Three Things You Need to Know - November 7, 2017

November 07, 2017

WRITER

Texas shooter update.

Former Facebook friends described Devin Patrick Kelley as “vocally anti-Christian.”

Here is what we know about Kelley, the 26-year-old who murdered 26 people during a worship service on Sunday at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas.

Kelley graduated from New Braunfels High School in 2009. In 2010, he joined the Air Force, working as a logistical readiness airman at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico.

He married a woman named Tessa and had an infant stepson. In 2012, he assaulted his wife and stepson, fracturing the boy’s skull. According to the Air Force chief prosecutor, Kelley “pled to intentionally doing it.” Kelley was court-martialed for the assault and spent a year in military prison. His wife filed for divorce in October 2012.

After his one-year prison term, he was discharged from the Air Force for bad conduct.

In April 2014, Kelley married Danielle Lee Shields. They moved to Colorado Springs and lived in an RV park. While living there, Kelley was charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty, but the case was dismissed.

In recent years he lived with Danielle and their two-year-old son in a barn behind his parents’ house on their large property in New Braunfels, Texas. By 2017, however, he was estranged from Danielle.

In June, Kelley was hired to work as an unarmed night security guard at a water park in New Braunfels. He was fired after five and a half weeks.

Danielle sometimes attended First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs with her parents, though they were not there on Sunday when Kelley attacked. Yesterday morning, officials said they are investigating “threatening texts” that Kelley had sent his mother-in-law. They haven’t released details yet, but it appears the church shooting was somehow connected to a domestic dispute.

Several people who knew Kelley from high school unfriended him on Facebook in recent years because he had “grown dark,” and “liked” several atheist groups on his Facebook page. One Facebook friend wrote that “he was always talking about how people who believe in God were stupid and trying to preach his atheism.”

One former friend posted on Facebook Sunday night: “Over the years we all saw him change into something that he wasn’t. To be completely honest, I’m really not surprised this happened, and I don’t think anyone who knew him is very surprised either.”

War drums are beating in the Middle East... again.

The fighting words coming from the Saudis the past 24 hours have been difficult to keep up with. On Monday, Saudi Arabia called a missile attack by an Iranian proxy an “act of war” by Iran. Literally just a few hours later, the Saudis accused Lebanon of declaring war on the Kingdom for supporting Hezbollah. The Saudi Gulf affairs minister said Lebanon would be “dealt with as a government declaring war on Saudi Arabia.”

This morning, the Saudi Crown Prince, who is basically defacto King, accused Iran of “direct military aggression.” The Saudis have used the word “war” twice in 24 hours and now the most powerful man in the country publically points the finger at Iran. The Arab and Persian Cold War has been going on for a long time but they’re very rarely this public and direct about it. What’s going on?

A fundamental transformation of the Middle East is underway. Saudi Arabia, Iran and even Turkey are scrambling to see who can fill the power vacuum left behind as ISIS retreats. Iran has clearly been winning. They have armed militias dominating countries in Yemen, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. They’re on the verge of near complete control. The Saudis are finding themselves late to the party, and they’ve apparently had enough.

A direct confrontation between the Saudis and Iran would have global consequences. Iran would attempt to blockade the Strait of Hormuz causing the price of oil to skyrocket. Gasoline would shoot up over 5 dollars a gallon. Militaries from all over the world would get involved which would increase the chance a mistake might happen between rivals.

President Trump is in Asia this week but he might want to direct all his attention towards the Middle East. The State Department should be in overdrive working to cool all this down. No one will win if this war goes forward, but the war drums are beating.

Stephen Willeford's heroism.

Finally, some sleep. Stephen hadn’t had much of it these days.

Just as he was about to doze off, his daughter frantically ran into his room.

She said she heard gunshots coming from the church nearby.

Stephen calmly walked to his safe and pulled out his rifle.

He counted the shots he heard as he loaded his gun. Time was slipping away. He knew each one of the shots represented someone that could be hurt.

Stephen made his way over to the church and confronted the man with black tactical gear. The attacker pulled his pistol on Stephen.

The moment was so surreal. It almost felt like a video game. Stephen rushed for cover behind a pickup truck, lifted his rifle, and pulled the trigger. He hit him.

But the shot didn’t kill the attacker --- far from it. He was able to make it into his car.

The gunfire suddenly turned into a high-speed chase.

"Is this real life?" Stephen thought to himself.

Stephen and another man named Johnny got into the pickup truck and chased him down 539.

They were chasing this maniac down the highway at 95 miles per hour, weaving in and out of traffic.

The whole time, the police were on the phone with Stephen.

When the attacker eventually ran into a ditch, police were seconds behind.

Today, Stephen is being applauded as a hero. But he doesn’t think he is.

“I’m no hero; I am not. I think my God, my Lord, protected me and gave me the skills to do what needed to be done. And I just wish I could have got there faster.”

Thank you, Stephen for being there when you did. It’s Americans like him who make all the difference sometimes. You never know when you’ll be called to do something great.

MORE 3 THINGS

What will happen while Glenn is away on vacation?

As many of you now know, Glenn has taken off for a much-deserved, two-week vacation with strict orders not to watch the news. Well, two weeks is a long time in the news world, and a LOT can happen while Glenn is away.

What do you think will happen while Glenn is away? Will Biden take another fall? Will the government finally confess knowledge of alien lifeforms? Let us know what you think below.

Will the Government confirm the existence of aliens?

Is Biden going to fall again?

Will Kamala Harris become president?

Will Hillary Clinton announce her candidacy for president?

Will AI start an uprising?

Will World War III start?

Will Bud Light go out of business?

Will it be confirmed that Fidel Castro is Justin Trudeau's father?

Will California criminalize pianos due to their historic associations with the ivory trade?

Will Joe Biden give a speech where he recounts an encounter with Bigfoot?

How my family's Target boycott is affecting my wife (satire)

Bloomberg / Contributor, nito100 | Getty Images

If you've been tuning in this month, you'll know that my family and I have been boycotting Target since they released their problematic Pride collection. We are determined, but boy has it been difficult... particularly on my wife.

I'm not saying that I kept a diary of my wife's Target withdrawals... but I'm not saying that I didn't either.

Here are the "alleged" entries of my family's first week of boycotting Target.

Day 1

My wife began the day optimistic. Determined. She kept saying, "I can do it. I can do it. For the sake of what is right, I can do it."

For a moment there, I thought this boycott was going to be kind of easy. I thought she would bounce into action, and never look back.

At about noon on day one, she started to crack just a little bit. She looked at me and said, "The only jeans that fit me properly are from Target. Where am I going to get my jeans? What will I do without my favorite jeans?"

One weird thing. She has been speaking differently. It's almost like a nervous tick. Random words come out at random times. Day one, I kissed her good night and said, "I love you." She said, "I love Lindt Lindor Milk Chocolate Candy Truffles."

And I think that has something to do with Target, but I'm not really sure.

Day 2

My wife began laughing today... a LOT. But then, abruptly, her laughter broke into a disconcerting grimace that reminded me ever so slightly of a gargoyle.

I tried to remind myself, "This is going to be a good thing. This is going to make a difference," and my wife proceeded to give me a long-winded rant about how Satan tempted Jesus, and how this is my temptation in the desert. Shortly after, I found her reading her Bible in Matthew chapter 4, repeating, "40 days of THIS?!"

She tried to go to Walmart and even made it about 10 feet into the store... but then she sped home and took a shower for 45 minutes.

Day 3

Have you seen The Shining? The way Jack Nicholson slowly becomes unhinged?

It's beginning to feel like that on day three, at the house. Several times, I caught her petting picture frames. When I asked if everything was okay, she said, "I can't find gallery frames for an excellent price anywhere. You know. Think of the frames."

Later, I caught her piling bath bombs onto her side of the bed.

I said, "Honey, what are those for?"

And her answer was a little terrifying. I can't really remember. Only something about the onslaught of a war of sparkles and tiaras. So I don't know what that means.

And I didn't ask.

Day 4

The shakes have begun. Confusion has overtaken her eyes. Every couple of minutes she gasps and looks around, face full of panic.

She cries in agony, "WHERE will I find oversized blouses?" She gasps again, "What if somebody has a birthday? Where am I going to go? Where am I going to go? What if there is a birthday?"

Day 5

Midway through lunch, my wife shrieked, realizing she was only seven decorative pillows away from an empty bed top.

Our day somehow got worse when news broke that Chip and Joanna Gaines had just released their new candle trough.

That was day five.

Day 6

The rations have vanished.

The boycott now has begun to affect the family's food supply. This morning, I asked my wife, "Do we have any milk?

My wife whispered, "Don't you know where the milk comes from? Don't you know where I get the milk?"

I answered, my voice quivering, "Milk? What milk? I don't need any milk!"

She was almost out of Meyers soap and nearly caved when the revelation kicked in that she might have to go to Walmart.

To make matters worse, Target had just released their new Meyers fall scents, including, but not limited to pumpkin spice—and if you don't have pumpkin spice Meyers soap, who are you, really?

Then things really spiraled when she needed to pick up Starbucks honey flat white and some new laundry detergent. For the first time in a long time, this was going to require TWO stops, and let me tell you, those two stops did not make her happy.

At bedtime, she locked herself into the guest bedroom and insisted on being left alone.

Day 7

For the first day, I have a little hope.

The whole thing was awful. Terrible. Miserable. Heartbreaking.

But still not bad enough to make me or any of my friends want to chug down a Bud Light.

Do aliens... EXIST? Or is it a distraction?

Rastan | Getty Images

Yesterday, whistleblower David Charles Grusch, a decorated Air Force veteran claimed the Department of Defense has a secret team aimed at "retrieving non-human origin technical vehicles, call it spacecraft if you will, non-human exotic origin vehicles that have either landed or crashed."

Talk about UFOs and aliens has typically been siloed to the realm of sci-fi and "conspiracy theories." However, in recent years, publicized evidence of UFOs and whistleblowers, like David Grusch, have brought the once fantastical subjects into the mainstream. Could it be that alien life forms do, in fact, exist? Have they already arrived and been kept secret underneath the government's nose? Or could this all be a ruse to distract us from more pressing stories in the news cycle?

We want to hear from YOU! Do YOU think aliens and UFOs are a distraction tactic, or do you think there's truth behind these whistleblowers?

Do you believe the government has intel about UFOs?

Do you believe the government has intel about alien life?

Do you believe the government is hiding this intel from the general public?

Do you believe alien life exists?

Do you think the media is using this story to distract us from other issues?

Remembering D-Day: We are called to the same standard

Universal History Archive / Contributor | Getty Images

79 years ago today, my grandfather jumped out of a plane. He was 17 years old when he joined the 101st Airborne Division, and at the ripe age of 18, he boarded a C-47 aircraft with the rest of his company destined for Normandy. On June 6, 1944, he jumped out of that plane onto Utah Beach, becoming a part of what would become the largest amphibious invasion in military history, Operation Overlord, or, as it's more commonly known, D-Day.

Though only 18, my grandfather was one of the oldest soldiers in his company. He recounted how many, like himself, lied about their age in order to have their shot at fighting for their country. As Omaha Beach veteran Frank Devita recounted:

We were all kids. We were too young to drink. We were too young to vote. And we were too young to die.

And many of them did.

On June 6, 1944, almost 160,000 troops from the United States, the British Commonwealth, and their allies began what would become the ultimate demise of the Third Reich, concluding one of the darkest chapters in human history. 2,500 of these soldiers were American boys who gave the ultimate sacrifice in Normandy, where most of them remain, their bodies never making it back home to the country for which they paid the ultimate price.

2,500 of these soldiers were American boys who gave the ultimate sacrifice in Normandy.

Underwood Archives / Contributor | Getty Images

In an age seemingly devoid of courage and virtue, it is natural to picture these soldiers as the greatest of men. And they were. However, we must remember these exemplars of manhood were boys, young boys, who exhibited the courage and virtue that we so seldom see in those twice their age today.

We must remember these exemplars of manhood were boys.

Remembering D-Day is not only sobering regarding the loss of life and innocence; it's sobering to consider how far our country has strayed from the ideals exemplified by the "greatest generation."

79 years ago, Americans knew what they were fighting for. As a Jewish man born in Berlin, witnessing the rise of fascism and socialism at the expense of individual liberty and the sanctity of life, my grandfather was eager to go back to his birthplace as an American soldier to fight for the fundamental principles of life and liberty that he and his family had been denied in Nazi Germany.

They were some of the lucky individuals who were able to escape—and there's a reason why he and his family chose America as their new homeland. The life and liberty they had been denied in Germany were regarded as sacred in the United States.

Yet, do we still regard these things as sacred?

JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER / Contributor | Getty Images

Most of the United States still hold that the sanctity of life is contingent upon convenience and circumstance. Economic policies continue to morph closer to the socialism adopted by the rest of the world in the 20th century, penalizing the success and merit that was once tantalizing to immigrants like my grandfather. Moreover, 2020 extinguished any doubt that the freedoms we hold dear are expendable at the whims of our ruling class.

This isn't the same America that provided refuge to my grandfather's family nor is it the same country that he and his brothers-in-arms fought for.

On this anniversary of D-Day, it is important that we remember the sacrifice given by the young American boys, who became the greatest of men, on the beaches of Normandy. However, perhaps it is just as important to remember that we are called to the very same standard as they so powerfully exemplified: to love our country and the principles of life and freedom that stand in stark contrast to much of the onlooking world and to have the courage to defend it, even if it requires the level courage that these young men were called to.

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