Plus, Remembering Reverend King   Fighting For Faith, Family & Freedom Thursday, April 6, 2023 To: Friends & Supporters From: Gary Bauer Israel Under Fire On the first day of Passover, dozens of rockets were fired at Israel from Lebanon, which borders Israel to the north. As one report noted, it marks “the most serious escalation” between the two countries since the 2006 war. At the same time, Hamas fired rockets from the Gaza Strip. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is convening an emergency meeting with military chiefs. The situation is very fluid and extremely tense as Passover and Ramadan overlap this year. Meanwhile, Iranian proxies have been escalating their attacks all over the region. As we noted last week, U.S. forces in the Middle East have been attacked more than 80 times since Biden took office. Under Joe Biden’s watch, Iran is advancing toward a nuclear weapon. Biden is still desperately trying to reduce sanctions on the ayatollah’s radical regime, even as his proxies are threatening Israel and American interests. We are depleting massive amounts of ammunition and weapons in a proxy war in Ukraine against Russia. The threats of expanded war from the Kremlin are becoming increasingly dire. There are reports of major activity at North Korea’s nuclear weapons site. And communist China is threatening to seize ships in the Taiwan Strait. Weakness Causes War Joe Biden’s strength is supposed to be foreign policy. But from the disastrous retreat out of Afghanistan to the chaos at the border and communist Chinese spy balloons over our country, Biden and his team have demonstrated repeatedly that they are beyond incompetent. And the entire world sees their weakness. While Iran is marching day-by-day toward nuclear weapons, Biden is publicly berating Bibi Netanyahu for his judicial reform efforts. In what world should Joe Biden or the United States have any say in how Israel organizes its courts? I believe that qualifies as meddling in a foreign government’s affairs. Because of Biden’s weakness, there is a very real threat of a major war in the Middle East as we’re increasingly bogged down in Ukraine, as North Korea is increasingly taking provocative action, as communist China is publicly warning U.S. officials of “strong and resolute measures.” Those who voted for Joe Biden because they didn’t like “mean tweets” might want to do a little soul searching. None of this was happening when we had a tough guy in the White House. But it’s happening now because we have a man who struggles to speak coherently on most days, who routinely engages in the politics of personal destruction, who divides us by condemning half of America as “semi-fascists” and who is totally inept at protecting our country. Sometimes when we have bad presidents, like Jimmy Carter, great presidents, like Ronald Reagan, have been able to come along, clean up the mess and reverse the damage. But what if the damage is so severe that it can’t be cleaned up? I think we’re facing that very real possibility, and maybe more Americans are slowly coming to that same realization. The vast majority of Americans do not want four more years of this nightmare. Fear & Intimidation Harvard Law professor and famed defense lawyer Alan Dershowitz has been blunt about what is facing Donald Trump and America now that Alvin Bragg has indicted the former president. Charlie Kirk asked Dershowitz about the possibility that the case could be dismissed before it even gets to trial. Dershowitz said there is no chance “a New York City judge would dismiss this case because that New York City judge’s life would be over.” And assuming the case goes to trial, Dershowitz told Sean Hannity, “There’s no way he can get a fair trial. I don't care if Jesus, Muhammad, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington and Thurgood Marshall defended Trump in New York, he wouldn’t win this case.” Why not? Because the jurors are afraid of the neo-Marxist left. “[They] don't want to walk around town and have people say ‘That’s the juror who freed Donald Trump and allowed him to be president,’” Dershowitz said. Just think about that, my friends. The right to a fair trial is the foundation of our legal system, and the left is threatening that very foundation. The left’s intimidation is working. People respond to fear. It’s what the left is counting on. I hope and pray Dershowitz is wrong. There are many liberals who realize the charges against Trump are bogus. But there are many progressives who just don’t care. They want Trump destroyed and they want conservatives silenced by any means necessary. The Left’s Hostility To Faith North Carolina State Representative Tricia Cotham switched parties yesterday. After serving more than 10 years in the North Carolina legislature as a Democrat, Cotham joined the GOP, giving Republicans a veto-proof supermajority in the state legislature. Like many others, Cotham was repulsed by the left’s growing extremism. She said the hate she received on social media whenever she posted emojis of the American flag and praying hands was the final breaking point. Once again, the culture war is real. Conservatives didn’t start it. The radical left did. But we can’t be passive bystanders is this fight for the heart and soul of America. The intolerant left is increasingly embracing authoritarian impulses and fascist tactics.  The damage it is inflicting on the country at every level – on education, on energy independence, on border security and military readiness – is more effective in undermining America than any foreign enemy could ever dream of. Remembering Reverend King This week marked the 55th anniversary of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.’s, assassination on April 3, 1963. Reverend King is revered in America for leading the Civil Rights movements through its most tumultuous times, for pricking the conscience of America and prodding our nation to respect the God-given rights of all Americans. As I reflected on Reverend King’s legacy, I was once again struck by the left’s growing hostility to faith. When I ran for president, I was confronted by a high school student who told me I had no right to run because faith shaped my political views, and, thus, I was violating the separation of church and state. That was more than 20 years ago, and the cultural confusion has only gotten worse. Thankfully, Reverend King wasn’t confused about the role of faith in American public life. He wasn’t afraid to speak up when the moral issues of his day demanded it. If only more pastors would speak up on the pressing moral issues of our day – like abortion on demand, radical gender insanity, the breakdown of the family, violent crime and, yes, racial reconciliation. Nearly three years after the death of George Floyd, all the corporate virtue signaling and all the money spent on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives haven’t done anything to heal our land. We’re more divided than ever. Why? Because all that is just cultural Marxism masquerading as “social justice.” It’s the exact opposite of what Reverend King meant when he talked about his dream of a society where we’re judged not on the color of our skin but by the content of our character. The left is obsessed with race and never talks about character. But back to Reverend King. I recently listened to the last speech that King delivered the day before his assassination. King’s reverence for America is very clear, and it occurred to me that by today’s standards, the left would accuse King of being a “Christian nationalist.” Reverend King loved Jesus and he loved his country. He never attacked America. He never toppled a statue of George Washington or Abraham Lincoln. King talked about how America was an exceptional nation compared to communist China and Russia. And he called on America to be true to the promises of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, and to protect the rights of all people. Reverend King faced real threats from certain elements of the government in his day. The FBI spied on him. But he wasn’t intimidated in the good fight for faith and freedom, and we shouldn’t be either. MAKE YOUR TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATION NOW SHARE VIA SOCIAL MEDIA Share This Email Share This Email Share This Email As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, donations to American Values are tax deductible for federal income tax purposes. 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