The Top 5 Plus (April 18)

1) “The Larger Agenda Behind The Promotion Of Lawlessness In America” (Brandon Holthaus, Harbinger’s Daily)

From the article -- Author and investigative journalist Peter Schweizer has recently released a book titled Invisible Coup, which lays out a sobering thesis: immigration is being deliberately weaponized by foreign adversaries and ideological movements to destabilize the United States from within.

Schweizer documents how hostile foreign powers and transnational movements view mass migration not primarily as a humanitarian issue, but as a strategic tool. Migration brings not only people, but political networks, ideological loyalties, and organized movements that are often hostile to the nation receiving them. These networks operate inside our institutions, our universities, our streets, and our media ecosystem. I agree with Schweizer, and in my opinion, the goal is to demoralize and destabilize the West in order to usher in a new digital economy, a new digital identity system, and a new form of global governance. Binding it all together is a unifying ideology—the counterfeit, inverted religion of future Mystery Babylon—that provides the moral and spiritual glue for this system.

He also explains how Islamist movements have historically treated migration as a form of conquest, rooted in doctrinal concepts of Hijrah and expansion. Let me be blunt. Islam is a threat to Western society, Christians, and Jewish people.  Islam hides under the veil of a religion, but it functions as a political ideology that seeks to establish a caliphate and impose Sharia law. Islam functions as a political ideology because it possesses the defining characteristics of one. It includes its own civil law, its own system of justice, its own authority structure, its own loyalty demands, its own language, and its own comprehensive cultural framework governing every area of life, including the economy, social structure, and a two-tiered system of personal rights.

2) “Flying Over the Rainbow?” (Denny Hartford, Vital Signs Blog)

From the article -- Among the songs in our “When Swing Was King” performances that most strongly connects with our audiences is Judy Garland’s gorgeous rendition from 1939 of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”  It is, as you well know, a hauntingly beautiful song, one that underscores the human yearning for home, beauty, innocence and wonder...for escape from a world of drudgery, loneliness, and pain. “Birds fly over the rainbow; why then, oh why can’t I?”

Our audiences love the song. And so do we. But, of course, it is all too clear that when the strains of the song fade away, the listener is left only with the yearning, a sweet wishful longing that there might somewhere be a place of safety and bliss instead of this dark, troublesome, and increasingly decadent world we live in now...

3) “Seven Myths About the Iran War: Why so many, on both the left and the right, keep getting Trump wrong” (Michael Doran, Tablet)

From the article -- Yet while Trump has repeatedly defied the Beltway consensus on Iran and its allies over the past year and a half, none of the dire consequences that influential commentators predicted have come to pass. World War III hasn’t erupted. The global economy hasn’t collapsed. Instead, the Iranian leadership is dead or decapitated, its nuclear weapons program is buried beneath mountains of rubble, and most of its navy lies at the bottom of the sea. While the loss of 13 U.S. servicemen is a serious matter, it is hardly the thousands of dead and wounded that were routinely predicted as the consequence of any major U.S. action. Israel still exists. So do Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait, along with their oil reserves.

Trump has inflicted heavy punishment in return for relatively light consequences, but pundits insist that a masterful Iran is dictating events. Tehran’s “successful” war-fighting tactics supposedly forced Trump to accept a cease-fire. Onlookers were then baffled when the United States walked away from talks in Islamabad, Pakistan, and took steps to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, to the strategic detriment of China and the benefit of U.S. energy producers.

In part, the surprises keep coming because the cognoscenti refuse to credit Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with a win.

Related articles: “As the West morally rots, we stand with Israel” (Petr Macinka, Israel Hayom)...“Iran secures UN role with backing from UK, France, Canada, Australia as US stands alone: UN Watch warns dictatorships will now hold a majority on the committee that controls NGO accreditation” (Efrat Lachter, Fox News...“The Board Of Peace: Could Israel Be Walking Into Another Kind Of Hostage Crisis?” (Chris Katulka, Harbinger's Daily)

4) “As Mail Order Abortions Flow Into Pro-Life States, The Promise Of Roe’s Reversal Remains Unfulfilled” (Tony Perkins, Harbinger’s Daily)

From the article -- During the period covered by the report, Planned Parenthood received more than $2.1 billion in total revenue, with about 40% of that coming from taxpayers. The report reflects a time before the “One Big Beautiful Bill” temporarily defunded them for one year. But as we warned when the Senate reduced that defunding from 10 years to one, it would be short-lived. That provision expires in July, unless Congress includes it in reconciliation 2.0, which begins in the Senate this coming week as lawmakers return from the Easter recess.

However, Congressional leaders have made clear that reconciliation 2.0 is focused on ending the prolonged shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, making sure the entire department is funded, including immigration enforcement. With the GOP’s historically slim 218-214 majority in the House, leadership must keep nearly the entire conference unified. That leaves little room for additional priorities, meaning the bill will likely be narrowly focused and not include the defunding of the abortion giant.

So where does that leave the roughly two-thirds of Republican voters who identify as pro-life? The faded, brittle confetti of pro-life victories from five years ago offers little consolation amid a growing string of setbacks. What began as a 10-year defunding effort was reduced to one and is now about to expire. And earlier this month, the Trump administration effectively stepped back from the fight to remove Title X funding from abortion chains.

Related articles: “Federal Judge Declines to Block Mail-Order Abortions for Now, but Says Louisiana’s Case Is ‘Likely to Succeed’” (Katherine Hamilton, Breitbart)...“Biden’s FDA 2023 Rule Deregulating Mifepristone Caused Mail Order Abortions to Skyrocket” (Randall K. O’Bannon, NRL News)... “How Biden's DOJ Went After Pro-Lifers” (Ben Shapiro, Jewish World Review)...“Pro-Life Advocate Wins First Amendment Victory After Being Arrested By Biden Administration” (Ashley Bateman, Federalist)...“DOJ Confirms Biden Admin. Unjustly Targeted Pro-Lifers - with Abortion Industry’s Help” (S.A. McCarthy, Washington Stand)...“Taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood increased to $832M in 2024-2025” (Tate Miller, Just the News)...“Biden DOJ’s FACE Act Weaponization Is Shocking but Not Surprising” (Joshua Arnold, Washington Stand)... 

5) “The Church versus Trump” (Scott Johnson, Power Line)

From the article -- So the Pope met with David Axelrod last week. David Axelrod. Obama’s campaign architect. A man who is not Catholic, has never met a pope before, and whose entire career has been engineering political narratives for the American left.

And then, by pure coincidence, the Pope immediately started lobbing shots at the Trump administration, and three US Cardinals popped up on 60 Minutes doing the same thing.

All organically, I’m sure.

I’m a practicing Catholic. I need you to understand that part. But in my opinion, Trump has all the right to lash out at him. Maybe you’ll disagree, but in the end, Trump talks like Trump. Water is wet. I’m talking about MY Church being run like a DNC satellite office but with a golden throne.

This is the same Vatican that watched governments padlock churches during COVID and said nothing. That let Biden take communion while funding abortion and said nothing. That fired Bishop Strickland for defending actual Church doctrine. That removed Bishop Fernández in Puerto Rico for defending religious exemptions THE CATECHISM ITSELF supports.

But somehow Trump is the threat to human dignity.

Related article: “U.S. and Catholic Church must maintain a united front against ‘the Antichrist of our time’” (Conrad Black, Brussels Signal)

Other Excellent Articles

* "A Modest Proposal On Tax Day" (I & I Editorial Board)

* “The Moment AI Stopped Being a Tool” (Robert Maginnis, Washington Stand)

* “Treasury Secretary Sounds The Alarm, Warns AI Tools Like ‘Mythos’ Pose Major Threat To Financial Cybersecurity” (Tom Gilbreath, Harbinger’s Daily) 

* “A Tale Of Two States: Why National Voter ID Is Critical To U.S. Elections” (M.D. Kittle, Federalist)

* “California Bill Would Censor Indy Journos Like Nick Shirley Who Expose Waste and Fraud” (Mark Tapscott, Washington Stand)

Flying Over the Rainbow?

Among the songs in our “When Swing Was King” performances that most strongly connects with our audiences is Judy Garland’s gorgeous rendition from 1939 of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”  It is, as you well know, a hauntingly beautiful song, one that underscores the human yearning for home, beauty, innocence and wonder...for escape from a world of drudgery, loneliness, and pain.

“Birds fly over the rainbow; why then, oh why can’t I?”

Our audiences love the song. And so do we.

But, of course, it is all too clear that when the strains of the song fade away, the listener is left only with the yearning, a sweet wishful longing that there might somewhere be a place of safety and bliss instead of this dark, troublesome, and increasingly decadent world we live in now. But “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” is only of the many songs that reflect this desire, songs that resonate with our intrinsically human longing for beauty, love, purity, and peace. “There’s a Place for Us” and “Somewhere, My Love” are examples. So too are “Rainbow Connection,” “A Summer Place,” “Up, Up and Away,” “Moon River,” “Bali Hai,” “There’s a New World Coming,” “Age of Aquarius,” and on and on. Plus, that’s not even beginning a list of the stories, movies, poems, and fairy tales that take our imaginations into pretty, idyllic pastures where we “live happily ever after.” 

What’s behind all this? Randy Alcorn is spot on with the answer in his marvelous book, Heaven. “We are homesick for Eden. We’re nostalgic for what is implanted in our hearts. It’s built into us.”...“Desire is a signpost pointing to heaven…I’ve never been to heaven, yet I miss it. Eden is in my blood. And the best things of earth are souvenirs of Eden, appetizers of the New Earth.”

Donald Bloesch in his Theological Notebook (1989) agrees. “Man’s greatest affliction is not anxiety, or even guilt, but rather homesickness -- a nostalgia or ineradicable yearning to be at home with God.” I couldn't agree more with these remarks. Indeed, two of my favorite authors C.S. Lewis and G.K. Chesterton also speak of his matter eloquently and often, as do Joni Eareckson Tada and David Jeremiah in their excellent books about heaven. There’s no doubting the undeniable fact that man is created in the image of God and is wired for paradise. Alas, we lost Eden through our sin but God, in His great mercy and to glorify His Name, has offered mankind something far better than even Adam’s garden. Through the promise of the gospel, the Lord offers us the wholeness, security, love, and bliss which will be ours forever in the New Jerusalem. Wow. And wow again.

So, while I certainly don’t suggest you stop loving songs like “Moon River” or “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” or “Moon River,” I do urge you to remind yourself often of the rock-solid reality that is our eternal inheritance, one that the apostle Peter describes as “imperishable and undefiled [which] will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.” 

“I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is among the people, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.’ And He who sits on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ And He said, ‘Write, for these words are faithful and true.’” (Revelation 21:1-5)

And, in celebration of that immeasurably wonderful home that awaits us (a home that our Lord Jesus is personally creating and customizing for us!), may I offer you a song full of confident, joyful expectations of that stronger, weightier, infinitely more beautiful home beyond. 

Check it out right here...

The Top 5 Plus (April 11)

1) “Democrat Quits Politics, Says Party’s Agenda Is Incompatible With Scripture: ‘I Have Compromised For Too Long’” (Joseph Backholm, Harbinger’s Daily)

From the article -- Michigan State Rep. Karen Whitsett, a lifelong Democrat from Detroit, now says that’s not true. On March 2, she announced she will not seek re-election and will never run for public office again. The reason, she said, has nothing to do with polling or political strategy. 

“This is not a political calculation—it’s a spiritual decision,” Whitsett said. 

She then went further, naming the Democratic Party itself as incompatible with her Christian faith—not a particular candidate, not a single vote, but the platform.

“For me, it is impossible to be a faithful follower of Jesus Christ while remaining a member of the Democratic Party as it exists today,” Whitsett said. “I cannot reconcile that platform with Scripture.” 

The reflex when someone claims progressive political priorities are incompatible with the Christian faith is to shoot the messenger, but that’s more difficult to do in this case. She is not a conservative commentator, Fox News regular, or Jerry Falwell acolyte. She’s a black, female Democrat. By every demographic measure, she is precisely the kind of voter the Democratic Party has long claimed and counted on. 

But now she says she can’t be a Christian and a Democrat, and she explained why. “That conviction includes the issues I cannot reconcile with Scripture: abortion, the normalization of the gay lifestyle, and the push to redefine gender,” Whitsett said. “I have compromised my relationship with Jesus for too long, and I’m grateful God did not give up on me. He gave me time to repent, turn, and be fully devoted to Him.” 

The reaction from her party was swift. Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel offered a response that began simply: “Good riddance.” 

2) “The Monstrous Crime of Abortion: An Old Testament Perspective.” (Denny Hartford, Vital Signs Blog)

From the article -- A careful look at Exodus 21:22-25 results in a profoundly important understanding of the Creator God's value of preborn human life. And though the passage has been repeatedly misused by those who seek to “soften” the crime of abortion, even explain it as excusable violence, Exodus 21:22-25 is actually a strikingly clear passage -- when translated correctly.

Indeed, the opportunity for pro-abortionists to misinterpret the passage is aided by poor translations of the Hebrew text. For instance, the original Wycliffe translation and the Douay-Rheims version of 1899 insert words into the passage that are simply not in the authentic Hebrew text. Instead of simply translating the Hebrew words, the scholars preparing both the Wycliffe and the Douay-Rheims versions made remarkable presumptions, laying down their own ideas rather than honestly transliterating the text as it stood. Their errors were quite serious in that they created for some readers of the Bible a false impression that the life of a child in the womb is not as valuable in the sight of God as the life of the mother. 

3) “In-Depth: Evolution Is Running Out of Options -- Denying design is indefensible” (Calvin Smith, Harbinger’s Daily)

From the article -- The difference between empirical science and what we would call historical science is not some differentiation without a real difference made-up by creationists. Even famous evolutionists such as Ernst Mayr and E. O. Wilson have admitted the story of evolution isn’t conducted according to the conventional rules of empirical science. Here are two quotations from them (respectively) that demonstrate the point.

"Evolutionary biology, in contrast with physics and chemistry, is a historical science—the evolutionist attempts to explain events and processes that have already taken place. Laws and experiments are inappropriate techniques for the explication of such events and processes. Instead one constructs a historical narrative, consisting of a tentative reconstruction of the particular scenario that led to the events one is trying to explain."

Exactly. Laws and experiments don’t apply to the story of evolution because it’s a “tentative reconstruction,” a historical narrative. In other words, it’s not the kind of science that produces technology and medicines. And here is Wilson’s take:

"If a moving automobile were an organism, functional biology would explain how it is constructed and operates, while evolutionary biology would reconstruct its origin and history -- how it came to be made and its journey thus far."

Again, he’s admitting that real science shows us how things actually work, but they make up a story about how it supposedly came about by evolution. Unlike the mechanics of what we are studying that can be directly observed, no one saw the story about how it supposedly came to be. So if you believe that evolutionary story, you do so on faith, no matter how founded you believe that faith is. 

4) “New Planned Parenthood Report Has a Disturbing Takeaway: Abortions have only continued to increase post-Dobbs.” (Ellie Gardey Holmes, American Spectator)

From the article -- The data is in, and the conclusion is depressing: Planned Parenthood killed 434,450 babies in 2024, according to a new report released this week. That totals up to an impressive kill-to-patient ratio: 434,450 murders and 2.09 million patients “treated.” This of course shows that abortions are all Planned Parenthood cares about. The additional services they render, like STD testing and pap smears, are just window dressing for their systematic murder machine.

This year’s numbers showed that reality more than ever. Even as abortions increased year over year by 8 percent, cancer screenings fell by 8.6 percent, pap smears decreased by 2.5 percent, and preventative care visits fell by 3.2 percent.

Some of the other numbers Planned Parenthood gave show how little they accomplish that is actually beneficial. They only provided miscarriage care 2,852 times in the whole year, and they only provided prenatal services 7,685 times. Of course, it’s no wonder mothers don’t want their babies to receive prenatal care at a place that exists to execute children.

This data does not yet show the impact of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s defunding of Planned Parenthood via its restriction of federal Medicaid payments to abortion providers. Next year, we’ll see how effective that tactic was in stymying the number of abortions. There are some signs that the defunding has had an impact, as 50 Planned Parenthood clinics have closed since that law was passed, and Planned Parenthood said in its latest report that an additional 200 “health centers” — read: killing centers — are at risk of closure due to the law. President Donald Trump’s new budget proposal seeks to leave that defunding mechanism in place, offering hope that more Planned Parenthood clinics will indeed close.

However, given the increasing degree to which abortion pills are purchased online, including from overseas “pharmacies” and domestic criminal abortion providers, it remains less clear that closing Planned Parenthood clinics will actually cause a substantial decrease in the number of abortions in the United States. Causing the numbers to truly fall will require actually tackling the criminal trafficking of abortion pills, which the Trump administration has so far been reticent to do. 

5) “After Iran, Trump Needs To Bomb The Administrative State Into Submission” (Issues & Insights Editorial Board)

From the article --  Earlier this week, the Trump administration took another step toward liberating the economy by rolling back a Biden-era rule that needlessly hampered oil and gas production. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said that, with this and several other deregulatory actions, the administration “is unleashing domestic energy and revising burdensome, unworkable Biden-era oil and natural gas policies.”

That’s the good news.

The bad news is that President Donald Trump has barely scratched the surface of the gargantuan administrative state, and other Trump policies are raising the cost of doing business, a report released today by the Competitive Enterprise Institute shows.

Other Excellent Reads from this Week:

* “5 Things You Should Know About AI Right Now: Artificial intelligence can seem difficult to understand, but it’s important that we do.” (Adam Conner, The Contrarian)

* “The West’s fifth column: Iran has destabilized the entire region by using proxy armies to impose its murderous brand of Islam throughout the world.” (Melanie Phillips, (Jewish News Service)

* “Welcome Back to the Orgy Room: Minneapolis swaps COVID-era piety for post-AIDS amnesia as it seeks to reopen the bathhouses.” (Daniel J. Flynn, American Spectator)

* “The Rayner effect: Left-wingers are becoming stupid faster than right-wingers” (Professor Edward Dutton, TCW)

* “Senate GOP Needs New Leadership: John Thune’s leadership is turning a Republican majority into a graveyard for President Trump’s agenda.” (David Catron, American Spectator)

“The Monstrous Crime of Abortion: An Old Testament Perspective.”

A careful look at Exodus 21:22-25 results in a profoundly important understanding of the Creator God's value of preborn human life. And though the passage has been repeatedly misused by those who seek to “soften” the crime of abortion, even explain it as excusable violence, Exodus 21:22-25 is actually a strikingly clear passage -- when translated correctly.

Indeed, the opportunity for pro-abortionists to misinterpret the passage is aided by poor translations of the Hebrew text. For instance, the original Wycliffe translation and the Douay-Rheims version of 1899 insert words into the passage that are simply not in the authentic Hebrew text. Instead of simply translating the Hebrew words, the scholars preparing both the Wycliffe and the Douay-Rheims versions made remarkable presumptions, laying down their own ideas rather than honestly transliterating the text as it stood. Their errors were quite serious in that they created for some readers of the Bible a false impression that the life of a child in the womb is not as valuable in the sight of God as the life of the mother. 

I print those poor translations below.

Wycliffe -- “If men chide, and a man smiteth a woman with child, and soothly he maketh the child dead-born, but the woman liveth over that smiting, he shall be subject to the harm (he shall be subject to a fine), as much as the woman’s husband asketh (for), and as the judges deem (appropriate). Soothly if the death of her followeth (And if her death followeth), he shall yield life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for wound, sore for sore.”

Douay-Rheims 1899 -- “If men quarrel, and one strike a woman with child, and she miscarry indeed, but live herself: he shall be answerable for so much damage as the woman’s husband shall require, and as arbiters shall award. But if her death ensue thereupon, he shall render life for life. Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.”

You can easily see how these versions suggest that the preborn baby’s life isn’t measured by the same standard as the mother’s. The passage thus mistranslated implies that if the child is harmed in a premature delivery caused by the men’s fighting, it is merely a cause for a fine. Only if the mother is harmed does the strict law of retribution kick in. Does such a conclusion fit in with other Scriptures that deal with the sanctity of prenatal life like Psalm 139:13-16, Jeremiah 1:5, Luke 1:21, Isaiah 49:15, Job 31:15, Psalm 22:10, and so on? No, they don’t. Not even close. So, what is going on in Exodus 21:22-25?

As I suggested, the problem simply arises out of poor translations and, of course, the desire of certain people to minimize the seriousness immorality of abortion. Abortion advocates have thus sought to use this passage to claim the Mosaic law did not consider preborn boys and girls to be worthy of the same value as adults. But more authentic, more responsible translations present a much different case. 

Here, for example is the passage taken from Young’s Literal Translation: “And when men strive, and have smitten a pregnant woman, and her children have come out, and there is no mischief, he is certainly fined, as the husband of the woman doth lay upon him, and he hath given through the judges; and if there is mischief, then thou hast given life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.”

Let’s note a couple of important Hebrew words that are necessary for a full understanding of the passage. In the first case, the word translated “mischief” in Young’s version above is the Hebrew word “ason.” It means harm, hurt, injury. It is only used three other times in the Old Testament (Genesis 4:24, 38 and 44:29) where the word is used each time to describe Jacob’s fear that physical harm (including death) might befall his beloved son Benjamin. The second important word is one that isn’t here in the text at all. That is “lah,” the Hebrew word for woman. If God through Moses wanted to specify that only the woman’s life and health were to be protected by the law of retribution, He would certainly have used it here. But He didn’t. Rather, the statement is left open, meaning that lasting damage inflicted upon any innocent person must be paid by the law of retribution. An eye for an eye.

The natural application of the Hebrew text would be that if a premature birth occurs as the result of a pregnant woman getting between two fighting men -- but there follows no “ason” to either the mother or her children (the Hebrew here is a plural noun, broadening the application to twins or more) -- then the penalty is merely a financial one. However, if there is “ason” (again, injury, let alone fatality) to any innocent party, then the law of strict retribution is then applied. Rather than being a passage that undermines the value of life in the womb, a careful look at the authentic Hebrew text proves the exact opposite.

Let’s allow the Amplified Bible (another literally-based translation) to also weigh in here: “If men fight with each other and injure a pregnant woman so that she gives birth prematurely and the baby lives, yet there is no further injury, the one who hurt her must be punished with a fine paid to the woman’s husband, as much as the judges decide. But if there is any further injury, then you shall require as a penalty life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.”

But what’s the deal with the law requiring a financial penalty of the fight’s instigator -- even if the premature birth doesn’t seriously harm either the mother or her baby? The commentary by reformer John Calvin explains: “Since it could not fail but that premature confinement would weaken both the mother and her offspring, the husband is allowed to demand before the judges a money-payment, at their discretion, in compensation for his loss.”

But let’s not stop yet. Let’s hear a bit more of what Calvin said about this passage. It’s a good way to dismiss further the attempted twisting of the Scripture by pro-abortion liberals. Calvin writes that Exodus 21:22-25 might “at first sight seem ambiguous, for if the word death only applies to the pregnant woman, it would not have been a capital crime to put an end to the foetus, which would be a great absurdity; for the foetus, though enclosed in the womb of its mother, is already a human being, and it is almost a monstrous crime to rob it of the life which it has not yet begun to enjoy. If it seems more horrible to kill a man in his own house than in a field, because a man’s house is his place of most secure refuge, it ought surely to be deemed more atrocious to destroy a foetus in the womb before it has come to light.”

“On these grounds,” Calvin continued, “I am led to conclude, without hesitation, that the words, ‘if death should follow,’ must be applied to the foetus as well as to the mother. Besides, it would be by no means reasonable that a father should sell for a set sum the life of his son or daughter. Wherefore this, in my opinion, is the meaning of the law, that it would be a crime punishable with death, not only when the mother died from the effects of the abortion, but also if the infant should be killed; whether it should die from the wound abortively, or soon after its birth.”

I hope this brief exposition helps those of you who may have (or someday will) come across people who try to pervert the true meaning of Exodus 21:22-25.

The Top 5 Plus (April 4)

1) “Trusted by None, Used by All: America’s Dangerous Dependence on AI” (Robert Maginnis, Washington Stand)

From the article -- According to the survey of nearly 1,400 Americans, 51% now use AI tools for research, up 14 points in a single year. Yet only 21% trust AI-generated information most or almost all the time, while 76% trust it only occasionally or hardly at all. More than half -- 55% -- believe AI will do more harm than good in their daily lives. Seven in 10 expect it to reduce job opportunities, and among Gen Z — the most digitally fluent generation — that labor market pessimism reaches 81%.

What we are watching is not technological growing pains. It is a structural fracture in how Americans relate to truth, authority, and judgment — and the consequences reach far beyond quarterly productivity reports.

We have seen something like this before. When social media took hold, users kept scrolling through platforms they increasingly distrusted because disengagement felt too costly. But there is a critical difference: social media shaped what people saw. AI shapes what people think.

2) “Graduated, Not Educated: Inflated transcripts and empty credentials are driving parents to challenge schools in court.” (Pete Connolly, American Spectator)

From the article -- American education is broken; this isn’t a secret. But parents are starting to fight back with lawyers—not because their kids aren’t getting into Harvard, but because schools are failing to deliver any semblance of effectiveness and to make even the most basic promise of education itself.

Consider the recent case in Washington State. Makena Simonsen, a student in the Edmonds School District, graduated with a 3.87 GPA. As a parent, you’d be saying, “Great job, nice work.” That is precisely what the administration wants — to keep parents off their backs. Yet, according to attorney Lara Hruska of Seattle’s Cedar Law, this student was reading at an elementary level. This “empathy” diploma, her attorney asserts, did not open doors — it “shut the door” on further support.

According to the lawsuit, the district effectively passed her along without ensuring she had mastered basic skills. This “empathy” diploma, her attorney asserts, did not open doors — it “shut the door” on further support. By receiving a standard diploma, she was disqualified from a transition program that could have helped her develop basic life and vocational skills. In turn, this cost the student and her parents money. She had planned to enroll in the district’s free vocational program, which helps transition special-needs students into independent life, but discovered she was ineligible because she received a regular high school diploma. Instead, she enrolled in Bellevue College’s Occupational and Life Skills program at a cost of more than $40,000 annually. 

For the Simonsen family, what was presented as an achievement became, in practice, a financial barrier. The lawsuit goes further, alleging what has been described as “benevolent discrimination” — a system that, in an effort to avoid difficult truths, lowers expectations while maintaining the appearance of progress. The result is not compassion. It is educational malpractice.

3) “Why Islamists and progressives have so much in common: A shared loathing of the West is the bedrock of this unholy alliance.” (Daniel Ben-Ami, spiked!)

From the article -- Given this, it is hardly a surprise that Islamism and progressivism have such an affinity for one another. They have an awful lot in common: an aversion to modernity, hostility to democracy, cynicism towards the nation state and intolerance towards alternative views. Despite differences on some questions – most notably in relation to gay rights – the overlap is considerable.

There is also a particular affinity between mainstream identity politics and Westernised Muslims. As French political scientist Olivier Roy has noted, many Muslims in the West do not identify with the nations in which they live. For some of them, Islam is not so much a religion but a form of identity, one that precludes any attachment to a secular country. Such individuals are often attracted to Islamist ideas and networks. In effect, they embody a particular variant of the anti-nationhood trend that dominates identity politics in the West.

The progressive indulgence of Islamism is not primarily driven by cowardice or a propensity for appeasement – although that is certainly a factor. Neither is it solely a case of, as the hackneyed phrase goes, ‘turkeys voting for Christmas’. It is because progressives and Islamists agree on so much that they march arm in arm together.

The fundamental problem is not only that an extreme strain of Islam is corrupting an otherwise healthy body politic in the West. It is also that Islamism and progressivism share so much in common. The modern Western left offers fertile ground for Islamism to flourish on.

4) “We Really Can Get Rid of the United Nations Now: Hypocrisy -- and amnesia -- continues to reign among the kleptocrats in Turtle Bay.” (Scott McKay, American Spectator)

From the article -- If ever there was any doubt as to the utterly worthless character of the United Nations -- the universe’s premier wretched hive of scum and villainy -- that was put to bed on Wednesday of last week.

The end, not that there shouldn’t already have been an end, came when the successor regime to the West African Ashanti Kingdom — that being the nation of Ghana — proposed a resolution indicating that the trans-Atlantic slave trade from the 15th through the 19th centuries was the worst sin against humanity, and called for reparations to be paid.

And the vote was 123-3 in favor, with 52 abstentions.

You probably already heard about this idiocy. If you haven’t, here’s the link to the resolution. Don’t drink anything while you’re reading. You might spit it all over your screen. The three nations voting against the Ghanaian gambit were Israel, Argentina, and the United States. Most of the 52 abstentions were European and other Western countries (the U.K., Canada, Japan, etc.).

Hilariously, the Arab and African countries that have engaged in slave trading both before and since the flowering of the trans-Atlantic flesh market were the bulk of the 123 “yes” votes.

5) “Do not look away from the rising fires of Jew hatred: Everyone should be unsettled by the explosion of anti-Semitism in Britain.” (Naomi Firsht, spiked!)

From the article -- It has been just six months since the murderous Heaton Park synagogue attack in Manchester. So this is life now for the Jewish community of Britain: violence and destruction at regular intervals, increasingly heightened security around Jewish buildings and areas, and a constant feeling of unease.

Can we all agree this is madness? How can it be that, as a child here, it almost never crossed my mind not to be openly and fearlessly Jewish, and yet I now wait in trepidation for the day one of my young children returns home from school or an outing, asking me to explain Jew hatred?

In just the past few weeks, a branch of Gail’s bakery in Archway was vandalised because it was founded by an Israeli Jew (who is no longer involved in the business), and then the incident was belittled in the Guardian. A report into campus anti-Semitism revealed that one in five students would refuse to live with a Jewish peer. An inquiry had to be launched into anti-Semitism in schools. Meanwhile, down in Margate, an art exhibition titled ‘Drawings Against Genocide’ depicts Israelis and Israel Defence Forces soldiers as demons, murderers and baby-eaters. Artist Matthew Collings claims the work is not anti-Semitic, merely ‘anti-Zionist’. Thank goodness he cleared that up!

This is what we’re up against. Anti-Semitism has had a rebrand and, honestly, activists have done a fantastic PR job. Say whatever you like about the Jews and carry out as many petty acts of anti-Semitism as you please – as long as you take care to use today’s euphemisms of ‘anti-Zionism’ or ‘Israel criticism’, you’ll get away with it.

Other Excellent Articles from this Week:

* “1.1 Million Unborn Babies Killed in Abortions in 2025; Telehealth Abortions Skyrocketed” (Katherine Hamilton, Breitbart)

* “Austrian President says: ‘A day will come when ALL women will wear a hijab’” (revolver)

* “Pope Claims That God ‘Rejects’ The Prayers Of Those Who Wage War: History And The Bible Disagree” (Tony Perkins, Harbinger’s Daily)

* “Canada Is One Step Closer To Making Christian Beliefs Illegal To Express” (Ken Ham, Harbinger’s Daily)

* “A Foolish NATO Was a Big Loser in the Iran War” (Victor Davis Hanson, American Greatness)

The Top 5 Plus (March 28)

1) “Islam Rising In The West: Ramadan 2026 Provided A Very Revealing Glimpse Of Where America Is Heading” (Erick Stakelbeck, Harbinger’s Daily)

From the article -- I bring you Ramadan 2026. The Islamic holy month just wrapped up, and it gave a very revealing glimpse of where we’re heading in America if we do not change course.

Let’s start with New York City. Since January, America’s largest city and financial capital has been run by an Islamo-Communist named Zohran Mamdani. He is an anti-Israel ideologue who has long had ties to notorious radical Islamists, and as mayor, he is wasting no time in showing who he is and what he represents...

Ramadan was his coming-out party. In early March, Mamdani responded to an attempted ISIS terror attack against protesters in front of his residence by first condemning the protesters and decrying “white supremacy.” He vaguely added that there is “no place for violence” in New York City, while never once mentioning Islam or ISIS.

It only got worse from there.

A few days later, Mamdani hosted a taxpayer-funded Ramadan Iftar dinner at City Hall, where one of the attendees, a guest of the mayor, held up the ISIS one-finger salute—but I’m sure he was just being playful!

Imagine if a devoutly Christian mayor held a Christmas or Easter service at New York City Hall. The left and their mainstream media minions would be howling about the separation of church and state. But when it comes to mosque and state, it’s apparently a different stor

2) “Love Your Enemy” (One for Israel)

From the article -- Surely one of the hardest commands for us to obey is “love your enemy”. Today with bombs falling in every direction the biblical exhortation still stands. It applies not only to believers in Israel, but those under fire in the UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Turkey, and the whole region. With so many atrocities committed and lives lost, forgiving our enemies might seem like an impossible goal. Yet Yeshua says we need to go the extra mile and actually love them.

Love your enemy as Jonah did going to Nineveh“I’m reading Jonah and understanding it on a whole new level”, wrote an Israeli man in a group for Messianic believers on social media. He could empathize with how Jonah might have felt when challenged to go and preach in Nineveh… and felt God’s challenge to him personally as he thought about it. Do we want those jihadis to hear the call to repent? To be given the chance to be included in the family of faith? It’s not just fear but repulsion at that kind of inhumanity, and the struggle to even want such people to repent and find forgiveness. The Islamic Regime and their proxies are every bit as bloodthirsty as ISIS, and Nineveh was operating in the same way back in Jonah’s day. Extreme and excessive cruelty that makes the blood run cold. Zero mercy, even for babies. How do we dare to look at such things… and then connect with God’s heart for the perpetrators? But that’s what Yeshua said.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:43-48)

The bar is so high, it’s utterly unachievable. Perfection? Only the Spirit of God Himself can make this possible. Like flying, it’s impossible for us to do… unless we get on an airplane. God’s Spirit living in us opens up whole universes of possibility for us. The impossible task of loving our enemy becomes possible. He is the airplane that makes it possible for us to fly. But each one of us has to be willing to take all our feelings, thoughts, and struggles before God’s throne and allow Him the space to regenerate us. To change our hearts and fill them with supernatural love.

3) “Biblical Worldview among Adults Remains at 4% as Generational Crisis Grows More Severe” (Sarah Holliday, Washington Watch)

From the article -- According to the latest research from Dr. George Barna and the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University (ACU), only 4% of American adults currently hold a biblical worldview — the same critically low number we saw in 2023. While the overall percentage has held steady, a deeper look at the newest report reveals something far more sobering.

Even among the small group known as “Integrated Disciples” — those with the highest level of biblical alignment — there are still massive gaps between what people believe and how they actually live. The study examines worldview across eight key categories, and the results are eye-opening.

Americans fare somewhat better in areas like Purpose and Calling (19% full alignment) and Faith Practices (16%). But alignment drops sharply in core theological areas such as God, Creation, and History (just 7%), and it hits rock bottom in Family and the Value of Life — where only 5% of all U.S. adults show full biblical alignment. Even more alarming: among Integrated Disciples, only 49% are living out biblical convictions on marriage, family, and the sanctity of life. In other words, many who claim to think biblically still struggle enormously to apply it consistently — especially in the very areas that shape the next generation.

4) “Insect-ifying Humanity: The Paul Ehrlich Legacy” (Nicholas Eberstadt, Washington Free Beacon)

From the article -- Dr. Paul Ralph Ehrlich (1932-2026), who passed away last week at the age of 93, was perhaps the world’s most famous opinionator on the population question since Reverend T.R. Malthus himself. An unabashed apostle of population control and prophet of impending worldwide demographic catastrophe, he preached a secular gospel of "overpopulation" and eco-apocalypse from his perch at Stanford University for over 50 years.

Apart from his wife and lifelong coauthor Anne Ehrlich (with whom he published nearly a dozen books or pamphlets and many hundreds of articles), perhaps no other voice or personality is so closely associated with the postwar moral panic over the "population explosion."

The Population Bomb, Ehrlich’s electrifying 1968 bestseller, made him an instant celebrity at age 36. Charismatic, self-confident, and funny—seemingly possessed of more zingers than Henny Youngman—he quickly became a television presence as well. So spellbinding that he was invited 20 times on The Tonight Show, Ehrlich proved to be one of Johnny Carson’s most popular guests. Over his long life, Ehrlich was also showered with awards and prizes, including a MacArthur Foundation "genius" grant, the U.N. Sasakawa Environment Prize, and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Crafoord Prize (established to complement the Nobel Prize and awarded in fields the Nobel does not cover.

No less noteworthy than the fame and fortune he achieved was how shockingly, profoundly, and consistently wrong biologist Ehrlich was in predictions he made about human beings...All these predictions were not just wrong: They were laugh-out-loud wrong, almost the precise opposite of what would actually occur over the following decades and generations.

5) “Our Socialists in Havana” (Editors, National Review)

From the article -- If there is one thing communist regimes have excelled at over the years, it is creating showcases to gull sympathetic Western visitors. It was in this spirit that Cuba mustered a single luxury hotel with a gas generator for the latest in a long train of useful idiots.

A motley collection of activists with the China-linked anti-war group Code Pink, as well as a handful of far-left influencers, descended on Havana set on convincing the long-suffering Cuban people that they’ve never had it so good. Sure, a rolling nationwide blackout spoiled some of the fun, but this crew still managed to blame the United States for the Cuban regime’s deficiencies.

“I cannot believe how cruel this U.S. policy is,” Current Affairs editor Nathan Robinson marveled while surveying the darkened landscape from the balcony of his five-star redoubt. “We could stop this.” That’s the message the Cuban handlers of the “Nuestra América Convoy,” which was designed to “show the world that Cuba is under siege,” wanted.

Perhaps Robinson didn’t know that Cuba’s rolling blackouts are an endemic feature of life on that island. They predate the extradition of Nicolás Maduro, whose criminal regime was propped up by Cuban military and intelligence officials in exchange for privileged energy exports. Indeed, even oil-rich Venezuela’s power grid struggled for years amid a “brain drain” and “corruption,” and Cuba is beset by the same problems. These issues are a predictable outgrowth of socialist maladministration.

The Cuban regime and its fellow travelers insist, as they always do, that the capitalist world’s refusal to prop up their economy is the source of all their woes. The truth is that the system established by Fidel Castro and buttressed for decades by Soviet beneficence has never prioritized its own people. The Cuban government has preyed on its own people and sought to frustrate American geostrategic interests all over the globe

Related articles: ...“Cuba on the Brink” (John Hinderaker, Power Line)... “Darkness Before the Light in Cuba: Castro’s crumbling regime nears its end.” (Scott McKay, American Spectator)

Other Excellent Articles from the Week

* “Compassion & Choices Want Americans Dead.” (Kelsi Sheren, Substack)

* “Tucker Carlson’s sickening praise for Sharia tyranny: The crank right is joining the woke left in the toilet of jihad chic.” (Brendan O'Neill, spiked!)

* “The New Democratic Party” (Victor Davis Hanson, Daily Signal) 

* “Israel’s General Patton Moment: Despite the close partnership between Trump and Netanyahu and the truly historic cooperation between the U.S. armed forces and the IDF, America and Israel inhabit utterly different realities.” (Michael Oren)

* “Stop Foreign Censorship Threats: Congress needs to pass the GRANITE Act, which battles overseas governments that try to squelch Americans’ First Amendment rights.” (Steven Greenhut, American Spectator)

Shining the Light Through Letters: A Few Examples

Here are a few sample letters from yesterday’s 2 Vital Signs letter-writing parties...

Dear President Trump, 

I want to commend you for your tireless work on behalf of the American people in the areas of the economy, defense, immigration, law and order, and in many other ways. We so appreciate that you endure the continuous “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” from so many on the left. Thank you and keep fighting. You are prayed for daily.

You have done more for the pro-life movement than any president -- thank you. However, I do know you “signaled” compromise on the Hyde amendment and I needed to write with a strong encouragement for you to NOT concede anything to the Democrats on this critical matter. In addition, I urge you to push HHS Secretary Kennedy to ban the horrendously dangerous abortion pills. These are terrible for unborn babies, of course, but they also can be downright deadly for moms. Mr. President, you can cement your place as the “great defender of the defenseless” by pursuing these things with greater zeal. Thank you.

Again, we pray for you daily that you would seek God, hear His voice, and obey Him with courage, wisdom, and strategy. 

With great appreciation and respect, John Malek

Dear Congressman Flood,

I’m asking you to do all you can to support the House version of Senator Josh Hawley’s Safeguarding Women from Chemical Abortion Act. Mifepristone and misoprostol are both highly dangerous to women (though the truths about this has been carefully and maliciously hidden). At the very least, these drugs need to be stripped of their protection from American lawsuits from the harms (including death) they are causing to women.

Perly Schoville

Dear Senator Fischer,

Recently, a dear friend and neighbor who has been part of our crew that travels to Colorado every summer to hike a 14er, finally received his green card. This was after 10 years of waiting and praying and trying to do everything right! 

His case highlights the bizarre condition created by the Biden administration where illegals flooded into the United States in uncountable numbers -- illegal aliens that also included the most vile, barbaric, and anti-American criminals. Well, President Trump finally acted to stop that travesty and we, like almost all Americans, are deeply grateful to him. 

However, we now need to pursue the parallel action of ensuring justice AND America’s healthy future; namely, reducing the foolish, counter-productive red tape and ideological bias that keeps valuable, pro-American immigrants from making this country their legal and beloved home. Let’s get this done ASAP, okay?

Denny & Claire Hartford

Dear Vice-President Vance, 

I can’t thank God enough for your winning the election as our Vice-President. Your kind of leadership is what makes this country so richly blessed. And we pray that God continues to protect you and give you wisdom and courage for the task. The enemy of our soul is roundly defeated whenever we Christians put our faith and trust in almighty God. The key to God’s favor is to stay humble so He can pour out his blessings to all who respect Him. 

Love in Christ, Don Kohls

Governor Pillen,

I want to commend you for your continued support of pregnant moms and their unborn children. In addition, your advocacy for sane and fiscally responsible legislation is greatly appreciated. And finally, thank you also for working to keep men out of women’s sports. All of these things are deeply appreciated. With much respect,

John Malek

Dear Mr. Musk,

Thank you for all you have done to help fight fraud and corruption and wasteful spending. I know you took a lot of criticism and even endured great financial loss because of your patriotic service. I am so thankful for what you did with DOGE and all of the hard work and sacrifice since then. Please keep up the good work! Thank you.

Hope Golden

Dear Secretary of War Pete Hegseth,

Thank you immensely for your sincere, urgent, humble, real, and beautiful prayer on March 19th that you modeled for all Americans regarding our prayers for our troops. I thank the Lord that God has placed you in this position for this crucial time. May our Lord bless you richly and your service to our country. 

Sincerely, Debbie Pederson

To the staff at Immanuel Village, especially Vicky and Sammy,

Just a quick thank-you for your ongoing and ever delightful friendship to the ministry of “When Swing Was King.” It is such a delight to present the shows there and you girls are always so helpful and encouraging and fun to work with. We know your impact is profound in so many ways there, but we certainly are grateful for your services to us! 

(The card was signed by everyone at both letter-writing parties. In addition, there were several other letters or cards that were signed by the entire assembly.)

Dear Congressman Bacon,

A few points: 1) Please fight for the Hyde Amendment;

2)  Please co-sponsor the House version of Senator Hawley’s Safeguarding Women from Chemical Abortion Act and vigorously act in its behalf;

3) Please support the President’s bold moves against the drug cartels even as you fight the pernicious dangers of legalized marijuana here within our country.

4) Please support enthusiastically the SAVE Act and all other efforts against voter fraud. 

Denny and Claire Hartford

To CBS News, 

Your efforts to revitalize the network by cutting inefficient programs and staff and your move to bring CBS News away from orbiting solely around a liberal pole are to be heartily praised. Also, your recent expose of the massive hospice fraud in California was terrific. It was an excellent example of the type of quality journalism and healthy concern for American values that CBS News once exemplified. Way to go!

Denny and Claire Hartford

Dear Secretary Rubio, 

I’m so thankful that God has raised you up into this leadership position. I pray for you daily and I know He hears our prayers. May His Holy Spirit give you the wisdom and encouragement to navigate the crazy waters our nation has found itself in. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May His light shine upon you and give you His peace. 

Don Kohls

Dear Justice Thomas,

We write with deep and abiding gratitude for the bold, brave, and wise leadership you have shown on the Court. Your efforts have, without a doubt, gone a long way in preserving American ideals -- for at least a while longer! Thank you so much!

As an encouragement I send along an inspirational poem by the pen of William Cowper.

Blessings, Denny and Claire Hartford, Omaha, Nebraska

Dear Department of Homeland Security,

We are so pleased to see the effectiveness of the new U.S. policies regarding illegal immigration. Way to go! However, I write to urge that the parallel action also become of grand importance; namely, easing the legal confusion and waiting times for welcoming all of those immigrants our nation DOES need -- people who love America’s historic ideals and want to be a part of our grand country!

Denny and Claire Hartford

Dear Mr. Sasse,

We are just two of the many, many people across the country who hold you in very high esteem and appreciation. We did so when you were one of our Senators here in Nebraska and we do so now with your impassioned, visionary, and wise counsel to Americans regarding politics, culture, family life, and the liberating gospel of Jesus Christ. Thank you, dear brother. Stay the course for our Lord; our redemption draws nigh! 

Denny and Claire Hartford

Dear Mr. President,

Among the many things for which we are most grateful to are your steadfast, bold, and pro-American moves in our military and economy and border security. Thank you! We are also pleased that your efforts are succeeding in protecting American lives from the critical dangers of illegal drugs coming in from foreign thugs. But Mr. President, we are also aware that the culture is under grave danger from marijuana -- that extremely mind-numbing, soul-corrupting drug that is so much more powerful (and available) than the “flower power” days of my misspent youth. Please keep after that danger as well. 

Denny Hartford

Dear Mr. President,

The latest report reveals the heart-wrenching crisis of the persecution of Christians around the world. Indeed, that persecution is the most violent and widespread ever in the earth’s history and there looks to be nothing stopping it getting worse -- nothing unless the USA gets serious about interceding in behalf of those innocent people under the sword of harassment, terrorism, imprisonment, and murder. America’s intercession must include clear and bold speech from US leadership which will better enlighten (and warn) the world about what is happening. But the victims of persecution (and the cause of justice itself) also deserve U.S. intercession which uses our strategic positioning and economic might to punish the murderers and manipulators. 

Please, President Trump, use your influence to move ever forward America’s defense of freedom of faith and conscience around the world. Thank you so much!

Denny & Claire Hartford

Chemical Abortion -- An Open Letter

Dear Senator Fischer,

We’ve had a lot of talk about “nibbling around the edges” when it comes to the scourge of chemical abortifacients, particularly the widespread use of mifepristone (the powerful drug now responsible for the majority of abortions in the U.S.) but finally, Senator Hawley is directly addressing the primary issues with the Safeguarding Women from Chemical Abortion Act. 

This bill seeks to rightly strip mifepristone of its longstanding approval from the Food and Drug Administration. After all, it is a profoundly powerful poison out that most barbarically kills reborn boys and girls as well as leaving women to face such severe complications as heavy bleeding, sepsis, and worse, usually without any genuine medical oversight. It is a lucrative business for abortionists, but a tragic and evil one.

As Senator Hawley emphasized, “Only Congress can address this situation. Only Congress is placed to regulate the flow of interstate drugs. Only Congress can withdraw the FDA’s approval rendered way back in the Clinton administration for this drug that has proved to be inherently dangerous and inherently prone to abuse. Only Congress can act. Congress should act. And we are here today to call on them to act.”

Senator Fischer, please join him quickly as a co-sponsor of the Safeguarding Women from Chemical Abortion Act and work enthusiastically for its passage.

Thank you.