- TRUMP OPPOSES BANNING ABORTION AND PROMISES FULL COVERAGE OF IVF
- TRUMP AND SOCIAL MEDIA
- IMMIGRANTS TO US ARE MORE CHRISTIAN THAN WE ARE
- REPUBLICANS CHALLENGE LEGAL IMMIGRATION
- HARRIS – TRUMP DEBATE
- MEXICO FREEZES RELATIONSHIP WITH US/CANADIAN EMBASSIES
- PAKISTAN
- DRUG BUST IN AUSTRALIA
- SCOTTISH CHURCHES WORK TO FIGHT ADDICTION
- REPUBLICANS RAMPING UP PRESSURE ON GUN CONTROL
- HARRIS NOTES
- MULTIPLE ISSUES ON BALLOTS
- SPACE-X ROCKET EXPLODES
- MARKET CLOSES AT RECORD HIGH
- GREEN COMPANIES RUSH TO CLOSE LOANS
- CLIMATE NOTES
- LIBYA CUTS OIL
- HOUSING IN THE UK
- UKRAINE
- FOUNDER OF TELEGRAM ARRESTED IN FRANCE
- TALIBAN STANDS AGAINST VIOLENCE
- TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT
- OASIS REUNITES
TRUMP OPPOSES BANNING ABORTION AND PROMISES FULL COVERAGE OF IVF
As I’ve said before, it kind of surprises me that these two things go together so much. They seem pretty opposite to me. The funny thing in this article is that Trump say “we need more babies,” and yet at the same time does not want an abortion ban and wants to block immigration.
I guess I’m not opposed to holding ideas in tension, obviously, but I’ll admit this seems like a weird approach to me.
(though I am in favor of funding for IVF – and adoption).
TRUMP AND SOCIAL MEDIA
https://apnews.com/article/trump-social-media-conspiracy-e3bbd855a2710d6b4bb4f480dd77e190
Trump is once again sharing Q-Anon phrases through his social media accounts, pushing for jailing Jack Smith (probably because he indicted Trump again), attacked Congressional leaders who investigated him (and surprisingly, Obama), shared aggressive (frankly, downright offensive) migrant memes, and shared posts with derogatory sexual references to Harris.
It’s nothing new of course. This is Trump’s thing, and has been since Day One of his political life. I’m always curious if there will ever come a time when his supporters say “that’s too much.” Is there anything he could say/share that would dissuade them? I really don’t know.
IMMIGRANTS TO US ARE MORE CHRISTIAN THAN WE ARE
The funny thing about this one is that this is NOT “Surprising.” This has been the case for decades. The author of this piece ends with the line: “So perhaps a new warning needs to be issued about the border: “The Christians are coming.” Which, if done legally, …might not be such a bad thing.”
My friends, I have been saying this for years. Christian immigration groups have been saying this for years. There have been excellent books by Dr. Joseph Castleberry on this. Maybe now that the conservative Christian media is starting to notice, perhaps the tide will start to change? Man, I sure hope so.
REPUBLICANS CHALLENGE LEGAL IMMIGRATION
https://apnews.com/article/immigration-texas-biden-spouses-9b282ce79793004d43e393f75081f331
This is a plan (which seems common to me) that would allow spouses of US citizens to apply for citizenship. But Texas judges seem to be against that. I know people will constantly say “I just want to stop illegal immigration,” but you can’t say that on one hand, and make it MORE difficult for people to coming legally. If we had clearer, easier immigration, perhaps illegal immigration would take care of itself.
My friends, it’s not just a question of “we only want legal immigration.” it’s “we want less immigrants, period.”
TRUMP – HARRIS DEBATE
I don’t have a lot of opinion on this one, but just to note that this debate has essentially the same rules as the Trump/Biden debate. Muted microphones, no audience, no notes, etc.
One thing that DID surprise me, however, is that it was Harris’s team who was pushing for live mics the whole time. I kind of thought the Democrats were the ones who wanted muted mics, because Trump just shouts over people so much. But apparently, they said they WANTED people to hear his rambling. It was Trump’s team who wanted the mics off (though Trump himself seems to want them on).
So, kind of interesting.
MEXICO FREEZES RELATIONSHIP WITH US/CANADIAN EMBASSIES
Mexico is passing a law that makes Supreme Court Justices elected by popular vote. The US and Mexico have voiced concerns that this will them susceptible to corruption, particularly from gang pressure. In response to these concerns, the president of Mexico has paused relationships with the embassies.
To me, this seems more like a public statement than a real crisis, but it is interesting that they felt strongly enough about it to make some international headlines. Hopefully it doesn’t escalate beyond this
PAKISTAN
https://www.npr.org/2024/08/26/g-s1-19547/gunmen-attacks-southwestern-pakistan
If you haven’t been paying attention, there are a lot of problems going on in Pakistan right now. Essentially one of the provinces (Baluchistan) wants independence, and there’s been escalating violence in the last couple months. In this particular case, the rebels are stopping busses and asking people for ID. If they are from outside of the province, they are often executed.
I think it’s important to remind ourselves once in a while that there are people suffering around the world, and we often don’t give them a second thought. I have argued before that we can’t know EVERYTHING. It is too overwhelming. But I do think it’s worthwhile to keep in mind that there’s a world outside of our own.
DRUG BUST IN AUSTRALIA
https://www.dw.com/en/australian-police-carry-out-massive-nationwide-drug-bust/a-70056881
I had to share this for two reasons:
1 – Anything involving New Zealand is going to get my attention, particularly when it’s RIngs of Power Week
2 – 1600 People??!!! Holy Crap.
“Police said they had made 1,611 drug-related arrests and laid 2,962 drug-related charges during the nationwide action, dubbed Operation Vitreus.
Almost 1,400 kg (more than 3,000 lb) of illicit drugs and more than 2,500 cannabis plants were seized, they said, worth in the region of 93 million Australian dollars (€57 million, $63 million) street value in total.
Altogether 71 guns were seized, along with more than 2.2 million Australian dollars in cash.“
SCOTTISH CHURCHES WORK TO FIGHT ADDICTION
Just a note on this in general: people have made comments that churches shouldn’t be tax exempt here in the US because they just care about themselves, or they make a ton of money. I think this is untrue, and is skewed by the media attention on the very few mega churches out there.
While I would hope it wouldn’t change their ministry if they lost exemption, I do think churches do a lot more good (usually, quietly) than people think. Addiction counseling paired with religious morality has been shown to be remarkably effective in preventing relapses (not perfect of course). I’m glad to see churches investing in what can often be the most difficult of the least of these.
REPUBLICANS RAMPING UP PRESSURE ON GUN CONTROL
https://apnews.com/article/texas-state-fair-gun-ban-lawsuit-7eedbf9ee55ea9c624e0db4e71dc0e4d
Well, if nothing else, you gotta admit that the GOP loves their guns consisently. Couple of different stories here.
The first one is about the State Fair of Texas banning guns. The Republican Attorney General is suing, saying they can’t ban guns in Texas, even at a private event. The AG is arguing that because the fair is held on land belonging to Dallas, a public entity, guns can’t be banned. Dallas on the other hand has argued that since it’s a private event, the Fair can do as they choose.
My comment on this one is just – when you love your guns so much you want to start forcing people to accept them at private events, are you still conservative? Should the govt start forcing itself at all private events? Seems like that might be contrary to traditional “conservative” views. I’m curious to see which one wins out.
https://apnews.com/article/gun-control-tennessee-6a475238d8aa3d5a833a16e0ef25fb5c
This second article is about tennessee. Apparently Memphis leans a little further left than the rest of the state, and has 3 issues on the ballot:
1 – require permits
2 – ban AR-15 style weapons
3 – implement red flag laws
In response, the GOP at the state level in Tennessee has threatened to take away state funding for the city. Again, I find this interesting that guns are so important, they will take precedence over the voting of the people. The push here is interesting to me. Which conservative value will win out – Guns or the rights of the people to choose?
HARRIS NOTES
Few things on Harris here:
1 – https://www.reuters.com/world/us/harris-walz-hold-first-joint-network-tv-interview-cnn-2024-08-29/
On this one she says she’s in favor of a stronger border (it seems to me, stronger than Biden), and that she plans to continue supporting Israel, despite some calls within the party. This actually might hurt her in the election (as she knows), because so many on her side want less support of Israel in the war. So, good for her for saying her position.
If elected, she would be only the second VP to win. In my mind, that was just the way things happened, but I’m sure it’s because I grew up when Bush took over for Reagan. (just for historical reference, early on in US history, Secretary of State was the one who seemed to be next in line).
3 – https://apnews.com/article/election-2024-harris-walz-interview-94eff1aa1247e471b48948d03faf0edf
She stated that she wanted at least one Republican in her cabinet if elected. Kind of an interesting statement coming at a time when it appears to me that Trump is trying to revive the Spoils system of Andrew Jackson. Historically speaking, I would argue our best Presidents have brought their rivals into office with them (Lincoln for example). Be interesting to see if she sticks to it.
MULTIPLE ISSUES ON BALLOTS THIS NOVEMBER
I’d encourage you to read through some of these measures, particularly if it’s your state. I think sometimes people get the sense that the November election is JUST about the presidency, but there are a lot of other issues and races as well.
Some highlights from this article:
1 – Nine states have measures to add abortion rights to their state constitutions (usually up to fetal viability)
2 – Eight states have measures to ban non-citizens from voting (there is already a federal law like this)
3 – Open primaries – this would something like all the candidates would be in ONE primary pool, rather than divided up into parties, which would mean, for example, three people from one party could advance to the general election. (of course, my hope would be this might mean more parties are represented).
4 – On the border, Texas and Arizona are trying to make it a state crime to enter the US illegally. The main issue here is that thus far national borders are the area for the federal government, not state one. Some Republicans are in favor of this bill, but I think they haven’t thought it through. What if Texas says no, and then California says anyone who wants to can cross there? I think you need to have Federal control of borders.
5 – in my own ND – legalization of Mary Jane is on the ballot, as well as repealing property taxes.
SPACE-X ROCKET EXPLODES
https://apnews.com/article/spacex-launch-accident-booster-db396897fbb90d00ef18be886b3b1ce0
The incident caused the FAA to ground future SpaceX flights for the time being. It crashed as it was landing on a ocean platform.
MARKET NEWS
https://www.reuters.com/markets/us/nasdaq-sp-futures-flat-markets-assess-nvidias-results-2024-08-29
Another record high in the stock market (interesting I don’t hear so much about this from certain media outlets). Inflation is down and consumer spending is up. Psst – that means the economy is doing ok. I know people think “groceries are high, therefore the economy is bad,” but that’s two different issues. (Also, Harris has suggested that high grocery prices are a reflection of higher corporate profits, not inflation, and that she would consider legislation to address it).
GREEN ENERGY
https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/wary-trump-us-minerals-projects-rush-close-government-loans-2024-08-29
This was an interesting story to me, because one hand, Trump wants to put a bunch of tariffs on chinese goods, and at the same time, wants to block development in fields that might challenge Chinese dominance. I really don’t know what it’ll happen here, whether Harris or Trump wins. Interesting that the companies are scrambling though.
CLIMATE NOTES
Namibia, facing starvation from an ongoing crisis, is preparing to kill off 83 elephants (among other animals) to feed its population. This is also due to a drought that has led the government there to conclude that there isn’t enough available grazing land to support the animal populations.
https://apnews.com/article/greece-volos-climate-drought-floods-fish-e924a1f9345f26644d17a62b6fe93dcc
Again, i would argue that climate change is a real issue for the world to address. How exactly to do that may be a challenge, but i don’t think closing our eyes is the answer, nor do i think it’s in line with Biblical teaching. We have been giving the responsibility to care for the world. We should take God’s commands seriously.
LIBYA TO CUT OIL SUPPLY
Other than the issue of instability here, I just wanted to put a record here that if gas prices go up, it’s not because of Harris or Biden or anyone else in the US. When other countries do stuff, it does stuff here. That’s the nature of having one world, that’s all connectedy.
HOUSING IN THE UK
https://www.reuters.com/breakingviews/uks-housing-mess-requires-costly-fix-2024-08-29/
I’m just including this to note that the housing crisis is not just a US issue. Note that here, in the UK, they are arguing for government intervention and change. I would guess it won’t be long until that starts reaching us here as well.
NOTES ON UKRAINE
https://www.reuters.com/world/russia-warns-united-states-risks-world-war-three-2024-08-27
In recent months, Ukraine has been attacking targets inside of Russia proper, and they want to use weapons supplied by the US to reach even further. Thus far, Biden administration has put pressure on them to restrict use of US weapons to defense only. Ukraine obviously wants to expand, and Russia is “suggesting” that they would see this as an attack by the US.
I also wanted to make a quick note on the stories coming out that funds for Ukraine have gone missing or are being embezzled.
My friends, this sort of thing happens in every war. War is big business, and with that much money flying around, yes, people are going to do unethical things with it. I was just reading about during the US-Mexican war, companies that had government contracts were cutting corners on food and weapons, leading to probably more deaths than actual battle casualites.
It sucks, but it is what war is. Be cautious about seeing this as “see how terrible Ukraine is,” like some media outlets are saying.
FOUNDER OF TELEGRAM ARRESTED IN FRANCE
I’m just learning about this, but I wanted to share it for those of you interested. To my understanding, he was arrested on charges related to human trafficking and organized crime. This is an important case, as it hinges on whether or not a social media platform is responsible for the content on it. This is similar to case in the US involving Facebook and Twitter (yes, TWITTER).
THE TALIBAN STANDS AGAINST VIOLENCE
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0qe4jk32xeo
I find this interesting, as some people seem to think that “if they aren’t like me, they’re pure evil.” It’s interesting that in this case, it’s the Tabliban in Afghanistan who are saying MMA is too violent and against religious morals.
TRUMP ASSASINATION ATTEMPT
https://apnews.com/article/fbi-trump-assassination-attempt-919bc3a7bba02f6e340fed321b20dfdd
Again, just wanted to note on this that it appears this was not particularly focused on Trump or his politics. The shooter just wanted SOMEONE, and Trump was convenient.
OASIS REUNITES
Had to share this one, just to say I’ve heard that demand for these tickets is outpacing Taylor Swift. Seems hard to believe, but when you combine some decent tunes with brothers getting into fistfights on stage, I guess people wanna be there.