Dear President Trump...

 Dear President Trump,

I write as one who has enthusiastically promoted your ideas and agenda, defended you against foolish and mean-spirited criticism, and regularly prayed for God’s richest blessings on your life and family and leadership. 

However, I have become especially and increasingly disillusioned with two areas in your administration. 1) The fumbling away of the massive advantage you had won over Iran. Remarkably now, these arrogant, unrepentant terrorists who remain viciously anti-American and anti-Israel, are getting away with it! Getting away with mass murder, with jihadist intentions towards Israel, and with winning from the U.S. and other nations yet more millions of dollars as they profit from blackmail and violence. Why, oh why the hesitation, the second guessing, the gullibility, the hypocrisy? When your friends (Israel and the genuine conservatives in the Republican Party here) are alarmed and disappointed at your actions (or, in this case, the lack thereof), and your unprincipled enemies like Hillary Clinton are patting you on the back, something stinks very badly. 

Please, President Trump, get this thing over with!

And then 2) Your pro-life statements notwithstanding, sir, your administration’s ongoing promotion of abortifacient poisons is – quite -- literally killing millions of preborn kids and inflicting serious damage on the bodies and souls of thousands and thousands of moms. Please, Mr. President, stop the double-mindedness you’ve shown to date on this critically important issue and start today to truly protect human lives from the abortionists’ bloodthirsty designs.

Most sincerely,

Making Inauguration Day Personal

The vast majority of faithful American Christians have long wanted this day to dawn; that is, the inauguration of President Donald Trump. And many (no, not all) prayed earnestly and expended substantial effort to bring this hope to reality. We did so for two reasons. 

1) Because it meant an end to the shameful, sinister administration of Joe Biden and the malevolent minions who pulled his strings. After all, this a wicked administration had doubled down in the gleeful killing of preborn children; continually mocked God and attacked basic rights of Christians; invited (and generously enabled) foreign drug lords and sex traffickers to invade our communities; forced girls to shower with boys; lied daily to the American people while weaponizing government agencies to persecute those who fought back against those lies; playing the patsy to terrorist nations; celebrated (and again, enabled) sexual perversion; failed to intervene in the increasingly violent anti-Semitism that has swept American cities and college campuses; and so on.

And 2) The inauguration of President Trump means a critical new chance for the United States to reverse this evil, suicidal plunge into deeper decadence, lawlessness, and economic ruin. No, the new president is not a perfect example of leadership. Until the government is on the shoulders of Jesus, that will always be the case. Nevertheless. President Trump’s experience, convictions, specific proposals, and the team he has assembled around him are more than sufficient to give American Christians hope -- hope for a renewal in our nation of law and order, of a respect for God and for religious freedom, and a resurgence of our most noble ideals and principles.

And, by God’s authoritative power and enduring grace, He has brought this day to pass. May President Trump and his administration now make the very most of it. And may you and I pledge to continue in prayer for God’s purposes to be fully realized in and through these men and women.

But can this inauguration day perhaps also serve as an inauguration day for you and me as well? A day where the Lord invests us with a bold new purpose, enacted in practical ways? Of course! So, how about joining hands (as it were) and expressing to our Lord the following common prayer?

“Father, thank You for rescuing America and the world from the disaster of a Kamala Harris presidency. Thank you for being merciful to America in giving Donald Trump both a strong electoral and popular victory. Thank You for taking away control of the Congress and Senate from the party that loves abortion and giving it to the Republicans. But we entreat You now to guide these political officials, guard them, inspire them, oversee them, and move them to willingly serve Your righteous standards -- in their personal lives as well as their public responsibilities. Furthermore, we pray that You quickly bring those who do not know you as Savior to a thorough conversion of heart and faith.

“We pray especially that the new administration diligently pursues the priorities of justice, the sanctity of life, and religious freedom. And we ask that those who would seek to thwart Your purposes (wherever they be, whatever their ideologies or political labels) would find only failure and disappointment. Indeed, may their failure be a challenge to their souls, encouraging them to reconsider the empty meaning of their lives.

“We pray on this inauguration day for the peace of Israel and also for the spiritual awakening of all the people of the Middle East, Jew, Muslim, indifferent, or otherwise lost. Yea Lord, may people throughout the world realize early in 2025 that they are loved by the God who sent Jesus as a sacrifice for mankind’s sins. Lord, Your grace reached us when we were dead in our sins. We had nothing to offer you but our critical need of salvation. Therefore, we appeal to Your mercies as we ask our forever family of born-again saints increase and increase all the more in the coming year.

“And now to our own inauguration day. Father God, let us begin anew. Help us to see the urgency of stepping up our sanctification standards as we move into a new era of personal growth and Kingdom service. Help us, dear Lord Jesus, to pursue the exhortations of Ephesians 4: 22ff; namely, to rid ourselves of the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit and rather to be renewed in the spirit of our minds, putting on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.”

“And finally, let us learn with new understanding and zeal to make habitual the directives of Ephesians 6:10 ff. ‘Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having belted your waist with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having strapped on your feet the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. With every prayer and request, pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be alert with all perseverance and every request for all the saints.’”

My friends, it is Inauguration Day for President Donald Trump. Let’s make it an inauguration day for us as well!

After the Election -- Round 2 (Including My Top 10 Pro-Life Requests of the New Administration)

Yes, I posted a post-election review on November 8 (“After the Sigh of Relief: 7 Post-Election Observations”), but after reading more analyses from people I trust, talking matters over with friends, developing our priority prayer list oriented to our nation’s reclamation, and asking God for help in answering the always-relevant question, “How should we now live?”,  I have a few more observations. I share them in hopes they will add to a better understanding of these important matters -- and that they might help stimulate prayers, helpful conversations, social media items, and letters to appropriate individuals. So, in no particular order, here they are...

* Among the most striking “Why Trump Won” items is the Democrats so stridently, so cruelly demanding unlimited abortion. It was an electrified pole which they just couldn’t let go of. They knew they were appealing to a voting public that has become used to abortion over the last 50 years and they were confident they had a winning issue. They did not. In fact, the Democrats shrill, constant shrieking that the most important “right” a woman had, a “right” that actually defined her as a woman, was the freedom to kill her own child ended up turning people off. It sounded so ugly, selfish to the max, and cruel that even Democrat women were embarrassed. And that mean-spiritedness, that insistence on the preborn child having no value at all hurt the Democrats chances way, way more than it helped them.

* But, of course, that was only one of the radical positions the Democrats advocated that went against the ideas and feelings of the electorate. For instance, they were remarkably tone deaf to economic realities, touting the strength of the Biden/Harris economy even though American families knew all too well the debacle it actually was. And the national debt? That’s a big deal to voters, yet the Democrats dismissed its importance altogether, even making things terribly worse with such unpopular spending programs as transgender surgery for criminals, forgiving student loan debt, funding corruption and waste under the banner of the Ukraine war, and more.

* The Democrats were also heavily burdened by their pattern of unAmerican actions in recent years. Opening our borders to illegals. Indifference to violent crime. Playing the patsy to China and Iran and other nations. Making war on peaceful pro-lifers, on cars, on coal, on fracking, on grocery chains, on gas stoves, and on parents who wanted a say in their kids’ education. Aiding and abetting Israel’s enemies. A shrug of the shoulders tto riots in the streets and looting in our cities. Tolerance, even encouragement of rabid anti-Semitism on college campuses. Policies designed to divide the American people as they pushed hard for DEI and transgender demands. Openly siding with the defund the police movement. Criminalizing free speech. Establishing illegal partnerships with Big Tech in order to censor speech and better monopolize the flow of thought. Forcing the society to welcome men into women’s sports, locker rooms, and bathrooms. Daring to treat a large section of the populace as fascists, idiots, racists, and garbage. And lying...over and over.

* Did this election season show us that masculinity might be making a long overdue comeback? Just imagine what renewal our culture could experience if the manly virtues of courage, perseverance, honor, fortitude, sacrifice, wisdom, loyalty, and faith in God were to once again be encouraged, applauded, and carefully taught. Oh, my. Lord, please grace America with a reawakening of chivalry in all of its ideals. 

And one thing more -- there is nowhere that this masculinity comeback needs to
appear more than in our pastoral leadership. Enough wimpiness. Enough compromise. Enough timidity. Enough whining about tax exempt status. Enough of the silence on issues that almighty God cares for very, very much. 

Enough acting as if you’re being fair-minded by speaking such foolish fallacies as “I don’t care what political party you prefer, just vote your conscience.” This when you know full well that the Democrat Party stands proudly for unlimited killing of preborn boys and girls! Good grief, when Congress voted on a law that would require medical care being given to babies who survived an abortion attempt, not a single Democrat would support it! So, enough posturing and pampering and placating. 

Enough listening more to the snowflakes in your congregation than you are to the clear teachings of Holy Scripture. My dear brothers, it is time to call things by their right names and to do so with courage, conviction, and winsome clarity.

* The “establishment press” (I’m now using the term “Democrat Party press”) has long been in the tank for the far left. Even the semblance of fairness, accuracy, and decorum were tossed away in the years of the Obama and Biden presidencies. Therefore, thank the Lord, Americans are turning them off more than ever before, so much so that the bigwigs that run leftist strongholds like the L.A. Times and MSNBC are scrambling to change their ways...maybe. I believe it is still the safest, wisest course to agree with the maxim, “However much you hate the media, it is not enough!”

* Of course, the Deep State remains a source of Deep Trouble for the United States. But the arrogance, the Communist ideologies, and the crimes of the Deep State go way beyond the DOJ, CIA, IRS, and the Pentagon. You find them in the Department of the Interior, the Post Office, the National Endowment for the Arts, and oh-so-many other government run and government-funded agencies. Furthermore, let’s not neglect the Deep State purposes being pursued by the public sector unions, the universities and government school system, Big Business, Big Tech (Google, for instance, is as unfair, manipulating, and lying bunch of thugs as you’ll find anywhere), the socialist bullies who control the academic publications and museums and arts councils and foundations. Don’t think that the devil’s deeds in these places are any less heinous than the shenanigans undertaken by George Soros, Bill Gates, or the U.S. Attorney General. In all these matters, our prayers and advocacy for justice are as desperately important as ever before.

* Yes, it is official. The Democrat Party is the real party of the rich. The only demographic that Kamala Harris won was those making over $100,000 a year.

* Okay, let me get down to that Top 10 that I promised earlier; namely, the Top 10 Pro-life Priorities Claire and I are committing to pray for and actively advocate.

1) The defunding of Planned Parenthood.

2) The appointing of genuine pro-life people to places of high influence in the new administration and, of course, also in the judiciary.

3) The immediate release of all pro-life advocates who the Biden administration has thrown into federal prisons because they dared pray in front of an abortion mill. 

4) To reinstate the Mexico City policy and cut off all other funding to anti-life agencies and programs. 

5) To rescind all Biden administration orders and policies that seek to force radically immoral abortion/gender/sexuality/indoctrination practices on Americans.

6) To end the pollution of our nation’s water system from the dangerous chemicals contained in abortion pills. 

7) To use the power of the federal government to defend the sanctity of life rather than undermine, even criminalize, that noble purpose.

8) To actively enforce the Comstock Act, a law that governs how the Postal Service deals with the mailing of abortion poisons. 

9) To restore the real meaning of Title IX.

10) To do whatever possible to help build a culture of life in America -- a culture that applauds and encourages adoption, that protects freedom of religion and conscience from all attacks, that prohibits Big Tech from maintaining a monopoly on information, and that assists traditional values regarding sexual morality and healthy family life.

* The items above should be, of course, frequent targets for our fervent prayers. And they should be talked about, promoted on our social media, and taught in our churches. But for that last one, we will definitely require that renewal of masculinity in America’s pastoral leadership that I mentioned earlier -- a spiritual warrior commitment that moves our leaders to counteract the false teaching that daily washes over the American churchgoers. My friends, the Lord has given the Church yet another chance to start doing things His way, to stand and fight in the Spirit for His Word against the demonic doctrines that are poisoning American minds and numbing their consciences. We must teach the sanctity of all human life. We must counteract the lies of evolution. We must teach our youth the biblical principles of modesty, self-control, and sexual purity. We must minister more than ever to the least of these. And we must encourage our brothers and sisters to walk in holiness, remaining unstained by the world.

* Are there other issues that Christian citizens should be seriously concerned about? Certainly. Lawlessness and a terribly broken justice system. The national debt. The elimination of voter fraud and inefficiency. Religious freedom in our country as well as our nation as a prophetic, exemplary force against the persecution of Christians and Jews in other parts of the world. School choice. Decency in our institutions and public square. Border security. And more. 

The Election is Over. What's YOUR Next Step?

Here’s an idea for you. Copy the picture above (or some creation of your own) and print it off to make “congratulation cards” to the conservatives you supported in Tuesday’s elections. On the inside (or simply the back side if you go with a postcard format), tell them four things on which you want them to press “fast and furious” as soon as they take office. (Those items, of course, may well be different for the various offices your candidates won.)  And keep a copy of your card so you can refer to those priorities in your next communications.

Keep in mind, guys, it’s not enough to get these folks elected. Nor is it enough to applaud them (or ourselves) or feel satisfied and happy that they won out over their Democrat opponents. The job of governing with principle, efficiency, and wisdom is now at hand. Therefore, our prayers, encouragement, and perseverance to keep our political representatives accountable are more important than ever.

By the way, what are the priorities I’m asking them to make priorities? 

1) The de-funding of the mega-abortion business that is Planned Parenthood.

2) Increased military might in order to better protect America from her enemies.

3) Clean and efficient election procedures.

4) “Cleaning house” in the Deep State, with a special emphasis on considerably strengthening the rights of religion, speech, assembly, and conscience from government harassment.

So, what do you say? Send in your cards and letters today. We mobilized for their election. Let’s stay mobilized to insure these folks govern the way they promised.

"With Warm Greetings from Jerusalem"

Dear Mr. And Mrs. Hartford, and Friends,

On behalf of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, we thank you for your recent card. We derive tremendous strength from the unwavering support of our many Christian friends around the world, and appreciate your message of encouragement and prayers.

With warm greetings from Jerusalem,

Sincerely, Rena Riger
Diaspora Affairs Advisor to the Prime Minister

This thoughtful note came in response to one I had written to the Prime Minister on one of our Colorado scene cards at the last Vital Signs letter-writing party. (That message is printed below.) I post both of these as a reminder (and an exhortation) that letters DO have a positive effect and, therefore, should be taken as a ministry responsibility way more than they are.

They also serve as a reminder (and an exhortation) regarding the Christian's duty to pray for the peace of Israel...and to be a "gospel light" to all nations.

Dear Prime Minister Netanyahu,

Just a quick word of encouragement for you to remain steadfast as you do everything possible to defend Israel from her enemies. As an American, I sincerely apologize for the lack of support you have received from the United States in the years of the Biden administration. Indeed, this callous indifference to the needs of Israel has been one of the Biden administration’s most shameful failures. Our prayer is that Republican victories in November will greatly increase military and intelligence support for your nation. However, our frequent and fervent prayers are to a much higher source of help for Israel: namely, the Lord God Almighty Who holds Israel in the palm of His hand.

However, Mr. Prime Minister, with all this said, I urge you to not neglect the critically important moral dimension necessary for Israel’s ultimate success and well-being. As God called on His people in the Old Testament to repent from their religious apathy, their following other gods, their being consumed by self-interest and pride, He certainly is calling on Israel now to reject these same sins and to get zealous for such righteous practices as sexual purity, defending the sanctity of all human lives (including preborn boys and girls), and a serious contemplation of just Who it is in history Who offers forgiveness of sins through faith in His atoning death.

Praying daily for the peace and security of Israel…and for the hearts of your people to consider the all-gracious gift of Jesus.

A Letter-Party Wrap (Along with Sample Letters)

Yesterday Vital Signs Ministries hosted our quarterly letter-writing parties with the issues considered including sanctity of life, religious freedom, sexual and gender sanity, and a lot of thank-yous to those who well deserve them. Both parties proved a terrific success with 8 letter-writers at the brunch party (Sandy, Allen, Cindy, Dan, Ann, John, Claire and I) and 9 in the evening edition (Keith, Carol, Becky, Don, Sharon, Karla, Claire and I) And the total for the two parties? 85 cards and letters! Great job, guys!

Many of those letters dealt with the government’s giving $699 million to the mega-abortion profiteer Planned Parenthood, President Biden’s outrageous twisting of Title IX which will (among other stupid travesties) allow men into girl’s bathrooms and showers, the vicious attacks on Israel and the anti-Semitic demonstrations around the country, the pornographic actions of Instagram, and school choice. Below in this post you can find reprints of a few of those letters.  But first, here’s a breakdown by recipient: 

President Biden (4 letters); Kamala Harris (3); 3 Supreme Court Justices; Senator Deb Fischer (5); Senator Pete Ricketts (5); Senator Marco Rubio (1); Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (3); Congressman Don Bacon (7); Governor Jim Pillen (5); Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers (1); Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert (3); and 3 State Senators.

In addition: Israeli Ambassador Herzog (5); Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu (1); Food and Drug Administration (1); Instagram (1); College of the Ozarks (2); Hillsdale College (1); Scheel’s (3); the letters section of the Omaha World Herald (1); and 3 pastors.

Finally, among those receiving notes of thanks, encouragement, and compliments were Vital Signs Ministries colleagues who are dealing with tough trials (3); Assure Women’s Center (5); Amir Tsarfati (2); the Omaha Police Department (3); Eternal Perspective Ministries (2); and receiving cards signed by all of the letter-writers present…the Omaha Fire Department, Julie Arant, Alliance Defending Freedom, Samaritan’s Purse, Tim Tebow Foundation, Joni & Friends, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, and One for Israel. 

Okay, about those sample letters…

To the Public Pulse of the Omaha World Herald,

The latest annual report of Planned Parenthood is out and it reveals information that the abortion business certainly hopes the public will not learn about. For instance, that surgical abortions are at an all-time high (392, 715); revenue is at an all-time high ($2 billion with $699 million of that coming from taxpayers); hormone therapy, puberty blockers and other “gender care” dramatically increasing; and for every adoption referral Planned Parenthood makes, it performs 228 abortions. As they say, it’s your tax dollars at work.

Congressman Bacon,

Okay, President Biden and the Democrats rightly get the blame for some of America’s horrendous national sins. For instance, the twisting of Title IX to allow men into girls’ showers, or the mega-abortion profiteer Planned Parenthood getting an incredible third of its $2 billion revenue from the government. However, it is the Congress who controls the purse strings of the government! So why hasn’t the Republican-controlled House put a stop to these travesties? Because, like junior high kids who wilt at the possible displeasure of the “cool kids” clique, Republicans refuse to stand their ground before the criticism of Democrats and the establishment media. Were Republicans to actually do in Washington what they promise their constituencies back home, how much more moral and safe and efficient and happy our nation would be.

Dear Prime Minister Netanyahu,

We are just a few of Israel’s friends who are writing tonight with a quick word of thanks for your noble and courageous leadership and a reminder that the few of us are only a small slice of the many, many Americans who support Israel, who pray for her safety and prosperity, and who are urging our own leaders to be much more supportive of Israel in her battles against terrorism and anti-Semitism. As evangelical Christians, we have a loyal love for the nation of Israel and we will continue to pray for you.

To the Food and Drug Administration,

The FDA is supposed to watch out for the health and well-being of the people in this country. However, you are allowing unborn children to be destroyed by powerful abortion chemicals and, at the same time, you’re endangering the lives of untold numbers of women. How wicked! 

To the officials at Meta,

Why does Instagram and Facebook promote the sexualizing of children? You should be ashamed of the way your company promotes pornography and the abuse of women and children. Please reconsider how you can stop these horrific practices. Remember that God sees all that you are doing and one day you will be judged for these actions.

Dear Senator Rubio,

I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed reading your Decades of Decadence. What a terrific book -- enlightening, inspiring, and frequently infuriating! You did such an excellent job in your research and in the writing of the book. Way to go! But thank you, Senator, even more for the principled, energetic, winsome leadership you are providing in the United States Senate. Stay the course!

You are in our frequent prayers.

Dear President Biden,

I’m writing this morning with 10 specific complaints which I hope you will, with God’s grace granting you repentance and a brand new start, make right very soon. 

1) Please stop promoting the barbaric bloodshed perpetrated for profit by abortionists. 

2) Please stop lying and cheating and bribing.

3) Please stop trying to divide the American people along lines of race, religious convictions, ethnicity, gender, economic status, and political opinions.

4) Please stop placating wicked bullies like Iran and China. Indeed, please stop “weaponizing” government agencies to harass (even persecute) Christians and others who oppose your radical “woke” plans for America.

5) Please defend America’s borders. 

6) Please stop wasting American money on useless, counterproductive, and even blasphemous practices. 

7) Please stop your incessant actions to promote, assist, and fund perverted sexual practices and ideologies. 

8) Please free American industry and creativity so that we can once again be energy independent. 9) Please start protecting religious freedom and freedom of conscience. 

10) Please stop trying to destroy America’s most noble ideas and traditions.

You are in my prayers, Mr. President, as I ask God’s grace for you to make a dramatic change of heart and mind.

To the brave men and women of the Omaha Police Department,

We are having a letter-writing party tonight and, among the thank-yous we’re sending, is this one to you guys. Thank you for your sacrifice and skill, your compassion and bravery as you serve the people of our city. You are in our frequent prayers. 

Senator Fischer,

Please do whatever you can to defund the nation’s largest abortion business, Planned Parenthood. Also, whatever you can do to turn off the funds to Biden's vile re-definition of Title IX. Every woman in the Congress and Senate should be outraged by this move. Thanks for fighting!

To the fantastic team of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association,

We are in the middle of one of Vital Signs Ministries quarterly letter-writing parties tonight and, along with our letters of advocacy regarding sanctity of life, religious freedom, sexual and gender sanity, and so on, we also like to take time to send along a few thank-yous to saints who are doing a strong and beautiful work for the Lord Jesus. So...thank you! And may our Lord continue to bless and protect and purify and empower you all to glorify His name and secure His purposes. Stay the course, dear friends. Maranatha!

Dear Speaker Johnson,

I am very disappointed in the huge amount of aid that is just gone (once again!) to Ukraine without money being spent beforehand in securing our own borders. You broke your promise, Mr. Speaker, and it was a terrible disappointment to those of us who had such high hopes for your leadership. 

Dear Governor Pillen,

Thank you for standing firm on the life issue, school choice, and the integrity of women’s sports. There are so many areas in these culture battles where we need attentive and courageous “watchmen on the wall.” Thanks for fighting and not backing down. 

Dear Justice Thomas,

I wanted to let you know how much I appreciate you and your service. I have looked up to you all these years as you have stood so magnificently for truth and justice in our nation. You have been so unjustly attacked and yet you continue to stand firm. I know you also get your wisdom from above. Thank you for fighting for me; you are not fighting in vain! I thank God for you. 

To the College of the Ozarks,

Thank you so much for the great work you are doing for America’s youth and for the noble cause of American ideals that serve not only our nation, but the whole world. Please know we support you as you stand against the unjust, immoral schemes of President Biden to force the College to comply with his horrific twisting of Title IX. You are in our frequent prayers.

Dear Ambassador Herzog,

Just a quick word to say we stand with Israel in her noble and courageous defense against the forces of hatred and terrorism. Your nation’s leaders and her people are in our frequent and fervent prayers.

We apologize for the weak and inconsistent attitudes of the present American administration towards your nation. For we know how profound is the support for Israel by the majority of Americans -- support that continues despite the horrendous and viciously unfair coverage by the leftist media. Stay the course! And May God protect Israel.

The Top Five (April 15)

Okay, here's our second edition of The Top Five -- our five highest recommendations from the news and commentary covering the culture wars (and more) that I've read this past week. 

* An unspeakable atrocity: The pain is made so much worse by the pusillanimity of the west (Melanie Phillips)

* The Biden 10-Step Plan for Global Chaos: Our enemies do not fear us, our allies judge us unreliable, and neutrals assume America is in descent and too dangerous to join. (American Greatness, Victor Davis Hanson)

* America’s Censorship Regime Goes on Trial: Missouri v. Biden will test the government’s ability to suppress speech in the name of fighting ‘misinformation’ (Tablet, Jenin Younes)

* Trump Isn’t Only One Facing Double Standards of Justice (Daily Signal, Katrina Trinko)

* National Right to Life on the Fifth Circuit Court Decision on the Abortion Drug Mifepristone

And here's a video extra ---- A provocative video ad for the New Saint Andrews College (Lies lose all their power when the deceived become wise. New Saint Andrews College has taken a stand. We will not be torn away from our belief in beauty, goodness, and truth by the lies that are being told. Neither should you. Neither should your children.)

What a Catch!

Even an experienced angler like Bing Crosby would agree that this collection of news and commentary makes for a truly excellent catch. Plus, you wouldn't find any of these if you were fishing in the muddied waters of the mainstream media!

So, go ahead. Check 'em out.

* “Abortion chief: home abortions ‘safer than aspirin’” (SPUC)

* “Shame on the Silent Christian Leaders Who Refuse to Stand Against Government Tyranny” (Michael Brown, The Stream)

* “The student Left’s culture of intolerance is creating a new generation of conservatives” (Charlie Peters, Telegraph)

* “Resistance Has Nothing to Offer Conservatives” (David Harsanyi, National Review)

* “Former Planned Parenthood Abortion Clinic Director: ‘Planned Parenthood Treated Women Like Cattle’” (Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com)

* “The Media Bulls Have Met Their Matador in Trump” (Roger L. Simon, PJ Media)

* “The Silence of the Lambs” (About our disappointing Congress) (Ann Coulter)

* “The Kids Aren’t All Right: What the Gender-Identity Revolution Has in Common with 1960s’ Drug Culture” (Scott Beauchamp, Public Discourse)

* “Media Ignores Videos 33 Million Watched Catching Planned Parenthood Denying Prenatal Care, Ultrasounds” (Katie Yoder, LifeNews.com)

* “Haley’s Comet” (Editorial, New York Sun)

Obama Claims He's Made the World a Safer Place. Has He?

Bothered by the Dangerous Fog Created by Bad Media? Here's a Few Antidotes.

* “Disgraceful Democrats Depicts Police Officers as Pigs” (John Hinderaker, Power Line)

* “A Window Into a Depraved Culture: The Chicago torture video provides a close-up look at gang-centered criminal mayhem.” (Heather Mac Donald, City Journal)

* “University students demand philosophers such as Plato and Kant are removed from syllabus because they are white” (Camilla Turner, Telegraph)

* “MSNBC Host to Planned Parenthood: ‘These Airwaves Are Your Airwaves’” (Katie Yoder, MRC News Busters)

* “The Conquering Loser” (George Neumayr, American Spectator)

* “Record 95,102,000 Americans Not in Labor Force; Number Grew 18% Since Obama Took Office in 2009” (Susan Jones, CNS News)

* “Sessions Sailed Through, But Does It Matter?” (John Hinderaker, Power Line)

* “Hollywood’s Selective Bully Hatred -- Watch Meryl Streep and Friends Applaud a Child Rapist” (David French, NRO)

* “Obama’s Legacy Of Deceit” (Victor Davis Hanson, Defining Ideas)

* “Islamic guards try to boot guide for saying ‘Temple Mount’ on Temple Mount” (Ilan Ben Zion, Times of Israel)

Trusting Sawdust?

Instead of trusting the sawdust produced by the tired, irresponsible, and ridiculously biased old-guard-media (the TV networks, CNN, MSNBC, the New York Times, Time Magazine, the Washington Post, the Associated Press, and all the other newspapers, talk shows, and entertainment programs that rely upon them), why not find relevant and reliable sources of news and commentary like the ones in which these items appear?

* “5 Ways to Move from a Great Shaking in 2016 to a Great Awakening in 2017” (Michael Brown, Town Hall)

* “The UN Declares War on Judeo-Christian Civilization” (Giulio Meotti, Gatestone Institute)

* “Progressively Regressive Sexuality: A Return to Pagan Morality” (Eric Metaxas, Breakpoint)

* “The Ancient Foreign Policy” (Victor Davis Hanson, National Review)

* “Illinois Is a Failed State” (Keith Liscio, Observer)

* “Sorry, But Our Fight Against Liberal Fascism Has Only Just Begun” (Kurt Schlichter, Town Hall)

* “Under Obama, 10.7 Million More Use Food Stamps — A 32 Percent Jump” (Katherine Rodriguez, Breitbart)

* “Mother’s Little Helper” (Paul Mirengoff, Power Line)

A Little Post-Christmas Light

* “Islamists Attack Christmas, but Europeans Abolish It” (Giulio Meotti, Gatestone Institute)

* “‘Islamist Terrorists Continually Slaughter Christians’: Trump Says What Obama Refused to Say” (Michael Brown, The Stream)

* “Obama’s Betrayal of Israel Is a Black Day for American Diplomacy” (Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review)

* “Obama Leaves Another Hot Mess” (Jonah Goldberg, National Review)

* “U.S. Should Not Only Defund U.N. But Withdraw From It” (Daniel Greenfield, Front Page Mag)

* “A Problem From Hell, Indeed” (Editorial, The New York Sun)

* “Texas to Defund Planned Parenthood” (Amanda Prestigiacomo, Daily Wire)

* “Professor tweets ‘all I want for Christmas is white genocide’” (Thomas Lifson, American Thinker)

* “Is Trump Becoming a Conservative?” (John Hinderaker, Power Line)

* “The Failure of Public Schooling in One Chart” (Dan Mitchell, The Stream)

Chronicles of Culture You Shouldn't Miss

Here's the latest roundup of news and commentary that, like Vitamin C and
exercise, is very good for what ails you.

* “The Nationalist Spirit of 2016: A Conservative Spring” (David Brog & Yoram Hazony, NRO)

* “Who do you trust on the economy: Obama or your own lying eyes?” (Andrew Malcolm, Hot Air)

* “Media Say We're In A Jobs Boom — We're Not” (Editorial, Investor’s Business Daily)

* “Are You Being Played? (Answer? Yes!)” (Sharyl Attkisson video clip, Reposted on Vital Signs Blog)

* “World Vision’s Decades-Long Hate Campaign Against Israel” (Luke Moon, The Tower)

* “Study blames DDT ban — not global warming — for U.S. mosquito eruption” (Valerie Richardson, Washington Times)

* “A Complete List of Radical Islamic Terror Attacks on U.S. Soil Under Obama” (James Barrett, Daily Wire)

* “Good riddance Harry Reid” (Editorial, Washington Examiner)

* “Assessing the Obama Legacy — Against His Own Mileposts” (Victor Davis Hanson, NRO)

Watchers on the Wall

Here are a few of the not-to-be-missed articles from the last few days:

* “Is Ted Cruz the Answer?” (Lloyd Marcus, American Thinker)

* “Many NYC students so tech-oriented they can’t even sign their own names” (Kirstan Conley, New York Post)

* “The Humbling of the West: Europe and the U.S. bow and scrape to ascendant Iran.” (Daniel Henninger, Wall Street Journal)

* “Obama’s Legacy: Runaway Deficits, Debt And Health Costs” (Editors, Investor’s Business Daily)

* “Does Europe Have a Future?” (John Hinderaker, Power Line)

Obama's Mess in the Middle East

Michael Doran, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense, and a former senior director of the National Security Council has written a very lucid, very important article for Mosaic. "Tectonic Shift in Obama's Iran Policy" details how Barack Obama's shameful nuclear deal with Iran is just the beginning of a whole lot of trouble. The president’s goal, at the expense of America’s allies, is full-fledged détente with Iran.

I print a few paragraphs below but, believe me, you'll find the full article very helpful in understanding the mess our president is creating.

Exaggerating the successes of Lausanne may have been a savvy maneuver against the president’s domestic critics, but it weakened his hand against the Iranians by telegraphing his deep personal investment in the negotiations. Failure to get a deal would now be a major embarrassment. Knowledge of this fact gave Khamenei an opening, which he exploited with his defiant speech. Not so fast, the speech signaled to Obama. In order to get the agreement that you’re already celebrating, you must pay—in the form of more concessions to me. 

If past behavior is anything to go by, Obama will give Khamenei what he wants. Indeed, American concessions have propelled the negotiations forward at every stage…

One of Obama’s greatest diplomatic successes is to have persuaded much of the world, including many of his critics, that the primary goal of his Iran diplomacy is to negotiate a nuclear arms-control agreement. In fact, the primary goal is détente with Iran.

In the president’s thinking, détente will restrain Iranian behavior more effectively than any formal agreement. In addition, it will also open the way to greater cooperation with Iran on regional security. Détente will permit the United States to pull back from the Middle East and focus more on its domestic priorities. Finally, it will vindicate Obama’s ethos of “engagement,” which he sees as a superior alternative to the military-driven concepts of American leadership championed by his Republican opponents. In short, détente will secure Obama’s legacy.

By contrast, Khamenei is pursuing highly specific goals. Three stand out above all others. He is seeking, first, to preserve Iran’s entire nuclear infrastructure; second, to repeal the sanctions on the Iranian economy; and third, to abolish the international legal regime that brands Iran a rogue state. In all three areas, Obama has already satisfied his core demands…

The disarray and atomization among the anti-Iranian states in the Middle East means that they (like the American Congress) will likely prove incapable of mounting a decisive opposition to Obama’s détente. But their inability to stop it does not mean they will ever accept it. They will remain dedicated to contesting Obama’s policy, and they will continue to fight back against Iran and its proxies in Yemen, Syria, and Iraq—not to mention new venues that will appear over time.

Détente, therefore, will deliver disequilibrium, the exact opposite of the effect intended. By negotiating an arms-control agreement, the president has shifted the tectonic plates of the Middle East order. And for tectonic plates, it takes a move of just inches to level whole cities.

Checking In

Among the many excellent articles provided by the increasingly important alternative media this past weekend, I've chosen to pass along the following:

* “Liberals against Religious Liberty in Indiana” (The Editors of National Review)

* “Obama, son of anarchy in the scrambled Middle East” (New York Daily News editors)

* “Expected Iranian nuclear deal worse than Israel feared: Netanyahu" (Dan Williams, Reuters)

* “Black Church Group of 34,000 Churches From 15 Denominations Splits With PCUSA Over Gay Marriage” (Anugrah Kumar, Christian Post)

* “Hillary Clinton’s unpardonable scandal trail” (Adriana Cohen, Boston Herald) 

* “Google controls what we buy, the news we read — and Obama’s policies” (Kyle Smith, New York Post)

* “By It’s Own Criteria, The Obama Administration Is An Economic Failure” (John Hinderaker, PowerLine)

* “Hillary: The Democrats’ Nixon” (John Fund, NRO)

For Your Ongoing Educational Needs

It's not just kids who need home schooling.  Adults who are trying to make sense out of the world with all the dominant media's misinformation, omission, incompetence, and ill will towards conservative values...well, they need schooling too.  They need information and insight that is accurate, relevant, and easy to access.

So, as we often do here at Vital Signs Blog, we offer some of the best of recent articles for your ongoing, home-based education!

* “Utopia’s Jailers” (Kevin D. Williamson, National Review)

* “Israel: Beware of Obama” (Michael Goodwin, New York Post)

* “Extreme: Dems' Filibuster of Anti-Human Trafficking Bill Exposes Abortion Fanaticism” (Guy Benson, Town Hall) AND “Fact Check: Debunking False Talking Points on Sex Trafficking Filibuster” (Guy Benson, Town Hall)

* “Iran and the Lessons of History” (Myron Magnet, City Journal)

* “When the world's best hope is France” (Rich Lowry, Jewish World Review)

* “Unhappy birthday, Obamacare” (Sally Pipes, New York Daily News)

The Ruthless Reality of Anti-Semitism in Europe

Jeffrey Goldberg has cast light on a very dark and dangerous evil in his recent article for The Atlantic, “Is It Time for the Jews to Leave Europe?” The piece is a lengthy one — detailed, perceptive, frightening — but I encourage you to read it in its entirety. You may not agree with every conclusion (I didn’t) and you may find a couple of his presuppositions incorrect (I did), but the article is yet an excellent one.

And very important.

But, because I know some of you won’t have the time to read the whole thing, I do list a few paragraphs below.

*************

France’s 475,000 Jews represent less than 1 percent of the country’s population. Yet last year, according to the French Interior Ministry, 51 percent of all racist attacks targeted Jews. The statistics in other countries, including Great Britain, are similarly dismal. In 2014, Jews in Europe were murdered, raped, beaten, stalked, chased, harassed, spat on, and insulted for being Jewish. Sale Juif—“dirty Jew”—rang in the streets, as did “Death to the Jews,” and “Jews to the gas.”

************* 

Violence against Jews in Western Europe today, according to those who track it, appears to come mainly from Muslims, who in France, the epicenter of Europe’s Jewish crisis, outnumber Jews 10 to 1.

************* 

The students talked about ways in which Jews concealed their identity. I’d heard that it had already become fairly common practice in some of the apartment blocks in the banlieues for Jews to remove the mezuzot from their doors. A mezuzah is a piece of parchment that contains Bible verses and that is placed in a case and then affixed to a doorpost. In some suburbs, mezuzot had become pointers for those in search of Jews to harm.

************* 

“Everyone is saying ‘Je suis Charlie’ today,” Wendy, another of the students, said, in reference to the popular slogan of support for the slain Charlie Hebdo cartoonists. “But this has been happening to the Jews for years and no one cares.”

“It would be nice if someone would say ‘Je suis Juif,’ ” Sandy, another student, said.

************* 

According to the Community Security Trust, 2014 saw the highest number of anti-Semitic incidents in the United Kingdom, which is home to 300,000 Jews, since the organization began its monitoring efforts, in 1984: it recorded 1,168 anti-Semitic incidents. This is more than double the number of incidents in 2013, and exceeds the previous record, from 2009, of 931 incidents. In a recent survey conducted on behalf of the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism, a quarter of British Jews said they had considered leaving the country; more than half of those surveyed said they fear that Jews have no future in Great Britain.

************* 

The fight against anti-Semitism led by Merkel, Valls, and Cameron appears to be heartfelt. The question is, will it work? After the January massacres in Paris, the French government deployed several thousand soldiers to protect Jewish institutions, but it cannot assign soldiers to protect every Jew walking to and from the Métro. The governments of Europe are having a terrible time in their struggle against the manifestations of radical Islamist ideology. And the general publics of these countries do not seem nearly as engaged in the issue as their leaders. The Berlin rally last fall against anti-Semitism that featured Angela Merkel drew a paltry 5,000 people, most of whom were Jews. It is a historical truism that, as Manuel Valls told me, “what begins with Jews doesn’t end with Jews.” But this notion has not penetrated public opinion.

************* 

I am predisposed to believe that there is no great future for the Jews in Europe, because evidence to support this belief is accumulating so quickly. But I am also predisposed to think this because I am an American Jew—which is to say, a person who exists because his ancestors made a run for it when they could.

Did You Miss These?

While making merry in your Christmas celebrations, you may have missed these important articles. Here's a second chance at them.

* “Christians on the Run from Iraq: The Islamic State is attaining its key goal, and U.S. media find the story of ‘limited interest.’” (Nina Shea, National Review)

* “Happy Kwanzaa! The Holiday Brought To You By the FBI” (Ann Coulter, Town Hall)

* “If Joseph and Mary tried to reach Bethlehem today, they might get murdered by Palestinian terrorists.” (David Bernstein, Washington Post)

* “Stop lying about the cops” (Rich Lowry, New York Post)

* “China Tightens Church Control Ahead of Christmas” (Didi Tang, AP)

The Great Divide

...I also believe it is entirely rational to fear the possibility of a major Ebola outbreak, of a threat to the president and his family, of jihadists crossing the border, of a large-scale European or Asian war, of nuclear proliferation, of terrorists detonating a weapon of mass destruction. These dangers are real, and pressing, and though the probability of their occurrence is not high, it is amplified by the staggering incompetence and failure and misplaced priorities of the U.S. government. It is not Ebola I am afraid of. It is our government’s ability to deal with Ebola.

Over the last few years the divergence between what the government promises and what it delivers, between what is says is happening or will happen and what actually is happening and does happen, between what it determines to be important and what the public wishes to be important—this gap has become abysmal, unavoidable, inescapable. We hear of “lone-wolf” terrorism, of “workplace violence,” that if you like your plan you can keep your plan. We are told that Benghazi was a spontaneous demonstration, that al Qaeda is on the run, that the border is secure as it has ever been, that I didn’t draw a red line, the world drew a red line, that the IRS targeting of Tea Party groups involved not a smidgen of corruption. We see the government spend billions on websites that do not function, and the VA consign patients to death by waiting list and then cover it up. We are assured that Putin won’t invade; that the Islamic State is the jayvee team of terrorism; that Bowe Bergdahl served with honor and distinction; that there is a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia.

While the public remains pro-Israel, our government negotiates with Israel’s enemies. While the public wants to reduce immigration, the preeminent legislative objective of both parties is a bill that would increase it. While the public is uninterested in global warming, while costly regulations could not pass a filibuster-proof Democratic Senate, while the scientific consensus behind the green agenda is, at the very least, fraying, the president says that climate change is the greatest threat to the United States. While Americans tell pollsters their economic situation has not improved, and that things are headed in the wrong direction—while even Democratic economists acknowledge the despondent state of the middle class—the president travels to Chicago to celebrate his economic recovery.

These disjunctions and confusions, these missteps, scandals, and miscalculations, have hurt Obama’s approval numbers. They endanger the Democratic Senate majority, contribute to the widespread sense of disorder and decay, shatter trust in government and in public institutions. They have put into stark relief a political class dominated by liberal partisans, captured by ideas and interests removed from those of ordinary Americans. The stories of ineptitude or malfeasance that appear in the daily newspaper are more than examples of high ideals executed poorly. They are examples of the pursuit of ideas—of equality and diversity and progress and centralization and environmentalism and globalization—to absurd and self-destructive limits…

Read the full text of "The Case for Panic," Matthew Continetti's superb article in the Washington Free Beacon here.