003 Pentecost 11: Standing Out

James Dobson, Trump case tossed and China's pregnancy robots

“Our God shall come, and shall not keep silent; a fire shall devour before Him” ~ Psalm 50

A Cruel Change

This week, Frisby says stuff..

There was much rejoicing in certain corners of the internet at the news that evangelical heavyweight and founder of Focus on the Family, Dr James Dobson had died. Recent reviews of his 1970 book, Dare to Discipline, claimed that his advice to use spanking as a method of discipline “ruined their family” and was responsible for abuse, giving parents “an ideological framework to justify their cruelty.” In fact, wrote one angry man, the world would be a better place if Dobson had “never been born.”

In a strange contrast, last week I came across an interview with Noor Siddiqui, the head of a Silicon Valley tech company which charges $1500 to scan an embryo for genetic markers of disease. Siddiqui believes the near-future of humanity will see most babies genetically screened before they are born, even for polygenic traits such as intelligence. In fact, she insists that sex is for fun, IVF is for making babies. Siddiqui avoided answering any questions about the status of the unborn, focusing on the choices her company’s products offer to parents who wish to “protect” their children from “unnecessary” suffering.

How things have changed since Dr Dobson’s book. Now, disciplining your child is cruel, but discarding his less desirable siblings is kind. Guiding your child’s behavior is suspect, but controlling your child’s chance to exist is applauded. What if we could one day sift out all the hateful ones too? No more James Dobsons! Many commenters on Siddiqui’s interview said they felt sickened by her flippant attitude to life and disability, but after decades of legal abortion, attacks on marriage, and now the rise of IVF, it’s clear our culture has lost the moral acumen to even make a case for why.

Siddiqui seemed quite clueless to the idea that such technology might not remain optional. But why wouldn’t parents who wish to receive the children God gives them be compelled into following her model? Packaging it as compassionate and potentially cost-saving is exactly how the evil message of euthanasia has been spreading. To illustrate the disconnect here: when it comes to James Dobson’s clear stand for life and biblical marriage, his critics insist that some ideas are simply beyond the pale; they need to be stamped out. “You can’t meet Nazis halfway”, they say. But offering parents the control over which lives are worth living? That, we are told, has no downside. The need for moral clarity is evident.

For all the controversy around him at times, Dr Dobson believed the permissive parenting of Benjamin Spock was unbiblical and had been bad for society. He believed children were little sinners who needed their parents to train them up in godliness. And he said so. As a card carrying member of the religious right, he showed Christians that they did not need to accept the anti-Christian drift of the culture as an inevitability. He saw the shrewdness of using political means to promote biblical values. That stand cost him dearly in reputation—but the hate he still receives only underscores the desperate need for boldness.

Today, a gay man publicly weighs which of his lab-created embryos are ‘unusable,’ as casually as if he were comparing brands of yoghurt. Today, we have parents pressured to “affirm” their child’s delusions. And China claims to have robots capable of gestating humans. Ethicist and theologian Stanley Hauerwas once said “I’d say, in 100 years, if Christians are people identified as those who do not kill their children or their elderly, we would have been doing something right.” That seems a low bar, but on the upside, standing out has never been so easy.

‘til all is made new,

Frisby

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Noise Decoder

War Discussions

European leaders met at the Oval Office following President Trump’s summit with Russia’s president. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the talks “good and constructive,” though questions remain about how the war might end. Reports suggested NATO-style security guarantees for Ukraine were under discussion, but the White House insisted no U.S. troops would be sent and that Washington would not keep “writing blank checks.” Those know for the “realist” approach to foreign policy, such as John Mearshiemer, say that letting Russia keep the territory it has annexed is the best way to achieve peace. But analysts who believe it is still worth trying to repel Russia, warn that conceding territory would expose Ukraine. George Barros of the Institute for the Study of War noted that the territory that Putin would keep contains a group of cities fortified in 2104 by Ukraine. Beyond that defensive line, he says, Ukraine would be far more vulnerable. London Times columnist Matthew Syed agreed, warning that appeasement would embolden tyrants to take what they want, he frames the conflict as part of a broader “battle for the West” as Russia and China seek to reshape the global order. The Kremlin has been equivocating, slow-walking potential direct talks with Ukraine’s leaders and the Russian military seems to have turned its attention to American businesses in Ukraine, shelling a US-owned electronics factory in Mukachevo, according to reports.

For his part, President Trump says more than anything, he wants to “stop the killing”, his fans saying he should receive a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts. But the president might be aiming higher, saying if he makes it to heaven, his helping to end the war will “be one of the reasons”.

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Looking to the cross: It’s understandable to tune out another foreign war; what can we do about it anyway, right? There is no easy solution and every possible outcome is costly. But we should pray for world leaders and especially for our own, that they will do what is wise to restrain evil. Scripture reminds us that “the king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will” (Prov. 21:1), that applies to the ones who fear God and also those who don’t. One day, Christ will make wars cease to the ends of the earth (Ps. 46:9)—until then, we watch and pray, knowing the Lord’s purposes stand.

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On the Radar

Life

Birth, Death and Marriage

Calvary Chapel pastor Jack Hibbs has warned California parents to prepare to leave the state if bill AB 495 passes. The bill allows for anyone with “an established familial or mentoring relationship with the child” to make decisions about education and medical treatment with no “obligation to conduct further inquiries or investigations.” (Fox)

As Canada’s euthanasia laws look set to expand to include psychiatric maladies, The Atlantic says the government has neglected its duty to regulate it, leaving doctors’ consciences to be the only safeguard. “Ten years ago, what we…do for work would have been considered homicide.” (The Atlantic)

Chinese tech company says it is close to completing a birthing bot which could carry human babies for ten months. (New York Post)

Crime and Punishment

Courts, Law and Policing

An appeals court has ruled that the penalty (around $515 million) in the 2022 New York fraud case against President Trump is “excessive” and violated the Eighth Amendment’s provision against “cruel and unusual punishment.” The panel of judges was divided—some believed Trump was correctly held liable for overinflating his worth to secure better loans, while two others said the case should be thrown out altogether, and a fifth judge said the case should never have been brought. (Deseret News, Fox)

The FBI has raided the home and offices of former Trump advisor John Bolton, reportedly in connection with the leak of classified documents. Critics have labeled the raid “retributive,” but the President says he was unaware of the plan. (Daily Signal, The Guardian)

The Department of Justice has released a transcript of an interview between Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving time for sex trafficking. She denied that there is an Epstein “list” and believes he did not take his own life. She also said she never saw Donald Trump being “inappropriate.” (The Hill, Time)

A judge has ordered a halt to the construction of the Florida detention center known as Alligator Alcatraz. Environmental groups say the prison violates environmental regulations, and the Miccosukee tribe argued it is too close to traditional villages.(NBC, Native News)

Tribes and Tongues

Immigration and Race

The U.S. State Department says it will review and is “continually vetting” 55 million visa holders. The staggering number includes around 11 million temporary visas granted under President Biden. Newsweek noted that the number of visa holders actually present in the U.S. is much lower, but the administration will look to revoke visas for those who overstay, commit crimes, or display “anti-American” sentiment on social media. (BBC, The Independent, Newsweek)

A pastor who came to the U.S. illegally 24 years ago has been released by immigration authorities. Advocates for Daniel Fuentes Espinal say he has been trying to “adjust his legal status for years.” (WNG)

A Peruvian immigrant was held up as an example of the cruelty of Trump’s deportation efforts after he claimed ICE had abducted his wife. He is now facing extradition from Peru to face questioning about her murder. (Not the Bee)

Learning

Homeschooling, Education and Classrooms

School choice advocates have welcomed the news that as many as one million children will have the ability to be schooled according to their parents’ choice this year. A new study found that “almost four of 10 public schools have a problem with violence, bullying, guns on the premises, and other infractions,” according to Hot Air. Public schools lament that they may have to close their doors, but “vouchers and other choice programs are forcing the public schools to clean up their act.” Funding to empower school choice was included in President Trump’s “big beautiful bill.” (Hot Air, Fisher Phillips)

A Florida mom says her son was awarded a “Most Likely To Be A Dictator” award for his conservative values and was allowed by teachers to be called a “Naziphile” by classmates. (Not the Bee)

Metropolis

Politics and the State

Democratic Texas state House representatives who fled the state to avoid a redistricting bill have returned, vowing to fight its likely passage in court. Democratic governors have said they might look to divvy up their states to their advantage in response. (WNG)

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has stripped security clearance from 37 current and former intelligence professionals “who have abused the public trust.”(Not the Bee)

The Elements

The Natural World

A science podcast was excited to report about “lesbian seagulls” until more research revealed that the behavior was a disordered response to having no mates. After further study, researchers discovered there had been a crisis among the male population of seagulls on Santa Barbara Island. They theorized that a chemical in the air or water was killing them off. For a brief period, that meant the female birds struggled to find mates, prompting them to “playact” mating with each other. When the government regulated the harmful chemicals and the male seagull population rebounded, the “female-female pairings” disappeared. (WNG)

Scientists have captured footage of bumblebee catfish climbing up a waterfall in Brazil. (IFL Science)

Treasure

Money, Markets and Jobs

The U.S. government will buy a 10% stake in struggling chip maker Intel. (Wall Street Journal)

Volkswagen has joined Mercedes-Benz in putting higher horsepower for its electric models behind a paid subscription. (Auto Express)

Reality Bytes

Digital Technology

Roblox is still battling allegations from whistleblowers that it has a pedophile problem. “History has proven again and again [that] it’s infinitely easier for corporations to silence and censor whistleblowers than actually work on fixing whatever issue they’re bringing attention to.” (ZeroHedge)

Twitter alternative Bluesky says it has shut down operations in Mississippi, as it does not have the manpower to ensure compliance with the state’s age verification laws. (PC Mag)

Maybe we all just need a little more praise in our lives? “In making GPT-5 more objective, the company removed what many users valued most: the illusion of being deeply understood…Loneliness has become part of the business model.” (Epoch Times)

Is Google’s AI summary feature reducing traffic to other websites? It’s complicated but probably not. However, ChatGPT might be—most of its referrals go to Wikipedia and Reddit. (Press Gazette, Search Engine Land)

Stories From Far Away

World News

The U.S. has sent battleships to Venezuela amid rising tensions. (WNG)

🇮🇹 At the behest of German police, Italian authorities have arrested a Ukrainian national suspected of blowing up the nordstream ppleine in 2022. (Die Welt)

🇬🇧 Traffic to pornography sites in the UK has dropped sharply since identification laws have come into effect. (BBC)

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England’s protests: “The people of Epping in Essex have done in six weeks what successive governments have struggled to do for five years. They have closed a migrant hotel.” (Spiked)

🇭🇷 Croatian free diver breaks the Guiness world record, holding his breath for 29 minutes. (Vice)

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Quickhits For The Eyebuds

🦐 Yup, there’s a difference between shrimp and prawns

👒 An algorithm for winning Guess Who

🐕 America’s favorite dog breeds by state

🐈 And.. America’s favorite cat names

🇨🇳 Fantastic beasts in a video game castle

🎷 If your flight’s delayed, let’s hope you’re stuck with these guys

🧼 Who knew dirt could be so interesting? New York’s Earth Room

🪀 This guy is a yo-yoing ninja

💾 And this guy made a floppy disk from scratch

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Let us pray. Almighty God, Your Son, Jesus Christ, chose Bartholomew to be an apostle to preach the blessed Gospel. Grant that Your Church may love what he believed and preach what he taught; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

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