Month: January 2024

Dear KAG: 20240123 Open Thread

Cover image: Mortimer Smith: Winter Landscape (1878)

The Supreme Court ruling on the Texas border will be sprinkled through the links and tweets. As infuriating as it is, there is a lot to unpack.

Badlands News Brief – January 22, 2024

Algorithmic Amplification

An Olive Branch to DeSantis Supporters

🤮🤮🤮

White Americans are Quiet Quitting our Leading Institutions

Definitions of War

AI Can Help Us Expose the NWO

It’s Not Over, Says Texas Governor Following SCOTUS Border Razor-Wire Order

Supreme Court Rules 5-4 That State Authorities Cannot Protect American Citizens from Illegal Border Entry

Tweets…X-Files, uh, posts, whatever

Interesting take:

https://twitter.com/Rgrizzle222/status/1749210113632534599

Meme Zone

Tagalongs….

We started thawing out here in STL on Monday.

This was about an hour south of me on Monday morning.

needless to say, the city was closed across the board.

Something to remember, always.

Per the boss’s instruction:

I’d throw in a few Rockefellers and Rothschilds also.

Of course, this does not mean committing felonies, but standing up to the forces that want to tear this nation – and humanity apart. The very people XVII told us will be destroyed by the time this movie comes to an end are currently roaming the halls of power…supposedly. It’s a sickening sight.

Guidelines for posting and discussion on this site were outlined by our host, WolfM00n. Please, review them from time to time.

The discourse on this site is to be CIVIL – no name calling, baiting, or threatening others here is allowed. Those who are so inclined may visit Wolf’s other sanctuary, the U-Tree, to slog it out. There is also a “rescue” thread there for members of the Tree to rendezvous if the main site goes kablooey. A third site has been added for site outages of longer duration.

This site is a celebration of the natural rights endowed to humans by our Creator as well as those enshrined in the Bill of Rights adopted in the founding documents of the United States of America. Within the limits of law, how we exercise these rights is part of the freedom of our discussion.

Fellow tree dweller, the late Wheatie, gave us some good reminders on the basics of civility in political discourse:

  1. No food fights.
  2. No running with scissors.
  3. If you bring snacks, bring enough for everyone.

And Auntie DePat’s requests:

If you see something has not been posted, do us all a favor, and post it. Please, do not complain that it has not been done yet.

The scroll wheel on your mouse can be your friend. As mature adults, please use it here in the same manner you would in avoiding online porn.

Thank you so much for any and all attention to such details. It is GREATLY appreciated by more than one party here.

__________________________________________________

PSALMS 24:7-10

7Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in. 8Who is the King of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle! 9Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in. 10Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory! [Selah]

109

Anonymous ID: hHkrVD7x No.148156632 
Nov 5 2017 20:06:36 (EST)

Anonymous ID: pqW40Wgk No.148156518 
Nov 5 2017 20:05:48 (EST)

>>148154137

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray. And do thou, Prince of the Heavenly Hosts, by the power of God, cast down to Hell Satan and all his evil spirits, who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

>>148156518
Amen brother.
Q

As always, prayers for the fight against that which seeks to enslave us are welcome. Via con Dios.

Satire

I admit it. I suck at parallel parking unless the curb is on the drivers side.

Dear KMAG: 20240122 Joe Biden Didn’t Win ❀ Open Topic

Joe Biden didn’t win. This is our Real President:

AND our beautiful REALFLOTUS.

This Stormwatch Monday Open Thread remains open – VERY OPEN – a place for everybody to post whatever they feel they would like to tell the White Hats, and the rest of the MAGA/KAG/KMAG world (with KMAG being a bit of both).

And yes, it’s Monday…again.

But we WILL get through it!

We will always remember Wheatie,

Pray for Trump,

Yet have fun,

and HOLD ON when things get crazy!

We will follow the RULES of civility that Wheatie left for us:

Wheatie’s Rules:

  1. No food fights.
  2. No running with scissors.
  3. If you bring snacks, bring enough for everyone.

And while we engage in vigorous free speech, we will remember Wheatie’s advice on civility, non-violence, and site unity:

“We’re on the same side here so let’s not engage in friendly fire.”

“Let’s not give the odious Internet Censors a reason to shut down this precious haven that Wolf has created for us.”

If this site gets shut down, please remember various ways to get back in touch with the rest of the gang:

Our beloved country is under Occupation by hostile forces.

Daily outrage and epic phuckery abound.

We can give in to despair…or we can be defiant and fight back in any way that we can.

Joe Biden didn’t win.

And we will keep saying Joe Biden didn’t win until we get His Fraudulency out of our White House.

Wolfie’s Wheatie’s Word of the Week:

doppelganger

noun

  1. A ghostly double of a living person, especially one that haunts such a person.
  2. An evil twin.
  3. A remarkably similar double.
  4. Alter ego.
  5. A person who has the same name as another.
  6. A book by anti-Trump feminist Naomi Klein, about Trump-friendly feminist Naomi Wolf.

From Wikipedia

A doppelgänger (/ˈdɒpəlɡɛŋər, -ɡæŋər/), sometimes spelled as doppelgaenger or doppelganger, is a biologically unrelated look-alike, or a double, of a living person. In fiction and mythology, a doppelgänger is often portrayed as a ghostly  paranormal phenomenon and usually seen as a harbinger of bad luck. Other traditions and stories equate a doppelgänger with an evil twin. In modern times, the term twin stranger is occasionally used.

The Book Cover

MUSIC!

How about a “fiddle chicks X bagpipe grlz” video?

It turns out there is actually a song called “Doppelganger”. It’s not bad at all, but kinda sad.

How about some fresh country? Just found this song!

OK, let’s finish with a TRUMP RALLY SONG! WOOHOO!!!

THE STUFF

The stuff, this week, is about Naomi Klein vs. Naomi Wolf.

I began by picking up the recent “Naomi vs. Naomi” book, Doppelganger.

You’re all most likely familiar with feminist Naomi Wolf, that perennial guest of Steve Bannon. She, the anti-COVID-vaccine-fighter extraordinaire, whose stellar work on the Pfizer FOIA documents caused Rochelle Walensky to flee her harpy perch at CDC for better cover.

There is another feminist who is sometimes confused with Wolf, named Naomi Klein. Klein is a cabal defender, ultimately, but she has managed a bit of some weak “insider” criticism on the left – enough to be considered an intellectual – not enough to lose her perks and privileges.

Supposedly because Klein is sometimes mistaken for Wolf, and takes wrongly directed criticism from the left for it, Klein decided to attack Wolf, and hence the book. Or at least, that is her story.

Right now, both the Kindle version and the hardback version of Klein’s book are $15, which means that the hardcover is NOT doing well in those cabal bookstores like Barnes & Lucifer.

“WHAT???!!!” – you may be saying. Why would this Wolf (“DA WOOF”) be picking up RADICAL LEFT TRASH?

The book is basically one long REEEEEEEEEE!!!!!, and it’s glorious, and that is why I bought it.

More specifically, the book is a left-wing, globalist, overly verbose, incredibly narcissistic, and eye-rollingly navel-gazing attack by stereotypical “New York culture, Canada address” feminist Naomi Klein on “MAGA-friendly liberal” feminist Naomi Wolf.

Once I realized how much of a REEEEEEEEEE!!! this book was, I began laughing in the store at every breathless outrage, and eventually realized that I needed to buy it.

The thing is, Naomi Klein is OBSESSED with Naomi Wolf, and the more one reads, the more one understands that FAKERY is chasing AUTHENTICITY – obsessed – because Fakery cannot stand to be in the same room as Authenticity, and yet it MUST be in that room, getting all the attention, so it has to ATTACK what it cannot be.

In the same way that people like Romney, Pelosi, Obama, Kasich, and all the rest are OBSESSED with Trump, and simply MUST try to destroy him – in the same way that Satan is OBSESSED with Christ, and must try to destroy Him, so Naomi Klein is obsessed with the “other Naomi” whose coattails she rode in on, and from whose coattails she exited, in the name of holding onto respect by the media, the government, and the rest of the elite.

It is my belief that Naomi Klein is the real doppelganger, and that her work is a kind of sub-critical hysterical confession. IMO, Klein always benefited from confusion with Naomi Wolf – until Naomi Wolf “walked the walk” right into the fire – in a way that Naomi Klein could not follow, nor even pretend to “talk the talk” without losing her seat at the elite table.

Wolf lost her academic position for speaking the truth. Klein still has hers. Do the math.

Klein wrote a book called The Shock Doctrine, which was a very insightful look at how neo-liberal corporate capitalism piles into crisis to make money. Klein was basically starting to see the phoniness of things like the Green New Deal. The problem was, she could never go far enough, because she’s too close to the agenda. Whether Klein can’t see, won’t see, or is just pretending not to see, it doesn’t change the outcome – she doesn’t see.

Klein can never see – nor admit that she sees – the corruption of centralized government, working hand-in-hand with phony crisis capitalism.

COVID and the vaccines provide a perfect example. Klein simply can’t leave the plantation. She stays safely on the “Bad Wolf” designated cheer circle, criticizing Wolf for departing from “the science” into “conspiracy theories”, and utterly refusing to admit that “the science” is no longer interested in saving pleb lives, when government money, taken from the plebs, is there for the taking.

Does Klein know? Is she wise to the globalist scam? Probably, IMO.

Klein also takes some interesting heat from the left.

For example, Klein is seen as a bit too friendly toward big-government-big-corporation-big-NGO-big-academia solutions, and the “gang-green” take her out for not going totally Maoist and anarchist on climate change, like those brave souls who glue themselves to roads, art exhibits, and whatnot.

Has Naomi Klein Sold Her Soul?

Then there is this great work of TLDRism from the intellectual left, seeing the same thing in a more complicated way.

Klein vs. Klein

Whatever. The bottom line is that I took one for the team, to figure out what’s up with this Klein broad. Save your money – don’t buy the book unless you want to “see the REE“!

Just sayin’!

Until victory, have faith!

And trust the big plan, too!

And as always….

ENJOY THE SHOW

W

Dear MAGA: 20240121 Open Topic

This Rejoice & Praise God Sunday Open Thread, with full respect to those who worship God on the Sabbath, is a place to reaffirm our worship of our Creator, our Father, our King Eternal.

It’s also a place to read, post, and discuss news that is worth knowing and sharing. Please post links to any news stories that you use as sources or quote from.

In the QTree, we’re a friendly and civil lot. We encourage free speech and the open exchange and civil discussion of different ideas. Topics aren’t constrained, and sound logic is highly encouraged, all built on a solid foundation of truth and established facts.

We have a policy of mutual respect, shown by civility. Civility encourages discussions, promotes objectivity and rational thought in discourse, and camaraderie in the participants – characteristics we strive toward in our Q Tree community.

Please show respect and consideration for our fellow QTreepers. Before hitting the “post” button, please proofread your post and make sure your opinion addresses the issue only, and does not confront or denigrate the poster. Keep to the topic – avoid “you” and “your”. Here in The Q Tree, personal attacks, name-calling, ridicule, insults, baiting, and other conduct for which a penalty flag would be thrown are VERBOTEN.

In The Q Tree, we’re compatriots, sitting around the campfire, roasting hot dogs, making s’mores, and discussing, agreeing, and disagreeing about whatever interests us. This board will remain a home for those who seek respectful conversations.

Please also consider the Guidelines for posting and discussion printed here: 
https://www.theqtree.com/2019/01/01/dear-maga-open-topic-20190101/

On this day and every day –

God is in Control
. . . and His Grace is Sufficient, so . . .
Keep Looking Up

Hopefully, every Sunday, we can find something here that will build us up a little . . . give us a smile . . . and add some joy or peace, very much needed in all our lives.

“This day is holy to the Lord your God;
do not mourn nor weep.” . . .
“Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet,
and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared;
for this day is holy to our Lord.
Do not sorrow,
for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Grumpy Christians

Grumpiness characterizes some of our personality types more than it does others. Some of us are born with sunny dispositions and always see the glass half full. Others seem to be grumpy from birth, seeing every glass nearly empty—and who drank it anyway? Unfortunately, even after some of us grumps become Christians, we bring our grumpiness with us. Since we’ve always been this way, we often believe grumpiness is an integral part of who we are rather than a flaw that needs to be changed. Other Christians may have been happy earlier in life but find ourselves being grumpier as we get older. Reasons for grumpiness vary, but life does take its toll. For those who recognize that perpetual grumpiness is at odds with the joy of the Lord (Acts 13:52; Galatians 5:22; Romans 14:17), there are some practical steps to change their attitude:

1. Recognize that continual grumpiness is sin. Consider negative personality traits to be like barnacles on the hull of a boat. Barnacles are the bane of boat owners because the little crustaceans cluster by the thousands, increasing drag and decreasing a boat’s fuel efficiency. Barnacles are also notoriously difficult to remove. Sins of the personality, such as grumpiness, are like that. They attach themselves to our lives, weighing us down and keeping us from experiencing all that it means to “walk by the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16, 25). The grumpy Christian needs to resist shrugging off the problem by saying things like, “That’s how I’ve always been” or “It’s too difficult to change.” Jesus paid too high a price to free us from our old ways for us to choose to remain enslaved (Romans 6:1–4).

2. Confess grumpiness as sin every time it manifests itself (1 John 1:9). Grumpiness becomes a habit that others see more readily than we do; many grumpy Christians don’t even realize when they’re being grumpy. In order to overcome a grumpy mood, we must agree with God about it. Jesus was never grumpy or cross, despite all that He faced and the cross that He bore (see Luke 10:21). Neither does grumpiness belong in the life of His followers (Romans 8:29). When we begin taking note of the way we respond to certain situations, we can become aware of how we come across to others. If we develop the habit of confessing grumpiness as sin every time we notice it, we become even more sensitive to it, and we can ask God for help in changing our old ways.

3. Thank the Lord for every good gift He has given us (James 1:17). A grateful heart is a happy heart. Grumpiness and thanksgiving cannot co-exist. Choose to “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Perpetually grumpy people are so focused on what is not right that they overlook what is right. A grumpy Christian may be helped by starting a thankfulness journal. In the journal, record one thing each day that you can be grateful for. Then, when grumpiness sets in, change your focus by reading the journal and reminding yourself of God’s unending goodness.

4. Take a breather. When you find yourself getting grumpy, take a break. Even if it’s just for a few seconds, giving yourself time to step back and reevaluate things is helpful. If you have the time, spend your break praying, reading the Bible, or listening to worshipful music that uplifts Christ. Eat a healthy snack. Find a mirror and check your facial expression. Smile.

5. Identify the areas that contribute to grumpiness. Find the source of the grumpiness, and we can more directly deal with it. Often, grumpy people are attracted to information and people who encourage their grumpiness. They feast on negative news, seek the company of negative people, and listen to discouraging music. Overcoming an attitude of negativity requires that we stop feeding it. We have the responsibility to guard our hearts (Proverbs 4:23). It helps to filter all entertainment and outside information through this sentence: “Does this lift up my heart in praise to God or pull it down into anger and depression?”

A Christian prone to grumpiness can handle it in the same way we overcome any negative trait. We recognize it as sin, ask God’s help in changing, and take action to create a new normal. The reward is a happier outlook, a closer relationship with God, and spiritual growth that will benefit everyone around us. https://www.gotquestions.org/grumpy-Christian.html

As it is known to those around us that we are Christians, and it should be known to those around us, then for good or for bad our actions will generally be viewed as common to Christians.
. . . let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. – Matthew 5:16
. . . set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. – 1 Timothy 4:12
In everything set them an example by doing what is good. – Titus 2:7
We definitely don’t want our candle to be blotted out by a thick gray cloud of grump. Much better for our joy to shine forth to all as a beacon that would help guide a lost traveler to the path of truth.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 
Let your gentleness be evident to all.
The Lord is near. 
MARANATHA!

2024·01·20 Joe Biden Didn’t Win Daily Thread

What is it that feeds our battle, yet starves our victory?

A Note From Your Humble Boilerplate Recycler

I know that for the past few weeks, there’s been precious little science content for you to skim past.

It’s been one thing after another…Hopefully upgrading one of my two machines to Qubes 4.2 (from 4.1) will be the last item. On the other hand, it’s possible I’ll upgrade the other machine next weekend (but I will start after the daily posts). On the other other hand, the next upgrade should go a lot more smoothly. I’ve done a lot to automate the massive number of customizations I have inflicted on my computers. (I don’t think most Qubes users would recognize my system.)

Speaker Johnson
Pinging you on January 6 Tapes

Just a friendly reminder Speaker Johnson. You’re doing some good things–or at least trying in the case of the budget–but this is the most important thing out there still hanging. One initial block released with the promise of more…and?

We have American patriots being held without bail and without trial, and the tapes almost certainly contain exculpatory evidence. (And if they don’t, and we’re all just yelling in an echo chamber over here, we need to know that too. And there’s only one way to know.)

Either we have a weaponized, corrupt government or we have a lot of internet charlatans. Let’s expose whatever it is. (I’m betting it’s the corrupt weaponized government, but if I am wrong, I’d like to see proof.)

A Political Statement

One of my stock jokes is to say, as I head off to the bathroom or washroom or restroom, “I’m going to go make a political statement.”

It certainly seems like urinating is a good way to make a statement about the YSM, and defecating works for politicians. Or the other way around is good too, though “#1” just never seems emphatic enough.

Maybe “#1” is just being polite, and “#2” is telling the fixtures what you really think.

Anyhow, I pretty much do plan to be polite to RINOs that electioneer or fundraise. I’ll tell them, Sorry, but I need to GO Pee…

Language Warning

In the next piece I had to discuss a particular topic. Unfortunately, I couldn’t discuss it without naming it. Therefore I apologize in advance for having to do so, and apologize to anyone offended by the sight of the name.

RINO McDaniel

RINO McDaniel continues to infest the GOP. But RINO McDaniel isn’t the problem.

Let me be crystal clear on this, RINO McDaniel is a lower-than-whale-shit, piss guzzling ratfucking shit eating traitorous rancid syphillitic cunt. Her worth as a human being is substantially less than zero, any oxygen sucked into her lungs is wasted, and it would be, no matter what job she had.

I fear I haven’t been clear enough, but that will have to suffice.

But she is not the problem…or rather, she would not be a problem were it not for others. She’d still be as I have described, but we wouldn’t know who she is and would not care, because she could do no damage. She’d just be anonymous human refuse.

No, the real problem is the fact that a majority of the 168 top GOP people voted for her. And now that has happened five times so they cannot claim they didn’t know what she was.

In spite of the fact that under her “leadership” the party has deliberately sabotaged the will of its base, has deliberately refused to challenge blatant election fraud, had gone out of its way to ensure certain candidates do not get nominated, has diverted donor money to namby-pamby candidates who have all the electoral appeal of a puddle of dog vomit…and in general has done nothing whatsoever to help fix the problems that plague America.

However that last is to be expected; I cannot expect anyone who IS the problem to help FIX the problem.

RINO McDaniel would be powerless without an entire party leadership of the same mind as her. They want this dismal performance; they want to ignore the party base.

If she were to drop dead this instant, it would solve nothing as someone just like her would be elected by those same pustulous people.

According to Charlie Kirk, about 55 people voted against her, 10-12 wanted something different but were too chickenshit to do the right thing, and roughly 100 people voted for her enthusiastically, and even had the unmitigated gall to complain to Kirk about US. Fuck ’em. Rusty 12 gauge bore brushes would be too good for these arrogant pricks and cunts.

Every single one of those hundred is just as bad as she is. In other words, they are all worse than I described at the beginning of this piece. And no doubt those people in turn have people who supported them to be state party chairs and whateveritis they call the other two people from each state and territory who were voting.

It’s time to face up to the fact that the Republican party is effectively owned by the shit-eating RINOs. We’ve got more work to do, a lot more work, to make the GOP an instrument for the restoration of the United States of America. And that’s in addition to cleaning up our elections.

There’s no point in cleaning up elections just to elect ratfucking RINOs.

OK, hopefully now you will have some inkling of my true attitude towards RINOs. Sorry that words were inadequate to give you the full picture.

The Real Fascist is His Fraudulency Joe Biden*

*Or whoever has his hand rammed up that meat puppet’s ass.

Brandon (which I will use as a term for whoever is the power behind the Porcelain Throne) has thrown down the gauntlet…but in a way where most of America will never see it. The networks didn’t carry his tirade. CNN air brushed it (or whatever you call editing the red background) for its five viewers (who aren’t trapped in airports).

Luckily for me I live in Colorado, and therefore, despite my best efforts, I probably didn’t vote for Donald Trump.

Of course, for this purpose who I actually did try to vote for will be essential, and they undoubtedly know.

Come and get us, asswipes!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3h6ZZ28QtX4

Justice Must Be Done.

The prior election must be acknowledged as fraudulent, and steps must be taken to prosecute the fraudsters and restore integrity to the system.

Nothing else matters at this point. Talking about trying again in 2022 or 2024 is hopeless otherwise. Which is not to say one must never talk about this, but rather that one must account for this in ones planning; if fixing the fraud is not part of the plan, you have no plan.

Small Government?

Many times conservatives (real and fake) speak of “small government” being the goal.

This sounds good, and mostly is good, but it misses the essential point. The important thing here isn’t the size, but rather the purpose, of government. We could have a cheap, small tyranny. After all our government spends most of its revenue on payments to individuals and foreign aid, neither of which is part of the tyrannical apparatus trying to keep us locked down and censored. What parts of the government would be necessary for a tyranny? It’d be a lot smaller than what we have now. We could shrink the government and nevertheless find it more tyrannical than it is today.

No, what we want is a limited government, limited not in size, but rather in scope. Limited, that is, in what it’s allowed to do. Under current circumstances, such a government would also be much smaller, but that’s a side effect. If we were in a World War II sort of war, an existential fight against nasty dictatorships on the brink of world conquest, that would be very expensive and would require a gargantuan government, but that would be what the government should be doing. That would be a large, but still limited government, since it’d be working to protect our rights.

World War II would have been the wrong time to squawk about “small government,” but it wasn’t (and never is) a bad time to demand limited government. Today would be a better time to ask for a small government–at least the job it should be doing is small today–but it misses the essential point; we want government to not do certain things. Many of those things we don’t want it doing are expensive but many of them are quite eminently doable by a smaller government than the one we have today. Small, but still exceeding proper limits.

So be careful what you ask for. You might get it and find you asked for the wrong thing.

Political Science In Summation

It’s really just a matter of people who can’t be happy unless they control others…versus those who want to be left alone. The oldest conflict within mankind. Government is necessary, but government attracts the assholes (a highly technical term for the control freaks).

A Few Things We Cannot Blame on His Fraudulency

I am pretty sure Joe Biden had nothing whatsoever to do with the 30 Years War that ran from 1618-1648 and probably killed about a third of the people then living in what is now Germany.

Nor did he cause the collapse of either Roman empire (Western, 476 CE, Eastern 1453 CE). Nor the ignominious failure of most of the Crusades. Nor the collapse of Bronze Age civilization around 1200 BCE (including the collapse of the Minoans and the blowup of Santorini).

However, my utter lack of ability to imagine how he could possibly be responsible for these things is not a valid argument against them, so I await correction if appropriate.

His Truth?

Again we saw an instance of “It might be true for Billy, but it’s not true for Bob” logic this week.

I hear this often, and it’s usually harmless. As when it’s describing differing circumstances, not different facts. “Housing is unaffordable” can be true for one person, but not for another who makes ten times as much.

But sometimes the speaker means it literally. Something like 2+2=4 is asserted to be true for Billy but not for Bob. (And when it’s literal, it’s usually Bob saying it.) And in that sense, it’s nonsense, dangerous nonsense. There is ONE reality, and it exists independent of our desires and our perceptions. It would go on existing if we weren’t here. We exist in it. It does not exist in our heads. It’s not a personal construct, and it isn’t a social construct. If there were no society, reality would continue to be what it is, it wouldn’t vanish…which it would have to do, if it were a social construct.

Now what can change from person to person is the perception of reality. We see that all the time. And people will, of course, act on those perceptions. They will vote for Trump (or try to) if their perception is close to mine, and vote against Trump (and certainly succeed at doing so) if their perception is distant from mine (and therefore, if I do say so, wrong). I have heard people say “perception is reality” and usually, that’s what they’re trying to say–your perception of reality is, as far as you know, an accurate representation of reality, or you’d change it.

But I really wish they’d say it differently. And sometimes, to get back to Billy and Bob, the person who says they have different truths is really saying they have different perceptions of reality–different worldviews. I can’t argue with the latter. But I sure wish they’d say it better. That way I’d know that someone who blabbers about two different truths is delusional and not worth my time, at least not until he passes kindergarten-level metaphysics on his umpteenth attempt.

Lawyer Appeasement Section

OK now for the fine print.

This is the WQTH Daily Thread. You know the drill. There’s no Poltical correctness, but civility is a requirement. There are Important Guidelines,  here, with an addendum on 20191110.

We have a new board – called The U Tree – where people can take each other to the woodshed without fear of censorship or moderation.

And remember Wheatie’s Rules:

1. No food fights
2. No running with scissors.
3. If you bring snacks, bring enough for everyone.
4. Zeroth rule of gun safety: Don’t let the government get your guns.
5. Rule one of gun safety: The gun is always loaded.
5a. If you actually want the gun to be loaded, like because you’re checking out a bump in the night, then it’s empty.
6. Rule two of gun safety: Never point the gun at anything you’re not willing to destroy.
7. Rule three: Keep your finger off the trigger until ready to fire.
8. Rule the fourth: Be sure of your target and what is behind it.

(Hmm a few extras seem to have crept in.)

(Paper) Spot Prices

Kitco “Ask” prices. Last week:

Gold $2,046.90
Silver $23.29
Platinum $917.00
Palladium $998.00
Rhodium $5,050.00

This week, 3PM Mountain Time, markets have closed for the weekend.

Gold $2,030.20
Silver $22.69
Platinum $909.00
Palladium $972.00
Rhodium $5,050.00

OK, the standard “line” on why gold is sliding downwards right now is that the investors are starting to conclude that the Fed is not going to drastically lower interest rates. Since they habitually chase rates of return (they’re not gold bugs nor even terribly concerned that the organic fertilizer might hit the rotating ventilation device) that’s bringing them to the dollar right now. So gold might soon find itself struggling to stay over 2000 ferns (“fern” = “FRN” = Federal Reserve Note).

Obligatory PSAs and Reminders

China is Lower than Whale Shit

Remember Hong Kong!!!

https://youtube.com/watch?v=L3tnH4FGbd0

中国是个混蛋 !!!
Zhōngguò shì gè hùndàn !!!
China is asshoe !!!

China is in the White House

Since Wednesday, January 20 at Noon EST, the bought-and-paid for His Fraudulency Joseph Biden has been in the White House. It’s as good as having China in the Oval Office.

Joe Biden is Asshoe

China is in the White House, because Joe Biden is in the White House, and Joe Biden is identically equal to China. China is Asshoe. Therefore, Joe Biden is Asshoe.

But of course the much more important thing to realize:

Joe Biden Didn’t Win

乔*拜登没赢 !!!
Qiáo Bài dēng méi yíng !!!
Joe Biden didn’t win !!!

DEAR MAGA: TGIF Open Thread 20240119

Salty Ginger-Ade

Ingredients

  • 1 ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed
  • 1 Medjool date, pitted
  • 1 pinch fine sea salt
  • 1 pinch ground cumin
  • 6 ounces ginger beer
  • Garnish: mint sprig

Steps

  1. Add the lime juice, date, salt and cumin to a shaker. Let sit for 5 minutes, then muddle until the date is pulverized.
  2. Add ice and shake until well-chilled, then pour unstrained into a tall glass.
  3. Top with ginger beer and stir well to combine.
  4. Garnish with a mint sprig.

Badlands News Brief – January 18, 2024

They Call it Biden’s Secret Internet Surveillance Court – But Really, It Seems Like a Filtering System

Purple Revolution

Why Gain of Function is the Greatest Threat to Humanity

Report: Michelle Obama Angling to Replace Joe Biden for President

Jordan Peterson: Bureaucrats will rue the day they tried to shut me up

Senate braces for Trump to try to kill its border-Ukraine deal

All Of A Sudden, Leaders All Over The World Are Warning That World War III Is Very Close

Tweets & Stuff From X

https://twitter.com/truthstreamnews/status/1747988940991189240

Schmuck…yeah, all the same thing.

https://twitter.com/codythemarine/status/1748041479291891913

Memes & Other Fun Stuff

Made with Square InstaPic

https://twitter.com/Yoda4ever/status/1748073811608830234

And now for the business portion of the post borrowed from Tuesday:

Guidelines for posting and discussion on this site were outlined by our host, WolfM00n. Please, review them from time to time.

The discourse on this site is to be CIVIL – no name calling, baiting, or threatening others here is allowed. Those who are so inclined may visit Wolf’s other sanctuary, the U-Tree, to slog it out. There is also a “rescue” thread there for members of the Tree to rendezvous if the main site goes kablooey. A third site has been added for site outages of longer duration.

This site is a celebration of the natural rights endowed to humans by our Creator as well as those enshrined in the Bill of Rights adopted in the founding documents of the United States of America. Within the limits of law, how we exercise these rights is part of the freedom of our discussion. In that spirit, though, threats of violence real or hypothetical are out of bounds.

Fellow tree dweller the late Wheatie gave us some good reminders on the basics of civility in political discourse:

  1. No food fights.
  2. No running with scissors.
  3. If you bring snacks, bring enough for everyone.

And Auntie DePat’s requests:

If you see something has not been posted, do us all a favor, and post it. Please, do not complain that it has not been done yet.

The scroll wheel on your mouse can be your friend. As mature adults, please use it here in the same manner you would in avoiding online porn.

_____________________________________________________

MARK 3:13-19

13And he went up on the mountain, and called to him those whom he desired; and they came to him. 14And he appointed twelve, to be with him, and to be sent out to preach 15and have authority to cast out demons: 16Simon whom he surnamed Peter; 17James the son of Zeb’edee and John the brother of James, whom he surnamed Bo-aner’ges, that is, sons of thunder; 18Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Cananaean, 19and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. Then he went home;

SATIRE!

Have a good weekend!

DEAR MAGA: Open Thread 202401118

TheStormHasArrived171:33

The meltdowns at MSNBC are intensifying everyday. Today on Morning Joe, they spent 20 minutes comparing Trump to Hitler, Mussolini, Saddam Hussein and they even projected exactly what the authoritarian Joe Biden regime is doing on to Trump:

“People truly don’t understand what absolute power for Donald Trump will mean… You could end up in jail. That’s what dictators do. They take their political opponents and they put them in jail.”

Oh, the irony…

The large majority of the American people are not buying this anymore. Expect them to ramp up the rhetoric as they enter the acceptance stage of their grief.

t.me/TheStormHasArrived17/14004

120.4KviewsTheStormHasArrived17, Jan 17 at 07:50

That’s what we are looking forward to.

The President That Never Was

Badlands News Brief – January 17, 2024

‘This Country Needs A Dictator!’ Trump Fans At Iowa Rally Say ‘Absolutely’ They Want Dictator Trump Over Biden

Can we talk about this?

WEF Calls for AI to Replace Voters: ‘Why Do We Need Elections?’

Comment from Anonymous Conservative: If you view all of this as a big WWE, Vince McMahon production, it makes a lot more sense.

NeoCon Nikki Haley Gushed Over Depopulationist Bill Gates and His Massive “Vaccine” Investments

The Left and Tribalism

Why Trump bewilders psychiatrists

The Intellectual Foundations of MAGA

America Works. DEI Doesn’t.

TWEETS!

Never mind people in command rejecting DEI hires….

MEMES and FUN STUFF

Palate cleanse….

Does anyone remember this? Before my time.

____________________________________

And now for the business portion.

Please review our HOST and site owner’s Guidelines for posting and discussion for this site. Wolf is kind enough to put up with *most* of us and our antics after thorough vetting. Violators of the baiting and deliberately attempting to divide the group rules WILL face consequences.

The discourse on this site is to be CIVIL – no name calling, baiting, or threatening others here is allowed. Company manners are appreciated. Those who are so inclined may visit Wolf’s other sanctuary, the U-Tree, to slog out discussions best saved for a wrestling mat. If, for some reason, this site is not available, head over to the UTree and visit the post at the top of the list or the closest rescue thread.

This site is a celebration of the natural rights endowed to humans by our Creator as well as those enshrined in the Bill of Rights adopted in the founding documents of the United States of America. Within the limits of law, how we exercise these rights is part of the freedom of our discussion.

THAT MEANS THAT ALL OF US HERE ARE ENTITLED TO OUR OPINIONS AND PREJUDICES, ETC., SO LONG AS THEY CAUSE NO PHYSICAL HARM TO OTHERS OR DOXX OUR FELLOW TREE DWELLERS.

All opinions here are valued for the diversity they bring to the issues, and the shaping of understanding regarding topics for which many of us do not have all information. Correcting the record on any one topic is appreciated.

Be careful in expressing thoughts as we would all like to think well of the rest of the group, and ill-thought out comments have a way of wrecking that for everyone.

Fellow tree dweller, the late Wheatie, gave us some good reminders on the basics of civility in political discourse:

  1. No food fights
  2. No running with scissors
  3. If you bring snacks, be sure they are made with bacon

Auntie DePat’s requests as we are all supposedly adults and don’t just play them on TV like the body doubles pretending to be the squatter in chief:

If you see something has not been posted, do us all a favor, and post it. Please, do not complain that it has not been done yet.

The scroll wheel on your mouse can be your friend. As mature adults, please use it here in the same manner you would in avoiding online porn.

Thank you so much for any and all attention to such details. It is GREATLY appreciated by more than one party here.

____________________________________________________

MARK 3:7-12

7Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and a great multitude from Galilee followed; also from Judea 8and Jerusalem and Idume’a and from beyond the Jordan and from about Tyre and Sidon a great multitude, hearing all that he did, came to him. 9And he told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, lest they should crush him; 10for he had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed upon him to touch him. 11And whenever the unclean spirits beheld him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” 12And he strictly ordered them not to make him known.

_____________________________________________________

SATIRE

Dear KAG: 20240117 Open Thread

Vivek Was Playing a Role

It’s a thought. Anything is possible, but I suspect there’s something else out there on Vivek Ramasmarmy.

Dark Davos: Escort Services “Completely Booked” as WEF Begins

Anyone shocked? Yeah, me neither.

Badlands News Brief – January 16, 2024

Iowa Final Analysis

The Primary Can End Next Week if MAGA Does Its Thing

Note to American Thinker: I’d share links to your site, but the ad and other roadblocks are making it more trouble than worth especially given that you all are catching up.

A Pointless Republican Primary

Perhaps the primaries being pointless this year demonstrates that we really probably don’t need them the way they are set up.

Cheers to You, WEFers of Davos!

‘A Bunch of Dead Robots:’ Frigid Chicago Temps Turn EV Charging Stations into ‘Car Graveyards’

Critics Slam WHO for Declaring War Against Meat and Calling for Worldwide Shift to Plant-Based Diet by 2025

Yeah…no.

The President That Never Was

Why Did DeSantis Fail?

The Epstein PSYOP Benefitted Trump

The Blaze uncovers J6 CCTV evidence that shows Pelosi’s team was in on it…

X Files….

https://twitter.com/CilComLFC/status/1746990756470931478

Memes & Stuff

1976 Country Squire. Yes.

Have a good day y’all.

(I don’t remember who brought this to a daily in the comments, but thanks.)

And, of course, the obligatory George Carlin:

Per the Boss:

And now for the obligatory message from our sponsors:

Here at the Q tree we believe in the concept of CIVIL open free speech and the discussion that fleshes out ideas. When commenting and participating in the OPEN discussion on this thread all comments MUST NOT CONTAIN personal threats, baiting, name calling, or other anti-social words fomenting hate, violence or destruction. Our host Wolfm00n has strict rules about that.

Fellow tree dweller, the late Wheatie, gave us some good reminders on the basics of civility in political discourse:

  1. No food fights.
  2. No running with scissors.
  3. If you bring snacks, bring enough for everyone

Please, stock up on blanks for celebratory gunfire, be ready to swing from the chandeliers…and no messing with the nuclear weapons.

Please remember to remain locked and loaded and ready for trouble should the insurrectionists try to invade your space.

Those who have things to say that do not fit the generally accepted limits of “civil” discussion, Wolf has provided a venue known as the UTree. You’re welcome to visit over there and say hi to anyone hanging out over there. The “Rescue Thread” is also over there. In the event a rendezvous of the tree is needed, please check it out, as well as the newest rescue venue.

Auntie DePat’s requests:

If you see something has not been posted, do us all a favor, and post it. Please, do not complain that it has not been done yet.

The scroll wheel on your mouse can be your friend. As mature adults, please use it here in the same manner you would in avoiding online porn.

Thank you so much for any and all attention to such details. It is GREATLY appreciated by more than one party here.

One other vital note:

Please, review these rules that our host Wolfm00n outlined toward the beginning of the growth of the tree itself. it won’t take long.

__________________________________________________

MATTHEW 19:16-26

16And behold, one came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do, to have eternal life?” 17And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? One there is who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” 18He said to him, “Which?” And Jesus said, “You shall not kill, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20The young man said to him, “All these I have observed; what do I still lack?” 21Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions. 23And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 25When the disciples heard this they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

As always, prayers for the fight against that which seeks to enslave us are welcome.

Please include: President Donald Trump, the Q team, our soldiers in the field, special forces, tactical units, first responders and those working behind the scenes…and any and all people with family members in the hospital, COVID or not.

And…members of the QTree who no longer participate for one reason or another.

It is quite clear, as per Wolf’s message from July, that we are under spiritual attack. Building up a robust arsenal of prayer and discipline is a must in fighting the enemy and his minions.

In that spirit, the Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel from Tuesday’s threads, and the Breastplate of St. Patrick, not to mention the Litany of Humility are favorites recommended by exorcists in spiritual warfare.

SATIRE SECTION

Dear KAG: 20240116 Open Thread

Cover image:  Christmas Eve along the Hudson with the Palisades across the River by Samuel S. Carr

A Seismic Shift

Late Night Thoughts on Babylon

This Is How the Powers-That-Be Achieve Their Evil Goals: By Compromising Useful Idiots in Power

Twilight of the Democrats

Speaker Mike Johnson Shoots Down Lankford’s Senate Immigration Deal

Maybe he’s not a complete dud after all.

Tweets…X-Files, uh, posts, whatever

Disease X is so mysterious, Congress didn’t know what to call it when they started drafting legislation to terrorize us when it materialized.

Afraid of pulled necks and heads on pikes?

Usually, you don’t see it.

Meme Zone

Totally the wrong day for it, but since the links were light due to a holiday….

https://youtu.be/kRQ7Aej7PQk?si=wf9Ipxvjpyphmi–

https://twitter.com/LifeEpoch/status/1747030155565076503

Something to remember, always.

Per the boss’s instruction:

I’d throw in a few Rockefellers and Rothschilds also.

Of course, this does not mean committing felonies, but standing up to the forces that want to tear this nation – and humanity apart. The very people XVII told us will be destroyed by the time this movie comes to an end are currently roaming the halls of power…supposedly. It’s a sickening sight.

Guidelines for posting and discussion on this site were outlined by our host, WolfM00n. Please, review them from time to time.

The discourse on this site is to be CIVIL – no name calling, baiting, or threatening others here is allowed. Those who are so inclined may visit Wolf’s other sanctuary, the U-Tree, to slog it out. There is also a “rescue” thread there for members of the Tree to rendezvous if the main site goes kablooey. A third site has been added for site outages of longer duration.

This site is a celebration of the natural rights endowed to humans by our Creator as well as those enshrined in the Bill of Rights adopted in the founding documents of the United States of America. Within the limits of law, how we exercise these rights is part of the freedom of our discussion.

Fellow tree dweller, the late Wheatie, gave us some good reminders on the basics of civility in political discourse:

  1. No food fights.
  2. No running with scissors.
  3. If you bring snacks, bring enough for everyone.

And Auntie DePat’s requests:

If you see something has not been posted, do us all a favor, and post it. Please, do not complain that it has not been done yet.

The scroll wheel on your mouse can be your friend. As mature adults, please use it here in the same manner you would in avoiding online porn.

Thank you so much for any and all attention to such details. It is GREATLY appreciated by more than one party here.

__________________________________________________

1 CORINTHIANS 4:9-13

9For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels and to men. 10We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute. 11To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are ill-clad and buffeted and homeless, 12and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; 13when slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become, and are now, as the refuse of the world, the offscouring of all things.

PSALMS 126:1-6

1When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. 2Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.” 3The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad. 4Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like the watercourses in the Negeb! 5May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy! 6He that goes forth weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.

MATTHEW 10:16-22

16“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17Beware of men; for they will deliver you up to councils, and flog you in their synagogues, 18and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear testimony before them and the Gentiles. 19When they deliver you up, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour; 20for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; 22and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.

109

Anonymous ID: hHkrVD7x No.148156632 
Nov 5 2017 20:06:36 (EST)

Anonymous ID: pqW40Wgk No.148156518 
Nov 5 2017 20:05:48 (EST)

>>148154137

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray. And do thou, Prince of the Heavenly Hosts, by the power of God, cast down to Hell Satan and all his evil spirits, who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

>>148156518
Amen brother.
Q

As always, prayers for the fight against that which seeks to enslave us are welcome. Via con Dios.

Satire

Dear KMAG: 20240115 Joe Biden Didn’t Win ❀ Open Topic

Joe Biden didn’t win. This is our Real President:

AND our beautiful REALFLOTUS.

This Stormwatch Monday Open Thread remains open – VERY OPEN – a place for everybody to post whatever they feel they would like to tell the White Hats, and the rest of the MAGA/KAG/KMAG world (with KMAG being a bit of both).

And yes, it’s Monday…again.

But we WILL get through it!

We will always remember Wheatie,

Pray for Trump,

Yet have fun,

and HOLD ON when things get crazy!

We will follow the RULES of civility that Wheatie left for us:

Wheatie’s Rules:

  1. No food fights.
  2. No running with scissors.
  3. If you bring snacks, bring enough for everyone.

And while we engage in vigorous free speech, we will remember Wheatie’s advice on civility, non-violence, and site unity:

“We’re on the same side here so let’s not engage in friendly fire.”

“Let’s not give the odious Internet Censors a reason to shut down this precious haven that Wolf has created for us.”

If this site gets shut down, please remember various ways to get back in touch with the rest of the gang:

Our beloved country is under Occupation by hostile forces.

Daily outrage and epic phuckery abound.

We can give in to despair…or we can be defiant and fight back in any way that we can.

Joe Biden didn’t win.

And we will keep saying Joe Biden didn’t win until we get His Fraudulency out of our White House.

Wolfie’s Wheatie’s Word of the Week:

volens

adjective

  1. In the state of mind where one voluntarily accepts a specific risk.
  2. Willing.
  3. In Latin: wishing, willing, welcome.
  4. Primarily a legal term.
  5. Part of another term, nolens volens (willing or unwilling; willy-nilly).

In law, volens is a state of mind, referring to voluntary acceptance of a specific risk. It is usually pleaded by way of defense, and often employs the legal Latin volenti non fit injuria. The term volens itself is often used in contradistinction to the terms sciens (meaning mere knowledge of the risk, without any voluntary assumption of it).

History of the term

The earliest known use of the adjective volens is in the 1870s. OED’s earliest evidence for volens is from 1872, in Law Journal . volens is a borrowing from Latin.

Exemplary legal usage

Sanjeet Singh Kaila vs Union Of India And Another [2nd May 2017]

In this case it was said that the risk may arise from a defect in a machine which the servant has engaged to work of such a nature that his personal danger and consequent injury must be produced by his own act, If he clearly foresaw the likelihood of such a result, and, not withstanding, continued to work, I think that, according to the authorities, he ought to be regarded as volens. The case may be very different when there is no inherent peril in the work performed by the servant, and the risk to which he is exposed arises from a defect in the machine used in another department over which he has no control.(emphasis supplied)

MUSIC!

Start off with some super-classic country re-done by the next generation – twenty years ago.

I always liked Lee Ann, as part of “90’s country” which is currently held in some kind of classic esteem, but which seemed edgy and modern to us back then!

Let’s jump forward ten years to 2014, looking back again.

OK – we’re back to the present, with a recent recording of current country music. It’s poppy, but still very listenable.

Any classic rock fans out there? If so, check out this gigantic medley of Rush tropes to create one massive intro.

I was led to this song from last week’s bagpipe video. Weirdest fusion of genres (Punjabi and Scot) in forever. Then add rap music and stunning visuals. Enjoy!

THE STUFF

Yup. The left takes over everything, including Community Notes. “Note” how Milloy has to preemptively defend against abuse.

Some ‘hottest year in 125,000 years’. Just in from

@NOAA: Despite 550 billion tons of global emissions, the US was cooler in 2023 than 2012. So every emission warms the planet except for the US?

🤔

Note for

@CommunityNotes censors: My red line is not a trend line. It’s just a line to show that 2023 was cooler than 2012.

https://twitter.com/JunkScience/status/1744917998337462307

Let’s just save that image.

Milloy is using a very effective tactic to make people understand the most basic science – cause and effect. He’s showing that people are right to suspect there is no correlation between what the Climate Commies say affects climate, and reality.

We would expect to see direct connections, but we don’t. Why not? They will have answers, but the answers will ultimately fail to convince, as Occam’s Razor is repeatedly violated by hand-waving excuses and Rube Goldberg alibis, rather than pleasingly straightforward and multi-explanatory science.

Now let’s look at the COVID lies.

Note that Avril Haines is an Obama Girl – one of the Furies – or Harpies as I like to call them. The other two are Susan Rice and Lisa Monaco, also running the country. They’re part of the plot that runs Dementia Hitler as an avatar for Obola, who’s really behind what’s happening to America.

How about something angelic, instead of demonic?

COUGH.

Let’s just save that image, shall we…..

Speaking of SMOKING CRACK…..

Thank God this is America. And keep thanking God if you want to keep it that way.

Meanwhile, the old false gods are crawling out of the grave….

Just sayin’!

Until victory, have faith!

And trust the big plan, too!

And as always….

ENJOY THE SHOW

W

Dear MAGA: 20240114 Open Topic

This Rejoice & Praise God Sunday Open Thread, with full respect to those who worship God on the Sabbath, is a place to reaffirm our worship of our Creator, our Father, our King Eternal.

It’s also a place to read, post, and discuss news that is worth knowing and sharing. Please post links to any news stories that you use as sources or quote from.

In the QTree, we’re a friendly and civil lot. We encourage free speech and the open exchange and civil discussion of different ideas. Topics aren’t constrained, and sound logic is highly encouraged, all built on a solid foundation of truth and established facts.

We have a policy of mutual respect, shown by civility. Civility encourages discussions, promotes objectivity and rational thought in discourse, and camaraderie in the participants – characteristics we strive toward in our Q Tree community.

Please show respect and consideration for our fellow QTreepers. Before hitting the “post” button, please proofread your post and make sure your opinion addresses the issue only, and does not confront or denigrate the poster. Keep to the topic – avoid “you” and “your”. Here in The Q Tree, personal attacks, name-calling, ridicule, insults, baiting, and other conduct for which a penalty flag would be thrown are VERBOTEN.

In The Q Tree, we’re compatriots, sitting around the campfire, roasting hot dogs, making s’mores, and discussing, agreeing, and disagreeing about whatever interests us. This board will remain a home for those who seek respectful conversations.

Please also consider the Guidelines for posting and discussion printed here: 
https://www.theqtree.com/2019/01/01/dear-maga-open-topic-20190101/

On this day and every day –

God is in Control
. . . and His Grace is Sufficient, so . . .
Keep Looking Up

Hopefully, every Sunday, we can find something here that will build us up a little . . . give us a smile . . . and add some joy or peace, very much needed in all our lives.

“This day is holy to the Lord your God;
do not mourn nor weep.” . . .
“Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet,
and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared;
for this day is holy to our Lord.
Do not sorrow,
for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

The Kingdom of God

The Kingdom of God is . . . righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God.

Paul says in Romans verse 14:17, “For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” Then in verse 18 Paul confirms that serving Christ like that is indeed a manifestation of God’s Kingdom because it pleases God. “Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.”

What does Paul mean by “Kingdom of God”

This is the only place in the book of Romans where Paul uses the word “kingdom.” But he uses it elsewhere and we can know what he means by “Kingdom of God.” Four clarifications:

1) First, he means the reign of God, not the realm of God. We tend to think of a kingdom as a place. But for Jesus and for Paul it almost never has that meaning. Rather it means the reign or the rule of God. You can see that here: Where the Holy Spirit is bringing about righteousness and peace and joy, the Kingdom (that is, the reign of God) is being manifested.

2) The Kingdom of God refers to His saving reign, not to His total providence over all things. In one sense God reigns over all. So you could call everything “God’s Kingdom.” But that is clearly not the way Paul uses the term. The Kingdom of God is God’s redemptive reign. His saving reign. When Jesus said to pray, “Hallowed by your name, your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6: 9-10), He meant that the coming of the Kingdom would be the extent of God’s rule where His name is hallowed and His will is done the way angels do it—obediently and joyfully. So the Kingdom of God is God’s reign, not realm; and it’s His saving, redeeming reign bringing about the hallowing of His name and the joyful doing of His will.

3) The Kingdom of God is fulfilled partially in the present and will be consummated at the end of the age when Christ comes a second time. Paul speaks of unbelievers not inheriting the Kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9), and so treats the Kingdom as yet future. But then he also says to believers that “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the Kingdom of His beloved Son,” and so treats the Kingdom as already present.

4) The Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Christ are the same. He says in Ephesians 5:5, “Everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous . . . has no inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and God.” There is one Kingdom, and it’s the Kingdom of Christ and of God. So to serve the Kingdom of God is to serve Christ, and to serve Christ is to serve the Kingdom of God.

So Paul is saying in verse 16, Don’t use your good—your good faith and your good liberty—to hurt anyone. Don’t put that much weight on eating and drinking. It’s not that crucial. Why? He answers in verse 17: Because “the Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

The saving, redeeming, sanctifying rule of God—the Kingdom of God—has broken into this world in Jesus Christ, the Messiah—the King—and the evidence of His rule in your lives is not eating and drinking. You may think that your liberty to eat all things is what God’s Kingdom produces. But that’s not quite right. What the Kingdom produces is something far deeper and larger than how you use your liberty to eat.

Righteousness and Peace and Joy in the Holy Spirit (v. 17)

What does Paul mean that “the Kingdom of God is . . . righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit”? That is not immediately obvious because Paul uses at least two of these terms in more than one way. Righteousness can mean the righteousness that God imputes to us when He declares us righteous through faith even when we are guilty sinners (Romans 4:5). And it can mean the righteousness that He then, on the basis of that right standing, begins to work in us (Romans 6:13, 16, 18, 19, 20). And peace can mean the peace that we have with God (Romans 5:1) or the peace we have with each other (2 Corinthians 13:11).

Paul has in mind the second kind of righteousness and peace—namely, the kind that God works in us in relationship to each other. But it may be that he wants us to think of both and remember that our practical righteousness and peace that we work out with each other is built on the perfect righteousness that He imputes to us by faith alone and the peace that we enjoy with him.

It’s remarkable how similar this sequence of righteousness, peace, and joy is with the sequence of thought in Romans 5:1-2. “Since we have been justified by faith [that is, declared righteous!], we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” So there is righteousness imputed through faith, peace with God, and joy in the hope of His glory.

Paul is probably referring to our practical lived-out righteousness (rather than the imputed righteousness of Christ) and the practical-lived out peace with each other is the phrase “in the Holy Spirit.” “The Kingdom of God is . . . righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” This seems to mean that the Holy Spirit is working these things right now. He is ruling in us to make us more righteous, more peaceable, and more joyful. This seems to be the fruit of the Spirit now, not a declarative act back at the beginning of our Christian lives. This work is built on justification by faith. But now the Spirit is producing in us these things: righteousness, peace, and joy.

That, Paul says, is the Kingdom of God. In other words, the work of the Holy Spirit and the advancing of the Kingdom of God are the same thing. This is exactly what we saw in the ministry of Jesus, for example, in Matthew 12:28. Jesus said, “If it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.” The work of the Spirit is the presence of the Kingdom of God. Or to say it another way: The reign of God is exercised through His Spirit.

So when the Spirit rules and conquers our selfishness and pride, and replaces it with Christlike righteousness, then we will not grieve and destroy a brother for the sake of food. The Spirit of God—the Kingdom of God—creates righteousness and peace and joy. This is what the Spirit of God does. He creates righteousness and peace and joy. And when you have these, you don’t grieve and destroy a weaker brother.

Serving Christ in This Way Is Pleasing to God (v. 18)

Then in verse 18 Paul confirms this by explaining that what he has just said is in fact what pleases God. “Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God.” That is, whoever serves Christ in the way that verse 17 just described is pleasing to God.

What did verse 17 say? It said that righteousness comes “in the Holy Spirit.” And when it comes “in —or by—the Holy Spirit,” it’s the Kingdom of God coming. So if you serve Christ that way, you please God. What does that mean? What is it here that pleases God?

What pleases God is not just when we serve Christ—not just when we try to do the righteousness that He commands—but when we do it in a certain way. And that way is described in verse 17 as “in the Holy Spirit.”

There is a way to serve Christ that would dishonor Christ. That’s why Jesus said in Mark 10:45, “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” There is a way to serve Christ that would dishonor him. And there is a way to serve God that would dishonor God. That’s why Paul said in Acts 17:25, “God is not served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.”

Christ and God are dishonored if we serve with the mindset that they need us, and are dependent on us instead of us being dependent on them for life and breath and ransom and everything. What pleases God is when He is shown to be the giver in our service of him. If we serve God as though we are the giver and He is the needy one, He is not pleased. It makes Him look needy and dependent. But He is not.

So verse 18 says, “Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God.” That is, whoever serves Christ—obeys Christ, pursues the righteousness that He commands—in the way described in verse 17 is pleasing to God. Namely, the one who depends on the Holy Spirit for what he pursues. The one who serves with the deep and happy confidence that God is always serving us in our service of Him. He always remains the supplier. Always.

A text that is frequently prayed is 1 Peter 4:11. Peter exhorts each of us to be “one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.” Serve with the expectation that the strength to serve will come from God. Then God will get all the glory. Do we want our serving to be an expression of His Kingdom or of our power?

What pleases God, is when our serving is the Fruit of the Holy Spirit. This is why the writer to the Hebrews closed his book with this benediction, “Now may the God of peace . . . equip you with everything good that you may do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”

God works in us what is pleasing in His sight. And the fact that He works it in us is part of what makes it pleasing in His sight.

The Kingdom of God is not food and drink. It is righteousness, peace, and joy which come by the powerful working of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The one who serves Christ in this way—depending on the work of the Spirit for all the help you need and renouncing all self-reliance—pleases God and manifests His Kingdom in the church and extends His Kingdom in the world.

So then, let us, as verse 19 says, “Let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.” Don’t flaunt our freedom. Love our brothers and sisters. And do it not in our own strength, but in the Holy Spirit. This is the Kingdom of God. This is His rule in our midst.
https://www.gotquestions.org/kingdom-of-God.html