Will Democracy die in Darkness

All good things must come to an end. In human history, empires rose and empires fell. The Roman Empire fell, not because of marauding armies, but it destroyed itself from within. Its’ many excesses caused it to weaken, until it could no longer maintain its’ borders and defend itself from its’ many enemies. Today, we find ourselves in a similar situation as the Roman Empire. We are not at war with a foreign enemy, our enemy is within. Today, our excesses have caused the fabric of our society to begin to erode and tear. Today, there are those who take advantage of our constitutionally guaranteed rights to divide society and demonize those in which they disagree. And now, an election rife for fraud, when one party takes advantage of a pandemic to unleash millions of ballots without the safeguards necessary to guarantee that all votes cast are legitimate. Half of the country has lost faith in the validity of this election. In order to maintain a Constitutional Republic, it is imperative that the citizenry have faith in open and honest elections.

In the preliminary vote totals, Joe Biden has been declared the victor by the media and the democrat party. President Trump has been “taken to the woodshed” and is lambasted for not conceding the election and preventing a peaceful transition of power to occur. Our Constitution guarantees certain rights for the candidates and President Trump is well within his rights to demand that every legal vote is counted and every illegal vote discarded. Whether or not there still remains a path to victory is not necessary. The citizenry has the right to understand and trust that our system of elections remains valid, fair and accurate. President Trump is criticized for causing mistrust of our election system by calling out numerous circumstantial instances that would lead a reasonable person to believe that a fair election did not occur. He is doing nothing of the sort, but the mainstream media is actually breeding mistrust with their hyperbolic accusations and insistence that there is nothing to see here. Our failure to address systemic fraud in our voting in cities such as Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Las Vegas and Milwaukee, all democrat strongholds, has caused voting fraud to fester and grow unencumbered. A fair and balanced audit of all ballots cast at the polling sites in these cities is essential to determine that the vote was legitimate and accurate to satisfy the nation’s uncertainty and to also add credibility to the winner.

In 2000, the nation waited for Florida to count dimpled and pregnant chads on ballots before the US Supreme Court put an end to the count and determined that the winner of the election was George W. Bush. We fail to remember that the democrat appointed head of the GSA, David Barram, refused to release transition funding until after the Supreme Court finally ruled on the Florida election, over 4 weeks after election day. "Until the results are clear, and as long as both sides are going to court, the results are not clear yet," GSA spokeswoman Beth Newberger had insisted. No one questioned the motives at that time. No media outlet cried that a partisan coup was conspiring to obstruct an incoming administration. No one accused either candidate’s litigation as unfounded conspiracy theories. Our Constitution provides a way to remedy contested elections. It’s time to let cooler heads prevail and let the courts shine the light of truth and determine how this should end. Evil revels in darkness, we can wait for the truth to come out into the light. All citizens of the United States deserve no less. 

Serving the Lord

My wife Sandy composes prayers for our church's daily devotions. Today's prayer really struck a nerve. We, as a nation, have strayed from our Lord's teachings. This pertains, not only to those on the left, but in our discourse in general. Social media has become a vehicle to anonymously chastise and demean others, from all sides of the political spectrum. We are all God's children. We are all loved by our Father in heaven. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ. Let's take a step back and realize that we are called to love our neighbor as ourselves. 

Holy Father, I praise and honor You. I am so privileged to live in the United States of America. You guided the founding fathers to create this nation on Godly principles. I hold those principles in high esteem. Right now I am deeply distressed by what I see happening in this country. There is hatred, manipulation, violence, murder, lack of respect, and fear and it is tearing us apart. Instead of being one people united, we are being divided by those who want to eliminate Your Godly principles and take away our rights. Lord, I believe that You are still in control through the chaos.   

Hear the prayers of those who trust in You and protect us from the evil that is intending to destroy this country. Send help and come to our rescue!  You created each person with an ability to think, reason, and thrive through their work. Let us celebrate the different opinions and listen to each other's ideas to learn from each other and grow stronger together. Instead of resorting to violence, let us love and respect each other. Bring peace to the people who are in conflict. Let us worship You freely and bring Your Spirit back to our churches. Sweep through this nation and heal our land. Replace hate and anger, with respect for all people from all backgrounds and walks of life as we work together to create the beautiful and diverse tapestry of America. Help me to submit to Your plan. Your will be done. I trust in Your name, Lord our God. May You answer all of our prayers! Amen

Systemic?

Since the rioting and protesting began after the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis Police officers, we have expanded our vocabulary to include such terms as systemic racism, white privilege, all lives do not matter to everyone and defund the police. It has been reported that the consensus is that one’s skin color hinders the ability to escape the oppression exerted by those in power. In other words, everyone is out to get the black man and to keep him down and if escape is attempted the police will hunt them down and murder them. Facts are indeed the enemy of the left. If people understand the truth, they are much more difficult to deceive or to be led astray. When one misinterprets or fails to realize the objectives of various organizations or persons, they can be easily manipulated. If one takes the time to understand just what defines the talking points that the left, democrats and the mainstream media parrot, the truth begins to come into focus.

Systemic: Relating to a system, especially as opposed to a particular part. In other words, widespread practices that permeate entire systems, such as business, the criminal justice system and in general, economics.

Systemic racism: Racism resulting from the inherent biases and prejudices of the policies and practices of social and political organizations, groups, or institutions. It is the belief that the unfair targeting of persons of color has led to increased incarceration, lower wages and unfair practices in general society that disproportionally and negatively affects persons of color.

Institutional racism: This is a form of racism that is embedded as a normal practice within society or an organization. It is believed that it leads to such issues as discrimination in criminal justice, employment, housing, health care, political power, and education, and pretty much everything else.

Reverse discrimination: The practice or policy of favoring individuals belonging to groups known to have been discriminated against previously. An example of this would be the policy of affirmative action.

Respect: The act of having due regard for the feelings, wishes, rights, or traditions of others. This is a simple and logical concept that is becoming increasingly underused in our society.

Society: The aggregate of people living together in a more or less ordered community that has common laws and expectations of acceptable behavior.

Societal norms: Common standards within a social group regarding socially acceptable or appropriate behavior in particular social situations, the breach of which has social consequences. A prime example of societal norms is the respect of others and their property. To harm another, steal or damage their property would be considered aberrant behavior in civil society.

Crime: An action or omission that constitutes an offense that may be prosecuted by the state and is punishable by law. Crimes consists of misdemeanors and felonies, conviction thereof will likely result in incarceration.

Anarchy: A state of disorder due to absence or non-recognition of authority. ie; Portland, Oregon where the Mayor and Common Council order police to stand-down and allow rioters to burn their city.

Antifa: is an anti-fascist political movement in the United States comprising a diverse array of autonomous groups that aim to achieve their objectives through the use of both non-violent and violent direct action rather than through policy reform. Antifa is not against facism, they are anarchists that engage in all sorts of violence and wanton destruction of property in an effort to destroy civil society.

Black Lives Matter: A Marxist organization that seeks to radically transform America into a socialist country. No, BLM is not a movement meant to seek justice for blacks that are wrongly targeted by police or society in general. Its’ first and only goal is to overthrow the system of government and destroy capitalism, and to replace it with socialism, the first step toward communism.

Legal authority: The ability of a participant in a legal relation to take certain actions or demand certain actions of another participant in this legal relation; this capability is provided for in the law. Police are granted the legal authority to detain and arrest, in effect taking away freedom, for those who choose to violate the law.

Police: The civil force of a national or local government, responsible for the prevention and detection of crime and the maintenance of public order. The police enforce the law and maintain public safety. Defunding of which would lead to far less public safety.

Acknowledging that any death that could have been avoided is tragic, one must keep the consequences of those regrettable events in perspective. According to a study conducted by Rafael Mangual, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, in 2018 there were over 800,000 police officers in the US that engaged in over 10 million citizen contacts. Of those over 10 million contacts, less than 1,000 ended with deadly force, and .003% of those contacts ended in a deadly shooting. Over 91% of those deadly shootings involved a visibly armed suspect, certainly indicating that deadly force was likely justified in those shootings. The reason that a plane crash makes the news is because of the infrequency of plane crashes. The same goes for deadly police shootings. If this was such a common occurrence, it would not be newsworthy.

The study also indicated that the use of non-lethal force by police is also greatly exaggerated. Negative contacts with civilians consist of less than 3% of all interactions with the public. Arrests are made in only about 70% of that 3%. The greatest use of force by police in making an arrest is bodily force, which includes simply placing hands on the suspect, not just the use of less than lethal and not lethal force. Having served 30 years as a police officer in a Milwaukee, WI suburb, arrests of compliant individuals did not ever escalate into a use of force incident. Civilians that followed the lawful commands of police did not end up injured or shot. Civilians that were non-compliant or combative forced the police to escalate in order to effect the arrest.

Police have continued to train in de-escalation techniques that are constantly updated and improved. Police are trained to use minimal force, while keeping themselves and the public safe, and those techniques are formulated to have the most effect while keeping the risk of injury to the suspect minimized. Are police perfect? Of course not. Could police training be improved? Of course, anything can use improvements. One of the factors not receiving the appropriate notice is that more and more of the public are acting inappropriately when interacting with the police. In almost every instance of alleged police brutality is that the suspect refused to comply with police orders and resisted, causing an escalation of the incident. Take the most recent incident in Kenosha, WI. Jacob Blake refused to obey lawful orders to drop a weapon, attempted to flee by opening a car door and reaching into the floor area of an auto. Was there a gun under the seat? Was Blake going to use the knife against the officer? The lesson to be learned is that police have the authority to give orders to citizens and citizens are obligated to obey. Should the police be determined to have acted outside the scope of their authority in any arrest situation, the price of their misconduct will be paid in civil court.

Black Lives Matter and local activists have been organizing protests around the country decrying their perception that police unfairly target black males and claim that the United States applies a pattern of systemic racism targeting blacks. These protests have devolved into rioting and looting in cities across the nation. Professional sports, athletes, Hollywood, the mainstream media and many businesses virtue signal their support for an organization that has a primary goal of transforming our nation into a socialist society, which if realized, would necessarily bankrupt those very organizations that parrot their support of BLM. The facts simply do not meet the veracities of these claims. The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King said, “The limitation of riots, moral questions aside, is that they cannot win and their participants know it. Hence, rioting is not revolutionary but reactionary because it invites defeat. It involves an emotional catharsis, but it must be followed by a sense of futility.”

There are a myriad of issues surrounding why blacks perceive a lack of fairness in society. The claim that police unfairly target them is not one of them. Certainly, there are “bad apples” that wear the badge, but they are few and far between, identified and removed, especially if there is a pattern of behavior. Defunding the police is not only an absurd demand, it is dangerous on its face. With the increased civil disobedience and violence, there should be a move to increase our police force, not decrease it. Should the police be reformed? Training for police should continue to evolve and improve. New and better techniques should always be considered and implemented. The Thin Blue Line is the only thing between the public and anarchy. Eliminate the police and it truly becomes the Wild West when each and every citizen is responsible for providing for their own safety and security.

“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.” Romans 13:1-4

In a Perfect World.....

In a perfect world there would be no disease, no hunger, no homelessness, no death, no left or right, no wars or conflicts of any kind, we would love and care for each other, but we do not live in a perfect world. Humanity is always looking for the next cure all for society’s ills. As much as we desire that this world would hold no malice toward any of God’s children, we are a broken humanity unable to use our vast knowledge and resources to perfect our earthly home. Although we think that we are at the peak of enlightenment, that humanity has this firm grasp on what ails us, we are not even close to being able to solve some of the simplest problems that we face. Of our own volition, we sputter about pointing blaming fingers at one another when we fail to resolve the myriad of issues that continue to plague us.

While COVID-19 may be the crisis of opportunity for some of us, our efforts to confront this invisible foe have failed miserably. The more data we gather about this novel coronavirus, the more we fail to adapt in the war against this hidden enemy. Granted, the initial response to an unknown disease, with lockdown orders made sense at the time, continued isolation has actually exacerbated the problem. Governor Cuomo of New York stated that more than 66% of the COVID-19 cases were people staying sheltered at home. He further stated that this made no sense to him and he could not understand how this could be. Renowned health expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci in a March interview, very cavalierly stated that wearing a face mask would not protect anyone from this disease. He has since done a 180 and face masks are now recommended and even being required at a growing number of businesses. Other studies show that wearing a face mask may actually increase your risk of infection by recirculating your breath and causing you to rebreathe contaminants.

Democrat leadership is exploiting our irrational fear, stoked by the mainstream media that delightfully provides the running death count, inserting leftist agenda policies into legislation intended to offer assistance to those harmed by the pandemic that may just be the first steps to fundamentally transform this great nation into a socialist state. Initially, the goal of these lockdowns was to “flatten the curve” so that there would not be a large spike in cases that could very well overwhelm our health care system. This plan was accepted by the vast majority of our population, even giving up their treasured Constitutional rights, if it meant giving our nation the ability to cope with this pandemic. What has become lost in the translation is that this strategy was never to eliminate the total infections or deaths, just to spread them out over a longer period and make the treatment and care of the infected manageable. Yes, this approach did not seek to reduce infection or death caused by COVID-19, just give us more time, but this plan has been altered to remain “safe at home” until a vaccine could be produced. SARS and MERS are coronavirus’ without a vaccine. The common cold is a coronavirus without a vaccine. Dr. Fauci has been working on a vaccine for HIV for 40 years without success. There may never be a vaccine developed and even if one is developed, it will not be 100% effective, vaccines never are. The seasonal flu shot is typically 40-60% effective.

We are faced with choices daily that place us in harm’s way. Deaths due to accidents approach 170,000 annually, with over 40,000 of those perishing in auto accidents. Drug overdoses kill over 70,000 people annually in the US. Almost 50,000 people took their own lives last year. In a perfect world, none of these things would happen. In a perfect world we would be safe, secure and happy in all we do. This world will never be perfect. No matter how hard we try, we can never make that a reality. But, there is one perfect place. There is one place where we never grow tired, old or die. There is one place where everyone delights in perfect love and we all can agree, even in our politics. That one place is not on this earth. That one place is prepared for all of God’s children, regardless of our differences. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” All of our questions are forever answered when we believe in God’s one true Son. All of our trials and troubles end with Him. All of our needs, wants and desires are forever granted if only we believe. There is nothing you can do to earn God’s love. There is nothing you can do to make God love you any less. We can’t perfect our world, but God offers perfection. Open your heart to the love that is eternal, unconditional and freely given. Open your heart to the one who died so that you can live, forever with our Father in heaven. Open your heart and be welcomed to the perfect, eternal life that your heart so aches to achieve.

Seriously....

I was reading a FaceBook post where a democrat/liberal/leftist commented about how much good the democrats have done for our great nation. (I added the part about “for our great nation”) Her diatribe just bolstered the arguments that public schools have been indoctrinating their students for years with revisionist history. Republican bad, democrat good. Conservative bad, liberal good. Free market capitalism bad, socialism good. If history was actually taught appropriately and honestly, just think about how well we could all get along. Anyway, here are the counterpoints to her misguided comments that credited democrats with everything from creating the cure for cancer (just kidding!) to inventing the internet (for real). This is a pretty extensive list, but to properly understand just how out of touch with reality people that vote “d” are, this is worth the read.

• Social Security – FDR’s unfunded Ponzi scheme that the democrats have used to fund their never ending social programs instead of actually funding the program. Going into insolvency in 2032.

• Medicare – Lyndon Johnson’s expansion of the welfare state

• Medicaid – Lyndon Johnson’s program that reimburses pennies on the dollar, which has led to the increasing cost of healthcare and insurance and the collapse of nursing homes nationwide.

• Healthcare reform – The ACA is such an utter failure, so much so that the democrats already want to change it to single payer, Medicare for all or whatever is the name du jour today. Puuu-leeze.

• FDA began on Theodore Roosevelt’s watch, a Republican.

• The New Deal – FDR’s foray into socialism. Coming out of the Great Depression, FDR spent more than the GDP on programs that paid for infrastructure repair and numerous other employment and projects at taxpayer expense. This administration begat the entitlement culture that so permeates our society.

• Great Society – Lyndon Johnson’s expansion of FDR’s social programs to ensure the continuing segregation of African Americans into the inner city, giving them just enough money to live with a few creature comforts and keep them voting for democrats that only want their vote to maintain power.

• Peace Corps – Good program serving those in need. President Kennedy signed Executive order 10924 to create the program.

• Vista, which was expanded by President Clinton in 1993 as AmeriCorps. Six years ago, USA Today called “AmeriCorps a wasteful flop” saying many members are serving as recess referees. The article also asked the question, do we really need playground monitors? In 2018 a CBS News investigation revealed that AmeriCorps programs, are rife with sexual misconduct and failed to meet federal standards and requirements.

• The Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964 with more than 50% of the democrats in Congress voting against it.

• Women’s right to vote or the 19th Amendment - Between January 1918 and June 1919, the House and Senate voted on the federal amendment five times. Each vote was extremely close and southern democrats continued to oppose giving women the vote.

• Motor Voter – You’ve got to be kidding, a democrat scheme to allow more fraudulent voting, including issuing driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants is a positive for who?

• Equal Rights – The Equal Rights amendment has not yet garnered ratification by enough states to be enacted into law.

• Voting Rights Act – Passed into law in 1965 with a 77-19 vote in the Senate, with 16 democrat southern state Senators voting no and all but 2 Republicans voting to approve.

• Equal Pay Act – Signed into law by President Kennedy in 1963. In 2020, women make only $0.81 for every dollar a man makes. How’s that working for ‘ya?

• Consumer protection – This includes a number of different agencies created under numerous administrations, both democrat and Republican.

• Funding for science, Medical and engineering research, space exploration, NSF and NIH - Wow where do I begin. Spending on the above programs increased $4.95billion in 2018. How does that fit the narrative that the Trump administration has gutted those programs.

• Support for public education, HeadStart school lunch and breakfast programs - As public school unions support democrats by the tune of over $30 million annually, democrats do support any and all programs that the teacher’s unions want. (See common core and the steady decline in our student’s scores as compared to the rest of the world.) Head Start was a program that began with Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society initiative.

• NLRB, 40 hour work week, overtime and unemployment compensation – Yep, all democrat programs signed into law by FDR.

• EPA, National Parks, and increased wilderness areas, aka federally owned lands – Richard Nixon, a Republican, signed an executive order creating The EPA. Theodore Roosevelt, a Republican, made conservation a top priority and established many new national parks, forests and monuments intended to preserve the nation's natural resources.

• Endangered species act and FEMA – The Endangered Species Act was signed into law by Richard Nixon, a Republican. FEMA was created by and executive order by Jimmy Carter, a democrat. I guess not everything Carter did was a disaster, no pun intended.

• GI bill, UN, NATO, Marshall Plan – Check, all democrat policies.

• Vehicle safety requirements and emission standards – Sorry, the Clean Air Act was signed into law by George HW Bush. Federal vehicle safety requirements were instituted on Lyndon Johnson’s watch.

• TVA, federal loan program, PBS, NPR and finally, the democrats are responsible for the internet – TVA-FDR, federal loan program aka FFEL, Federal Family Education loan, began issuing loans in 1965, Lyndon Johnson, until it ended in 2010. PBS-1970, Nixon. NPR-1971 Nixon. And now the internet-To credit the creation or even the inspiration for the creation of the internet is ludicrous on it’s face. Free enterprise and the free market created the internet and capitalism encouraged it’s growth. To even attempt to credit democrats for the internet is beyond the pale.

So, there you have it. I am certain that many of our “friends” on the other side of the aisle believe, in some form or another, exactly as the author of those “factoids about democrats” believes. Many democrat policies and programs are littered with unintended consequences and even more are deliberately and insidiously proposed with an expected outcome that benefits their base and benefactors. Be careful what you wish for when deciding to give credit for some of the legislation passed by democrats that accomplishes little or nothing for the majority of the people that they are charged to represent.

Once Upon a Time

Ronald Reagan said, “Freedom is a fragile thing and is never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation, for it comes only once to a people. Those who have known freedom, and then lost it, have never known it again.” Once upon a time there was a great city, shining on top of a hill. Once upon a time people asked, “How can we serve our nation?” and not demand, “My nation needs to serve me?” Once upon a time we were told that this nation would never become a socialist country. But, an opportunity has arisen that may destroy that shining city on a hill, create a generation of people dependent upon the government for everything and the reality of living under “democratic socialism” may only be an election away. These great United States may just be on the way to ruin as every other nation that has embraced this failed economic doctrine. This opportunity was not part of the leftist plan to “fundamentally transform our nation”, but any crisis can open that door.

The COVID-19 pandemic is that window of opportunity. The fear of COVID-19, stoked primarily by the mainstream media and the democrat party, has in a few short weeks transformed this great nation into a frightened, huddled mass, willing to give up Constitutional freedoms in exchange for the government keeping us “safe” from this invisible enemy. Many have accepted, without question, what should simply be guidelines, lockdown orders from our State governors. Originally, these “orders” were explained as a way to “flatten the curve” in order that our health system can manage the outbreak and not be overwhelmed by the thousands of persons expected to be infected if we failed to use mitigation methods. But, the goalposts continue to be moved. These orders mandate social distancing, wearing masks, washing and disinfecting our hands, counter tops, homes, etc., the closing of “unessential businesses, and to stay at home under penalty of law. And now these orders must remain in effect until the threat is gone and a vaccine is produced. The models that originally predicted 2.2 million deaths have continually been revised downward, more closely mirroring the mortality and infection rate as the seasonal flu, as we continue to collect data on this Novel Coronavirus.

Our fear and complete submission to the authority of the medical experts has created an economic downturn that makes the Great Depression seem like no more than a bump in the road. This economic crisis has in turn created much more devastation than the cost to our investments, lost jobs and closed businesses. Loss of income, loss of physical contact with family, friends and co-workers has led to an uptick in mortality rates, suicidal tendencies, mental disorders, changing eating habits and overuse of tobacco and alcohol products. Hospitals and medical clinics have discontinued in person medical visits and elective surgeries and procedures, leading to patients being denied continuing treatments of pre-existing conditions. And we accepted this on-going quarantine for the good of our nation and citizens.

States with democrat governors have arbitrarily decreed that these stay at home orders and a shutdown of our economy are in the best interest of their citizens, necessary to protect their safety. “If we end the stay at home orders, people will die!’ is their rallying cry. They will do nothing of the sort. The first confirmed case of COVID-19 was identified in Wuhan, China on November 17th, 2019. We now know that the vast majority of COVID-19 infections are asymptomatic, so this initial confirmed case may not be the first. International flights continued out of Wuhan and mainland China until President Trump banned them on January 31st. According to an article from April 4th in the New York Times, approximately 1300 flights and over 400,000 people traveled to the US directly from China, with over 4000 directly from Wuhan, during that time. Not included are those who departed Wuhan and China to other countries and then traveled to the US during that time. There was likely, at least two full months that COVID-19 was in the US and community spread had already begun. In essence, the lockdown of our population that occurred in mid to late March was well into the onset of the pandemic, not, as many would have you believe, before the community spread of the disease had begun.

So, how does a viral pandemic lead us to socialism? Is it such a long stretch to presume that it could be used to initiate a massive shift to an entirely new economic model? Not so much. As our economic downturn continues, democrats in Congress continue to mortgage our future by providing economic incentives to encourage people to rely upon government handouts. No longer are the welfare recipients the only takers, now those who work in non-essential businesses and are not allowed to work receive benefits. Even those who continue to work are eligible and receive those same benefits. Sweetheart deals, or pork as they were once defined, are included in these economic relief packages. Now, if you are fearful of returning to work, don’t worry, the COVID-19 relief package enables you to refuse to return to work and receive upgraded unemployment benefits for an additional 14 weeks. This enables those who refuse to return to work to receive benefits they would normally not qualify to receive. This incentivizes many to refuse to return to their place of employment. Additionally, another $3 trillion package that includes a version of universal income is being proposed by our democrat controlled House of Representatives as further economic relief to those adversely affected by COVID-19. The descent into socialism is already underway.

Should this economic downturn continue and democrats retake the presidency and the Senate, they will ride to the rescue and “fix” the economy by instituting government control of our economy. Corporate taxes will increase, leading to more jobs leaving again as did under former President Obama’s administration. To prevent a future pandemic, a single payer healthcare system would be the first order of business for this new and enlightened government. But, it won’t stop there. Student debt is the next order of business. That means the forgiveness of more than $1.5 trillion in outstanding loans, which leads to free college tuition. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the architect of the Green New Deal, is Joe Biden’s pick to oversee the climate change task force. Forget about a wall or any kind of enforcement of our border with Mexico. Uncle Joe opposes any wall and favors a kinder and gentler immigration policy which includes citizenship for the Dreamers. Sixty years ago Nikita Khrushchev made a prediction that communism and the Soviet Union would “bury” democracy, capitalism, and the United States. “Your children’s children will live under communism. You Americans are so gullible. No, you won’t accept communism outright; but we will keep feeding you small doses of socialism until you will finally wake up and find you already have Communism. We will not have to fight you; we will so weaken your economy, until you will fall like overripe fruit into our hands. The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.”

The Soviet Union has fallen, but those words ring far too applicable to what we are witnessing first hand. Wake up America, or it will be too late. If we fail to heed these warning signs, visible in plain sight, then the vision of the United States and the freedom it offers, may very well become a fairy tale.

Understanding the Left

While serving the public as a police officer in my former life, I learned two simple truths: Do not argue with or try to reason with a drunk or a mentally ill person. Truth and logic are concepts that they cannot grasp. As I have gotten along in years, and especially in today’s political climate, one other type of individual needs to be added to that list…..today’s progressive liberal. As the leftist agenda has been embraced by today's progressive liberal, they continue to rage against any and all things acceptable in a normal, civil society. From Anti-fa to Occupation to George Soros to the widespread attempt to shutdown conservative speakers on the college campus to Bernie Sanders and the new "democratic socialist" representatives, this new, progressive liberal ideology is falsely and loudly accusing their opponents of perpetrating hate speech, while they actually engage in hate speech and use violence to further their agenda. "Democrat" leaders adhere to the Alinsky tactic of "by any means necessary", using their bully pulpits to malign the President and anything contrary to their ideology. No longer can one reason with this unwavering marginal population, but understanding what their words truly mean can actually be helpful in maintaining one’s sanity. No matter how well versed you are in any subject, you will not be able to convince them of the truth, so don’t even try. Today’s progressive liberal/Leftist will not deviate from their accepted talking points. The following are a few of those talking points or catch phrases common to many of our leftist “friends” and what they truly mean:

We need to start a conversation….

I already consider you a hateful, homophobic, woman loathing conservative, so you need to listen to what I have to say and agree fully with it. Your opinion means nothing to me and if you try to disagree with what I believe, I will shout you down and belittle your faith, maleness, whiteness, politics or anything else that I deem offensive.

Health care is a right…..

The constitution, the bill of rights are outdated documents that mean nothing to me. I have been indoctrinated by public schooling that fails to teach the glaring inadequacies of socialism, failures of government run health care and the successes of the free market with its' ability to drive innovation in health care. I get the rest of my information watching CNN, MSNBC and other left wing propaganda outlets. I believe that government run health care will ensure that everyone has the same coverage and pays nothing for it, even though taxing the "rich" will not provide enough money to fund it and will significantly reduce availability. As a democratic socialist, I can make up my own rules as I see fit. You uncultured conservatives have no idea that the founders were nothing but a bunch of white slave owners that were simply too ignorant to understand the complexities of governing, especially now that we are at the pinnacle of enlightenment.

There is systemic racism in our criminal justice system…..

I don’t believe that the welfare state has actually caused horrific economic conditions, broken families and neighborhoods rife with crime. I don’t believe that minorities are herded into the inner city by democrat policies that give them just enough benefits to entice them to continue to vote for democrats that only care that their votes allow democrats to maintain power. I don’t believe that democrat policies have created a disheartened, discouraged and lost generation. I don’t believe that the unjust segregation of minorities, cleverly disguised by democrats as a “war against poverty” has anything to do with blacks committing the vast majority of crimes, logically leading to higher incarceration rates. I believe that white racist cops systematically hunt down unassuming and honest black men engaging in legitimate activities simply because they have nothing better to do than hassle and execute minorities. I also believe that black men will receive a harsher sentence for any crime they are (falsely) accused of, simply due to the color of their skin.

We need comprehensive immigration reform….

We need open borders and a free path to immediate citizenship so that the tired, hungry masses will continue to vote for democrats and take the wealth (and I want my share) from those who actually contribute to society.

Human activity is causing global warming cooling, climate disruption, rising sea level, falling sea level, etc. and it is settled science….

Global climate fluctuations have been and will continue to occur over time. Warming and cooling of this planet is cyclical. But, we need a convenient excuse to blame our perception of an iniquity in our economic system in order to find an easy way to redistribute wealth to those who are too selfish and lazy to work for their own success. And by the way, I don’t need to be environmentally conscious, I just need to spout off that you and your SUV are destroying the planet!

Black lives matter and “Hands up don’t shoot”….

You white racists should just shut up and go away. You and your opinion do not matter and I don’t want to hear it. Any talking point that consists of words no longer than 5 letters and can be printed on a sign, even if it is a proven false narrative, works for me if I can get what I want without having to work for it. Pigs in a blanket, fry em’ like bacon!

We need to have reasonable gun control….

Guns are bad. If we ever get back in power, we will take them away from you! See Virginia Legislature.

We can pay for free college, Medicare for all and the "Green New Deal" by making the 1% pay their fair share....

Young people are so gullible. Tell them we can pay for their tuition and forgive their college debt with other people's money and they will support an almost 80 year old socialist who has accomplished nothing in his life, listen to and elect a former bartender without a cogent thought in her head to Congress, and will vote to elect a self proclaimed "social justice warrior" to the Wisconsin Supreme Court.  And we can save the climate with our "Green New Deal". What a bunch of morons! We know better than you and should be the ones who should make decisions for all you lesser intellects, and we'll do so by redistributing "your" wealth to line our own pockets, all the while reducing the quality of everyone else's lives while enriching our own.

The Republicans favor large corporations by enabling them to unjustly take wealth away from the middle class….

I believe that corporations rape the planet and those that live upon it. I believe that corporations steal resources, pollute with impunity and never use their profit to benefit anyone but themselves. I believe the rich have rooms full of money that they refuse to share with those less fortunate than them. I am completely convinced that socialism is the appropriate system to level the playing field. It will not lift anyone out of poverty, but it will bring down the rich to everyone else’s level and distribute what they have earned to those who refuse to make a positive contribution to society. Then I can continue to “attend” college, listen to my anarchist professors, and force the rich to pay for my education and everything else so that I will never have to grow up.

Abortion....You have no right to tell me what to do with my body, or better known as reproductive rights….

Since I do not possess a responsible bone in my body and am too lazy to properly utilize birth control, if I become pregnant, I want to have the autonomy to murder my unborn child, I mean to excise that unviable tissue, even after birth, with impunity. Since I am inherently selfish, abortion is a much more convenient way to dispose of the fruits of my irresponsibility than the daunting task of responsibly raising a child. I am far too enlightened to believe in God and care nothing about the sanctity of life. I want to continue in my selfishness because it is all about me and my self-esteem.

We need to get to the bottom of this....

We will only accept what we believe fulfills our ideologic ends. Any and all truth are irrelevant, and we will continue to obfuscate as we see fit. After all, the media will continue to parrot our talking points to cover for us.

Trump engaged in collusion and obstruction....

Holy crap, Mueller let us down. We thought that his partisan band of democrat donating attorneys would drum up enough baseless accusations that we could get rid of this buffoon. Now it looks like the tables have turned. Our criminal conduct may just be discovered and we may the ones frog walked into court. We'll just impeach the "M'fer" to obfuscate our complicity in a fake investigation. Oops, that didn't work out well, especially for Biden. Oh well, we'll just continue to drum up more false accusations and begin hearings on any actions by the President that we disagree with and impeach him again. Our base will love it! If we don't continue with investigation after investigation, some of us better start looking into taking a one-way trip to a country without an extradition agreement with the US.

Judges need to mete out justice and protect those who are oppressed by the tyranny of an unfair economic and legal system....

The Constitution is an outdated document, written by white slave owners and should be disregarded. Judges make law and any conservative laws need to be struck down and eliminated. Rule of law? We don't need no stinking rule of law, our appointed and elected judges make decisions based on leftist ideology, not the law, and you will simply have to suffer the consequences. See Sotomayor. 

We cannot impose a religious test.....

Now that the democrats have a majority in the House of Representatives, they also chair all the House committees. No longer is it deemed necessary to end the swearing in of witnesses with that troublesome phrase, "So help me God" as God is not a part of our religion of big government, global warming and isn't appropriate for the global citizens we liken ourselves to be. It doesn't matter that our nation was founded on Judeo-Christian beliefs. Faith in anything other than what we believe is irrelevant. Take your God and don't bother us with your knuckle dragging homophobia, Islamaphobia and any other phobias we invent to describe those we disagree with in order to belittle our opponents.

We must stay at home to protect lives.....

Thank you China! We have finally found a way to crash the economy with the threat of a invisible virus. We really don't care how many die, but this gives us the means to finally get rid of the Bad Orange Man. The upcoming depression will make it easier to promote our socialist programs, setting us on a path to full blown socialism. Free everything. Take all the rich fat cat's money and spread it out. Open borders. We will have a democrat majority forever, if we don't completely destroy the country....Oh well, at least we will be in charge, not those evil Republicans and their stupid ideas of personal responsibility and the freedom to choose to make for yourself a better life with hard work and determination.

As a conservative, this post can assist you from becoming increasingly frustrated as your progressive liberal/leftist acquaintance prattles on about the things they have never bothered to properly inform themselves of. Knowing the true meaning of their rants can allow one to smile and shake our heads at the hypocrisy and insanity that is the left.

#StrongerTogether

Paraphrasing Philippians 3:12-14, We have not completed our tasks and continue to work for the good of the people we serve. We will continue to strive to act in the best interests of the people we serve. We do not forget what is behind us, but continue to press on in order to accomplish the tasks that “you the people” have charged us to complete. So we endeavor to work toward those goals in order to obtain the reward, through God's call to love and serve our neighbor. With our new form of government, we will be better equipped to answer to the citizens that elected us as their representatives in Washington County government. The “people’s work” is a task not undertaken lightly. As a County Board, we represent everyone, whether you live in a Town, Village or City. Everyone in every corner of Washington County is no less important than any other. We are tasked to work for the benefit of everyone in Washington County.

This election was a first in many ways. The first Washington County Executive was elected. The vote was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, ending the standard “door knocking” campaigning, drive-thru voting, prompting many of us to vote early, absentee and to respect “social distancing” if we chose to vote in person. But, throughout this, we have persevered. Washington County voters cast their ballots and made their will known. Washington County voters are a knowledgeable electorate and make well informed decisions in the voting booth. I commend you once again for a wise choice in electing Josh Schoemann to lead Washington County into a bright future, especially during these trying times of stay at home orders and the closing of many “non-essential” businesses. We will all work together to overcome these obstacles and Washington County will continue to have the best quality of life in the great State of Wisconsin.

I would like to personally thank each and every one of you that exercised your sacred right to vote in a free election to choose your representatives in local government. I want to thank those that ran for public office and commend each one for a campaign well run, with honor and integrity. The promise from your new government is this; we will serve our neighbor to the best of our ability and will strive to be even more responsive to our citizen’s needs, continuing to provide services that are cost efficient and effective. Thank you again for trusting us to represent your interests in Washington County.

Responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Since I am blocked from commenting on the Washington County Insider Facebook page, I will attempt to answer some of the accusations made by former Sheriff Schmidt in his opinion piece posted on the Washington County Insider Facebook page.

Washington County has been proactive in our response to this pandemic. We have worked closely with the Washington/Ozaukee Health Department to formulate our strategic plan to address actions that the County will take. We have assembled a team that addresses all aspects of our response to all corners of Washington County and communicate with our municipalities on a regular basis. We have advised all municipalities that Washington County stands ready to assist in any way possible, including reallocating County employees wherever needed. We are acquiring resources necessary to provide to our County partners. Per Health Department directives, we closed visitation to Samaritan and all senior care facilities have prohibited visitation to stem the spread of COVID-19. We have regularly posted on our website, Facebook page, made public statements to our local media and have converted to a virtual campus. As chairman, I made the decision to declare a public emergency which was unanimously approved by the County Board.

The Board also, in that resolution, gave the Administrator, in consultation with the Board Chairman, the authority to make real time decisions, that if necessary, are to be approved by the Executive Committee. This pandemic is causing government to react to new developments in real time, making it impossible to call an emergency meeting of the Board to discuss critical decisions that need to be made immediately.

In regards to political activity, the assertions made by Dale are inherently false. Any political activity is allowed off County premises and on personal time. The First Amendment allows for free speech, including political speech when on personal time. Using Dale's logic, he would not have been able to conduct his campaign as Sheriff when running for re-election. His assertion is erroneous, and he is well aware that his former position gives him credibility. Unfortunately, many who read his opinion piece will believe it. I cannot understand his motivation for sowing the seeds of discontent in a time that we should be uniting. I hope that someday, he can reconcile his anger and move on. He has accomplished many good things in his term as Sheriff. Causing turmoil like this is simply tarnishing his legacy.

I have been open in my support of Josh for County Executive. He simply is the best qualified candidate for the position. Simply put, his opponent is not. My job is to make sure that Washington County is in the best position to create the best environment for our citizens. No hidden agenda here. Washington County is the number one county in Wisconsin for the quality of life. I intend to keep it that way by making our government more responsive to "We the people". So if that bothers Dale, I stand accused and guilty.

Leadership Matters

Kriefall backs Schoemann for county exec

To the editor: The global pandemic of coronavirus COVID-19 has indeed taught us lessons. Now we have a wake-up call in the fight against this new virus. One day we are happily living our lives and the next day, everything changes.

The leadership evidenced by our County Administrator Josh Schoemann and the team he put together is nothing less than outstanding. His response to this pandemic has been a combination of calm, cool and collected. His planning to meet this challenge is concise and effective. The county’s incident command team has been meeting daily as the fluidity of this pandemic evolves, sometimes hourly. Often these changes are anticipated by the group and if not, the plan is modified to address each and every new development. Through it all, the one steadying influence is Josh’s calm demeanor, his willingness to utilize his team and his ability to effectively lead in a sea that seems to be getting stormier by the hour.

As a community and country, we are stronger together. This pandemic is not to be feared, but it needs to be respected. We can protect ourselves and our family by following the recommendations and protocols provided by the Centers for Disease Control. A link on the Washington County website will send you to the Health Department and further links are available to the CDC. There is good reason that I support Josh for county executive. This crisis is further evidence of his ability to lead and makes him the ideal candidate to lead this county forward, in good times, and especially during a crisis. Please cast your early ballot if you can, or on April 7, in support of Josh Schoemann and make him our first, and best Washington County executive.

Don Kriefall
Washington County Board chairman Richfield

Published in the West Bend Daily News Saturday, March 21, 2020

Seeds of Discontent

In 1965, the United Nations passed Resolution #2131, entitled the “Declaration on the Inadmissibility of Intervention in the Domestic Affairs of States and the Protection of their Independence and Sovereignty”. Unfortunately, like most UN Resolutions, this has largely been ignored by many countries. Sovereign nations have used various methods to interfere with rival countries. In 2015, the United States funneled $350,000 to the “One Voice Movement” in an effort to support Benjamin Netanyahu’s opponent. Much ado has been made of Russian interference with the 2016 Presidential election. Russia used various means to cause dissent and plant misinformation, including using phishing attacks and other cyber probes. One of the phishing attacks produced a plethora of information, as Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman John Podesta fell victim to the scam and exposed over 60,000 emails that eventually Wiki-Leaks released publicly. Facebook and Twitter were used by Russians posing as Americans and by posting misleading articles and links. Russia planted the seeds of discontent; the left sowed it, watered it, and produced a full crop of non-confidence in the legitimacy of our elections. The Russians got exactly what they were attempting to do, with the “Useful Idiots” of the democrat party doing most of the dirty work for them.

Members of Congress declare this oath upon taking office, "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God." Democrats, in their fervor of hatred towards any and everything conservative, have taken up the mantel of leftism and socialism. One of the ideas and beliefs of the democrat platform is “principled leadership”. I wonder if Nancy Pelosi was acting with principled leadership when she tore up the President’s State of the Union Address. I wonder if Senator Chuck Schumer was acting with principled leadership when he stood on the steps of the Supreme Court and threatened two sitting Justices if they vote in a manner that he disagrees with. I wonder if other democrats are acting with principled leadership when they falsely accuse President Trump of being a clear and present danger to civil society and if left unchecked will undermine democracy and destroy our nation. These hyperbolic statements are made by long time, career politicians that have caused, not resolved far too many of the issues facing this nation. Democrats are not living up to their oath to support and defend the Constitution and they also fail to abide by their own stated platform.

The branch of the democrat party, also known as the mainstream media, pushes the narrative that the Corona virus, COVID-19, will be the next Black Plague, killing all in its’ path. The democrat party, no longer the loyal opposition, uses their platform to stoke even more fear by accusing the administration of failing to properly protect the citizens. Together, and I accuse them of colluding to push this narrative, they are in the process of driving our economy into a recession. You see, getting back and maintaining their power is the utmost goal of this depraved political party. They will bulldoze anyone in their way and any and all tactics are utilized to achieve their goals, even if it destroys the US economy. As the ideals of the left are incorporated into the democrat machine, they no longer represent the citizens they have sworn to serve. They simply serve their own lust for power. The left will strive to level the playing field, driving everyone but themselves down into the misery of government control of their lives, meting out what they deem appropriate, taking the decision making away from you.

There cannot be a more clear distinction between the democrats and Republicans. Democrats want to control the decisions that the citizens should be making for themselves. The Republicans want to give the citizens the means necessary to succeed or fail of their own volition. As the left begins to dominate the democrat party, their stated goals no longer coincide with the vast majority of what the populace requires or desires. It is time to relegate the democrat party to where they belong, a minority party that has no influence on our government. It is time to elect those that serve our nation, not themselves. It is time to identify candidates with Christian values to properly represent your values and not Saul Alinsky’s.

Audacity of Faith

“Faith is a living, daring confidence in God's grace, so sure and certain that the believer would stake his life on it a thousand times.” Martin Luther

It is difficult to wrap one’s head around the fact that God’s grace is freely and unconditionally given to those who believe in His one true Son. That by simply believing that Jesus Christ went to the Cross carrying all of our past, present and future sin and died the death that we all deserve guarantees our salvation seems all too easy. There has to be a catch. Nothing so valuable, nothing so delightful, and nothing so important could be given without first earning it, could it? What about the “Golden Rule”? What if I fall short and disappoint God with my failures and doubts?

“To be convinced in our hearts that we have forgiveness of sins and peace with God by grace alone is the hardest thing.” Martin Luther

There is nothing that you can do to make God love you any less. There is nothing you can do to make God love you any more. His love is infinite and He loves us more than we could ever imagine. These words are spoken at all of our Baptism celebrations. Let that soak in for a minute. I can never do enough to earn God’s love and I can never fail enough to have Him turn away. Absolute love and grace to each and every believer by our loving Father. No strings attached! So, why do many Christians serve their neighbor in God’s Name? It is because of the gratitude of the believer that he wants to please our Lord in everything we do.

“The law works fear and wrath; grace works hope and mercy.” Martin Luther

So many Christians seem to be stuck in the law. Our default is the false belief that grace needs to be, somehow, earned. We so often engage in “finger pointing”, emphasizing other’s shortcomings as if by doing so, our innate sinfulness is obscured by those we believe to be worse than us. The law convicts, the Gospel frees. We are freed from the consequences of our sin by the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The law simply informs us of behavior that is not pleasing to our God.

“Grace remits sin, and peace quiets the conscience. Sin and conscience torment us, but Christ has overcome these fiends now and forever. The law says, 'Do this,' and it is never done. Grace says, 'Believe in this,' and everything is already done.” Martin Luther

Luther is quite repetitive in his interpretation of grace. Grace by faith alone. Not by works, but works do fulfill an important component in the Christian’s life. As you want to please your spouse in everything you do, we endeavor to act in a manner pleasing to God. Forgive as He forgives you. Help those who need your help. In everything you do, do so that those who observe, will recognize the love of the Lord in your deeds. No, these good deeds are not a requirement of our faith, but our appreciation of our Lord’s sacrifice for us directs us to love others as He loves us and sacrifice for them.

“This grace of God is a very great, strong, mighty and active thing. It does not lie asleep in the soul. Grace hears, leads, drives, draws, changes, works all in man, and let’s itself be distinctly felt and experienced. It is hidden, but its works are evident.” Martin Luther

The Land of Confusion

“There will be strange things happening to the sun, the moon, and the stars. On earth whole countries will be in despair, afraid of the roar of the sea and the raging tides. People will faint from fear as they wait for what is coming over the whole earth, for the powers in space will be driven from their courses. Then the Son of Man will appear, coming in a cloud with great power and glory. When these things begin to happen, stand up and raise your heads, because your salvation is near.” Luke 21:25-28

In these verses Jesus describes the day of His coming, the day of judgement. Confusion similarly reigns today, not only in our nation, but worldwide. Ideological differences confuse and paralyze our government and threaten the very fabric of our nation. Governmental agencies are used to target political enemies and political leaders use fractured and false testimony against those they disagree. More and more seem confused about their gender identity when selfishness and progressive ideology persuade them to abandon their biological reality. Confusing and conflicting religious doctrines are acclaimed by “progressive churches”. Many of the world’s religions are overtaken by radical factions that twist the intentions of their founders, spreading death and destruction in the name of their god. Far too many of God’s “churches” are preaching a gospel unrecognizable from that which our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ taught. Even worse, some of those called to preach the word, reach out against the very God they have pledged to serve.

Case in point, ELCA Bishop, Kristen Keumpel shared an article calling the Reverend Franklin Graham’s ministry, Operation Christmas Child (OCC) that prepares shoeboxes with presents and a message about Jesus Christ to impoverished children around the world. The recommended article contains the assertions that "Samaritan’s Purse president Franklin Graham spews ever more hateful rhetoric about immigrants and Muslims" and that Operation Christmas Child is one of the "more toxic forms of charity." She goes on further to recommend that donations be redircted to the ELCA Good Gifts program instead of OCC. Bishop Keumpel’s ire was also directed at the Salvation Army when she retweeted, "A reminder this holiday season that the Salvation Army is a homophobic, transphobic, uncaring, garbage organization." Seems to me that casting stones at legitimate mission outreaches, such at OCC and the Salvation Army, is counterproductive to what is God’s church mission is to the world. I thought we were supposed to be on the same team with a goal to reach the lost, but apparently that is lost to those drowning in the apostasy that is the ELCA. Apparently, Christian organizations that fail to tow the line of the heretical teaching of the ELCA, are to be reviled and rejected.

What do we tell the world when those who dedicate their lives to Christ become enamored of the world? When Christ becomes secondary in the church’s teaching to diversity, homosexuality, abortion rights, transgenderism, borders, gun control, and any and all leftist goals and programs, it ceases being God’s church. I’m sorry, but if a church is so inclined to abandon their core beliefs in order to be more welcoming, diverse and tolerant, it is no longer performing the functions that our Lord and Savior intended. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

There is one thing lacking in these progressive churches that is all too apparent. Jesus Christ is simply an afterthought within the walls of many of the ELCA churches. There is far more emphasis on virtue signaling to an already lost world. Without our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, the world spirals into disarray and chaos. Without our Lord and Savior, our great nation and its’ founding are at risk to the progressive, leftist agenda that seeks to replace our God with ever burgeoning government overreach. Without our Lord and Savior, we fall back into our selfish nature and society suffers as a result. Without our Lord and Savior to guide us, we lose our way, scurrying about like roaches in the light.

We are at a crossroads in this day and age. The progressive left is taking over God’s church. The progressive left is taking over the democrat party. The progressive left is taking over academia and the media. The progressive left is advocating for a global form of government. The progressive left has the same agenda as the prince of darkness and if we sit by idly, more and more will be lost to him. The time has long past for good Christians to rise up and speak out for our God. It is not too late to stem the tide if God’s good people decide to “go and make disciples of all nations” by proclaiming His Word to everyone. Let the world see that you are a disciple of Jesus Christ by not only your actions, but by your words.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore take up the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you will be able to stand your ground, and having done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness arrayed, and with your feet fitted with the readiness of the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:10-17

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26