“The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, which runs a monument to 1700s history in Virginia, has created a “Gender Diversity Committee” to create “programs and reenactments geared toward educating the public on LGBTQ history in the colonies.”
The Virginia Gazette reported that their goal is “piecing together a more complete history of LGBTQ people in colonial times” and that “they have made strides in answering their research question: What is the Western population’s view on sexuality and gender and how did they determine who was a man and who was a woman?”
Committee researcher Ron Tolson told the paper that LGBT people were more accepted than expected. One woman asked for a marriage license to marry a woman but was denied. The next day she came back with short hair and men’s clothes and the license was granted.
One colonist was born Thomasine in England, but joined the Army as Thomas, and wore both men’s and women’s clothing in Virginia. “A trial ensued and the court ruled Hall was both a man and a woman,” the paper said.
Colonists also read a book called “Fanny Hill: Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure,” about the “multiple romantic relationships of two women.””
The woke idiots in charge don’t want the subordinates speaking truth about the DoD’s idiocy.
UPDATE: Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller, who in a viral video called for accountability among senior leaders after the attack in Afghanistan, has announced on Facebook that he's been fired https://t.co/2dfBxc1upYpic.twitter.com/i83QFqqYm6
"I’m not saying we’ve got to be in Afghanistan forever, but I am saying: Did any of you throw your rank on the table and say ‘hey, it’s a bad idea to evacuate Bagram Airfield, a strategic airbase, before we evacuate everyone.’ Did anyone do that?"https://t.co/P4SwGRYRU5
"I have been fighting for 17 years. I am willing to throw it all away to say to my senior leaders, I demand accountability." – Marine Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller on the failures in Afghanistan that led to American servicemen dying. pic.twitter.com/JPH3nTctrG
2. When I was in, and if he made this, I would’ve relieved him of command. No politics.
3. But the standard has changed. The leadership changed it. The rule is now uniformed military can do politics. So I would give him a medal. https://t.co/ruHzagEQf0
The only guy fired so far is the guy pointing out how incompetent the guys who haven’t resigned or been fired are. Welcome to our glorious establishment. This is what you wanted when you voted for Biden and this is what you’ve got. Own it. Own your failure.
““Psaki: ‘I Don’t Think We Can Guarantee’ Americans Who Want To Get Out Will Get Out Of Afghanistan…””
Own it.
——-
“Taliban Sets Up Special Unit To Hunt Down Afghans Who Helped U.S. And Allied Forces
We gave them names. Politico: “The US separately has provided the Taliban with a list of Americans and Afghans it wants to evacuate from the country.””
“The Taliban has set up a special unit to hunt down Afghans who worked for the U.S. and Western allies, the New York Post reported on Friday. The operation is being led by the members of the Al Qaeda-linked Haqqani Network, a Taliban faction with a history of killing and kidnapping American service members and civilians in the region.
The Taliban has reportedly seized U.S.-built biometric devices and could use them to target Afghans who helped U.S. troops and other agencies. This cache of information comes at a time when the Taliban in Kabul is conducting door-to-door searches looking for former Afghan government officials and security personnel. The Taliban has drawn up “kill lists” to eliminate the “enemies” of the newly-declared Islamic Emirate, UK’s Daily Mirror reported.
There are also reports of U.S. handing out the names of American evacuees to the Taliban, making them potential targets for killings and hostage taking. “U.S. officials in Kabul gave the Taliban a list of names of American citizens, green card holders and Afghan allies to grant entry into the militant-controlled outer perimeter of the city’s airport,” The Politico reported on Thursday. The names were shared because the “Biden administration has been relying on the Taliban for security outside the airport,” the new outlet added. It was an grave lack of judgement as Thursday’s Kabul airport bombing showed.
The NY Post reported on Taliban’s hunt for those to helped the U.S. and Western allies:
The Taliban has mobilized a special unit, called Al Isha, to hunt down Afghans who helped US and allied forces — and it’s using US equipment and data to do it.
Nawazuddin Haqqani, one of the brigade commanders over the Al Isha unit, bragged in an interview with Zenger News that his unit is using US-made hand-held scanners to tap into a massive US-built biometric database and positively identify any person who helped the NATO allies or worked with Indian intelligence. Afghans who try to deny or minimize their role will find themselves contradicted by the detailed computer records that the US left behind in its frenzied withdrawal. (…)
The US separately has provided the Taliban with a list of Americans and Afghans it wants to evacuate from the country, a move one defense official told Politico was “just put[ing] all those Afghans on a kill list.””
“Sirhan Sirhan, the man convicted of assassinating Robert Kennedy in 1968 has been recommended for release by a California parole board after serving 53-years in prison. Before Sirhan can be released, the full parole board will have to review it, then their decision will need to be approved by Governor Newsom (or whoever replaces him if the recall election next month is successful).
“Over half a century has passed,” Sirhan told the two parole commissioners, “and that young impulsive kid I was does not exist anymore…Sen. Kennedy was the hope of the world and I injured, and I harmed all of them and it pains me to experience that, the knowledge for such a horrible deed.”…
Kennedy’s family made a late decision to appear at the hearing, with son Douglas H. Kennedy speaking in favor of Sirhan’s parole. “I really do believe any prisoner who is found to be not a threat to themselves or the world should be released,” Douglas Kennedy said, according to the Associated Press…
Another son, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., sent a letter to the parole board on Friday in support of Sirhan after learning that the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department had sent a letter opposing parole “on behalf of the Kennedy family.”
“Please know that that letter was not at the direction of the ‘family,’ and certainly not me,” Robert Kennedy Jr. wrote. “As you may know, I have been a strong advocate for the release of Mr. Sirhan B. Sirhan since I learned of evidence that was not presented to the court during his trial.”
In keeping with DA George Gascon’s new policy, no prosecutor’s representative was present at the parole hearing.”
———
That last sentence is thanks to Soros and his money and foreign influence in US elections….
“Consider the evidence: public school union bosses pressured officials to close schools and keep them shuttered beyond what medical authorities recommended. In spite of the obvious harm to children of school closures, unions throughout the country lobbed threats and issued demands. In Chicago, the union went so far as to sue the Mayor to keep schools closed; in San Francisco, the city had to sue its school board.
A public education system that failed to do right by our children has kept union bosses empowered and politicians cowed. Thankfully, our country offers an alternative—one that proved its mettle this past year. In a recent survey of public school and Christian school parents, the Herzog Foundation found that parents of children who attended a Christian school were vastly more satisfied with their school experience.
Christian parents reported their schools were open even as nearby public options closed. While only 8 percent of public school parents could report that their schools never closed, a quarter of Christian school parents did.
The survey found that during the pandemic, Christian school parents found it easier to manage their child’s time, communicate with teachers, manage their child’s assignments, and were better able to keep up their child’s morale than the parents of children in public schools. As a result, while just over half of public school parents reported being satisfied with their child’s education in 2020, fully 80 percent of Christian school parents were.
As the country gears up for another possible series of lockdowns in response to the delta variant, it is worthwhile for parents on the fence about Christian education to give it a second look. The data is unmistakable: In a panicked, trying year, Christian school parents and their children fared far better than their public school counterparts.
The data offers us hope on several fronts. Parents across the country are expressing growing anxiety about the teaching of “critical race theory” in classrooms. In this survey, 70 percent of all parents do not believe their school should teach that “white people are inherently privileged and Black people and others are oppressed.”
Moreover, 80 percent of all parents do not think that their school should teach that achieving racial justice requires discriminating against white people. In other words, while America’s parents may disagree on a great deal, they are united in the belief that many of the central tenets of critical race theory should not be in the classroom—whether that classroom is funded privately or publicly.”
“President Biden has lost the trust of the military, our allies — and the American people. In April, the president promised that troops would come home from Afghanistan “responsibly, deliberately, and safely,” downplaying any risk associated with withdrawal.
Today, he says the “evacuation of thousands of people from Kabul was going to be hard and painful no matter when it started, when we began.”
After a Kabul airport attack that killed 13 American servicemen, at least 90 Afghans, Biden has done nothing but deflect responsibility for the biggest foreign policy blunder in decades.
Even as the president was telling Americans that Kabul was unlikely to fall in July, intelligence reports were informing him that situation was precarious. As the New York Times reports, American intelligence were skeptical that Afghan security forces would resist an onslaught of the Taliban, or that the American-allied government could hold on to Kabul.
None of this stopped Biden from abandoning Bagram airbase and refusing to set military safe zones and retrieve stranded Afghan allies or Americans — of which there are probably a thousand left. His disastrous decisions created the bottleneck into the Kabul airport that put our troops in a precarious position and left hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Americans and green-card holders stranded.
How can the troops trust Biden now?
During his press conference after the Kabul airport attack, Biden attempted to create the impression that critics of his botched withdrawal were questioning the competence and bravery of American soldiers rather than the leaders who failed them. When Marine Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller, posted video demanding accountability from our military leaders for putting his comrades in needless danger, he was relieved of his duties. As of this writing, however, not a single leader who oversaw the debacle in Afghanistan has resigned or even taken responsibility. In fact, the administration continues to claim the withdrawal is a success.”
Top leadership at the Office of Naval Intelligence informed active duty and retired service members that they cannot condemn Joe Biden over his Afghanistan failures.https://t.co/FM6KAq5ie8
You may be able to censor currently enlisted servicemen and women, but not us retired folk not reliant on you for bennies and pensions.
So go #%@%^$#^% %$#^%$#^ &*&^*&*&& you miserable, little $%^@#%@$@#%^#%# pieces of %$#!@$^%$##^^&%&^, and here’s one for that senile old fool you call a CoC too.
If you are not active or in any type of reserve status they have no sway over you. UCMJ only applies to those under contract and they can pound sand if they think otherwise.
When you are in academia struggling for recognition and a job, you need a Phd thesis which is original and in fashion. There’s rarely a new twist you can put on historical events so people have changed their focus to social history especially of marginalized groups…its original, new and fashionable, what you need for a thesis and a job. Not surprised Williamsburg went this route; there’s only so much standard history you can tell and you need to expand the demographic you attract (capitalism — you need to market history)
The Restoration period of English history (the time period in question) was fairly decadent. Prostitution, gender confusion, gay relationships etc were fairly common and well known. Not sure why this is surprising nor necessary to highlight — other than it attracts new visitors. Fanny Hill though was banned quite quickly after its release and not legally published in the US til the post WWII period. I’m sure they threw in the existence of black markets copies to gain attention. I read the novel for a Tudor and Stuart Social History class — its an older version of the “porn” novels marketed to women today. It hits all the standard motifs — naive orphan girl become corrupted by the big city, falls into vice, asserts herself and takes control, redeems herself and lives well in the end. Essentially Wiliamsburg is marketing itself to a new audience — isn’t capitalism wonderful.
Psaki is honest. Its almost impossible to guarantee every American citizen will be airlifted. Would you like her to lie? Many of the American citizens are dual citizens who have been living in Afghanistan with relatives or visiting relatives. Some will stay, others will find an other way out; their American passport will give them some protection depending on the groups they encounter.
The Taliban are determined to put a different face on their regime than the one we remember from 20 years ago. Asking them for their cooperation to allow Western citizens to the airport is an opportunity for them to put a positive spin on their new gov’t — they will let the westerners (even of Afghan background) leave. Letting the westernized Afghans leave is an easy way to get rid of opposition. The Afghan allies who are not citizens of a western country is where trusting the Taliban is troublesome. Those Taliban who worry about international perception can be trusted but there are far too many fractions and other groups all vying for control.
The bombing near the airport by ISIS-K was obviously an attempt to get the US to fight the Taliban and eliminate ISIS-K opponents. Its going to get awfully messy with no good guys. The Taliban are trying to promote themselves as providing law, order and stability and many Afghans will accept sharia law in exchange. Allowing death squads is not in their interest but they don’t have enough control yet.
Not sure what the Lt. Col was thinking he would accomplish. Its the military, there’s a hierarchy and there’s rules and procedures involved in criticizing those of higher ranks. Of course he would be dismissed — in any gov’t of any party or leader. The civilian politicians wouldn’t or shouldn’t be involved. The old fashioned griping by grunts and lower officers can’t be placed on social media for the world. It will lead a breakdown of discipline.
Obviously mistakes were made. The Trump and Biden admins negotiated an exit plan with the Taliban and then told the military to implement it. Biden (and Trump before him) had an agreement for the military to use as a guide — the military creates the strategy involved. The decision in terms of what to evacuate first (Bagram vs Kabul) is problematic but that wasn’t a civilian decision. On the other hand, evacuating over 100 000 people is a major accomplishment; so there are some positives and some negatives. For military subordinates to be critical on social media is to jump the gun. Finish the evacuation and then reflect and asses — at that point politicians and military figures can asses blame and take note of lessons learned.
On the left side of the internet, there’s various compilation videos of Trump praising the Taliban as bright, brilliants and excellent fighters. Both Trump and Biden knew it was inevitable and were planning on the exit. Comparing the Afghan withdrawal to the Syrian withdrawal, the Americans manage to evacuate 100 000 people many of them Afghan allies. In Syria, the Kurds were abandoned by the US and left behind. A definite improvement. Similarly, military bases were abandoned in both Syria and Afghanistan — in Syria, the Russia military simply moved into a base built by the US. Not much different; when you withdraw abandoning equipment is inevitable.
They ruled Covid as a bio weapon out mainly because the Chinese central gov’t had no fore knowledge and the actual science and structure of Covid suggest its not a bio weapon. They are not ruling anything out in terms of how the virus transferred to the general human population — lab leak, diseased bats at wet markets, other theories, etc. China like many nations and ethnicities place a high value on saving face so they’re not going to cooperate — they lose face in any case.
Not surprised parent run Christian schools do better than public schools — there’s a selection bias here. Involved parents who care about education will do well no matter what school they attend but parents who don’t care rarely put their children in a private school. For profit charter schools on the other hand have a horrible reputation. In terms of Covid, most parent run Christian schools are in smaller urban areas or in rural areas; contagious diseases find a more hospitable home in larger urban centres where there’s usually only public schools — they need to close whereas the private schools can stay open (and they usually have better HVAC systems unlike older urban public schools)
“They ruled Covid as a bio weapon out mainly because the Chinese central gov’t had no fore knowledge and the actual science and structure of Covid suggest its not a bio weapon.”
You believe the Chinese govt.
Man, talk about gullible…..
You’re just another sheep with his eyes wide shut.
““My son was one of the marines that died yesterday,” she continued. “20 years and six months old. Getting ready to come home from freaking’ Jordan to be with his wife to watch the birth of his son. And that sackless, dementia ridden piece of crap just sent my son to die. I woke up at 4’o’clock this morning to marines at my door telling me my son was dead.””
““So, to have right on before me to have to listen to that piece of crap to talk about diplomatic crap with Taliban terrorists who just freaking blew up my son and no, nothing, to not say anything about … ‘oh my God I’m so sorry for failing,’” said McCollum.
“My son is gone, and I just want all you Democrats who cheated in the election, or who voted for him legitimately, you just killed my son,” she said. “With a dementia ridden piece of crap who doesn’t even know he’s in the White House who still thinks he’s a senator.“
“So, I’m gonna try and calm down, sorry,” she continued, and offered details to verify her identity. “Marines just left my house just two minutes ago getting my divorce decree. Two marines showed up my house at 4 o clock in the morning telling me my son was dead so my name is Kathy McCollum, my son is Riley James McCollum. You can check it out.”
“His wife, she might not want me to say her name, they just got married on February 14th and were expecting a baby on September 26th and I just can’t…,” she added, noting that Rep. Lauren Boebert would be visiting her to help convey her message to the rest of America.
“I just couldn’t sit by idly because I needed to process through anger instead of tears and this is how I’m going to do it and Lauren Boebert is coming to my house tomorrow and my representative will be at my house tomorrow and we’ll speak and hopefully she’ll be able to convey my message to the rest of the United States that this was, she said ‘your son did not die in vain,’ but guess what, my son did die in vain,” she said.”
———–
Kathy McCollum, the mother of slain U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum calls into the Wilkow Report, blames Biden for her son's death. Calls Biden a "feckless, dementia ridden piece of crap." pic.twitter.com/mRT2xxoV65
““He should have listened to the people who had experience, who were telling him what to do,” she said of the president. “He didn’t listen, so now it’s costing lives because he didn’t listen. … That equipment should have been destroyed, or Biden should have had that equipment destroyed before we pulled out … You feel sorry for the (Afghan) folks that are over there. You feel sorry for the interpreters.”
Jordan and her husband, Judd, said they continue to mourn Austin and pray the ranks of Gold Star Families will not grow as a result of the withdrawal from the 10-year war.
“How many Gold Star Families do you think there are going to be because this was done improperly?” she asked. “I know a lot of Gold Star Families, and we’re angry, we’re heartbroken. Because, this was pointless.””
“The families and friends of over a dozen soldiers are grieving right now over the loss of their loved ones in Afghanistan, and the nation mourns with them.
Steve Nikoui, the father of Marine Kareem Nikoui, has been speaking to the media. He is upset with Biden and who could blame him?
Jordan Williams reports at The Hill:
Father of slain Marine: ‘Biden turned his back on him’
The father of a U.S. marine who was killed in the suicide bombing at Kabul’s airport says President Biden “turned his back” on his son.
Steve Nikoui told The Daily Beast that he found out his son Kareem Nikoui was killed in the attack when Marines arrived at his home to deliver the news around 7:15 p.m. Thursday evening.
He told the news outlet that he’s still in shock about what transpired.
“I haven’t gone to bed all night,” Steve Nikoui said. “I’m still in shock. I haven’t been able to grasp everything that’s going on.”
He told The Daily Beast that he wants to “respect the office” of the president but feels Biden let his son down.
“They sent my son over there as a paper pusher and then had the Taliban outside providing security,” he said. “I blame my own military leaders. … Biden turned his back on him. That’s it.””
I don’t believe the Chinese. US intelligence indicates the Chinese gov’t was surprised. I have my doubts whether US intelligence is accurate or this is just convenient but its the reason the bioweapom idea was ruled out, in addition to the structure of the virus. The latter reason, science, I do trust more than US intelligence and definitely the Chinese.
The anger of the parents reminds me of the mother who camped out near Bush’s Texas residence and the Gold Star parents who gave a speech at the Democratic convention. Its hard to argue against grieving parents without looking like a total jerk. I do think however Biden approached the Afghan operations more as a father then a president. Secondly, Biden wanted to respect and help Afghan allies; it would’ve been much easier to have just left. Biden as a person, could not and would not abandon them. In contrast, Trump left Syria with no consideration for the Kurds. This allowed for a quicker exit with no casualties. Its a question of ethical choice — eliminate risk to Americans and abandon allies or accept risks to Americans and try to save friends and allies.
some words from Martin Luther, written during a plague in his own time:
~ Therefore I shall ask God mercifully to protect us. Then I shall fumigate, help purify the air, administer medicine, and take it. I shall avoid places and persons where my presence is not needed in order not to become contaminated and thus perchance infect and pollute others, and so cause their death as a result of my negligence. If God should wish to take me, he will surely find me and I have done what he has expected of me and so I am not responsible for either my own death or the death of others. If my neighbor needs me, however, I shall not avoid place or person but will go freely, as stated above. See, this is such a God-fearing faith because it is neither brash nor foolhardy and does not tempt God. ~
Our sermon today was on humility (in an age and a culture where that is clearly hard to come by.
(And it’s in that spirit, AJ, that I wrongly did not read and dismissed a link you posted last week about the study out of Israel bolstering the idea that carried findings indicated that natural immunity is more robust than vaccinated immunity, though that is a hard way to get there — still a ways to go until we figure all of this out definitely, but it was a respected and through study that should inform our way forward as well):
____________________________________
The Luther quote above was included in this article linked below which will garner disagreement among many here but posting it for what it’s worth
As Delta rips through the unvaccinated, all too many Evangelicals are doubling down on refusal—seeking illegitimate religious exemptions from lawful mandates—and Evangelical vaccine refusal continues to be coddled on the right. Enough. My Sunday essay: https://t.co/q1Kb9ynOjC
~ It is incumbent on the Christian to take care of themselves, including by taking medicine “in order not to become contaminated” (a nice definition of a vaccine before vaccines were invented). To the extent that he or she takes risks, those risks should be on behalf of others. As a person created in the image of God, taking care of yourself is an independent good. Taking care of yourself so that you can care for others is an even nobler good.
Christian vaccine refusal not only rejects self-care, it enhances risks to innocent and vulnerable neighbors. Even vaccinated people can catch relatively rare breakthrough cases. And every person—regardless of vaccination status—is vulnerable to the strains placed on a region’s hospitals when COVID runs rampant.
I also fear that the relentless right-wing political focus on religious liberty has obscured two realities—that our liberties have limits when they collide with the rights of others, and that the exercise of our liberty carries with it profound moral responsibility.
The idea that liberty has limits is inherent in the American social compact. Think of our founding Declaration—“that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Through more than two centuries of controversy and progress, our classical liberal legal system is learning to harmonize these three unalienable rights. … ~
______________________________
Get an injection that is ineffective (and has already killed 50,000+ Americans) for a virus that’s 99.975% survivable (even before treatment, which is readily available)?
Unvaccinated people without Covid do not spread Covid because they are not infected yet; unvaccinated people who have had Covid are more likely to get tested than vaccinated people and are more likely to stay home than vaccinated people if infected, and therefore spread less than vaccinated people. Therefore, the vaccinated people are the greatest risk to everyone and are most likely to act as super spreaders.
Also, an unvaccinated person who has had Covid has better antibodies which are longer-lasting than the vaccinated folks who needs two shots and a booster (plus how many more in the future?).
You might find French’s piece instructive from a Christian standpoint.
I have a couple friends who were vaccinated and yes, did test positive when it was learned they’d been exposed to someone who became ill. Quarantining for 10 days is still needed to make sure no further spread takes place.
Getting Covid and surviving, though perhaps with some after-effects, may indeed provide solid protection, though it’s a tough way to get it. But perhaps with this rapid and wide spreading delta variant, we can at least hope more community protection, combined with those of us who are vaccinated, may result.
Time will tell. There is much more to learn. We simply don’t know it all yet. It’s not over.
Report after report after report shows that hospitals are filling up with unvaccinated people, and they are the ones who are MUCH more likely to die from the virus.
The vaccines are not “ineffective.” As Kizzie points out, it is the unvaccinated sick people who are filling up the ICUs and hospital beds. I’m not sure why that information is thought to be false. Do you know people in health care?
And could someone explain why not getting the vaccine would fall under some sort of “religious exemption” exactly? That’s unclear to me.
If one has personal objections to it that’s one thing — but somehow classifying it under religion (unless one is a Chrstian Scientist or Jehovah’s Witness) isn’t connecting with me, logically.
Tychicus — unsure where you get your stats. Covid has a 2% mortality rate. In the US, about 9 million currently have covid, 30 million recovered and 650 000 died — so 2% died. I think the percentage you cite 99.975% failed to move the decimal. 650 / 30 000 = 0.02166666 x 100 = 2.2% or 97.8% recovery rate.
Obviously the best way to avoid a virus is to get the virus and beat it — which is the same things as a vaccine except you don’t have the full effect of the virus. However its equally obvious that catching covid has significant risks and long term effects — your body rarely fully recovers from anything. The vaccine is the safe option then.
Covid patients take up space in the hospital and frequently delay treatment for people suffering from other illnesses. With a vaccine available, its irresponsible to fill up ICUs when other people need it. Ontario’s lockdown policy is dictated by the availability of ICU beds, so not only do the unvaccinated fill up beds, they also cause unnecessary lock downs. Its been a year, the vaccine is safe and its the right thing to do in terms of community. Citing “freedom” is just irresponsible and selfish.
Theologically, I can see a specific religious exemption provided for those who deny all medical care as part of their church tenets. (But even my Christian Science friend opted for this vaccine as she has diabetes and would be at extra risk for complications). Otherwise, I think much of the opposition among Christians seem to be more of a political objection to the authorities in place right now.
And in my experience, vaccinated people tend to take this more serious and thus are much more careful, even after being vaccinated. Those who shun the vaccine typically also shun masks and other precautions (not all but it seems to go with the mind-set).
Religious exemptions should not be abused. Its impossible to have religious exemptions for one vaccine not the other. By using a religious exemption in this fashion, people run the risks of losing religious exemptions entirely or at the very least have honest or real religious objections viewed with skepticism. Churches who encourage this abuse are being irresponsible. I never considered myself a fully responsible adult (relative to my colleagues) but in the last few years teaching grade seven and interacting with 12 year olds has been far more adult-like than watching so called adults on the news. I’m waiting for adults to be as responsible as 12 year olds and its depressing.
In the Vietnam era, conscientious objection status due to religious belief also was abused by those who simply opposed the war — political activists as opposed to committed Christian pacifists (and unfortunately, some Quaker meetings and churches were complicit in supporting those individuals). Exemptions should not be just “handed out” for political agreement on an issue such as an unpopular war, but only should be granted to those who have been members of the sponsoring church whose tenets include pacifism.
We live in a curious time and amid a season of rage that has twisted so much of our common sense.
HRW, it is not impossible to have a ‘religious exemption ‘ concerning one vaccine and not another. You are confusing religious exemptions with denominational beliefs.
In the United States, our freedoms are based on the premise that God gives us freedom, ie free will, not the government. We exercise those freedoms within a network of laws and statues based on the JudeoChristian foundation.
Being that my free will comes from God, I am free to object to being forced to take a medication on which there are no studies showing long term effects/side effects. While you might disagree with me, my microbiology book states this as the standard prior to taking.
Any time the government is so adamant about a private citizen doing something which is constitutionally outside their jurisdiction, it puts up huge red flags for me.
rkessler — your definition is too broad to be meaningful. You argue that freedom is based on the premise that God granted freedom and thus any exercise of freedom is an exercise of religious freedom. For example, since free will is from God, I am free to disregard the ban on the use of marijuana since substantial studies show no significant side effects and some actual medicinal effects. Thus smoking weed becomes an exercise in religious freedom?? A bit of reductio absurdum argument but nonetheless I’m following the same lines of argument.
I agree — any time the gov’t is adamant about any person behaving in a particular manner (or not); red flags should get raised. However, vaccination is a matter of public health — which is in the gov’ts jurisdiction. Other things which are regulated by a gov’t body are not — any act of individual which doesn’t affect others — private drug/alcohol use, school dress codes, etc. Is a grade 12 18 year old student who dresses according to their God given free will exercising religious freedom or just defying the school dress code? This is interesting in that many people including school officials argue that mask mandates violate children’s rights and are impossible to enforce yet they enforce a dress code on a daily basis.
As for the vaccine — its been over a year since studies commenced; there are no serious side effects, no more than any other vaccine. Covid leaves the body in about three days leaving behind our body’s own manufactured antibodies. No different than any vaccine we’ve been given since childhood.
dj — good point but if Quakers, Mennonite Brethren used the opportunity to evangelize and bring people to services and meetings who might otherwise not be attracted to the church; are they being complicit in the abuse of religious exemption or are they exploiting for their own reasons — to increase outreach. I’m sure the pastors who are currently handing out religious exemptions to vaccines during a service might view it similarly. Which raises the bizarre specter of churches barter attendance for exemptions. Attend 5 services and 2 adult bible studies and get a vaccine exemption. Attend 10 services and 5 bible studies and you’re now an official pacifist. I know ridiculous but isn’t that essentially what churches are doing??
Wandering Views 
Nothing. Nothing at all.
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I don’t know Mumsee, but this sounds like it might be news to some….
“Psaki: ‘I Don’t Think We Can Guarantee’ Americans Who Want To Get Out Will Get Out Of Afghanistan…”
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Well, one less place to waste my time visiting……
“Colonial Williamsburg Begins ‘Reenactments’ About ‘LGBT History In The Colonies’”
https://www.dailywire.com/news/colonial-williamsburg-begins-reenactments-about-lgbt-history
“The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, which runs a monument to 1700s history in Virginia, has created a “Gender Diversity Committee” to create “programs and reenactments geared toward educating the public on LGBTQ history in the colonies.”
The Virginia Gazette reported that their goal is “piecing together a more complete history of LGBTQ people in colonial times” and that “they have made strides in answering their research question: What is the Western population’s view on sexuality and gender and how did they determine who was a man and who was a woman?”
Committee researcher Ron Tolson told the paper that LGBT people were more accepted than expected. One woman asked for a marriage license to marry a woman but was denied. The next day she came back with short hair and men’s clothes and the license was granted.
One colonist was born Thomasine in England, but joined the Army as Thomas, and wore both men’s and women’s clothing in Virginia. “A trial ensued and the court ruled Hall was both a man and a woman,” the paper said.
Colonists also read a book called “Fanny Hill: Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure,” about the “multiple romantic relationships of two women.””
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Told ya’.
The woke idiots in charge don’t want the subordinates speaking truth about the DoD’s idiocy.
———–
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Yep.
Let that sink in….
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https://twitter.com/AmberSmithUSA/status/1431265114955546629
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Now couple this with…..
““Psaki: ‘I Don’t Think We Can Guarantee’ Americans Who Want To Get Out Will Get Out Of Afghanistan…””
Own it.
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“Taliban Sets Up Special Unit To Hunt Down Afghans Who Helped U.S. And Allied Forces
We gave them names. Politico: “The US separately has provided the Taliban with a list of Americans and Afghans it wants to evacuate from the country.””
https://legalinsurrection.com/2021/08/taliban-sets-up-special-unit-to-hunt-down-afghans-who-helped-u-s-and-allied-forces/
“The Taliban has set up a special unit to hunt down Afghans who worked for the U.S. and Western allies, the New York Post reported on Friday. The operation is being led by the members of the Al Qaeda-linked Haqqani Network, a Taliban faction with a history of killing and kidnapping American service members and civilians in the region.
The Taliban has reportedly seized U.S.-built biometric devices and could use them to target Afghans who helped U.S. troops and other agencies. This cache of information comes at a time when the Taliban in Kabul is conducting door-to-door searches looking for former Afghan government officials and security personnel. The Taliban has drawn up “kill lists” to eliminate the “enemies” of the newly-declared Islamic Emirate, UK’s Daily Mirror reported.
There are also reports of U.S. handing out the names of American evacuees to the Taliban, making them potential targets for killings and hostage taking. “U.S. officials in Kabul gave the Taliban a list of names of American citizens, green card holders and Afghan allies to grant entry into the militant-controlled outer perimeter of the city’s airport,” The Politico reported on Thursday. The names were shared because the “Biden administration has been relying on the Taliban for security outside the airport,” the new outlet added. It was an grave lack of judgement as Thursday’s Kabul airport bombing showed.
The NY Post reported on Taliban’s hunt for those to helped the U.S. and Western allies:
The Taliban has mobilized a special unit, called Al Isha, to hunt down Afghans who helped US and allied forces — and it’s using US equipment and data to do it.
Nawazuddin Haqqani, one of the brigade commanders over the Al Isha unit, bragged in an interview with Zenger News that his unit is using US-made hand-held scanners to tap into a massive US-built biometric database and positively identify any person who helped the NATO allies or worked with Indian intelligence. Afghans who try to deny or minimize their role will find themselves contradicted by the detailed computer records that the US left behind in its frenzied withdrawal. (…)
The US separately has provided the Taliban with a list of Americans and Afghans it wants to evacuate from the country, a move one defense official told Politico was “just put[ing] all those Afghans on a kill list.””
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Own it.
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All I’d note is that if the family is OK with it, well……
“Parole panel votes to release Sirhan Sirhan from prison after 53-years”
https://hotair.com/john-s-2/2021/08/27/parole-panel-votes-to-release-sirhan-sirhan-from-prison-after-53-years-n412138
“Sirhan Sirhan, the man convicted of assassinating Robert Kennedy in 1968 has been recommended for release by a California parole board after serving 53-years in prison. Before Sirhan can be released, the full parole board will have to review it, then their decision will need to be approved by Governor Newsom (or whoever replaces him if the recall election next month is successful).
“Over half a century has passed,” Sirhan told the two parole commissioners, “and that young impulsive kid I was does not exist anymore…Sen. Kennedy was the hope of the world and I injured, and I harmed all of them and it pains me to experience that, the knowledge for such a horrible deed.”…
Kennedy’s family made a late decision to appear at the hearing, with son Douglas H. Kennedy speaking in favor of Sirhan’s parole. “I really do believe any prisoner who is found to be not a threat to themselves or the world should be released,” Douglas Kennedy said, according to the Associated Press…
Another son, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., sent a letter to the parole board on Friday in support of Sirhan after learning that the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department had sent a letter opposing parole “on behalf of the Kennedy family.”
“Please know that that letter was not at the direction of the ‘family,’ and certainly not me,” Robert Kennedy Jr. wrote. “As you may know, I have been a strong advocate for the release of Mr. Sirhan B. Sirhan since I learned of evidence that was not presented to the court during his trial.”
In keeping with DA George Gascon’s new policy, no prosecutor’s representative was present at the parole hearing.”
———
That last sentence is thanks to Soros and his money and foreign influence in US elections….
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Well look at that….. 🙂
It’s not really anything new, they always did.
“Christian Schools Vastly Outperforming Public Schools During COVID-19, According to New Survey of Parents”
https://www.realcleareducation.com/articles/2021/08/27/christian_schools_vastly_outperforming_public_schools_during_covid-19_according_to_new_survey_of_parents_110626.html
“Consider the evidence: public school union bosses pressured officials to close schools and keep them shuttered beyond what medical authorities recommended. In spite of the obvious harm to children of school closures, unions throughout the country lobbed threats and issued demands. In Chicago, the union went so far as to sue the Mayor to keep schools closed; in San Francisco, the city had to sue its school board.
A public education system that failed to do right by our children has kept union bosses empowered and politicians cowed. Thankfully, our country offers an alternative—one that proved its mettle this past year. In a recent survey of public school and Christian school parents, the Herzog Foundation found that parents of children who attended a Christian school were vastly more satisfied with their school experience.
Christian parents reported their schools were open even as nearby public options closed. While only 8 percent of public school parents could report that their schools never closed, a quarter of Christian school parents did.
The survey found that during the pandemic, Christian school parents found it easier to manage their child’s time, communicate with teachers, manage their child’s assignments, and were better able to keep up their child’s morale than the parents of children in public schools. As a result, while just over half of public school parents reported being satisfied with their child’s education in 2020, fully 80 percent of Christian school parents were.
As the country gears up for another possible series of lockdowns in response to the delta variant, it is worthwhile for parents on the fence about Christian education to give it a second look. The data is unmistakable: In a panicked, trying year, Christian school parents and their children fared far better than their public school counterparts.
The data offers us hope on several fronts. Parents across the country are expressing growing anxiety about the teaching of “critical race theory” in classrooms. In this survey, 70 percent of all parents do not believe their school should teach that “white people are inherently privileged and Black people and others are oppressed.”
Moreover, 80 percent of all parents do not think that their school should teach that achieving racial justice requires discriminating against white people. In other words, while America’s parents may disagree on a great deal, they are united in the belief that many of the central tenets of critical race theory should not be in the classroom—whether that classroom is funded privately or publicly.”
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Nor should they. He’s unworthy of it.
“Our military and our allies no longer trust Biden”
https://nypost.com/2021/08/27/our-military-and-our-allies-no-longer-trust-biden/
“President Biden has lost the trust of the military, our allies — and the American people. In April, the president promised that troops would come home from Afghanistan “responsibly, deliberately, and safely,” downplaying any risk associated with withdrawal.
Today, he says the “evacuation of thousands of people from Kabul was going to be hard and painful no matter when it started, when we began.”
After a Kabul airport attack that killed 13 American servicemen, at least 90 Afghans, Biden has done nothing but deflect responsibility for the biggest foreign policy blunder in decades.
Even as the president was telling Americans that Kabul was unlikely to fall in July, intelligence reports were informing him that situation was precarious. As the New York Times reports, American intelligence were skeptical that Afghan security forces would resist an onslaught of the Taliban, or that the American-allied government could hold on to Kabul.
None of this stopped Biden from abandoning Bagram airbase and refusing to set military safe zones and retrieve stranded Afghan allies or Americans — of which there are probably a thousand left. His disastrous decisions created the bottleneck into the Kabul airport that put our troops in a precarious position and left hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Americans and green-card holders stranded.
How can the troops trust Biden now?
During his press conference after the Kabul airport attack, Biden attempted to create the impression that critics of his botched withdrawal were questioning the competence and bravery of American soldiers rather than the leaders who failed them. When Marine Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller, posted video demanding accountability from our military leaders for putting his comrades in needless danger, he was relieved of his duties. As of this writing, however, not a single leader who oversaw the debacle in Afghanistan has resigned or even taken responsibility. In fact, the administration continues to claim the withdrawal is a success.”
———
The gaslighting continues….
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Naval Intelligence?
Now there’s an oxymoron for ya’…..
My response?
You may be able to censor currently enlisted servicemen and women, but not us retired folk not reliant on you for bennies and pensions.
So go #%@%^$#^% %$#^%$#^ &*&^*&*&& you miserable, little $%^@#%@$@#%^#%# pieces of %$#!@$^%$##^^&%&^, and here’s one for that senile old fool you call a CoC too.
$@%$@%^^%&*& **&^$#^%&% %$@^%#$% $#& Joe.
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I censored it for you folks. You’re welcome.
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Top. Men. 🙄
Not really…..
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https://twitter.com/JoeSilverman7/status/1431441214868533248
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https://twitter.com/FenkelSchaefer/status/1431447097769922562
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Make them own it. 🙂
https://twitter.com/RealJamesWoods/status/1431533598469808129
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The cover-up continues, as does the Biden admin running cover for their Chinese overlords.
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Yeah, pretty much….
https://twitter.com/theseusfitness/status/1431669483634974720
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When you are in academia struggling for recognition and a job, you need a Phd thesis which is original and in fashion. There’s rarely a new twist you can put on historical events so people have changed their focus to social history especially of marginalized groups…its original, new and fashionable, what you need for a thesis and a job. Not surprised Williamsburg went this route; there’s only so much standard history you can tell and you need to expand the demographic you attract (capitalism — you need to market history)
The Restoration period of English history (the time period in question) was fairly decadent. Prostitution, gender confusion, gay relationships etc were fairly common and well known. Not sure why this is surprising nor necessary to highlight — other than it attracts new visitors. Fanny Hill though was banned quite quickly after its release and not legally published in the US til the post WWII period. I’m sure they threw in the existence of black markets copies to gain attention. I read the novel for a Tudor and Stuart Social History class — its an older version of the “porn” novels marketed to women today. It hits all the standard motifs — naive orphan girl become corrupted by the big city, falls into vice, asserts herself and takes control, redeems herself and lives well in the end. Essentially Wiliamsburg is marketing itself to a new audience — isn’t capitalism wonderful.
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Psaki is honest. Its almost impossible to guarantee every American citizen will be airlifted. Would you like her to lie? Many of the American citizens are dual citizens who have been living in Afghanistan with relatives or visiting relatives. Some will stay, others will find an other way out; their American passport will give them some protection depending on the groups they encounter.
The Taliban are determined to put a different face on their regime than the one we remember from 20 years ago. Asking them for their cooperation to allow Western citizens to the airport is an opportunity for them to put a positive spin on their new gov’t — they will let the westerners (even of Afghan background) leave. Letting the westernized Afghans leave is an easy way to get rid of opposition. The Afghan allies who are not citizens of a western country is where trusting the Taliban is troublesome. Those Taliban who worry about international perception can be trusted but there are far too many fractions and other groups all vying for control.
The bombing near the airport by ISIS-K was obviously an attempt to get the US to fight the Taliban and eliminate ISIS-K opponents. Its going to get awfully messy with no good guys. The Taliban are trying to promote themselves as providing law, order and stability and many Afghans will accept sharia law in exchange. Allowing death squads is not in their interest but they don’t have enough control yet.
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Not sure what the Lt. Col was thinking he would accomplish. Its the military, there’s a hierarchy and there’s rules and procedures involved in criticizing those of higher ranks. Of course he would be dismissed — in any gov’t of any party or leader. The civilian politicians wouldn’t or shouldn’t be involved. The old fashioned griping by grunts and lower officers can’t be placed on social media for the world. It will lead a breakdown of discipline.
Obviously mistakes were made. The Trump and Biden admins negotiated an exit plan with the Taliban and then told the military to implement it. Biden (and Trump before him) had an agreement for the military to use as a guide — the military creates the strategy involved. The decision in terms of what to evacuate first (Bagram vs Kabul) is problematic but that wasn’t a civilian decision. On the other hand, evacuating over 100 000 people is a major accomplishment; so there are some positives and some negatives. For military subordinates to be critical on social media is to jump the gun. Finish the evacuation and then reflect and asses — at that point politicians and military figures can asses blame and take note of lessons learned.
On the left side of the internet, there’s various compilation videos of Trump praising the Taliban as bright, brilliants and excellent fighters. Both Trump and Biden knew it was inevitable and were planning on the exit. Comparing the Afghan withdrawal to the Syrian withdrawal, the Americans manage to evacuate 100 000 people many of them Afghan allies. In Syria, the Kurds were abandoned by the US and left behind. A definite improvement. Similarly, military bases were abandoned in both Syria and Afghanistan — in Syria, the Russia military simply moved into a base built by the US. Not much different; when you withdraw abandoning equipment is inevitable.
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They ruled Covid as a bio weapon out mainly because the Chinese central gov’t had no fore knowledge and the actual science and structure of Covid suggest its not a bio weapon. They are not ruling anything out in terms of how the virus transferred to the general human population — lab leak, diseased bats at wet markets, other theories, etc. China like many nations and ethnicities place a high value on saving face so they’re not going to cooperate — they lose face in any case.
Not surprised parent run Christian schools do better than public schools — there’s a selection bias here. Involved parents who care about education will do well no matter what school they attend but parents who don’t care rarely put their children in a private school. For profit charter schools on the other hand have a horrible reputation. In terms of Covid, most parent run Christian schools are in smaller urban areas or in rural areas; contagious diseases find a more hospitable home in larger urban centres where there’s usually only public schools — they need to close whereas the private schools can stay open (and they usually have better HVAC systems unlike older urban public schools)
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These roundups are happening every week… come, Lord Jesus!
https://www.theepochtimes.com/47-victims-rescued-102-arrested-in-multi-state-human-trafficking-operation_3969731.html
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“They ruled Covid as a bio weapon out mainly because the Chinese central gov’t had no fore knowledge and the actual science and structure of Covid suggest its not a bio weapon.”
You believe the Chinese govt.
Man, talk about gullible…..
You’re just another sheep with his eyes wide shut.
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Own it Joe.
““My son was one of the marines that died yesterday,” she continued. “20 years and six months old. Getting ready to come home from freaking’ Jordan to be with his wife to watch the birth of his son. And that sackless, dementia ridden piece of crap just sent my son to die. I woke up at 4’o’clock this morning to marines at my door telling me my son was dead.””
https://conservativebrief.com/rylee-mccollum-49698/?utm_source=CB&utm_medium=CB08
““So, to have right on before me to have to listen to that piece of crap to talk about diplomatic crap with Taliban terrorists who just freaking blew up my son and no, nothing, to not say anything about … ‘oh my God I’m so sorry for failing,’” said McCollum.
“My son is gone, and I just want all you Democrats who cheated in the election, or who voted for him legitimately, you just killed my son,” she said. “With a dementia ridden piece of crap who doesn’t even know he’s in the White House who still thinks he’s a senator.“
“So, I’m gonna try and calm down, sorry,” she continued, and offered details to verify her identity. “Marines just left my house just two minutes ago getting my divorce decree. Two marines showed up my house at 4 o clock in the morning telling me my son was dead so my name is Kathy McCollum, my son is Riley James McCollum. You can check it out.”
“His wife, she might not want me to say her name, they just got married on February 14th and were expecting a baby on September 26th and I just can’t…,” she added, noting that Rep. Lauren Boebert would be visiting her to help convey her message to the rest of America.
“I just couldn’t sit by idly because I needed to process through anger instead of tears and this is how I’m going to do it and Lauren Boebert is coming to my house tomorrow and my representative will be at my house tomorrow and we’ll speak and hopefully she’ll be able to convey my message to the rest of the United States that this was, she said ‘your son did not die in vain,’ but guess what, my son did die in vain,” she said.”
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And another…..
“Gold Star mom: ‘We’re angry, we’re heartbroken'”
https://www.weatherforddemocrat.com/news/local_news/gold-star-mom-were-angry-were-heartbroken/article_7c99d64d-9ec5-5a6e-b269-38dd6cce54ed.html
““He should have listened to the people who had experience, who were telling him what to do,” she said of the president. “He didn’t listen, so now it’s costing lives because he didn’t listen. … That equipment should have been destroyed, or Biden should have had that equipment destroyed before we pulled out … You feel sorry for the (Afghan) folks that are over there. You feel sorry for the interpreters.”
Jordan and her husband, Judd, said they continue to mourn Austin and pray the ranks of Gold Star Families will not grow as a result of the withdrawal from the 10-year war.
“How many Gold Star Families do you think there are going to be because this was done improperly?” she asked. “I know a lot of Gold Star Families, and we’re angry, we’re heartbroken. Because, this was pointless.””
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Own it Joe.
You did this, with the help of those who voted for your incompetence.
“Father of Marine Killed in Afghanistan Says ‘Biden Turned His Back on Him’
“I blame my own military leaders. … Biden turned his back on him. That’s it.””
https://legalinsurrection.com/2021/08/father-of-marine-killed-in-afghanistan-says-biden-turned-his-back-on-him/
“The families and friends of over a dozen soldiers are grieving right now over the loss of their loved ones in Afghanistan, and the nation mourns with them.
Steve Nikoui, the father of Marine Kareem Nikoui, has been speaking to the media. He is upset with Biden and who could blame him?
Jordan Williams reports at The Hill:
Father of slain Marine: ‘Biden turned his back on him’
The father of a U.S. marine who was killed in the suicide bombing at Kabul’s airport says President Biden “turned his back” on his son.
Steve Nikoui told The Daily Beast that he found out his son Kareem Nikoui was killed in the attack when Marines arrived at his home to deliver the news around 7:15 p.m. Thursday evening.
He told the news outlet that he’s still in shock about what transpired.
“I haven’t gone to bed all night,” Steve Nikoui said. “I’m still in shock. I haven’t been able to grasp everything that’s going on.”
He told The Daily Beast that he wants to “respect the office” of the president but feels Biden let his son down.
“They sent my son over there as a paper pusher and then had the Taliban outside providing security,” he said. “I blame my own military leaders. … Biden turned his back on him. That’s it.””
——-
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I don’t believe the Chinese. US intelligence indicates the Chinese gov’t was surprised. I have my doubts whether US intelligence is accurate or this is just convenient but its the reason the bioweapom idea was ruled out, in addition to the structure of the virus. The latter reason, science, I do trust more than US intelligence and definitely the Chinese.
The anger of the parents reminds me of the mother who camped out near Bush’s Texas residence and the Gold Star parents who gave a speech at the Democratic convention. Its hard to argue against grieving parents without looking like a total jerk. I do think however Biden approached the Afghan operations more as a father then a president. Secondly, Biden wanted to respect and help Afghan allies; it would’ve been much easier to have just left. Biden as a person, could not and would not abandon them. In contrast, Trump left Syria with no consideration for the Kurds. This allowed for a quicker exit with no casualties. Its a question of ethical choice — eliminate risk to Americans and abandon allies or accept risks to Americans and try to save friends and allies.
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some words from Martin Luther, written during a plague in his own time:
~ Therefore I shall ask God mercifully to protect us. Then I shall fumigate, help purify the air, administer medicine, and take it. I shall avoid places and persons where my presence is not needed in order not to become contaminated and thus perchance infect and pollute others, and so cause their death as a result of my negligence. If God should wish to take me, he will surely find me and I have done what he has expected of me and so I am not responsible for either my own death or the death of others. If my neighbor needs me, however, I shall not avoid place or person but will go freely, as stated above. See, this is such a God-fearing faith because it is neither brash nor foolhardy and does not tempt God. ~
Our sermon today was on humility (in an age and a culture where that is clearly hard to come by.
(And it’s in that spirit, AJ, that I wrongly did not read and dismissed a link you posted last week about the study out of Israel bolstering the idea that carried findings indicated that natural immunity is more robust than vaccinated immunity, though that is a hard way to get there — still a ways to go until we figure all of this out definitely, but it was a respected and through study that should inform our way forward as well):
____________________________________
The Luther quote above was included in this article linked below which will garner disagreement among many here but posting it for what it’s worth
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Some of the text from the link above:
_______________________
~ It is incumbent on the Christian to take care of themselves, including by taking medicine “in order not to become contaminated” (a nice definition of a vaccine before vaccines were invented). To the extent that he or she takes risks, those risks should be on behalf of others. As a person created in the image of God, taking care of yourself is an independent good. Taking care of yourself so that you can care for others is an even nobler good.
Christian vaccine refusal not only rejects self-care, it enhances risks to innocent and vulnerable neighbors. Even vaccinated people can catch relatively rare breakthrough cases. And every person—regardless of vaccination status—is vulnerable to the strains placed on a region’s hospitals when COVID runs rampant.
I also fear that the relentless right-wing political focus on religious liberty has obscured two realities—that our liberties have limits when they collide with the rights of others, and that the exercise of our liberty carries with it profound moral responsibility.
The idea that liberty has limits is inherent in the American social compact. Think of our founding Declaration—“that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Through more than two centuries of controversy and progress, our classical liberal legal system is learning to harmonize these three unalienable rights. … ~
______________________________
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Get an injection that is ineffective (and has already killed 50,000+ Americans) for a virus that’s 99.975% survivable (even before treatment, which is readily available)?
Unvaccinated people without Covid do not spread Covid because they are not infected yet; unvaccinated people who have had Covid are more likely to get tested than vaccinated people and are more likely to stay home than vaccinated people if infected, and therefore spread less than vaccinated people. Therefore, the vaccinated people are the greatest risk to everyone and are most likely to act as super spreaders.
Also, an unvaccinated person who has had Covid has better antibodies which are longer-lasting than the vaccinated folks who needs two shots and a booster (plus how many more in the future?).
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You might find French’s piece instructive from a Christian standpoint.
I have a couple friends who were vaccinated and yes, did test positive when it was learned they’d been exposed to someone who became ill. Quarantining for 10 days is still needed to make sure no further spread takes place.
Getting Covid and surviving, though perhaps with some after-effects, may indeed provide solid protection, though it’s a tough way to get it. But perhaps with this rapid and wide spreading delta variant, we can at least hope more community protection, combined with those of us who are vaccinated, may result.
Time will tell. There is much more to learn. We simply don’t know it all yet. It’s not over.
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Report after report after report shows that hospitals are filling up with unvaccinated people, and they are the ones who are MUCH more likely to die from the virus.
And no, the vaccine has not killed 50,000 people.
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The vaccines are not “ineffective.” As Kizzie points out, it is the unvaccinated sick people who are filling up the ICUs and hospital beds. I’m not sure why that information is thought to be false. Do you know people in health care?
And could someone explain why not getting the vaccine would fall under some sort of “religious exemption” exactly? That’s unclear to me.
If one has personal objections to it that’s one thing — but somehow classifying it under religion (unless one is a Chrstian Scientist or Jehovah’s Witness) isn’t connecting with me, logically.
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Tychicus — unsure where you get your stats. Covid has a 2% mortality rate. In the US, about 9 million currently have covid, 30 million recovered and 650 000 died — so 2% died. I think the percentage you cite 99.975% failed to move the decimal. 650 / 30 000 = 0.02166666 x 100 = 2.2% or 97.8% recovery rate.
Obviously the best way to avoid a virus is to get the virus and beat it — which is the same things as a vaccine except you don’t have the full effect of the virus. However its equally obvious that catching covid has significant risks and long term effects — your body rarely fully recovers from anything. The vaccine is the safe option then.
Covid patients take up space in the hospital and frequently delay treatment for people suffering from other illnesses. With a vaccine available, its irresponsible to fill up ICUs when other people need it. Ontario’s lockdown policy is dictated by the availability of ICU beds, so not only do the unvaccinated fill up beds, they also cause unnecessary lock downs. Its been a year, the vaccine is safe and its the right thing to do in terms of community. Citing “freedom” is just irresponsible and selfish.
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Good points, HRW.
Theologically, I can see a specific religious exemption provided for those who deny all medical care as part of their church tenets. (But even my Christian Science friend opted for this vaccine as she has diabetes and would be at extra risk for complications). Otherwise, I think much of the opposition among Christians seem to be more of a political objection to the authorities in place right now.
And in my experience, vaccinated people tend to take this more serious and thus are much more careful, even after being vaccinated. Those who shun the vaccine typically also shun masks and other precautions (not all but it seems to go with the mind-set).
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Religious exemptions should not be abused. Its impossible to have religious exemptions for one vaccine not the other. By using a religious exemption in this fashion, people run the risks of losing religious exemptions entirely or at the very least have honest or real religious objections viewed with skepticism. Churches who encourage this abuse are being irresponsible. I never considered myself a fully responsible adult (relative to my colleagues) but in the last few years teaching grade seven and interacting with 12 year olds has been far more adult-like than watching so called adults on the news. I’m waiting for adults to be as responsible as 12 year olds and its depressing.
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In the Vietnam era, conscientious objection status due to religious belief also was abused by those who simply opposed the war — political activists as opposed to committed Christian pacifists (and unfortunately, some Quaker meetings and churches were complicit in supporting those individuals). Exemptions should not be just “handed out” for political agreement on an issue such as an unpopular war, but only should be granted to those who have been members of the sponsoring church whose tenets include pacifism.
We live in a curious time and amid a season of rage that has twisted so much of our common sense.
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HRW, it is not impossible to have a ‘religious exemption ‘ concerning one vaccine and not another. You are confusing religious exemptions with denominational beliefs.
In the United States, our freedoms are based on the premise that God gives us freedom, ie free will, not the government. We exercise those freedoms within a network of laws and statues based on the JudeoChristian foundation.
Being that my free will comes from God, I am free to object to being forced to take a medication on which there are no studies showing long term effects/side effects. While you might disagree with me, my microbiology book states this as the standard prior to taking.
Any time the government is so adamant about a private citizen doing something which is constitutionally outside their jurisdiction, it puts up huge red flags for me.
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rkessler — your definition is too broad to be meaningful. You argue that freedom is based on the premise that God granted freedom and thus any exercise of freedom is an exercise of religious freedom. For example, since free will is from God, I am free to disregard the ban on the use of marijuana since substantial studies show no significant side effects and some actual medicinal effects. Thus smoking weed becomes an exercise in religious freedom?? A bit of reductio absurdum argument but nonetheless I’m following the same lines of argument.
I agree — any time the gov’t is adamant about any person behaving in a particular manner (or not); red flags should get raised. However, vaccination is a matter of public health — which is in the gov’ts jurisdiction. Other things which are regulated by a gov’t body are not — any act of individual which doesn’t affect others — private drug/alcohol use, school dress codes, etc. Is a grade 12 18 year old student who dresses according to their God given free will exercising religious freedom or just defying the school dress code? This is interesting in that many people including school officials argue that mask mandates violate children’s rights and are impossible to enforce yet they enforce a dress code on a daily basis.
As for the vaccine — its been over a year since studies commenced; there are no serious side effects, no more than any other vaccine. Covid leaves the body in about three days leaving behind our body’s own manufactured antibodies. No different than any vaccine we’ve been given since childhood.
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dj — good point but if Quakers, Mennonite Brethren used the opportunity to evangelize and bring people to services and meetings who might otherwise not be attracted to the church; are they being complicit in the abuse of religious exemption or are they exploiting for their own reasons — to increase outreach. I’m sure the pastors who are currently handing out religious exemptions to vaccines during a service might view it similarly. Which raises the bizarre specter of churches barter attendance for exemptions. Attend 5 services and 2 adult bible studies and get a vaccine exemption. Attend 10 services and 5 bible studies and you’re now an official pacifist. I know ridiculous but isn’t that essentially what churches are doing??
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It compromises the church and so that’s a serious issue.
They believe in the “cause” and are willing to let whoever asks wear the mantle of piety in order to push what really is a political goal.
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I think some people are judging the motives of others without knowing the facts about that person, or the reasoning behind their religious exemption.
The harder you people push, the harder we push back. This accomplishes nothing. But I guess if it makes you feel better about yourselves…..
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