Twenty-Five Things that Caught My Eye Today: Federal Executions, Abortion, and a Heartwarming German Christmas Commercial (December 11, 2020)

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1. This should not have happened:

U.S. executes Brandon Bernard, over objections from several jurors in his trial

2.  Charles Camosy: New Jersey Democrats’ abortion mistake

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Enter New Jersey’s Gov. Phil Murphy — a rich, white progressive — who chose this particular cultural moment to champion just about the most extreme piece of pro-abortion (not just pro-choice) legislation one could imagine.

“Abortion care” would be made legal for “pregnant individuals” right “throughout the course of their pregnancy.” The proposed law also insists that the “fetus,” including when she can feel pain, “shall not have independent rights under the laws of this state.”

….

This absurdly anti-science bill would be laughable if it didn’t have a serious chance of passing through the progressive Jersey legislature. Protests have already started and the public condemnation has been swift — including from left-leaning prelates like Newark’s archbishop, Cardinal Joseph Tobin.

3. Democrat Rep. Tulsi Gabbard introduces born-alive bill in US House

Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who was a contender for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, has offered H.R. 8923, which aims to amend Title 18 of the United States Code “to ensure a health care practitioner exercises the proper degree of care in the case of a child who survives an abortion or attempted abortion.”

The legislation has been referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

4. AP: Idaho Anne Frank Memorial defaced with swastika stickers

“What makes this event actually so sad,” said Dan Prinzing, the executive director of the Wassmuth Center for Human Rights, “was the blatancy where they were placed, how they were placed and the message they were proclaiming.”

The fact that the defacement occurred just before the Jewish celebration of Hanukkah, which begins at sunset on Thursday, made it even more painful, he said.

“I think what we’re seeing, we have to take seriously — such acts aren’t just random,” Prinzing said. “In the sticker, they are proclaiming that they are everywhere. We have to remind people that good people are everywhere, that good exists, and now is the time for good to come together.”

5. BBC News: Afghanistan violence: Journalist Malala Maiwand shot dead along with her driver

Malala Maiwand was on her way to work in Jalalabad on Thursday when gunmen opened fire on her vehicle. Her driver, Mohammad Tahir, was also killed.

Maiwand, also a civil society activist, had previously spoken about the challenges of being a female journalist in the country.

Her mother, also an activist, was killed by unknown gunmen five years ago, Reuters news agency reports.

6.

7. Cardinal Zen: Jimmy Lai arrest is part of campaign of ‘political intimidation’

In an interview with CNA, the emeritus Bishop of Hong Kong said that the arrest of Jimmy Lai, a Catholic, pro-democracy advocate, and the founder of the Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily, was just the most recent example of Communist authorities attempting to stifle a free press.

Last week, Lai, along with two Next Digital executives, was arrested for allegedly breaching the terms of Next Digital’s land lease at its head office building. The two executives were released the following day but Lai was denied bail.

“It’s obviously a case of political intimidation,” Cardinal Zen told CNA, explaining that Lai’s treatment by local authorities was a public warning to others.

“Jimmy Lai is obviously the one who runs the only newspaper which is still completely free. You know many other papers are bought by people on the side of government, there may still be some respectable reporters working for them but at the right moment they can suppress everything,” said Zen.

8.

9. Supreme Court rules feds can’t get off hook when violating religious liberty

This is a common tactic by the government bodies across the United States: changing harmful policies or actions the moment they are challenged in court, and then arguing that since the harm has ceased, the people harmed by their actions cannot even bring a lawsuit. Even though accepting this legal argument opens the door to egregious abuses, the district court agreed with the FBI and tried to dismiss the lawsuit. Fortunately, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the Muslim men, finding that they still could seek justice.

When the FBI appealed to the Supreme Court, claiming it they could not be sued for its past actions, Becket filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the case, arguing that RFRA was written to let citizens pursue remedies in court, and that letting the government escape accountability was harmful for religious liberty. Today’s Supreme Court ruling means that Tanvir, Algibhah and Sinwari can pursue their claims – and that governments everywhere will have to think twice before violating an individual’s religious liberty rights.

10.

11. Capitol Pressroom: New bill would empower state to require COVID-19 vaccinations

12. Art Lamm: Why the cultural elite truly despises Hanukkah

Plus ça change. . . This is why the story of ­Hanukkah still makes so many people, particularly in elite, technocratic quarters, so ­uncomfortable. Unlike other Jewish holidays, such as Passover, this one can’t be reduced to a stripped-down celebration of bourgeois, liberal values: “It’s about going on long journeys of self-discovery!” “It’s about the unending quest for tolerance and inclusion!”

Hanukkah is a story about national and religious aspiration, about the beauty that comes from belonging somewhere in particular. And how the refusal to follow the empty pieties of the ruling class of the time kept the Jewish people together. It’s a story that horrifies the mandarins of liberal modernity. But it should reassure the rest of us.

13. Only Frequent Church Attendees Avoided Downward Mental Health Trend in 2020

14. Independent: Israel and Morocco agree to normalise relations in latest Trump brokered deal

The two countries had enjoyed low-level ties in 1993 after an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal was reached but Rabat latest suspended relations after the outbreak of the Palestinian uprising, known as the Second Intifada, in 2000.

That will now change after Washington said Mr Trump and Morocco’s King Mohammed VI agreed in a conversation that Morocco would “resume diplomatic relations between Morocco and Israel and expand economic and cultural cooperation to advance regional stability.”

15. Papal travel during a pandemic – what impact will it have?

16. With Iraq trip upcoming, Pope Francis makes appeal for peace in Middle East

The pope’s appearance in Mosul, the Islamic State’s bastion until 2017, will give him the opportunity to pray for the many victims of “jihadists madness” in the country, said Yaldo. Christians in Iraq have paid a high price for choosing to remain in what can still be hostile territory for non-Muslims.

Francis has issued repeated appeals to help the local Christian communities rebuild and prosper in their historic home, and his visit will likely push this agenda.

“We must ensure that the Christian presence in these lands continues to be what it has always been: a sign of peace, progress, development and reconciliation among individuals and peoples,” Francis said in the video Thursday.

17.

18. Peggy Noonan: If you want to be believed, say it straight.

19. Why San Mateo County Isn’t Joining Other Bay Area Counties in Stay-at-Home Order

While still supporting the usage of masks, social distancing and not participating in non-essential activities, Morrow explained he has not seen any data that proves that some of the business activities are major drivers of transmission.

“While I don’t have scientific evidence to support this, I also believe these greater restrictions will result in more job loss, more hunger, more despair and desperation,…” he expressed. “And I wonder, are these premature deaths any less worrisome than COVID deaths?.”

20. The Hill: Supreme Court denies review of school transgender bathroom policy

By declining to hear the case, the justices preserved a federal appeals court’s decision to permit transgender students to use the bathrooms and locker rooms associated with their gender identity instead of their sex assigned at birth.

21. Bloomberg: Biden Administration Will Create Position to Reach Conservatives

[Cedric Richmond, Louisiana senator] who will resign his seat representing most of New Orleans in Congress, also said that part of his mandate would be “private sector engagement” and to serve as a “conduit straight into the White House” for chief executive officers.

“Nobody’s going to persuade me that somehow, some way that CEOs in this country are bad people,” he said. Business leaders, he added, “are creating jobs and they deserve a seat at the table.”

Richmond added that business would find an administration that is “willing to listen” and didn’t intend to be “punitive.”

22. Justin Coulson: 10 Ways to ‘Unspoil’ Your Kids This Christmas

Our children’s favorite Christmas activity is playing “knock and run.” We select a handful of people we want to give something to each year. It might be a teacher, a friend, a coach, or a church leader. We wrap their parcels (often home-made treats), write thank you cards, and drive to their home. After parking out of sight, we sneak to their door, place their gift on the doorstep, and bang on the door before sprinting for a hiding place. Then we watch with delight as someone gets an unexpected, anonymous Christmas surprise. (It can be hard to do this well with six children, and we’ve often been caught—but it’s always fun.)

One of the most remarkable findings from positive psychology research is that spending money on experiences brings more happiness than spending money on “stuff.” Perhaps a family holiday will be more memorable than yet more toys?

In a similar vein, gifts that encourage relationships are better than gifts that promote isolation. A new iPad might be fun, but it may lead to introversion (and fights). It might be better to purchase some games that require the family to interact, or perhaps some boogie boards for summer fun together.

23. Mackinac Center Praises ‘Good Moral Character’ Licensing Reform

24. The evil is getting bolder and bolder and crasser

25. I did not see where this was going:

Plus: Mystical Wisdom for your Daily Life with Kathryn Jean Lopez

 



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