Category: Faith & Religion

14-44 Final Sprint to Election Day | Truth about Trump v. Kamala Economies

14-44 Final Sprint to Election Day | Truth about Trump v. Kamala Economies

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Show 14-44 Summary: It’s the final sprint to the finish line. And the Friday before the election Kamalanomics got some pretty bad news: only 12,000 (not a typo) jobs created in October. And another 112,000 jobs were erased from September and August because they never existed outside of their original headlines that screamed how great the jobs were. This week, we talk with chief economist and executive VP of American Legislative Exchange Council about Trump vs Kamala economic policies. Who has the better economic record, the better administration policy to grow the3 economy, and what their future economies will look like. Kamala is floating some spooky ideas on taxes, spending and debt. And we talk about Trump’s policies that has the Big Spender spooked and why. Get out there and vote like your future and America’s future depends on it. It does.

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Original Air Dates: November 2nd & 3rd, 2024 | Guest: Jonathan Williams

This Week – Truth about Trump vs Kamala Economic Policies

October Surprise? ~The October jobs numbers just came out this morning at a paltry 12,000 new jobs. That’s not a typo. There isn’t a zero missing. Even more bad economic news: they erased another 112,000 jobs from the two previous months, September and August. Jobs that never existed outside the leftstream media propaganda headlines.

Just 12,000 new jobs for all of America (and we’d be negative if not for 40,000 government jobs). It’s a devastatingly low number for the Biden/Harris administration and after Kamala said there’s nothing she’d change regarding Biden’s policies.

Did you miss it? I Spy host had an article published in American Thinker: “The One Overlooked Reason Christians Should Vote in 2024.” Please share that with any reluctant Christians you know that are thinking of not voting.

Oh. And the GDP came in low. A sluggish 2.8%. Lower than the usual 3.0%.

This week, we welcome back Jonathan Williams, the chief economist and executive vice president of the American Legislative Exchange Council, to compare and contrast the Trump economy vs the Kamala economy. What were their records. What did they do right. And how will they differ if elected?

Kamala is floating some spooky ideas about taxes, spending, and debt. And Trump is floating some ideas that is spooking the big-government big-spenders. Listen and find out.

Personally? The difference really comes down to this: Trump wants to grow the economy. Kamala wants to grow government. It really is that simple.

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Show Notes: Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

  • Jonathan’s organization is ALEC – the American Legislative Exchange Council. Find out more at ALEC.org.
    • Encourage your representatives to join ALEC! There are state and city memberships. Help elected officials understand economic problems and the real solutions available to get out of them! Send them this link: https://alec.org/membership/.
    • And you too can join as a private-sector member!
    • You can follow Jonathan on Twitter at @TaxEconomist.
  • Head to Rich States, Poor States to see how your state is doing. And for a taste of what Kamalanomics and Walzonomics would be like, check out how badly Minnesota is doing under governor Tim Walz. (Hint: worse than Oregon!)
  • Check out Trump’s platform, “Agenda 47.” A 20-point plan, much of which focuses on the economy.
  • Mike Johnson discusses plan to get rid of Obamacare. (Via X, Oct 31 2024)
  • 3 Charts Show How Biden-Harris Admin Grew Debt by $8 Trillion (Daily Signal, Oct 22, 2024)
  • Five Frightening Financial Charts To Fear This Halloween! (ZeroHedge, Oct 31, 2024)
  • Jobs Shock: October Payrolls Huge Miss As Private Jobs Go Negative For First Time Since 2020 (ZeroHedge, Nov 1, 2024)
  • U.S. economy grew at a 2.8% pace in the third quarter, less than expected (CNBC, Oct 30, 2024)
Christians need to go vote
14-42 Get Out of the Pew | Why Christians Need to Vote

14-42 Get Out of the Pew | Why Christians Need to Vote

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Show 14-42 Summary: This week we bring you a very important show, one that could change the outcome: why Christians need to vote. In 2020 the official margin of victory was some 10 million votes. But all that was needed for an electoral college win was a few 10s of thousands in the swing states. A recent study, found that 73 million Christians might sit out the 2024 election. We talk Lew Wootan, a protestant/evangelical pastor, and Tommy Valentine, from CatholicVote, to get their perspectives on should Christians vote, why don’t they, and how do we get Christians to vote?

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Original Air Dates: October 19, 2024 | Guests: Lew Wootan & Tommy Valentine

This Week – Why Christians Need to Vote

Why do some people not take action when, if they did, they could have a major impact? And this is especially true of Christians. Who, ironically, are called to be the salt and light of the Earth. That doesn’t mean just standing there. It means doing something. Taking action.

And yet, according to one study, up to 73 million American Christians, may not vote in the 2024 election. Even if just half of them voted it would ensure victory against a Kamala Harris administration that has proven to be hostile to Christians and to Christianity. So why sit out the election?

This week we talk about should Christians vote, why don’t Christians vote, and how do we get Christians to vote. It’s time to get out of the pew and into the voting booth.

Why Christians Need to Vote: Protestant/Evangelical Perspective

First up, we talk with Pastor Lew Wootan from The River Church in Salem, Oregon. Pastor Lew walks us through why Christians should definitely vote and be engaged. And some of the bad information that would encourage Christians not to vote. As Pastor Lew sees it, churches that are not engaged, and pastors that encourage Christians not to be engaged, have a wrong perception about the duty of Christians. Which is to be engaged and active rather than invisible.

Pastor Lew especially takes aim at the notion that we are to be “in the world but not of the world” and how that has been wrongly used to disengage Christians from society.

Tune in to hear from an evangelical perspective not just why Christians need to vote but why Christians absolutely need to vote.

Why Christians Need to Vote: Catholic Perspective

And then we talk with Tommy Valentine, the director of the Catholic Accountability Project at CatholicVote—the nation’s largest lay Catholic advocacy organization. Tommy helps lead CatholicVote’s efforts to keep a watchful eye on Catholic institutions and politicians—yes, we ask him about Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden—as well as defending Catholics in the public square.

Why Christians Need to Vote - CBS Banned CatholicVote’s Commercial
See why CBS banned CatholicVote’s devastating ad against Kamala Harris (click to watch)

CatholicVote came to our attention after several news sources broke the story that CBS refused to air their devastating ad against Kamala Harris’s attack on children. Including mutilating transgender surgeries.

Let’s not forget. The Biden/Harris administration has been openly hostile to Christians of all faiths. Biden/Kamala sent the FBI to spy on Christian parents who went to school board meetings to protest woke, anti-Christian ideology being pushed on their children. Biden and Kamala have defended pornography in school libraries. And they have completely destroyed the protections for girls and women in favor of biological men when they rewrote Title IX. (See our previous show on Biden/Harris destroying Title IX.)

GREAT post on X about Catholics being able to decide the election, and democrats’ open hostility toward Christians—especially Catholics, whom they label as “extremists.”

We get the Catholic perspective on why Christians need to vote in 2024. And some great ideas Catholic churches have to get Christians to vote — by bringing the voting booth into the church.

And don’t miss the discussion from both our guests about the spiritual war happening right now in America.

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Show Notes: Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

  • The River Church’s website is www.TheRiverNW.com;
  • CatholicVote, Tommy Valentine’s organization’s website is www.CatholicVote.org.
  • Study: Millions of Christians not planning to vote this November, could shape election: Study (Just the News, October 7, 2024)
    • “Christians could be the deciding factor in a bunch of federal and state races – and are choosing not to be.”
  • Why (and how) Christians should vote (Christianity.com, September 22, 2020)
    • “Christians have both a civic and a Christian responsibility to vote. … [To] vote is the beginning of our civic duty of Christians.”
  • Great thread on X from CatholicVote, re democrats’ attacks on Catholics and that it must end – Example of the attacks Gov Whitmer, one of the most prominent democrats in the country mocking the Eucharist.
  • Kamala’s Desperate Push For Black Voters, CBS Editing Scandal Gets Worse, And Plagiarism Experts. (CatholicVote, X, Oct 16, 2024)

Articles Mentioned

Related Info

 

14-30 A Nation at War with Itself | Moral Battleground in America (and Oregon)

14-30 A Nation at War with Itself | Moral Battleground in America (and Oregon)

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Show 14-30 Summary: Since its founding, America has been at war with itself. Locked in a battle between its Christian-Judeo roots while allowing space for secularism. And other religions. But the battle between Christianity and secularism is the most pronounced. And recently, the Christians have been giving up ground. We talk with author Bill Donohue about the moral battleground in America, including the hate spewed by the Left at any who disagree with them. Then we talk with Dennis Linthicum, the Republican candidate running for Oregon’s Secretary of State about the moral path Oregon is on. But we especially wanted to have him back on to talk about the elections. How do we get to a secure election in Oregon? Where are the vulnerabilities if someone wanted to cheat? And how do we close them.

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Original Air Dates: Date, 2024 | Guests: Bill Donohue and Dennis Linthicum

This Week – The Moral Battleground in America

This week we’re looking into the moral battleground in America. Yes, there is a moral war being waged right now and America. And Oregon. It’s the secular outlook versus the religious one that have been at war since America’s founding. What can we do to keep America on the right path?

We talk with Bill Donohue, an author and media personality. He has written thousands of articles and 10 books. His books focus on ethics and religion and their ongoing battle with the secularism and its attack on America and our way of life. His most recent book is Cultural Meltdown – the Secular Roots of Our Moral Crisis.

We also look at the Left working to dehumanize their political opponents, making it easier to hate them. Even shoot at someone who has been demonized as a “threat to democracy” and the nation.

Who Counts the Votes

We also talk with senator Dennis Linthicum, the Republican candidate for Oregon’s Secretary of State. If there is any statewide office that needs someone with a strong sense of morals and ethics, it is the secretary of state’s office. It is the watchdog for so much of government. The one that is responsible for auditing other agencies. And ensuring the fairness of our elections. It’s like that Stalin quote: “It’s not the people who vote that count, it’s the people who count the votes.”

We talk about Oregon and its own moral path but our main focus is on the elections. Do we have secure elections in Oregon? How do we get to secure elections? And why doesn’t this current set Secretary of State seemed to think that’s important. And why does the Oregonian label Dennis an “election denier”? (He’s not. He’s an election confirmer.”

Want to find out more about Dennis Linthicum and his policy issues? Visit ElectDennis.com.

The democrats in charge now are pretty transparent about their lack of lack of transparency. Which boils down to “trust us. We won.” What are they hiding?

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

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14-29 Split Show: Trump Assassination Attempt and Chevron Decision

14-29 Split Show: Trump Assassination Attempt and Chevron Decision

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Show 14-29 Summary: We discuss sniper expert Scott McEwen (co-author of the bestseller, American Sniper) the timeline of events, the bewildering mistakes along the way of the failed Trump assassination attempt.  And the unanswered questions. Also, the Chevron decision defanged the Deep State. They definitely would not have minded if the attempt was successful. But what now with all those agency regulations going forward?

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Original Air Dates: July 20, 2024 | Guest: Craig Rucker and Scott McEwen

This Week – The Failed Trump Assassination Attempt

We had scheduled bestselling author, Scott McEwen, weeks ago to discuss another military-related issue. But then the Trump assassination attempt happened. And everything we’d planned went out the window.

Scott McEwen is the co-author of the New York Times bestselling book, American Sniper, the story of the most lethal sniper in U.S. military history. He also has his own books on snipers, including the Sniper Elite series. So who better to talk to about what happened that fateful day in Butler, PA?

If you have not seen the Trump assassination attempt, watch this clip on X: “I was watching live and rewound the video and recorded.”

We walk through a timeline of events, what is known and the conflicting reports on many of the events. Much of the interview centers on the Secret Service’s bewildering mistakes and missteps. Not to mention the bewildering (a polite word for “completely moronic and stupid) excuse of not covering the roof, because it was sloped. Someone should tell the Secret Service director, the roof is the nearly the same slope recommended by the ADA for handicapped ramps.

Watch: A year before the Trump assassination attempt, Tucker Carlson called it. Tucker predicted that we were on a trajectory for an attempt to take Trump out.

Perhaps the most troubling of all is this: how is it that so much bungling just happened on the one day at the one event where there was an actual assassination attempt on President Trump?

Breaking after the interview – Sen. Josh Hawley: the security detail on the day of the Trump assassination attempt had inexperienced DHS personnel, not Secret Service. Also, Congressman Mike Waltz: FBI briefing says shooter Thomas Crooks had three encrypted overseas accounts.

But first… the SCOTUS Chevron Deference Ruling

We took some time off for July 4th and it just so happened during that time that one of the most important SCOTUS rulings — which we’ve been waiting months for — came down. The Chevron deference decision. (Also called, Chevron doctrine.)

This threw out a previous SCOTUS ruling from back in the mid-80s when Congress was very different. When Congress as a whole had the best interests of the country at heart, even if they approached it from different viewpoints. But it was America first.

What Chevron did was finalize the era of the administrative state, which had been growing for decades. It effectively gave bureaucrats law-making authority. Not the actual laws. Just the part of laws that matter: the rules. When Congress passes laws that have (intentionally, in some cases) ambiguous or gray areas, the bureaucrats step in. They set the rules.

But it gets worse. The administrative state bureaucrats not only set the rules, using their government-approved “experts”, they determined for themselves how fair the rules were through administrative law judges. Think of them as agency-appointed judges, not trial judges with juries. And, under Chevron, if it did make it to a federal court, the courts deferred to the agency and their experts.

It’s about as fair and trustworthy as an accountant auditing themselves. What could possibly go wrong?

Well, a lot did. We talk with Craig Rucker, the president of CFACT, about what happened under Chevron and what will happen now it’s gone. And good riddance.

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Show Notes: Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Chevron Ruling / Craig Rucker, Segments 1–3

Trump Assassination Attempt / Scott McEwen, Segments 4–6

 

14-10 CIA Whistleblower Part 2 | Manipulation and Control

14-10 CIA Whistleblower Part 2 | Manipulation and Control

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Show 14-10 Summary: We continue our discussion with CIA whistleblower Pedro Israel Orta. This week, we look deeper into the CIA itself and the Deep State. We ask about rogue operations. And his take on the recent leak to the NY Times about CIA operations in Ukraine (proving Putin right, no less, so why do it?). And what about the control the CIA and Deep State have over presidents? Is it real? It”s been going on all the way back to Eisenhower and Kennedy. Did the CIA kill Kennedy? And what about that myth of “good people” in the government? Why don’t they do something?

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Original Air Dates: March 9th & 10th, 2024 | Guest: Pedro Israel Orta

This Week – Digging Deeper into the CIA

CIA officer turned CIA whistleblower Pedro Israel Orta spent some 18 years in the CIA. And when he encountered abuses by a CIA Chief of Base in Afghanistan, he felt compelled to report it. But he quickly found out that whistleblower protections were basically non existent. Because he was the one singled out for punishment. And he was eventually forced out of the CIA. But not before he got to see how other whistleblowers were treated within the intelligence community. Now Pedro is on a mission to reveal the CIA for what it is — from an insider’s view point.

If you missed last week’s show with CIA whistleblower Pedro Israel Orta, you might want to listen to that first, since it sets the stage for this week’s show.

What a CIA Whistleblower Knows

Pedro Israel Orta was an analyst and spent years in covert operations for nearly two decades. This week, we talk to him about in more depth about the CIA itself. And the Deep State intelligence community. Which is supposed to serve the president. But do they? Or are they on their own.

Pedro discusses how the CIA and its forerunners began to take power for itself going back to FDR. Eisenhower tried to warn us about the “military industrialized complex.” And being a former general, he was in a position to know about the rising power of the intelligence agencies. So we ask, why didn’t he do something other than warn us?

And what about Kennedy? He knew the CIA was trying to steer America into a war with Cuba. And Vietnam. And he was going to break up the CIA. So was the CIA involved with killing Kennedy? Yes, we ask.

And what about all those wars and military conflicts since Kennedy? Did the CIA manipulate America into all of them? How does the CIA control presidents into doing their bidding? Yes, we ask all that too.

But then there’s the recent New York Times disclosure that Putin was right. The CIA really was and is operating in Ukraine and using it as a front to attack Russia. (Naturally, the Times is blind to that admission, even though they give Putin all the evidence.) Was it all an intentional  leak? And if so, why?

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

Trapped under a heavy object? Missed the show? Don’t worry—catch the podcast version. Mondays, after our network of radio stations have aired the show, I Spy Radio is now available on your favorite podcasting platform, or you can grab it right here. See the full list of podcast options.

Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

  • Get Pedro Israel Orta’s book: Broken Whistle: A Deep State Run Amok. That link takes you to Amazon. But you can find other ways to order it on Pedro’s personal website: www.PedroIsraelOrta.com under the book tab.
  • Pedro Israel Orta former CIA author “The Broken Whistle: A Deep State Run Amok” with Stan Fitzgerald (Veterans for America, YT Channel, Nov 7, 2023)
  • That NY Times article we discuss: “The Spy War: How the C.I.A. Secretly Helps Ukraine Fight Putin” (NYT, Feb 25, 2024)
    • Just sick and mentally ill by the NY Times writer: “Now these intelligence networks are more important than ever, as Russia is on the offensive and Ukraine is more dependent on sabotage and long-range missile strikes that require spies far behind enemy lines. And they are increasingly at risk: If Republicans in Congress end military funding to Kyiv, the CIA may have to scale back.”
  • ZeroHedge does a great analysis of that NY Times article. “CIA Built ’12 Secret Spy Bases’ In Ukraine & Waged Shadow War For Last Decade, Bombshell NYT Report Confirms” (ZeroHedge, Feb 26, 2024)

More on Deep State Sabotage

  • The prospect of a second Trump presidency has the intelligence community on edge (Politico, Feb 26, 2024)
    • Trump sought major changes at the intel agencies in his first term; former officials say he could be more radical in a second.
    • Fair warning: this whole article is rife with politics, including the spin that Trump might have colluded, we just can’t prove it. Even a pic of Trump shaking hands with Politico.
    • “Andrew McCabe, the then-deputy director of the FBI, said the bureau believed that was necessary to keep with a directive from then-President Barack Obama to compile all intelligence U.S. intelligence officials had on Russian meddling.” And that’s the problem. They stayed loyal to Obama, not the new president.
  • AI Censorship Targets People Who Read Primary Sources To Fact-Check The News (The Federalist, March 7, 2024)
    • “… U.S. intelligence agencies are highly involved in censorship, using it essentially to control the U.S. government by controlling public opinion.”
  • Putin defeated US plan for Russia – [Victoria] Nuland (RT, Feb 25, 2024)
    • Basically, Nuland admits the plan was to have a puppet run Russia
13-48 It’s Christmastime! Dating, Origins, History, and Biblical Accounts

13-48 It’s Christmastime! Dating, Origins, History, and Biblical Accounts

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Show 13-48 Summary: Christmastime is that time of year when you run into the Christmas downers who try to convince you “real Christians” shouldn’t celebrate Christmas because it has “pagan origins.” You doubtless see them popping up on social media and among your circle of friends. And they will arrogantly scoff at anyone who doesn’t echo their dismissive Christmas attitude. The modern-day Christmas downer is a lot like the downer Puritans before them: if they don’t approve it, then it’s just not Christian. For much of American history, the Puritans and other protestant offshoots banned Christmas celebrations — especially merrymaking. This week, find out why you shouldn’t let them steal your Christmas joy. We talk with Pastor Richard Peil about the origins and history of Christmas celebrations, its potential dating, and some exciting insights into the two Biblical accounts of the Nativity story.

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Original Air Dates: December 2nd & 3rd, 2023 | Guest: Pastor Richard Peil

This Week – It’s Christmastime!

For most people, Christmastime is a joyous time. Filled with traditions, family, joy, and memories and nostalgia about Christmases past. But not for everyone. Some are committed to being the Christmas downer. Why? Because they’ve gotten it in their head that Christmas has pagan origins. That it was originally a pagan holiday that the early Church co-opted Saturnalia. Or other pagan holidays. So they spend what should be a joyous time of year dragging others down and, Grinch-like, attempting to steal others’ joy and Christmas spirit.

Don’t let them.

And when they’re not pushing the Saturnalia angle, they’ll point out similarities between the Mithra religion. Yes, there are alleged similarities. But you know who’s the greatest imitator of God and what is holy? Satan. (Funny how they forget that.) They’ll say we don’t know when Jesus was born. And that’s largely true. And they’ll also say whenever he was born it was not on December 25th, in 1 A.D. Yes, that’s possible. After all, if your focus is to pick a day that something didn’t happen, you’ve got a 364 out 365 chance of being right.

Calendars and the Dating of Christmas Day

Over the millennia, calendars and dates have been tweaked and revised and reordered to an extent that it’s hard to say which day might have been the true Christmas Day. And it’s a moving date. At one time, most scholars thought Jesus was born in 4 B.C. based largely on Josephus. But better information came to light, including a better dating for the eclipse Josephus mentioned. And, drawing on other historical sources, it’s now reliably likely that Jesus was born in  2 B.C.

But which day of the year?

Well, here’s the thing: no one knows. But it’s not the date that’s important – it’s what happened that’s important. Regardless of the day of the year. That the war against Satan had started and his time holding power over this world was coming to an end. And, as with any life, it’s not “just” that you’re born but what you do with that life. The date it started doesn’t matter in the greater scheme of things.

Origins of Christmas

We welcome back Pastor Richard Peil who leads Victory Baptist Church in Bend, Oregon, to talk about Christmas, its early church origins and beliefs. In the early days of Christianity, which had many Jewish converts and followed Jewish heritage, most people did not celebrate birthdays at all. Instead, they celebrated the day when someone died. Which is rather odd from our modern standpoint. But tune in to hear other traditions and about two competing theories of why the early church thought Jesus was conceived on March 25th. And therefore must have been born on December 25th.

We also talk about Christmas time celebrations during America’s early days. Or not. Because in some colonies and states, not only was Christmas definitely not celebrated but was even banned from being celebrated.

And then we talk about the two Nativity stories in the Bible, from Matthew and Luke. Which tell the story of Jesus’s birth from two different viewpoints. And intended for two different audiences. Why does Matthew focus on the arrival of the Magi and Luke ignores it? Why does Luke focus on John the Baptist and the shepherds? And why does Matthew ignore those?

Watch the fascinating “Star of Bethlehem” 2007 documentary by Rick Larson
Try this link if you have Amazon Prime Video

Speaking of Magi, you’ll hear what some sources think their arrival was really like. And with some historical context, you’ll never think of the “Three Wise Men” the same ever again.

Christmastime Traditions and Today

Then we wrap up with some important discussions of Christmas in today’s day and age. Should Christians even celebrate? If so, why? What do non-believers need to see and to hear during Christmastime? And the same for Christians? What traditions does Pastor Peil’s family and church family celebrate and are important to them?

So when you run into the Christmas downer, spewing their Christmastime hate, remind them the date is not important. The Joy of Christmas is found in what happened that day, not the day on which it happened.

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

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Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Pastor Peil’s church is Victory Baptist Church. Their website is victoryforyou.church

The Problems Dating of Christmas

  • From Chuck Missler: When Was Jesus Born? (Koinonia House, Dec 1, 2020)
    • “We know that the flocks were in an open field (Luke 2:8). That means it was not after October, because it would have been too cold.”
    • 24 priestly courses
  • Jewish Calendar, 3BC and 2BC
  • Origins of April Fools Day (History.com)
    • “April Fools’ Day dates back to 1582, when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar, as called for by the Council of Trent in 1563. …In the Julian Calendar, as in the Hindu calendar, the new year began with the spring equinox around April 1.”
  • Roman calendar (via Fandom)
  • The Essenes Calendar (Bible Prophecy Information, via Rev210.net)
    • The Essenes (who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls) kept the traditional Jewish solar calendar, not the Pharisees’ lunar calendar
    • See our previous show with Dr. Ken Johnson for a fascinating look at the Essenes — the ancient Jewish sect, including their calendar-based prophecies of Jesus’s arrival and completion of his mission as The Messiah.
  • The First Recorded Celebration of Christmas (Christianity Today, Oct 23, 2020)
    • “In an old list of Roman bishops, compiled in A.D. 354 these words appear for A.D. 336: ‘25 Dec.: natus Christus in Betleem Judeae.’ Or, ‘December 25th, Christ born in Bethlehem, Judea.’ This… is the first recorded celebration of Christmas.”
  • Historians beware! Interesting discussion on Julian/Gregorian Calendars (University of Nottingham)
    • The Julian Calendar was the system of dating followed from 46BC onwards. It established a 365-¼ year. Except it was 11 minutes too long.
    • In 1582, the Gregorian calendar corrected the over-correction by eliminating ten days and adjusting leap years. But took nearly 400 years to be universally adopted!

The Magi, Other Christmastime

  • History of the Magi (Chuck Missler, December 1, 2021)
  • The fascinating “Star of Bethlehem” 2007 documentary by Rick Larson
  • The Origins of our Christmas Traditions (KHouse.org, Seasonal Favorites, Dec 2004)
    • “The first recorded mention of December 25th is in the Calendar of Philocalus (A.D. 354).”
  • The History of Christmas: Is It Pagan? (Koinonia House, Dec 13, 2011)
    • “Tertullian (AD 160-220), the early Church writer, noticed that the pagan religion [of Mithra] utilized baptism as well as bread and wine consecrated by priests. He considered Mithraism to have been inspired by the devil, who wanted to mock Christians and lead others to hell.”
  • John 1:14: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.” The Greek word there for “dwelt” is  σκηνόω (pronounced, “skay-NAH-oh”) which means to tent or to encamp; which is why some translations use “tabernacled among us” instead of “dwelt among us.” See this link to Strong’s Concordance for more on σκηνόω.
  • What the Bible says about Feast of Tabernacles (BibleTools.org, No Date)
    • Required 189 animal sacrifices be made at the Feast of Tabernacles alone—more than all the other holy days combined.
  • Early Christmas (Britannica.com)
    • “During the first two centuries of Christianity there was strong opposition to recognizing birthdays of martyrs or, for that matter, of Jesus.”
  • The Christmas Story – Part 2 – Chuck Missler (Koinonia House, YouTube Channel, Dec 25, 2019)

 

 

13-47 (Best of) 13-36 Activating the Church and Christian Engagement

13-47 (Best of) 13-36 Activating the Church and Christian Engagement

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Show 13-47 Summary: This week, the I Spy Family was off for Thanksgiving. (It’s remarkably hard to get guests this week, as you might imagine.) In anticipation of next week’s show, we are re-airing our interview with Pastor Richard Peil.

All of the links mentioned during the show can be found on 13-36’s show page. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving and we’ll see you next week.

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Original Air Dates: September 9th & 10th, 2023 | Guest: Pastor Richard Peil

 

13-41 Israel-Hamas War. Israel Awakens with Vengeance — But What Next?

13-41 Israel-Hamas War. Israel Awakens with Vengeance — But What Next?

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Show 13-41 Summary: Get some great insight into the Israel-Hamas war and into Israel’s surrounding neighbors. We’re talking with best-selling author, Scott McEwen, co-author of American Sniper, who has a ton of military contacts and special ops insiders he relies on to write his books. We talk about what happened, why it happened, and address some conspiracy theories. And what next? Will Hezbollah attack? What about Iran? Is the two-state solution off the table now? How does Israel build peace with a people who have lied over the last year, saying they want peace when the whole time they were preparing for this attack? And can Israel trust its other neighbors who have also said they want peace?

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Original Air Dates: October 14th & 15th, 2023 | Guest: Scott McEwen

This Week – Israel-Hamas War

On Saturday, October 7th, a Jewish Sabbath after Sukkot (better known as the Feast of Tabernacles in the West), Hamas broke through barriers around the Gaza Strip and invaded Israel. They invaded from multiple points, fired some 5,000 rockets into Israel, and attacked by land and air and even by sea.

The operation, which Hamas dubbed, “al Aqsa Flood,” had apparently been in planning for over a year. A year during which Hamas had been assuring Israel that it wanted peace and normal relations. That it no longer wanted to fight.

Making the mistake of trusting Hamas, Israel was caught off guard. Security watch posts were overwhelmed in the early morning hours. Hamas attacked. By the end of the day, some 1,500 Israelis were dead, including women, babies and infants, and elderly. And another 100–200 Israelis had been kidnapped.

Israel responded by formally declaring war on Hamas.

Was it an intelligence failure? Did Hamas simply deceive a trusting neighbor into complacency? And happened to Israel’s Iron Dome? Did it fail? Did Hamas find out the secret to defeating it? Or did Iran give them technology to help defeat it?

Scott McEwen: Israel-Hamas War Analysis

Israel-Hamas War. Golda Meir Quote: "You cannot negotiate peace with someone who has come to kill you."We welcome back Scott McEwen to talk in depth about the Israel-Hamas war. We had scheduled Scott weeks ago to talk about other issues but after the Hamas terrorist sneak attack and Israel declared war, we scrapped that discussion to spend the full hour on Israel’s war with Hamas.

Scott McEwen is the co-author of the New York Times bestselling, American Sniper, and has his own series of military novels and other non-fiction books about the military and combat operations. (See Scott’s full list of books.) And he has a number of military insiders and contacts, including in special ops, on whom he relies to write his books so accurately.

We talk to Scott about what happened but also how and why it happened. We talk about the $6 billion that the Biden administration handed over to Iran — on the 9/11 anniversary no less. Don’t tell me that didn’t have symbolism for our enemies. America is weak and bowed the knee to Islam.

Infuriating! After Hamas’s attack and a bunch of pro-Hamas rallies break out across Europe — now Henry Kissinger says Europe let in too many foreigners? Now he says it? Kissinger and his globalist goons were the ones pushing the mass immigration.

But we also wanted his military insights into what comes next in the Israel-Hamas War. A Gaza invasion. Will the larger terrorist organization, Hezbollah, join in and attack Israel from the north? What about Syria and Lebanon?

We also address some of the conspiracy theories that are already surfacing. But what does all of this look like in the long-term? Is the two-state “solution” now officially off the table? And how does Israel have normal relations with its neighbors going forward?

And it’s more than Hamas crossing into Israel. What about the incursion on our own Southern border? Could we be seeing terrorist attacks here at home?

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Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Check out all of Scott McEwen’s novels and nonfiction books on the Navy SEALS, U.S. military, special ops, and more.

Links and Info on Israel-Hamas War

Iron Dome – Did it Fail?

  • Israel’s Nearly Impenetrable Iron Dome Struggles To Stop Hamas’ 5,000 Rockets | Watch What Happened (Hindustan Times, via YouTube, Oct 9, 2023)
    • Electronic communications jammed?
    • Israelis told him, they “will sit in a bunker for a year if they have to, they want Gaza leveled. No more prisoner exchanges.”

What Now for Israel and Its Neighbors?

  • Great article: “What Israel Needs to Do Now” (American Spectator, Oct 9, 2023)
    • “Israel stupidly exited Gaza in 2005, evicted 8,500 Jews living there, and handed over the entire region to Arab Muslims, all to foster peace. That was Ariel Sharon’s folly and sounded the death knell for the Israeli Left.”
    • Hamas is not some “fringe group” that just happens to reside in Gaza. The residents of Gaza elected them as their leaders.
  • Thomas Sowell, from six years ago: “Why Trading Land For Peace Is Destroying Israel” (Thomas SowellTV, re-posted, Oct 9, 2023)
    • Thomas Sowell: Israel gave up land in exchange for peace; but they never got the peace. So it’s time to retake the land.
  • How Israel was duped as Hamas planned devastating assault (Reuters via Yahoo News, Oct 9, 2023)
    • In other words, they will lie to your face. You can’t have peace like that. And if now they say they want peace, how do you trust it? You can’t.

US Response and Responsibility

  • How the Biden Admin’s Foreign Policy Relates to Hamas’ Attack on Israel, with Victor Davis Hanson (Megyn Kelly YT Channel, Oct 9, 2023)
  • US puts special forces on alert to help Israeli forces locate American hostages as hundreds of brave IDF reservists arrive at JFK [Airport] to answer call to fight – after terrorists beheaded babies (UK Daily Mail, Oct 11, 2023)

Gaza and Hamas

  • One-Eyed Hamas Chief Masterminded Israel Attacks | Who is Mohammed Deif – The Cat With Nine Lives (Hindustan Times, via YouTube, Oct 9, 2023)
    • Mohammed Deif – Hamas leader who masterminded Saturday’s attack. He has escaped 7 assassination attempts
    • Hamas has dressed up the attack as a response to Israeli incursions around the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem
    • Security experts suggest hat Deif’s ability to evade Israel’s military can, in part, be attributed to his deliberate avoidance of modern communication technology.
  • Hamas’ Big Offer To Israel Amid Intense Gaza Strikes: “’We Are Ready For a Truce” (Hindustan Times, via YouTube, Oct 10, 2023)
  • Israel Vows To Pummel Gaza Even If Hamas ‘Executes’ Israeli Hostages; Netanyahu’s Chilling Warning (Hindustan Times, via YouTube, Oct 9, 2023)
  • No electricity, food or water in Gaza as Israeli siege intensifies (Scripps News, via YouTube, Oct 9, 2023)
  • Israel orders ‘complete siege’ of Hamas-run Gaza Strip after massive terror attack (NBC News, via YT, Oct 9, 2023)
  • Why no one likes Hamas: “Hamas supporters in the USA gather to mock a pro-Israel group that had met up to mourn together.”  (Visegrád 24, Twitter, Oct 10, 2023)

Two-State Solution

  • Two-State Solution (Britannica, Updated October 9, 2023)
    • Includes map of pre-1967 borders
    • Arabs allegedly okay with pre-1967 borders. Why? They weren’t okay with the pre-1967 borders before 1967, which is why there was a 1967 war. Why should anyone trust what they say now? Does any reasonable person actually think that once Israel gives up land, they will then be safe?
  • Mapping Middle East Peace Possibilities (Wall Street Journal, December 6, 2017)

2nd Amendment Discussion

In light of the Hamas surprise attack and Israel-Hamas War, will Israel get its own Second Amendment?

  • ‘We Don’t Want to Be Like America’: Will Israel’s Government Adopt New Gun Laws? (Haaretz, February 5, 2023)
  • Israeli gun ownership rising as violence surges (BBC News, March 30, 2023)
  • And then reality hits: “Israel eases gun laws to arm ‘as many citizens as possible’ after terrorist attack” (Just the News, Oct 11, 2023)
    • “Israel is easing its gun laws with the goal of arming “as many citizens as possible,” according to Minister Itamar Ben Gvir”
  • Israeli woman Inbar Lieberman, 25, is hailed a hero for saving kibbutz Nir Am from invading Hamas (UK Daily Mail, Oct 11, 2023)
    • “Inbar Lieberman led a group of residents to kill more than two dozen advancing terrorists while defending the kibbutz (community) [Nir Am], just a mile from the Gaza Strip. …She quickly realized that the sounds were different to those she heard during the usual rocket attacks on the kibbutz and rushed to open the armory and distribute guns among the 12-member security team. … She killed five terrorists herself, while the others claimed the lives of 20 more over a four hour period.
    • Key: “Nir Am was turned into an impenetrable fortress, while nearby [undefended] kibbutzim’s suffered heavier losses.”

Speculation and Escalation

What about Our Southern Border?

  • Thousands of ‘special interest aliens’ from Middle East countries stopped at southern border since 2021: data (Fox News, October, 2023)
    • “Special interest aliens” is nice-guy code for “suspected terrorists.”

Other Related Links

  • Biblical Places on Modern Maps: Jordan (Bible Archaeology Report, 2018)
  • What is Sukkot? (via Chabad.org)
    • “Sukkot is a weeklong Jewish holiday that comes five days after Yom Kippur. Sukkot celebrates the gathering of the harvest and commemorates the miraculous protection G‑d provided for the children of Israel when they left Egypt”

 

13-39 Marxism in America | Cultural Marxism in our Schools and Spending

13-39 Marxism in America | Cultural Marxism in our Schools and Spending

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Show 13-39 Summary: Thanks to Joe Biden and the party formerly known as “democrats,” Marxism in America is on the rise. In our economy and in our society. We see it in our schools, as states push woke ideology on our children. And now, Marxism is a a core part of teacher hiring practices. We see it in government regulation. And a key element of Marxism is to break a country so it can be refashioned into a socialist utopia. Except they don’t exist and have never existed. But with our out-of-control government spending, we’re about to go broke.

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Original Air Dates: September 30th & October 1st, 2023 | Guests: James Hirsen and Joe Penland, Sr.

This Week – Cultural Marxism

In the wake of World War 1 and the disaster of Russia’s Marxist revolution, which left millions of dead Russians, Marxists the world over began to realize Marx focused too much on economics and not enough on culture. So they began infusing Marxism into culture, like how it was “greedy” to be successful. Or that the family unit needed to be attacked and torn down. So people would turn to the State as their family. And on and on it went. Until we arrive at today’s situation. Where Marxism in America is everywhere, even if you don’t know it.

But cultural Marxism isn’t just in Hollywood films and classrooms. Now it’s a hiring criteria for teachers. We check in with best-selling author, James Hirsen, about yet another new Marxist attack on our country: “Cultural Marxism Being Used in Teacher Hiring.”

That’s the title of James’s terrific new article—among many others. Check out all of his brilliant and insightful commentary on his website, JamesHirsen.com.

Marxism in Our Government

Thanks to FDR, who flooded the federal government with socialists, and to Harry Truman, who flooded the federal government with National Socialists (a.k.a., “Nazis”), our federal government — wait for it — is flooded with Marxists. Socialists, communists, and full-blown Marxists.

As a result, the conversion of our one-time-American government to Marxism is nearly complete. And we’re quickly speeding down the tracks to the last stop on the line.

Marxism in America isn’t always hidden. Sometimes, it’s right in our faces. Like our spending on socialized giveaways.

Our federal government has been spending trillions outside of its budget. Whenever you spend more than you budgeted, you have a deficit. And we’ve been spending about 20-30% beyond our budget every year for decades. Our national debt, which stands at $33 trillion (and growing fast), is the accumulation of all those years of spending more than our income.

We welcome first-time guest Joe Penland Sr., a successful businessman who also has over 26 years of banking experience. For the last year, he has been trying to wake Americans up to the tipping point of debt we are fast approaching.

All that debt and for what? When a business borrows, it’s typically to buy land or equipment. Hard assets. Which they will then use to generate more money. Effectively, they are borrowing the means to pay off the money they are borrowing. Not so with government. We are giving money away and getting no assets in exchange for those giveaways. (Unless you consider votes for more giveaways to be an asset.)

We talk to Joe about the hard decisions ahead.

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Show Notes: Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Joe Penland’s Segments

Related Marxism in America Info

  • The Deep State Behind the Deep State (Liberty Sentinel, Sept 26, 2023)
  • Marxism hates the family structure. Check out this article: “AI girlfriends are ruining an entire generation of men” (The Hill, Sept 26, 2023)
    • It’s the statistics here that are so troubling: “America desperately needs people to have more babies, but all the signs are pointing toward fewer relationships, fewer marriages and fewer babies. There have been 600,000 fewer births in 2023 in the U.S. relative to 15 years ago. The number of children per woman has decreased by more than 50 percent in the last 60 years.”
    • “In 1940, there were 42 workers per beneficiary of Social Security. Today, there are only 2.8 workers per beneficiary, and that number is getting smaller.”

 

 

13-36 Activating the Church and Christian Engagement

13-36 Activating the Church and Christian Engagement

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Show 13-36 Summary: We welcome back Pastor Richard Peil from Victory Baptist Church in Bend, Oregon. Last time we’d talked about getting Christians involved in society and especially politics. This continues that discussion, taking a look at the societal pressures for churches and Christians to conform to a woke society, not the other way around. The media reports are the Church of England and the Catholic Church — at the urging of the Pope no less — are bowing the knee to woke. Except that’s not the whole story. Plus, there are strong and fascinating evidences for a Creator from a surprising source you won’t want to miss.

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The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, six different times, on seven different stations. Listen anywhere through the stations’ live streams! Check out when, where, and how to listen to the I Spy Radio Show. Podcast available Mondays after the show airs on out network of stations.

Original Air Dates: September 9th & 10th, 2023 | Guest: Pastor Richard Peil

This Week – Activating the Church and Christian Engagement

A few months ago, we interviewed Pastor Richard Peil out of Bend, Oregon, who’d come to our attention when he led a group of two dozen pastors to Salem to speak against the onerous HB2002, which was filled with far-left ideology. We wanted to talk to him about activating the Church and how to get Christians out of their pews and into the streets.

This week is largely a continuation of that discussion. We also talk about the state of the church — including attempts to secularize the Church of England and the Catholic Church. And attacks already here in the U.S. But it also includes scientific evidence that points to a Creator. Strongly so. And if there is a Creator — what then?

Don’t have a home church? You can live-stream Pastor Peil’s church, Victory Baptist Church in Bend, OR

The last couple weeks’ news has been filled with reports of how churches, protestant and catholic, and even the Pope have determined that churches are ”backwards” and out of step with modern civilization. The emphasis is, at least we’re being told, church goers want more of a woke approach to Christian teachings rather than true Biblical instruction. But while the media might want that to be true, there’s more to the story.

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Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Scientific Evidence for a Creator

Articles Mentioned During the Show

Additional/Related