As we prepare to note the 249th anniversary of our country, getting ready for the great celebration next year of America’s 250th, Gallup serves up sobering data. Per polling just released by Gallup, only 58% of Americans now say they are “extremely proud” or “very proud” to be an American. When Gallup first asked this question in 2001, 87% said they were “extremely proud” or “very proud” to be American. Digging deeper, we see that most of this precipitous drop in pride in our country is attributable to those identifying as Democrats. In 2001, 90% of Republicans said they were “extremely proud” or “very proud” to be an American. In 2025, 92% of Republicans say they are “extremely proud” or very “proud.” In 2001, 87% of Democrats said they were either “extremely” or “very” proud. But in 2025, only 36% of Democrats say they are “extremely” or “very” proud of their country. Worth noting is that over the last 25 years, the Republican percentage saying they are “extremely” or “very” proud barely moved. Republican pride in the country stayed strong regardless of the party in power, never ever dropping below 84%. However, Democrat pride moved with the party in power. During Democrat administrations, Democrat pride in the country increased. During Republican administrations, it dropped. What this tells me is that Republicans see the country in terms of its principles. Democrats see everything through the lens of politics. Let’s look at one issue that is about principles—abortion. Abortion is an issue that touches our core values. It’s like the issue of slavery that once so deeply divided the country. How abortion is viewed, like how slavery was viewed, speaks to how we see and value human life. Abortion is also an issue in which the country is deeply divided along partisan lines. Among Republicans, 77% identify as pro-life and 16% as pro-choice. Among Democrats, 83% identify as pro-choice and 12% pro-life. Regarding the question of the morality of abortion, 23% of Republicans/lean-Republicans view abortion as “morally acceptable,” and 64% view it as “morally wrong.” Among Democrats/lean-Democrats, 78% view abortion as “morally acceptable” and 15% view it as “morally wrong.” Among those attending church weekly, 18% see abortion as “morally acceptable” and 71% as “morally wrong.” Of those whose church attendance is seldom/never, 65% see abortion as “morally acceptable” and 25% as “morally wrong.” Per a Gallup survey from 2021 to 2023, among Americans who say they have no religion, 63% are Democrats and 26% are Republicans. So, again, Republicans are about principles, and Democrats are about politics. Whether we’re talking about pride in our country, or appreciating the sanctity of life, or adherence to the eternal principles of faith, Republicans and Democrats are opposites. As Democrats lick their wounds and soul-search about their defeat in 2024, we see aggressive young Democrats wanting to push their party even further left. Listen to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez or the young socialist Zohran Mamdani, who is now the Democrat candidate for mayor of New York City. There is a reason why the ultrasound became such an effective tool in dissuading women thinking about abortion. When the mother sees the mystery and miracle of life inside of her, she is struck by awe and humility and takes responsibility for the gift of life given her. Socialism is the opposite. It is what the great Nobel laureate Friedrich Hayek called the Fatal Conceit. Man stepping up to play God. In 1965, 70% of the country said “religion is very important” in their life. By 2023, this was down to 45%. In 1965, federal spending consumed 16% of our GDP. By 2023, it was up to 22%. Less God, more government. As we move to America’s 250th anniversary, let’s pray for a great national awakening, restoring the awe of life and personal responsibility that are the hallmarks of a free nation under God. COPYRIGHT 2025 CREATORS.COM We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal. The post Why Aren’t Democrats Proud to Be American? appeared first on The Daily Signal.

In every family, there seems to be one member who has a particular interest in the family’s history and the way things were in the past. If you guess that I’m that person in my generation, you would be correct. I love hearing stories from my mother about her childhood, and I even have done some research on our Irish ancestors. Even though I’m in my fifties, I also have a number of older friends who are in their eighties and even nineties. I love to hear their stories about their childhoods and the wisdom they gained over the years. As I chatted with one of my friends, born in 1941, this week, I thought about the coming Fourth of July celebrations and the current debates in America. I was struck by how valuable his stories were and how they harkened back to some days in which Americans faced challenges with remarkable resiliency. I got his permission to share some of these stories with you, in the hopes that they will inspire you to look back to your own ancestors and the elders in your own communities for lessons on how to be prepared.  Waste Nothing My friend’s parents lived through the Great Depression and raised ten children. According to him, while he grew up through the 1940’s, it still was the Great Depression, at least in his parents’ minds.  He said he felt they never fully recovered from that experience. If you are interested in learning more lessons from the Great Depression, here is an article about hobo culture and a look at a diary from a lawyer living through the Great Depression. Nothing was wasted in the house. George (I’ll call him) said that his mother saved everything. She had a drawer where bread tags were faithfully stored. The drawer was full! There must have been more than a thousand of them in there. When George asked his mother why she was saving them, she simply replied, “I’ll find a use for them.” (Here are 40 of them, if you’re curious.) When George was a child, he remembers, his father was trying to sell an old cow that must have been about 15 years old. When he was only offered three dollars for the cow, his father slaughtered her instead. Without proper refrigeration, the family hung her from the center of the high rafters of their barn in October. The carcass was covered with a sheet to keep the pigeons off. The height prevented other animals from getting to the carcass.  When his mother needed meat for something, George, the youngest, was sent out with an older brother. An improvised ratcheting system for the rope made from a log allowed them to raise and lower the carcass. His brother would cut off some meat, and then back up the carcass would go. George said that, with the winters back then in US Climate Zone 4, the carcass was frozen solid all winter. When spring came and there was still some meat left, George said that his mother promptly canned it. George couldn’t help but smile when he remembered how tasty his mother’s canned beef was.  A Good Day’s Work  I thought my mother, who grew up on a dairy farm, had a great story about how all the children in her family started driving tractor the moment their feet could reach the pedals. Well, George has her beat! His father would attach some wooden blocks to the pedals so that the children could drive tractor even earlier.  As a result, at the age of seven, George was driving a tractor and plowing fields. All ten children began working on the farm at the age of seven. George said that they all did the same work, boy or girl, driving tractor, plowing, milking, throwing bales. George can recall plowing a twenty-acre field by himself at the age of 7 in one day with a set of discs that were only six feet wide.  Before George was even tall enough to harness the horses, he was driving a team of horses to plow fields. His older brother would harness the horses, and then off to the fields George would go. His father owned eight horses, George said. After plowing for several hours in the morning, you would need to take the pair in and give them a good drink of warm water. Then, you had lunch and harnessed up the next pair.  Now, I may be accused of promoting child labour here, but one has to wonder what valuable life lessons were learned from the hard work in those days. Improvise When he was just a young teenager, George got an old 1920 Ford Model A and set to work on getting it going. He used it to drive to other farms, where he was working on the weekends. When the bearing went on the entry point of the crankshaft, it was the mid-1950s, and babbit bearings were not available.  George told me he thought about the job of the crescent-shaped bearing, what texture and thickness it needed to be, and how it was in contact with engine oil. He looked around the farm for something that would do the trick, and ended up inserting a piece of oiled horse harness. George said it worked for years.  When his father needed to fix his Ford Model T, he was equally creative. The governors for the fan were too light. George said that his father melted some lead at his brother-in-law’s forge and poured it into an egg carton to shape them. The solution worked, and the Model T was back on the road.  Days of Ingenuity and Hard Work I find the values of waste nothing, a hard day’s work and improvising are relevant to my own approach to preparedness. Have you heard stories from America’s past that inspire you in your preparations? Do you have a story from an ancestor, someone else, or yourself that you can share with us? Please tell us in the comments section. About Rowan Rowan O’Malley is a fourth-generation Irish American who loves all things green: plants (especially shamrocks), trees, herbs, and weeds! She challenges herself daily to live her best life and to be as fit, healthy, and prepared as possible. The post Tales from an Old Timer: Lessons from America’s Past appeared first on The Organic Prepper.

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This week, millions of Americans will celebrate the blood-bought freedoms our forefathers secured for us with fireworks, family, and cookouts.That declaration, signed by 56 men, was not just a recounting of grievances or an important political declaration. It was a document of war. These men were ready to defend their God-given freedoms with steel and shot. Among the signers of the Declaration of Independence was John Witherspoon, a Presbyterian minister. While he was the only pastor who signed the document, the war for independence that followed was supported by clergy in nearly every colony. They brought the spiritual munitions necessary to justify their congregants' and country’s fight against the British crown.Many churches celebrate the religious liberty enumerated in the First Amendment, but few champion the Second.This right of self-governance and self-defense was not a novel theological concept. It was baked into Protestant political thought. And it was out of this Protestant heritage that America was born.However, this type of preaching and instruction seems muted in our day. As Americans’ Second Amendment rights remain besieged in various states and jurisdictions, many pulpits remain silent about the threats their congregants face.Even more pressing for many churches, though, is the threat posed by those who wish to do the church harm, often while armed.Why every church needs a security teamEvery church needs a security team.In an ideal world, the only weapons needed on a Sunday morning would be the sword of the Spirit and the shield of faith. Our children could run freely through the sanctuary without a single parent wondering if a madman might walk in. Evil would be rare and dealt with swiftly by just rulers who have been appointed to punish the evildoer. In such a world, peace would be the norm, not the exception.In a merely less-than-ideal world, where threats exist, we would at least hope the civil magistrate would protect churches as sacred gathering spaces. The state would prioritize security for these vital institutions that shape the moral and social health of the nation. And we’d expect the state to make it easier — not harder — for congregations to defend themselves.But that’s not the world we live in either.We live in a world where churches are being actively targeted by would-be killers and where politicians pass laws that make congregants sitting ducks. We live in a world where police departments are understaffed, underpaid, and overtasked. And we live in a world where insurance companies and government bureaucracies penalize churches for taking common-sense steps to protect their people.Recently, a man attempted to carry out a mass shooting at CrossPointe Community Church in Wayne, Michigan. Thankfully, it was thwarted before tragedy struck. A deacon of the church heroically struck the assailant with his pickup truck, slowing the attacker’s approach. Then, a trained member of the church security team engaged the shooter and fatally shot him before he could enter the sanctuary. But the mere fact that it got that close, yet again, should shake pastors and church leaders out of their slumber.This is not a one-off case. It is the reality that many churches face in a civilization unraveling.RELATED: Church security team member recalls moment when 'evil came to our door' WoodyUpstate/Getty Images PlusAnd yet when churches take steps to prepare — by forming volunteer security teams, for example — they are often punished by insurers. Many insurance companies raise a church’s premiums by up to 20% if the church has an organized security presence, unless those volunteers undergo professional training that can cost several thousand dollars per person. For small or midsize congregations, this burden is often too high.Hiring off-duty police officers, meanwhile, can cost $60 to $75 an hour. That may be manageable for a megachurch with a multimillion-dollar budget. But for the average congregation trying to keep the lights on and fund ministry, $30,000 annually for armed security simply isn’t feasible.It’s not just private institutions or police departments creating barriers. The state is becoming a direct obstacle.In 2024, Colorado passed Senate Bill 24‑131, which declared churches and other religious buildings to be “sensitive spaces.” Under this law, concealed carry would have been forbidden on church property unless the church explicitly issues a written exemption for each individual. This was ultimately rescinded by the state. But in places like Boulder County, where leftist officials refused to grant the necessary permissions, the exemption requirement remains in place.In practice, that means churches that want their congregants to carry cannot do so by law.Colorado is not unique. Similar legislation exists in California, New York, Illinois, and other blue states. The trend is clear: Disarm peaceful citizens and disempower local churches from protecting their congregations.This means churches are stuck in a legal and financial bind. On one hand, they are increasingly likely to be targeted by insane individuals seeking death or driven by ideological hatred. On the other hand, they are punished for taking even modest steps toward preparedness.So what is the church to do?First, we must stop pretending that spiritual and physical safety are mutually exclusive.Some well-meaning pastors resist forming security teams or speaking of the importance of self-defense because they believe it’s a distraction from the gospel. But loving your neighbor includes defending your neighbor. Good shepherds guard the flock not only from false teachers but from wolves of every kind.In fact, it seems that we are in a day when advertising that the church has a security team would be an attraction, not a deterrent, to would-be churchgoers.Scripture does not pit spiritual vigilance against physical readiness. Nehemiah, when rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls, stationed men with swords in one hand and tools in the other. Jesus Himself instructed His disciples to buy a sword (Luke 22:36), not so they could go on the offensive, but so they would be prepared.RELATED: Meek, not weak: The era of Christian loserdom is over pamela_d_mcadams/iStock/Getty Images PlusSecond, churches must form well-organized volunteer teams. These don’t need to be tactical operators. They need to be faithful, dependable men vetted, trained, and alert. Veterans, off-duty officers, and responsible gun owners are often already sitting in the pews. Pastors or deacons should identify these men, invest in their development, and establish protocols for emergencies.Third, churches should not be ashamed to advocate for their rights. As our forefathers understood, there is no biblical reason to surrender the ability to protect one’s people. Just as churches fight for religious liberty, we should also contend for self-defense and security. This includes contacting lawmakers, organizing with other local churches, and resisting unconstitutional laws through legal means.Many churches celebrate the religious liberty enumerated in the First Amendment, but few champion the Second.Finally, we must honor the men who already serve. Every week, there are faithful men who sit near the exits, who watch the doors, who glance sideways when a stranger walks in with a backpack, and who make quiet mental notes while others sing hymns. These men aren’t paranoid. They’re protective. They are answering the call to keep watch while others worship in peace.It’s time for every church to acknowledge reality and act with courage. Our congregations should be places of peace, but not because we are blind to danger. Rather, they should be places of peace because good men stand ready at the gates.We may live in a fallen world, but that doesn’t mean we must be foolish in it. God does not bless the naive. Churches have a unique calling to shepherd the souls of mankind in the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ.But that immaterial calling does not stay immaterial. It manifests itself in the material realm. Good shepherds will not just look after the state of the souls of the congregation but also the health of their bodies.To ignore the physical threat is to misunderstand the Incarnation itself. Christ did not come to redeem disembodied spirits but whole persons, flesh and blood. His ministry was not merely spiritual but deeply material: feeding the hungry, healing the sick, driving out demons, laying down His physical life for His sheep. Likewise, our churches must reflect His care for the whole person.We prepare the soul with preaching. We guard the body with vigilance. Both are acts of love.

We're spoiled for choice when it comes to RTS games these days. Tempest Rising is a modern take on Command and Conquer with the destruction to match. Age of Empires 4 is the premier way to experience history's most brutal battles. You can even still go back to Starcraft 2 for some of the best the genre has to offer. But if you've never played Firefly's Stronghold Crusader, or you want to relive it, you're about to get the perfect excuse. More than two decades after its original launch, a new definitive edition is around the corner, and Firefly has some massive plans for post-launch updates and brand-new material. Continue reading Legendary RTS Stronghold Crusader is coming back, and it'll be bigger than ever MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best RTS games, Best strategy games, Best 4X games

The last time we heard from Greg ‘Slavic Magic’ Styczen and the rest of the Manor Lords team, it was April. Pathfinding, the camera system, the user interface, and finer details like stone mechanics and castle pieces were all tweaked or overhauled, marking one of the most significant updates in what was then the game’s history. Since then, the medieval city builder and spiritual cousin to the likes of Cities Skylines and Age of Empires 2 has been more or less silent. But now, Styczen confirms that a new Manor Lords update is indeed on the way, and that it is going to transform several of the game’s fundamentals. Continue reading New Manor Lords update will rework dozens of the city builder's major systems MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Manor Lords early access review, Best strategy games, Manor Lords system requirements

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