November 27, 2024
Dear Patriot,
We are grateful for those who designated the fourth Thursday in November to be a unique American holiday for the purpose of thanking God for our abundance.
In past issues of the newsletter we have shared our love of the language and melody of old hymns. Today, the hymn singing in our heads is “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing”.
Could there be a better hymn for this Thanksgiving?
How often does one get to ask God to “fetter” us to His heart, as we are "prone to wander"?
And we think that "raising our Ebenezer" should be a common phrase.
Here is more about the 266 year old hymn, written by a 22 year old, and a lovely a cappella rendition to enjoy while traveling.
The last four years have been challenging and heartbreaking. We now have hope of real change and restoring our constitutional republic.
Let us thank God for this miracle, and it was a miracle, as we gather and reflect on our many blessings. Chief among those blessing is that we live in a wondrous country.
NOTE #1: A personal note from Sidney: In the mountains of NC is a special place that provides a home for 170 orphaned and/or abused children and young people.
They care for the children in families of several children of different ages--like siblings--with two teams of house parents. It's a Christian environment that also houses and teaches young people who have phased out of foster care. They use their dining facilities to teach culinary and wait-staff skills; they have an auto shop to teach mechanical skills; and a tea room and thrift shop where the young adults can work.
Helene caused a massive land-slide on their property. It completely destroyed the dining hall, the auto shop, and badly damaged the thrift store.
Miraculously, all the children were saved. One of them saw the "trees walking down the mountain," and they all fled from the dining hall to safer ground.
They need our help and they need it now. Please donate anything you can to BlackMountainHome.org.
I plan to ask everyone who knows me to forego giving me anything for Christmas, and no matter how small, give it instead to BlackMountainHome.org.
You are strong and generous supporters. If you can help this project, please do so now. It is a 501(c)3, and contributions are tax deductible.
Thank you, and continue to count our blessings.
Happy Thanksgiving. Sidney
NOTE #2 : As we are so very thankful for all of you who have been with us through thick and thin, this Wednesday newsletter is presented to all for free. If you would like to help us continue this work, please subscribe at Substack. You will then always receive all of the content.
OR … send a check for $50 (annual) to our Dallas office. Address at end of this newsletter. Be sure to include your email address.
NOTE #3: We will not have a Good News Friday edition this week as we celebrate.
We will be back with you on Monday.
Meanwhile, here is a lot of good news to raise in praise and thankfulness. Oh, and share!
Be safe if you are traveling.
1- This is an excellent summation of what can be possible in the second Trump administration. The American people have spoken loudly that they desire this approach. We have a rare moment that must be seized immediately. Pray for the warriors who are attempting to undo and untangle the massive government that is strangling us and making our country weak. Read the entire piece at the link.
Roger Kimball at American Greatness
Inside Trump’s Second-Term Mission to Dismantle the Administrative State
QUOTE: In his second term, Donald Trump, with Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, plans to dismantle the administrative state by cutting bureaucracy, enforcing accountability, and slashing costs.
For many years, and in many places, I have been railing against the rise of what people like me have called “the administrative state,” “the deep state,” “the Syndicate.”
“‘Laws’ today in the United States,” political philosopher James Burnham wrote in The Managerial Revolution (1941), “are not being made any longer by Congress, but by the NLRB, SEC, ICC, AAA, TVA, FTC, FCC, the Office of Production Management (what a revealing title!), and the other leading ‘executive agencies.’” And note that Burnham wrote decades before the advent of the EPA, HUD, CFPB, FSOC, the Department of Education, and the rest of the administrative alphabet soup that governs us in the United States today.
Article I of the Constitution vests all legislative power in Congress, just as Article III vests all judicial authority in the Court. The administrative state is a mechanism for circumventing both.
I am confident that things will be very different in Trump’s second term. For a brief but rousing explanation of why I think things will be different, and better this time, I recommend the brief but scintillating essay in The Wall Street Journal by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy called The DOGE Plan to Reform Government.
As all the world knows, Musk and Ramaswamy have been tapped by President Trump to lead a new, blessedly temporary initiative called “The Department of Government Efficiency.” Their announced end date is July 4, 2026, by which time they hope to make some important inroads against the federal debt (currently an eye-watering and unsustainable $35 trillion dollars), cut billions in governmental expenditures, and fire many tens of thousands of timeservers on the government, which means the taxpayer, payroll.
Donald Trump’s decisive victory on November 5 gives him a rare mandate for change. The initiatives outlined by Musk and Ramaswamy are an important part of the MAGA agenda. They are right that Trump’s victory presents them with a “historic opportunity for structural reductions in the federal government.” Yes, there will be a furious “onslaught from entrenched interests in Washington.” The regime does not like change, especially when it threatens their perquisites. Expect the bureaucrats to fight tooth and claw to oppose DOGE. Musk and Ramaswamy say they understand what they are up against. They say further that they are prepared for the battle and “expect to prevail.”
It won’t be easy. But as Spinoza observed, Sed omnia præclara tam difficilia quam rara sunt: “All things excellent are as difficult as they are rare.”
2- The Biden Regime/Democrat/State Media efforts to put President Trump in jail for the rest of his life have failed. The entire team persecuting Trump are resigning. And, well they should, given they have spent over $50 million of our tax dollars to harass Trump and his family without any evidence of crime.
NBC News
Jack Smith files to drop Jan. 6 charges against Donald Trump
QUOTE: Special counsel Jack Smith has filed a motion to drop all four felony charges against President-elect Donald Trump in connection with his effort to overturn his 2020 presidential election in the lead-up to the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the U.S Capitol.
Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement, “Today’s decision by the DOJ ends the unconstitutional federal cases against President Trump, and is a major victory for the rule of law. The American People and President Trump want an immediate end to the political weaponization of our justice system and we look forward to uniting our country.”
Smith and his team plan to resign before Trump takes office, one source told NBC News earlier this month. Special counsel regulations require Smith to file a report to the attorney general explaining his charging decisions before he steps down.
3- This is the steel that will be needed to remove those in America illegally. A majority of Americans voted for and still support deportation.
Tom Homan Confirms Trump Will Slash Funds to States Not Willing to ‘Cooperate’ on Mass Deportation Plan
QUOTE: Incoming Border Czar Tom Homan confirmed that states that refused to “cooperate” with President-elect Donald Trump’s plans for the mass deportation of illegal immigrants would have their federal funding slashed in retribution.
Since his decisive electoral victory, Trump has reaffirmed his commitment to fulfilling his campaign promise of executing the “largest deportation program in American history” on his first day in office.
Homan, who was acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during Trump’s first administration, appeared on Fox News show Life, Liberty & Levin to speak with host Mark Levin about the plan.
During the interview, Levin suggested that the Trump administration had a “powerful weapon” in the form of federal funding that it could utilize against Democratic states who seek to “block” the policy rolling out.
4- What do you call a fired DOJ lawyer? A good start.
A major house cleaning is in order. It is clear these attorneys do not believe in the rule of law. They need to find other employment immediately.
Trump To Gut DOJ Of Everyone Who Worked On Cases Against Him
QUOTE: President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly planning to fire everyone who worked with special counsel Jack Smith on criminal cases against him.
The Washington Post reported that multiple sources close to the Trump transition team indicated that those who will be fired also include career attorneys who are often not fired when a new administration takes over.
The report added that Trump wants to create investigative teams within the department to look for evidence of fraud from the 2020 election that may have happened in battleground states.
“President Trump campaigned on firing rogue bureaucrats who have engaged in the illegal weaponization of our American justice system, and the American people can expect he will deliver on that promise,” Trump Press Secretary-designate Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.
“One of the many reasons that President Trump won the election in a landslide is Americans are sick and tired of seeing their tax dollars spent on targeting the Biden-Harris Administration’s political enemies rather than going after real violent criminals in our streets,” she added.
5- Many have promised, including Ronald Reagan, but no one has delivered. Can Trump? Hope springs eternal.
Senate Republican Introduces Bill To Eliminate Department Of Education
QUOTE: Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) introduced a bill on Thursday that would abolish the Department of Education, a move that has been pushed by President-elect Donald Trump and his allies.
The bill, titled “Returning Education to Our States Act,” would move the critical programs of the department to other federal government agencies, Fox News reported. Rounds argued that local officials should be given more control over education.
“The federal Department of Education has never educated a single student, and it’s long past time to end this bureaucratic Department that causes more harm than good,” Rounds said in a statement. “We all know local control is best when it comes to education. Everyone raised in South Dakota can think of a teacher who played a big part in their educational journey. Local school boards and state Departments of Education know best what their students need, not unelected bureaucrats in Washington, D.C.”
The Department of Education was created in 1979 when President Jimmy Carter signed legislation making it a cabinet-level agency. Rounds’ bill would return the U.S. to pre-1979 practices when other federal government agencies handled education issues.
6- Here is a good example of why the responsibility of education needs to be totally state controlled. The most historic and profound book in history will be taught again in public schools in Texas.
Texas board approves Bible curriculum option in public schools
QUOTE: The Texas Board of Education approved a new K-5 curriculum that allows Bible teachings in classrooms.
The curriculum includes Biblical and Christian lessons about Moses, the story of the Good Samaritan, the Golden Rule, readings from The Book of Genesis, and more. The accuracy of the materials has come under scrutiny. For example, the curriculum claims "Abraham Lincoln and other leading abolitionists relied on a deep Christian faith," though Lincoln's religion has historically been debated.
The instructional materials, called Bluebonnet Learning, are developed by the state, according to the Texas Education Agency. The lessons would be optional, but districts can receive at least $40 per student for using state-approved materials, according to local legislation.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has spoken out in support of the Texas Education Agency's curriculum after singing legislation directing the Texas Education Agency to purchase and develop instructional materials.
"The materials will also allow our students to better understand the connection of history, art, community, literature, and religion on pivotal events like the signing of the U.S. Constitution, the Civil Rights Movement, and the American Revolution," Abbott said in a May statement. "I thank the TEA for their work to ensure our students receive a robust educational foundation to succeed so that we can build a brighter Texas for generations to come."
States like Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and others have been behind the push to enforce Christian-based school requirements, including the implementation of Bibles, the Ten Commandments and other religious doctrines in schools.
7- A clear majority of Americans are enthusiastic about the Trump transition. A recent CBS poll had 59% overall approval of Team Trump.
65% of young Americans 18-30 approve of Trump’s presidential transition. This is absolutely unprecedented for a Republican.
The Trump Economic Boom Is Already Beginning
QUOTE: If the aftermath of Donald Trump’s victory on Election Day feels joyous and tranquil, you are not alone.
American households and businesses are much more serene and hopeful this time around. Polling released by Pew Research on Friday shows that 70 percent of Americans are very or somewhat confident that the transition to the Trump administration will go smoothly. Similarly, a majority of Americans say they have a positive evaluation of Trump’s post-election conduct.
A 53 percent majority of Americans say they approve of the president-elect’s plans for the country. When asked if they approve of Trump’s conduct post-election, 53 percent answer affirmatively. That’s better than the 40 percent who said they approved of Trump’s cabinet choices in November 2016 and the 41 percent who said they approved of the job he had done in explaining his policies and plans for the future.
Of course, there are the usual partisan differences in how people are reacting to the election. As recently as October, just 10 percent of Republicans said they were satisfied with the state of the country, according to Pew. Now, 35 percent are satisfied. Democrats have seen their satisfaction slip from 38 percent to 24 percent.
How does this compare with four years ago? When Biden won the election, consumer sentiment actually fell. The current conditions index improved a bit, but there was a sizable decline in the expectations component. Perhaps counter-intuitively, Democrat views of current conditions fell from October 2020 to November 2020 while Republican views improved. But in the expectations gauge, the Republican outlook crashed and the Democratic outlook improved.
8- Rush Limbaugh spent three decades teaching his immense audience how to recognize the lying biased Drive-By Media. Finally, we are seeing its demise.
Rush is smiling.
Trump’s win signals the end of the left’s control of the mainstream media
QUOTE: Trump’s electoral victory has advanced the demise of MSNBC and CNN for good reason.
The fall of NBC, ABC, and CBS should follow.
Each of these so-called news outlets has betrayed their viewers for as long as they have been on the air. They consistently misled their viewers day after day to the point that Trump’s victory was a major shock to their systems.
Those blinkered viewers sadly believed what those networks told them -- that Trump could not possibly win, that Harris would win in a landslide. They misled their viewers so egregiously that those who only watched those outlets were understandably shocked by Trump’s win.
Trump’s massive electoral victory broke them because they were so confident that the empty-vessel Kamala Harris would win for being the Democrat. It never crossed their minds that the man they so hated could conceivably be re-elected.
They live in a bubble of their own making. They deceive themselves, and so they deceive others.
Trump won! The American people won, even those who voted against him. We fought back and elected the one man who actually does see common sense Americans as citizens who deserve a voice. This is anathema to the left.
The most glorious aspect of Trump’s win is the welcome evisceration of the media that has for years believed it was their job to tell us what to think. They did not realize that we stopped listening to them long, long ago. Conservative alternate media has won the day, for now and for years going forward.
9- This was fun to watch. The View babes got fact-checked in mid-sentence by their own attorneys!
Why anyone still watches these proven lying females is beyond imagination.
'The View' Hosts Forced to Read Four 'Legal Notes' on Friday for Lying and It Was Glorious
QUOTE: The hosts of "The View" were forced to eat a little crow and correct the record after they casually smeared three of Donald Trump's cabinet picks and former Rep. George Santos.
ABC's legal team thought that the anti-Trump harridans were exposing the network to several potential libel suits and hurriedly told the hosts to read the "legal notes" on air.
During a segment discussing the 23 charges against former Rep. Santos, including wire fraud, Joy Behar "forgot" to mention that Santos pled guilty to wire fraud and identity theft. Behar left the impression that Santos's case had yet to be adjudicated.
That brought a quick legal disclaimer from ABC legal.
“One minute, I just got a note,” Behar said. “We have to clarify that Santos eventually reached a plea deal after pleading guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.”
It went downhill from there.
The hosts then discussed the sexual assault allegations against Trump's first attorney general-designate, Rep. Matt Gaetz, and his nominee for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth .
“I have a legal note,” she said. “Matt Gaetz has long denied all allegations and has not been charged with any crime.”
“Also, another legal note,” Hostin said, looking annoyed “Pete Hegseth’s lawyer said he paid the woman [the person accusing him] in 2023 to head off the threat of a baseless lawsuit. He has denied any wrongdoing.“
A few minutes later, they were forced to issue a fourth legal disclaimer after implying that Trump paid off attorney general nominee Pam Bondi when she was Florida's AG by donating to her campaign.
“I’m sorry everyone, I have another legal note,” Hostin said. “Both Trump and Bondi have denied allegations of a quid pro quo that his past donation played any role in her office’s decision not to take legal action against Trump University when she was attorney general of Florida,” Hostin stated.
10- We realize this is a Herculean effort but, we LOVE the spirit!
Rural counties in California, Illinois push to secede from blue states to separate from liberal-run cities after Trump’s win.
QUOTE: They’ve had enough. A movement in a myriad of rural counties across deep blue states such as Illinois and California to split off and form new states appears to be gaining some steam in the wake of the Nov. 5 election.
Conservative residents of the rural regions are taking note of their peers fleeing to lower-taxed and less-regulated red states but they are ready to stay put — pining for a divorce with the urban sectors of their state.
A group dubbed the New Illinois State has drafted a new constitution and championed plans to “Leave Illinois Without Moving.” On Election Day, seven rural counties in Illinois voted to contemplate splitting off from the state.
“There’s a lot of people in Chicago, and I think that they make a lot of decisions that affect people downstate,” Phil Gioja, from Iroquois County, said. “It’s just sending a message that, ‘Hey, you know, there’s people that would like to be part of the conversation, and often aren’t.’”
In Iroquois County, about 73% of voters backed the idea of banding together with other counties in Illinois, except Cook County, which encompasses Chicago and forming a new state. Chicago is home to about 40% of Illinois’ population.
While Gioja doesn’t anticipate a separation soon, some backers of a rural divorce think that an opening will come.
“We always believed that our best opportunity to negotiate our way out of Illinois was when Illinois was approaching that financial cliff — it’s been on a path toward it for years,” G.H. Merritt, who chairs New Illinois State told the outlet.
Out in California, a similar movement has taken root as well. The New California State organization hopes to splinter off the counties outside the Bay Area, Sacramento and Los Angeles.
“I’m so flipping excited,” said Paul Preston, who founded New California State.
Preston bashed the Golden State as a “one-party communist state, and technically, they have seceded from the Union already.”
Throughout his campaign, the 45th and soon-to-be 47th president assailed liberal-run cities, claiming that they were overtaxed, rife with crime and falling apart.
11- They will eventually gear up and start screaming at us all again. But, for now, we rather appreciate and are thankful for their silence.
Anti-Trump ‘Resistance’ Movement Facing Post-Election ‘Disillusionment with Activism’
QUOTE: Leftists who were part of the so-called “Resistance” movement against President-elect Donald Trump in 2016 are now facing a “disillusionment with activism” after the Republican won again this November, political scientists and organizers have realized.
In a Sunday report titled “The Resistance goes quiet,” Axios aimed to explain why the left wing has not erupted into widespread protests like what occurred when Trump beat former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton eight years ago.
Lisa Mueller, a political science professor at Macalester College, said female Democrat voters are more disappointed than shocked this time around. “So they didn’t have the same acute trigger to rush to the barricades that they did the first time,” Mueller, who studies social movements, said. “It’s very likely that there is some disillusionment with activism.”
The Women’s March was one of the most prominent activist groups organizing events and raising money to support causes against Trump during his first term, but its managing director, Tamika Middleton, told Axios they need to find new ways to mobilize people.
While the Women’s March group has scheduled a “People’s March” on Washington, DC, for January 18, the turnout is not expected to match the original 2017 march. “I don’t know any organizer from the original Women’s March that thinks marching right now is a good idea,” Wruble said.
According to Middleton, who is still a higher-up within the Women’s March, “the exhaustion is real” among anti-Trump Resistance activists who have now seen him elected twice.
12- When will they learn to just shut up and sing…or act? NO ONE should or does care about their political opinions.
Far too long, we have given people who have one singular talent too much credence that they are exceptional in other areas.
Breitbart
Exclusive: Poll Proves Wide Majority of Americans Reject Celebrity Endorsements
QUOTE: A new poll shows that the vast majority of Americans are rejecting celebrity endorsements of political candidates — a blow to Democrats who have come to increasingly rely on Hollywood influencers to sway young voters and amplify left-wing talking points on social media.
For the recent presidential election, a full 75 percent of survey respondents said a celebrity’s endorsement of a candidate made no difference or not much of a difference on how they voted, according to the new Rasmussen poll released Monday.
Surprisingly, respondents who identify as liberal were more likely than others to disregard the opinion of a celebrity, with a full 80 percent saying a Hollywood endorsement didn’t sway their decision this election season. Among conservatives, that figure was 73 percent.
The results come on the heels of Kamala Harris’ loss to President-elect Donald Trump after Harris actively courted Hollywood celebrities and other entertainment industry elites — even going so far as the spend tens of millions of dollars on pop concerts and promotional events like the Oprah Winfrey town hall livestream.
But in the end, the abundance of celebrities failed to push Harris across the finish line, with Trump winning all seven swing states on his way to victory on November 5.
The Rasmussen poll surveyed 1260 likely voters and was conducted November 17 to 19.
13- The spreading international influence of a populist movement.
It Happened Again, Romania Stuns Europe – Nationalist Wins First Place in Presidential Election, First Round
QUOTE: Interesting that none of the Europeans saw this outcome looming, which is likely why Samantha Power and her USAID/CIA election operation was not present for round #1. Unfortunately, it should be expected that team USA will quickly react and dispatch assistants to help recover in round #2.
Make Romania Great Again candidate Călin Georgescu came out of nowhere and has won the first round in the presidential election.
Georgescu campaigned on an anti-EU, anti-NATO and anti-war with Russia platform; simultaneously supporting domestic farmers, domestic energy production and advocating for a Romania that is free from foreign influence.
Oh, and instead of traditional media, his campaign message was strongly directed to the Romanian people, via TikTok. Imagine that.
14- Daniel Perry is a hero. He should never have been charged by out-of-control DA Alvin Bragg. Daniel should have been celebrated for stepping into a volatile situation and saving others. Pray for Daniel that this case results in him being fully exonerated.
The house-of-cards case against Daniel Penny is falling apart
QUOTE: On Friday, the defense rested in the Daniel Penny trial, leaving many observers to ask what Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg was thinking in pursuing this case.
Over the course of the second-degree manslaughter trial, Bragg’s prosecutors tried to sell the narrative that the Marine vet overreacted and behaved “recklessly” when he restrained Jordan Neely on that F train back in May 2023.
But a host of prosecution witnesses, Penny’s fellow passengers, knocked massive holes in that tale, as one after another veteran subway rider described how terror-stricken they felt while trapped in the train car with the angry, unstable, threatening Neely.
In short, the prosecution case offered up plenty of evidence that Penny acted rationally and bravely in a harrowing situation.
And the defense started off with a bang. On Thursday, forensic pathologist Dr. Satish Chundru testified that Penny’s chokehold wasn’t what killed Neely, but instead “the combined effects of sickle-cell crisis, the schizophrenia, the struggle and restraint, and the synthetic marijuana.”
Closing arguments begin Dec. 2; it’s hard to think the jury will need to deliberate long.
It’s Bragg and his team who’ll have to put in time figuring out why they took such a weak case to trial.
15- Speaking of Rush Limbaugh, he always told his audience the true story of Thanksgiving. You can read the story and listen to it again here.
The True Story of Thanksgiving
RUSH: So, my second book was See, I Told You So. The first book is The Way Things Ought to Be and the second book is See, I Told You So. “Chapter 6, Dead White Guys, or What the History Books Never Told You: The True Story of Thanksgiving.”
Now, normally what I do is simply read from my first book. But there has now been another book added in the Rush Revere series, and the first Rush Revere book is Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims. These are children’s books that were written to help young people get the true stories of America’s founding because so little of it is actually correctly taught.
In the children’s book version, Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims, I went into a little bit more detail about the Indians, the Native Americans who helped the arriving Pilgrims and what that story actually is and how the True Story of Thanksgiving has been obscured by what is taught — what I was taught, you were probably taught.
GIVE thanks and praise to God.
PRAY for divine intervention.
PRAY for all warriors.
PRAY for all children.
SHARE the truth.
.
Hold Fast,
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