Laws
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Believe it or not ‘A school in the UK has reported its chaplain to an anti-terrorism unit after Christian students were told they were allowed to disagree with LGBT ideology.
Rev Dr Bernard Randall, 48, made the remarks during a June 21, 2019 sermon delivered at Trent College near Nottingham.’https://caldronpool.com/school-reports-chaplain-to-anti-terror-unit-for-telling-students-they-can-disagree-with-lgbt-ideology/
Here’s more of the same story. This ‘...school secretly reported its chaplain to the anti-terrorism Prevent programme after he delivered a sermon defending the right of pupils to question its introduction of new LGBT policies.
The Reverend Dr Bernard Randall told pupils at independent Trent College near Nottingham that they were allowed to disagree with the measures, particularly if they felt they ran contrary to Church of England principles.
Among them was a plan to ‘develop a whole school LGBT+ inclusive curriculum’.’https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9557845/School-reports-chaplain-telling-pupils-theyre-allowed-disagree-LGBT-teaching.html
‘The Biden administration is considering using private firms to track the online activity of American citizens in order to get around the Fourth Amendment and other laws that protect Americans from unreasonable searches and seizures and surveillance. The report says that the Biden administration wants to monitor “extremist chatter by Americans online” but can’t do so without a warrant, and thinks private firms can get around the legal restrictions.
Federal authorities “can only browse through unprotected information on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook and other open online platforms,” according to CNN.”https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/matt-margolis/2021/05/03/cnn-biden-admin-wants-to-outsource-spying-on-americans-to-private-firms-to-bypass-fourth-amendment-n1444246?utm_source=pjmedia&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nl_pm&newsletterad=&bcid=08b5a1e2f2263b83e918fb56d7a12a3e&recip=26169367
If the police in this story were all white then it must be racist!
‘Four MS-13 gang members are accused of killing a woman and placing her body in a car in Queens, New York.
According to WLNY-TV, officers with the New York Police Department “saw the four suspects carry a large object out of a building on Foam Place and place it in the trunk of a car before driving away” just before 2 a.m. on Wednesday.
Officers discovered the body of 31-year-old Nazareth Claure in the trunk after following the suspects’ vehicle and conducting a traffic stop near the Nassau Expressway in Far Rockaway.
The body was wrapped in a blanket, confirming the officers’ suspicions from earlier that night, the report said.
“Police say one of the suspects, who was also the victim’s boyfriend, strangled her,” WCBS-TV reported.
Officers arrested Allan Lopez, Jose Sarmiento, Rigel Yohairo and Rodolfo Lopez on charges of murder and said each is affiliated with the notorious criminal gang MS-13.’https://www.westernjournal.com/police-find-womans-body-trunk-car-4-suspected-ms-13-gang-members-charged/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=AE&utm_campaign=can&utm_content=2021-04-17
If anyone SHOULD celebrate FREE SPEECH it would be a law school; Right?! Well, not so fast!
‘SAN DIEGO, Calif., April 13, 2021 — Almost a month after launching a preliminary investigation into law professor Tom Smith’s online comments criticizing the Chinese government, the University of San Diego School of Law is doubling down on its violation of Smith’s expressive rights. In defiance of free speech advocacy efforts by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education and others, the law school has now passed the investigation to the university for an official review.
“We have an oppressive institution cracking down on dissent by investigating a professor for criticizing an oppressive government cracking down on dissent,” said Sabrina Conza, FIRE program analyst. “USD’s unconscionable treatment of Smith is a delight for fans of irony and censorship alike.”
On March 10, Smith posted an excerpt from a Wall Street Journal op-ed on his personal blog, along with his own commentary: “If you believe that the coronavirus did not escape from the lab in Wuhan, you have to at least consider that you are an idiot who is swallowing whole a lot [sic] of Chinese cock swaddle.”
After the post prompted cries of racism from student groups, the university opened an investigation into Smith’s reference to “Chinese cock swaddle.” In response to the criticism, Smith updated the post to clarify that he was referring to the Chinese government, not to Chinese people generally.
FIRE defended Smith’s freedom of expression in March with a letter to the university. The university’s general counsel responded, offering only that USD was “reviewing the matter and expeditiously will take action as appropriate.” FIRE sent a second letter on April 1 expressing its disappointment with the tepid response and reminding the university that investigations alone are enough to create an impermissible chilling effect on campus.
“It’s easy to say that you have the right to free speech, but there’s a climate where there’s so much that you risk by exercising that right,” Smith told FIRE. “And it ends up really diminishing academic freedom.”
FIRE received no response to its second letter, but Smith let FIRE know on April 6 that rather than backing down, the university launched an official “review.”
“Against the objections of free speech advocates and all common sense, and in defiance of its own promises to protect extramural expression, USD continues to obsess over Smith’s comments,” said Conza. “The school must immediately end its review so that all faculty can feel free to express themselves and engage in open dialogue.”
In his inaugural address as president, USD President James Harris said the university can set an example in higher education by playing a “central role as a bastion of free speech and open dialogue in a free and democratic society.”
Though USD is a private institution not bound by the First Amendment, it is required to live up to its promises of free expression.’https://www.thefire.org/a-professor-is-under-investigation-for-criticizing-the-chinese-government-defend-his-rights-with-two-clicks/
So much for the justice system! “If George Floyd’s murderer is not sentenced, just know that all hell is gonna break loose,” Echols said. “Don’t be surprised when buildings are on fire. Just sayin’.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1379061061286944773
New Zealand is, in my opinion, owned lock stock and barrel by the CCP. Now, ‘Over the course of the past 12 months, New Zealand has been through a number of enforced lockdowns due to COVID-19. Despite these setbacks, our government’s response to the disease has been internationally lauded as an example of how to effectively manage a pandemic.
Some countries—initially, at least—placed their economies ahead of health outcomes. New Zealand, however, chose a different path. From the beginning, the government aimed to eliminate community transmission of the virus. The focus was on saving human life, without regard for age or underlying health conditions, despite the inevitable cost.
From a biblical perspective, this emphasis on the value of life is to be commended. We are all made in the image of God, despite living in a fallen world. As such, we should do everything in our power to extend the life and minimize the suffering of our fellow human beings.
It makes very little sense, however, if atheistic evolution is true. ‘Survival of the fittest’ is supposed to be the key to evolutionary progress. Why, then, should we care about prolonging the life of those least likely to survive a virus? Particularly when the most susceptible are well past their reproductive use-by date.
Sadly, this same valuing of human life does not extend to the most vulnerable in our society. As New Zealand enacted the government’s lifesaving COVID-19 strategy, our parliament passed the Abortion Legislation Act 2020.
The law change was aimed at removing abortion from the Crimes Act. This was to reflect the (sad) reality of abortion in this country. However, the pro-abortion lobby seized the opportunity to implement one of the most extreme pieces of abortion legislation in the world.
Abortion is now available up to birth on demand for any reason. (After 20 weeks, the abortion must be ‘clinically appropriate in the circumstances’. Experience with the previous legislation tells us that this will, in most cases, be a foregone conclusion.4)
There is now no legal age limit on seeking or having an abortion. Parental notification is not required for minors. Sex-selective abortions are legal (an amendment to ban sex-selective abortions was voted down by members of parliament). The 20-week limit for disability-selective abortions has been scrapped. And babies born alive after a ‘failed’ abortion do not have to be given medical support.
Medical practitioners who object to abortion do not have to assist in the procedure. But they are required by law to provide information on how to contact the nearest provider.
This contradiction in valuing human life is hard to comprehend. It is also impossible to reconcile with evolution. If those with the highest reproductive rate are more likely to contribute to evolutionary progress, as evolutionists would have us believe, why would otherwise healthy individuals choose to abort their offspring?
Most abortions in New Zealand are performed because our society has deemed unwanted pregnancy to be an inconvenience that can be ‘solved’ by medical intervention. This stands in stark contrast to the biblical understanding of life.’
‘So how, might you ask, does this relate to cows? Let me explain.
New Zealand is also held up internationally as a model for the efficient production of dairy products. We are the world’s largest exporter, accounting for over 20% of the dairy export trade. This is more than twice as much as our nearest competitor.6
To produce milk, cows must have calves. For maximum efficiency, it is preferable that the cows all calve at the same time. As such, late calving cows can be ‘inconvenient’ for the farmer. One way to solve this problem is to induce the cow, which results in calves either born dead, or requiring euthanasia because they are not viable.7
Animal welfare groups and their political allies decried this procedure. One politician called the practice “inhumane and cruel” and called for the removal of induction-drugs from the market. She even claimed that vets who carried out inductions were engaged in “a breach of their code”. As a result, since June 2015 induction of dairy cows to abort their calves in New Zealand has been banned, except where the welfare or survival of the cow, or the calf, is at risk. And yet this same politician, in a speech advocating human abortion, reportedly said: “it’s incredible that abortion is still such a contentious and divisive issue”!’ The rest of this article may be read at https://creation.com/abortion-in-new-zealand?utm_campaign=infobytes_au&utm_content=Which+are+more+valuable+-+New+Zealanders%2C+or+their+cows%3F&utm_medium=email&utm_source=mailing.creation.com&utm_term=Fortnightly+Digest+-+2021.03.05
Most of us do not like or desire violence of any kind. However, there does seem to be two standards of justice in the good ole USA. ‘Investigators have recommended that prosecutors decline to bring charges against a US Capitol Police officer in the shooting of a pro-Trump rioter who was killed during the insurrection, according to people familiar with the matter.
The shooting of pro-Trump rioter, Ashli Babbitt, remains under investigation by the DC Metropolitan Police, the US Attorney’s Office in Washington, DC, and civil rights prosecutors, a routine process for shootings involving the Capitol Police. A final decision hasn’t been made, the people familiar with the probe told CNN.’ https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/02/investigators-recommend-no-charges-capitol-police-officer-shot-killed-ashli-babbitt-still-wont-release-identity/
Does anything surprise you anymore? Paul the Apostle wrote to Pastor Timothy in 1Timothy 6: 8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. 9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
‘Pastors at the scandal-ridden Hillsong Church lived lavishly on congregants’ tithe money, according to former Hillsong members and staff who spoke recently with the New York Post.
The church provided pastors and staff with pre-paid expense cards that they used to buy whatever they wanted—from designer purses to Manhattan hotel stays to huge quantities of food, the sources said.
Former Hillsong LA service pastor Nicole Herman told the Post that she personally loaded the funds onto expense cards for Hillsong pastors, including former Hillsong NYC Pastor Carl Lentz, who recently was fired from the church for an adulterous affair. Herman said the cards were also given to volunteers to make purchases for the church and its pastors.
According to Herman, all the money loaded onto the cards came from church donations and was refilled through her former husband who was the CFO of Hillsong LA.
Another former Hillsong congregant who spoke with the Post was 27-year-old Jenna Babbitt, who started attending Hillsong NYC in August 2011. Babbitt said she worked as a nanny for several Hillsong pastors, including Reed and Jess Bogard who unexpectedly resigned from Hillsong Dallas earlier this month.
Babbitt said she was given access to a pre-paid card to buy food for the children she babysat. She added that she and other volunteers also used the cards to buy spreads of food for the pastors before every service. The cards were also used to buy luxury presents and meals from upscale restaurants for visiting pastors, she said.
According to Babbitt, the church never required her to reconcile the purchases she made with the card, nor was there an expectation that the pastors would reimburse the church for personal purchases made with the card.
During the six years she attended the church, Babbitt said she donated thousands of dollars to Hillsong and worked without pay, even though she was poor at the time.
“The exploitation of free labor while these pastors are making bank is just crazy to me,” Babbitt told the Post. (In a podcast released earlier this month, former Hillsong member Janis Lagata recounted a similar experience.)
Another Hillsong NYC member who worked as a nanny for Hillsong pastors is former member Megan Phalon. Phalon told the Post that she began attending, volunteering and tithing to the church in 2011 and began baby-sitting for Pastors Kane and Karla Keatinge about a year later.
Phalon said she also was given a pre-paid card with the instructions to explicitly use it for the Keatinge’s kids, not herself.
Phalon said Keatinge was required to report his expenditures to Reed Bogard each month, but could never remember what the receipts were for. According to Phalon, the receipts included “hundreds” of purchases from restaurants, $700 for a new iPhone, and four-wheeler ATVs the pastors would drive around Williamsburg, a pricey neighborhood in Brooklyn where all the Hillsong NYC pastors lived.
Similarly, Brandon Walker, a 28-year-old who helped the Bogards start a Hillsong branch in Dallas, spoke of the lavish lifestyle Hillsong pastors lived.
Walker told the Post he remembered “a lot of eating out” and renting “very nice Airbnbs,” including one that cost $1,100/night. Walker added that Hillsong kept the finances secret because the expenditures were so excessive.
Walker said Reed Bogard once gave him $600 when he needed money. “That’s a tactic a lot of these pastors use to keep their secrets,” Walker told the Post. “Buying us expensive gifts, giving us money, like, ‘I got your back, so when I need you to have my back, this is something to remember.’”
I reached out to Reed Bogard for comment, but he did not respond by time of publishing. The Post said it also reached out to the Bogards, but the couple responded by blocking the Post reporter on Instagram.
Hillsong is reportedly investigating its East Coast branch, following the scandal involving Lentz.
Phalon said she shared details of her experience with investigation lawyers who “were shocked” by what she shared. Lawyers also reportedly contacted Babbitt, asking about the church’s use of expense cards.’https://julieroys.com/hillsong-members-tithes-funded-pastors-lavish-lifestyles/?mc_cid=616742f2a5&mc_eid=b13d34ad49
