The Top 5 Plus (January 3)

1) Looking to make better sense of 2025...and a clearer look at what might transpire for 2026? Here in The Top 5’s Number 1 slot this week is a compilation of articles dealing with these questions:

* “We Are The ‘Convergence Generation’ -- Top Ten Bible Prophecy Stories Of 2025” (Jan Markell, Harbinger’s Daily)

* “Heroes and Zeroes of 2025: Martyrdom, moral clarity, and the unmasking of the American Left.” (Lou Aguilar, American Spectator)

* “Winners And Losers Of The Year” (The Federalist Staff)

* “This Past Year Was Pretty Great. Here’s a Wish List for 2026: Political sanity was restored to the nation’s capital...and may it continue in 2026.” (Josh Hammer, American Spectator) 

* “A Cynic’s Ruminations on 2026: Revival or ruin?” (Greg Maresca, American Spectator)

2) “East to West” (Eve Barlow, Blacklisted)

From the article -- This morning, Zohran Mamdani became the first Mayor in America to be sworn in using a Quran. Unity is not our strength; it is our noose.

Mamdani’s first executive order was to repeal the globally accepted IHRA definition of antisemitism. His second executive order was to legalize the boycotting and sanctioning of Israeli businesses, rendering New York City a legitimate BDS zone. During his first 24 hours in office, Mamdani has already potentially broken the law. As he inherited the official Twitter account for the Mayor of New York, his team proceeded to erase Mayor Adams’ tweets, specifically every tweet about the protection of Jewish people in New York City, following the rise in antisemitism. New York is the second largest home to Jews in the world, second to Israel. Not only that, but the Jews of New York are the most targeted minority group in the city. Jews were the target of 54% of all hate crimes in New York City in 2024.

Why would the guy who is interested in “what’s best for New Yorkers” want to disappear 13% of the city’s populace as his first priority?

So on day one, Mamdani made his mark clearly, and yes we told you so. Well done New York. You voted in a real life Nazi. National Socialist salute to boot. Or do we just accuse white men like Elon Musk of that?

Related article: “Sorry, Zohran, We're Kind of Done With The ‘Warmth of Collectivism.’” (Sasha Stone)

3) “A Christian nation?” (Laurence Cooper, Power Line)

From the article -- To be sure, the history of American Christianity has very largely been a history of moderation and respect, not only toward those who belong to different denominations but even to non-Christians and nonbelievers. Religious liberty has not been much contested. But might that history of moderation and respect not owe something to the fact that America has never defined itself as a Christian polity?

If the Founders had declared the United States a Christian polity, or had they appealed to Christian Scripture or doctrine as the ground and justification of the new republic, they would effectively have invited sectarian disputation to serve as the most authoritative political discourse. Even if all agreed as to how the Founders understood Christian Scripture and doctrine, that would not bind subsequent generations to accept the Founders’ reading.

The founding principles of the United States were developed and gained widespread adherence among a population that was almost entirely composed of Christians. But to understand these principles and live by them does not require one to venture into Scripture or theology. Even if dedication to these principles depends upon a certain religiosity among citizens—and even if the only religion that could adequately promote that dedication in the United States is Christianity—even then we would not need, and would not be wise, to understand America as a Christian nation, not as the phrase is apt to be heard and understood.

4) “The downplaying of momentous events in Iran. The terrible fact is that conscience in the West has become harnessed to absolute evil.”  (Melanie Phillips, JNS)

From the article -- Maybe this revolt will fizzle out under ferocious reprisals, as all previous ones have done. But maybe, this time it will succeed in toppling the regime; it’s the closest the people have ever come to doing so.  If they succeed, this would have a seismic impact far beyond Iran. It would transform and reshape global politics immeasurably for the better by removing a malevolent force devoted to the annihilation of Israel, the destruction of America and the conquest of the West.

The protests are therefore of immense significance. Yet astonishingly, the West has been all but silent. There have been no demonstrations in its streets chanting “Free, free Iran!” or “Death, death to the IRGC!” For most of the week, the mainstream media simply ignored these tumultuous developments. When some reports were finally cranked out, they were minimal and seriously downplayed what was happening.

The Trump administration and Israeli government have expressed support for the protesters. But from the governments of the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, which have consistently sniped at Israel over its battle to neutralize Iran’s genocidal agenda, there’s been a conspicuous silence.

One might think these governments would be desperate to see the back of the world’s most lethal terrorist regime. Israel has taken another step against it by recognizing the independence of Somaliland. This puts the Jewish state into a far better position to deal with the Houthis in Yemen, through whom Iran launders its war against Israel and the West.

5) “2025 Proved That The Next War Will Start With a Click -- In 2025, war didn’t arrive with tanks or missiles, it arrived by email, exploiting fear, stealing billions, and proving that America’s digital defenses are now a core measure of national strength.” (Julio Rivera, American Greatness)

From the article -- As 2025 comes to a close, Americans can take a breath. The economy is stabilizing. Borders are finally being enforced. Foreign adversaries are once again being reminded—without apology—that American strength still matters. President Trump has done what many in the permanent political class insisted could not be done: restore a sense of direction, leverage, and consequence to governance.

But while Washington focused on walls, tariffs, and treaties, another war expanded quietly beneath our feet. It didn’t involve tanks or troops. There were no cable-news countdowns or presidential addresses. It unfolded silently, invisibly, and relentlessly—through emails, servers, smartphones, and cloud infrastructure. And most Americans never saw it coming.

Cybersecurity stopped being a technical issue in 2025 and became a psychological one.

The most effective cyberattacks of the past year didn’t rely on elite hacking skills or exotic malware. They relied on fear. One of the most widespread scams circulating this year centered around claims that a user’s search requests and webcam footage were accessed and then leveraged as part of an extortion email. It didn’t prove anything. It didn’t need to. It simply accused, threatened, and demanded payment. And thousands of Americans complied, not because the claim was true, but because panic works faster than logic.

That was the lesson of 2025. Cybercrime isn’t just about breaking systems anymore. It’s about breaking people.

Other excellent articles from the week:

* “It’s Not Just Minnesota. The Vast Majority Of Daycare Is A Scam” (Joy Pullmann, Federalist)

* “Assisted Suicide Comes to the American Heartland” (Chuck Donovan, Washington Stand)

* “Guardians of Truth Must Counter the Lies of the Mainstream Media” (Yoe Suarez, Washington Stand)

* “Attempting To Usurp Sovereignty Over Death: Cryonics, Euthanasia, And The Oldest Lie” (Sarah Holliday, Harbinger’s Daily)

* “In 2025, anti-Semitism went apocalyptic: The West’s porous borders, cultural cowardice and irrational hatred of Israel have seriously endangered Jews.” (Brendan O'Neill, spiked!)

Want To Do Better In Your New Year's Resolutions?

Have you made your New Year's resolutions yet?

Yes, I know that many Christians ignore the whole idea. In fact, some are downright grinchy about it, believing that making resolutions is more about reliance on one's own willpower than on God's grace to effect change in their lives. Many more, however, dismiss the idea simply because they've failed so many times in the past. They decide they're actually better off by staying the way they are, playing around with the same excuses, and trying to keep themselves comfortably distant from higher aspirations.

But here's the deal -- making resolutions isn't optional for the Christian. Not at all. Think for just a moment about the Scripture's frequent use of exhortational verbs like "dedicate," "reckon," "establish," "consider," "purpose," "consecrate," "prove," "remember," "put aside," and many more. All refer to the prayerful making (and keeping) of spiritual resolutions.

You just can't avoid it...not if you want to live in accordance with the Word.

It may help for you to dispense with the idea of New Year's resolutions and instead see careful, purposeful changes in your life as Christmas gifts to Jesus. That's what Claire and I try to do. And it's been a great reminder to us that God is a God of wondrous and inexhaustible grace. Through the cross of Jesus, He is always ready to forgive sin and failure. And He is also ready to empower His disciples to begin again and again.

Note also that the Latin word behind resolution means to untie. And an awful lot of our obstacles to spiritual growth involve un-tying the knots of bad thinking and bad habits. To untie these knots, we need patience and other virtues given by the Holy Spirit. We need better information which means more frequent and more effective Bible study. We need to make sure we're praying hard as well as trying hard. We also need a heavenly perspective, one that sees our honest resolutions and efforts as investments in eternity. 

And finally, the successful achievement of our prayerful resolutions is greatly helped by authentic Christian fellowship, the kind that provides rich supplies of encouragement, accountability and assistance.

Resolutions are not our enemies. But we need to envision the benefits of spiritual growth (liberation, peace, joy, greater effectiveness in ministry, etc.) in order to more willingly embrace the work involved to get there.

The Top 5 Plus (December 27)

There were so many exceptionally enlightening articles this week (especially on the critical topics of the persecution of the Church and the rising wave of anti-Semitism throughout the world) that I share links beyond the normal number this morning. And, yes, they’re all well worth the read. 

1) “When the Churches Go Silent at Christmas. Why Christianity endures while Europe locks its church doors.” (Lou Aguilar, American Spectator)

From the article -- This godless philosophy has destroyed Western Europe. The Christian faith that built its civilization and sustained it through a thousand years of darkness has been abandoned, hollowed. Consequently, the two forces Europe soundly defeated -- Islam and Marxism -- are now conquering it with little resistance, enabled by the nations’ leaders.

All over the continent, charming Yuletide traditions are being canceled for fear of Muslim-induced violence. In Germany, for instance, the beloved Christmas markets, the Weihnachtsmärkte, were scrubbed this year. Evil feeds on fear, and removing a spiritual counter to it only hastens its advance.

Related articles regarding the persecution of Christians: “Politico Frames European Christmas Celebrations as ‘Far-Right Spectacle’” (Olivia Rondeau, Breitbart)... “This Christmas was even harder for China's Christians (Christian Shepherd & Huiyee Chiew, Jewish World Review)... “‘The Victims Are Sold in Catalogs Like Property’ -- The Persecution of Christians, October 2025” (Raymond Ibrahim, Gatestone Institute)...“CCP Conducts Mass Arrests of Christians Days before Christmas” (S.A. McCarthy, Washington Stand)...“Christian Almost Murdered Twice By Islamists Finds Home In Canada For Christmas” (Casey Chalk, Federalist)...“‘Too White and Male’ -- Woke Museum Issues Guide to ‘Decolonising’ Father Christmas” (Simon Kent, Breitbart)

2) “Cheers for Ben Shapiro” (Editors, National Review)

From the article -- Ben Shapiro did the conservative movement a service last week by giving two speeches that were deliberate acts of provocation. First, at the Heritage Foundation, he argued that a political movement, like a nation, needs borders. He illustrated the point with reference to the Heritage Foundation mission statement, which supports free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense.

He then compared those principles with the beliefs of Tucker Carlson, with whom Heritage President Kevin Roberts has been in ideological sympathy, up to and including initially defending Carlson’s interview with Nick Fuentes (before backpedaling). Shapiro persuasively argued that by Heritage’s own standards Carlson — who expresses routine contempt for markets, who launders Russian propaganda, who sees the advantages of sharia law, and who gives sympathetic interviews to white nationalists, Churchill-hating World War II revisionists, and proud misogynists accused of rape — is no longer a conservative.

We assume that Roberts won’t be inviting Shapiro back any time soon, but his talk was received warmly by the audience at the Heritage Foundation.

A couple of days later, Shapiro spoke at TPUSA’s AmFest conference. He addressed the rank pandering to audience, widespread conspiracy-theorizing, and cowardly unwillingness to call out lunacy on the right that has infected the right-wing influencer space. Here, Shapiro focused on the absolutely cracked theories promoted by Candace Owens about the Charlie Kirk assassination; these rancid, obsessive musings, which would set off alarms bells for any psychiatrist if spouted by a patient, have significantly shaped the debate on the right about Kirk’s assassination.

True to form, Owens responded to Shapiro’s speech with an anti-Jewish rant.

Related articles: “What, Exactly, Does the Right Stand For? The American Right must relearn judgment and stop confusing tolerance with moral abdication.” (Josh Hammer, American Spectator)...“For JD Vance, Free Speech Only Means His Friends Can’t Be Criticized” (David Harsanyi, Jewish World Review)...“American conservatism and ‘the Jewish Question’ -- The silence of mainstream conservatives over the antisemitism in their midst is lethal for the Republicans and America.” (Melanie Phillips, Jewish News Service)...“Few on the ‘Far Right’ Turn Against the Jews” (Pierre Rehov, Gatestone Institute)...The Return of the Jewish Question (David Azerrad, Compact)...“Jewish state will always stand with Christians, Netanyahu says on Christmas Eve -- Netanyahu noted that the Jewish state is the only country in the region where Christians continue to live ‘with full rights and in total freedom.’” (Jewish News Service staff)

3) “The Religion of the Strong Horse: The world’s major religions need a better answer to Islam.” (Daniel Greenfield, Trajectories)

From the article -- Conversions to Islam rose sharply after major Islamic terrorist attacks from 9/11 to Oct 7. This runs counter to everything we would like to believe about religion and morality, but it’s reality.

Bin Laden’s ‘Strong Horse’ wasn’t about who would win a military campaign between America and Al Qaeda, as some foreign policy experts insisted on arguing in major publications, it was about who would win the religious and cultural war between Islam and the West. Terrorist attacks were battles for the ‘hearts and minds’ of the rest of the world. 9/11 and other attacks would show the world the religious superiority of Islam by showing it was the ‘Strong Horse’.

America and its allies wasted decades trying to win the ‘hearts and minds’ of Muslims from Afghanistan to Iraq to Gaza with billions in aid and democratic elections. The West welcomed mass Muslim migration to show how generous and tolerant we were. And no matter what we did, Muslim terrorist attacks became a regular feature of our lives because we insisted that being the liberal ‘Weak Horse’ made us morally superior to the men relentlessly killing us.

A generation later, more Americans are converting to Islam and joining the ‘Strong Horse’ than Muslims are converting to the democracy and liberalism of the ‘Weak Horse’. Secularism is on the decline in the Muslim world while Hamas and Hezbollah banners are waved on Ivy League campuses. Osama bin Laden had said that the “deeds” of the 9/11 hijackers had “overshadowed all other speeches made everywhere else in the world.” Terrorism is how Islam speaks and its message is that its followers believe so strongly that Islam is the only acceptable way of life that they are willing to die and kill to force everyone else to believe it too.

Related article: “Iran Opens New Front in Its War Against the U.S...But not the way you think.” (Robert Spencer, Front Page Magazine)

4) “‘We Don't Dispute’ It: Georgia 315k Vote Bombshell Blows a Big Hole in 2020’s ‘Most Secure Election’ Lie” (Rusty Weiss, Red State) 

From the article -- David Cross, a local election integrity activist, made that allegation. He filed a formal challenge with the Georgia State Election Board in March 2022, alleging that Fulton County illegally counted around 315,000 early votes in the 2020 election without required poll worker signatures on tabulator tapes. He spoke at the hearing, telling the state election board of the irregularities he discovered.

“These signed tapes are the sole legal certification that the reported totals are authentic,” Cross said. “Fulton County produced zero signed tabulator tapes in early voting.”

“These are not clerical errors. They are catastrophic breaks in chain of custody and certification,” he continued.

“Because no tape was ever legally certified, Fulton County had no lawful authority to certify its advanced voting results to the secretary of state. Yet it did,” Cross added. “And Secretary Raffensperger accepted and folded those uncertified numbers into Georgia’s official total without questioning them. This is not partisan. This is statutory. This is the law."

"When the law demands three signatures on tabulator tapes and the county fails to follow the rules, those 315,000 votes are, by definition, uncertified.”

315,000 uncertified votes sure seem like a significant issue. For years after the 2020 election, we were told any questioning of the results in the "most secure election in history" was tantamount to a clear and present threat to democracy itself. 

Related article: “The Fulton County 2020 Election Bombshell: A case study in how a deeply unpopular political party manages to win elections.” (David Catron, American Spectator)

5) “Policy Decisions, Immigration, And Greed Drive America’s Poverty Industry” (Allan J. Feifer, American Thinker)

From the article -- Thus, a Wall Street Journal article from last week completely upends the idea that we have many poor people in this country. Yes, I know that the idea is preposterous, yet it appears to be true. Did you know that welfare programs are not counted as income?

In the essay, Phil Gramm & John Early write that federal welfare spending now totals $1.4 trillion. If divided evenly among the 19.8 million families the government classifies as poor, each would receive more than $70,000 a year—yet none of these benefits are counted as income for eligibility or poverty measurement.

Even accounting for the “skim” (the money the government and NGOs rake in off the top), it’s a staggering number. It is impossible to reconcile the $1.4 trillion with what Democrats and the media maintain is a system that “neglects” the poor.

What this suggests is that everything we’re being told about the poor is a lie, or at least being called poor and not having money are separate things. How can we reconcile such foundational issues as “one in seven children go to bed hungry” with the reality that suggests strongly that there is little to no correlation between being poor and hungry and an unjust economic system? In fact, the contrary appears to be true.

Democrat and socialist politics depend on making Americans feel guilty. What if we all woke up one day and realized that the greatest scam of all was the underlying lie that not ‘paying your fair share’ meant you were not paying sufficient graft? In other words, our poverty complex isn’t about helping poor people. It’s about helping criminals (obviously aided by bureaucrats) enrich themselves with taxpayer funds by pretending to help poor people.

Other Excellent Articles from This Week?

Although I regularly scan the news and commentary found at Breitbart, Power Line, Fox News, Lucianne, American Spectator, Federalist, and so on, I am this week highlighting once again the value I regularly find in Harbinger’s Daily by selecting all 5 of this week’s Plus articles from that truly excellent (and almost unique) source:

* “Though Many Try, The Church Cannot Erase The Ongoing Importance Of Israel” (Amir Tsarfati, Harbinger’s Daily)

* “Celebrating Sin And Warping God’s Design: Progressive Church Blesses ‘Marriage’ Of Four Men” (Ken Ham, Harbinger’s Daily)

* “This Christmas, Bow Your Heart And Knee Before The King Of Kings” (Franklin Graham, Harbinger’s Daily)

* “Provoked To Anger Or Forever Changed: The Gospel Is For Everyone. Tell It Boldly” (Will Graham, Harbinger’s Daily)

* The Jesus Of Bible Prophecy: Christ Is No Longer A Little Baby Or Suffering Servant” (Nathan Jones, Harbinger’s Daily)

Some Suggestions for Christmas Inspiration

Looking for a bit of cheer and inspiration for now and for the 12 Days of Christmas coming up?

Why not check out the novel "The Christmas Room" and these 2 short stories, "Christmas on the Freedom Train" and "The Winter in the Woods."  You can find them here. 

Also, there's the intriguing (and free) compilation, "Making the Most of Christmas" which you can find on the Vital Signs Ministries website right here. There you'll find 43 pages with poems, quizzes, recommendations for reading and movies, devotionals, a link to free downloads of Patrick Osborne’s exquisite Winter Night CD, and more. Happy Christmas!

And finally, there's the 1/2 hour audio file of my reading of "The Christmas of the Talking Animals." That's right here.

Happy Christmas!

December's Goin' Just Fine!

With last Friday’s shows at Newport and Brookstone Meadows, Claire and I finished off an absolutely fantastic “When Swing Was King” Christmas season. And, in doing so, we tied a record -- 17 shows in all! Our presentations 2 two senior centers in Branson, 1 up in Tekemah, 1 at New Cassel, 1 “home show,” a special Saturday WSWK Brunch at our house, and then our regular schedule of 11 senior facilities. And, along the way, we enjoyed even more heartwarming conversations than usual with residents, family members, and facility staff. It was really tremendous. Thank You, Lord! 

And yet as beautiful and plentiful as were our “When Swing Was King” moments, there were many, many more highlights of the Christmas season in which we have been blessed beyond measure. Among those highlights -- listening to Andy Williams Christmas music while parked alongside Table Rock Lake outside of Branson with snow softly falling around us...Baking and decorating cookies and handing them out to friends and neighbors...In-person visits with my cousins and Claire’s brother besides our Tuesday Zoom conversations with my siblings...Profoundly Christmassy church services at Aksarben Village Senior Living...Giving away a lot of signed copies of The Christmas Room...Coffees and meals out with friends...Claire’s making our home a gorgeous Christmas atmosphere for reading, for music, for entertaining, for writing letters and cards, for living!...Cleaning snow off the drive and walks (our neighbor’s too)...Prayers and singing Christmas carols with fellow pro-life champions in front of the Planned Parenthood abortion business...And hosting (so far) a Brunch event and 3 dinner parties...with 7 more evening dinner parties and 1 big Christmas Day dinner to go! (That Christmas Day, by the way, will find 11 of us squeezed in here with a large and creative menu to meet our guests’ varied dietary restrictions based on health and/or religious background. (We have 4 internationals attending.)

So, you can see, because of these wonderful opportunities yet before us (and because we celebrate all 12 days of Christmas plus 12th Night and Epiphany, there remain for us plenty of Christmas blessings to come! Bring ‘em on!

The Top 5 Plus (December 20)

1) “IVF Embryo Destruction Surpasses Abortion As The Leading Cause Of Death In The United States” (Ken Ham, Harbinger’s Daily)

From the article -- But, according to an analysis of new data from the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART), abortion is no longer the leading cause of death because the number of deaths of embryos as part of the typical IVF (in vitro fertilization) process now tops the staggering number of lives lost to abortion.

As more and more couples tragically struggle with infertility, the demand for IVF has increased. Reportedly, “in 2023, there were 432,641 IVF cycles at 371 reporting clinics, but only 95,860 babies were born.” When the numbers are broken down, this means in just one year, “an estimated 1,946,884 embryos did not survive to be implanted, and another 1,759,664 were either frozen, destroyed, donated to research, or released for embryo adoption.”

That’s a staggering number of babies, many of whom were intentionally destroyed. (Yes, embryos are persons. Everything that made you “you,” a person made in the image of God, was present right from fertilization—nothing new was added. And, of course, a human embryo can’t be anything but . . . a human! “Embryo” just refers to a specific developmental milestone in a person’s life.) But why are so many destroyed?

Well, as these breakdowns from the companies themselves show, IVF cycles create a large number of embryos, and these “embryos [are] graded and labeled during testing, and those not deemed healthy enough [are] automatically destroyed.” It’s eugenics—filtering out and destroying those deemed “not good enough” to be born.

2) “Hanukkah Terror Has Roots in Australia’s Alienation of Jews: Canberra Once Aligned with the United States on Middle East Issues, Including Israel, but Prime Minister Albanese Has Hewn a Different Path” (Danielle Pletka, Middle East Forum)

From the article -- Here’s the problem: Albanese and his Foreign Minister Penny Wong have done their utmost in the twenty-six months since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel to signal their uninterest in the well-being of Jewish communities, in Israel, Australia, and beyond. Like their political counterparts in Europe and the United States, Laborites in Australia have turned on Israel and Zionists everywhere. And like the fringes of the left in the United States, Spain, England, Canada, and France, they have gone further, aligning themselves with Israel’s enemies.

The surfacing of Jew-hatred in Australia has been notable, even by international standards. Aussie Jews, like much of the world’s Jewish communities, believed the pieties about “never again,” but were rudely awakened when a post-October 7, pro-Palestinian march in Sydney began chanting, “Gas the Jews.” A synagogue was firebombed in Melbourne. The leader of one of Australia’s most prominent Jewish organizations had his former home vandalized and burned in Sydney. Two Sydney nurses were caught on video threatening to kill Jews. Universities have, as in the United States, worked assiduously to isolate Jewish students.

The difference between Australia and, say, the United States, is that the government has played a significant role in the alienation of Jews. As a president of Harvard University might say, it’s all about the context. And under Albanese, the context has been a growing hostility to the State of Israel and its supporters. Australia recently repatriated its own “ISIS brides,” and has welcomed pro-Hamas activists, yet banned supporters of Israel, including former Israeli government ministers.

Related articles: “Bondi Was Not a Surprise: The massacre at Bondi Beach was shocking, but after years of denial and equivocation about antisemitism, it was inevitable.” (Jack Pinczewski, Quillette)...“Australia's Government: ‘Moral Bankruptcy on Parade’” (Nils A. Haug, Gatestone Institute)

3) “Trump’s Marijuana Executive Order Is Woefully Half-Baked” (Auguste Meyrat, Federalist)

From the article -- Trump should rethink his support for weed. Increasing the normalization and legalization of pot will only introduce more problems to a nation that has enough to worry about. The health risks of marijuana are legion: studies have found increased risk of heart attack, stroke, schizophrenia, suicidal ideation, and depression. “THC, marijuana’s psychoactive ingredient, soaks into the brain and binds to receptors that are involved in executive function, decision-making, coordination, memory and emotion. Teenage brains are especially vulnerable to the drug’s ill effects and have shown changes on medical imaging that are linked to impaired decision-making and psychosis,” The Wall Street Journal reports.

Marijuana is also a gateway drug. According to a study on this topic, “A large proportion [almost half] of individuals who use cannabis go on to use other illegal drugs.” If a person can justify regularly smoking a joint to relax and escape his problems, he can easily do the same with other substances, especially if his reasoning capacity has been damaged. Marijuana use has fueled our homelessness crisis too.

Even if one tries to liken the unhealthy effects of pot to those of alcohol, this does not somehow make it okay to commercialize it, especially when newer strands of cannabis are over ten times more potent than 50 years ago. The latest executive order ensures ever more ways for people to waste their money, ruin their health, and become permanently dumber.

Related article: “Trump Reschedules Marijuana amid Intense Controversy” (Dan Hart, Washington Stand)...“Rescheduling Marijuana Is the Wrong Call: Trump’s move sacrifices public decency to big business.” (City Journal, Patrick T. Brown)...“Has the war on drugs succeeded? The real problem is far worse.” (Tony Perkins, Christian Post)

4) “The Legalization Of Euthanasia: Illinois And New York Embrace The Culture of Death” (David Closson, Harbinger’s Daily)

From the article -- In both Illinois and New York, lawmakers have emphasized the safeguards built into their physician-assisted suicide laws. Each bill limits “medical aid in dying” to adults with terminal diagnoses. Yet even The New York Times, in its coverage of New York’s proposal, acknowledged that other countries with similar laws have significantly broadened them over time.

Canada offers a striking example. When it first legalized “medical assistance in dying” (MAID) in 2016, eligibility was limited to those with terminal conditions. But in 2021, the law was amended so that a patient’s death no longer needed to be “reasonably foreseeable.” The results were predictable: in 2023, 15,300 Canadians died by assisted suicide, accounting for 4.7% of all deaths nationwide. And in 2027, Canada is scheduled to expand eligibility even further to include individuals “suffering solely from a mental illness.”

The Netherlands also offers a cautionary example of how physician-assisted suicide laws can expand over time. In 2002, it became the first nation to formally legalize euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. Under the original law, adults experiencing unbearable suffering with no prospect of improvement were eligible, and minors ages 12-16 could also request euthanasia with parental consent. Although children under 12 were not included in the law, a 2004 medical protocol (the Groningen Protocol) created guidelines under which physicians could end the lives of infants with severe, untreatable conditions without facing prosecution.

Over time, Dutch practice also broadened to include patients whose suffering is primarily psychiatric, and courts affirmed that mental illness can meet the legal standard of “unbearable suffering.” In 2020, the Dutch Supreme Court ruled that euthanasia may be performed on patients with advanced dementia based on a previously written advance directive, even if the patient can no longer express a current wish to die. In 2023, the government announced plans to expand euthanasia eligibility to include terminally ill children between the ages of 1 and 12.

In short, lawmakers in Illinois and New York will champion their new laws and defend them by pointing to the safeguards they have put in place. But history shows that such guardrails rarely hold.

5) “Stop Giving Liberals Tax Money: Conservatives can’t save the country by funding their enemies -- defunding the Department of Education would return billions to taxpayers, cut grift, and let education compete.” (Josiah Lippincott, American Greatness)

From the article -- You might say I’m a utopian dreamer for suggesting that the government not seize money from hardworking, decent people (Republicans) in order to give those funds to profligate losers and communists (Democrats). But indulge me for a moment. Let’s zero in on just one source of left-wing slush fund money: the Department of Education. What would happen if we slashed its budget to zero? Start with the numbers: according to the US Treasury, in FY2024, the federal Department of Education spent $268 billion. That amounts to almost 1% of the United States’ annual economic output.

That’s a lot of dough; it is crucial to remember that it all had to come from somewhere. Before these resources could be distributed to leftist clients, they had to be produced by people with jobs, businesses, and investments.

It is likewise important to remember that the producers who created those resources by transforming raw materials into usable goods with their labor and problem-solving ability did not do so because they wanted to fund the Department of Education. If they had, then they wouldn’t have had to be taxed in order to provide these funds to the state. Producers produce, workers work, and creators create because they want to benefit themselves. Human beings choose to labor because they think the fruits of their labor will be good for themselves. Men reap because they want to sow.

If Americans labored because they loved the Department of Education and its spending, then they would freely donate their funds to the federal government to spend on school programs. Since they have to be taxed, under penalty of law, to provide these funds, we can say with certainty that the vast majority of taxpayers would not fund the Department of Education with their own money if they were given a real, non-coerced choice.

Other important articles from the week:

* “Can the Dark Ages Return?” (Victor Davis Hanson, Blade of Perseus)

* “Nigeria Is a Quiet Test of Trump’s ‘America First’ Foreign Policy: A test we can ill afford to fail.” (Duggan Flanakin, American Spectator)

* “Contrary To The New York Times, Homeschooling Is Still A Much Better Alternative To Public Schools” (Nathanael Blake, Federalist)

* “A 21st Century Trojan Horse” (Jean Garton, NRL)

* “As Europe Steps Back, Asia Steps Up” (Mike Watson, Washington Free Beacon)

The Top 5 Plus (December 13)

1) “Lawlessness Ablaze” (Denny Hartford, Vital Signs Blog)

From the article -- It is an all too obvious and very tragic truth that our world is absolutely ablaze in lawlessness. Absolutely, out of control ablaze. Nevertheless, there remain Christians who stick their head in comfortable sand and try to ignore the flames, while other believers naively downplay the extraordinary degrees of rebellion, blasphemy, and bloodshed of our time, insisting that modern society’s lawlessness is no worse than previous eras in history. The facts are terribly clear, however, that the ever-escalating levels of lawlessness which Holy Scripture reveals as an alarming signal of the end times can be seen daily all around us. 

And the evidence of this lawlessness ablaze is not merely shown in the actions of the primary lawless deeds themselves, but also in the gross inefficiency, indifference, even enablement of our broken judicial system. Indeed, rather than acting as firemen dousing the flames, our modern politics, courts and prosecution policies actually aid and abet the arsonists. For instance, members of my generation can recall days when there were appropriate (and swift) penalties for crimes. But now? Justice is drowned in a complicated, corrupted sea of reduced charges, plea bargains, low (even cashless) bail, early parole and probation policies, laughable “community service” options, and so on. It wasn’t that long ago that “three strike” laws and extended punishment guarantees for gun crimes would put career criminals away for life. But today’s policies excuse and coddle thugs, quickly putting them back on the street to rob, rape, and murder again. Capital punishment even for such crimes as murder, rape, kidnapping, and treason? Forget about it...

And what then of the Christian’s attitude and action in this eschatological crisis? Here are a few of the responses I think are the most important...

2) “The Muslim Long Game: From Syria To Europe And America, Islam’s Global Strategy Is On Full Display” (Amir Tsarfati, Harbinger’s Daily)

From the article -- Al-Sharaa’s soft takeover is indicative of Islam’s global strategy. The clearest sign of this is in Europe where Muslim violence is blending with the vicious nature of the radical left to steal the peace of the continent. Pope Leo XIV criticized Catholics last week who feel threatened by the mass immigration of Muslims to Europe, but I’m not sure what he’s looking at. During this Christmas season, Europe has become a target-rich environment. Just this past week, in Brussels, Muslims crashed a Christmas market and stole and decapitated a figurine of Jesus.

In Milan and many other cities throughout Europe, Islamists and leftists have climbed statues and blasted music at the peaceful gatherings of people just wanting to celebrate the season.

In Paris, an Algerian woman working as a nanny tried to poison the Jewish family she was working for by putting household chemicals in their food. About 200 miles southwest of Paris in Nantes, Muslims and far-left activists attempted to destroy a Catholic bookstore, claiming it was fascist for selling the Bible, Christian books, and statues of Jesus and Mary. But, again, the Pope says you shouldn’t feel threatened by that, so who are you going to believe, the Pope or your own lying eyes?

Many Europeans are fed up and want to get rid of the invaders, including seven out of ten Danes who are now supporting remigration of any immigrant who commits a crime. Unfortunately, Danish policies have made their bed already, and now they have to lie in it.

But it’s not just Europe. It’s global. Even as Khalid Al Hail, president of Qatar’s opposition party made it clear that “Qatar will never allow Hamas to give up its weapons”, FBI director Kash Patel signed two MOUs (memorandums of understanding) with the Gulf nation’s Ministry of Interior to expand bilateral security cooperation in training, intelligence sharing, and capacity-building.

Related articles: “Islam’s Trojan Horse is inside the gates” (Troy Carico, 1819 News)...”Hollow Sanctuaries: When Churches Become Mosques” (Kevin Cohen, American Spectator)...”Austria Bans Head Scarves in Schools For Girls Under 14-Years-Old” (Oliver JJ Lane, Breitbart)

3) “Stopping the Bloodshed: Testimony of Tony Perkins before U.S. House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa” (Washington Stand)

From the article -- Although the RSF and SAF are in conflict with each other, they have a common enemy in Christians, whom they do not see as fitting their Islamic vision for Sudan. Churches have been targeted by both the RSF and SAF. Christians have been denied food aid and told, “Unless you leave your Christianity, no food for you.” They, along with all the other people of Sudan caught in the crossfire, are the true victims here.

Regional actors are exacerbating this conflict. While the United Arab Emirates’ support of the RSF is in the news, other nations have their hands in Sudan as well to wield influence (Egypt, for example, is the primary backer of the SAF) and extract resources. Iran, Egypt, and Turkey have supplied drones to the SAF. Russia initially backed the RSF in exchange for access to gold, but then switched sides. Just a few weeks ago, it was reported that the Sudanese government offered Russia its first naval base in Africa in Port Sudan.

The ongoing refugee crisis, along with internal displacement and mass starvation, remain significant challenges. Nearly 12 million people are internally displaced, and over four million people have left the country. According to the UN Refugee Agency, many of these refugees have gone to Chad, Egypt, and South Sudan. Chad and South Sudan now face food shortages themselves and do not have the infrastructure to sustain the inflow of people. The Nuba Mountains area, in particular, is in need of more aid that is free from the interference of the RSF and SAF.

With more than 150,000 people dead from the past few years of conflict, and with the death toll only continuing to rise, we must take action.

4) “Cry the Beloved Europe? -- America warns Europe that only one of them is truly fighting to reverse the West’s decline -- and the clock is running out for the other to follow suit.” (Victor Davis Hanson, American Greatness)

From the article -- More than ten percent of Europe’s resident population is now foreign-born—some 45 million people. However, the European host, unlike a classless America, does not have a long tradition of melting-pot assimilation, integration, and acculturation. Unlike America’s mostly Christian-nation immigration patterns, European immigrants are predominantly from the Middle East and North Africa, Islamic, and increasingly anti-Western. Far too many of Europe’s immigrants profess too little desire to assimilate into what they consider a culturally decadent place—one that, ironically, they have no desire to leave.

The Christian Church, the linchpin of Western civilization, was born in Europe. Yet nowhere do atheism, agnosticism, and open hostility to Christendom grow stronger. Europe, the birthplace of a dynamic Western military tradition, has been, by contemporary standards and at least until recently, virtually disarmed and unable to protect its own borders or interests. Europe’s overregulation and war on fossil fuels, combined with a generous social welfare state, have resulted in too little revenue and too many costly dependents.

Americans dare to lecture Europe because the same Western pathologies—open borders, unassimilated immigrants, tribalism, declining fertility, green fanaticism, unsustainable budget deficits, and massive national debt—are likewise beginning to threaten America. But unlike Europe, millions of Americans at the eleventh hour are galvanizing to stop their own insidious downward spiral.

Other Europe-related articles: “Dr. Simon Goddek on the Reality in Europe Today” (Rush Babe 49, Calling All Rush Babes)...”Britain is a neurocracy: Our leaders are exasperated with the people they serve.” (Spaceman Spiff, Postcards from the Abyss)...”Chat Control: The EU’s Plan to Read Your Messages -- All of Them” (Drieu Godefridi, Gatestone Institute)...”Why Is Italy Killing Its Women? -- When a nation of beauty and civility starts legislating against barbarism, it’s admitting a cultural collision it can no longer ignore.” (John Mac Ghlionn, American Spectator)

5) “The Prophetic Significance Of Socialism’s Rise In America” (Mark Hitchcock, Harbinger’s Daily)

From the article -- We have witnessed a real turnaround in America, with people increasingly moving in the direction of socialist candidates. Let’s not forget that socialist Bernie Sanders almost won the Democratic presidential primary in 2020. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) is an avowed socialist who is steadily rising within the Democratic Party. Zohran Mamdani is a self-professed “proud Democratic socialist” who just won the mayoral race in New York City.

In the United States House of Representatives, Cory Bush, Greg Casar, and Rashida Tlaib are vocal socialists. Recently, Tennessee state representative Aftyn Bane, a Democrat who ran on a socialist platform, nearly won a seat in the US House of Representatives. She lost by only nine points in a district that went for President Trump by 22 points!

This dangerous ideology is literally being elected by the hundreds all across our nation in various offices at the federal, state, and local levels. Socialism is clearly on the rise, and there are no signs that it is stopping. In fact, every sign indicates it will continue to mushroom.

The rise of Socialism has profound implications for the future of our nation and, given the fact that America is the global leader, it also has ramifications for the entire globe. It’s nothing short of meteoric. However, beyond those concerns, the popularity of Socialism also has strong prophetic overtones that I believe will pave the way for the rise of the world’s final great tyrant: the antichrist.

5 other recommended articles from the week:

* “Socialized Medicine and its inevitable result. In Canada, woman offered ‘Medical Assistance in Dying’ in lieu of the surgery she needs.” (Rush Babe 49, Calling All Rush Babes)

* “The Manufactured Rise of Nick Fuentes: How artificial virality tricked the platforms -- and the press -- into elevating a fringe voice.” (Colin Wright, Reality's Last Stand)

* “Violent migrants are a far greater threat than the Russians” (Richard North, TCW)

* “Stop Recycling Plastic” (I & I Editorial Board)

* “Climate Activists Are Pricing Coloradans Out Of Heating Their Homes”  (Helen Raleigh, Federalist)