THE CHURCH MILITANT
Ephesians 5:11-"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them". This Christian News Blog maintains a one stop resource of current news and reports of its own related to church, moral, spiritual, and related political issues, plus articles, and postings from other online discernment ministries, and media which share the aims to obey the biblical commands to shed light on and refute error, heresy, apostasy, cults, and spiritual abuse.
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
Fairfax, VA –-(Ammoland.com)- In the wake of the Parkland, Florida, murders, there has been an unusual amount of anti-gun and anti-NRA commentary by private corporations with plenty of problems of their own.
In February, Delta announced it was ending a discount program for passengers who used the airline to travel to the NRA’s 2018 Annual Meeting in Dallas, Texas. The move had nothing to do with any problems Delta itself experienced with the NRA or its members, but supposedly came in response to what the airline called “the current national debate over gun control amid recent school shootings.” Bizarrely, Delta characterized its decision to link innocent NRA members with school shootings and to punish them by reneging on a contract as a reflection of its “neutral status” and an attempt to “refrain from entering this debate.”
You can make your views known to Delta CEO Ed Bastian by emailing him at edward.bastian@delta.com, or calling Delta’s corporate headquarters at (404) 715-2600.
The Washington Post, however, characterized Delta’s move differently, situating it squarely within the #BoycottNRA movement. The airline, in other words, had merely jumped on a self-glorifying corporate bandwagon that has done nothing to harm the NRA but has done much to remind gun-owning Americans just what is at stake in the gun control debate.
Ironically, Delta’s move hurt its own shareholders far worse than it did NRA members. While only 13 NRA members took advantage of the now revoked Delta Discount, the airline’s attempt to implicate the NRA in school shootings led the Georgia legislature to eliminate tax breaks that were expected to be worth some $50 million to the Atlanta-based company.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian, however, remained defiant. “Our decision was not made for economic gain and our values are not for sale,” he said in a statement on the legislative reversal, as if Delta’s “values” and his job first and foremost involve pursuing a political agenda against gun owners and NRA members.
Bastian then went on to brag during a television appearance on CNBC that his company “gained a lot of fans” for its discriminatory treatment of NRA members and for not “selling out to political interests.”
We have some news for Mr. Bastian: Our Second Amendment rights aren’t up for negotiation, either.
As the NRA has already made abundantly clear: “The loss of a discount will neither scare nor distract one single NRA member from our mission to stand and defend the individual freedoms that have always made America the greatest nation in the world.”
Freedom-loving Americans, meanwhile, have responded to these elitists attacks the way they always have, by renewing their support for the NRA, the most uncompromising champion of America’s constitutional freedoms.
It’s clear from recent customer reviews of Delta that the airline’s time and efforts would be more profitably spent on addressing its own operational issues, rather trying to deflect attention to NRA members.
If you agree, feel free to contact Delta CEO Ed Bastian and tell him all about it. Mr. Bastian’s email is edward.bastian@delta.com. You can also ask to speak to him by calling Delta’s corporate headquarters at (404) 715-2600. Should you prefer to write a letter to Mr. Bastian, Delta’s corporate address is Delta Air Lines Inc., P.O. Box 20706, Atlanta, GA 30320.
Other options for making your views known are available in this USA Today article aimed at helping aggrieved Delta passengers get redress from Mr. Bastian, who apparently tends to hide behind legions of staffers to avoid direct contact with his company’s customers.
About:
Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the “lobbying” arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Visit: www.nra.org
Delta Airlines Suffer Huge Losses Following NRA Boycott
Delta Airlines has lost a $40 million tax break following their unceremonious boycott of the National Rifle Association (NRA).
Following the announcement that they would no longer be offering NRA members group discounts, a $40 million tax break that they would have received in Georgia is likely to be withdrawn by state lawmakers.
Thegatewaypundit.com reports: Delta’s move doesn’t go over so well with the pro gun sentiments in the state, and a former state senator says “If Delta is so flush that they don’t need NRA members hard-earned travel dollars, it can certainly do without the $40 million tax break they are asking Georgia taxpayers for.”
Greg Bluestein for Politically Georgia writes:
Delta’s decision to sever marketing ties with the National Rifle Association on Saturday sparked outrage from Georgia conservatives who urged state lawmakers to defy the Atlanta-based airline’s push for a multimillion dollar fuel tax break.
Several conservative groups seized on the airline’s decision to end a discount for NRA members to rally members against the measure. And former state Sen. Rick Jeffares, a candidate for lieutenant governor, urged his Republican colleagues to reject it.
“If Delta is so flush that they don’t need NRA members hard-earned travel dollars,” said Jeffares, “it can certainly do without the $40 million tax break they are asking Georgia taxpayers for.”
The airline’s decision came as several blue-chip companies broke ties with the gun rights group amid debate over firearms restrictions in the wake of the mass shooting at a Florida high school this month.
It’s difficult timing for Delta in its home state, where the airline is on a mission to restore a lucrative sales tax exemption on jet fuel that was first adopted in the mid-2000s when the company was in financial distress.
Critics called it a special-interest tax giveaway after the company recovered to post record-breaking profits. It was done away with in 2015 when Delta officials got on the wrong side of lawmakerslooking for extra cash for infrastructure improvements.
The tax break came roaring back this year after the airline hired David Werner, Gov. Nathan Deal’s former executive counsel, as its top state lobbyist.
This year, it has been pitched to lawmakers as an “airline tax break” rather than one that would exclusively help Delta. The jet fuel provision would save airlines and cargo firms more than $50 million, but the biggest beneficiary would be Delta.
And state Sen. Michael Williams, a Republican candidate for governor who has long opposed the Delta tax break, called it proof that lawmakers “do the bidding of lobbyists.”
“Delta isn’t even worried about insulting a huge portion of voters who belong to the NRA,” said Williams, who on Friday tried to strip the jet fuel provision from the broader tax-cut bill. “They have their backroom deal in place & know the politicians can’t survive without their donations.”
Delta quickly took to the defensive. Werner tweeted that the company’s announcement “was not a political statement” and that the airline “merely confirmed its neutral status on a politically and emotionally charged debate by removing its name from the debate.”
Atlanta’s NBC 11 adds:
Within about 2 hours of Delta reaching out to the NRA, former Georgia Senator Rick Jeffares tweeted “if Delta is so flush that they don’t need NRA members’ hard-earned dollars, they can certainly do without the $40 million tax break they are asking Georgia taxpayers for.”
He’s talking about the proposed jet fuel tax break that would save Delta $40 million if it passes. 11Alive spoke to a representative for Jeffares who sent us a statement on his behalf.
“I have supported this tax break for Delta in the past but not this time,” it read. “If Delta can afford to write off the travel business of all those folks, they clearly don’t need a special tax break from Georgians.”
In Delta’s full statement, the company said they are trying to stay neutral during the national debate over gun control. They want to focus on business, but the company continues to support the second amendment.
Cobb County Republican Party Chairman Jason Shepherd isn’t buying it.
Delta LIED About What They Did With NRA Discount Program And It Just Backfired Bigger Than Ever!
Delta Airlines officially announced their decision to cut ties with the National Rifle Association (NRA). This occurred shortly after the Parkland Florida high school shooting that left 17 dead mainly because the Broward County Sheriff’s department is full of cowards and the FBI was too busy allegedly working for the Clintons and Obama.
In a bid to remain neutral, Delta announced that it would end the NRA’s contract for members to receive discounted rates through their group travel program.
Via The Hill:
“In a memo to employees, Delta CEO Ed Bastian said that the company’s decision was not made for “economic gain” and that by cutting ties with the gun rights group, Delta wanted to “remove” itself from the gun debate. A copy of the memo was obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“While Delta’s intent was to remain neutral, some elected officials in Georgia tied our decision to a pending jet fuel tax exemption, threatening to eliminate it unless we reversed course,” he wrote.
“Our decision was not made for economic gain and our values are not for sale. We are in the process of a review to end group discounts for any group of a politically divisive nature.”
Delta joined several other companies in ending benefits and discounts for NRA members in recent weeks, following a deadly shooting last month at a South Florida high school that reignited the national debate over gun control.
“It’s a growing concern for border patrol as Laredo has become the number 1 crossing point for Bangladeshi nationals, a country that has known ties to terrorism….In 2017 they apprehended close to 180 Bangladeshi nationals, and since October of last year, there have been over 160 individuals caught.”
Why are they entering the country that way? It isn’t hard to understand. The Investigative Project reported in January 2017: “A report by the Texas Department of Public Safety raises concerns about ISIS terrorists using the Mexican border both to enter and leave the country. It noted that at least 13 aspiring terrorists have tried to cross into Mexico, or considered trying, since 2012.”
“Bangladeshi nationals breaching US border,” KGNS, April 11, 2018 (thanks to Dalton):
LAREDO,Texas(KGNS)- It’s a growing concern for border patrol as Laredo has become the number 1 crossing point for Bangladeshi nationals, a country that has known ties to terrorism.
In a KGNS news special report, our Noraida Negron rides along with Border Patrol to find out why these cases are on the rise.
There is one specific area where they are crossing in South Laredo.
Agents have consistently detained 11 Bangladeshis during separate events.
That puts Laredo sector at the top, when it comes to having the highest apprehensions of Bangladeshi nationals compared to other border patrol sectors.
In 2017 they apprehended close to 180 Bangladeshi nationals, and since October of last year, there have been over 160 individuals caught….
LANSING, Mich. —Michigan pastors delivered 23,000 petitions this week to two state lawmakers who have urged Attorney General Bill Schuette to investigate Metro City Church for offering biblical teaching to teenage girls who struggle with homosexuality or gender dysphoria.
“It is alarming that legislators, who have sworn an oath to uphold the Constitution, have attacked the free speech rights and free exercise of religion by a local church congregation, in direct violation of the First Amendment,” the petition, addressed to Rep. Darrin Camilleri (D-Brownstown Twp.) and Rep. Adam Zemke (D-Ann Arbor), reads.
“Moreover, as government officials, for you to dictate what a local church must teach regarding its theology is totalitarian in nature, and is at the heart of what the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment was meant to prevent,” it states.
“I urge you to respect the freedom of this church to teach what the Bible says about human sexuality and withdraw your request for an unconstitutional government investigation into Metro City Church and FORGE Ministries.”
As previously reported, Jeremy Schossau, the pastor of Metro City Church, offered an “Unashamed Identity Workshop” in February, a six-week offering for girls ages 12-16 who are struggling with thoughts that they might be homosexual or transgender.
“Does your child or grandchild struggle with sexual identity? Do you see the pain and hurt of their struggle but you’re uncertain how to help?” a webpage for the workshop read.
“It doesn’t have to be this way. With God’s help there can be healing, wholeness and hope. Through thoughtful, relevant and biblical counsel we will help your girl be unashamed of her true sexual identity given to her by God at birth,” it stated.
A number of homosexual advocates became angry after seeing a social media post about the offering and left threatening voicemail and email for Schossau.
“The vast majority are filled with vulgarity, hate and threats of all kinds,” Schossau told reporters. “Threats to kill me, my family and to burn our home and church down. What we find incredibly odd is there is no seeking to understand what we are truly doing. There is only the assumption that we are practicing some sort of conversion therapy, as it’s traditionally known.”
Schossau stated repeatedly during the ordeal that he was not offering conversion therapy, but simply talking with the youth, speaking the truth in love in accordance to the Scriptures as a pastor.
“I think it is very sad that people are willing to yell and scream and be profane at people, but never actually talk to us to find out what we’re doing,” he stated.
Hundreds of protesters also turned up outside of the church for two of the scheduled dates, holding signs such as such as “Self-hatred is not therapy,” “You can’t fix them; they’re not broken,” and “Love is love.” Because of the threats of violence, Metro City Church canceled the workshop and took the event page off its website.
“The workshop has gained so much negative attention on social media and news outlets that the church has canceled the workshop, fearing that protest may turn violent,” police wrote in their report. “The church is receiving approximately 40 voicemail messages a minute from critics of the Unashamed Identity Workshop.”
Camilleri and Zemke soon wrote a letter to Attorney General Schuette, asking him to investigate the church for a violation of the Consumer Protection Act.
“The attorney general is uniquely situated with the power and duty to prevent those that sponsor this workshop from targeting families and young people and scamming them out of their hard-earned money for a practice that has no basis in science,” Camilleri stated, according to the News Herald.
“This inappropriate and destructive practice has no place in our communities,” he said. “Rather than trying to change each other, we must instead come together to accept and appreciate our differences, and realize that those differences are what makes our state stronger.”
Reps. Jon Hoadley (D-Kalamazoo), Tim Sneller (D-Burton) and Jeremy Moss (D-Southfield) were also signees of the letter.
Schossau and others have found the move to be absurd.
“People have always gone to their spiritual leaders for advice,” Schossau said in a statement. “Pastors have always done this and we will continue to do this. And, we don’t need the government to tell us what we can and cannot say. And, we do not need the government to tell us what kind of advice we need to give, or a license to give that advice.”
The Washington-based Family Research Council (FRC) launched a petition to Camilleri and Zemke, urging them to rescind their request for an investigation and to respect the rights of pastors to provide biblical counsel. On Tuesday, 23,000 signed petitions were delivered to the two lawmakers.
“Pastor Jeremy Schossau’s leadership at Metro City Church has created a place that is governed by the precepts and principles of God’s word and is compelled by the love of God. The workshop offered by Metro City Church and FORGE Ministries was created to answer difficult and sensitive questions on identity and sexuality from a biblical perspective,” said Randy Wilson, the national field director for FRC’s “Watchman on the Wall” pastoral network effort.
“Metro City is putting love into action by offering a safe place for teenage girls struggling with sexual identity issues from a biblical perspective not a personal opinion. For elected officials to call for an investigation into matters of the church is a gross violation of the First Amendment and government overreach,” he declared.
As previously reported, Christians believe that all men are born with the Adamic sin nature, and have inherent inclinations that are contrary to the law of God, being utterly incapable of helping themselves. It is why Jesus outlined in John 3:5-7 that men must be regenerated by the second birth.
“Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God,” he declared. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.”
2 Corinthians 5:15-17 also teaches, “He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again. … Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
A RESPONSE TO THE ACCUSATION OF "CONVERSION THERAPY"
Michigan Pastor Jeremy Schossau Joins Tony Perkins on the Radio to Discuss Calls for State Investigation into Church's Teachings on Sexuality
“I am deeply saddened by the Supreme Court’s ruling that imposes legalized gay marriage on the 70 percent of Kansans who voted to honor and protect the traditional definition of marriage as the union between one man and one woman. It is a shocking abuse of power. It is wrong. I will continue to fight to protect our most sacred institutions.”
That was the reaction of Mike Pompeo (now President Trump’s nominee to replace Rex Tillerson as secretary of state) when the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in the Obergefell v. Hodges case in June 2015 that the “right” for two persons of the same sex to marry was protected under the U.S. Constitution.
Pompeo’s remarks did not sit well with Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.), shown, who was incensed that Pompeo did not approve of same-sex “marriage.” During Pompeo’s confirmation hearing this week, Booker also cited a speech that Pompeo gave as a congressman in 2015 at a church. During the church service, Pompeo quoted a pastor’s comments delivered at the Kansas State Legislature: “America had worshipped other Gods and called it multiculturalism. We’d endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle.”
Booker badgered Pompeo during the hearing, repeatedly asking him, “Is being gay a perversion?”
Pompeo calmly replied that when he made those statements he was a politician, and he expressed “a very clear view,” at that time, and, “I stand by that.” In other words, Pompeo still held to his previously expressed position that it was wrong for two persons of the same sex to marry.
Booker indignantly asked, “So you do not think it is appropriate for two gay people to marry?” After Pompeo reiterated that he continued “to hold that view,” Booker said that this was a problem for him, arguing that there were people in the State Department who were in same-sex “marriages.”
Pompeo responded that he treated such employees at the CIA (where he is presently the director) “with the exact same set of rights,” but was interrupted by Booker, who asked him the same question again. “You believe gay sex is a perversion, yes or no?”
As Pompeo tried to answer, Booker kept asking, “Yes or no, do you believe gay sex is perversion?”
Pompeo’s view that homosexual action is a sin is, of course, grounded in his view, as a Christian, that the Bible is the Word of God. As such, Pompeo could have quoted Romans 1:27 (among many other verses in Scripture), [And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet.] Clearly the words, “leaving the natural use of the woman” indicate that Scripture considers “gay sex” a perversion.
In the United States, one certainly has the constitutionally protected right to publicly disagree with what the Bible says, or what any other religious text says. At the same time, another person, such as Pompeo has the same right to agree with Scripture that homosexual acts are perversion.
Apparently, Booker believes that one’s own private religious beliefs are fair subjects for questioning during a confirmation hearing, and even grounds for a nominee to be rejected. Booker’s opposition to Pompeo owing to his religious beliefs appears to be a direct violation of the words of the Constitution, found in Article VI, which reads, “But no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.”
Private citizens, of course, are free to vote for or against a candidate for religious reasons — such as in 1960 when citizens voted for and against John F. Kennedy because of his Catholic religion, or in 2012 when citizens did the same in the case of Mitt Romney, owing to his Mormon religion.
But Booker took an oath to uphold the Constitution. Despite this, Booker, while acting under that oath as an official of the U.S. government, is invoking a religious test as a reason to reject Pompeo for secretary of state.
What is particularly troubling about this is that this has become a pattern. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) voted last year against a nominee for the Office of Management and Budget simply because the nominee, as a Christian, believed that one had to believe in Jesus Christ to have salvation. In Oklahoma, a member of the University of Oklahoma Board of Regents was forced out in December simply because of his view, expressed on a public affairs TV program, that homosexuality is “wrong.” In 2016, Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson dismissed religious liberty as just a “black hole.”
It has become apparent that, while an American citizen can (for now) hold that belief in Jesus Christ is the only path to salvation, or that same-sex “marriage” is perversion, there is a troubling pattern emerging that an increasing number of persons think those views automatically disqualify the person who holds such views from serving in government, at any level.
WASHINGTON(Fox News)— During his secretary of state confirmation hearing, CIA Director Mike Pompeo refused to say whether he thinks same-sex relationships are a “perversion” when pressed multiple times and said he stood by his earlier views against gay marriage.
Referencing a past speech Pompeo gave, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., asked the former Kansas congressman point blank, “Is being gay a perversion?”
“When I was a politician, I had a very clear view on whether it was appropriate for two same-sex persons to marry. I stand by that,” Pompeo, vying to be the nation’s top diplomat, responded during the Thursday hearing.
As a congressman, Pompeo opposed the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized gay marriage in 2015.
Booker also asked if Pompeo believes it’s “appropriate” for same-sex couples to marry.
“Senator, I continue to hold that view,” Pompeo said.
Pompeo was also questioned about his beliefs on same-sex marriage in January 2017 during his Senate confirmation hearing to become the CIA director. Then, Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., asked Pompeo if he would treat every CIA employee “in a way that is appropriate and equal” to which Pompeo agreed.
He assured Booker during his secretary of state confirmation hearing that his “respect for every individual, regardless of their sexual orientation, is the same.”
“You’re going to be representing this country and their values abroad in nations where gay individuals are under untold persecution, untold violence. Your views do matter,” Booker said.
Earlier, Booker pressed Pompeo on if he saw people who worshipped “other gods,” particularly Muslims, as “negative.” Pompeo pointed to his “exquisite” record of treating people with respect, despite their religious beliefs.
Pompeo also told Booker Muslims have a special “opportunity” with how they respond to terrorist attacks. He said some people are “better positioned” to respond to “certain types of violence.”
Trump nominated Pompeo to be secretary of state in March to replace Rex Tillerson.
SEE ALSO: https://ratherexposethem.blogspot.com/2015/07/democrats-move-to-strike-husband-wife.htmlEXCERPT: "Likewise, Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.), in his own statement, said, “For too long, same-sex couples have been treated as second class citizens, and the onus falls on all of us to right this wrong. If the highest court in the land can stand by the constitutionality of all legal marriages, then we must fight to ensure our tax code justly affords all married people the same privileges.”"
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
Booker Joins Senate Democrats to Call for Equal Dignity in the Tax Code
Introducing New Legislation to Modernize the Tax Code Reflecting the Supreme Court’s Favorable Marriage Equality Ruling
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) joined Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, (D-Ore)and other Senate Democrats to unveil legislation providing equal dignity for all legal marriages in the tax code. The bill, the“Equal Dignity for Married Taxpayers Act” sets new precedent by removing gender-specific references to marriage, enshrining dignity and recognition for LGBTQ Americans in the tax code.
“For too long, same-sex couples have been treated as second class citizens, and the onus falls on all of us to right this wrong,”Sen. Booker said. “If the highest court in the land can stand by the constitutionality of all legal marriages, then we must fight to ensure our tax code justly affords all married people the same privileges.”
“It’s about time that we update our tax law to reflect the institution of legal marriage,” Sen. Wyden said. “All married Americans deserve the same respect and dignity in the eyes of the law.”
This bill follows the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on June 26, 2015 that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marriage under the Fourteenth Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection, striking down state-level bans on such marriages. The bill ensures that the nation’s tax law properly reflects the landmark civil rights decision, offering equal treatment to all married taxpayers.
Co-sponsors of the bill include: Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.), Al Franken (D-Minn.), Kristen Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).
The legalistic, liberal, high tax state of New Jersey has a reputation for blaming people who move there from the big cities of New York, Philadelphia and Wilmington for all its ills, and the disappearance of its once pristine farmland to developers.
Now, the self-described "most densely populated state" has no room for outspoken Christians who remind them of God's laws. For example:
"Evangelist Found ‘Guilty’ of Trespassing for Preaching at Public Train Station to Appeal Ruling", at:
State Department nominee Mike Pompeo easily deflected Democrats’ softball questions about his prior criticism of Islamic ideology.
Pompeo was able to dodge the issue of Islam’s belligerent ideology at his confirmation hearing on Thursday because Democrats also dodged the issue by asking for his views about the uncontroversial personal rights of Americans who are Muslims.
That unspoken cooperation allowed the pro-migration Democrats and the pending Secretary of State to hide the difficult issue of how the federal government should deal with mainstream Islam’s belligerent ideology, cited by many orthodox adherents as the motivation for their “Allah is Supreme” (Allahu Akbar) terror attacks.
Pompeo’s tactful responses denied Democrats an easy excuse to vote against his confirmation. The tact is needed because the GOP holds only 51 seats in the closely divided chamber. Also, the GOP has just a one-vote advantage in the foreign relations committee which likely will cast the first votes on Pompeo’s nomination.
The first set of questions came from New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker, who asked Pompeo if individual Americans who are Muslims have a “special obligation” to denounce terror attacks.
“Senator, each and every human, not just Americans, each and every human being has an obligation to push back against this extremist use of violence,” he told Booker.
Pompeo used the opportunity to hint that Islamic adherents have a particular obligation to speak against Islamic war doctrines whenever they are mentioned by Islamic clerics and believers, saying:
I also do believe this firmly: That for certain places, for certain forms of violence, there are some [people] who are better positioned, who are more credible, more trustworthy,have a more shared experience, and so when it comes to making sure we don’t have a terrorist brewing in places where Muslims congregate, there is a special place, right – they have an oppor[rtunity]. It is more than a duty, more than a requirement, it is an opportunity, right?
In his turn, Massachusetts Democrat Sen. Ed Markey tried to criticize Pompeo’s past critical statements about Islam, but he also reduced the ideological and theological issues to a matter of personal rights.
“There are isolated incidences of aberrant Muslim activity but in the whole, these are good people, they are religious people,” said Markey, whose party’s identity-politics ideology claims there are no significant theological or ideological differences between Muslims, Jews, Christians, Buddhists and others.
Pompeo is an American conservative, so he prefers to distinguish between a person and their theology or ideology. He responded:
I have then and feel know that everyone has a responsibility to speak about these terrorist attacks … it is true that many [Islamic] leaders spoke out about it — I’m not sure we ever get to the point where it is enough.
Markey also pressed Pompeo to apologize for past statements he made about Islamic leaders in Boston, presumably including the radical leaders of the Islamic Society of Boston‘s mosque, following the 2013 Boston bombing by two immigrant Muslims. The immigrant Muslims killed three Americans with bombs and later murdered a policeman.
Pompeo said in 2013:
When the most devastating terrorist attacks on American in the last 20 years come from overwhelmingly from people of single faith, and are performed in the name of that faith, a special obligation falls on those that are the leaders of that faith. Instead of responding, silence has made these Islamic leaders across America potentially complicit in these acts.
But Markey personalized the criticism, so Pompeo again dodged the question of whether Islamic beliefs contributed to the attack, adding “it was not my intention in any respect to suggest the [Islamic leaders] were part of the chain of events that led to the attack.”
Pompeo continued:
To the extent the [Islamic leaders] condemned the [Boston] attacks … I’m happy they did that — I think that is is a good thing. I think it reduces the chance that a thing like this happensagain.
In contrast to Christianity, which urges the separation of religious life and government, and which also denounces violence, Islam’s theology declares the government and people’s lives are subservient to the religion, and it promises heavenly rewards to believers who spread Islam by the sword. Christianity teaches believers to love and treat others as they prefer to be treated, while Islam urges followers to hate what Allah hates. _______________________________________________________________
Hezbollah, Iran’s narco-terrorist proxy, “threatens” Americans in the U.S. homeland, Mike Pompeo, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of State….The U.S. military has repeatedly warned against the growing presence of Iran and Hezbollah in Latin America, stressing that operations linked to the Shiite entities present a menace to the United States.
With the increasingly prevalent alliance between the drug trade and jihad, it is getting more difficult to distinguish between narco-criminals and jihadists. This provides a cover for jihadists and obstructs accurate reporting about the nature and magnitude of the jihad threat. This match made in hell shows yet again the need for a Southern border wall.
“Pompeo: Iranian Proxy ‘Hezbollah Threatens Us Right Here in the Homeland’”, by Edwin Mora, Breitbart, April 12, 2018:
WASHINGTON, DC — Hezbollah, Iran’s narco-terrorist proxy, “threatens” Americans in the U.S. homeland, Mike Pompeo, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of State (DOS), declared Thursday during his Senate confirmation hearing.
Pompeo, who served as director of the CIA until he was recently chosen by President Trump to serve as secretary of state, identified Iran, North Korea, China, and Russia as the top threats facing the United States.
In written testimony prepared for his confirmation hearing hosted by the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on Thursday, Pompeo noted:
Iran, meanwhile, has been on the march and has paid too low a price for its dangerous behavior. Our administration has developed a strategy to counter Iran that will raise that cost. The issues surrounding Iran’s proliferation threat are real and we, along with our allies, must deal with the long-term risk that its capability presents.
But we cannot let the nuclear file prevent us from acting against Iran’s cyber efforts or its attempts to provide missiles to the Houthis [in Yemen] to attack Saudi Arabia and Americans who travel there. Iran’s activities in Syria, Iraq and Lebanon threaten the very existence of Israel, and the global reach of Hezbollah threatens us right here in the homeland.
Iran freed American hostages for the sake of a deal and then turned immediately to holding still more. I will work for their freedom every day.
During the hearing, Pompeo stressed that the administration plans to “fix” the controversial Iran nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPA), suggesting that Trump will not withdraw from the flawed agreement, reached under former President Barack Obama.
The U.S. military has repeatedly warned against the growing presence of Iran and Hezbollah in Latin America, stressing that operations linked to the Shiite entities present a menace to the United States.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, recently revealed that the number of “cultural centers” used by Iran proxies like Hezbollah to recruit members across Latin America have proliferated, nearly tripling from 36 in 2012 to “more than 100” today.
According to U.S. officials and independent analysts, Hezbollah is heavily involved in drug trafficking and money laundering activities across Latin America……
