By Mike Huckabee
April 7, 2023
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BY MIKE HUCKABEE
Blessings on you and your family from all the Huckabee staff!
From all of us at the Huckabee newsletter, website and TV show, we wish you a safe, joyous and blessed Good Friday! Here’s a reminder of a better time in America when that would not have been considered a “divisive” or “controversial” statement.
Thank you for subscribing and I hope you enjoy today’s newsletter. Please make sure you read to the end, I have included one of the most wonderful sermons I ever heard.
With gratitude,
Mike
DAILY BIBLE VERSE
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God;[a] believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?"
John 14:1-2
The Biden Administration is considering more restrictions for new gas-powered cars
The Biden Administration is considering putting more aggressive restrictions on tailpipe emissions of new gas-powered cars to force Americans into electric cars.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-considering-cracking-down-gas-cars-stripping-evs-tax-credits
In a statement, the EPA said, "Already, President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is powering a domestic clean energy manufacturing boom, lowering costs for American families, and creating good-paying union jobs. As directed by the President in an executive order, the EPA is developing new standards that will build on this historic progress and support the transition to a zero-emissions transportation future, lowering costs for consumers, and protecting people and the planet.”
Somebody should restrict the level of toxic gas coming out of the EPA’s tailpipe. If anyone really believes that punitive new federal regulations lower costs for consumers, I’ve got some oceanfront property in Arkansas I’d like to sell them.
For a blast of reality, we turn to Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, who replied, "NHTSA’s new fuel economy standards will only add to the cost of new cars, depriving people of safe, affordable vehicles, at a time when they are already struggling. It also enforces burdensome penalties on manufacturers—who are finding it difficult to keep up with high demand and inventory shortages as it is—which will only increase prices further as these ’penalties’ are passed along to the consumers."
I’m not a betting man, but if I were, I’d offer to bet the White House on whether car prices will go up or down after they impose even more strict regulations. I could use the winnings to buy a Hummer.
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Sleep easy, America
There’s been a lot of concern that the IRS would use the $80 billion budget boost that the Democrats gave it to audit small businesses and working people, but perish the thought! In a news briefing call on Thursday, IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel claimed that auditors will not be targeting Americans making less than $400,000 a year, they’ll be concentrating on the wealthy and big corporations.
Werfel said, "People who get W-2s or Social Security payments or have a small business should not be worried about a sudden new wave of IRS audits. We're taking that off the table. Our focus will be on other high dollar areas for quite some time because there's a lot of work to do in those more complex areas of tax law that will take years to accomplish."
I’m sure it will come as a tremendous relief to hear that individuals and small business owners have the personal assurance of the IRS commissioner that the IRS will not be hitting them with audits any more frequently than they already are. Sleep easy, America!
Lies upon lies: The Biden Administration Afghanistan Report
I’m not a frequent viewer of MSNBC, to say the least, so I don’t know if they aired the press briefing by Biden National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby on a White House report about the Afghanistan withdrawal. But since Rachel Maddow claimed that MSNBC wouldn’t air Trump’s speech because they have too much integrity to show someone telling lies, I assume they also barred Kirby’s presser, since I can’t recall ever seeing such a relentless stream of offensive, outrageous, self-serving, jaw-dropping lies, and I regularly watch Karine Jean-Pierre’s press conferences.
Kirby ostensibly came out to inform Americans about the Afghanistan report’s findings, but it was obvious that the opposite was the case: they wanted as few people as possible to know about this, and for obvious reasons. Even some normally sycophantic reporters were upset that the Administration released the report late on the Thursday before a long holiday weekend to draw minimal public attention, and just minutes before the briefing so reporters had no time to read it and ask tough questions. And anyone with a brain (I know, that doesn’t include some of the White House press corps) would have a LOT of questions.
Kirby insisted that the report was not about “accountability,” and that might be the understatement of the century. Instead, it was about avoiding any accountability and downplaying the level of the deadly disaster. He somehow simultaneously claimed that the mission was well-executed and they have nothing to apologize for (Kirby said, “For all this talk of chaos, I just didn’t see it” -- is his TV broken?), and also that the tragedies and chaos were all Trump’s fault.
You see, Biden was, for some reason, “constrained” by the plan and timing Trump set up, even though Biden was in office for months before the pullout, and he not only had the power to change the plan and the timing, but he did, in fact, change both, stupidly and for the worse.
To name just a few of the many flabbergasting whoppers Kirby dispensed, he claimed that nobody predicted how swiftly the Taliban would take over once we withdrew, which was widely predicted. I hammered the White House in this newsletter months before the pullout for failing to expedite the paperwork to help our Afghan allies get out. When the Taliban took over, they were still stuck there, and the paperwork still hadn’t been done.
When asked about all the military equipment Biden left behind for the Taliban, Kirby channeled his inner Nathan Thurm and replied, “This idea is just…LUDICROUS! That we left millions of dollars of stuff in Afghanistan? We didn’t!” Technically, he’s correct: we left BILLIONS of dollars of military equipment there, which the Taliban is repairing and using.
Kirby also claimed that Biden was following the advice of military experts, when he famously ignored their advice. As one military expert told Fox News, Biden believed he was “the smartest person in the room,” a claim I can’t imagine ever being true, no matter what room he's in.
Fox News’ Peter Doocy grilled Kirby on his mind-boggling denial of reality, but Kirby stuck with his fantasyland narrative. And of course, when Doocy asked if anyone would be fired (and the people responsible for this should be fired out of cannons into the ocean), of course, the answer was no. Just as in the Obama/Biden Administration, no matter how badly someone performs, nobody is ever held accountable or fired. Look at how many oughta-be-convicted-felons are drawing fat federal pensions.
As infuriating and insulting to our intelligence as this was, the worst of it all was the attempt to claim some sort of accolades for a horrifically botched withdrawal that resulted in the terrorist bombing deaths of 13 heroic US Marines and over 100 Afghans, the horrifying images of desperate people falling to their deaths as they tried to cling to departing planes, and the continuing torture and terror inflicted on the Afghan people.
I could go on, but I’m so furious over this, I need to take a break before I hyperventilate. So I will just point you to this article by Nick Arama at Redstate.com, which sums up my feelings perfectly about this Administration’s sheer gall in attempting to dodge responsibility and shift blame for one of the worst military debacles in American history, one that lies squarely at the feet of Joe Biden.
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"Trans" community news round-up: including the assault on Riley Gaines
Here’s today’s news round-up about the poor, put-upon, defenseless, marginalized “trans” community…
In Colorado Springs, Colorado, 19-year-old William Whitworth, a male who claims to be a female named “Lilly” and prefers to be called by the pronouns “them/they” (I’m not doing that) was arrested after threatening several local schools. He reportedly admitted to police that he planned to shoot up a school and is facing various charges, including two counts of attempting to commit first degree murder. I eagerly await the White House press conference explaining to us how “Lilly” is the real victim here.
Last night at San Francisco State University, former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines was physically assaulted by a mob of violent radical “trans” activists. Her husband said she told him she was “hit multiple times by a guy in a dress.” She was also shouted at, cursed, threatened, and held hostage, as police kept her barricaded in a room for three hours while the mob reportedly demanded money to let her leave. Of course, there were no reported arrests, and as of this writing, the university has yet to take any action.
Gaines has bravely taken the lead in standing up to the push to let biological men take over women’s sports, as she explained during an appearance on my show:
In light of those stories, the Idaho school board member who tweeted profane rants about urinating on the grave of the Governor for signing a bill banning giving puberty blockers and hormones to minors seems almost civilized.
There are so many stories about unhinged, threatening and outright violent behavior by “trans” activists that they are the focus of Stephen Kruiser’s “Morning Briefing” news round-up at PJ Media.
While it’s not fair to tar every person who claims to be “trans” with the lunatic behavior of these people, Krusier notes that it’s impossible not to notice the widening gap between the liberal defenders’ description of them as perfectly healthy victims of mean bigots and their own “insurrectiony” rages and homicidal urges.
In short, they’re not making a very good case that they’re mentally healthy.
The assault on swimmer Riley Gaines by a mob of violent “trans” activists at San Francisco State University shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who’s been following the downward spiral of San Francisco under far-left rule over the past few years. It was bad enough when it was just homeless people defecating and dropping drug needles everywhere. Then, under a Soros-backed DA, criminals were given free rein and crime skyrocketed.
Understandably, residents are moving out in record numbers. It’s so bad that city leaders are trying desperately to turn things around while somehow failing to understand that the real reason for it can be found in the nearest mirror.
As that story explains, they believe the city is facing a “doom loop” because so many workers started working from home during the pandemic and don’t want to come back to the office, which will spell disaster for downtown. They want to address that by making it more attractive to be in the city, by building more parks, train stations, affordable housing, etc.
First of all, I thought leftwing climate alarmists hated CO2, so why are they trying to get people who are able to work from home to commute? But more to the point, why would anyone be enticed by more parks when they’re just going to be filled with more homeless drug addicts and criminals? Who cares if there’s “vibrant urban culture” outside your door when you’re afraid to step outside? And with very good reason, since as we just learned, even tech millionaires aren’t safe from being stabbed to death on the streets of San Francisco.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/cash-app-founder-bob-lee-fatally-stabbed-san-francisco-report
San Francisco is facing a “doom loop,” all right, but it’s not because of the pandemic or a lack of attractive infrastructure. It’s doomed because of the endless loop of voters putting loopy leftists into power.
Related: Instead of staying home and doing something about the many crises he’s helped to create, California Gov. Gavin Newsom is on a tour of successful Southern red states, such as Florida and Alabama. He’s pandering to the tiny liberal audience in those states, telling them that it’s their states that are taking away their freedoms (unlike California, where you’re free to do exactly as you’re told and like it, and free to be robbed and assaulted every time you step outside.)
As you can tell from this write-up by a Californian who’s in the process of escaping to Alabama, Newsom’s pitch is not going over well.
This is also a fun read, plus I love the photos comparing the crowd Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis drew in California to Newsom’s “crowd” in Florida.
Florida already has Disney World, so they don’t need Newsom trying to sell them another Fantasy Land. But I do love the comments about how he was really there to fetch all the U-Hauls back to California. His constituents are going to need them.
A New Mexico abortion clinic announces starting goal
Anyone who saw the movie “Unplanned,” the true story of former Planned Parenthood clinic manager Abby Johnson, knows that abortion clinics like PP see killing babies in the womb as a profit center of their business model and want as many abortions as possible. So it should come as no surprise that a new abortion clinic about to open in Albuquerque has publicly declared that it’s setting a “starting goal” of 75 abortions a week.
This clinic in Democrat-run New Mexico expects to take over the baby-killing business from neighboring pro-life Texas, and will start by aborting babies up to 18 weeks gestation, then to “expand care” (i.e., murder of preborn babies) to 24 weeks. The company doing this ludicrously calls itself “Whole Women’s Health.”
A spokeswoman for Texas Right to Life put this into much more realistic terms:
“If Whole Woman’s Health truly cared about being compassionate toward women, the company would not lie by telling them that abortion is good and necessary. They would help women succeed while having their babies and succeed as parents or work through an adoption plan, not setting a dead baby goal. But it all makes sense when you look at the numbers — the 75-abortion quota will make the company at least $3 million in a year, just at this one of their six locations.
Abortion harms women and ends the lives of children. Whole Woman’s Health knows this, but they also know that there is a lot of money to be made by lying to women and the masses about what abortion really is.”
This is why, as I have repeatedly pointed out, the pro-abortion lobby has to keep coming up with new fuzzy euphemisms for abortion, like “reproductive justice” or “women’s health care.” As soon as people figure out what they’re really talking about, they have to invent a new phony name for it.
The Country’s In The Very Best Of Hands!
The Biden White House is trying (so far, unsuccessfully) to remove classified US and NATO Ukraine war planning documents that were leaked onto social media this week. They popped up on Twitter and Telegram, a platform popular in Russia.
But by all means, let’s prosecute Trump for having declassified classified documents under lock and key and behind armed guards at Mar-A-Lago.
No more Mr. Nice Guy: standing up to the radical left
Before getting to the updates on Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s jump-the-shark attempt to take down a former President and interfere with the 2024 election, I’d like to point you to some can’t-miss reading from the great Victor Davis Hanson.
We normally like to keep things a little on the lighter side around here, at least as much as possible, so be advised that this is some pretty heavy reading. A historian like VDH, who has studied revolutions through the ages, is bound to be reminded of those upheavals by what he sees in America today. And he says things are “getting scary.”
After you’ve read it, please come back here, and we’ll discuss.
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2023/04/06/our_french_revolution_149078.html
See what I mean? But all is not necessarily lost. Let’s go through this.
VDH says that the Democrat Party that we used to know “vanished sometime in 2020.” Actually, that seems to have happened earlier --- probably around the time Obama’s crew took over the ‘Justice’ Department and successfully focused the intel community primarily on Americans instead of on global threats. The death-by-a-thousand-cuts strategy used against Trump started as early as 2015; likewise, the two-tiered justice system that let Hillary skate in 2016. The radical takeover of academia, entertainment and the news media by radical Democrats took place long before then.
But all this did become very obvious just a few years ago. It’s as if a switch had been flipped. With COVID providing the pretense, they kicked their efforts to control us into high gear.
“[The Democrat Party] was absorbed by hard-left ideologues,” he says, “...bent on radically altering, or hijacking, existing institutions to force radical, equality-of-result agendas that otherwise do not earn majority support.”
For a government that supposedly derives its power from the consent of the governed, ours certainly seems to be at odds with what most people think on the issues. The Democrats have managed to stack the deck to make this possible, and they want to stack it much more as extra insurance. VDH says this strategy is “run by elites and is a top-down operation.”
They’re destroying our ability to verify elections. They want to go on to “pack” the courts and end the Electoral College --- never mind that this would put the whole nation at the mercy of the two Left Coasts. To them, that’s not a bug; it’s a feature. Aides write “comprehensive” legislation that’s thousands of pages long to sneak in the stuff of leftists’ fever dreams, and no one has time to read even their own bills. (This means you, Sen. Graham.)
Voters aren’t getting what polls show they reasonably want: affordable power, energy independence, sane policies that result in a steady economy for themselves and for their children and grandchildren, a chance to advance in life, border security, effective law enforcement, a fair judiciary, a powerful and respected military, confident leadership on the world stage, and racial equality (of the “colorblind” kind that is painted as racist now). These are not radical far-right concerns; they’re most people’s concerns.
We were certainly headed in that direction under Trump, whom the left considered a surprise interruption to their grand plan. But once he was out, we immediately started getting the opposite: energy dependence with focus on the “green” scam, a terrifying level of spending that will lead to catastrophe if left unchecked, NO border, rampant crime and drugs, a sickeningly two-tiered ‘justice’ system, a disastrous military, no credibility abroad, a push for “equity” (translation: Marxism), and stunning racism --- from the left, though they’ve redefined the terms so they can’t be accused of it.
“Our highest institutions are unrecognizable,” he says, noting their weaponization and blatant lying before Congress.
VDH mentions many more examples of what the left has done to fundamentally transform our country, or at least the inner workings. (They haven’t transformed Americans as individuals yet, and that’s why they’re working so hard at regulating speech changing our customs and traditions.) It’s amazing how quickly this about-face occurred once Trump was gone. And now they have to make sure he doesn’t come back.
One theory is that, in the words of VDH, the left now wants “to destroy Trump --- by empowering him.” Gin up enough sympathy for him to get him the nomination and then continue the bloodletting as required to weaken him before Election Day. We would add, though, that if Trump really does still thrive on this kind of fight, it’s only going to make him stronger. It’s that amazing resilience that might be the most impressive thing about him. And, unlike any other nominee who would be attacked as a “Trump proxy,” he’s had just about everything about himself investigated already!
Also, it’s looking as though DA Bragg really has “jumped the shark” with this indictment. As VDH says, “His pathetic prosecution is so patently incoherent, illiberal, and in spirit anti-American that two-thirds of the country will soon conclude that the center is not holding.” If that’s the case, then leftist rule is unsustainable. In 2024, they’ll be not just defeated but utterly discredited.
So, what do we do to ensure this outcome? Kurt Schlichter at TOWNHALL has some ideas that we think you’ll like. “If you love the rule of law,” he says, “if you want to bring back our norms and hold to our precious principles, then it’s time to go Full Truman and nuke ‘em till they glow.”
It doesn’t mean lying and cheating like the Democrats. They did that when they framed Trump, but we don’t need to frame anybody on the left, because they’re already guilty. Schlichter describes them colorfully as “a disorganized crime family.” (That’s not fair; the left is very organized.) We have to start giving them a taste of their own medicine, no matter how distasteful that might seem. Prosecute them aggressively for their very real crimes. Teach them a lesson. “And not just in criminal cases but in all aspects of our political struggle.”
It might surprise some to hear this from me. On my radio show, I used to say, “I’m conservative, but I’m not angry at anyone about it.” Times have changed, the stakes are much higher, and it’s okay to be angry as all get-out. That doesn’t mean the kind of anger that leads to violence, but the productive, righteous kind that leads to behavior that makes things right. Most of all, it means not backing down, and not accepting leaders who back down.
This might not be the way we’d prefer to do business, but if we don’t, we’ll just continue to get steamrolled. Schlichter offers a number of suggestions and notes that in some states, such as Tennessee, Florida and Wyoming, GOP elected officials are getting the idea and toughening up, playing by the same rules of combat the Democrats have been following. It works.
Here’s a really good example of how to fight back in court, this time against the defamatory labeling of conservative groups as hate groups and extremists by the Southern Poverty Law Center and Anti-Defamation League.
Which brings us back to Bragg and the latest about his disgraceful prosecution of President Trump. In Stephen Kruiser’s briefing yesterday for PJ MEDIA, he calls this “Bragg’s Folly” (as we have) and points out a surprising finding about Trump’s taxes. Of course, the left had dearly wanted to add tax fraud offenses to the list of charges, and when they couldn’t do it, Bragg still saw it fit to mention in his “Statement Of Fact” filed with the court that Trump and his associates had engaged in deception by paying New York State more in taxes than it was owed.
I am not kidding. Bragg managed to call Trump out for OVERPAYING his taxes.
Here’s the latest commentary about how flimsy his case is, and what we lost when the judge ruled against allowing video cameras during Trump’s arraignment.
Mia Cathell at TOWNHALL made some discoveries about Judge Juan Merchan, including that according to FEC filings, he donated three times to the Democrat funding organization Act Blue, with one of those donations earmarked for the Biden 2020 campaign. Another donation was for the Progressive Turnout Project (PTP), a left-wing PAC.
The third donation made by Judge Merchan was to Stop Republicans, a sub-project of PTP that’s dedicated to “resisting” Trump and the Republican Party.
This is the judge who is presiding over the prosecution of President Trump. Oh, and we also learn his daughter was involved in the Biden-Harris campaign in 2020. Combine all this with the fact that he presided over the case of Allen Weisselberg, former head of the Trump Organization (what are the odds?), and the magnitude of outrageousness is just too much to accept. It might have taken some doing in Manhattan, but couldn’t they have found a less-obviously biased judge than this?
Of course, the media will help the prosecution when they can. Disney-owned ABC is facing criticism now for blurring information about Trump’s campaign that appeared onscreen during his remarks Tuesday night. It was a text number for donating to his campaign. So, why is it so bad that they did this? Well, in 2020, when Biden was shown at HIS podium during campaign events, the network did NOT blur his number. This could conceivably be interpreted (or even prosecuted) as illegal election interference. I think we’ve got ABC’s number.
In other words, we’re on to the left. They’ve made a mockery of justice, so it’s time to make a mockery of THEM.
Dr. Lockridge's Unforgettable Message
It’s Easter weekend and a great time to be reminded of one of the most wonderful sermons I ever heard. It was first delivered by Shadrach Meshach Lockridge, who from 1952 until 1993 was pastor of the Calvary Baptist Church of San Diego. Dr. S. M. Lockridge preached all over the world. He was without a doubt one of the greatest communicators of the Gospel in all of Christendom. His creative and soaring capacity for painting pictures with words was surpassed only by his spell-binding delivery. This amazing black pastor and renowned spiritual giant often spoke at Billy Graham Schools of Evangelism and at conferences around the world. His message of Easter was one I heard on tape back in the 1970’s. I never forgot it. To this day it rings true to my soul. No one can deliver it like Dr. S. M. Lockridge, but as we observe Easter weekend, I want to share with you an excerpt from his unforgettable message:
It’s Friday
Jesus is praying
Peter’s a sleeping
Judas is betraying
But Sunday’s comin’!
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It’s Friday
Pilate’s struggling
The council is conspiring
The crowd is vilifying
They don’t even know
That Sunday’s comin’!
---
It’s Friday
The disciples are running
Like sheep without a shepherd
Mary’s crying
Peter is denying
But they don’t know
That Sunday’s a comin’!
---
It’s Friday
The Romans beat my Jesus
They robe him in scarlet
They crown him with thorns
But they don’t know
That Sunday’s comin’!
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It’s Friday
See Jesus walking to Calvary
His blood dripping
His body stumbling
And his spirit’s burdened
But you see, it’s only Friday
Sunday’s comin’!
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It’s Friday
The world’s winning
People are sinning
And evil’s grinning.
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It’s Friday
The soldiers nail my Savior’s hands
To the cross
They nail my Savior’s feet
To the cross
And then they raise him up
Next to criminals.
---
It’s Friday
But let me tell you something
Sunday’s comin’!
It’s Friday
The disciples are questioning
What has happened to their King
And the Pharisees are celebrating
That their scheming
Has been achieved
But they don’t know
It’s only Friday
Sunday’s comin’!
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It’s Friday
He’s hanging on the cross
Feeling forsaken by his Father
Left alone and dying
Can nobody save him?
Ooooh
It’s Friday
But Sunday’s comin’!
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It’s Friday
The earth trembles
The sky grows dark
My King yields his spirit.
---
It’s Friday
Hope is lost
Death has won
Sin has conquered
and Satan’s just a laughin’.
---
It’s Friday
Jesus is buried
A soldier stands guard
And a rock is rolled into place.
But it’s Friday
It is only Friday
Sunday is a comin’!
I will never get over the simplicity of Dr. Lockridge’s vivid reminder that the final chapter of our lives is not the one written by the pain and looming disasters of our Fridays. In your life, there is maybe a Friday you face. A doctor’s report that has you facing a long path to recovery or perhaps a long path to the end of life. You may be facing a broken relationship that you are unable to repair. You may be faced with the death of a family member or dear friend with whom you were inseparable. You may be overwhelmed with the guilt of a sin committed that you can’t forgive yourself for. The burden of financial ruin may have destroyed your peace and left you with fear. For you, it’s certainly Friday. But as Dr. Lockridge reminds us, “It’s Friday, but Sunday’s coming.”
That is the message of Easter. When it seems as though God has moved and left no forwarding address; that He has abandoned us to our sorrow and suffering; when we feel there is no real reason for us to keep living or even to keep trying…just remember that it’s only Friday…and Sunday is coming. The story of Jesus didn’t end on Friday. Sunday came. And the Jesus that came out of the grave when he overcame death itself hasn’t forgotten you either. The stone wasn’t rolled away to let Him out; it was rolled away to let you see in and know that Friday wasn’t the end of the story. And Sunday was just the beginning!
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