Follow NewsClips channel at Brighteon.com for more updatesSubscribe to Brighteon newsletter to get the latest news and more featured videos: https://support.brighteon.com/Subscribe.html

Wendell Berry, in his 92nd year of life, has just come out with a new novel, Marce Catlett: The Force of a Story. Counting the books listed on the page before the title page, it is the 15th in a series of novels and books of short stories about the fictional town of Port William, Kentucky. Within this great story, we are saved from the machines which now more than ever mimic the human likeness and sell it short for something less than the divine. While the story is fictional, the entire series of books is about Berry’s life, a life to be understood as a membership in a community that, in its wholeness, both transcends time and sanctifies its space. In that community, he writes, each member is already anticipated in the stories of those who came before, as they will be bound to those who come after as listeners. And its fervent and reasonable hope is that listeners will become participants themselves. Berry makes the case of all who have told stories from the beginning of humankind — all our lives are stories, bound up in stories and passed on as stories. The characters in the books of the Port William stories do not have the exact names of the people Berry knew or heard of in his community’s living treasury of stories about itself. Neither are the happenings in most of these stories exact renderings of the ephemera of the lives of those people that he knew, first or second hand. But in the telling of the stories, the gist of who those people are lives. And as it is alive, it propagates itself further in each telling, and propels the reader by vital and moral force to find some way to be a part of the tale. In these stories, the place where the stories occur is always present. For Berry it is the key. Acceptance of being placed in the world guides us to measure our lives by how we inform that place with our love, a love that we discover already flowing from the place to us, sustaining us in every way our love opens our eyes to see. Berry sees clearly the great idolatry of modern man is the worship of our own abstractions, a worship which crowds out acknowledgement of the miraculousness of the world that God has made and challenges us from the very get-go of the Bible to see as He does: It is good, it is very good. Berry’s story of a place and the people in it is one of lives and their stories nested within each other, energizing and defining alike the characters and the storytellers and their place with each telling. The distinctiveness of the place in which their stories play out gives the loves definition, focus, and feeling. At the end of this volume, in his acknowledgments, Berry writes, “This book is based upon a ‘real story,’ which, because it is mostly undocumented, must be told as fiction.” From this far outpost in his tenth decade on earth, this is true of this entire series — without the precision of documentation, the truth must be sought in a truthful narrative. In that story, the irrecoverable minutiae bequeath their meaning to the faithful storyteller, whose success is subject to the assent of the reader. Here is the most ancient form of empiricism, in which the veracity of the life described is tested in the reader’s soul. These stories of Port William pass the test. They do so even as the author mourns the passing of the way of life that sustained his characters and his ancestors and their community. Our culture, his art demonstrates, has abstracted us from our place on earth and left us as wounded in our soul as the land is wounded in its neglect. This is the great burden of the book and of this great series of books, a burden which Berry takes on squarely. And so, like so much of our life, it is a story of hope and of failure. By virtue of his telling the story, and of our reading it, the storyteller (and all hearers and readers of the story are meant to become tellers) stands simultaneously above and within all the times of his multigenerational story. Andy, the the character that represents Berry himself reflects: And so Andy has had to see himself, grown old, a man of his own time who might say … “What we wanted was to make a life and a way of life, here in this place, that our children and their children could take from us and carry on. And each of us, in his own way in his own time, has failed.” At the end, this truthful record of failure met with resilience and hope echoes the great story underlying our civilization. The community of Kentucky tobacco growers embodied the ideal of independence and self-governance. Because of there independence, not in contradiction to it, they shared work with each other and joined with each other to run locally a program that allows their crop a fair price despite the power of the tobacco monopolists. Their life with each other was lived in close partnership with the land which yielded their crops, with their animals who gave their bodies to the work and for their meat, and with the trees and plants which gave them fuel and food as well as their cash crop. The triumph of machines blew this world apart after World War II. The war’s fury had taken the bodies of many of its men, its deeper effects played out after the war was over. After the world had collapsed into opposition and violence, so now did the community slowly fall, its humanity and its closeness to the land no longer having market value. Abstractions of economics and politics and the insensate power of machines made this human community its victims. The knowledge of how to make such an independent life must be regained, just as today, if we want to start shipbuilding again in America, we will  have to find a way to regain all that knowledge that used to reside within those who worked the trade. In Port William and in much of small farm America, the old way of life left and nothing much replaced it. Its living core was gutted. The precise art of farming that matched the land and the community that shared the meaning of the independent work it did together were replaced with little work at all and drugs as the a meaningless, bitter, and deadly comfort. What is left after all this subtraction? Have we lost the knowledge of independence, with its real communities and its love of neighbors? It may be, the author realizes, aside from the Amish and a few other outliers, it is the book in the reader’s hands. But this book’s story that is so real and well told that it enters the soul and spurs our own storytelling, which itself is the core of human community. There is an old midrash, a recording of a discussion between a rabbi and his student, from about 1,900 years ago. In it, the teacher, Rabbi Akiva proposes as the organizing principle of all Scripture Leviticus’ command to love one’s neighbor as oneself. Everything else, whether personal or communal, he teaches, is build upon this principium. His student, Ben Azzai disagreed and proposed another verse, Genesis 5:1: “This is the story of the offspring of Adam: In the day that God created Adam, it was in the likeness of God that He created him.” Ben Azzai was saying that even love depends on something else — of being a part and in some essential way resembling the One who is most lovable. Then we can love ourselves and so love each other, and the world that holds us and sustains us as we build a loving community. This is the story of humankind, told by its Great Author, and entrusted to us to tell in our own words together. So much of the story is about loss. As the character Andy realizes, as we find in the Bible, so much that was good is lost. Even more: we are implicated in the loss. Again, his words: “And each of us, in his own way in his own time, has failed.” But as in the Bible, this is not the end. Tried by our losses, what we stand for, what is true and everlasting, is not and cannot be diminished. In our humanity, fashioned by God in His own likeness, is that which is good and beautiful and invincible. It only becomes clear in the telling, for the teller’s love lives on in the tale, a love which only increases, for all the world’s ephemeral subtraction, as it is told and brings one more life into its story. Andy’s realization at the end of the book has the feel of Scripture, finding its tongue in the American idiom, in America’s own telling the tale of itself, nested inside its own reading and retelling the tale of Israel trying, failing, and returning to try again to live within the love that calls it into being again and again. He began to waken into his memory and the memory of his elders. It was as if  his soul had learned, so to speak, to stand outside his own life in the great opening in which time comes and goes, in the company and council of other souls. In reveries and dreams he makes his way among loved ones lost to one another in this world’s great sundering, as if again in their presence and present to them, as if in some hereafter already here. Within this great story, we are saved from the machines which now more than ever mimic the human likeness and sell it short for something less than the divine, less than realized love. The promised windfall profit is always paid in debased currency, at most pennies on the dollar, before the pennies are discontinued. None of the promises of this world hold if we sell our humanity, split ourselves from that divine image so responsive and pained by the smallest hurt or damage, so invincible that it rises again and again to establish love’s community as sovereign in this world. Here are Andy’s words, evincing that triumph as it must be — by work infused with the redemptive knowledge of this very world as it is loved by God: His remembering and thoughts have carried him by now far outside the matter of fact of this world’s present age. He stands now with his father and his father’s father, and with others dear to him, in the presence of a longed-for beautiful land that they have desired as if seen afar, that is yet the same, the very land that they have known and that they know, a love-made land, dark to them until by their own love they came to see it. Andy — and Berry — are not selling us this story as a panacea. It is only by learning to love even in defeat and in loss that our own love can come to a triumph that transcends time even as it redeems it. That is not something that a slogan, an algorithm, an economic theory, or even a political philosophy can deliver on its own. But that love can and must inform all these things. It is a love stronger than death. In setting the work of this love in the first place, we than can make our own economics, politics, and every small bit of our lives tell this great story. It is this above all things, this in the first place, that we must conserve, cherish, and pass on. READ MORE from Shmuel Klatzkin: Trivializing Religion Left Us Unprepared for Political Islam False Confidence Against Jihadism The West Learned From Defeat. So Must Islamic Civilization.    

It’s hard to miss. The venerable Heritage Foundation has been snarled in a to-do over allegations of antisemitism. Over here at Newsmax is a sample of but one of a plethora of stories revolving around all of this. The headline: “Jewish Scholar Bernstein to Newsmax: Why I Quit Heritage.” Why is there anyone in the entire conservative movement who thinks hating Jews in a movement devoted to conservative principles … is a good idea? The story focuses on the resignation from Heritage of one David Bernstein, described in the story as “a Jewish scholar who helped advise an antisemitism initiative at the Heritage Foundation…” For the record, other than having attended my fair share of events at Heritage over the decades, both as a guest and on occasion as a panelist or speaker, I have no official connection to Heritage. I was around to have met its founders, Ed Feulner, Paul Weyrich, and Joseph Coors. To say the least, dedicated conservatives all. There was never a hint of antisemitism among them. But most assuredly, as a long-time participant in the larger conservative movement, including stints in both the Reagan White House and the Bush 41-era Department of Housing and Urban Development led by Jack Kemp, another decidedly conservative leader of the day, I certainly know there is no place for antisemitism in the conservative movement. Neither Reagan nor Kemp — both decidedly staunch friends of Israel — would have ever tolerated antisemitism for a nano-second. Neither would the founders of Heritage. That any of that needs to be said speaks to the concern that has been rippling through conservative quarters over the recent dust-up involving Tucker Carlson’s podcast interview with the decidedly — and quite openly — antisemitic Nick Fuentes. In this space, I have recently discussed the staunch opposition to antisemitism by the “Great One” (as Sean Hannity calls him), talk radio, and Fox’s host Mark Levin. Also discussed in this space are the goings-on with the decided and quite open antisemite Nick Fuentes. As I have noted, there is zero “conservative” in Fuentes’s stance. As also noted, his views as expressed are utterly typical of the American Left. (RELATED: Nick Fuentes: American Leftist) Safe to say, the bottom line is that there is simply no room for antisemitism anywhere in the conservative movement. Nor do I believe Heritage is anything close to an antisemitic organization. If it were, I myself would be out the door. And would never have gone through the door to begin with. As I have returned from an August Newsmax-sponsored trip to Israel, it’s safe, very safe, to say there is no room for antisemitism in any branch of the conservative family either. Newsmax and its fearlessness in standing up for Israel and against antisemitism are to be applauded for sure. Curiously, there are more than a few short memories today about one of the founding forefathers of the American conservative movement — Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater, the 1964 Republican nominee for president. Goldwater was known in the day as “Mr. Conservative.” Which, for sure, was a decidedly accurate nickname. Lost in time is this recall of Goldwater that was noted correctly here at JFeed: “Barry was born in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1909, to a Jewish father of Prussian descent and a Christian mother. His grandfather, Michael Goldwasser, was a Jew who immigrated from Poland.” Goldwater himself would touch on the subject  of his Jewish roots this way in his memoirs: “My family and other Jews who came to Arizona established a long, clear record of hard work and exceptional public service in the state, far beyond their small number.” Which is to plainly say, one of the major founding fathers of the American conservative movement was himself Jewish on his father’s side. This makes any rise of antisemitism in the conservative movement bizarre and, to say the least, utterly ridiculous. It simply doesn’t belong. Barry Goldwater would decidedly not approve. The real question, it would seem, is why? Why is there anyone in the entire conservative movement who thinks hating Jews in a movement devoted to conservative principles of freedom — religious freedom included — is a good idea? No idea. But to say the least, silence in the face of even a trace of antisemitism in the conservative movement is not acceptable. Ever. READ MORE from Jeffrey Lord: Nick Fuentes: American Leftist The GOP Loss Is Not a Big Deal Three Cheers for Mark Levin

America’s Catholic bishops are once again focusing their energies on immigration concerns, subtly undermining the Catholic Church’s teachings on the subject, while highlighting their hypocrisy on the defense of the unborn. The bishops might have a little more moral credibility on the issue had they authored a similar letter lamenting the never-heard cries of children boiled alive by saline solutions. Last week, 216 members of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops voted in favor of publishing a “special message” to President Donald Trump and his administration, criticizing the administration’s immigration agenda. “We are disturbed when we see among our people a climate of fear and anxiety around questions of profiling and immigration enforcement. We are saddened by the state of contemporary debate and the vilification of immigrants,” the bishops wrote. Despite obstacles and prejudices, generations of immigrants have made enormous contributions to the well-being of our nation. We as Catholic bishops love our country and pray for its peace and prosperity. For this very reason, we feel compelled now in this environment to raise our voices in defense of God-given human dignity. “Catholic teaching exhorts nations to recognize the fundamental dignity of all persons, including immigrants. We bishops advocate for a meaningful reform of our nation’s immigration laws and procedures. Human dignity and national security are not in conflict,” the bishops complained. It is true, protecting and preserving the nation’s sovereignty, security, and homogeneity does not necessitate stripping others of human dignity. The issue, however, is that the Trump administration has not behaved barbarously towards aliens and has, in fact, upheld the human dignity not just of aliens (recall, if you will, Border Czar Tom Homan discussing how immigration enforcement mitigates evils ranging from migrant deaths to the sex slavery of alien children) but of the American people. Women like Laken Riley and Rachel Morin were brutally assaulted, raped, and murdered by illegal aliens. Permitting and enabling such abuse does not meet the criteria for upholding either human dignity or national security. The USCCB complained that illegal aliens in the U.S. “fear being detained” by lawful federal immigration authorities. This concern is rooted purely in emotion, rather than in the Church’s teachings. The bishops would, no doubt, laugh at the notion of publishing a similar letter bemoaning how police detectives track down murderers or robbers who fear being caught. Illegal aliens have likewise broken the law, showing a serious disregard for the American nation, her people, and her rules. Such blatant and flippant disregard flies in the face of the Catholic Church’s teachings on immigration. (If you’d like to read more about that teaching, I’ve written on it — and the U.S. bishops’ mistreatment of it — here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.) In 2021, shortly after self-described Catholic Joe Biden ascended to the presidency, the USCCB gathered to discuss whether or not to issue a document formally barring Biden from receiving Holy Communion due to his position on abortion. Ultimately, the bishops rejected this proposal. No letter or “special message” was issued condemning the Biden administration’s wholehearted commitment to the wanton slaughter of innocent unborn children. In fact, some USCCB members — most notably, Cardinal Blase Cupich — have spoken at pro-abortion events and even honored pro-abortion politicians like self-described Catholic Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). Despite having just emerged from four years of a presidential administration hostile to Americans of faith, bent on the destruction of unborn children in their own mothers’ wombs, the USCCB decided it would be worthwhile to whine about immigration enforcement. The bishops might have a little more moral credibility on the issue had they authored a similar letter lamenting the never-heard cries of children boiled alive by saline solutions or ripped apart by scalpel and forceps before ever seeing the light of day, or condemned the vacuuming of dismembered babies out of the only home they have ever known: their own mothers. In the end, it could simply boil down to the fact that immigration is a lucrative issue for the bishops to focus on (some details here and here), while defending the unborn is not. Illegal aliens in the U.S. have been equipped with armies of immigration lawyers and shielded by numerous “sanctuary” states and cities, while the millions of unborn children who have lost their lives to abortion have no attorneys, no “sanctuary,” and no voice. It should be the role of the bishops, speaking with the force and authority of the 2,000-year-old institution of the Catholic Church, to be a voice for those children. But no, instead they pen “special messages” against a program aiming to protect the American people from the rapists, murderers, and drug traffickers who were ushered into the country by the very NGOs the USCCB supports. READ MORE from S.A. McCarthy: US Priests Remain Conservative but Diverge From Trump J.D. Vance Proclaims Christ as ‘The Way, the Truth, and the Life’ American Christians: Heed the Example of Decimated Europe

It happened again. This time, an Ohio man, Hassan-James Abbas, is accused of holding his pregnant girlfriend down in the middle of the night by her neck and forcing crushed abortion pills into her mouth. This is just another case of abortion activists’ illegal provision of abortion pills leading to women being forced to take them against their wills. The woman said that she scratched and shoved her boyfriend until she was able to escape to the kitchen, at which point she called 911. The 911 call recorded at the location hung up immediately; that’s when she says he snatched the phone from her hand and ended the call. The woman went to the hospital quickly thereafter, told the story of the assault, and was diagnosed with vaginal bleeding, but it’s unclear if the baby survived. Abbas, who is himself a doctor (though he has just had his medical license suspended), ordered abortion pills over the internet the day after his girlfriend told him she was pregnant. These abortion pill services, which are run by abortion activists, act with no regard for the law or women’s safety. Anyone — boyfriends intent on killing their unborn children included — need only fill out an online form to receive abortion pills at their doorstep within a matter of days. In Abbas’ case, it took just three days for the deadly drugs to arrive at his address. Abbas admits that he ordered the abortion pills, but he claims that his then-girlfriend agreed to let him administer the crushed-up pills to her. The guardrails on these abortion pill mills are so nonexistent that Abbas simply filled out his ex-wife’s name and his own address on a form, and the people running the pill mill were happy to send the pills along. Evidently, the unfettered access to abortion drugs made Abbas feel entitled to end the life of his unborn child even as his girlfriend repeatedly stated that she wanted to care for and love their baby. (READ MORE: The Unspeakable Evil of Christopher Cooprider) The assault allegedly happened on Dec. 18, 2024, yet Abbas’ workplace, the University of Toledo Medical Center, only placed him on “administrative leave” after the State Medical Board of Ohio suspended his medical license on Nov. 5 of this year. Until this month, Abbas had been employed as a surgical resident at the University of Toledo. That’s a problem, says the victim, because the University of Toledo Medical Center has known about the allegations against Abbas since early this year. “I think it’s important for people to know that [the University of Toledo Medical Center] says they hold their employees to the highest standards; however, they have had this information since the beginning of this year and they chose to still employ him and not place him on leave until now,” she told Toledo news service WOTL 11. In suspending Abbas’ medical license, Ohio’s medical board said there was “clear and convincing evidence” that he poses “a danger of immediate and serious harm to the public.” What’s not clear is why his employer let him treat patients for so long after such serious allegations were made, especially as the evidence that he ordered the abortion pills was so readily apparent. Police investigators acted quickly after the alleged assault. They obtained search warrants soon afterward for Abbas’ parents’ house, explaining that they believed the laptop Abbas used to order the abortion pills was located there. The illegal activities said to be under investigation in a search warrant filed Dec. 30, 2024, were “attempted murder, assault, and disruption of public services.” No criminal charges have been filed yet against Abbas. This is just another case of abortion activists’ illegal provision of abortion pills leading to women being forced to take them against their wills. Earlier this year, a woman was charged with using “coercion” to make her daughter take abortion pills to kill her unborn baby. The daughter had been planning a gender reveal party for the baby, but the grandmother evidently did not want to celebrate. New York Gov. Cathy Hochul has refused to extradite the woman charged with providing the abortion pills, Maggie Carpenter. Carpenter allegedly worked through Aid Access, one of the largest abortion-dispensing mills run by activists, to dispense the drugs. Also this year, a Texas man was charged with murder after he allegedly killed his unborn baby by lacing his pregnant girlfriend’s cookies and drink with abortion pills. As long as people can order abortion pills easily online, they’ll keep slipping abortion drugs to pregnant women to kill any babies they don’t want alive. Since a killing can easily look like a miscarriage, we can’t know the extent of this crisis. READ MORE from Ellie Gardey Holmes: ‘Dr. Maggie,’ Notorious Abortionist Gavin Newsom’s New Low WATCH Ellie Gardey Holmes: The Spectator P.M. Ep. 169: Tech Bros Aim to Genetically Modify the ‘Perfect’ Baby