thestream--2020-06-10--The Gospel Preached, Lives Changed at Site Where George Floyd Was Killed

On the very streets where George Floyd was murdered , the Gospel of Jesus is being preached , people are being baptized and lives are being changed .
“ I came here and I was broken , ” Christophe Ulysse , a YWAM leader from Kona , Hawaii , told Fox News .
“ It affects team members differently , but those of us of color , as we ’ re here , we ’ re watching the change happen through the gospel .
My heart is so filled with hope .
Those in the neighborhood are saying this is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an outpouring of love and hope from this nation.
” He added , “ We ’ re going from pain and hatred to healing and hope .
There ’ s this new narrative of the gospel.
” Other ministries joined Ulysse — Circuit Riders , a missional community based in California , and Worldwide Outreach for Christ , a local church .
Together they ’ ve been holding daily services at the intersection where Floyd was killed .
Joel Bomberger , a pastor with Circuit Riders , posted on Facebook that many people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the open-air preaching .
“ Dozens and dozens of people healed , filled with hope , changed , and born again by the power of Jesus this weekend in Minneapolis !
” Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political , Economic and Moral Issues of Our Day .
One preacher led the crowd in a sinner ’ s prayer .
“ I believe that You rose again , defeating life and defeating death .
I give you my life .
The Holy Spirit lead me , guide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what it means to follow You , in Jesus ’ name , Amen.
” “ There are too many testimonies to recount !
!
” Bomberger posted .
“ They were able to preach to thousands and saw hundreds responding to the Gospel of Jesus !
!
Miracles have also happened at the memorial site .
“ Just got a text that a deaf ear was just opened by the power of Jesus !
Praise God !
” Bomberger posted on Facebook .
Bomberger also shared that a girl was planning to take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she gave her life to Jesus .
In another case , Circuit Riders leaders prayed over a man who ’ d overdosed on drugs .
The man was limp on the gurney when they prayed .
Then , as paramedics administered aid , the guy woke up .
Ulysse told Fox News that this is a “ historic moment.
” He explained , “ The pain went to the nation and now the globe , but we believe that healing is now going out from the intersection to the nations and the globe.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrote , “ We built a stage and have been sharing the love of God at the death site of Gorge Floyd [ sic ] since Saturday .
It ’ s the epicenter of so much pain and hatred , now it is turning into a place of healing and HOPE .
People weeping and giving their life to the God .
Right at the site of the murder — LIFE !
!
!
We have seen people healed , baptized , and many set free .
“ Great to run with such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seeing a new narrative emerge , from hatred to healing and hope !
” Nancy Flory is an associate editor at The Stream .
You can follow her @ NancyFlory3 , and follow The Stream @ Streamdotorg .

On the very streets where George Floyd was murdered, the Gospel of Jesus is being preached, people are being baptized and lives are being changed.
“I came here and I was broken,” Christophe Ulysse, a YWAM leader from Kona, Hawaii, told Fox News. “It affects team members differently, but those of us of color, as we’re here, we’re watching the change happen through the gospel. My heart is so filled with hope. Those in the neighborhood are saying this is unprecedented unity. They’re feeling an outpouring of love and hope from this nation.” He added, “We’re going from pain and hatred to healing and hope. There’s this new narrative of the gospel.”
Lives Changed
Other ministries joined Ulysse — Circuit Riders, a missional community based in California, and Worldwide Outreach for Christ, a local church. Together they’ve been holding daily services at the intersection where Floyd was killed.
Joel Bomberger, a pastor with Circuit Riders, posted on Facebook that many people have accepted Jesus and been healed during the open-air preaching. “Dozens and dozens of people healed, filled with hope, changed, and born again by the power of Jesus this weekend in Minneapolis!”
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
One preacher led the crowd in a sinner’s prayer. “I believe that You rose again, defeating life and defeating death. I give you my life. The Holy Spirit lead me, guide me, show me the fullness of what it means to follow You, in Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Watch:
“There are too many testimonies to recount!!” Bomberger posted. “They were able to preach to thousands and saw hundreds responding to the Gospel of Jesus!!
Miracles have also happened at the memorial site. “Just got a text that a deaf ear was just opened by the power of Jesus! Praise God!” Bomberger posted on Facebook. Bomberger also shared that a girl was planning to take her life but after the event, she gave her life to Jesus. In another case, Circuit Riders leaders prayed over a man who’d overdosed on drugs. The man was limp on the gurney when they prayed. Then, as paramedics administered aid, the guy woke up.
Ulysse told Fox News that this is a “historic moment.” He explained, “The pain went to the nation and now the globe, but we believe that healing is now going out from the intersection to the nations and the globe.”
‘A Place of Healing and Hope’
In a Facebook post, Ulysse wrote, “We built a stage and have been sharing the love of God at the death site of Gorge Floyd [sic] since Saturday. It’s the epicenter of so much pain and hatred, now it is turning into a place of healing and HOPE. People weeping and giving their life to the God. Right at the site of the murder — LIFE!!! We have seen people healed, baptized, and many set free.
“Great to run with such amazing people in this. We are seeing a new narrative emerge, from hatred to healing and hope!”
Nancy Flory is an associate editor at The Stream. You can follow her @NancyFlory3, and follow The Stream @Streamdotorg.


thestream--2020-06-10--‘He’s Fine in the Basement’: Terry McAuliffe Says Small, Strategic Statements Are Biden’s Ticket to

‘He’s Fine in the Basement’: Terry McAuliffe Says Small, Strategic Statements Are Biden’s Ticket to Winning in November

Former Virginia Gov .
Terry McAuliffe said during a video conference Saturday that Democrats believe former Vice President Joe Biden is “ fine in the basement ” and has the best bet of winning the election if he makes small but strategic statements .
Fox News obtained a video Tuesday of McAuliffe making the admission during a conference with the “ monthly breakfast ” of the Norfolk City Democratic Committee .
The Biden surrogate made the comments after the former vice president was criticized for suggesting in a May 27 interview that black people who support President Donald Trump “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say all the time , ‘ Oh , we got to get the vice president out of the basement , ’ ” McAuliffe said during the conference .
“ He ’ s fine in the basement .
Two people see him a day — his two body people .
That ’ s it .
Let Trump keep doing what Trump ’ s doing.
” “ It ’ s hard for the vice president to break through , ” he said during the conference of Biden .
“ You ’ ve got the COVID @ @ @ @ @ @ @ governor , doesn ’ t have the National Guard .
He ’ s not the president , doesn ’ t have the briefing room.
” McAuliffe was former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ’ s campaign co-chairman during her unsuccessful 2008 presidential bid .
Biden needs to come out strategically , according to the former Virginia governor .
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political , Economic and Moral Issues of Our Day .
“ And when he says something like he did on race relations two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a big impact — thoughtful , and that ’ s what we ’ re preferring that he actually do at the time.
” Trump , for his part , often mocks Biden for sheltering in his basement during the coronavirus pandemic , which has reportedly killed nearly 110,000 people in the United States .
“ I ’ d love to see him get out of the basement so he can speak , ” the president said in a telephone interview with Fox News in May .
Still , Biden ’ s polling better @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against the death of George Floyd , a black man who died after a police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes , per a video of the incident .
In a CNN poll published Monday , 55 % of people surveyed said they would vote for Biden , while 41 % said the same for Trump , who shocked pollsters after he defeated Clinton in a close presidential election in 2016 .
Biden ’ s campaign did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation ’ s request for comment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience .
For licensing opportunities of our original content , please contact licensing @ dailycallernewsfoundation.org .

Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe said during a video conference Saturday that Democrats believe former Vice President Joe Biden is “fine in the basement” and has the best bet of winning the election if he makes small but strategic statements.
Fox News obtained a video Tuesday of McAuliffe making the admission during a conference with the “monthly breakfast” of the Norfolk City Democratic Committee. The Biden surrogate made the comments after the former vice president was criticized for suggesting in a May 27 interview that black people who support President Donald Trump “ain’t black.”
“People say all the time, ‘Oh, we got to get the vice president out of the basement,’” McAuliffe said during the conference. “He’s fine in the basement. Two people see him a day — his two body people. That’s it. Let Trump keep doing what Trump’s doing.”
“It’s hard for the vice president to break through,” he said during the conference of Biden. “You’ve got the COVID crisis. He’s not a governor, doesn’t have the National Guard. He’s not the president, doesn’t have the briefing room.”
McAuliffe was former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s campaign co-chairman during her unsuccessful 2008 presidential bid.
Biden needs to come out strategically, according to the former Virginia governor.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
“And when he says something like he did on race relations two days ago, it needs to have a big impact — thoughtful, and that’s what we’re preferring that he actually do at the time.”
Trump, for his part, often mocks Biden for sheltering in his basement during the coronavirus pandemic, which has reportedly killed nearly 110,000 people in the United States.
“I’d love to see him get out of the basement so he can speak,” the president said in a telephone interview with Fox News in May.
Still, Biden’s polling better than Trump amid the pandemic and protests against the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes, per a video of the incident.
In a CNN poll published Monday, 55% of people surveyed said they would vote for Biden, while 41% said the same for Trump, who shocked pollsters after he defeated Clinton in a close presidential election in 2016.
Biden’s campaign did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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--2020-06-10--Big Tech and Other Billionaires Funding Biden

Democrats always rail against the rich .
They present themselves as the party of the middle class and the poor .
The Democrats stand up to the 1 % , support the common man .
Those wicked Republicans serve the rich .
The hint that this maybe isn ’ t true ?
The rich give them more money than they give the Republicans .
That ’ s true in this year ’ s presidential election .
A larger percentage of Joe Biden ’ s donations have come from large contributions than have Trump ’ s .
Trump gets a larger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” the middle class and those just barely getting by support Trump .
Nearly half — about 45 % — of donations from individuals in April to Trump came in amounts of $ 200 or less .
37 % of Biden ’ s individual contributions came in those lower amounts .
Here ’ s one of the major stories .
Some of the hefty money comes from big tech billionaires .
As if we needed any more evidence big tech is biased against the right .
The billionaires who run those corporations are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ problem isn ’ t that they ’ re giving a lot of money to Biden .
That ’ s expected .
The problem is that they ’ re trying to catch up to Donald Trump ’ s lead in digital campaigning in underhanded ways .
Many of them are doing it discreetly .
As the people at the top of the digital food chain , they can manipulate the technology to bring voters to Biden and drive them away from Trump .
Many think the Democrats ’ tech advantage in 2008 and 2012 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ winning the presidency .
With an advantage like that , Biden may be able to catch up .
LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman is setting up partisan news sites masquerading as journalism .
He put $ 10 million into Acronym .
It creates , the liberal site Vox reports , “ local news sites that portray moderate Democratic candidates in a favorable light , but appear to be objective , homespun outlets.
” Its Courier Newsroom is focusing on six swing states : Arizona , Michigan , North Carolina , Pennsylvania , Virginia , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ fill the news deserts , deliver the facts favorable to Democrats that voters are missing , and counter right-wing spin.
” A “ news desert ” is apparently an area that doesn ’ t have enough liberal news sources .
Acronym and the groups linked to it claim to be independent news sources , but act as political activists .
Many believe this is a blatant conflict of interest .
Prominent liberal journalist Steven Brill is disgusted by what it does to the political process .
He runs NewsGuard , a center @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vox , “ When you undermine that process by posing as journalists — when you ’ re just out to make a partisan hit on someone or a partisan support of someone on the left — I think that is so hideous that it really needs to be called out.
” Hoffman has also invested $ 18 million in a project called Alloy .
It stores data about voters obtained from progressive groups and uses it to get them to vote .
In 2018 , Hoffman financed MotiveAI , which got caught spreading @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the company used 50 Facebook pages that appeared to be independent to buy political ads .
One of the ads suggested Brett Kavanaugh “ had helped Bill and Hillary Clinton cover up the murder of a White House aide.
” The company bragged about its efforts in a video .
It has now been curiously deleted ( The Daily Beast obtained a copy first ) .
“ We produced over 260 videos and over 5,000 individual ads , which led to 28 districts flipped and the highest Democratic margin since 1972 [ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years the Democrats took control of the House.
” Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political , Economic and Moral Issues of Our Day .
Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt is pouring money into the Democratic Data Exchange , an effort by the DNC to get state parties to share data .
He started OneOne Ventures , which will serve as a bridge between traditional political operatives and technical teams .
It ’ s investing in more than 20 different political startups .
One of them , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how to use data .
Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz and philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs ( Steve Jobs ’ widow ) are pouring millions into voter registration programs .
A secret group of donors called Mind the Gap is helping these programs raise millions .
One of the biggest beneficiaries is Voter Participation Center .
VPC recently started a new focus on vote by mail .
It sends postcards to people on their 18th birthday encouraging them to register to vote .
Additionally , VPC discovered that an official-looking plain white envelope with a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ filled out than a partisan looking envelope with colors .
Moskovitz ’ s North Star is trying to achieve the lowest “ cost-per-net-Democratic-vote.
” One PAC is going to pay users with large followings to take sides against the president .
Defeat Disinfo will identify claims by Trump on social media and have its network of more than 3.4 million trolls … er , influencers respond with the most popular counter-narratives .
Defeat Disinfo is advised by retired Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal .
McChrystal was forced to resign during the Obama administration for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administration officials .
It ’ s not just tech billionaires contributing to Biden and PACs supporting him .
Many other billionaires and their corporations funnel money in his direction .
Biden once opposed big money from single-candidate PACs .
He reversed his position last October and now welcomes the support .
Priorities USA Action , the biggest Democratic PAC , is piling up big contributions by the usual suspects .
Microsoft contributed $ 50,000 .
Hollywood mogul Steven Spielberg contributed $ 500,000 , as well as $ 500,000 to Acr0nym .
His partner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ company Dreamworks contributed $ 250,000 to American Bridge 21st Century .
That PAC provided research for a recent effort by Media Matters to take down some of the most well-known leaders on the right and squelch conservative speech and policies .
It was partly funded by George Soros .
Choice Hotels , which owns hotels like Quality Inn and Comfort Inn , contributed $ 3 million to Unite the Country and another $ 2 million directly to Biden ’ s campaign .
AirBNB contributed $ 100,025 to Unite the Country .
The campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 300,000 , whatever that means .
The Boston Red Sox contributed $ 85,000 .
Richard Blum , an investment banker and husband to Sen. Dianne Feinstein , contributed $ 1 million .
It is true that some billionaires contribute money to help reelect Trump .
But not the ones that control the tech industry .
Between the money and projects from big tech , and their bias moderating social media , the billionaires may have a shot at getting Joe Biden elected .
Rachel Alexander is a senior editor of The Stream @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Follow The Stream at streamdotorg .
Send tips to rachel.alexander @ stream.org .

Democrats always rail against the rich. They present themselves as the party of the middle class and the poor. The Democrats stand up to the 1%, support the common man. Those wicked Republicans serve the rich.
The hint that this maybe isn’t true? The rich give them more money than they give the Republicans.
Biden’s Donations
That’s true in this year’s presidential election. A larger percentage of Joe Biden’s donations have come from large contributions than have Trump’s.
Trump gets a larger percentage from the “little people;” the middle class and those just barely getting by support Trump. Nearly half — about 45% — of donations from individuals in April to Trump came in amounts of $200 or less. 37% of Biden’s individual contributions came in those lower amounts.
Here’s one of the major stories. Some of the hefty money comes from big tech billionaires. As if we needed any more evidence big tech is biased against the right. The billionaires who run those corporations are pouring cash into supporting Biden.
The problem isn’t that they’re giving a lot of money to Biden. That’s expected. The problem is that they’re trying to catch up to Donald Trump’s lead in digital campaigning in underhanded ways. Many of them are doing it discreetly. As the people at the top of the digital food chain, they can manipulate the technology to bring voters to Biden and drive them away from Trump. Many think the Democrats’ tech advantage in 2008 and 2012 was a key factor in Barack Obama winning the presidency. With an advantage like that, Biden may be able to catch up.
Partisan News Sites Masquerading as Journalism
LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman is setting up partisan news sites masquerading as journalism. He put $10 million into Acronym. It creates, the liberal site Vox reports, “local news sites that portray moderate Democratic candidates in a favorable light, but appear to be objective, homespun outlets.” Its Courier Newsroom is focusing on six swing states: Arizona, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
The new sites will “fill the news deserts, deliver the facts favorable to Democrats that voters are missing, and counter right-wing spin.” A “news desert” is apparently an area that doesn’t have enough liberal news sources. Acronym and the groups linked to it claim to be independent news sources, but act as political activists.
They have their pretend independent news outlets report favorably on their Democratic agenda.
Many believe this is a blatant conflict of interest. Prominent liberal journalist Steven Brill is disgusted by what it does to the political process. He runs NewsGuard, a center focused on combating misinformation. He told Vox, “When you undermine that process by posing as journalists — when you’re just out to make a partisan hit on someone or a partisan support of someone on the left — I think that is so hideous that it really needs to be called out.”
Group Got Caught Spreading Fake News
Hoffman has also invested $18 million in a project called Alloy. It stores data about voters obtained from progressive groups and uses it to get them to vote. In 2018, Hoffman financed MotiveAI, which got caught spreading fake news. Four Colorado companies associated with the company used 50 Facebook pages that appeared to be independent to buy political ads. One of the ads suggested Brett Kavanaugh “had helped Bill and Hillary Clinton cover up the murder of a White House aide.”
The company bragged about its efforts in a video. It has now been curiously deleted (The Daily Beast obtained a copy first). “We produced over 260 videos and over 5,000 individual ads, which led to 28 districts flipped and the highest Democratic margin since 1972 [and the] first time in eight years the Democrats took control of the House.”
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt is pouring money into the Democratic Data Exchange, an effort by the DNC to get state parties to share data. He started OneOne Ventures, which will serve as a bridge between traditional political operatives and technical teams. It’s investing in more than 20 different political startups. One of them, STAC Labs, trains state parties on how to use data.
Focus on Vote by Mail
Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz and philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs (Steve Jobs’ widow) are pouring millions into voter registration programs. A secret group of donors called Mind the Gap is helping these programs raise millions. One of the biggest beneficiaries is Voter Participation Center.
VPC recently started a new focus on vote by mail. It sends postcards to people on their 18th birthday encouraging them to register to vote. Additionally, VPC discovered that an official-looking plain white envelope with a registration application is more likely to be filled out than a partisan looking envelope with colors. Moskovitz’s North Star is trying to achieve the lowest “cost-per-net-Democratic-vote.”
One PAC is going to pay users with large followings to take sides against the president.
One PAC is going to pay users with large followings to take sides against the president. Defeat Disinfo will identify claims by Trump on social media and have its network of more than 3.4 million trolls … er, influencers respond with the most popular counter-narratives.
Defeat Disinfo is advised by retired Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal. McChrystal was forced to resign during the Obama administration for saying unflattering things about Biden and other administration officials.
Other Billionaires
It’s not just tech billionaires contributing to Biden and PACs supporting him. Many other billionaires and their corporations funnel money in his direction. Biden once opposed big money from single-candidate PACs. He reversed his position last October and now welcomes the support.
Priorities USA Action, the biggest Democratic PAC, is piling up big contributions by the usual suspects. Microsoft contributed $50,000. Hollywood mogul Steven Spielberg contributed $500,000, as well as $500,000 to Acr0nym. His partner Jeffrey Katzenberg contributed $100,000.
Their company Dreamworks contributed $250,000 to American Bridge 21st Century. That PAC provided research for a recent effort by Media Matters to take down some of the most well-known leaders on the right and squelch conservative speech and policies. It was partly funded by George Soros.
Choice Hotels, which owns hotels like Quality Inn and Comfort Inn, contributed $3 million to Unite the Country and another $2 million directly to Biden’s campaign. AirBNB contributed $100,025 to Unite the Country. The campaign finance report says the US government contributed $300,000, whatever that means. The Boston Red Sox contributed $85,000. Richard Blum, an investment banker and husband to Sen. Dianne Feinstein, contributed $1 million.
It is true that some billionaires contribute money to help reelect Trump. But not the ones that control the tech industry. Between the money and projects from big tech, and their bias moderating social media, the billionaires may have a shot at getting Joe Biden elected.
Rachel Alexander is a senior editor of The Stream. Follow her on Twitter at Rach_IC. Follow The Stream at streamdotorg. Send tips to [email protected].


thestream--2020-06-10--Factory Burned in Riots Will Leave Minneapolis, Owner Says

The owner of a manufacturing company based in Minneapolis has decided to move his factory after law enforcement was unable to protect the plant from burning during riots .
The plant shut down early in anticipation of the second night of riots and to ensure the safety of employees , the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported .
Kris Wyrobek , president and owner of 7-Sigma Inc. , said a production supervisor and maintenance worker who live near the plant kept watch over the business and reported a fire at an apartment complex next door .
“ They don ’ t care @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t protect our people .
We were all on our own , ” Wyrobek told the Tribune .
“ The fire engine was just sitting there , but they wouldn ’ t do anything .
That ’ s the frustrating thing to us.
” Democratic Minnesota Gov .
Tim Walz said the city ’ s response to the rioting was an “ abject failure , ” the Tribune reported .
Democratic Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey echoed Walz ’ s response , claiming the city was overwhelmed .
Please Support The Stream : Equipping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Economic and Moral Issues of Our Day .
“ We were on our own those first few nights .
There were simply more people destroying property , more people setting fires , than any city government could respond to at once , ” Frey said .
Frey has a news conference scheduled for Monday to announce the development of a group of business and community leaders to advise the city on rebuilding efforts , according to the Tribune .
Wyrobek said it ’ s “ too late ” to keep his company @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about 50 jobs with it , the Tribune reported .
Wyrobek said , “ We are sorting through the rubble , trying to figure out how to get this operational again .
We are cautiously optimistic we can do that .
But we are certainly not able to do that in Minneapolis , ” the Tribune reported .
Wyrobek ’ s company , 7-Sigma Inc. , produces mannequins used in medical training programs along with the precision rollers utilized by high-speed printing systems that produce bank statements and Social Security checks , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 .

The owner of a manufacturing company based in Minneapolis has decided to move his factory after law enforcement was unable to protect the plant from burning during riots.
The plant shut down early in anticipation of the second night of riots and to ensure the safety of employees, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.
Kris Wyrobek, president and owner of 7-Sigma Inc., said a production supervisor and maintenance worker who live near the plant kept watch over the business and reported a fire at an apartment complex next door.
A manufacturing company that has been in Minneapolis since 1987 has decided to leave the city. The company’s owner said he can’t trust public officials who allowed his plant to burn during the recent riots: “They don’t care about my business.” https://t.co/rMcZgudJCb — Star Tribune (@StarTribune) June 8, 2020
“They don’t care about my business. They didn’t protect our people. We were all on our own,” Wyrobek told the Tribune. “The fire engine was just sitting there, but they wouldn’t do anything. That’s the frustrating thing to us.”
Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said the city’s response to the rioting was an “abject failure,” the Tribune reported. Democratic Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey echoed Walz’s response, claiming the city was overwhelmed.
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“We were on our own those first few nights. There were simply more people destroying property, more people setting fires, than any city government could respond to at once,” Frey said.
Frey has a news conference scheduled for Monday to announce the development of a group of business and community leaders to advise the city on rebuilding efforts, according to the Tribune.
Wyrobek said it’s “too late” to keep his company in Minneapolis, the move will take about 50 jobs with it, the Tribune reported.
Wyrobek said, “We are sorting through the rubble, trying to figure out how to get this operational again. We are cautiously optimistic we can do that. But we are certainly not able to do that in Minneapolis,” the Tribune reported.
Wyrobek’s company, 7-Sigma Inc., produces mannequins used in medical training programs along with the precision rollers utilized by high-speed printing systems that produce bank statements and Social Security checks, according to the Tribune.
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--2020-06-11--Welcome to the Secular Left, Where Everything Spiritual Is a Power Play, and Everything Else Is, Too

It ’ s about power .
That ’ s what the secular Left sees when it looks at politics , at race relations , at education and law — and also when it looks at you and me and our Christian convictions .
We don ’ t really believe all that spiritual nonsense .
It ’ s nothing but politics ; just raw , hypocritical , manipulation for one purpose : so we can get our bigoted way in Washington .
Or so they think .
It ’ s that way in Katherine Stewart ’ s inflammatory book The Power @ @ @ @ @ @ @ couple weeks ago .
It ’ s not just her .
The Freedom From Religion Foundation thinks religion is a “ distraction ” or an “ absurd … diversion.
” Right Wing Watch analyzes Paula White ’ s One Voice Prayer Movement , and sees nothing in it but a “ thinly disguised ” Trump re-election effort .
Some people just can ’ t imagine we pray because we ’ re convinced God hears prayer .
Or that we follow Christ because we ’ re confident He really was and is God among @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taking a political position based on principles we stand for .
They can ’ t imagine we ’ re doing it because we believe it ’ s right .
Don ’ t think they ’ re picking on us , though .
It ’ s more likely they don ’ t believe anyone does anything because they believe it ’ s right .
Not us , not anyone , not even themselves — because the very idea of being right has become completely foreign to them .
It ’ s the inevitable result @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also relativism with respect to truth .
Secular culture has given up on knowing what ’ s really true , especially about larger matters of ethics , wisdom , and spiritual reality .
Even atheists insist their atheism doesn ’ t mean they believe anything is true in particular , only that they “ lack belief ” in God .
Moral relativism is familiar to us all : “ It may not be right for me but it ’ s okay if it ’ s right for you.
” Right and wrong exist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or wrong in itself .
So the theory goes , anyway .
Relativists have real trouble being consistent with it : Just try telling them it ’ s “ right for you ” to discriminate against gays in certain ways .
They seem blind to the inconsistency , though , and they ’ ll bristle if we suggest there ’ s any morality that ’ s good , right , and true for all .
It ’ s Not About Being Right , Only About Winning The impact this has on politics is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thing as a good , right , or true answer to pursue , then there ’ s only each group ’ s preferred answer .
Political dialogue becomes a mere exchange of preferences , in varying degrees of rhetorical power .
No longer can we persuade the other party , “ This is more truly ethical.
” You can ’ t say , “ This is more nearly right or true ” if there ’ s no right or true to approach more nearly .
Granted , you ’ ll still see people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
As the postmodernists say , however , it ’ s only language games , and language games are played purely for power .
It ’ s not about being right anymore .
It ’ s about winning .
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That ’ s all that ’ s left , after all , isn ’ t it ?
Right and wrong are gone , but power endures .
Logical persuasion is lacking , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the point of a gun .
Take that as a figure of speech if you will , but don ’ t forget there ’ s a reason the word “ enforcement ” is built on the root word “ force.
” So politics in this relativistic age is no longer about coming to the best , wisest , most ethical answer for a people .
It ’ s about gaining power to set your preferred policies and to enforce them .
Some of us still see it the old way , though .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and wrong are real .
We ’ re convinced the right thing is also the good thing , not just for our party but for all .
We ’ re persuaded that God made it that way , because He ’ s a good God who designed us for good purposes , if we ’ ll just follow His good guidance .
We worship Him because we ’ re convinced He ’ s really worthy of it .
Our prayers aren ’ t manipulative campaign tricks , they ’ re real prayers offered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Atheists used to laugh and say we ’ re wrong about all that .
Some still do .
We can handle that .
What we need to watch out for are the new secularists who won ’ t treat it as either right or wrong ; they ’ ll only dismiss it as a political act .
We Must Hold On To Principle And there is some real risk there , for our prayers may have political implications .
We pray for leaders who will do the right thing .
Our doctrines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they teach us about what the right thing actually is .
That political connection carries two equal and opposite dangers .
The first is that we ’ ll shy away from the public policy implications of our doctrines .
We ’ ll pull out of public life , on the false belief that doing so will purify our religion .
It ’ s false because religion was meant to affect every area of our lives , from private to public .
The second is that we ’ ll let our public policy start @ @ @ @ @ @ @ indeed contaminate our religion , even to the point where we can begin making the mistake the secularists think we always make : seeking power over principle .
We need to be the kind of people secularists think are impossible : People who are convinced right and wrong are still real , and who will let that principle drive our politics .
They can think it ’ s all about power .
We know it isn ’ t .
And we must hold on to that .
Tom Gilson ( @ TomGilsonAuthor ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the author or editor of six books , including the forthcoming Too Good To Be False : How Jesus ’ Incomparable Character Reveals His Reality .

It’s about power. That’s what the secular Left sees when it looks at politics, at race relations, at education and law — and also when it looks at you and me and our Christian convictions. We don’t really believe all that spiritual nonsense. It’s nothing but politics; just raw, hypocritical, manipulation for one purpose: so we can get our bigoted way in Washington. Or so they think.
It’s that way in Katherine Stewart’s inflammatory book The Power Worshippers, which I reviewed here a couple weeks ago. It’s not just her. The Freedom From Religion Foundation thinks religion is a “distraction” or an “absurd … diversion.” Right Wing Watch analyzes Paula White’s One Voice Prayer Movement, and sees nothing in it but a “thinly disguised” Trump re-election effort.
Some people just can’t imagine we pray because we’re convinced God hears prayer. Or that we follow Christ because we’re confident He really was and is God among us. They cannot picture us taking a political position based on principles we stand for. They can’t imagine we’re doing it because we believe it’s right.
Relativism’s Rotten Fruit
Don’t think they’re picking on us, though. It’s more likely they don’t believe anyone does anything because they believe it’s right. Not us, not anyone, not even themselves — because the very idea of being right has become completely foreign to them.
It’s the inevitable result of relativism, especially moral relativism but also relativism with respect to truth. Secular culture has given up on knowing what’s really true, especially about larger matters of ethics, wisdom, and spiritual reality. Even atheists insist their atheism doesn’t mean they believe anything is true in particular, only that they “lack belief” in God.
Moral relativism is familiar to us all: “It may not be right for me but it’s okay if it’s right for you.” Right and wrong exist only for whomever; nothing is right or wrong in itself.
So the theory goes, anyway. Relativists have real trouble being consistent with it: Just try telling them it’s “right for you” to discriminate against gays in certain ways. They seem blind to the inconsistency, though, and they’ll bristle if we suggest there’s any morality that’s good, right, and true for all.
It’s Not About Being Right, Only About Winning
The impact this has on politics is huge. If there is no such thing as a good, right, or true answer to pursue, then there’s only each group’s preferred answer. Political dialogue becomes a mere exchange of preferences, in varying degrees of rhetorical power. No longer can we persuade the other party, “This is more truly ethical.” You can’t say, “This is more nearly right or true” if there’s no right or true to approach more nearly.
Granted, you’ll still see people and parties using the language of persuasion. As the postmodernists say, however, it’s only language games, and language games are played purely for power. It’s not about being right anymore. It’s about winning.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
That’s all that’s left, after all, isn’t it? Right and wrong are gone, but power endures. Logical persuasion is lacking, but there’s always persuasion at the point of a gun. Take that as a figure of speech if you will, but don’t forget there’s a reason the word “enforcement” is built on the root word “force.”
So politics in this relativistic age is no longer about coming to the best, wisest, most ethical answer for a people. It’s about gaining power to set your preferred policies and to enforce them.
The Christians’ Difference
Some of us still see it the old way, though. We don’t doubt that right and wrong are real. We’re convinced the right thing is also the good thing, not just for our party but for all. We’re persuaded that God made it that way, because He’s a good God who designed us for good purposes, if we’ll just follow His good guidance. We worship Him because we’re convinced He’s really worthy of it. Our prayers aren’t manipulative campaign tricks, they’re real prayers offered to a God who really answers prayer.
Atheists used to laugh and say we’re wrong about all that. Some still do. We can handle that. What we need to watch out for are the new secularists who won’t treat it as either right or wrong; they’ll only dismiss it as a political act.
We Must Hold On To Principle
And there is some real risk there, for our prayers may have political implications. We pray for leaders who will do the right thing. Our doctrines affect our politics, too, for they teach us about what the right thing actually is. That political connection carries two equal and opposite dangers.
The first is that we’ll shy away from the public policy implications of our doctrines. We’ll pull out of public life, on the false belief that doing so will purify our religion. It’s false because religion was meant to affect every area of our lives, from private to public.
The second is that we’ll let our public policy start to drive our doctrine. That will indeed contaminate our religion, even to the point where we can begin making the mistake the secularists think we always make: seeking power over principle.
We need to be the kind of people secularists think are impossible: People who are convinced right and wrong are still real, and who will let that principle drive our politics. They can think it’s all about power. We know it isn’t. And we must hold on to that.
Tom Gilson (@TomGilsonAuthor) is a senior editor with The Stream and the author or editor of six books, including the forthcoming Too Good To Be False: How Jesus’ Incomparable Character Reveals His Reality.


thestream--2020-06-11--Military Photo of the Day: Mine Warfare Training

Avenger-class mine countermeasure ships USS Patriot and USS Pioneer conduct a mine warfare training exercise in the East China Sea @ @ @ @ @ .
Thank you to the heroes aboard these U.S. Navy ships for serving our country @ @ @ @ @ Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political , Economic and Moral Issues @ @ @ @

Avenger-class mine countermeasure ships USS Patriot and USS Pioneer conduct a mine warfare training exercise in the East China Sea on May 6, 2020.
Thank you to the heroes aboard these U.S. Navy ships for serving our country overseas.
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thestream--2020-06-11--Reading for the Counter-Revolution

Reading for the Counter-Revolution

I like black history because I like American history .
Black History is American history , and conservatives ought not to be defensive about it .
Lots of good stuff there that will surprise you , amaze you , make you weep with happiness and shake with rage .
If you don ’ t know it , you don ’ t know your own country .
Where to start ?
Pick up Ralph Abernathy ’ s And The Walls Came Tumbling Down , which is really the best biography of Martin Luther King , Jr. Technically it ’ s an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was King ’ s right hand man , the one who knew him best , and his immediate successor as head of King ’ s organization , the SCLC .
The standard biographies really don ’ t capture the life of black ministers .
This one does .
It also sheds more light on the centrality of the black church to the civil rights cause than the standard histories .
I hate the story floating around my newsfeed that suggests we shouldn ’ t read books on race by white people .
Check @ @ @ @ @ @ @ race .
Check out his essay on how the jazz great Louis Armstrong was not allowed to use a bathroom in a restaurant in Connecticut in 1960 !
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political , Economic and Moral Issues of Our Day .
Hentoff was a left-wing Jewish atheist civil libertarian jazz-reviewing pro-lifer who wrote beautifully on race and the civil rights movement .
It behooves pro-lifers to know the movement of which we rightly claim to be the successor .
If all you can do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of George Floyd is parrot Candace Owens talking points , you are falsifying what we pro-lifers claim about ourselves .
I don ’ t mean this in a “ everything is a pro-life issue/seamless garment way .
I mean it in a “ Fr .
Richard John Neuhaus marched with MLK and said pro-life was the new civil rights movement and let ’ s not disgrace that legacy ” way .
Read the primary sources on the topic .
Read King ’ s “ Letter from a Birmingham Jail.
” Read , yes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Power ” speech .
And then read the “ 10 years later ” essay on the ways in which it backfired .
Read Ralph Ellison ’ s Invisible Man , the greatest African-American novel of them all .
Read Fredrick Douglass , Harriet Tubman , Sojourner Truth , Booker T. Washington , W.E.B .
Du Bois , the Harlem Renaissance writers .
Read about and listen to jazz , the blues , and gospel music .
You should know all this work .
As I say , if you don ’ t know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your own country .
( I ’ m still trying to learn it myself , have been for years . )
And yes , some of the staples of a black history reading list are ( like any other literature ) cheesy or worse .
It ’ s not all on the level of Ralph Ellison .
The trick is to distinguish the good from the bad , not to avoid a central part of the American experience .
And yes , a lot of this will not be to our political liking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lost the last election , her running mate quoted Langston Hughes ’ long poem “ Montage of a Dream Deferred ” ( sometimes called “ Harlem ” ) .
Paul Kengor , whose work I otherwise love , reacted with an article in Crisis calling out Langston Hughes as a communist .
And he was .
Probably gay , too .
But he was still Langston Hughes .
He has important things to tell us .
Americans need to know that poem .
They need to know it and Claude Brown ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and many other books .
Add to those the autobiographies of Clarence Thomas and Thomas Sowell .
Read Shelby Steele ’ s The Content of Our Character .
We need to know the whole Black Experience , right and left .
Because the Black Experience is the American Experience .
Even if you ’ re not black .
One way or another , the good and the bad is all part of our shared heritage as Americans .
I don ’ t say this because I buy into the asininity of those who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that was true , there would be no Juneteenth , no Brown v. Board of Education , no Harlem Renaissance , no Civil Rights Act .
Back during the Ted Cruz vs. Donald Trump fight , Trump supporters rightly said they were done with “ checklist conservatism.
” Consider this a plea from me to my fellow conservatives to exercise a similar wisdom in the matter of race .
Yes , I know that “ the issue is never the issue , the issue is always the revolution.
” I know a lot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , honestly , if you and I were black guys back then , we might have been commies too .
Likewise , to my virtue-signaling friends on the Left , you need to reconsider your own checklist liberalism .
Yes , African-Americans have legitimate grievances .
Yes , you are on the side of the angels in supporting their just cause .
Yes , many of my fellow conservatives have spectacular blind spots on the topic .
But if you claim that America is irredeemably racist and you condone riots , you ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Where We ’ re At The thing I hear most from well-meaning but uncomprehending white people is , “ What do they want from us ?
” They don ’ t ask that question because they don ’ t know Martin Luther King .
They ask that question because they do know Al Sharpton .
King has been dead for fifty years and Sharpton has been the face of the movement for the last thirty .
That ’ s where we ’ re at , friends .
For some , it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rest of us need to know each other and talk to each other .
For that , we need to know and better appreciate our own history — and that includes black history .
Those of us who are white need to crack open the books .
Peter Wolfgang is president of Family Institute of Connecticut Action .
He lives in Waterbury , Connecticut , with his wife and their seven children .
The views expressed on The Stream are solely his own .

I like black history because I like American history. Black History is American history, and conservatives ought not to be defensive about it. Lots of good stuff there that will surprise you, amaze you, make you weep with happiness and shake with rage.
If you don’t know it, you don’t know your own country.
Where to Start
Where to start? Pick up Ralph Abernathy’s And The Walls Came Tumbling Down, which is really the best biography of Martin Luther King, Jr. Technically it’s an autobiography of Ralph Abernathy. But he was King’s right hand man, the one who knew him best, and his immediate successor as head of King’s organization, the SCLC.
The standard biographies really don’t capture the life of black ministers. This one does. It also sheds more light on the centrality of the black church to the civil rights cause than the standard histories.
I hate the story floating around my newsfeed that suggests we shouldn’t read books on race by white people. Check out Nat Hentoff’s writings on race. Check out his essay on how the jazz great Louis Armstrong was not allowed to use a bathroom in a restaurant in Connecticut in 1960!
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
Hentoff was a left-wing Jewish atheist civil libertarian jazz-reviewing pro-lifer who wrote beautifully on race and the civil rights movement. It behooves pro-lifers to know the movement of which we rightly claim to be the successor. If all you can do in response to events like the killing of George Floyd is parrot Candace Owens talking points, you are falsifying what we pro-lifers claim about ourselves.
I don’t mean this in a “everything is a pro-life issue/seamless garment way. I mean it in a “Fr. Richard John Neuhaus marched with MLK and said pro-life was the new civil rights movement and let’s not disgrace that legacy” way.
Read the Sources
Read the primary sources on the topic. Read King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” Read, yes, Stokely Carmichael’s “Black Power” speech. And then read the “10 years later” essay on the ways in which it backfired. Read Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man, the greatest African-American novel of them all. Read Fredrick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Du Bois, the Harlem Renaissance writers. Read about and listen to jazz, the blues, and gospel music.
You should know all this work. As I say, if you don’t know it, you don’t know your own country. (I’m still trying to learn it myself, have been for years.) And yes, some of the staples of a black history reading list are (like any other literature) cheesy or worse. It’s not all on the level of Ralph Ellison. The trick is to distinguish the good from the bad, not to avoid a central part of the American experience.
And yes, a lot of this will not be to our political liking. But about that.
When Hillary lost the last election, her running mate quoted Langston Hughes’ long poem “Montage of a Dream Deferred” (sometimes called “Harlem”). Paul Kengor, whose work I otherwise love, reacted with an article in Crisis calling out Langston Hughes as a communist.
And he was. Probably gay, too. But he was still Langston Hughes. He has important things to tell us. Americans need to know that poem. They need to know it and Claude Brown’s novel Manchild in the Promised Land, and many other books.
Add to those the autobiographies of Clarence Thomas and Thomas Sowell. Read Shelby Steele’s The Content of Our Character. We need to know the whole Black Experience, right and left.
Because the Black Experience is the American Experience. Even if you’re not black. One way or another, the good and the bad is all part of our shared heritage as Americans.
A Plea to Conservatives and Liberals
I don’t say this because I buy into the asininity of those who claim America is irredeemably racist. If that was true, there would be no Juneteenth, no Brown v. Board of Education, no Harlem Renaissance, no Civil Rights Act.
Back during the Ted Cruz vs. Donald Trump fight, Trump supporters rightly said they were done with “checklist conservatism.” Consider this a plea from me to my fellow conservatives to exercise a similar wisdom in the matter of race.
Yes, I know that “the issue is never the issue, the issue is always the revolution.” I know a lot of these guys were commies. But, honestly, if you and I were black guys back then, we might have been commies too.
Likewise, to my virtue-signaling friends on the Left, you need to reconsider your own checklist liberalism. Yes, African-Americans have legitimate grievances. Yes, you are on the side of the angels in supporting their just cause. Yes, many of my fellow conservatives have spectacular blind spots on the topic. But if you claim that America is irredeemably racist and you condone riots, you’re a nitwit.
King and Sharpton and Where We’re At
The thing I hear most from well-meaning but uncomprehending white people is, “What do they want from us?” They don’t ask that question because they don’t know Martin Luther King. They ask that question because they do know Al Sharpton. King has been dead for fifty years and Sharpton has been the face of the movement for the last thirty.
That’s where we’re at, friends. For some, it’s just about the Revolution. The rest of us need to know each other and talk to each other. For that, we need to know and better appreciate our own history — and that includes black history. Those of us who are white need to crack open the books.
Peter Wolfgang is president of Family Institute of Connecticut Action. He lives in Waterbury, Connecticut, with his wife and their seven children. The views expressed on The Stream are solely his own.


thestream--2020-06-10--Read This Open Letter to the President

Read This Open Letter to the President

Please read this open letter to President Trump from Carlo Maria Viganò , a former ambassador to the U.S. from the Vatican .
To me , it sounds in so many ways like a message from our heavenly Father — not only to the president , but to everyone with ears to hear .
It clearly emphasizes the truth about the spiritual battle in which we are engaged .
In the invisible spiritual realm , the principalities and powers of darkness have prevailed because the church gave them ground .
In America , we have been taking back that ground @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lies and the murder — has gone ballistic .
Please do not cut off a member of Christ ’ s body if you have some points of disagreement .
One of the last things the late Ravi Zacharias said to me while he still had enough strength to be heard was , “ The body of Christ must stop dividing over different points of view that have been discussed over the last 2,000 years .
We must find common ground to stand against the deceiver , and we don ’ t have to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it.
” Ravi and I discussed many times the battle for the soul of the nation , and we must join hearts and hands so the gates of hell do not prevail against the witness of the church on our watch .
Please read this letter from this courageous , compassionate and very honest archbishop , who knows the Lord Jesus and loves Him very deeply .
In recent months we have been witnessing the formation of two opposing sides that I would call Biblical : the children of light and the children @ @ @ @ @ @ @ constitute the most conspicuous part of humanity , while the children of darkness represent an absolute minority .
And yet the former are the object of a sort of discrimination which places them in a situation of moral inferiority with respect to their adversaries , who often hold strategic positions in government , in politics , in the economy and in the media .
In an apparently inexplicable way , the good are held hostage by the wicked and by those who help them either out of self-interest or fearfulness .
These two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , follow the clear separation between the offspring of the Woman and the offspring of the Serpent .
On the one hand there are those who , although they have a thousand defects and weaknesses , are motivated by the desire to do good , to be honest , to raise a family , to engage in work , to give prosperity to their homeland , to help the needy , and , in obedience to the Law of God , to merit the Kingdom of Heaven .
On the other hand , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who do not hold any moral principles , who want to demolish the family and the nation , exploit workers to make themselves unduly wealthy , foment internal divisions and wars , and accumulate power and money : for them the fallacious illusion of temporal well-being will one day – if they do not repent – yield to the terrible fate that awaits them , far from God , in eternal damnation .
In society , Mr. President , these two opposing realities co-exist as eternal enemies , just as God and Satan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the children of darkness – whom we may easily identify with the deep state which you wisely oppose and which is fiercely waging war against you in these days – have decided to show their cards , so to speak , by now revealing their plans .
They seem to be so certain of already having everything under control that they have laid aside that circumspection that until now had at least partially concealed their true intentions .
The investigations already under way will reveal the true responsibility of those who managed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ area of health care but also in politics , the economy , and the media .
We will probably find that in this colossal operation of social engineering there are people who have decided the fate of humanity , arrogating to themselves the right to act against the will of citizens and their representatives in the governments of nations .
We will also discover that the riots in these days were provoked by those who , seeing that the virus is inevitably fading and that the social alarm of the pandemic is waning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disturbances , because they would be followed by repression which , although legitimate , could be condemned as an unjustified aggression against the population .
The same thing is also happening in Europe , in perfect synchrony .
It is quite clear that the use of street protests is instrumental to the purposes of those who would like to see someone elected in the upcoming presidential elections who embodies the goals of the deep state and who expresses those goals faithfully and with conviction .
It will not be surprising if , in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ again that hidden behind these acts of vandalism and violence there are those who hope to profit from the dissolution of the social order so as to build a world without freedom : Solve et Coagula , as the Masonic adage teaches .
Although it may seem disconcerting , the opposing alignments I have described are also found in religious circles .
There are faithful Shepherds who care for the flock of Christ , but there are also mercenary infidels who seek to scatter the flock and hand the sheep over to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not surprising that these mercenaries are allies of the children of darkness and hate the children of light : just as there is a deep state , there is also a deep church that betrays its duties and forswears its proper commitments before God .
Thus the Invisible Enemy , whom good rulers fight against in public affairs , is also fought against by good shepherds in the ecclesiastical sphere .
It is a spiritual battle , which I spoke about in my recent Appeal which was published on May 8 .
For @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has in you a President who courageously defends the right to life , who is not ashamed to denounce the persecution of Christians throughout the world , who speaks of Jesus Christ and the right of citizens to freedom of worship .
Your participation in the March for Life , and more recently your proclamation of the month of April as National Child Abuse Prevention Month , are actions that confirm which side you wish to fight on .
And I dare to believe that both of us are on the same side @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weapons .
For this reason , I believe that the attack to which you were subjected after your visit to the National Shrine of Saint John Paul II is part of the orchestrated media narrative which seeks not to fight racism and bring social order , but to aggravate dispositions ; not to bring justice , but to legitimize violence and crime ; not to serve the truth , but to favor one political faction .
And it is disconcerting that there are Bishops – such as those whom I recently denounced – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that they are aligned on the opposing side .
They are subservient to the deep state , to globalism , to aligned thought , to the New World Order which they invoke ever more frequently in the name of a universal brotherhood which has nothing Christian about it , but which evokes the Masonic ideals of those want to dominate the world by driving God out of the courts , out of schools , out of families , and perhaps even out of churches .
The American people are mature and have now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not want to spread the truth but seeks to silence and distort it , spreading the lie that is useful for the purposes of their masters .
However , it is important that the good – who are the majority – wake up from their sluggishness and do not accept being deceived by a minority of dishonest people with unavowable purposes .
It is necessary that the good , the children of light , come together and make their voices heard .
What more effective way is there to do this , Mr. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Lord to protect you , the United States , and all of humanity from this enormous attack of the Enemy ?
Before the power of prayer , the deceptions of the children of darkness will collapse , their plots will be revealed , their betrayal will be shown , their frightening power will end in nothing , brought to light and exposed for what it is : an infernal deception .
Mr. President , my prayer is constantly turned to the beloved American nation , where I had the privilege and honor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as Apostolic Nuncio .
In this dramatic and decisive hour for all of humanity , I am praying for you and also for all those who are at your side in the government of the United States .
I trust that the American people are united with me and you in prayer to Almighty God .
United against the Invisible Enemy of all humanity , I bless you and the First Lady , the beloved American nation , and all men and women of good will .
+ Carlo Maria Viganò Titular Archbishop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ United States of America

Please read this open letter to President Trump from Carlo Maria Viganò, a former ambassador to the U.S. from the Vatican. To me, it sounds in so many ways like a message from our heavenly Father — not only to the president, but to everyone with ears to hear. It clearly emphasizes the truth about the spiritual battle in which we are engaged. In the invisible spiritual realm, the principalities and powers of darkness have prevailed because the church gave them ground. In America, we have been taking back that ground, and Satan — the father of lies and the murder — has gone ballistic. Please do not cut off a member of Christ’s body if you have some points of disagreement. One of the last things the late Ravi Zacharias said to me while he still had enough strength to be heard was, “The body of Christ must stop dividing over different points of view that have been discussed over the last 2,000 years. We must find common ground to stand against the deceiver, and we don’t have to compromise God’s Word to do it.” Ravi and I discussed many times the battle for the soul of the nation, and we must join hearts and hands so the gates of hell do not prevail against the witness of the church on our watch. Please read this letter from this courageous, compassionate and very honest archbishop, who knows the Lord Jesus and loves Him very deeply.
June 7, 2020
Holy Trinity Sunday
Mr. President,
In recent months we have been witnessing the formation of two opposing sides that I would call Biblical: the children of light and the children of darkness. The children of light constitute the most conspicuous part of humanity, while the children of darkness represent an absolute minority. And yet the former are the object of a sort of discrimination which places them in a situation of moral inferiority with respect to their adversaries, who often hold strategic positions in government, in politics, in the economy and in the media. In an apparently inexplicable way, the good are held hostage by the wicked and by those who help them either out of self-interest or fearfulness.
These two sides, which have a Biblical nature, follow the clear separation between the offspring of the Woman and the offspring of the Serpent. On the one hand there are those who, although they have a thousand defects and weaknesses, are motivated by the desire to do good, to be honest, to raise a family, to engage in work, to give prosperity to their homeland, to help the needy, and, in obedience to the Law of God, to merit the Kingdom of Heaven. On the other hand, there are those who serve themselves, who do not hold any moral principles, who want to demolish the family and the nation, exploit workers to make themselves unduly wealthy, foment internal divisions and wars, and accumulate power and money: for them the fallacious illusion of temporal well-being will one day – if they do not repent – yield to the terrible fate that awaits them, far from God, in eternal damnation.
In society, Mr. President, these two opposing realities co-exist as eternal enemies, just as God and Satan are eternal enemies. And it appears that the children of darkness – whom we may easily identify with the deep state which you wisely oppose and which is fiercely waging war against you in these days – have decided to show their cards, so to speak, by now revealing their plans. They seem to be so certain of already having everything under control that they have laid aside that circumspection that until now had at least partially concealed their true intentions. The investigations already under way will reveal the true responsibility of those who managed the Covid emergency not only in the area of health care but also in politics, the economy, and the media. We will probably find that in this colossal operation of social engineering there are people who have decided the fate of humanity, arrogating to themselves the right to act against the will of citizens and their representatives in the governments of nations.
We will also discover that the riots in these days were provoked by those who, seeing that the virus is inevitably fading and that the social alarm of the pandemic is waning, necessarily have had to provoke civil disturbances, because they would be followed by repression which, although legitimate, could be condemned as an unjustified aggression against the population. The same thing is also happening in Europe, in perfect synchrony. It is quite clear that the use of street protests is instrumental to the purposes of those who would like to see someone elected in the upcoming presidential elections who embodies the goals of the deep state and who expresses those goals faithfully and with conviction. It will not be surprising if, in a few months, we learn once again that hidden behind these acts of vandalism and violence there are those who hope to profit from the dissolution of the social order so as to build a world without freedom: Solve et Coagula, as the Masonic adage teaches.
Although it may seem disconcerting, the opposing alignments I have described are also found in religious circles. There are faithful Shepherds who care for the flock of Christ, but there are also mercenary infidels who seek to scatter the flock and hand the sheep over to be devoured by ravenous wolves. It is not surprising that these mercenaries are allies of the children of darkness and hate the children of light: just as there is a deep state, there is also a deep church that betrays its duties and forswears its proper commitments before God. Thus the Invisible Enemy, whom good rulers fight against in public affairs, is also fought against by good shepherds in the ecclesiastical sphere. It is a spiritual battle, which I spoke about in my recent Appeal which was published on May 8.
For the first time, the United States has in you a President who courageously defends the right to life, who is not ashamed to denounce the persecution of Christians throughout the world, who speaks of Jesus Christ and the right of citizens to freedom of worship. Your participation in the March for Life, and more recently your proclamation of the month of April as National Child Abuse Prevention Month, are actions that confirm which side you wish to fight on. And I dare to believe that both of us are on the same side in this battle, albeit with different weapons.
For this reason, I believe that the attack to which you were subjected after your visit to the National Shrine of Saint John Paul II is part of the orchestrated media narrative which seeks not to fight racism and bring social order, but to aggravate dispositions; not to bring justice, but to legitimize violence and crime; not to serve the truth, but to favor one political faction. And it is disconcerting that there are Bishops – such as those whom I recently denounced – who, by their words, prove that they are aligned on the opposing side. They are subservient to the deep state, to globalism, to aligned thought, to the New World Order which they invoke ever more frequently in the name of a universal brotherhood which has nothing Christian about it, but which evokes the Masonic ideals of those want to dominate the world by driving God out of the courts, out of schools, out of families, and perhaps even out of churches.
The American people are mature and have now understood how much the mainstream media does not want to spread the truth but seeks to silence and distort it, spreading the lie that is useful for the purposes of their masters. However, it is important that the good – who are the majority – wake up from their sluggishness and do not accept being deceived by a minority of dishonest people with unavowable purposes. It is necessary that the good, the children of light, come together and make their voices heard. What more effective way is there to do this, Mr. President, than by prayer, asking the Lord to protect you, the United States, and all of humanity from this enormous attack of the Enemy? Before the power of prayer, the deceptions of the children of darkness will collapse, their plots will be revealed, their betrayal will be shown, their frightening power will end in nothing, brought to light and exposed for what it is: an infernal deception.
Mr. President, my prayer is constantly turned to the beloved American nation, where I had the privilege and honor of being sent by Pope Benedict XVI as Apostolic Nuncio. In this dramatic and decisive hour for all of humanity, I am praying for you and also for all those who are at your side in the government of the United States. I trust that the American people are united with me and you in prayer to Almighty God.
United against the Invisible Enemy of all humanity, I bless you and the First Lady, the beloved American nation, and all men and women of good will.
+ Carlo Maria Viganò
Titular Archbishop of Ulpiana
Former Apostolic Nuncio to the United States of America


thestream--2020-06-11--When MS Attacks the Brain, Renew the Mind

Having a neurological disease like multiple sclerosis , I ’ ve become acutely aware of the brain and its power over the body and the mind .
I have also become aware of the colossal power of the mind and its profound influence over the body .
Most of all , I have become very , very aware of God ’ s power over the human mind and body .
I had to .
Violent MS attacks took away my physical functions such as vision and speech .
It caused paralysis , spasticity , loss of balance , incontinence , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ important for me to clearly separate functions of the mind from functions of the brain and body .
Why is This Important Why was this so important to me ?
During my darkest times of neurological terror that could not be stopped , it was very important that I valued my mind over my brain .
My mind was all I could rely upon : It could reason and discern .
The human mind is intricately connected with the heart and soul .
That ’ s distinctly different from functions of the brain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the body .
The mind receives messages from the heart and soul .
The brain is capable of understanding the science of art , the mind can understand the art of science .
It learns about the universe while the mind can know the Creator of the universe .
The brain calculates and understands , the mind perceives and can know .
It understands what makes a human being live , but the mind is able to understand what gives life purpose , and meaning of being .
In the midst of catastrophic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quadriplegia , A desperate and risky medical therapy was taken to prevent it .
I could not reason about what was unreasonable .
Defeat and a sense of hopelessness threatened to overtake me .
Thinking with my brain alone , I would have given up and committed suicide .
It was my mind — with its connection to my heart and soul — to which God appealed .
I spent hours , days and months on my sickbed praying , seeking , listening with my heart , not my ears , for that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had to look beyond my electric wheelchair , my creeping paralysis , and calm my sense of panic and terror to listen for that still small voice whispering to my soul , like a gentle breeze : “ Be not afraid , I am with you.
” Seeing With Our Hearts At such moments , we descend into the sweet spiritual abyss of the soul to see with our hearts , rather than through the blur of tear-filled eyes .
It is then that a human being can truly begin to comprehend and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Even for those Christians afflicted with dementia or Alzheimers , they and their loved-ones can rest assured their memories and faith are safe in Christ ’ s keeping .
Nothing is lost .
While Christians are to offer their bodies as a living sacrifice to God , some of us have little more to offer than a living carcass .
The body degenerates with time .
The mind continues to grow with time .
It has been my mind that renews according to God ’ s will , gradually revealing inklings of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and you ) .
The renewing of our minds involves prayerfully seeking God and His plan for us .
Each of us was created for a purpose .
When we discover that purpose , everything else — even multiple sclerosis — becomes a diversion and an irrelevance .
Offer yourself as a living sacrifice to God and His glory .

Having a neurological disease like multiple sclerosis, I’ve become acutely aware of the brain and its power over the body and the mind. I have also become aware of the colossal power of the mind and its profound influence over the body.
Most of all, I have become very, very aware of God’s power over the human mind and body. I had to. Violent MS attacks took away my physical functions such as vision and speech. It caused paralysis, spasticity, loss of balance, incontinence, and other frightening symptoms. It was important for me to clearly separate functions of the mind from functions of the brain and body.
Why is This Important
Why was this so important to me? During my darkest times of neurological terror that could not be stopped, it was very important that I valued my mind over my brain. My mind was all I could rely upon: It could reason and discern.
The human mind is intricately connected with the heart and soul. That’s distinctly different from functions of the brain.
I came across a website that gave an excellent distinction between the brain and the mind. I don’t know where I saw it so my apologies to whoever wrote it. I can’t give proper credits. The brain sends electrical signals to the body. The mind receives messages from the heart and soul.
The brain is capable of understanding the science of art, the mind can understand the art of science. It learns about the universe while the mind can know the Creator of the universe. The brain calculates and understands, the mind perceives and can know. It understands what makes a human being live, but the mind is able to understand what gives life purpose, and meaning of being.
In the midst of catastrophic circumstances, I faced the possibility of quadriplegia, A desperate and risky medical therapy was taken to prevent it. I could not reason about what was unreasonable. Defeat and a sense of hopelessness threatened to overtake me. Thinking with my brain alone, I would have given up and committed suicide.
It was my mind — with its connection to my heart and soul — to which God appealed. I spent hours, days and months on my sickbed praying, seeking, listening with my heart, not my ears, for that still small voice of God. I had to look beyond my electric wheelchair, my creeping paralysis, and calm my sense of panic and terror to listen for that still small voice whispering to my soul, like a gentle breeze: “Be not afraid, I am with you.”
Seeing With Our Hearts
At such moments, we descend into the sweet spiritual abyss of the soul to see with our hearts, rather than through the blur of tear-filled eyes. It is then that a human being can truly begin to comprehend and understand the meaning of being human.
Even for those Christians afflicted with dementia or Alzheimers, they and their loved-ones can rest assured their memories and faith are safe in Christ’s keeping. Nothing is lost.
While Christians are to offer their bodies as a living sacrifice to God, some of us have little more to offer than a living carcass. The body degenerates with time. The mind continues to grow with time. It has been my mind that renews according to God’s will, gradually revealing inklings of the liberty and healing that awaits me (and you).
The renewing of our minds involves prayerfully seeking God and His plan for us. Each of us was created for a purpose. When we discover that purpose, everything else — even multiple sclerosis — becomes a diversion and an irrelevance. Offer yourself as a living sacrifice to God and His glory.
Mark Davis Pickup is a Canadian pro-life activist. You can read more of his thoughts and story at his blog, Human Life Matters. For more on his life, see Nancy Flory’s profile, Man With Severe MS Walks Again. See also her interview with him about his pro-life work, Fighting Euthanasia.


thestream--2020-06-11--Islamic Militants Slaughter at Least 81 Men, Women, Children in Nigerian Village Attack

Islamic militants in northeast Nigeria slaughtered at least 81 people in an attack on a village , a Nigeria military spokesman said .
Spokesman Sagir Musa said in a June 10 statement that Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province ( ISWAP ) , Islamic militants , carried out the attack on the the Faduma Kolomdi community , killing men , women and children , CNN reported .
Boko Haram has burned mosques , attacked military outposts , slaughtered tens of thousands , and displaced more than 3 million people in the past ten years , the publication reports @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to investigating the circumstances of these callous attacks by desperate Boko Haram criminals and the bandits on innocent civilians , ” Musa said .
At least 81 people were killed during the attack on the Nigerian village , the Borno state government said in a statement Wednesday , noting that residents said that the militants arrived in trucks filled with guns and with armored tanks .
Seven people were abducted from the community , including children and women and the village head , according to CNN .
“ They gathered us and said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us , ” one unnamed villager told authorities , the publication reported .
“ They asked us to submit whatever arm we had .
Some villagers gave up their … guns , bow , and arrows .
“ Suddenly , they started shooting at will .
Even children and women were not spared , many were shot at close range , ” the man said .
“ We have buried 49 corpses here while another 32 corpses were taken away by families from the villages around us .
Please Support The Stream : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Political , Economic and Moral Issues of Our Day .
He added : “ The insurgents abducted seven persons , including our village head .
They went away with 400 cattle.
” Former district head Zanna Gubio , who told CNN that he transported some of the victims to the hospital , said that the village herders were feeding their cattle when the militants came and told them to leave the fields .
“ My people were feeding their cattle when Boko Haram ask them to gather together , and then they started @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the whole night to the early hours of this morning , ” he said .
The Turkish Foreign Ministry condemned the slaughter of the villagers in a statement , saying : “ We are deeply saddened by the terrorist attack that took place in Borno State of Nigeria , on June 9 , 2020 , claiming many lives and leaving several injured.
” “ We condemn this heinous terrorist attack .
We wish Allah ’ s mercy upon those who lost their lives , speedy recovery to the injured and offer our sincere @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nigeria , ” the statement added .
Republican Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse also condemned the attacks , saying in a Thursday statement : “ The world ’ s fight against violent jihad must continue .
The savage massacre of over 80 innocent Nigerians — including children and women — by Boko Haram is pure evil .
The United States and our allies should destroy these bloodthirsty killers.
” Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience .
For @ @ @ @ @ @ @ please contact licensing @ dailycallernewsfoundation.org .

Islamic militants in northeast Nigeria slaughtered at least 81 people in an attack on a village, a Nigeria military spokesman said.
Spokesman Sagir Musa said in a June 10 statement that Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), Islamic militants, carried out the attack on the the Faduma Kolomdi community, killing men, women and children, CNN reported.
Boko Haram has burned mosques, attacked military outposts, slaughtered tens of thousands, and displaced more than 3 million people in the past ten years, the publication reports.
“The Nigerian Army is committed to investigating the circumstances of these callous attacks by desperate Boko Haram criminals and the bandits on innocent civilians,” Musa said.
At least 81 people were killed during the attack on the Nigerian village, the Borno state government said in a statement Wednesday, noting that residents said that the militants arrived in trucks filled with guns and with armored tanks.
Seven people were abducted from the community, including children and women and the village head, according to CNN.
“They gathered us and said they wanted to deliver religious sermon to us,” one unnamed villager told authorities, the publication reported. “They asked us to submit whatever arm we had. Some villagers gave up their … guns, bow, and arrows.
“Suddenly, they started shooting at will. Even children and women were not spared, many were shot at close range,” the man said. “We have buried 49 corpses here while another 32 corpses were taken away by families from the villages around us.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
He added: “The insurgents abducted seven persons, including our village head. They went away with 400 cattle.”
Former district head Zanna Gubio, who told CNN that he transported some of the victims to the hospital, said that the village herders were feeding their cattle when the militants came and told them to leave the fields.
“My people were feeding their cattle when Boko Haram ask them to gather together, and then they started shooting them, they burial lasted for the whole night to the early hours of this morning,” he said.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry condemned the slaughter of the villagers in a statement, saying: “We are deeply saddened by the terrorist attack that took place in Borno State of Nigeria, on June 9, 2020, claiming many lives and leaving several injured.”
“We condemn this heinous terrorist attack. We wish Allah’s mercy upon those who lost their lives, speedy recovery to the injured and offer our sincere condolences to the people and Government of Nigeria,” the statement added.
Republican Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse also condemned the attacks, saying in a Thursday statement: “The world’s fight against violent jihad must continue. The savage massacre of over 80 innocent Nigerians — including children and women — by Boko Haram is pure evil. The United States and our allies should destroy these bloodthirsty killers.”
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--2020-06-11--Derek Chauvin Trained New Officers Despite Receiving Complaints at Over Double the Rate of Average O

Derek Chauvin Trained New Officers Despite Receiving Complaints at Over Double the Rate of Average Officers

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin received complaints at over double the rate of the average officer on the force , according to data compiled by a Minnesota nonprofit that advocates against police brutality .
But despite Chauvin ’ s history of receiving complaints , lawyers for two of the police officers charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder in the death of George Floyd , a black man who died on May 25 after video showed Chauvin kneeling on his neck for longer than eight minutes , have said that Chauvin served as a training officer .
“ Using @ @ @ @ @ @ @ indefensible practice , ” Communities United Against Police Brutality ( CUAPB ) board member Dave Bicking told the Daily Caller News Foundation .
“ It just reinforces the culture that they claim to be trying to improve , ” Bicking said .
“ While everyone claims to be opposed to police brutality , it actually serves the purposes of repression and control , particularly of people of color and other marginalized groups.
” The median number of complaints received by Minneapolis police officers between October 2012 and December 2019 is three , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ filed with the Minneapolis Office of Police Conduct Review .
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political , Economic and Moral Issues of Our Day .
Chauvin , who has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with Floyd ’ s death , received seven complaints in that same timeframe , according to the database .
“ Yes , he was an outlier , ” Bicking told the DCNF .
Chauvin was the subject of a total of 18 complaints during his 19-year career with the MPD @ @ @ @ @ @ @ closed with discipline ” resulting in letters of reprimand filed against Chauvin , according to personnel records released last week by the department .
The contents of the complaints against Chauvin have not been made public by the MPD , according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune , save for one complaint in August 2007 in which a woman accused Chauvin and another police officer of pulling her from her car and frisking her after she was clocked going 10 mph over the speed limit .
Chauvin ’ s tape recorder was turned off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to his personnel records .
Lawyers for Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng , the two rookie police officers who have been charged with aiding and abetting in the killing of Floyd and could face 40 years in prison if convicted , have said in court that Chauvin bears the blame for Floyd ’ s killing , citing his status as the senior officer at the scene and as a training officer , according to The New York Times .
“ He was relying on his training as a police officer and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Chauvin was also a training officer , ” Lane ’ s attorney , Earl Gray , told NBC News .
Gray said Lane , who was holding Floyd ’ s legs as he was being pinned by Chauvin , suggested twice during the arrest that they should roll him over because he said he couldn ’ t breathe .
“ Chauvin , the 20-year experience police officer , said , ‘ No , he ’ ll be alright this way , ’ ” Gray said .
“ He ’ s extremely sorry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s sorry the man died , but he doesn ’ t believe that he had , that he was the cause of the death .
He was not the cause .
I think he feels good about that , that he was the one that asked to roll him over.
” The MPD did not return a request for comment .
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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin received complaints at over double the rate of the average officer on the force, according to data compiled by a Minnesota nonprofit that advocates against police brutality.
But despite Chauvin’s history of receiving complaints, lawyers for two of the police officers charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder in the death of George Floyd, a black man who died on May 25 after video showed Chauvin kneeling on his neck for longer than eight minutes, have said that Chauvin served as a training officer.
“Using such an officer for training is an indefensible practice,” Communities United Against Police Brutality (CUAPB) board member Dave Bicking told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
“It just reinforces the culture that they claim to be trying to improve,” Bicking said. “While everyone claims to be opposed to police brutality, it actually serves the purposes of repression and control, particularly of people of color and other marginalized groups.”
The median number of complaints received by Minneapolis police officers between October 2012 and December 2019 is three, according to a CUAPB database of 2,875 complaints filed with the Minneapolis Office of Police Conduct Review.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
Chauvin, who has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with Floyd’s death, received seven complaints in that same timeframe, according to the database.
“Yes, he was an outlier,” Bicking told the DCNF.
Chauvin was the subject of a total of 18 complaints during his 19-year career with the MPD, only two of which were “closed with discipline” resulting in letters of reprimand filed against Chauvin, according to personnel records released last week by the department.
The contents of the complaints against Chauvin have not been made public by the MPD, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, save for one complaint in August 2007 in which a woman accused Chauvin and another police officer of pulling her from her car and frisking her after she was clocked going 10 mph over the speed limit. Chauvin’s tape recorder was turned off during the course of the stop, according to his personnel records.
Lawyers for Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng, the two rookie police officers who have been charged with aiding and abetting in the killing of Floyd and could face 40 years in prison if convicted, have said in court that Chauvin bears the blame for Floyd’s killing, citing his status as the senior officer at the scene and as a training officer, according to The New York Times.
“He was relying on his training as a police officer and following the directions of a training officer. Chauvin was also a training officer,” Lane’s attorney, Earl Gray, told NBC News.
Lawyer of Thomas Lane, former Minneapolis officer, says he’s not responsible for George Floyd’s death. See what he told @gabegutierrez in an exclusive interview. Watch NOW: https://t.co/U4UZMHn7bF pic.twitter.com/AQfxDzbFqz — NBC News NOW (@NBCNewsNow) June 8, 2020
Gray said Lane, who was holding Floyd’s legs as he was being pinned by Chauvin, suggested twice during the arrest that they should roll him over because he said he couldn’t breathe.
“Chauvin, the 20-year experience police officer, said, ‘No, he’ll be alright this way,’” Gray said.
“He’s extremely sorry,” Gray said. “He’s sorry the man died, but he doesn’t believe that he had, that he was the cause of the death. He was not the cause. I think he feels good about that, that he was the one that asked to roll him over.”
The MPD did not return a request for comment.
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].