Three Things You Need to Know - December 5, 2017

Finally Banned... Maybe?

The US Supreme Court has finally, definitely, possibly… ok maybe temporarily Greenlit the travel ban. Are we ever going to get some kind of finality on this? This version of the ban - the third if anyone’s still counting - was issued FOUR months ago. It’s currently facing ongoing opposition from two lower courts in two separate challenges. Those cases will be heard this week, so that temporary win for the administration might end up be a short celebration.

You’ve really gotta give it to the Social Justice Warrior activists, media AND politicians. It’s pretty impressive how they can take any issue AT ALL, and turn it into Social Justice jihad. Are you Pro-Life? Well then you somehow hate women. Are you pro-religious liberty? Wow… what a fascist bigot you are. I would’ve loved to be a fly on the wall at the strategy table for when they began to strategize how to spin the travel ban.

“Quick guys what do all these countries have in common?”

Nerdy guy in the back raises his hand… “umm, they all have a lot of sand? Trump hates desert climates!”

“Nice thought! Maybe we could spin a climate change argument here. Quick! More ideas!”

Brainy girl with glasses stands up… “Uh, all these areas are conflict zones?”

“YOU IDIOT! That’s the stupidest idea we’ve heard. You can’t just say that and not follow it up with an agenda. Here, let me do the work for you… ‘these are unstable areas. A prime example of the effects of global colonialism.’ Boom.”

“Wait a minute. Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen and Chad. There’s a lot of Muslims in these areas! Change the wording from ‘Trump’s Travel Ban’ to ‘A Travel Ban On Muslim Majority Countries.’ Of course there is that small issue of North Korea and Venezuela, but screw it. Done and done!”

Back to reality here for a second. If this truly were a Muslim ban then why the addition of North Korea and Venezuela? Why wouldn’t you add in the most populous Muslim countries in the world? Indonesia has 13% of the world’s Muslim population and thus the largest. India’s number 2 and Pakistan is number 3. The only country in the travel ban the breaks the top 10 is Iran.

Why are people so comfortable with putting a false Social Justice agenda ahead of National Security? Maybe it’s because the people pushing this will never have to live with the consequences? How many of them live in neighborhoods that will be overrun by illegal immigrants or refugee resettlements? I’m going to wager very few. Look at Hawaii. The state that has become famous for overruling the Travel ban. Since 2010 Hawaii has accepted a grand total of TEN refugees. That’s less than 1%. And non of their legal immigrants come anywhere close to the conflict areas listed on the Travel Ban… oh, but they’re all about allowing North Korea to stay on the ban list. So here’s to a little safety...well, for the next few days at least.

Conservative Principle Put Into Practice

After eight years of progressivism gone wild under President Obama, it’s startling when something conservative actually happens in government.

Yesterday, President Trump was in Utah to sign proclamations that reduce the size of two National Monuments – Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante. The monuments were created by Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. Keep in mind, all that Trump did yesterday was reduce the size of these monuments, he did not abolish them altogether.

However, Trump clearly hates the environment. At least that’s the predictable mainstream media take on his action. He doesn’t care about nature, he just wants to open protected lands so evil developers can swoop in and build condos.

The kind of national monument I’m talking about isn’t a statue, it’s land that Congress, or a president, is allowed to set aside and protect as a “historic landmark” of some kind. Once the land is declared a national monument, it’s closed to ranching, mining, recreation, or development of any kind – even if the local community doesn’t want the land to be protected as a national monument. In fact, often the local community actually needs the land for things like making a living.

This power to create national monuments comes from a provision in the 1906 Antiquities Act. That kind of provision is like giving crack to a Progressive. Bill Clinton, and then especially Barack Obama went crazy during their presidencies, scooping up ridiculous amounts of land for the federal government as national monuments. Obama declared more national monuments than any president in history. Congress has only declared 30 monuments in the 111 years since the Act – Barack Obama and Bill Clinton declared 41 monuments just between the two of them.

Trump has already been criticized for his “unprecedented use of presidential power” yesterday to reduce the size of Bears Ears by 85% and Grand Staircase by 50%. But where was the criticism of Barack Obama’s “unprecedented use of presidential power” to create 265 million acres of new National Monuments? The Left didn’t care, they thought it was heroic.

President Trump is not a true conservative, but this should be applauded for the rare thing it is – a conservative principle actually put into practice. Local control of land usage makes sense. Obama’s federal land grabs were an absolute overreach. There’s nothing wrong with Trump trying to fix those abuses.

Charitable Slushfund

A $750 birthday cake.

$13,582 for a Beyonce concert.

$15,000 on a Jaguars box.

And $89,852 on a bus trip from Jacksonville in 2013 for President Barack Obama's second inauguration.

Those are just some of the ways former U.S. Representative Corrine Brown used the funds from her charity “One Door for Education.”

The $800,000 that was donated to the charity under the pretense that it would be used for scholarships was actually used as Brown’s personal slush fund.

Of the $800,000, only two scholarships were ever awarded. They amounted to a paltry $1,200.

After serving nearly 25 years in Congress, Brown received her punishment for this disgusting fraud. On Monday, a federal judge sentenced her to five years in prison.

During sentencing, the federal judge called Brown actions “especially shameless.” He continued, “This was a crime born out of entitlement and greed committed to ensure a lifestyle that was beyond her means.”

Just think of the good that Corrine Brown could have been done with that money instead of throwing lavish parties and going shopping. Think of all the children she could have helped. Now, Brown’s legacy is one of avarice and greed and unnecessary Beyoncé concerts. A legacy far worse than that of even Ebenezer Scrooge.

MORE 3 THINGS

What do clay pots have to do with to preserving American history?

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Editor's note: This article was originally published on TheBlaze.com.

Why should we preserve our nation’s history? If you listen to my radio program and podcast, or read my columns and books, you know I’ve dedicated a large part of my life and finances to sourcing and preserving priceless artifacts that tell America’s story. I’ve tried to make these artifacts as available as possible through the American Journey Experience Museum, just across from the studios where I do my daily radio broadcast. Thousands of you have come through the museum and have been able to see and experience these artifacts that are a part of your legacy as an American.

The destruction of American texts has already begun.

But why should people like you and me be concerned about preserving these things from our nation's history? Isn’t that what the “big guys” like the National Archives are for?

I first felt a prompting to preserve our nation's history back in 2008, and it all started with clay pots and the Dead Sea Scrolls. In 1946, a Bedouin shepherd in what is now the West Bank threw a rock into a cave nestled into the side of a cliff near the Dead Sea. Instead of hearing an echo, he heard the curious sound of a clay pot shattering. He discovered more than 15,000 Masoretic texts from the third century B.C. to the first century A.D.

These texts weren’t just a priceless historical discovery. They were virtually perfect copies of the same Jewish texts that continue to be translated today. Consider the significance of that discovery. Since the third century B.C. when these texts were first written, the Jewish people have endured a continued onslaught of diasporas, persecutions, pressures to conform to their occupying power, the destruction of their temple, and so much more. They had to fight for their identity as a people for centuries, and finally, a year after the end of the Holocaust and a year before the founding of the nation of Israel, these texts were discovered, confirming the preservation and endurance of their heritage since ancient times — all due to someone putting these clay pots in a desert cave more than 2,000 years ago.

I first felt a prompting to preserve our nation's history back in 2008, and it all started with clay pots and the Dead Sea Scrolls.

So, what do these clay pots have to do with the calling to preserve American history? I didn’t understand that prompting myself until the horrible thought dawned on me that the people we are fighting against may very well take our sacred American scriptures, our Declaration of Independence, and our Bill of Rights. What if they are successful, and 1,000 years from now, we have no texts preserved to confirm our national identity? What kind of new history would be written over the truth?

The destruction of American texts has already begun. The National Archives has labeled some of our critical documents, like our Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights, as “triggering” or “containing harmful language.” In a public statement, the National Archives said that the labels help prepare readers to view potentially distressing content:

The Catalog and web pages contain some content that may be harmful or difficult to view. NARA’s records span the history of the United States, and it is our charge to preserve and make available these historical records. As a result, some of the materials presented here may reflect outdated, biased, offensive, and possibly violent views and opinions. In addition, some of the materials may relate to violent or graphic events and are preserved for their historical significance.

According to this statement, our founding documents are either “outdated, biased, offensive,” “possibly violent,” or a combination of these scathing descriptions. I’m sorry, the Declaration of Independence is not “triggering.” Our Constitution is not “outdated and biased,” and our Bill of Rights certainly is not “offensive and possibly violent.” They are glorious documents. They should be celebrated, not qualified by such derogatory, absurd language. Shame on them.

These are only the beginning stages of rewriting our history. What if they start banning these “triggering” documents from public view because they might offend somebody? Haven’t we torn down “triggering” statues before? What if we are no longer able to see, read, and study the actual words of our nation's founding documents because they are “harmful” or “possibly violent”? A thousand years from now, will there be any remnant to piece together the true spirit behind the nation that our founders envisioned?

The Declaration of Independence is not “triggering.”

That is why in 2008, I was prompted to preserve what I could. Now, the American Journey Experience Museum includes more than 160,000 artifacts, from founding-era documents to the original Roe v. Wade court papers. We need to preserve the totality of our nation’s heritage, the good, the bad, and the ugly. We need to preserve our history in our own clay pots.

I ask you to join with me on this mission. Start buying books that are important to preserve. Buy some acid-free paper and start printing some of the founding documents, the reports that go against the mainstream narrative, the studies that prove what is true as we are continually being fed lies. Start preserving our daily history as well as our history because it is being rewritten and digitized.

Somebody must have a copy of what is happening now and what has happened in the past. I hope things don’t get really bad. But if they do, we need to preserve our heritage. Perhaps, someone 1,000 years from now will discover our clay pots and, Lord willing, be able to have a glimpse of America as it truly was.

Top 10 WORST items in the new $1.2 TRILLION spending bill

Kevin Dietsch / Staff | Getty Images

Biden just signed the newest spending bill into law, and Glenn is furious.

Under Speaker Johnson's leadership, the whopping $1.2 TRILLION package will use your taxpayer dollars to fund the government through September. Of course, the bill is loaded with earmarks and pork that diverts money to fund all sorts of absurd side projects.

Here is the list of the ten WORST uses of taxpayer money in the recently passed spending bill:

Funding venues to host drag shows, including ones that target children

David McNew / Contributor | Getty Images

Money for transgender underwear for kids

Funding for proms for 12 to 18 year old kids

Bethany Clarke / Stringer | Getty Images

Border security funding... for Jordan and Egypt

Another $300 million for Ukraine

Anadolu / Contributor | Getty Images

$3.5 million for Detroit's annual Thanksgiving Day parade

Icon Sportswire / Contributor | Getty Images

$2.5 million for a new kayaking facility in Franklin, New Hampshire

Acey Harper / Contributor | Getty Images

$2.7 million for a bike park in White Sulfur Springs, West Virginia, a town with a population of less than 2,300 people

$5 million for a new trail at Coastal Carolina University

$4 million the "Alaska King Crab Enhancement Project" (whatever that means)

FRED TANNEAU / Stringer | Getty Images

There is no doubt about it—we are entering dark times.

The November presidential election is only a few months away, and following the chaos of the 2020 election, the American people are bracing for what is likely to be another tumultuous election year. The left's anti-Trump rhetoric is reaching an all-time high with the most recent "Bloodbath" debacle proving how far the media will go to smear the former president. That's not to mention the Democrats' nearly four-year-long authoritarian attempt to jail President Trump or stop his re-election by any means necessary, even if it flies in the face of the Constitution.

Meanwhile, Biden is doing worse than ever. He reportedly threw a tantrum recently after being informed that his polls have reached an all-time low. After Special Counsel Robert Hur's report expressed concerns over Biden's obviously failing mental agility, it's getting harder for the Democrats to defend him. Yet he is still the Democratic nominee for November, promising another 4 years of catastrophic policies, from the border to heavy-handed taxation, should he be reelected.

The rest of the world isn't doing much better. The war in Ukraine has no clear end in sight, drawing NATO and Russia closer and closer to conflict. The war in Gaza is showing no sign of slowing down, and as Glenn revealed recently, its continuation may be a sign that the end times are near.

One thing is clear: we are living in uncertain times. If you and your family haven't prepared for the worst, now is the time. You can start by downloading "Glenn's Ultimate Guide to Getting Prepared." Be sure to print off a copy or two. If the recent cell outage proved anything, it's that technology is unreliable in survival situations. You can check your list of supplies against our "Ultimate Prepper Checklist for Beginners," which you can find below:

Food

  • Canned food/non-perishable foods
  • Food preparation tools
  • Go to the next level: garden/livestock/food production

Water

  • Non-perishable water store
  • Water purification
  • Independent water source

Shelter

  • Fireplace with a wood supply
  • Tent
  • Generator with fuel supply
  • Go to the next level: fallout shelter

Money

  • Emergency cash savings
  • Precious metals

Medicine

  • Extra blankets
  • Basic first aid
  • Extra prescriptions
  • Extra glasses
  • Toiletries store
  • Trauma kit
  • Antibiotics
  • Basic surgery supplies
  • Potassium Iodate tablets

Transportation

  • Bicycle
  • Car
  • Extra fuel

Information

  • Birth certificates
  • Insurance cards
  • Marriage license
  • Immunization records
  • Mortgage paperwork
  • Car title and registration
  • House keys, car keys
  • Passports
  • Family emergency plan
  • Prepping/survival/repair manuals
  • Go to the next level: copy of the Bible, the U.S. Constitution, and other important books/sources

Skills

  • Cooking
  • Gardening
  • Sewing
  • First Aid
  • Basic maintenance skills
  • Go to the next level: farming/ranching
  • Self-defense training

Communication

  • Family contact information and addresses
  • HAM radio

Miscellaneous

  • Flashlights and batteries
  • Lamps and fuel
  • Hardware (tools, nails, lumber, etc)
  • Extra clothes
  • Extreme weather clothes and gear
  • Gas masks and filters
  • Spare parts for any machinery/equipment

Is Trump's prosecution NORMAL?  This COMPLETE list of ALL Western leaders who served jail time proves otherwise.

PhotoQuest / Contributor, The Washington Post / Contributor, Win McNamee / Staff | Getty Images

Mainstream media is on a crusade to normalize Donald Trump's indictments as if it's on par with the electoral course. Glenn asked his team to research every instance of a Western leader who was jailed during their political career over the past 200 years—except extreme political turmoil like the French Revolution, Napoleonic Wars, Irish Revolution, etc.—and what we discovered was quite the opposite.

Imprisoning a leader or major political opponent is not normal, neither in the U.S. nor in the Western world. Within the last 200 years, there are only a handful of examples of leaders in the West serving jail time, and these men were not imprisoned under normal conditions. All of these men were jailed under extreme circumstances during times of great peril such as the Civil War, World War II, and the Cold War.

What does this mean for America? Are Trump's indictments evidence that we are re-entering times of great peril? Below is a list of Western leaders who were imprisoned within the last 200 years. Take a look and decide for yourself:

Late 1800s

The Washington Post / Contributor | Getty Images

Jefferson Davis: The nearest occurrence to a U.S. President to serve jail time was in the case of Jefferson Davis, the first and only president of the Confederate States of America. Jefferson was captured in Georgia by Northern Soldiers in 1865 and locked up in Fort Monroe, Virginia for two years. He was offered a presidential pardon but refused out of his loyalty to the confederacy.

Early 1900s

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Eugene V. Debs: Debbs, a Midwestern socialist leader, became the first person to run for president in prison. He was locked up at a federal penitentiary in Atlanta having been convicted under the federal Sedition Act for giving an antiwar speech a few months before Armistice Day, the end of World War I. Many of his supporters believed his imprisonment to be unjust. Debs received 897,704 votes and was a distant third-part candidate behind Warren G. Harding, the Republican winner, and James M. Cox, the second-place Democrat. Harding ordered Debs’s release from prison toward the end of 1921.

Nazi sympathizers and collaborators: After the end of World War II in 1945, several European leaders who had "led" their countries during the Nazi occupation faced trial and imprisonment for treason. This list included Chief of the French State Philippe Pétain, French Prime Minister Pierre Laval, and Minister-President of Norway Vidkun Quisling. The latter two were also executed after their imprisonment. President of Finland Risto Ryti and Prime Minister of Finland Johan Wilhelm Rangell were also tried and jailed for collaborating with the Nazis against the Allied Powers.

Late 1900s

The Washington Post / Contributor | Getty Images

The end of the Cold War: The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 was one of the pivotal moments that brought the Cold War to a close and marked the end of Communist East Germany. With the fall of the wall and the collapse of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), the former leaders were brought to trial to answer for the crimes committed by the GDR. General Secretary Erich Honecker and General Secretary Egon Krenz were both put on trial for abuse of power and the deaths of those who were shot trying to flee into West Germany. Honecker was charged with jail time but was released from custody due to severe illness and lived out the rest of his life as an exile in Chile. Krenz served 4 years in jail before his release in 2001. He is one of the last surviving leaders of the Eastern Bloc.

Lyndon LaRouche: Larouche was a Trotsky evangelist, public antisemite, and founder of a nationwide Marxist political movement, became the second person in U.S. history to run for President in a prison cell. Granted, he ran in every election from 1976 to 2004 as a long-shot third-party candidate. When he tried to gain the Democratic presidential nomination, he received 5 percent of the total nationwide vote. Even though in 2000 he received enough primary votes to qualify for delegates in a few states, the Democratic National Committee refused to seat his delegates and barred LaRouche from attending the Democratic National Convention.