What Is Really Happening in Springfield, Ohio?

The liberty principle for this Freedom Friday concerns the national need to control the number of immigrants allowed to enter the United States. The number should be kept below the number that can be handled safely and for the betterment of Americans already in our communities.

The last sentence obviously does not apply to Springfield, Ohio. The Haitian refugees may not be eating pets, but they are certainly disrupting the lives of the American residents of the city. Robert Schmad and Megan Brock wrote the following in an article for the Daily Caller News Foundation, which was published in The Daily Signal. 

Reports of shoplifting and vehicle theft increased considerably in Springfield, Ohio, following the arrival of thousands of Haitian refugees, according to data obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation through a records request.

The town, which had a population of 58,622 in 2020, has taken in between 12,000 and 20,000 Haitian refugees over the past three years, marking a population increase of between 20.4% and 34.1%. From 2021 to 2023, Springfield also saw a 51.5% jump in motor vehicle theft reports and a 112.8% spike in reports of shoplifting, data provided by the Springfield Police Division shows.

Springfield residents previously told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the influx of Haitians has resulted in an uptick in car accidents, increased housing prices, and strained public service…. [City officials asked for federal help in July.]

Large numbers of Haitians began arriving in Springfield to meet the demand for labor after the city’s chamber of commerce successfully attracted new businesses to the city, according to The New York Times. While the migrants have attracted the ire of some residents, many are paying taxes to support the community….

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, has set aside $2.5 million to help Springfield deal with the migrant surge and announced last week that he would deploy the Ohio State Highway Patrol to assist with traffic enforcement in the municipality. The issue of poor driving among refugees became a flashpoint in the community after a Haitian national driving a minivan without a license swerved in front of a school bus in August 2023, killing an 11-year-old boy and injuring roughly a dozen other students.

One Springfield resident, a pastor, told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the town had accidents every day as a result of the influx of Haitians. A local towing employee confirmed that there had been an uptick in wrecks.

However, with all the problems in Springfield, Ohio, there are only two police reports of animal cruelty in 2021 with none afterwards. The reported murder and assault numbers remained “unchanged between 2021 and 2023.” The residents of Springfield, Ohio, are begging for help, and Trump’s comment about Haitians eating pets focused the national spotlight on the problems there. This attention may be helpful to them.

Why Do Foreign Nations Own Agricultural Land in the United States?

Are you aware that foreign nations, including adversaries such as North Korea, Iran, or China, own “more than 43 million acres of agricultural land” in the United States? According to an article posted by Amy Joi O’Donoghue in The Deseret News, this is the assertion of Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) who is co-sponsoring the Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act (CIFUS). The purpose of this bill is “to add the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States.” 

The U.S. Department of Agricultural says that 43.4 million acres of U.S. agricultural land is foreign owned, some near key military installations….

Sens. Mike Braun, R-Ind., Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., Joe Manchin, I-W. Va., Tom Cotton, R-Ark., John Tester, D-Mont., Roger Marshall, R-Kansas, John Fetterman, D-Pa., Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., John Barrasso, R-Wyo., Katie Britt, R-Ala., Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc., Todd Young, R-Ind., Deb Fischer, R-Neb., Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., also co-sponsored the legislation.

The House passed companion legislation introduced by Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., last week, too.

Numerous states have grappled with the issue of foreign nations buying agricultural land. Kyla S. Kaplan authored an article outlining what happened in Arkansas less than a year ago. 

On October 17, 2023, Arkansas became the first state to enforce a state law banning certain foreign entities from owning agricultural land (doing so under Act 636, which blocks “prohibited foreign-party-controlled business” from owning public or private land directly or through affiliation).

Arkansas Attorney General, Tim Griffin ordered Syngenta Seeds LLC. To sell 160 acres (65 hectares) of farmland because the business is owned by Sinochem Holdings Corporation, a Chinese “state-owned enterprise.” Additionally, the company’s subsidiary was fined $280,000 in civil penalties because Syngenta failed to register as a foreign agricultural landowner under Arkansas Act 1046, Arkansas’ state analog to the federal Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act (AFIDA).

The enactment of state laws to restrict foreign ownership of agricultural land is on the rise – potentially due to concerns over national security. Currently, there are approximately twenty-five (25) states, like Arkansas, that, in at least some circumstances, forbid or limit nonresident aliens, foreign business entities, and/or foreign governments from acquiring or owning an interest in private agricultural land within their state. This year alone, twelve (12) states have either enacted or amended laws restricting foreign investments in state land.

Enforcement also varies between state laws. While some state laws contain provisions that assign enforcement authority to the state’s attorney general or “a district attorney of the county where the foreign-owned land is located,” other states provide private enforcement or prescribe civil (monetary) penalties for noncompliance with its foreign ownership law. Arkansas will likely not be the last state to enforce such regulations – Based on recent trends, political tensions, and what is happening in Arkansas, it appears most enforcement concerns may come with a connection to Chinese ownership.

O’Donoghue’s article described how Utah is affected by foreign ownership of agricultural land. Utah “is in the top five in the country for the amount of land acreage at risk, due to the number of key military installations it hosts, including Hill Air Force Base, the Utah Test and Training Range and Dugway.” O’Donoghue also described what North Dakota is doing about the issue.

In 2023, according to the Kiowa County Press, the North Dakota state Legislature passed a pair of bills aimed at stopping the threat.

The media outlet reported that one law prohibits land ownership by nations or businesses in those countries deemed foreign adversaries under certain federal rules. The other law deals specifically with farmland, blocking foreign governments from acquiring it.

China’s agricultural investment outside its borders has grown more than tenfold in less than a decade, according to the reporting by the North Dakota outlet. For the law dealing with agriculture, there are exceptions, including Canadians who want to buy North Dakota farmland. The state’s agriculture commissioner cited some concerns about these restrictions, including the potential impact on agribusiness opportunities.

According to O’Donoghue, Utah is implementing similar restrictions. HB516, sponsored by Rep. Candice Pierucci (R-Herriman) and passed earlier this year, “prevents countries – North Korea, China, Iran and Russia – from buying land in Utah.” The law goes even further. “If those countries, or foreign controlled companies with a 51% ownership in land holdings, already own parcels, that land has to be relinquished within a year.”

Pierucci gave two reasons for why these laws are important: (1) “this is a major national security concern and (2) “China is purchasing land and in proximity to military installations.” The new law “requires coordination with the Utah Department of Public Safety to document those land holdings. The agency is compiling a database on land holdings in Utah and sets in motion a way to reverse that course.”

O’Donoghue gave several interesting statistics – given by the American Farm Bureau Federation – in her article that emphasizes the need for states to take legislative action:

·         A little over 20% of Maine’s privately held agricultural land is held by foreign investors, which makes up 9% of total foreign-held land.

·         Hawaii has the second-largest percentage of foreign-held U.S. agricultural land, which is 9.2% of the privately held agricultural land in the state.

·         The number of U.S. farm acres owned by foreign entities grew more than 8% in 2022, although it represents just a little more than 3% of farmland.

·         In Utah, less than 40,000 acres are under foreign ownership, but lawmakers want to stop the trend.

·         According to Smithfield’s website, it says it has 75 company owned farms, 28 contract farms and one feed mill in Utah.

I am grateful that numerous states are taking legislative action to protect their farmlands and companies from foreign ownership. Americans do not want to eat foods that are grown and produced by adversary countries. However, there is another important reason to stop foreign adversaries from purchasing farmlands around military installations: national security.

Why Are People Attempting to Assassinate Donald Trump?

On Sunday, September 15, 2024, former President Donald Trump survived a second assassination attempt in less than three months. This assassination attempt was thwarted by an alert Secret Service agent who saw the muzzle of a rifle poking through the chain link fence from a bushy area at the Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Despite the first attempt on his life, the Secret Service withholds better security from Trump because he is not the current president. Representative Steve Scalise, the House majority leader, demanded, “Secret Service must up their level of protection of him to their FULL capabilities – including expanding the perimeter.” Jarrett Stepman wrote of the assassination attempt as follows. 

While Trump was golfing in West Palm Beach, Florida on Sunday, authorities say a man put the muzzle of a rifle through a chain link fence around the course Trump was on. According to Fox News, the man was between 300 and 500 yards from Trump.

When the man put the gun through the fence, the Secret Service opened fire.

According to the New York Post, the man had a GoPro on the fence which was likely intended to be used to video the shooting.

The man fled the scene and was later apprehended. The New York Post, citing unnamed law enforcement sources, said the alleged gunman is Ryan Routh.

“Routh, who has a lengthy criminal record from North Carolina, frequently posted about politics and exclusively donated to Democratic candidates and causes dating back to 2019. He also bashed Trump in an April 22 post o X in which he declared, ‘DEMOCRACY is on the ballot and we cannot lose,’” reported the Post. The Trump campaign put out a statement shortly after the shooting.

“There were gunshots in my vicinity, but before rumors start spiraling out of control, I wanted you to hear it first: I AM SAFE AND WELL,” his statement read. “Nothing will slow me down. I WILL NEVER SURRENDER! I will always love you for supporting me. Unity. Peace. Make America Great Again.”

There was a flood of reactions to the second assassination attempt on social media, including those saying a second assassination attempt showed the need for more answers about Trump’s security.

Among the many questions being asked are these: (1) how was an assassin allowed to get this close to Trump a second time? (2) why is the Secret Service under the leadership of Biden-Harris failing to protect Donald Trump?

It does not matter whether a person likes or dislikes Donald Trump. Every American should insist that he receives better Secret Service protection.

Who Is Donald J. Trump?

My VIP for this week is Donald J. Trump because he is who he pretends to be. No one has to wonder about who Donald Trump is or what he thinks! However, he is not a regular politician.

In the 2020 presidential election, Joe Biden his out in his basement – supposedly because of COVID-19 – and few Americans understood that he was in the beginning stages of dementia. The media and Democrats hid the real Joe Biden during the campaign and during his administration. The deceit continued until the June debate with Trump made it apparent to everyone that Biden has dementia.

After Biden bowed out – or was forced out – of the 2024 presidential election, Kamala Harris was installed as the candidate. Harris is continuing the practice of hiding from the people. She holds rallies where she can speak with a teleprompter, but she rarely speaks with reporters and has held only one sit down interview with anyone besides her running mate.

The big question is “Will Americans vote for the hiding candidate, or will they vote for the man that will be best for America?” Another good question is, “Do Americans hate Trump more than they love America?”

What Does Government by the People Mean?

The topic of discussion for this Constitution Monday comes from the Preamble of the United States Constitution:

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. (Emphasis added.) 

“We the People” established the government of the United States, according to the Constitution. President Abraham Lincoln also spoke about the people on November 19, 1863, when he spoke at the dedication of the National Cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle at Gettysburg was one of the decisive battles fought during the Civil War and took place July 1-3, 1863. President Lincoln said the following:  

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate – we can not consecrate – we can not hallow – this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us – that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion – that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain – that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. (Emphasis added.) 

Government by the people makes a difference as shown in what is happening in the European Union. In his article published at The Daily Signal, Peter St. Onge wrote about the economic situation in Japan and the European Union. 

New numbers say the European Union has joined Japan in the “lost decades” brigade, with per-person gross domestic product in dollar terms nearly flat since 2008.

According to the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, while disposable household income in the U.S. is $51,000, it’s just $39,000 in Germany, $34,000 in France, $29,000 in Italy, and $21,000 in Greece. For perspective, Mexico is about $16,000.

Why is Europe fading? Simple: Government took over. Government spending is nearly half of Europe’s GDP, which hogs physical resources – steel, workers, etc. – while predatory tax rates punish production and welfare tempts workers away. Nobody produces, everybody takes.

Add in mandates from environment to social policy that hike prices and slap straitjackets on companies, and the smart ones leave, the rest grimly soldier on, staying in business till their factories wear out, then it’s lights out.

In short, it doesn’t pay to produce in Europe. Atlas is shrugging.

What’s driving the takeover is a toxic combination of vote-buying welfare and crony handouts to corporations. I’ve mentioned in previous videos Europe’s stream of trillion-dollar “stimulus” bills that went to corporations, while welfare spending consumes 1 in 3 dollars in countries such as France and Italy. In the U.S., it’s still high, at 23%. In South Korea, for comparison, it’s 15%.

While the corporations feast on government handouts, the taxes that sustain Europe’s welfare state come from the small and medium businesses, who are getting wiped out. Today, the U.S. has 33 million small businesses. Europe, with one and a half times the population, has just 24 million. Half as much per capita.

The difference is even greater with new startups. Europe’s venture industry is six times smaller than the U.S., which has just two-thirds of Europe’s population.

Americans are currently in the midst of a presidential election that will determine the direction that the United States takes in the coming years. Do we want the government to become more powerful, or do we want the power of the government to rest with the people? Kamala Harris will steer America further down the road towards socialism and communism. If you like that idea, by all means vote for her. Donald Trump supports the Constitution – no matter what his enemies keep saying – and will help America to regain its footing for government by the people.

Each of us has a choice about the future America that we want to see. I will be voting for Donald Trump because I do not want my posterity to lose their freedoms.

Why Does God Chasten His Children?

My Come Follow Me studies for this week took me to Helaman 13-16 in a lesson titled “Glad Tidings of Great Joy.” The lesson covers the story of Samuel the Lamanite, one of the greatest stories in the Book of Mormon – Another Testament of Jesus Christ. The lesson was introduced by this paragraph. 

The first time Samuel the Lamanite tried to share “glad tidings” (in Zarahemla (Helaman 13:7), he was rejected and cast out by the hard-hearted Nephites. You might say it was as if they had built an impenetrable wall around their hearts that prevented them from receiving Samuel’s message. Samuel understood the importance of the message he bore and demonstrated faith by following God’s commandment “that he should return again, and prophesy” (Helaman 13:3). Like Samuel, we all encounter walls as we “prepare the way of the Lord” (Helaman 14:9) and strive to follow His prophets. And like Samuel, we too bear witness of Jesus Christ, “who surely shall come,” and invite all to “believe on his name” (Helaman 13:6; 14:13). Not everyone will listen, and some may actively oppose us. But those who believe in this message with faith in Christ find that it truly is a message of “glad tidings of great joy” (Helaman 16:14).

This week’s lesson teaches several principles: The Lord gives warnings through His prophets (Helaman 13). God invites me to repent (Helaman 13-15). God sent signs and wonders to testify of the Savior’s birth and death (Helaman 14; 16:13-23). Chastening from the Lord is a sign of His love (Helaman 15:3). Prophets point me to Jesus Christ (Helaman 16).

I could discuss any of the above principles, but I feel prompted to discuss this one: “Chastening from the Lord is a sign of His love” (Helaman 15:3). Many people question the existence of God and reason that a loving God would not allow terrible things to happen to good people. This is far from the truth because adversity is part of the tests, trials, and tribulations of life. 

We are here on earth to prove ourselves. Will we yield our agency to God and do His will, or will we yield our agency to Satan and do His will? Samuel’s words contain many stern chastisements, but Helaman 15:3 gives us perspective on chastening from the Lord.

3 Yea, wo unto this people who are called the people of Nephi except they shall repent, when they shall see all these signs and wonders which shall be showed unto them; for behold, they have been a chosen people of the Lord; yea, the people of Nephi hath he loved, and also hath he chastened them; yea, in the days of their iniquities hath he chastened them because he loveth them.

A loving parent who sees their beloved toddler run into the street would chasten the child in some way – hopefully with words of teaching and not words or actions of abuse. If the parent did not love the toddler, they would not care if the child played in the street. The same is true of Heavenly Father. He loves all His children and wishes all to find happiness and joy. Therefore, when they do something wrong, He chastens them in order to teach them.

Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spoke on the topic of chastening and parental love in the April 2011 General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ. In his remarks, he gave three purposes for divine chastening: “(1) to persuade us to repent, (2) to refine and sanctify us, and (3) at times to redirect our course in life to what God knows is a better path.” Elder Christofferson expounded on the three reasons, and I encourage you to study his talk if you wish to learn more. “As Many as I Love, I Rebuke and Chasten” (churchofjesuschrist.org)

How Can We Protect Parental Rights?

Families are stronger when parents understand and fulfill their parental responsibilities, and strong families strengthen communities, states, and nations. However, families grow weaker when government takes over parental responsibilities.

According to Elizabeth (Troutman) Mitchell, a widowed mother lost her then-14-year-old daughter to the foster care system of California in 2016. Years later, the daughter regretted her attempts to transition, and her mother is raising a warning voice to other parents about allowing their minor children to “make irreversible changes to their bodies.” By the time that the daughter reached the age of 22, the mother and daughter were good friends, but their journey was far from easy. Mitchell wrote of the journey as follows. 

The mother of two, whose husband had died years earlier, was accused of emotional abuse for forbidding her teenage daughter from binding her chest and wearing male clothes. Her daughter was taken from the family and placed in a foster home for a few months….

The Daily Signal reviewed Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services documentation in which a social worker, referring to the then-14-year-old with he/him pronouns and a male name, details the daughter’s time in foster care, her accusations of emotional abuse against her mother, and her later renunciation of the claims.

The mother had to hire lawyers to regain custody of her daughter and clear her name of the abuse charges. The charges would have disqualified her from continuing to pursue a career as a Christian counselor.

After a few months in a packed foster home in a dangerous neighborhood, the daughter asked to come home. She admitted to lying about the abuse, saying that she got the idea to accuse her mother of abuse from people online who said that was the ticket to getting away from her family….

The mother hired two attorneys to get her teenager back and clear her name. She said she felt like Child Protective Services was looking for reasons to tear her family apart….

After the daughter returned home, she called social workers on her mother a few more times, accusing her mom of abuse for refusing to buy her male clothing. The mother received a California Child Abuse Central Index (CACI) violation for declining to take her daughter to a program at the Los Angeles LGBT Center for LBGTQ+ youths ages 2-25 called Rise….

At age 17, the daughter admitted to getting a prescription for testosterone from a therapist behind her mom’s back. She took it for a few days, but she told her mom she felt God was telling her to stop.

The mom said she couldn’t have gotten through the difficult time without her faith community. She left California a few years ago, partially because of how her parental rights were disrespected there….

This is not the first time the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services has taken a daughter away from her mother over transgender ideology….

Some states, such as California and Minnesota, are passing laws that allow the government to end parental rights over transgender issues. There is much information on the internet, and youth today are technically savvy in finding it. They are also quite capable of keeping such information secret from their parents until they are well indoctrinated in whatever topic that they are researching.

Wise parents will keep communication channels open with their children and be a safe place where their children can take their concerns and questions. Questions should also be wary of any distance that their child is putting between them. Parents must be aware of politicians who will aid in destroying parental rights and cast their votes for only those who will protect parental rights.

The family is the core unit of society in time and in eternity. We must protect the family and family responsibilities. We must support those individuals and organizations that support the family. We can keep our families strong, and strong families will strengthen our communities, states, and nations.

What Is the Latest Win in the Battle for Life?

The liberty principle for this Freedom Friday concerns free speech. According to Joshua Arnold in an article published at The Daily Signal, the latest win for life is about the abortion pill reversal. District Judge John L. Sinatra Jr. made the ruling. Arnold explained as follows. 

A federal district court ruled Thursday that pro-life pregnancy centers in New York may inform women “that the abortion pill reversal (‘APR’) protocol is safe and effective for a pregnant woman to use, with her doctor, to reverse the effects of a first chemical abortion pill and thereby, help to save the life of her unborn child.”

District Judge John L. Sinatra Jr., a Trump appointee, granted a preliminary injunction because the pregnancy centers are “likely to succeed on the merits of their First Amendment Free Speech claim, and they are suffering irreparable harm each day that their Constitutional freedoms are infringed.”

New York State Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, had initiated a civil enforcement action against 11 faith-based, pro-life pregnancy centers that were part of Heartbeat International to censor their speech, alleging that informing women about the APR protocol was “misleading advertising.”

In response to James, Alliance Defending Freedom challenged the constitutionality of her enforcement action in federal court, on behalf of National Institute of Family and Life Advocates, a pregnancy center network with 51 locations in the state, and two of its members, Gianna’s House and Options Care Center.

“Women in New York have literally saved their babies from an in-progress chemical drug abortion because they had access to information through their local pregnancy centers about using safe and effective progesterone for abortion pill reversal,” said Caleb Dalton, Alliance Defending Freedom senior counsel. “But the attorney general tried to deny women the opportunity to even hear about this lifesaving option.”

Elected abortion activists have sought to restrict pro-life pregnancy centers from offering the APR protocol, which literally reverses the work of a chemical abortion. In April 2023, the Colorado Legislature banned APR on similar grounds that it was ineffective. At first, the state agreed not to enforce that law, but a federal judge eventually enjoined the law in October on religious exercise grounds.

However, studies show that the APR protocol has saved the lives of over 5,000 unborn babies and has a success rate of up to 64%-68%.

“Many women regret their abortions, and some seek to stop the effects of abortion drugs before taking the second drug in the abortion drug process. Taking supplemental progesterone may give them a chance to save their baby’s life,” Dalton added. “Women should have the option to reconsider an abortion, and the pro-life pregnancy centers we represent in this case truthfully inform them about that choice.”

The right to speak freely is guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. In this case, speaking freely and truthfully about the APR protocol can and does save the lives of unborn babies.

Is Tim Walz a Stooge for China?

News reports claim that Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Democrat candidate for Vice President, visited China at least thirty times. Many people wondered why Walz would do so. The answer may be coming out into the open. An article by Robert Schmad, a reporter at the Daily Caller News Foundation, reported the following information. 

During his time in Congress, Democratic vice-presidential nominee Tim Walz worked to secure millions for a Minnesota-based lab that worked on a variety of projects with China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology, now widely seen as the source of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Walz, who is Kamala Harris’ running mate, worked to earmark a total of $7 million for the Hormel Institute in Austin, Minnesota, and praised the work of the publicly funded research institution, the Washington Examiner reported.

However, the Minnesota research center on multiple occasions worked with the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan, China, which many suspect was the origin point of the COVID-19 virus, including on COVID-19 research in 2020 and bacteria research in 2024….

The Wuhan Institute of Virology operates under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which reports directly to the Chinese Communist Party’s State Council, the Examiner reported. The institute “has engaged in classified research, including laboratory animal experiments, on behalf of the Chinese military since at least 2017,” according to the State Department.

Lawmakers claim that there is evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic originated at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. In May, the federal government cut off funding to the EcoHealth Alliance, a publicly funded U.S. nonprofit that allocated subgrants to the Wuhan Institute of Virology for bat coronavirus research in part because the research it funded was not conducted with proper oversight.

Walz has described himself as a “strong advocate for The Hormel Institute” and has visited the research center to discuss how it can receive more federal funding, according to the Examiner.

In addition to collaborating with the Wuhan Institute of Virology, the Hormel Institute has also done considerable work with the Beijing Genomics Institute, which the U.S. Defense Department has designated a “Chinese military company,” meaning that it is “directly or indirectly owned, controlled or beneficially owned by” the Chinese military or otherwise a “military-civil fusion contributor to the Chinese defense industrial base.”

Walz has come under fire from lawmakers and conservative critics for his stance on China. The vice-presidential nominee has attended several events set up by members of a nonprofit connected to a Chinese Communist Party intelligence agency.

Schmad explained that in 1991, high school social studies teacher Walz taught his students that communism means “everyone is the same and everyone shares” while discussing life in Communist China.

Schmad also discussed an August letter written by House Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY) to the FBI. Comer explained that the committee recognized that “Gov. Walz has longstanding connections to CCP-connected entities and officials that make him susceptible to the party’s strategy of elite capture, which seeks to co-opt influential figures in elite political, cultural and academic circles to influence the United States to the benefit of the communist regime and the detriment of Americans.”

In addition, Comer’s letter to the FBI included this sentence: “Reporting about Gov. Walz’s extensive engagement with CCP officials and entities while serving in public office raises questions about possible CCP influence in his decision-making as governor – and, should he be elected, as vice president.”

When the Daily Caller News Foundation requested comments, neither the Hormel Institute nor the Harris campaign replied.

How Will You Commemorate September 11, 2001?

September 11, 2001, is one of those days that many Americans know exactly where they were when it happened. Other such days in my life include the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan, and the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. They are all events that are difficult to forget because they had such an impact on our lives.

September 11 is one of those days that Americans use as a marker of the type of nation that America was before that day and what kind it was after that day. This site defines September 11 this way: 

The nation changed forever on September 11, 2001. Many Americans remember a country before and a country after, and for many young Americans, only a country after. Terrorist attacks causing tragic loss of life at the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in sight of the nation’s capital, and a quiet field in southern Pennsylvania led to conversations and reflection on American identity, patriotism, security, and service that resonate today.

September 11 became a National Day of Remembrance and a day of service. The actual event brought people “together to grieve family, friends, and strangers.” It has now been 24 years, and we still come together to grieve. A day sometimes known as “Patriots Day” or “Day of Remembrance,” September 11 is now “an annual day for many Americans to remember, reflect, honor, and mourn.”

The National Park System has the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, “as a memorial to 40 passengers and crew who thwarted an additional attack preventing the loss of more lives.” There are also memorials in New York City and the Pentagon. I have been to the site in New York City, and my hearts strings were pulled as tears recognized the devastation. There are other memorials in communities across the nation.

September 11 has also become a day of service. “To honor the spirit of sacrifice made that day and the sacrifices that continue to be made by community members, first responders, and members of the armed forces and their families, we unite in a National Day of Service happening in communities and public lands across the country.

The local units of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints performed acts of service across the country. Service opportunities are organized through JustServe.org. In checking the site, I found at least six ways to serve on September 11. 

Who Is Robert F. Kennedy Jr.?

My VIP for this week is Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nephew of former President John F. Kennedy and the son of once-presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy. Both Kennedy brothers were assassinated. RFK Jr. was a candidate for POTUS but withdrew from the race to throw his support behind former President Donald Trump.

RFK Jr.’s withdrawal from the presidential race is causing more problems than his candidacy. Hans von Spakovsky discussed the RFK Jr. problems in an article published at The Daily Signal.

Early voting is starting in many states, both in-person and through the absentee balloting process, which makes resolving the issue of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. remaining on state ballots an immediate problem.

Wherever practical, election officials have a solemn obligation to their voters to remove a candidate from the ballot when that candidate has dropped out of the race so their votes aren’t inadvertently wasted if they are unaware of that fact.

That is why the refusal of election officials in Michigan and Wisconsin to remove Kennedy from the ballot is so troubling. A state court judge in Michigan also refused to force the secretary of state to remove Kennedy, bizarrely claiming that “elections are not just games” and that the secretary is “not obligated to honor the whims of candidates for public office.”

“Whims”?! Kennedy has ended his candidacy and is no longer running for president. Voters have a right to be fully informed of this when they are voting. That includes not being given the opportunity to waste their ballot by voting for a candidate who remains on the ballot due to the “games” the partisan secretary of state in Michigan is playing, even though that candidate is no longer in the race.

But even in states that claim it is “too late” to remove a candidate from the ballot and that it will be too expensive to redesign and print new ballots, election officials have a duty to inform their voters that a vote for a candidate like Kennedy, whose name remains on the ballot, will be a waste of their valuable franchise. And there is an easy and relatively inexpensive way to do that, which can be accomplished quickly and without any delay.

Von Spakovsky suggested two things that should be done immediately if States refuse to reprint their ballots without Kennedy’s name on them. His first suggestion is a simple but short notice such as the following being enclosed with every absentee ballot: “IMPORTANT NOTICE TO VOTERS: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is listed on the ballot as a candidate for the office of President of the United States, has dropped out of the race and is no longer a candidate. Due to the late notice of his ending his candidacy, we were unable to prepare new ballots without his name. All voters should be aware that a vote for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will be a vote for a candidate who is no longer running for office.”

Von Spakovsky’s second suggestion is for election officials to “create signs with this very same notification for posting prominently inside every polling location used in a state for both early voting and in-person voting on Election Day. Designing and creating such a sign can be easily and quickly done; and getting copies printed, again, by any commercial concern (or in-house in counties with printing facilities), could obviously be done with almost no delay.

However, the two above suggestions for notifying “absentee voters and preparing signs for in-person voting should be a secondary plan.” The first plan should be to “make every effort to reprint new ballots that correctly list the candidates actually running for office.” Von Spakovsky then gives his reason why officials should take the necessary steps.

Any refusal by election officials to, at a minimum, prepare such notices will be a

violation of their duty as public officials to fairly and honestly administer the upcoming election. Given the ease of this solution, it will be hard to imagine any refusal to implement it that is based on anything other than election officials engaging in partisan misbehavior that is intended to misinform voters and manipulate the results of the presidential election.

Election officials who engage in that type of misconduct are betraying the public trust and should not be in office.

There are reports that RFK Jr. won “historic legal victories” because “appeals courts in Michigan and North Carolina” struck “his name from the presidential ballot,” as he requested. 

Is Health Care Guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution?

The topic of discussion for this Constitution Monday is the Democrat claim about health care being a right and not a blessing. The Democrat Party platform in 2016 proudly proclaimed, “We believe as Democrats that health care is a right, not a privilege.” In 2020, the Democrat Party platform was “We must guarantee health care, not as a privilege for some, but as a right for every single American.” Now in 2024, the Democrat platform is “Health care should be a right in America, not a privilege.”

Democrats believe that if a lie is repeated often enough that people will accept it as truth. This only applies to those who do not study the U.S. Constitution. Health care is not a right! Steve McKee published an article at The Daily Signal about this topic. 

Decades before Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, and Kamala Harris began chanting the mantra, leftists [of] all kinds have seemed to believe endlessly repeating “health care is a right” will somehow make it true.

But it’s not. And claiming it to be one is lazy, ignorant of natural law, or just plain deceptive.

It’s important to first clarify that proponents of health care being a right are ultimately advocating for universal health insurance. All Americans already have access care at some level. More than 90% of the population is covered by private plans, Medicare, or Medicaid, and even those with no insurance whatsoever can’t be turned away from an emergency room for financial reasons.

Admittedly, that’s a limited and inefficient option that satisfies no one, but it’s the paying for health care, not the provision of it, that’s the core issue.

That pinpoints the problem of claiming health care as a right; namely, it ain’t cheap. I don’t know anyone who isn’t in favor of all Americans having convenient access to high quality care, but its provision, like the provision of any service, requires the labor of others.

That’s something no one can presume. As the cliché goes, your rights to swing your fist stop at the tip of my nose.

“Free” health care requires doctors, nurses, techs, and all the people who provide the equipment, machinery, medicine, and supplies in the vast health care system to unwillingly bear the cost. That’s not only immoral, it’s unsustainable. If beer, bread, and basketballs were free, there would soon be no beer, bread, and basketballs.

English Enlightenment-era philosopher John Locke wrote that we are all born with inalienable natural rights that are God-given and can never be taken away. Among the rights Locke cited were “life, liberty, and property,” the latter of which was exchanged for “the pursuit of happiness” in the Declaration of Independence.

Note, however, that none of those rights require the labor of others. Even the last one is a right only of pursuit, not attainment. Government is there to protect our rights, not provide them.

McKee explained that the Genesis of the Democrat understanding of “rights” date back to President Franklin D. Roosevelt in his 1944 State of the Union address.

“As our nation has grown in size and stature,” Roosevelt said, our “political rights proved inadequate to assure us equality in the pursuit of happiness.” He proposed a “Second Bill of Rights” that included the right to “a useful and remunerative job,” to “earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation,” to “a decent home,” to “a good education,” to “adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment,” and yes, to “adequate medical care.”

What a wonderful world it would be if all these things could be ours simply by declaring them to be rights. Unfortunately, somebody must pay for them.

McKee continued by explaining that Roosevelt’s idea of a “Second Bill of Rights” was never introduced in the U.S. Congress, but it was included in the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights that was ratified in 1948.

This international wish list guarantees, among many other things, “the right to rest and leisure,” including “periodic holidays with pay” (Article 24); the right to “food, clothing, housing and medical care” (Article 25); and “the right to free elementary education” (Article 26).

How Do You Remember the Lord?

My Come Follow Me studies for this week took me to Helaman 7-12 in a lesson titled “Remember the Lord.” The lesson was introduced with the following information. 

Nephi’s father, Helaman, had urged his sons to “remember, remember.” He wanted them to remember their ancestors, remember the words of the prophets, and most of all, remember “our Redeemer, who is Christ” (see Helaman 5:5-15).

It’s clear that Nephi did remember because this is the same message he declared years later “with unwearyingness” to the people (Helaman 10:4). “How could you have forgotten your God?” he asked (Helaman 7:20). All of Nephi’s efforts – preaching, praying, performing miracles, and petitioning God for a famine – were attempts to help the people turn to God and remember Him. In many ways, forgetting God is an even bigger problem than not knowing Him. And it’s easy to forget Him when our minds are distracted by “the vain things of this world” and clouded by sin (Helaman 7:21); see also Helaman 12:2). But, as Nephi’s ministry shows, it’s never too late to remember and “turn … unto the Lord your God” (Helaman 7:17).

This scripture block teaches several principles, such as “Prophets reveal the will of God to the people” (Helaman 7-11); “My faith in Jesus Christ must be built on more than signs and miracles” (Helaman 9; 10:1, 12-15); “The Lord gives power to people who seek His will and strive to keep His commandments” (Helaman 10:1-12); “The Lord wants me to remember Him (Helaman 12). However, I feel impressed to discuss this principle: “Pondering the word of God invites revelation” (Helaman 10:2-4).

Have you ever felt downtrodden, anxious, or confused? Nephi, the son of Helaman, felt “cast down” (Helaman 10:3) because he was doing his best to call the people to repentance, but nothing was working as it should. Here are the applicable verses.

2 And it came to pass that Nephi went his way towards his own house, pondering upon the things which the Lord had shown unto him.

3 And it came to pass as he was thus pondering – being much cast down, because of the wickedness of the people of the Nephites, their secret works of darkness, and their murderings, and their plunderings, and all manner of iniquities – and it came to pass as he was thus pondering in his heart, behold, a voice came unto him saying:

4 Blessed art thou, Nephi, for those things which thou has done; for I have beheld how thou hast with unwearyingness declared the word, which I have given unto thee, unto this people. And thou hast not feared them, and hast not sought thine own life, but hast sought my will, and to keep my commandments (Helaman 10:2-4).

When Nephi was “cast down” – downtrodden, anxious, or confused – he “pondered” what the Lord had already shown to him. As he pondered, the voice of the Lord came to him to bear him up. The Lord is the best Person to help us when we are “cast down.”

The word ponder means to think about something deeply and thoroughly; to consider something carefully before reaching a conclusion; to weigh a problem carefully before deciding what to do; to meditate.

President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints explained, “When we ponder, we invite revelation by the Spirit” (“Serve with the Spirit,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2010, 60).

The question is, “how might you create a habit of pondering?”

Why Would Trump Be Good for Pennsylvania?

Parents should teach their children to always be themselves and to put forth their best words and behavior. By doing this, they will not need to hide their words and actions from yester year. When individuals have integrity, other people will know who they are and what they stand for, and they can strengthen their families, communities, and nations.

The United States is currently in a presidential election between Democrat and current Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican and former President Donald Trump. Harris and her vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz have held exactly one joint interview in more than forty days. Trump and his vice-presidential candidate JD Vance have been in at least one joint interview, but they have also been in solo interviews, townhalls, and news conferences nearly forty times in the same period of time.

One set of politicians are open and available to speak to anyone at any time, and the other set avoids reporters, interviews, and news conferences. There is one presidential debate and one vice presidential debate scheduled, so the candidates will face off on the same stage at least once for each pair of candidates. The presidential debate will take place next week on September 10 on ABC News that was scheduled by the President Joe Biden campaign before he “dropped out of the race in July.”

Trump spoke “about a wide range of issues” during the town hall event. Fred Lucas shared six takeaways from the town hall that should have been a debate. If it had been a debate, news anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum would have hosted it. Trump indicated that he would have preferred a debate. 

1. ‘More Terrorists’ in 3 Years Than 50 Years

Trump talked about the border policies under the Biden-Harris administration, noting that 21 million illegal immigrants have entered the country – “larger than New York.”

“More terrorists have come into the United States in the last three years than I think probably 50 years, there has never been anything like it,” Trump said. “If they won, you would have not 20 million, you would have 100 million people.”

“You won’t have Social Security, you won’t have Medicare, you won’t have anything,” Trump continued….

Trump also talked about the high crime by illegal immigrant gangs in Colorado [and discussed how Venezuelan gangs are taking over the city of Aurora] ….

In Aurora, Colorado – a Denver suburb and sanctuary city – Venezuelans are about 40% of the immigrant arrivals. Members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua reportedly took over an apartment complex called The Edge at Lowry, which was the site of a shootout last month.

2. ‘Other Things Perhaps, But We’re Not Weird’

During the interview, Hannity mentioned Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential candidate. Hannity said Walz “wants free college education, legal drivers licenses [for illegal immigrants].”

Trump noted that members of the Walz family endorsed him….

Walz was among the first to refer to Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, as “weird.” …

“There is something weird with that guy. He’s a weird guy. JD is not weird. He’s a solid rock,” Trump said. “I happen to be a very solid rock. We are not weird. We are other things perhaps, but we’re not weird.”

 

3. The Debate and the ‘Most Dishonest Network’

Trump talked about the ABC News debate that will occur next week – so far the only debate that Harris has agreed to.

“They are the most dishonest network, the meanest, the nastiest, but that is what I was presented with….

4. ‘I Got Shot At. I Got Hit’

Trump made an almost joking reference to the assassination attempt against him from July 13 in Pennsylvania. He was making the case that he could have had better things to do than run for president….

5. ‘These Clowns … World War III’

Hannity showed clips of Harris saying she had the “courage” to not use the phrases “illegal immigrant” or “radical Islamic terrorist.”

“She wants to be politically correct, and we can’t be politically correct anymore,” Trump said.

He referenced the Hamas terrorist attack last year on Israel and the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, and Iran having the money to fund terrorism groups….

“I understood nuclear for a long time, the power of nuclear weapons. You need a president that’s not gonna be taking you into war. We won’t have World War III when I’m elected. With these clowns that you have in there now, you’re gonna end up having World War III. It’s going to be a war like no other.”

6. ‘Even if You Don’t Like Me’

Hannity showed past clips of Harris saying that she wanted to ban fracking. She has recently reversed her position.

As a presidential candidate in 2019, Harris said “there is no question I’m in favor of banning fracking.”

But Trump said, “Pennsylvania cannot even take a chance” on what position she would take as president….

Trump stressed this is a case where voters might even put aside their personal feelings.

“You’ve got no choice. You’ve got to vote for me,” Trump said. “You’ve got to, even if you don’t like me, you can say I can’t stand that guy, but there’s no way I’m going to vote for her. You have to have fracking.”

Harris has flipflopped on many of her issues, and people with integrity do not flipflop. People with integrity will be themselves in all circumstances. By doing so, they will strengthen their families, communities, and nations.