Here’s the latest from the crossroads of faith and media: 10/14/20
Dueling town halls. In lieu of a face-to-face debate, Biden and Trump will separately answer voter questions tomorrow night (10/15) at 8:00 PM (ET) on ABC and NBC respectively. I have no doubt that the president will be presented with a mix of tough but-fair to out-and-out hostile questions. But, judging from how things have gone so far, I think we can expect much gentler treatment of the former vice president – with questions from supposedly undecided voters tending to sound like they were written by his own campaign. Since I’m pretty sure President Trump will undergo appropriate scrutiny, I offer here some questions I’d really like to hear Joe Biden answer (though it seems they almost certainly won’t be asked).
BTW, I actually voted against the president (and, albeit reluctantly, for Clinton) the first time around. This time (after nearly four years of seeing the Dems in Congress and a compliant corporate media manhandle the Constitution) I’m about as “undecided” as the questioners at Biden’s recent NBC town hall.
- After trying to dodge the question, you now says you’re “not a fan” of packing the Supreme Court with additional judges. Will you commit to not doing so? Don’t voters have a right to an unequivocal to such a foundational question?
- Similarly, will you commit to not reducing the voting and legislative power of the current states by adding new states without the expressed will and consent of the people of the current states?
- Will you favor abolishing the Senate filibuster and the Electoral College – both of which are designed to foster reasonable compromise and protect against the tyranny of the majority?
- Will you apologize for repeatedly suggesting the President Trump has failed to condemn racism and white supremacy when the video evidence makes crystal clear that he has done so repeatedly and in no uncertain terms, including regarding the terrible incident in Charlottesville?
- Some are suggesting that President Trump’s rhetoric is responsible for encouraging the violent extremist plots against the Democratic governors of Michigan and Virginia. Do you share that view – and, of so, is Democratic rhetoric, often comparing the president to Hitler, at all responsible with the recent attempt to mail ricin to the White House or the shooting attack on Republican lawmakers that nearly killed House GOP Whip Steve Scalise in 2017?
- Are black conservatives real blacks?
- If you win the election what will happen to the Durham Report investigating controversial activities by the FBI, Hillary Clinton and the Obama Administration during the 2016 election? How do you respond to the growing evidence that it was Hillary Clinton who was colluding with Russians?
- Speaking of the Russians, why is the claim that your son Hunter received millions from the Mayor of Moscow not worthy of discussion?
- Switching gears a bit, when, in all your years in public office, have you ever been tough on China?
- Robert Gates – who served as President Obama’s defense secretary – stands by his statement that you have “been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades.” Why shouldn’t we believe him?
- Democrats often talk drop the term “settled science” when talking about climate change and projections about the future. Skeptics are labeled “climate deniers,” as if they are on a par with Holocaust deniers. Do you see a fundamental difference between climate theory skeptics and Holocaust deniers? And how about that e-mail in which a senior executive of the Ukrainian oil company Burisma thanked him for setting up a meeting with you when you were vice president – especially when shortly thereafter you boasted about successfully pressuring to remove the Ukrainian prosecutor who was investigating allegations against the company?
- Speaking of science, why is that word never applied to the debate over abortion?
- When you claim that taxes won’t rise for anyone making under $400,000 in a Biden Administration, are you talking about all taxes – or only the income tax?
- Are you concerned that America’s news sources are increasingly controlled by globalist corporations that may be more interested in cozying up to China and its markets than the interests of America and American workers?
- Do you support the 1619 Project that suggests that America was built on slavery and not the ideals stated in the Declaration of Independence?
- The most famous line in the Declaration is “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” With the exception of replacing the word “men” with “people,” do you take issue with anything in that sentence?
- What are your thoughts on Cancel Culture and internet truth squads?
- Democrats had a field day when presidential advisor Kelly Ann Conway used the term “alternative facts.” What’s your view? Is there no such thing as an “alternative fact” that reflects another vantage point on a given question? Shouldn’t alternative facts be weighed, considered and balanced with other facts? Is there really only one way to look at things?
- Democrats used to say the answer to false speech is more speech – reflecting confidence in the American people to eventually discern what is true. Is that still the Democratic position?
- Do you have absolutely no concerns over the security of massive mail-in voting – especially at a time when it seems more important than ever that Americans have faith in the declared outcome? Do you not see the increased potential for mistakes, fraud and voter disenfranchisement?
- Finally, President Trump is often criticized for refusing to rule out challenging the election count. Will you rule out challenging the result – and if you will not, why should he?
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Meanwhile, as the globalist corporate media continues to curry favor with China, this happened:
WASHINGTON: October 14, 2020 – The UN General Assembly elected China to the Human Rights Council on Tuesday, despite its abhorrent treatment of Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples, and recent complaints filed against China with the International Criminal Court for genocide and crimes against humanity.
“By voting for China,” Salih Hudayar, the Prime Minister of the East Turkistan Government in Exile (who I recently interviewed), says “the UN General Assembly is only empowering China to continue its brutal campaign of colonization and genocide in Occupied East Turkistan.”
He adds that “There is no doubt that what China is doing in East Turkistan is a genocide. Millions of Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and other Turkic peoples are locked up in concentration camps, undergoing forcible sterilization, and are being used as slaves in the 21st century…China and its Communist Party are eradicating the culture, language, and very existence of East Turkistan and its people in a systematic campaign.”
This should be a big story but, just like the early days of the coronavirus (when the Democrats and the media were focused on impeachment), it will likely go largely ignored.
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Two more chances to see Never Again? As I wrote last Friday, the feature-length documentary about the inspiring friendship between holocaust survivor Irving Roth and former radicalized anti-Semite Kasim Hafeez is highly recommended for anyone concerned about rising totalitarianism and threats to religious liberty in China, around the world and, potentially, here in the United States. The Fathom Events presentation debuted in theaters last night and can be seen again tomorrow (10/15) and (in an added showing) Monday (10/19).
I recently had the opportunity to speak with Kasim about his fascinating journey from the darkness of learned bigotry toward the light of tolerance, respect and love. A British citizen of Pakistani heritage who now lives in Canada, he spoke with me by phone.
Kasim says he grew up in a Pakistani neighborhood in Nottingham where anti-Semitism has been common but notes that the mindset is, unfortunately, not uncommon among people of all backgrounds throughout Europe. The general contention being the standard canards “the Jews have too much power” and “they control everything.” He says such beliefs were held by his family and neighbors and that, since he had virtually no contact with any actual Jewish people, he pretty much believed the terrible things he heard about them. His views hardened as he attended college and were only seriously challenged when he came upon the book The Case for Israel by Alan Dershowitz. He read the book – a logical, lawyerly defense of Israel – but was convinced it was filled with lies. At the same time, it so disturbed his world view that he eventually decided he had to visit Israel no so much to investigate as to prove to himself that the evil things he always believed about Israel and the Jews were true. He needed to know that his hatred was justified.
His trip, however, had the opposite effect – as what he saw contradicted everything he had been told. The real challenge came when he reported his new perspective to his community. He says “It led to a lot of hostility from my family and my friends and that only intensified the more I spoke out… against anti-Semitism and in support of Israel.” That hostility led, at least in part, to his decision to move from the U.K. to Canada.
His friendship with Irving Roth developed after he began advocating for Israel and was asked by Christians United for Israel (Kasim is now a Christian) to do a speaking tour with the Holocaust survivor. He says they immediately bonded, as he was deeply impressed by Irving’s positive perspective on life. Their remarkable and enduring relationship lead to the production of Never Again? Below he and executive producer Rick Eldridge can be seen in a TV interview promoting the film. It’s worth a look.
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