Daily Archives: February 27, 2020

My friend introduced me to this quote from Saint Augustine. Saint Augustine wrote Right is right even if no one is doing it; wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it.

Just a short time ago, the social buzzword was politically correct. An arrogant demonstration of government control by telling us what to say, not to say or the correct way in which to say or do something. Well, if Pelosis action during the State of the Union address was an illustration of political correctness, then I want nothing to do with it. If I want to watch kids in a sandbox, Ill go to our local playground.

Now that the president has been acquitted of the Articles of Impeachment, he will clean house and rightfully so. People will say he is being vindictive. Perhaps he should be, considering the attacks on him and his family since his inauguration. Im glad that he is our president because he has the fortitude to take the action that is necessary to clean up this mess in Washington D.C.

Put aside any hatred you may have towards our president and open your eyes to what is happening in Washington, D.C. before its too late. Join me in promoting the Convention of States as granted to us by Article V of the United States Constitution. Help the President clean up Washington, D.C. Join the movement by going to http://www.conventionofstate.com and sign the petition.

Clair Moyer,

Lewisburg

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I was blind but now I see | Opinion | dailyitem.com - Sunbury Daily Item

The alternative right is undeniably damaging and toxic to American politics. Anytime intolerance presents itself in a culture it creates a fear and disturbs the constructive political conversation that is otherwise likely held. Unfortunately, because the alt-right makes use of the word right, many people group this small sect of people with actual Republicans and conservatives. That is not the case. The definition of the alt-right doesnt fall close to what a Republican is or stands for.

The term alternative-right, or alt-right, was coined by Richard Spencer by his webzine in 2010. Spencer is a well known white supremacist who used his platform to advocate for an America free of minorities.

The Southern Poverty Law Center defined the alt-right as:

"A set of far-right ideologies, groups and individuals whose core belief is that 'white identity' is under attack by multicultural forces using 'political correctness' and 'social justice' to undermine white people and 'their' civilization."

Alternative right stands to give hateful and racist people a means to organize. They believe in small government and limiting taxes, but that is where the similarities with the actual right end. Thats why they use the word alternative; they cant be a part of the real right.

In his farewell address to America, Senator John McCain discussed the issues that the alt-right and racist extremist groups pose to our country:

We weaken our greatness when we confuse our patriotism with tribal rivalries that have sown resentment and hatred and violence in all the corners of the globe. We weaken it when we hide behind walls, rather than tear them down, when we doubt the power of our ideals, rather than trust them to be the great force for change they have always been, he wrote.

The majority of Republicans despise and denounce the alt-right. They dont have real political ideologies or opinions. Theyre just racist populists who pretend that they care about political issues other than race to try and legitimize themselves.

Aligning the alt-right with the actual right not only hurts the right, but it legitimizes white supremacy. It is up to not only Republicans, but every ideology of the political spectrum to denounce the alt-right as not a part of the Republican party.

Mikayla Rochelle is a junior studying strategic communication at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those ofThe Post. What are your thoughts? Tell Mikayla by tweeting her at @mikayla_roch.

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So Listen: The alt-right is not the right - The Post

REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

President Donald Trump

From the moment Trump declared his candidacy for president, many people have been offended by his violation of norms. However, what is a norm? The best if yet incomplete definition of a norm is a standard practice or behavior not officially codified in rules. Norms are just that expectations without official coercive mechanisms except rebuke from peers and punishment by voters. But when voters are polarized along party lines instead of specific issues, tribal affiliation is highly indicative of voters political positions. Accordingly, checking norms violations devolves into extreme partisan warfare.

One central element to todays political tribalism is identity politics, or the formation of political alliances based on specific characteristics. More extreme examples are I will only support non-white men on the left or no immigrants from Muslim countries on the right. One stems from the desire to include people historically left on the political periphery and another from a fear of insecurity. I am not drawing moral equivalency, but merely pointing out our non-compromise political environment.

This non-compromise political environment has allowed Trump to violate norms once followed by previous presidents with little repercussion (yet). Trump has violated campaign norms such as not disclosing his tax returns, rejecting divestment from his business interests, lying with a pathology unseen in modern American political history, and openly appealing to nativism. He has also wrought fury upon institutionalized norms such as not politicizing the Justice Department or questioning the NATO alliance. The media has been labeled enemy of the people, although he is hardly the only president to have conflicts with journalists (see Obama circa 2015).

These norms bely the cracks they covered. The first crack is the growth of presidential power, which allows for significant unilateral executive action. All Trump did was implicitly admit its good to be king with his chauvinistic bravado. Second, congressional checks on presidential power are now hostages of the political environment more so than most living people can remember. This is possible because of the third crack. The political environment is hyper-partisan and rewards Trump for his I have big hands swagger. Trump laid the cracks before his opposition to see, and neither impeachment nor daily condemnation has worked. Doubt that? See his approval ratings.

Isaac Russell

It also tells us what should and should not be a norm needs to be revisited. Should the president legally be required to disclose tax returns or divest business interests? How do you punish the president for asking a foreign power to investigate a political opponent when Congress manifests the tribalism of the electorate that has been perpetuated by political parties? Well, better win the House and the Senate, because politicians face their parties base in primaries, not yours.

Lastly, it tells us even Americans outside of Trumps base are more nationalistic than people care to admit. Trump may have violated a norm by asking Ukraine to investigate Hunter Biden, but its tough to get people to care about a country most couldnt find on a map. Much of the rights tribalism is driven by nationalism and disdain for the lefts political correctness. Many voters know Trump isnt perfect and some revel in his decimation of established norms. They value American interests defined materially and to differing extents ethnically, which gives Trump great leverage when the economy is doing well. This is not merely a political knife. It is a political broadsword, and those who want norms to prevail had better find a broadsword of their own.

Isaac Russellis a Humphrey School of Public Affairs Masters of Public Policy student and a legislative assistant in the Minnesota Senate.

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On presidential norms and the coming political knife fight - MinnPost

I believe God had a lot to do with putting Donald Trump in the White House and by doing so, has exposed how vicious, vile, corrupted, broken and dysfunctional the Washington establishment has become.

They say no one is above the law, but they dont practice what they preach. When a political party will do whatever they want in order to achieve their agenda, no matter how many people and their families they destroy, that is way beyond dirty politics and policy differences.

What we have witnessed in the last several years should be a wakeup call for every freedom-loving American. It is so sad that all this is happening in a nation whose government was founded on the truth, values and guidelines of Gods word, the Bible. We have turned away from the Bible and turned to mans logic, reason and so-called wisdom and ideas. The flaw with that is mankind is the problem. Genesis 3, the fall of man, explains that very well.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Chronicles 7:14

We dont need any more political correctness and Hollywood drama and emotional fluff. We need revival, and return to the word of God and the guidelines he has given us.

By the way, Donald Trump doesnt walk on water; neither does anyone else. The question is how many of us know the one who did walk on water. God have mercy on us.

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Government needs to get back to beliefs of Founding Fathers - Grand Island Independent

By World Tribune- A former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official, who had said that one or more terror attacks in the U.S. could have been prevented if not for the Obama administrations prioritizing political correctness over safety, was found dead Friday from a gunshot wound, reports say.

Philip Haney, as a whistleblower, testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee in June 2016 that DHS ordered him to delete hundreds of files of people with ties to Islamist terrorist groups, arguing terrorist attacks against people in the United States could have been prevented if certain files had not been scrubbed, the Washington Examiner noted in a Feb. 22 report.

It is very plausible that one or more of the subsequent terror attacks on the homeland could have been prevented if more subject matter experts in the Department of Homeland Security had been allowed to do our jobs back in late 2009, Haney wrote in an opinion piece for The Hill in February 2016.

It is demoralizing and infuriating that today, those elusive dots are even harder to find, and harder to connect, than they were during the winter of 2009.

The Amador County Sheriffs office said that deputies and detectives responded to reports Friday morning at 10:12 a.m. of a male subject with a gunshot wound on the ground in the area of Highway 124 and Highway 16 in Plymouth, California.

Upon their arrival, they located and identified 66-year-old Philip Haney, who was deceased and appeared to have suffered a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound. A firearm was located next to Haney and his vehicle. This investigation is active and ongoing. No further details will be released at this time, the sheriffs office said in a statement.

Red State and Heavy reported that Haney had been missing since Wednesday, and that the gunshot wound was found in his chest.

Several reports cited friends of Haney as saying they found it difficult to believe that Haney had taken his own life.

The Examiner, citing sources close to Haney as saying he was recently in contact with top officials about returning to work for the DHS. Additionally, Haney was engaged to be married.

Speaking anonymously for fear of retribution, a friend whos known Haney for 40 years told CCN.com: Knowing his strong Christian faith, his dogged pursuit of truth and his love for America, and his upcoming marriage, it seems highly unlikely that he committed suicide. He was on a mission to wake up America, and I strongly doubt he took his own life.

In a 2016 interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity, Haney explained that on two occasions his carefully prepared files had been purged. He also believed that, if the Obama administration had maintained this database, several mass shootings, including the December 2015 Orlando, Florida nightclub massacre and the June 2016 San Bernardino, California mass shooting could have been prevented.

In an interview with then-Fox News host Megyn Kelly, Haney said that about a year into an investigation that had led his team to one of the mosques that San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook had attended, officials from the State Department and the Homeland Security Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties showed up at his office to pull the plug.

In his 2016 article for The Hill, Haney claimed President Barack Obama had thrown the U.S. intelligence community under the bus for failing to connect the dots after a Nigerian Muslim terror suspect was linked to a failed terror plot on Christmas Day in 2009.

Most Americans were unaware of the enormous damage to morale at the Department of Homeland Security, where I worked, his condemnation caused, Haney wrote, referring to Obama. His words infuriated many of us because we knew his administration had been engaged in a bureaucratic effort to destroy the raw material the actual intelligence we had collected for years, and erase those dots. The dots constitute the intelligence needed to keep Americans safe, and the Obama administration was ordering they be wiped away.

Haney also called out the Obama administration for prioritizing political correctness over safety.

I can no longer be silent about the dangerous state of Americas counter-terror strategy, our leaders willingness to compromise the security of citizens for the ideological rigidity of political correctness and, consequently, our vulnerability to devastating, mass-casualty attack.

The Washington Examiner received a text message from Haney on Nov. 11 which mentioned plans to write a sequel to his first book, See Something Say Nothing: A Homeland Security Officer Exposes the Governments Submission to Jihad, which described his experience at DHS.

Odd (surreal reality) that I was a highly visible whistleblower that virtually no one listened to, while this guy remains invisible, but is treated like an anointed oracle from above, Haney said in the Nov. 11 text, referring to alleged Ukraine whistleblower Eric Ciaramella. However, my story is still live, i.e., theres still more to come. Itll be called National Security Meltdown.

Haney added, I have a severely hyper-organized archive of everything thats happened since See Something, Say Nothing (SSSN) was published in May of 2016. The National Security Meltdown sequel will pick up right where SSSN left off. My intention is to have it ready by early-to mid-Spring of 2020 (just before the political sound wave hits), then ride that wave all the way to the Nov. elections.

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Obama administration whistleblower reportedly kills self The Tribune Papers- Breaking News & Top Local Stories - Thetribunepapers

Im on the phone with the cult film director, actor, and godfather of camp John Waters as hes preparing his annual Christmas party for about 200 people. Hes been keeping busy,just finishing up the last show of his holiday tour (a yearly ritual of his), and this time aroundhe visited 16 cities. As he puts it, Im like a drag queen on Halloween.

Nobody does it quite like Waters. With a career bridging the divide between high and lowbrow culture, this is the man whose stringof trashy '70sexploitation comedieselevatedDivine to the world,who directedthe original 1988version of the musical Hairspray,and who still finds time to starin everything from Seed of Chucky to Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip. Carrying a sign that read "I'm not psycho,"he once hitchhikedacross the United States from his native Baltimore to San Francisco, and wrote about his experiences inhis bookCarsick.He also maintains a regular column on Artforumwhere he rounds uphis favorite movies each year with his eclectic taste.

The last time Waters was in Minnesota, he curated the show Absentee Landlord at the Walker Art Center in 2011. The exhibit envisioned the Walkers galleries as rental apartments, where he housed 80 pieces of art in different rooms, organizing the roommates in a way that putthem in conversation with each other to reveal new sides to each work.

Notdirecting at the moment, the man with the pencil-thin mustache continues to perform his freewheeling one-man show,This Filthy World,while updating it to reflect the times. Its always rewritten and completely new. Im always rewriting it, he says. In a wayIve been doing this for 50 yearsits a self-help in a way, at the same time telling you how to negotiate your way and fail upwards. But its everything: Its about crime, fashion, movies, young people, music... How you really should just stay in the city you were born in now. You dont have to move to New York or L.A. anymore, you should just make those cities better.

Ahead of his two sold-out performances at the Parkway Theater, I caught up with the inimitable man once ordainedby the beatnik author William S. Burroughs as thePope of Trash.

On his childhood in Baltimore, My childhood was like a pretty upper-middle class family, very functional. They were horrified by what I did, but at the same time they were supportive. Ive written about them a lot in all the books. The best thing I can think of is my father after he saw A Dirty Shame, and he said, It was funny, but I dont know if Ill ever see it again.

On the effectCatholicism had on his upbringing, I always make the joke that, being raised Catholic, sex will always be dirty. It made me angry, thats what it did right in the beginning. My mom would tell me the first thing I rebelled was when we had to stand up in church and take the pledge of the Legion of Decency, which condemned movies, and I refused to take it. I was about seven years old. It made me angry. It still makes me angry.

On his parents' acceptance, I never came out as gay, its not like a bar mitzvah. They were afraid to ask me if I was gay because they thought it might be something worse. [laughs] They were confused because they figured I was gay, except I had straight male friends and I hung around with girls too. There were so many mixed signals they didnt quite know what it was, but whatever it was, I think smoking pot and LSD made them more nervous. They had so many things to be nervous about, but they still tried to accept that they did the best they could, and they made me feel safe, and thats the only thing that really counts, whatever your parents say. Your parents could be serial killers and be good parents if they make you feel safe."

On political correctness in comedy, Weirdly, I am politically correct, even though the stuff I say, you would probably argue with me. No one ever gets mad at what I say, because I think I make fun of myself first. I dont think Im mean-spiritedwell, I am about Trumpand I also kind of make a lot of jokes about the Democratic candidates, too. I think Im an equal opportunity employer, but I only make fun of things (mostly) that I love. I think thats why I lasted so long, because being mean is funny for 10 minutes, not 70. Also, Im 73 years old, and if youre still that angry at 73, youre kind of an asshole. I mean, you shouldve worked something out by the time youre 73. [laughs] I mean, theres lots to get angry about politically, but if youre blaming everybody for different things in your life at 70you know, life isnt fair, and everybody is not dealt the same hand, so you have to accept that. You can blame your parents up to 30.

On his morning routine, I wake up Monday to Friday at 6 a.m., read six newspapers, look at my emails, and then turn it all off. At 8 a.m. I write until about 11:30 every day. And then in the afternoon, Im in my office, and we sell whatever it is Im thinking about.

On the 2020 presidential election, Im hoping for this scenario: That the election is so close that [Trump] loses by one vote, which will make him go so insane that he will refuse to leave the White House, and then tanks will have to come in to remove our own president from the White House. That would be a good movie. With Melania? It would be a really exciting action movie.

On what hes been reading, I really like Lydia Davis, her essays I just read are really, really smart. I just read Ducks, Newburyport, and its one sentence and its 987 pages long. Its quite good though: Its a page-turner, but the problem is theres no place to put the bookmark.

On his most controversial opinion, That Greta Thunberg is really a Children of the Corn. Im really for her, but Im scared of her now. When Trump criticized her, she answered back, I know you are, but what am I? She makes Republicans so crazy that it makes me laugh. We need some fearless people to straighten us back out here.

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John Waters on This Filthy World - Mpls.St.Paul Magazine

I have advocated my entire adult life for equal treatment of all people. Perhaps thats due to my own minority status. Were all humans striving for a chance at a decent life regardless of how we define that. We eliminated most systematic racism with the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Of course, sporadic and regional cases of discrimination continued; many cases of discrimination still occur. With racial tensions high at some college campuses and across the country, many university administrators, politicians, and business owners routinely challenge (if not scold) Whites for racist attitudes or discriminating. I generally support anti-racism endeavors. But after four decades of political correctness, new social mores have taken root that do not mitigate racial discord. Political correctness institutionalized double-standards. As an example, when entertainers call Trump an orange orangutan (e.g., Jimmy Kimmel, Bill Maher, Wanda Sykes), audiences laugh. If entertainers were to compare Obama to a simian, their career is over. Political correctness also has eroded free speech. Discussions on pressing issues such as undocumented immigration, affirmative action, and so on often are muted to avoid charges of xenophobia or racism. In addition to those offspring of political correctness, a potentially more pernicious behavior has become socially acceptable: attacking Whites. What follows are selected excerpts from a book I just published called White Shaming: Bullying based on Prejudice, Virtue-Signaling, and Ignorance.

In a country proclaiming to value diversity and multiculturalism, white Americans and Western culture frequently are under siege for misdeeds such as colonialism, slavery, Jim Crow, racism, and white privilege. Whites are expected to shut up, own their presumed racism, and feel guilty for the transgressions of other Whites. I call these attacks White shaming. White shaming is a form of bullying. The bullying reflects shamers own unacknowledged animus toward Whites as well as their need to feel righteous (aka: virtue-signaling).

College courses now exist based on shaming Whites for presumed racism and privileges. Stanford offers a course called White Identity Politics. According to the syllabus, students will examine how the concept of white identity can be understood in relation to white nationalism, white supremacy, white privilege, and whiteness. White shaming in the classroom descends to a new low when elementary schools teach white children they are privileged, racist, and responsible for the misdeeds of other Whites. A private school in Manhattan, NY Bank Street School for Children openly advertises that it offers a progressive education for children. Although the majority of their students is white, the school attracts many upper-class minority students. Banks had employed Anshu Wahi as Head of Diversity Instruction. Wahi had implemented a Racial Justice & Advocacy curriculum which, according to some parents reports, required separating minority children from white children in order to have safe spaces for minorities. The minority children were encouraged to talk about instances when they have had ouch moments (Wahis phrase for racial microaggressions). They were encouraged to feel ethnic pride, while white students according to some disgruntled parents were taught that any success whites have was unearned. According to Bank Street Schools FAQs About the Racial Justice & Advocacy Curriculum handout, when a white child expresses that the diversity curriculum is unfair, the childs parent should Work with your childs teacher to explain in developmentally appropriate language that Bank Street wants to give kids of color a space to talk about shared experiences because even in society today, people of color are treated unfairly. In other words, white children questioning their diversity program should be told that minorities need breaks from Whites and that people of color are victims of oppression. Are some minorities treated unfairly? Sure. Are all minorities treated unfairly? National surveys reveal that most African Americans do not believe they have experienced any racial discrimination during the past three months leading up to the survey. Moreover, a slight majority of African Americans believe that if African Americans are unsuccessful it is due to their bad decisions. Yet, portraying all minorities as perpetual victims is the mantra of White shamers.

Arguably, the White shamer of the decade is sociology professor Michael Eric Dyson. When he speaks, the casual observer might conclude that he compensates for his personal insecurities by fronting a know-it-all faade, rarely allowing others to get a word in edgewise. Few individuals are as dedicated to indicting Whites as is Dyson. He has a knack for stereotyping Whites as racists with no ability to critically examine his own racism. He like many liberals today has an irrational hatred for Trump. Reasonable people may have misgivings with Trump as a person or with some of his policies. But for Dyson, Trumps presumed racism is an obsession. He continues peddling the claims that Trump has said (according to Dyson), all Mexicans [are] rapists, Muslims who should be banned, black people who should be discriminated against, women who should be treated in a sexually predatory manner. Every video I have seen of Trump talking about Mexicans has been in the context of addressing undocumented immigrants, certainly not all 130 million Mexican citizens. Dyson struggles with nuanced information. Moreover, there are over 40 Muslim-dominant countries with hundreds of millions of Muslims living worldwide. Trumps so-called Muslim travel ban focused only on citizens in seven countries (five of them Muslim-dominant [two were North Korea and Venezuela]) which had dubious governments, thereby making it difficult for U.S. embassies to verify those governments visa-related documents. Dyson also struggles with honesty. Does anyone really believe Trump has said that Blacks should experience discrimination? Dyson made those unfounded assertions while browbeating a white CNN political commentator. Dyson stingingly told the commentator, Until white folks like you can stand up and find your spine, you will continue to be complicit in the racist animus of this country.

Dyson wants Whites to contribute money to an individual reparations account for Blacks. He proposed that in his book Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America where he also wrote, We can do nothing to make our tormentors stop their evil. How can we possibly combat the blindness of white men and women who are so deeply invested in their own privilege that they cannot afford to see how much we suffer? Dyson chides any White daring to resist his excoriation of Whites. You are emotionally immature about raceYou have no idea that your whiteness and your American identity have become fatally intertwined. Your resistance to feelings of guilt is absurdly intense. Tormentors stop their evil? You are emotionally immature about race? Gee, Professor Dyson. Tell us how you really feel about Whites.

White shamers also want to display their virtue. Virtue-signaling is publicly communicating ones moral superiority and anti-racism. Take cases of those partaking in the toppling of statues erected to honor individuals involved with slavery or the civil war on the Confederate side. If that is their only cause for celebration, their statues should be preserved, perhaps, but transferred to history museums to document our progress. The toppling of statues does nothing to address problems faced currently by some minorities over which the topplers presumably are angry. To whatever extent black children attend substandard schools, for example, attacking statues does nothing to address that legitimate concern.

Seeing the frenzy displayed by statue topplers when bringing down a statue, its easy to infer their motives are less than noble. The videos capturing students in Chapel Hill toppling Silent Sam showed students fathoming themselves as new world freedom fighters as if they had liberated captives of some modern dictator. Silent Sam was not even a statue of a real person. The United Daughters of the Confederacy had arranged his installment in 1908, dedicating him to the memory of the Chapel Hill boys, who left college, 1861-1865 and joined our Southern Army in defense of our State. His supporters always have claimed Silent Sam is a monument dedicated to their ancestors who died in the Civil War and nothing more. His opponents claim he represents white supremacy and the desire to enslave Blacks. But heres the deal: its a statue. Its not a real person. But, dont tell the topplers that. One student even cut her skin and wiped her blood on the statue to protest Silent Sam. Removing statues also does nothing to combat slavery that still exists in many parts of Africa and Asia. Those virtuous statue-fighters are silent about slavery in non-Western nations. If they gain nothing by confronting contemporary world slavery, they care little about people today who endure modern enslavement.

The treat everyone equally with respect aspiration has morphed into a treat everyone equally with respect except Whites attitude. Whites expressing racism ought to be confronted. So do non-Whites. White shaming is problematic because hatred begets hatred. Relentless accusations of implicit bias and unearned privileges does not facilitate mutual respect. Those who shame Whites indiscriminately lack credibility. White shaming is hypocritical and must be confronted. Lets take a stand against all racial mistreatment so we can get along better and move forward as a nation.

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"White Shaming Does Not Improve Race Relations" - Newsmax

I was talking with my youngest son, Joel, the other day.

I asked him, Do you think that Christians are being properly prepared so that if they ever had to choose between renouncing their faith or having to die, they wouldnt deny Jesus Christ? He hesitated, but then thoughtfully added, No, dad, I dont think so.

In a time where many churches spend so much time trying to make everybody comfortable, are we doing our parishioners a disservice by not getting them ready for battle? In many parts of the world, people are dying daily because of their crime of believing in Jesus. Men and women love the Lord more than their own lives and refuse to walk away from Jesus, even though they are threatened with being beheaded on the spot.

Americans are known for declarations. All the time, we make bold statements announcing our faithfulness, commitments and perseverance despite what might stand in our way. The problem is that we are also known for talking more than walking when it comes to backing up beliefs.

The first step is making a dedication of your heart to God before making any empty declarations of how strong you are going to be in the face of danger. If you wont follow Jesus when its easy, how will you ever be courageous when it might cost you your life?

If you dont believe what I am saying, maybe take another look at the disciple, Peter. He learned the hard way that proclamations without personal promises make you look foolish in the long run.

Let your life make the loudest noise. If more believers lived as Jesus did, Christianity might be much more attractive to a lost and dying world. There would be more fight and light than we presently see in the Body of Christ.

The political correctness of our culture wants to edit Jesus out of everyday life. You can talk about almost anyone else, but if you start talking about our Lord, people get uncomfortable quickly; however, there is no other name to show men and women how they can be rescued.

You can understand why the enemy wants to keep that confession from the lips of people. Jesus never forced anyone to worship Him. Power can do many tasks, but it cant force you to love someone.

That only comes from the decisions of the heart, but tyrannical human leaders have come and gone over time, and their goals are more egotistical and driven by pride and not the unconditional love that flows from Jesus.

Let me tell you the story of Domitian, an ancient emperor. He was the brother of Titus, the Roman general who destroyed Jerusalem and its temple in A.D. 70. Jesus prophesied about this ahead of time, in the Gospel of Matthew.

Domitian allegedly poisoned Titus, so that he could become the sovereign ruler. After his brother was disposed of, Domitian became emperor.

At the beginning of his reign, Domitian, like Nero before him, proclaimed himself to be a deity. He demanded that everyone in the Roman Empire worship him, as a son of God. Under his law, people were forced to burn incense before statues of the emperor, and as they did, they were forced to chant to the mantra, Our Lord and God.

There was nothing righteous about Domitian. He was a conceited and ruthless tyrant, who ordered mass murders as casually as most people would swat a fly.

He imposed severe punishments on anyone who disobeyed him. All in favor of his way would live. If anybody was opposed, they died on the spot.

The apostle, John, was pastoring his congregation in Ephesus at the time. He challenged his flock to stay true to Jesus and not bow to idols, burn incense to the emperors image and yield to government threats. He made it clear that believers didn't have a choice at all.

Jesus, alone, was worthy of worship and was the truth despite what the cries of the crowd might say. In a crowd of lies, John said to stick with the truth.

Domitian didnt care for John's words, and he exiled him to Patmos on the first boat leaving town, thinking that would shut John up.

However, it didnt. People can try to lock up God, but His word cant stay contained.

As long as Domitian was emperor, John was stuck on Patmos. John received the vision of the Revelation of Jesus that Domitian couldnt stop.

John gave us the book of Revelation against the backdrop of intense persecution. The Lord gave John a message to deliver to the seven churches. That message can be summed up in two words: dont compromise.

Yet, the faith of too many is filled with it being watered down and is only an inkling of what God intended it to be. When Domitian commanded that incense be burned before his image as an act of worship, many Christians said, What harm would it do to burn a little incense?

"I still go to church and pray. If I defy the emperor, I might lose friends, lose business, and lose my job. If burning a little incense keeps the government off my back, whats the harm?

The Lords message, delivered through John, is clear: Dont compromise. Take a stand for the truth. Stop worrying about what other people think.

Stop worrying about what the government may do to you. Instead, consider what you will lose eternally if you compromise the truth. Thats still His message to us today: Dont compromise. Stand firm for the truth.

How devoted are you to Jesus? Is He truly your first love? Is He number one in your heart?

Jesus never gave you anything but His absolute best. He died so that we could live. He gave His life for us so that we might have an eternal home with Him. Whats too much to do for a God who did everything for you?

Seek Jesus, and fall in love with Him. You cant love Him if you dont follow Him. You wont be willing to die for someone you arent presently living for.

Christianity isnt only a hobby. It is not something to do with your spare time. Faith should be the driving engine of your soul.

Its time to stand up for the light in the middle of the night. Will you?

ED. NOTE: The author is the senior pastor of The Lighthouse Church, 1248 Route 9 South, Court House.

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Standing Up When it Counts | Columns - Cape May County Herald

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Tammy Peterson (nee Roberts) was born on June 3, 1965, in Canada. She met Jordan Peterson at the tender age of eight, the two grew up together in Alberta, Canada. Jordan would claim that it was a case of love at first sight, going so far as to tell his father about his intention to marry her when he was just 11 years old. Sure enough, the two were wed in 1989, and are still together to this day.

Before Tammy Peterson devoted her time to supporting her husband as an advisor, she worked professionally as a massage therapist. Tammy has also been an avid foster parent since she was 30, housing many children from orphanages in and around Canada.

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He is the acclaimed author of 12 Rules: An Antidote to Chaos, reaching global fame as a clinical psychologist and a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto. 12 Rules: An Antidote to Chaos has garnered a fierce following comprised of people who have enjoyed positive changes in their lives due to the teachings detailed in the book.

He further extends his reach by distributing his talks via his YouTube channel and has hosted an Ask Me Anything session on the popular social website Reddit. Jordan Peterson also provides regular updates about his life on Twitter. He teaches self-help lectures all over the world, going on tour to various parts of Canada and the United States, and even as far as Melbourne and Sydney in Australia.

Currently 53-years-old, Tammy Peterson enjoys a simple life. She has little to no presence on social media, and its no secret that her husband is definitely the more public one between them.

Her husband sparked great controversy when he went very public with his stance against political correctness. It all came to a head with his refusal to comply with a Canadian law that requires addressing transgender students with the pronouns of their choice.

Jordan Peterson is also infamous for his polarising interviews on various social media platforms, where he often critiques some aspects of the modern feminist movement. Peterson also speaks about a crisis of masculinity, providing critique on current trends that seek to feminize men.

Hes gone under fire for expressing his views on multiple platforms, such as a particular interview with Cathy Newman and a Q&A with the ABC that have gone viral. However, his stance is fiercely defended by his supporters.

His views have also impacted his professional life. After receiving a lot of backlash from students and faculty, Cambridge University rescinded an invitation for a visiting fellowship to Jordan Peterson.

One can only imagine what its like to be married to someone who is so scrutinised by the public. What does it mean to be Jordan Petersons wife? Is it intimidating to be so publicly known mostly by your other half?

Tammy Peterson seems to be in total support of her husband if we are to go by their enduring marriage. Her relative absence from social media and the public eye says very little about her real feelings about her husbands political stance, however.

The purpose of life is finding the largest burden that you can bear and bearing it.

Jordan B. Peterson

In the middle of 2019, Jordan Peterson released news that Tammy has been diagnosed with a rare kidney cancer. She underwent two surgeries, with the second one leading to a rare complication that damaged her lymphatic system. Through this ordeal, Jordan Peterson stayed by her side as she went from hospital to hospital, even going to the United States for treatment.

Tammy Peterson currently seems to be on the road to recovery, in a turn of events that her family sees as miraculous. Despite this, the stress of worrying and caring for his wife night after sleepless night has gotten Jordan Peterson into taking the anti-anxiety medication clonazepam and he has apparently fallen into a deep chemical dependency.

Jordan Peterson has recently checked into rehab in New York to wean himself from the drug as quickly as possible. His daughter Mikhaila Peterson reported on her YouTube channel that Jordan is having a miserable time dealing with the physical withdrawal, and is showing symptoms of severe depression.

Fun Fact: Both Mikhaila and Jordan are advocates of an all-meat diet which they claim to have helped them both with chronic health conditions.

In the age of social media and continuous connectivity, the fact that Tammy Peterson has kept such a low profile despite her husbands notoriety is strangely remarkable. Her struggle with a rare cancer is truly terrible news, and we can only hope that the Peterson family are able to put all of it behind them soon.

RELATED: How to get tickets for Jordan Peterson's 2019 Australian tour

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Jordan Peterson Wife: The Truth About Tammy Peterson - Who

With less than six months to go until Tokyo 2020, the Olympic Games are under threat from all angles.

The coronavirus outbreak is threatening to move or maybe even postpone the Games due to public health risks.

And, as Olympic qualifiers continue, its been revealed there will be a record number of transgender athletes competing. There are particular concerns about whether athletes who were born as men have an unfair advantage in the womens category.

Three-time Australian Olympian Tamsyn Lewis has spoken out against transgender athletes being allowed to compete in the womens category, arguing it compromises the integrity of elite results.

The former track runner tells Ben Fordham, people are scared to come out and say anything because of political correctness.

This is an issue thats a really difficult issue. Not even the IOC can come to the proper guidelines, says the three-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist.

It is politically charged and its a sensitive topic [but] if we dont make a stand, whats going to happen to that female category of sport?

Ben Fordham agrees and says its not about discriminating, its about supporting womens sports.

That is the great fear here. Its not about discouraging transgender athletes, its about encouraging female athletes.

Click PLAY below to hear the full interview

It really concerns me: Top Aussie runner speaks out against transgender athlete

Image:Getty/Michael Steele

See the article here:

EXCLUSIVE | Aussie Olympian takes a stand against transgender athletes at Tokyo 2020 - 2GB