Daily Verse | Genesis 47:1 Joseph went and told Pharaoh, “My father and brothers, with their flocks and herds and everything they own, have come from the land of Canaan and are now in Goshen.”
Wednesday’s Reading: Genesis 48-50
It’s mid-week as we grind on, one day at a time, toward the mid-term elections in November. Funny how when your guy is in office there isn’t enough time to get done everything you want, but when the other guy is in office time slows to a crawl and you can’t wait until his term ends.
January 2025 can’t come soon enough. However, Brandon is “in charge” for the next three years, so we still have plenty of work to do in opposing his and his Marxist stooges’ agenda to overthrow what little remains of the American experiment in self-governance. If they have their way, we’ll be little more than a third-world stinkhole, atop which they sit with the riches they’ve accumulated unto themselves.
I have some hope, as I wrote yesterday, that national sentiment is turning against Joey Sugar Cone and he’ll be hampered (legally) by a Republican majority House and Senate. If you want to troll the Left, suggest that the way that will happen is that Trump will be elected as a Rep. from his district in Florida, he’ll become Speaker of the House, which will then impeach Biden and Harris, removing them from office and leaving Trump to complete Brandon’s term since it was stolen from him anyway, and then Trump will run for another full term as president.
That won’t happen, but can you imagine the hysterics and complete meltdown of the Left if Trump was president for 11 years? I LOL very hard at the thought.
Biden’s approval rating has suffered a similar decline, from 56 percent in the days following his inauguration to just 42 percent in recent weeks, according to the RealClearPolitics polling average. A Quinnipiac poll published last week measured Biden’s approval rating at just 33 percent, which matched the polling firm’s lowest recorded approval rating for former president Donald Trump in the days after the storming of the Capitol building in January 2021.
Eighty. One. Million. Votes. Either the election was rigged or we’re seeing the greatest case of buyer’s remorse ever recorded in American history. Maybe both.
Put the nose-diving approval rating (could it go even lower?) together with the great evaporation of Democrat leaning independents, add the number of current Democrats who are bailing out ahead of the midterms—29, with only 18 Republicans not seeking reelection—and you’ve got the makings of a major blowout come November. While not getting cocky, this is good news if for no other reason than it can restrain the damage that the criminal enterprise known as the Democrat Party can do to the nation over the remainder of Brandon’s term.
Cultural Marxists have infiltrated and taken over nearly every facet of America that counts: education, politics, arts and entertainment, media, journalism, medicine, law, even certain quarters of the church. They may encounter resistance, but they are determined and indefatigable, always pressing forward, never retreating, never giving in, never giving up. They cannot be appeased, persuaded or bargained with. If they lose, they will come back at it again and again. They will never stop until they are in complete control or they are dead.
People need to wake up to the fact that we’re in a fight we didn’t choose, but it falls to us nonetheless. Winning the House and the Senate in November will help.
Daily Verse | Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Monday’s Reading: James 1-5
Happy Monday and finally — FINALLY — a moment of sanity from a Democrat. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) told Fox News Sunday that he would vote “no” on Biden’s Build Back Better (BBB) monstrosity of a spending bill. Assuming he’s telling the truth and not trying to strong-arm other concessions by threatening to vote no, that effectively kills BBB.
This of course sent liberals into hyperventilation mode about the end of democracy as though “democracy” is somehow dependent on trillions of untamed spending to stay alive.
Also, we’re a constitutional republic, not a democracy.
A couple of Manchin’s colleagues took turns ripping him on CNN’s “State of the Union.” Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., started by accusing Manchin of lacking the courage to stand up to pharmaceutical companies, and an outraged Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., said the West Virginia senator was obstructing the president’s agenda.
Well, yes, Rep. Pressley, he is. He’s allowed to do that. Note that not all Republicans vote in lockstep, either. They had a chance to repeal Obamacare when Paul Ryan (*spit*) was speaker of the House with a Republican majority in both the House and the Senate and a Republican president — and they couldn’t get it done.
Either way, even if something reemerges from the rubble, it is not going to be anything along the lines of the “transformational” type of legislation liberals envisioned earlier in the year. The idea was to augment the role of government in every aspect of individuals’ lives — with subsidized child care, a government takeover of preschool, more financing for college, a more generous Obamacare, and an expanded Medicare. Not to mention hundreds of billions of dollars in investments toward the Green New Deal. That magnitude of legislation is no longer in the cards, even if Manchin warms up to passing something.
Manchin’s a Democrat, but he’s a reasonable Democrat, probably the last of the species. (Well, there’s Kyrsten Sinema and Tulsi Gabbard. It’s a dying breed.) He has considered the enormous costs of the bill and can’t justify voting for it.
“I’ve always said this, Bret: if I can’t go home and explain to the people of West Virginia, I can’t vote for it,” Manchin told guest host Bret Baier. “And I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation. I just can’t. I’ve tried everything humanly possible. I can’t get there.”
The senator said that the rise in inflation, the national debt and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic helped him come to his decision on the massive social spending bill.
Me? I’m so relieved that I’m thinking of writing a thank you note to Manchin. He just sank an incredibly irresponsible bill that would add a massive amount of debt to an already massive amount of debt.
Daily Verse | Proverbs 19:21 Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.
Friday and another week behind us on the road to either serfdom or civil war, as I see it. I wrote yesterday that patriotic, “Normal” Americans are being forced into a defensive position by the cultural Marxists, who have advanced through our civic institutions and now control nearly all the levers of power. I honestly don’t know how much longer we can claim to be a “free” people.
If you want absolute proof that the current administration, fronted by a moron who has failed upward for more than 50 years, are dyed-in-the-wool socialists communists, you have to look no further than their response to the uprising in the island-nation of Cuba, just 90 miles off the coast of Florida.
For 60 years the Cuban people have suffered poverty and oppression under a Communist regime. They’ve finally had enough and are rising up en masse to challenge the rule of Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel. They face a military that, so far, is loyal to the president, who declared that combat orders have been given.
Nonetheless, Cubans have been demonstrating, shouting slogans like “Freedom!” and “Down with communism!” and “Freedom for the people of Cuba!” Protesters chanted “Freedom,” “Enough” and “Unite.” News outlets report that more than 100 activists are missing or held by the Cuban government. Others report that police have fired on and beaten demonstrators. Many waved American flags.
The response of our feckless “leaders” has been restrained. The New York Times labeled Cubans’ calls for freedom an “anti-government slogan.” It took Resident Biden 24-hours (with pressure from Republican lawmakers like Senators Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas), and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis) to finally issue a statement.
We stand with the Cuban people and their clarion call for freedom and relief from the tragic grip of the pandemic and from the decades of repression and economic suffering to which they have been subjected by Cuba’s authoritarian regime. The Cuban people are bravely asserting fundamental and universal rights. Those rights, including the right of peaceful protest and the right to freely determine their own future, must be respected. The United States calls on the Cuban regime to hear their people and serve their needs at this vital moment rather than enriching themselves.
We’ve heard nothing from AOC or Bernie Sanders because — what can they say? They want to the same system here that the Cuban people are rejecting there. Cuba is a real-time example of what happens when you go full commie. You should never go full commie.
Worst of all was US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas who said, ““The time is never right to attempt migration by sea. To those who risk their lives doing so, this risk is not worth taking. Allow me to be clear. If you take to the sea, you will not come to the United States.”
Then he said, “If you want to come in, sail to Mexico and travel up through our southern border, because we aren’t really watching it that closely.”
Nah. He didn’t say that. He knows Cubans vote for Republicans, and Florida is turning red, and politicians need Florida to win elections and we can’t have that! Better to have illegals come from South America and not even try to stop them.
And, to top it all off, US Press Secretary Jen Psaki refuses to call communism “communism” and instead blames “mismanagement.”
Biden's Press Secretary Jen Psaki refuses to condemn communism in Cuba, blames "mismanagement" pic.twitter.com/wkE2sfF7om
Here’s what Barbara Arthur, who fled Cuba for the U.S. with her father back in 1969, has to say about the Cuban unrest (my emphasis):
After sixty years of oppression, the Cuban people are rallying for freedom. Thousands have taken to the streets in protest of lack of food, medicine, and blackouts. The people are starving; their children are starving. While many United States athletes dishonor our flag, Cuban protestors wave Old Glory in the face of tyranny. While our mainstream news media seeks to silence us with intimidation, the Cuban people cry out, “We are not afraid.” Truly, “give me liberty or give me death” in full display. Think about it: During the protests, the Cuban government has cut its people off from the internet and social media. Sound familiar? It should. Big Tech has done the same to many conservative Americans who do not align with their political views.
As a Cuban-American, our freedom is especially important to me. My family was ravaged by Castro’s communist regime. He took power as a socialist but within no time he exposed his totalitarian claws. Communism is not at our door, it’s in the house—the White House. If we allow our country to go the way of Cuba or Venezuela, where would we flee to? If there is no free America, there is no American Dream. Wake up, America, socialism is just a nice word for communism.
How ironic that while Leftists here in the U.S. demonize our country and burn our flag, people the world over — Hong Kong comes to mind — wave our flag in their countries as a symbol of freedom. Here in the US, however, we’re facing an increasingly hostile ruling class that has branded 75 million of us Americans as the greatest threat “we” face — the threat of white supremacy.
The truth is that the Democrats are now the party of communism — which means I’d rather be an American than a Democrat.
I live a fairly even-keel emotional life. Not too many highs, not too many lows. But there are a few things that can quickly jack up my ire, and one of them is a betrayal of entrusted power.
We learned last week that the silent coup known as the Russia hoax went all the way to the top, to former president Barack Hussein Obama. The suspicion that it did had been hanging in the atmosphere surrounding the investigation into “Hurricane Crossfire,” the subversive effort by our nation’s top law enforcement officials and elected leaders in Congress to overthrow the presidency of Donald John Trump.
The question has been whether this scheme could have been launched without president Obama’s knowledge. Not to put too fine a point on it, but what we’re really asking is, could this plot have gotten traction without Obama’s approval?
It turns out that not only did he approve, but he personally guided the key players. In her devastating piece, “Obama, Biden Oval Office Meeting On January 5 Was Key To Entire Anti-Trump Operation,” Mollie Hemingway at The Federalist writes:
January 5: [Deputy Attorney General Sally] Yates, [FBI Director James] Comey, CIA Director John Brennan, and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper briefed Obama on Russia-related matters in the Oval Office. Biden and Rice also attended. After the Obama briefing, the intelligence chiefs who would be leaving at the end of the term were dismissed and Yates and Comey, who would continue in the Trump administration, were asked to stay. Not only did Obama give his guidance about how to perpetuate the Russia collusion theory investigations, he also talked about Flynn’s conversations with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, according to both Comey and Yates.
Take a moment to let that sink in: an outgoing American president conspired to overthrow an incoming American president. It’s astounding.
I was never a fan of president Obama for a variety of reasons, starting with his progressive ideology. By the time he left office after eight years, I was relieved that he was gone and prayed that Hillary Clinton would not follow his presidency with her own.
But my dislike of president Obama’s progressive vision pales in comparison to what we’ve now learned about his character: he broke his oath to the American people. He betrayed our trust and has severely damaged our 244-year-old republic with the actions of a third-rate dictator.
It’s dangerous and it needs to be confronted with severe consequences.
The cabal of people involved in perpetuating the Russia hoax need to pay for their treachery. We are a nation of laws and no one, as the Democrats like to sanctimoniously inform us, is above the law. Not even the president.
We agree. Now do your job, DOJ, and “let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Amos 5:24).
Happy Monday and welcome to another week of Coronacare.TM It’s sort of like Obamacare, but instead of nationalizing healthcare, we’ve nationalized house arrest so there’s no need for healthcare. Impressive!
Look, I know there are legitimate concerns about opening up the country too quickly, but I’m becoming more concerned that we’re setting precedent for future government interference under the pretext of national safety and security.
Today’s Broadside is a little longer than intended, but that’s true with almost everything that needs correcting.
Trip the Scripture Elastic As a conservative Christian living in a largely secular society, I naturally view any politician quoting scripture in support of their agenda with suspicion. More often than not, scripture serves their political purpose rather than the other way around. If politicians consistently let scripture inform their legislative agenda, they wouldn’t need to make unseemly appeals to the divine to legitimize their policy decisions.
Take, for instance, Nancy Pelosi’s comments to Joy Reid on MSNBC last Sunday.
Reid: “[…] the concern that this could be a fresh source of outbreak. And that there could actually be a disaster for incarcerated people because of this virus. Is anything being considered for the next bill to deal with that?”
Pelosi: “Well, in our caucus, we are very devoted to the Gospel of Matthew: ‘When I was hungry you fed me, when I was homeless, you sheltered me — when I was in prison, you visited me.’
“So, this, for us, is a part of our value system.”
I note that Reid did not ask the Speaker of the House to justify whatever plans she and her caucus might have since she (Reid) had already given it to Pelosi: “there could actually be a disaster for incarcerated people because of this virus.” Appealing to scripture was Pelosi’s choice. By leading with a scriptural reference, Pelosi is calculating that what she says next needs the weight of a higher moral authority in addition to her (already considerable) civic authority.
And indeed it does. But before she gets there, Pelosi further bolsters her still unspoken solution by mentioning a “real focus on this” issue by the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC). Without saying so directly, she manages to imply that the concern here is for black prisoners who are at risk.
We need to briefly explain why she mentions the CBC. If you were to burrow further under the surface of the concern about imprisoned blacks, you’d find that the CBC believes blacks are the victims of systemic discriminatory practices in the American justice system. So not only are blacks unjustly imprisoned, but the system is compounding the injustice by leaving these men and women exposed to a potentially fatal disease.
There are legitimate concerns over prisons being perfectly suited to spread a contagion. But Pelosi’s reference to the Black Caucus is a trap. If you oppose her solution, no matter how objectively, you will be labeled a racist. This, too, is calculated.
Having appealed to biblical authority and the cause of an immoral justice system, Pelosi believes she has effectively prepared the ground for her solution: “We will have language [in the next relief bill] to have some order and clarity so that some people can leave who really don’t need to be there.”
Translation: we’re going to release some prisoners.
Leaving aside the fact that a judge thought “some people” really did “need to be there;” and also ignoring studies that show black incarceration rates are falling, thus shrinking the disparity between blacks and whites; and further, setting aside the question of whether there are less extreme tactics to mitigate the risk of infection among incarcerated blacks—let’s look at Pelosi’s use of scripture.
She and her caucus, she says, “are very devoted to the Gospel of Matthew.” This is strange phrasing. I am not Roman Catholic like Nancy but even so, I’ve never heard someone say they were devoted to a single book of the bible unless they were a scholar who specialized in a specific book of scripture.
Stranger still is her claim that “her caucus” is devoted to the Gospel of Matthew. Her caucus is the House Democratic Caucus, which is composed of all Democratic Representatives in the United States House of Representatives.
I’m glad she told us. Maybe it’s just me, but the Democrats have never struck me as a party that is “devoted to the Gospel of Matthew.” I’ve never looked at the Democrats and said to myself, “Now that is a political party that is devoted to the Gospel of Matthew.” I’ve never said to my wife, “Honey, have you ever noticed how closely the Democrat Party’s priorities reflect the Gospel of Matthew? Maybe we should volunteer for the Bernie Sanders campaign.” I’ve never gone to my pastor and said, “If you’re looking for a group of people who embody the Gospel of Matthew, look no further than the Democrats in Congress.”
To be sure, I’ve never said that about the Republicans, either. But they aren’t making the claim.
I think that Pelosi’s use of the word “devoted” is her way of establishing credibility in citing the specific chapter and verse from Matthew she then paraphrases: “When I was hungry you fed me, when I was homeless, you sheltered me”—and here she raises a bony finger to underscore what she says next—”when I was in prison, you visited me.”
Unfortunately, her use of the scripture doesn’t enhance, but rather undermines her credibility. The passage she cites is found in Matthew 25, which includes what is known as the parable of the sheep and the goats.
The parable tells the story of how Jesus—the Son of Man—will in the future return and separate “the righteous” (the sheep) from those “who are cursed” (the goats), sending each to their eternal destination. The specific verses Pelosi refers to are 35-36 as Jesus explains why the righteous go on to eternal life:
“‘For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'”
These are acts of mercy and compassion that exemplify a heart transformed by the love of God. They address basic needs that human beings have for food and drink, for clothing and shelter, for health and for encouragement, perhaps especially so for those in prison, which Pelosi emphasizes.
In the ancient world, prisons were miserable underground dungeons that were overcrowded, devoid of sunlight, and full of disease. They served as holding cells for those awaiting trial (or execution) where prisoners suffered festering wounds, lack of sleep, lack of a healthy diet, and often died in custody from disease or starvation.
People who went to prison relied on friends from the outside to care for their needs. If you had no friends, you were without hope and full of despair. A visit meant someone was caring for you. That’s what Jesus is saying.
What these verses do not do is advocate for the release of modern-day criminals. The most she can draw from them is that we should visit the prisoners, which is impossible to do right now since visiting them is not allowed due to the epidemic.
The other problem here is that the parable refers to individuals. It is not a government that is on trial. It is individuals who are separated. It is individuals who are judged. It is individuals who are sent away to eternal life or damnation.
We must not kick matters of individual responsibility to the government to carry out. You will not be held accountable for what a government did or didn’t do. Always, always be suspicious of anyone who advocates for a government policy or program using scripture.
There may well be problems with the racial disparity in our American prisons, and there certainly is a risk to our prisoner population from the coronavirus. But rather than make a case based on the merits of the solution—cutting short the sentences of duly detained prisoners—Pelosi and the social justice advocates populating the CBC aren’t above stretching scripture with a groundless interpretation to fit their agenda.
It’s the weekend and another day under Chinese Bat Lung lock down. However, I’ve got some interesting links for you today, including a rebuttal to claims that the U.S. is a ‘brutal, barbarian society’; the day of reckoning approaches for Clinton and other Deep Staters; MI Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s dystopian assertion about abortion; a new sub for our U.S. Navy; and how sunshine truly is the best disinfectant. See you Monday!
