What Message Did Biden Send with His Handshake?

Last week President Joe Biden met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in China. A picture embedded in an article written by Terence Jeffrey and published in The Daily Signal shows Biden shaking hands with Wang.

The interesting thing about the photo is that it appeared on the web site of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for China – not any of the American media’s web sites. Another interesting thing about the article is a statement by Biden, asking Wang Yi “to extend his greetings to President Xi Jinping and expounded on the position that the U.S. values its relations with China.” A third interesting fact from the article is that Wang met with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan.

My attention was immediately drawn to Jeffrey’s article by its title “Biden Sends Wrong Message on Genocide With a Handshake.” My reason: secret words and handshakes are ways that members of secret combinations communicate with each other. It is no secret for my regular readers that I believe that Joe Biden is a compromised POTUS. I believe that he has sold America out to our enemies – Russia, China, Ukraine, Iran, and who knows who else. Therefore, I am wondering if the handshake with Wang a secret message to members of the secret combinations working together to bring down America.

Secret combinations are groups of people, who use any means necessary to get power and gain and who support each other in their wickedness. If supported by the people, secret combinations can result in the destruction of entire nations. The Book of Mormon – Another Testament of Jesus Christ tells of the destruction of two great civilizations who were overcome by secret combinations. An ancient American prophet wrote the following words to warn our generation.

18 And it came to pass that they formed a secret combination, even as they of old; which combination is most abominable and wicked above all, in the sight of God.

19 For the Lord worketh not in secret combinations, neither doth he will that man should shed blood, but in all things hath forbidden it, from the beginning of man.

20 And now I, Moroni, do not write the manner of their oaths and combinations, for it hath been made known unto me that they are had among all people, and they are had among the Lamanites.

21 And they have caused the destruction of this people of whom I am now speaking [Jaredites], and also the destruction of the people of Nephi [Nephites].

22 And whatsoever nation shall uphold such secret combinations, to get power and gain, until they shall spread over the nation, behold, they shall be destroyed; for the Lord will not suffer that the blood of his saints, which shall be shed by them, shall always cry unto him from the ground for vengeance upon them and yet he avenge them not.

23 Wherefore, O ye Gentiles [that is us], it is wisdom in God that these things should be shown unto you, that thereby ye may repent of your sins, and suffer not that these murderous combinations shall get above you, which are built up to get power and gain – and the work, yea, even the work of destruction come upon you, yea, even the sword of the justice of the Eternal God shall fall upon you, to your overthrow and destruction if ye shall suffer these things to be.

24 Wherefore, the Lord commandeth you, when ye shall see these things come among you that ye shall awake to a sense of your awful situation, because of this secret combination which shall be among you; or wo be unto it, because of the blood of them who have been slain; for they cry from the dust for vengeance upon it, and also upon those who built it up.

25 For it cometh to pass that whoso buildeth it up seeketh to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations, and countries; and it bringeth to pass the destruction of all people, for it is built up by the devil… (Ether 8:18-25).

 

7 And they hearkened not unto the voice of the Lord, because of their wicked combinations; wherefore, there began to be wars and contentions in all the land, and also many famines and pestilences, insomuch that there was a great destruction, such an one as never had been known upon the face of the earth…

22 And they did reject all the words of the prophets, because of their secret society and wicked abominations.

(Ether 11:7, 22).

 

25 And thus we see that the Lord did visit them in the fulness of his wrath, and their wickedness and abominations had prepared a way for their everlasting destruction. (Ether 14:25).

Here are the words of a modern-day prophet, then-Elder Ezra Taft Benson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

But the greatest handbook for freedom in this fight against evil is the Book of Mormon.

This leads me to the second great civic standard for the Saints. For in addition to our inspired Constitution, we have the scriptures.

Joseph Smith said that the Book of Mormon was the “keystone of our religion” and the “most correct” book on earth. (DHC, vol. 6, p. 56). This most correct book on earth states that the downfall of two great American civilizations came as a result of secret conspiracies whose desire was to overthrow the freedom of the people. “And they have caused the destruction of this people of whom I am now speaking,” says Moroni, “and also the destruction of the people of Nephi.” (Ether 8:21.)

Now undoubtedly Moroni could have pointed out many factors that led to the destruction of the people, but notice how he singled out the secret combinations, just as the Church today could point out many threats to peace, prosperity, and the spread of God’s work, but it has singled out the greatest threat as the godless conspiracy. There is no conspiracy theory in the Book of Mormon – it is a conspiracy fact.

Then Moroni speaks to us in this day and says, “Wherefore, the Lord commandeth you, when ye shall see these things come among you that ye shall awake to a sense of your awful situation, because of this secret combination which shall be among you.” (Ether 8:14.)

The Book of Mormon further warns that “whatsoever nation shall uphold such secret combinations, to get power and gain, until they shall spread over the nation, behold they shall be destroyed….” (Ether 8:22.)

This scripture should alert us to what is ahead unless we repent, because there is no question but that as people of the free world, we are increasingly upholding many of the evils of the adversary today. By court edict goddess conspirators can run for government office, teach in our schools, hold office in labor unions, work in our defense lants, serve in our merchant marines, etc. As a nation, we are helping to underwrite many evil revolutionaries in our country.

Now we are assured that the Church will remain on the earth until the Lord comes again – but at what price? The Saints in the early days were assured that Zion would be established in Jackson County, but look at what their unfaithfulness cost them in bloodshed and delay.

President Clark warned us that “we stand in danger of losing our liberties, and that once lost, only blood will bring them back; and once lost, we of this church will, in order to keep the Church going forward, have more sacrifices to make and more persecutions to endure than we have yet known….” (CR, April 1944, p. 116.) And he stated that if the conspiracy “comes here it will probably come in its full vigor and there will be a lot of vacant places among those who guide and direct, not only this government, but also this Church of ours.” (CR, April 1952.) (“Civic Standards for the Faithful Saints,” Ensign, July 1972, pp. 60-66).

Now you can either count these words as a conspiracy and say I am crazy to think that Biden is corrupted, or you can believe the words of these prophets and prepare yourself and your family to stand on the Lord’s side.

 

Who Are the Angels?

            My VIPs for this week are the helpers or angels, who are many. I am currently doing an internship at a center to help the homeless people in my community. The center has several departments including a shelter for abused women, a kitchen that prepares lunch for the homeless people in the neighborhood and dinner for the women in the shelter, and a shower house where homeless people can come to take showers and have their laundry done. In addition, there is a place where the homeless people can receive hot coffee and pastries as well as dry and warm clothing.

The center teaches two courses – culinary arts and a bakery. The students in the courses prepare lunch for the homeless and dinner for the ladies in the shelter, all under the direction of the chief chef. Each course has three levels, and students are required to be free of drugs to stay in the program and to graduate. Once they graduate, they are prepared to obtain employment.

The center is operated by several churches in the area. It does not rely on any government funds but operates solely on donations. There are some paid personnel, most of whom took cuts in pay to take the job. Many of the workers are volunteers. They are all angels because they have compassion for the hurting and tough love for those who feel entitled.

Other helpers include medical professional and all the supporting helpers. My husband had back surgery four weeks ago and has been in the hospital for nearly a month. I have spent many long hours in the hospital with my husband and have had a front row seat in watching the workers do their jobs. All of them are paid for doing their jobs, but money alone does not account for the care, compassion, and kindness that I have seen over and over again. To me, they are angels for the way that they have cared for my husband – and often asked me if I needed anything.

There are helpers all around us. Anchorage received its first snowfall of the season today. Before I could get outside to shovel my driveway, the neighbor boy was doing it out of the kindness of his heart. He and his family watch over us and often serve us. They are also angels.

Can Elections Be Overturned for Voter Fraud?

The topic of discussion for this Constitution Monday is voter fraud. Donald Trump and his supporters are in deep trouble because they claimed there was fraud in the 2020 presidential election. No one believed them then, and no one believes them now. However, evidence of election fraud continues to come out.

Eva Terry at the Deseret News reported recently that voter fraud was confirmed in a Connecticut mayoral election, enough to convince a judge to toss the results and order a new vote. 

Leading up to the Sept. 12 primary election, 420 people cast 1,255 absentee ballots at four drop boxes, the Deseret News reported. Under Connecticut Law, absentee votes must be delivered either by relatives and caregivers or sent by mail, but surveillance footage shows a woman on Ganim’s campaign staff, allegedly Wanda Geter-Pataky, stuffing a ballot box with white envelopes.

Connecticut Superior Court Judge William Clark wrote in the Nov. 1 court ruling, “The volume of ballots so mishandled is such that it calls the result of the primary election into serious doubt and leaves the court unable to determine the legitimate result of the primary.

“The videos are shocking to the court and should be shocking to all the parties,” he added.

Clark wrote, “To disregard the significant mishandling of ballots by partisans that were caught on video flouting the provisions of Connecticut law … endorse(s) this blatant practice of ballot harvesting.

Who Is the “Author of Eternal Salvation”?

My Come Follow Me studies for this week took me to the book of Hebrews in a lesson titled “Jesus Christ, ‘the Author of Eternal Salvation.’” This counsel preceded the lesson: “Recording spiritual impressions helps you recognize what the Holy Ghost wants to teach you. Acting on your impressions demonstrates your faith that those promptings are real.” The lesson was then introduced with the following paragraphs. 

Each of us has to give up something in order to accept the gospel of Jesus Christ – bad habits, incorrect beliefs, unwholesome associations, or something else. For Gentiles in the early Christian Church, conversion often meant abandoning false gods. For the Hebrews (or Jews), conversion proved to be, if not more difficult, a little more complicated. After all, their cherished beliefs and traditions were rooted in the worship of the true God and the teachings of His prophets, extending back thousands of years. Yet the Apostles taught that the law of Moses had been fulfilled in Jesus Christ and that a higher law was now the standard for believers. Would accepting Christianity men that the Hebrews must give up their earlier beliefs and history? The Epistle to the Hebrews sought to help settle such questions by teaching that the law of Moses, the prophets, and the ordinances are all important, but Jesus Christ is greater (see Hebrews 1:1-4; 3:1-6; 7:23-28). In fact, all these things point to and testify of Christ as the Son of God and the promised Messiah the Jews had been waiting for.

Conversion, in those early days and today, means making Jesus Christ the center of our worship and our lives. It means holding fast to truth and letting go of that which distracts us from Him, for He is the “author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him” (Hebrews 5:9).

Some scholars question who authored the book of Hebrews because the earlier versions of the book do not mention an author and the literary style differs from Paul’s other letters. Nonetheless, the ideas expressed in Hebrews are consistent with those of Paul. Latter-day Saints and Christian tradition accept that Paul engaged in writing the book.

One of the principles taught by Jesus Christ and His Apostles is that He is “the express image” of Heavenly Father (Hebrews 1-5). Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints taught the following:

Jesus … came to improve man’s view of God and to plead with them to love their Heavenly Father as He has always and will love them. … So feeding the hungry, healing the sick, rebuking hypocrisy, pleading for faith – this was Christ showing us the way of the Father” (“The Grandeur of God,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2003, 72).

Another principle taught in Hebrews is that “Jesus Christ suffered all things so that He can understand and help me when I suffer” (Hebrews 2:9-18; 4:12-16; 5:7-8). Paul taught that each of us can “come boldly unto the throne of grace” and seek mercy (Hebrews 4:16). Another message in this epistle is that we can approach God and attain His grace despite our sins and weaknesses (Hebrews 2:9-18; 4:12-16; 5:7-8). Though He was the Son of God, He came to earth and suffered that He could know our pains and sufferings.

7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;

8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered.

Elder Holland spoke of Jesus Christ’s ability to feel our pains and sufferings when he spoke in the October 2020 on the topic of “The Exquisite Gift of the Son.” He offered the following counsel for anyone who is suffering.

For anyone today with pains so intense or so unique that you feel no one else could fully appreciate them, you may have a point. There may be no family member, friend, or priesthood leader – however sensitive and well-meaning each may be – who knows exactly what you are feeling or has the precise words to help you heal. But know this: there is One who understands perfectly what you are experiencing, who is “mightier than all the earth,” and who is “able to do exceeding abundantly above all that [you] ask or think.” The process will unfold in His way and on His schedule, but Christ stands ready always to heal every ounce and aspect of your agony. (“The Exquisite Gift of the Son,” Ensign, Nov. 2020).

 

How Can We Fight Against Antisemitism?

Parents can strengthen their family, community, and nation by teaching their children that opposing people on the basis of race, religion, or sex is wrong. Lucy Gilbert in an article published in The Daily Signal, quoted Kevin Roberts, President of The Heritage Foundation as saying that “Roman Catholics and all Christians must push back against antisemitism,” which is rising around the world. 

“This ultimately is the plea: to lean into our institutions in which there is truth and beauty and goodness and to use those institutions as tools – as weapons if we must – to eliminate antisemitism. That’s the call for those of us who are Roman Catholics,” Roberts, a Catholic, said to an audience at Franciscan University, a Catholic university in Steubenville, Ohio. We must be part of the solution if we are part of any institution of faith.” …

“Now is the time for faithful Catholics to unite with our Jewish neighbors to defend and promote our shared Judeo-Christian tradition,” the coalition stated on its website.

Studies have shown that antisemitic violence is on the rise. “Not only is antisemitism on the rise, in some measures, it has doubled and tripled in its prevalence,” Roberts said.

Roberts did not stop at calling for all Christians to stand up against antisemitism. He said that there are two main ways to fix this problem. One is to “shed light on darkness” and raise awareness. The other aspect is to do something about it institutionally, “which is to say that those of us who have the privilege of leading institutions have to be more active, energetic, vocal, courageous – dare I say – about what we do,” he said.

Parents should teach their children to treat all people with respect because all human beings are children of God. Each human has the right to be respected and accepted. When parents teach such values to their children, they can strengthen their families, communities, and nations.

How Safe Is America?

Since Hamas infiltrated Israel on October 7, 2023, and killed more than 1400 people, terrorists have also been targeting Americans and America’s interests. Yesterday on Capitol Hill, Homeland Security Secretary Aejandro Mayorkas and FBI Director Christopher Wray fielded questions from members of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. While there, they “painted a scary picture” at times, according to Fred Lucas at The Daily Signal.

Lucas explained that “Wray warned about possible attacks on U.S. soil by Hamas or other bad actors,” and Mayorkas had few answers about the conditions at the southern border. He then gave five takeaways from the hearing.

1. ‘Gotaways’ at the Border

Regarding lack of security on the southern border, Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., asked, “How many gotaways did CBP [U.S. Customs and Border Protection] report in fiscal year 2023?”

Mayorkas replied, “I believe, Senator, that number is over 600,000.” [Mayorkas then tried to paper over the problem by saying ‘gotaways’ were a problem in the previous administration.] … 

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., pressed Mayorkas on how many illegal immigrants got into the country since Biden took office Jan. 20, 2021.

“How many people has this administration let in by encountering, processing, disbursing, or that have come in as a known or unknown gotaway?” Johnson asked.

Mayorkas wasn’t eager to answer…. [Why would he be?]

“Mr. Secretary, I want a number. How many people have you let into this country?” Johnson responded.

Mayorkas began to reply, “I should also…”

Apparently having had enough, Johnson told Mayorkas: “OK. I’ll give you the number. It’s about six million.” [This means that there are at least six million people in our nation that were not vetted and who could be terrorists. No one knows!]

2. Big Tech and Free Speech

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky, pressed Wray on whether the FBI was collaborating with Big Tech to censor speech.

“Is the FBI still meeting with social media companies?” Paul asked the FBI director.

Wray responded by noting the Missouri v. Biden case pending before the Supreme Court, which has to do with collusion on content between federal agencies and Big Tech companies.

“We are having some interaction with social media companies. But all of those interactions have changed fundamentally in the wake of the court’s ruling,” Wray said.

Paul later followed by asking: “How did you change your behavior?”

Wray: “Out of an abundance of caution, in order to make sure we don’t run afoul of any court ruling. I would say, of course, the injunction has been stayed by the Supreme Court.”

Paul: “Did anybody from the FBI ever discuss constitutionally protected speech with social media organizations?”

Wray: “Not to my understanding.” …

[Paul]: “But the ‘Twitter Files’ and other indications, as well as Missouri v. Biden, lists many cases of both DHS and FBI discussing constitutionally protected speech, vaccine advocacy, mask advocacy,” the Kentucky Republican told the FBI director….

3. ‘Historic Levels’ of Antisemitism

Wray told the Senate committee that statistics show the threat of antisemitism in the United States has increased since Hamas’ terrorist attacks in Israel….

“I will say that this is a threat that is reaching in some ways sort of historic levels, in part because … the Jewish community is targeted by terrorists really across the spectrum,” Wray said.

The FBI director said the FBI is viewing the “full landscape and doing our best to be proactive in this space.”

He said the FBI is conducting hate crime investigations and deploying its Joint Terrorism Task Force to stave off the threat.

“In fact, our statistics would indicate that for a group that represents only about 2.4% of the American public, they [Jewish victims] account for something like 60% of all religious-faith hate crimes,” Wray added….

[Someone ought to tell the White House press secretary!]

4. ‘Extreme Rhetoric’ by DHS Employee

In what turned into a tense exchange, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., asked Mayorkas about antisemitism in the Department of Homeland Security.

Nejwa Ali, a former spokeswoman for the Palestinian Liberation Organization’s now-defunct U.S. delegation, works for the adjudication officer at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which is part of DHS. Ali was placed on paid suspension after making incendiary antisemitic posts on social media.

“What about people who say on Oct. 7, ‘F Israel – I’m cleaning up the language here – F Israel, the government and its military? Are you ready for your downfall?’” Hawley asked Mayorkas, quoting Ali.

Hawley also read a tweet from the same DHS employee as writing: ‘F – Israel and any Jew who supports Israel. May your conscience haunt your dreams until your last breath. Palestine will be free one day.”

[Hawley and Mayorkas agreed that the rhetoric was extreme – but agreement did not last long.]

After Hamas terrorists killed 1,400 in Israel and took over 200 as hostages, some DHS employees posted an image of a Hamas paraglider with a machine gun, which is one of the ways the terrorists entered Israel.

Hawley pointed out such social media posts.

“Is this typical of people who work at DHS? This is an asylum and immigration officer who is posting these, frankly, pro-genocidal slogans and images on the day that Israelis are being slaughtered in their beds,” Hawley said. “What have you done about this?”

Mayorkas responded by defending his department’s staff as a whole, rather than answering directly….

[Hawley pressed Mayorkas by asking several times if the employee had been fired.

Mayorkas finally answered that the person was put on administrative leave.]

5. Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran-Backed Terrorists in US?

Both Wray and Mayorkas addressed the possibility of new terrorist attacks in the United States.

The Daily Signal recently reported that Iran’s Islamist regime has received approximately $71 billion more under Biden than it would have under his predecessor, Donald Trump.

“The ongoing war in the Middle East has raised the threat of an attack against Americans in the United States to a whole other level,” Wray said.

“As the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism, the Iranians have directly, or by hiring criminals, mounted assassination attempts against dissidents and high-ranking current and former U.S. government officials, including right here on American soil,” the FBI director said. “Along those lines, Hezbollah, Iran’s primary strategic partner, has a history of seizing operatives and infrastructure, obtaining money and weapons, and spying in this country.”

The State Department designates both Hezbollah and Hamas as terrorist organizations dependent on Iran.

Wray also warned the Senate committee that the threat of a Hamas-inspired attack in the U.S is at “a whole other level.”

“On top of the homegrown violent extremists, the domestic violent extremist threat, we cannot and do not discount the possibility that Hamas or another foreign terrorist organization may exploit the current conflict to conduct attacks here on our own soil,” he said. “We have kept our sights on Hamas and have multiple ongoing investigations into individuals affiliated with that foreign terrorist organization.”

In fiscal year 2023, which ended Sept. 30, U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported that 172 individuals on the nation’s terrorist watchlist were apprehended while illegally crossing the southern border.

I believe that it is safe to say that America and Americans are not safe from terrorist attacks. Biden’s policies have followed the same path – only worse – of other Democrat presidents who went before him. They make policies that are not good for America, and Americans suffer. Yet, millions of Americans do not understand that it is policies that make a difference in whether America thrives or survives.

Why Are Pro-Life, Pro-Family Policies Good for Nations?

The birthrate has fallen in most nations below the replacement rate. Some nations are acting to stop the free fall. The government of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni recently approved a new budget that is aimed at boosting the national birthrate. S. A. McCarthy at The Daily Signal reported that 1 billion euros (nearly $1.1 billion) was set aside to support mothers and families.

Some of those measures include increased financial aid to working mothers with two or more children, increased government funding for day care facilities, and extended parental leave. Meloni, herself a working mother, said, “We want to dismantle the narrative that birthrate is a disincentive to work. We want to incentivize those who give birth to children and want to work.”

The prime minister added: “We want to establish that a woman who gives birth to at least two children has already made an important contribution to society, and therefore, the state partly compensates by paying social security contributions.

Italy’s birthrate is currently one of the lowest in Europe. At the end of the 19^th century, the Italian birthrate was 5.06 children per woman, but since the 1970s, the birthrate has declined rapidly, dropping from about 2.66 children per woman at the end of the 1960s to 1.24 in 2020, and the population’s average age has increased, with 20% of the population being over the age of 65.

In addition to the measures noted above, Italian Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti implemented a plan earlier this year to adjust tax breaks so taxpayers with children can keep more of their paychecks. He also announced plans to offer income-tax deductions for families: Those with one child may deduct 2,500 euros ($2,641) from their taxes; those with two children may deduct 10,000 euros ($10,567), and those with more than two children may deduct an additional 2,500 euros ($2,641) per child.

When Meloni came to power as prime minister last year with the slogan “Dio, patria, famiglia” (God, fatherland, family), she pledged to make Italian families and the nation’s birthrate priorities for her administration….

Meloni has made family – not just birthrates – a chief focus. She opposes abortion, which is currently legal in Italy during the first 90 days of pregnancy, and same-sex marriage, which is not legally recognized in Italy. Under Meloni’s administration, same-sex partners have also been banned from being listed as parents on a child’s birth certificate; the new laws require both biological parents to be named.

Surrogacy, which Meloni called “an abomination that seeks to reduce human life to a bargaining chip,” is also illegal in Italy, and the prime minister has introduced legislation in Parliament to criminalize Italians seeking surrogacies abroad.

Italy took its inspiration from conservative-led Hungary to bolster families. Under the direction of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Hungary has implemented “a slew of pro-family policies. Last year, for example, Orban exempted mothers under 30 from paying income tax.” In addition, Hungary subsidized “large families and granted tiered tax breaks for mothers.” The entire effort by Hungary is to “support families in [the] country and increase birthrates [by] implementing a slew of pro-family policies.”