[Federalist] The following essay is adapted from the author’s new book, Pagan America: The Decline of Christianity and the Dark Age to Come.
It’s hard to survey the state of our country and not conclude that something is very wrong in America. I don’t just mean with our economy or the border or rampant crime in our cities, but with our basic grasp on reality itself.
Our cultural and political elite now insist that men can become women, and vice versa, and that even children can consent to what they euphemistically call "gender-affirming care." In a perfect inversion of reason and common sense, some Democratic lawmakers now want laws on the books forcing parents to affirm their child’s "gender identity" on the pain of having the child taken from them by the state for abuse.
Abortion, which was once reluctantly defended only on the basis that it should be "safe, legal, and rare," is now championed as a positive good, even at later stages of pregnancy. Abortion advocates now insist the only difference between an unborn child with rights and one without them is the mother’s desire, or not, to carry the pregnancy to term.
But even less contentious issues are now up for grabs, like mass rape. After Hamas terrorists filmed themselves raping and murdering Israeli women on Oct. 7, boasting about their savagery to a watching world, vast swaths of the America left still cannot bring themselves to condemn Hamas. The same progressive college students who insist that the mere presence of a conservative speaker on campus makes them "unsafe" are unable to condemn one of the worst instances of mass rape in modern history. Some even declare openly that they stand in solidarity with the Hamas rapists.
#4
if you meet buddha on your path kill him
means buddha,g-d, is inside not outside. i read somewhere that g-d is so bright the religions put him/her in a box and worship the box. sad.
#5
When your Christianity is treated like a buffet, this is the result. All religions have some boundaries for membership, get squishy on those and it's not really a religion anymore. Interesting question of how long any religion can survive in a free democratic republic, the devil is everywhere. Christians of all stripes are used to cowering for too long and are going to have to start pushing back on their leadership structures or leave that church and within their community where they or their Community are challenged. Christ says Community, not Catholic, not Orthodox and not the alphabet soup of Protestants. The Community of base ideals, values and beliefs needs to come together.
#6
IMO, this is why we see increased Leftist fever raging about Christian Nationalism. It's really an attempt to preempt Christians standing up and fighting back against being made a public enemy.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
04/01/2024 13:38 Comments ||
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#7
Thats part of it Rex, they need to define a group for people to see as adversary, especially when the definers are culturally and ethnically identical to their boogeyman. The other part is this wierd 50's, 60's counterculture tear it all down mentatlity which has been exploited by bad actors in various ways for decades.
[Broker] You know Hancock and Washington and Franklin and Jefferson. You might even know Greene and Knox, Henry and Hale.
But it is very unlikely that you know the name Haym Solomon. This is unfortunate, because he’s the guy who arranged financing to keep the Continental Army alive during its darkest days, finding the money to keep the revolution going when many were ready to throw in the towel. He was also instrumental in the founding of the Bank of North America – the country’s first “national” bank. Solomon’s contributions to the war and the founding of the nation, though seldom discussed, were of major importance.
Haym Solomon is born to a sephardic Jewish family in Poland in 1740. He travels widely through the banking and finance capitals of western Europe, learning a thing or two and then moving on. He arrives penniless in New York City via England as the colonies are on the cusp of revolution. His expertise with money, along with his ability to converse in several European languages, makes him extremely valuable to overseas traders – he becomes a financial broker to New York’s bustling merchant community.
Solomon also establishes what will become a key friendship with Scottish maniac Alexander MacDougall, a businessman and erstwhile “politician” who was known for his aggressive disdain for class systems, hereditary titles and everything else British rule in the colonies reminded him of from back home. MacDougall, a merchant seaman by trade and privateer (pirate) during the French and Indian wars, was the street leader of the Sons of Liberty in New York. He liked to surround himself with other self-made men like Solomon and he especially liked busting heads and railing against the King. MacDougall might be proud his "aggressive disdain for class systems and hereditary titles".... lives on.
In the summer of 1776, the Sons of Liberty attempt to burn New York City to the ground, thus denying shelter to the British army stationed there. This was General Washington’s whim and the Sons nearly destroy a quarter of all standing buildings before being rounded up. Solomon is captured by the British army in September of that year and held for 18 months, some of that time confined on a boat and tortured as a spy. He successfully convinces his captors that he is more helpful to them as a translator and is employed as a liaison between the English officers and their Hessian mercenary allies.
Solomon uses this role to access enemy military installations and to undermine German support for the Brits. He is sabotaging from the inside, talking the Hessians out of fighting for the English king. When these insurgency activities are discovered, Solomon is arrested again. This time, he pulls out a gold coin that had been sewn into his clothes and bribes a guard to let him escape. He flees to Philadelphia and arranges for his wife and son to meet him there. For the second time, Solomon has arrived in a new American city penniless and forced to start over.
#1
Legend has it that in the aftermath of the war George Washington asked Haym Solomon what he wanted in return for his incredible service to the nation. Solomon allegedly said he wanted nothing for himself, but for the Jewish people to be recognized in some way. Washington is said to have arranged for the thirteen stars representing the colonies on the Great Seal of the United States of America to be laid out in the shape of a Star of David.
Legend? Yes, possibly. A digitized currency will dispose of all of that as well as images of our Founding Fathers.
[American Thinker] Something came back to me when I saw Friday's (3/29) Wall Street Journal's " Mansion" section which was titled, "Modernism Finds a Way In Savannah."
You see, my wife Lynn was born in Savannah, Georgia, and we were married in Savannah 52 years ago but lived in Atlanta until 2002.
That year, I believed it was time we moved back to Savannah to be with her mother and father who were getting advanced in years, Lynn came kicking and screaming, as did our daughter, Abby, but I prevailed.
After one year, Lynn came around, made new friends and retained special ones from her Atlanta days and we have continued our May week at N. Litchfield Beach, South Carolina with four couples from our Atlanta neighborhood. 2024 will be our 40th year, I believe.
Initially our children, who grew up together, came and could bring a friend, if they so chose, and in the morning we piled out of our large beach rental home like circus clowns exiting a car. The kids are all married, live all over, are raising their own kids so we are down to 5 couples. We are the only couple with great grandchildren.
We have a routine but, due to health issues, I no longer play tennis with my buddies so I read books, take a nap, and am in charge of making Margaritas. In the evening we generally play a game called left, right center with pennies and roll the dice to see what we do next.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Kirill Velesov
[REGNUM] The health of Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales and wife of the heir to the British throne, Prince William of Wales, remains one of the hottest topics - and not only in the UK. Fans of the royal family are anxiously following the situation, about which there are now many rumors and speculations.
Kate, who had previously been the subject of constant attention from the British paparazzi, disappeared from the radar at the end of 2023. It is assumed that she is now fighting cancer and is undergoing treatment, but conspiracy theorists continue to speculate on her health, citing a lack of trust in recent photos of the princess.
BAD PHOTO
The princess has not appeared in public since the Christmas service on December 25 last year at Sandringham, and on January 16 she was hospitalized in a private clinic in London, where she underwent routine abdominal surgery. In connection with which surgical intervention was required, the royal palace was in no hurry to disclose, but it was emphasized that the princess did not have an oncological diagnosis.
For a long time, the duchess’s problems were not officially reported. Representatives of the royal house got off with excuses or assured that everything was fine with Kate, and that she would soon return to her usual active lifestyle. In particular, in early March, Prince William ignored a question about his wife’s health.
The silence of official sources and the absence of numerous previous photos and videos led to a flurry of rumors about the reasons for the disappearance of the princess. Proponents of conspiracy theories began to talk about the discord in her family due to the appearance of a mistress with the heir to the British throne, as well as about Kate’s possible death or her severe coma.
When a picture of a happy Kate Middleton with her children against the backdrop of a spring garden was published three weeks ago, many felt that the picture was generated by a neural network or unprofessionally retouched. It was indicated, in particular, that the position of her body was unnatural, the background of the image did not correspond to the season, and the duchess did not have a wedding ring on her hand.
Then even a number of British media refused to publish the photo, which further violated the trust in the royal family, which had already suffered from numerous scandals. Even the Princess of Wales herself had to apologize for the unfortunate photo. Adding fuel to the fire was the fact that other members of the royal house had previously been diagnosed with cancer.
In early February of this year, the disease was found in the British King Charles III. During his hospitalization due to an enlarged prostate, he was diagnosed with cancer, so he had to postpone public events during treatment. There was also bad news about the health of British Prince Andrew's ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, who was diagnosed with skin cancer and a breast tumor.
Sources and conspiracy theorists
Recently, the Princess of Wales lifted the veil of secrecy and recorded a video message in which she said that she was diagnosed with cancer after a planned operation, so now she needs to undergo treatment. However, there have been no reliable reports about what type of cancer it is and what stage it is at. They even tried to steal the duchess's medical records, which, by the way, is considered a criminal offense under UK law.
It was assumed, in particular, that it could be cervical cancer, one of the most common types of this disease in women. However, the other day, royal family expert Mark Roche, citing his informants, told the public that Kate Middleton had been diagnosed with colon cancer.
“According to a well-informed source, all indications are that she has had a hysterectomy (removal of the uterus - Ed.) and that she has colon cancer,” he says. “As the source explains, the Princess of Wales is undergoing preventive chemotherapy, which can be done at home without going to hospital.”
Today she reportedly remains under the care of doctors at the Anmer Hall estate. Due to the princess' illness, Prince William and Kate Middleton are likely to miss the annual Easter service at St George's Chapel. The Duchess gets tired quickly, so her husband took care of the family's three children - Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
“He is a very reliable and strong person. She does not feel isolated thanks to his support,” informed people say. Kate's connection with her husband remains strong; together they experience the misfortune that has befallen them. The children know that their mother is sick and is trying to get better.
“I told them that I am healthy and getting stronger every day, focusing on what will help me heal in mind, body and spirit,” the princess emphasizes.
Of course, we can only wish her to successfully cope with her health problems, but overall the situation still looks like a failure of the royal press service. Even despite the emergence of new materials, various fantastic theories continue to multiply, and experts with a magnifying glass are looking for numerous inconsistencies in the footage.
In particular, earlier a friend of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, IT entrepreneur Christopher Busey, noted that Buckingham Palace lied about Kate Middleton’s health, and British journalists “gladly” helped him. Conspiracy theorists also have complaints about the princess’s recent video message. Users of social networks, in particular, are wondering why Prince William is not in the frame next to her, which breaks tradition.
To be sure, as Prince William's spokeswoman Sally Bedell Smith previously said, the prince is "focused on his work, not on social media." But fans of the royal family would still like to receive more first-hand details, otherwise conspiracy theorists will be happy to provide them to the public.
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[AmericanThinker] It is widely accepted that the Ukrainian crisis erupted into a military conflict on February 24, 2022, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Contrary to conventional wisdom, the seeds of the hostilities were planted about thirty years earlier by President Clinton and, later, by George W. Bush, both of whom recklessly pushed for NATO’s eastward expansion.
Over the years, Gorbachev, Yeltsin, and Putin repeatedly warned that Moscow would not tolerate continuing NATO’s "Drang nach Osten" ("drive to the East"), particularly Ukraine’s membership and the subsequent establishment of NATO military bases along the Russian border.
...Would the United States accept the presence of Russian military bases on its borders? As a matter of fact, it did not accept them even 1,500 miles from its borders. In 1983, President Reagan ordered the invasion of Grenada due to concerns that the construction of an airport by Cubans could potentially be utilized by Soviet forces.
...Diplomacy was not given a chance because NATO needed to restore its image and validate its continued existence following a 30-year history of failure. The pursuit of "nation-building"—replacing authoritarian stability with democracy in countries that do not conform to the Bill of Rights—has accomplished neither. Instead, it has resulted in the loss of millions of lives and the devastation of many countries.
Furthermore, after a disastrous 2021 retreat from Afghanistan, the alliance lost the adversary that had long defined its purpose. Since a military alliance cannot exist without a rival, NATO's need for a credible enemy was an existential necessity. The Russian incursion into Ukraine could create the perception of a common threat and portray NATO as an indispensable pillar of global security, especially if NATO emerged victorious.
...And, of course, there was Ukraine. Never in the realm of international relations was there a state that acted so consistently against its national interests. It put itself in grave danger when it announced its intention to join NATO in 2004, violating the 1997 Treaty on Friendship between Ukraine and the Russian Federation. This Treaty specifically addressed Ukrainian neutrality,
...Ukraine’s leaders never grasped that Moscow saw this treaty as a key element of Russia’s security and would not allow Ukraine to violate its terms with impunity. Zelensky could have avoided the war by renouncing his NATO membership request and meeting Moscow’s demands, thus saving the country from destruction. However, the corrupt leaders in Kiev were driven by financial and military aid and were seeking conflict for personal gain.
Truth in politics involves various viewpoints and analyses, which are often influenced by one’s ideological background. However, facts matter.
The preceding facts illustrate a common overriding interest among NATO leadership, its member states, and Ukraine in instigating the invasion, albeit for varying reasons. Russia was the sole party that attempted to prevent the conflict.
Posted by: Grom the Reflective ||
04/01/2024 00:32 ||
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Link ||
[117 views]
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#1
There's no moral equivalence between the orcs and the West
Never was
Russia felching is getting popular but is spread by shady characters
[Business Insider] During the earliest stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, many Americans reminisced about the things that used to bring them joy. They never stopped thinking about that last big trip with their families or that last in-person concert they enjoyed with friends.
Four years later, American consumers have mostly moved on from the pandemic and are spending more on experiences than ever before. WTF? Eating is an "experience."
Prioritizing experiences, however, has led to a major shift in their financial lives: The personal saving rate in the US has declined considerably. Saving is indeed difficult when you're broke at the end of the month.
The Washington Post recently reported on how consumers in the US have embraced a sort of YOLO — or "you only live once" — mindset. In 2023, consumer spending on foreign trips and live entertainment rose by nearly 30 percent, according to the newspaper. WAPO? Where I get ALL my news.
Spending levels have so far continued to rise in 2024, too. In February, personal consumption expenditures increased by $145.5 billion compared to January, with $111.8 billion spent on services, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. This story belongs in Yahoo News. Oh wait, it's a news feature there this morning.
#6
^'When you walk in a room, you overhear conversations all the time where people are saying 'Trump is the best' or 'I went to that last rally,' and they're telling total strangers while you're just waiting for your car or something. It's just everywhere.'
Maybe the libs felt outnumbered? Maybe they'll go back for better politics.
Posted by: Bobby ||
04/01/2024 9:23 Comments ||
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#7
Why would you "save" money at 3% payback when the devaluation is perhaps 50% over 10 years?
Ask yourself, why has the price of everything gone up? Maybe it's the actual value of the dollar falling?
Posted by: ed in texas ||
04/01/2024 16:43 Comments ||
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Smart, bright, smoothly articulate; being easy on the eyes doesn't hurt, not even a little bit. Alina Habba talks about Trump's trials and the politics involved. The highlight for me was when she referred to MSNBC as MSDNC.
#1
I love watching good lawyers in court. I was the object of a frivolous lawsuit once over a business deal in small claims where parties usually go pro-se but I hired a lawyer to be sure of a win. He had the suit thrown out in less than 3 minutes. My opponent were shocked and the small claims judge was really impressed. My attorney really knew the civil statutes about the issue.
[60 Minutes - Some salt required] U.S. officials in Vietnam were injured in a Havana Syndrome style attack ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris's 2021 trip to Hanoi. Now, new evidence suggests Russia may have been involved — and that it may have been the Vietnamese themselves who were given technology that could have caused the injuries. Russia, Russia, Russia.
At the time, the U.S. embassy in Hanoi announced that a possible "anomalous health incident," the federal government's term for so-called Havana Syndrome attacks, was slowing Harris's arrival in Vietnam. 60 Minutes has learned that 11 people reported being struck in separate incidents before Harris entered the country: two people who were officials at the American embassy in Hanoi, and nine people who were part of a Defense Department advance team preparing for Harris's visit.
While at least some of the injured U.S. personnel were medevaced out of the country, Harris was unharmed and continued her trip to Hanoi after a three-hour delay in Singapore. The antidote worked ?
Statements of White House, FBI, Office of the Director of National Intelligence to 60 Minutes
Symptoms of Havana Syndrome often include nausea, dizziness, migraines, and problems with vision and hearing that can persist over a long period of time. While U.S. officials cannot confirm what causes it, experts 60 Minutes has spoken with believe the incidents involve targeted sonic or microwave attacks.
60 Minutes has been investigating these attacks for more than five years. For the latest report, which aired on the broadcast this week, producers Michael Rey and Oriana Zill de Granados teamed up with Christo Grozev, an investigative journalist who currently leads investigative work for The Insider. Grozev is well-known for his investigation into the poisoning of the late Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny.
As 60 Minutes investigated the Hanoi incident, a source suggested that the Vietnamese themselves had been given some kind of technology that may have caused the "Havana Syndrome" attack. According to the source, the Vietnamese may have been told to use the technology to listen in on the Americans ahead of Harris's trip — but they may not have known this the technology could harm the people they were using it on.
In his research, Grozev found a document that seems to indicate this theory may be correct.
Five months before Harris's visit to Hanoi, an email was sent to the Security Council of Russia, the body of top Russian officials who head the country's defense and security agencies.
According to Grozev, a document within the email shows that Russian intelligence lobbied for and received permission from President Vladimir Putin to provide exclusive technology to Vietnamese security services. Among the list of recommended technologies to be shared were "LRAD acoustic emitters" and "short-wave equipment for scanning the human body."
Havana Syndrome mystery continues as a lead military investigator says bar for proof was set impossibly high LRAD, which stands for "long-range acoustic device," is a military-grade sonic weapon that discharges a targeted beam of sound at extremely high volume. An LRAD device was used to thwart a pirate attack on a cruise ship in 2005, and since then, the U.S. military has used the devices to send warnings in the field, such as cautioning people away from an Army base perimeter. But when left on at its highest volume, some LRAD systems can produce a sound pressure level of 162 decibels. The human pain threshold is about 130 decibels. I blame highly paid, loose lipped US gov't contractors.
Based on his research, Grozev said he suspects Russia is sending weapons technology like this, which may be used in Havana Syndrome attacks, to foreign governments.
"I believe that Russia is assisting other governments with some operations that those governments may want to do on their own, and in this way establishing loyalty from these governments for future operations that Russia might need on their territory," Grozev told 60 Minutes. An amazingly familiar theme.
Retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Greg Edgreen ran an investigation for the Defense Intelligence Agency into anomalous health incidents, which have been referred to as Havana Syndrome attacks because they were first reported by American officials based in the U.S. embassy in Cuba in 2016. He told 60 Minutes he also believes Russians were involved in the 2021 attack in Vietnam.
"They saw us getting closer and closer to Cuba, and they wanted to stop it..." Edgreen said. "Then they tried to follow up and do the same thing with Vietnam, another long-term strategic ally to Hanoi, by disrupting Vice President Kamala Harris' trip to Vietnam." Until we hear from Fauci, we'll probably never know for sure.
While running the military investigation into anomalous health incidents, Edgreen said the Pentagon supported his investigation into whether Russia was behind the attacks. But the Trump and Biden administrations set the bar for proof impossibly high, he said.
Grozev believes the U.S. government would require a very high threshold of certainty before they could acknowledge the Kremlin's role — because of what will happen if they do.
"Once you admit that this happened, it is a Pandora['s] box," Grozev said. "It requires you to confront the fact that you have your arch enemy acting against your own people, your own intelligence workers, on your territory, and this is nothing other than a declaration of war."
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#1
Grozev believes the U.S. government would require a very high threshold of certainty before they could acknowledge the Kremlin's role — because of what will happen if they do.
#3
We have satellites that could detect these anomalous events. Not that we need to let anyone know that...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
04/01/2024 11:31 Comments ||
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#4
Undetectable mystery weapons deployed by our enemies is a great plot device to drive whatever storyline you need.
I could add more words but #2 pretty much sums it up.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[REGNUM] The health of Kate Middleton, 
[Business Insider] During the earliest stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, many Americans reminisced about the things that used to bring them joy. They never stopped thinking about that last big trip with their families or that last in-person concert they enjoyed with friends.
