By Mike Huckabee
December 10, 2021
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THE EVENING EDITION By Mike Huckabee
Good evening! Here are some stories from me that I think you will want to read.
DAILY BIBLE VERSE
This verse was recommended by Anne F.
105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Psalm 119:105
If you have a Bible verse you want to see in our newsletter, please email [email protected].
THE LATEST NEWS
1. GUILTY:
Thursday, after nine hours of deliberations, the jury in actor Jussie Smollett’s trial returned a verdict of guilty on five out of six counts of concocting a hoax hate crime and lying to the police about it.
https://www.westernjournal.com/breaking-jussie-smollett-verdict-revealed/
The big question remaining, of course, was “Why not all six?” Smollett was acquitted on one count of felony disorderly conduct related to making a false police report, which the prosecutor couldn’t explain, but he said it wasn’t significant to the state’s case. But Smollett’s lawyer seized on that one acquittal as proof that Smollett will win on appeal. Yes, apparently, he intends to go into a higher court and try to sell this load of bad clams a second time. If his defense is as good as it was the first time around, perhaps the appeal can result in a guilty verdict on all six charges, with perjury in the first trial thrown in for good measure.
Reaction to the trial has been interesting. Some of the big liberal celebrities and news media figures who rushed to support Smollett at first, since his lies played into their cherished false narrative of Trump supporters being violent, homophobic racists, are being awfully quiet now. His former staunch supporter, CNN’s Don Lemon, threw Jussie under the bus and branded him a liar who’s made it harder for real victims of hate crimes. Perhaps he's smarting from Smollett’s testimony that revealed he was using his contacts, Chris Cuomo-style, to let Smollett know what the cops were thinking about his claims.
Not surprisingly, the most unhinged reaction came from the Black Lives Matter group, which doubled down on its support of Smollett, claimed that we can never believe cops, and demanded the abolition of police, even as crime and murder rates are skyrocketing in cities that have defunded police departments, and where many of the victims are black.
Personally, I would find it a lot easier to believe that some cops went out for donuts at 2 a.m. on a sub-freezing Chicago night than that Jussie went out for Subway sandwiches at that time and just happened to bump into two racist Trump supporters who (A.) recognized him because they watch “Empire” and (B.) just happened to be carrying bleach and a noose. I guess they were on their way to the all-night rope laundromat.
The reason it was so easy for liberals to believe such a transparently ridiculous story is that the media have been retailing hoaxes and lies about Trump and his supporters for so long that believing the worst has become a reflex for them. Victoria Taft notes that this case now joins a list of hundreds of fake hate crimes in the past few years (from a site we’ve cited before, fakehatecrimes.org), and reminds us of a few that got plenty of hysterical media coverage, only to fizzle out when they were exposed as hoaxes:
I’ll give the final word to Stephen Kruiser of PJ Media, who says he’s so fed up with these race-baiting liars, he just wants them gone and for Smollett to “spend the rest of his pathetic life in prison.”
He also revives an argument that, if you’re old enough to remember, was made when “hate crime” laws were first proposed, but it’s since become so un-PC that few dare make it: that the very concept of “hate crimes” is inherently racist, and that punishment should be based on the crime, not the victim’s race. For instance, the argument is that adding extra punishment to an assault charge because of the victim’s race implies that some races are more valuable than others, and the charge should just be assault on another human being, with the punishment neither greater nor less because of the races of the victim or perpetrator.
You can agree or disagree with the premise, but there’s no denying that creating a new category of “hate crimes” has given rise to a wave of people who seek to divide Americans and advance themselves by faking hate crimes. Kruiser’s article includes a good point: if we’re going to increase the punishment for a crime because it’s branded a “hate crime,” and that's more serious than a regular crime, shouldn’t we also double the punishment for filing false police reports to fake a hate crime?
2. BIDEN'S INFLATION ECONOMY:
This morning, the Labor Department released new figures showing the consumer price index rose 6.8% in November from one year ago. That’s the highest inflation rise in 39 years. The previous high was 7.1% in June 1982, when Reagan was still trying to wrestle Carter-era stagflation under control.
https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/consumer-price-index-november-2021
Still, those reported secret meetings between the Biden White House and the lapdog media appear to be bearing rotten fruit, as the phrase “Biden Boom” briefly trended on Twitter yesterday.
Believe it or not, “boom” is not the sound of this Administration imploding. The media are actually trying to convince us that the economy is booming thanks to this Administration’s brilliant leadership. It’s a jaw dropping insult to the intelligence of the American people.
To be fair, gas prices are actually a few cents lighter, which isn’t the only gaslighting going on, although Biden is having a little trouble saying so.
But getting gas prices to under $3 a gallon when they were under $2 a gallon when you took over less than 11 months ago is not something to brag about. Neither is anything else in this economy.
Go to that first link at Redstate.com to see the charts that aren’t carefully edited and cherry picked. You’ll notice that the alleged “historically fast Biden jobs creation” is nothing but businesses reopening after being forced to close due to COVID panic, and the level of employment is still nowhere near what it was before that artificially-induced crash.
The propaganda campaign doesn’t seem to be working on small business owners.
A new Zogby poll found that among companies with $10 million or less in annual revenues, executives think things are worse under Biden rather than better by a 56-44% margin. Include their workers, and it’s the same result by 53-47%. Among those owners and executives, Biden’s reelection is opposed by 61-39%. Among executives of businesses that make over $10 million a year, Biden’s reelection is opposed by 54-46%. I have a feeling that if you filtered out Big Tech and pharmaceutical companies, that last number would look even worse.
Fortunately, the media have so destroyed their own credibility in recent years that I seriously doubt they have the brainwashing power to convince the 70% of Americans who think the economy is on the wrong track (November Fannie Mae National Housing Survey) that everything is rosy thanks to Joe, as they spend their kids’ college fund on a tank of gas and a week’s worth of groceries.
3. LEAST SURPRISING NEWS OF THE DAY:
This is the least surprising news of the day, but the big shock is that they actually admitted it:
Reporter John Stossel sued Facebook for defamation for blocking his posts about climate change claims on grounds that their “factcheckers” found them “false and misleading,” even though they were scientifically accurate. As their defense, Facebook’s attorneys are now telling the court that defamation laws don’t apply because their so-called “factchecks’” are “are neither false nor defamatory; to the contrary, they constitute protected opinion.”
Granted, I’m not a “professional fact-checker,” but I always assumed that there was a pretty vast difference between a “fact” and an “opinion.” If Facebook, and any other social media sites, are going to try to wriggle off the hook for labeling people’s true claims that they don’t like as lies, then shouldn’t they also have to stop claiming to be “fact-checking” and instead admit what they’re really doing: “viewpoint censoring”?
4. WHO ORDERED THIS?:
I’d really like to know if Sen. Mitch McConnell personally ordered this, or if it was some zealous staffer who’s overly concerned about media criticism (which Republicans will get no matter what they do, so who cares?) Either way, it’s positively un-American to “cancel” a Bob Dole funeral worker just because he also worked on event planning for the January 6th “Stop the Steal” protest, when he had no connection at all with the handful of violent protesters at the Capitol.
You may disagree with the peaceful election protesters, but blocking them from their jobs because they expressed their beliefs shows contempt for the First Amendment, one of the basic rights that Bob Dole spent his long life defending and that he nearly lost his life defending in World War II. It’s also part of the US Constitution that all Senate members swear an oath to support and defend.
5. THE TRUTH ABOUT DETENTION OF CAPITOL HILL PRISONERS:
As we approach the one-year anniversary of the January 6 rally and breach of the Capitol Building, it’s time to take an unsparing look at what our “justice” system has become.
I know you share my deep concern that our judicial system increasingly –- and quite openly –- operates like that of a banana republic. The country is changing before our eyes. Yesterday, we looked at the use of “lawfare” to sway election outcomes, with Harvard Law School graduating an army of leftist attorneys specializing in how to manipulate election law. Today, let’s examine how leftist attorneys are weaponizing law enforcement and the courts against their political enemies. Case in point: the shocking violations of the civil rights of Trump supporters who were at the Capitol on January 6. Most say they can’t see their lawyers at all.
I just received this letter from reader Marlene:
“PLEASE tell your readers how to make a difference in how the J6 prisoners are being treated. How can we get this showcased in our communities?
“I live in NY and I will find out who to start writing, and start a petition demanding justice and fairness in their treatment. What else might be successful? This is unacceptable and I can only believe not enough people know about this. Is it legal to protest at the site they are being held? I will pray first, because I know that is where any success is going to come from, but if you can help with any direction I would appreciate it.”
Thanks to Marlene for writing. Yes, this is completely unacceptable and, yes, there are things we can and must do. Two Republican members of Congress, Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Texas Rep. Louis Gohmert are leading the way on this issue with a new report called “UNUSUALLY CRUEL: An eyewitness report from inside the DC jail.” On November 4, the two legislators, along with congressional staff members, were finally allowed to tour two jail facilities –- the Central Detention Facility (CDF) and, especially, the Central Treatment Facility (CTF), which houses the J6 detainees –-after two unsuccessful attempts by them and also by Reps. Matt Gaetz of Florida and Paul Gosar of Arizona.
Amazingly, it took a congressional letter and a confrontation with the DC mayor’s office and the Department of Corrections staff to get them in. The letter said they have “the right, prerogative, and duty as Members of Congress to inquire and inspect.” Even then, they say, after two hours of being shown around, they still hadn’t seen any of the J6 political prisoners (let’s call them what they are). It took an 11-minute “heated confrontation,” Greene says in her report, to make that happen. They finally got to meet with the approximately 40 prisoners, in an area of the prison that looked to them “much older” and not updated like the rest of the prison. According to one inmate, it had previously been used as a psychiatric ward.
Some prisoners cried and were “visibly shaken,” Green says. “The physical conditions in which they are held could only be described as inhumane.” The detainees claim they haven’t been able to see their lawyers and family members. Those who decline vaccination are not allowed to get haircuts –- and they’ve been there so long, they’re probably starting to look like someone else who was locked in a tower: Rapunzel. Some –- notably a 71-year-old detainee (!) named Lonnie Leroy Coffman, who has a very serious-looking injury to his arm –- need medical attention. (Other prisoners say Coffman really needs to be released.)
They hold their own religious services where they are because they are not allowed to attend any. Each day, they do their own salute to the flag and sing the National Anthem.
Greene was told of these prisoners being treated much more harshly than the others, with some reports of beatings. Other prisoners in the facility have access to flat-screen TVs, medical care, and reading material, though Greene describes this in the report as emphasizing “the supposed cruelty and racial prejudice of the U.S. prison system,” also promoting Nation of Islam and Critical Race Theory. One book prisoners were about to read was “THE NEW JIM CROW: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness.” At the same time, one hallway was lined with posters encouraging the freshly-indoctrinated inmates to register to vote. This in itself might be a topic for another day.
So, the J6 political prisoners have been in this place for going on a year, haven’t had their day in court, don’t see their families, don’t see their lawyers, are singled out for bad treatment and don’t even have access to reading material (not that they’d want THAT reading material)? The conclusion of Greene’s report includes this statement: “The congressional visit to the DC jail on November 4 unquestionably proved that there is a twotrack justice system in the United States. This two-tiered system is not based on race, violence or conviction of crime, but politics.”
Greene and Gohmert got to visit with the prisoners for about an hour. Before leaving, Greene prayed with them as a group and told them, “We’ve heard terrible things and I want you to know that Congressman Gohmert and I have basically refused to back down on the issue.” They said they had not lost hope. As the delegation was escorted out, they chanted, “U-S-A! U-S-A!” and then, “LET’S GO BRANDON!”
“The severe treatment of these inmates within the facility cannot be overstated,” the report says. None of these people have had trials or been found guilty of anything. Video shows that some who came into the Capitol that day were waved in by security. Some never even entered at all; they just happened to cross some “invisible line” outside.
Here’s a link to a pdf of the full report. The part specifically covering their visit with the J6 detainees –- including a transcript of the “heated conversation” preceding it –- starts on page 12 and is a must-read.
Sharon Caldwell, wife of one of the detainees who at least is now on house arrest, wrote of the plight of those in prison and offered some specific ways to help.
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2021/12/how_to_help_j6_defendants.html
“There are many ways you can help a J6er,” she writes. “You may donate to individual defendants, adopt a family in need this holiday season, and get information on how to send cards and letters to those incarcerated or under house arrest. Prayers, cards and letters provide tremendous joy, hope and strength to those affected. Here’s how to get mail to them.
https://www.patriotfreedomproject.com/connect-with-a-1/6er
More this weekend on what we can do to help our American political prisoners and bring their situation to light.
LEAVE ME A COMMENT HERE, I READ THEM>>>
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Our hope is that our newsletter readers and social media followers will consider these prayer requests each day.
HEALTH AND HEALING
"For the health of our family during these trying times of virus infections. And, for the healthcare professionals who care for the ill."
"PRAY FOR MY VERY GOOD, LIFELONG FRIEND FROM HIGH SCHOOL. SHE HAD 2 STROKES AND IS A NURSING HOME. PLEASE LET HER GET BETTER AND RETURN HOME FOR AT LEAST A FEW MORE YEARS......."
"Please pray for my husband, Rob. He has neck pain that is debilitating. He also has many health issues but the neck is the worst. Please pray for his neck and health to heal. Thank you."
"My friend, co-worker, and sister in Christ, Mary Lynne Hayes. She was diagnosed last January with stage four colon cancer that had metastasized to her liver. She has had chemo all this year and some of the liver spots have gotten smaller. But she was diagnosed today with an ulcer. Please pray for her complete healing. Thank you!"
"My daughter is in a bad place and consequently so is her 8 year old son. Please pray for mental healing that may or may not involve substance abuse. Thank you."
"My husband has been diagnosed with kidney failure. Back-ups in the clinics because of Covid have him waiting for dialysis until after the first of the year."
"My name is Carol Bates & since Aug I’ve been unable to walk w/o use of a walker. I have back issues but I believe my problem relates to my muscles. Please pray for my healing as I trust God."
"I pray God will heal me and allow to help many others. For his Glory. God bless You!"
"Daughter,Cancer,stage4. Son,Prostate Cancer"
"Eye cancer surgery on 2&9 December 2021. Pray Jesus Christ be glorified & Doctor comes to know Jesus Christ as his Lord & Savior please."
"My husband Ret, has been diagnosed with a 90% deficiency of the function of his throat muscles. In time, this can lead to tube feeding. He also deals with uncontrolled diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease, prostate cancer, and leukemia. THANK YOU for praying."
"I need prayer help for my aunts best friend and companion. Her cat Barbie. She has cancer and is undergoing chemo."
"My husband has Lewy Body Dementia and I want to keep him at home as long as possible. I am his sole caregiver - please pray for God’s strength, guidance, and comfort for me. I also need some respite time for myself. Many thanks."
IN MEMORIAM
"Family of Joe Ed Greeson, recently of Kansas City, KS who passed on November 26 from pancreatic cancer."
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