Thursday, March 31, 2022
Wednesday, March 30, 2022
Andrew Holness, Prime Minister of Jamaica
Andrew Holness
Andrew Michael Holness, ON PC (born 22 July 1972) is a Jamaican politician who has been the Prime Minister of Jamaica since 3 March 2016, following the 2016 Jamaican general election.[1] Holness previously served as prime minister from October 2011 to 5 January 2012. He succeeded Bruce Golding as prime minister, and decided to go to the polls in the 29 December 2011 general election in an attempt to get his own mandate from the Jamaican electorate. He failed in that bid, however, losing to the People's National Party led by Portia Simpson-Miller, with the PNP gaining 42 seats to the Jamaica Labour Party's 21. Following that defeat, Holness served as Leader of the Opposition from January 2012 to March 2016, when he once again assumed the position of prime minister.[2] In 2020, The Labour Party won a landslide in another general election, and on 7 September Holness was sworn in for another term as prime minister.[3]
The Most Honourable
Andrew Holness
ON PC MP
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Holness in 2020
9th Prime Minister of Jamaica
Incumbent
Assumed office
3 March 2016
Monarch Elizabeth II
Governor-General Sir Patrick Allen
Preceded by Portia Simpson-Miller
In office
23 October 2011 – 5 January 2012
Monarch Elizabeth II
Governor-General Sir Patrick Allen
Preceded by Bruce Golding
Succeeded by Portia Simpson-Miller
Leader of the Opposition
In office
5 January 2012 – 3 March 2016
Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller
Preceded by Portia Simpson Miller
Succeeded by Portia Simpson Miller
Leader of the Jamaica Labour Party
Incumbent
Assumed office
20 November 2011
Preceded by Bruce Golding
Minister of Education
In office
11 September 2007 – 1 January 2012
Prime Minister Bruce Golding
Himself
Preceded by Maxine Henry-Wilson
Succeeded by Ronald Thwaites
Personal details
Born
Andrew Michael Holness
22 July 1972 (age 49)
Spanish Town, Jamaica
Political party Jamaica Labour Party
Spouse(s)
Juliet Landell
(m. 1997)
Children 2
Education St. Catherine High School
Alma mater University of the West Indies
Holness is the youngest person to have been elected and reelected prime minister in Jamaica's history. He is also the first prime minister to have been born after Jamaica gained independence in 1962.[4]
Early life
Andrew Holness is a graduate of St. Catherine High School and of the University of the West Indies, where he pursued a Bachelor of Science in Management Studies and a Master of Science in Development Studies.[5] In 1997 he married Juliet Holness (née Landell), an accountant, whom he had met as a student at St. Catherine High School during the 1980s.[6][7] The couple have two children, Adam and Matthew.[8]
Holness served as Executive Director at the Voluntary Organization for Uplifting Children from 1994 to 1996 and then joined the Premium Group of Companies, acting as a special assistant to Edward Seaga.
He is a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.[9]
Celeste A. Wallander, Asst. Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs
Celeste A. Wallander
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (July 2020)
Celeste Ann Wallander (born 1961) is an American international relations advisor who currently serves as assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs at the United States Department of Defense.[1][2]
Celeste A. Wallander
Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs
Incumbent
Assumed office
February 22, 2022
President Joe Biden
Preceded by Robert Karem
Personal details
Born 1961 (age 60–61)
Political party Democratic
Education Northwestern University (BA)
Yale University (MA, PhD)
Education
Wallander received her B.A. summa cum laude in political science from Northwestern University in 1983. She received her M.A. (1985), M.Phil. (1986) and Ph.D. (1990) degrees in political science from Yale University.[3]
Career
Wallander was previously a professor of government at Harvard University (1989–2000), senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations (2000–2001), director and senior fellow of the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (2001–2006), and visiting professor at Georgetown University (2006–2008). Wallander founded the Program on New Approaches to Russian Security and the Eurasian Strategy Project.
Wallander was special assistant to the president and senior director for Russia and Eurasia on the National Security Council from 2013 to 2017. Earlier in the Obama Administration she served as the deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia/Ukraine/Eurasia at the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy from May 2009 to July 2012.[4] Wallander was an adviser to Barack Obama during the 2008 Democratic primary campaign.
External links
Tuesday, March 29, 2022
Monday, March 28, 2022
Statement by President Joe Biden on the FY 2023 Budget
MARCH 28, 2022
•STATEMENTS AND RELEASES
Budgets are statements of values, and the budget I am releasing today sends a clear message that we value fiscal responsibility, safety and security at home and around the world, and the investments needed to continue our equitable growth and build a better America.
My Administration is on track to reduce the federal deficit by more than $1.3 trillion this year, cutting in half the deficit from the last year of the previous Administration and delivering the largest one-year reduction in the deficit in U.S. history. That’s the direct result of my Administration’s strategy to get the pandemic under control and grow the economy from the bottom up and the middle out. We spent less money than the last Administration and got better results: strong economic growth, which has increased revenues and allowed us to responsibly scale back emergency spending. My budget will continue that progress, further reducing the deficit by continuing to support the economic growth that has increased revenues and ensuring that billionaires and large corporations pay their fair share.
At the same time, my budget will make investments in securing our nation and building a better America. We willsecure our communities by putting more police on the street to engage in accountable community policing, hiringthe agents needed to help fight gun crime, and investing in crime prevention and community violence intervention.
I’m calling for one of the largest investments in our national security in history, with the funds needed to ensure that our military remains the best-prepared, best-trained, best-equipped military in the world. In addition, I’m calling for continued investment to forcefully respond to Putin’s aggression against Ukraine with US support for Ukraine’s economic, humanitarian, and security needs.
My budget also makes the investments needed to reducecosts for families and make progress on my Unity Agenda – including investments to cut the costs of child care and health care; help families pay for other essentials; endcancer as we know it; support our veterans; and get all Americans the mental health services they need.
All told, it is a budget that includes historic deficit reduction, historic investments in our security at home and abroad, and an unprecedented commitment to building an economy where everyone has a chance to succeed.
Budgets are statements of values, and the budget I am releasing today sends a clear message that we value fiscal responsibility, safety and security at home and around the world, and the investments needed to continue our equitable growth and build a better America.
My Administration is on track to reduce the federal deficit by more than $1.3 trillion this year, cutting in half the deficit from the last year of the previous Administration and delivering the largest one-year reduction in the deficit in U.S. history. That’s the direct result of my Administration’s strategy to get the pandemic under control and grow the economy from the bottom up and the middle out. We spent less money than the last Administration and got better results: strong economic growth, which has increased revenues and allowed us to responsibly scale back emergency spending. My budget will continue that progress, further reducing the deficit by continuing to support the economic growth that has increased revenues and ensuring that billionaires and large corporations pay their fair share.
At the same time, my budget will make investments in securing our nation and building a better America. We willsecure our communities by putting more police on the street to engage in accountable community policing, hiringthe agents needed to help fight gun crime, and investing in crime prevention and community violence intervention.
I’m calling for one of the largest investments in our national security in history, with the funds needed to ensure that our military remains the best-prepared, best-trained, best-equipped military in the world. In addition, I’m calling for continued investment to forcefully respond to Putin’s aggression against Ukraine with US support for Ukraine’s economic, humanitarian, and security needs.
My budget also makes the investments needed to reducecosts for families and make progress on my Unity Agenda – including investments to cut the costs of child care and health care; help families pay for other essentials; endcancer as we know it; support our veterans; and get all Americans the mental health services they need.
All told, it is a budget that includes historic deficit reduction, historic investments in our security at home and abroad, and an unprecedented commitment to building an economy where everyone has a chance to succeed.
###
Biden Announces $5.8 Trillion Budget With Record Tax Hike
COMMON GOOD emphasized @ 11:25 Mins. (approx.)
Sunday, March 27, 2022
Saturday, March 26, 2022
The Real ‘Reset’ Is Coming
(L-R) U.S. Ambassador to Colombia Philip Goldberg, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, President Joe Biden, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin meet with Colombian President Ivan Duque at the White House on March 10, 2022. The leaders spoke about recent meetings between the U.S. and Venezuela, where the possibility of easing U.S. oil sanctions on Venezuela were discussed after Biden had banned Russian oil imports to the U.S. (Doug Mills/Pool/Getty Images)
March 24, 2022 Updated: March 25, 2022
Commentary
President Joe Biden believes the Ukraine war will mark the start of a “new world order.” In the middle of the COVID global pandemic, Klaus Schwab and global elites likewise announced a “great reset.”
Accordingly, the nations of the world would have to surrender their sovereignty to an international body of experts. They would enlighten us on taxes, diversity, and green policies.
When former President Donald Trump got elected in 2016, marquee journalists announced partisan reporting would have to displace the old, supposedly disinterested approach to the news.
There is a common theme here.
In normal times progressives worry that they do not have public support for their policies. Only in crises do they feel that the political Left and media can merge to use apocalyptic times to ram through usually unpopular approaches to foreign and domestic problems.
We saw that last year: fleeing from Afghanistan, the embrace of critical race theory, trying to end the filibuster, pack the court, junk the Electoral College, and nationalize voting laws.
MOST READ
Bob Saget’s Widow Releases Statement After Claims He Felt IllThese “new orders” and “resets” always entail far bigger government and more unelected, powerful bureaucracies. Elites assume that their radical changes in energy use, media reporting, voting, sovereignty, and racial and ethnic quotas will never quite apply to themselves, the architects of such top-down changes.
So we common folk must quit fossil fuels, but not those who need to use corporate jets. Walls will not mar our borders but will protect the homes of Nancy Pelosi, Mark Zuckerberg, and Bill Gates.
Hunter Biden’s lost laptop will be declared, by fiat, not news. In contrast, the fake Alfa Bank “collusion” narrative will be national headline news for weeks.
RELATED
What Good Is a Federal Reserve With No Spine?Middle class lifestyles will be curbed as we are instructed to strive for sustainability and transition to apartment living and mass transit. But the Obamas will still keep their three mansions, and Silicon Valley futurists will insist on exemptions for their yachts.
In truth, we are about to see a radical reset—of the current reset. It will be a different sort of transformation than the elites are expecting and one that they should greatly fear.
The world and the United States are furious over hyperinflation that may soon exceed 10 percent per year. We will be lucky if it ends only in recession or stagflation, rather than a global depression.
The mess was created by the same apparat who bought into “modern monetary theory.” That silly university idea claimed prosperity would follow vastly expanding the money supply, keeping interest rates at de facto zero levels, running huge annual deficits, piling up unsustainable national debt, and subsidizing workers to stay home.
Natural gas and oil costs are now soaring to unsustainable levels—and to the point where the middle class simply will not be able to travel, keep warm in winter, or cool in summer.
Both in Europe and the United States left-wing governments deliberately curbed drilling and non-Russian pipelines. They shut down nuclear power plants and subsidized costly, inefficient solar and wind projects. They ended up not with utopia, but with fuel shortages, high prices, and energy dependency on the world’s most repressive regimes.
The woke revolution in the West was supposed to teach us that the “white male”-dominated Western world is toxic. Its origins, ascendence, and current leisure and affluence were supposedly due only to systemic exploitation, racism, and sexism.
Elites introduced cancel culture, doxxing, deplatforming, and social ostracism to shame these supposed exploiters and to destroy their lives and careers.
Few asked how a supposedly noxious West of some 2,500 years duration became the number one destination of millions of global non-Western migrants and offered the greatest degree of global prosperity and freedom for its citizens.
So a reset reckoning is coming—in reaction to the “new orders” championed by Biden and the Davos set.
In the November 2022 midterms, we are likely to see a historic “No!” to the orthodox left-wing agenda that has resulted in unsustainable inflation, unaffordable energy, war, and humiliation abroad, spiraling crime, racial hostility—as well as arrogant defiance from those who deliberately enacted these disastrous policies.
What will replace it is a return to what until recently had worked.
Closed and secure borders with only legal and measured immigration will return. Americans will demand tough police enforcement and deterrent sentencing, and a return to integration and the primacy of individual character rather than separatist fixations on the “color of our skin.”
The public will continue to tune out of the partisan and mediocre “mainstream” media. We will see greater increased production of oil and natural gas to transition us slowly to a wider variety of energy, strong national defense, and deterrent foreign policies.
The prophets of the new world order sowed the wind and they will soon reap the whirlwind of an angry public worn out by elite incompetence, arrogance, and ignorance.
Source
Biden gives a Religio-political speech in Poland
I thought this was a blatant promotion of Biden's Roman Catholic faith, and utterly Un-Constitutuonal. And, especially doing so on foreign soil disregarding the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution...
Arsenio.
Thursday, March 24, 2022
Wednesday, March 23, 2022
Sen. Ted Cruz questions Jackson in Supreme Court confirmation hea...
Related
Pope will consecrate humanity, 'especially Russia and Ukraine,' to Mary, text says
Mar 22, 2022
by Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service
A woman prays the rosary following an evening prayer service at St. George Ukrainian Catholic Church in New York City Jan. 26, 2022. (CNS photo/Gregory A. Shemitz)
VATICAN CITY — While Pope Francis and bishops around the world will consecrate themselves and all humanity to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, they will include the phrase, "especially Russia and Ukraine."
In the text of the pope's prayer sent to chanceries around the globe so that bishops can join the pope March 25, a key passage for many observers reads: "Mother of God and our mother, to your Immaculate Heart we solemnly entrust and consecrate ourselves, the church and all humanity, especially Russia and Ukraine."
With Russia's invasion of Ukraine and responding to a request particularly from Ukrainian bishops, Pope Francis had announced that he would make the act of consecration during a previously scheduled Lenten penance service in St. Peter's Basilica.
Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, the papal almoner, will lead the act of consecration at the same time at the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal. When Mary appeared to three shepherd children at Fatima in 1917 with a message encouraging prayer and repentance, she also asked for the consecration of Russia to Mary's immaculate heart.
While popes, especially St. John Paul II in 1984, made acts of consecration, they did not mention "Russia" out loud, which led some people to think that the Fatima request had not been fulfilled, even though the last surviving visionary, Sister Lucia dos Santos, said St. John Paul had done so.
The papal text pleads with Mary to "accept this act that we carry out with confidence and love. Grant that war may end, and peace spread throughout the world."
By saying "yes" to God's plan — an event remembered on the March 25 feast of the Annunciation — Mary "opened the doors of history to the Prince of Peace," the prayer says. "We trust that, through your heart, peace will dawn once more."
"To you we consecrate the future of the whole human family, the needs and expectations of every people, the anxieties and hopes of the world," the prayer says.
Written with the penance service and the Fatima call to repentance in mind, the pope began the prayer with a statement of trust in Mary's maternal love for all believers.
"You never cease to guide us to Jesus, the prince of peace," the prayer says. "Yet we have strayed from that path of peace."
Humanity, it says, has forgotten the lessons of the 20th century with its "sacrifice of the millions who fell in two world wars."
What is more, it says, "we have disregarded the commitments we made as a community of nations. We have betrayed peoples' dreams of peace and the hopes of the young."
"We grew sick with greed, we thought only of our own nations and their interests, we grew indifferent and caught up in our selfish needs and concerns," the text says.
"We chose to ignore God, to be satisfied with our illusions, to grow arrogant and aggressive, to suppress innocent lives and to stockpile weapons," it continues, acknowledging also how people have "ravaged the garden of the earth with war."
"By our sins," it says, "we have broken the heart of our heavenly Father, who desires us to be brothers and sisters."
"Now with shame we cry out: Forgive us, Lord," the pope wrote.
The abiding presence of Mary, the text says, is a reminder that God never abandons people and is always ready to forgive.
"In every age you make yourself known to us, calling us to conversion," the pope wrote. "At this dark hour, help us and grant us your comfort. Say to us once more: 'Am I not here, I who am your Mother?'" as Our Lady of Guadalupe said to Juan Diego.
Like at the wedding feast of Cana, the text says, "in our own day we have run out of the wine of hope, joy has fled, fraternity has faded. We have forgotten our humanity and squandered the gift of peace. We opened our hearts to violence and destructiveness. How greatly we need your maternal help!"
"Amid the thunder of weapons, may your prayer turn our thoughts to peace," the pope wrote. "May your maternal touch soothe those who suffer and flee from the rain of bombs. May your motherly embrace comfort those forced to leave their homes and their native land. May your Sorrowful Heart move us to compassion and inspire us to open our doors and to care for our brothers and sisters who are injured and cast aside."
Source
VATICAN CITY — While Pope Francis and bishops around the world will consecrate themselves and all humanity to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, they will include the phrase, "especially Russia and Ukraine."
In the text of the pope's prayer sent to chanceries around the globe so that bishops can join the pope March 25, a key passage for many observers reads: "Mother of God and our mother, to your Immaculate Heart we solemnly entrust and consecrate ourselves, the church and all humanity, especially Russia and Ukraine."
With Russia's invasion of Ukraine and responding to a request particularly from Ukrainian bishops, Pope Francis had announced that he would make the act of consecration during a previously scheduled Lenten penance service in St. Peter's Basilica.
Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, the papal almoner, will lead the act of consecration at the same time at the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal. When Mary appeared to three shepherd children at Fatima in 1917 with a message encouraging prayer and repentance, she also asked for the consecration of Russia to Mary's immaculate heart.
While popes, especially St. John Paul II in 1984, made acts of consecration, they did not mention "Russia" out loud, which led some people to think that the Fatima request had not been fulfilled, even though the last surviving visionary, Sister Lucia dos Santos, said St. John Paul had done so.
The papal text pleads with Mary to "accept this act that we carry out with confidence and love. Grant that war may end, and peace spread throughout the world."
By saying "yes" to God's plan — an event remembered on the March 25 feast of the Annunciation — Mary "opened the doors of history to the Prince of Peace," the prayer says. "We trust that, through your heart, peace will dawn once more."
"To you we consecrate the future of the whole human family, the needs and expectations of every people, the anxieties and hopes of the world," the prayer says.
Written with the penance service and the Fatima call to repentance in mind, the pope began the prayer with a statement of trust in Mary's maternal love for all believers.
"You never cease to guide us to Jesus, the prince of peace," the prayer says. "Yet we have strayed from that path of peace."
Humanity, it says, has forgotten the lessons of the 20th century with its "sacrifice of the millions who fell in two world wars."
What is more, it says, "we have disregarded the commitments we made as a community of nations. We have betrayed peoples' dreams of peace and the hopes of the young."
"We grew sick with greed, we thought only of our own nations and their interests, we grew indifferent and caught up in our selfish needs and concerns," the text says.
"We chose to ignore God, to be satisfied with our illusions, to grow arrogant and aggressive, to suppress innocent lives and to stockpile weapons," it continues, acknowledging also how people have "ravaged the garden of the earth with war."
"By our sins," it says, "we have broken the heart of our heavenly Father, who desires us to be brothers and sisters."
"Now with shame we cry out: Forgive us, Lord," the pope wrote.
The abiding presence of Mary, the text says, is a reminder that God never abandons people and is always ready to forgive.
"In every age you make yourself known to us, calling us to conversion," the pope wrote. "At this dark hour, help us and grant us your comfort. Say to us once more: 'Am I not here, I who am your Mother?'" as Our Lady of Guadalupe said to Juan Diego.
Like at the wedding feast of Cana, the text says, "in our own day we have run out of the wine of hope, joy has fled, fraternity has faded. We have forgotten our humanity and squandered the gift of peace. We opened our hearts to violence and destructiveness. How greatly we need your maternal help!"
"Amid the thunder of weapons, may your prayer turn our thoughts to peace," the pope wrote. "May your maternal touch soothe those who suffer and flee from the rain of bombs. May your motherly embrace comfort those forced to leave their homes and their native land. May your Sorrowful Heart move us to compassion and inspire us to open our doors and to care for our brothers and sisters who are injured and cast aside."
Source
Ukrainian President Zelensky invites Pope to Kyiv
By Simon Druker
MARCH 22, 2022 / 4:56 PM
RELATEDUkraine forces say they've retaken key Kyiv suburb; Biden warns of chemical weapons
March 22 (UPI) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke Tuesday with Pope Francis, who offered to mediate with Russia to help end the invasion, as Italy's prime minister voice support of Ukraine's bid to join the European Union.
Zelensky addressed the Italian Parliament Tuesday and urged the country's lawmakers to freeze assets in that country owned by members of Russia's elite.
"You know very well who orders troops to go to war and who propagates this. Almost all of them use Italy as a place to rest. Do not be a resort for murderers," Zelensky said during the address.
RELATED
Following Zelensky's speech, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi publicly endorsed Ukraine's membership bid to join the European Union.
"Told His Holiness about the difficult humanitarian situation and the blocking of rescue corridors by Russian troops. The mediating role of the Holy See in ending human suffering would be welcomed. He thanked for the prayers for Ukraine and peace," Zelensky tweeted, after his conversation with Pope Francis.
He also invited the pope to visit the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.
RELATEDEU approves security plan with rapid response force
On Sunday, Pope Francis escalated his condemnation of Russia while calling the invasion of Ukraine a "senseless massacre" in an address to visitors at St. Peter's Square.
"New visible gesture of support of (Ukraine) by Pope Francisco: just several min ago Holy Father called to Pres. Volod. Zelensky and had very promising talking. Pope said (Vatican) is praying & doing everything possible for end of war; (Zelensky) repeated that His Holiness is the most expected guest in (Ukraine)," tweeted Ukraine's ambassador to the Vatican, Andrii Yurash, after Zelensky's phone conversation.
This comes a day after U.S. President Joe Biden announced Russia had used hypersonic missiles against Ukraine after being slowed by stiff Ukrainian resistance.
RELATEDLG Electronics suspends shipments to Russia
The accusation came after Pentagon officials said it was unclear whether Moscow had used hypersonic weaponry -- which travel at speeds of at least Mach 5 and are five times faster than the speed of sound and considerably faster than traditional missiles
Tuesday, March 22, 2022
About Ketanji Brown Jackson
Jackson grew up in Miami, Florida, and graduated from Miami Palmetto Senior High School in 1988.[7] In her senior year, she won the national oratory title at the National Catholic Forensic League Championships in New Orleans, the second-largest high school debate tournament in the United States.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketanji_Brown_Jackson
Jackson met her husband, Patrick, in college and the two have been married for 25 years. They live in Washington, DC, with their daughters.
Dr. Patrick Jackson is a surgeon at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital.
Read the fine print: Russia’s nuclear weapon use policy
By David Holloway | March 10, 2022
The risk of nuclear war casts a dark shadow over the already-tragic events in Ukraine. On February 19, Vladimir Putin launched an exercise involving Russian strategic forces. On February 24—the day Putin invaded Ukraine—he warned that Russia would respond immediately to those who stood in its way, with consequences that “will be such as you have never seen in your entire history.” On February 27, he publicly ordered his minister of defense and chief of the general staff to transfer Russia’s “deterrence forces” to “special combat readiness.” Putin’s aim was evidently to deter outside intervention and to signal Russia’s determination to achieve its goals.
But another, more troubling, aspect to Putin’s recent comments has received little or no attention. It has to do with the circumstances under which Russia might use nuclear weapons.
In June 2020, Putin signed a decree—the Basic Principles of the Russian Federation’s State Policy in the Domain of Nuclear Deterrence—that specifies two conditions under which Russia would use nuclear weapons. The first is unsurprising: “The Russian Federation retains the right to use nuclear weapons in response to the use of nuclear weapons and other types of weapons of mass destruction against it and/or its allies…” But that sentence ends with an unusual statement: “… and also in the case of aggression against the Russian Federation with the use of conventional weapons, when the very existence of the state is put under threat” [emphasis added].
In his February 24 speech, Putin echoed that unusual language to describe his Ukraine invasion. The United States, he claimed, was creating a hostile “anti-Russia” next to Russia and in Russia’s historic land. “For the United States and its allies, it is a policy of containing Russia, with obvious geopolitical dividends,” he said. “For our country, it is a matter of life and death, a matter of our historical future as a nation. This is not an exaggeration; this is a fact. It is not only a very real threat to our interests but to the very existence of our state and to its sovereignty” [emphasis added]. Putin has defined the current situation as one in which, in line with the principles of its deterrence policy, Russia retains the right to use nuclear weapons.
This does not mean that Russia will use such weapons, and deterrence at the strategic level appears to be robust. At the tactical level, however, the situation is different. The 2018 US Nuclear Posture Review ascribed to Russia the view that “the threat of nuclear escalation or even first use of nuclear weapons would serve to de-escalate a conflict on terms favorable to Russia.” Russian military theorists have certainly discussed this idea of “escalating to de-escalate,” though whether it is a part of Russian doctrine is disputed among students of Russian strategy. “Escalating to de-escalate” in a war with NATO would run the serious risk of escalation rather than de-escalation. In a local war with a non-nuclear adversary, however, the small-scale tactical use of nuclear weapons might be a serious temptation, especially if the war were not going according to plan. In short, the impulse to escalate in a tight corner could be strong.
Biden’s Trump-lite nuclear policy threatens us all
There are two reasons for drawing attention to Putin’s recent words. First, in echoing the Basic Principles of Russian Federation’s State Policy in the Domain of Deterrence, Putin provides a frame of reference for his thinking about nuclear weapon use. This, in turn, provides context for assessing the risk that he will escalate to the use of nuclear weapons.
Second, in a period of high tension, a miscalculation could have catastrophic consequences, as Russia’s recent decisions arguably show. World leaders should do as much as possible to dissuade Putin from using of nuclear weapons, not so much by the threat of retaliation in kind, since that could lead to dangerous escalation. Rather they should prepare the ground for a massive political response to a potential decision Putin might make to cross the nuclear threshold.
Monday, March 21, 2022
The “Great Reset”, corporatism, Pelagianism, and counterfeit subsidiarity
March 20, 2022
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum shaking hands at the June 2007 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg. (Wikipedia/CC BY-SA 2.0)It appears that the push for President Biden’s Build Back Better (BBB) program is halted with the failure to pass it in Congress and the war in Ukraine taking center stage. However, the rollout of Build a Better America program in his State of the Union address does not mean that the momentum for BBB is gone. The reason is that it is part of the Great Reset movement. The Great Reset is based on certain philosophical and theological principles, and there is no indication that Biden changed his position on these tenets nor is there evidence that support for the Reset is waning.
The Great Reset
The Great Reset was announced in 2020 by the World Economic Forum. In his June 3rd, 2020 article, “Now is the Time for a ‘Great Reset‘”, WEF founder Klaus Schwab argues that to “achieve a better outcome, the world must act jointly and swiftly to revamp all aspects of our societies and economies, from education to social contracts and working conditions.” He then makes an astonishing connection between COVID-19 and his agenda, stating that there are “many reasons to pursue a Great Reset, but the most urgent is COVID-19.” Schwab reiterates this point in his book, COVID-19: The Great Reset:
[T]he possibilities for change and the resulting new order are now unlimited and only bound by our imagination, for better or for worse. … You get the point: we should take advantage of this unprecedented opportunity to reimagine our world, in a bid to make it a better and more resilient one as it emerges on the other side of this crisis. (pp. 16-17)
John Kerry confirmed that the White House is committed to this plan at the Nov. 17, 2020 WEF meeting (starts at 27 min mark). Likewise, Biden’s Press Secretary Jen Psaki echoed Schwab’s words in her Oct. 12, 2021 press conference when she stated, “The President wants to make fundamental change in our economy, and he feels coming out of the pandemic is exactly the time to do that.” She then listed off a policy agenda that has nothing to do with the pandemic.
This same tactic was used by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, a Great Reset enthusiast. In his Sept 23, 2020 speech, he first discussed the pandemic and then segued into policies unrelated to COVID. Several days later he addressed the United Nations, where he again stated that the response to the virus must entail broad social and economic changes. More recently, he used the truckers’ backlash against the COVID vaccine mandates to suppress free speech and property rights to bank accounts. It wasn’t until Canadian banks complained of massive withdrawals that Trudeau rescinded the Emergencies Act.
The phrase “Build Back Better” is frequently used by the WEF and is tied to the Great Reset. In fact, an April 3, 2020 article by the WEF is entitled, “How to build back better after COVID-19”. Justin Trudeau explicitly uses the phrase in connection with the Reset in a Sept. 29, 2020 UN videoconference. (A longer version of the clip can we seen here.)
Sunday, March 20, 2022
IS UKRAINE THE BEDROCK OF THE WEF’S GREAT RESET ‘DIGITAL ID WALLET’ – BLUEPRINT FOR THE WEST?
IS UKRAINE THE BEDROCK OF THE WEF’S GREAT RESET ‘DIGITAL ID WALLET’ – BLUEPRINT FOR THE WEST?
March 17, 2022
#TheGreatReset: the same way Israel was chosen to conduct the largest experiment in gene therapy on its population without their consent, Ukraine was chosen to conduct the largest experiment in Universal Basic Income, Digital ID & Vaccine Passport without the people’s consent.
The same way Australia and New Zeeland were chosen to conduct endless imprisonment of their population (AKA lockdowns) without their consent, Ukraine was chosen to enforce a Universal Basic Income program run by #WEF alumni, that will only be given to vaccinated, obedient people.
Experimental gene therapy, Universal Basic Income, Digital ID/Vaccine Passport, and soon Social Credit System & CBDC are all being tested on a country level and then deployed rapidly around the world.
#TheGreatReset/#Agenda2030 methodological plan is to enslave humanity.
Read more
Saturday, March 19, 2022
Prepare to Meet the Lord
I saw that we should not put off the coming of the Lord. Said the angel: “Prepare, prepare, for what is coming upon the earth. Let your works correspond with your faith.” I saw that the mind must be stayed upon God, and that our influence should tell for God and His truth. We cannot honor the Lord when we are careless and indifferent. We cannot glorify Him when we are desponding. We must be in earnest to secure our own soul's salvation, and to save others. All importance should be attached to this, and everything besides should come in secondary.
I saw the beauty of heaven. I heard the angels sing their rapturous songs, ascribing praise, honor, and glory to Jesus. I could then realize something of the wondrous love of the Son of God. He left all the glory, all the honor which He had in heaven, and was so interested for our salvation that He patiently and meekly bore every indignity and slight which man could heap upon Him. He was wounded, smitten, and bruised; He was stretched on Calvary's cross and suffered the most agonizing death to save us from death, that we might be washed in His blood and be raised up to live with Him in the mansions He is preparing for us, to enjoy the light and glory of heaven, to hear the angels sing, and to sing with them.
I saw that all heaven is interested in our salvation; and shall we be indifferent? Shall we be careless, as though it were a small matter whether we are saved or lost? Shall we slight the sacrifice that has been made for us? Some have done this. They have trifled with offered mercy, and the frown of God is upon them. God's Spirit will not always be grieved. It will depart if grieved a little longer. After all has been done that God could do to save men, if they show by their lives that they slight Jesus’ offered mercy, death will be their portion, and it will be dearly purchased. It will be a dreadful death; for they will have to feel the agony that Christ felt upon the cross to purchase for them the redemption which they have refused. And they will then realize what they have lost—eternal life and the immortal inheritance. The great sacrifice that has been made to save souls shows us their worth. When the precious soul is once lost, it is lost forever.
I have seen an angel standing with scales in his hands weighing the thoughts and interest of the people of God, especially the young. In one scale were the thoughts and interest tending heavenward; in the other were the thoughts and interest tending to earth. And in this scale were thrown all the reading of storybooks, thoughts of dress and show, vanity, pride, etc. Oh, what a solemn moment! the angels of God standing with scales, weighing the thoughts of His professed children—those who claim to be dead to the world and alive to God. The scale filled with thoughts of earth, vanity, and pride quickly went down, notwithstanding weight after weight rolled from the scale. The one with the thoughts and interest tending to heaven went quickly up as the other went down, and oh, how light it was! I can relate this as I saw it; but never can I give the solemn and vivid impression stamped upon my mind, as I saw the angel with the scales weighing the thoughts and interest of the people of God. Said the angel: “Can such enter heaven? No, no, never. Tell them the hope they now possess is vain, and unless they speedily repent, and obtain salvation, they must perish.”
A form of godliness will not save any. All must have a deep and living experience. This alone will save them in the time of trouble. Then their work will be tried of what sort it is; and if it is gold, silver, and precious stones, they will be hid as in the secret of the Lord's pavilion. But if their work is wood, hay, and stubble, nothing can shield them from the fierceness of Jehovah's wrath.
I saw that many measure themselves among themselves, and compare their lives with the lives of others. This should not be. No one but Christ is given us as an example. He is our true Pattern, and each should strive to excel in imitating Him. We are co-workers with Christ, or co-workers with the enemy. We either gather with Christ or scatter abroad. We are decided, wholehearted Christians, or none at all. Says Christ: “I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of My mouth.”
I saw that some hardly know as yet what self-denial or sacrifice is, or what it is to suffer for the truth's sake. But none will enter heaven without making a sacrifice. A spirit of self-denial and sacrifice should be cherished. Some have not sacrificed themselves, their own bodies, on the altar of God. They indulge in hasty, fitful temper, gratify their appetites, and attend to their own self-interest, regardless of the cause of God. Those who are willing to make any sacrifice for eternal life, will have it; and it will be worth suffering for, worth crucifying self for, and sacrificing every idol for. The far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory swallows up everything and eclipses every earthly pleasure.
Friday, March 18, 2022
How oil demand can be lowered by 2.7 billion barrels in 4 months
How oil demand can be lowered by 2.7 billion barrels in 4 months
By Team Newsable
First Published Mar 19, 2022, 8:40 AM IST
HIGHLIGHTS
IEA says that "emergency measures" should be taken right now to cut the use of fossil fuels
HIGHLIGHTS
IEA says that "emergency measures" should be taken right now to cut the use of fossil fuels
Crude oil prices have been on the rise in the aftermath of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. With Russia remaining belligerent and ignoring American and European sanctions to carry on with its operations against Kyiv, oil rates are bound to increase further. To counter this, the International Energy Agency has suggested 10 measures that governments and consumers can take collectively to lower the demand. Let us take a look.
Step 1: Reduce speed limits on highways by at least 10kmphStep 2: Work from home up to three days a week where possibleStep 3: Car-free Sundays in large citiesStep 4: Make public transport cheaper. Incentivise walking and cyclingStep 5: Alternate private car use in large citiesStep 6: Use car-sharing and other practices that reduce fuel useStep 7: Promote efficient use of freight trucks and goods deliveryStep 8: Speed up adoption of electric and more efficient vehiclesStep 9: Prefer high-speed and night trains to planes where possibleStep 10: Avoid business travel when alternatives exist
While stating that "emergency measures" need to be taken immediately to reduce the use of fossil fuels, IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said that these measures have already been tested and proven in multiple countries.
Also Read: 'Do not politicize...' India counters US jibe over Russian oil deal
The IEA further said that if the world's advanced economies were to completely stick to the 10 points that it has suggested, the demand for oil could be lowered by 2.7 billion barrels within four months.
To note, the IEA is an autonomous body under the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. It includes more than 30 member countries. India is an affiliated association country, which denies it voting rights in the IEA.
Undocu Jesuit Network Summit Provides Support and Community for Undocumented Students 9
BY KELLY SWAN | March 17, 2022
[Editor’s Note: Student names were not used in this story to protect the privacy of Summit attendees with vulnerable immigration statuses.]
“Being undocumented can feel very isolating. It is liberating to know you aren’t alone and others in your situation are willing to help alleviate some of the burden.”
“We. Are. Not. Alone.”
“The Undocumented Jesuit Network gathering is an opportunity to break free from the numbness that comes with all of the traumatic experiences of being undocumented. The gathering is a reminder that we are not defined by our immigration status.”
These are the voices of three of the 18 college students who gathered at the Jesuit Retreat Center of Los Altos in California from February 18-20, 2022 for ISN’s first Undocu Jesuit Network (UJN) Summit.
Each of the attendees gathered have an immigration story—identifying as undocumented, a DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) or TPS (Temporary Protected Status) recipient, or members of mixed-status families. The gathering was designed to provide students—all students at Jesuit or other Catholic institutions—with a safe space to build community, share concerns, seek advice, and grow in organizing skills.
The gathering sprung from the Undocu Jesuit Network, an initiative launched in the summer of 2020 by the Ignatian Solidarity Network, providing a biweekly virtual community gathering space for students and young adults who are undocumented or with other immigration statuses.
Community from Commonality
A primary aim of the summit was community building—providing a space for students to connect with peers with shared experiences. The weekend began with what was intended to be a simple icebreaker—mapping countries and communities origin of those present. The exercise quickly evolved into a much deeper conversation centered around sharing stories—how parents met, how families started, what caused each family to come to the U.S., border crossing stories, how each attendee found themselves in school in their current city—finding deep commonalities in each story shared.
“[The] UJN gathering…made me feel as though I had a space to feel heard and welcomed with open arms. The people around me had gone through similar experiences that I had gone through and have fought through similar battles,” shared an attendee who is a student at the University of Detroit Mercy.
Trust amongst attendees was built very quickly. Students were able to ask and answer significant and vulnerable questions, share truths about what they experience on their campuses, their personal and family struggles, and more—all within a confidential space.
Students were offered a space during which all leaders and attendees without immigration stories were asked to leave the room. The floor was opened for each person to share their experiences and feelings around challenges they face. José Arnulfo Cabrera, ISN’s director of education and advocacy for migration, shared that this was exceptionally powerful and impressive. “It was so important for students to be able to share the things they’re carrying with each other,” he explained, “and wildly impressive to see the care they’re able to provide for themselves in the midst of all of this.”
Storytelling as Power
Cabrera also led a storytelling workshop for attendees. He was clear that the aim of telling one’s immigration story is not to solicit pity, rather to learn to tell your story to enact change. “Storytelling is about reminding yourself of the power your story has, and about reminding yourself that sharing your story can help to heal some of your wounds,” he shared. “It is not about telling others all of your problems, but about sharing it in a way that gets others excited and motivated.” The summit provided a space for students to practice this skill with others who already understand the basis of complexity of immigration stories.
At the culmination of the summit, one student shared this reflection on the emphasis on storytelling throughout the weekend: “We are here. Our stories that brought us to this country, though stories of hardship are also stories of strength. We often feel helpless seeing the current political ideologies, and feel pressured by the fear to keep it all to ourselves, but the UJN gathering is that safe space where we realize the universality of our migrant story and can have our human dignity restored.”
Students at Organizers
Sessions on campus organizing and action were student-led, a witness to how much experience and knowledge is present within the network of immigrant college students at Jesuit and other Catholic schools. Students were empowered to build a network of mutual learning in order to push forward the work of building more welcoming and supportive campus communities.
“I was able to learn directly from students who are involved in advocacy work,” shared one attendee. “Being able to learn and work alongside them is a great opportunity. This retreat helped shape me into a better advocate and organizer on campus.”
Presenters were able to field questions from lived experience—about how to work with university administrators to create affinity spaces on campus, pushing for more career development support for undocumented students, and more. These conversations were particularly helpful for students who are DACA recipients, thinking about non-traditional or consulting-based careers routes in light of the precarious nature of the DACA program and accompanying work authorization.
“The Ignatian undocumented community is a strong, beautiful, powerful one,” shared one attendee after the summit.
A Santa Clara University student who attended the summit agreed. “The UJN gathering is an amazing opportunity to find solidarity with other undocumented students. It granted me the opportunity to explore my identity, refine what advocacy means, and strengthen my voice.”
The Undocu Jesuit Network Summit was fully funded for all participants through a generous grant from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Catholic Campaign for Human Development.
Elite American support for Russia: a tradition
Mar17 by Jon Rappoport
by Jon Rappoport
March 17, 2022
(To join our email list, click here.)
In 1971, Gary Allen published his book, None Dare Call it Conspiracy. It quickly became an unofficial best seller.
Over the years, several million copies have been sold.
Allen’s thesis was stark: super-rich American capitalists were financing socialism. This bizarre paradox was resolved when socialism was properly understood—not as “power to the people”—but as elite power over the people. In other words, as a hoax.
These days, the socialist hoax is still unknown to most of the population.
Cloak a global power grab as progress for all of humanity.
Here, from chapter six of None Dare Call it Conspiracy, “The Rockefellers and the Reds,” is a passage commenting on the period just after the Russian Revolution of 1917:
“The Rockefellers assigned their public relations agent, Ivy Lee, to sell the American public the idea that the Bolsheviks were merely misunderstood idealists who were actually kind benefactors of mankind.”
“After the Bolshevik Revolution, Standard Oil of New Jersey [Rockefeller] bought 50 per cent of the Nobel’s huge Caucasus oil fields even though the property had theoretically been nationalized [by Russia]. (O’Connor, Harvey, The Empire Of Oil, Monthly Review Press, New York, 1955, p.270.)”
“In 1927, Standard Oil of New York [Rockefeller] built a refinery in Russia, thereby helping the Bolsheviks put their economy back on its feet. Professor [Antony] Sutton states: ‘This was the first United States investment in Russia since the Revolution.’ (Ibid, Vol.1, p.38)”
“Shortly thereafter Standard Oil of New York and its subsidiary, Vacuum Oil Company [Rockefeller], concluded a deal to market Soviet oil in European countries and it was reported that a loan of $75,009,000 to the Bolsheviks was arranged. (National Republic, Sept.1927.)”
“…Wherever Standard Oil would go, Chase National Bank was sure to follow. (The Rockefeller’s Chase Bank was later merged with the Warburg’s Manhattan Bank to form the present Chase Manhattan Bank.) In order to rescue the Bolsheviks, who were supposedly an archenemy, the Chase National Bank was instrumental in establishing the American-Russian Chamber of Commerce in 1922. President of the Chamber was Reeve Schley, a vice-president of Chase National Bank. (Ibid, Vol.11, p.288) According to Professor Sutton: ‘In 1925, negotiations between Chase and [Russian] Prombank extended beyond the finance of raw materials and mapped out a complete program for financing Soviet raw material exports to the U. S. and imports of U. S. cotton and machinery.’ (Ibid, Vol.11, p.226) Sutton also reports that ‘Chase National Bank and the Equitable Trust Company were leaders in the Soviet credit business.’ (Ibid, p.277)”
“The Rockefeller’s Chase National Bank also was involved in selling Bolshevik bonds in the United States in 1928. Patriotic organizations denounced the Chase as an ‘international fence.’ Chase was called ‘a disgrace to America… They will go to any lengths for a few dollars profits.’ (Ibid, Vol.11, p.291) Congressman Louis McFadden, chairman of the House Banking Committee, maintained in a speech to his fellow Congressmen:”
“’The Soviet government has been given United States Treasury funds by the Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Reserve Banks acting through the Chase Bank and the Guaranty Trust Company and other banks in New York City.”
“’Open up the books of Amtorg, the trading organization of the Soviet government in New York, and of Gostorg, the general office of the Soviet Trade Organization, and of the State Bank of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and you will be staggered to see how much American money has been taken from the United States’ Treasury for the benefit of Russia. Find out what business has been transacted for the State Bank of Soviet Russia by its correspondent, the Chase Bank of New York’. (Congressional Record, June 15, 1933.)”
“But the Rockefellers apparently were not alone in financing the Communist arm of the Insiders’ conspiracy. According to Professor Sutton ‘… there is a report in the State Department files that names Kuhn, Loeb & Co. (the long established and important financial house in New York) as the financier of the [Russians’] First Five Year Plan. See U. S. State Dept. Decimal File, 811.51/3711 and 861.50 FIVE YEAR PLAN/236.’ (Sutton, op. cit., Vol. II, p. 340n.)”
“Professor Sutton proves conclusively in his three volume history of Soviet technological development that the Soviet Union was almost literally manufactured by the U.S.A…”
“…Sutton shows that there is hardly a segment of the Soviet economy which is not a result of the transference of Western, particularly American, technology.”
“This cannot be wholly the result of accident. For fifty years the Federal Reserve-CFR-Rockefeller-lnsider crowd has advocated and carried out policies aimed at increasing the power of their satellite, the Soviet Union. Meanwhile, America spends $75 billion a year on defense to protect itself from the enemy the Insiders are building up.”
Getting the picture? I hope so.
Thursday, March 17, 2022
Wednesday, March 16, 2022
Tuesday, March 15, 2022
Monday, March 14, 2022
Sunday, March 13, 2022
Saturday, March 12, 2022
Friday, March 11, 2022
Tested “By their Fruits”
In these days of peril we are not to accept everything that men bring to us as truth. As professed teachers from God come to us declaring that they have a message from God, it is proper to inquire carefully, How do we know that this is truth? Jesus has told us that “false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many” (Matthew 24:11). But we need not be deceived; for the Word of God gives us a test whereby we may know what is truth. The prophet says, “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:20). 2SM 99.1
From this statement it is evident that it becomes us to be diligent Bible students, that we may know what is according to the law and the testimony. We are safe in no other course of action. Jesus says, “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire” (Matthew 7:15-19).—The Review and Herald, February 23, 1892.
Selected Messages Book 2, p.99.
Thursday, March 10, 2022
The Woke LGBT+ Culture isn’t Interested in Equality; they want to Destroy Christianity
March 9, 2022 by Andy Roman
“We are Diversity” – baby Jesus with his drag queen mother.
The LGBT+ movement continues its militant assault against all things Christian. Once society embarked on the path of granting special recognition to the LGBT+ movement by destroying the biblical institution of marriage, things didn’t stop there. Everything has continued to change and Christians are being ridiculed and targeted at an ever-increasing rate.
The Fallas de Valencia is an annual art festival held in Valencia, Spain. This festival is listed as an official United Nations “Intangible Cultural Heritage” event and commemorates the start of spring. [1] The festival attracts over a million people from all over the world. This year’s Fallas de Valencia is scheduled to take place from March 15, 2022, to March 19, 2022.
We edited the half-naked worshipper.
To commemorate Fallas 2022, members of the LGBT+ community have created a special poster. Mary, the mother of Jesus, is depicted as a drag queen on the poster. “Drag Queens” are men who dress up as women to show their support for the LGBT+ community. [2] As a result, Jesus’ mother was a man who pretended to be a woman. It is a heinous mockery of the God of heaven that our heavenly Father would choose a drag queen to give birth to His son. The poster also depicts some half-naked worshipper and a second man in a black dress bowing to Jesus and His LGBT+ mother.
The poster starred a drag queen from Valencia by the name of Liz Dust, and the aim was to promote Fallas de Valencia as an event that is “inclusive and welcoming.” The poster’s motto says, “We are culture, we are tradition, we are diversity.” [2] This poster, however, does not depict diversity. This is a blasphemous and shameful attempt by corrupt men to impute the vile and fleshly ways of sinners to a pure and holy God.
God reminds sinful men that He is not like them, and He will bring judgment on the land as a result of their sinful attempt to equate our fallen, broken lives to His holiness:
“Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes. Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver. Whoso offereth praise glorifieth Me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God.” Psalm 50:21-23.
The LGBT+ poster for Fallas 2022 is just the latest attempt to mock and ridicule the Creator of the Universe. Instead of misrepresenting God’s character through these abominable acts, they should humble themselves before the all-powerful God of heaven. The men of Sodom became confused and thought that the holy angels of God could be the objects of their sexually depraved minds. In their confusion, the Bible says:
“The Lord rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven; and He overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants.” Genesis 19:24, 25.
God is not to be trifled with. He is compassionate, loving and kind, yet He is also holy and just. What we are witnessing in society is a coordinated campaign by the LGBT+ movement to undermine and distort the word of God. What’s more scary is how ignorant and blind most Christians are. They don’t feel they’re fighting a battle or that LGBT+ activists are targeting them. Christian leaders believe that if they are affirming and inclusive, everything will be okay. They are completely unaware that the gay lobby has been planning and strategizing for decades to destroy the church. No wonder we keep losing. Our side is sleeping, while the other side has been actively working to undermine the gospel for more than half a century.
Sources
[1] https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/valencia-fallas-festivity-00859
[2] https://www.elperiodic.com/val/valencia/polemica-falles-imatge-verge-dels-desemparats-versio-drag-queen_807049
“We are Diversity” – baby Jesus with his drag queen mother.
The LGBT+ movement continues its militant assault against all things Christian. Once society embarked on the path of granting special recognition to the LGBT+ movement by destroying the biblical institution of marriage, things didn’t stop there. Everything has continued to change and Christians are being ridiculed and targeted at an ever-increasing rate.
The Fallas de Valencia is an annual art festival held in Valencia, Spain. This festival is listed as an official United Nations “Intangible Cultural Heritage” event and commemorates the start of spring. [1] The festival attracts over a million people from all over the world. This year’s Fallas de Valencia is scheduled to take place from March 15, 2022, to March 19, 2022.
We edited the half-naked worshipper.
To commemorate Fallas 2022, members of the LGBT+ community have created a special poster. Mary, the mother of Jesus, is depicted as a drag queen on the poster. “Drag Queens” are men who dress up as women to show their support for the LGBT+ community. [2] As a result, Jesus’ mother was a man who pretended to be a woman. It is a heinous mockery of the God of heaven that our heavenly Father would choose a drag queen to give birth to His son. The poster also depicts some half-naked worshipper and a second man in a black dress bowing to Jesus and His LGBT+ mother.
The poster starred a drag queen from Valencia by the name of Liz Dust, and the aim was to promote Fallas de Valencia as an event that is “inclusive and welcoming.” The poster’s motto says, “We are culture, we are tradition, we are diversity.” [2] This poster, however, does not depict diversity. This is a blasphemous and shameful attempt by corrupt men to impute the vile and fleshly ways of sinners to a pure and holy God.
God reminds sinful men that He is not like them, and He will bring judgment on the land as a result of their sinful attempt to equate our fallen, broken lives to His holiness:
“Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes. Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver. Whoso offereth praise glorifieth Me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God.” Psalm 50:21-23.
The LGBT+ poster for Fallas 2022 is just the latest attempt to mock and ridicule the Creator of the Universe. Instead of misrepresenting God’s character through these abominable acts, they should humble themselves before the all-powerful God of heaven. The men of Sodom became confused and thought that the holy angels of God could be the objects of their sexually depraved minds. In their confusion, the Bible says:
“The Lord rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven; and He overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants.” Genesis 19:24, 25.
God is not to be trifled with. He is compassionate, loving and kind, yet He is also holy and just. What we are witnessing in society is a coordinated campaign by the LGBT+ movement to undermine and distort the word of God. What’s more scary is how ignorant and blind most Christians are. They don’t feel they’re fighting a battle or that LGBT+ activists are targeting them. Christian leaders believe that if they are affirming and inclusive, everything will be okay. They are completely unaware that the gay lobby has been planning and strategizing for decades to destroy the church. No wonder we keep losing. Our side is sleeping, while the other side has been actively working to undermine the gospel for more than half a century.
Sources
[1] https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/valencia-fallas-festivity-00859
[2] https://www.elperiodic.com/val/valencia/polemica-falles-imatge-verge-dels-desemparats-versio-drag-queen_807049
Biden signing cryptocurrency executive order that paves way for US government 'coin
by Christian Datoc, White House Reporter |
| March 09, 2022 06:16 AM
President Joe Biden will sign an executive order Tuesday that moves the U.S. government one step closer toward launching a digital currency tied directly to the central banking system.
"The rise in digital assets creates an opportunity to reinforce American leadership in the global financial system and at the technological frontier, but also has substantial implications for consumer protection, financial stability, national security, and climate risk," the White House said in a statement. "The United States must maintain technological leadership in this rapidly growing space, supporting innovation while mitigating the risks for consumers, businesses, the broader financial system, and the climate."
US OVERTAKES CHINA AS WORLD'S LARGEST BITCOIN MINING HUB
A number of U.S. agencies and departments have been studying the national security and financial aspects of cryptocurrency, and, according to senior administration officials, Biden's order will for the first time "bring together the expertise and authorities of the entire U.S. government to inform the holistic approach to digital assets."
"This is all about the future of the payment system in this country, the future of credit creation, and commercial banking," one official stated. "All of these issues are tied up in the question of whether to issue a digital currency and, if so, how to do so in a way that advances our strategic objectives."
The order itself directs the Departments of Commerce and Treasury and the Financial Stability Oversight Council to undergo a series of assessments and action plans to be returned between 60 to 180 days. This research, senior administration officials say, will outline the administration's policies on the following "key priorities":
- consumer and investor protection
- financial stability
- illicit finance
- U.S. leadership in the global financial system and economic competitiveness
- financial inclusion
- responsible innovation
Furthermore, the order will accelerate the research and development of a U.S. Central Bank Digital Currency already underway at the Federal Reserve, "should issuance be deemed in the national interest" by the agency reviews.
"We know the implications of potentially issuing a digital dollar are profound. They're extraordinarily wide-ranging," a senior administration official added. "This is a way to organize ourselves with urgency, so that we have a coherent and coordinated view on digital assets, and then it's articulated at the very highest level of our government."
It's worth noting that while the order explicitly directs the U.S. government to examine how blockchain is being used by criminal organizations and others to hide illicit money transfers, the administration does not currently believe that Russia is using crypto to workaround sanctions levied by the U.S. and its allies in response for President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.
Crypto's market cap hit $3 trillion in late 2021, a massive jump from its $14 billion market cap in late 2016. Furthermore, dozens of countries, including China, have either adopted government coins or launched pilot programs exploring the viability of doing so. Meanwhile, senior administration officials estimate that nearly 20% of people in the U.S. have "invested in or traded or use cryptocurrencies."
"This is not a niche issue anymore," one senior administration official said in closing. "It's profoundly important that we have the right tools to mitigate the risks to consumers, to investors, and frankly, to the entire financial system."
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