This week‚ the Islamic Republic of Iran—a radical Shariah theocracy hellbent on the destruction of Israel and Saudi Arabia‚ among others—fired some 300 drones and missiles at the state of Israel. This is‚ definitionally‚ an act of war. Iran claimed that it had attacked Israel in response to Israel’s killing of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps terrorism master Gen. Mohammad Reza Zahedi in Syria. In reality‚ this was merely the latest escalation by Iran‚ after decades of using its proxies in the Middle East to attack Americans‚ Israelis‚ and Western allies. Why‚ though‚ did Iran think it could get away with such a launch without serious repercussions—particularly since America directly intervened‚ along with the U.K.‚ France‚ Jordan‚ and Saudi Arabia in taking down Iranian ordnance&;#63; The answer is simple: Iran has successfully deterred the United States. Deterrence‚ according to the Defense Department‚ is “the prevention of action by the existence of a credible threat of unacceptable counteraction and/or belief that the cost of action outweighs the perceived benefits.” Clearly‚ the United States has not deterred Iran. Far from it: According to a report from the Jerusalem Post‚ Iran notified the United States in advance of its barrage against Israel‚ hoping to attain some sort of assurance that the United States would not retaliate and would pressure Israel to not retaliate‚ either. According to a Turkish go-between‚ “Iran informed us in advance of what would happen. Possible developments also came up during the meeting with [Secretary of State Antony] Blinken‚ and they [the U.S.] conveyed to Iran through us that this reaction must be within certain limits.” This is perfectly repulsive. In short‚ Iran wanted to engage in a show of strength. It then notified America that it would be attacking an American ally directly in the largest Middle Eastern cross-border attack by a sovereign country on another sovereign country since the Gulf War. And President Joe Biden said‚ “Sure‚ OK‚ so long as you don’t go too far.” Biden then performed his part: He pressured Israel to “take the win” and not retaliate. After all‚ Biden said‚ it wouldn’t look good to “escalate” in the region. Now‚ the reality is that the best way to deescalate in foreign policy is often to engage in actual deterrence. That’s why then-President Donald Trump’s approach‚ mocked by the pseudointellectual class‚ was effective: Yes‚ it was bizarre to watch the sitting president of the United States threaten other world leaders with his “nuclear button‚” which Trump assured those leaders was “much bigger and more powerful.” Also‚ would you want to provoke a man who tweeted such things if you were Kim Jong Un or the ayatollahs&;#63; But Biden doesn’t understand deterrence. In fact‚ he is deterred: Iran has successfully launched a war against Israel‚ and the United States is not only backing down‚ but also pushing Israel to do the same. So‚ why is Biden backing down&;#63; Two reasons. First‚ Biden believes that his reelection effort requires the Middle East to calm. Second‚ Biden believes that his reelection effort requires the support for pro-Hamas radicals in Michigan. Biden is wrong on both counts‚ of course: It turns out that appeasement heightens the possibility of conflict in the Middle East‚ and Biden’s attempts to feed the pro-Hamas alligator one bite at a time will eventually end with his candidacy on the plate. Whatever the rationale‚ however‚ the image of the United States under Biden is one of unending cowardice. The Taliban called Biden’s bluff. Russia has called Biden’s bluff. Iran has called Biden’s bluff. How long will it be until China does&;#63; Deterrence requires‚ above all else‚ willpower. And that is in short supply from a White House that sees strength as a weakness. COPYRIGHT 2024 CREATORS.COM The post Joe Biden Is Scared of His Own Shadow appeared first on The Daily Signal.

For decades‚ avowed atheist Richard Dawkins has built a small industry attacking biblical Christianity and Christians‚ authoring books such as “The God Delusion.” That’s why so many were surprised by his recent statement proclaiming himself “a cultural Christian.”  “And so you know‚ I love hymns and Christmas carols‚ and I sort of feel at home in the Christian ethos‚” Dawkins‚ a British biologist‚ zoologist‚ and author‚ told the U.K. radio show “Leading Britain’s Conversation.” But don’t hold your breath for now waiting to hear heavenly choirs singing or see Dawkins on “The 700 Club” talking about his radical conversion. Dawkins suggested he still would like to see Christianity disappear‚ stating: “The number of people who actually believe in Christianity is going down and I’m happy with that.”  However‚ Dawkins also said he doesn’t want to see the benefits Christianity has brought to the culture disappear.  “I would not be happy if‚ for example‚ we lost all our cathedrals and our beautiful parish churches‚” he said. “So‚ I count myself as a cultural Christian. I think it would matter if we … substituted any alternative religion; that would be truly dreadful.” Dawkins concludes that Christianity “seems to be a fundamentally decent religion.” As the Washington Examiner’s Kaylee McGhee White writes: Believers and nonbelievers alike would be forgiven for laughing off Dawkins’s concerns. This is‚ after all‚ the man who‚ in a book called ‘The God Delusion‚’ argued not only that God does not exist but that if he did‚ he should be considered a sadomasochist and megalomaniac. This is also the man who encouraged his fellow atheists to ‘ridicule and show contempt for’ people of faith and their doctrines‚ the same man who claimed it is worse to teach children to believe in God than to sexually abuse them. Dawkins also recently said with regard to transgenderism: “Sex really is binary. You’re either male or female. … To me‚ as a biologist‚ it’s definitely weird people can simply declare ‘I am a woman’… ” Thus‚ despite continued hostility to Christianity‚ what Dawkins “gets” is that Christianity‚ more than any other religion‚ believes in and practices the inherent dignity and respect of the individual (created Imago Dei‚ or in the image of God)‚ equal justice under the law‚ and self-control and responsibility. As with so many others‚ it seems that Dawkins wants to enjoy these “benefits‚” but just doesn’t want anyone to acknowledge who—Jesus Christ—made those benefits possible in the first place. Those benefits include the laws and institutions that have guided Western civilization for centuries. In effect‚ Dawkins and other atheists instead want to enjoy a delicious ice cream sundae while denying the existence of the cow whose milk made it possible for that ice cream to exist. But perhaps Dawkins also sees how lost the world is‚ and he is‚ without these values. For instance‚ despite his skepticism and hostility toward Christianity‚ Dawkins sees that fundamental difference‚ as well as the intellectual and spiritual bankruptcy of those who reject the “concept” of “gender fluidity‚” and has concluded that Christianity benefits rather than harms a culture. So‚ perhaps we might be seeing the first steps of that acknowledgment and‚ prayerfully‚ an understanding that his reasoning has been fundamentally flawed in characterizing the Bible and Christianity as a bunch of random teachings that he has called “systematically evil” and “just plain weird.” Without those teachings‚ Dawkins may be realizing‚ we would lose all the good things that come with them. Hopefully‚ as with previous persecutors of Christians and the faith‚ the Apostle Paul among them‚ this may be the beginning of an awakening of Dawkins’ soul. As White concludes: “Far worse have been saved by [God’s] grace‚ including a man who once sanctioned the killing of Christians for sport only to become the greatest defender of the faith. The Apostle Paul’s testimony is an example for us all—even for Dawkins.” Let’s all pray—for Dawkins’ sake—that this indeed is the beginning of a great awakening in his soul. The Daily Signal publishes a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Heritage Foundation. The post Even Richard Dawkins Gets It‚ Somewhat appeared first on The Daily Signal.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Ken Paxton’s investigation into Media Matters is on hold after a judge’s ruling. Media Matters is currently involved in a legal situation with the Texas Republican Attorney General. Paxton‚ who has criticized the often pro-censorship group Media Matters as an “anti-free speech organization‚” initiated an investigation into the group alleging “potential fraudulent activity.” This investigation was recently paused by a court order that granted a preliminary injunction. Media Matters for America had lodged a federal lawsuit against Paxton. The organization accused Paxton of violating First Amendment rights. The dispute centers on actions taken by Paxton in the wake of Media Matters’ scrutiny of Elon Musk’s social media platform‚ X. The group had reported on advertising alongside contentious content on X‚ which led to significant advertiser withdrawals‚ including from major companies like Disney. These reports triggered a backlash‚ with Paxton launching an investigation into Media Matters for alleged deceitful practices tied to the X probe. Among his demands‚ the Texas Attorney General asked for the organization’s internal and external communications about Musk and X CEO Linda Yaccarino‚ as well as an in-depth breakdown of their financing‚ with a focus on all direct and indirect sources of funding related to X research or publications. Media Matters sued in the US District Court for the District of Columbia. The group insisted on its lack of relevance to Texas‚ stating it does not conduct business in‚ or bear any registration in the state as a charity organization. This lawsuit stopped Paxton from enforcing his investigative demands when DC District Court Judge Amit Mehta granted a preliminary injunction to Media Matters. Judge Mehta recognized the watchdog group’s reporting as core First Amendment activities and suggested Paxton’s intent was retaliatory. We obtained a copy of the order for you here. The post Judge Halts Texas AG’s Pursuit of Media Matters appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The Trump Media &; Technology Group revealed its latest venture this week‚ a streaming TV platform designed to broadcast a spectrum of content‚ including news and films‚ that the company believes is often overlooked by mainstream media and Big Tech. The move to launch a streaming service is seen as a strategic play to attract a broad audience and‚ in turn‚ entice advertisers. In terms of content‚ the forthcoming streaming service will initially be accessible through the Truth Social app‚ with plans to expand to home TV streaming setups. Truth Social launched in February 2022. CEO Devin Nunes emphasized the initiative’s commitment to freedom of expression. “We’re excited to move forward with the next big phase for Truth Social‚” said Nunes said. “With our streaming content‚ we aim to provide a permanent home for high-quality news and entertainment that face discrimination by other channels and content delivery services. There is a lot of great content that simply can’t find an audience for unjust reasons‚ and we want to let these creators know they’ll soon have a guaranteed platform where they won’t be canceled.” The service aims to include diverse offerings such as news networks‚ religious channels‚ family-friendly movies‚ documentaries‚ and other material that faces cancellation risks‚ suppression or struggles to be shown on mainstream media platforms. The post Trump’s New Streaming Strategy Aims To Reshape Media Landscape With Liberated Content appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

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