011 Pentecost 019: Loving Truth
A lot less queer, maritime tax gets sunk, and the Great Feminization
The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul.~ Psalm 121
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A new report by Professor Eric Kaufmann has shown a “free fall” decline in young people identifying as transgender. Drawing on large survey data, Kaufmann found that social pressure and fads had fueled the rise in “queer” identities but the results are “a sign that fashions are changing.” He doesn’t attribute the shift to new political or religious loyalties, since those trajectories haven’t mirrored the trans trend. Instead, he suggests it may reflect improving mental health among youth. For those still battling the laws and systems that push children into the medical pipeline despite plenty of evidence that transgender identification is often a social contagion, prosecutions can’t come fast enough.
Looking to the cross: The fever may be breaking. Young people are quietly stepping away from an identity that promised freedom but delivered chains. For that, we can thank God. Truth always surfaces—like light through the cracks. But the enemy makes sin look noble, suffering look optional, and destruction look like choice. When this fad passes, he’ll find another one to promote. We win not by chase down trends but by standing still. Be the one who doesn’t move when the current changes. The fashion fades, but the Word of our God endures forever.
Dividing Line
Supreme Court watchers say the conservative justices may weaken or strike down Article 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which requires elections to be “equally open to participation” by everyone. Louisiana is being sued by a group of black voters who argue two of the state’s six districts should be majority-black to reflect the state’s demographics. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson compared the case to disability-access laws for polling places—a stretch that left some observers puzzled. The Court majority appears inclined to end gerrymandering based on race or other identity categories altogether. Plaintiffs insist the section is still needed because “white voters don’t vote for black candidates,” but as The Federalist pointed out, the answer to racial division isn’t more racial division. A ruling in Louisiana’s favor could cost Democrats several seats nationwide.
On the Radar
Politics
Bolton Indicted–Former National Security Advisor John Bolton has been indicted by a grand jury on charges of leaking and retaining classified documents. The Biden DOJ had previously abandoned the case. (Fox)
Haitian Migrant Fallout–Hundreds of Haitian migrants brought to a small Pennsylvania town on temporary work visas under the Biden administration will soon be in the country illegally after the local food processing plant shuts down. The owner of the staffing company supplying those workers was convicted of “harboring illegal aliens for financial gain”. A local attorney said the plant’s “business model” collapsed under the Trump administration’s tougher immigration enforcement. (ZeroHedge, Observer Reporter)
English Required–Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced his department will cut off about $40 million in federal funding to California for refusing to comply with an executive order requiring truck drivers to demonstrate basic English proficiency — including reading road signs and holding a conversation. (WNG)
Debate Nights – A bizarre New York mayoral debate saw Democrat Muslim communist candidate Zohran Mamdani claim independent Andrew Cuomo was unfit to run the city because he hadn’t visited a mosque. (There are, of course, other reasons Cuomo is unfit.) Republican Curtis Sliwa came off as the most articulate contender, though he remains an underdog. Meanwhile, in Virginia, Democrat Jay Jones debated incumbent Attorney General Jason Miyares. Jones apologized for texts reveling in the thought of murdering his conservative rivals, but said the stakes were too high for him to drop out. (ZeroHedge, The Federalist, Fox, The Federalist)
A little factoid I stumbled on last week..
Business and Markets
U.S. Sinks Climate Tax Plan–U.S. delegates to the United Nations have scuttled a proposed climate initiative that would impose taxes on ships failing to meet “Net Zero” requirements. The U.S. warned of retaliatory tariffs and taxes, prompting the vote’s postponement. President Trump denounced the scheme, which would have driven up the cost of shipped goods, calling the outcome a win not only for American consumers but also against China, which stood to benefit from a weakened U.S. maritime sector. (Fox, Red State)
Silver Hits 1980s High – Silver has surged to its highest price since the 1980s, surpassing $50 an ounce.(Yahoo)
Great stuff from the archive..
Crime and Policing
Riot Inc.–President Trump recently held a roundtable on Antifa with conservative pundits and journalists. The Independent dismissed it as “a bizarre discussion about a group that doesn’t formally exist,” but others point to links between dark-money funders and those waving Antifa’s banner, calling it “a product not of grassroots passion, but of elite engineering.” Progressives continue to insist Antifa is “an idea,” but GOP lawmakers want a special committee to trace who funds the protests — sandwiches, summer camps, and safe houses don’t pay for themselves. (PJ Media, ZeroHedge, The Independent, National Desk)
Iowa Superintendent Scandal–The illegal alien serving as an Iowa school superintendent has been exposed for running a lucrative side hustle, funneling school funds to a consulting company promoting his books and speaking gigs.(PJ Media)
Life and Family
Kids’ TV Creator Admits Agenda – A children’s television creator has said she was determined to push homosexual characters on kids, calling the inclusion of a lesbian couple her “hill to die on.” (Libs of TikTok via X)
Marriage Equality 2.0–An Ohio lawmaker has introduced a bill banning marriage between humans and robots. Rep. Thaddeus Claggett says his main concern is AI programs gaining the legal status of a human spouse. (Gizmodo)
The Church
Methodists Multiply–The Global Methodist Church—formed after splitting from the United Methodist Church over its embrace of sexual perversion—has announced its membership now exceeds 6,000 congregations. So, good for them. (WNG)
Rubio Demands China Free Pastors –Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called on China to release 30 pastors and staff from an underground church network. The Christians were reportedly detained during raids in several cities. (NPR, BBC)
Diwali on the Calendar–Three U.S. states have officially recognized the Hindu festival of Diwali as a public holiday. (RNS)
Confession Protected–Orthodox priests in Washington state have won their lawsuit against a law requiring clergy to report confessions of abuse. The state had carved out exceptions for attorneys, advocates, and recovery sponsors—but not for priests. The court ruled the law violated religious freedom and the canonical seal of confession.(WNG)
Science and Tech
Adults Only–Sam Altman of ChatGPT fame says OpenAI will finally “let verified adults be adults” when it comes to interacting with the model. In his announcement, Altman claimed the company had been overly restrictive for “mental health” reasons, but said new “age-gating” verification will protect children as restrictions on pornographic conversations and other moral hazards are lifted. What could go wrong? (Tech Crunch)
Free Speech or Surveillance?–Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has warned that the internet is being transformed from a tool for the free exchange of ideas into a mechanism for government control and surveillance. (Reclaim the Net)
Musk’s Machine Learns You–Elon Musk announced that Grok—the AI attached to X—will soon “read every post and watch every video (100M+ per day)” to match users with content they’re most likely to find interesting. (Elon Musk via X)
Media and the Arts
Pentagon Press Revolt–A number of journalists have turned in their Pentagon access badges rather than agree to new conditions set out by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. Corporate media painted the move as an assault on press freedom, but Mollie Hemingway says the critics “must not have read the document.” The policy aims to curb leaks, she says, not restrict media rights or free speech. (AP, You’re Wrong podcast via Spreaker)
Mind and Body
Light Against Cancer–Scientists hope a new treatment using LEDs and nanoparticles to destroy cancer cells could soon become more widespread.(Futurity)
Don’t pathologize shyness. (Psyche)
Everything Is TV–News, social media, podcasts—every form has eventually “become a river of short-form video,” writes Derek Thompson. “When everything turns into television, every form of communication starts to adopt television’s values: immediacy, emotion, spectacle, brevity.” (Derek Thompson)
War and Rumors of War
Trump: “I Hope I Don’t Have to Arm Ukraine”–President Trump said he hopes he “will not have to” send Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine. Fresh from helping broker peace in Gaza, he hinted he might soften his stance on arming Kyiv—raising hopes there. However, in a pre-recorded Fox interview, Trump said that after speaking with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, he believes Ukraine will likely have to forfeit annexed territory for the war to end. (New York Post, The Interpreter, Kyiv Independent)
Taliban and Pakistan Clash–Afghanistan’s Taliban government has agreed to a 48-hour ceasefire after deadly border clashes with Pakistan. The fighting erupted following explosions in Afghanistan blamed on Pakistani forces, with both sides accusing the other of starting the conflict. Relations have deteriorated since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, and their growing friendship with India has further angered Pakistan. (BBC)
World News
🏴 Birmingham Bans Israeli Fans–Authorities in Birmingham have agreed with a safety advisory committee’s recommendation to ban Israeli soccer fans from attending the match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Aston Villa. Critics say the move capitulates to thugs and anti-Semites, signaling that Britain is unsafe for Jews. Muslim parliamentarians, meanwhile, congratulated the city for “keeping fans safe.” (Spiked, Not the Bee)
🇳🇱 Netherlands Seizes Chinese Chipmaker–The Dutch government has taken control of a Chinese-owned semiconductor company based in the Netherlands, citing “serious governance shortcomings and actions.” Officials called it a “highly exceptional” move. (CNBC)
🇮🇪 Ireland Makes Artist Pay Permanent–Ireland’s “basic income for artists” program, launched to revive the arts sector after the pandemic, is set to become permanent. Culture Minister Patrick O’Donovan said the scheme’s “economic return is having an immediate positive impact on the sector and the economy overall.”” (Art Net)
🇳🇵 Last Everest Climber Dies–The last living member of Sir Edmund Hillary’s 1953 Everest expedition has died, aged 92. Kanchha Sherpa never went to the summit, as his wife considered it too risky. He advised his kids not to become mountaineers. (New York Post)
🇬🇧 Waymo Heads to London–Waymo plans to launch its driverless taxis in London next year. (AP)
This one probably needs to be read widely…
The Great Feminization “Everything you think of as ‘wokeness’ is simply an epiphenomenon of demographic feminization,” writes Helen Andrews at Compact. Andrews expresses very well what so many of us have noticed in recent decades – the increasing matrilineal nature of our culture. She details how having female-dominant workplaces and industries has drastically changed society. The piece notes the incongruity: “Women can sue their bosses for running a workplace that feels like a fraternity house, but men can’t sue when their workplace feels like a Montessori kindergarten.” But she is hopeful that change can come. “Right now we have a nominally meritocratic system in which it is illegal for women to lose. Let’s make hiring meritocratic in substance and not just name, and we will see how it shakes out. Make it legal to have a masculine office culture again. Remove the HR lady’s veto power.” She wants to see her sons achieve their potential and knows they will if we all stop complying: “Feminization is not an organic result of women outcompeting men. It is an artificial result of social engineering, and if we take our thumb off the scale it will collapse within a generation.”(Compact)
Quickhits For The Eyebuds
🐐 Ski slope prep? Send in sheep and goats
🐝 The world’s largest honeybee species use collective Mexican wave to ward off predator hornets and it’s pretty cool
✉️ NewYork’s iconic rubber stamp shop
🎸 The first all-electric Ferrari will sound like an electric guitar??
🇮🇹 A secret tunnel under the Colosseum, where emperors walked is now open
Let us pray. O Lord, almighty and everlasting God, You have commanded us to pray and have promised to hear us. Mercifully grant that Your Holy Spirit may direct and govern our hearts in all things that we may persevere with steadfast faith in the confession of Your name; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
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