Will the Real Donald Trump Stand Up?

 My VIP for this week is former President Donald Trump. The Democrat Party, the Marxists, and the intelligence agencies of the United States have hounded him since 2015 – the year that he first announced that he was running for President of the United States.

Trump was impeached twice – the first impeachment was for questioning Biden corruption in Ukraine that is now coming to light. The second impeachment was to remove him from office – after he was already voted out of office.

Trump could have lived a quiet life and enjoyed his wealth if he were not running for President of the United States once again. Since announcing his campaign, Trump’s home at Mar-a-Laga was raided, a rogue New York state attorney general indicted him, and the Department of Justice indicted him twice – plus adding counts to one of the indictments. Rumors are that he will be indicted soon by the Georgia attorney general.

Most people would have been broken by the attacks that Trump has experienced. Yet, he is still standing tall and holding his head high. He claims that he is fighting for the rights of Americans: “They are coming after me because I am standing in their way to get to you.” However, Trump is currently fighting for a freedom for himself that is guaranteed to all Americans – the freedom of speech guaranteed by the First Amendment.

Despite all Trump’s legal problems, he sits squarely at the top of a recent poll. Harris X recently conducted a national poll of 935 registered voters nationwide. One polling question was: Does the President of the United States have the responsibility to provide moral leadership to the people they represent? The vast majority – 94% -- of respondents from across the political spectrum answered yes. 

Respondents were given a list of presidential candidates and then asked this question: “Would the following candidates do a good or poor job of providing moral leadership to the country as president?” Here are the results:

                                                                                                            Don’t Know/

                                                            Good Job        Poor Job         Unsure

Donald Trump                                     40%                 48%                 11%

Joe Biden                                            38%                 50%                 11%

Kamala Harris                                     38%                 46%                 15%

Mike Pence                                         36%                 35%                 29%

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.                         35%                 25%                 40%    

Ron DeSantis                                      32%                 34%                 34%

Vivek Ramaswamy                             27%                 17%                 56%

Nikki Haley                                         26%                 23%                 51%

Tim Scott                                             25%                 19%                 56%

Marianne Williamson                          12%                 21%                 67%

 

I found this survey to be interesting because numerous people told me that they could never vote for Trump on moral grounds. Of course, the big question about the vote is two-fold: What does moral leadership for the president mean to you? How does it apply to individual candidates? The answers also depend on political identity. More Republicans gave Trump high marks, while more Democrats gave Biden high marks.

To me, it comes down to something much more important: Does the candidate love America enough to put the country ahead of personal wealth and wellbeing? Trump lost money while serving as POTUS, leaving office with less wealth than when he was elected. On the other hand, Biden allegedly sold America to her enemies to enrich his family while serving as Senator, Vice President, and President.

Has the U.S.A. Become a Third-World Country?

The topic of discussion for this Constitution Monday is the need for non-political police forces. Only third-world countries have police forces that support one political party over another. Yet, the Department of Justice and the FBI are both protecting the Joe Biden crime family while persecuting and prosecuting Donald Trump and his supporters.

There is a now familiar pattern to so-called justice practice. Deroy Murdock explained that new accusations are made against Trump every time that the Bidens feel any heat from their corruption. Murdock explained the pattern as follows: 

On June 7, new documents indicated that Ukrainian gas company Burisma paid Joe and Hunter $5 million each. On June 8, DOY indicted Trump in the Mara-a-Lago secret documents matter.

On July 26, Hunter’s plea agreement unraveled. On July 27, Smith unveiled “superseding” Mar-a-Lago charges.

On July 31, Archer’s testimony torched the Bidens. On Aug. 1, Smith slapped Trump with Jan. 6-related accusations.

House Republicans continue to investigate the Biden crime family, and the evidence continues to pile up. Yet, Democrats continue to support Biden and claim that they cannot see anything wrong. Biden is a corrupt president who is being supported by secret combinations.

Nearly 200 years ago, the Prophet Joseph Smith prophesied that the time would come that the U.S. Constitution would “hang by a thread.” I believe that we are living in that time. The writing seems to be on the wall for the demise of America. Yet, I do not fear. I have faith that the Constitution will be preserved, and America will maintain its freedom. However, I also believe that we will go through some trying times before it is securely saved.

 

How Does the Lord Help You As You Serve Him?

 My Come Follow Me studies for this week took me to Acts 22-28 in a lesson titled “A Minister and a Witness.” The lesson was preceded by this counsel: “Impressions from the Holy Ghost are often quiet and sometimes fleeting. Recording your impressions allows you to reflect on them more deeply. As you read Acts 22-28, write down the thoughts and feelings that come to you, and take time to ponder them.” Then the lesson was introduced in the following paragraph. 

“When we are on the Lord’s errand,” President Thomas S. Monson promised, “we are entitled to the Lord’s help” (“To Learn, to Do, to Be,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2008, 62). We are not entitled, however, to a smooth road and an endless stream of successes. For proof of this, we need look no further than Paul the Apostle. His errand from the Savior was “to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel” (Acts 9:15). In chapters 22-28 of Acts, we see Paul fulfilling this errand and facing great opposition – chains, imprisonment, physical abuse, a shipwreck, and even a snake attack. But we also see that Jesus “stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul” (Acts 23:11). Paul’s experiences are an inspiring reminder that the Lord’s call to “declare [His] gospel with the sound of rejoicing” comes with this promise: “Lift up your hearts and be glad, for I am in your midst” (Doctrine and Covenants 29:4-5; see also Matthew 28:19-20).

The principle discussed in this post is “The Lord stands by those who strive to serve Him” (Acts 23:10-11; 27:13-25, 40-44). Paul’s ministry illustrates clearly that the presence of difficulties in our lives is not proof that God does not support us or the work that we are doing.

Knowledge of the plan for our eternal happiness reminds us that we came to earth to be tested and tried. If life is always sunshine and roses, there will be no need for tests, trials, or tribulations. Therefore, there will be no personal growth.

Paul was an Apostle or a special witness of Jesus Christ. Paul had seen Jesus Christ in a vision on the road to Damascus. He had heard the voice of the Lord. Yet, he needed tests, trials, and tribulations to help him to develop greater faith in Jesus Christ. His will to serve the Lord despite difficulties had to be tested and tried. The same is true for each of us. We will first look at the scripture block to see Paul’s situation.

Acts 23:10-11

10 And when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them, commanded the soldiers to go down, and to take him by force from among them, and to bring him into the castle.

11 And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.

Paul had returned to Jerusalem with the understanding that he may be killed there, and he willingly returned. Now, the Lord told him to “be of good cheer” because he was not going to be killed in Jerusalem. How could he testify of Christ in Rome if the Jews killed him in Jerusalem?

Paul claimed his right as a Roman to stand before Caeser, so the soldiers put him in a ship and headed to Rome. The journey started late in the season, and Paul (as an Apostle of the Lord) told them that they would be in danger if they continued their journey. The owner of the ship did not want to stay where they were for the winter.

Acts 27:13-25, 40-44

13 And when the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, loosing thence, they sailed close by Crete.

14 But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon.

15 And when the ship was caught, and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive.

16 And running under [south of] a certain island which is called Clauda, we had much work to come by the boat:

17 Which when they had taken up, they used helps, undergirding the ship; and, fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands, strake sail, and so were driven.

18 And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship;

19 And the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship.

20 And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.

21 But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss.

22 And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship.

23 For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,

24 Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.

25 Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.

40 And when they had taken up the anchors, they committed themselves unto the sea, and loosed the rudder bands, and hoised up the mainsail to the wind, and made toward shore.

41 And falling into a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground; and the forepart stuck fast, and remained unmoveable, but the hinder part was broken with the violence of the waves.

42 And the soldiers’ counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape.

43 But the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them from their purpose; and commanded that they which could swim should cast themselves into the sea, and get to land:

44 And the rest, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land.

The Lord stood by Paul because Paul was on an errand for Him. The Lord wanted Paul to testify before Caesar, and He protected Paul. What does the Lord want you to do? How has He stood by you? President Thomas S. Monson gave the following counsel in the October 2008 General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: 

Now, some of you may be shy by nature or consider yourselves inadequate to respond affirmatively to a calling. Remember that this work is not yours and mine alone. It is the Lord’s work, and when we are on the Lord’s errand, we are entitled to the Lord’s help. Remember that the Lord will shape the back to bear the burden

placed upon it.”

How Are Your Critical Thinking Skills?

Families, communities, and nations are stronger when parents teach their children to think critically – to use their brains instead of their feelings to make decisions. Children, teenagers, and young adults should learn that feelings come and go and cannot be assured. One day, we may feel madly in love with someone, but our feelings change when they say or do something that displeases or hurts us. If the pains of the relationship become more than the pleasures, we may wonder how we could have ever loved them. The same is true of politicians.

Many people refused to vote for Donald Trump because they considered him to be too gross and/or immoral for their support. However, they did not realize that they voted for a worse person in Joe Biden. After the death of his first wife, he became involved in an affair with Jill, who at the time was married to another man. Joe is also credibly accused of sexual abuse by a former congressional aide – who fled to Russia for her own safety. In her diary, his daughter Ashley wrote that she took showers late at night to avoid having her father get into the shower with her.

Joe Biden’s moral problems are not the biggest problem for Americans. Congressional investigations are opening multiple cans of worms concerning Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden’s business dealings. Devon Archer, a former business partner, outlined how Joe and Hunter were using Joe’s political positions to sell America to her enemies. Committee members are gathering bank records showing discrepancies in deposits and withdrawals of multiple bank accounts. Evidence of corruption is piling up.

It is likely that Donald Trump and Joe Biden will be the nominees for POTUS in 2024. We have a choice between a flawed man who loves America and a flawed man who sells America to her enemies. However, there may be different candidates. Whoever the candidates are, we will need to use our brains for making our decision as to where to put our vote because our feelings are not dependable.

Wise parents will use the coming months to show their children how to think critically in determining who will be the better POTUS. Our communities and America will be stronger when children, teens, and young adults learn to think critically.

Is Joe Biden Corrupted and Compromised?

The liberty principle for this freedom Friday concerns corruption in the government of the United States of America. Evidence of corruption by the Biden crime family continues to appear. Devon Archer, former friend and former business partner of Hunter Biden, was interviewed on Monday by members and counsel of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee.

The 141-page transcript of the interview was released today. Much of the information given by Archer was similar to information given previously about then-Vice President Joe Biden was the “brand” that Hunter Biden was selling to foreign entities in his various business deals. Fred Lucas shared six key takeaways from the transcript in an article in The Daily Signal. 

1. ‘Signals Are Basically Used as Currency’

Archer said at several points in the testimony that the Biden “brand” was sending “signals” to business partners….

At another point in the interview, the committee’s counsel pressed him on how much influence Hunter Biden had on federal policy.

“I have no basis to understand what his father and his conversations were about policy in Ukraine,” Archer said. “But, as you can see, that seems pretty familiar, that, you know, he can’t influence it but take credit for it. I mean, that was – it’s literally the back and forth between the last exhibit and this exhibit. That’s what does on. People send signals, and those signals are basically used as currency.”

2. ‘The Brand’

Archer routinely said that Joe Biden was “the brand” that allowed Hunter Biden to haul in investors.

Jacob Greenberg, the oversight committee’s majority counsel, asked, “You keep saying ‘the brand,’ but by ‘brand,’ you mean the Biden family, correct?”

“Correct,” Archer said.

Later, Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., interjected, “When you say ‘Biden family – sorry to cut in here – I just want to get a clarification, “When you say ‘Biden family’ – sorry to cut in here – I just want to get a clarification. You aren’t talking about Dr. Jill [Biden] or anybody else? You’re talking about Joe Biden. Is that fair to say?”

Archer replied, “Yeah, that’s fair to say.”

He followed with, “Listen, I think its – I don’t think about it as, you know, Joe directly, but it’s fair. That’s fair to say. Obviously, that brought the most value to the brand.”

3. Burisma Survival and ‘Intimidation’

Archer told the committee that Burisma likely wouldn’t survive without the Biden brand.

“My only thought is that I think Burisma would have gone out of business if it didn’t have the brand attached to it,” Archer said. “That’s my, like, only honest opinion. But I have no basis for any – never heard any conversations.” …

Goldman said, “You’re just talking about that Hunter was on the board.”

Archer replied, “Right. And I think that’s why it [Burisma] was able to survive for as long as it did.”

Goldman asked, “Because of additional capital or –”

Archer corrected him, “Just because of the brand.” …

Goldman asked, “But how would that work?”

Archer answered, “Because people would be intimidated to mess with them.”

Goldman asked, “In what way?”

Archer answered, “Legally.” …

4. Burisma and ‘Help From DC’

The counsel asked about a dinner at the Four Seasons with Burisma CEO Mykola Zlochevsky and Vadym Pozharskti, an adviser to the board of Burisma.

During this meeting, at a time when the company was under investigation by Shokin, they asked Hunter Biden to make phone calls.

“The request was I think they were getting pressure and they requested Hunter, you know, help them with some of that pressure,” Archer said.

“What pressure?” the majority counsel asked.

“Government pressure on their – you know, government pressure from Ukrainian government investigations in Mykola, etc.,” Archer said. “But it was not – it wasn’t like a specific – not a specific request. It was just we were sitting there at the Four Seasons having, you know, coffee and there was – there was Mykola, there was one of the managers for the Four Seasons who managed that property, Vadym.”

Archer said that Shokin wasn’t the only concern, as the company was facing problems with Britain, the United States, and Mexico….

“The request – you know, basically the request is like, can D.C help? But there were not – you know, I’m not going to – there were not – it wasn’t like – there weren’t specific, you know, can the big guy help? It was – it’s always this amorphous, can we get help in D.C.?”

Biggs later asked, “Why do you think they were asking Hunter Biden for D.C. help?”

Archer answered, “Well, I mean, he was a lobbyist and an expert and obviously he carried, you know, a very powerful name. So, I think it was – that’s what they were asking for.”

5. Dinner Guest Joe Biden and Money Wires

Then-Vice President Biden attended dinners with Hunter Biden’s foreign business partners who wired money to various Biden family-associated companies, according to Archer.

The committee’s majority counsel asked about a spring 2014 dinner at Café Milano in Washington.

Archer named individuals present, which included Yelena Baturina, a billionaire, and the widow of former Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov.

“And so, this dinner takes place in spring of 2014, approximately. But then do you recall getting a wire on February 14^th of 2014 from Yelena Baturina for $3.5 million to Rosemont Seneca Thornton?” the majority counsel asked.

Archer clarified that it was to Rosemont Seneca Thornton, one of his business operations with Hunter Biden….

The majority counsel also noted a wire transfer with Rosemont Seneca and Kenes Rakishev, a businessman associated with the Malta company Novitas Holdings, PTE Ktd.

“Why did Rosemont Seneca Bohai receive $142,000 payment from Rakishev?” the counsel asked.

Archer replied, “It was for a car.”

The counsel followed, “For whose car?”

Archer said, “For Hunter’s car.” …

6. Speakerphone Meetings

Archer said that Hunter Biden “would sometimes make it apparent that he spoke to his dad, and sometimes he put him on speaker.” …

After additional questions, Archer explained about the calls, “That is a little odd. I mean, it’s not odd – I mean, it’s quite obvious what we’re talking around.”

The counsel asked, “You are talking around it, and so I’d like to get out, what are we talking about here?”

“At the end of the day, part of what was delivered is the brand. I mean, it’s like anything, you know, if you’re Jamie Dimon’s son or any CEO,” Archer said. “You know, I think that that’s what we’re talking about, is that there was brand being delivered along with other capabilities and reach … I think ‘brand’ is the best way to describe it.”

Archer went on to note that business associates in the meeting were impressed that the then-vice president joined by speaker phone….

 

 

How Should Conservatives Fight Against Political Persecution?

Americans are divided about many things, but mostly we are divided over Donad Trump. Approximately half the nation thinks Trump is one of the best Presidents of the United States in recent years, while the other half believes that Trump should be in prison for the rest of his life. Those who support Trump believe that there is a two-tier system of justice in the United States – one level for Trump and his supporters and one level for Biden and his supporters.

Trump supporters believe that the Department of Justice has gone rogue and unleashed the FBI on conservatives. They believe that the DOJ treatment of Trump amounts to political persecution rather than political prosecution.

In a recent article, Daniel Horowitz asked this question: “Do conservative media figures, influencers, pundits, and elected officials actually want to solve the weaponized persecution issue, or do they just want attention, ratings, and nominating Trump for president as an end to itself?” He believes that we should ask the same question about “every important issue of our time.” “What is the [conservative] endgame?” 

We’ve heard it all after the first two indictments of Trump. “We’ve crossed the Rubicon,” “We’ve become a banana republic,” “There’s no turning back from here.”

So it’s interesting how our government’s biomedical tyranny apparently didn’t cross the line … or burning down our economy … or destroying our energy … or aiding the cartels in the border invasion … or sending billions to Ukraine … or, with the weaponized DOJ, holding ordinary citizens and Trump supporters in prison indefinitely pretrial n non-violent criminal charges for two years. But if Trump himself is the red line, then fine. I’ll take it. But what are we going to do about it?

If we believe the DOJ is dead serious about locking Trump up for the rest of his life, and especially with the latest indictment being heard before an extremely far-left D.C. federal judge (and jury pool), what is the plan to save the country and Trump himself? …

So yes, we have a very weak hand to play. Which is very unfortunate, because what the DOJ is doing is deadly serious. Officials are essentially criminalizing the harboring or articulation of a political position if they deem it to be false or if individuals who hold that same opinion commit a crime…. Trump is his own worst enemy and not our best bet going forward if we actually believe in what he clearly doesn’t. But that still does not negate the fact that you can’t criminalize “misinformation,” even if it is demonstrably false, much less if it’s in dispute. After all, by this standard, every Biden HHS official should be in prison for knowingly saying that the vaccines stopped the virus, even months after they knew it wasn’t true.

I agree with those Trump supporters who assert that this is much bigger than Trump; officials want to criminalize our existence. So the prosecution of political opponents – whether Trump or ordinary citizens – needs to be shut down immediately. This is an existential threat and an imminent problem.

Horowitz continued to ask questions about what Republican elected officials, Republican presidential candidates, and other conservatives are going to do about the problem, Horowitz suggested something that I have heard from other sources: Defund the Department of Justice.

Republicans control the House. Without the House signing off on a budget come midnight of October 1, the DOJ gets no funding. Republicans must return from their ridiculous six-week recess and, while Biden and the Senate Democrats are on vacation, build the case for defunding the prosecution of Trump (and other political targets). This is a PR war and will require them to command the full attention of political news rather than coming back a few days before the fiscal year is up without any sense of unity. Then, they must stand their ground on the defunding provision and use that brinksmanship to captivate the public with a sense of unity. Then, they must stand their ground on the defunding provision and use that brinksmanship to captivate the public with a sense of unity of purpose over defending the First Amendment the way they unified against the attacks on Brett Kavanaugh. They should also place a rider in the bill providing a motion for defendants to assert political prosecution in the D.C. district and move their cases to other parts of the country. The budget is the only critical item over which Republicans wield a degree of ownership, and that leverage must be used now.

Horowitz had other suggestions, but he believes that defunding the DOJ is more important than impeaching Joe Biden or any of his henchmen. The other step that Horowitz should happen is for conservatives to take the fight to the states. “we must pressure state attorneys general, governors, and legislatures to begin interposing against federal tyranny and backing targets of political prosecutions.” He even provided a blueprint to do it.

Horowitz’s third suggestion is for the attorneys general in red states to target “Democrats for indictment who incite crimes based on political speech” - such as those Democrats who called for riots after the death of George Floyd. They could also go after anyone who encourages illegal immigration. Since the DOJ is charging Trump for conspiracy against rights, red state attorneys general should “prosecute all COVID-fascist elected officials on these provisions.”

Are You Seeing It Yet?

Former President Donald Trump was indicted again today – the third indictment in a four-month period. Each time that Republicans discuss evidence of the corruption of the Biden crime family, Trump gets indicted again.

Devon Archer testified before a congressional committee yesterday that Hunter Biden had called Joe Biden more than twenty times during business meetings. Today, Jack Smith indicted Trump.

Last week, Hunter Biden’s plea deal for permanent immunity fell through, Jack Smith added more counts to a previous indictment of Trump. Whenever evidence comes out against the Bidens, Trump gets indicted.

Increasing pieces of evidence are coming out alleging that Joe Biden was being bribed by enemies of the United States using Hunter Biden. Could the U.S. involvement in Ukraine be caused by blackmail of the POTUS?

As United States citizens, we each have the agency to work for whoever we choose. However, we are required to register with the U.S. government if we are working for foreign states. Apparently, Hunter and Joe Biden were working for foreign states, but they did not register with the government to do so.

It seems that everyone is Washington knew that Biden was corrupt, but no one did anything about it. This makes me wonder how many other people working in our government are corrupt. Why is the Department of Justice and the FBI covering for Biden? Is it simply because Biden is their boss, or are they corrupt also?

The fact is that the United States government is corrupted. It is now operating under the control of secret combinations who seek to destroy the Constitution of the United States. How many of our governmental officials participate in the secret combinations?

The 2024 presidential election could be the most important election in U.S. history. If Biden is re-elected, we can expect America to slip further down the slippery slope that we have been on since January 20, 2021. Democrats seem to be most worried about Trump, but I believe that they will try to destroy whoever becomes the Republican candidate.

America is divided between a party that seeks to protect and preserve the Constitution and a party that seeks to destroy it. As dark as things look now, I have faith that the U.S. Constitution will be saved. However, I believe that each American must decide for themselves which side they will support. Will you join the patriots who are striving to protect and preserve the Constitution, or will you support the communists who are seeking to destroy it?