Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

Will Banks and Governments Become the New Bonnie and Clyde of a Cashless Society
Sep 2nd, 2016
cPNW STAFF
Categories: Contemporary Issues

As highwaymen once ambushed travelers to separate the victims from their cash, so today many such opportunities continue to abound. As bank vaults once hunkered like mother bears around people's hoards of gold, now computers labor to a similar function by magnetically holding records of our economic achievements, waiting to be accessed from connected terminals anywhere on Earth at any given time.
The destiny of cash may have arrived at its last logical end. What can we expect when our globally interdependent economies finally render cash obsolete? Have robbers truly gone the way of Bonnie and Clyde, or have they become so sophisticated that they now manifest as banks and governments?

For the moment, the common folk seem willing to trust their funds to their banks, internet providers and the politically privileged. Just ask the Swedes. 

But some people think they may be whistling past the graveyard. Given that governments, and the banks that fund them, have a dirty little penchant for war and total control over their subjects, can it be wise to surrender to them your entire means of exchange?  

Whereas some consumers and industries may find no fault in the evolution to a cashless society, others raise dire warnings. What do the naysayers predict?

Loss of Privacy

Will the first lamb sacrificed on the altar of total digital economies be anonymity? What consumers eat, read, play, worship and even with whom they associate will be known to the powers that be. At any moment, certain foods, books, websites, religions and associations could be declared illegal or so unsavory as to be criminally suspicious. 

If the past predicts the future, then suppliers and those buyers who prefer to make their own decisions will either be driven out of the economy, into a prison or underground.

Those who believe this dystopian future poses no threat to them because, in their minds, they "have nothing to hide" and entertain full confidence in their government, may find themselves unpleasantly surprised by sudden, official disapproval of some aspect of their lifestyle. 

Who could have foretold a future where you would be convicted and confined for merely wondering if the official body count of the Holocaust were accurate? Who foresaw that failure to bake wedding cakes for homosexuals would enable bureaucrats to wipe out your business? Tables do turnupside down!

Loss of Accounts to Bail-in Theft

Cyprus 2013, the contrarians say, should have been a screaming wake-up call to anyone with money in the bank. When the Cypriot banks squandered their assets and lost their solvency, they, and their government conspirators, skimmed hundreds of thousands of Euros out of private accounts. 

For account holders the world over, the tip of the iceberg has been exposed. Without access to cash, all people, businesses and organizations will find their money frozen within that giant, digitally submerged iceberg, unable to flee when they see trouble coming. In a cashless society, everyone becomes a sheep for shearing.

Chilling of Political Diversity

As mentioned, when a person's life is exposed as an open book to those in political control, expressing an unapproved opinion may be as 'safe' in the West as it is in Red China. Organizing political opposition could initiate, not tanks in a public square, but condemnation of bank accounts. 

If individuals and groups disfavored by the elite become known through their purchases, their accounts can be frozen by a simple command from above. The recent IRS scandal targeting conservative groups seems to demonstrate that officially-scorned activity already suffers from Draconian and hostile oversight.

Unofficial Thieves and Bodily Integrity

So long as money exists in any form, common thieves will find ways to abscond with it. Can they be stymied simply because money is reduced to blips on a server? For all the efforts to thwart hackers, they still manage, regularly, to crack into cyber safes and make off with information critical to access financial accounts. 

Who knows how much of their success depends on a little inside help? Maybe a few, maybe a lot of security penetrations occur with the assistance of an insider. Even if employees were angels, electronic outlaws continue to haunt the virtual forest.

Creating security access that depends on biometrics might add a thin layer of armor to accounts, but that may only render burglaries and muggings more gruesome. Without the ability to fling your wallet at assailants, now they may torture you for your passcodes and account numbers. 

If financial security systems require fingerprints, microchip implants or iris scans for admittance, what would prevent soulless crooks from removing said items from your body? Certainly not your firearms, for those, most likely, must be relinquished before any bank account will be authorized in a completely cashless society.

Since the ability to make large purchases without personally delivering a suitcase full of cash or coin has been a reality for at least a century, the question arises: qui bono, who benefits, from a cashless society?

Some futurists wonder if the full implementation of a global cashless society won't seal the sarcophagus on the ragged remnants of individual liberty

The Lord is my Shepherd
Sep 2nd, 2016
BibleBible
Categories: Inspirational

Psalm 23

The Lord is my Shepherd (That’s Relationship)

I shall not want (That’s Supply)

He makes me to lie down in greent pastures. (That’s rest!)

He leads me beside the still waters. (That’s refreshment!)

He restores my soul (That’s Healing!)

He leads me in the paths of righteousness (That’s Guidance!)

For His names sake (That’s Purpose!)

Yes, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death (That’s Testing)

I will fear no evil (That’s Protection!)

For You are with me (That’s Faithfulness!)

Your rod and Your staff they comfort me (That’s Discipline!)

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies (That’s Hope!)

You anoint my head with oil (That’s Consecration!)

My cup runs over (That’s Abundance!)

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the day of my life

(That’s Blessing!)

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord (That’s Security!)

Forever (That’s Eternity!)

If the Lord is not your Shepherd He can be.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

Separating the Value of Black Lives from the Black Lives Matter Movement
Sep 2nd, 2016
CommentaryMICHAEL BROWN/ASKDRBROWN.ORG
Categories: Contemporary Issues

Did you know that if you support the Black Lives Matter movement - as in the official, BlackLivesMatter.com website - you are not only standing with black Americans but also standing with a radical social agenda including queer and transgender activism along with the disrupting of the nuclear family?
Before I demonstrate this to you, allow me to explain the purpose of this article. I write with the goal of standing with my African American brothers and sisters for true and full equality in America while encouraging them to distance themselves from leaders and movements who do as much harm (if not much more harm) than good.

NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, whom I recently addressed over this very issue, would do well to heed this warning.

But first, a moment of personal background for those who do not listen to my daily talk radio show, the Line of Fire.

For several years now, God-fearing, law-abiding African Americans have called the broadcast and, with great respect and humility, told me that I have no idea what it's like to be a black American, that I have no idea how much racial prejudice still exists in our country, and that I have no idea how many obstacles black Americans still face.

I for one don't doubt what they're saying, which is why I spoke of the "very real challenges faced by African Americans" in my open letter to Kaepernick, also mentioning the "very real problems that do exist in America, including issues of racial discrimination and injustice."

The perspective of my callers was echoed by Dr. Brian Williams, one of the doctors who tried to save the lives of the Dallas policemen who were assassinated by an African American shooter in July. Speaking as both a doctor and a black American, Dr. Williams said, "This is much more complicated for me personally."

As he explained, "There's this dichotomy where I'm standing with law enforcement, but I also personally feel that angst that comes when you cross the path of an officer in uniform and you're fearing for your safety. I've been there, and I understand that."

And yet there he was in anguish, trying to save the lives of these officers, men whom, in a different setting, he would have unduly feared.

As a white American, I cannot relate to this personally, although I grew up in the most open-minded household you could imagine, with my first organ teacher being openly gay (he and his partner would often stay for dinner with the family) and my second organ teacher being a black man who was married to a white woman, which cost both of them dearly in the 1960s.

The fact is that I have never been racially profiled and I have not faced some of the challenges that many of my black brothers and sisters have faced, all of which brings me to say this: I am glad that we are revisiting the question of racial injustice in America but I believe that movements like Black Lives Matter are hurting the cause more than helping it.

In similar fashion, as stated in my open letter, I have no issue with Kaepernick wanting to take a stand for his beliefs. I simply believe he's using the wrong setting and putting an emphasis on the wrong issue.

Has he himself been negatively influenced by Black Lives Matter?

According to FoxNews.com, "NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick's conversion to social activism coincided with his romancing of a hip hop DJ of Egyptian descent [Nessa Diab] who has frequently spoken about perceived racial injustices and 'Islamaphobia' in the U.S." (There are also reports that he has converted to Islam, but these have been disputed.)

Diab is popular on MTV and is associated with Islamic activism and with the Black Lives Matter movement, which would help to explain the change Kaepernick's Instagram account in the four months it has been in existence

Initially, most of his posts centered on him playing football. "But 31 of his last 42 posts have strong social justice connotations, often featuring quotes from radical Nation of Islam leader Malcolm X, Black Panthers founder Huey Newton and cop killer Assata Shakur. 

During a Sunday news conference about the flag flap, Kaepernick dressed in a black hat with a large, white 'X' and a T-shirt that featured photos of Cuban despot Fidel Castro and Malcolm X."

What about the Black Lives Matter movement itself? Not only is it allegedly supported by extreme leftists like George Soros, and not only have some of its foundational myths been exposed, but it forthrightly proclaims its radical social agenda on its website for everyone to see. How many have taken notice?

Under its guiding principles page, along with subjects like Loving Engagement (which does not overtly call for non-violent resistance but does make a positive statement), there are also headings like this: Black Villages: "We are committed to disrupting the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirement by supporting each other as extended families and 'villages' that collectively care for one another, and especially 'our' children to the degree that mothers, parents and children are comfortable."

So, this movement opposes the very structure which is most under attack in black America today - namely, the nuclear family - also failing to mention "fathers" by name (note the references to mothers, parents, and children, but not fathers). What kind of social madness is this?

Other guiding principles include being Queer Affirming, under which heading it is affirmed that, ". . . When we gather, we do so with the intention of freeing ourselves from the tight grip of heteronormative thinking . . ." There is also the call to be Transgender Affirming, where it is explained that, ". . . We are committed to being self-reflexive and doing the work required to dismantle cisgender privilege and uplift Black trans folk . . . ."

Is this really a movement that can represent African Americans nationwide? I think not.

That's why it's essential for those who really want to address questions of social injustice - be it the effects of the Democrat-led welfare system or apparent disparities in prison sentences or other apparent injustices - to distance themselves from the Black Lives Matter movement and take a reasoned stand for righteousness.

As you do, I'm standing with you, shoulder to shoulder, as best as I can.

Returning Home: Terrorists Present Immediate Threat
Sep 2nd, 2016
CommentaryPNW STAFF
Categories: Contemporary Issues

The support of U.S. and Russian-led bombings of Iraqi, Syrian and other ground forces are fast unseating the terror group from its territorial footholds. With the growing success on the ground comes the chaotic disbursement of refugees seeking safety and asylum as well as the return of radicals to their home nations. 

Now, trained in the methods and operations of terror attacks on civilians, Western security agencies are bracing themselves for an influx of extremists and uncharted territory about how to keep track of them all.

According to reports by Newsweek, nearly 30,000 foreign extremists that joined the fight are still in Syria and Iraq. As the terror network loses ground, a wave of radicals is expected to return to their country of origin. 

Reports have surfaced that, out of an estimated 850 who have traveled to support the reign of terror since 2014, nearly "400 British Islamic State fanatics have returned to the UK after fighting with the terror group in the Middle East". 

Since the recent decline of ISIS, the number of foreign fighters joining has waned significantly. However, Europol head Rob Wainwright reports that nearly 5,000 trained terrorists have already returned to Europe from the battlefields.

"The growing number of foreign fighters presents the EU countries with completely new challenges," the EU law enforcement chief said. "It is expected that IS or other religious terrorist groups will carry out an attack somewhere in Europe, with the aim of achieving high losses among civilian population."

Europe has already suffered numerous mass-murder attacks by Islamic radicals that included, among many others, the slaughter of 130 innocents in Paris, 77 in Nice and the brutal execution of a priest during morning Mass.

ISIS supporters have gloated about sleeper cells hidden throughout Europe which are ready to carry out attacks on innocent civilians.

One ISIS supporter boasted over social media about upcoming attacks which he claimed would be as deadly as those in Nice and Paris.

He said: "There are many cells being set up.

"That Islam will bring fear upon their land and each home.

"And many more attacks are carded.

"And on the way in many forms and fashions.

Political scientist Colin Clarke from the American think-tank RAND has warned Europe not to take the claims lightly.

He said: "This is a very patient group, so if there are jihadists that have already infiltrated various European countries, they could be in the process of gathering the logistics and materials necessary to conduct an attack, which could happen at any time. 

In North America, Canada has grown increasingly fearful of a terror incident occurring inside its borders.

According to the Washington Free Beacon, Canadian officials have charged more than 40 individuals with terror-related offenses during the past 14 years. That number is on the rise as an additional 16 have been charged since January 2015. 

Canadian officials are warning citizens that approximately 180 militants traveled from Canada to the Middle East to join terrorist organizations and they are tracking an additional 60 "extremist travelers who had returned to Canada," according to a government report evidencing the Islamic State's infiltration of North America.

The number of ISIS-connected radicals in the United States remains murky because the Obama administration has not been forthcoming with information about their ranks, unlike America's northern neighbor. However, the frequency of 'lone wolf' and radicalized Muslim violence has grown.

In San Bernardino, California, 14 were killed and 22 wounded by a pair of homegrown Islamic terrorists last year and the Orlando night club attack claimed the lives of 49 in the name of ISIS. Compounding the fracturing of ISIS and the displacement of its fighters has been the mass movement of refugees and children brainwashed by the terror group.

Europe saw a record 1.3 asylum applications to 28 countries by refugees from the war-torn Middle East last year alone. The United States has already taken in more than its commitment of 10,000 Syrian refugees made by Pres. Obama.

While ISIS may not be systematically disguising terrorists as refugees, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said that gunmen had exploited the refugee crisis to "slip in" to the country under the radar, according to Fox News. Similarly, ISIS has swelled its ranks with so-called "Cubs of the Caliphate" in hopes of spreading terror throughout the West after it falls. 

In 2015, 88,245 unaccompanied children -- 91 percent of them boys -- sought European asylum. European governments have already admitted to losing track of many of these children, and those who have not already been indoctrinated by ISIS could become prime targets for extremist recruitment.

The overwhelming movement of people across borders has stretched the abilities of the agencies charged with monitoring potential threats beyond the breaking point. To date, Interpol has only managed to compile a list of some 7,000 foreign fighters from the estimated 30,000 and as many as 30 percent are thought to have already returned to their country of origin, according to a report by the Committee of the U.N. Security Council on ISIS and al-Qaida. 

The report goes on to state that "some persons have returned with the specific intention and the willingness to commit terrorist attacks, as evidenced by the attacks in Paris and Brussels."

Due to the tremendous amount of human displacement caused by the joint military operations that are crushing ISIS, the returning fanatics -- now trained in the art of terror -- pose an unprecedented danger to the largely unprotected civilian communities of Western countries.

Pope Francis: Global Warming a Sin, Man Can Atone By Recycling and Car - Pooling
Sep 2nd, 2016
Daily NewsBreitbart
Categories: World Government

In his message for the “World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation” Thursday, Pope Francis said that human-induced global warming, as well as a loss of biodiversity are “sins” against God, which must be atoned for by planting trees, avoiding the use of plastic and paper and “separating refuse.”

“Global warming continues, due in part to human activity,” Francis said, adding that “2015 was the warmest year on record, and 2016 will likely be warmer still.”

“This is leading to ever more severe droughts, floods, fires and extreme weather events. Climate change is also contributing to the heart-rending refugee crisis. The world’s poor, though least responsible for climate change, are most vulnerable and already suffering its impact,” he wrote.

Repeatedly citing the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who has “courageously and prophetically continued to point out our sins against creation,” Francis made his own a new list of such environmental sins, which include pollution, global warming and deforestation.

For human beings to “destroy the biological diversity of God’s creation,” to “degrade the integrity of the earth by causing changes in its climate,” to “contaminate the earth’s waters, its land, its air, and its life–these are sins,” he wrote.

Summing up, the Pope stated that “to commit a crime against the natural world is a sin against ourselves and a sin against God.”

Lamenting “the devastation of the environment,” Francis said that “God gave us a bountiful garden, but we have turned it into a polluted wasteland of debris, desolation and filth.”

Specifically regarding a loss of biodiversity, the Pope suggested that now there are fewer species to give glory to God.

“We must not be indifferent or resigned to the loss of biodiversity and the destruction of ecosystems, often caused by our irresponsible and selfish behavior,” Francis said. “Because of us, thousands of species will no longer give glory to God by their very existence, nor convey their message to us. We have no such right.”

The Pope said that the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation was instituted in order to give believers an opportunity to “reaffirm their personal vocation to be stewards of creation.” It also furnishes an occasion to thank God for the gift of creation, to implore his help for its protection and to beg “his pardon for the sins committed against the world in which we live.”

During this Jubilee Year, “let us learn to implore God’s mercy for those sins against creation that we have not hitherto acknowledged and confessed,” Francis said, while proposing that Christians need to undergo an “ecological conversion.”

Now is the time to “acknowledge our sins against creation,” the Pope said. “Inasmuch as we all generate small ecological damage,” we are called to acknowledge “our contribution, smaller or greater, to the disfigurement and destruction of creation.”

“Let us repent of the harm we are doing to our common home,” he added.

If our ecological conversion is real, Francis said, it will lead to concrete ways of thinking and acting that are more respectful of creation.

Among these are “avoiding the use of plastic and paper, reducing water consumption, separating refuse, cooking only what can reasonably be consumed, showing care for other living beings, using public transport or car-pooling, planting trees, turning off unnecessary lights, or any number of other practices.”

In his message, the Pope also applauded “a growing global political consensus” regarding the environment, praising the adoption of “Sustainable Development Goals” as well as last December’s Paris Agreement on climate change, “which set the demanding yet fundamental goal of halting the rise of the global temperature.”

Apparently the pontiff’s prayers have already been heard, since scientists are now forecasting that 2017 will be a cooler year than 2016.

Editors Note.....Pope Francis continues to push his agenda for a one world government with climate change a vehicle to bring the world under central control.

Let the Headlines Speak
Sep 2nd, 2016
Daily NewsFrom the Internet
Categories: Today's Headlines

Hermine hits Florida coast as 1st hurricane in a decade
Hurricane Hermine made landfall in Florida's Big Bend area early Friday as the first hurricane to hit the state in more than a decade, bringing soaking rain, high winds and thousands of power outages. Injuries were reported in Tallahassee as trees fell onto homes. The Category 1 storm hit just east of St. Marks around 1:30 a.m. EDT with winds around 80 mph, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. Hermine later weakened to a tropical storm as it moved farther inland.  

BREAKING: New Zealand 7.1-magnitude earthquake triggers tsunami
A powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the east coast of the North Island in New Zealand and not long after a tsunami warning was issued, East Cape residents fled to higher ground after the shocks triggered tsunami activity along the coast in the region. The quake at 4.37am struck northeast of Te Araroha at a depth of 55km.  

YouTube Declares War on Politically Incorrect Opinions
A new “advertiser friendly” policy introduced by YouTube will punish those who express politically incorrect opinions or dare to offend viewers by de-monetizing their content. The new rules have sparked an outcry from the YouTube community because they are so incredibly restrictive.  

Pope Francis: Global Warming a ‘Sin,’ Man Can Atone by Recycling and ‘Car-Pooling’
In his message for the “World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation” Thursday, Pope Francis said that human-induced global warming, as well as a loss of biodiversity are “sins” against God, which must be atoned for by planting trees, avoiding the use of plastic and paper and “separating refuse.” “Global warming continues, due in part to human activity,” Francis said...  

National debt hits $19.5 trillion
The national debt hit $19.5 trillion for the first time ever this week, a little more than seven months after it hit the $19 trillion mark. The debt clocked in at $19.51 trillion at the end of Wednesday, the Treasury Department reported Thursday afternoon. Precise debt figures on any given day are released on the following business day.  

Hurricane Hermine: 'It's going to be ugly'
The Big Bend was bracing Thursday for a direct hit from a hurricane — something it hasn’t experienced in years — as Hermine churned its way toward the shallow, surge-prone coastline. Hermine was expected to have top sustained winds around 80 mph as it makes landfall early Friday morning, perhaps near the mouth of the Aucilla River in Jefferson County.  

Pakistan blast at court leaves several dead in Mardan
A suicide bomber has attacked a court in the northern Pakistani city of Mardan, killing at least 11 people and injuring nearly 30, officials say. The attacker threw a hand grenade before running into the court area and detonating a bomb, police told the BBC. Also on Friday, four suicide bombers targeted a Christian neighbourhood near Peshawar before being shot dead.  

Gabon violence: More than 1,000 arrested after disputed election
Security forces in Gabon have arrested more than 1,000 people during a second day of violence following disputed presidential elections. Three people were killed in clashes in the capital, Libreville. Protests began after the announcement that President Ali Bongo had been narrowly re-elected in Wednesday's vote.  

Despite Israeli concerns, US set to OK fighter jet sales to Qatar, Kuwait
The United States is poised to sell $7 billion worth of Boeing Co fighter jets to Qatar and Kuwait after years of delays, and it may start notifying US lawmakers as early as next week, four US- and Gulf-based sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. The sales had stalled amid concerns raised by Israel, Washington's closest Middle East ally, that equipment sent to equipment sent to Gulf Arab states would be used against it.  

British Jewish MP targeted by anti-Semitic death threats
A Jewish member of the British Parliament was provided police protection after receiving online anti-Semitic death threats. Ruth Smeeth was repeatedly referred to as a "Yid," the Jewish Chronicle reported. The message also said that “the gallows would be a fine and fitting place” for the 37 year old MP “to swing from”.  

Letting terrorists off the hook for killing Americans
It looks like there’s a new red line in the Middle East. It has been laid down by the Second US Circuit Court of Appeals, which just let the Palestinian Authority off the hook for killing Americans.  

Celebrity Ex-Subway pitchman Jared Fogle is suing his victim's parents
Jared Fogle is suing the parents of one of his sex-offense victims. In court documents filed on Thursday, the former Subway pitchman deflected blame for the girl's emotional distress and personal injuries in the aftermath of his crimes, and argued that the girl's parents — and not him — are the source of her distress.  

U.S. imposes sanctions on 'Putin's bridge' to Crimea
Companies building a multi-billion dollar bridge to link the Russian mainland with annexed Crimea, a project close to the heart President Vladimir Putin, were targeted by the United States in an updated sanctions blacklist on Thursday.  

Russia will deploy a division of troops about 50 miles from the US
At a recent event, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that a division of troops would be stationed in Chukotka, Russia's far-east region, just slightly more than 50 miles from Alaska.  

Venezuelan oppositions vows to keep up pressure on Maduro
Venezuela’s opposition is vowing to keep up pressure on President Nicolas Maduro after flooding the streets of Caracas with demonstrators Thursday in its biggest show of force in years.  

U.S., others agreed 'secret' exemptions for Iran after nuclear deal: think tank
The United States and its negotiating partners agreed "in secret" to allow Iran to evade some restrictions in last year's landmark nuclear agreement in order to meet the deadline for it to start getting relief from economic sanctions, according to a think tank report published on Thursday.  

Deutsche Boerse Responds To Deutsche Bank's Failure To Deliver Physical Gold
In the latest stunning development involving a documented failure of a bank to deliver physical gold when demanded, yesterday we reported that according to German website godmode-trader.de, a client of the Xetra-Gold Exchange-Traded Commodity was told the fund's designated sponsor, Deutsche Bank, would be unable to deliver the requested gold. This was contrary to the explict reps and warrantiesmade explicitly in the Xetra-Gold's prospectus, which said that investors are entitled to the delivery of the certified amount of physical gold at any time, and proudly added that "since the introduction of Xetra-Gold in 2007, investors have exercised this right 900 times, with a total of 4.5 tons of gold delivered."  

Celebration of Muslim Sacrificial Festival on 9/11 Dredges Up Bad Memories
In a very strange set of coincidences, this September 11th may see Muslim Americans celebrating their holiest sacrificial festival while the rest of the country mourns one of the most horrific days in United States history.  

What happened? Presidential contest now a horse race
So why are polls not showing a looming landslide for Clinton? In fact, why are they now indicating the battle is a real horse race? The USC/Los Angeles Times daily tracking poll even showed Trump leading by three points on Tuesday.  

At least 5 felons among Clinton Foundation donors
ignored by establishment media is the remarkable number of foreign millionaire and billionaire donors to the Clinton Foundation who have been convicted of crimes. At least five individuals are on the list, including several the Clintons treated as international celebrities at various Clinton Global Initiative annual meetings, even after their criminal convictions.  

Trump Calls for an Oath to America
He wants to screen people coming into America to see if they share American values. Trump says he would exclude not only people who sympathize with terrorists and believe in Sharia law, but those "who do not believe in our Constitution, or who support bigotry and hatred."  

BREAKING: Judge Orders State Dept To Release Hillary’s Security Training Records, Or Be Deposed
A federal judge ordered the Department of State Wednesday to produce for The Daily Caller News Foundation the security training records of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her aide Huma Abedin within two weeks, or face direct deposition of multiple government officials. 

Come Out from Your Safe Space!: a Sign of Hope on Campus
Sep 2nd, 2016
CommentaryERIC METAXAS/BREAKPOINT.ORG
Categories: Contemporary Issues

It's become so commonplace on American college campuses that it's hardly news anymore. Students demanding "safe spaces," where they aren't confronted by any idea that might offend them or challenge their way of thinking. Trigger warnings: Professors having to announce that a particular book or lecture may upset someone.
At many universities, students are so determined not to be offended that they will shout down and shut down appearances by speakers who dare to hold a different point of view.

And more maddening than any of this is that many universities actually condone this behavior. Or at least refuse to intervene.

So I'm happy to share with you this "man-bites-dog" story from the University of Chicago.

Dean of Students Jay Ellison sent a letter to incoming freshmen with a stern warning:

"Our commitment to academic freedom means that we do not support so-called 'trigger warnings,' we do not cancel invited speakers because their topics might prove controversial, and we do not condone the creation of intellectual 'safe spaces' where individuals can retreat from ideas and perspectives at odds with their own."

Dean Ellison goes on to write that "the free exchange of ideas reinforces another university priority--building a campus that welcomes people of all backgrounds."

Folks, the University of Chicago is an elite university. Forbes magazine ranks it #20 in its "best American colleges" category. And the composite SAT scores of its student body range from 1435 to 1600 (1600 by the way, is a perfect score).

It's also fair to say that the University of Chicago, on a liberal to conservative scale, sits comfortably on the "liberal" side of the ledger.

So it's big news, and very, very good news, that a leading, liberal university is committed to the free exchange of ideas (which after all, is what classical liberalism is all about) and that it wants to challenge its students, sharpen their intellects, and not place them in a protective bubble.

The question is will this defense of true intellectual diversity start a trend? There are some other encouraging signs.

During his University of Michigan commencement address in May, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg was blunt: "The fact that some university boards and administrations now bow to pressure and shield students from these ideas through 'safe spaces,' 'code words,' and 'trigger warnings' is, in my view, a terrible mistake.

Why? Because it doesn't prepare students for the real world. Safe spaces are outright dangerous, he said, because they create "the false impression that we can insulate ourselves from those who hold different views" in a global economy and democratic society.

Like I said, this is very good news. But it's also a good challenge for us Christians. Do we create "safe spaces" for our students, and leave them unprepared for the real world? Or do we teach them not only the Christian worldview, but help them understand opposing worldviews, so they can take them on in the marketplace of ideas?

Liberty University--a decidedly conservative evangelical school--opted for the latter when it invited Democratic socialist presidential candidate Bernie Sanders to speak on campus--and required that students attend. 

The vast majority of the 12,000-student audience disagreed with Sanders on virtually every issue--but they listened politely and even praised Sanders for agreeing to speak to an audience that didn't share his views.

Years ago on BreakPoint, Chuck Colson warned that the "greatest danger to a free society is suppression of the free expression of ideas." And events have of course proven him right.

So let's hope and pray that the nation's universities take their cue from Chicago and Liberty and promote the free exchange of ideas on their campuses and everywhere else.

Burning Man: America's Largest Celebration of Hedonism
Sep 2nd, 2016
CommentaryEND OF THE AMERICA DREAM BLOG
Categories: Warning

70,000 people have descended upon a very bleak stretch of Nevada's Black Rock Desert for what is perhaps the largest celebration of hedonism on the entire planet. Burning Man has been described as a "dystopian hellscape", and that description is not too far from the truth. 

From August 25th to September 5th (Labor Day Monday), revelers from all over the world will dance, carouse and "express themselves" in a temporary city that has been created entirely by its citizens. This festival is part Mad Max, part Woodstock and part Eyes Wide Shut, and many "Burners" look forward all year long to these eight days of completely unrestrained hedonism.

30 years ago, Burning Man began as a small beach gathering in San Francisco. Initially held during the Summer Solstice, it quickly took on a life of its own and was moved to Nevada in 1990. Ever since then, this eight day party has not stopped growing, and people literally fly in from all over the world to witness one of the most bizarre spectacles in America.

To say that Burning Man is "weird" would not be doing it justice. In this very isolated corner of the Black Rock Desert, you will find nudists (lots of them), palm readers, neopagans, "ecosexuals", witches, sorcerers, shamans, New Age gurus, "goddesses", Satanists, "polyamorists" and just about every type of fetishist that you can possibly imagine.

The reason why the festival is called "Burning Man" is because of the gigantic effigy that is burned toward the end of the eight day celebration. Nobody is physically harmed during the burning of this enormous "wicker man", but it does seem to parallel the human sacrifices that the Druids would do in ancient times. The following comes from Wikipedia...

While other Roman writers of the time, such as Cicero, Suetonius, Lucan, Tacitus and Pliny the Elder, described human sacrifice among the Celts, only Caesar and the geographer Strabo mention the wicker man as one of many ways the Druids of Gaul performed sacrifices. Caesar reports that some of the Gauls built the effigies out of sticks and placed living men inside, then set them on fire to pay tribute to the gods. Caesar writes that though the Druids generally used those found guilty of crimes deserving death, as they pleased the gods more, they sometimes used slaves and innocent men when no delinquents could be found.

And even today, the burning of "wicker men" is very much associated with neopaganism. Here is more from that same Wikipedia article...

Wicker men are set ablaze during some neopagan festivities. A female effigy of wicker or other materials is burnt at the stake for the annual Danish celebration of Sankt Hans aften (Saint John's Eve). Typically, Celtic neopagans, Neo-druids, are those who use such a motif in their festivities because they, unlike other neopagan groups, are either inspired by, or follow a reconstructed form of, Celtic paganism[citation needed]. At other times, neopagans do not burn wicker men, but keep them as idols for protection, often merging them with the Green Man. Neopagan wicker men range from life sized to huge, humanoid, temporary sculptures that are set ablaze during a celebration, usually toward the end of the event. They are constructed with a wooden frame that is woven with flexible sticks such as willow often used in wicker furniture and fencing. Some wicker men are extremely complex and require days of construction.

Of course the organizers of Burning Man strongly deny that it is an overtly occult festival, but it is undeniable that thousands upon thousands of occultists from all over the planet are drawn to this celebration each year.

However, there are many others that go to Burning Man just for the sex, drugs and techno music.

During these eight days people openly and freely use illegal drugs, and the authorities don't seem to mind. Public nudity is also constantly on display, but once again law enforcement is nowhere to be found. Actually, if they are there it is usually to participate in the debauchery.

The biggest draw of all, however, is the casual sex that is absolutely rampant at Burning Man. And it isn't just one on one sex that we are talking about. That would be way too boring. This is how the Daily Mail described what goes on during these eight days...

Sex between 'Burners', as festival-goers are known, is known variously as 'dust love' or 'tent trysts', and old hands suggest it is simply 'selfish' to stick to monogamy. Public nudity, especially by women, is actively encouraged, while orgies -- or at the very least partner swapping, if not threesomes -- have become just as much a feature of Burning Man as the ceremonial torching of a huge wooden effigy of a man to celebrate the summer solstice.

Group sex is actively encouraged at so-called 'theme camps' -- giant tent complexes where free bars encourage visitors to loosen up and participate. A popular venue is the so-called 'Orgy Dome', run by a group calling itself And Then There's Only Love, though conventional notions of love are hardly what's fostered inside its giant dome tent.

If the "Orgy Dome" is not your style, there are definitely other kinky activities available...

The Orgy Dome is hardly alone. There is also a 'Group Sex Bus', the 'Sex Libido Lounge', and a Canadian-run club with an unprintable name where judges give points to amorous couples for 'style' and 'inventive poses'.

To some of you reading this article, this may sound like paradise.

In fact, some of you might be thinking that you may want to attend Burning Man next year.

But the truth is that there is such an emptiness to this kind of reckless animal behavior. People "let loose" to try to give meaning to their otherwise meaningless lives, but any pleasures that are enjoyed are quite fleeting. In the end, many participants return to their "normal lives" feeling even emptier than before. This is how an editorial in the New York Post put it...

Sure, it looks fun to spend a few days enjoying a gift economy, listening to techno, cooling off in refrigeration trucks and gawking at surreal sculptures or taking in offbeat performance art. But, according to Daniel Yudkin, a social psychology Ph.D. candidate at New York University, as reported by Quartz, the eight days of decadent hedonism provide once-a-year opportunities for attendees to experience bona fide connections with others. All the other non-Burning days of their lives? Not so much.

Rather than reflecting how much fun Burning Man is, the reality of people spending thousands of dollars -- on travel, accommodations, tickets and drugs -- serves as proof that their non-Burner days are pathetically empty. "I think the fact that people invest so much of their own resources and time and energy to going to Burning Man suggests that there's something missing, that there's something Burning Man fulfills for them that they don't get in day-to-day life," Yudkin says.

Ultimately, the truth is that you are not going to find meaning in life through sex, drugs, public nudity, weird art and loud techno music.

You can try every pleasure under the sun, but it is still not going to fill that hole that you feel deep inside of you.

In America today, there is a greater spiritual void than ever before. People are searching for meaning and purpose in all sorts of places and not finding it.

Unfortunately, I think that this helps to explain the popularity of Burning Man. Multitudes of Americans are deeply dissatisfied with their regular lives, and they are searching for something real.

Sadly, the revelers at Burning Man are not going to find anything real to soothe their aching hearts. Instead, they will only find more pain, more frustration and more emptiness.