VIRAL PHOTO OF ANTI-AMERICAN PLEDGE OUTRAGING PARENTS EVERYWHERE

by TODD STARNES

Florida's Pledge of Allegiance waiver should not come as a surprise to readers of this column. I've long documented the attack on patriotism in our public school system. (Courtesy)

At first Micah Brienen thought his sister-in-law's text message was a joke.

"I was immediately shocked by it," Mr. Brienen, of Bonita Springs, Florida, told me. "I thought it was a fake."

But the text message was not a fake—it was the real deal.

It was a Pledge of Allegiance waiver from his niece's public school in Tallahassee:

"I understand my rights as a parent and I request that my child, noted above, be excused from reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. This request includes standing and placing his/her right hand over his/her heart."

His sister-in-law returned the form to the school with the following message: "This is the dumbest thing I have ever read and I am so ashamed of this."

Now Mr. Brienen is not one to post political stuff on his social networking pages, but when he saw the Pledge of Allegiance waiver, he could not resist.

"I thought it was definitely something that needed to be out on social media," he told me.

He posted an image of the waiver on Facebook and wrote the following:

"My niece brought this home from school today...What is happening to our country?!?"

His message took off faster than Michael Phelps in a kiddie pool—and late yesterday it landed on my desk.

"I believe it's another stop in the progressive political movement to destroy the education system," Mr. Brienen told me. "We have a lot of American values and traditions that seem to be whittling away."

That's true, but you might be surprised to learn who was ultimately responsible for the waiver. It wasn't far-left Democrats. It was Republicans.

"This is a response to a Florida law voted on by the Florida Legislature and signed by Governor Rick Scott," said Chris Petley, the spokesman for Leon County Schools.

Specifically, he was referring to Florida Statue 1003.44. That law dictates "to all school districts in Florida that, 'each student shall be informed by a written notice published in the student handbook or a similar publication pursuant to s. 1006.07(2) that the student has the right not to participate in reciting the pledge."

In other words, don't blame Leon County Schools.

"We are required to comply with the law," he replied.

Republicans signed off on that, folks. Republicans. Lord Almighty. That's like finding a hair on a biscuit.

Mr. Brienen, who voted for Gov. Scott, said he still opposes the Pledge waiver.

"If we don't make a stand now, we might not have the Pledge of Allegiance in school," he said. "What's next, removing the flags? It's only the beginning."

Florida's Pledge of Allegiance waiver should not come as a surprise to readers of this column. I've long documented the attack on patriotism in our public school system.

It won't be long before kids will need a Notary Public before they can sing the national anthem or wave Old Glory.

George Washington is probably looking down from heaven, shaking his head and wondering, "I crossed the Delaware for this?"

WHAT CNN & FOX WON'T TELL YOU ABOUT THE MOVE OF GOD

BY DAN CUMMINS

Speaker Ryan, a Roman Catholic, is a passionate disciple and follower of Jesus Christ. He is surrounding himself with godly spiritual pastors. (REUTERS/Mike Segar)

You won't hear this reported on CNN or Fox News because news programs sell spin and controversy. Good news won't raise ratings.

You won't hear this from America's pulpits because America's churches are in a state of separation. Her pastors have abdicated their biblical civic responsibilities to secular politicians in exchange for 30 pieces of tax-exempt silver.

Most pastors and church-goers can't name their representative or senators, much less pray for them daily or name one piece of legislation they're working on. Nor do they know that most likely the lawmakers sleep on their office couches because they can't afford to rent an apartment in the nation's most expensive city.

It upsets me when I hear all the doom-and-gloom "prophetic words" about how Congress is nothing but a bunch of crooks. Most of these spiritual giant slayers have never stepped a foot into the Capitol or visited their congressman. They have no clue of what God is doing in their government or that God has big future plans for it. Their opinions are shaped more from media spin and propaganda than a biblical worldview of God's end-times agenda for governance.

Do I believe America is in a period of judgement? Yes! Most definitely. God has given us over to our selfish desires. Yet the biblical pattern for national revival is almost always preceded by a time of judgment. "The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether."

Psalm 72:16 and Micah 4:1-3, clearly state that in "the last days" God will take a remnant of believers (wheat) and plant them in the tops of world governments (tops of the mountains) and build "the house of the Lord," beginning in the top levels of the world's governments. The resulting consequences of God's moving in world governments would then shake the earth with revival. "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the house of the Lord."

I can confirm that this is beginning to happen in Washington, D.C., London, Ukraine, Poland, Moscow and several nations in Africa.

Add to this, when the "last trumpet" in Revelation sounds, "the kingdoms of this world" (governments) become the governments of the Lord Jesus Christ and He will rule them forever with His glorious church (Rev. 11:15-19). So much for "separation of church and state."

Almost always, following these periods of captivity and judgment were times of transition to revival. These times of transitions were times of national repentance followed by "times of refreshing" or the latter rain.

So could America be in one of these transitional times of repentance where our national sins are being exposed? Are the wheat and tares being exposed before a time to shine like the sun in righteousness?

How can a nation, which for years has been praying for revival, actually "turn from your wicked ways" until those wicked ways are openly exposed for all to see? Could this be what we are witnessing now in America—unprecedented exposure of corruption at every level of society and government—so God can heal us? So we know what to repent of?

If so, now is the time for the prophets to come forth and prophesy to the nation. Now is the time for the preachers to preach repentance and godly holiness to the church—to make herself ready to enter the kingdom.

Is God through with America yet? I don't believe so. I think America's greatest days may be just around the corner. I believe we're in the first dawning hours of another Great Awakening.

In fact, I believe God has been silently, behind the scenes, answering our 2 Chronicles 7:14 prayers for some time now, not at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue (the White House) but at First Street and East Capitol Street, in the heart of the U.S. Capitol with the 114th Congress.

Did you know, for the past two years, weekly Christian worship services for members of Congress and staff, called the Jefferson Gathering, are being held in the Capitol building after an absence of 144 years? More than 150 members have attend in two years and many now attend on a regular basis. Several people have given their lives to Christ.

Did you know there are more "passionate followers of Jesus Christ" (I prefer this to the overused sometime meaningless term, "Christian") in the 114th Congress than at any time since President Calvin Coolidge? There are. We are working with close to 200 sincere followers of the Lord in the House and Senate.

Did you know, on occasions, as many as 90 pastors will be praying together in the Capitol Rotunda while the House of Representatives is debating controversial freedom of religion amendments on the House floor? Did you know that, on most Wednesday evenings, prayer for America is happening in the Rotunda? It is!

Have you heard? Beginning on Sunday, Sept. 4, three Christian worship services will begin in the Ways and Means Room in the Capitol building for all federal employees and Capitol Police. It's been 150 years since regular Sunday church services were held in the U.S. Capitol. This is big news!

How did this all begin to happen? America has been praying, that's how! And God is right now in the process of answering those prayers by raising up godly men and women in Congress, the most important branch of government.

Let me share our personal first-hand experiences of being a small part of what God is doing in Congress. I know there are other great ministries on the Hill reaching out to Congress in very influential ways, and we thank God for their work. But I can only share with you about what JoAnn and I are doing.

Though we may never agree totally with everyone's politics, let me tell you why I'm thankful that Paul Ryan is speaker of the House and that he won his primary race. Speaker Ryan, a Roman Catholic, is a passionate disciple and follower of Jesus Christ. He is surrounding himself with godly spiritual pastors.

He said, "The only hope for America is a spiritual awakening. ... We must have spiritual solutions to our problems, or we're in for troubled times as a nation" (spoken to JoAnn and me alone in a private, 30-minute conversation). He asked that I help him invite pastors to the Capitol for spiritual advice. So far, we have had more than 200 pastors visit the Capitol, and we plan for many more for this fall.

Ryan makes meeting pastors a top priority in his busy schedule. JoAnn and I have an open working relationship with his staff. They told us that in six weeks' time, they had to turn down more than 500 invitations to various important events (I saw the print out sheets), "but he's doing the pastors briefings because he's passionate about it," a top staffer told us.

Speaker Ryan is an avid fan of historian David Barton. "I listen to him all the time, even in my car while driving," he said. Because of Barton's teachings, Speaker Ryan is very knowledgeable of the 1954 Johnson Amendment (putting political speech restrictions on pastors from their pulpits) and its devastating effects on our culture.

He understands "first causative principle"—that the 1954 Johnson Amendment eventually was responsible for prayer and Bible reading being taken out of schools in 1963, the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973 and redefining of marriage in 2016—all because pastors were silenced from speaking out politically. That's why Speaker Ryan wants the Johnson Amendment repealed legislatively. He knows pastors being set free to preach again to the nation regarding these moral and political issues is a must to turn the nation around.

In early January at the Republican Retreat in Baltimore, Ryan and I began discussing how Congress could legislatively repeal it. Later, I spent one hour educating Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (chair of Republican Conference, whose husband is a pastor) and her entire senior staff on the Johnson Amendment toward the goal of repealing it.

Rep. Kevin Brady is chair of the Ways and Means Committee through which any legislation to repeal would have to come to the floor, and he is totally on board. Ryan directed me to Brady. Brady also gave me approval to hold three Sunday services (beginning Sept. 4) in the Ways and Means Committee room in the Capitol. Brady told me with a big smile on his face, "I'm thrilled you're having church in the Ways and Means Committee Room. Glad to let you use it."

So, long before Donald Trump said anything about repealing the Johnson Amendment, Speaker Ryan had been working on it. For the first time in 60 years, the opportunity to repeal the Johnson Amendment exists because of Ryan's leadership, spirituality and love of Jesus! Now we need a Republican president in the Oval Office to sign a repeal into law (which is more effective than just an executive order)!

Speaker Ryan has formed a committee of five members of Congress (to which I was invited to participate) to report to him on inviting pastors to the Capitol to have lunch with him and arrange congressional-clergy townhall meetings in the Cannon Caucus Room. We are planning our second one in November, and we'll form an email alert system so Speaker Ryan can contact pastors on how to inform their churches to pray for America.

This is unprecedented and historic! This is God answering our prayers.

In September, we'll be hosting four worship services weekly in the U.S. Capitol with Ryan's permission and blessing.

I know a lot of folks are critical of Speaker Ryan's policies, but how many know what I've just shared with you? I pray for Speaker Ryan daily. Do you? I know he wants what's best for America. Is he right on every issue? Who is?

But I am thankful God has him where he is. He is very open to the voice of the Lord. Pray that God will change his heart in those areas in which you don't agree with him.

Let me ask you this question: Which is more important for America: Repealing the TPP, building a wall at our border, balancing the budget, restoring jobs or experiencing a third Great Awakening? Without a spiritual awakening, America will still go to hell in a handbasket. We must have revival!

I'm thankful that the top four leaders of the Republican Party in Congress (Speaker Paul Ryan, Leader Kevin McCarthy, Whip Steve Scalise and Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers) know this and are doing what they can to see it happen. They know that, without it, America has no hope. These are the leaders America needs now.

America's political revivals have always followed spiritual awakenings. I am convinced the underpinnings for a third spiritual awakening are happening now, and the foundations for political renewal could be just ahead.

Keep praying, and keep voting. God is not finished with America yet.

RUSSELL WILSON SUGGESTS LOOKING TO THE BIBLE TO HEAL DIVISIONS IN AMERICA

by Veronica Neffinger

Christian football player Russell Wilson said that the Bible has answers for how to heal the divisiveness in America today.

In an interview with journalist Maria Shriver, the Seattle Seahawks quarterback stated, "It's a lack of love, there's so much hate in the world, there's so much back and forth. … For me, it always comes back to the Biblical aspect: 1 Corinthians 13 talks about, faith, hope and love," Wilson told Shriver. "And the greatest of all is love. If we don't have love, we have nothing."

Wilson went on to stress that we are meant to serve others and not only focus on ourselves:

“God put us on this earth to serve, give back and to love one another. If we could just focus on that aspect and just, how can I love you better," he said. "How can I be there for you in your time of need? And stop focusing on ourselves so much."

Shriver asked Wilson the questions about how to heal all the divisions in America as part of her blog post on finding answers to these issues.

"Everywhere I looked there were, and are, questions. About guns, about black lives, about police officers, about our candidates for President," Shriver wrote. "And ultimately they lead to questions to ourselves about ourselves."

Those are questions Wilson believes can be addressed when we simply focus on changing on life at a time.

"So many times we think about the big picture, but we miss the one individual," he said. "If we can change one kid at a time, one heart at a time, one soul, one adult at a time, as a result of that, it ends up being a snowball effect."

HISTORIC GOLD-MEDAL WINNER SIMONE MANUEL BREAKS DOWN ON CAMERA: "IT'S GOD WORKING THROUGH ME!"

by JESSILYN JUSTICE

Simone Manuel Makes History In Swimming At Rio Olympics

Breathtaking. Beautiful. Graceful. Champion. Meet 20-year old Simone Manuel, who vocally praises her Creator.

"All I can say is all glory to God. It's definitely been a long journey these past four years. I'm just so blessed to have a gold medal ... I'm just so blessed," Manuel sobbed after her victory.

Manuel is the first African-American to take gold in an individual swimming competition—ever. She tied with Canada's Penny Oleksiak for a record-breaking time of 52.70 seconds in the women's 100-meter freestyle.

Thus far in Rio, Manuel has one gold and one silver medal.

"It is an honor to represent the USA! God is working in me! I am so blessed and grateful. Thank you all so much for your support," Manuel tweeted after her historic win.

Amen to that!

OLYMPIC GYMNASTS REVEAL BIBLICAL PRAYERS THAT GUIDED THEIR ROUTINES

by KATIE YODER/MRC NEWSBUSTERS

The current USA women's gymnastics team. (REUTERS/Damir Sagolj)

Athletes at 2016 Rio Olympics are likely focusing on God to succeed, according to former Olympians.

On Tuesday, Good Morning America invited former U.S. Olympic gymnasts Dominique Dawes and McKayla Maroney on air to discuss the 2016 U.S. women's gymnastics team.

At one point in the interview, ABC co-anchor Lara Spencer asked the two athletes how this year's gymnastic team handles pressure while competing at the Olympics.

"What do you think they do in the moments before?" she asked. "How do you control your breathing when you're—when you're walking out there and you have to look totally composed and we did talk a little bit about game faces that we're seeing. How do you guys—how do they do it today?"

Instead of pointing to certain exercises or eating habits, the Olympians pointed to faith.

"I always relied on my faith," Dawes responded. "I always had a prayer in my head: 'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.' Many of those young girls may have that same mindset as well."

"Yep," Maroney interjected in agreement. "Amen."

Americans may not hear it from the media, but all five of the U.S. women gymnasts competing in the 2016 Rio Olympics have publicized their faith on Twitter.

KILL LIST: ISIS TARGETS 15,000 AMERICAN CHRISTIANS FOR DEATH

by BETHANY BLANKLEY

According to a report recently made public, early this year, ISIS specifically identified 15,000 Christian Americans for death and instructed jihadists already in America to begin widespread murder.

The Kill List report comes in the wake of ISIS already publicly warning American and British Christians that "they were next." British police last week publicly warned its 5.4 million Christians to be on alert and in some areas increased security.

But, Circa News reports that the FBI did not notify American Christians who are on the ISIS "Kill Lists." On its website it states:

"The FBI did not alert numerous Americans that they were placed on secret Islamic State kill lists or notify their local police about the potential dangers, a lapse in the government's efforts to combat the terrorist group's evolving strategy to target everyday citizens.

"To date, the terror group that goes by the acronym ISIS has published on encrypted web sites several hit lists naming more than 15,000 people it would like to see killed by sleeper cells or lone wolves in New York, Texas, Florida and California."

Circa News was able to obtain copies of some of the lists and several individuals named on the lists. In Texas, for example, Circa News contacted 24 people marked for death. Out them, 22 had no idea that there was such a list or that they were on it.

It is believed that the list was purportedly created from an Internet search of church directories.

Michael Snyder of Charisma News reported a situation a reader submitted. The reader says the FBI did inform him that he and his wife are on the list. After further research, they discovered that his pastor and other members of his church were also on the ISIS Kill List.

Leaders of Christian organizations and Christian pastors should contact their local FBI and law enforcement to investigate if they are on the list and also request that security measures be taken to protect their congregation.

Despite the warning, good news does exist. Snyder pointed to a Detroit News article that describes how a 21 year-old Islamist from Dearborn Heights, Michigan, Khalil abu-Rayyan, decided that because he couldn't commit Jihad overseas—he would find a mega-church in Detroit.

He purchased a gun and identified his target—which seats up to 6,000 people. But the God of the Bible had other plans—and undercover FBI agent who had been in correspondence with him since last year was able to thwart abu-Rayyan's plans.

According to court records, The Detroit News reports that abu-Rayyan said he didn't know the name of the church but knew it was one of the largest churches in Detroit.

He bragged: "I had it planned out. I bought a bunch of bullets. I practiced a lot with it. I practiced reloading and unloading. But my dad searched my car one day, and he found everything. He found the gun and the bullets and a mask I was going to wear."

The Detroit News also mentions that abu-Rayyan "told an undercover FBI employee that attacking a church would be 'easy.'" According to a court affidavit, abu-Rayyan claimed:

"A lot of people go there. Plus people are not allowed to carry guns in church. Plus it would make the news. Everybody would've heard. Honestly I regret not doing it. (If I) can't go do jihad at the Middle East, I would do my jihad over here."

He also told the undercover FBI agent that he carried a "large knife or sword in his car" and if he got into a fight, said, "it is my dream to behead someone."

His arraignment occurred around the same time that Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump announced the need to ban Muslims from entering the country. Incredibly, Trump's assertion continues to be criticized even though existing federal law already prohibits providing any aid, visa, Green Card, citizenship status or rights to Islamists seeking entrance into the country—since 1952.

The Obama administration and previous administrations have intentionally and repeatedly chosen to break the law. In fact, the last ten presidents chose not to secure the U.S. border.

The intentional ongoing failure to uphold the U.S. Constitution has obviously created the dire situation in which Americans, and especially Christians, find themselves.

But what the local church can teach ISIS and America's failed government, is that the church is where people turn first in times of crisis. The refuge they seek is only found in the eternal God who promises to shield them in times of trouble with the shadow of His wings. The safest place for the church is the church itself.

LOU ENGLE BRINGING AZUSA NOW TO EAST COAST

by JESSILYN JUSTICE

Revival that ignited along the West Coast will now burn to the East Coast as Lou Engle takes Azusa Now to Rick Joyner's Morning Star Ministries in South Carolina.

Called AzusaEast, the movement will feature Joyner and Engle with Dean Briggs and Ryan and Nina Landis.

"After decades of prayer by millions of Christians, the Lord is answering our collective cry for revival. We dare to believe that a new Jesus Movement is upon us! So let us maintain a relentless posture of prayer, yes, but let us also transition to bold faith and bolder action. Our vision of God must be expansive, not myopic. What if the next great move of heaven is already unfolding right before our eyes? So ... what's next?" according to a release.

The Azusa East event will help fulfill the 7 Take-Aways from Azusa Now, including staying focused on Jesus.

And like the original Azusa Street Revival, a prophetic blueprint leads the way for Azusa East:
We believe the natural progression of the history of Azusa gives us a prophetic template for the present hour. Among several who journeyed to the Azusa Street Mission in 1906, one who was greatly touched by the unity of the brethren was a man from Dunn, North Carolina named G. B. Cashwell, later called "The Apostle of Pentecost to the South." After witnessing the evidence of love in the baptism of the Holy Spirit at Azusa, where it was said, "the color line was washed away in the blood of Jesus," Cashwell knew that the unity of the brethren was in direct contradiction to the racial prejudice of his beloved South. He repented of his racism and was filled afresh with the love and power of God. When he returned to Dunn, the anointing of the Azusa Outpouring followed him, and revival broke out in the Carolinas, which eventually spread all across the Southern states. This came to be known as Azusa East.
Interestingly, the original royal land charter for the Carolinas given by King Charles II extended coast-to-coast, from the Carolinas to Southern California, including the region of Los Angeles, where the original Azusa Street Revival began in 1906, and which spilled over to the Carolinas in 1907. We believe this is our model.
In 2016, once again, we stand at the 110th Anniversary. What began in the West must come to the East. A new hope for a Third Great Awakening has gripped us to the core. Revival strategy is unfolding, city to city, gathering to gathering, prayer upon prayer. The favor, power and love of God are coming to America again! It is not about names, ministries and agendas. It is about the presence of God, the unity of His church, and the salvation of the lost.

The event is scheduled for Sept. 2.

MAN FOUND DEAD AFTER SERVING DNC WITH PAPERS OVER RIGGED ELECTION

by Conservative Tribune

Shawn Lucas achieved notoriety among Sen. Bernie Sanders supporters when he, along with filmmaker Ricardo Villaba, served the Democratic National Committee papers alleging fraud.


Lucas served the class-action complaint on behalf of other Sanders supporters on the DNC and Debbie Wasserman Schultz on July 3, charging that the organization had committed fraud by favoring Hillary Clinton over the Vermont senator in the primary process.

Just one month later, the process server has reportedly died, according to The Gateway Pundit. Although the details of Lucas’ death had not yet been released as of Friday morning, at least one unconfirmed report held that his girlfriend found him on the floor of his bathroom.

Reports of Lucas’ death started making its rounds on the internet, so Snopes — a popular rumor-investigating website — did some digging to find out what happened.

“We contacted Lucas’ employer on 4 August 2016 to ask whether there was any truth to the rumor,” Snopes wrote on its site. “According to an individual with whom we spoke at that company, Shawn Lucas died on 2 August 2016.”

The Snopes articled reported that they spoke with an “audibly and understandably shaken employee” who explained that several people had called inquiring about Lucas. However, the company, One Source Process in Washington D.C., could not confirm any details about their employee’s death.

The report that Lucas was found lying on the bathroom floor on August 2 was said to be “unconfirmed” by Snopes.

Many have been concerned that the process server’s death was connected to his role in suing the DNC, but those concerns have not been corroborated.

The DNC named Lucas in a “Motion to Dismiss” on July 22, claiming, in large part, that Lucas did not serve the paperwork correctly. The person who can be seen receiving the papers on video footage of the service was not authorized to accept service of process, according to the DNC’s motion.

OBAMA CAUGHT RED-HANDED - NEW EVIDENCE PROVES HE IS LYING ABOUT IRAN HOSTAGES

by Alexa 

The Obama administration has been scrambling to explain away the $400 million in cash it sent to Iran on the same day in January that four American hostages were released by the terror-sponsoring state.

Obama claimed the money wasn’t ransom, but, as Rudy Giuliani said, “You’d have to have IQ of minus two, not to realize he just lied.”

Now one of the freed hostages is speaking out and he’s telling a different story than the administration about what happened that night.

On Thursday’s broadcast of the Fox Business Network’s “The Intelligence Report with Trish Regan,” Saeed Abedini, one of the four hostages released from Iran back in January, stated that on the night he was freed, his captors told him they were waiting on another plane to arrive before letting him go.


Abedini said, “I just remember the night that we’d been in a[n] airport, just take hours and hours there. And I asked one of the…police that was with us, that, why are you not letting us to go to the…plane? And he told me we are waiting for another plane, and if that plane take off, then we’re going to let you go.”

He added, “[T]hey told us you’re going to be there for 20 minutes. But it took like hours and hours. We slept at the airport, and when I asked them why you don’t let us go, because the plane was there, pilot was there, everyone was ready that we leave the country, they said we are waiting for another plane, and until that plane doesn’t come, we never let you go.”

Why else would the Iranians be holding the prisoners until another mysterious plane arrived?

At the time Iranians even said the money was ransom and a BBC Persia reporter seems to have found Iranian footage of the pallets of cash from a report about the hostage release in February:

From the beginning Iran has said the $400 million was ransom for their prisoners and they’re already trying to leverage new captives for cash, according to the Wall Street Journal’s original report.

Revolutionary Guard commanders boasted at the time that the Americans had succumbed to Iranian pressure. “Taking this much money back was in return for the release of the American spies,” said Gen. Mohammad Reza Naghdi, commander of the Guard’s Basij militia, on state media.

Among the Americans currently being held are an energy executive named Siamak Namazi and his 80-year old father, Baqer, according to U.S. and Iranian officials. Iran’s judiciary spokesman last month confirmed Tehran had arrested the third American, believed to be a San Diego resident named Reza “Robin” Shahini.

Friends and family of the Namazis believe the Iranians are seeking to increase their leverage to force another prisoner exchange or cash payment in the final six months of the Obama administration.

Obama has obliterated our policy of not negotiating with terrorists (anyone remember Bowe Bergdahl?) thereby putting Americans abroad and our national security at risk. I truly can’t wait until his presidency is dumped in the dustbin of history where it belongs.

CLINTON'S CARELESSNESS LIKELY CAUSED DEATHS

by Steve Jordahl

A respected political analyst has made a shocking claim about Hillary Clinton and her email scandal.

Fox News analyst Andrew Napolitano is suggesting that Clinton's unsecured email communications likely put other Americans at risk.

"The email scandal resulted in the exposure of the names of U.S. undercover agents operating in the Middle East," Napolitano, an experienced judge and legal expert, said recently on the cable news channel. "In the case of all of them, their cover was blown. In the case of a few of them, their lives were lost."

In other words, Clinton's carelessness likely caused the deaths of clandestine operatives serving the U.S. overseas.

FBI Director James Comey has described Clinton as "extremely careless" for discussing national security secrets on her server. But the judge's accusation means that decision was deadly, not just dumb.

If that allegation is true, Pentagon consultant Bob Maginnis says, the FBI should look harder at Clinton after the agency decided not to charge her last month.

"If in fact these emails come out," says Maginnis, "there will be certainly congressional hearings and there'll be pressure on the Justice Department to put aside its overwhelming bias for President Obama and his administration."

According to Napolitano, the National Security Agency – as well as WikiLeaks – have all 30,000 emails Clinton erased, and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange says he has enough evidence to bring her under indictment.

Maginnis says it might be the nail in the coffin of the Clinton campaign.

"This, of course, would just put more blood on her hands," he says.

DONALD TRUMP SIGNS FIRST-EVER PRESIDENTIAL ANTI-PORN PLEDGE

by Ben Johnson

Donald Trump has become the first presidential candidate to sign an anti-pornography pledge, promising to crack down on obscenity after an eight-year-long hiatus at the federal level.

Although he signed the pledge on July 16, the release is just making the news today, after the Republican and Democratic National Conventions dominated the news cycle for two weeks.

“Mr. Trump’s leadership and commitment to uphold the rule of law is demonstrated by his signing of the Children’s Internet Safety Presidential Pledge,” said Donna Rice Hughes, the president of the anti-porn group Enough is Enough, which drew the vow up. “Making the internet safer for children and families is a critical step in making America safe again.”

The heart of the promise requires the president to prosecute existing obscenity laws by “appointing an Attorney General who will make the prosecution of such laws a top priority in my administration.”

President George W. Bush founded the Justice Department’s Obscenity Prosecution Task Force in 2005, warning pornographers that the feds would prosecute video depictions of rape or pedophilia, even if simulated by consenting adults.

But enforcement lagged under President Obama until then-Attorney General Eric Holder dissolved the DOJ task force in 2011, leaving porn prosecution to local U.S. Attorneys.

Since Obama’s shuttering of the task force, incidences of simulated – and reportedly, real – rape in the porn industry have continued apace.

Hughes called on the government to enforce “all the laws on the books, not just some of them. Over the last two decades America’s children have paid an unnecessarily steep price for the lax enforcement of federal obscenity laws. Obscenity is not protected under the First Amendment.”

Democrat Hillary Clinton declined to sign, with campaign officials saying she has a policy against signing pledges. Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson did not reply.

“The Clinton campaign’s support of the pledge’s goals is also a step in the right direction. This is a bipartisan issue, and I remain optimistic that Secretary Clinton will reconsider signing this important pledge,” Hughes said. “I also hope Gov. Johnson will do the same.”

In 2016 politicians are debating the harms caused by exposure to graphic sexual material, especially at a young age, as never before.

In April, Utah Governor Gary Herbert, a Republican, signed a first-in-the-nation law declaring pornography a public health crisis.

The 2016 Republican Party platform branded porn a hazard to young people’s well-being and promised to support obscenity prosecutions.

“Pornography, with its harmful effects, especially on children, has become a public health crisis that is destroying the lives of millions,” the platform reads. “We encourage states to continue to fight this public menace and pledge our commitment to children’s safety and well-being.”

Phyllis Schlafly demanded that Donald Trump support the party platform before she endorsed the billionaire early in the primaries. At a private meeting in March, “I asked him to promise to support the platform, and he did,” she said earlier this month.

The Democratic Party has been more liberal on pornography and other social issues.

One of the delegates to last week’s Democratic National Convention was a transgender pornstar.

Yet leaders in other nations have investigated the way unprecedented access to an unlimited number of pornographic videos and images affects children, moving toward a global consensus on filtering porn or requiring users to opt-in before viewing graphic material.

Dr. Jill Manning, a mental health practitioner who sits on the Enough is Enough board, "it is groundbreaking to have corporate and political leaders reexamining the controversial topic of pornography and concluding that the research substantiates a public health approach."

NEWSPAPER BANS AD OVER OFFENSIVE "CHRISTIAN" WORD

by TODD STARNES

The owners of a Christian bookstore in Knoxville, Tennessee were dumbfounded after the News Sentinel rejected their ad because it included an offensive word – "Christian." (Courtesy)

The owners of a Christian bookstore in Knoxville, Tennessee were dumbfounded after the News Sentinel rejected their ad because it included an offensive word: Christian.

Lois McGinnis and her family own Cedar Springs Christian Store. They recently decided to close a second location of the store so they decided to place an ad in the classified section of the newspaper, which is owned by Gannett.

The advertisement read: "Store closing sale – Cedar Springs Christian Store – Clinton Highway location – All merchandise, fixtures, slat walls must go. Sale through August 13, phone 865.947.XXX."

Mrs. McGinnis placed the ad on July 26. It was supposed to run on July 28. But when she opened up the newspaper, the ad was nowhere to be found.

So Mrs. McGinnis phoned the newspaper and spoke with a classified ad employee.

"She said our ad did not run because it contained an offensive word," she told me. "I asked what that offensive word was and she said the offensive word was 'Christian.'"

She said the News Sentinel did not notify her in advance the ad had been rejected nor did they call to say they were refunding her money.

"We had no way of knowing they considered the word 'Christian' offensive until we tried to place this ad," she told me.

"As Christians, this was a slap in the face to us," she added.

So the bookstore decided to tell their customers what happened in a very clever Facebook posting. It was simply titled, "Do you find the word 'Christian' offensive?"

Let's just say the good, church-going folks of East Tennessee lit up the telephones and it wasn't too much long afterwards that the Knoxville News Sentinel addressed the issue.

They offered up one heaping helping of an apology "for any misunderstanding about the News Sentinel stance on Christianity."

"We had a system failure, which resulted in a classified ad for Cedar Springs getting hung up in our front end system," they wrote in a statement posted online.

A front end problem, eh?

"We corrected the technology issue in our system and the ad is now running for an extended period at no extra charge," they added.

And for the record: The newspaper does not have a problem with Jesus.

"The News Sentinel does not have a bias against Christianity or any other religion," publisher Patrick Birmingham wrote in response to online critics.

However, the newspaper's explanation doesn't seem to be placating its readers.

"Considering how liberal this paper is ... I take the apology with a grain of salt," one reader wrote on Facebook.

Another wrote, "Don't be offended Cedar Springs Christian Stores ... Nobody has read the Knoxville News Sentinel in over a decade anyway. Spend your advertising dollars elsewhere."

"I cannot believe they are doing this now. I am so glad I do not subscribe to them or give them my business. To not sell an ad because the store's name has the word Christian in it is absolutely wrong. I guess if the store was called Cedar Springs Muslim store it would be published. I hate to tell them, but the majority of the people who live here proclaim to be Christian," another irate reader added.

Well, let's hope the News Sentinel has fixed their front end problem—lest their readers give them a back end problem

CA DISTRICT SAYS HOMESCHOOLING NOT LAWFUL

by Michael F. Haverluck 

A high school district in Northern California has sent a notification to parents telling them that their homeschooled children are not lawfully being educated.

When the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) received word that all of its member families in the San Benito High School District (SBHSD) received a letter from state authorities declaring that they were illegally educating their children, attorneys from the nonprofit group were perplexed.

It was HDLDA’s understanding that the right to homeschool had already been firmly established in the state of California, but the letter parents received from the school district located east of scenic Monterrey, California, contradicted what was believed to be resolved years ago.

However, school officials insisted that parents within the district were acting illegally by homeschooling their children.

“[U]nder California Law, a home school is not a private school, nor is it a lawful alternative to public school …” the letter sent from SBHSD officials to homeschool parents read, according to HSLDA.

Making little sense

For decades, it has been established that homeschooling one’s children is a protected right of parents.

HSLDA President Mike Smith argues that home schools are every bit as legal as any private school throughout the state of California.

“The private school exemption has been used by California homeschoolers since the revival of the movement in the late ’70s,” Smith pointed out.

Even though homeschooling has been frequently contested by state officials in the Golden State, their attacks on the time-honored educational practice were consistently put to rest.

“Many school districts and the California Department of Education took the same position that the San Benito High School is now taking,” Smith continued. “But despite years of official opposition in numerous places in a variety of ways, HSLDA successfully advocated for many families whose homeschooling was challenged by school districts and other public agencies.”

Righting a wrong

However, less than a decade ago, the relentless attack on homeschooling prevailed in one California court — which delivered a ruling that was undetected by most.

Smith notes that the decision was unsettling — at best.

“Then in February 2008, in a confidential juvenile court case (subsequently known as Jonathan L.) that initially we were not made aware of, the Court of Appeals ruled that homeschooling in California is not legal,” the legal expert informed. “Because HSLDA was not involved in the underlying case, the appellate court was not properly briefed about the many ways the legislature had made provision for parents to teach their own children under the private-school option.”

Once HSLDA got word of the problematic ruling and the reasoning behind it, the Christian group of attorneys quickly sought to rectify the matter.

“When the court published its opinion, HSLDA led a large coalition asking the appellate court to reconsider,” Smith recounted. “In August 2008, the same three judges who had said back in February (before we were involved) that homeschooling was illegal now reversed course.”

All three judges soon issued the following declaration:

“California statutes permit home schooling as a species of private school education,” they stated, officially reestablishing homeschooling as a legitimate and legal form of alternative education to conventional schooling in the state.

Big mistake

Smith and his staff of attorneys are still amazed at how such a blatant error could be made by a school district without thoroughly looking into the matter — especially one that was resolved nearly a decade ago.

“We cannot understand or explain how a school district today, so many years after the decision in the Jonathan L. case, could still be sending official correspondence that is so clearly wrong,” Smith expressed.

His team of lawyers made sure that the misunderstanding was quickly cleared up — to the relief of many homeschool families in San Benito County.

“When we learned of San Benito’s letter, we quickly responded on behalf of our member families, explaining that homeschooling is indeed a legal exemption to public school attendance pursuant to the private-school exemption,” Smith recounted.

He maintains that even though HSLDA chalked up another victory in California, more challenges in the future are expected.

“This episode demonstrates the continued opposition to homeschooling by some in California,” Smith warned, encouraging parents to be wary of future attacks and gain an understanding of their legal rights as home educators in their state.