Three Things You Need to Know - January 23, 2018

Shutdown Averted

The crisis has been averted, Armageddon is put on hold… PEACE IN OUR TIME! Well, for another three weeks at least. The Senate voted overwhelmingly yesterday to open the government back up for business. The great government shutdown of 2018 turned into little more than a three day weekend.

Apparently - in order to get this done - Republicans promised to immediately proceed to discuss immigration reform and DACA. Sure the Democrats come out of this looking kind of silly, but look what is now part of the GOP platform. Amnesty. That sure wasn’t the case during the primaries. Just ask Marco Rubio. He’d probably be President right now if it had been.

Democrats will eventually get their amnesty vote, but not everyone is happy. In the weeks leading up to the shutdown, the left was ironclad in their opposition, but only sixteen held strong yesterday. A civil war is brewing within the Democratic Party. The old guard led by Schumer are living on borrowed time. Their days are numbered. Wanna know what the future looks like? Check out some of the loudest opposition voices yesterday.

Bernie Sanders cast his “no” vote and then proceeded to go on an epic tweet rant. We all know his Socialist past, but he’s now joined by a chorus of new young up and comers. Luis Gutierrez - the representative from Illinois - said:

“They caved. They blinked. That’s what they do.”

Who’s the they that he’s referring to? The Democratic establishment. You see, Gutierrez represents the new blood. You’ll never hear the words revolutionary or radical spoken from these new rising stars, but that’s exactly what they are. In the late 80’s Gutierrez was a member of the Puerto Rican Socialist Party, a Marxist -Leninist group. He’s also a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and is praised by the Democratic Socialists of America.

Kamala Harris has been called the “female Obama.” The one-term junior Senator from California is already being groomed for a run at the White House. She also voted against ending the shutdown and harshly criticized Schumer directly after the vote. Harris helped create California as a Sanctuary State, advocates free college, and was part of Al Gore’s group of Attorney Generals that looked to prosecute companies for questioning climate change.

Other notable “no” votes include Elizabeth Warren and Kirsten Gillibrand.

Radical progressives, overt Socialists, and Marxists. This is the direction the Left is sliding. The field is literally wide open for someone sane to come in and make a difference. An independent candidate might have more of a shot now than ever before. I wonder what Marco Rubio is doing in - say - 2020?

Turpin Family Update

Eight shiny new bicycles glistened in the sun on the front lawn of the Turpin family’s Fort Worth home.

A neighbor, Ricky Vinyard, remembers seeing the bikes and thinking they were perfect gifts for the large family.

Until he noticed the bikes were still untouched months and months after Christmas.

Their intended recipients never got to enjoy them.

The bikes were still there when David and Louise Turpin foreclosed on the trashed house. The ever-growing family left Texas behind and headed West in search of fame and fortune.

Louise chose to move to California because she wanted to be closer to Hollywood.

Louise was consumed with becoming a reality star and she believed that her 13 kids were the key to making her famous.

She was convinced they were going to be the next “Kate Plus 8” or 19 Kids and Counting.”

Louise even gave all her children names that began with the letter J, just like the famous Duggar family did.

When police arrested David and Louise last week, they were trying for a fourteenth child to help their delusional chances of getting their own show.

In a weird twist of fate, Louise and David got their wish. They are finally famous. Every day they can be seen on national television. Every day we gawk at their freakshow life.

But as we watch the Turpin’s story of heartbreaking abuse and neglect unfold in front of our eyes, let’s remember that we are NOT watching a reality TV show. This is real life. These monsters imprisoned, starved, and tortured their own children. The damage these 13 children endured at the hands of the people who are supposed to love them the most is more tragic and shocking than any show on television.

The Notorious R.B.G. on the Silver Screen

RBG is an epic motion picture coming soon to a theatre near you.

Imagine if Fox News produced a documentary about a current Supreme Court Justice, like Neil Gorsuch. Seems like the kind of thing Fox News might do. But it would be slammed by the Left as totally partisan propaganda. A legitimate news network like CNN would never make propaganda like that. Remember? Facts first. Apples are apples and all that.

A documentary about Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on Sunday. It’s titled RBG – get it? And who produced it? CNN. The news network describes Ginsburg as a “cultural icon.”

When has any conservative human ever been called a cultural icon?

At the premiere, the “Notorious R.B.G.,” which is the hip nickname her fans gave her, was introduced by Robert Redford. After a standing ovation from the crowd, which included CNN boss Jeff Zucker, Ginsburg was interviewed onstage.

It’s bad enough that a Supreme Court justice allows herself to be paraded like a popstar, rubbing elbows with Hollywood and CNN. But then the interview turned to the #MeToo movement. The crowd waited in hushed silence as Ginsburg recalled her own harassment as a Cornell student in the 1950s. She told of a chemistry professor who offered to give her a practice test, which she accepted. But when she showed up to take the real test the next day, it was the same “practice” test he’d already given her. “And I knew exactly what he wanted in return,” she said.

The crowd waited for the next part of the story. But that was it. No more story detail.

It’s very strange to hear a Supreme Court Justice, sit in front of an audience and convict her former professor of sexual harassment without sharing any additional evidence. In trying to support the #MeToo crowd, she accidentally illustrated the biggest pitfall of this movement – convicting people before they’re proven guilty.

That seems very wrong of a judge to do.

Ginsburg also forgot to acknowledge the #MeToo victims of the man who appointed her to the Supreme Court – Bill Clinton.

This is the problem with the radical Progressive agenda, not even a 25-year veteran of the Supreme Court can keep up with the inconsistencies. It gives a whole new meaning to the phrase justice is blind.

MORE 3 THINGS

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

NurPhoto / Contributor | Getty Images

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

PhotoQuest / Contributor | Getty Images

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.