Our Decision 

     Our first job, long ago, as sports editor for our hometown newspaper, we chose to write a column only on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. 

     It was a six-day paper, and six columns a week seemed unnecessary. Good decision. 

     While we continue to be occupied with family matters this week, we came up with a "brilliant" idea. Write Views by the Sea three days a week. 

     You guessed it. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, starting Monday January 6. Think we're just getting lazy? Never! January 6 is the day windows and doors people start tearing our windows and doors apart. 

     Three blogs a week should be enough to share the best information we can find. And we'll work hard at making each blog worth your time.

     If something rises up in the meantime, we'll share it. Otherwise, please join us on Monday the 6th. 

          Jimmy 

     

 Friends, we are occupied with Christmas visitors, birthday visitors, the passing of my sister in law - who was a close neighbor and friend - and all that goes with life. Will try to get back to Views by the Sea maybe by Monday.

     Jimmy

     Christmas is over. The gifts. The dinners. The family. Is that it?

     Many people on Wednesday celebrated the turning point of all history. A child was born. Not just any child. The very Son of God, Jesus Christ. 

     We know him as the Prince of Peace and other names. He made a way for us to be free of our sin and experience his presence. 

     Life's struggles can and do take our focus off our Lord and Savior who brought peace to a dark, chaotic world. Yes, peace on earth. It's available to those who trust. 

     Jesus grew up, made himself known to those who believed, and allowed himself nailed to a cruel cross to suffer the penalty for you and I. Then he arose to life, the Savior available for all. 

     Are we anxious? Concerned about life? He invites us to lay our concerns at his feet. How he will answer...only he knows. Our privilege is to talk to him, our Creator. 

     Family, friends, teachers, advisors, politicians. Okay.

     But there is no better friend than Jesus. That's it! 

     And Who...

BUT THE

   ANGEL 

     SAID TO THEM,

     "Do not be afraid... 

  I bring you

 GOOD NEWS

OF GREAT JOY THAT WILL BE FOR

all the people.

Today in the town of David

A SAVIOR 

 HAS BEEN BORN TO YOU; HE IS

*      *      *      *

Christ the Lord.

Point of No Return?     

   Part 3  With Gordon Chang

     "China was about to join the World Trade Organization, and I thought that foreign companies and countries would enforce their trade rights. That didn't happen. What did happen was the 2008 downturn, which gave China's regime a new lease on life. They stimulated their economy, created growth, and also created enormous amounts of debt. I think its debt problem is so big the Chinese can't resolve it without a crash."  

     Sound familiar? 

     China is financially insecure, yet plans some kind of attack on the U.S. "That balloon last winter passed over nuclear weapons sites. It flew near two Air Force bases where we have our land based intercontinental ballistic missiles, the Minuteman III missiles." 

     "So, clearly they were surveilling the U.S. for nuclear weapons strikes. Also, the composition of Chinese migrants at our southern border has changed, going from family groups to primarily single males of military age traveling in packs of five to 15. This coincides with Chinese males trying to intrude into our military bases." 

Another Pearl Harbor? or 9-11? 

     "I think we're transitioning from a period of general calm to one of constant turbulence and we're going to have to protect our families and our communities. This world is going to be dark unless we Christians and we people of faith and we people of morality stand up and defend what is right and what is good." 

Views: Join us in prayer for our country and for its incoming leaders, regardless of politics. What China achieved during the Biden Administration must not continue. Donald Trump and the leaders he has chosen may or may not Make America Great Again, but they will make us safer and better off. God will do what He chooses to do.

          Jimmy

 

Why is China Threatened?      

    Part 2 

     Different hemispheres. Gordan Chang: "An insecure regime in Beijing is worried about the inspirational impact of our values and form of governance on the Chinese people. The Party believes it will never be secure as long as the U.S. exists."

     "I think Xi Jinping knows that he will not invade the main island of Taiwan. He doesn't trust his generals and admirals. He knows that the people do not want war, and they especially do not want war with Taiwan." (Taiwan is the home of Chinese people who fled the communists who overtook China after World War II.  

     "The only thing (Xi) can try is maybe a trade quarantine or a full blockade, and hope that the rest of the world doesn't challenge him." 

     China is much like the Soviet Union in a new cold war. What lessons can the U.S. apply? "Well, we brought down the Soviet Union through economic means, and we should do the same thing with China. It cannot afford to attack us without our own money and technology. We need to cut that off. Allowing trade and investment to continue is not just a strategic failure, it's a moral failure." 

     "Our country would be disadvantaged, but we cannot think that after five decades of misguided China policy we will get out of this without cost. (Those who value only their bank accounts) are not taking into account the lives of other Americans. China through predatory and criminal practices is taking our technology."

     "China's intellectual property theft is half a trillion dollars a year. We should not be financing a militant regime which is determined to destroy our country."

  Part 3 - Dark world, unless...

Eyes on China 

Part 1 - Gordon Chang, interviewed by Harrison Watters.

     "When my wife and I arrived (in China, 1996) my wife and I were optimistic like everybody, because it was a very good time in China's history. My wife on the phone said, 'Mom, China is not communist anymore.' And I agreed with her.

     "But as we lived there, worked there, traveled around the country, talked to people, we could see that the old system was still in place. After we left, Xi Jinping became general secretary of the Communist Party. He started moving China back to a state-dominated system. This is a China that is dangerous.  

     "Xi Jinping has been trying to impose China's Imperial system, where Chinese emperors believed they had the mandate of heaven to rule what they call 'all under heaven.' And since 2017 Chinese officials have been talking about the moon and Mars as sovereign Chinese territory. You either have competing sovereign states or you have worldwide Chinese rule. You can't have both. 

Undermining the U.S.

     "Each year, 70,000 to 75,000 Americans die from illicit Chinese fentanyl. This is run at the top of the Communist Party. Some fentanyl producers are state owned. Every container that leaves China is inspected by Chinese officials. The gangs run their proceeds through the Chinese state banking system. Xi Jinping promised Obama, Trump and Biden to reduce the flow of fentanyl. He violated all those promises, because this is an integral part of his plan to weaken the U.S."  

Tomorrow: Like the Soviet Union in a new cold war

The Beijing Threat 

     Some background on China which we will blog Thursday and Friday. 

     Thanks to Gordon Chang, an American journalist and political commentator, who practiced business law with American firms in China for two decades, we have information we haven't seen on TV. 

     Chang has written books warning of China's economic troubles and its aggression. Think of China's threat to little Taiwan? No. China threatens us, within our homeland. Xi Jinping wants China to be the most dominant nation. He already has that...except for America. 

      Chinese emperors believe they have a "mandate of heaven" 

to rule "all under heaven," including the moon and Mars

 as sovereign Chinese territory. 

     Views says any mandate like that must come from another realm - yes. If not our God, who? His name is Satan. 

     Chang wrote another book, Plan Red: China's Project to Destroy America. We haven't read the book, but Harrison Watters interviewed him. We'll share what you might want to know. 

PS. We remember groups of young Chinese men, all dressed alike, filing into our country along with other illegal immigrants. Where are they and what are they doing? Thank you, Joe Biden, and all his think alikes. And who is flying some of these drones? 

Dispensable Expenses 

First, we almost never get sick. But today we're battling a fever and fatigue, something that long ago would allow me to tell Mom I can't go to school. Today I will give myself a day off...after I share this example of government's sometimes recklessness. 

      The U.S. Air Force got taken to the cleaners by wildly overpaying for soap dispensers and other aircraft parts. In an inspector general's report, the Air Force overpaid defense contractor Boeing by $149,972 for soap dispensers, part of a larger spare parts order for C-17 cargo jets. 

     The review indicates the Air Force paid nearly 80 times more than the cost of a commercially available substitute. According to the Dept. of Defense, the overpayments on spare parts for the C-17 cost the government nearly $1 million. 

     And that's just one branch of the government, and just one type of planes. 

One more thing before I crash. In 1962-64, because I was a journalism graduate, the Army assigned me and a few other journalists and English graduates - all of us drafted - to a "school" in Ft. Lee, VA. Did I tell you this? We were each sent to various military offices, the kind that would order soap dispensers and whatever else, meet with an officer, take notes, and whatever papers back to Ft. Lee. We wore regular suits instead of Army uniforms. Each officer would prepare a lesson for officers and civilians who would then return to their offices better prepared. We assume. The leader of the school was a general, who I never met, but he gave me a nice letter before I returned to my newspaper job. 

See, buying products for everything the military needs is a big deal, and we hope overpayments are rare. Now, I can lay down and rest.  

               Jimmy 

 News in the News? 

     When a presidential candidate is despised by the press, but wins the election anyway, isn't that news? 

     Tim Graham of Media Research Center said this election revealed the starkest contrast in treatment of the two candidates ever recorded. Coverage of Kamala Harris was 78 percent positive and of Donald Trump 85 percent negative. (such as "he is Hitler.") 

     We can't think of any governing action that Trump and old Hitler might have in common. I read "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich." 

     Our liberal media are failing badly, and shamefully. Graham wrote, "No longer do the media define success by accuracy or fairness, but by whether they influence electoral outcomes." 

     Before the election, a writer in New York magazine wrote that a Trump victory would expose the media's dwindling relevance. She quoted a media executive, "A Trump victory means mainstream media is dead in its current form." 

     Evidence: Supported by wealthy donors and corporations, Democrats spent many millions more on the election than Republicans. 

     Nick Eicher of WORLD magazine wrote, "If voters read the coverage, or disbelieve or ignore it, and still conclude that Trump is qualified, the media has failed - and the Trump victory renders that failure undeniable, perhaps fatal."

     He adds, "I've got a revolutionary concept: news in the news pages."

          Jimmy - once a journalist 

  

A Week for History?  

    This hasn't made much news here at home, but Israel just completed an historic week in its ongoing struggle to survive. We share (parts of) a blog sent from our friend in Israel. The blogger is Hillel Fuld, American Israeli technology business advisor. 

     "What Israel - fed up with attacks by Hezbollah and Hamas - has pulled off in this past week is nothing short of spectacular. 

     "The Syrian Air Defense, with modern Russian systems, long a problem, many of its strike aircraft units were 80 to 90 percent destroyed. Estimates are 86% of the air defense systems knocked out. 

     "Some 500 targets were deliberately struck - systems that posed the most threat to Israeli aircraft. Particularly important was the need to prevent Asaad's weapons from getting into the hands of rebels now dominating Syria.

     "Fuld said Israel was very deliberate and strategic about what it was destroying. And that Israel has removed all obstacles that would have posed a threat in an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities. 

     Iran has no aerial defense systems. He said, "all that's left to do is decide when Israel attacks Iran." Wow! 

     Also, Israel Defense and its Mossad (intelligence) is "preparing to present their political leaders with a viable plan for an attack on Iranian nuclear facilities."  

     Fuld added, "Israel slowly and strategically handicapped the Iranian regime proxy by proxy." 

     If an attack on nuclear sites is as imminent as Fuld thinks, we may have to update our blog, Views. 

     If you are anti-Israel, as many people are, know that other nations in the Middle East will privately celebrate the destruction of Iran's nuclear facilities...as should the world. 

     If you are anti-Israel, know that God is Israel's founder, and Messiah will someday rule the world from Jerusalem, not Tehran. You don't want to be anti-God. 

            Jimmy

What Is Love?

     Good question. We know that love is different things to different people, both in its nature and practice. 

     The apostle Paul told Corinthians the essence of their new life is "faith, hope and love...but the greatest of these is love." 1 Cor. 13:13. 

     Mrs. Donut, long before she became my Mrs., was a struggling divorcee near Buffalo, NY. Marge refused to date, and made several great friends...all of them married. One of them, June, became her faithful, 100 percent lifetime friend. Just one example:

     Years later when Marge was recovering from an operation in Oklahoma, June left her husband and drove to Cleveland, where she had to seek help herself, at a hospital. Then she resumed her drive to Tulsa. That's love. 

     Years later still, Mrs. Donut and I retired in Florida. June and her husband were spending winters here, about two hours from us. That's when I began to know June. After her husband died, she continued spending winters in Florida and would visit with us for a week or two before returning to Buffalo. 

All that to say... 

     One day, no longer able to travel, June experienced heaven. Later, when they were on the phone, she told Marge she "had never felt such love." 

     Paul, former persecutor, told Corinthians to "do everything in love." Also in chapter 16, "If anyone does not love the Lord - a curse be on him." Why such harsh language? We'll skip our commentary. But...

     Do we think of God as being remote, or do we know him by the love his Spirit desires to give us? Paul to his readers: "My love to all of you in Christ Jesus, Amen."

      

     

Public Opinion Sways  

     Part 3

     "'One goal is to build public awareness of the regulation world,' said Eric Kniffin of the EPPC. He wants to get other groups involved too. 'Regulatory agencies can change the world,' he says. 

     "That's why he believes it's critical to hold the government accountable early in the process. This is not about agency expertise, he says. It's about an administration that wants a policy outcome and can't get it through the lawmaking process. 

     "The EPPC team contributed to several regulation changes in the Dept. of Health and Human Services. One such win was a provision in an LGBTQ+ foster care rule, acknowledging existing legal protections for religious freedom, conscience and free speech. 

     "Kniffin said, 'These rules are based on congressional laws that have been passed, but they have been warped to fit the policy goals.' This team tries to get regulations back in line with the actual laws. 

     "Rachel Morrison says 'a reticence to take on the administrative state has hurt the right. The left is very good at this. Folks on the right say, 'The administrate state is unconstitutional, so we're not going to engage.' But until you change the process, you're only shooting yourself in the foot.' More people are engaging.

     "The team sees a change on the government side too. Agencies realize they can't just ignore religious liberty issues. Kniffin says the team knows the truth is on their side. 'We're also fighting for what's genuinely good for people.'"

#

Regulations Are 'Laws' 

    Part 2

     "Regulations affect healthcare, transgender ideology, the unborn and other issues. Wordiness is the practice. Since January, agencies have published more than 75,540 pages of explanation for proposed and approved rules. Most of those pages are in small print, triple columns. 

     "Proposed" is the word. During proposal stages, the public and groups can submit comments. Anyone can comment on the Register's website, with or without identity, long or short. You can respond to one or many aspects. You can ask questions, even share personal stories. Freedom, right?

WORLD magazine

     "Once the comment period ends, an agency continues to modify (or withdraw) its proposal. Then the Office of Management and Budget reviews. Individuals or groups can meet with federal officials. After all that, a regulation can become law. 

     "Here's the catch: Federal agencies are required to respond to comments. If an agency fails to provide a reasoned response to comments raised, a court may consider the final rule unlawful. Issues like abortion, marriage and sexuality draw comments from well-organized groups on the left. That can distort perception of public support. 

     "The agencies can say, 'Well, 70 percent of comments were in favor of the proposal.' Attorney Eric Kniffin of the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC) said, 'I watched a group of liberals weaponize the Affordable Care Act. They wanted to push for a contraception mandate. They succeeded, and Christian-owned businesses were forced to fight back in court.' 

     "'They sought to force doctors to perform and insurance to cover medical interventions supporting gender transitions,' he said. 'If there had been more of a spotlight on it...maybe we could have stopped it." 

 Tomorrow: public awareness?

Resisting the Deep State  

     Part 1     

     A couple months ago yours truly began to count our federal agencies, starting with AbilityOne Commission. After counting about 40 agencies all beginning with the letter A, I chose not to continue. Our government is way more than a president, Congress and Supreme Court.  

     There is more we can do than vote. We can influence federal agencies that issue regulations, in essence, laws. Our new administration will have many opportunities to end expenses that don't help, and overhaul those agencies we obviously need. 

WORLD magazine

     "For several years, a small Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC) in Washington has focused on applying Judeo-Christian values to politics. Attorney Rachel Morrison and her four-member team are determined to stem the tide of liberal regulations flooding the Federal Register.

     "The Register is an online database full of new rules and regulations issued by the U.S. government. The National Archives and Records Administration publishes every workday. 

     "More than 400 (someone already counted for me) official agencies and subagencies make the rules, some of which accomplish what members of Congress won't touch, because voters wouldn't agree. 

     "These rule-makers don't answer to voters, giving them dictator-like influence. Ms. Morrison analyzes the costs and benefits of regulations. 

     "In 2023 Congress passed 68 bills. During that time, federal agencies staffed by unelected bureaucrats, some being partisan presidential appointees - finalized 3,018 new regulations. That's over 44 times the number of laws passed by Congress." Over four years of the Biden administration, that would be more than 12,000 regulations.   

 What regulations benefit you?

 Which War to Fight?

    Part 3

     "Lebanon's economy is in shambles, it has no president, and massive waves of emigration. Israeli forces were going town by town to root out Hezbollah fighters. They found many stockpiles of weapons hidden in homes. 

     "Meanwhile, Iran and Hezbollah have smuggled weapons into Jordan and across the Israeli border. The plan is to distribute weapons all over the West Bank and among the Arab sector in Israel. All to inflame the West Bank. 

     "Israelis are aware Iran is close to producing materials needed for a nuclear weapon. The Biden administration sent a powerful anti-missile defense system to Israel but is opposed to an Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear sites. 

     "A retired Israeli army colonel believes Israel should focus solely on Iran. In part because Israel needs the full support of its Arab allies to confront Tehran - not likely while thousands of Palestinians and Lebanese are dying in bombardments. He hopes there will be a revolution in Iran, for the Israelis sake and also Iranians who are suffering. 

     "Iran's inflation rate is over 35 percent and unemployment is high. Tolerance for oppressive laws has declined. A dress-code arrest and death of an Iranian-Kurdish woman led to protests resulting in more than 60 deaths and some 19,000 arrests. 

     "Israel's government realizes that Iranian people are on their side, and they are banking on that. " 

Does anyone think world peace is easy?

Tomorrow: Can we resist the Deep State?

The Supreme Leader 

  part 2 

     He severed ties with the West and rolled back decades of progress, implementing strict Islamic dress codes and suppressing human rights. (sounds like the devil to me.) 

     In their education system, says an Iranian, "Every day they read the Quran to students and ask them to shout, 'Death to America, death to Israel.' They demonized the Jews." (sounds like the devil to me.)

     An Iranian told WORLD magazine "Iranians are really suffering, and they sympathize with the Israelis because the regime that has oppressed them for 45 years is the same regime that is oppressing Israel through proxies." 

     "Hezbollah - in Lebanon - is Iran's prized proxy. Since 1982, the terror group's charter has called for Israel's destruction, and expulsion of Western influence. The U.S. state department says Iran provides hundreds of millions of dollars to Hezbollah each year, making it better armed than Lebanon's own military." (How our Democrats can dump millions into Iran's bank account puzzles me. Trump left Iran broke, and he will have to do it again.) 

     Since this magazine article appeared, Israel's military severely damaged Hezbollah in Lebanon, and a truce has held up, so far. It's a 60-day plan for (hopefully) restoring Lebanon. Its army is assigned clean-up duties in southern Lebanon.

     "Hezbollah is responsible for decades of deadly attacks, including the 1983 U.S. Embassy bombing in Beirut that killed 241 Americans, and attacks on Israelis as far away as Argentina and Bulgaria." (sounds like the devil to me.)  

to be continued

We Looked It Up

     While Donald Trump and his nominees are preparing to shake up our somewhat irresponsible government - and some Democrats promise to oppose them...

     There is irresponsible activity in the Middle East that we can't ignore. Syria's bad leaders after 13 years of warfare fell to people who may be even badder. Yes, that's not a word. 

     Views is more interested in Iran's hatred of our friend Israel, and America as well. Iran is 636,372 square miles, 2-1/2 times the size of Texas. Population 90 million, the 17th largest in the world.    

     A thousand miles away, Israel, with Gaza and the West Bank, is 10,600 square miles, 2-1/2 times Los Angeles County. It's 9.6 million population is closest to our New Jersey. 

     Why does Iran's regime want Israel and the USA wiped off the globe? We never get tired of saying Satan hates God who created him, cast rebellious angels to earth, and someday from Jerusalem will rule the world, in peace. While human wars come and go, the war in God's realm continues. God could end it today, but he wants to save people who believe in him, sight unseen...trust and obey.  

     Persian King Cyrus ruled what is now Iran, freeing Jewish captives and aiding the reestablishment of Israel 2,500 years ago. A remnant of Jews stayed in (Iran) and lived in peace for hundreds of years. Even after Israel reformed in 1948, there were economic and security ties between the nations. 

     Then came 1979 and the Islamic republic of Ayatollah Khomeini.

   to be continued

     

He Left His Throne 

A few lines from the December 8 page of our book of 365 hymns.

With the words updated to our times.

You did leave your throne and your kingly crown,

When you came to earth for me.

Of lowly birth you came to earth and in great humility. 

You came O Lord, with the living Word

That you should set your people free.

But with mocking scorn and with crown of thorn,

They carried you to Calvary. 

When the heavens shall ring and the angels sing

At your coming to victory,

Let you voice call me home, saying,

"Yes, there is room at My side for you." 

Deserting the Deserts?

     And now for the news: _________ Oh, sorry. Your newspaper went out of business. 

     A total of 127 newspapers closed in the past year. More than 7,000 went out of business in 2022 and 2023, some 2,000 jobs included. Since 2005, 3,300 newspapers have gone under or been consolidated. 

     As a journalism grad who began adult life working for my hometown paper, yours truly is disappointed. Our founders knew the news must be truthful, which is why they gave news people total freedom. It's called the "forth estate."

     Of course, mankind is untruthful, in printed news and television, and government doesn't dare penalize them. Despite declining trust, a majority of adults still see local news as somewhat important. 

     About 55 million Americans have no or maybe one source of local news. Over 200 counties have no local media. Many communities don't have the population, or the advertisers needed to make it work. They are news deserts, and if a news source once existed, it has deserted. If there's a positive for no news, nobody lies to them. 

      In populated areas, many Americans turn to websites and apps instead of print or radio. Many live in heavily concentrated, high-income counties. Last year, there was an increase of 81 digital (email) news sites, more than 30 of them former newspapers. 

     How do we know most voters receive correct information? 

     If I was starting all over, there might not be a journalism job for me in my hometown. Might have had to go to inner-city Pittsburgh. 

            Jimmy 

Enforcing Borders 

     Progress is being made, while Trump won't take office for another 44 days or so. 

     Arizona voters approved a proposition allowing state and local law enforcement to arrest migrants crossing the border unlawfully. This is similar to a Texas law that remains in litigation. Liberals of course argue this will encourage racial profiling. 

     Proponents say the act targets bad actors, regardless of race. The measure also increases penalties for fentanyl dealing and makes it a crime to use false documents to apply for public benefits or employment. Iowa and Florida also have cracked down on illegal immigration. 

     Law enforcement must have probable cause to arrest and detain an immigrant.    

            Jimmy

Has College Football Finally Fumbled? 

     From the beginning of the 20th century until now, college football has grown from nothing to a sport you can pay thousands for a ticket. From obscure fields to bleachers, to stadiums and finally, tiered structures, iconic designs and "boxes" for privileged fans. 

     We don't tell anyone to stop supporting and rooting for their team. We do note that under new freedoms, players can earn money, and many do stop supporting their favorite team - to join another team giving them a better chance at playing time. Betting is an evil. 

     In 1936, long before television, sports writers began ranking teams, and crowning champions ... by vote. Later, conference championships. There were few post-season bowl games. Now, there are enough bowl games to offer invitations to every team with a winning record. If it's an odd number, they can always invite a 6 and 6 team to save the game. 

     Is all this to please the players, or to raise money for school athletic departments? And revenue for TV and radio? 

     Did I say 6 and 6? Teams once played nine games a season, with no championship games. One year a Big Ten Rose Bowl team was chosen by a 6-4 vote of school athletic directors. Shameful: They could have raised lots of cash by having the two teams who played to a tie and finished with identical records...play again. 

     We thought giving us 12 regular season games was great. (The NFL has gone to 17 games, plus a schedule of playoffs.) 

     College dudes were paying attention. Post-season playoffs have involved four teams. We would have included any other team with only one loss. But 12? Teams with three losses will be in this. Ridiculous! Meanwhile, a good two-loss team that didn't qualify for its conference championship game will get more time to rest for the playoffs. 

     Another hiccup is players headed for the NFL draft. They have to choose between loyalty to their teammates (& possible injury) or getting ready for the financially important draft.  

     So, this rodeo goes into January. We hope not February. Spring training begins in March, and the players need time to study their books. 😜 

     If our favorite team wins the national championship, we still dislike what money has done to our favorite sport. And if they lose, we won't shed a tear.

     We all can return to sanity. Root for one of the level 2 teams next year.

               Jimmy 

     "It is not wealth or splendor, but tranquility (calm) and occupation (office or position) that brings happiness." - Thomas Jefferson 

     What would he say today?

People to Help Restore Order - no senate confirmation necessary

Dr. Marty Makary, Food and Drug Administration

Sebastian Gorka, Counter Terrorism Director

Russel Vought, Mangement and Budget

Brenden Carr, Federal Communications Commissioner

Linda McMahan, Education

Kash Patel, FBI 

Stephen Miller - Policy

Elise Stefanic, Ambassador to the UN

Tom Homan, Border Czar

Lee Zeldin - Environmental Protection Agency

Mike Waltz, National Security Advisor

Todd Blanch, Deputy Attorney General

Tulsi Gabbard, National Intelligence

Dr. Mehmet Oz, Medicare & Medicaid Services

Susie Wiles, White House Chief of Staff 

John Ratcliffe, Central Intelligence Agency

Steven Witkoff, Envoy Middle East 

Mike Huckabee, Ambassador to Israel

Elon Musk & Vivek Ramaswamy, government efficiency 

William McGinley, White House Council

Karoline Leavitt, Press Secretary 

Doug Burgum, Interior Sec. & Energy Czar 

#

No. 3 of 3

Who Would Believe It?

     He grew up like a tender shoot, like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. - Isaiah 53:2

     He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering. ...and we esteemed him not. - v. 3 

     Surely, he...carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God... He was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. - vv. 4-5  

     We all, like sheep, have gone astray; each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter.  - vv. 6-7 

     ...though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the Lord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life a guilt offering...the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; ...my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. - vv. 9-11 

     Therefore, I will give him a portion among the great...because he poured out his life and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many and made intercession (for them). - v. 12 

     All this, 700 years before it occurred. And the Servant's name?

______________________

Suffering and Glory of the Servant 

2 of 3

     Israel and Judah are descending, while Assyrians rise. Nevertheless, God is telling his people (through Isaiah) to think positive. Their God is not only going before you, but He will be their rear guard.

     Knowing his message is difficult for humans, God explains in Isaiah 52:13-14, See, my Servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. 

     A servant? Who would that be?

     The Lord doesn't mention the virgin birth and eventual ministry (700 years in the future). He focuses on his Servant's victory over Satan, revealing the one and only path to eternal life: Just as there were many who were appalled at him - his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness. Wow!

     Still communicating through Isaiah, the Lord adds: ...so will he sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand. 

     Wow again! Israel and Judah are on the skids. But, God has a Servant who will be "highly exalted." Yet, this Servant will be beaten (by Roman soldiers) beyond human recognition. So, how does this executed Servant become so amazing that kings will shut their mouths? 

To be continued

      

Three valuable readings 

Awake, awake! ... to What?   

1 of 3

     Isaiah 52 begins, Awake, awake, O Zion. Put on your garments of strength. 

     In verse 2, ...rise up, sit enthroned O Jerusalem. This sounds odd for collapsing Israel, and the decline of Judah, while Assyrians were rising in power. 

     In verse 3, someone says, you will be redeemed. 

     In verse 6, Therefore my people will know my name; in that day they will know that it is I who foretold it. Yes, it is I." 

     Who is this?  

     Verses 8-9, Your watchmen...shout for joy. Oh! It's the Lord speaking? When he returns to Zion, they will see it with their own eyes. Burst into songs of joy together, you ruins of Jerusalem...for the Lord has redeemed Jerusalem. Has? Past tense? This was written 700 BC. 

     They don't see it with their eyes. Moses is long gone, Noah and Joshua too.  

     Verse 13, See, my servant will act wisely...

     His servant? David is not available; nor is Abraham or Jacob. 

Continued tomorrow

Game On! Scarlet vs. Blue    

    

     This is the weekend of Thanksgiving. And it's Michigan. A freshman excited to attend his first Michigan game will leave the stadium with thanksgiving memories far better than turkey. Or, maybe not. 

     Michigan 13, Ohio State 10

     There is a freshman and 100,000 other fans really upset. 

     Michigan's field goal kicker provided 6 points.

     Ohio State's field goal kicker missed potentially 6 points. 

     Michigan played better, including their plan to eat a lot of clock. 

              Jimmy

       

Federal Reserve, Wars, January 6 Inmates 

     Can the Federal Reserve be reformed? One news writer things that could be the first major battle of the new administration. The Federal Reserve was founded in 1913 and plays a massive role in the economy. He says Trump's team will have to tread very carefully. How much change is too much?

WORLD magazine

     As for the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, less than 24 hours after the election, Trump took calls from the Ukrainian president and the Israeli prime minister. A journal editor believes Trump will present off-ramps to all the parties. "He's going to say, 'It's an opportunity for everyone to cut their losses and just call it a day." 

     Convictions of protesters in the January 6 riot is a concern to many Trump voters. They think some "J6" prisoners were treated more harshly than those connected to causes favored by Democrats, like Black Lives Matter. It is hoped Trump will do something for all political prisoners. The editor if he was the president, would commute or reduce their sentences, and also apply this to Hunter Biden. 

     "All these issues," he says, "have put people in jail that have been involved in politics. The slate is clean." 

     As for getting things done, he says "the scale of Trump's victory means he won't likely encounter much resistance. Through executive authority he can do a whole bunch of things."

Views:  We'll see. There are Democratic governors who haven't accepted the will of the 'popular vote', more who voted for Trump than in 2016 and 2020. Are they just pleasing their own voters, or will they actually rebel against the lawful president of the people?

Trump Appointments Match Campaign Promises

     Not all votes were counted when Donald Trump began naming members of his administration. One of his first picks was Tom Homan as "Border Czar." Homan was asked if there was a way deportations could happen without separating families. "Of course there is" he said. "Families can be deported together." 

WORLD magazine 

     A September poll showed more than half of all voters, including 25 percent of Democrats, support removal of illegal immigrants. It's impossible to know the numbers, but up to 10 million illegals entered during the Biden administration. Around 1 million already are under orders to leave. "They've had their day in court. They lost, but they ignored it and they're still here," said Mark Krikorian, of the Center of Immigration Studies.

     Easier said than done. The administration will face legal battles, finding housing prior to deportation, and cooperation of their homelands. "You can't just fly into a country and open the door. You have to get paperwork," Krikorian said. Some countries may refuse to issue paperwork or slow-walk the process. Immigration law gives the president legal authority to stop issuing visas to those countries. President Biden never used that authority, but Trump did during his first term and will likely do so again. 

     It's been said that the right policies could encourage self-deportation, while deterring people from coming illegally in the first place. Shortly after the election, New York City said it would stop handing out prepaid debit cards to migrants. They have read the writing on the wall.

     To address the economy and the cost of living, Trump will focus on deregulation. Economic growth is tied up with regulations. Carefully targeted tariffs could stimulate the economy. 

Continued Friday

Evidence vs. Surrender

Letters to the editor

     "Unbelievers already know God exists (Romans 1:18-23). No amount of evidence or logical proof will convince them to believe, repent and trust Christ, because sinners are my nature anti-God, dead in sin, with hard hearts and darkened minds. 

     "A person will believe and submit to Christ's lordship only if the Holy Spirit has converted the person. 'Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ' (Romans 10:17). When speaking to an unbeliever about spiritual matters, stay with the word of God and trust the Holy Spirit to do what He will." 

                                   Auburndale, FL

     "Though (she) hinted at the real reason for the double standards of proof for Jesus' Lordship as opposed to Julius Caesar's existence, the 'why' of it is the main point. My belief in Caesar's existence requires nothing from me. 

     "On the other hand, to admit that Jesus is the Messiah requires everything from me. It is a change in lordship from me to him! So, I am biased when I judge evidence. Who wants to give up control? 

     "Romans 1:18 speaks to this. We suppress (deny, avoid, contest) the truth in 'unrighteousness' - that is, with self-protecting motives." 

Lake Grove, NY

Making a Comeback?

     There are different examples of making a comeback. A business on the ropes can file for bankruptcy and start all over. A once proud sports team can fall on hard times, but with a new coach and other improvements, become a winner once again.

     Our loser today is journalism. 

     University journalism schools have given up on impartial reporting. Don't know how this happened, except that leftist professors want the news to reflect their attitudes. Truth be dammed. 

     Two TV networks do a decent job of presenting both sides. One of them runs a spot saying, "We don't tell you how to think." 

     Our national TV news once meant ABC, CBS and NBC. Today, those outfits are owned by businesses that could care less what they report. Just keep the commercials going. And the lies ... who cares? 

     Yours truly graduated from journalism school in 1961, when impartial reporting was a given. So, we hate lying, whether in the "news" or in any other activity on God's green earth.

     There may be a comeback. The November election has given our nation a chance at truthfulness. Politicians can't do much with college professors, but we can hope. 

     Trump has already made clear - universities will no longer tolerate antisemitism. There is evidence the lying journalists will be less influential than they have been. Yea! 

        Jimmy

  

 Trump's Cabinet... 

15 nominations

must be confirmed by the Senate 

   Attorney General - Pam Bondi

Secretary of: 

   Treasury - Scott Bessent

   State - Marco Rubio

   Defense - Pete Hegseth 

   Interior - Doug Burgum 

   Commerce - Howard Lutnik 

   Health & Human Services - Robert Kennedy, Jr.

   Transportation - Sean Duffy 

   Energy - Chris Wright

   Education - Linda McMahan 

   Veterans Affairs - Doug Collins

   Homeland Security - Kristi Noem 

   Housing and Urban Development - Scott Turner 

   Agriculture - Brooke Rollins 

   Labor - Lori Chavez-Deremer

We can pray for these people

Our future depends on their success

Servant of the Lord? 

     In the book of Isaiah, 700 B.C. chapter 49, verse 1: Before I was born the Lord called me, from my birth he has made mention of my name. 

     Who was this servant? We know now, it was Jesus, one of the trinity of God, born of a virgin, who told Israelites what they needed to know, performed miracle healings, was crucified (taking our punishment for sin) and rose to life, appearing to his disciples and others over 40 days. 

     In verse 2, He made my mouth like a sharpened sword... 

     "He made" is past tense. But centuries later, long after Jesus lived as a man on earth, he appeared to his disciple John...and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword... Revelation 1:16.

     In verse 5: And now the Lord (Jesus) says - he who formed me in the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself... 

     In verse 6: ...he (the Father) says, It is too small a thing for you (Son) to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.

Commentary: Messiah's mission - is to bring God's light and message of salvation to all nations...that all nations hear the gospel and have opportunity to believe in God's Servant Son. This commission will not be fulfilled until the gospel is preached throughout the whole world... "then the end will come." 

#

Warning to U.S. Colleges

     President elect Donald Trump to put U.S. Colleges on notice - end antisemitic propaganda or lose their accreditation and federal taxpayer support. 

American News, November 15

     "We will not subsidize terrorist sympathizers," he said. At a rally in Washington, Trump said "to defeat antisemitism and defend Jewish citizens in America, my administration will inform every college president that, if you do not end antisemitic propaganda, you will lose accreditation and federal taxpayer support."

     Trump said that all educational institutions would be informed that if they permit violence or harassment against Jewish students, they will be "held accountable for violations of civil rights law."

     "Jewish Americans must have equal protection under the law. My administration will move swiftly to restore safety for Jewish students and Jewish people on American streets." 

     During his first term as U.S. president, Trump issued an executive order to combat antisemitism by adding Jews to the list of protected minority groups under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. 

         From our Jewish friend formerly in Pittsburgh, now living in Israel. 

It seems Title VI has been ignored.

Jimmy

WORLD magazine, Andree Seu Peterson

Jealousy falls short... 

...of accounting for persecutions under Titus, Severus, anti Semitism, Mohammed, the Crusades, expulsions of Jews from France, Austria, Spain, Eastern Europe and Russia, and blaming Jews for the Black Death epidemics. Hitler's holocaust. 

     Andree writes, "There are things that can only be perceived spiritually, that is, according to the Word of God and Holy Spirit, the true dimensions of anti-Semitism. Beyond natural causes such as jealousy there rages a battle not of human origins."

     "The Jews, tapped by God to figure in a marvelous salvation plan, find themselves participants in an invisible cosmic contest between two Kingdoms, whose final chapter is yet to play out." 

#

Gods of Babylon  

     What can we learn from the gods of Babylon? 

     The images carried around were burdensome, and unable to rescue men from captivity. Nebo, the god of learning, writing and astronomy, could not keep Babylon from being destroyed. 

     Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all you who remain of the house of Israel, you whom I have upheld since you were conceived* and have carried since your birth, even to your old age and gray hairs, I am he, who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you. 

     To whom will you compare me or count me equal? Remember this, fix it in your mind, take it to heart, you rebels. I am God and there is no other. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. 

      My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do. 

     Listen to me...you who are far from righteousness, I am bringing my righteousness near, and my salvation will not be delayed. I will grant salvation to Zion, my splendor to Israel. - excerpts from Isaiah chapter 46

* Maybe abortionists should consider this

Commentary: Our Creator has carried us from the beginning of our lives (conception), acts on our behalf and will sustain us to the end.  

#

Ukraine Church is Not Tired 

     We American Christians take our access to Sunday services for granted. American Jews also live in this nation at peace, although there have been some ugly troubles caused by anti-Israel radicals. 

     Then there is Ukraine, a nation under siege, more than 90,000 troops and civilians killed. Millions have been displaced.

      When Russians invaded a Black Sea port city, and destroyed a bridge, a senior pastor found himself in occupied territory. So, he began leading a new church. 

     Church members served their suffering neighbors, until a dam collapsed (suspected sabotage) and flooded residents' homes. Members gave people clothes and opportunity to wash their clothes because many lost their appliances.

     Attendance at the pastor's church has more than doubled to about 300 - more than three times as many attendees as our American church. 

     Interviews with local pastors suggest the good deeds of believers amid the evils of war have softened many Ukrainians to the evangelical message.

     "God is seeking humble people," says a pastor. "This is the point when you have no hope. This is the best point to meet Jesus." 

     In a Kyiv suburb, 70 percent destroyed by Russian troops in 2022, many church members evacuated. Now, the church is nearly back to its pre-war membership of 600, plus about 700 visitors. The pastor attributes growth to members showing the love of Christ. 

     There is counseling, material support and legal advice. 

     Evangelicals have long been ostracized as a cult. Pastors are hopeful that public perceptions of evangelicals are changing, thanks to churches' response to the war. 

# 

Post Election Summary 

     "Today's Democrat Party is under complete control of an elitist cabal of warmongers obsessed with power." So wrote Tulsi Gabbard, former Democratic congresswoman, once Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee, and a Lt. Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve. 

     The election is over. Views is not stumping for votes. Gabbard has been nominated to lead the National Intelligence Agency. Here, we list a few of her statements in a pre-election letter we received some time ago. We need to remember how the Dems play the game, and remined ourselves often to seek truth, not fall for the tired lies of Gabbard's former friends. Another election is only two years away.

     She wrote, "Today's Democrat Party rejects the rule of law. ...they are targeting ordinary Americans. The Biden-Harris DOJ convicted six pro-life activists, who are facing over a decade in prison for peacefully protesting." 

     They "established the 'Disinformation Governance Board,' to control what information we're allowed to read." Democrats "Oppose freedom of religion. ...and are hostile toward people of faith. Barack Obama famously mocked Americans for 'clinging to their guns and religion.'" 

     "They have launched the biggest information campaign in American history to keep their (voters) from abandoning them in droves. The Democratic elite and the mainstream propaganda media are desperately trying to convince ordinary Americans that their fellow Americans are 'traitors,' 'extremists' and 'deplorables.'" 

     Average Americans won this election, but if our democracy is to survive, we need to keep on keeping on.

                 Jimmy

Coming up: Our next team of leaders 

Thanksgiving Around the World

We're not the only nation with a Thanksgiving. 

Switzerland

     The Swiss day of Fasting and Thanksgiving dates from the 16th century, when natural disaster, epidemics and wars were the norm. Conflicts between Catholics and Protestants persisted into the mid-1800s. Several faith groups instituted days of fasting and prayer for peace, which became a country-wide observance in 1832.

Nigeria

     An annual thanksgiving festival is common among several Nigerian tribes. The central theme is thanksgiving for a bountiful harvest. It's a time for family members to reunite.

Ukraine

     It's not a national holiday, but Thanksgiving is celebrated within Christian communities. Family gatherings, church worship services and times of prayer mark the day. In September, at a church in Kyiv, members decorated the church with grains, vegetables and flowers - a display of gratitude for the strength God gave to grow and gather it. This, in spite of war.

Brazil

     A Brazilian ambassador who celebrated Thanksgiving in New York City proposed importing the holiday back home. It took 40 years, but Brazil declared a National Day of Thanksgiving as a show of cultural unity. The feast includes American dishes such as sweet potatoes and turkey. Brazilian culture has not broadly adopted the day, but it remains observed by some Brazilians. 

Spending on Ukraine and Israel

     Two weeks after Israel recently received an $8.7 billion U.S. aid package, the Pentagon said the U.S., would send a missile defense system to Israel. Meanwhile, President Biden announced another $8 billion in military help for Ukraine. 

     Congress has appropriated more than $174 billion for Ukraine. About $60 billion of it is to purchase new or transfer excess U.S. equipment. It also provides training and covers costs for deploying more U.S troops to Europe, and replenishes U.S. and allied stocks. Funds also cover economic and humanitarian help for Ukraine and its neighbors. 

     If Trump had been reelected four years ago, none of the above would have been necessary. 

     Meanwhile, the U.S. provided our Middle East ally with more than $155 billion since 1948, including about $4 billion a year since 2019. In April Congress approved $26 billion, about half of which goes to Israel's military and rocket defenses, new weapons, supplies and training. $9 billion has gone for humanitarian aid to conflict victims worldwide, including Gaza.

     As for Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. spent about $1.7 trillion between 2001 and 2023. This comes to $4,386 for each taxpayer for Afghanistan and $4,093 for each taxpayer for Iraq operations over 23 years. 

     For Ukraine, $800 per taxpayer. There are additional costs for government agency work, some of which is secret, and some for veteran care. Oh, and then there is $8 billion to "counter communist China." The White House asked Congress for $9.9 billion for fiscal year 2025 for the Pacific region. 

     Therefore, we taxpayers all have an interest in what the government spends overseas, and in the decisions, it makes, wise or not. 

           Jimmy