By Mike Huckabee
November 29, 2021
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THE MORNING EDITION By Mike Huckabee
Good morning! Here are some stories from me that I think you will want to read. Topics include:
- Salvation Army, Goodwill, and the Religion Of Wokeness
- Thanksgiving's Meaning
- Omicron
- Natural Immunity
- Prayer Tree
- And Much More
DAILY BIBLE VERSE
44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,
Matthew 5:44 NKJV
Today's verse was recommended by Rick.
If you have a Bible verse you want to see in our newsletter, please email [email protected].
THE LATEST NEWS
1. SALVATION ARMY, GOODWILL, AND THE RELIGION OF WOKENESS:
Trigger warning for leftists: This commentary freely uses the terms “woke” and “woke-ism,” words you introduced yourselves as part of your attempt to control the language and, now that we use it pejoratively, criticize us for using. If this bothers you, so much the better. Curl up with some hot cocoa with mini-marshmallows and you’ll be fine.
…………..
The spirit of Christmas giving has been tarnished a bit this season with the revelation that the Salvation Army has published a new course of study for Salvationists called “Let’s Talk About Racism” --- gosh, we just never talk about racism any more, do we? --- that urges members to actively confront Christianity’s historic racism. National Review has details.
On the positive side, it does say this activity is for Salvationists “who choose to participate.” And it does say there are “no correct answers,” just the will to have “an authentic conversation,” prayerfully, and open to the Holy Spirit. You’re even allowed to disagree. But there’s a glossary of terms so you use the correct language when you do.
The main course book has a more concise companion document, “The Study Guide On Racism”; both were created by the Salvation Army’s International Social Justice Commission. They talk about unity and Scripture but still manage to parrot Ibram X. Kendi’s “anti-racist” view that white people carry “unconscious bias.” It reads, “The subtle nature of racism is such that people who are not consciously racist easily function with the privileges, empowerment and benefits of dominant ethnicity, thus unintentionally perpetuating injustice.”
The “Let’s Talk About Racism” book is the more in-depth of the two, with that exhaustive glossary of terms. We all know it’s very important to use the right vocabulary, at least until “progressives” decide to change it. (For clarification on what “anti-racism” is about, I recommend checking out this glossary.) For example, “structural racism...is the overarching system of racial bias across institutions and society. These systems give privileges to White people resulting in disadvantages to [blacks].” “Racist policy” is “any measure that produces or sustains racial inequity between racial groups.” That refers to the anti-racist concept of “equity,” meaning equal outcomes for all groups. The implication: If there is not an equal outcome among groups, the policy must be racist.
Also, it defines racism so that only white people can be racist. Racism is “the prejudiced treatment, stereotyping, or discrimination of POC [people of color] on the basis of race. It is the “system of social advantage” based on a hierarchy of skin color that it describes as lightest on top and working down through darker shades. “What has not changed is that racial groups are placed into a hierarchy,” it says, “with White or lighter-skinned people at the top.”
You’d think the solution to this hierarchy would be to adopt what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., said about judging people by the content of their character and not the color of their skin. But no, that’s not it. Being colorblind “ignores the discrimination our Black and Brown brothers and sisters face and does not allow us to address racism properly.” Also, “Color-blindedness is often dangerous because while we may not claim to see color, we don’t address the race-based stereotypes of beauty, fame and intelligence which often support a supremacist ideology.” Sigh.
According to this study, there's no genetic basis for race at all. “Race is a social construct designed by humanity,” it says.
Here’s a link to the shorter, ten-page guide.
Much of what’s in this guide is very good. There’s a lot about unity. On the first page, called “The Salvation Army International Positional Statement on Racism,” it “denounces racism in all its forms.” But the SA apparently is not seeing what millions of concerned Christian parents do: that some of the “anti-racist” principles espoused here are, in themselves, racist.
The guide wisely says, “Racism is fundamentally incompatible with the Christian conviction that all people are made in the image of God and are equal in value. The Salvation Army believes that the world is enriched by a diversity of cultures and ethnicities.”
And the “Theological Framework” makes some valuable points about the spread of Christianity in the New Testament and the “global multi-ethnic reconciliation plan of God.” But, really, if it’s true that “in some mysterious way we shall retain our ethnic identities in heaven,” as this guidebook says, we hope the proponents of “anti-racism” will finally --- at long last --- look to their better angels and stop their eternal “harping” about race.
Oh, and the Salvation Army isn't the only charitable organization embracing Critical Race Theory. Goodwill industries is doing this as well.
UPDATE: In breaking news, the Salvation Army has said they will "review" their racism guides. RedState.com has insightful commentary.
Steve Hilton, on his Sunday FOX News show “The Next Revolution,” had a segment about “Woke-ism” in general –- which, of course, includes Critical Race Theory –- now that seemingly everybody’s woke: the Democrat Party, the media, corporate America and even classroom teachers and local school boards. He explained that this authoritarian ideology dates from 1920s Germany –- The Frankfort School of Marxist philosophy –- as a strategy to get the oppressed proletariats to rise up and throw off their capitalist masters, as they had thus far failed to do. These Marxists decided that three things were in the way and had to be destroyed: faith, family and culture.
“Woke-ism” targets all three. In fact, Hilton’s guest Michael Shellenberger, in an article on Substack.com, argues that it, in itself, is a religion, as it's based on “a whole series of mythological and supernatural beliefs...” Sadly, it can take the place of actual religion, which is to say, the worship of God.
For example, climate change. Shellenberger argues the belief that the world is coming to an end is a religious idea. It’s not based in science, but in faith.
In his book SAN FRANSICKO, he writes about something that CRT proponents might want to examine: “the idea that people that are victims of ‘the system’ are sacred.” For example, there’s enormous concern for black Americans shot by police but relatively little for the 30-times-greater number of blacks who are killed by other black citizens in their neighborhoods.
I would add that the assertion in the Salvation Army guide that race has no genetic basis and is merely a social construct is another example. The idea that gender is not biological is yet another.
This type of thinking isn’t rational. So when we try to counter it with a rational argument, the conversation goes nowhere.
“These are supernatural views,” Shellenberger says, “that accompany the new morality of victim ideology.” But he thinks we’ll see woke-ism come to an end, because there are unfortunate consequences from this ideology, such as the dramatic rise in crime. He thinks “reality will intrude on woke religion,” and that most Americans “really just want to be equal citizens under the law.” But for now, the Religion Of Wokeness is making problems of racism and injustice MORE difficult to solve.
This is a fascinating read, offering a point of view on victimology that the Salvation Army should not leave out of its “authentic conversations,” but probably will.
https://michaelshellenberger.substack.com/p/why-wokeism-is-a-religion
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2. THANKSGIVING: A REMINDER THAT OUR NATION WAS STARTED BY PEOPLE SEEKING RELIGIOUS LIBERTY:
Hopefully you have enjoyed a great Thanksgiving with your family and you’re trying to figure out how to make best use of the leftover turkey.
Remember last year at this time, Dr. Fauci was telling us not to gather in groups of more than 8 or 10 and better to just eat by yourself while wearing 2 or 3 masks. Not many of us did that last year, and probably no one paid any attention to that kind of stuff this year. Most people by now have either had a vaccination or have had Covid and have natural antibodies. I just can’t imagine that many people worried about what some big-government cosmic kill-joys had to say about enjoying Thanksgiving with your families.
Sadly, some people from the cancel culture left didn’t enjoy a Thanksgiving this year. To begin with, they think the Pilgrims were a bunch of imperialist racists who stole the land, and whose Puritan religious views were bigoted because their beliefs came right out of the Bible. I feel sad for the irreligious left, as they probably gathered in groups of 3 eating tofu, raw radishes, and baked carrots.
This uniquely American holiday of Thanksgiving is one of the most important to me. It’s a reminder that our nation was started by people who sought religious liberty and the freedom to worship God. They risked their very lives to come to a country they didn’t know to try and make a better life for their children. They weren’t perfect, but after some failed attempts at what we’d call socialism today, in which they tried communal living, they resorted to capitalism and allowed families to own land and reap the benefits and rewards of their labor. The result was that the greatest and free-est nation in the history of the world was birthed, and in a really short period of time that colony grew into what would become the United States of America and would rapidly become the most powerful and prosperous nation in the history of civilization. We are rare in that people from all ethnicities, colors, religions, and races make up America. And all are equally endowed by their Creator with life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That alone is plenty of reason to celebrate this holiday and to take time out to offer a sincere prayer of thanks for this God-blessed land.
I have much to be thankful for. A devoted wife. Three grown children. Seven truly extraordinary grandchildren. Lots of friends. A roof over my head. Food on the table, even if thanks to Joe Biden and Congress it costs a lot more this year. And because gasoline was so much more expensive this year, most of us stayed close to home and that was good too.
I hope you made your list of reasons to be thankful as well. And that you expressed your thanks to God, from whom ALL blessings flow!
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4. OMICRON:
Despite the best efforts of panic mongers and government control addicts, the hysteria over the new Xi variant…oops, sorry, “Omicron” variant (mustn’t offend China, must we?: https://redstate.com/nick-arama/2021/11/28/whos-explanation-for-calling-new-variant-omicron-shows-how-in-the-pocket-of-china-they-are-n482741) ...is already waning. And thank goodness, not only because we don’t want another deadly pandemic, but I also hate to see more talk of lockdowns and abuse of power, more stock market crashes, and more examples of President Biden’s appalling racism and xenophobia in shutting down travel from African nations, which is a disgrace and erodes our moral standing in the world (hey, those were his words about travel bans, not mine.)
Granted, that was 22 months ago, so you can’t expect him to remember saying it.
I know you’re hearing a lot of confusing claims about this Omicron variant.
Dr. Fauci seems to be salivating at the idea of it extending his long-expired 15 minutes of fame (I’ll get to him in a minute), and liberal media outlets seem more worried about how it will impact Biden’s agenda and the Democrats’ 2022 electoral chances than whether it will kill a lot of people.
So I decided to do something novel, and which will probably get me banned from Twitter and Facebook: I looked up what doctors who actually are treating patients in South Africa had to say about it. Both are top people in their fields in highly responsible positions. One, who sees patients with a higher rate of vaccinations, said that the cases have mostly involved unusual but mild symptoms, such as headaches, fatigue, sore muscles or a slight cough (I get headaches just from listening to Dr. Fauci.)
The other doctor sees fewer patients with full or partial vaccinations (the vaccination rate in South Africa is very low in general.) He has seen some severe symptoms and patients needing ICU treatment, and more younger, mostly male patients, than before.
This is in line with what we might expect from viral variants: they tend to become more transmissible but not more deadly than the original. This also suggests that existing vaccines are already providing protection. Other medical sources say that while Omicron contains more mutations than any previous variant, none of them are new, so it’s likely existing vaccines are already providing some protection. The first South African doctor mentioned above even slammed the international hysteria over Omicron, saying her opinion may change once we know more, but right now, the panic is driven by “hype.” She called it “a storm in a teacup.”
Caveat: this is still early, and we don’t know much about Omicron. But I hope this reassures you a little that the world is not coming to an end. We shouldn’t make the same mistake we made when we knew little about the original COVID and give up our freedom, jobs and Constitutional rights to the government. Just be careful, stay informed and live your life.
And by the way, while I’m not a doctor, I will pass along this advice from real doctors: with winter here, we’ll be spending more time indoors. That means our bodies won’t be producing vitamin D from exposure to sunlight. Vitamin D is reported to help with immunity to COVID, so taking a daily supplement might be a wise precaution.
AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL
Images of America's cities, landscapes and people.
5. NATURAL IMMUNITY:
As long as I’m one of the few reporting positive news about COVID, I might as well go all-in on irritating Dr. Fauci and his ilk by talking about That-Which-Must-Not-Be-Named: natural immunity from prior infection. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine examined over 353,000 people in Qatar who’d had COVID before and have not since been vaccinated.
During the Delta variant surge, only 1,304 unvaccinated people with prior infections became reinfected (that’s defined simply as testing positive.) Of those, there were only four cases severe enough to go to the hospital. None had to be treated in Intensive Care, and there were zero deaths among them.
The study authors wrote, “Accordingly, for a person who has already had a primary infection, the risk of having a severe reinfection is only approximately 1% of the risk of a previously uninfected person having a severe primary infection.” In a subscriber-only article, the Epoch Times quoted Dr. Monica Gandhi, infectious diseases expert at the University of California–San Francisco, as saying that this study adds to the growing body of research that indicates that people who have recovered from COVID-19 enjoy high levels of immunity against reinfection and even higher protection against severe disease and death.
So tell me: why are so few people in our “health bureaucracy” talking about this?
6. A COVID CERTIFICATE SYSTEM:
Swiss voters were allowed to weigh in on whether to create a COVID certificate system that would bar people from attending public events unless they provided verification that they’d been vaccinated, recently tested negative or had already recovered from COVID. The measure passed by 62%.
I’m not sure if it would be that popular in America, where we have a long tradition of guarding personal freedom and resistance to having to “show your papers” to the government. Or has that free spirit been beaten out of a lot of Americans, who now seem all too willing to trade their rights for hollow promises of safety? I also wonder if such a bill would be more popular here if our health officials would recognize natural immunity from recovery, as the Swiss do?
7. I JUST WANTED TO SAY:
Thank you for reading today's newsletter.
O COME, O COME, EMMANUEL
Listen: https://youtu.be/7xtpJ4Q_Q-4
1 O come, O come, Immanuel,
and ransom captive Israel
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.
Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to you, O Israel.
2 O come, O Wisdom from on high,
who ordered all things mightily;
to us the path of knowledge show
and teach us in its ways to go. Refrain
3 O come, O come, great Lord of might,
who to your tribes on Sinai's height
in ancient times did give the law
in cloud and majesty and awe. Refrain
4 O come, O Branch of Jesse's stem,
unto your own and rescue them!
From depths of hell your people save,
and give them victory o'er the grave. Refrain
5 O come, O Key of David, come
and open wide our heavenly home.
Make safe for us the heavenward road
and bar the way to death's abode. Refrain
6 O come, O Bright and Morning Star,
and bring us comfort from afar!
Dispel the shadows of the night
and turn our darkness into light. Refrain
7 O come, O King of nations, bind
in one the hearts of all mankind.
Bid all our sad divisions cease
and be yourself our King of Peace. Refrain
If you have a favorite Christmas carol/hymn you want to see in our newsletter, please email [email protected].
For past editions of my morning newsletter, please visit my website here.
For more of my news coverage, visit my website here.
We are stronger together. Submit your prayer request for HEALTH & HEALING or IN MEMORIAM by visiting my website here.
Our hope is that our newsletter readers will consider these prayer requests each day.
HEALTH AND HEALING
"Please pray for Tom, my husband's brother and my brother-in-law as he is having knee replacement surgery on December 2nd. Thank you."
"Bill's wife Kim was recently diagnosed with bone marrow cancer and now is waiting to receive a marrow transplant. Their faith is strong; I know they would be so thankful for your prayers."
"Please pray for my 41 yr. old grandson Saul. He has liver failure and is doing all the things he has to do to be put on the transplant list. The transplant doctor said if he doesn't get a new liver very soon, he will die. He is in extreme pain from fluid buildup and has to have it pumped out weekly. God bless you."
"My brother who was recently diagnosed with alzheimers disease."
"For All those coping with/suffering from I. P.F . (Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis), that new cures and treatments will become available to provide hope and relief!"
"I would ask everyone everywhere to pray for the healing of this country. We have fallen so far from our principals of right and wrong that we are in serious danger. Please petition God to heal our country and overcome evil. In Jesus name I pray."
"Please pray that I have wonderful results on my third surgery on my left knee, since Dec of last year."
"My brother who struggles with major depression and trauma disorders. He needs to surrender his will and reconcile with the One who alone can deliver him."
"Prayers for my good friend Sandy who is enduring tremendous pain and stress."
"Prayers for my granddaughters Mackie and Anabel to invite Jesus into their hearts and lives. Thank you."
"Please pray for me(Lisa) for healing. I was recently diagnosed with a autoimmune disease which is causing me severe problems."
"On December 22nd I'm having my right knee operated on again to have scar tissues removed. If the doctor sees any infected tissue, knee replacement will be removed & spacer w/ an antibiotic pad will be inserted. I wont be able to walk for 6 wks + will have an IV pack in arm for that same period. We're looking for wheelchairs to rent for this 6 week period. I have to admit after surviving myasthenia gravis, heart failure with my 3rd pacemaker and having my stomach almost fall off come loose due to poor care by my local GI doctor, I am most concerned by this surgery as I will not be able to walk to care for myself. Our prayers to Lord God Almighty is that the knee will not be infected. But we are leaving this all in the Hands of the Great Physican.
Sandy P, Johnston City Illinois"
"Please pray for my Christian daughter Elizabeth and her six children who have been abandoned by her adulterous husband and may lose her home and be out on the street."
"Please pray for my friend Marilyn who is suffering from stage 4 peritoneal cancer. It is a rare cancer and she needs a miracle from our precious Lord and Savior."
"Please pray for the salvation of our children and grandchildren. Our children were brought up in the church and home. That they will ALL seek Jesus first in their lives. Thank you all."
"Richard F: Healing for lungs and pain in stomach after eating. Going on for far too long."
"How much it hurts when we lose someone is because they meant so much, the sad part is some people pass and no one is there to feel the pain, that is sad."
"My husband Ray who has many health issues: diabetes, heart disease, liver disease, kidney disease, prostate cancer, leukemia, and most of all, an absence of God in his heart. Depression and anger and disdain seem to rule his life. So please pray for me as well! THANK YOU!!"
"Please pray for my family members who don't know Jesus. Praying specifically for my nephews Darren and Derek dealing with mental illness."
"Pray for my friend Rebecca that she open her heart and spirit to the healing she needs for multiple health issues."
"Lord, save my children!"
"Please pray for my daughter Katie suffering with Scleroderma 24/7. Pray for a cure.
"Thank you, Mike Huckabee...for being there for us..telling it like it is...Kay W."
"I'm asking for prayer from healing for my neck and back. I truly live with severe pain in both areas every day. I'm 60 years old and it's wearing me down."
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