Idon’t know if I am just barn sour from being locked down with the COVID 19 shutdown or I’m just getting old and crabby.
Since the Governor told us folks over the age of eighty to stay home until this virus thing improves, I have watched far more television than is good for any reasonable person.
As far as the news is concerned, I’ve found that watching it with the sound turned off is the only acceptable way. If you just watch the pictures and don’t have to listen to the biased announcers, you get a pretty good idea of what is going on.
This leaves the mind a lot of time to try and digest what is really happening in our country.
These old eyes have ridden this rock we call Earth, nearly 82 times around the sun. That time span has covered war and peace as well as everything in between. Our freedom has never been in a more perilous position than it is today.
You see, I remember working in Congress with patriotic, America loving Democrats. We certainly didn’t see eye to eye on most of the issues, but we had debates, discussions and compromise to work out our differences, not insurrection and violence. Many of us were good friends.
Today none of that is present. Instead we have hatred, gridlock and are a prime target for activists that want to turn our country into something we have always fought against around the world.
And that is what I am seeing just watching the pictures on TV with the sound off.
These are not peaceful demonstrators for Black Lives Matter. These are not people that have peaceful change in mind. They are Marxists, revolutionaries that are well funded, organized and hell bent on taking over our country.
No one has condemned the disfigurement and destruction of statues and other historic monuments. Companies have been shamed into changing logos and trademarks.
I’m not a fan of Rush Limbaugh. However, he is the first one with a national podium from which to preach that has come out with the truth.
This was a posting on Facebook attributed to Rush.
“Folks, this is not about the Confederacy. It’s not about slavery. It’s not about being offended by statues. That’s not what is happening here. What’s happening is a bunch of Marxists, under the guise of Black Lives Matter and Social Justice and whatever other groups are out there are literally trying to tear this country down, not insult it, tear it down, tear it apart, rip it apart.”
Well, Rush, you pretty well hit the situation squarely on the head.
This begs the question, “When will anyone on the other side of this argument finally take a stand for freedom and America?”
It also begs the questions of what is happening on the Democrat side of the aisle. Their brand has been stolen and is being used for things that the Democrats I know and consider friends would never stand for.
Where are the Democrats that are real patriots?
Where are the Democrats that have worn a military uniform?
Where are the Democrats that have lost family members fighting in wars to protect this country?
Where are the Democrats that I used to debate serious issues with and then we went out to dinner together?
Where are the Democrats that love this country as much as I do?
Where are the Democrats whose children and grandchildren will be saddled just like mine with the enormous debt this country will have to pay?
Where are the Democrats I used to worship beside and praise God?
Where are the Democrats that will come forward and fight side by side with me to remove the anarchists, traitors and others on the dark far left side who are hellbent on destroying our country?
Where are the Democrats that will come forward and reclaim their good name?
I’m an old man, but I will stand beside you and fight this fight until freedom and the American way win.
I was ten when I first heard about the magic ring. Mom and I were spending the afternoon at Grand Mum’s. She’s my mom’s mom. They were talking, and I was playing with Stephanie. She’s my Barbie, and she had just gotten home from work. I removed her business suit and dressed her in black jeans and a bright-yellow blouse. I was barefoot, so I let Stephanie be barefoot too. While I brushed her hair, she told me about her rotten day at the office.
“You wouldn’t believe what Mr. Davidson did today,” she said.
I bobbed my head in time with her words and made sympathetic noises as she told me about her boss. When she’d poured it all out, I told her my day had been no picnic. I patted her head and started to fix her a drink like Mom does for Dad when he comes home from work. It was then I heard the hushed tones grownups use when they don’t wish to be overheard by children.
“What ring?” I said.
They exchanged looks. “When you’re older,” Mom said.
I’d heard that line all my life. I looked at Grand Mum. She shook her head, smiled, and repeated Mom’s words. I could have whined, as I usually did to get my way, but I didn’t. There was something in Grand Mum’s eyes. Something that told me I was a party to their secret, but it was a secret I couldn’t yet understand. So, Stephanie dropped into her recliner, and I fixed her a bourbon on the rocks.
Time, and the aspects of growing up, dimmed all thought of the ring until the evening of my sixteenth birthday. That night Mom came to my bedroom carrying a small metal box. She closed the door before crossing to my bed and sitting at my side. Mom and I had always hugged, but that night she hugged me for an eternity—or so it seemed at the time.
I knew the best presents were always opened last, but in my opinion, Mom was pushing it. My birthday party had ended hours earlier. No matter. I grinned and said, “Another present?”
Mom wiped her eyes. “Yes. A very special one.”
Special? I loved presents—-special or otherwise. I asked to see it.
“In a moment,” she said. “First, I must tell you the story that goes with it.”
Oh, Boy! I just knew Mom was building up to one of her birds-and-bees lectures. Without a doubt the box contained a diaphragm, a prescription for the pill, and a lifetime supply of condoms. “Mom, I’m sixteen. I’m not a baby. I know all about, you know, boys and stuff.”
She gave me another hug. “I want to talk to you about that too,” she said, “but this is different.”
Different? I scooted closer to her side.
“This box belonged to a great grandmother of ours. Her name was Danica.” Mom cradled the box on her lap and brushed her fingertips over its hammered-bronze finish. She appeared to be wrestling with an invisible force when she continued. “This grandmother from our past was not an American, she was a Romani born near Bucharest in 1855.”
Romanies were nomadic, non-Christian, and their lifestyle was looked down upon as unorthodox by the Christian Church. I knew that much from taking world history in high school. On the other hand, Mom, Grand Mum, and I were Christian and often attended church together. Was it this contrast between our faith and Great Grandmother Danica’s lack of it that was now troubling Mom? To the chance that it was, I said, “Mom, children have no say in where they are born.”
“Yes, but her place of birth was only a part of a larger problem.”
“I don’t understand.”
Mom shifted the bronze box on her lap. “It’s that she was raised in a culture far different than what we deal with today.”
“Like what? No TV? No Internet or email?”
Mom ignored my attempt at humor as she continued. “Much of the Romani lifestyle and culture in Danica’s time still persists today. One aspect of it was that any female not married by her fifteenth birthday was shunned by society and even her own family. Danica reached fifteen with no man in her life.”
I thought of the dorky boys at South Central High School. There wasn’t one I could name who could talk with a girl without staring at her boobs. “Lucky girl.”
“Lucky for you,” Mom said, “but not so lucky for Danica. She needed immediate help, and to get it she went to a gypsy.”
“A real gypsy?”
“Very real. The gypsy placed a ring on the third finger of Danica’s right hand. She was told not to remove the ring or to tell anyone where it came from. If she obeyed, a man would ask for her hand before the next new moon. She would marry him, but on her wedding night she must remove the ring and place it into this box. Her first born would be a daughter.”
Mom paused and stared at the box.
“Then what?”
“Then,” she said, “when that daughter became a young woman, Danica was to explain the power of the ring and pass it on to her.”
“You’re putting me on, Mom.”
“Wait until I’m finished before you make up your mind.”
“So, what happened?”
“Before the next new moon, a Norseman, Vestar Sutherland, asked for her hand. That Danica had not married among her own by age fifteen was incredible. That she would marry someone outside her own was unthinkable.”
“So, she married the guy?”
“Oh, yes. They had several children, but their first born was Ericka.”
Mom opened the box. I saw a small, leather-bound book and a wide-band ring. The ring looked heavy and crudely made. It did not look magical. “What’s in the book?”
Mom placed it on my lap. “This was Danica’s diary,” she said.
I opened it. The handwriting was flowing loops and swirls and elegant to a fault, but I couldn’t read a word of it. “What language is this?”
“Romanian, but as you’ll see, Erika’s daughter, Denise, came to the United States around the turn of the century. Her entries, and all entries thereafter, are in English.”
I flipped through the pages. “Grand Mum’s name is in here! And so is . . . yours?” I paused and looked at Mom. “You wore the ring?”
Her face drained and her eyes began to water. In a whisper she said, “Yes, and the decision to do so has troubled me in the years since.”
I sat quietly alongside Mom and tried to imagine the discomfort she’d felt. What would I have done?
She brushed the backs of her hands over her eyes and gave me a weak smile. “I had dated and fallen in love with your father two years before he proposed marriage. During that time I prayed again and again that he felt as I did. But, in a moment of weakness, instead of standing on faith and the power of prayer, I wore the ring.”
Again, I wondered, what would I have done? With this unanswered question still in mind, I looked back at the diary and turned another page. “Oh, no! My name’s here too.”
“You’re my first born. But you also now know the history of Danica’s ring.”
I kept the box under my pillow for several nights before putting it in my hope chest alongside Stephanie. I figured she had as much use for the magic ring as I did.
That evening was eight years ago, and a few things have changed.
I opened my hope chest and reached for the tiny box. It was still sitting next to Stephanie. Both looked well despite their years of confinement. I carried the box to my desk, removed the diary, and read again through the entries of those who preceded the page bearing my name. Except for Danica and her daughter, whose entries were in Romanian, the approximate age and the reasoning expressed in each woman’s entry were essentially the same. That is, by their late teens they had found the love of their life and were hoping the ring’s power would ensure the union they deeply wanted.
These repetitive entries had not fully made sense when first reviewed when I was sixteen. I’d told mom I already knew about boys and stuff. In truth, though, my only experience with love had been the immature feeling best known as puppy love.
The items before me on the desk were my King James Bible, the ring Danica had first worn, and her diary now opened to the page bearing my name. Currently, I was a senior at Florida State University, 24 years of age, home on spring break, and, for the last two years, I’d been dating someone I genuinely cared for. Mom had held place in a similar situation concerning my dad. When she had told me about this, I wondered what I would have done in her place.
Spring break was now over, and I’d return to campus tomorrow. Soon thereafter I would graduate with my degree in accounting. Was marriage in my future? If so, would I have children of my own? Or, would I move on and find place in the business world? Another glance at my desktop gave the clear answer I sought.
I pulled Danica’s diary closer and picked up my pen.
Dearest Danica,
These words will never reach you, yet I feel a duty to append the final entry to your diary. I harbor no disrespect of you, your use of the ring, or for any of those who followed in your wake. I admit to desires for my life, but unlike you and those others, my path to all future things will be guided by the supreme power of our Lord as promised in Proverbs 3:6 “In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct thy paths.”
With understanding love,
Evelina
A divine feeling of comfort embraced me as I returned the ring and Danica’s diary to the small metal box and replaced it in my hope chest alongside Stephanie. What prompted this special feeling? I believed 1 Corinthians 13:11 explained it well.
“When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things.”
“Lift Every Voice and Sing” We join our brothers and sisters in Christ in calling for every American to lift their voices in song and prayer, toward unity with integrity, toward uniting all patriots black, white, and every color.
Now that the masses have been shut out from all churches, it is more important than ever to pray.
Praying is really the only way to stay in touch with the Creator.
It’s dispiriting and depressing that after three long months of shuttered churches to have authorities re-opening them to only 30% of their original congregational capacity—a move destined to make those wanting to return to church service feeling guilty of queue-jumping.
But in this sad time of massive human longing, the Almighty still lives in the hearts of the faithful.
During this long lasting church shutdown, brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, I keep traveling back in memory to Christmas Eve, 2019.
It was just a few minutes before Midnight, Rome time, on Christmas Eve when I emailed historian, journalist and ‘Face of God’ author Paul Badde, before traveling to Midnight Mass in another town, the only one available within driving distance from the small town where I live :
“Dearest Paul,
“Sending wishes for a Blessed and Merry Christmas to my favourite writer!
“More than 15,000 people—and still counting—have viewed your wonderful video:‘Paul Badde: The Holy Face of Jesus the Veil of Manoppello’ on CFP’s front page. I regard it as our news site’s most cherished item.
“Will be saying fervent prayers for you at tonight’s Tridentine Midnight Mass.”
His response literally made my now seeming so long ago Christmas Eve, 2019:
“Embraces my dear Judi right from St. Peter’s Midnight Mass and Love Paul!”
Had anyone ever tried to tell me back then that within only three short months all churches would be closed, I wouldn’t have believed them.
Who could ever believe that all churches, worldwide would be shut down by Holy Week—including Easter Sunday?
These past months of lockdowns have proven that we can no longer take going to worship God Almighty at church for granted. Yet the salvation of our immortal souls depends on taking the existence of our Savior Jesus Christ for granted; something that will always be there no matter how long authorities keep our churches closed.
As we remain confined to our homes, forces are transforming the world to a godless totalitarian state.
Only prayer can save us from what they have planned for us
Adding to our worries, with most now living on government financial support, there are too few jobs available as governments ease in Phase II of the return to work in the Time of Coronavirus.
It was on one of those long, lonely, Canadian Winter nights back in 2012 when, out of the blue, I first Googled, “Face of God”. My search took me to Badde’s The Holy Veil of Manoppello: The Human Face of God—which turned out to be the best book I ever read.
As of this writing, the Badde-produced video has over 19,000 views and still growing. Somewhat miraculously, Google has never taken the video down.
I meant every word when I wrote to Badde on Christmas Eve: that I regard his video as our news site’s “most cherished item” and take heart that people are still finding it on CFP’s cover.
Today we celebrate Corpus Christi, the Body and Blood of Christ, with most churches still closed or restricting attendance to only 30%.
Why do I take heart that people are still finding the Paul Badde video some six years after it first went up?
Because one way or the other, millions, worldwide, keep searching for our Savior’s Blessed Face. And most likely always will.
A lot of people have inquired as to how our Computer System has been so accurate in forecasts not just markets and economic booms & busts, but political like the Trump victory and Brexit to the latest that the Coronavirus would peak in April ideally the week of April 6th,2020 when scientists, they claimed, were forecasting it would last for 18 months of longer. This special report dives into the methodology of academics in all fields other than physics who use the assumption that if the temperature rises by 0.1% last year, they extrapolate that out and project we will all die in 20 years because a 1.5 degree increase will destroy the planet.
All of these forecasts have been simple linear progressions which are absurd. This is like saying the Dow rose 1,000 points last years so it will do the same for the next 20 years. We all know that such forecast are a joke. Even the Wall Street Journal would never publish such a forecast. They published a cycle back in 1933. Nevertheless, we have politicians imposing regulations all based upon this analysis that is not just a joke, it is an outright fraud.
This report has gathered all these forecasts since the beginning of the 19th century that mean we should all be dead by now. Despite these forecasts always being wrong, the press continually prints them all the time. The United Nations said entire nations would be wiped out by 2000. I think the data is 2020 if I am correct and nobody manipulated the calendar.
In 1932, they predicted the glaciers would melt and the water would rise to the 15th floor in New York City. You just can’t make up this stuff. This is the methodology being used by all of these academics and in disease, this is what Gates has been funding to change the world based upon total nonsense.
After the successful manned launch of the NASA SpaceX mission to the International Space Station President Trump is scheduled to deliver remarks to the audience at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Anticipated start time 5:00pm ET.
UPDATE: Video and Transcript Added
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[Transcript] – THE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you very much. Please. Please. Big day. This is a big day. And I want to thank our great Vice President for your fearless and tireless commitment to fulfilling America’s destiny in space. Thank you very much, Mike. Great job. Great job. (Applause.)
We’re also grateful to Mike’s wonderful wife, Karen, for being here and for all she does for our country. Thank you. Thank you, Karen. (Applause.)
Before going further on this exciting day for all America in space, I want to say a few words about the situation in Minnesota. The death of George Floyd on the streets of Minneapolis was a grave tragedy. It should never have happened. It has filled Americans all over the country with horror, anger, and grief.
Yesterday, I spoke to George’s family and expressed the sorrow of our entire nation for their loss. I stand before you as a friend and ally to every American seeking justice and peace. And I stand before you in firm opposition to anyone exploiting this tragedy to loot, rob, attack, and menace. Healing, not hatred; justice, not chaos are the mission at hand. (Applause.)
The police officers involved in this incident have been fired from their jobs. One officer has already been arrested and charged with murder. State and federal authorities are carrying out an investigation to see what further charges may be warranted, including against, sadly, the other three.
In addition, my administration has opened a civil rights investigation, and I have asked the Attorney General and the Justice Department to expedite it.
I understand the pain that people are feeling. We support the right of peaceful protesters, and we hear their pleas. But what we are now seeing on the streets of our cities has nothing to do with justice or with peace.
The memory of George Floyd is being dishonored by rioters, looters, and anarchists. The violence and vandalism is being led by Antifa and other radical left-wing groups who are terrorizing the innocent, destroying jobs, hurting businesses, and burning down buildings.
The main victims of this horrible, horrible situations are the citizens who live in these once lovely communities. The mobs are devastating the life’s work of good people and destroying their dreams. Right now, America needs creation, not destruction; cooperation, not contempt; security, not anarchy. And there will be no anarchy. Civilization must be cherished, defended, and protected. The voices of law-abiding citizens must be heard, and heard very loudly.
We cannot and must not allow a small group of criminals and vandals to wreck our cities and lay waste to our communities. We must defend the rights of every citizen to live without violence, prejudice, or fear.
We support the overwhelming majority of police officers who are incredible in every way and devoted public servants. They keep our cities safe, protect our communities from gangs and drugs, and risk their own lives for us every day.
No one is more upset than fellow law enforcement officers by the small handful who fail to abide by their oath to serve and protect. My administration will stop mob violence and will stop it cold.
It does not serve the interests of justice or any citizen of any race, color, or creed for the government to give into anarchy, abandon police precincts, or allow communities to be burned to the ground. It won’t happen.
Those making excuses or justifications for violence are not helping the downtrodden, but delivering new anguish and new pain.
From day one of my administration, we have made it a top priority to build up distressed communities and revitalize our crumbling inner cities.
We fought hard with Senator Tim Scott and many others to create Opportunity Zones, helping to draw a surge of new investment to the places in our country that need it most. We must all work together as a society to expand opportunity and to create a future of greater dignity and promise for all of our people. We must forge a partnership with community leaders, local law enforcement, and the faith community to restore hope.
Radical-left criminals, thugs, and others all throughout our country and throughout the world will not be allowed to set communities ablaze. We won’t let it happen. It harms those who have the least. And we will be protecting those who have the least.
The leadership of the National Guard and the Department of Justice are now in close communication with state and city officials in Minnesota. And we’re coordinating our efforts with local law enforcement all across our nation.
In America, justice is never achieved at the hands of an angry mob. I will not allow angry mobs to dominate. It won’t happen. It is essential that we protect the crown jewel of American democracy: the rule of law and our independent system of justice. Every citizen in every community has the right to be safe in their workplace, safe in their homes, and safe in our city streets.
This is the sacred right of all Americans that I am totally determined to defend and will defend. My administration will always stand against violence, mayhem, and disorder.
We will stand with the family of George Floyd with the peaceful protesters and with every law-abiding citizen who wants decency, civility, safety, and security.
We are working toward a more just society, but that means building up, not tearing down; joining hands, not hurling fists; standing in solidarity, not surrendering to hostility.
Moments ago, as we witnessed the launch of two great American astronauts into space, we were filled with the sense of pride and unity that brings us together as Americans. That same spirit which powered our astronauts to the Moon has also helped lift our country to ever greater heights of justice and opportunity throughout our history.
So today, as we mark a renewed commitment to America’s future in space, a tremendous commitment it is. Let us also commit to a brighter future for all of our citizens right here on Earth.
When Americans are united, there is nothing we cannot do. From day one of my administration, we put America first. (Applause.)
This afternoon, I’m delighted to be with you at Cape Canaveral, in this storied home of American daring, aspiration, and drive.
This is the first big space message in 50 years. Think of that. And it is an honor to be delivering it.
Today, as we gather in this special place to celebrate not only the launch of a new spacecraft but also our nation’s bold and triumphant return to the stars, it’s a special day. Moments ago, the world bore witness to the flight of the first new manned U.S. spacecraft in nearly 40 years since the Space Shuttle launched in 1981 — a long time ago.
I am thrilled to announce that the SpaceX Dragon Capsule has successfully reached low-Earth orbit and that our astronauts are safe and sound. (Applause.)
With this launch, the decades of lost years and little action are officially over. A new age of American ambition has now begun.
Past leaders put the United States at the mercy of foreign nations to send our astronauts into orbit. Not anymore. Today, we once again proudly launch American astronauts on American rockets, the best in the world, from right here on American soil. (Applause.)
Those of us who saw the spectacular and unforgettable liftoff this afternoon watched more than an act of history; we watched an act of heroism. Every time our astronauts climb aboard a rocket — which is many, many stories of only engine and fuel — and vault across the sky, they display breathtaking valor.
What Colonel Douglas Hurley and Colonel Robert Behnken did this afternoon was pure American genius and courage. They join the ranks of just seven prior American astronauts who have made the perilous maiden voyage to test a new class of spacecraft.
The names of Hurley and Behnken will stand in the history books alongside those of legends like Alan Shepard, Gus Grissom, John Young. Now these brave and selfless astronauts will continue their mission to advance the cause of human knowledge as they proceed to the International Space Station before returning to Earth. We wish them Godspeed on their journey, and as one proud nation, we salute their fearless service.
Thank you. Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you.
I also want to send our nation’s gratitude to the wives of these valiant astronauts, both of whom are astronauts themselves: Karen Nyberg and Megan McArthur. We join them in praying for our heroes’ safe return.
As you know, this spring, our nation has endured the pain and hardship of a global pandemic. As we usher in a new era of manned spaceflight, we are reminded that America is always in the process of transcending great challenges. Our nation is blessed with limitless reserves of talent, tenacity, and resolve. The same spirit of American determination that sends our people into space will conquer this disease on Earth. It should’ve never happened. Nothing — not even gravity itself — can hold Americans down or keep America back.
We are grateful to NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine and Director of the Kennedy Space Center Bob Cabana for welcoming us this evening. Very special. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you. Great job. Great job. Come a long way in three and a half years, Jim, haven’t we? Huh? A long way.
To the incredible men and women of NASA, from here at Kennedy Space Center, to the Johnson Space Center in Texas — we love you too — to NASA Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio: Thank you all for working so hard to make this day a reality. We have many other great days almost ready to happen.
Also with us are many members of my Cabinet, including our great new DNI, John Ratcliffe. Thank you, John. Thank you. (Applause.) We have a great friend of mine, a special man, ran a great, great campaign: Governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis. (Applause.) Thank you, Ron. Thank you, Ron.
Your Senators Rick Scott and Marco Rubio. Thank you very much. Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you. Thank you. Leader Kevin McCarthy. Kevin, thank you very much. (Applause.) Great job you do, Kevin.
And Representatives Matt Gaetz, John Rutherford, Michael Waltz, Bill Posey, Gus Bilirakis, Daniel Webster, Brian Mast, Elise Stefanik, Bill Flores, Brian Babin, Rodney Davis, Roger Marshall, and Steven Palazzo. Thank you very much, fellas. Thank you. (Applause.) What a great group of people. They’re warriors. They’re really warriors. They helped so much get this done, and so many other things.
With us also is our Air Force Chief of Staff, General David Goldfein. General, thank you very much. (Applause.) Thank you. Thank you, General. Thank you. And Chief of Space Operations — the first-ever named — and now a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, because we created the United States Space Force — General Jay Raymond. Thank you very much. Jay. (Applause.) Thank you, Jay. And senior members, also, of our great United States military. It’s never been stronger than it is right now.
Also, Attorney General of Florida, Ashley Moody, and Chief Financial Officer of Florida, Jim Patronis, and many other distinguished guests.
Thank you very much for being here. (Applause.) We appreciate it.
I especially want to congratulate someone who truly embodies the American ethos of big thinking and risk-taking. After achieving success as an Internet entrepreneur, he could have spent his fortune doing anything, including yachting, lots of things. He could do lots of things. But in 2002, he began pouring tens of millions of dollars of his own money into research and development for a new rocket. He’s a little different than a lot of other people. He likes rockets. He assembled a crew of some of the greatest minds and talent in American aerospace.
In the years since, SpaceX has become the first private company to develop and successfully launch its own rocket into orbit, the first to launch and recover its own capsule, and of course, moments ago, Space X became the first private company to put humans into orbit around the Earth.
Elon Musk, congratulations. Congratulations, Elon. (Applause.) Thanks, Elon.
For Elon and 8,000 SpaceX employees, today is the fulfillment of a dream almost two decades in the making. For years on end, they have worked hand-in-hand with NASA, sculpting aluminum, tightening valves, tuning nozzles, testing parachutes, and filling massive tanks with thousands and thousands of pounds of kerosene and liquid oxygen.
Today, the groundbreaking partnership between NASA and SpaceX has given our nation the gift of an unmatched power: a state-of-the art spaceship to put our astronauts into orbit at a fraction of the cost of the Space Shuttle. And it’s much better.
From now on, the United States will leverage the fast-growing capabilities of our commercial sector and the finest pieces of real estate on Earth — which you need very badly — to send U.S. astronauts into space.
Under NASA’s Commercial Crew program, we will use rockets and spacecraft designed, built, owned, and launched by private American companies, at a fixed price for the American taxpayer.
Today’s launch makes clear the commercial space industry is the future. The modern world was built by risk-takers and renegades, fierce competitors, skilled craftsmen, captains of industry who pursued opportunities no one else saw and envisioned what no one else could ever think of seeing. The United States will harness the unrivaled creativity and speed of our private sector to stride ever further into the unknown.
This launch also marks an exciting turning point for NASA. This agency will now focus its unmatched ex- — expertise, like nobody has ever seen, and power and integrity to do what NASA does better than anyone else — and it’s not even close: embark on the most difficult, most daring, most audacious missions in the history of humankind.
When I first came into office three and a half years ago, NASA had lost its way, and the excitement, energy, and ambition, as almost everybody in this room knows, was gone. There was grass growing through the cracks of your concrete runways. Not a pretty sight. Not a pretty sight at all.
The last administration presided over the closing of the Space Shuttle and almost all of the giant facility that keeps so many people working, so many brilliant minds going. People were crying. They were devastated. But now it’s the greatest of its kind anywhere in the world and will get greater and greater with years to come. I promise you that. (Applause.)
We have created the envy of the world and will soon be landing on Mars, and will soon have the greatest weapons ever imagined in history. I’ve already seen designs. And even I can’t believe it.
The United States has regained our place of prestige as the world leader. As has often been stated, you can’t be number one on Earth if you are number two in space. (Applause.) And we are not going to be number two anywhere. (Applause.)
Nowhere is this more true than with our military, which we have completely rebuilt. Under my administration, we have invested two and a half trillion dollars in new planes, ships, submarines, tanks, missiles, rockets — anything you can think of. And last year, I signed the law creating the sixth branch of that already very famous United States Armed Forces: the Space Force. (Applause.)
For every citizen who has eagerly waited for America to reignite those engines of will, confidence, and imagination that put a man on the Moon, I stand before you to say: You need wait no longer.
Through NASA’s Artemis program, the United States is preparing for a crewed mission to Mars. Earlier this week, I saw the Orion capsules being worked on in this building. As part of the Artemis Moon-to-Mars program, those capsules will soon return Americans to lunar orbit for the first time in over 50 years — half a century.
By 2024, our astronauts will return to the lunar surface to establish a permanent presence and the launching pad to Mars. (Applause.) And the first woman on the moon will be an American woman. And the first nation to land on Mars will be the United States of America. (Applause.)
Since I signed the order to establish these goals shortly after taking office, we have made rapid gains. A new 22,000- pound capsule is already built. The next generation of space suits are already made. Colossal rockets are now being tested. And the contracts for three separate lunar landers have been awarded and signed, and they are magnificent.
In the years ahead, America will go bigger, bolder, further, faster, and America will go first. America will always be first. (Applause.)
To be certain, we will meet the adversity and hardship along the way. There may even be tragedy, because that is the danger of space. There’s nothing we can do about that. The power that we’re talking about is unrivaled. There’s nothing we can do about problems. But we’ll have very few of them.
We will confront all of those challenges, knowing that the quest for understanding is the oldest and deepest hope in our souls. The innate human desire to explore and innovate is what propels the engines of progress and the march of civilization. We will preserve and persevere, and we will ensure a future of American dominance in space.
To that end, over the last three years, I reestablished the National Space Council. I issued a directive cutting red tape for innovative space companies such as SpaceX. We created the world’s first comprehensive space traffic management system. Last month, I signed an executive order establishing U.S. policy for the recovery and use of space resources and minerals. Administrator Bridenstine announced the Artemis Accords to govern the future of space exploration and development.
Together, we will assert America’s rightful heritage as the greatest space-faring nation on the planet. And already, it’s not even close.
In the half a century since the United States stopped sending astronauts to deep into space — 1972 — no other country has ever done it. The reasons are simple: cost, technological complexity, and tremendous danger.
For instance, I was told that the rocket you just witnessed had to be launched within one second, or it would be impossible for it to hit its target. And I was here two days ago, and I said to Jim: “Jim, it’s okay. Why don’t you wait 5 or 10 minutes?” (Laughter.) And he said, “Sir, we only have a window of one second.” And I walked out of here shaking my head. (Laughter.) Is that true, Jim? Yes, it true.
Space travel is not a feat of engineering alone. It’s also a moral endeavor — a measure of a nation’s vision, its willpower, its place in the world. Exploration is a test of our values and of our faith. America is a nation defined by its commitment to discovery — to solve mysteries, to chart the unknown, to press the limits, to achieve the fullest expression of life’s potential, and to ensure that America is the nation that always leads the way, and especially in space.
This evening, I am more confident than ever before that America stands poised to thrive in this grand undertaking. It’s incredible. We are a nation of pioneers. We are the people who crossed the ocean, carved out a foothold on a vast continent, settled a great wilderness, and then set our eyes upon the stars. This is our history, and this is our destiny.
Now, like our ancestors before us, we are venturing out to explore a new, magnificent frontier. It’s called: space. Our most daring feats, our most epic journeys, our biggest adventures, and our finest days are just beginning. America’s proudest moments are still ahead. We are on the verge of our most exciting years, and next year may be the most exciting of all. You just watch.
So today, as our brave American astronauts shake the Earth and blaze a trail of fire and steel into the heavens, we proclaim for all to hear that we have not yet tested the full strength of the American character, and the world has not yet seen the full glory of the American spirit. For our country, for our children, and for humanity’s march into the stars, the best is yet to come. (Applause.)
It was a great honor for me to deliver this speech. God bless our brave astronauts now soaring through the heavens. God bless the men and women of NASA. And God bless America. Thank you very much. Thank you. (Applause.)
History will unfold today as NASA and SpaceX launch astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley to the International Space Station. This mission marks the first time since the retirement of the space shuttle in 2011 that humans will fly to the space station from U.S. soil. Targeted Launch Time 3:22 pm EDT – Livestreams Ongoing
NASA and SpaceX are providing live coverage from launch to arrival at the space station. Teams are targeting an instantaneous window of 3:22 pm EDT for the launch of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The Crew Dragon is scheduled to dock to the space station May 31st.
This past Sunday a wave of churches across the country opened for in-person worship services. It was part of an effort called “Peaceably Gather Sunday” where ministers and their respective congregations were seeking to hold a middle ground in balancing health and safety concerns against the coronavirus and still hold worship services without restrictions. These citizens are seeking a more religious path to deal with the shutdown of businesses, life as we have known it, and the threats to basic civil liberties—especially the right to worship God. People are also truly stressed over the loss of their jobs and their livelihoods, and their faith oftentimes gives them hope.
Virginia Call for Prayer and Repentance
In Lynchburg, Virginia last Saturday a gathering of ministers met for the “Virginia Call for Prayer and Repentance.” Many in the church are becoming agitated over the loss of their right to attend their churches even when proper precautions are taken. Many ministers all across the country are concerned about the loss of religious freedom. And if such deeply revered freedoms are at risk in the United States, is it a sign of the loss of the Land of Liberty?
Where are the defenders of our loss of freedoms? Where is the ACLU when many Americans are currently distressed over their loss of civil liberties? In truth, many Americans lost their trust in such an overtly partisan “front group” long ago. Essentially, the ACLU is just a “non-essential” organization now. Consider their partisan “Emergency Declaration” to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic:
MARCH 13, 2020 WASHINGTON — President Trump today invoked emergency powers in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Below is comment from Hina Shamsi, director of the ACLU’s National Security Project, in response:
Use of emergency powers in this pandemic can be legitimate for measures grounded in science and public health and when consistent with the need to protect the health, safety, and civil liberties of us all. At the same time, history teaches that our government is most prone to committing abuses in times of crisis, and we must ensure that broad presidential powers are not misused beyond legitimate needs.
In 2020, in the Land of the Free, religious liberty is under attack from those who suffer from the “great and powerful OZ” illusion
The ACLU will be watching closely to make sure any use of emergency powers in response to the pandemic is grounded in science and public health, not politics or discrimination. As the government takes the necessary steps to ensure public health, it must also safeguard people’s due process, privacy, and equal
protection rights. We must regularly reevaluate the use of emergency powers to ensure they are effective, remain justified, and are properly employed.” (bold emphasis from Jamison)
It seems that the governors who have “properly employed” emergency powers are those who kept their states relatively open in light of a pandemic that did not live up to its MSM hype. And as for “emergency powers grounded in science,” the Leftist ACLU could not know “science” any more than it protects religious liberties. Within the past few months, more reliable studies, based on more accurate data have emerged from a number of doctors and scholars throughout the world. Many of these studies seriously question the underlying premise of whether COVID-19 is as highly contagious or as deadly as initially claimed. It is becoming clear that it may be a bit more deadly than the common flu, but not as deadly as early outrageous predictions.
Again, where is the ACLU when Americans are currently being abused by their governments?
Eight states within the United States weathered the COVID-19 “pandemic” with a more sane or well-balanced approach for all their citizens. But, in other states, citizens were harassed, hairdressers arrested and jailed, ministers arrested, and churchgoers fined because they were trying to deal with panic promulgated by the MSM and their fears of contracting some deadly disease. Today, many Americans witness oppressive actions from government leaders—usually state governors (not the POTUS), and usually Democrat governors (not Republican governors).
In 2020, in the Land of the Free, religious liberty is under attack from those who suffer from the “great and powerful OZ” illusion. Such attacks upon the people of faith are not yet as bad as the control and subversion of religion in Communist China. Yet, when state governors can get away with determining that a church service is “non-essential” activity, when legal cases involving internal religious issues are decided by corrupt secularist judges, and when ministers are arrested for “hate speech” for delivering a biblical message, there is a serious disease spreading across America, and it is not COVID-19. Precedents are being set that will determine the future of freedom.
Again, where is the ACLU when Americans are currently being abused by their governments? The short answer to that is that they are the “Democrat Civil Liberties Union,” and are only concerned with the loss of certain liberties (valued by Democrats). The ACLU is oblivious to the unalienable rights at the heart of the Declaration of Independence. Citizen rights enumerated in the Bill of Rights are outside the ACLU’s mission. Essentially in 2020, the mission of the ACLU has become “non-essential.” It may have been legitimate once in American history, but it is now just a front group for one political party.
There was no “expiration date” on unalienable rights
Certainly, it is not in the ACLU’s jurisdiction to determine what constitutes the abuse of government power. Neither is it in the jurisdiction of any government to usurp the unalienable rights granted to the citizens by our Creator. Nevertheless, it is in the jurisdiction of “We the People” to judge what constitutes abuse of government power. And, this is such a time, even according to ACLU standards, the government is committing abuses against citizen rights. “We the People” need to ensure that government no longer abuses its authority.
Efforts of the secularists and the atheists whom we elect to office share a similar value system with the Chinese Communists. American citizens must no longer elect atheists and secularists who continue to undermine fundamental freedoms—especially religious freedom. Our American liberties were granted to citizens from God. “We the People” need to remember that the Declaration of Independence is an expression of faith and our manifesto for human freedom. It laid the foundation for the nation to be born.
There was no “expiration date” on unalienable rights. Today, American citizens must again embrace the Founders’ self-evident truths. We need to strengthen our firm grip on those inalienable Rights: Life, Liberty and the ability to pursue Happiness. Citizens need to fight to preserve our religious freedoms because the soil of religious freedom secures the roots of the Tree of Liberty.
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This is a library of News Events not reported by the Main Stream Media documenting & connecting the dots on How the Obama Marxist Liberal agenda is destroying America
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