The Top 5 Plus (September 13)

As might be expected, several of the articles I’m recommending from this past week deal with 1) the assassination of Charlie Kirk and 2) the murder of Iryna Zarutska, the abhorrent absurdities involved in the murderer’s being anywhere other than prison, and the subsequent media treatment (more to the point, the lack thereof) of the horror. 

1) 4 Reflections on Charlie Kirk’s Assassination (Joshua Arnold, Washington Stand)

Also note: “Charlie Kirk’s assassination is latest evidence that US is suffering an epidemic of leftist violence” (Miranda Devine, New York Post)...”The Left Has Never Been Held Accountable For Political Violence -- And That Must Change” (Mark Hemingway, Federalist)...”European Parliament snubs request for Charlie Kirk minute of silence after assassination” (Emma Bussey, Fox News)...”Charlie Kirk’s Assassination Is a Turning Point for America” (Rob Wasinger, American Greatness)...”After Charlie Kirk’s Murder, There Can Be No More Both-Sides-ism” (Elle Purnell, Federalist)...”House Democrats Object to Prayer for Charlie Kirk’s Family” (Joshua Arnold, Washington Stand)

2) “The Unspeakable Evil Progressives Have Unleashed Strikes in Charlotte” (Beege Welborn, Hot Air)

Also on this critical matter, see: “From Rabble-Rousing to Rabble Snoozing: Journalists do whatever the narrative requires at the moment, but does it still work?” (Glenn Harlan Reynolds, Substack)...“The Image That Killed the Democrats in 2026 and Beyond” (Athena Thorne, PJ Media)...“The Charlotte Stabbing Didn’t Fit The Media’s Preferred Narrative, So They Buried It” (M.D. Kittle, Federalist)...“A Woman Is Murdered, And The Media Rush To Defend Democrats By Calling It ‘Political’” (Eddie Scarry, Federalist)

3) “Trump-Era Task Force Exposes Widespread Anti-Christian Bias Under Biden Administration” (Sarah Arnold, Town Hall)

From the article -- Among the most glaring examples are the Department of Defense and other agencies' routine denials of religious exemptions to Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, despite constitutional protections and federal law allowing such requests. These denials continued until the U.S. Supreme Court halted the mandate following a legal challenge from The Daily Wire.

Other incidents include the Department of Education’s aggressive actions against Christian universities, including steep fines against Liberty University and Grand Canyon University. The Department of the Treasury, meanwhile, has been accused of “de-banking” Christian and conservative non-profits, raising red flags about financial discrimination based on ideology.

The report also blasts the Biden Justice Department for its lopsided enforcement of the FACE Act, a law intended to protect both abortion clinics and religious institutions. Under Biden, the law was used almost exclusively to prosecute pro-life activists—some of whom were non-violent and elderly—while dozens of churches and pregnancy centers were vandalized or firebombed with little federal response.

4) “As Persecution of Free Speech Widens in the West, Believers Must Stand Firm” (Kathy Athearn, Washington Stand)

From the article -- Finally, Farage brought to light two famous cases which reveal the devasting effects that the so-called Online Safety Act has had on individuals and families in the United Kingdom: Linehan’s case and that of Lucy Connelly. “[Connelly] put out an intemperate tweet after the savage murder of … three beautiful young girls: she, herself, a mother who had lost a child. It was intemperate. It was wrong, but she removed it three and a half hours later. Sentenced to 31 months in prison, she’s now out, having served 40% of the time.”

Farage pointed out that the comedian who was arrested last week, Linehan, isn’t even a British citizen — he’s Irish. Therefore, what happened to him could happen to any American who goes to England and has posted things online that the British government doesn’t like. He cautioned, “This legislation we’ve got will damage trade between our countries, threaten free speech across the West. … So I’ve come today as well to be a claxon to say to you: don’t allow piece by piece this to happen here in America. And you would be doing us and yourselves and all freedom-loving people a favor if your politicians and your businesses said to the British government, ‘You’ve simply got this wrong.’”

5) “Girls Are Getting More Credentialed But Less Educated” (Meg Marie Johnson, Federalist)

From the article -- Much of the media marketed to women is morally and intellectually depraved. While the most popular podcasts for men, such as The Joe Rogan Experience and The Art of Manliness, delve into philosophical and cultural issues, the most popular podcasts for women, such as Call Her Daddy and My Favorite Murder, focus on debased gossip and gnarly true crime. Dating shows are incredibly vacuous, and rom-coms tend to be vapid and crass. Self-proclaimed smut is the reigning genre in women’s literature. Instagram and TikTok are often mediums for women to seek attention for their bodies rather than their hearts and minds. 

It brings to mind Mary Wollstonecraft’s lamentations that women in 18th-century Europe were raised to be brainless ornaments. Yes, women are more credentialed than they have ever been, but are they being truly educated? Oddly enough, women have more schooling opportunities than ever before, but many girls are still raised to be empty-headed and vain. 

While women are more secularly educated than they ever have been, sadly, the education of the heart and mind has widely been neglected. Women are trained for careers but not intellectually or morally nourished. We live in a day when “many are schooled but few are [truly] educated.” Women’s minds are not being cultivated for holier and higher things. 

Other recommended reads from this week?

*  “When The Education System Denigrates Faith, Morality, And Families, They Reap What They Sow” (Tom Gilbreath, Harbinger's Daily)  

* “Agnostic Cofounder of Wikipedia Converts to Traditional Anglicanism” (Jules Gomes, The Stream)

* “Three More Examples of Why You Don’t Hate Media Nearly Enough” (Duane Patterson, Hot Air)

* “12th Grade Reading and Math Scores Hit 20-Year Low” (John Nolte, Breitbart)

* “After Facing Backlash, ‘Christian’ TV Personalities Double Down On LGBT Promotion With New Game Show” (Addison Smith, Harbinger's Daily)

The Latest Vital Signs Newsletter

Because our August schedule was so full of eventful ministry, this month’s letter is a straightforward newsletter. 

And it's right here.

Everything I Needed to Know I Learned from Sherlock Holmes!

Well, it was just about this time in 1902 that Sir James Damery came to 221B Baker Street in London to consult the great detective Sherlock Holmes about what Dr. Watson eventually described as “The Adventure of the Illustrious Client.” Ah yes, it’s one of the most provocative cases in Holmes' long and illustrious career. And with the September chill in the air this morning, I recalled that exciting case and remembered an item I decided upon a couple of weeks ago; namely, to provide in a Vital Signs Blog post the links to all four compilations I made many years ago featuring quotations from the marvelous Sherlock Holmes series. Any fan of the great sleuth will find them of interest...and value. So here they are, all four lists of “Everything I Needed to Know I Learned from Sherlock Holmes!”

“Everything I Needed to Know I Learned from Sherlock Holmes!” (Volume One.

“Everything I Needed to Know I Learned from Sherlock Holmes!” (Volume Two.

“Everything I Needed to Know I Learned from Sherlock Holmes!” (Volume Three.

“Everything I Needed to Know I Learned from Sherlock Holmes!” (Volume Four.)

The Top 5 Plus (September 6)

1) Violent Attacks Against Christians Increase As Global Media Turns A Blind Eye (Harbinger's Daily)

From the article -- Those speaking out against these atrocities are concerned over the lack of coverage by prominent news sources and attention from political leaders around the world. Some have attributed the removal of nations, such as Nigeria, from the Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) and lifting of U.S. sanctions on Syria as global measures that would have otherwise kept pressure on entities that severely violate international religious freedom.  

As many of our brothers and sisters in Christ are persecuted, driven underground, and even martyred for a faith that some take for granted, continue to pray that the joy of the Lord is their strength, that they would continue to shine their light to the lost even under such intense pressure, and that peace would come to their land.

2) Federal And State Law Enforcers Must Tackle Deadly Abortion Drug Cartel (Kristan Hawkins and Kristi Stone Hamrick, Federalist)

From the article -- From the article -- Aid Access, an international pill pusher headed by Rebecca Gomperts, claims to have profited from more than 200,000 U.S. abortions since 2018. From July 2023 to August 2024, 84 percent of chemical abortion pills it sold went to states with limits on abortion, according to a recent report. That’s not an accident; it’s a business plan. 

Gomperts regularly preens in the media about her deadly operation, pointing out her get-out-of-accountability-free card and telling reporters “I don’t care” about pro-life laws. “Where I work from, it’s legal to prescribe the medications. And so I’ll do that,” Gomperts told CBS.

3) The Persecution of Graham Linehan Should Terrify Us (Lauren Smith, The European Conservative)

From the article -- We can argue about proportionality or the lack thereof, but it’s impossible to talk about this awful display of totalitarianism without acknowledging that it is Linehan’s beliefs that are really being interrogated here. Yes, someone, somewhere found what he wrote offensive. But there is no real victim in this case. Rather, it is an opportunity for the state to flex its censorious muscles. Linehan wrote on Substack that, during his run-in with the law, he was quizzed about his views on “trans people.” When Linehan asked the copper what exactly he meant by that term, he said: “People who feel their gender is different than what was assigned at birth.” Linehan, very correctly, pushed back against the phrase “assigned at birth,” pointing out that it was activist language. The officer brushed this aside as “semantics,” but it’s clear that this is what Linehan’s persecution has been about—the fact that he refuses to say the magic words “transwomen are women.”

All this becomes even more absurd when you consider the fact that what Linehan believes is not some fringe, extremist position. It is a view held by the majority of normal people. Most Brits don’t want men in women’s bathrooms, prisons, or hospital wards. It’s even a belief that is, theoretically, backed up by law. Have we forgotten that, in April, the UK Supreme Court ruled that gender is defined by biology, for the purposes of the Equality Act (2010)? And that gender-critical views should—again, theoretically—be a protected belief under that same act? No matter the many, many flaws of the Supreme Court and the Equality Act, this is still the law. So why is it that it seems to be applied so selectively? 

4) Trump Astride at Seven Months: Seven months in, Trump has curbed illegal immigration, steadied the economy, and scored foreign policy wins -- while Democrats flounder without a counteragenda. (Victor Davis Hanson, American Greatness)

From the article -- Many of the left’s cherished totems—massive Green New Deal subsidies, the diversity/equity/inclusion industry, biological males competing in women’s sports, and the USAID revolving door—are either comatose or in their death throes. The historic drop-off in military recruitment reversed shortly after Trump took office. Republican voter registration is up, and Democratic registration is down. Abroad, Trump finds remarkable successes.

5) The Choice: Trump or Obama -- MAGA influencers who attack Israel, Jews, and Trump’s Iran policy are fighting for the former president’s policies and allies—and his program of national euthanasia. (Lee Smith, Tablet)

From the article -- MAGA influencer attacks on Israel and pro-Israel activism have become so commonplace that even Megyn Kelly, a longtime supporter of Israel, has joined in piling on Israel. During her interview with Greene, she empathized with the congresswoman’s fearful exasperation after having to reject several offers of all-expenses-paid AIPAC trips to the Holy Land. “I’m looking at Israel in a different way right now than I was on Oct. 8,” Kelly said, concurring with Greene. “And I can feel the pressure being slightly ratcheted up.” Greene told Kelly that “Israel is the only country I know of that has some sort of incredible influence and control over nearly every single one of my colleagues.”

She was lying. D.C. insiders like Greene and Kelly know that Washington’s pro-China lobby runs nonstop congressional delegations to the People’s Republic, where they’re wined and dined by Communist Party officials. The pro-China lobby can afford to stuff Americans with a bottomless buffet of Peking duck and moo shu pork because it is extraordinarily wealthy, thanks largely to the huge trade surplus China runs with the United States, which since China’s 2001 entry into the World Trade Organization amounts to many trillions of U.S. dollars. The pro-China lobby’s enormous budget dwarves the pro-Israel lobby, allowing it to exert enormous influence over Congress. 

Other important reads for this weekend:

* Trump Should Take Down The American Medical Association’s Licensing Grift (Rachel Bovard, Federalist)

* An alternative universe: Hamas’s war against civilization pivots on its war against the Western and Israeli mind. (Melanie Phillips, JNS)

* Christians must unite against the evil Starmer stands for (John Hale, TCW)

* Transgender Mass Murderers: The Drugs and Demons That Drive Them -- Drugs, hormones, ideology, and the devil make for a deadly cocktail. (Melissa Mackenzie, American Spectator)

* Anonymous Federal Judges Go To War Against the Supreme Court: These people are not judges, they're operatives. (Daniel Greenfield, Front Page Mag)

Our 10 Favorite Literary Characters

It's our last night in the Colorado mountains (this time around) and after an eventful day that included an early morning work session at the coffee shop in Dillon, a vigorous and gorgeous hike near Keystone, a scare regarding our car's engine light on the way to Copper Mountain, a late lunch at the Empire Grill in Breckenridge, and more, we played a literature game on the balcony of our condo rental as we watched the sunset over the mountains.

It's a very simple game -- name your Ten Favorite Characters from Literature. And yes, we allowed a little liberty, as in accepting a "company" of characters from a particular work. Here are the lists we came up with. How about you?

Claire's Ten -- in no particular order:

* Aslan, Peter, Lucy, Edmund from The Chronicles of Narnia.

* Samwise Gangee, Frodo Baggins, and Aragon (Strider) from The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

* Fr. Timothy Kavanaugh from the Jan Karon series of novels.

* Miss Ella Bishop from Miss Bishop by Bess Streeter Aldrich.

* John Sidney Howard from The Pied Piper by Nevil Shute.

* Sir Percy Blakeney from The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy.

* Ebenezer Scrooge from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

* Winnie the Pooh and his many friends from the books by A.A. Milne.

* Bishop Myriel from Les Misérables by Victor Hugo.

* Sherlock Holmes from the stories and novels by Arthur Conan Doyle.

And my list? Well, I agreed with Claire's selections of Sherlock Holmes, Fr. Tim Kavanaugh, Ebenezer Scrooge, Winnie the Pooh and friends, and the characters from The Lord of the Rings. The only point of clarification I would add is that my list read "Ebenezer Scrooge...or whoever is the protagonist from the Charles Dickens novel I'm reading at the time!"

But the differences? My list included...

* Ratty, Badger, Mole, and Mr. Toad from The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame.

* D'Artagnan, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis from several novels by Alexandre Dumas.

* Horatio Hornblower from the series of novels by C.S. Forester.

* Atreyu from The Neverending Story by Michael Ende.

* Travis McGee from the series of novels by John D. MacDonald.

The Top 5 Plus (August 30)

1) “Facing up to Black Crime in America: We owe it to every victim, in every community, to stop
pretending reality doesn’t exist. Truth isn’t racist. Statistics aren’t bigoted.” (John MacGhlionn, American Spectator)

From the article -- It’s time to face a simple truth: discussing black-on-white crime isn’t racism. It’s reality, and reality doesn’t bend to our feelings or our carefully crafted fairytales. Black-on-white crime exists. In fact, according to National Crime Victimization Survey, blacks commit 85 percent of all non-lethal interracial violence between blacks and whites.

Let me be absolutely clear. This isn’t about defending one race or condemning another. It’s about the lives of Americans — black, white, and every shade between — who are left to live with the consequences. Crime that cuts across every racial line exists. If we treat the problem as taboo, we stay silent while the damage spreads.

The numbers tell a story that makes many people deeply uncomfortable. Violent crime is not evenly distributed across America. Certain communities commit violent offenses at rates dramatically higher than others. The standard deflections don’t hold water anymore.

2) “The British Aren’t Coming!-- The decline and fall of the non-American Anglosphere.” (Ronald Dodson, The American Mind)

From the article -- The flagship aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, still “new” in naval terms, is visiting Rosyth—not to assert British naval prestige but to begin maintenance. Commissioned in 2017, the ship had already spent most of 2025 under repair after corrosion was found in its propeller shaft. Now, despite recent $4.3 billion refits, it’s once more out of action for further upgrades and inaccessible-system inspections, pushing its availability deeper into the future.

Three thousand miles to the west, a Canadian-born civilian sits on her living room couch, contemplating her approaching death. She isn’t terminally ill, but the state won’t provide the medical home care she needs. Canada has promised health care via socialized medicine, but it will instead administer a lethal injection within days. This is the regime of MAID, Canada’s euphemistically termed Medical Assistance In Dying legislation that legalized assisted suicide in 2016. This “choice” is presented as a compassionate right. However, in practice it underscores a disquieting fact: the machinery of death is more functional than that of living care.

These two scenes, thousands of miles apart, are sewn with the same thread: governance through surrender—be it in defense, health care, or the stories the state tells. In both countries there’s a clear willingness to cede the capacity to preserve life, the life of a polity or of a person, in favor of an easier, cleaner exit.

The non-American Anglosphere, from Ottawa to Wellington, is drifting into a post-sovereign condition. Their governments still perform the ceremonies of independence, but in their essential duties of defense, stewardship of demographic cohesion, and protection of vulnerable citizens, they have begun to relinquish the will to endure.

3) “Yes,the whole world is wrong about Israel: Even some who say they don’t hate theJewish state yet rely only on the mainstream media for news think that theremust be some truth to the ‘genocide’ blood libel. Challenging it isn’t easy.” (Jonathan S. Tobin, JNS)

From the article -- After all, if you’ve grown up believing that what you’ve read in The New York Times, watched on CNN or heard while listening to NPR is true, then why question the assumptions about what’s been happening in the conflict that are treated as accepted facts in those outlets and others like them? And even if you are willing to question individual stories that are largely the product of Hamas propaganda and spread by so-called journalists working in territory controlled by those Islamist terrorists, the sheer volume of reporting that bolsters these claims has established a baseline concerning assumptions about the war. Those who consider themselves fair-minded and not prejudiced in their opinions about Israel have long since accepted the idea that where there is so much smoke about Israeli misconduct, there must be fire.

In this way, the belief that the primary, if not sole, cause of suffering in Gaza is an unjustified and heartless war policy pursued by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu becomes not merely a pro-Hamas talking point but conventional wisdom accepted by those on the political left and even in the center, where legacy liberal media outlets still have considerable influence.

4) “AmericaTakes a Stand for the Rights of Western Christians” (Jonathon Van Maren, European Conservative)

From the article -- There has, predictably, been much criticism of the Trump administration’s advocacy for prosecuted pro-lifers; indeed, it is extraordinary for an elderly pro-life woman to hear that the government of the world’s reigning superpower is interested in her case and that the “United States stands” with her, especially when so few others will.

But it is common practice for governments to advocate for persecuted dissidents in other countries; progressive regimes have been especially interested in defending LGBT activists. What is uncommon is that a U.S. administration is taking interest in the rights of persecuted and prosecuted Christians in the West. Even though Christians are now a minority in the UK while LGBT activists still cosplay as victims, the progressive establishment narrative still treats traditional Christians as dominant oppressors and their reigning ideological opponents as the underdog.

America’s interest in the actual underdog reveals the much-denied reality and forces profoundly uncomfortable questions for the ruling classes—and it is about time, too.

5) “The Evil Idea That Has Taken Over the Woke Right: The coming of ‘critical religiontheory’” (Josh Appel, Commentary)

From the article -- However, the evidence suggests that the new right-wing conspiracy culture is more than just anti-institutional—it is a new adaptation of an intellectual trend that has dominated the left for two generations. That trend is “critical theory”—the study of the supposedly hidden systems of power and oppression that shape society and must be exposed before being dismantled. Critical theory has found its most salient and powerful expression in the triumph of critical race theory, which posits that America was born in original sin in 1619 and still functions as a machine to suppress black people whose presence in the United States was a crime to begin with and whose problems are the result of a centuries-long criminal conspiracy against them.

The woke right has adapted this and created what I call critical religion theory. It holds that a small elite has hijacked Western civilization and actively used its power to manipulate the world against religion. For these thinkers, the danger isn’t the policy, but that the policy reflects an anti-religious force subverting their worldview, and the world itself, behind the scenes. This movement sees power as illegitimate and influence as suspect. Those in “power”—by which they mean having wealth and success—are clearly part of a group trying to influence the masses. The tools of subversion are money, drugs, movies, devil worship (literally), and sexual blackmail. If you disagree, it’s because you are in on it, too.

Other important reads for this week?

* “SenatorsAsk AG Bondi to Investigate Abortion Pill Manufacturers” (Daily Citizen via Harbinger's Daily)

* “Fourteen-Year-OldScottish Girl Arrested for Resisting Probable Assault by Migrants” ("Streiff," at Red State)

* “PleaseDeliver Us From the Poorly-Behaved Women...and the history they strive tocreate.” (Scott McKay, American Spectator)

* “Who's the Crazy Alert: Mental Health Form for Girls Who Think Boys in Their Bathroom is a Problem” (Beege Welborn, Hot Air)

* “Junkscience now dominates the reporting of the propaganda press” (Robert Zimmerman, Behind the Black)

Denny & Claire Join Nebraska Right to Life at the State Fair

Earlier this week, Claire and I enjoyed once again the opportunity to help out Nebraska Right to Life by manning their information booth at the State Fair in Grand Island. We took the Monday evening shift and the Tuesday morning opening shift and, as always, we were honored to partner with the excellent pro-life champions of NRL. And an added blessing this year was having friends join us for the outreach – Ralph & Carolyn Tate on Monday night and Virgil and Becky Patlan for the Tuesday morning shift. That was great. 

Among the highlights of these shifts were a lot of wonderful conversations with teenagers -- teenagers from Nebraska Christian School, from a community of special needs kids in Hastings, several musicians from a variety of the high school marching bands who were at the Fair that day, from a nearby high school which was using the Fair as a field trip, and more. 

But we also had plenty of profitable visits with adults, including people wanting the free fetal models we were offering, Christians who wanted to come by and thank us for being there at the Fair, a number of curious vendors who had booths in the building, a goodly number who agreed to sign our petition urging Congress to completely defund Planned Parenthood ASAP, and many casual conversations with people who were drawn by our pro-life information, video, fetal models…and our winsome selves!

Thank you, Father, for the opportunity to serve You and the cause of “the least of these” through this important outreach. And please protect, encourage, and use for Your wise purposes all who will be serving at the NRL booth for the rest of this year’s State Fair.

The Top 5 Plus (August 23)

1) “Sitting Ducks For Deception: Pastors, Have You Properly Equipped Your Congregations With A Biblical Worldview?” (Answers In Genesis/Harbinger's Daily)

From the article -- It is critical that you teach adults and youth in your church what a worldview is. For example, is there a God or not? If so, what is he like, and what is his relationship to the physical universe? What is the universe (an accident or purposefully created, infinite and eternal or not, etc.)? What is man (just an animal, unique from animals, related to God or not, basically good or inherently sinful, etc.)? Is there such a thing as absolute truth? Can we know truth, and if so, how can we know it? Is there right and wrong in an absolute sense, or is all morality a matter of opinion or majority vote?

Biblical Christianity answers these questions one way. The evolutionary view—which dominates our culture and public education and is humanistic and atheistic—answers these questions in a very different way. For the Christian, his or her answers should come from the Bible. Unfortunately, as the studies noted above show, many people in the church live their daily lives unconscious of the fact that they are actually influenced by the evolutionary humanist worldview more than they are by the worldview they profess to believe at church. So we must inform people about what a worldview is and how it affects our decisions and relationships.

2) “Topple Your Woke Idols: A modest proposal for healthy American assimilation.” (James Hankins, American Mind)

From the article -- In place of Christianity, public schools in the 20th century taught the civil religion of America. The chief doctrines of this quasi-religion were equality under the law; freedom of speech and religion; respect for God (a monotheistic but non-denominational God to be sure); respect for pillars of public order like the police, the churches, and the courts; and gratitude to those who had sacrificed themselves to preserve American freedom for future generations. Immigrants were encouraged to participate in our common American culture, especially in sports and music. For most of the 20th century, the public schools were egalitarian and public-spirited. They helped integrate waves of immigrants from all over the world into a common American culture and shared political values. With prodding from the Supreme Court, public schools were careful for over 60 years to exclude religious instruction entirely, but without, for the most part, adopting policies that were openly antagonistic to Americans’ faith traditions.

Since the 1960s, however, the public schools and other cultural institutions, public and private, have embraced a new religious faith: that of multiculturalism. Hollywood, of course, has been celebrating diversity for decades, casting its ghastly gaslight on our common life and history with ever-increasing detachment from reality. By now, after half a century, the lumpen Left have completely internalized the faith’s assumptions so that multiculturalism, with its subordinate dogmas of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, is understood simply as Moral, its opposite Immoral. Even more insidiously, traditional love of country has become “cringe,” the opposite of “cool.”

3) “We Need to Rethink AI Before It Destroys What It Means to Be Human -- AI is on track to erase human purpose, replacing work, struggle, and growth with machines—if we don’t slam the brakes, real life itself is at risk.” (Jeff Dornik, American Greatness)

From the article -- At last year’s We, Robot event, Musk unveiled Tesla’s new self-driving robotaxi. But what caught my attention was their preview of Optimus, the AI-powered humanoid robot. In their promotional video, Tesla showed Optimus babysitting children, teaching in schools, and even serving as a doctor. Combine that with Tesla’s fully automated Hollywood diner concept, where Optimus is flipping burgers and even working as a waiter and bartender, and you begin to see the real aim. Automation is replacing human connection, service, and care.

So where do humans fit in? That is the terrifying part. Musk and Bill Gates have both pitched the idea of universal basic income to replace traditional employment that AI is going to replace. Musk has said there will come a point where no job is needed. You can have a job if you want one for personal satisfaction, but AI will do everything. Gates has proposed taxing robot labor to fund people who no longer work.

The reality is that work is more than a paycheck. It is not just how we survive; it is how we find purpose. It is how we grow, how we learn, and how we take responsibility. Struggle is not a flaw in the system; it is part of what makes us human. The daily grind, the failures, the perseverance, the sense of accomplishment. Strip all of that away, and you have stripped away humanity.

4) “The New Allure of Positive Eugenics” (Chuck Donovan, Washington Stand)

From the article -- Eugenics, of course, has a well-earned bad name. It reached its first zenith in the Third Reich, but its origins date decades earlier with the arrival of inheritance studies and the findings of Darwinism, particularly the work of Sir Francis Galton, a gifted polymath whose contributions to measuring and understanding science were varied and substantial. The best account of the history of eugenics, in both its positive and negative forms, is that of Edwin Black, published in 2004. “War Against the Weak: Eugenics and America’s Campaign to Create a Master Race” is meticulously detailed and lays out the many ways in which scholars and social leaders in the West, including Europe, drove the Nazi campaign to weed out people the government was convinced were a drag on human accomplishment.

The new American voices for eugenics are politic enough that they do not openly speak of destroying embryos that are not up to snuff, whether that be compromised physical health, predictions of future diseases, or inferences of lower IQ. They do rely on techniques like IVF and embryo genetic testing that rely on identifying the “best” embryos and selecting them for implantation and gestation. The rest are presumably set aside, forgotten, discarded, or donated for research. What is most enlightening in Elinson’s article is how robust and advanced the “Silicon Values” genomics industry already is.

5) “Pro-Life Quotations? We Got a Bunch of 'Em!” (Vital Signs Blog, Denny Hartford)

From the article -- “The hairsplitting difference between formed and unformed makes no difference to us.  Whoever deliberately commits abortion is subject to the penalty for homicide.” (Saint Basil)

“When we consider that women are treated as property it is degrading to women that we should treat our children as property to be disposed of as we see fit.” (Pioneer feminist Elizabeth Cady Stanton)

“It seems to me as clear as daylight that abortion would be a crime.” (Mahatma Gandhi)

“Abortion does not kill a potential human person, it kills a human person with great potential.” (Anonymous)

“The best decision I ever made was keeping my baby.” (Poet Maya Angelou)

“The Bible makes it clear that God sees the unborn infant not as a piece of superfluous biological tissue, but as a person created by Him for life.” (Billy Graham)

“Abortion kills the life of a baby after it has begun.” (1963 pamphlet by Planned Parenthood)

Other excellent reading for this week:

* “What America First Says to the World: We remain the beacon of ordered liberty for all mankind.” (Kristen Ziccarelli and Joshua Treviño, American Mind)

* “Report: Left-Wing Bureaucracies Are Quietly Subverting Red State Governance” (Shawn Fleetwood, Federalist)

* “The Cost of Conformity: Study Reveals 88% of Students Feel Compelled to Adopt Progressive Facade” (Sarah Holliday, Washington Stand)

* “How Does Planned Parenthood Treat Pregnant Women Who Don’t Want Abortions? Answer: Not very well.” (Sarah Terzo, NRL)

* “The Lucy Connolly scandal reveals the folly of policing hatred: If we do not want a repeat of this authoritarian farce, we need to take an axe to our hate-speech laws.” (Tom Slater, spiked!)

* “Education and Wealth Trump All Identity Politics: Under Trump, we stand a chance of returning to our Constitution.” (Bruce Thornton, Front Page Magazine)

Pro-Life Quotations? We Got a Bunch of 'Em!

Looking for a few striking and impressive pro-life quotes to grace your conversations, social media communications, and public presentations? Well, then you need to check out the remarkable lists of quotations that are on the Vital Signs Ministries website. As a matter of fact, you'll find three large groups of quotes on this VSM page -- enlightening and challenging quotes like these...

“The hairsplitting difference between formed and unformed makes no difference to us.  Whoever deliberately commits abortion is subject to the penalty for homicide.” (Saint Basil)

“When we consider that women are treated as property it is degrading to women that we should treat our children as property to be disposed of as we see fit.” (Pioneer feminist Elizabeth Cady Stanton)

“It seems to me as clear as daylight that abortion would be a crime.” (Mahatma Gandhi)

“Abortion does not kill a potential human person, it kills a human person with great potential.” (Anonymous)

“Probably nothing has been as damaging to our cause as the advances in technology which have allowed pictures of the developing fetus, because people now talk about the fetus in much different terms than they did 15 years ago. They talk about it as a human being, which is not something that I have an easy answer on how to cure.” (Harrison Hickman, pollster for the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League)

“The best decision I ever made was keeping my baby.” (Poet Maya Angelou)

“The Bible makes it clear that God sees the unborn infant not as a piece of superfluous biological tissue, but as a person created by Him for life.” (Billy Graham)

“Abortion kills the life of a baby after it has begun.” (1963 pamphlet by Planned Parenthood)

The Top 5 Plus (August 16)

1) “Social Media And The Battle For The Mind: Who Is Ultimately Influencing The Flow Of Information” (David Bowen, Harbinger’s Daily)

From the article -- The Apostle Paul warned that in the last days, perilous times would come (2 Timothy 3:1–5). Among the traits he listed were people being “lovers of themselves” and “without self-control.” Social media amplifies these traits like never before. It has become, what I call, the cult of self.

Social media is a breeding ground for this self-obsession. Platforms reward vanity, self-promotion, and the pursuit of personal “followers.” The endless posting of curated photos and videos often feeds pride, envy, and comparison—the very sins that Scripture warns against (Proverbs 16:18, Galatians 5:26). What is the fruit of this? A generation is being discipled by influencers rather than by the Word of God.

Platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat encourage constant self-promotion and comparison. Children grow up believing that their worth is tied to how many followers they have or how many people approve of their selfies. The Bible warns, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). Yet, our children’s minds are being conformed to a digital pattern that thrives on vanity and validation.

2) “More Than 20 GOP AGs Ask RFK Jr., FDA to Reinstate Abortion Pill Safety Regulations” (Katharine Hamilton, Breitbart)

From the article -- More than 20 Republican attorneys general are calling on the Trump administration to reinstate safety regulations around mifepristone, the first drug used in a two-drug medication abortion regimen. 

The attorneys general, led by Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, sent a letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), pointing to the agency’s removal of “important safeguards” around mifepristone under the Obama and Biden administrations, along with a new study suggesting abortion pill complications are 22 times higher than previously reported. 

“Recent comprehensive studies of the real-world effects of the chemical abortion drug mifepristone report that serious adverse events occur 22 times more often than stated on the drug’s label, while the drug is less than half as effective as claimed. These facts directly contradict the drug’s primary marketing message of ‘safe’ and ‘effective,'” the letter reads, citing a study from the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC).  

The EPPC study found that 10.93 percent of women who had mifepristone abortions experienced severe complications including sepsis, infection, hemorrhaging, or another serious adverse event within 45 days following the abortion. This percentage is significantly higher than the less than 0.5 percent in clinical trials reported on the FDA-approved drug label. The study is the “largest-known study of the abortion pill,” according to the authors, Ethics and Public Policy Center President Ryan T. Anderson and Director of Data Analysis and Fellow Jamie Bryan Hall. 

* Related article: “Shocking Data Suggests Abortion Pill Complications 22 Times Higher Than Previously Reported: ‘FDA Must Reinstate Stronger Safeguards’” (Katharine Hamilton, Breitbart)

* Related article: “Study: 84% of Mail-Order Abortion Pills Sent to Pro-Life States” (Joshua Arnold, Wahington Stand)

3) “Academia’s Most Lucrative Con: Turning common sense into career gold.” (John Mac Ghlionn, American Spectator)

From the article -- Morioka joins academia’s proud tradition of repackaging obvious truths as revolutionary discoveries. The formula is straightforward: mix common sense with a hefty dose of impressive-sounding drivel, publish papers, secure funding. Rinse, then repeat. (RELATED: Why Are People Fleeing Highly Educated States?) Psychology leads this intellectual fraud. “Positive psychology” researchers spent decades proving that optimistic people feel happier and — brace yourself — tend to function better socially. Millions in research grants confirmed what people with a functioning brain and bumper stickers already knew. “Resilience research” took it a step further, discovering that people who bounce back from adversity… tend to bounce back from adversity.

Educational psychology has turned the obvious into a cottage industry. Academics publish peer-reviewed studies confirming that students learn better when teachers explain things clearly and don’t yell at them. Additional research reveals that kids respond better to encouragement than nonstop criticism, and that engaged students tend to do better than the ones staring at the clock, counting the minutes until lunch. Each “finding” is filled with jargon-heavy abstracts and overly long methodology sections, simply stating what every non-degenerate already knows instinctively. 

4) “Smithsonian’s American History Museum Is Wall-To-Wall Anti-American Propaganda” (Breccan F. Thies, Federalist)

From the article -- Like the national parks, the Smithsonian is part of America’s cultural inheritance. But because of its academic and historical nature, the institution, established by an act of Congress that was signed by President James K. Polk in 1846, has always been in a precarious situation where dishonest and destructive actors who have deep disdain for the United States might take over its stewardship.

That appears to be what has happened, particularly under the Biden administration, as museum halls are adorned with gay “pride” flags and exhibits are filled with pseudo-history or history that is framed dishonestly — seemingly in an attempt to degrade the American experience.

That is a far cry from the Smithsonian Institution’s mission: to be “an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men,” as initial patron James Smithson (after whom the institution is named) said in 1826 when willing his estate ultimately to the United States. Smithson’s donation would over time become the world’s “largest museum, research, and education complex,” boasting 21 museums, a zoo and conservation biology institute, and nine research facilities.

To that end, Trump administration officials — including Lindsey Halligan, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Associate Staff Secretary, Domestic Policy Council Director Vince Haley, and Office of Management and Budget director Russell Vought — wrote a Tuesday letter to Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III initiating an internal review of the Smithsonian’s exhibitions and materials.

5) “Illinois Mandates ‘Mental Health’ Testing For All Students; Experts Warn It Will Lead To ‘Mass Medicalization Of Children’” (Alex Newman, Harbinger's Daily)

From the article -- One major goal is to “normalize” so-called “mental health care” for children and adolescents, explained Democrat State Senator Laura Fine, the chief sponsor of the bill. “The screenings will be designed to catch the early signs of anxiety, depression or trauma before it becomes a crisis or, in some cases, sometimes too late,” she said.

While Illinois is the first state to do it with SB 1560, Big Pharma lobbyists hoping to profit from drugging children are working overtime to get similar schemes passed in other jurisdictions. Even some Republican-run state governments are moving in that direction. And with pharmaceutical interests pouring money into political campaigns, the clock is ticking.  

Other recommended reads for this weekend:

* “Google Busted Sending GOP Fundraiser Emails Directly To Spam” (Tyler Durden, Zero Hedge)

* “The Worst Humanitarian Crisis in the World Is Flying Under the Radar. “We have sent hundreds of billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars in foreign assistance into the coffers of criminal regimes responsible for manufacturing the crisis.” (Andrew Gondy, American Spectator)

* “Hard Reality for the Right Wing: Immigration surges, birth rates plunge, and the West faces a choice: revive family life or watch its culture dissolve into demographic decline.” (Edward Ring, American Greatness)

* “The media's Ponzi scheme of lies: Al Jazeera is the Islamists’ principal weapon in the war of information to destroy Israel and the west.” (Melanie Phillips, Substack)

* “You sound like ChatGPT: AI isn’t just impacting how we write — it’s changing how we speak and interact with others. And there’s only more to come.” (Sara Parker, The Verge)

* “The EU ‘Elites’, Part I: Corruption and Foreign Influence Operations” (Robert Williams, Gatestone Institute)

August's "When Swing Was King" Show Is (Once Again!) A Winner!

It is a busy and blessing-filled week for the “When Swing Was King” part of our ministry with 7 of this month’s 12 shows being presented this week. But we don’t want to be stingy on those blessings. Therefore, we post the August “When Swing Was King” songlist below as a teaser that might encourage you to drop into one of our shows this week or next. We would love to have you...as would the residents of the senior facilities where our shows have won so many hearts over the years. 

Here's what’s playing -- accompanied, of course, by about 240 remarkable photographs from the same years. It makes for a profoundly enjoyable and moving “sentimental journey.”

1) Glenn Miller Orchestra: “String of Pearls” (1942) 

2) The Andrews Sisters: “Begin the Beguine” (1945)

3) Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra: “Can’t We Be Friends?” (1935)

4) Andy Williams: “The Days of Wine and Roses” (1963)

 5) Eydie Gorme: “Hello Young Lovers” (1959)

6) Nat King Cole (Backed by the Billy May Orchestra): “Let’s Face the Music and Dance” (1964) 

7) Connie Francis: “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool” (1960)

8) Perry Como (With the Mitchell Ayres Orchestra and Chorus): “Patricia” (1950)

9) Benny Goodman Orchestra: “Here’s Love In Your Eyes” (1936)

10) Robert Goulet: “Gigi” (1962) 

11) Guy Lombardo Orchestra (Kenny Gardner, vocals): “Getting to Know You” (1951)

12) Fred Astaire (With the Johnny Green Orchestra): “The Way You Look Tonight” (1936)

The Top 5 Plus (August 9)

1) “The Reveal: The Public is Finally Learning How Democrats Pulled Off the Greatest Political Trick in History” (Jonathan Turley)

From the article -- This week, Washington was rocked by new releases in the declassification of material related to the origins of the Russian investigation. The material shows further evidence of a secret plan by the Clinton campaign to use the FBI and media to spread a false claim that Donald Trump was a Russian asset. With this material, the public is finally seeing how officials and reporters set into motion what may be the greatest hoax ever perpetrated in American politics. There never was a Russian collusion conspiracy. This is the emerging story of the real Russian conspiracy to manufacture a false narrative that succeeded in devouring much of the first term of the Trump Administration.

What is emerging in these documents is a political illusion carefully constructed by government officials and a willing media. The brilliance of the trick was getting reporters to buy into the illusion; to own it like members of an audience called to the stage by an illusionist.

The effort closely followed the three steps of the classic magic trick: The Pledge, The Turn, and The Prestige...

2) “Your Lying Eyes” (Steve Huntley, John Kass Column)

From the article -- Don’t believe your lying eyes. That pretty much sums up the progressive approach to reality when someone points out an inconvenient truth. One of the most glaring examples came, you’ll recall, courtesy of CNN — the infamous video of a correspondent standing in front of an arson fire reporting on “fiery but mostly peaceful protests” during the 2020 George Floyd riots. This phrase, “mostly peaceful protests,” would be repeated time and again during the wave of murder, arson, assaults on police and destruction of private and government property during the chaos of lawbreaking in those sorry days. Protests are peaceful, or they’re not, our lying eyes tell us.

3) “Kennedy’s move against mRNA vaccines is a massive blow to Big Pharma” (Daniel Jupp, TCW)

From the article -- Make American Healthy Again (MAHA) ‘true believers’ cover a range of people who were dissidents against covid authoritarianism, and in many ways represent an even more fractious, vocal and contrary bunch than MAGA online influencers do. With MAHA we have older elements of New Age and Hippie rebellion against ‘Western’ medicine, a slice of former Democrat voting youth, former Bernie followers, romantic Camelot types, natural health advocates, food industry critics and leftist-anarchist opponents of corporate greed, all mixed in with libertarians, some genuine conspiracy theorists and some merely labelled as such, and a bunch of outsider medical professionals and people within the healthcare, medical, food and drug industries who oppose the main narratives of their colleagues.

So, to say the least, an eclectic crowd who are difficult to keep happy when reality intrudes on boundless idealism. It was perhaps inevitable that some of these people would be watching MAHA developments within the second Trump term and start being critical of Kennedy for ‘not delivering’ or for ‘not doing enough’. The record, though, suggests that these people are wrong.

An excellent related article: “More official confirmation that covid-only deaths were vanishingly few.” (Norman Fenton, Kathy Gray and Martin Neil, TCW)

4) “Europe Is Being Gaslit About Freedom of Speech: Eurocrats and politicians are desperately trying to convince us that there is no censorship crisis.” (Lauren Smith, European Conservative)

From the article -- We can all see that free speech is under threat in Europe. It feels like every week, a new horrific story about someone getting thrown in jail for having the “wrong” opinion goes viral. To the rest of the world, the continent has become a laughing stock. Americans in particular watch with horror as EU states punish their populations for criticising governments or posting rude words on the internet. Elon Musk, owner of social-media platform X, often draws global attention to these cases, to such an extent that even the U.S. government has expressed alarm and concern that European citizens are in danger of totalitarian-style speech restrictions.

So why do our elites keep pretending none of this is happening? When asked about Musk and his criticisms of Europe at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos this January, then German chancellor Olaf Scholz had this to say: “We have freedom of speech in Europe. And in Germany, everyone can say what he wants, even if he is a billionaire … What we do not accept is if this is supporting extreme right positions.”

This was a display of an almost impressive lack of self-awareness. For starters, Scholz’s statement is inherently a contradiction. Speech cannot be free if it is only protected for some people. Censoring anyone, even if they support “extreme right positions,” is still a violation of that most fundamental right.

5) “CEO Of IVF Eugenics Company ‘Orchid’ Claims Culling Embryos Is A ‘Positive Moral Choice’” (Jordan Boyd, Federalist)

From the article -- Mere weeks after the corporate media lost their minds over a playful “great genes jeans” ad, in vitro fertilization (IVF) connoisseur and Orchid CEO Noor Siddiqui used an interview with the New York Times’ Ross Douthat to argue that only humans with certain genes, those deemed acceptable, should get a chance at life outside of the womb.

Siddiqui concluded that using her technology to rank embryonic life based on their predisposition to roughly 1,200 diseases and conditions is good for potential parents and maybe even good for society. On the contrary, Orchid’s mission and Siddiqui’s description of it fall fatally short of moral muster. Siddiqui kicked off the conversation by claiming that Orchid “gives parents the power to protect their children before pregnancy begins.” The reality of her genetic testing, which costs $2,500 per embryo, however, is that it pits frozen siblings against each other in a battle to be born. 

An excellent related article: “Seeking a Better Answer to Infertility” (Chuck Donovan, Washington Stand)

Other recommended reads for this weekend:

* “The Sin of Calling Something a Sin” (Reid Fitzsimons, American Thinker)

* “Islamic State Beheads Christians, Burns Churches in Mozambique Rampage” (John Hayward, Breitbart)

* “Man Who Severely Beat Elderly Pro-Life Activists Avoids Prison” (Hailey Gomez, Daily Caller)

* “Police Arrest Two Parents For Small-Town Tragedy. If We Let It Go, There’s No Going Back” (Mary Rooke, Daily Caller)

* “Pastor Jack Hobbs Warns Parents: If Democrats Pass AB 495, 'This Is It. Pack Up, Grab Your Kids, Leave California” (Victoria Taft, PJ Media)

* “The dam is breaking on Britain’s illegal immigration crisis...and the results could be ugly” (Glenn H. Reynolds, New York Post)

* “Trump Takes on Big Science: Critics who claim that the president is politicizing the National Science Foundation ignore its long history of funding left-wing research.” (Heather Mac Donald, City Journal)

* “Australia: land of sun, surf and pregnant men: Sall Grover’s fight for women-only spaces has exposed the utter insanity of the pro-trans establishment.” (Jo Bartosch, spiked!)

Letter-Party Update (With Examples!)

A couple of days ago, the Vital Signs Ministries quarterly letter-writing parties were held at our home with 7 letter-writers in attendance at both the morning and evening editions. And beyond those present, there are a couple more concerned Christians who will be using our information to write letters themselves in the next few days. (And we sure hope you might join them Just let us know and we will send you the target sheet and the appropriate address list.)

Our targets this time around? Here’s the prepared list:

1)) To the President, Cabinet members, Senators, and Congress: Abortion Pill...F.A.C.E. Act... Persecution of Christians...Confirming Trump’s nominees...   Pursuit & prosecutions regarding RussiaGate...Getting out of the United Nations...Border policies...Lawlessness...etc.

2) To the President, Cabinet members, Senators, and Congress: “Attaboy” messages: thanks, encouragement, prayer reminders (and reminders of unfinished business)

3) To friends, pro-life heroes, Christian ministries, and others: “Attaboy” messages: thanks, encouragement, prayer reminders

4) To the Nebraska Attorney General: Opposing abortion pills, the effect of abortion pill “shield laws,” lawlessness, and 7-OH (“gas station heroin”)

5) To the Texas Governor: Appreciation and encouragement for redistricting actions

6) To Disney/ABC and Steve Harvey: Protest of Celebrity Family Feud

7) To Chip & Joanna Gaines: Protesting their promotion of same-sex “marriage”

8) To Fox News: Enough of the establishment media and “bikini body” stories

9) To companies retreating from DEI & LGBTQ foolishness: Good move (so far)

10) To Congress, Nebraska AG: “Gas Station Heroin”

And how about a few sample letters from our efforts? Here you go...

Dear Mr. President,

Thank you, President Trump for all the ways you are making America great again! However, I do want you to pursue further and faster getting rid of the FACE Act and stopping the distribution of the deadly abortion pill. In our ministry we are working hard every day to help moms and their babies and seniors who have been discarded by our society; we are asking you to please help us in that enormous but oh-so-critical mission. Thank you, Mr. President. CH

Dear Secretary Kennedy,

Thank you very much for opening an investigation into abortion pills. Unlike medicines which help diagnose, cure, or prevent disease, these pills kill innocent babies as well as endangering the lives and damaging the health of the mothers. Please continue to lead a thorough investigation to uncover and reveal the truth about abortion pills. As a Christian, I thank God for and pray for you. Thank you for seeing if the pills can at least be regulated if not banned. Thank you very much. Sincerely, IS

To Nate Grasz and the team at Nebraska Family Alliance who are continuing to fight the good fight,

Thank you is not adequate but, nevertheless, thank you for all you are doing to stand for righteousness in these days. God sees you as you honor Him. Thank you for continuing to seek Him for wisdom and discernment. He will continue before you, guide, and strengthen you as you serve Him. Thanks to His work through you, great things are happening in Nebraska. With love and respect. MR

Dear Tractor Supply,

I am so pleased that you changed your unfair DEI policies and got back to hiring people who are best at what they do. We have a Tractor Supply store near us and I will enjoy ending our boycott and going back to shopping there. Thanks again. Good move! CH

To Director Gabbard,

I want to thank you for your hard work in declassifying documents that demonstrate the high crimes that have been committed by our intelligence agencies against the American people and against President Trump. This is incredibly important work that you are doing and we can but imagine the fierce headwinds that oppose you -- spiritual and natural. I want you to know that I am very grateful and I pray for you regularly that you would have divine strategy and courage and guidance. I also pray that God will guard your heart soul and body. Regards, JM

Dear Disney/ABC,

Okay, so I do not watch your channels. Well, not since the days of Fess Parker portraying Davy Crockett anyway. And I suppose I still feel a bit disappointed because my sleeveless shirt didn’t fit the dress code of Disneyland back in 1968. However, it is now on grounds of morality that I will be speaking to family, friends, and fellow church members about the debased nature of your programs in recent years. I have cautioned folks before, but this most recent travesty was really over-the-top. I’m referring to the episode of Celebrity Family Feud in which profane innuendos were exchanged between the supposedly Christian host Steve Harvey and an all-transgender team who were trying to win money for prostitutes! Good grief! When I first heard of this, I figured it was some kind of spoof, something cooked up by SNL or the Babylon Bee. But alas, I discovered it was all too true.

And so, I will be encouraging my friends to drop ABC, drop Disney, drop any plans they might have had for your amusement parks and merchandise, and to pass the word along to others. Please reverse course. You have already shamed Mickey and Minnie and Goofy and all the rest by your bizarre actions, so please stop it. And reverse course. DH

Dear President Trump, 

I want to thank you for your tireless efforts in the many areas that you are trying to build back America, including fighting against the satanic influences that are staining and endangering our country. We pray for you and your entire cabinet that God will bless your efforts. I especially applaud your support of Israel since they are the most obvious indicator that God is in control of history and that His plan (as shown in the Bible) is heading towards its ultimate climax. God bless you and your family. Ephesians 2:8-9 JL

To the John Deere Company, 

This letter is to express my appreciation for your company’s decision to retreat from the DEI and LGBTQ foolishness you had been following. Your changed position will certainly prove to convince consumers that supporting your company once again is a good thing -- and it will result in financial success for your company as well. Thanks again. Respectfully, MW

Dear Secretary Hegseth,

Thank you very much for defending the United States. Especially thank you for supporting Israel, stopping Iran, and containing Russia. I’m a Christian and a Republican...and I pray for you and others in the government. Please continue to support a strong stand for our ally Israel and defend them against their enemies. Please also do what it takes to stop Putin in Ukraine. Thank you for stopping so many extreme terrorists and, in doing so, making the United States and the world a safer place. Sincerely, IS

Dear Vice-President Vance,

Thanks for your bold, inspirational leadership. You are providing our nation -- and the world -- the kind of honest, courageous, and relevant service we have so long needed. Stay the course!

A few of the issues that most concern me? Much stricter regulation of the abortion pill... the repeal of the FACE act...the diligent pursuit of lawbreakers including the lying schemers behind RussiaGate...the complete and permanent defunding of the mega-abortion corporation, Planned Parenthood...serving as the best advocate of persecuted Christians (both here and abroad)...and getting a real grip on the lawlessness that so sadly marks our nation nowadays. Thank you for your attention to these matters. DH

Dear AG Mike Hilgers,

I’m writing to express my concern over the sale of “gas station heroin” (7-hydroxymitragynine, aka 7-OH) in some retail outlets in our state. The incredible risks to our youth need to be addressed quickly. Thank you. JL 

PS: I am also very opposed to abortion pills and their distribution in the state. What can be done about that?

Governor Pillen,

I have recently become aware of a new opioid threat to our community. 7-OH,  a derivative of the kratom plant which is reportedly 13 times as potent as morphine! This product is sold and marketed to children in the form of candy flavored gummies. I’ve asked Attorney General Hilgers and want to ask you as well -- is there anything we can do about this product? The thought of our young people being harmed by this is just too much. I hope we can do something...and soon! Regards, JM

Texas Governor Greg Abbott,

Thanks for your strong leadership for conservative values and the rule of law in your state. It is so refreshing to have governors stand up to the whiny, America-belittling, America-blaming Democrats. Keep it up! We are praying for you. CH

Dear Mr. Lindstrom,

As citizens from the district you represented well when in the Nebraska Unicameral, we are very interested in your candidacy for Nebraska’s 2nd District in the U.S. Congress. However, we were disappointed that we were unable to find anywhere on your website a strong and clear statement regarding your pro-life position. Did we miss something? Or perhaps, are you missing something; namely, the chance to underscore your pro-life positions which we know would attract and energize the pro-life organizations, churches, and communities which will be necessary for your successful candidacy? Sincerely, DH

The Stories You Tell, the Story You Live

“You know, Denny, my friends and I don’t do this at all. I mean, we never tell stories like you and Dad do. The closest we come to anything like it is to recall some scene in a movie or describe something that happened in a NFL game. We don’t tell stories about stuff that happens to us, you know, that have us actually doing anything. And tonight, listening to you and Dad again, it made me realize that I don’t really have many stories to tell.”

Denny talks about storytelling -- and story living -- in the August letter from Vital Signs Ministries right here.

The Latest Mountain Adventure

We enjoyed a couple of wonderful days in Colorado and even the travel days to get there and back were very pleasant and engaging. The climax of the trip was our annual attempt to summit a 14er and that was a resounding victory for our dear friends Ryan Garvey, and Matt Troutman and his 17-year old son, Luke. They conquered Mt. Sherman in real style. Congratulations, guys!

Alas, Mt. Sherman conquered me this time around! My 74-year old legs got me quite away into the climb (13,510 feet) but, unlike last year, I couldn’t overcome the last mile or so of steep, rugged ascent. Thus, the series of 14er climbs that began on my 65th birthday may well have ended. True, that’s no small accomplishment but the primary challenge now, whether I end up closing the chapter at 7 successful summits or not, is to find new inspiration and resolve to stay in as “fighting trim” as possible.

However, notwithstanding my submission to the heights of Mt. Sherman this time, our Colorado experience produced many extraordinary blessings and I am very grateful to God for each one of them. 

Stimulating conversations with Ron and Linda Scheffler and with Matt, Luke, and Ryan... God’s deliverance when an engine alert light on our rented Jeep Grand Cherokee providentially “went away”... Staying at a secluded, spacious, and beautiful house in Dillon for a very reasonable price... Meals out at the Mave in Fort Morgan, the Driftwood in Ogallala, and such traditional mountain town haunts as the Haywood Cafe in Keystone and the Empire Grill in Breckenridge... A lovely hike from Frisco to Rainbow Lake... Coffee and conversations and prayers throughout our stay...And a daring, 90-minute mountain drive through the dark from our house to the Sherman trailhead.

More than that? Yep! There were the grand panoramic views, the smell of the pines, the quaking aspens, the gurgling streams, the high altitude breezes, the refreshing mountain rains, the grey fox we spotted on the sidewalk of Breckenridge in the predawn hours, the gelato and London fogs alongside the Blue River in Breckenridge, the tour of the historic buildings in Frisco, and the engaging talks on the way back to Omaha about theology, music, race, books, and our personal quests for spiritual wholeness.

And let me mention one more time, the conquest of Mt. Sherman by Luke and Matt and Ryan! It was, for so many reasons, a terrific trip. Thank you, Lord.

The Top 5 Plus (August 2)

1) “‘Starvation’ In Gaza Is A Blatant Lie, One That The Media Is All Too Willing To Deceitfully Promote” (Olivier Melnick, Harbinger's Daily)

From the article -- There are thousands of pallets of food supplies inside Gaza. They are literally rotting in the sun, halted by Hamas, which wants to control distribution. They [Hamas] will go as far as to hurt their own people who get near the supplies, but of course, the culprit is Israel! Incidentally, if you do an internet search for photos using the words “pallets of food in Gaza”, you get pages of photos with people looking hungry, sick, and emaciated, desperately seeking food, but no photos of the thousands of pallets unless you choose to dig deeper into articles, and most people won’t. Are we being redirected towards propaganda and away from the facts? This would make Josef Goebbels very proud!

This is not meant to dismiss the crisis in Gaza, but why is it that the photos used by the media to “prove” that there is a total famine within the Palestinian population of Gaza are only photos of young children? Is it possible that it is done that way because children will make people feel more sorry about the situation? There are indeed many children in Gaza, but they are not starving, on the contrary, they have food supplies. Why isn’t the media reporting this instead?

Important related article: “Crumbling Lies And The Antisemitic Delusion Grabbing Hold Of Western Leaders” (Amir Tsarfati, Harbinger's Daily)

2) “Covid Lockdowns Devastated an Entire Generation of Children” (Ian Miller, Brownstone Institute)

From the article -- In what we now understand were completely theatrical attempts to control the Covid-19 pandemic, experts demanded and politicians mandated all sorts of intrusive policies. Mask mandates were one of the most obvious. School closures. Lockdowns. Curfews. Capacity limits. Fear campaigns. The list is and was endless. And unfortunately the public willingly complied with all of them.

On and on they went, for years in some cases. But in their discussions of those useless policies, one thing they always, without fail, ignored was the ancillary cost.

Sure, you can mandate masks, but what does are the effects for those who are forced to wear them? What does it cost in terms of lost social cohesion, normalizing anti-social behavior? What are the trade-offs that result from closing schools, from forcing businesses to shut down, or locking down society?

Important related article: “The latest news from the Covid jab front” (Rushbabe 49, Calling All Rushbabes)

3) “Your Salvation Is Sealed” (Denny Hartford, Vital Signs Blog)

From the article -- Believing the gospel of salvation results in many supernatural and ongoing effects in a person’s life.  And one of the most glorious and comforting is the truth the apostle Paul describes in the verse quoted above; namely, that the Christian is sealed with the Holy Spirit to guarantee the ultimate redemption he will receive in heaven.  You see, the New Testament explains that when a person places his trust in Jesus Who died on the cross to pay the penalty of mankind’s sins, that sinner is forgiven – completely and forever. 

And that salvation comes with three effects...

4) “Secular Mythology: The Scopes Monkey Trial” (Ben Voth, American Thinker)

From the article -- In the popular telling of secular fundamentalists today, the Scopes trial, while scoring a victory for Tennessee’s laws against teaching evolution, ultimately betrayed the archaic thinking of Christian “fundamentalists” and their inherently backward ways. Darrow, the ACLU, and the larger intellectual ethos of evolution represent the greater and truer future of America. Bryan’s feeble defense of faith is a reminder to those who are astute and sophisticated that we must be eternally vigilant in the defense of the First Amendment’s assurance of ‘separation of church and state.’ These treasured tropes anchor the 21st-century defense of secularism and form the rhetorical contest of culture wars today regarding sexuality and so much more.

Important related article: “100 Years Later: How The Scopes Trial Resulted In Generations Of Judicially Imposed Public Secularism” (Darrell White, Harbinger's Daily)

5) “Pointing To Anti-American Ideologies And The Evils Of Globalism, Trump Admin Says ‘Enough’ To UN ‘Education’ Agency” (Alex Newman, Harbinger’s Daily)

From the article -- The most important tool of the United Nations agenda for globalism, the UN “education” agency known as UNESCO, just received a major black eye from the Trump administration this week as the U.S. government announced its withdrawal. Globalists everywhere are howling. And UNESCO’s leadership is fuming.

But much more work remains if Americans are going to free themselves and their children from the dangerous influence of the communists, New Age occultists, population-control zealots and other evildoers running the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Indeed, its influence is felt in classrooms across America and worldwide.

And UNESCO is boasting that despite the withdrawal, it intends to continue working with other “partners” in America. These “partners” include state and local education agencies, textbook publishers, “EdTech” purveyors, institutions of “higher learning,” and much more. The group also said the U.S. government will be welcome back again when ready.  

Other recommended reads for this weekend

* “Bugs Bunny at 85: Bugs Reflected the Culture, Politics of the Times” (Hans von Spakovsky, Daily Signal)

* “Friendships Matter: The Concerning Rise in Male Loneliness” (Katelyn Rafferty, Washington Stand)

* “Bombshell Study Reveals Real Reason Behind Surge in Homelessness, and It’s Not What the Dems Tell You” (Bob Hoge, Red State)

* "We Were Commanded [by Allah] to Kill You': The Persecution of Christians, June 2025" (Raymond Ibrahim, Gatestone Institute)

* “UK’s Authoritarian ‘Online Safety Act’ Debuts to Raving Mad Reviews” (Beege Welborn, Hot Air)