Do You Think Immigrants Should Be Able to Support Themselves and Family?

Some people are upset at a new federal policy that took effect on Friday. According to an article by Frizz Flake published in the Deseret News, this policy “gives immigration officers broader discretion to consider whether certain immigrants may rely on public benefits.” 

The Department of Homeland Security says the new policy will remove restrictive regulations and allow immigration officers to grant admission on a case-by-case basis.]

“Under @POTUS Trump, DHS is restoring the basic principle that immigrants must be able to support themselves,” the Department of Homeland Security posted on X.

Individuals, advocacy groups and healthcare providers who oppose these changes have raised concerns about the potential negative impact on immigrants and their families, particularly those receiving public benefits such as Medicaid and food stamps.

The public charge test, explained

Ever since Congress passed the Immigration Act of 1882, the U.S. government has classified individuals it believes likely to become dependent on government welfare as a “public charge” and has denied their entry into the United States.

Traditionally, immigration officers considered factors such as age, health and financial status when granting individuals admission into the country.

What has changed?

In 2022, the Biden administration formally defined a public charge as someone who is “primarily dependent on the government for subsistence.”

Under this definition, immigration officers could only consider direct cash assistance when evaluating green card applicants. This primarily included enrollment in programs such as Supplemental Security Income and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.

The new policy, effective Friday, allows officers to weigh a much wider array of factors, including participation in Medicaid, food stamps, housing assistance and financial aid for college.

Possible effects in Utah

Utah is one of only 15 states that uses state revenue to provide health coverage to children regardless of their immigration status. The state argues that covering children preventively is cheaper than treating them in emergency rooms, and healthy children perform better in school and become more productive adults.

Because of the vagueness of the new public charge rule and what qualifies as receiving a public benefit, Utah’s built-in safety net specifically created for children in immigrant families could now count against a parent’s green card application.

This could result in families walking away from state coverage out of fear, resulting in uninsured children and the state of Utah losing the return on its own policy investment.

What Utah families should know

DHS expects the new policy to reduce annual federal and state spending by approximately $13 billion due to immigrant families disenrolling or forgoing enrollment in public benefits programs.

Much of that disenrollment is expected to occur before any green cards are actually denied. Because the new rule doesn’t specify which benefits will count against applicants, the ambiguity itself acts as a deterrent that pushes families to drop coverage.

 

Who Are the Truth Tellers in America?

 My VIPs for this week are the people who tell the truth in a time of great lies. In a podcast with Victor Davis Hanson, Sami Winc introduced the topic – the big lie of the week. The “big lie on the internet this week was that there were black lynchings in the last five or six years.” She continued, “And you looked at every single one of them, and they were ruled as suicides, with the exception of one that was murdered by her own husband.”

In addition to the big lie, Sami introduced the problem of the Left “celebrating [Charlie Kirk’s assassination. They were defending Luigi Mangione and Lindsay Clancy.” Victor Davis Hanson called it the “death cult,” and Winc emphasized the lack of commemoration for the people who died on 9/1. Hanson explained the following: 

And then you have to add [Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez] and New York City Mayor Zohran] Mamdani laughing during the most solemn parts of the commemoration. This is not the Democratic Party.

This is an Islamic socialist party. And it’s not just these young, dissatisfied, downwardly mobile urban people that supposedly hijacked the Democratic Party.

The Democratic Party was socialist before these people came in. Almost everything the socialists are now advocating: pack the court, end the filibuster, end the Electoral College, bring in new states, defund the police, recognize BLM, DEI, biological men in female sports, ban fracking.

That was the Democratic Party. They had gone socialist.

All that’s different is these people, the Abdul El-Sayeds, the Hasan Pikers. They were young, they were glib, they were photogenic, and thy said: You got the great message, but you are … Nobody wants to listen to Nancy Pelosi. Nobody wants to listen to Chuck Schumer. Nobody wants the buffoonish Hakeem Jeffries. We are slick. We can take that message that we both share, and we go to town.

And that’s what they did. And they don’t like the United States. They really do not like it, this socialist Democratic Party. They don’t believe that 9/11 is … And if you think I’m exaggerating, Hasan Piker said that we deserved it. And Ilhan Omar said, “Well, something happened to somebody on that day. Something happened.” So, I’m being literal about it. And they believe that any means are necessary to achieve their morally superior end.

So, if it means to take a middle-class kid that worked himself up for UnitedHealth to provide health care for millions of people, you lay in wait, and you shoot him in the back, and you become a hero, even though you’re a trust-fund, spoiled-rotten nepo baby.

Or you murder your three children, and you don’t say one word, that they were strangled one after another as two of the children saw each sibling murdered in front of them by their mother that was supposed to be nurturing. And then you say, you don’t just feel sympathy for the mother. You make that a cause celeb, and you don’t even mention the children.

Or, in the case of Charlie Kirk, you cut videos where you put your finger to your neck as if you’re shooting him on his commemoration.

And as far as the hoaxes go, we’ve got to remember now that it’s getting late in the game. We went through the Duke lacrosse [scandal]….

Then we had Jussie Smollett. He defied the laws of chemistry. He threw bleach at 30 degrees actual weather temperature with, you know, frigid winds, and it didn’t freeze because he was Jussie Smollette….

At Stanford, we had a rope hanging on a tree, and we were told that somebody, a Stanford student, that was….

We had the NASCAR. Remember the rope on the garage door? That was made up.

In other words, what does it indicate? I could go on with 100 more. It indicates that there are too many victims for the small pool of victimizers, No.1. So, there’s not enough victimizers, so you have to make up psychodramas.

No. 2, it shows you that a lot of people on the 30% DEI ledger feel that if they can continue to pass this lie about white rage, white supremacy, white privilege, they will get a continuance of the gravy train -- $30 to $31 trillion, $23, I think it is, trillion in redistribution since the start of the Great Society….

Affirmative action, DEI, we want this to continue. We are oppressed. We bring in people. They do it in two ways. They bring in people that have no experience with the United States from Latin America, Africa. They set one inch in the United States and they say, “I’m a victim of white supremacy.” And you say, “Well, you grew up in Uganda, you grew up in Kenya, you grew up in Oaxaca. How did you get hurt?” …

There is much more to the article. If you choose, you can find the rest here. 

How Do Americans Find Common Ground and Move Forward Together?

The topic of discussion for this Constitution Monday concerns ongoing efforts “to find a better way to embody the love of God in public life, offering hope for unity and a moral framework to move forward in a divided world.”

As part of that ongoing effort, President Dallin H. Oaks, Prophet and President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was invited to speak at the Washington National Cathedral on Wednesday, September 16, 2026. The date was chosen because it was the eve of Constitution Day on Thursday, September 17. 

Professionally, President Oaks “regarded the United States Constitution as a model for a diverse people to achieve self-government.” He joined others in believing that “our history to teach that ‘Creating common ground is a key purpose of the Constitution.’” He continued by stating, “The Constitution requires us to deal constantly with people who disagree with us. It compels a divided people to build coalitions that allow them to act together for the common good.”

Early in his remarks, President Oaks emphasizes that he was speaking for the United States Constitution and not for any political party or pressure group. He spoke from his experience as “a law clerk to Earl Warren, Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, … 15 years as a professor of law and … 3.5 years as a justice on the Utah Supreme Court.” He was also speaking “from 42 years as an Apostle of Jesus Christ, responsible to study the meaning of the divinely inspired principles of the United States Constitution.” Here is President Oaks’ explanation of the inspired principles in the United States Constitution.

What became the United States was founded and built by people of different nationalities, ethnicities, and beliefs. Its unifying purpose was not to establish a particular religion or to perpetuate any of the diverse cultures or tribal loyalties of the old countries. Our founding generation, whom we honor in this 250^th anniversary, sought to be unified by a new constitution and laws. That is not to say that our unifying Declaration and initial Constitution or the then-current understanding of their meanings were perfect. The history of the first two centuries of the United States showed the need for many important changes, such as voting rights for women and, particularly, the abolition of slavery. New laws had to ensure that those who had been enslaved or disadvantaged would have all the conditions of freedom.

Many different groups – political and cultural – needed to participate to resolve the diversities that had separated us. These different groups, included scholars, cultural, civic, and religious organizations, all of which are represented in today’s gathering. Speaking for my own Church, the U.S. Constitution is of special importance to our members. We have a revelation that identifies the Constitution as divinely inspired. This does not mean that every word is inspired, but that it is based on inspired principles. First, is the principle that the source of government power is the citizens – what is often called popular sovereignty. Second, is the division of delegated power between the nation and its subsidiary states. A third inspired principle is the separation of powers among the executive, legislative and judicial branches. Fourth, is the cluster of vital guarantees of individual rights and specific limits on government authority such as in the Bill of Rights. Fifth, we see divine inspiration in the vital purpose of the entire constitution, which is that we are to be governed by law and not by individuals. Our loyalty is based on the Constitution and its principles and processes, not to particular office-holders.

In his closing remarks, President Oaks called for all Americans to become peacemakers. He used the example of the Church of Jesus Christ’s helping hands program in which volunteers in yellow shirts help in clean up efforts after natural disasters and other humanitarian projects worldwide. “In the process, relationships are formed people-to-people that would be impossible by institutional declarations.” He continued:

There is an important lesson in the “helping hands” experience. It is an effort that brings peace to people who are in distress. But it also teaches us the power that comes when individuals put aside their differences and work together to find common ground. When our volunteers bring help, people in distress do not ask for their beliefs. Likewise, the volunteers help everyone, not just fell believers. Why? Simply because deeper moral needs about safety and family and hope take center stage. What is important is giving help and getting help, people-to-people. This is the way to united people who face a common problem. Peacemaking involves finding common ground. A minister who seeks to heal a troubled marriage or resolve a personal controversy is working for peace. Young men and women are peacemakers when they forgo the temporary pleasure of self-gratifying activities and involve themselves in service projects and other acts of kindness. Persons who seek to reduce human suffering and persons who work to promote understanding among different peoples are also workers for peace.

People of goodwill, compassion, and a desire to understand and help one another are at the core of peacemaking and fairness for all in the constitutional process of achieving freedom and unity, as difficult and slow as it is. It is all about trying to understand the deep needs, the deep commitments, on both sides and then to forge solutions that yield peace and fairness for all.

President Oaks closed his remarks with a prayer for all: “I pray to our Heavenly Father for His blessings upon us that we will all seek to be peacemakers.”

 

 

How Can One Understand the Words of Isaiah?

My Come Follow Me studies for this week took me to the first twelve chapters in the book of Isaiah and a lesson titled “God Is My Salvation.” The following information introduced the lesson material. 

Even if this is your first time reading the book of Isaiah, you might find passages that sound familiar. That’s because, of all the Old Testament prophets, Isaiah is the one most often quoted in other books of scripture, including by the Savior Himself. Isaiah’s words also appear often in hymns and other sacred music.

Why is Isaiah quoted so often? Surely one reason is that Isaiah had a gift for expressing the word of God in vivid, memorable language. But it’s more than that. Isaiah has inspired prophets for generations because the truths he taught transcended his own generation (between 740 and 701 BC). He wrote of God’s great work of redemption, which is much bigger than one nation or one time period. From Isaiah, Nephi learned that he and his people, though separated from the rest of Israel, were still part of God’s covenant people. In Isaiah, New Testament writers found prophecies about the Messiah that were fulfilled right before their eyes. And in Isaiah, Joseph Smith found inspiration for the latter-day work of gathering Israel and building Zion. When you read Isaiah, what will you find?

The scripture block teaches numerous principles, including the following: (1) The words of Isaiah will all be fulfilled (Isaiah 1-12). (2) Prophets warn about sin and promise hope through repentance (Isaiah 1; 3-5). (3) God will do a great work in the latter days (Isaiah 2; 4; 11-12). (4) Prophets are called by God (Isaiah 6). (5) God promised to send Jesus Christ to be my Savior (Isaiah 7-9). This essay will discuss principle #1 about the words of Isaiah.

The Book of Mormon – Another Testament of Jesus Christ teaches much about the words of Isaiah. In 3 Nephi 23:3, the Savior taught that “all things that [Isaiah] spake have been and shall be, even according to the words which he spake.” The prophecies of Isaiah can be divided under headings like these: Isaiah’s day, the Savior’s mortal ministry, and The latter days. Many of the prophecies of Isaiah are fulfilled in more than one way. President Dallin H. Oaks taught the following:

The book of Isaiah contains numerous prophecies that seem to have multiple fulfillments. One seems to involve the people of Isaiah’s day or the circumstances of the next generation. Another meaning, often symbolic, seems to refer to events in the meridian of time, when Jerusalem was destroyed and her people scattered after the crucifixion of the Son of God. Still another meaning or fulfillment of the same prophecy seems to relate to the events attending the Second Coming of the Savior. The fact that many of these prophecies can have multiple meanings underscores the importance of our seeking revelation from the Holy Ghost to help us interpret them (“Scripture Reading and Revelation,” Ensign, Jan. 1995, 8). 

Isaiah is written in such a way that many people have difficulty understanding what his words mean. The Savior said, “Search these things diligently; for great are the words of Isaiah”

(3 Nephi 23:1; see also verses 2-3). The following ideas might help in understanding Isaiah:

·       Ponder the symbols and metaphors Isaiah used.

·       Ask yourself, “What am I learning about Jesus Christ?” (see 1 Nephi 19:23).

·       Look for topics that feel relevant to our time.

·       Use study helps, such as a dictionary, the footnotes, chapter headings, and the Guide to the Scriptures.

What Nation Leads the World in Protecting Life and the Family Unit?

Families are stronger when governments are pro-life and pro-family. Strong families strengthen communities, states, and nations. The Geneva Consensus Declaration supports life and family. According to an article by Virginia Grace McKinnon, the main objectives of the declaration “are to secure meaningful health and development gains for women; to protect life at all stages; to defend the family as the fundamental unit of society; and to work together across the U.N. system to realize these values.” 

In 2020, 32 nations signed the Geneva Consensus Declaration….

In 2021, President Joe Biden removed the United States from the declaration, encouraging others to do the same. Rejoining the declaration was one of Trump’s first moves when he came back to office in 2025.

Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., retiring from Congress in January, announced he is passing the torch to Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., to lead the Geneva Consensus Declaration in Congress….

Daines told the Daily Signal it’s important for the United States to be back in the Geneva Consensus Declaration because “the world looks to the U.S.” Daines, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he sees this when he travels the world.

“Everywhere I go, the U.S. is looked up to as the leader in so many areas, economically, militarily, but in this case, fighting and leading on behalf of the pro-life and pro-family movement. So, we are the world’s leader. It’s important that we continue to project that leadership, beyond just the economy, beyond just the military, but on behalf of the pro-life and pro-family unit.”

The nations signing the “Geneva Consensus Declaration gathered on Capitol Hill this week to sign the sixth annual declaration on the sanctity of life and the importance of putting families first.” Because the United States is “this year’s secretariat, Congress and the Institute for Women’s Health hosted 43 member countries standing for the right to life, family, women’s health, and national sovereignty.”

Vince Haley, director of the White House Domestic Policy Council read a letter from President Donald Trump that included the following information:

As the Secretariat, the United States will work closely with our allies and partners to advance the Declaration’s vital mission….

My Administration will always stand for the dignity of human life, the health and well-being of women, the strength of the family, and the right to defend these values and traditions. I commend the work of the Institute for Women’s Health to strengthen this growing coalition. Together, we will carry these principles forward and build a stronger, healthier, and more prosperous future for generations to come.

Why Is Illegal Discrimination in Law Schools Bad for America?

The liberty principle for this Freedom Friday concerns illegal discrimination in law schools.

According to Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell at The Daily Signal, the Department of Justice discovered that the “University of California, Berkeley School of Law illegally discriminated against Asian and white applicants based on race during its 2024 and 2025 admissions processes.” They did this “after the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action.” 

“Berkeley Law School’s deliberate efforts to circumvent the Supreme Court’s decision in [Students for Fair Admission v. Harvard] demonstrate a complete disregard for the rule of law,” said assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division, Harmeet K. Dhillon. “The department will continue to aggressively pursue compliance from schools who attempt to racially manipulate their student bodies in violation of federal law.”

The DOJ opened a compliance review into the University of California, Berkeley in March 2025 to determine if its admissions practices complied with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. The investigation was expanded shortly after to include the university’s law school.

The findings reveal that Berkeley Law uses race, essay prompts, and other tactics to further its admissions diversity goals.

The DOJ is now seeking to enter a voluntary resolution agreement with the law school “to ensure that admissions and oversight practices are brought into legal compliance.”

The admissions application asked applicants to specify their racial identity, so that admitted students could be “grouped” with others of the same “primary identity” in class.

“How will you (your perspective, experience, Voice) contribute diversity in our classrooms and community? Feel free to address any factors or attributes you consider important and relevant. In the past, applicants have included information about characteristics such as: race/ethnicity….” The application asks.

This is exactly what Berkeley Law Dean Erwin Chemerinsky said colleges needed to do to maintain diversity quotas after the Students for Fair Admissions Ruling eliminated affirmative action.

“What colleges and universities will need to do after affirmative action is eliminated is find ways to achieve diversity that can’t be documented as violating the Constitution,” Chemerinsky said in a June 2023 article printed in the Los Angeles Times.

The DOJ also reviewed a video of Chemerinsky in 2020 admitting “unstated affirmative action” practices in faculty hiring.

“You can think it, you can vote it, but our discussions are not privileged, so don’t ever articulate that that’s what you’re doing!” he said.

The DOJ’s analysis of admissions data found highly statistically significant racial preferences in 2024 and 2025.

In 2025, black applicants had 5.8 times the odds of admission as comparable white applicants with similar qualifications. In 2024, a black applicant had 6.5 times the odds of admission as a comparable white applicant.

“The Department finds that Berkeley Law deliberately discriminated against Asian and white applicants based on race in its law school admissions. This discrimination is apparent from the significant disparity in objective academic metrics between racially preferred applicants, and applicants from non-preferred races,” the letter to Berkeley reads, adding that the discrimination is “ongoing.”

The DOJ will continue to investigate law schools’ compliance with Title VI.

“Where a violation has been found, the department will engage in settlement negotiations to ensure the school’s admissions practices are brought into compliance,” a press release obtained by the Daily Signal reads. “If those efforts fail, the department will file suit.”

Chemerinsky, the law school dean, told the Daily Signal that the Supreme Court’s ruling doesn’t stop universities from pursuing diversity.

            “University of California, Berkeley School of Law in its admissions decisions scrupulously                     complies with Proposition 209, federal statutes, and the United States Constitution,” he said in a              statement. “Our admissions policy is clear that race is not considered in any way in admissions             decisions. Proposition 209, federal statutes, and the Supreme Court’s decisions do not preclude                schools from pursuing diversity so long as they give no preferences based on race. Berkeley                    Law does not do so.” 

Articles of Faith: What Do Latter-day Saints Believe About the Atonement of Jesus Christ? 2

Article of Faith 3

We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved,

by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.

This is the second essay about the Atonement of Jesus Christ as stated in the third Article of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Last week, I discussed the importance of understanding how the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, as the third pillar of eternity, is essential to Heavenly Father’s plan for the eternal happiness of His children. The discussion this week comes from the words of Elder James E. Talmage (Articles of Faith [1913], 74—76).

The Atonement of Christ is taught as a leading doctrine by all sects professing Christianity. The expression is so common a one, and the essential point of its signification is so generally admitted that definitions may appear to be superfluous; nevertheless, there is a peculiar importance attached to the use of the word “atonement” in a theological sense. The doctrine of the atonement comprises proof of the divinity of Christ’s earthly ministry, and the vicarious nature of His death as a foreordained and voluntary sacrifice, intended for and efficacious as a propitiation for the sins of mankind, thus becoming the means whereby salvation may be secured….

The structure of the word in its present form is suggestive of the true meaning; it is literally at-one-ment, “denoting reconciliation, or the bringing into agreement of those who have been estranged.” And such is the significance of the saving sacrifice of the Redeemer, whereby He expiated the transgression of the fall, through which came death into the world, and provided ready and efficient means for man’s attainment of immortality through reconciliation with God.

Nature of the Atonement – The atonement wrought by Jesus Christ is a necessary sequel of the transgression of Adam; and, as the infinite foreknowledge of God made clear to Him the one even before Adam was placed upon the earth, so the Father’s mercy prepared a Savior for mankind before the world was framed. Through the fall Adam and Eve have entailed the conditions of mortality upon their descendants; therefore all beings born of earthly parents are subject to bodily death. The sentence of banishment from the presence of God was in the nature of a spiritual death; and that penalty, which was visited upon our first parents in the day of their transgression, has likewise followed as the common heritage of humanity. As this penalty came into the world through an individual act, it would be manifestly unjust to cause all to eternally suffer therefrom without means of deliverance. Therefore was the promised sacrifice of Jesus Christ ordained as a propitiation for broken law, whereby Justice could be fully satisfied, and Mercy be left free to exercise her beneficent influence over the souls of mankind. All the details of the glorious plan, by which the salvation of the human family is assured, may not lie within the understanding of man; but man has learned, even from his futile attempts to fathom the primary causes of the phenomena of nature, that his powers of comprehension are limited; and he will admit, that to deny an effect because of his inability to elucidate its cause would be to forfeit his claims as an observing and reasoning being.

Simple as is the plan of redemption in its general features, it is confessedly a mystery in detail to the finite mind….

            However incomplete may be our comprehension of the scheme of redemption through Christ’s                vicarious sacrifice in all its parts, we cannot reject it without becoming infidel; for it stands as                the fundamental doctrine of all scripture, the very essence of the spirit of prophecy and                            revelation, the most prominent of all the declarations of God unto man. 

What Has the Trump Team Accomplished Since January 2025?

The Trump administration released a compilation of “Historic Results for the American People” this week. All GOP candidates should use “this impressive (albeit non-exhaustive) list of public policy victories” in their campaigns. Here is a partial list of Trump administration historic results. 

·       The border is closed. “The Trump Administration … has not released a single illegal alien into the country for 15 straight months.”

·       The “illegal alien population is down by at least 2.3 million” thanks to deportation and self-deportation.

·       Under Trump, “asylum is now granted in just 7% of cases – a historic low” vs. more than 50% under Biden’s “Everybody in!” policy.

·       “ICE has arrested more than 10,000 illegal alien gang members.”

·       Tren de Aragua and MS-13 cartels have been designated as terrorist organizations.

·       Trump signed the Laken Riley Act to hammer violent illegal alien criminals.

·       Trump “launched a nationwide crackdown on illegal alien Commercial Drive License [CDL] fraud” – stopping unvetted illegals who cannot read plain English signs – such as “Road Closed” or “Do Not Enter – Wrong Way.”

·       “The U.S. murder rate fell to an historic low in 2025 – the lowest level” since 1900.

·       For the first half of 2026, “violent crime slipped another 10%, versus 2025’s like period.”

·       Rapes are down 18.6%, and murders are 23% lower.

·       Team Trump has captured nine of the FBI’s most wanted fugitives – more than twice the number caught by Biden’s “Social Justice Department” in four years.

·       The Republicans’ “One Big, Beautiful Tax Cut” established No Tax on Tips, No Tax on Overtime, and No Tax on certain Social Security benefits.

·       The One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 also extended the personal and business tax rate reductions first established via the Trump/GOP Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. [Remember that every Democrat in Congress voted against both tax-cut bills.]

·       Trump and the GOP launched Trump Accounts – tax-advantaged accounts that parents can open for children born in 2025-2028. Other adults may deposit up to $5,000 per account.

·       The “manufacturing sector has expanded for eight straight months.”

·       In 2026 alone, 58,000 factory jobs have emerged.

·       Under Trump 47, some 100,000 factory-construction workers have been hired, and 1 million private-sector jobs have bloomed.

·       Companies increased domestic investment: Amazon ($340 billion), Apple ($600 billion), and UAE ($1.4 trillion).

·       “The White House cites $11 trillion in domestic and foreign investment in America, none from U.S. taxpayers, all with the smallest federal workforce since 1966.”

·       Regarding Critical Race Theory, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: “boys in girls’ sports, biological men in women’s locker rooms; child sex-mutilation surgery, and Planned Parenthood all have withered beneath the wrath of Trump and lost their federal subsidies.”

·       “Trump’s deregulation will save Americans $1.3 trillion this year. The Green New Steal is dead, and U.S. energy independence is alive and well. Last year, America became the first nation to achieve 100 million metric tons of annual liquefied natural gas exports.”

·       “The U.S. Armed Forces jointly met 103% of its recruitment goals. America’s intrepid Gis whisked Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro from his Caracas palace to a Manhattan prison. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is dead, and his son does not feel too well. Their atomic ambitions glow uselessly in the dark beneath tons of rubble.”

VOTE REPUBLICAN – PROMISES MADE, PROMISES KEPT!

Why Is Victor Davis Hanson Considered to Be a Trump and MAGA Historian?

Victor Davis Hanson has been a “commentator on modern and ancient warfare and contemporary politics.” He is a “professor emeritus of classics at California State University, Fresno,” a fellow in “classics and military history at the Hoover Institution,” and a “visiting professor at Hillsdale College. 

Hanson is known for his work on war and ancient Greece, and he recently wrote a history on President Donald Trump. 

In her article published at Deseret News, Jennifer Graham reported on a discussion with Hanson. The first thing that Hanson made clear his relationship with Trump. He voted for Trump, but he writes as a historian when he writes about the POTUS. In fact, he intentionally does not talk with Trump about what he wrote in his book. He gives Trump “the same dispassionate eye” as he does when “writing about warfare in ancient Greece.”

“My interests are not in defending or attacking Trump but in offering an explanation of why he did not disappear from the political scene and likely will not for quite some time,” Hanson writes in his latest book, “The Counterrevolution,” which chronicles what he calls Trump’s “wilderness years” between presidencies and the factors that led to his political resurrection after the 2020 defeat.

Hanson calls it the “greatest political comeback in American presidential history.”

… Hanson … sees Trump’s fall and rise as a counterrevolution – a reversal of liberal ideologies that had seized the country – and says that although Trump might not be the hero that people wanted, he was what the country needed to change course.

“He’s done some fundamental things that no one else can do, and he doesn’t care what people say about him,” Hanson said in an interview with the Deseret News.

When Deseret News asked about Trump’s favorability ratings, what happened, and how it affects what Trump wants to accomplish, Hanson replied:

I think that was a result of his decision, not necessarily to go into Iran and deal with that problem, but more importantly, there was the expectation by both his adversaries and also his supporters that the operation would be similar to his taking out, in the first term, of (Hasem) Soleimani, or (Abu Bakr) al-Baghdadi or the Wagner Group … or the bombing last year in June of the nuclear facilities.

And I think the administration underestimated two things. First, that Iran is the largest area in the Middle /east; it’s the size of Oklahoma and Texas. It has the second-largest population, 93 million. And it’s invested essentially a half-trillion dollars in a nuclear industrial military complex. It’s a vast country, and it terrified everybody….

So I think they underestimated the challenge that was posed. They thought they would do some damage and then these people will be rational. That didn’t happen.

I don’t think he was every going to win any of the left, but the fall in the polls I think reflects three things: The war is too long for the MAGA base. There are some defection there…. And I think the independents were for the elimination of the threat, but they wanted it, like the other operations, quickly.

Then there’s the affordability question; for five months, (the administration) did not address these issues. They didn’t address those defections and the economy.

When asked about a “forever war,” Hanson reminded his listeners that the war was “not 20 years in Afghanistan, or eight or nine.” However, the US is in a “test of wills with Iran,” and Iran thinks that it can “delay, delay … and drag it out.” Trump will either hit Iran hard and leave “containment to the Arabs and Israel and our bases in the area,” or forget about it and emphasize

the economy. “Iran is losing $100 million a day. They don’t get the message out that the embargo is in place, the sanctions are in place, the debanking is in place,; they bombed all the bridges to Russia and China. There’s no import, no export. And they’re just about at the brink of bankruptcy.

When asked where the situation leaves the president politically, Hanson said, “The only thing that is saving him right now is, he has been given a number of gifts that he didn’t expect. Thirty-nine of the last 41 midterms, the incumbent president and party in the White House have lost seats – (but for) Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Frankline Roosevelt, as I remember.

Nobody anticipated there would be more red-state legislatures gerrymandering than blue states, so (Republicans) could pick up three or four seats. We never thought the Supreme Court would outlaw racial gerrymandering; they may pick up one or two seats from that. In addition, people were talking about the Democrats getting a whole lot of money, but the Republicans have raised more. So they’re going to have a lot of money, and that’s aside from people like the so-called tech oligarchs, like Elon Musk, who have pledged to put hundreds of millions of dollars in.

And then finally, he was given a great gift by the prominence of these democratic socialists. Everybody thought they were kind of an isolated phenomenon, but they’re in the news, people like Hasan Piker and Zohran Mamdani.

Ironically, I think there’s more pressure on Trump now, because now people are saying you could win the midterms, you could hold it, if you get out of Iran. That’s the dilemma they’re in.

When asked about the economy, Hanson explained that most people do not follow the Iran war “because it’s not really a war.… What they’re following is affordability of houses, insurance, food, fuel. Donald Trump promised to lower them.” Even though inflation is half what it was during the Biden administration. “They thought Donald Trump was going to come in and not just have lower inflation, but lower the price. He’s saying the inflation is a lot lower (than under Biden), but that’s a bad argument. It’s almost impossible historically for a president to get into a deflationary cycle and lower the prices of his predecessor.”

In answer to a question as to how overcomes the problem of high prices with Iran continuing, Hanson said, “It’s going to be very hard.” He thinks that the US might hit Iran really hard for a week or two to knock out Iran and cause them to cave. Then announce that they will leave Iran as it is and work on affordability getting the price of fuel down.

There is more to the interview, and you can find it here if you are interested in reading more. 

How Do We Protect the Constitution from Sharia Law?

The liberty principle for this Freedom Friday concerns the creep of Sharia law in the Unitd States. The Sharia-Free America Caucus is helping to preserve the U.S. Constitution beyond Washington in the 120^th Congress. Pedro Rodriguez explained the news in his article published at The Daily Signal. 

The caucus, which has previously raised awareness of the controversial Islamic rule known as Sharia law and pushed legislation to protect the U.S. Constitution from it, is looking to work with state leaders to codify legislative efforts.

Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith told the Daily Signal that the Hoosier State could be a potential partner for the caucus, saying that he would “100 percent [be] all in on this.”

Beckwith said the idea to partner with the congressional caucus to protect his home state from a foreign law that enforces female genital mutilation and creates a hostile environment for those of other religions is not just his personal desire, but one shared by his Indiana constituents.

“I’ve gotten so much support, not just from Republicans, but also Democrats who see that the rise of Sharia is a problem,” he continued.

However, Beckwith explained that people need to raise awareness of what the law entails. “Islam is not just a religion; it is a political and military ideology,” Beckwith said.

During his phone interview with the Daily Signal, Indiana’s lieutenant governor referred to some uninformed constituents as people who don’t realize the extent of the threat posed by Sharia law, adding that it “will destroy our Constitution.”

“Hoosiers are people who are normally reactive to things instead of being proactive,” he said. “But we don’t have the luxury of being reactive here – we have to understand the issue. Raising awareness will be important.”

One roadblock to defeating Sharia law in America, Beckwith continued, could come from Democrats aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America, whom he called “useful idiots for Sharia.”

He cited the Islamic revolution in Iran in 1979 as a prime example of “what the red-green alliance will look like,” adding that, at the time, the Islamic revolutionary forces used socialist propaganda to secure sufficient public support to overthrow the government. The revolutionary forces then turned around and suppressed the same crowd of people who lifted them up, especially women.

“The only difference between Islam and the [Chinese Communist Party] is that Islam will hide behind a false religion to build a military ideology,” Beckwith said. “We saw it sine Muhammad immigrated from Mecca to Medina; they immigrated, populated, and dominated.”

Despite the potential backlash, the lieutenant governor said he believes that “it’s in the realm of possibility” that Indiana will follow Florida and Texas in standing up to the Islamic rule. “I see an appetite for it,” he concluded.

The idea might have support with state lawmakers. Previously, Indiana state Rep. Andrew Ireland told the Daily Signal that he is ready to work with colleagues to solidify the push in the Indiana Statehouse….

Do You Trust God?

My Come Follow Me studies for this week took me to the books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes in a lesson titled “He Shall Direct Thy Paths.” The following information introduced the lesson. 

You might think of the book of Proverbs as a collection of wise counsel from loving parents (see Proverbs 1:8). Its main message is that if you seek wisdom – especially God’s wisdom – life will go well. But Proverbs is followed by the book of Ecclesiastes, which seems to say, “It’s not that simple.” The Preacher quoted in Ecclesiastes observed that he “gave [his] heart to know wisdom” but still found “vexation of spirit” and “much grief” (Ecclesiasts1:17-18). In various ways, the book asks, “Can there be real meaning in a world where everything seems vain, temporary, and uncertain?”

And yet, while the two books look at life from different perspectives, they teach similar truths. Ecclesiastes declares: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). This is the same  principle found throughout Proverbs: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart” (Proverbs 3:5; see also verse 7). Life is always better – if not always perfect – when we trust and follow the Lord Jesus Christ.

The scripture block teaches numerous principles, including the following: (1) “Incline thine ear unto wisdom” (Proverbs 1-4; 15-16; Ecclesiastes 1-3; 11-12). (2) “Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord” (Proverbs 1:7; 2:5; 3:7; 15:33; 16:6; 31:30; Ecclesiastes 12:13). (3) “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart” (Proverbs 3:5-7; 4). (4) “A soft answer turneth away wrath” (Proverbs 15; 16:24-32). (5) “A woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised” (Proverbs 31:10-31). (6) Mortal life is temporary (Ecclesiastes 1-3; 12).

This essay will discuss principle #3 about trusting God. The applicable verses are Proverbs 3:5-7, so we will look at them first.

5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

6 In all thy ways acknowledge, and he shall direct thy paths.

7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.

Sometimes it is difficult to put our trust in God. Elder Gerrit W. Gong shares helpful counsel in learning to trust God in his conference talk titled “Trust Again” (Liahona, Nov. 2021, 97–99). Trust Again

Trust is an act of faith. God keeps faith with us….

As we reflect on trust, we know God is a God of truth and “canst not lie.” We know truth is a knowledge of things as they are, were, and are to come. We know continuing revelation and inspiration fit unchanging truth to changing circumstances….

Trust becomes real when we do hard things with faith. Service and sacrifice increase capacity and refine hearts. Trust in God and each other brings heaven’s blessings….

Trust what the scriptures call “in process of time.” With God’s blessing, process of time, and continuing faith and obedience, we can find resolution and peace….

Trust God and His miracles. We and our relationships can change. Through the Atonement of Christ the Lord, we can put off our selfish natural self and become a child of God, meek, humble, full of faith and appropriate trust. When we repent, when we confess and forsake our sins, the Lord says He remembers them no more. It is not that He forgets; rather, in a remarkable way, it seems He chooses not to remember them, nor need we.

Trust God’s inspiration to discern wisely. We can forgive others in the right time and way, as the Lord says we must, while being “wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.”

 

What Will You Teach Your Children and Grandchildren about 9/11?

Families are stronger when parents and grandparents teach correct history to their children and grandchildren. Strong families strengthen communities, states, and nations.

This week, Americans commemorate the terrorist attacks on the towers in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. as well as the heroes on Flight 93 who prevented an attack on the White House or the Capitol Building.

I had one grandchild – less than a year old – on September 11, 2001. This means that all nineteen grandchildren were too young or not born yet when 9/11 happened. I hope that my children have shared with their children where they were and what they were doing when they learned of the attacks on 9/11. Here are some facts to help all parents teach the truth and importance about remembering 9/11; 

[September 11 is known as 9/11 Remembrance Day as well as Patriot Day. This day] is observed annually to honor the nearly 3,000 lives lost during the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and United Flight 93 in Pennsylvania, as well as the bravery of first responders and ordinary citizens who risked or gave their lives to save others. The day serves as a tribute to victims, a recognition of rescuers’ courage, and a demonstration of national unity and resilience against terrorism.

Historical Context

On the morning of September 11, 2001, four hijacked planes were used in coordinated attacks:

·       8:46 a.m. – Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center.

·       9:03 a.m. – Flight 175 struck the South Tower.

·       9:37 a.m. – Flight 77 hit the Pentagon.

·       Flight 93 crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers resisted the hijackers.

The attacks resulted in nearly 3,000 deaths, over 6,000 injuries, and the collapse of the Twin Towers, leaving a lasting impact on the United States and the world.

Legacy and Reflection

9/11 Remembrance Day emphasizes compassion, solidarity, and resilience, encouraging Americans to reflect on the courage of those affected and to engage in acts of service. It also serves as a reminder of the enduring impact of terrorism and the importance of unity in the face of tragedy.

By observing this day, individuals and communities honor the memory of the victims, celebrate the heroism of first responders, and reaffirm a commitment to national values and collective healing.