Tuesday, July 13, 2021

CCP Uses Social Scores to Identify 'The Discredited'

Photo Illustration: Christianity Today
In 2016, three years before Covid-19 existed, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), instituted a "Universal Health Examination" for the Chinese people. The purpose? To require Chinese citizens to give blood samples (DNA), fingerprints, speech recordings, and facial scans during their mandatory physical examinations. CCP officials then input citizen's data into millions of surveillance computers throughout China.
 
As outlined in a CCP government document, the Chinese government's goal was "to allow the trustworthy to roam everywhere under heaven while making it hard for the discredited to take a single step." (Source: China Invents the Digital Totalitarian StateThe Economist).

Who are the discredited in China? Those who oppose government mandates like "no smoking on trains," or "failing to leash pets while walking." Major offenses include criticizing government policies on social media and refusing to comply with Universal Health Examination mandates.
 
China's National Public Credit Information System (CCP) monitors and scores the "social standing" of each citizen. In 2018, the CCP prohibited 17.5 million citizens from buying plane tickets and 5.5 million citizens from buying high-speed train tickets because of their low social scores. Social credit controls are being used to prevent the "discredited" from buying real estate, insurance, or making financial investments. (Source: Deceiving the Sky: Inside Communist China's Drive for Global Supremacy by Bill Gertz, p. 86).

The "highly discredited" are rounded up and placed in concentration camps for re-indoctrination. Those captured and forcibly relocated include hundreds of thousands of Christians, Falun Gong members, and Muslims who have resisted the Communist state and its forcible mandates. If these "discredited Chinese" do not renounce their social activities and pledge allegiance to the State CCP, they will be tortured and killed and their organs harvested. (Source: Religious Persecution in China Must Be Called Out by Olivia Enos and Emilie Kao, The Heritage Foundation).

The CCP's pogrom slogan is, "once discredited, limited everywhere," until the discredited citizen is forcibly convinced to follow the state's mandates because "the state knows best." If the discredited remains non-compliant, the state will torture and eventually kill "the discredited individual" for the social good of the nation.

American young people, as you sip your chai lattes, trying to figure out if you wish to "identify" as a boy or a girl, and bitterly complain about your lack of "freedom," I wish to remind you that forced equality in the name of socialism/communism leads to the death of a nation. Statism and blind obedience to the state, all in the name of the "public good," destroy liberty. Liberty is not license or licentiousness (look it up). Liberty is the freedom to do what is right.

A desire for "equity" without merit, "honor" without effort, "recognition" without work, and "forced health measures" without the consent of the governed, is a CCP-inspired step toward national death.

92 comments:

rixshep said...

Wade, I wanted to comnent on your post of this on twitter, but was surprised to find that I can only comment in a retweet, but not do an actual reply. What did I want to say? That I have observed that bureaucracies cultivate statists. Millions of Americans work in bureacracies at some level. Public schools and most hospitals are also bureaucracies, btw.

Wade Burleson said...

Thanks, Rick, for your comment.

I don't let people comment on Twitter. They can read my stuff if they want, but I don't wish to read their comments, many of which are filled with vulgarities and hate. :)

Rex Ray said...

Wade,

Your Post made me think of Hitler’s concentration camps. In those camps, if anyone displeased ‘authorities’, their face would be ‘marked’ (black eye etc.)

That meant they were marked for death in the near future. For a while they were a ‘walking example’ to obey.

Wade Burleson said...

Rex,

Yep. Sad. But Yes.

Celeste said...

Responding to the pushback for a campaign to go "door to door" to push vaccines, "Biden allied groups, including the Democratic National Committee, are also planning to engage fact-checkers more aggressively and work with SMS carriers to dispel misinformation about vaccines that is sent over social media and text messages. The goal is to ensure that people who may have difficulty getting a vaccination because of issues like transportation see those barriers lessened or removed entirely. " (Quote taken from Politico which I do not consider at all conservative. https://www.politico.com/news/2021/07/12/biden-covid-vaccination-campaign-499278)

So, you think that your texts are private? If you think they will only search texts with word "vaccine" I'll sell you that proverbial bridge in the desert of our previous privacy. They are pushing for regulation of texts, and when that happens.....there should be out-rage over this from both side of the aisle. Liberty, freedom, privacy? Are we about to lose this for a vaccine that is still not FDA approved? (I would feel the same way if it was FDA approved, but it seem more outrageous that they are forcing this over a intervention that is still operating under an EUA).

I have a colleague who went on a medical mission trip to India several years ago (pre-COVID). On the way back they spent a couple of days in China. They all noticed that their phones fell silent. A member of the group had a family member die during those days.....a text was sent to tell him of his grandmother's death and that text did come through. For the rest of them, nothing was allowed to pass until they landed in San Francisco. Big Brother was watching and blocking.

Christiane said...

“If only it were so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart? ”

(Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn,author, 'The Gulag Archipelago')


It appears that pointing to 'the others' is a universal phenomenon of our human kind which shows up in many cultures, but in the end, if we are honest, we are found looking at our own fallen human weakness and its result: THE Crucifixion of Christ.
At this point, we know there are no 'others', that our collective only hope is the One Who gathered our whole humanity to Himself in order to heal it.

Rex Ray said...

Celesta,

You don’t have to be in China for cellphones to be silent.

When trying to use a cellphone at VA hospitals, a message reads: “No service”

Carolyn said...

I have followed you on Twitter for several years and have never seen hate or vulgarity. People do call you out for exaggerations, posturing, and faulty reasoning. You have a very thin skin and are incapable log engaging in authentic debate. You are never in doubt but often wrong.

Celeste said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Celeste said...

Rex that is interesting....wonder if it is intentional or the building. I know that the company I work for built a new building around 7 years ago. When everyone moved in, they discovered that no one had decent cell phone reception except for when standing in a hall on one side near a bunch of windows. There was a scramble to wire radios/transmitters inside the building to allow cell phone function. (Radio may be the wrong terminology....my understanding of what they did to bounce the cell phone reception into the building that was blocking it.).

J D Rector said...

Wade:
May I have your permission to copy this particular blog post, with your name as the author, to distribute to high school students I tutor in Government, History, and Current Issues classes? These students are in our public, private, and home schools in my area of East Alabama.

I'm an old 67yo military brat as my father was a US Army veteran who served in combat during the Korean War. As early as the late 60s and early 70s, dad began to become very troubled with the direction of our country and culture. Dad instilled into his 2 boys a patriotic, devoted love for our country. But, he quoted the apostle Paul to many of us who would listen after he came to know Jesus as his Lord and Savior when I was 6 years old. He would quote the last part of 2 Corinthians 3:17 from his old Scofield KJV Bible which says, "... where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." Loyalty to is to God first and when we, as a nation, disobey God's laws, we will suffer the consequences just like ancient Israel did.

Many of our young school students do not comprehend what is happening today. Liberties are indeed being slowly taken away. Thank you for this specific blog post.
J.D.Rector

Wade Burleson said...

JD Rector,

Of course!

Wade Burleson said...

Carolyn,

"I have followed you on Twitter for several years and have never seen hate or vulgarity. You have a very thin skin and are incapable (of?) engaging in authentic debate."

Laughing.

Twitter is a cesspool. I don't mind swimming in it to save the drowning. I don't enjoy the name-calling or the glorified atheistic humanism.

Blessings!

P.S. Any comments or dialogue about the post?

Rex Ray said...

Celesta,

Veterans Affairs Bans iPhones For Veterans (disabledveterans.org)

“Veterans are now receiving leaflets from Veterans Affairs prior to diagnostic appointments that show iPhones are among a short list of “prohibited items” at VA medical centers. Other items on the list are pistols, knives and backpacks.”

Christiane said...

In THIS world, a person who has chosen to follow Christ
is impacted, not by changing events,
but by the Power in these words: "HE IS RISEN. ALLELUIA"


The sacred Scriptures call us into the Life of Christ, where His Words become a source of our nourishment for that life.

It is within the Peace of Christ Himself that we can find the answers that this world cannot give us, politically or otherwise.

Christiane said...

Hello WADE,
the commentator 'Carolyn' must not know of your actions on behalf of women who were persecuted in the Church. If she did, my guess is that she would not have written that comment in that way.

Wade Burleson said...

Christiane,

:)

Thanks for the kind words. Honestly, my skin is so thick after decades of verbal abuse, I take every personal cut as a compliment. It means my writing is getting under someone's skin and causing irritation - which always leads to thinking through things.

Scott Shaver said...

Let her rip with the "authentic debate". Have never seen him dodge one.😎

Rex Ray said...

Wade,

Tucker Carlson on his 7-14-21 TV show, exposed voter fraud in Fulton County Georgia in the 2020 President Election.

Attorney, Bob Chelly of Georgia has filed suit to see the ballots that are stored in a basement.

A surveillance video shows a woman putting the same ballot into a scanner more than once, but the county refuses access to the tally sheet.

One tally sheet had 554 for Biden, and 42 for Trump, but it was reported 800 for Biden and 0 for Trump.

A video shows a high stack of mail in ballots. The sheets are smooth without creases. (How can a sheet be mailed in an envelope without folding it?)

The ballots were not filled out by hand but by a printer!

Mark Davis analyzed data from the Post Office, and 35,000 voters from the county had moved out of the county, which made them ineligible to vote.

Christiane said...

I think the 'quick links' on this site are very helpful:

https://sos.ga.gov/index.php/elections/secretary_of_states_office_certifies_runoff_election_results

Christiane said...

REX RAY,

here is some info about Tucker Carlson that you may not have seen:

" ...comes the claim that you can't expect to literally believe the words that come out of Carlson's mouth. And that assertion is not coming from Carlson's critics. It's being made by a federal judge in the Southern District of New York and by Fox News's own lawyers in defending Carlson against accusations of slander. It worked, by the way.

Just read U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil's opinion, leaning heavily on the arguments of Fox's lawyers: The "'general tenor' of the show should then inform a viewer that [Carlson] is not 'stating actual facts' about the topics he discusses and is instead engaging in 'exaggeration' and 'non-literal commentary.' "

https://www.npr.org/2020/09/29/917747123/you-literally-cant-believe-the-facts-tucker-carlson-tells-you-so-say-fox-s-lawye

Rex Ray said...

CHRISTIANE,

Your link states: “…record turnout in 2020, with over 1.3 million absentee by mail voters”

Those mail-in ballots had to come out of a box instead of a letter since the video showed they didn’t have any ‘creases’ that a letter would make.

Thanks for making Tucker’s report stronger. :)

Christiane said...

Very funny, REX RAY, I'm trying to help you out. Oh well, at least I tried.:)

Rex Ray said...

CHRISTIANE,

Peace; thanks again.

RB Kuter said...

Rex Ray, you should continue to refer to Tucker and ignore the bogus leftists who continue to say there is no basis to wide spread voter fraud in the 2020 election. Georgia is a prime example.

The fraud was so evident and video recorded in Georgia that it defied rejection. The Attorney General at the time, Brad Raffensperger, was Republican by "name" but totally supported the cover-up of the atrocities taking place in the voting venue. He rejected calls to review the election prior to the announcement of the results.

Now that legal proceedings are finally making headway toward getting some semblance of response by the courts, Raggensperger is doing an about face, no doubt because he could be implicated in the conspiracy. The heat is on.

In late May, Republican sources were finally able to have their case heard in the Fulton County (Atlanta) judicial system. Due to the validity of the charges of fraud, a review of the 147,000 Fulton County absentee ballots were ordered. Since that time the Fulton County voter players in charge have successfully delayed proceedings with continual motions to dismiss the case.

Those 147,000 ballots are supposed to be held under armed guard 24/7 until the review actually takes place. Since then there have been lapses of time when the guards abandoned their posts leaving the warehouse un-monitored.

The video evidence widely shown is of Fulton Country voter officials dismissing all monitors and observers during the ballot counting. Only then did the remaining few officials begin to pull multiple trunk-loads of "ballots" out from under covered tables to be counted.

As part of the most recent suit awaiting court consideration on the recounting is the charge that "thousands" of ballots were obviously "photo-copied" from machines rather than being the original ballots. These are legitimate claims and now there may be hope that the judicial system "might" actually allow this to be brought before a court.

Listening to NPR yesterday with some "talking heads" discussing what they said to be bogus claims of widespread voter fraud and they said that such claims had been proven totally false by the courts. This was a "lie" by the propaganda press. Courts have never found any of those states challenged to be acquitted because the courts REFUSE TO HEAR ALL CASES!!!

Why?

The judicial system cannot allow legitimate scrutiny of the election. Should one state, say, Georgia, be found to have had an illegitimate election due to voter fraud, it would totally disrupt the election and undermine the credibility of a "sitting" Administration. There is no precedent. Even the Bush/Gore election controversy took place "before" the winner was announced.

Yet many of us in Georgia, and other states, are convinced that the election was stolen.

If indeed this election was stolen, it would eliminate the voting process as a credible assessment of how the nation stands on candidates and issue. Sad to say, this has occurred meaning that those currently in charge will remain in charge no matter what the majority says or how they vote.

Christiane said...

Hello Mr. Kuter,

my opinion only: when unqualified people are taking many contributions and many months to 'examine' ballots and machines, they had better be prepared to defend their findings in a court of law.

The courts of this nation will ask for 'proof' that was legitimately gathered by those who were QUALIFIED to find it. That proof was not there when Trump supporters first went to court, so their claims were dismissed.

I don't think people realize that it is important for those who come into a court of law to be honestly seeking justice on the basis of credible evidence.

As for people like Tucker Carlson, you may or may not believe what Fox News' own lawyers said about him, but it was said in a court of law and the judge bought it as a defense for Fox News. When their own lawyers discredit Tucker Carlson, you have to ask 'is it right to expect the public to continue to see him as credible'? I ask the question. It is for reasonable people to sort this out for themselves.

Mr. Kuter, I will always respectfully support your right to see things differently, but in the end, we are a nation of laws. That has kept those who were 'not happy' they lost an election from overturning it once. The next time they go into court, their case must not be frivolous but soundly based on credible evidence, which so far no one has brought to a court of law, especially not Fox News' lawyers.

To be honest, most people see the incompetent examiners now at work as a scam to raise money from hopeful people, lots of money. I feel sorry for those who fund these scam artists, yes. People have been fooled and taken advantage of. Let the courts examine all these goings-on and put light where it is needed.


Dave said...

RB Kuter,

“The fraud was so evident and video recorded in Georgia that it defied rejection.” Yessir, as a Georgia resident, I am baffled how anyone can say there was no significant fraud to investigate …that likely affected the outcome. When election officials are scrambling to block the legitimate process allowing the ballot evidence to be examined …that absolutely signals consciousness of malfeasance.

Christiane, NPR? Well, …there’s the problem. MSNBC and CNN are only slightly worse, in their obvious left-wing journalistic bias.

I spent numerous hours watching the live feeds of election hearings in multiple states …rather than depending upon any particular news outlet’s ‘interpretation’ of what was said. That was proof enough that election malfeasance on a grand scale had indeed, occurred. The testimony preserved in those election hearing live feeds …also explains WHY the capital had BARRIERS erected outside of it.

A clear conscience does not fear scrutiny, but actually INVITES inspection ...confidently assured that expected standards were maintained, and that conclusion must then be …PUBLICLY acknowledged.

Rex Ray said...

RB Kuter,

HEAR, HEAR!

“Though the mills of God grind slowly, yet they grind exceeding small.”

I believe if America is to ever have an honest election again, mail-in-ballots must be eliminated or have a recent identifiable picture.


CHRISTIANE,

You said, “Let the courts examine all these goings-on and put light where it is needed.”

What happened to the court that was to prosecute Joe Biden’s son? I thought no one was above the law.

Dave,

WELL SAID!

Dave said...

RB Kuter / Christiane,

It troubles me greatly, that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: Gen. Miley, (the man whom you had praised, Christiane) has likened ‘domestic terrorists/extremists’ with anyone whom suspects fraud had occurred in the presidential election.

Think how that kind of totalitarianism was viewed by the settlers in cities like Jamestown and New York, shortly before the crown brought to bear military FORCE against freedom-loving colonists escaping the tyranny of British rule.

This political tool, the ‘good general’ speaks not ONE WORD about 12 months of burning/looting/destruction/murders/assaults of local government buildings committed by Antifa or BLM. There is NO place for such wicked, one-sided abuse of governmental ideology & coercive power against its own citizenry.

Dave said...

Rex Ray,

“I believe if America is to ever have an honest election again, mail-in-ballots must be eliminated or have a recent identifiable picture.”

True, without a doubt. It remains a disgusting abomination to witness (like clockwork) …the overused cliche’ that Democrats trot out every 4 years: Alleging requirement of a photo ID at polling stations will ‘disenfranchise’ the poor. (As though the intervening years since LAST election, wasn’t sufficient time to obtain photo ID, or despite the existence of door-to-door shuttle bus service transportation to ID facilities and mobile ID units).

This administration is not even attempting to conceal their intentions to prevent another free election from happening, with their proposed federalization of elections. It amazes me that rational adults cannot see that the Democratic Party is very closely aligned with iron-fisted cancel culture, that thinks nothing of FORCING others out of the public forum, and COMPELLING citizens to think in a prescribed manner.

That magnitude of ethical corruption and moral indifference that ‘winks’ at lawlessness & heinous sin, can easily justify whatever it takes to preserve it’s power. The leftist propaganda news outlets, are all too happy to ‘demonize’ observant citizens whom recognize and publicly object to the unethical/unlawful use of force, their masters have implemented.

Christiane said...

In Dec. of 2020, before his death, Rush Limbaugh was quoted as saying, this:

"“I actually think that we’re trending toward secession. I see more and more people asking what in the world do we have in common with the people who live in, say, New York? ... There cannot be a peaceful coexistence of two completely different theories of life, theories of government, theories of how we manage our affairs. We can’t be in this dire a conflict without something giving somewhere along the way.”

Perhaps Limbaugh was a prophet for what is 'to come'?


What do people see as the 'future' of a nation that comes under Trump again?
Would our allies trust us?
Would our enemies rejoice in the death of our democracy?
What 'form' of 'government' would then become its replacement?


With the death of the Republican Party, we have seen a great blow to our democratic system of government. The remaining remnants of the Republican Party (such as Liz Cheney, Mitt Romney) are now much belittled by Trump followers.

Changes are underway. Be careful what you wish for. :)

Dave said...

Christiane,

I’m not at all attempting to draw parallels between spiritual states and political affiliations, just speaking in response of extreme opposing philosophical views, that you quote Limbaugh on.

The coexistence of born-again children of God and the prideful, unrepentant children of the Devil, has always been (at best), tenuous, at worst …horrifically genocidal.

“What 'form' of 'government' would then become its replacement?”

While allowing for continuing maturation of my theology, I still prefer a literal dispensational interpretation of end times events depicted in Revelation. So, I’m expecting a ‘one world’ system of governmental rule at some point. God only knows when. Personally, I cannot recall anything approaching the GLOBAL scale of this current pandemic, and the consequent totalitarian restrictions of liberty coercive governments imposed upon their citizenry.

The mere thought of implementing COVID vaccine passports and articles I read yesterday of some American companies issuing COVID vaccine ultimatums for continued employment, is what I’d expect to see as the early foundations of iron-fisted centralized authority.

Dave said...

Christiane,

Regarding Limbaugh, while aware of some of his books and having heard ‘sound bites’ from his broadcasts, I never listened to his program.
I considered him among the same conservative pundit category as O’reilly and Hannity. Usually representative of my values, …however, their public personas (to me) were too shrill and pompous to endure.

Christiane said...

Hello DAVE,

thank you for responding

My religion aligns with the parable of the Pharisee and the tax-collector in the temple, where the tax collector prays 'God have mercy on me, a sinner'. So I don't understand some of what you have written;

plus I am not at all familiar with 'end times' theology other than 'Christ will come again';

but I do know that Donald Trump said 'we have a world to run', so maybe that is why so many follow after him;

but I do not believe in him, no. I don't see him as 'God's chosen anointed one'

As far as the covid pandemic, people are afraid that the unvaccinated population will be a breeding ground for the virus to mutate (change structure) to become more deadly to the point where our vaccines won't work against the mutated virus. So I imagine 'restrictions' may happen out of that fear of contamination where the unvaccinated are seen as 'carriers' of viral danger. I hope it doesn't come to this, where a free people are excluded because of their anti-vac status, but IF the mutations continue, the result will be a much deadlier, and far more contagious virus. Still, a person has a choice in our country, and the consequences flow from that choice, and this freedom exists for now, thank God.

Thanks again for responding. I am learning more about the changes in the beliefs of those who have 'end times' theologies, but it is still 'Greek' to me. :)

Scott Shaver said...

If the party were so dead, Christianne, bleeding hearts like yourself wouldn't be so afraid of it coming back to life.😂😂😂

Scott Shaver said...

Christianne:

Your "religion", like my "religion" is useless without the "truth" at the very essence of what prompts "religion" in the "imago dei".

Rex Ray said...

CHRISTIANE,

You reminded me of reading how the Texas flag should be when you said, “I see more and more people asking what in the world do we have in common with the people who live in, say, New York?”

I read, “Any Texan that has the Texas Flag with the red up will be deported to New York.”

In retaliation of how the Democratic Government has treated Texas on our border crisis, what if we split Texas into five states. (We have the right when Texas joined the Union.)

I believe there’s getting close to the friction between Republicans and Democrats as there was of individual people in the Civil War. (There were many that didn’t know dam Yankee was two words.)

Confederados - Wikipedia

“10,000 to 20,000 Confederates moved to Brazil from the Southern United States after the American Civil War.

Our father and mother went on a mission trip to Brazil. The town flew the Texas flag.

RB Kuter said...

Rex Ray said, "What happened to the court that was to prosecute Joe Biden’s son? I thought no one was above the law."

That opens an entire new can of worms. What about destroying evidence to avoid prosecution? What about the meltdown of law applied to maintain a semblance of immigration law?

Christiane said...

Hey REX RAY,
I was quoting the late Rush Limbaugh's words.

Hope all is well.

Rex Ray said...

RB Kuter,

It’s easy to answer your questions; our government was highjacked by Democrats with mail-in ballots.

Rex Ray said...

CHRISTIANE,

All is not well. This week, I accidently blooded my bad ankle. One doctor gave a tetanus shot (My grandfather died from blood poison.) and two pills a day to take two hours before taking vitamins.

Another doctor: 4 pills two days, 3 pills two days, 2 pills two days, 1 pill two days, ½ pill two days, and a salve for ankle.

I think they’re fighting a loosing cause because I believe I ‘stirred-up’ cellulitis that through ten years, I’ve received treatment in 3 hospitals.

Christiane said...

REX RAY, I am so sorry to hear about this trouble. I will pray for you in the way of my faith, and ask the Good Lord to help you now to heal. Listen to your doctors, do what they tell you to do. If it gets worse, immediately call them and/or go to an ER for help.

So much depends on circulation but sometimes going into an oxygen rich chamber also promotes healing (hyperbaric). Please let the doctors help you now.

rixshep said...

Ah, good to know! I was concerned that twitter had done that unilaterally, to stifle discussion. I dob't blame you. It is a hostile environment.

Rex Ray said...

CHRISTIANE,

Thanks for your caring words. I’ve had problems with this ankle over 15 years. I scratch it on my wife’s wheelchair, and didn’t doctor it. That developed into a venous ulcer. I blamed a doctor that caused it to develop into cellulitis.

Twice, I’ve had the hyperbaric chamber treatment, plus a skin graft. Also 6 treatments that stopped the blood flow of surface veins in my leg. This doctor said it would force the deep vines to supply the blood. Other doctors said it was stupid.

When Judy and I married, it was doubtful if I could walk. We decide if I couldn’t, she would carry me piggy back. We were going to say it was Sadie Hawkins Day. 😊

BTW, the first time we met; I was on two crutches. (Motorcycle wreck.) 57 years later, I’d improved; one crutch and a cane,

On the back cover of my Dad’s book:

“At ninety, the former front line chaplain is looking forward to the reunion of the 4th Armored Division and the honoring of General George Patton whose words are so proudly recalled.
“The accomplishments of this division have never been equaled. And by that statement I do not mean in the war; I mean in the history of warfare. There has never been such a superb fighting organization as the 4th Armored Division.”

Christiane said...

You can be proud of your father, REX RAY.

And that's quite a story about how long ago, you first met Judy after a motorcycle accident that you survived, but left you temporarily on crutches. (why am I not surprised that you survived?) Those Ray Family Guardian Angels looked after you even then. :)

And now, thank God you have Judy's support in this current crisis.





Rex Ray said...

CHRISTIANE,

Can’t sleep. Will tell this story on my brother, Hez before a pain pill kicks in.

Once, he was in a hospital for a checkup. Had him on a table wearing nothing but his holy shorts. (Holy because of many holes.)

‘Sargent Nurse’: “PUT THAT GOWN ON AND FOLLOW ME!”

He followed her but couldn’t find the gown. To keep his briefs hidden, when her legs went forward, his legs stayed inches behind. (She was quite a bit larger than him.) All went well until she stopped; he bumped her.

GET YOUR GOWN ON!

Ah, nurses. Had one that I named, THE WICKED WITCH OF THE NORTH, but that’s another story.

Yes, Judy is my right hand now. She can remember what doctors say. :)

Christiane said...

REX RAY,

yes, your story shows a great need for sleep! what a scene! LOL

I hope the pain pill allows you to get some rest. No one heals well without rest.

Thank God for Judy!

Celeste said...

On Thursday 7/15/21, a reporter asked house press secretary Jen Psaki about the "request for tech companies to be more aggressive" towards misinformation. Her response, "Sure, well first, we are in regular touch with the social media platforms and those engagements typically happen through members of our senior staff, but also members of our COVID-19 team. Given as, Dr. Murthy conveyed, this is a big issue of misinformation specifically on the pandemic. …In terms of actions… that we have taken or are working to take from the federal government. We’ve increased disinformation research and tracking within the Surgeon General’s office. We’re flagging problematic posts for Facebook that spread disinformation. We’re working with doctors and medical professionals to connect two connected medical experts who are popular with their audiences with accurate information and boost trusted content.
“So we’re helping get trusted content out there. We also created the COVID Community Corps to get factual information into the hands of local messengers. And we’re also investing in the President’s, the Vice President’s and Dr. Fauci’s time in meeting with influencers who also have large reaches to a lot of these target audiences who can spread and share accurate information.
“We saw an example of that yesterday, I believe that video will be out Friday.”

……Cause, I get all my trusted medical information from influencers that don't understand biology or medicine but look super duper pretty on a Tik Tok video.

On Friday, I saw Psaki attempting to redefine what she had said -- the basic argument seemed to be that social media entities are "private platforms" and they can choose to do what they want and regulate the way that they want to…..to most, it is obvious that these platforms are acting as an arm of the government.

Although the cry has been 'follow The Science!!!!!' with the implication that The Science is the truth, the reality is that science is a process. We attempt to determine biologic/natural truths and laws through a series of experiments or observations attempting to define those laws, but as more information is obtained, some of the previous "truths" are found to be in error. The only truth is found in our God. Truth is not contained in our federal government or the oligarchs of social media or the Republican party or the Democratic party. Remember all the things that "they" told us were not true but proved to be true (that the virus likely came from a lab in China, that there would be a vaccine by the end of the year, that remdesivir works (data is piling on that it may not work….)). What if no one was allowed to ask questions of what "the chosen" think we should be allowed to ask? I fear that question is not as hypothetical as I would like to think that it is.....

Christiane said...

I remember my brother had tears in his eyes when we were visiting the graves of our ancestors in Plymouth NC. I asked him what his thoughts were. He said that he was looking at the ages of the little ones who had died in the 1800's and he thought that with what he knew in our modern time as a physician, he might have been able to save those children.

I remember my brother standing in resignation at the death-bed of our mother and I knew then that a physician can do much good but there are human limits to what is possible when all medical help has been done for an elderly person and the rest is in God's hands.

But today, I hear of parents denying their children vaccinations for the old childhood diseases that carried children away so young in the 1800's;
and I see a kind of irresponsibility that is almost cult-like, and I feel so sorry for the children who will suffer from this irresponsiblity.

It's one thing for a person to deny themselves needed help. It's entirely another moral issue for a person to deny life-giving treatment to an innocent child.

There is a new development in the latest 'variants' of the covid virus: children are getting ill and some are having to be placed on ventilators. So now, this may be a good time to re-examine consciences with regard to how we will answer to God for the way in which we care for our young.

RB Kuter said...

Christiane commented: "The courts of this nation will ask for 'proof' that was legitimately gathered by those who were QUALIFIED to find it. That proof was not there when Trump supporters first went to court, so their claims were dismissed."

The problem is that the court system is political. Consider that all Federal judges are appointed by Presidents. All state and local courts are elected by voters aligned with one political persuasion or the other. Think of the 9th Circuit Court in California prior to Trump. It was predominantly biased toward leftist ideology and its decision on any case involving political issues could be predicted like clockwork as to how it would turn out.

The pendulum swings both ways depending upon the political mood of the voters and those they put in office. When those biased courts are presented with cases they respond politically.

Consider this reaction by a left-leaning publication to the election fraud issue: "As reported by Reuters here, state and federal judges - some appointed by Trump - dismissed more than 50 lawsuits brought by Trump or his allies alleging election fraud and other irregularities.
Independent experts, governors and state election officials from both parties say there was no evidence of widespread fraud." (Reuters February 15,2021/ https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-factcheck-courts-election-idUSKBN2AF1G1)

This bogus report is typical of the leftist argument that there is no basis to support voter fraud/ballot box stuffing allegations. It displays the absurdity and logic of those opposing a critical, open, non-biased, review of the most recent Presidential election.

Point:
1. "state and federal judges-'some' appointed by Trump" is an absurd attempt to support an argument that the courts considering the suits were impartial and not political. What does "some" mean? Because one or two judges on a court of 5,6,7,9 judges are appointed by one party by no means the court is impartial and non-political.

2."Independent experts, governors and state election officials from both parties say there was no evidence of widespread fraud."
What an absurd thing to say! If I sue Rex Ray for dumping his garbage on my property and I take the case to court to sue him for damages and the court refuses to hear my case saying there is no evidence, how do we know there is no evidence?

The courts refuse to force review or investigation of those state and local voting officials who would be co-conspirators and take the word of those who would be proven to be corrupt and accessory to the crimes that there is no evidence!

A more credible decision by the courts would be to assign an outside, objective, qualified party to review at least some of those locations charged with ballot manipulation. Anyone believing that the judicial system is not biased and political are either naive or in unsubstantiated denial.

Christiane said...

Hello Mr. Kuter,

do you really believe that the group hired by Arizona Republicans to review the ballot machines and the actual ballots are a credible group?

What is known about them is enough to raise even Republican eyebrows.

As for our nation's legal system, it's far from perfect but we are part of the 'Western Civilization' in which our heritage in this country goes back to the traditions found in the Magna Carta, and even include points of law that goes further back into history because Britain was invaded by so many different groups, each bringing their legal influences and adding them to the mix.

Our system of law, as prescribed by the US Constitution, is what our nation is built on. Perfect? No. But it keeps us from chaos. You only have to look at Mike Pence to understand how much the US Constitution governs our American ways.
He refused to go against the Constitution and did his duty to his country, and now he gets 'booed' at conservative gatherings. That tells me a great deal about what is preferred among the follower of Trump: that the Constitution must be ignored if Donald Trump orders it. Pence refused. The law held. It worked.

Scott Shaver said...

When it comes to politics Christianne, I find the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics more credible than both you and the democratic party. At least they are honest about their desires and intent.😎

RB Kuter said...

Christiane writes:
“do you really believe that the group hired by Arizona Republicans to review the ballot machines and the actual ballots are a credible group?”

I suppose those Georgia Democratic Poll Officials in question would be more credible than those “Arizona Republicans”.

Never mind having an investigation to prove whose case is most valid based upon real evidence. Your comment displays exactly the kind of bias applied within the judicial system in question. You would make a very popular judge.

RB Kuter said...

From my personal experiences with the court system (minor civil suit, jury duty on several cases, double standards at play in political cases in the past several years) I would be horrified to be innocent and accused of committing a crime and then dependent upon this judicial system to provide a just hearing.

For we ordinary folks, the cards are immediately stacked against you if you have my level of limited financial resources. You cannot hope to compete with the unlimited wealth of the government, District Attorney offices, and prosecutorial forces you face.

Have you ever served on a jury and witnessed innocent people demonized by the drama and performance of attorneys playing upon the fickled emotions of jurors? Have you not witnessed the unchallenged power of judges that make decisions based upon their personal bias rather than objectively viewing the facts and evidence of the case? Have you never seen double standards used and applied based upon the whims of politics, favoritism, racism, quid pro quo pay-back systems?

“Blind justice”?

God forbid that I ever have to face serious charges in a court of law within this system, and I am a "white" man! If I was a man of color I would really be horrified.

However, the way the trend is going these days, being white, Christian, and conservative may put us in situations where we will empathize too well with the minority races of the 1950s to this time.

Today I feel very vulnerable to being discriminated against in the system due to my race, religious beliefs and political persuasion.

Our judicial structure and with its original ideological premises are indeed the best in the world. However, just like our Constitution, its good intentions are fallible to the corrupt spirit and immoral character of those involved in its application.

RB Kuter said...

"The Supreme Court declined the opportunity to reverse a ruling that allowed transgender students to use the bathrooms of the sex they identify with." (July 17,2021)

I rest my case.

RB Kuter said...

Sorry, amendment to "rest my case":

July 17, 2021/"Election Integrity": "A Wisconsin representative on Friday said 2020 election reviews being done in the state should be expanded into a “full forensic audit” following alleged irregularities being revealed in Arizona and Georgia.

An election integrity group presented ballot images this week they said show “provable fraud” occurred in the 2020 hand count audit in Fulton County, Georgia. Additionally, the county double-scanned nearly 200 ballots.

Auditors conducting a forensic audit in Arizona’s largest county, meanwhile said during a hearing on Thursday that they uncovered major concerns about some 100,000 ballots. The auditors are seeking more items, including splunk logs, from Maricopa County officials, who vigorously contest the irregularity claims."

Christiane said...

Mr. Kuter, I hear you and I understand your frustration with the quirks in our legal system. I know about legal fees, as when I had my home put into a trust for my son, just that work alone cost me over seven thousand dollars.

I have younger friends going through a custody battle and the costs are horrendous. I don't know how people manage to pay all of these costs unless they borrow or have already saved the money and put it away. (?)

But what is the option to a 'nation of laws'?
A Trump dictatorship, where the only 'platform' is what Trump wants?
I don't think so. That is more for a people who don't have a history like ours where, in England, King John was held to account by the people and his powers were limited. Also in Western Civilization, we have the idea of 'democracy' from the Greeks and the idea of 'the Senate and the People of Rome' from the ancient Romans. Also the first 'parliament' was started over a thousand years ago in Iceland and it continues to operate today, so we 'Western Civiliztion' types in the United States and not going to cotton to some chaotic draft-dodger's whims and tantrums, we 'The People' are going to want to have a say in our government, you bet. It's in our DNA. It's our 'heritage'. The people of North Korea and of Russia never had a history of 'freedom' and 'self-rule'. It is not in their ways, so they end up with a Putin and his rich cronies, and with a crazed dictator like Kim Jong Un.

Trump is a one-off. And yes, he might make it again in '24 IF voting restrictions cut a lot of qualified voters from voting, especially the elderly, the handicapped, the ones who must stand in miles-long lines because they are being 'discouraged' from voting doncha-know? No water for the sick and old in those long lines, either, we can't have that in the new trumpian landscape.

Trump won't last. Someone else will take up his act, but in the end, our nation likes its freedom as it is spelled out in our Constitution.

We are a 'nation under laws'. We LIKE that each of us, as qualified citizens, have the right to a vote locally, state-wise, and every four years, presidential elections. Trump lost. But his tantrum started way before the election when he said 'the only way I can lose is by fraud'. So he organized his followers and they took up the cry and his tantrum became their tantrum. Except for Mike Pence who wouldn't 'go along' and break his oath of office to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. Mike Pence stayed loyal to our country.

Christiane said...

Mr. Kuter,

the one thing that breaks my heart is realizing how much Christian witness has been hurt by the cultic devotion of so many to Donald Trump. As I hear it, the young people are leaving the Church in droves.

I don't think that this is what evangelical people bargained for, no. But it is what is happening.

People say the evangelical world sold out to Trump in order to get judges like Gorsuch. But the children, the young people, were watching. They heard and saw what was going on. All the politics in the world are not worth the soul of one of these young persons, no. This is what troubles me the most.

RB Kuter said...

Christiane, I love your comments. With respect, I find them quite comical and entertaining. For instance:
"the one thing that breaks my heart is realizing how much Christian witness has been hurt by the cultic devotion of so many to Donald Trump. As I hear it, the young people are leaving the Church in droves."

and

"But what is the option to a 'nation of laws'?
A Trump dictatorship, where the only 'platform' is what Trump wants?"

The hatred (paranoia) the "leftists" have for Trump so consumes them (you) that it totally blurs your ability for objectively assessing reality.

The "leftists" attribute the outpouring of conservatism displayed by the masses (probably the "majority" if ever objectively and fairly measured) of United States "citizens" as originating and maintained by Donald Trump. THAT is entertaining and comical. If Ronald Reagan was alive and still involved in politics he would receive the same support and again it would be characterized by the "leftists" as being "Reagan dictatorship" and "cultic devotion" (to Ronald Reagan).

This is why the left-elitists just cannot connect in a populist movement with the "ordinary Joe" on the streets and in the heartland of America. They are so caught up in their own enchantment with themselves being the unchallenged moral police (Is that comical?) that they continue to assess all challengers as "DEPLORABLES" and cultic followers!

That's because the Marxist players are not "populists" and do not have an outpouring of the masses as evidenced by their pitiful numbers at rallies, nationalistic events, and no doubt in elections (though squelched by corrupted ballot box stuffing). Like all totalitarian regimes, their presence in ruling positions is definitely not due to their having popular or majority support but rather by their corrupt means of rigging the system to accommodate their continued rule. Hence, Cuba, Zambia (during ruling days of Kaunda when we lived there), Zimbabwe, North Korea, Iran (Reported by Iranians who escaped to have 90+% opposition to government).

Those regimes maintain their control by demonizing, even criminalizing, all opposition, by instigating a powerful propaganda machine (hence today's unveiling of leftist control of social media giants), and by portraying genuine opposition and reality as being fantasy and unfounded nonsense, i.e., "cult following".

So please continue, Christiane. Feel free to laugh at my proposals and refer to them as being comical and nonsensical as well. I honestly would take no offense.

Scott Shaver said...

Christianne,

Not being an "evangelical" yourself leads me to wonder how really in touch with "what they bargained for" you are.

Russell Moore thought he was an "evangelical" too. Until he wasn't of his own admission. Now he's back including himself under that sect.

My guess is evangelicals "bargained" for what they voted for by a margin of 80 percent or better.

Scott Shaver said...

Christianne talks about the "children of evangelicals watching..."

So were the children of Roman Catholics watching as priests assisted the IRA in Northern Ireland. You never did answer my questions about Clonard Monastery.😎

Rex Ray said...

CHRISTIANE,

NEW SUBJECT

Texas State Highway 121 - Wikipedia

“State Highway 121 is a state highway …to Bonham, Texas, …SH 121 is referred to as the Sam Rayburn Highway.”

CHRISTIANE, remember Sam Rayburn helped our Dad to be a chaplain in World War II.

The highway has been under repair for over a year. A couple of weeks ago, a contractor asked if they could get water from our ten-acre lake for making concrete. I told him they could have it free.

A locked gate is the only way to enter the 100 acres that has the lake. They put a lock on the gate. They put large water pump in the lake and a great apparatus so a water truck could be filled easily.

The gate also has a duck-hunter’s lock, my lock, and the renter’s lock who has about 40 cows.

All went well until three days ago. I found the gate open, and the water people’s lock was open. I thought they had left it that way to get water in a hurry, but they were not there. I took their lock, and locked the gate.

It’s a wonder the cows didn’t get out. Years ago, one did, and was killed by a car, and almost killed the driver.

The next day the small chain was cut. I declared ‘war’, and even though it was Sunday, I figured the ‘ox was in the ditch’. I took a strong log chain, cut several links in two, and welded them around the ‘good locks’, and locked the gate.

My daughter is as good as any lawyer. She’s going to call the head guy tomorrow.

Waiting for pain pills to start working. :)

Christiane said...

REX RAY, now THAT is a story!

even down to the poor dead cow who got hit by a car and might have killed the driver!

You might want to reconsider your generosity to whomever has decided to take advantage of you and that renter by abusing the system of locking the cows in safely.

Seems to me the abusers owe you more than an apology, they endangered cows, the driver, and the public by their carelessness/recklessness and when you attempted to lock the premises, they cut the lock again and left everything open to more trouble.
Maybe your daughter can find out what is going on in their heads, but I'd say you've got a good case against whomever ordered the abuse to take place, sure.

It was a great kindness of you to share your water supply but now I think you must be more self-protective, and take the part of your renter and his/her cows who relied on gated access to the property.

I'm no lawyer, I don't own cows, so my advice is out of outrage for someone taking advantage of a friend who tried to share resources and has been abused. Maybe a lawyer or even notifying the authorities (the law) in this case might be best. In other words, call the cops. Let them investigate and locate the real culprits.

Poor cow. Poor driver. Innocent suffering.
REX RAY, I think you have a legal case, particularly if the 'top man' doesn't own up to what was done and doesn't offer to make good on losses. This makes ME MAD just hearing the story. Wow. REX RAY, you go and take names and kick tail! Well, not literally kick tail. But go get 'em.

Those pain pills, more trouble. How long must you suffer this time? What else is being done for your ankle? There must be a 'plan'. Pain pills are a blessing until you get addicted, God forbid. You don't deserve any of this trouble, not the ankle, not the abusers, not the dead cow, none of it.

Prayers will continue. You take care. Thank God for your daughter who is helping you with this mess!

What a story!

Christiane said...

Mr. Kuter, I'm sorry you think I was disrespecting you personally. That was not intended. I have strong feelings about trumpism and the fall-out from its effect on the witness of the Church, yes. If you were offended personally by anything I said, I regret saying it, knowing that you care greatly about many important issues and see them from a different perspective than I see them. That was unkind of me. Please forgive my insensitivity. You deserved better from me.

Scott Shaver said...

Still crickets on Clonard Monastery from Christianne. Some subjects she won't touch with a 10 foot pole.😂

RB Kuter said...

Christiane, you take me all too seriously. Guess that comes with our not having the opportunity to interact face to face over coffee.

No, I am not in the least bit offended but like yourself, do not intend to offend anyone when I comment on anything. I am serious when saying that I enjoy your comments. Reminds me of Juan on "The Five". He's planted to instill some drama and counter-point to the majority of the panel.

Scott Shaver said...

Rex, RB, Christianne:

I have a question: The Texas Democrats who flew with their cases of Miller Lite are testing positive for COVID. I say leave em in DC until fully recovered and ship em to Austin for arrest immediately following.

Christianne: How did this one slip by the blue state socially just soverignty of God?😎

Scott Shaver said...

Hear Hear RB:

When in social media Rome, keeo clinging to the cross and fighting like hell.

RB Kuter said...

Wow! Scott, I had not heard (News of the fleeing Dems being tested positive for COVID-even though fully vaccinated!)until I read your report and then checked it out on the web!

I tell you what, these days are so bizarre as to be surreal. Who knows what "Bugs Bunny" antics these guys are going to play next??!! Maybe "Bozo the Clown" or "Clarabell the Clown and the Howdy Doody Show" would be a like comparison!

It really is becoming a show like "The Three Stooges". Now that they've hi-jacked the voting system, I believe the best reaction for we miserly, underling, "Deplorables" to take in order to deal with this environment is to simply sit back, chuckle, and assess the lot of them as being about as serious as those comic acts mentioned. I always considered "CNN" to be the "Clown News Network". The entire liberal propaganda media being played by the "Biden Band Master" (absolutely no reference to the "person", Joe Biden, but rather the Marxist regime wearing the "Joe Biden" label who are pulling his puppet strings)is as predictable as is the coming efforts to shut down society and steal remaining liberties under the guise of public health premises.

What is perhaps more bizarre than the antics of the Marxist-left-empire now in control is the number of people being buffooned by this comical troupe and continually marching to their enchanting Pied Piper's melody, right into the raging seas of destruction. Seems they have been mesmerized into senselessness and have fallen into a mindless trance of sorts.

The best we, "the remnant", (Those who have been born into that realm from outside this world) can do is to focus on the only remaining, sustaining "truth", Jesus Christ, "our" Lord. We must not allow ourselves to be distracted or overly-influenced by the madness of this world. We have to remain aloof from their powerful waves of mind-control and continue to assess all of these things taking place according to what Scripture prophesied would occur. We are simply witnessing those promises our Father has given us, as queer and impossible as those events seemed to be prior to their actual occurrence.

I can remember some decades ago, hearing sermons preached from the Book of Revelation. The words and message was so fantastical and foreign to the reality of those times in my life as to make the prophecies seem totally inconceivable and impossible to ever really taking place. Yet here we are with this United States actually assuming the Marxist ideology which has already become so embedded in the nation's identity as to result in our media demonizing freedom protesters in Cuba who are striving to overthrow that Communist government!

Can you imagine?! The United States actually defending and responding in sympathy with the Marxist regimes of the world instead of siding with those disadvantaged, brave, freedom fighters putting their lives on the line for democracy!

Yes, the words of Revelation are ringing loud and true. What we, "The Remnant", must do is to remain steadfast in our devotion to "our" Kingdom's Regime. Do not allow the opposition of this rising global empire to influence you or cause you to compromise your principles, your allegiance to your King or the character of your God.

Remain alien. This is not our home. As prophesied in Scripture, "The Remnant" will continually be refined by those posers, false prophets, and disingenuous followers being culled out and rendered as slag to be discarded ("I never knew you. Depart from Me.") leaving a brighter, more pure and true "church" left standing.

If I can repeat a recent, popular quote from my favorite TV show:

"GET USED TO DIFFERENT"!

Rex Ray said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Rex Ray said...

RB Kuter,

Our Fannin County Association Missionary that lives ¼ mile from us just dropped by for a visit. He showed us a video of Joe Biden. I wish you could see it, but I’ll try to put it into words.

Biden is in the pulpit of a Catholic church. He is preaching and waving his arms, but disappears in a cloud of smoke. When the smoke clears, Trump is swaying and waving his arms; singing the Hallelujah Chorus.

It was a sight to see. :)

RB Kuter said...

Rex Ray, it's all about smoke and mirrors, right? Would like to have seen it.

Hey, what's up with what appears to be the intentional spread of the COVID variants by this government's regime through their "open door" polices with unrestricted admission of COVID-infected thousands coming in through the southern border?

Kind of makes the government's talking heads that display horror over real citizens who refuse to get vaccinated kind of facetious, right?

Can you believe some people actually are falling for it?

Rex Ray said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Rex Ray said...

RB Kuter,

I’ll tell you of one person that’s NOT falling for it. Bur first, I want to tell of the insight this person has even when he was young. He’s a grandson of mine; named Dylan.

Years ago, we had a Ray reunion, and one of my sisters, Raynell, is a ‘talker’ who dominates conversations. When it was over, 9-year-old Dylan told his mother, “It seems Raynell has more important things to talk about than anyone else.”

With that said, this week, my daughter told me Dylan (junior in college’) is VERY concerned about the condition American is in. She tried to console him, but it didn’t help.

Dave said...

RB Kuter,

“Kind of makes the government's talking heads that display horror over real citizens who refuse to get vaccinated kind of facetious, right?”

A “vaccine passport” would be the ONE exception the Democratic Party would make in their classic resistance to require voter ID in election reforms. Could you imagine the hypocrisy in hearing the Dems argue how easy it would be to implement without “disenfranchisement” of any *legitimate* (TM) voters.

On the Revelation tangent, it occurred to me that globalists could realistically insist that conduct of ANY transaction (social, monetary) could literally be tied to proof of having had “the vaccine”. (Not at all alleging the vaccine is “the mark”, …just that totalitarianism could manifest in this Democratic scare-mongering “Never let a tragedy go to waste” playbook).

Celeste said...

I’m not thinking the Democrat party will ever put vaccination passports in play for voting.

The CDC just released COVID-19 vaccination coverage (for some reason among insured persons). (https://www.cdc.gov/media/mmwrnews/2021/0716.html#anchor_1626361946067). Coverage was lowest month 18-24 (29%) compared to other groups. As of May 15, 2021, vaccination among people who received one or more doses of COVID-19 vaccine was highest among non-Hispanic Asian (57%) and non-Hispanic white (55%) people and lowest among Hispanic (41%) and non-Hispanic Black (41%) people. The CDC suggests that, “Addressing vaccine misinformation, barriers to access, and vaccine hesitancy could help increase vaccination rates and reduce illnesses and deaths from COVID-19, especially among racial and ethnic minority groups. “ etc.

Not certain how the narrative that white supremacists or systemic racism is keeping the black man from being vaccinated is playing into this. It couldn’t be the mixed narrative that even after vaccination, you still have to wear a mask, could it? It couldn’t be the fact that both our current president and VP said on the campaign trail that they wouldn’t trust a vaccine developed under the previous administration could it? It couldn’t be that younger Americans, realizing that their risk of dying of this disease is quite low just do not want to subject themselves to a vaccine that doesn’t have long term testing?

Celeste said...

An interesting, but so far not heavily reported “blip” in the world of COVID: I have been seeing articles referencing the highest rates of COVID surge are in the most heavily vaccinated countries. Now, in the US, the narrative is still that this is all because of the unclean (my silly word) non-vaccinated people. In my mind, IF the vaccine works as reported, one still expects 5% of people to become infected but the infections to be mild. I have had difficulty trying to parse that data. I saw reference that “99%” of infections in the US were because of unvaccinated people, but that was hearing a clip from a politician so of dubious truth. In Israel, the increased number of cases are low, but are rising and the majority of the cases are the vaccinated (85%). One percent of the infections are “severe” yet in the unvaccinated 2% of infections are severe. It becomes a weird numbers game because right now infection rates are still far below what there were, but the trend IS concerning and worth discussing.

With the Biden administration's push to squash misinformation or disinformation or whatever the word of the day is, will we be allowed to discuss the concerns like these without being suppressed? Because concerns like these might lead people to choose not to be vaccinated, but what if it is true. What if late term, vaccination isn't protective? Or is it just that those few people having breakthrough infecitons are otherwise severely compromised (multiple comorbidities). Hard to know -- not enough data right now and numbers are small, but certainly something that needs to be addressed. BTW, looking at the Chinese data (check on worldinfometer) they still have no infections.....weird, huh? While the rest of the world keeps flip flopping all over the place, they sit at zero. When was the last time you heard a new report about that phenomena?

Christiane said...

The deaths from covid these days are among those who are unvaccinated.

The virus is mutating: evolving.
It is 'changing' to become more able to infect a human host, in short it is changing form in order to be more contagious.

In time, it may evolve to the point where the vaccines we have now cannot suppress it and these present vaccines (Moderna, Phiser) will no longer be effective against the virus as a deadly infection.

Yes, the 'unvaccinated' are being seen as a breeding pool for the mutation of the covid virus.

Presently, there have been identified less than twenty to thirty sources of misinformation that is at work in our land. Social media has been the way in which the misinformation is dispensed.

But something puzzles me. It's the 'crazy' that says 'the covid virus was a hoax designed to get rid of Donald Trump'; and yet Trump is given credit for having fast-tracked the development of the current effective vaccines and he is proud of this achievement. So what's the story?

If the vaccine is a hoax, what killed all those people? Worldwide?

Do the anti-vax folk realize that Donald and his wife and son, Barron, were vaccinated before Donald Trump left office? It was done, quietly.

I think when this vaccine issue was politicized, it became deadly for many innocent people who 'trusted' the misinformation out there;
and it most certainly contributed to the inability of our nation to get a handle on the virus.

I grieve for the innocent people who will suffer because of politics, because of 'devotion' to a cult whose members have said 'I will die for Donald Trump', because of mis-placed trust in sources of information that have betrayed them into harm's way, because of what my old aunt used to call 'pig-headed stupidity' which shows up in all of our families eventually (yes, if we are honest, we've all got one or two of these poor souls in the family, you know it's true).

Last, the hubris is deadly, to the soul, to the body when it comes out of the pride that is the mother of all sins;
but for it to kill the innocent elderly and young who depend on others to help them, that may be the greatest sadness of all.

My advice? Protect the innocent, then do what you will. If we knowingly don't protect the innocent from harm, we are crossing over a sacred line and beyond it is only the darkness.

RB Kuter said...

Celeste commented in regard to the report of people "not" getting their vacs:

"lowest among Hispanic (41%) and non-Hispanic Black (41%) people." and
"Not certain how the narrative that white supremacists or systemic racism is keeping the black man from being vaccinated is playing into this."

I went to an Atlanta Braves game at "Truist Park" last Friday. It occurred to me (again) that there is a VERY low percent of non-white fans who attend professional sports events even though they are very active in following the teams. Check out any basketball game, football game or baseball game and you will see an overwhelming majority of those in attendance are "white" with an obvious absence of "non-white" fans.

It was the same when we went on vacation at the beach this year (and every year). Only a very small token of "non-white" sun-worshipers present. The same goes for those tourist-sea cruises, tourists going abroad, etc.

Is the explanation because "non-whites" are refused access to these events? Is it because they are impeded from buying tickets like other folks? Is it because they don't have enough money? ("CRT" ideology would probably say so.)

NO! It's because "non-whites" just don't "get into" those types of events. They apparently enjoy getting together with friends, having a party, and enjoying watching those games from home rather than spending the money for tickets, parking, and walking 3 miles to get into the stadium! Apparently they don't get into going to the beach, sitting in the hot sun, getting sand all over everything and paying the exorbitant prices to rent a beach-side apartment like I did!

Maybe "non-whites" have decided that "voting" is not worth the effort and no matter what happens it won't make enough difference in their life-situation to cause them to go through the effort.

Maybe those "non-whites" who are not getting their vacs have the same logic that I do regarding the vaccines: "I don't want to."

Maybe "non-whites" are just smarter than we are.

Here's a novel idea:

Maybe instead of making all of these presumptions on how oppressed they are, we should just "ask them" why they don't do it!

RB Kuter said...

Dave wrote: "On the Revelation tangent, it occurred to me that globalists could realistically insist that conduct of ANY transaction (social, monetary) could literally be tied to proof of having had “the vaccine”. (Not at all alleging the vaccine is “the mark”, …just that totalitarianism could manifest in this Democratic scare-mongering “Never let a tragedy go to waste” playbook)."

I agree, Dave. I do not believe the vaccines, social security numbers, vac/passports, etc. are to be perceived as "the mark of the beast".

Like yourself (If I am interpreting your comment correctly), I simply recognize that the current global trends signify to me that we are entering an unprecedented environment where we will be susceptible to having a government-applied qualifier prior to doing any transaction but it will be associated with conscious allegiance to that entity/person above our faith in Christ.

RB Kuter said...

Rex Ray, tell me you are kidding when saying that you have a sister who was named,
"Raynell Ray"!

(Tell Dylan to focus on Jesus and he won't fall into the stormy waters.)

RB Kuter said...

"Presently, there have been identified less than twenty to thirty sources of misinformation that is at work in our land. Social media has been the way in which the misinformation is dispensed."

Totally a matter of opinion. In my personal estimation, THE GREATEST source of "misinformation" in our nation, bar none, is the government and its propaganda media sources. Certainly not "social media".

Christiane said...

Correction: 'social media has been ONE WAY in which misinformation/disinformation/'alternative facts' ARE dispensed.'




Problem:
some folks think commentators are reporting 'news' accurately when they are only giving their own opinions . . . this shows up when these commentators are quoted in discussions which are more 'fact' centered than 'opinion' centered. The cure for this kind of phenomenon is to consult many sources of information on an issue, and compare and contrast. Tracking down 'original' sources helps, if possible.

Foreign influences, whether government sponsored 'security forces' OR religious cult propaganda, have also added greatly to confusion.

Dave said...

Christiane,

“If the vaccine is a hoax, what killed all those people? Worldwide?”

Liberal Comprehension Disclaimer: Please recognize that I’m certainly NOT denying that COVID can be lethal in its own right…

However, (you knew that was coming, right?) …are you aware that SIGNIFICANT financial incentives (Medicare reimbursements in one example) exist for any organization remotely involved in healthcare, to utter or symbolically denote the ‘magic incantation’ of “COVID” in their invoicing?

You are aware also, that pharmaceutical companies provide ‘incentives’ (…besides the free samples) to physicians whom write prescriptions for their wares? (The industry resents the use of the term ‘kick-back’ to describe their ‘quid-pro-quo’ arrangement). I suspected that’s WHY my own PCP was promoting “the vaccine” so vigorously at my MD appointment last week. No thanks!

Google soon confirmed my theory, showing that up to FORTY percent REIMBURSEMENT from healthcare insurers was provided when administering COVID vaccinations.

It would be naive to conclude ours was the ONLY nation ‘playing semantic games’ with Death Certificates and diagnostic entries on medical treatment charts. I had an interesting discussion with a Georgia county Coroner, whom responded affirmatively to my inquiry as to whether articles I’d read indicating such was the case, …were correct.

The risk factors and co-morbidities in the majority of these deaths have been severely under-reported. It’s staggering to consider that the normal annual flu season, kills far more people each year. (But its ubiquitous nature robs it of a dangerous cachet, so it remains impotent to instill fear). Of the folks my family is aware of whom have died from COVID-related conditions, preexistent respiratory diagnoses were present.

Christiane said...

Thank you, DAVE

I am from a 'medical' family and am aware of existing co-morbidities and of how the 'call' on what actually killed an individual can be a complicated decision in certain cases.

https://www.aamc.org/news-insights/how-are-covid-19-deaths-counted-it-s-complicated

Rex Ray said...

CHRISTIANE,

Your link was very interesting, but it omitted one thing that is VERY important:

Fact check: Medicare pays hospitals more money for COVID-19 patients (usatoday.com)


"Hospital administrators might well want to see COVID-19 attached to a discharge summary or a death certificate. Why? Because if it's a straightforward, garden-variety pneumonia that a person is admitted to the hospital for – if they're Medicare – typically, the diagnosis-related group lump sum payment would be $5,000. But if it's COVID-19 pneumonia, then it's $13,000, and if that COVID-19 pneumonia patient ends up on a ventilator, it goes up to $39,000."

Rex Ray said...

RB Kuter,

My sister, Raynell, got her name because my brother and I liked the funny papers that had “Bronco Bill and Nell”. We wanted Mother to name her Nell Ray, but she named her Raynell.

She didn’t like her name to the point in the third grade, her report card had her name as “Ruth Ray”. (That’s what she’d told her teacher.)

Her teacher moved her to the front row thinking Raynell was hard of hearing because she kept forgetting to respond to “Ruth”. :)

Of course, now she is called by her married name.

She’s a ‘talker’, but not a ‘writer’, so I’ll write the BEST of her stories:

Many years ago, she was in charge of the youth in their church. They were given permission to clean out a junk room for them to meet in. They filled up a truck that was taken to the San Francisco dump.

The next day, sixteen-year-old Nancy told Raynell she couldn’t find her retainer she had in a plastic container, and her father (not a Christian) liked for to work in his store and told her she couldn’t go to church anymore.

Two weeks went by before Raynell decided to look for it. She asked the church to pray. She’d never seen the dump before and was shocked to see the mountains of trash. A man pointed in the direction that bulldozers were working two weeks previously.

She believed she’d find some of their junk, and that’d be the area she’d search. After three hours, she hadn’t found a thing. Defeated, she started down, complaining to the Lord. She kicked the mountain and up popped a plastic container with an undamaged retainer.

Nancy’s father said, “That had to be from the Lord.”

Now, Raynell and I live within a hundred yards of each other.

RB Kuter said...

Rex Ray, we know that the hand of God was involved in that "retainer" discovery. Things like that really affirm our faith in God's involvement in our very personal, intimate lives.

We were preparing for our return to the field in Thailand. We had wooden containers used to pack those "re-outfit" materials we would be using for the next four years. The containers were 4 ft wide, 8 ft high, and 8 ft long. We utterly had the thing packed so full from top to bottom and side to side that the sides were bulging out and they would have to push hard to get the end piece nailed in place prior to sealing it for the overseas journey.

Our teen son was in a state of depression due to having to separate from his friends, probably forever. The day the crate was to be sealed and shipped, Jeremy announced that he desperately needed his school photos so he could exchange them for pictures of his close friends at school.

We looked at the fully packed container not having a clue where those photos might be. It seemed it was going to be another disappointing aspect of personal life and sacrifice involved in our family serving Christ on the other side of the world. Only this time, it was our son who was to weigh the burden, which of course, weighed all the more heavy on Mom and Dad.

After some meaningless attempts to move a few items near the final opening in the crate to see if it uncovered anything without causing an avalanche of items stuffed inside, I surrendered to the inevitable disappointment and walked to another area of the warehouse where we had been packing crates. Cooky was still standing in front of the crate staring at it.

After a few moments, I returned to the crate and Cooky stood there holding the large envelope of school photos! "Where, how, did you find them??!!" I asked, totally shocked.

She said, "I just prayed and asked God to help me, then stuck my arm along the side of the crate and I reached in as far as I could reach, and I felt the envelope. I could touch just enough with my finger tips to get a grasp and pulled it out!"

I cannot tell you what encouragement and affirmation that seemingly small event was for us as we again made our way from life in this country to the "unknowns" of living in a strange culture so far away. We were going to be okay.

Christiane said...

Great stories this morning, thank you both!

REX RAY, hope you are feeling better of the ankle trouble.

Scott Shaver said...

Christianne:

What do your many "sources" say about the history of Clonard Monastery?

Dave said...

Rex Ray & RB Kuter,

I enjoyed your descriptive accounts of divine intervention by a loving Father, infinitely concerned with even the seemingly trivial matters of His children's lives. I now wish I had taken the time to preserve in a journal, the occasional supernatural visitations that felt as though God had split the sky open and reached down to 'physically rearrange' my circumstances, to inexplicably cause favor to rest upon me.

RB Kuter, a brief six week military training exercise in Korat, Thailand introduced me to the sweltering humidity of the summer months without air conditioning. I was humbled and horrified by the glimpse of poverty I witnessed while on a Bangkok canal boat ride. The long, narrow 'canoe-like' vessel powered by a crudely installed car engine, stirred up the putrid water that wreaked of rotten garbage and feces, causing my eyes to water. As the boat moved past a series of rusty, corrugated tin huts built directly over the water upon stilts ...this westerner realized sewer plumbing was a first world luxury.

What staggered my sense of reason most, was just moments after passing by bloated carcasses of dead animals floating in the canal, the boat rounded a bend to reveal a shallow area where the laughter of little children was heard, as they swam, splashed and bathed in the canal.

RB Kuter said...

Dave, your portrayal of the boat ride in the Bangkok "clongs" is all to accurate and vivid. There are millions living in shanty cities with living cells made of corrugated tin walls and ceilings connected by the hundreds like honey bee combs. The people have electricity from running live lines from the nearest overhead power lines and then running that throughout the complex to provide enough electricity to power a small TV and a couple of light bulbs, but no air conditioning. It's like an oven all year long.

I always wondered as I saw those children swimming and frolicking in those "black water" clongs how their skin did not just corrode off their bodies.

The presence of similar shanty communities are also built around the construction sites of the huge, 40 story hotels and condominiums along the seaside tourist cities as well as urban areas like Bangkok. The people work all day and into the night on the high rise buildings then come "home" to their tin rooms and eat the meals they buy at the local open markets, watch a "Muay Thai" boxing match or Thai romance soap opera and go to sleep on their mats on the floor, only to get up early the next morning to begin again.

I'm glad that you had the opportunity to go, though. We watched proudly every year when our US military came to do joint training exercises with the Thai military in the "Cobra Gold" annual events. Our military personnel were famous for using time to do amazing construction and engineering projects to contribute to the communities as well as the military training activities. They built living quarters in a Catholic camp set up to care for AIDS victims near us and many such projects throughout the areas where they were based. Their performance and presence was always exemplary.