The newly restored “Christ on the Water” painting has been returned to a place of prominence at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy recently announced.

“Jesus is out of the basement!” Sec. Duffy said in a post on X. “I promised you I would restore faith at [USMMA] by returning ‘Christ on the Water’ to its place of prominence, where it belongs after being taken down under Biden and my predecessor.”

“God is good for these Mariners — true FAITHFUL American patriots!” he added.

According to the Department of Transportation (DOT), the painting hung in the Elliot M. See Room of Wiley Hall for nearly 80 years before the Biden administration relocated it to the flood-prone basement of the USMMA’s chapel in 2023.

The painting, also known as “Jesus and Lifeboat,” portrays Jesus guiding sailors through stormy seas. Created by LT Hunter Wood, USMS, in 1944, the painting portrays merchant seamen adrift at sea, presumably after being torpedoed.

Wood created the painting as a tribute to all merchant seamen, especially cadet-midshipmen who were torpedoed during World War II.

The painting’s restoration was celebrated on Monday, September 29, in an unveiling ceremony in Wiley Hall.

“I want to thank Secretary Duffy for his continued support of our Academy and the midshipmen who call this place home.”

Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 495 this week, legislation allowing any adult to sign an affidavit claiming to be a child’s relative and make medical and educational decisions for that child.

Parental rights activists dubbed the bill the “License to Kidnap Act” and “The California Trafficking Bill,” as it allows any individual to fill out a “Caregiver’s Authorization Affidavit” and claim to be a child’s relative.

The affidavit offers no safeguards such as a background check, finger printing, notarization or parent signature.

California Family Council (CFC), a Focus on the Family ally, said the bill “fundamentally undermines parental rights and opens the door for abuse, kidnapping and government interference in family life.”

In a press release, Governor Newsom announced he had signed the bill “to protect parents’ rights and children,” adding,

“Our children deserve to feel safe at home, in school and in the community. We are putting on record that we stand by our families and their right to keep their private information safe, maintain parental rights and help families prepare in case of emergencies.”

CFC President Jonathan Keller vehemently disagreed with that assessment, saying the bill betrayed parents and endangered children.

“Governor Newsom is deliberately trying to deceive parents by claiming this bill protects them, when in fact it does the opposite. It is unconstitutional, it is illegal, and no school or medical facility should recognize or accept …”

It’s basic law of nature: Young men meet young women, get married and begin building a meaningful life together. It’s how a family starts.

But how couples meet today really matters. By strong margins, most couples now meet online. Unfortunately, very few meet through family or church.

In fact, in 1960, most U.S. couples (24%) met through friends; 19% met through family, while only 6% met through church.

In 2000, friend introductions held strong at 28%, while co-worker introductions and meeting at a bar took second and third place (15% and 13%, respectively). Family introductions took fourth place at 11%.

Only 5% met at church, rivaled by online dating (also 5%).

By 2024, a whopping 61% of couples met online, followed by meeting through friends (14%) and coworkers (9%). Family was a paltry 4% and church was 2%.

With most couples meeting online, it’s inevitable that relational strength and success will be impacted.

Early research indicated that meeting online had a slight positive effect on marital satisfaction and protecting against separation or divorce.

But later research conducted by the Institute for Family Studies demonstrated that meeting online was the least beneficial source for happy marriages, trailed only by bars. Church-facilitated meetings resulted in the highest levels of being “very happy” in marriage.

Dozens of students and parents participated in a walkout at an Oregon high school last week to protest school policy allowing boys to use girls bathrooms and locker rooms.

The student-led event took place at Roseburg High School on October 8. Boys and girls alike left their seventh period class to join a crowd of supportive adults outside. They lined the street outside the school, waving signs proclaiming girls’ right to privacy.

“Honk to support our girls privacy,” one sign read.

“This all ends when enough of us say no,” proclaimed another bright orange marker.

Shannon Miller helped her daughter, Keyleigh, organize the walkout after Roseberg allowed a transgender-identified boy to change in the locker room.

Shannon told journalist Rick Dancer she met with the high school’s principle after learning two boys had been using the girls bathroom and locker rooms. The administration agreed to ask both male students if they would be willing to use the school’s private changing stalls and gender-neutral bathrooms.

One student agreed. The other continued using girls facilities.

The school told Shannon nothing else could be done because Oregon law prohibits discrimination based on gender identity in public schools. The administration suggested Kyleigh and other young women uncomfortable with boys in their bathrooms and locker rooms use the private facilities instead.