thestream--2020-08-04--The Impact of China’s New Security Laws on Hong Kong and Christians

On June 30 , 2020 , China passed a sweeping security law for Hong Kong .
After months of massive pro-democracy protests which peaked at over a million last June , the COVID-19 pandemic was the perfect cover for a crackdown .
Few people in Hong Kong had seen the 66 secret articles of the law before it was passed .
China ’ s Standing Committee simply overruled Hong Kong ’ s legislature .
For enforcement , Beijing will be establishing a new security office in Hong Kong .
The law is brutal .
Prohibitions include any form of secession @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Subversion can be interpreted as undermining the authority of the central government in any way .
Terrorism can be defined as vandalizing public transit ( think pro-democracy slogans . )
All of these “ crimes ” carry a maximum sentence of life in prison .
Trials can be held behind closed doors .
Anyone suspect can be wiretapped .
The freedom of Hong Kong has been crushed .
The West has scarcely made a peep .
Until recently , Hong Kong was a British Colony .
In 1997 , the UK turned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ special terms .
Hong Kong would retain a “ high degree of autonomy ” until at least 2047 .
For fifty years , there would be “ one country , two systems.
” This would permit Hong Kongers to govern their own affairs — albeit in the shadow of a totalitarian regime .
Critics at the time warned that the Communist Party could not be trusted , but the handover proceeded nonetheless .
In 2019 , Hong Kong ’ s leader Carrie Lam attempted to pass an extradition bill .
The bill would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defined as criminals to the mainland .
There , they could be imprisoned , tortured , and even executed without trial .
In response , Hong Kong erupted .
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political , Economic and Moral Issues of Our Day .
Protests rocked the streets for months .
The freedom fighters were met with tear gas and rubber bullets .
Still , they escalated .
The world was transfixed by stunning images of endless crowds lighting up the night with cellphone screens .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Protesters used laser pointers to foil facial recognition .
In an attempt to restore calm , Lam offered concessions .
The protesters were not fooled .
Finally , on September 4 , she was forced to withdraw the law entirely .
It was a magnificent moment .
It almost seemed as if genuine freedom fighters had faced down a superpower — and won .
It was Red China ’ s nightmare .
But then came the COVID-19 pandemic .
A paralyzed West began to realize the full dangers of the economic Gordian knot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ saw her chance , and rammed the regime-changing law through .
Not even Carrie Lam was shown the details of the law before it was passed — just an hour short of the anniversary of Hong Kong ’ s handover .
Communist China has long been one of the world ’ s most brutal persecutors of Christians , and the crackdowns have increased in recent years .
Pastors are vanishing into China ’ s vast prison system .
Churches are being shuttered or , more often , demolished .
Laypeople are being locked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ indicated that Chinese police are being given arrest quotas for Christians .
If the Communists get their way , Christianity will be domesticated or extinct .
No torture is too vile to accomplish this goal .
Despite that , current estimates indicate that 7 % remain Christian .
While Hong Kong ’ s Christian minority — 11.8 % of the population — were protected by religious liberty laws , their brothers and sisters on the mainland face constant peril .
It is for this reason that so many Christian Hong Kongers joined the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hong Kong freedom fighter featured in the 2017 Netflix documentary Joshua : Teenager vs .
Superpower , is a Christian .
During the summer demonstrations of 2019 , the hymn “ Sing Hallelujah to the Lord ” became a crowd anthem .
Many clergy joined , as well .
Bishop Joseph Ha Chi-shing stated at the time that he would remain near the protesters to pray for them , as the “ shepherd should not just be with the sheep but also guide them.
” Hong Kong ’ s Christians knew that if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well be among those who vanished onto the mainland .
Freelance journalist Alessandra Bocchi is one of the few reporters consistently drawing attention to the plight of Hong Kong ’ s Christians .
I interviewed her last September after she returned from Hong Kong , and she told me that the protest movement was awe-inspiring .
“ I was very surprised because I ’ ve seen various protests in the Western world and I ’ ve never witnessed people singing Christian hymns , ” she told me .
“ In Hong Kong , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you don ’ t expect to hear hymns anywhere , you have them chanting .
Thousands of them chanting , together , and holding hands .
You see this collaboration with Christians , and they ’ re very active in their protest.
” With the new national security law in place , Christians fear they can no longer speak out about persecution on the mainland .
If they do , they could well face it themselves for violating the ban on criticizing the Chinese Communist Party .
In a recent report for National @ @ @ @ @ @ @ main religious denominations in Hong Kong were summoned to a meeting at the Liaison Office in June , before the implementation of the law , and expressed support for the government afterward.
” One Catholic lawyer told her that it is likely the churches are being monitored .
Hong Kong ’ s Cardinal Tong , she noted , switched from supporting the protests to stating that the new law “ doesn ’ t threaten religious freedom.
” It was as convincing as anyone sounds when a gun is pointed at their head .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a handful of Christian leaders have stood fast .
These include the chairman of the Baptist Convention of Hong Kong , who was “ reportedly forced to withdraw his statements to protect his church.
” Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Ha , she wrote , had “ previously supported the pro-democracy movement ” but now has instead “ urged his followers to carry crosses on the street.
” Considering what is happening to Christians on the mainland , one wonders if that alone could be now classified as sedition .
In the face of all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kong pastors , evangelical leaders , and theologians put forward a defiant open letter .
According to Christianity Today , the letter features 3,500 signatories as of June 15 and rejects submission to an authoritarian regime .
Additionally , the signatories restate their fealty to God above all : The King of Heaven does not rule by controlling the world .
Rather , He rules by showing His love and humble servitude .
… Thus as the King of Heaven , His political blueprint is ‘ to proclaim good news to the poor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ freedom for the prisoners and recover of sight for the blind , to set the oppressed free , to proclaim the year of the Lord ’ s favor.
’ ( Luke 4:18-19 ) … When facing the authority ’ s strong governance and the persecution and suppression towards the dissidents , churches often chose to protect themselves .
They engaged in self-censorship and remained silent towards the evil deeds of the authority , with their only wish being the smooth and uninterrupted operation of church ministries .
… The church is neither a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ therefore political agendas or demands should not become the main focus of the church .
However , when facing injustice and evilness in the society , the church should act as the social conscience and fulfil [ sic ] its prophetic role to denounce injustice , to proclaim the will of God , and to bear witness to truth .
For years , many Christian churches in Hong Kong have kept a low profile , hoping to focus on their work while avoiding conflict with authority .
But now , they may soon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brethren on the mainland .
As this spectre looms , many are already displaying the courage they will need in the years ahead .
For as the pastors noted in their open letter : “ [ N ] o matter how tough it gets , we shall hold onto our duty as the church to walk together with all Hongkongers , and to uphold Hong Kong ceaselessly with prayers and pastoral care , as a living testimony of ‘ Emmanuel ’ — God is here with those who are suffering.
” Jonathon Van @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and pro-life activist .
He is the author of The Culture War and Seeing Is Believing : Why Our Culture Must Face the Victims of Abortion , and co-author of A Guide to Discussing Assisted Suicide .

On June 30, 2020, China passed a sweeping security law for Hong Kong. After months of massive pro-democracy protests which peaked at over a million last June, the COVID-19 pandemic was the perfect cover for a crackdown. Few people in Hong Kong had seen the 66 secret articles of the law before it was passed. China’s Standing Committee simply overruled Hong Kong’s legislature. For enforcement, Beijing will be establishing a new security office in Hong Kong.
The law is brutal. Prohibitions include any form of secession, terrorism, collusion, and subversion. Subversion can be interpreted as undermining the authority of the central government in any way. Terrorism can be defined as vandalizing public transit (think pro-democracy slogans.) All of these “crimes” carry a maximum sentence of life in prison. Trials can be held behind closed doors. Anyone suspect can be wiretapped.
The freedom of Hong Kong has been crushed. The West has scarcely made a peep.
The Context
Until recently, Hong Kong was a British Colony. In 1997, the UK turned the territory over to Red China under special terms. Hong Kong would retain a “high degree of autonomy” until at least 2047. For fifty years, there would be “one country, two systems.” This would permit Hong Kongers to govern their own affairs — albeit in the shadow of a totalitarian regime. Critics at the time warned that the Communist Party could not be trusted, but the handover proceeded nonetheless.
In 2019, Hong Kong’s leader Carrie Lam attempted to pass an extradition bill. The bill would have permitted China to ship those they defined as criminals to the mainland. There, they could be imprisoned, tortured, and even executed without trial. In response, Hong Kong erupted.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
Protests rocked the streets for months. The freedom fighters were met with tear gas and rubber bullets. Still, they escalated. The world was transfixed by stunning images of endless crowds lighting up the night with cellphone screens. Facial recognition towers were pulled down. Protesters used laser pointers to foil facial recognition. In an attempt to restore calm, Lam offered concessions. The protesters were not fooled. Finally, on September 4, she was forced to withdraw the law entirely.
It was a magnificent moment. It almost seemed as if genuine freedom fighters had faced down a superpower — and won. It was Red China’s nightmare.
But then came the COVID-19 pandemic. A paralyzed West began to realize the full dangers of the economic Gordian knot that intertwined them with China. China saw her chance, and rammed the regime-changing law through. Not even Carrie Lam was shown the details of the law before it was passed — just an hour short of the anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover.
Hong Kong’s Christians
Communist China has long been one of the world’s most brutal persecutors of Christians, and the crackdowns have increased in recent years. Pastors are vanishing into China’s vast prison system. Churches are being shuttered or, more often, demolished. Laypeople are being locked up in droves. Recent reports have indicated that Chinese police are being given arrest quotas for Christians. If the Communists get their way, Christianity will be domesticated or extinct. No torture is too vile to accomplish this goal. Despite that, current estimates indicate that 7% remain Christian. While Hong Kong’s Christian minority — 11.8% of the population — were protected by religious liberty laws, their brothers and sisters on the mainland face constant peril.
It is for this reason that so many Christian Hong Kongers joined the protests. Joshua Wong, a prominent Hong Kong freedom fighter featured in the 2017 Netflix documentary Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower, is a Christian. During the summer demonstrations of 2019, the hymn “Sing Hallelujah to the Lord” became a crowd anthem. Many clergy joined, as well. Bishop Joseph Ha Chi-shing stated at the time that he would remain near the protesters to pray for them, as the “shepherd should not just be with the sheep but also guide them.” Hong Kong’s Christians knew that if China could extradite dissidents, they might well be among those who vanished onto the mainland.
Freelance journalist Alessandra Bocchi is one of the few reporters consistently drawing attention to the plight of Hong Kong’s Christians. I interviewed her last September after she returned from Hong Kong, and she told me that the protest movement was awe-inspiring. “I was very surprised because I’ve seen various protests in the Western world and I’ve never witnessed people singing Christian hymns,” she told me. “In Hong Kong, where Christians are a minority, where you don’t expect to hear hymns anywhere, you have them chanting. Thousands of them chanting, together, and holding hands. You see this collaboration with Christians, and they’re very active in their protest.”
The Coming Crackdown
With the new national security law in place, Christians fear they can no longer speak out about persecution on the mainland. If they do, they could well face it themselves for violating the ban on criticizing the Chinese Communist Party. In a recent report for National Review, Bocchi noted that the “main religious denominations in Hong Kong were summoned to a meeting at the Liaison Office in June, before the implementation of the law, and expressed support for the government afterward.” One Catholic lawyer told her that it is likely the churches are being monitored. Hong Kong’s Cardinal Tong, she noted, switched from supporting the protests to stating that the new law “doesn’t threaten religious freedom.” It was as convincing as anyone sounds when a gun is pointed at their head.
That said, Bocchi did note that a handful of Christian leaders have stood fast. These include the chairman of the Baptist Convention of Hong Kong, who was “reportedly forced to withdraw his statements to protect his church.” Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Ha, she wrote, had “previously supported the pro-democracy movement” but now has instead “urged his followers to carry crosses on the street.” Considering what is happening to Christians on the mainland, one wonders if that alone could be now classified as sedition.
In the face of all of this, a coalition of Hong Kong pastors, evangelical leaders, and theologians put forward a defiant open letter. According to Christianity Today, the letter features 3,500 signatories as of June 15 and rejects submission to an authoritarian regime. Additionally, the signatories restate their fealty to God above all:
The King of Heaven does not rule by controlling the world. Rather, He rules by showing His love and humble servitude. … Thus as the King of Heaven, His political blueprint is ‘to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recover of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’ (Luke 4:18-19)… When facing the authority’s strong governance and the persecution and suppression towards the dissidents, churches often chose to protect themselves. They engaged in self-censorship and remained silent towards the evil deeds of the authority, with their only wish being the smooth and uninterrupted operation of church ministries. … The church is neither a political party or a political organization, therefore political agendas or demands should not become the main focus of the church. However, when facing injustice and evilness in the society, the church should act as the social conscience and fulfil [sic] its prophetic role to denounce injustice, to proclaim the will of God, and to bear witness to truth.
For years, many Christian churches in Hong Kong have kept a low profile, hoping to focus on their work while avoiding conflict with authority. But now, they may soon face restrictions similar to those of their brethren on the mainland. As this spectre looms, many are already displaying the courage they will need in the years ahead.
For as the pastors noted in their open letter: “[N]o matter how tough it gets, we shall hold onto our duty as the church to walk together with all Hongkongers, and to uphold Hong Kong ceaselessly with prayers and pastoral care, as a living testimony of ‘Emmanuel’ — God is here with those who are suffering.”
Jonathon Van Maren is a public speaker, writer and pro-life activist. He is the author of The Culture War and Seeing Is Believing: Why Our Culture Must Face the Victims of Abortion, and co-author of A Guide to Discussing Assisted Suicide.


thestream--2020-08-04--Military Photo of the Day: Partners in the Skies

A U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle , Royal Netherlands Air Force F-16 ( top ) and Belgian Component F-16 @ @ @ @ @ operations over the North Sea on July 17 , 2020 .
Thanks to Master Sgt @ @ @ @ @ this image .
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the @ @ @ @ @ Issues of Our Day .

A U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle, Royal Netherlands Air Force F-16 (top) and Belgian Component F-16 (bottom) conduct aerial operations over the North Sea on July 17, 2020.
Thanks to Master Sgt. Matthew Plew for capturing this image.
React to This Article What do you think of our coverage in this article? We value your feedback as we continue to grow.


Woke Tyranny

Since George Floyd ’ s death , professional sports scamper to conform to the new “ woke ” narrative .
Players may kneel during the national anthem , or choose to remain in their locker rooms .
Baseball fields , basketball courts and uniforms proclaim , “ Black Lives Matter.
” On July 27 , the NFL announced that end zones would contain the messages “ End Racism ” and “ It Takes All of Us ” at each team ’ s home opener .
Six days earlier , players received permission to display on their helmets the names or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of racism .
“ You will be allowed no solace from Big Woke , ” tweeted one fan .
“ No pastime or entertainment will be left alone.
” That ’ s the idea .
Every area of society — including sports — must reflect and reinforce “ Big Woke ’ s ” ideology .
This isn ’ t actually new .
American progressives copied that idea from history ’ s most brutal dictatorships .
Nazi Germany became the first to manipulate sports for ideological and geopolitical purposes .
The Nazis used sports @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and prepare Germany for war .
For the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin , they needed to impress tourists and quiet fears of Germany ’ s ultimate intentions .
So the Nazis turned the city into a modern Potemkin village .
“ We must be more charming than the Parisians , more easy-going than the Viennese , more vivacious than the Romans , more cosmopolitan than London and more practical than New York , ” stated the Nazi newspaper Der Angriff almost a month before the Olympics .
Defusing suspicion belonged to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in his book , The Nazi Olympics .
“ The four million Berliners , ” Mandell wrote , “ have constant instruction from above that they had been entrusted with an obligation to demonstrate the excellence of German National Socialism to the whole world.
” The Nazis even dramatically downplayed their anti-Semitism .
They removed anti-Semitic signs and publications .
Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels ordered newspapers not to discuss race in their Olympic coverage .
The German Olympic Committee reinstated Helene Mayer , a world fencing champion and a 1932 Olympian .
Mayer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 1933 for having a Jewish father .
“ Jew-baiting had been ordered to cease from the highest quarters , ” Mandell wrote .
“ Evidence of persistent racialism might be , and was , interpreted as vestigial rough edges of a superseded policy.
” The result ?
As Mandell wrote , “ almost no one escaped the impression that the new Germans were working hard , were playing hard , were at peace and would stay that way.
” During the Cold War , the Soviet Union viewed athletes as valuable as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Communism ’ s superiority to the world .
Sergei Pavlov , chairman of the U.S.S.R. Committee of Physical Culture and Sport , said in 1976 that sport provides “ another sphere , another criterion for evaluating the advantages of the Soviet political system.
” Promoting Communism meant creating a complex system of state-run schools and clubs to produce technically proficient , ideologically correct world-class athletes .
A coach ’ s fundamental duty was instilling what a Soviet periodical called a “ high Communist consciousness ” in which athletes saw themselves as “ Soviet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Communism.
” Cross-country skier Lyuba Baranova illustrated that indoctrination ’ s intensity in an interview with the newspaper Sovietsky Sport during the 1980 Winter Olympics : “ ‘ I mentally transferred myself to the siege of Leningrad from the first day to the last.
’ When the skiing got difficult , Lyuba remembered the blockade of the city on the Neva and said to herself , ‘ For the Motherland , Lyuba !
For Leningrad !
’ ” Athletes don ’ t have to win medals or honors to serve an ideology @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Summer Olympics in Athens .
Arash Miresmaeili , a two-time world judo champion and a medal contender in the 66-kilogram class , deliberately forfeited his first-round match because his opponent , Ehud Vaks , was Israeli .
“ Although I have trained for months and now enjoy an in-form build , ” Miresmaeili told Iran ’ s Islamic Republic News Agency ( IRNA ) , “ I have refused to face my Israeli rival in sympathy with the oppressed Palestinian people.
” Iranian officials greeted Miresmaeili ’ s decision enthusiastically .
Iran ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , congratulated Miresmaeili on his “ courageous move to refuse to compete with a judoka from the Zionist regime , ” he told IRNA .
“ Certainly , ( the ) Iranian nation considers Miresmaeili as the real champion of ( the ) 2004 Olympic Games.
” Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political , Economic and Moral Issues of Our Day .
The chief of Iran ’ s Olympic delegation , Nassrollah Sajadi , asked the government to give Miresmaeili the $ 115,000 reward reserved for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a message to Iranian athletic officials that Miresmaeili ’ s decision “ in protest to the massacre of Palestinian people by the Zionist regime will be recorded in the history of Iranian glories , ” IRNA reported .
Iranian officials timed Miresmaeili ’ s announcement to coincide with the opening ceremonies , where he would receive attention as Iran ’ s flag bearer .
During the 2018 World Cup , Mehdi Taremi , a stellar Iranian forward , reposted a tweet from Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei .
Taremi publicly agreed with Khamenei @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to exist within 25 years .
Only two years later , “ woke ” progressives demand that American athletes become today ’ s Mayers , Baranovas , Miresmaeilis and Taremis .
What about those who even mildly disagree ?
Just ask Drew Brees .
Or his wife .
Or Vic Fangio .
“ It ’ s obvious , ” tweeted another fan .
“ Players are being forced to take sides in political debates .
Instead of seeing them as top-notch athletes , now people can ’ t help but view them through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hippolito has written commentaries for such outlets as the Jerusalem Post , the American Thinker and Front Page Magazine .
He works as a free-lance writer .

Since George Floyd’s death, professional sports scamper to conform to the new “woke” narrative. Players may kneel during the national anthem, or choose to remain in their locker rooms. Baseball fields, basketball courts and uniforms proclaim, “Black Lives Matter.”
On July 27, the NFL announced that end zones would contain the messages “End Racism” and “It Takes All of Us” at each team’s home opener. Six days earlier, players received permission to display on their helmets the names or initials of those considered to be victims of racism.
Sports fans are not amused.
“You will be allowed no solace from Big Woke,” tweeted one fan. “No pastime or entertainment will be left alone.”
That’s the idea. Every area of society — including sports — must reflect and reinforce “Big Woke’s” ideology. This isn’t actually new. American progressives copied that idea from history’s most brutal dictatorships.
The Nazi Olympics
Nazi Germany became the first to manipulate sports for ideological and geopolitical purposes. The Nazis used sports to glorify the “Aryan” race and prepare Germany for war.
For the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, they needed to impress tourists and quiet fears of Germany’s ultimate intentions. So the Nazis turned the city into a modern Potemkin village.
“We must be more charming than the Parisians, more easy-going than the Viennese, more vivacious than the Romans, more cosmopolitan than London and more practical than New York,” stated the Nazi newspaper Der Angriff almost a month before the Olympics.
Defusing suspicion belonged to a broader strategy, as Richard Mandell wrote in his book, The Nazi Olympics.
“The four million Berliners,” Mandell wrote, “have constant instruction from above that they had been entrusted with an obligation to demonstrate the excellence of German National Socialism to the whole world.”
The Nazis even dramatically downplayed their anti-Semitism. They removed anti-Semitic signs and publications. Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels ordered newspapers not to discuss race in their Olympic coverage. The German Olympic Committee reinstated Helene Mayer, a world fencing champion and a 1932 Olympian. Mayer had been expelled from her athletic club in 1933 for having a Jewish father.
“Jew-baiting had been ordered to cease from the highest quarters,” Mandell wrote. “Evidence of persistent racialism might be, and was, interpreted as vestigial rough edges of a superseded policy.”
The result? As Mandell wrote, “almost no one escaped the impression that the new Germans were working hard, were playing hard, were at peace and would stay that way.”
“For the Motherland, Lyuba!”
During the Cold War, the Soviet Union viewed athletes as valuable as soldiers or diplomats because victorious athletes demonstrated Communism’s superiority to the world.
Sergei Pavlov, chairman of the U.S.S.R. Committee of Physical Culture and Sport, said in 1976 that sport provides “another sphere, another criterion for evaluating the advantages of the Soviet political system.”
Promoting Communism meant creating a complex system of state-run schools and clubs to produce technically proficient, ideologically correct world-class athletes. A coach’s fundamental duty was instilling what a Soviet periodical called a “high Communist consciousness” in which athletes saw themselves as “Soviet patriots irreconcilable to the enemies of socialism and Communism.”
Cross-country skier Lyuba Baranova illustrated that indoctrination’s intensity in an interview with the newspaper Sovietsky Sport during the 1980 Winter Olympics:
“ ‘I mentally transferred myself to the siege of Leningrad from the first day to the last.’ When the skiing got difficult, Lyuba remembered the blockade of the city on the Neva and said to herself, ‘For the Motherland, Lyuba! For Leningrad!’ ”
Zionists are Haram
Athletes don’t have to win medals or honors to serve an ideology, as Iran showed during the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.
Arash Miresmaeili, a two-time world judo champion and a medal contender in the 66-kilogram class, deliberately forfeited his first-round match because his opponent, Ehud Vaks, was Israeli.
“Although I have trained for months and now enjoy an in-form build,” Miresmaeili told Iran’s Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), “I have refused to face my Israeli rival in sympathy with the oppressed Palestinian people.”
Iranian officials greeted Miresmaeili’s decision enthusiastically. Iran’s ambassador to Greece, Mehdi Mohtashami, congratulated Miresmaeili on his “courageous move to refuse to compete with a judoka from the Zionist regime,” he told IRNA. “Certainly, (the) Iranian nation considers Miresmaeili as the real champion of (the) 2004 Olympic Games.”
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
The chief of Iran’s Olympic delegation, Nassrollah Sajadi, asked the government to give Miresmaeili the $115,000 reward reserved for gold medalists.
Then-president Mohammed Khatami said in a message to Iranian athletic officials that Miresmaeili’s decision “in protest to the massacre of Palestinian people by the Zionist regime will be recorded in the history of Iranian glories,” IRNA reported.
Iranian officials timed Miresmaeili’s announcement to coincide with the opening ceremonies, where he would receive attention as Iran’s flag bearer.
During the 2018 World Cup, Mehdi Taremi, a stellar Iranian forward, reposted a tweet from Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Taremi publicly agreed with Khamenei’s declaration that Israel would cease to exist within 25 years.
A Political Prism
Only two years later, “woke” progressives demand that American athletes become today’s Mayers, Baranovas, Miresmaeilis and Taremis.
What about those who even mildly disagree? Just ask Drew Brees. Or his wife. Or Vic Fangio.
“It’s obvious,” tweeted another fan. “Players are being forced to take sides in political debates. Instead of seeing them as top-notch athletes, now people can’t help but view them through a political prism.”
Joseph D’Hippolito has written commentaries for such outlets as the Jerusalem Post, the American Thinker and Front Page Magazine. He works as a free-lance writer.


thestream--2020-08-04--No, Susan Rice Will Not Be Joe Biden’s VP Pick

Susan Rice is the latest to be cited in the media as the current frontrunner to be Joe Biden ’ s running mate .
He has committed to choosing a woman , and he ’ s pretty well obligated to choose a woman of color as well .
Naturally , the leftist media are obsessed with who it will be .
Folks , it ’ s all theatrics .
Kamala Harris won ’ t be it ; Val Demings won ’ t be it .
And neither will Susan Rice , though she does have suitable Obama connections .
Precisely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the # 2 spot in recent weeks can help Biden win , and , more importantly , given the circumstances , none of them can be envisioned as President of the United States , because we all know that Biden , if he ’ s still even the candidate on Election Day and ( shudder ) wins , will be replaced practically on the spot .
Rice , with her foreign policy credentials , might have a little more gravitas than the others — it wouldn ’ t take much to stand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still has way too many problems .
For one thing — not that it would matter to hard-core Democrat party hacks and rabid anti-Trumpers — she ’ s a liar of great repute .
By that I don ’ t mean little lies here and there , tiny fibs that might be rationalized as necessary for national security , but huge politically-charged whoppers told repeatedly on national TV and even under oath .
I ’ m still enough of an optimist to think that this would matter to the independent voters , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ swing ” voters that Biden or any challenger would need to sway .
Of course , we all know that Rice lied her head off about the cause of the 2012 attack on our consulate in Benghazi , Libya , in which U.S .
Ambassador Chris Stevens and three others were killed .
She went on five different Sunday shows and told the same fake story about an anti-Islam YouTube video setting off protests that turned violent .
Hillary told the same story .
We all know it was fabricated to cover @ @ @ @ @ @ @ terrorist attack .
American personnel were not given the protection they needed and deserved , help was not provided once the attack was underway , and our people ended up dead .
But Rice did her political duty .
From then on , we knew what she was made of .
That was just the first .
Later on , we found out that Rice had written a curious “ note to self ” on the very last day of the Obama administration — just as Trump was being sworn in , in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the file ” about the meeting she ’ d attended ( aside : with Joe Biden ) in the Oval Office on January 5 , 2017 , to say that Obama had told them everything having to do with the “ Russia ” investigation had to be done “ by the book.
” I think she mentioned that five times .
This is what you call a “ CYA ” memo .
She was “ C ” -ing Obama ’ s “ A.
” Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Moral Issues of Our Day .
Later , she covered her own “ A , ” too .
She had her lawyer , Kathryn Ruemmler , who also happens to have been President Obama ’ s White House Counsel , write a letter to Sens .
Grassley , Graham , Feinstein and Whitehouse , saying , “ While serving as National Security Advisor , Ambassador Rice was not briefed on the existence of any FBI investigation into allegations of collusion between Mr. Trump ’ s associates and Russia , and she later @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from Director Comey ’ s subsequent testimony.
” Oh , really ?
Comey didn ’ t testify until March 20 , 2017 , but Rice was present at the January 5 Oval Office meeting that dealt with exactly that — in particular , with the investigation into Michael Flynn .
And it gets worse .
She also denied this under oath .
On September 8 , 2017 , she gave sworn testimony to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence ( then chaired by Republican Devin Nunes ) that she knew nothing about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investigation while she was at the White House .
Apparently anticipating some difficult questioning from Republicans , she arrived with two attorneys from Latham & Watkins ( Ruemmler ’ s firm ) .
Ironically , it was a couple of questions from Democrats that tripped her up .
Adam Schiff : “ Director Comey testified that , in July of last year [ 2016 ] , he began a counterintelligence investigation into people associated with the Trump campaign and what contacts they may have had with Russia .
That investigative responsibility , wasn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I take it ?
” Schiff : “ And would Director Comey brief you on the progress of his investigation ?
” Rice : “ No .
I think it ’ s important for everybody to understand : We were not informed by Director Comey or the Attorney General that there was an active investigation of anybody in the Trump orbit … In the Obama White House , we maintained scrupulously the firewall between the people in the White House and contacts with Justice about potential or actual criminal matters .
The only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was between the White House counsel and the Justice Department or the FBI.
” She goes on : “ And Director Comey did not volunteer to us , not only then but for the duration of his administration , that there was an active investigation of anybody in the Trump orbit … I learned about it formally in the public domain after I left office.
” Eric Swalwell : “ Is it fair to say that , as the National Security Advisor , you were not read in on active , ongoing investigations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ FBI were conducting ?
” Rice : “ Absolutely , that ’ s the case .
Those were law enforcement matters … ” EDITORIAL COMMENT : Who is she kidding ?
According to the Horowitz report , testimony from Comey differs markedly from that of Rice .
Comey said the Obama team knew about the FBI ’ s investigation in detail , almost from the start .
He said Rice was one of the people he had told ( along with Obama ) about “ Crossfire Hurricane ” in the summer of 2016 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presence at the January 5 meeting shows she had to have been aware of the Michael Flynn case .
She Belongs in Jail — Not in Office So , it appears that Biden ’ s current frontrunner for the VP slot has lied quite brazenly under oath .
She ’ d had plenty of practice before then , too .
Leftists won ’ t care one bit , but I don ’ t think swing voters will want to put someone in office who more appropriately belongs in jail .
We knew Hillary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t win in 2016 .
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 .

Susan Rice is the latest to be cited in the media as the current frontrunner to be Joe Biden’s running mate. He has committed to choosing a woman, and he’s pretty well obligated to choose a woman of color as well. Naturally, the leftist media are obsessed with who it will be.
Folks, it’s all theatrics. Kamala Harris won’t be it; Val Demings won’t be it. And neither will Susan Rice, though she does have suitable Obama connections. Precisely none of the women mentioned as candidates for the #2 spot in recent weeks can help Biden win, and, more importantly, given the circumstances, none of them can be envisioned as President of the United States, because we all know that Biden, if he’s still even the candidate on Election Day and (shudder) wins, will be replaced practically on the spot. Rice, with her foreign policy credentials, might have a little more gravitas than the others — it wouldn’t take much to stand out in that crowd — but she still has way too many problems.
A Liar of Great Repute
For one thing — not that it would matter to hard-core Democrat party hacks and rabid anti-Trumpers — she’s a liar of great repute. By that I don’t mean little lies here and there, tiny fibs that might be rationalized as necessary for national security, but huge politically-charged whoppers told repeatedly on national TV and even under oath. I’m still enough of an optimist to think that this would matter to the independent voters, the folks in the middle, the thoughtful “swing” voters that Biden or any challenger would need to sway.
So, it appears that Biden’s current frontrunner for the VP slot has lied quite brazenly under oath. She’d had plenty of practice before then, too.
Of course, we all know that Rice lied her head off about the cause of the 2012 attack on our consulate in Benghazi, Libya, in which U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three others were killed. She went on five different Sunday shows and told the same fake story about an anti-Islam YouTube video setting off protests that turned violent. Hillary told the same story. We all know it was fabricated to cover up the fact that it was a terrorist attack. American personnel were not given the protection they needed and deserved, help was not provided once the attack was underway, and our people ended up dead. But Rice did her political duty. From then on, we knew what she was made of.
The “CYA” Memo
That was just the first. Later on, we found out that Rice had written a curious “note to self” on the very last day of the Obama administration — just as Trump was being sworn in, in fact. It was a “memo to the file” about the meeting she’d attended (aside: with Joe Biden) in the Oval Office on January 5, 2017, to say that Obama had told them everything having to do with the “Russia” investigation had to be done “by the book.” I think she mentioned that five times. This is what you call a “CYA” memo. She was “C”-ing Obama’s “A.”
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Later, she covered her own “A,” too. She had her lawyer, Kathryn Ruemmler, who also happens to have been President Obama’s White House Counsel, write a letter to Sens. Grassley, Graham, Feinstein and Whitehouse, saying, “While serving as National Security Advisor, Ambassador Rice was not briefed on the existence of any FBI investigation into allegations of collusion between Mr. Trump’s associates and Russia, and she later learned of the fact of this investigation from Director Comey’s subsequent testimony.”
Oh, really? Comey didn’t testify until March 20, 2017, but Rice was present at the January 5 Oval Office meeting that dealt with exactly that — in particular, with the investigation into Michael Flynn.
Lying Under Oath
And it gets worse. She also denied this under oath. On September 8, 2017, she gave sworn testimony to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (then chaired by Republican Devin Nunes) that she knew nothing about the FBI’s “Russia” investigation while she was at the White House. Apparently anticipating some difficult questioning from Republicans, she arrived with two attorneys from Latham & Watkins (Ruemmler’s firm). Ironically, it was a couple of questions from Democrats that tripped her up.
Adam Schiff: “Director Comey testified that, in July of last year [2016], he began a counterintelligence investigation into people associated with the Trump campaign and what contacts they may have had with Russia. That investigative responsibility, wasn’t part of your portfolio, I take it?”
Rice: “No, not at all.”
Schiff: “And would Director Comey brief you on the progress of his investigation?”
Rice: “No. I think it’s important for everybody to understand: We were not informed by Director Comey or the Attorney General that there was an active investigation of anybody in the Trump orbit … In the Obama White House, we maintained scrupulously the firewall between the people in the White House and contacts with Justice about potential or actual criminal matters. The only communication that was sanctioned in that vein was between the White House counsel and the Justice Department or the FBI.”
She goes on: “And Director Comey did not volunteer to us, not only then but for the duration of his administration, that there was an active investigation of anybody in the Trump orbit … I learned about it formally in the public domain after I left office.”
And later …
Eric Swalwell: “Is it fair to say that, as the National Security Advisor, you were not read in on active, ongoing investigations that the Department of Justice or the FBI were conducting?”
Rice: “Absolutely, that’s the case. Those were law enforcement matters …”
EDITORIAL COMMENT: Who is she kidding?
According to the Horowitz report, testimony from Comey differs markedly from that of Rice. Comey said the Obama team knew about the FBI’s investigation in detail, almost from the start. He said Rice was one of the people he had told (along with Obama) about “Crossfire Hurricane” in the summer of 2016. And, of course, her presence at the January 5 meeting shows she had to have been aware of the Michael Flynn case.
She Belongs in Jail — Not in Office
So, it appears that Biden’s current frontrunner for the VP slot has lied quite brazenly under oath. She’d had plenty of practice before then, too. Leftists won’t care one bit, but I don’t think swing voters will want to put someone in office who more appropriately belongs in jail. We knew Hillary belonged in jail; notice she didn’t win in 2016.
Mike Huckabee is the former Governor of Arkansas and longtime conservative commentator on issues in culture and current events. A New York Times best-selling author, he hosts the weekly talk show Huckabee on TBN.
Originally published at MikeHuckabee.com. Reprinted with permission.


thestream--2020-08-04--TikTok Could Become a Powerful Propaganda Tool if it Stays With China, Experts Warn

TikTok could become a powerful propaganda tool capable of shifting American public opinion if it remains in the hands of its Chinese parent company , national security analysts and China experts told the Daily Caller News Foundation .
The authoritarian regime could use data collected through TikTok to produce more targeted , and consequently , effective propaganda , the experts , who favored banning the app , said .
The app could also be used to influence U.S. politics , spy on the nation , or suppress or promote content to benefit the Chinese Communist Party .
“ You could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ environment-shaping , or propaganda .
All these things can be done , and have been done , ” Stephen Yates , CEO of the public policy consultancy firm DC International Advisory , said of a foreign country ’ s ability to use social media platforms as weapons .
TikTok has faced increased scrutiny across both the U.S. government as well as private industry , and President Donald Trump floated banning the app .
Microsoft is in preliminary talks to purchase TikTok from its parent company , ByteDance , the software company confirmed Sunday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ see on the app , suppressing videos that are critical of the authoritarian regime or amplifying ones it finds beneficial , according to Yates .
While TikTok is primarily known for its use among Generation Z to create and view dance and comedy videos , the app has already reportedly influenced U.S. politics on at least one occasion .
TikTok users coordinated an effort to get people who didn ’ t intend on attending a Trump campaign rally in Tulsa sign up for it , CNN reported in June .
One TikTok post @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up for June rally received over 100,000 likes .
Mary Jo Laupp , a 51-year-old women in Iowa , reportedly kickstarted the troll campaign .
Laupp ’ s video encouraging people to register for free tickets to the rally garnered more than 2 million views .
The Trump campaign disputed the claims , saying it weeds out phony registrations .
Yet demonstrations in Hong Kong that received worldwide attention were barely mentioned on TikTok , according to a Washington Post report .
A hashtag used to identify posts showing resistance to an extradition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ autonomy , # antielab , had only 11 posts on TikTok , but collected more than 34,000 posts on Instagram at the time of reporting .
Meanwhile , Hashtags for # HongKongProtests on TikTok returned either a single video or an error message telling users that TikTok could not “ find this hashtag : Check out trending videos.
” TikTok also directed moderators to censor content that mentions Tiananmen Square and Tibetan independence and banned religious groups , The Guardian reported in 2019 , citing leaked documents highlighting the app ’ s moderation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ content regarding China ’ s treatment of Uighurs , Yates told the DCNF .
Numerous reports have shown Uighurs being held in concentration camps and being subjected to forced sterilization .
Yates , a foreign policy expert who worked as a deputy national security adviser to former Vice President Dick Cheney , compared TikTok ’ s potential political influence to how Russia used Facebook posts and advertisements to disrupt the U.S. political system ahead of the 2016 election .
The Russian government spread disinformation to users on a variety of social media platforms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Facebook gave Congress roughly 3,000 ads in 2017 with links to Russia .
The company said it sold $ 100,000 worth of ads to Russian-linked sources that investigators believe were trying to influence the 2016 election .
But when it comes to data collection , TikTok and Facebook can ’ t be equated , according to Yates .
Washington Post tech columnist Geoffrey Fowler argued on a July 13 that much of the concerns related to TikTok ’ s alleged privacy violations are driven by “ xenophobia ” and compared its data collection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ This would be a commercial and political communication platform that gives a hostile power access to people ’ s cell phones and computers in which their entire lives have become dependent , ” Yates said of TikTok .
The app is totally “ within China ’ s sphere of influence , ” he added .
And Matt Stoller , the Research Director at the American Economic Liberties Project , told the DCNF that the difference between a company like Facebook and TikTok is that one is “ controlled by a greedy American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is controlled by a genocidal regime hostile to liberal democracy.
” TikTok ’ s executives have also managed to avoid U.S. oversight .
TikTok executives “ couldn ’ t attend hearings and testify because executives were located in # China , ” Sen. Josh Hawley tweeted in May .
He linked to a report that a former Disney executive , Kevin Mayer , would become the app ’ s new CEO .
“ But this new executive lives in the USA , ” the Missouri Republican continued .
“ I look forward to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Meanwhile , Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg , along with the CEOs of Google , Apple and Amazon , testified before the House Judiciary ’ s Subcommittee on Antitrust , Commercial and Administrative Law on July 29 over lawmaker concerns that they are building their empires through anti-competitive methods .
TikTok has the potential to be used as a spying tool for China , according to Dan Blumenthal , the director of Asian Studies at the American Enterprise Institute .
“ The Chinese are building a mass of information about the U.S. including a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ connections it deems important among U.S. financial , corporate , policy media and political elites , ” Blumenthal , who supports banning the app , told the DCNF .
“ This is both for espionage purposes as well as for purposes of influencing U.S. politics.
” Blumenthal did not elaborate on how such data could be used to spy on Americans .
But China ’ s National Intelligence Law gives the government authority to compel Chinese companies to collect and provide any information it requests , including data on foreign users , Quartz @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spying a duty for Chinese companies , Yi-Zheng Lian , a former chief editor of the Hong Kong Economic Journal , wrote in a 2019 New York Times editorial .
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute reported in 2019 that ByteDance , TikTok ’ s parent company , worked alongside the Chinese Communist Party to enforce the country ’ s strict censorship laws .
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political , Economic and Moral Issues of Our Day .
ByteDance “ engaged in deeply unethical behavior in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and enables mass human rights abuses , ” the report , titled “ Mapping China ’ s Tech Giants , ” said .
Xinjiang contains concentration camps where Uighurs are held and forced into labor .
“ ByteDance collaborates with public security bureaus across China , including in Xinjiang where it plays an active role in disseminating the party-state ’ s propaganda on Xinjiang , ” the report stated .
ByteDance also established a joint venture in December 2019 with a Chinese state media group , Shanghai Dongfang Newspaper Company , Reuters reported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Research found vulnerabilities in the app that could allow cyber attackers to gain control of TikTok accounts , change the privacy settings on videos , upload videos without permission and obtain email addresses of select users .
The app collects troves of data on users , according to the company ’ s privacy policy .
If a user downloads and opens an app without ever creating an account , for instance , then TikTok can collect a user ’ s IP address , browsing history on the app , mobile carrier , location @ @ @ @ @ @ @ information on the device used to gain access to TikTok .
Once a user creates an account , TikTok can gather details about every video a user uploads , the length of time he or she watches a video , what type of content he or she like the most , which videos are shared , and any messages a user exchanges on the app .
The app ’ s portal also asks users for permission to access other social media accounts , their phone number contact list , and geolocation data .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Yates , Blumenthal and Stoller made their comments before TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer addressed concerns about data , before Trump threatened to ban TikTok and before the notion of Microsoft purchasing the app became public .
“ TikTok has become the latest target , but we are not the enemy , ” Mayer wrote Wednesday .
He said TikTok will address concerns about “ the company ’ s Chinese origins ” “ through greater transparency and accountability.
” Mayer did not address what the company would do if China demanded user data .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ is beholden to the authoritarian regime .
“ Our security team is led out of the U.S. by our Chief Information Security Officer who has 30-years of Department of Defense and financial services industry experience , ” a company spokesperson said in a statement to the DCNF .
“ TikTok collects much less U.S. user information than many of the companies in our space and stores it in the U.S. and Singapore.
” The app launched what company executives called a transparency center in Los Angeles to allow government officials to monitor TikTok @ @ @ @ @ @ @ company noted in a March blog post .
U.S. officials have reported evidence that TikTok is providing personal user data to the CCP .
The company is under national security review , Reuters reported Wednesday .
Regardless , companies often use personal data to dramatically influence how people behave and think , according to researchers at Cracked Lab , an independent research institute based in Austria that measures how information networks impact human thinking .
“ [ D ] ata-driven persuasion undermines the concept of rational choice and thus the basic foundation of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s researchers wrote in a 2017 report , referring to methods and techniques tech companies use to manipulate users into engaging with content .
“ When used in political campaigns or in other efforts to shape public policy , it may undermine democracy at large.
” A bipartisan slate of lawmakers and U.S. officials have determined TikTok is a major threat .
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo , for example , suggested during in a July 7 Fox News interview that Americans should download the app “ only if you want your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chinese Communist Party.
” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer , a New York Democrat , asked the U.S. intelligence community in 2019 to assess TikTok ’ s national security risks , saying that such apps could be used to spy on U.S. citizens or become targets of foreign influence .
Hawley also wants officials to more closely scrutinize the Chinese app .
Companies , governmental bodies , and U.S. political campaigns are asking employees to delete the app .
Wells Fargo told employees to delete the app amid what executives said were concerns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 13 .
Former Vice President Joe Biden ’ s campaign also directed staffers to stop using TikTok over security concerns , Bloomberg reported .
The Department of Defense also advised military personnel in January to remove the app for similar reasons , The New York Times reported .
But a federal ban of the app is too extreme , according to Peter Micek , a digital human rights expert at Access Now , a digital rights nonprofit .
“ [ B ] anning apps is an extreme measure that does not meet international @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vice on July 15 .
“ Under international human rights law , blocking an entire service or application is not regarded as necessary and proportionate and has been declared unlawful in several instances.
” Much of the concerns related to TikTok ’ s ties to China can be solved through comprehensive data protection regulations , Micek argued .
The General Data Protection Regulation , a European Union law passed in 2016 , gives social media users control over their own personal data , ZDNet reported in 2019 .
The law requires companies that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to disclose the data they collect , declare the reason for processing such data , and explicitly state how long the information will be retained , ZDNet noted .
Companies must also explain if any data is being redirected to third-party groups .
“ It ’ s hard to convey just what a yawning gap there is between elite opinion and the obvious right thing to do .
The [ People ’ s Republic of China ] is a dangerous expansionist threat .
Literally the least we could do is not allow them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” he wrote in a July 20 tweet , referring to critics of banning the application .
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 .

TikTok could become a powerful propaganda tool capable of shifting American public opinion if it remains in the hands of its Chinese parent company, national security analysts and China experts told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
The authoritarian regime could use data collected through TikTok to produce more targeted, and consequently, effective propaganda, the experts, who favored banning the app, said. The app could also be used to influence U.S. politics, spy on the nation, or suppress or promote content to benefit the Chinese Communist Party.
“You could influence political behavior or engage in information environment-shaping, or propaganda. All these things can be done, and have been done,” Stephen Yates, CEO of the public policy consultancy firm DC International Advisory, said of a foreign country’s ability to use social media platforms as weapons.
TikTok has faced increased scrutiny across both the U.S. government as well as private industry, and President Donald Trump floated banning the app. Microsoft is in preliminary talks to purchase TikTok from its parent company, ByteDance, the software company confirmed Sunday.
Suppressing and Promoting Content
China could control what content users see on the app, suppressing videos that are critical of the authoritarian regime or amplifying ones it finds beneficial, according to Yates.
While TikTok is primarily known for its use among Generation Z to create and view dance and comedy videos, the app has already reportedly influenced U.S. politics on at least one occasion.
TikTok users coordinated an effort to get people who didn’t intend on attending a Trump campaign rally in Tulsa sign up for it, CNN reported in June. One TikTok post urging fans of Korean pop to sign up for June rally received over 100,000 likes. Mary Jo Laupp, a 51-year-old women in Iowa, reportedly kickstarted the troll campaign.
Laupp’s video encouraging people to register for free tickets to the rally garnered more than 2 million views. The Trump campaign disputed the claims, saying it weeds out phony registrations.
Yet demonstrations in Hong Kong that received worldwide attention were barely mentioned on TikTok, according to a Washington Post report.
A hashtag used to identify posts showing resistance to an extradition bill supposedly designed to weaken Hong Kong autonomy, #antielab, had only 11 posts on TikTok, but collected more than 34,000 posts on Instagram at the time of reporting. Meanwhile, Hashtags for #HongKongProtests on TikTok returned either a single video or an error message telling users that TikTok could not “find this hashtag: Check out trending videos.”
TikTok also directed moderators to censor content that mentions Tiananmen Square and Tibetan independence and banned religious groups, The Guardian reported in 2019, citing leaked documents highlighting the app’s moderation guidelines.
The app could similarly suppress content regarding China’s treatment of Uighurs, Yates told the DCNF. Numerous reports have shown Uighurs being held in concentration camps and being subjected to forced sterilization.
Comparing TikTok To Facebook
Yates, a foreign policy expert who worked as a deputy national security adviser to former Vice President Dick Cheney, compared TikTok’s potential political influence to how Russia used Facebook posts and advertisements to disrupt the U.S. political system ahead of the 2016 election.
The Russian government spread disinformation to users on a variety of social media platforms during the last presidential election cycle. Facebook gave Congress roughly 3,000 ads in 2017 with links to Russia. The company said it sold $100,000 worth of ads to Russian-linked sources that investigators believe were trying to influence the 2016 election.
But when it comes to data collection, TikTok and Facebook can’t be equated, according to Yates.
Washington Post tech columnist Geoffrey Fowler argued on a July 13 that much of the concerns related to TikTok’s alleged privacy violations are driven by “xenophobia” and compared its data collection to Facebook, which owns Instagram.
“This would be a commercial and political communication platform that gives a hostile power access to people’s cell phones and computers in which their entire lives have become dependent,” Yates said of TikTok. The app is totally “within China’s sphere of influence,” he added.
And Matt Stoller, the Research Director at the American Economic Liberties Project, told the DCNF that the difference between a company like Facebook and TikTok is that one is “controlled by a greedy American” corporation, while the “other is controlled by a genocidal regime hostile to liberal democracy.”
TikTok’s executives have also managed to avoid U.S. oversight.
TikTok executives “couldn’t attend hearings and testify because executives were located in #China,” Sen. Josh Hawley tweeted in May. He linked to a report that a former Disney executive, Kevin Mayer, would become the app’s new CEO.
.@tiktok_us previously told me they couldn’t attend hearings and testify because executives were located in #China. But this new executive lives in the USA. I look forward to hearing from him. Under oath. https://t.co/XPfiVpo9Ta — Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) May 18, 2020
“But this new executive lives in the USA,” the Missouri Republican continued. “I look forward to hearing from him. Under oath.”
Meanwhile, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, along with the CEOs of Google, Apple and Amazon, testified before the House Judiciary’s Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law on July 29 over lawmaker concerns that they are building their empires through anti-competitive methods.
Potential Collaboration With China
TikTok has the potential to be used as a spying tool for China, according to Dan Blumenthal, the director of Asian Studies at the American Enterprise Institute.
“The Chinese are building a mass of information about the U.S. including a ‘human network map’ that makes connections it deems important among U.S. financial, corporate, policy media and political elites,” Blumenthal, who supports banning the app, told the DCNF. “This is both for espionage purposes as well as for purposes of influencing U.S. politics.”
Blumenthal did not elaborate on how such data could be used to spy on Americans.
But China’s National Intelligence Law gives the government authority to compel Chinese companies to collect and provide any information it requests, including data on foreign users, Quartz reported in 2017. The law makes spying a duty for Chinese companies, Yi-Zheng Lian, a former chief editor of the Hong Kong Economic Journal, wrote in a 2019 New York Times editorial.
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute reported in 2019 that ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, worked alongside the Chinese Communist Party to enforce the country’s strict censorship laws.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
ByteDance “engaged in deeply unethical behavior in Xinjiang, where their work directly supports and enables mass human rights abuses,” the report, titled “Mapping China’s Tech Giants,” said. Xinjiang contains concentration camps where Uighurs are held and forced into labor.
“ByteDance collaborates with public security bureaus across China, including in Xinjiang where it plays an active role in disseminating the party-state’s propaganda on Xinjiang,” the report stated. ByteDance also established a joint venture in December 2019 with a Chinese state media group, Shanghai Dongfang Newspaper Company, Reuters reported in 2019.
Additionally, Check Point Research found vulnerabilities in the app that could allow cyber attackers to gain control of TikTok accounts, change the privacy settings on videos, upload videos without permission and obtain email addresses of select users.
The app collects troves of data on users, according to the company’s privacy policy. If a user downloads and opens an app without ever creating an account, for instance, then TikTok can collect a user’s IP address, browsing history on the app, mobile carrier, location data when using a mobile device and information on the device used to gain access to TikTok.
Once a user creates an account, TikTok can gather details about every video a user uploads, the length of time he or she watches a video, what type of content he or she like the most, which videos are shared, and any messages a user exchanges on the app. The app’s portal also asks users for permission to access other social media accounts, their phone number contact list, and geolocation data.
‘We are Not the Enemy’
Yates, Blumenthal and Stoller made their comments before TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer addressed concerns about data, before Trump threatened to ban TikTok and before the notion of Microsoft purchasing the app became public.
“TikTok has become the latest target, but we are not the enemy,” Mayer wrote Wednesday. He said TikTok will address concerns about “the company’s Chinese origins” “through greater transparency and accountability.”
Mayer did not address what the company would do if China demanded user data. But TikTok dismisses claims that the company is beholden to the authoritarian regime.
“Our security team is led out of the U.S. by our Chief Information Security Officer who has 30-years of Department of Defense and financial services industry experience,” a company spokesperson said in a statement to the DCNF. “TikTok collects much less U.S. user information than many of the companies in our space and stores it in the U.S. and Singapore.”
The app launched what company executives called a transparency center in Los Angeles to allow government officials to monitor TikTok’s content review process, the company noted in a March blog post.
U.S. officials have reported evidence that TikTok is providing personal user data to the CCP. The company is under national security review, Reuters reported Wednesday.
Increasing Scrutiny
Regardless, companies often use personal data to dramatically influence how people behave and think, according to researchers at Cracked Lab, an independent research institute based in Austria that measures how information networks impact human thinking.
“[D]ata-driven persuasion undermines the concept of rational choice and thus the basic foundation of market economy,” the group’s researchers wrote in a 2017 report, referring to methods and techniques tech companies use to manipulate users into engaging with content. “When used in political campaigns or in other efforts to shape public policy, it may undermine democracy at large.”
A bipartisan slate of lawmakers and U.S. officials have determined TikTok is a major threat. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, for example, suggested during in a July 7 Fox News interview that Americans should download the app “only if you want your private information in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, asked the U.S. intelligence community in 2019 to assess TikTok’s national security risks, saying that such apps could be used to spy on U.S. citizens or become targets of foreign influence. Hawley also wants officials to more closely scrutinize the Chinese app.
Companies, governmental bodies, and U.S. political campaigns are asking employees to delete the app.
Wells Fargo told employees to delete the app amid what executives said were concerns about security, CNN reported on July 13. Former Vice President Joe Biden’s campaign also directed staffers to stop using TikTok over security concerns, Bloomberg reported.
The Department of Defense also advised military personnel in January to remove the app for similar reasons, The New York Times reported.
But a federal ban of the app is too extreme, according to Peter Micek, a digital human rights expert at Access Now, a digital rights nonprofit.
“[B]anning apps is an extreme measure that does not meet international human rights standards,” Micek told Vice on July 15. “Under international human rights law, blocking an entire service or application is not regarded as necessary and proportionate and has been declared unlawful in several instances.”
Much of the concerns related to TikTok’s ties to China can be solved through comprehensive data protection regulations, Micek argued. The General Data Protection Regulation, a European Union law passed in 2016, gives social media users control over their own personal data, ZDNet reported in 2019.
The law requires companies that gather a person’s personal information to disclose the data they collect, declare the reason for processing such data, and explicitly state how long the information will be retained, ZDNet noted. Companies must also explain if any data is being redirected to third-party groups.
Conversely, Stoller supports banning the Chinese app.
“It’s hard to convey just what a yawning gap there is between elite opinion and the obvious right thing to do. The [People’s Republic of China] is a dangerous expansionist threat. Literally the least we could do is not allow them to manipulate tens of millions of Americans,” he wrote in a July 20 tweet, referring to critics of banning the application.
Copyright 2020 The Daily Caller News Foundation
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].


thestream--2020-08-04--Then They Burned the Bibles

Then They Burned the Bibles

It ’ s no surprise that rioters in Portland burned Bibles this past weekend .
As we ’ ve said for weeks now , the spirit behind the riots is the spirit of lawlessness .
It is anti-God and anti-Christ .
That ’ s why synagogues and churches have also been targets .
When it comes to the Bible , for some it is the ultimate symbol of oppression .
Of religious tyranny .
Of abusive authority .
The Bible is ( they suppose ) the evil book on which America was founded , and it should be burned along @ @ @ @ @ @ @ racist , homophobic , and misogynist .
It supports genocide and apartheid , and it is the divinely-sanctioned manual for slave owners .
To the flames !
Such is the mentality of the radical left , as reflected in groups like Antifa and BLM .
( I ’ m speaking of the organization , in distinction from the truth that black lives matter . )
The words of Ian Miles Cheong , managing editor of Human Events , have been widely quoted since the Bible burning incident .
He tweeted , “ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bible has to do with protesting against police brutality .
Do not be under the illusion that these protests and riots are anything but an attempt to dismantle all of Western Civilization and upend centuries of tradition and freedom of religion.
” Yes , it is beyond ludicrous to suggest that the burning of Bibles has any connection at all to the death of George Floyd .
He was himself a professing Christian .
And it is ridiculous to think there is any real connection between the Bible and police brutality .
Something @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as we have argued before , it is not from above but from below .
Just as an ideological line can be traced from Saul Alinsky to the leadership of BLM , an ideological line can be traced from Alinsky to Satan .
In Alinsky ’ s own words ( in the acknowledgment section of his Rules for Radicals ) : “ Lest we forget at least an over-the-shoulder acknowledgment to the very first radical : from all our legends , mythology , and history ( and who is to know where mythology @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which is which ) , the first radical known to man who rebelled against the establishment and did it so effectively that he at least won his own kingdom — Lucifer.
” Even if he spoke this entirely tongue in cheek , it is noteworthy that the one Alinsky chose to praise as the first rebel is Lucifer .
He characterizes God as “ the establishment.
” Could he have made himself any clearer ?
( Interestingly , Alinsky was raised as an Orthodox Jew .
He left Judaism entirely , though , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to become a rabbi . )
What we are seeing , then , in these riots , is ultimately an attempt to cast off the rulership of God .
In the words of the rebellious kings in Psalms 2 ( speaking against the Lord and the Davidic monarch who ruled over them ) : “ Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles ” ( Psalm 2:3 ) .
We will not have God rule over us !
That ’ s why Bibles are being burned .
It is an open @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Judeo-Christian values .
It is the thumbing of the nose to divine authority .
And it is overt rebellion .
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political , Economic and Moral Issues of Our Day .
A July 31 article in The Federalist by Krystina Skurk , was titled “ 4 French Revolution Trends That Have Started In The United States.
” She named Trend # 4 as “ Violent Hostility Towards Religion.
” To be sure , there was much in the traditional religion of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also true that the Bible has often been misused by religious leaders for their own fleshly purposes .
The True Story of the Bible ’ s Impact on Society But the Bible itself has had made an incredibly positive impact on the world .
( See , for example , Vishal Mangalwadi ’ s This Book Changed Everything : The Bible ’ s Amazing Impact on Our World . )
And when rightly applied , the Bible ’ s principles have liberated women , slaves , and other oppressed groups .
( See @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s The Rise of Christianity : How the Obscure , Marginal Jesus Movement Became the Dominant Religious Force in the Western World in a Few Centuries . )
And it is easy to respond to the charges raised against the ethics of the Bible .
( See , for example , Amy Orr Ewing , Is the Bible Intolerant ?
Sexist ?
Oppressive ?
Homophobic ?
Outdated ?
Irrelevant ? )
The fact is that the same spirit that animates violence and vandalism is the same spirit that animates setting church buildings and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ why I tweeted on August 1 , “ First they burned the federal buildings , then they burned the churches , now they ’ re burning Bibles .
Rather than asking ‘ What is next ?
’ we should ask , ‘ Who is next ?
’ ” Let the reader be warned .
Dr. Michael Brown ( www.askdrbrown.org ) is the host of the nationally syndicated Line of Fire radio program .
His latest book is Evangelicals at the Crossroads : Will We Pass the Trump Test ?
Connect with him on @ @ @ @ @ @

It’s no surprise that rioters in Portland burned Bibles this past weekend. As we’ve said for weeks now, the spirit behind the riots is the spirit of lawlessness. It is anti-God and anti-Christ. That’s why synagogues and churches have also been targets.
When it comes to the Bible, for some it is the ultimate symbol of oppression. Of religious tyranny. Of abusive authority.
The Bible is (they suppose) the evil book on which America was founded, and it should be burned along with the American flag. It is racist, homophobic, and misogynist. It supports genocide and apartheid, and it is the divinely-sanctioned manual for slave owners. To the flames!
Such is the mentality of the radical left, as reflected in groups like Antifa and BLM. (I’m speaking of the organization, in distinction from the truth that black lives matter.)
Burning Bibles Isn’t About Police Brutality, But a Lawless, Anti-God Spirit
The words of Ian Miles Cheong, managing editor of Human Events, have been widely quoted since the Bible burning incident. He tweeted, “I don’t know what burning the Bible has to do with protesting against police brutality. Do not be under the illusion that these protests and riots are anything but an attempt to dismantle all of Western Civilization and upend centuries of tradition and freedom of religion.”
Yes, it is beyond ludicrous to suggest that the burning of Bibles has any connection at all to the death of George Floyd. He was himself a professing Christian. And it is ridiculous to think there is any real connection between the Bible and police brutality.
Something else is animating these rioters and, as we have argued before, it is not from above but from below. Just as an ideological line can be traced from Saul Alinsky to the leadership of BLM, an ideological line can be traced from Alinsky to Satan.
In Alinsky’s own words (in the acknowledgment section of his Rules for Radicals): “Lest we forget at least an over-the-shoulder acknowledgment to the very first radical: from all our legends, mythology, and history (and who is to know where mythology leaves off and history begins — or which is which), the first radical known to man who rebelled against the establishment and did it so effectively that he at least won his own kingdom — Lucifer.”
Even if he spoke this entirely tongue in cheek, it is noteworthy that the one Alinsky chose to praise as the first rebel is Lucifer. He characterizes God as “the establishment.” Could he have made himself any clearer? (Interestingly, Alinsky was raised as an Orthodox Jew. He left Judaism entirely, though, rather than opening himself to family pressure to become a rabbi.)
Overt Rebellion Against Divine Authority
What we are seeing, then, in these riots, is ultimately an attempt to cast off the rulership of God. In the words of the rebellious kings in Psalms 2 (speaking against the Lord and the Davidic monarch who ruled over them): “Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles” (Psalm 2:3). We will not have God rule over us!
That’s why Bibles are being burned. It is an open expression of hostility to the Judeo-Christian God and Judeo-Christian values. It is the thumbing of the nose to divine authority. And it is overt rebellion.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
A July 31 article in The Federalist by Krystina Skurk, was titled “4 French Revolution Trends That Have Started In The United States.” She named Trend #4 as “Violent Hostility Towards Religion.”
She wrote:
To say the French Revolution was hostile towards religion is an understatement. Church property was nationalized, tithing was outlawed, church authorities were made employees of the state, and 30,000 priests were exiled. […] Traditional religion in the United States has also come under attack by the modern radical left. And, while things haven’t yet got to the level of the French Revolution, the current anti-Christian climate does not bode well for the future.
To be sure, there was much in the traditional religion of France that needed reform. It is also true that the Bible has often been misused by religious leaders for their own fleshly purposes.
The True Story of the Bible’s Impact on Society
But the Bible itself has had made an incredibly positive impact on the world. (See, for example, Vishal Mangalwadi’s This Book Changed Everything: The Bible’s Amazing Impact on Our World.)
And when rightly applied, the Bible’s principles have liberated women, slaves, and other oppressed groups. (See, for example, Rodney Stark’s The Rise of Christianity: How the Obscure, Marginal Jesus Movement Became the Dominant Religious Force in the Western World in a Few Centuries.)
And it is easy to respond to the charges raised against the ethics of the Bible. (See, for example, Amy Orr Ewing, Is the Bible Intolerant? Sexist? Oppressive? Homophobic? Outdated? Irrelevant?)
The fact is that the same spirit that animates violence and vandalism is the same spirit that animates setting church buildings and Bibles on fire.
That’s why I tweeted on August 1, “First they burned the federal buildings, then they burned the churches, now they’re burning Bibles. Rather than asking ‘What is next?’ we should ask, ‘Who is next?’”
Let the reader be warned.
(For the connection between BLM, “Jezebel,” and witchcraft, see here and here.)
Dr. Michael Brown (www.askdrbrown.org) is the host of the nationally syndicated Line of Fire radio program. His latest book is Evangelicals at the Crossroads: Will We Pass the Trump Test? Connect with him on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.


thestream--2020-08-04--The Power of Looking Up

The Power of Looking Up

Entering “ The Narrows ” at Zion National Park in Southern Utah was one of the most anticipated highlights of our family vacation .
As we set out on our morning excursion , we were well-equipped with professional water boots , Neoprene socks , real wood walking sticks and a backpack full of snacks and water .
About a mile into the hike , the paved path ended , and we made our way into the water .
We waded upstream between towering rock formations on both sides .
The current was swift but doable , and the natural beauty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ effort .
I soon became acutely aware of something I was doing that I didn ’ t even realize : I was looking down .
A lot .
Granted , the stream bed was made up of rocks of every shape and size .
Each step was an invitation to twist an ankle or lose your balance .
And while it made sense to look down , something inside me started to feel amiss .
Blurry stones seen through calf-deep water all began to look the same .
In that moment , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , “ Stop .
Look up.
” So , I did .
And what my eyes beheld was a beauty so striking , a natural landscape so breathtaking , I won ’ t soon forget it .
After weeks of gazing down into the dulling abyss of living life through a screen during quarantine , beholding the unyielding , immovable beauty of rocks , sky , trees and sunshine — outside and unmasked — grounded me .
It was healing , reorienting and cathartic .
It wasn ’ t hard to realize that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even came on my hike .
“ Looking up ” was giving me the perspective my soul craved .
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political , Economic and Moral Issues of Our Day .
Why , then , had I been so intent on keeping my face down ?
Not a trick question : safety , of course .
But safety isn ’ t what made me feel alive .
Looking down intent on — and protective of — my own safety , step upon step @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , discouraged , and a little numb .
Still , looking down in this context makes perfect sense .
It should help me plant my steps firmly , right ?
Not every time , at least not for me .
Even with carefully obsessing over each step , I still slipped once or twice .
Relying on my own rock-navigating skills wasn ’ t fail safe , by any means .
It was “ looking up ” that gave me my “ why ” — to keep going , pushing farther and farther @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beauty — to believe that something even better was just around the bend .
Let ’ s just go ahead and admit it : 2020 has been one , huge temptation to keep looking down .
Besides the everyday-life “ rocks ” in our path that seem to exist only to slip and trip us up , we ’ re also dealing with threats of unexpected societal flash floods — just like the real-life one that threatened us in The Narrows that day .
These flash floods pose actual , life-threatening danger of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Before we know it , anxiety and fear about all the unknowns keeps us from looking up , trusting our walking sticks , and fully experiencing the presence of the beauty and majesty around us .
In that moment , I was reminded of two truths .
First , just as the towering rocks were immovable in The Narrows , God is our immovable Rock in times of trouble ( Psalm 62:2 ) .
If I found myself in a flash flood , I literally could have hidden myself in the cleft of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ God wants us looking up to Him ( Psalm 121 ) , not down onto our circumstances .
There , in the middle of that stream with water rushing around me and thousands of rocks behind me and in front of me , I realized that looking down was about self-sufficiency ; looking up was about God-sufficiency .
In the same way , God is calling us to redirect our downward gaze off of challenging circumstances , seemingly endless obstacles , and all the “ what-ifs ” of life ’ s potential flash @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ability , and power that is God .
Would we be brave enough to lift up our eyes and let go of perceived self-sufficient safety in favor of something so much more beautiful and inspiring that it re-energizes our souls , reorients our priorities , and makes us come alive afresh ?
In looking up to God as Our Rock , we will find our steps planted securely as we stare into the face God ’ s beauty , holiness and unchanging promises towards us .
“ Letting go of looking down ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moment , but it is the very decision that frees us up to find ourselves propelled forward .
And as 2020 continues its uncertain threats to our safety , security , and stability — pressuring us to stress over the slippery rocks we must navigate — let us never forget : there is power in looking up .
Annemarie McLean is a four-girl mom , freelance writer , and co-founder of Brave & Beautiful , a ministry focused on challenging young women to live purpose-driven lives full of courage and character , while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a journalism degree from Oral Roberts University , with graduate work in organizational leadership at Palm Beach Atlantic University .

Entering “The Narrows” at Zion National Park in Southern Utah was one of the most anticipated highlights of our family vacation. As we set out on our morning excursion, we were well-equipped with professional water boots, Neoprene socks, real wood walking sticks and a backpack full of snacks and water.
About a mile into the hike, the paved path ended, and we made our way into the water. We waded upstream between towering rock formations on both sides. The current was swift but doable, and the natural beauty that awaited us was well worth the effort.
Perspective
I soon became acutely aware of something I was doing that I didn’t even realize: I was looking down. A lot. Granted, the stream bed was made up of rocks of every shape and size. Each step was an invitation to twist an ankle or lose your balance. And while it made sense to look down, something inside me started to feel amiss. Blurry stones seen through calf-deep water all began to look the same.
In that moment, I heard a still, small voice whisper, “Stop. Look up.” So, I did. And what my eyes beheld was a beauty so striking, a natural landscape so breathtaking, I won’t soon forget it. After weeks of gazing down into the dulling abyss of living life through a screen during quarantine, beholding the unyielding, immovable beauty of rocks, sky, trees and sunshine — outside and unmasked — grounded me. It was healing, reorienting and cathartic.
It wasn’t hard to realize that “looking up” was why I even came on my hike. “Looking up” was giving me the perspective my soul craved.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
Why, then, had I been so intent on keeping my face down? Not a trick question: safety, of course. But safety isn’t what made me feel alive. Looking down intent on — and protective of — my own safety, step upon step upon step, made me feel exhausted, discouraged, and a little numb.
Still, looking down in this context makes perfect sense. It should help me plant my steps firmly, right? Not every time, at least not for me. Even with carefully obsessing over each step, I still slipped once or twice. Relying on my own rock-navigating skills wasn’t fail safe, by any means. It was “looking up” that gave me my “why” — to keep going, pushing farther and farther upstream, into greater depths of awe-inspiring beauty — to believe that something even better was just around the bend.
The 2020 ‘Flash Flood’
Let’s just go ahead and admit it: 2020 has been one, huge temptation to keep looking down. Besides the everyday-life “rocks” in our path that seem to exist only to slip and trip us up, we’re also dealing with threats of unexpected societal flash floods — just like the real-life one that threatened us in The Narrows that day. These flash floods pose actual, life-threatening danger of sweeping everything in their path downstream. Before we know it, anxiety and fear about all the unknowns keeps us from looking up, trusting our walking sticks, and fully experiencing the presence of the beauty and majesty around us.
Two Truths
In that moment, I was reminded of two truths. First, just as the towering rocks were immovable in The Narrows, God is our immovable Rock in times of trouble (Psalm 62:2). If I found myself in a flash flood, I literally could have hidden myself in the cleft of one of the rocks.
Second, God wants us looking up to Him (Psalm 121), not down onto our circumstances. There, in the middle of that stream with water rushing around me and thousands of rocks behind me and in front of me, I realized that looking down was about self-sufficiency; looking up was about God-sufficiency. In the same way, God is calling us to redirect our downward gaze off of challenging circumstances, seemingly endless obstacles, and all the “what-ifs” of life’s potential flash floods, and onto the beauty, ability, and power that is God.
Would we be brave enough to lift up our eyes and let go of perceived self-sufficient safety in favor of something so much more beautiful and inspiring that it re-energizes our souls, reorients our priorities, and makes us come alive afresh? In looking up to God as Our Rock, we will find our steps planted securely as we stare into the face God’s beauty, holiness and unchanging promises towards us.
“Letting go of looking down” seems to make no sense in the moment, but it is the very decision that frees us up to find ourselves propelled forward. And as 2020 continues its uncertain threats to our safety, security, and stability — pressuring us to stress over the slippery rocks we must navigate — let us never forget: there is power in looking up.
Annemarie McLean is a four-girl mom, freelance writer, and co-founder of Brave & Beautiful, a ministry focused on challenging young women to live purpose-driven lives full of courage and character, while developing Christ-centered inner beauty. Annemarie holds a journalism degree from Oral Roberts University, with graduate work in organizational leadership at Palm Beach Atlantic University.