“We do not believe any group of men adequate enough or wise enough to operate without scrutiny or without criticism. We know that the only way to avoid error is to detect it, that the only way to detect it is to be free to inquire. We know that in secrecy error undetected will flourish and subvert.” –J. Robert Oppenheimer
Author: Gudthots
There is no other name by which men might be saved
but by the name of Jesus
This new post is being created for us to collect newer Ukraine history, background, details on the actors on the stage, corruption, shadow government evil-doings, and so on. There are older, related posts on this site by Daughn, here, and here, and a detailed timeline here.
But for today’s focus, let’s start with this interview of an American lawyer who is deeply involved in working to right the wrongs being done to the good Christians of the region.
Bob Amsterdam lays it all out with both compassion and unusual clarity from his viewpoint. NB: he is a liberal and seems to be conflating “right wing” and Nazism. Wolf would likely want to call them Jazis. Amsterdam would probably have no idea what that could mean.
The effort to right the wrongs is documented at this site: Save the UOC. It certainly seems worthy of our attention and our prayers.
May God show kindness and mercy to His people struggling under the oppression that is today’s corrupt government of the Ukraine.
Welcome. Please visit this January 1st daily thread for the rules of the road, which are few but important.
Header Image: 2024 Presidential Election Map by County
Do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. — Galatians 5:1
We got our miracle. America is back.
Let us dedicate ourselves to the cleansing, healing, and rebuilding of our beautiful nation.
God will guide us. Prayers and thanks to God for President Donald J. Trump.
Handling Gold.
Well, not really gold. But a process that is even more critical than handling precious metals, but let’s start there. The other day Steve was explaining how registered mail is handled and why precious metals dealers used registered mail due to the strict processes that are followed. The USPS handbook DM-901 covers all the details. It’s a nice document. Covers all the procedures, chain of custody, proper storage, how to document if seals are broken, etc. It’s almost like they are serious about handling registered mail.
What is more important than gold?
How about true and accurate elections that put into power those who legislate whether you get to keep your gold or not? Seems important.
Chain of Custody.
A key feature of the process of handling things of great value is called the Chain of Custody. Whether it is registered mail, election materials (ballots, equipment), or even evidence to be used in prosecuting a criminal case, unimpeachable Chain of Custody is essential.
According to experts, the only way to know if an electronic vote total has been hacked is for voters to have separately recorded their intended selections on paper and for jurisdictions to then use the paper in a manual audit or recount, the results of which can be compared to the electronic total.
But even manual audits or recounts can be “hacked” if the selections on the paper have been marked by a machine, rather than the voter’s own hand. And no matter how that paper is marked, manual audits and recounts can be gamed if the chain of custody between election night and the audit or recount has been compromised.
There are many resources for elections. One resource, the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) is an independent, bipartisan commission whose mission is to help election officials improve the administration of elections and help Americans participate in the voting process. Their guidance, “Best Practices: Chain of Custody,” gives recommendations to election officials. “The chain of custody of ballots, voting equipment, and associated data is essential to ensure the election system remains trustworthy. Documentation of the chain of custody also provides evidence that all voting procedures were followed. It is a best practice for chain of custody procedures to be clearly defined in advance of every election, well documented and followed consistently throughout the entire election lifecycle or process. The key to an effective chain of custody is to have a set of procedures which are followed in practice. The procedures should be in writing with all steps documented.”
It may be important to note that I have yet to find any federal laws with guidance on the specifics of election materials chain of custody. A search of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002 for the term “custody” does not yield any results. An internet search of “election laws chain-of-custody” provides guidance from various organizations (a good example here) and some links to individual Secretary of State websites. If there are federal laws, they are not easily found. Time didn’t permit for me to survey each state for specific chain of custody laws related to elections. It appears that a good number of groups that have public-facing sites with material related to the need for and the development of good practices for managing chain-of-custody.
However, when you get into actual county-by-county execution of these procedures the failures are all to common and even shocking. When regular citizens, concerned about their own local county’s handling of election materials simply asked for a copy of the chain of custody procedures in use during a specific election, the response was far from uniform. As anyone in any type of mission-critical work effort would expect, there needs to a least be: (1) a dated, documented procedure that is signed off before it is to be followed for a specific election and (2) checklists with spaces for signing off for the handling of items requiring chain of custody.
Even when a county is required by their state government to provide these prior to an election, the local elections offices sometimes could not provide these procedures when asked. One particular county office provided a non dated, unsigned document and stated that they weren’t sure which election it was for. Either they didn’t know what they were doing, they didn’t have the right person fulfilling the request, or something else. It seems like this would be posted right on their county elections office website (along with all the other elections documents!). In a number of counties that I know of, the elections office claimed there were “no records responsive to the request.” In other words, they are saying that they didn’t have the state mandated chain of custody procedures. How did they get the election certified without it? How did their Secretary of State sign off on the election without it?
Asking for public records, usually referred to as a freedom of information act (FOIA) request can be done by anyone. More recently the number of people taking it upon themselves to get involved in “citizen oversight” has grown to the point that some public officials have started complaining that all these requests are a form of harassment. Really? Why not just publicly publish all of it?
In one state it seems that a number of counties have hired the same particular law firm as “County Counsel” to advise on the handling of election matters. Unfortunately that liberal law firm seems to have been assisting counties to stone-wall access to public records. And in some cases the guidance given to the county board of supervisors was in fact unlawful. I’m not giving examples to prove my point, I’m just offering information that might be helpful to know if someone reading here is considering looking into how their elections are being handled where they live and vote.
Elections chain of custody refers to physical and electronic evidence controls for:
– who can vote – who did vote – actual ballots as marked by each voter, and – evidence transfer and storage
:
Legitimate elections require public “right to know” (freedom of information) to allow the public and the media to authenticate truth of results. Proper chain of custody safeguards are part of the larger concept of political legitimacy.
:
Incurable uncertainty
Handling election records and data must be scrupulously careful in order to demonstrate to the public that there has been no tampering or contamination.
In court cases, chain of custody violations can result in refusal to admit evidence or even throwing a case out. In elections, chain of custody violations can result in “incurable uncertainty” and court orders to redo elections.
Bev Harris discovered election theft in 2002, wrote a book on it (download it here), advocated for change, and now others have carried on her work. The problems are not new, and they have probably grown worse. But now is the time for us to make our own local governments-that oversee the execution of elections–take note that we are asking questions, seeing problems and expecting better oversight. And for those who have been running elections, just knowing that more people are looking into their work appears to have led to some unexpected early retirements. I can’t say that is an indication of guilt, but it does seem significant.
We can’t leave this to others. We can at least try and get informed on what has been found, what has been done, and what more needs to be done. What do you know about elections and chain of custody. Please post your thoughts in the comments. Thanks
We can make a difference. And we must make a difference.
If not us, who? If not now, when? There has never been a better time.
Twitterati.
General Mike Flynn (@GEnFlynn) has been talking about citizen oversight for as long as I’ve been paying attention.
Gail and PAVACA are going to love this one (link):
Prayer.
God Bless America, Land that I love. Stand beside her, and guide her Thru the night with a light from above. From the mountains, to the prairies, To the oceans, white with foam God bless America, My home sweet home.
Welcome. Please visit this January 1st daily thread for the rules of the road, which are few but important.
Header Image: 2024 Presidential Election Map by County
Do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. — Galatians 5:1
We got our miracle. America is back.
Let us dedicate ourselves to seeking our place in the cleansing, healing, and rebuilding of this beautiful, resource-rich nation. God will guide us.
Prayers and thanks to God for our 47th President, Donald J. Trump.
Remembering.
With gratitude to our own kind Wolf for reminding us of DePat’s recommended prayers for times of spiritual warfare, let us consider praying this one today.
Litany of Humility
O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the desire of being loved, Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being extolled, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the desire of being honored, Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being praised, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the desire of being preferred to others, Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being consulted, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the desire of being approved, Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being humiliated, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the fear of being despised, Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of suffering rebukes, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the fear of being calumniated, Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being forgotten, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the fear of being ridiculed, Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being wronged, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the fear of being suspected, Deliver me, O Jesus.
That others may be loved more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may be esteemed more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may be chosen and I set aside, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be praised and I go unnoticed, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may be preferred to me in everything, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
Author: Rafael Cardinal Merry del Val y Zulueta
Charity
Charity is patient, is kind; charity does not envy, is not pretentious, is not puffed up, is not ambitious, is not self-seeking, is not provoked; thinks no evil, does not rejoice over wickedness, but rejoices with the truth, bears with all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (1 Cor. 13:4-7).
To have Charity is to love God above all things for Himself and be ready to renounce all created things rather than offend Him by serious sin. (Matt. 22:36-40)
Twitterati.
Our J6 P.O.W.s are always in our hearts with the fervent desire that all wrongs would be undone and each target and their families be made stronger and more whole than ever.
God Bless America, Land that I love. Stand beside her, and guide her Thru the night with a light from above. From the mountains, to the prairies, To the oceans, white with foam God bless America, My home sweet home.
Welcome. Please visit this January 1st daily thread for the rules of the road, which are few but important.
Header Image: 2024 Presidential Election Map by County
The Scouring of the Shire.
Reading and reflecting on Tolkien’s final chapter in The Lord of the Rings might help us place ourselves at this time. Fandom tells us: “Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin arrive in the Shire to find that things are not as they once were when they left. The Shire is now run by Sharkey based at Bag End, who with Lotho‘s help had taken over with his band of Ruffian Men. The four hobbits collect as many allies as they can and defeat his army of Ruffians at the Battle of Bywater. The Hobbits then confront “Sharkey” and the lowly Gríma Wormtongue at Bag End, who both meet their demise.”
So, while the noble hobbits had been off saving all of Middle Earth, the “commies” had set up shop in their homeland and caused great harm that will require bravery, wisdom, and a lot of work to undo. It appears that we are somewhere around the beginning of the Battle of Bywater now.
Do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. — Galatians 5:1
We got our miracle. America is back. Now what?
Let us dedicate ourselves to seeking our place in the cleansing, healing, and rebuilding of this beautiful, resource-rich nation. God will guide us.
Thanks be to God for our 47th President, Donald J. Trump.
The Role of County Government in Elections.
Take a good look at that 2024 Election Map. See the outline of each county?
When trying to understand how to get traction locally in turning the tide for liberty, it seems to come down to the governance at the county level. And from what is being turned up with the groups I’m following, it looks a lot like there is state level and national level collusion to influence or control the governments of those 3,069 counties that are responsible for overseeing our elections. I’ll get into those details in another post.
Reading that overview from NACO, they start out by stating:
Elections in the United States are administered in a highly decentralized process through which each state shapes its own election laws
Well, mostly. The states shape their own election laws, but, as with anything else, federal laws also impose requirements on state and local governments. Maryland’s State Board of Elections gives a helpful overview of these major federal election laws here. The most recent election-related law passed by Congress is known as HAVA.
Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002 This law was the U.S. Congress’ response to the 2000 Presidential election and the first time that the federal government authorized federal funds for election administration. It created the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) and set minimum standards for voting systems. It also required each state to adopt uniform standards on what constitutes a vote, implement provisional voting, post certain information at polling places, maintain a statewide voter registration database, and required certain individuals to show identification before voting.
Sounds good right?
Except. There are county elections officials are not following the laws, and yet are still taking the federal money to buy their electronic voting machines. If they didn’t follow the federal laws, then taking that money anyway would be fraud, right?
Thankfully, there are Americans that have stood up and gotten to work discovering and working to address the failures of our elections officials across the nation. I’d like to highlight one citizen oversight group that has done much with an all-volunteer organization.
We want valid elections that are run in full compliance with the law.
I strongly encourage you to watch this short video of a presentation by Marley Hornik of United Sovereign Americans. She goes over the legal framework for election integrity, starting with the constitution and provides the statute citations that must be enforced if we are to have free and fair elections. She also covers what they found when they audited the voter rolls of just 20 states prior to the 2024 election. They found over 29 MILLION apparently ineligible voter registrations, 10 million votes cast by those ineligible voters, 2 million more votes cast than voters that voted, and an average 13% vote error rate. Every invalid registration is potentially a felony level violation. Their organization is litigating with states over their failure to clean up the rolls and unlawful certification of non-compliant elections. They have a good strategy for which states to sue in order to potentially cause a circuit split which could get this heard at the Supreme Court without having to sue all 50 states. Or better yet, maybe the Department of Justice will just do their job.
The United Sovereign Americans Action Plan includes (1) informing everyone of election validity law, (2) turning findings into evidence, and (3) forcing election officials to obey the law.
Unfortunately, election officials across America have displayed apathy, disdain, and disregard for the law, and the civil rights of the people they are hired to serve. This has resulted in the certification of elections that varied from the law. Some of these elections were grossly inaccurate. Whether it was incompetence or malfeasance, those who broke the law must be held accountable.
Thank God for their work. May many more Americans join them in their efforts.
God Bless America, Land that I love. Stand beside her, and guide her Thru the night with a light from above. From the mountains, to the prairies, To the oceans, white with foam God bless America, My home sweet home.
Welcome. Please visit this January 1st daily thread for the rules of the road, which are few but important.
Header Image: 2024 Presidential Election Map by County
Do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
These are the kind of powerful words that motivated America’s founding fathers to create the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. — Galatians 5:1
It is going to require a decision on our part to “stand firm” and “not submit again” before we are going to begin to take this seriously. But we have the help of God and the intensely determined support of our President, his team, and untold numbers of our fellow citizens.
We got our miracle. America is back. Now what?
Let us dedicate ourselves to seeking our place in the cleansing, healing, and rebuilding of this beautiful, resource-rich nation. Are we to pray? Of course. Are we to vote? Absolutely.
But we know there is much to do and not all is certain. We might find ourselves asking, “What am I to do in these amazing days of transformation?” God will guide us.
Priorities.
The Trump-Vance Administration Priorities page @ WhiteHouse.gov provides us with the eagle’s eye view of where we are going. Notice the order of these priorities. Safety of the people first! May the Lord grant us wisdom, strength, and good success.
MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN
President Trump will take bold action to secure our border and protect American communities.
This includes ending Biden’s catch-and-release policies, reinstating Remain in Mexico, building the wall, ending asylum for illegal border crossers, cracking down on criminal sanctuaries, and enhancing vetting and screening of aliens.
President Trump’s deportation operation will address the record border crossings of criminal aliens under the prior administration.
The President is suspending refugee resettlement, after communities were forced to house large and unsustainable populations of migrants, straining community safety and resources.
The Armed Forces, including the National Guard, will engage in border security, which is national security, and will be deployed to the border to assist existing law enforcement personnel.
President Trump will begin the process of designating cartels, including the dangerous Tren de Aragua, as foreign terrorist organizations and use the Alien Enemies Act to remove them.
The Department of Justice will seek the death penalty as the appropriate punishment for heinous crimes against humanity, including those who kill law enforcement officers and illegal migrants who maim and murder Americans.
MAKE AMERICA AFFORDABLE AND ENERGY DOMINANT AGAIN
The President will unleash American energy by ending Biden’s policies of climate extremism, streamlining permitting, and reviewing for rescission all regulations that impose undue burdens on energy production and use, including mining and processing of non-fuel minerals.
President Trump’s energy actions empower consumer choice in vehicles, showerheads, toilets, washing machines, lightbulbs and dishwashers.
President Trump will declare an energy emergency and use all necessary resources to build critical infrastructure.
President Trump’s energy policies will end leasing to massive wind farms that degrade our natural landscapes and fail to serve American energy consumers.
President Trump will withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord.
All agencies will take emergency measures to reduce the cost of living.
President Trump will announce the America First Trade Policy.
America will no longer be beholden to foreign organizations for our national tax policy, which punishes American businesses.
DRAIN THE SWAMP
The President will usher a Golden Age for America by reforming and improving the government bureaucracy to work for the American people. He will freeze bureaucrat hiring except in essential areas to end the onslaught of useless and overpaid DEI activists buried into the federal workforce. He will pause burdensome and radical regulations not yet in effect that Biden announced.
President Trump is announcing an unprecedented slate of executive orders for rescission.
President Trump is planning for improved accountability of government bureaucrats. The American people deserve the highest-quality service from people who love our country. The President will also return federal workers to work, as only 6% of employees currently work in person.
President Trump is taking swift action to end the weaponization of government against political rivals and ordering all document retention as required by law. President Trump is also ending the unconstitutional censorship by the federal government. No longer will government employees pick and require the erasure of entirely true speech.
On the President’s direction, the State Department will have an America-First foreign policy.
BRING BACK AMERICAN VALUES
The President will establish male and female as biological reality and protect women from radical gender ideology.
American landmarks will be named to appropriately honor our Nation’s history.
Trying to Keep Up.
This page @ WhiteHouse.gov/news is a great place to follow along as everything begins to unfold. Every executive order shows up instantly and they just keep coming.
So much there: Articles. Briefings & Statements. Fact Sheets. Presidential Actions. Remarks.
A big Thank You to all the team serving in this administration! And an even bigger Thank You to our 47th President, Donald J. Trump.
Twitterati.
Very recently I finally began to read in the X.com space. The platform is suspicious of me and therefore I do not have an account. Probably due to the basic efforts I’ve made to retain some level of privacy. Oh well.
The kind people here have shown me the way to view people’s feeds by using the Nitter.Poast.org site. It’s opened up a whole new world of information. Very helpful.
I have a new favorite follow. And I recommend her to you. Nicole Shanahan. She was RFK Jr’s running mate. She’s as informed, active and feisty as they come. Nicole Shanahan‘s feed is following the Senate confirmations and a LOT more.
For fresh news on our J6 people and a lot more, Julie Kelly might be the place to visit.
Prayer.
God Bless America, Land that I love. Stand beside her, and guide her Thru the night with a light from above. From the mountains, to the prairies, To the oceans, white with foam God bless America, My home sweet home.
This very special DESPAIR & DISILLUSIONMENT thread
commemorates the greatest psy-op ever
attempted against Heaven’s beloved, mankind.
Here we are again
Imagine being Peter, seeing the miracles, the honor given to his teacher, the wild popularity with the people, and then, Jesus explains all of this is going to change.
31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
Peter feels he must help his teacher out. Jesus must be tired and have made a mistake. It’s hard to imagine the intensity of the sting of that rebuke from Jesus. Peter, soon to be the rock of the church, had been the mouthpiece of satan? Ouch.
But Jesus then pivots and turns this into a teaching moment Peter would never forget.
The Way of the Cross
34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.35 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?37 Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
And then the ministry starts to get really busy. I wonder if Peter forgot those words in the whirlwind of activity, or did he in quiet moments would revisit that stinging encounter and try to make sense of it all?
Later on, Jesus would tell the parable of the tenants.
“A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place.2 At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard.3 But they seized him, beat him and sent him away empty-handed.4 Then he sent another servant to them; they struck this man on the head and treated him shamefully.5 He sent still another, and that one they killed. He sent many others; some of them they beat, others they killed.
6 “He had one left to send, a son, whom he loved. He sent him last of all, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 “But the tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’8 So they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.
Then, in Bethany, a woman pours a very expensive perfume on Jesus’ head, scandalizing all present, excepting Jesus. Again Jesus patiently explains what is coming.
6 “Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me.7 The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. 8 She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial.9 Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” Mark 14:6-9
This is when Judas snapped. He’d been following a madman. How could the Son of God be talking of defeat and death this way?
But Jesus did indeed suffer humiliation, torture, and death. Afterwards his closest disciples are ashamed at their lack of courage and in deep grief. His betrayer, Judas, hangs himself in despair.
The disciples of Jesus have taken a gut punch. The women following Jesus have proven to have much more courage than the men. What embarrassment! The only leadership shown was by Joseph of Arimathea, not in the inner circle at all, who boldly goes to Pilate and asks for the body of Jesus and gave some dignity to him in his death.
The disillusionment stung. The grief nearly unbearable. Such a dark fog of evil swirling around them, that they can’t even remember the promise he gave to rise on the third day.
This season is a traditional time for ingathering. The harvest is ripening in the fields. Thoughts of preparation for the coming Winter are more frequent. We are remembering what we have done and maybe even feeling regret for some of our deeds.
The ancient custom of reciting a special prayer asking God to make our unknown vows (unkept promises) null and void is on the calendar for today, the day before Yom Kippur. These are the sins of omission it would seem. And tomorrow, the confession of the sins of commission.
Today, some of the strongest voices calling America to return to God will be in our nation’s capitol. Americans will gather to repent; for living as if God was not the center of our lives, for the blood of the innocents shed on our land, for carelessly breaking covenants, for pride, self-indulgence, turning a blind eye to the evils of slavery, exploitation and abuse.
Today is one of those days where we will join together in humbling ourselves before the One to whom we owe every good gift, crying out for Mercy.
“18 I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. 19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.
20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.”
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2020 AT 9AM AND THE RETURN EVE FRIDAY NIGHT AT 6PM
THE RETURN EVE: NEXT GENERATION: FRIDAY NIGHT, SEPTEMBER 25 FROM 6-9PM JOIN US ON THE NATIONAL MALL FOR A NIGHT OF WORSHIP AND PRAYER FOR THE NEXT GENERATION. JOSHUA 1: 6-9
THE RETURN: MAIN DAY PROGRAM: SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 26 FROM 9AM-5PM THIS EVENT IS OPEN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC ON THE NATIONAL MALL. 2 CHRONICLES 7:14
THE RETURN NIGHT CELEBRATION: SATURDAY NIGHT, SEPTEMBER 26 FROM 6-9PM
“Will you join us for this march as we call out to God to heal our land?”
Join Franklin Graham For A Prayer March In Our Nation’s Capital Date: September 26 Time: 12pm – 2pm Starting Location: Lincoln Memorial Distance: 1.8 miles
Remember – your greatest gift to President Trump is FIVE WORDS: I AM PRAYING FOR YOU
Dodging Digital Serfdom Tuesday
First let’s start with the kind of powerful words that motivated America’s founding fathers to create the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore,
and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1
We know it’s going to require a decision on our part to “stand firm” and “not submit again” before we are going to take this seriously. But we have the help of God and the support of our President with his team.
So let’s be happy even as we fight for our right to a place at the table.
Think*3
What? We are Digital Serfs? How?
In his latest newsletter, our fellow freedom fighter, Martin Geddes, announces:
I have created a new portal for myself and my patriot, scientist, and artist activities. This removes my dependence upon fickle social media services.
His newsletter goes on to explain. If you have the time, I recommend reading it even if you don’t get every nuance. (Newsletter text emphasis added by me.) If we are to neutralize this threat, we must understand what it is and why it matters. I highly recommend subscribing to his newsletter.
New Martin Geddes personal portal
(and why we have to take responsibility for our own virtual identity)
From around 2013 to 2015 a lot of my professional energy was dedicated to the Hypervoice Consortium, looking at the future of “smart voice” communications, and the ethical use of such personal data. The notable thing about voice is that it is intimate biosensed data: it isn’t just what we say that is private, but also:
our voice “security print”,
our current mood,
our background location noise privacy leakage, and
even things like our state of mental health (that can be inferred via machine learning).
A core conclusion was the need for self-sovereign identity systems, since our virtual self cannot be separated from our physical being. You can change a password, but you cannot change your voice, face, or fingerprint. The result of this research endeavour was a vision for the Guardian Avatar. (Video, Presentation, Report.) Back in February of 2017, I had a series of interactions with LinkedIn — where my “professional avatar” lived — that told me they were not a company whose values I shared or wished to be associated with. Having “talked the talk” on privacy and ethics, I felt obligated to “walk the walk”. So I torched my account, together with 4000+ connections, and all the content I had created there. It has probably cost me some business, and I don’t regret acting on my conscience. However, not being keen on professional suicide, I first grabbed my career history, endorsements, and other data and created my own site for my “personal identity” (martingedd.es) as distinct from my corporate consulting one (martingeddes.com). For the last few years this has stood in place of a LinkedIn profile as my “professional avatar”. When people send me their LinkedIn profile to read, I inform them it is sadly inaccessible to me as a non-member. In the interim years, I have become more acutely aware of how over-dependency on these social media behemoths is a risky and unwise proposition. I have been deplatformed by Medium for writing on endemic corruption, with no reaction from my hypocritical liberal-minded friends about this free speech crime. Right now Twitter is stopping me from gaining followers, nailing my count at just under 79,000 with it hardly varying no matter how much engagement I get. (My impressions are around 13-15 million a month.) This is completely contrary to my experience over 10+ years on the platform. Many tell me they are being unfollowed without permission, or don’t see my tweets in their timeline. I am also being “reply banned” as part of their ongoing censorship regime:
My domain names are mostly hosted with a provider that has already deplatformed a perfectly legal free speech site. How far would they go in getting rid of customers whose content they disapprove of? Am I at risk? Hard to know until the “unthinkable” has happened. My corporate website uses WordPress technology, and they have censored Westerners for breaking Pakistani Sharia Law. I could be kicked off this Mailchimp platform without redress for “hateful content” (whatever that is), and equally dumped by Squarespace for similar thougtcrime against political correctness. Incidentally, Squarespace’s terms break the “do (not do) unto others” ethics golden rule, and would have been a good use case for a Guardian Avatar “lawyerbot” to catch:
We are presently digital serfs tending our subsistence plots on the virtual lord of the manor’s properties. But that doesn’t mean we have to consent to our condition. Withdrawing consent from being abused requires us to take responsibility for our own virtual identity. We can construct our own portals and avatars that are not vulnerable to the whims and policies of tyrants, censors, or free speech hypocrites. And with that, to my main purpose in sending this newsletter to you. I have refreshed my “personal portal” to encompass more of my activities — as a “patriot” (i.e. honest citizen journalist), a computer scientist, and as an artist too (a huge surprise to the Martin of yore!). This is the presentation layer of my “Guardian Avatar”, and it protects my outward identity. Enjoy — and maybe take inspiration on how you too can take back control over your online identity, even if it costs you some time, money, and convenience to do so. Because “free” and “easy” can be exceedingly costly to your liberty.
Remember – your greatest gift to President Trump is FIVE WORDS: I AM PRAYING FOR YOU
It’s a [BONUS] Red October Sunday
If it’s not a great day for foreign diplomacy AND a great day for exposing corruption AND a great day for a precision strike on the bad guys by our military, we may just have to run around the building a couple times just to burn off all the excess energy we are getting from the winnamins we’ve been taking!
Yes, there is much to take very seriously, but there is also much to fill our hearts with hope in this very special [BONUS] Red October.
May we be stirred to courage and prayer in these days of great activity in every arena and in every dimension.
Blessings, Think*3
Our Q Tree is Appreciated by MAGA Mom (and us too!)
When I come here I feel relaxed. Seriously. More than any other site. I don’t even agree with some on some things and with many on other things. (NO – not interested in who/what! That is Not the point!) And yet I still feel relaxed and among friends. Even at OT I don’t feel this way even when “talking” to long time posters/commenters. When I sit down at the computer I often start here for a quick scan and then am busy elsewhere – esp. social media these days. But at the end of the day when I am finished with all of that and just want to relax, here is where I come to put my feet up, breath a sigh of relief and relax. Seems like a family with the annoying younger brother, the wise grandfather figures, the loving grandmother figures, the interesting and fascinating uncles and aunts, the incredibly smart cousin, the funny old uncle, some eccentrics…and, no, none of these have to do with age (I imagine the annoying younger brother is much too old to act the way he does! ha) just characters and how I feel when I read here.
A wonderful place to read – most fascinating book Ever! And yet, I am an occasional player in the very book I am reading. Real, and not real. Amusing and yet so educational. Philosophical, fascinating stories and yet up to the minute reporting in which we learn both the details and the rest of the story! Anyway, love it here even if we don’t get to “real”/personal as this isn’t actually a small place and of course I remain aware that this is a very open, public space. Still love it and appreciate you all, each one of you, for what you bring to the table. Thank you to all who create the space – esp. wolf, + all of the wonderful contributors.
Remember – your greatest gift to President Trump is FIVE WORDS: I AM PRAYING FOR YOU
It’s a [ANOTHER] Red October Sunday
If it’s not a great day for foreign diplomacy AND a great day for exposing corruption AND a great day for a highly patriotic Trump Rally, we may just have to run around the building a couple times just to burn off all the excess energy we are getting from the winnamins we’ve been taking!
Yes, there is much to take very seriously, but there is also much to fill our hearts with hope in this very Red October.
May we be stirred to courage and prayer in these days of great activity in every arena and in every dimension.
Blessings, Think*3
A Prayer for Our Nation is Offered by MichaelH
michaelh
Realgaryseven I’ll just tack on here.
Celebration and yet still our enemies laying sucker-punches on us. I’ve been praying b/c I’m burdened in spirit, elated at God’s faithfulness to us and Wolf, but I’m also completely pissed off with my/our enemies who continue to cheat and steal and destroy every cheap shot they can.
Now I’ve been wanting to post a prayer publicly here but I’ve been at a total loss to express here to share what’s on my heart and share a prayer that captures it well. I’ve finally got something, hopefully this is over the target…
Dear Lord, please hear our cries when we call out to you! Remember us in our distress Refresh our spirits in your boundless love.
Strengthen our souls, give us renewed vigor that overtakes our fatigue
Renew our steadfast resolve for your righteousness oh Lord!
Provide us with your divine wisdom and discernment that we may know your will Move us Lord to the rightful place in your plan Fulfill your great divine strategies through us Lord
Let us not falter or fear but take courage and boldly advance in your work Frustrate the plans of our enemies; let their schemes fall back on them! Let the strength of our enemies fail them, and let their horses fall from exhaustion
Expose their wickedness Lord, humiliate those who mock your Law Bring justice upon them swiftly as a an eagle snatches its prey! Remember your people in the day of judgement!
Raise up the righteous and faithful ones, exalt them Place them in the seats of kings and judges to rule in righteousness, wisdom, and glory Cast out all fear from those you have called Fill them with your spirit, the strength of will, and the character of righteousness
Aim your people on the strategic targets, make every one count Pull them back like arrows in a bow, release them swiftly to strike! Bring victory over our enemies and restore victory to your people
Make the nations exclaim, who can stand against the Lord and His people? For their God fights with them and none can stand in battle against them!
The nations will surrender their arms, their armies will not advance in battle for the fear of God!
Let the nations praise you and know that you are God.
When I sit down at the computer I often start here for a quick scan and then am busy elsewhere – esp. social media these days.
But at the end of the day when I am finished with all of that and just want to relax, here is where I come to put my feet up, breath a sigh of relief and relax. Seems like a family with the annoying younger brother, the wise grandfather figures, the loving grandmother figures, the interesting and fascinating uncles and aunts, the incredibly smart cousin, the funny old uncle, some eccentrics…and, no, none of these have to do with age (I imagine the annoying younger brother is much too old to act the way he does! ha) just characters and how I feel when I read here.
A wonderful place to read – most fascinating book Ever! And yet, I am an occasional player in the very book I am reading. Real, and not real. Amusing and yet so educational. Philosophical, fascinating stories and yet up to the minute reporting in which we learn both the details and the rest of the story!
Anyway, love it here even if we don’t get to “real”/personal as this isn’t actually a small place and of course I remain aware that this is a very open, public space.
Still love it and appreciate you all, each one of you, for what you bring to the table.
Thank you to all who create the space – esp. wolf, + all of the wonderful contributors.