27 Jun 2022

The Biden Administration is Beyond Embarrassment

I quickly realized when Joe Biden was coming into office, we were facing a train wreck situation. What I had no idea of is that we were about to reach a level of absurdity that one would question if one was watching the most bizarre Monty Python sketch.

Biden often makes statements that make absolutely no sense. Because they are meaningless, there is no harm in implying:

“It’s not civil to call someone who lied a liar?”

“You cannot go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin’ Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. And I’m not joking.”

“How many people did you see out in Mcdonald’s parking lots with their kids in their cars — because they get access to the internet — to be able to help the kid in school?”

“I, uh, I got what we call in my old neighborhood in Claymont, Delaware – I got ‘shellacked.’ I kept saying, I’m waiting to go to South Carolina.”

“They showed me an X-ray and said a .22-caliber bullet will lodge in a lung, and we can probably get it out and save a life. A 9mm bullet blows the lung out of the body.”

There are times when Biden makes statements that are profoundly impactful on official US diplomatic policy. For decades, our nation has been very steadfast when it comes to how we would respond to a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

Biden created panic at the State Department when he said that the US would intervene militarily to defend Taiwan if it was invaded by China. Biden’s statement ultimately implies that we would be willing to declare nuclear war if China invades Taiwan. The only thing we can hope for is that China realizes that Biden is just a senile invalid and that no actual warfare is likely between the two nations.

It has been well known for months that Biden’s wife Jill has been heavily guiding Joe on common events. A few weeks ago, a news outlet found that Biden is using cheat sheets during meetings. The instructions on these cards are extremely basic. Some of the guidelines include “take YOUR seat,” “give brief comments 2 minutes,” and “you thank participants.” This is the type of detailed instruction you would give to someone who has suffered a traumatic brain injury.

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the absurdity of the new press secretary at the White House, Karine Jean-Pierre, and how she was clearly unqualified for the job. She has quickly gone on to prove she is one of the worst secretaries to ever hold that position. It makes me wonder who could have green-lighted her position. It greatly worries me to realize that the same mindset may have employed similar idiots to manage our nuclear arsenal.

What makes Biden all the more dangerous is that he has the full support of the liberal media. In their eyes, he can simply do no wrong. The press is trying to claim that Biden’s verbal missteps are actually a good thing. One NBC piece claimed that correcting such gaffes “undermines him and smothers his authenticity.” They wrote, “Presidents and other elected officials are frequently told that they are selling the wrong message.”

The author added, “The reality is that if there is one skill that presidents have — and one for which they must trust their own instincts — it’s messaging,” encouraging Biden to keep being himself. Jimmy Carter must be smiling that he is no longer the worst president in American history. It is a crime against our nation for the liberal media to be so willfully oblivious to this calamity.

This is not some Mr. Magoo cartoon where everything magically resolves to no harm done. Eventually, we are going to reach a massive disaster. When Biden was elected in 2020, I wanted to ask 80 million voters, do you realize what you have just done?

As our nation descends into wickedness, we are rewarded with leaders who are void of the necessary mental skills for the job. Biden may have been intelligent in his youth, but now he greatly lacks the ability to fulfill his role as leader of the free world. It is a massive shame and embarrassment to have him in office. The only fix is for the American people to openly repent of their mistake, but I doubt that is possible.

“Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?” (1 Corinthians 1:20).

–Todd


“Come, Lord Jesus”

This phrase, imploring that Jesus intervene in a less-than-pleasant moment of the life of a believer, used to be spoken in a sort of light-hearted way—i.e., the person saying this used the words to express their frustration with the way something was going they would rather not face.

One heard, “Come, Lord Jesus,” once in a while, but for the most part, it was issued with a grimace, then a smile, indicating that things weren’t really so grim as to want the Lord to rescue them. At least that is my observation, thinking back over the years.

I guess some would accuse that this was, when used in such a light vein, a way of using the Lord’s name in vain–something the Bible indicates is forbidden. Perhaps I should view it that way, but just never did, believing that His coming at any moment would be a glorious thing, not something to wish for that should be criticized as sinful. At any rate, shouldn’t we want the Lord to come back? We’re told in Scriptures like Luke 21:28, Mark 13:37, and Titus 2:13 to be looking for, watching for, the Lord coming for us.

Worry and conjecture over whether such light usage of the phrase, ”Come, Lord Jesus” is wrong no longer applies, because now there is no doubt about its usage. The appeal for Jesus to intervene in our lives is genuine in every respect.

If I put into this commentary every case lately in which I’ve received an email that uses the phrase, “Come, Lord Jesus,” in different ways, the article would be lengthy indeed. These days, Christians, I’ve found, are genuine in asking the Lord to rescue us out of this spiritually darkening—dare I say, insane—world.

American Christians have been for years, for the most part, spoiled to things going along pretty well without challenge to their belief in Christ. There has been very little persecution compared to that suffered by believers of other nations—China, for example. Those believers might not recognize much difference in the level of troubles they’re suffering because of their faith. Things might be getting worse, but their plight hasn’t changed significantly in terms of contrast.

By that, I mean that we here in America have seen things go from relatively smooth, with little challenge and no persecution to speak of, to tremendous changes and growing persecution for our belief in Christ as the only way to salvation.

We’ve seen the country’s attitudes change from America being called a Christian nation to having a president say we are not a Christian nation. We’ve watched a pastor of a president asking God to damn America, using the term in a way that takes the Lord’s name in vain in an obvious, overt expression.

We’ve endured the corruption of everything we thought secure, the US Constitution and its framers—the founding fathers—made out to be, through rewritten history, among the most evil documents and most evil men in human history.

We’ve witnessed our nation fight to win freedom from slavery for African Americans, with one party being at the helm of government that won the war and freed the slaves. The other party, who mostly advocated holding slaves, who lost that Civil War, now calls the political party that freed slaves guilty of racism.

The lies from the father of lies run rampant, even mocking God’s prescription for living righteously. For example, the homosexual lobby, although a small percentage of the citizenry, dominates the mainstream media narrative in proclaiming it is as righteous a lifestyle as any.

That same culture and media now makes out God to be a liar by saying male and female don’t have to be what they came into the world to be. A boy can be a girl, or vice-versa. It is a choice, not a biological fact of birth, as directed by God.

And, the same media and culture proclaims it is not only okay, but preferable, to murder children while in the womb or even after birth in some cases, as a matter of a woman’s right to choose whether her baby lives or dies.

So, in America, the contrast is stark. We have seen the evil cesspool of wickedness infect our culture and society in most every way possible, unthinkable only a few decades ago. That is why we say, and legitimately so, “Come, Lord Jesus!”

And it all means that the Lord Jesus must surely be about to step out onto the clouds of glory and say, “Come up here!”

And when you see all these things begin to come to pass, then look up and lift up your head; for your redemption draweth nigh. (Luke 21 28)

He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. (Revelation 22: 20)

—Terry

27 Jun 2022

Bibi’s Not Out

I listened to a fascinating discussion about Israel’s volatile political situation. Hosted by the Washington Institute, this discussion featured David Makovsky and Dennis Ross. The former is with the Institute and Ross of course has been a negotiator/diplomat going back to the Clinton administration.

I don’t exactly think Ross is a bad guy, but he does appear to be naïve and locked-into humanistic models for diplomacy. In other words, it was clear from the conversation that the Bible plays no part in Washington policy.

Makovsky focused on the positive things from Naftali Bennett’s brief tenure. This, according to Makovsky, was that Bennett brought great diversity—historic—that the Knesset had not had before. That this includes the Islamist party Ra’am seems not to bother centrists.

Makovsky also said that Bennett brought “normalcy” back to the government, along with deepening ties with neighboring Arab states. Ross later also gave Bennett props for “building on” what Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump had forged with the Abraham Accords. As for the elections scheduled for October, Makovsky predicted it will continue to be close (“World War I trench warfare, with no one able to land a knockout punch”) and that perhaps only 100,000 voters (out of a nation of nine million) will decide who gets to be prime minister.

Ross contrasted Bennett’s style with that of Netanyahu’s (still Israel’s longest-serving PM), saying that the younger politician wanted to emphasize how differing parties could get along. Bennett feels that “We all agree on 70 percent” of the issues facing the country, so the remainder shouldn’t cause final divisions.

The Post’s editor Yaakov Katz doesn’t like Netanyahu, and he makes no secret of that:

“Netanyahu might be coming back. That is a fact of life. The government he will potentially form is one that should have Israelis concerned. It will be a government that will have one key purpose – getting him out of court and stopping the legal proceedings against him.

“To those who think that it is too late because the trial has already started, think again. Be sure that Netanyahu’s foremost goal will be this – finding a way out of his trial.”

And of course, there are those that support Netanyahu largely because he brings security in an age of terrorism. And Ross, though he worked for Clinton and Obama, he said something very interesting about the prospects that Netanyahu will return to the PM’s office. We write-off certain candidates at our own peril. For example, in the 1982 Lebanon War, Ariel Sharon (then defense minister), was castigated for murders that took place in the Sabra and Shatilla refugee camps. The ensuing investigation caused Sharon to resign. Yet 20 years later, he became prime minister.

Likewise, three years into Netanyahu’s first stint, he lost widely to Ehud Barak. He was gone from the political spotlight for 10 years…then returned and is now the longest-serving prime minister in Israel’s history.

Sadly, until we get to the point of knowing whether Bibi will return, Israel will be led by caretaker PM Yair Lapid. I’m not thrilled by that choice, but it’s part of the deal he struck with Bennett a year ago.

In summation, Makovsky and Ross seem to favor a “more modern” (my term) PM, one that will be willing to compromise with the Arabs.

But they’ve been compromising for decades. Still terrorism. The trick for Netanyahu will be to garner enough support to avoid yet more new elections. In October, Israel will hold its fifth such election in three years. In some ways, the Knesset is an impossible model, with scores of small parties wielding a lot of power because they can bring down a government; that’s just what happened to Bennett’s fragile coalition.

Netanyahu, now past 70, will need to convince enough younger voters that he’s the guy.

Let’s pray that’s the case.

Jim1fletcher@yahoo.com