1) “Socialism is a hate crime: On socialism’s human and economic toll.” (James Piereson, The New Criterion)
From the article — This raises the question: given the historical record, why don’t we label socialism as a hate crime?
After all, the evidence for socialism’s malignant effects is obvious to anyone with sufficient curiosity to open a history book. Socialists are responsible for the murder, imprisonment, and torture of many millions and perhaps hundreds of millions of innocent people during the ideology’s heyday in the middle of the twentieth century. That history of murder and tyranny continues on a smaller scale today in the handful of countries living under the misfortune of socialism—Cuba, North Korea, and (most recently) Venezuela.
How do socialists escape the indictment that they are purveyors of tyranny and mass murder? Some of them deny that Stalin, Mao, and others were true socialists or, equally absurdly, assert that true socialism has never really been tried. But socialism has been tried many times in many places and has always failed.
2) “An Industry ‘Drenched In Deceit’: The Shrouded Dangers Of The Abortion Pill” (Decision Magazine)
From the article — Dr. Christina Francis, a practicing OB/GYN hospitalist and CEO of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, says the most common complications she sees in her practice are hemorrhaging and incomplete abortions.
“We know that nearly one in nine women who take these drugs will have a serious complication,” Francis told Decision, “whether that be a visit to the emergency room requiring treatment or significant hemorrhage or blood loss, blood transfusion, emergency surgery, infection.” According to that statistic, about 100,000 women would have suffered a severe complication in just one year, Francis said. “And honestly, this is not surprising to those of us that are actually taking care of these women because we’re seeing these complications so frequently.”
Excessive bleeding often requires blood transfusion, and women who have not expelled all of the baby parts or the placental tissues can get infections and require emergency surgeries. Infections can lead to the scarring of a woman’s uterus, threatening her future fertility.
The FDA’s own drug label indicates that about 3-7% of women experience an incomplete abortion, and one in 25 women go to an emergency room after taking abortion drugs. In comparison to surgical abortions, drug induced abortions have four times the complication rate.
3) “An American Crisis” (Steve Huntley, John Kass News)
From the article — Today American Jews have cause to be afraid.
It’s true that the vast majority of Americans are free of stench of antisemitism, but the rot is found in powerful places. It’s a driving force in our oldest political party. It has a voice in the halls of Congress. Its hands are on the levers of government in our largest city. Demonstrations on college campuses celebrate it. Popular podcasters give it a platform.
A hesitancy to confront it directly, forcibly and in all its manifestations stains the leadership of the liberal movement, the legacy media, elite universities, the office of the vice presidency and a think tank that once was known exclusively as the intellectual arsenal of conservatism.
So, Jews have reasons for their fears. There are likely more than a few homes where American Jews are for the first time thinking of making aliyah, the Hebrew word for immigrating to the homeland of Israel. That Jewish Americans are even whispering that means the wildfire of antisemitism is not just a crisis for them, but also a crisis for our country. Cruz put it perfectly: “It is a poison. And I believe we are facing an existential crisis in our party and our country.” It is an American crisis. And it must be confronted before it becomes an American tragedy.
4) “Nowhere to Hyde: Trump’s Chaotic Abortion Stance Rattles GOP” (Suzanne Bowdey, Washington Stand)
From the article — “I almost fell out of my chair,” one House Republican admitted to Politico afterward. Thune had already conceded that getting past the Democrats’ objections to the Hyde Amendment was “probably the most challenging part” of any negotiations on the Obamacare subsidies. But now, with Trump’s sudden shakiness on a core value, more senators and congressmen are racing to underscore what an unmitigated disaster abandoning Hyde would be — not just for the party, but for millions of innocent lives.
“I’m not flexible on the value of every single child,” Senator James Lankford (R-Okla.) insisted to Family Research Council President Tony Perkins on Tuesday’s “Washington Watch.” “Every single child is valuable,” he argued. “There aren’t some children that are disposable, and some children that are valuable. Every child is valuable. And so, that’s not an area that I’m flexible on.”
Like so many conservatives, the Oklahoman hands it to Trump for all of the pro-life strides he’s made but underscores what a fatal mistake surrendering on Hyde would be. “I do give him credit. He’s done what’s called the Mexico City Policy [to take away] funding from international abortions with taxpayer dollars. He has actually restored funding that Biden took away from pro-[lifers] with different grants that go to different states. He has been very good on defunding Planned Parenthood. So, there’s been a lot of very, very strong pro-life things that he’s done.” But this, Lankford shook his head, “That’s a red line I’m not going to cross. I’m not going to break [away from] what we’re doing in health care. The VA doesn’t do abortions,” he pointed out. “DOD doesn’t do abortions. [Native American] health care doesn’t do abortions. We don’t do abortions with Medicare, Medicaid. We should not have it anywhere.” Right now, he explained, “The only place that abortion funding for elective abortion exists and subsidizing it is in Obamacare. And that needs to go away.”
5) “Hunted For Faith In Christ: Shining A Spotlight On The Crisis Faced By Nigerian And Syrian Believers” (Calvary Chapel Magazine)
From the article — Those speaking out against these atrocities are concerned over the lack of coverage by prominent news sources and attention from political leaders around the world. Some have attributed the removal of nations, such as Nigeria, from the Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) and lifting of U.S. sanctions on Syria as global measures that would have otherwise kept pressure on entities that severely violate international religious freedom.
As many of our brothers and sisters in Christ are persecuted, driven underground, and even martyred for a faith that some take for granted, continue to pray that the joy of the Lord is their strength, that they would continue to shine their light to the lost even under such intense pressure, and that peace would come to their land. As the Lord leads, prayerfully seek to support organizations that have “boots on the ground” ministering to the persecuted Church and advocate for those who have no voice whether through social media platforms, your local church, or governmental agencies.
Other excellent articles from this week:
* “Want To Do Better In Your New Year’s Resolutions?” (Denny Hartford, Vital Signs Blog)
* “Courage is spreading, and the light of truth is breaking through.” (Video, Nebraska Family Alliance)
* “The Moral Blackmailing of the American People” (Josh Hammer, GOPUSA)
* “Lights going out all over Europe and the UK” (Rush Babe 49)
* “Animal rights, the parasite eating the heart out of conservation” (John Nash, TCW)