The Front Page Cover
~ Featuring ~
Shocking But Not Surprising
by Cal Thomas
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Episcopal Iconoclasts Come for Washington
by Thomas Gallatin: Historic Christ Church in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, suddenly found itself in the national news after its leaders’ recent decision to remove plaques honoring its most famous parishioners, George Washington and Robert E. Lee. “The plaques in our sanctuary make some in our presence feel unsafe or unwelcome,” the church’s leaders explained. “Some visitors and guests who worship with us choose not to return because they receive an unintended message from the prominent presence of the plaques.”
by Thomas Gallatin: Historic Christ Church in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, suddenly found itself in the national news after its leaders’ recent decision to remove plaques honoring its most famous parishioners, George Washington and Robert E. Lee. “The plaques in our sanctuary make some in our presence feel unsafe or unwelcome,” the church’s leaders explained. “Some visitors and guests who worship with us choose not to return because they receive an unintended message from the prominent presence of the plaques.” Since it’s all the rage today to take down monuments honoring Confederate leaders, the church’s decision to remove Lee’s plaque, while regrettable, is at least somewhat understandable. But why also take down Washington’s plaque? Were Church leaders fearful that an unhealthy degree of idolizing of the plaque had taken hold of the congregation to venerate Washington over Christ? If fear for the health of members’ souls was the impetus, then by all means remove these stumbling stones. Of course, that was far from the reason. Instead, the decision was made out of deference to the vacillating opinions of mere mortals. Christ Church leadership was afraid of offending someone because of the historic fact that George Washington owned slaves — the unforgivable sin of today.
To be clear, Christ Church has every right to remove this plaque honoring its past members, even when one of those members just happens to be the first president of the United States. But Christ Church’s rationale for removing the plaques speaks more about a troubling spirit of our modern age, where those individuals of the past who accomplished great achievements are condemned for accepting that which was culturally common within their own day. Our inability as a modern culture to judge with a nuanced understanding those from the past says more about our own prejudice than it does our forefathers.
And of all places a Christian church is built upon the foundation of recognizing that people are sinners who are saved by faith in the only perfect sinless individual, the God-man Jesus Christ. The parable of the woman caught in adultery comes to mind. The leaders of Jesus’ day brought the guilty woman before him saying that according to the law she deserved to be stoned. Jesus didn’t deny her guilt but made a simple and yet profound statement: “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” Beware of overstating the sins of those in the past while ignoring the sins of the present.
~The Patriot Post
https://patriotpost.us/articles/52135
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Trump Lawyer Jay Sekulow: Pardons 'Not on the Table'
by newsmax.com
{newsmax.com} ~ A personal lawyer for President Donald Trump says the president is not planning to fire Robert Mueller, the special counsel in the Russia probe... And, Jay Sekulow says, pardons for his former campaign aides facing federal charges "are not on the table." Sekulow's comments to ABC's "Good Morning America" come a day after a former Trump aide admitted lying to the FBI about meeting with Russian intermediaries and former campaign chairman Paul Manafort pleaded not guilty to money laundering and conspiracy charges. Sekulow says: "The president has not indicated to me or to anyone else that I work with that he has any intent on terminating Robert Mueller."... http://www.newsmax.com/Headline/sekulow-trump-russia/2017/10/31/id/823085/.
clown-Schumer Warns President Trump Not
To Cross Mueller Or Democrats Will Pounce
by rickwells.us
{rickwells.us} ~ Swamp rat and Senate Minority Leader Chuck clown-Schumer (D-NY) issued a warning to President Trump... not to interfere with the Mueller witch hunt now that his former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, has been staked out as bait and charged with crimes completely unrelated to either the campaign or the false pretense which facilitated Mueller’s supposed mission. Sleazy clown-Schumer issued a statement saying, “The President must not, under any circumstances, interfere with the special counsel’s work in any way. If he does so, Congress must respond swiftly, unequivocally, and in a bipartisan way to ensure that the investigation continues.” clown-Schumer didn’t explain why a probe into nothing following other fruitless probes into the same nothing should be treated as being either legitimate or so important by Congress. He did add a laughable bit of his characteristic hypocrisy, though, saying, “The rule of law is paramount in America and the investigation must be allowed to proceed unimpeded.”...Were does he get off the wall by threatening the President. https://rickwells.us/schumer-warns-trump-mueller/.
Tucker Carlson Expands on Podesta Source Story – Shares Podesta Group Threats Against Him
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Dem Senator Dismisses Questions On Podesta Group
by KERRY PICKET
{dailycaller.com} ~ Connecticut Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal on Monday blew off Paul Manafort’s connection to the Podesta Group... even though those ties were included in the grand jury indictment of the former Trump campaign chairman. The Daily Caller asked Blumenthal if the involvement of the Podesta Group, a lobbying firm led by Tony Podesta, in the Manafort indictment could ensnare liar-Clinton campaign due to the Podesta family’s close ties to liar-Bill and liar-Hillary. “There is no real allegation in this indictment about the liar-Clinton campaign,” Blumenthal, a member of the judiciary committee, said...Here we go the covering up is starting. http://dailycaller.com/2017/10/30/dem-senator-dismisses-questions-on-podesta-group/?utm_medium=email.
From the Chalkboard: What
Is Socialism and Why Does It Matter to You?
by Glenn Beck
{glennbeck.com} ~ Nowadays we’ve all heard the arguments both for and against Socialism. Some say that those who oppose Socialism are elitist who don’t care about the poor... Other’s believe that Socialism and Communism are essentially the same thing — and neither one good. And there are even a few who think that Socialism is an app or some kind of social media platform. “In today’s world, we’re deciding something really really important, without even knowing what the terms mean, and one of those terms is Socialism,” Glenn said to introduce the topic of today’s show. “It’s going to be decided by us, whether we understand it or not, right now.” The concept of Socialism — to take power away from the individual and give it to the collective — would in theory lead to a completely equal society. But as Glenn explained, the real result is a government with complete control over the people... http://www.glennbeck.com/2017/10/30/from-the-chalkboard-what-is-socialism-and-why-does-it-matter-to-you/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20171031GBDAILY&utm_content=Final&utm_term=Glenn%20Beck.
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Shocking But Not Surprising
{townhall.com} ~ It should surprise no one that when it comes to sexual harassment, members of Congress and their staffs are treated differently from the rest of us.
The Washington Post notes a law in place since 1995 under which anyone accusing a lawmaker of sexual harassment can file a lawsuit, but only if they first agree to go through counseling and mediation, possibly lasting several months.
If you think that's a double standard and outrageous, it gets worse. Should a settlement occur, and many don't for the same reason women are fearful of accusing bosses in every profession, the member doesn't pay. You and I do. The money comes from a special U.S. Treasury fund, and the payments are confidential. In other words, taxpayers are subsidizing boorish, even criminal behavior to protect the reputations of our great leaders, who can't be bothered with the standards they set for the little people they are supposed to serve.
The Post found that while most settlements are small, compared with the tens of millions paid by Fox News, the amount still totaled $15.2 million paid to 235 claimants from 1997 to 2014.
Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) had it right when she told the newspaper, "It is not a victim-friendly process. It is an institution-protection process."
Is there any member of Congress who can defend this? If so, they should be voted out of office. If not, the members should be subject to the same laws as everyone else and forced to pay settlements out of their own pockets, and then voted out of office.
After having tolerated sexual predators in their midst for decades, Hollywood is taking the first tentative steps to address the issue. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced it will be establishing a code of conduct for its members. One hopes it will have teeth and that violators "will never work in this town again."
The entertainment industry needs to go further. While there was much to criticize about the sometimes prudish and hypocritical Motion Picture Production Code that forced actors to keep their clothes on and avoid foul language in films produced from 1930 to 1968, it could be said that films then were mostly not complicit in the lowering of moral standards. That would come later with television, which began pushing against FCC regulations, and then cable and satellite TV, which have no FCC restrictions. Hollywood responded to their loss of audience by "going low" to lure people back into theaters.
Add to this pornographic films, which have done more not only to objectify women but also to give men who view them the idea that women are hypersexual and welcome their advances. The social consequences from this filth have been documented. They include marital breakups and establishing a view of women in the minds of some men that no woman can or should live down to.
Taylor Swift has become the latest in a long line of female singers and entertainers to trade an initially wholesome image for trash. Miley Cyrus and Charlotte Church are two other examples. The U.K.'s Daily Mail published a picture of Swift as a "nude cyborg." The song she's promoting is called "...Ready For it?"
Here is an excerpt from her song:
"In the middle of the night, in my dreams
You should see the things we do, baby
In the middle of the night in my dreams
I know I'm gonna be with you."
Does this suggestive material have an effect on young female and male minds? Of course it does, or they wouldn't produce it. Can it lead to sexual harassment, and worse? It kills the spirit as much as a poison can kill the body.
The entertainment industry has a lot to answer for. Instead of taking baby steps, it should take giant leaps. If it doesn't, this stuff will continue, from Capitol Hill to Hollywood and everywhere in between.
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