culminated in more than half-a-million people evacuating Oregon, a number representing roughly 10% of the state’s overall population.
Roughly 100 massive fires are blazing Saturday in the West, including 12 in Idaho and nine in Montana, the National Interagency Fire Center said Saturday. All told, the wildfires have churned through more than 4.5 million acres in 12 states.
Shortly before leaving office, Clinton introduced the Roadless Rule that restricted the use of existing roads and construction of new roads on 49 million acres of National Forest, making it difficult for officials to scan the land for the kind of kindling that fuels massive conflagrations.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
The move was part of the Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP), a resolution adopted by Clinton in 1994 to protect forests from being over-logged.
Ten years before Clinton’s rule, the Fish and Wildlife Service placed the northern spotted owl on the Endangered Species Act, forcing the Forest Service to adopt a new policy that resulted in a greater reduction in timber harvests. The amount of timber removed from federal lands plummeted, according to data accumulated in 2015 by the Reason Foundation.
An average of 10 million feet of timber was removed each year from Forest Service land between 1960 and 1990, the data show. Those numbers dropped between 1991 and 2000 and continued dropping — an average of only 2.1 billion feet of timber was removed from the land between 2000 and 2013, according to the data. That’s an 80% decline.
“They’ve gone and left hundreds of thousands of acres of burnt timber, a fire bomb waiting to happen, standing in place because the black back woodpecker prefers that habitat,” Zybach said. “It’s great for lawyers, but it’s bad for people who breathe air or work in the woods.”
“The prescribed burns are an ancient form of management for keeping the fuels down so these events don’t happen,” Zybach added, referring to Native American Indians who used controlled burns to ward away pests and prevent wildfires from licking their homes.
The Clinton administration’s plan to turn forests in the West into pristine land free of human interference risked fueling “wildfires reminiscent of the Tillamook burn, the 1910 fires and the Yellowstone fire,” Zybach, who is based in Oregon, told Evergreen magazine in 1994, when the NWFP came into effect.
Western Oregon had one major fire above 10,000 acres between 1952 and 1987, reports show. The Silver Complex Fire of 1987 snapped that streak after torching more than 100,000 acres in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness area, killing rare plants and trees the federal government sought to protect from human activities.
Fire Experts Agree: Prescribed Burns Are Critical
Overzealous fire suppression across California are helping to build up wildland fuels, which contribute to wildfires, according to Tim Ingalsbee, a fire ecologist who began a career in the 1980s as a wildland firefighter. The solution is “to get good fire on the ground and whittle down some of that fuel load,” he told ProPublica in August.
“It’s just … well … it’s horrible. Horrible to see this happening when the science is so clear and has been clear for years. I suffer from Cassandra syndrome,” Ingalsbee said, referring to a Greek metaphor people use when they believe their valid warnings are not heeded.
“Every year I warn people: Disaster’s coming. We got to change. And no one listens. And then it happens.”
Other experts have made similar arguments in the past.
Overgrown grasslands, forests, and woodlands contributed to California wildfires in 2017, Sasha Berleman, a fire ecologist, told High Country News that year. “I’m more certain than ever that there’s a lot we can do between now and the next time this happens to make it so that the negative consequences to people are nowhere near as dramatic,” she said.
The devastating fires that ran through California’s wine country in October of 2017 killed 42 people and destroyed nearly 7,000 buildings, High Country News noted.
The solution might be easier said than done. Nearly 20 million acres in California, or an area about the size of Maine, will need to experience controlled burns to limit catastrophic wildfires, a January study from Nature Sustainability found.
Blaming Climate Change
Former President Barack Obama suggested in a tweet Thursday that California’s wildfires are a result of climate change.
“The fires across the West Coast are just the latest examples of the very real ways our changing climate is changing our communities,” Obama wrote in a tweet that included pictures showing how soot and ash from the wildfires are turning San Francisco’s sky bright orange.
Obama isn’t the only prominent Democrat tying the fires to global warming.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, published a tweet Saturday that read: “The proof of the urgency of the climate crisis is literally in the air around us.” Schumer included a link to a Sept. 10 article from CBS blaming climate change for the fires.
Zybach is not convinced. “The lack of active land management is almost 100 percent the cause,” he told the DCNF, noting that climate change has almost nothing to do with fire kindling gathering across the forest floors. Other researchers share his skepticism.
“Global warming may contribute slightly, but the key factors are mismanaged forests, years of fire suppression, increased population, people living where they should not, invasive flammable species, and the fact that California has always had fire,” University of Washington climate scientist Cliff Mass told the DCNF in 2018.
Mass’s critique came as Mendocino Complex Fire was spreading across California on its way to becoming the largest wildfire in the state, engulfing more than 283,000 acres.
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--2020-09-14--On November 3 Will the American People Choose to Remain a Nation Under God?

This November we will actually be voting for the 1st and 2nd Amendments and the entire Constitution .
The fact is , we will be voting on whether we believe in the God our motto says we trust and whether we are a nation under God and His authority , wisdom , provision and protection .
We will be voting on marriage , the family , gender , the value and preciousness of every life from the cradle to the grave , and certainly , innocent life in the womb .
It is difficult to believe our nation has reached @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are cast aside .
History has confirmed the horrible , deadly consequences of such foolish actions .
This is far more than voting for a person or personality .
This is about principles that have been proven to work and are the primary reasons our nation has been blessed beyond any other in history .
James Robison is The Stream ’ s founder and publisher .
He is co-founder of LIFE Outreach International and co-host of LIFE Today .
He ’ s the author of many books , including Indivisible ( with Jay @ @ @ @ @ @

This November we will actually be voting for the 1st and 2nd Amendments and the entire Constitution. The fact is, we will be voting on whether we believe in the God our motto says we trust and whether we are a nation under God and His authority, wisdom, provision and protection. We will be voting on marriage, the family, gender, the value and preciousness of every life from the cradle to the grave, and certainly, innocent life in the womb.
It is difficult to believe our nation has reached a point where biblically-declared and historically-confirmed absolutes are cast aside. History has confirmed the horrible, deadly consequences of such foolish actions. This is far more than voting for a person or personality. This is about principles that have been proven to work and are the primary reasons our nation has been blessed beyond any other in history.
James Robison is The Stream’s founder and publisher. He is co-founder of LIFE Outreach International and co-host of LIFE Today. He’s the author of many books, including Indivisible (with Jay Richards) and Living Amazed.
Also, be sure to visit Foundations, a tool for pastors, teachers, leaders and all people of faith to learn why, from a Biblical view, we should continue to support the Constitution — with an emphasis on the First and Second Amendments and wise policies that promote freedom.


thestream--2020-09-14--More Than 200 GOP Women Have Pursued House Seats This Year, Smashing Previous Record

More than 200 Republican women ran for the U.S. House of Representatives this year , eclipsing the record of 135 set a decade ago , Newsy reported .
While 2018 brought a record number of women to Congress , only 13 in the House were Republican , prompting the party to actively recruit more women to run for office .
“ We need to do better at making sure that we ’ re helping and supporting Republican women as candidates , ” House Republican Conference Chair Rep. Liz Cheney said in a CBS News interview after the GOP lost the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was the first woman ever elected to the Dallas City Council and that was in 1957 , so I have been around trailblazing women and I think it ’ s disappointing to not see that reflected in the U.S. House of Representatives from a Republican woman ’ s perspective , ” Genevieve Collins , who is trying to unseat Texas freshman Democratic Rep. Collin Allred , told Newsy .
“ The fact that there ’ s only 13 Republican women means that our voices , our perspectives and our experiences are not able @ @ @ @ @ @ @ help move the needle down the line to really make an impact , ” she said .
Her comments were echoed by Iowa state Rep. Ashley Hinson , who is running against freshman Democratic Rep. Abby Finkenauer in the state ’ s 1st Congressional District .
“ If you look at the number of Republican women who have stepped up to run this year , that tells the other side of the story – that is Republican women are ready to engage , ” Hinson told Newsy .
While female Republican nominees in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other states nearly guarantee that more than 13 GOP women will serve in the House during the next Congress , their party is still unlikely to regain the majority in the lower chamber , forecasts show .
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 .

More than 200 Republican women ran for the U.S. House of Representatives this year, eclipsing the record of 135 set a decade ago, Newsy reported.
While 2018 brought a record number of women to Congress, only 13 in the House were Republican, prompting the party to actively recruit more women to run for office.
“We need to do better at making sure that we’re helping and supporting Republican women as candidates,” House Republican Conference Chair Rep. Liz Cheney said in a CBS News interview after the GOP lost the House in 2018.
“My grandmother was the first woman ever elected to the Dallas City Council and that was in 1957, so I have been around trailblazing women and I think it’s disappointing to not see that reflected in the U.S. House of Representatives from a Republican woman’s perspective,” Genevieve Collins, who is trying to unseat Texas freshman Democratic Rep. Collin Allred, told Newsy.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
“The fact that there’s only 13 Republican women means that our voices, our perspectives and our experiences are not able to shape policy, and also really help move the needle down the line to really make an impact,” she said.
Her comments were echoed by Iowa state Rep. Ashley Hinson, who is running against freshman Democratic Rep. Abby Finkenauer in the state’s 1st Congressional District.
“If you look at the number of Republican women who have stepped up to run this year, that tells the other side of the story – that is Republican women are ready to engage,” Hinson told Newsy.
While female Republican nominees in safe seats in Michigan, Colorado and other states nearly guarantee that more than 13 GOP women will serve in the House during the next Congress, their party is still unlikely to regain the majority in the lower chamber, forecasts show.
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].