American Christian: A Treatise of Spiritual, Cultural and Political Discernment, my newest book, is now on sale at Amazon. I hope you will add it to your library as an indispensable tool for discernment.
Why the title, American Christian ?
I came up with the title because American Christians are unique in the world. What is this uniqueness? They must not only know their Bible to serve the Lord effectively, but should also understand the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence to defend freedom and liberty in America.
God blessed America with a spirit of courage and abundance. Because America’s has turned its back on God, fear and corruption dominate. I believe our nation is in the shadow of God’s righteous anger as most of her citizens and leaders reject Jesus.
God-fearing, Bible-believing Christians must rebuke the notion that we will politic our way out of this situtation with a new president or congress. What the USA needs is repentance and a return to Christ.
From the introduction:
America is amid a vast spiritual war. In war, one must be battle-ready to fight effectively. In this spiritual war, the Christian must always be vigilant in order to stand against the schemes of the devil carried out by human pawns. —American Christian pp. 3
It’s not only compromised politicians, educators, journalists, judges, and Hollywood who are the devil’s human pawns. We can also include friends and loved ones walking in darkness. Keep in mind anyone who rejects Jesus is, by default, a pawn of the devil.
When Jesus first sent out the disciples, what did He tell them?
“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.”–Matthew 10:16 (New King James Version)
Wolves are ravenous, hunt in packs and are natural predators to sheep. This is the world to the Christian. We can only prevail in our call through the power of the Holy Spirit. This is why Christians must be in daily, fervent prayer to the Heavenly Father.
Amid this, Jesus tells us to be shrewd in using worldly institutions such as radio, television, the internet, and social media to accomplish our mission. In Christ , we are able to take what was meant for subversion and use it for the kingdom of heaven. We are to do so with gentleness and the the utmost integrity, hence the term “harmless as doves”.
American Christian is one reference to aid this shrewdness by understanding the lies and falsehoods fed to us as truth by the world. I provide the reader with pithy , straightforward chapters that are easy to digest. My goal is to engage the reader to consider aspects of Christianity, culture and politics they may not have given much thought about.
Discernment is a spiritual gift from God that enables us, in His power, to tell truth from lies, right from wrong and light and darkness. If you do not have this spiritual gift, all you need to do pray and ask.
If you like my newest book, American Christian, please leave a review on Amazon and share with your friends. American Christian will also make a nice Christmas gift.
My first book, No Christian Man is an Island: Leading the Spiritual Quest in America’s Culture Wars , is also available at Amazon for your reading pleasure.
How do we stop fearing when everyday the enemies of God and America bombard us with alarm, dread and uneasiness? The answer is simple: Seek the Lord with all your heart.
Here is a truth: our enemies are godless. Their father is Satan and they serve him in every capacity from when they rise to when they slumber.
Some gleefully worship the father of lies; those are the ones in power. You can see the evil in their eyes and in their faces.
However, most of the lost do so by default, because they either do not know Jesus or flat-out reject Him . What they fail to understand is if Jesus is not Lord of your life , then the devil is your dictator.
Don’t take my word for it. Look at their bitter fruits.
Most everything about our enemies is corrupt or counterfeit. Since they hate God, they hate beauty and worship ugliness. Their hatred of the Heavenly Father also causes them to equate lust with love and speak lies as truth.
Instead of worshiping God ,they worship goddesses or created things such as the earth. They do not know wisdom , only foolishness. This results in group thinkers who exalt chaos and division while scorning peace and unity.
The godless wallow in lawlessness while turning the law against the law-abiding . They call Christians weak-minded for fearing an invisible God, and not fearing their alarmist predictions of climate change or killer viruses.
Look at how the godless strenuously work to mainstream such perversion as drag queen story hour. All it takes is playing on people’s sense of justice , fairness and guilt. Note also their zeal for cancel culture and censorship of those who rebuke their efforts to normalize aberrant behavior.
Censorship isn’t alien to an ideology that hates the Holy Bible, the Constitution , America as founded , godly marriage, the family, children, masculinity, patriotism and the flag. Cancel culture is also no stranger to the godless.
Cancelling someone is the equivalent of salting the earth after destroying an enemy. One’s character is assassinated with cancel culture, but so are the reputations of friends and associates of the target. As if this isn’t bad enough , the merchants of venom then destroy the ability of the victim to make a living.
Such cold, vindictive evil would shame a God-fearing person, but it’s merely a form of control for the godless. Keep in mind that control is a reaction to fear. (More about this later)
This is why the godless value an all encompassing government versus a limited government, compliance more than freedom, and libertinism over liberty.
Everything , every action, dictate or outrage that comes from the godless comes from a spirit of darkness and fear. God -fearing Christians, especially those who follow politics and engage in the culture war ,scare the godless.
Why is this so? It seems odd since the godless dominate the corporate media , Hollywood academia and globalism. Their rhetoric and arrogance give the impression of the having the upper hand. However, they hate of the light of Jesus reflected by God-fearing Christians, especially those engaged in the culture war.
For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.—John 3:20 (English Standard Version)
Remember Jesus told us as the world hated Him, it will hate us. So how was Jesus sinless despite His enemies twisting His every word and looking for any excuse to kill Him? Even when Jesus drove the moneychangers from the temple , He committed no sin in His righteous anger.
Yes , Jesus was and is the Son of God . However, He walked the earth fully man and was tempted in every transgression. I believe He was able to resist because He constantly sought the Father in prayer.
How did the disciples stop fearing? They constantly sought the Lord in prayer.
We can do the same.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.— Psalm 34:4 (ESV)
..(F)ear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. —Isaiah 41:10(ESV)
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.–Romans 8:26 (ESV)
So, may we stop fearing the godless? Stop fearing whether or not they will like you or even their threats. Place your fear only in God , which is the beginning of wisdom.
In wisdom we learn we have truth with God. That same insight tells us our enemies are weak because they have neither the Lord or truth.
This is the second in a series of imprecatory psalms/prayers against American’ enemies that we can pray to our LORD for the nation and ourselves. Imprecatory psalms are are not calls for revenge, but prayers based on God’s promises.
Imprecations are prayed because of the horror of sin to the God-fearing Christian.
Make them bear their guilt, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out, for they have rebelled against you.—Psalm 5:10
Arise, O LORD, in your anger; lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies; awake for me; you have appointed a judgment.– Psalm 7:6
Arise, O LORD, in your anger; lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies; awake for me; you have appointed a judgment.–Psalm 9:19-20
Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer; call his wickedness to account till you find none.–Psalm 10:15
Imprecatory psalms/prayers against America’s enemies are another form of prayer in the Christian’s arsenal.
Include one or all of these psalms in your prayers. Prayer is even more powerful when God’s words and promises are repeated back to Him in heartfelt prayer with declared boldness.
Is Hollywood collapsing? This is a valid question, considering the public response to the fable- scribes and adult pretenders work stoppage has been a collective yawn.
After all , have you heard any complaints that late night talk shows having gone dark? I haven’t . What about the complaints regarding delays with movies and steaming content on platforms like Disney Plus, otherwise known as D+? Nope, not a word.
This does not bode well for woke Hollywood. The people are sick of woke politics and the attempts to ram them down our throat in every media and every platform.
You hear that silence Hollywood? That’s the public no longer paying attention to overpaid, spoiled, entitled narcissists who believe their opinions carry weight because they play pretend on the big and small screen .
The magic is gone, and your luster has dulled. Everyday, less gullible people hang by your every word or shallow observations. What a relief not to hear virtue-seeking, Trump-hating observations by the know-nothings passing themselves as cutting edge late-night hosts.
Since May 2 the the writers have marched. The members of the “Film Actors Guild” ” began marching in solidarity on July 14. So for nearly 140 days and nearly 70 days , respectively, there’s no end in sight.
Actors and writers are reporting financial difficulty as the strike continues . What is the end game? Most of America could care less.
However, I feel sorry for the people on the periphery: the drivers, caterers, set people, wardrobe, even waiters , bartenders and busboys. These are the people whose financial livelihood are dependent upon the denizens of modern Babylon.
As for the entertainment industry, public sympathy is waning at best. Actions have consequences. Insult your audience long enough and eventually they will reject you .
Will the actors, producers, and directors learn their lesson during this collective strike? We’ll see.
One thing’s for sure: once you piss off an audience, it’s hard to get them back. Good riddance, says most of America. As Hollywood strikes, it is finding that most hard-working people could care less.
God is revealing to American Christians a government that has contempt for the foundations of America. This epiphany is ugly and downright unsettling, but take heart, God is in control.
Yes, we have a desiccated, morally bankrupt figurehead as president.And yes, the statesmen standing as a bulwark for the people are few and far between.
So why should Christians be joyful ? We take heart because God is in control.
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. –Romans 8:28-30 (English Standard Version)
What the world throws at us as evil, God uses it for our greater good. He is conforming those He has called to the image of His Son. Why? God is in control.
The question then becomes, do we believe that God is sovereign, no matter the circumstances? If we have faith then why do we worry ?
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.— Phillipians 4:6-7
God commands us not to worry or be anxious about anything. We do this by taking everything in prayer and petition to the Creator. And here’s the kicker: we do this with thanksgiving!
What is thanksgiving? It is thanking God in advance for answering our prayer. In other words, we pray with the expectation that God not only hears our requests, but answers them.
When we pray in this manner, God’s peace guards our heart and minds in the supernatural power of Christ Jesus. Do you understand what this means? We have access to this power no matter the circumstances.
So when you become despondent about the evil ascending in our governments and institutions, put it to prayer. Pray your honest thoughts and feelings about the situation and for God’s will to prevail. Then expect and thank Him for answering your heartfelt prayer. Do this sincerely and often and soon your believing and non-believing friends will see Christ’s light in you.
Instead of worrying about the assaults to the rule of law, why don’t we pray for God’s justice to prevail? Instead of grumbling about the latest political outrage with your friends, why not encourage a group prayer?
God promises to protect His people even amid a world spinning out of control. Our Heavenly Father covers us in His protection (Psalm 91:4 , ESV) and He sealed us with the Holy Spirit.( 2 Cor 1:21-22 , ESV)
Nothing is happening in America, and the world, has caught God by surprise. What satan purposes for evil, God uses for our greater good. Remember to take heart, God is in control.
If you’ve never watched Joe Dan Gorman’s Intellectual Froglegs, you are in for treat. This God-fearing patriot combines humor , satire, faith and classic rock in every release. I have followed his site religiously since the 2015 Presidential campaign. I hope you will support him too.
The Declaration of Independence… America’ first document of liberty. When is the last time you read it or maybe you’ve never read it all? Why is it important that we even know it?
For a document that is the foundation America was built upon, we don’t hear much about the Declaration of Independence except for the 4th of July. Even then, America’s first document of liberty takes a backseat to barbecues, parades, and fireworks.
Schools certainly don’t teach the Declaration of Independence with the same intensity as they do about America’s inherent racism, gender identity, and climate change.
Is it any wonder this country is weakening and possibly dying? Much like gender confusion, we’re not sure who we are as Americans.
How did this happen, this radical yet gradual transformation? Why does the only thought uniting us right now is the question, “What the heck is happening to this country?”
The answer is simple. For generations, we farmed out our stewardship of liberty from ourselves to government.
This was and is a tragedy in its truest definition. Picture us as the sheep, giving wolves the power to shepherd us.
Let’s get this straight, government is God’s divine construct for the people’s protection and , therfore, necessary. The problem is, historically , man’s fallen nature and insatiable lust for more power, corrupts governments.
You get the picture?
Unfortunately , America is a testament to that truism of man’s fallen nature and insatiable lust for power as we slouch into tyranny.
Patriotic Americans have an inherent hatred of tyranny. It is in our DNA because tyranny sparked the American colonies to break away from the British Crown. Hence, the Declaration of Independence.
For those educated in the American public school system, you may have forgotten the Declaration of Independence was a formal assertion by the people of the right to choose their own government. The first document of liberty presented to the world the colonists’ case for revolution against British rule.
America’s first document of liberty: The Declaration of Independence
Here’s the part most people know about the Declaration of Independence:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
Powerful and timeless words:A resounding testament to the wisdom of the Founding Fathers.
But guess what? Those words are the second paragraph of the D.o.I.
What’s in the opening paragraph, the opening statement of their case? This:
In Congress, July 4, 1776 The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
In this introduction is the justification to separate from British rule according to the Laws of Nature and of God, the Creator of Nature. Simply put, they declared their revolution a righteous cause.
And here’s what follows that section about “…Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness:
—That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
Governments are instituted deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. This means the government only has power if we consent to it. Put another way, the government serves at our consent.
Wait…what? Government serves at our consent? How many of you have forgotten this? Let’s continue.
“That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it and to institute new Government. ” This is the part that our rulers want to keep the younger generation ignorant of: their right to get rid of government that’s become destructive. Uh-huh, it’s a Right with a capital R to remove it and replace it with government dedicated to protecting the country and the people.
Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.
Of course the Founders ,in their brilliant wisdom, cautioned that that nothing is casual about revolution. It opens the door to the ugliness and brutality of war. Revolution can also be a double-edged sword: The government you get might be worse than the previous . A classic example was the French Revolution. Two modern examples include Communist takeover of Cuba (1959), led by Fidel Castro, and the overthrow of the Shah of Iran (1979).
As follows, the colonists took the course of revolution with prudent deliberation and presented their case to England and the world.
But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.–Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
The Founders then lay out in detail the long train of abuses and usurpations, which you can read here. Read and re-read, especially the passages made challenging because of the proper English of the time. Use a dictionary if needed.
After the extensive checklist of abuses comes the build-up to the robust climax of to the Declaration , beginning with this statement :
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Seems like Deja vu all over again.
The Founders ensured that our system of redress lay in our vote. But what is the state of our vote in America now? Instead of defending that sacred vote of the citizenry, bought and blackmailed politicians legislate to weaken our power at the ballot box.
Who’s fighting for us? Local district attorneys? Many of them are corrupt. The legislature? They’re beholden to the DNC and the RNC instead of local interests. Congressmen and Senators? With few exceptions , party interests trump the people. Federal judges? Certain jurisdictions place partisan politics above the rule of law. The president? The compromised Biden Administration is America-last first and always.
So here we are, a sea of enemies within. It’s up to we, the people. But what do we do? The odds seem against us.
Now you have an idea of what the 56 signers of the Declaration must have felt. Read the last line before the signatures:
And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
Divine Providence is the governance of the God throughout His creation. The Founders were mostly God-fearing men who placed their faith and trust in His perfect will.
Many of these men lost their lives , fortunes and even families. As for their sacred honor, it has stood the test of time.
Paul Harvey: “Fate of the 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence”
We have forgotten the meaning of the Declaration of Independence. In the times we are living, this blissful ignorance is not just unacceptable, it is negligence.
By not knowing the origin, the inflection point of this country and the sacrifices made, we allow scoundrels to dictate who we are.
Make it your mission to study this fundamental deed of freedom. This is not a call for violence or revolution, but a clarion to throw off the spiritual and intellectual chains of Marxism, socialism and communism that have clouded our thinking and divided us.
Become inspired by the faith and trust the Founding Fathers had for God. Learn America’s first document of liberty to the point where you can articulate it for anyone, especially your children and grandchildren. We will re-embrace our American heritage when we fear God more than man.
This is the first of a series of prayers against the enemies of God and of the country. I encourage you to include these verses in your prayers.
Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me! 2 Take hold of shield and buckler and rise for my help! 3 Draw the spear and javelin[a] against my pursuers! Say to my soul, “I am your salvation!”4 Let them be put to shame and dishonor who seek after my life! Let them be turned back and disappointed who devise evil against me! 5 Let them be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the Lord driving them away! 6 Let their way be dark and slippery, with the angel of the Lord pursuing them!7 For without cause they hid their net for me; without cause they dug a pit for my life.[b] 8 Let destruction come upon him when he does not know it! And let the net that he hid ensnare him; let him fall into it—to his destruction!9 Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord, exulting in his salvation. 10 All my bones shall say, “O Lord, who is like you, delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him, the poor and needy from him who robs him?”11 Malicious[c] witnesses rise up; they ask me of things that I do not know. 12 They repay me evil for good; my soul is bereft.[d] 13 But I, when they were sick— I wore sackcloth; I afflicted myself with fasting; I prayed with head bowed[e] on my chest. 14 I went about as though I grieved for my friend or my brother; as one who laments his mother, I bowed down in mourning.15 But at my stumbling they rejoiced and gathered; they gathered together against me; wretches whom I did not know tore at me without ceasing; 16 like profane mockers at a feast,[f] they gnash at me with their teeth.17 How long, O Lord, will you look on? Rescue me from their destruction, my precious life from the lions! 18 I will thank you in the great congregation; in the mighty throng I will praise you.19 Let not those rejoice over me who are wrongfully my foes, and let not those wink the eye who hate me without cause. 20 For they do not speak peace, but against those who are quiet in the land they devise words of deceit. 21 They open wide their mouths against me; they say, “Aha, Aha! Our eyes have seen it!”22 You have seen, O Lord; be not silent! O Lord, be not far from me! 23 Awake and rouse yourself for my vindication, for my cause, my God and my Lord! 24 Vindicate me, O Lord, my God, according to your righteousness, and let them not rejoice over me! 25 Let them not say in their hearts, “Aha, our heart’s desire!” Let them not say, “We have swallowed him up.”26 Let them be put to shame and disappointed altogether who rejoice at my calamity! Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor who magnify themselves against me!27 Let those who delight in my righteousness shout for joy and be glad and say evermore, “Great is the Lord, who delights in the welfare of his servant!” 28 Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness and of your praise all the day long.
The mug shot heard ’round the world. Congrats Dems and RINOs of the Uniparty. You made history, yes, but in doing so you’ve crossed the Rubicon and are sowing the seeds of your destruction.
President Donald Trump’s cold stare of righteous anger is symbolic of all Americans witnessing the transformation of our justice system to that of a banana-republic. You know…those countries you’ve read about where political enemies are jailed?
But Trump is not in jail, some of you are saying. He is not in jail because he posted the $200 thousand bond, but he was indicted, arrested, and booked just like a common criminal:All according to plan.
President Trump faces 91 criminal charges amounting to over 700 years in prison if convicted of all of them. One Fox News host basically described the legal strategy: a staggering amount of criminal charges with the hope that something sticks.
“Show me the man and I’ll show you the crime,” was the infamous boast of Lavrentiy Beria, the head of Josef Stalin’s secret police. Is this not what’s transpiring now just in time for the 2024 Presidential Election?
What’s going on here is election interference plain and simple. Do not lose sight of this.
Even ifTrump is found guilty, the conviction(s) will be overturned on appeal due to the shaky legal foundation of all the charges. However, said appeal would probably not happen until after the 2024 election. What the Uniparty is hoping is they can trigger the 14th Amendment section 3 :
Section 3 Disqualification from Holding Office
No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection (author emphasis) or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.
Why do you think January 6 protest, that turned into an instigated riot, was called an insurrection by Nancy Pelosi, Mitch McConnell and the quisling media? Think about it. Insurrection is specifically mentioned in the Constitution as a disqualification from holding office. Had you ever heard the term, insurrection, mentioned in mainstream culture prior to J6? I know I had not. Question everything.
RINO Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson admitted the strategy to disqualify Trump at last week’s opening presidential debate.
Will using the Constitution against the most pro-America president since Ronald Reagan work? I don’t believe so. What the Uniparty is banking on is some states using the 14th Amendment as an excuse to keep Trump off the ballot. Some legal scholars say this tactic will fail. We’ll see what happens.
As for the charges, keep in mind Trump was exonerated in two impeachments , was awarded damages in the Stormy Daniels lawsuit, and nothing illegal was found in his tax returns by congressional investigators. Many of these charges are rehashes of those cases where Trump was found innocent.
Then the question arises, why now? Why weren’t these cases brought two years ago before Trump announced his candidacy? The answer is easy: Trump has a serious chance of winning re-election.
This probability has the UniParty and the Deep State baffled. They were counting on the the multiple charges disgracing President Trump in the eyes of the public. Instead Trump’s poll numbers are skyrocketing as more people recognize this is election interference couched in a witch hunt.
Their attacks are based in lies and come from a foundation of lies. Subterfuge eventually fails due to the energy expended in maintaining the falsehood. These charges will not stand in the light of truth, which is on our side.
Anyway, back to the Trump mugshot.
The flinty gaze of a warrior and leader of the people.Trump’s eyes say to me,”Enjoy your petty little victory, Justice is coming and nothing will save you.”
No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their righteousness is from Me,” Says the Lord.— Isaiah 54:17
Perhaps we should include these verses in our prayers. God is exposing the level of evil we are facing. Victory only comes through the Heavenly Father. The mugshot heard ’round the world is an instrument to wake the people up to the reality of the battle.
Yeah, news reports say we dodged a bullet. If only we could say the same about the press conferences media coverage of Tropical Storm Hilary. Here’s my take on the failed hurricane known as TS Hilary.
Courtesy: NOAA
The experts predicted ” Catastrophic and life threatening flooding!” They warned us to shelter in place (where have I heard that before?) because of heavy rainfall and powerful winds!
The reality was anything but.
Words mean things. Used skillfully, words can calm a worried populace. Used exploitively , words can evoke fear , anxiety and worry. Guess which way, politicians and the lapdog media used the slogan , “catastrophic and life-threatening flooding”?
It reminded me much of Covid coverage with the pearl-clutching fear mongering and the constant slogans. Remember “two weeks to flatten the curve,” “social distancing,” “shelter in place,” “safe and effective,” and “stay safe?”
But I digress.
Yes. Baja California suffered the worst of Hilary. High flood waters displaced many residents. Luckily there were few fatalities.
Record rainfall caused street flooding in cities and heavy flooding in the high desert and mountainous areas of California’s Inland Empire.
Courtesy:Teller Report
Rising waters stalled many cars and damaged roads in various areas, but caused no loss of life in Southern California according to news reports. TS Hilary marked the first tropical storm to hit California since 1939. Other than history, my take on TS Hilary was that it differed little from a bad winter storm that’s commonplace in Southern California.
Courtesy: Rawstory.com
Thank God the damage was relatively minimal when measured against the pearl-clutching news reporting. Most notably ,the predictions of catastrophe from high winds were mostly wrong.
Coverage of the aftermath had to be somewhat of a letdown for the media: standard video of the aforementioned stranded cars, closeups of receding street flooding, property damage from falling trees, and soundbites from affected residents. Again, no different from your average Stormwatch team coverage.
However, there was the novelty of a 5.0 earthquake causing some shakes during the rains, and even that fizzled out. Damage was so minimal viewers watched lives shots where reporters presented breaking news that literally amounted to broken items knocked off store shelves due to the quake.
“But Dex, you have to give the government and the media credit. The message got out and probably saved lives.” Maybe. Certainly the tropical storm of 1939 , otherwise known as the Lash of St Francis did much more damage and caused 48 deaths from 50-60 mph winds, heavy rainfall and flooding.
Another difference between the two storms is residents then, received little warning and little time to prepare. Today , Californians had days to fortify their homes, thanks to the National Weather Service which, established a forecast office for Southern California in the aftermath of the ’39 storm.
I would give credit to the National Weather Service for its early warning systems of dangerous storms, not fear-mongering politicians and media. Call me cynical, but I don’t trust government, nor unquestioningly accept its’ calls about keeping us safe.
Sorry, but Covid killed that trust. I now view politicians’ efforts as CYA’s or as manipulative and calculating toward current power or future political plans. This American now views any state- of -emergency declarations with a discerning eye and not a blind trust that government officials have my best interest at heart.
Anyway, that’s my take on Tropical Storm Hilary. Catastrophic and life threatening? Not this time.
