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“And the rocket’s red glare, the bomb bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there, O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave, O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?”
When Francis Scott Key penned these words in 1814, over a dozen British warships were launching mortars and rockets in the mouth of the Baltimore Harbor.
Although no mortars or rockets were fired in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, last Tuesday, there were some familiar sounds of battle: the beat of a snare drum, the bellicose shouting of belligerents, and the whizz of not rockets but rocks and water bottles.
But Key surely would have smiled had he been present to see the small cadre of men enduring profanity, spittle, and abuse in order to keep the star-spangled banner from touching the ground.
After screaming, left-wing, pro-Hamas protesters tore down the American flag in the quadrangle at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, raising a Palestinian flag in its stead, Chancellor Lee Roberts and several police officers restored the flag to its rightful place.
Almost immediately, foamy-mouthed protesters tried to tear it down again.
Young men of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity rushed forward to keep their nation’s flag from touching dirt and to keep their animalistic fellow students at bay until more police could arrive.
Pi Kappa Phi brother Guillermo Estrada said, “We stood for an hour defending the flag so many fight to protect.”
His compatriot Dan Stompel said, “They’re going to have to tear me off this flag by my dead body,” according to Fox News.
He added, “[N]ice, normal, strong boys protecting America’s flag. There’s nothing more patriotic, nothing more genuine, nothing more inspiring than that.”
(Thread) Today was a sad yet empowering day at Chapel Hill. When I walked to class, I saw the Palestinian flag raised on our quad flag pole, and was immediately upset at the act that these “protestors” had made. I cannot say I am fully educated on the Israel/Palestine conflict pic.twitter.com/tZrZEOSu8a
— Guillermo Estrada (@estradguillermo) April 30, 2024
Though perhaps not so fraught as the War of 1812’s Battle of Baltimore, the episode at Chapel Hill is nonetheless indicative of a fundamental truth that secular American society has, for decades, been trying to suppress: Men must be men, for the good of the nation, for the good of families, for the good of civilization.
The feminist myth of “toxic masculinity” has cowed and emasculated generations of men, with catastrophic effects on Western civilization.
Fatherlessness has proliferated over the years; divorce is now commonplace. Young men grow up without a father to show them how to be a man; young women grow up without a father to show them how a man ought to love and respect them.
“Daddy issues” have almost become the punchline to a sick societal joke, hookup culture and pornography. Of the few men who don’t openly embrace degeneracy, many live in fear of being trampled by fascist feminism’s stormtroopers in stilettos, becoming bitter and self-centered in their isolation.
“Male loneliness” is at its peak, with men terrified of being labeled a “threat” for trying to build friendships with women and almost equally afraid of being labeled “gay” for developing brotherly bonds with other men.
Marriage and birth rates are declining; crime and lawlessness are spiking.
Not all of this societal cancer is due to feminism, of course, but to a whole host of “isms” besides.
Agnosticism, atheism, casualism, egoism, feminism, hedonism, indifferentism, liberalism and libertarianism, Marxism, materialism, narcissism, nihilism, pessimism, progressivism, and relativism have all joined forces to browbeat into simpering submission the first vanguard and final bulwark against civilizational decay: men.
For centuries, men have served as the engines of civilization, its architects and its builders. The chief roles that men have fulfilled throughout history are as provider and protector.
The very first man, Adam, was commanded by God Himself, “In pain you shall eat [the ground’s yield] all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread …” (Genesis 3:17-19).
It is the role of men to provide, to toil and labor, to give of themselves for the sake of their families first, and then their communities and nations.
When men provide, as they ought, they allow their wives to nourish and raise their children, they allow their children to live in relative comfort, and they allow their communities and nations to benefit from the fruits of that labor: Those children will themselves grow up to be mothers and fathers, they will grow up to be nurturers and providers, they will grow up to be doctors and lawyers and teachers and architects and coal miners and butchers and farmers — and the whole of the nation will benefit from the fruits of even one man’s labor.
Men are called also to be protectors. As German author and World War I veteran Ernst Jünger wisely noted, “Long periods of peace and quiet favor certain optical illusions. Among them is the assumption that the invulnerability of the home is founded upon the constitution and safeguarded by it. In reality, it rests upon the father of the family who, accompanied by his sons, appears with the ax on the threshold of his dwelling.”
When things go bump in the night, it is the role of the man to crawl out of bed, equipped with a flashlight and armed with a shotgun, a baseball bat, an ax, or some such, and go investigate.
When criminals brandish their weapons and begin to pillage and rape, it is the role of men to stand between the criminal and the vulnerable of society, women and children.
When war threatens peace, it is the role of the man to pick up a sword or a rifle and march forth to meet the enemy. When the mob is incited to riot, it is the role of the man to stand on his doorstep to ensure his wife and children and home are kept safe.
These dual responsibilities — provider and protector — have been maligned and ignored, smeared as “toxic masculinity,” as a form of misogyny, as some kind of “inequality.”
But the simple fact is that it is necessary that men fulfill these responsibilities, or else civilization will collapse.
The young men at Chapel Hill recognized this reality. Inspired by patriotism and a love of the good and the beautiful, they did not hesitate to protect their flag.
As lawlessness and animosity embed their roots ever deeper into secular American society, it is increasingly, urgently crucial that men reclaim their responsibilities as providers and protectors.
If order is to be restored to society, it must be at the hands of men, as providers and protectors.
These dual responsibilities — provider and protector — find their perfect union in the person of Christ. Through His earthly ministry, of course, Christ fulfilled the role of provider, feeding starving souls.
But in His passion and death, He united the roles of provider and protector. Through His suffering, by the sweat (and blood) of His brow, Christ provided us with forgiveness of our sins and entrance into eternal life.
He gave His life to protect us from death, the wages of sin (Romans 6:23), so that we might have eternal life. The blood of Christ is the ultimate image of both provider and protector.
If civilization is to continue, if America is to be kept from the precipice of social collapse, men must look to Christ as their inspiration.
Another World War I veteran, the author J.R.R. Tolkien, once wrote to his son of the inspiration which Christ should be for all men: “There you will find romance, glory, honor, fidelity, and the true way of all your loves on earth, and more than that: Death. By the divine paradox, that which ends life, and demands the surrender of all, and yet by the taste — or foretaste — of which alone can what you seek in your earthly relationships (love, faithfulness, joy) be maintained, or take on that complexion of reality, of eternal endurance, which every man’s heart desires.”
In an age of apathy and indifference, of degeneracy and perversion, of sterility and lifelessness, of joylessness and passionlessness, may all men look to Christ and be inspired to romance, glory, honor, fidelity, and, if demanded of them for the sake of virtue, death.
This article appeared originally on The Washington Stand.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
The post The Battle of Chapel Hill: Men Are America’s Final Bulwark Against Civilizational Decay appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
As the Biden administration accelerates their strategy of promoting abortion as their go-to issue ahead of the November elections, a new poll confirmed the results of numerous previous polls, showing that a supermajority of American voters oppose abortion after the third month of pregnancy — a view that is not in line with the Democratic Party’s public position of unrestricted abortion.
On Wednesday, Rasmussen Reports released the results of a poll revealing that 66 percent of American voters are opposed to late-term abortions beyond 12 weeks. These latest numbers are largely similar to polling results from the last 20 years, which show anywhere from 55 to 71 percent of Americans opposing second trimester abortions and 70 to 86 percent opposing third trimester abortions.
Notably, Democratic lawmakers in recent years have consistently refused to say if they would place any limits on abortion, even up to the moment of birth.
The current Democratic Party platform makes no reference to placing any limits on the procedure, going so far as to say that the party would work to overturn any and all pro-life protections enacted by duly elected state lawmakers, as well as any federal protections: “Democrats oppose and will fight to overturn federal and state laws that create barriers to reproductive health and rights.”
The platform goes on to state that Democrats would force taxpayers to pay for abortions by “repeal[ing] the Hyde Amendment,” a position that is opposed by 60 percent of Americans.
The platform further declares that Democrats will sweep away all state pro-life protections by “codify[ing] the right to reproductive freedom” in federal law, which the party has already attempted to do with the “Women’s Health Protection Act.”
Despite the Democratic Party’s unwillingness to show any moderation on abortion, Republicans in recent months have struggled to find their footing on how to message on the issue and have often not taken advantage of the contrast between public opinion on late-term abortion and the Democratic position.
Former Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel has urged GOPers to point out the Democrats’ extremism in recent months. “We are the pro-life, pro-woman, pro-family party, and we can win on abortion,” she said. “But that means putting Democrats on the defense and forcing them to own their own extreme positions.”
National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Sen. Steve Daines voiced similar sentiments, pushing candidates to “not run away from the issue.”
In comments to The Washington Stand, Director of Family Research Council Action Matt Carpenter contended that the Democratic Party is engaging in a money-centric strategy to overcome the discrepancy between their abortion extremism and public opinion.
“Across the nation, pro-abortion groups are pushing for ballot measures which would amend state constitutions to allow abortion through all stages of pregnancy, on the taxpayer dime,” he observed. “Liberal dark money groups are pouring campaign cash into these efforts, and Democrat political operatives are licking their chops at the thought of a super-charged pro-abortion turnout at the polls. Forgetting for a moment that poll after poll shows voters are concerned mostly about the cost-of-living crisis, rising crime, and the daily invasion at the southern border, the reality is voters are not supportive of second and third trimester abortions.”
Nonetheless, Carpenter went on to acknowledge that pro-life Republicans face challenges in educating voters on abortion ahead of November.
“While the pro-abortion side relies on a phalanx of pundits repeating their euphemisms, the pro-life movement has their work cut out for them to educate voters as to the extreme nature of these measures, which would prevent states from protecting unborn children from abortion in the second and third trimesters,” Carpenter said.
Mary Szoch, director of the Center for Human Dignity at Family Research Council, also acknowledged the challenges in the current political climate but encouraged GOP candidates to be unafraid of making plain the Democratic Party’s position on abortion.
“The tragedy of only 66 percent of voters opposing late-term abortion points to the prevalence of the culture of death,” Szoch told The Washington Stand. “It demonstrates that our culture has become one that values people based on what they can do or accomplish as opposed to the fact that each person is a son or daughter of God. We have a lot of work to do building a culture of life.”
Szoch concluded, “That said — 66 percent of voters is a majority of Americans who agree that killing an unborn child after viability is a grave evil. Political candidates should recognize that speaking the truth about the Democratic Party’s views on life — their desire for abortion through (and even infanticide after) birth — is out of step with the American people.”
This article appeared originally on The Washington Stand.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
The post Poll: Supermajority of American Voters Oppose Abortion Past 12 Weeks appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
For its nearly universal control over the news-industrial complex, the left has failed to penetrate the one and only media format dominated by conservatives: talk radio.
Despite repeated liberal incursions into the medium, from Mario Cuomo to Tom Daschle to Air America, the left cannot make a showing. Now, it has launched a series of deceptive websites and bought up talk radio outlets — apparently in hopes that, where persuasion failed, cold hard cash may prevail.
Enter George Soros — and his bank account.
“Over the last two years, Soros Fund Management, the firm founded by the billionaire investor and now controlled by the Open Society Foundations, has become an increasingly key player in the oldest electronic mass media: radio,” Semafor reported.
Two months ago, the business arm of the Soros empire bought out Audacy, giving it control of more than 230 radio stations and innumerable podcasts. The fund is now openly discussing taking over Cumulus Media, which owned and operated 403 radio stations across 85 markets in the United States last year, according to its website.
Soros facilitated the buy-out of 18 Univision radio stations by a consortium of former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, known as The Latino Media Network, for $60 million in cash. When Vice Media faced bankruptcy in 2019, Soros provided part of the $250 million in debt relief that kept it afloat.
“Soros specifically funneled at least $131,111,250 between 2016 and 2020 into 253 journalism and activist media groups worldwide to spread his radical leftist ideas on abortion, Marxist economics, anti-Americanism, defunding the police, environmental extremism and LGBT fanaticism,” reported the Media Research Center in a three-part exposé.
Some $103 million of the $131 million went directly to media outlets, including $2 million to Wikipedia — which, despite its dependably left-leaning bias, poses as an impartial encyclopedia.
Donor-driven deception seems to be a recurring theme for the Soros media takeover, as numerous beneficiaries disguise left-wing political advocacy in the form of “local news” websites.
Among the practitioners of this art is Tara McGowan, a Democratic political operative who worked for the 2012 Obama-Biden re-election campaign and for the 2016 Hillary Clinton campaign’s primary super PAC, Priorities USA Action. (To give you a flavor, a 2012 Priorities USA ad falsely charged Utah Republican Mitt Romney with causing a woman to die of cancer.)
After Clinton’s loss to Donald Trump, McGowan got concerned, writing in a 2019 memo that the “Democratic Party, long reliant on television and radio, is losing the media war.” To fill the gap, she created Courier Newsroom, owned by another McGowan organization, Good Information Inc. Courier’s media outlets use apolitical news stories with local content to deliver Democratic diatribes.
“The goal was to get persuadable voters engaged with unassuming content, then feed them political persuasion content, using underwriters who would pay Courier to come up with the content,” a former Courier employee revealed.
George Soros is one of those underwriters. So, too, is Planned Parenthood. The nation’s leading abortion franchise gave McGowan’s faux news media empire a quarter of a million dollars in the 2021-2022 fiscal year alone. Yet McGowan did not disclose either contributor, which one investigator noted “cannot be traced through public records until years after the fact.”
Courier also has another revolving door with the Biden administration: McGowan has visited the Biden White House 20 times, according to a review of White House visitor logs carried out by Fox News. One visit produced an exclusive interview with Biden — but the rest seem to have influenced Courier’s journalism in other ways.
McGowan met with Patrick Stevenson, Biden’s senior advisor for digital strategy, raising questions about whether McGowan coordinated its media activities with the administration. (That would be old hat. A 2016 email from Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign manager outlined a strategy of illegal “coordination of some ads with Priorities” USA.)
The left followed the same blueprint in the 2022 midterm elections. Last time, the misleading media strategy worked through The American Independent, the grotesquely misnamed company then led by Media Matters founder David Brock. The group, now branding itself “TAI News,” hosts “local” websites in the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Montana, where incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Tester faces a difficult re-election race. “It’s been widely reported that where local news outlets shut down, dis- and misinformation grows,” said Jessica McCreight, then TAI’s executive editor, in 2022. “To combat this challenge, The American Independent has expanded to bring readers local, fact-based news and information on topics and issues that impact their communities.”
TAI used McGowan’s model of writing local news to sell its political product. For instance, the Pennsylvania Independent’s story “Pennsylvania is home to the world’s mushroom capital” sits alongside headlines slamming alleged GOP “health care cuts” and touting Biden’s “clean energy investments in Pennsylvania farms.” Yet the state websites carry dizzyingly repetitive content for an operation purportedly dedicated to local news.
Each site carries the same national news stories, usually as the lead. Very little original local content takes place: As of this writing, the Wisconsin website has the same story, with the same graphic, side-by-side as the lead story in both the Politics and Economy sections.
TAI News also shares McGowan’s troubles with the truth and ties to partisan hacks. TAI’s current president, Joe Conason, wrote a baseless 1992 article claiming that President George H.W. Bush had an affair with longtime aide Jennifer Fitzgerald and a 2003 book titled “Big Lies: The Right-Wing Propaganda Machine and How It Distorts the Truth.”
TAI’s former president, Matt Fuehrmeyer, had been a senior aide at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
Ownership and management of media matters. Look at Fox News since Rupert Murdoch stepped back from day-to-day affairs, leaving its direction to his children. As part of its 2022 Pride Month coverage, Fox News Channel carried a news story celebrating a child’s gender transition.
Last April, FNC fired its top-rated host, Tucker Carlson, days after he delivered a revival-themed address to The Heritage Foundation. While Fox News still has outstanding hosts and guests, its retreat from social issues mirrors the views of management.
This seeming minutiae impacts citizens’ ability to make a difference for Christ in the public square. Since information fuels and directs action, intelligence is a vital asset of spiritual warfare. The world’s greatest calamity occurred when our first parents acted on erroneous information (Genesis 3:5).
On the other hand, God asks rhetorically whether His people know of His power to cast aside kingdoms that violate His laws by asking in Isaiah 40:21, “Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning?”
The anti-life crowd believes it can hide its venomous viewpoint in objective-looking news sites. If you do not know the bias and ownership of your “local” media site, why not read — and promote — news outlets like this one that share your Christian worldview? We will never sell out to shadowy leftist billionaires. We have already been bought with a price (I Corinthians 7:23).
This article appeared originally on The Washington Stand.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
The post The Left’s Plan to Sabotage Talk Radio and Local News appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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