Blaze News original: Christians to provide happy Thanksgiving to hurricane victims in Western North Carolina



As devastating as the images were coming out of Western North Carolina in the wake of Hurricane Helene in late September, sadly, it is all too easy for those of us personally unaffected by the storm to move on with our lives. Emotions were high leading up to the election, and now supporters of President-elect Donald Trump have focused much of their attention on the prospects of his second term.

Not so for those in North Carolina. Though voter turnout was still remarkably high in North Carolina, exceeding turnout in 2020 by more than 100,000 votes and exceeding 2016 numbers by more than 1 million, much of the western part of the state, normally protected from the storms that batter the coast with some regularity, remains wiped out from flooding.

Not content to carry on with the holiday season while their compatriots across the state still suffer, some Christians in an eastern region of North Carolina have made preparations to provide supplies, Bibles, and a hearty Thanksgiving meal to those in need.

To learn more about what has been dubbed Operation Thanksgiving Blessings, Blaze News spoke with the man behind the plans, David Burke, who in turn prefers to give all the credit to someone else.

"No way in the world would all this stuff ever have happened if it wasn't for God," he said, adding with a laugh, "I'm not that smart."

Operation Thanksgiving Blessings

Blaze News spoke with Burke on multiple occasions and can verify that he is, indeed, that smart. By trade a project manager for a metal fabrication company, Burke has also been known to dabble in some cooking competitions.

"I was ranked as high as #3 in the state of North Carolina for whole-hog BBQ competition with the Roth Carolina Pork Council," he noted proudly in a message to Blaze News.

After attending church one Sunday morning in early October, just a week or so after Hurricane Helene ravaged his state, Burke sensed that he had to do more for the victims than pray or write a check.

"The Sunday school lesson was on home community service, of all things," he said. "I'm 59 years old. Never once have I had a Sunday school lesson on community service until about three weeks ago, four weeks ago."

David Burke, speaking to children at a church that donated 100 Bibles for Operation Thanksgiving Blessings. Photo used with permission.

After a series of coincidences, putting Burke in touch with people living hours away, he finally figured out what he was going to do: arrange to cook a Thanksgiving dinner for those living in an area that has thus far received little help from the government.

Citing Newland, North Carolina, Mayor Derek Roberts, who claimed his daughter received just $300 from FEMA after losing her entire house to the flooding, Burke claimed that government assistance has been almost nonexistent in some cases and that the people of Western North Carolina have more or less had to fend for themselves.

"I knew right then that's where we needed to go," Burke told Blaze News.

Burke lives near Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, a rural area about 100 miles northeast of Raleigh and more than 260 miles east — about a six-hour drive — from Elk Park, the area he intended to feed. The distance and the scope of his plans meant that Burke needed help.

As so many people do these days, Burke turned to social media, creating a Facebook page as a landing site for those interested in getting involved. And, as it were, the floodgates opened.

Famed turkey company Butterball donated 100 turkeys weighing about 24 pounds each. Glover Construction is providing enough ingredients to make 300 gallons of Brunswick stew, a local staple that Burke described as "a thick vegetable soup." Even an area prison with a farm on its grounds reportedly offered 180 dozen eggs — more than 2,100 total — for the effort.

Restaurants such as Napoli Pizza and Italian Restaurant in Murfreesboro chipped in by holding fundraisers. By pooling all proceeds from the fundraiser — including tips — Napoli's alone collected $4,000 for Operation Thanksgiving Blessings.

Napoli's owner, Mari Rizo, told Blaze News she was thrilled with the success of the fundraiser.

"At Napoli's Pizza and Italian Restaurant, we’ve always believed in the power of community. When we heard about the devastating impact of the hurricane on families in Western North Carolina, we felt compelled to help. Our team wanted to do something meaningful to give back, especially with Thanksgiving approaching," Rizo said in a statement to Blaze News.

"To the families in Western North Carolina who are facing difficult times, we want you to know that we are thinking of you. We hope that this gesture helps to bring some comfort and joy to your holiday. Our hearts are with you, and we will continue to do everything we can to support you through this difficult time."

Photo of Napoli's fundraiser. Used with permission.

The Seaboard Lions Club, of which Burke is a member, has also collected monetary and supply donations and stored them on the organization's 20-acre site.

"Everybody knows somebody, and in our world, the more people you know ... [the] better off you are," Burke said of the growing network of donors and volunteers involved with Operation Thanksgiving Blessings.

Burke told Blaze News that his initial goal was to cook and serve about 5,000 total meals on Thanksgiving Day, but that goal expanded after he spoke with a woman who had a similar idea about feeding others living near Fletcher, North Carolina — about 90 miles away from Elk Park — on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

"We got another 40 turkeys donated and another 20 hams, and so what we're gonna do is we're gonna cook all that food for those 500 as well on Thanksgiving Day, and we'll pack it in bulk and send it to her. And then all she'll have to do is warm it back up and serve 500 people on Saturday as well," Burke explained.

As generous as a home-cooked Thanksgiving meal is, the food represents just a tiny fraction of the goods and services Operation Thanksgiving Blessings will offer those in Western North Carolina.

Burke and his team have loaded 53-foot trailers with other supplies as well, including clothes for the winter, heaters, blankets, baby supplies, gloves, hats, personal hygiene items, paper products, and cleaning supplies. ORBIS Corporation even donated 750 plastic bins for storage, a necessity for folks who lost not only all their possessions but a place in which to keep them.

"ORBIS is honored to support this incredible cause and support the people of Western North Carolina in their time of need," the company told Blaze News.

Photo of supplies. Used with permission.

The details

The crew from the Roanoke Rapids area has already begun packing up trailers and trucks, ready to haul everything out to the western part of the state just a day or so before Thanksgiving.

On Thanksgiving Day, they will set up shop at Cranberry Middle School at 6051 N. U.S. Hwy 19E in Elk Park, North Carolina. Folks can begin arriving at 11 a.m. and sit down and enjoy their meal or pick one up and take it to go.

Screenshot of flyer featured on OTB Facebook page. Used with permission.

Burke told Blaze News that his group has all the supplies and donations it can handle. He suggested that anyone still interested in making a monetary donation mail a check to the Seaboard Lions Club at P.O. Box 76, Seaboard, North Carolina, 27876. Sending it to David Burke's attention and including "OTB" on the memo line of the check will help earmark it for Operation Thanksgiving Blessings.

Burke emphasized to Blaze News that "every red penny" the Lions Club receives will be distributed to people living in and around Elk Park. Ever committed to transparency, Burke even offered to have Blaze News share his private phone number in this article, an offer that we politely declined.

"I don't want people to sit around and wonder what we're doing," he explained. "I want them to see exactly what's going on and see God at work."

Feeding bellies and souls

Burke, a devout Christian, takes the biblical call to love and serve others seriously, and he is happy to use his talents as a project manager and as a chef to give those who have lost all their material possessions a Thanksgiving meal they will never forget.

However, he believes that evangelizing them for Christ is even more important.

"We're looking for that one person out there that doesn't believe, doesn't think God is real," he told Blaze News, "and it is our hope that we can change his mind or her mind."

"By showing them that people care and that God has been working this whole time to make all this come together, maybe, just maybe, we'll save that one," he continued.

Burke is hardly the only Christian involved in Operation Thanksgiving Blessings. In fact, he has teamed up with members of churches across the state to identify and reach people in need.

For instance, Burke connected with a pastor from his hometown of Murfreesboro but now living in Boone, North Carolina, who began collecting supplies sent via Amazon from all over the country. Burke also made contact with the student body president of Appalachian State University, who once attended Sunday school taught by Burke and his wife.

"I called and talked to her, and I told her ... 'Go out there, and you tell these people that you're gonna come bring some help to them at Thanksgiving. ... And I'll be standing right behind you,'" he recalled to Blaze News. "I said, 'You've been on mission trips with me before. You know exactly what I want to get done. So let's see if we can make it happen.'"

Burke acknowledged to Blaze News that some people, especially those who lost their homes, pets, and even loved ones in Hurricane Helene might struggle to believe in a loving, all-powerful God. But he added that faith in the face of doubt is still the answer.

"Why did God let this happen? I can't answer that question, but it's all within His plan," he explained. "His plan has meaning. He doesn't make any mistakes, and so all we have to do is we have to have the faith."

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Should raising children be a qualification for public office? Here's what to consider



Does the experience of raising children confer an advantage on those seeking positions of public leadership?

This conversation hit a fever pitch when a clip resurfaced of Donald Trump’s vice presidential pick, Sen. JD Vance, telling Tucker Carlson about the childless status of many prominent Democrats.

"We’re effectively run in this country via the Democrats via our corporate oligarchs by childless cat ladies ... the entire future of the Democrats is controlled by people without children. How does it make any sense that we have turned our country over to people who don’t really have a direct stake in it?” Vance said.

The left's reaction has centered on three critiques of Vance's position.

First, leftists argue it's unfair to those unable to have children. Second, they claim it's a suggestion that a childless person is less capable of making long-term wise and moral decisions. And third, they declare that it's none of your business. People can choose whatever unique life choices they want.

The problem of the younger person — or childless person without a stake in the future — making self-interested decisions is a plague on our modern politics.

But I’d like to take a step back and explore how a biblically minded Christian might see the question of whether children play a unique role in making someone qualified for public leadership. Because, fair or unfair to those who are single or physically unable to bear children, the Bible in both the Old and New Testament links a person’s family life to his or her fitness for governance.

While listing the qualifications for appointing a council of elders for governance, the apostle Paul writes, “If someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church?” (1 Timothy 3:5 ESV).

Likewise when listing the qualifications for an official position of serving, Paul mentions that deacons must “manage their children and their own households well” (1 Timothy 3:12 ESV).

Some have asked: Does this mean that single people are not able to hold these positions? Does this make a childless person — like the apostle Paul, who wrote these statements, or Jesus Christ, who was celibate and single — unqualified to sit on a council of elders?

I would answer yes, Paul and Jesus are not appropriate candidates for these two positions.

This understanding that certain lifestyles align with certain positions is deeply offensive to Western culture because we tell children from the earliest age possible, “You can be anything you want to be,” and we see the ability to attain certain positions as not primarily a matter of service or role but of identity.

However, this modern lens is not the lens used in ancient times or in the scriptures.

The pathway to become a village elder in ancient cultures and in certain places in the world today begins in the home. In a village, everyone can see the fruit of every parent’s management in how those subjected to it are fairing.

This is why Jesus quotes the ancient proverb, “Wisdom is justified by all her children” (Luke 7:35 ESV). The word “all” is important in this proverb. Fathers and mothers with multiple children have to manage the very tricky circumstances of a variety of personalities, and if, despite this enormous challenge, all of their children are thriving under their leadership, then their wisdom is justified.

But the second element that explains why raising children qualified someone for governance was their season of life. The Greek word for elder, like the English word, literally means “old man.” In other words, we want those who have fewer years ahead of them and have a huge stake in the future of the village through their growing number of grandchildren to make decisions and set the policies for our community. A younger man, on the other hand, might be more worried about himself and what he can gain when making decisions for the whole village.

The problem of the younger person — or childless person without a stake in the future — making self-interested decisions is a plague on our modern politics. We can all see how it has become the norm, and it's one of the factors responsible for Congress' abysmal approval rating in recent years as we’ve grown to suspect politics to be a game of every person out for him or herself.

So as we consider the variable of raising children as a qualification for leadership, there are three buckets that most positions on this topic fit into.

Bucket #1: Having successfully raised healthy, happy children gives no indication as to someone’s qualification for leadership.

This seems to be an extreme position, and my guess is that many Democrats are moving to this position, not because they are unable to see the benefits that the experience of parenting may give to a candidate, but because admitting these benefits is unfair to those who cannot or have chosen not to have children.

In other words, they are more concerned about their perception of fairness than fitness for leadership.

I’m concerned by the prospect of more and more people who have never ruled a household but who nevertheless rule over millions of other people’s households.

Bucket #2: Having successfully raised healthy, happy children is one of many variables and is an achievement that ought to be considered in that candidate’s favor.

This seems to be a moderate position, and it's difficult to imagine someone arguing in good faith and refusing to admit that this should play some role in evaluating a candidate's fitness for office.

Then there is a third, more extreme position.

Bucket #3: Having successfully raised healthy, happy children is a necessary qualification for public leadership.

This appears to me to be too narrow of a position in pluralistic society.

My position and the position being described by JD Vance sounds like it fits broadly in Bucket #2. Vance was pointing to the trend of childless leaders as a troubling development — not arguing they be banned from public office.

I’m concerned by the prospect of more and more people who have never ruled a household but who nevertheless rule over millions of other people’s households.

Finally, for those who have chosen to be childless and to put a political career above family life, it’s fair to ask why they’ve made that decision. Perhaps there are good reasons for making that decision — but let's hear them.

If you want to rule over us, we have a right to know why you chose not make the sacrifices required to raise a family.

Ultimately, I hope we can all agree that we need fewer leaders who use public office to fill a void in their identity and more leaders who see public office as the next and perhaps final stage in a long progression of successful leadership roles that began in the home, continue in the workplace, and conclude in service to the public.

Reaction to GOP debate #3: the good, the bad, and the ugly



Last night in Miami, five Republican presidential candidates faced off in the third primary debate. All were vying to be the #2 contender behind Donald Trump, who’s been the clear frontrunner from the get-go despite skipping every debate.

Dave Rubin, who attended the debate, reacts to what he saw at the event.

Unfortunately (but unsurprisingly), the debate was “not the most inspiring thing ever,” he says.

“My general take is that at this point in where we are at in the world, which is ... a problematic place, Donald Trump needed to be there; we have to have it out with all of these people.”

He needs to “be up there defending his ideas,” especially when it comes to the potential of “World War III, the border, [and] Bidenomics,” he explains.

Regardless of Trump’s absence, there was plenty to dissect from the other five candidates.

Vivek Ramaswamy, who Dave thinks mostly “[insults] everybody,” opened up “guns blazing” with a declaration about the state of the Republican Party and Ronna McDaniel.

“We've become a party of losers,” said Ramaswamy, adding that there’s “a cancer in the Republican establishment.”

“Since Ronna McDaniel took over as chairwoman of the RNC in 2017, we have lost 2018, 2020, 2022 ... [and] we got trounced last night in 2023,” he said before suggesting that McDaniel immediately resign.

He then set in on one of the moderators, Kristen Welker, who he accused of being part of “the corrupt media establishment.” “Think about who's moderating this debate. This should be Tucker Carlson, Joe Rogan, and Elon Musk ... asking questions that GOP primary voters actually care about and bringing more people into our party, [but] we got Kristen Welker here,” he criticized.

“The Trump-Russia collusion hoax that you pushed on this network for years — was that real, or was that Hillary Clinton made-up disinformation? Answer the question. Go,” he fired at Welker.

“That’s good Vivek,” laughs Dave.

Unfortunately, Ramaswamy’s next move took a turn for the worse.

Pointing to Nikki Haley and her path to becoming “a multi-millionaire,” he asked the crowd, “Do you want a leader from a different generation who's going to put this country first, or do you want Dick Cheney in three-inch heels?”

The crowd was “just not into it,” says Dave, adding that Vivek is hypocritically “the same guy who says, ‘Oh, we shouldn't have these scripted insults.”’

Nikki Haley, however, was quick to throw a jab back.

“I am telling you, Putin and President Xi are salivating at the thought that someone like that could become president,” she countered, pointing at Vivek, who takes more of an isolationist approach to foreign policy, before launching into her own ideas regarding what the U.S. should be involved in.

“Here is a freedom-loving, pro-American country that is fighting for its survival and its democracy,” she said of Ukraine. “No, I don't think we should give them cash, I think we should give them the equipment [and] the ammunition to win.”

“The idea that Ukraine is freedom loving, pro-American” is a bit far-fetched, according to Dave, especially since “it's very unclear what's going on there” and is “much more muddled” than, for example, the “unbelievably horrific attack” launched against Israel, who is our ally.

Ramaswamy and Nikki Haley were just getting started though. They also hurled insults at each other over the subject of TikTok, which Vivek thinks was created essentially to target the youth, who make up the majority of TikTok users.

While Dave acknowledges the validity of Vivek’s argument, the reality is “TikTok is Chinese spyware,” he says. Not to mention “the amount of pro-Hamas propaganda is 15x the pro-Israel stuff on TikTok because ... China is going, ‘Boy, this is a pretty good way of going after America.”’

Ron DeSantis was another candidate who stood out, even though he was, and usually is, “somewhat scripted,” Dave admits, but “if you want someone who does what they say they're going to do [and] has a really good track record ... then I think he is your guy.”

Haley was quick to attack the Florida governor with accusations that the state’s Economic Development agency, where DeSantis serves as chairman, “said Florida is the ideal place for Chinese businesses” and the fact that DeSantis owns a company that manufactures “Chinese military planes.”

DeSantis, unphased, responded with a succinct, “I abolished that agency that she’s talking about ... and we banned China from buying land.”

“We’ve recognized the threat, and we’ve acted swiftly and decisively,” he added, as the crowd applauded and cheered.

Dave calls Nikki’s strike a “weak line of attack” on DeSantis because “it is 100% true ... Florida has banned the CCP, has banned the government of China from buying land in Florida; they've closed some other institutions, like nobody has done more on this [than DeSantis],” he says.

Ukraine was another subject where Dave thinks DeSantis performed well.

“We are not going to send your sons and daughters to Ukraine,” he told the audience, but “I am going to send troops to our southern border ... terrorists have come in through our southern border, [and] I'm going to shut it down ... and I’m going to deport the people who’ve come, particularly under Biden ... from the Middle East.”

He also criticized Biden’s demand for $105 billion, much of which is intended to “pay pensions for bureaucrats and salaries” of Ukrainian officials, which he said “is a totally ridiculous use of American tax dollars.”

“Most of the money is money to process more illegal aliens into this country,” he criticized.

Dave applauds DeSantis’ plan, calling it “solid stuff.”

To hear Dave’s full analysis of last night’s third GOP primary debate, watch the clip below.


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Chicago takes top spot ahead of 9 other Democrat-run cities on list of America's most rat-infested cities



America's top-50 rattiest cities were announced Monday by the pest-control company Orkin. For the ninth year in a row, Chicago clinched the top spot, beating out nine other Democrat-run cities. Los Angeles jumped to the #2 spot, while New York City fell to #3.

"Rattiest" cities ranked 4-10 are as follows: Washington, D.C.; San Francisco; Philadelphia; Baltimore; Denver; Detroit; and Cleveland, Ohio.

The list is based on new extermination services rendered between Sept. 1, 2022, and Aug. 31.

Gold-medal rat hole

A Block Club Chicago and Illinois Answers Project investigation found that Chicago has chronically failed to keep up with rat complaints. It received over 50,000 complaints in 2022 and has already seen 38,742 complaints in 2023, as of Oct. 13.

Streets and Sanitation indicated the problem worsened during the pandemic, reported WFLD-TV.

Even when the city gets around to intervening, its efficacy leaves much to be desired. For instance, it has issued 117,000 rat-related tickets amounting to $153 million in penalties since 2019, but still has $126 million in ticket debt outstanding.

Facing a worsening trend, the city's inspector general's office indicated it would audit the Bureau of Rodent Control and investigate "multiple complaints about the efficiency and effectiveness of the City's rat abatement program."

Leftist Mayor Brandon Johnson'srecommended budget would allocate $14.85 million to the Bureau of Rodent Control for the 2024 fiscal year. The budget documents also noted that the bureau's full-time staff will increase slightly from 114 to 118.

The proposed 118 rodent bureaucrats will be tasked with addressing the spread of the Norway rat, Chicago's only species. The Norway rat females reportedly can spawn 50 offspring per year. Their female offspring can, in turn, reproduce just months after birth. Block Club Chicago cited zoologists who suggested two rats could turn out several thousand more inside a year.

Tommy Lawler, a Chicago resident in Clearing's Chrysler Village, told Block Club Chicago he encountered 10 rats just cutting his friend's front lawn.

"They looked like they were in a fricking resort," said Lawler. "One of them was in a puddle like he was doing the doggy paddle or something. They were afraid of nothing! They didn’t care."

A McKinley Park resident complained to the city in April 2020 that rats had been eating her 76-year-old mother alive.

Not only do rats carry diseases, but they chew through car wires, power lines, and various structures.

Despite multitudes of rats chewing up Chicago, Rodent Control Deputy Commissioner Josie Cruz told WBEZ in April that Chicago's response to rats was "on the right track."

"I just feel like we're moving forward," said the rat czar of America's rattiest city. "As long as we're continuing with our preventatives and continue doing our education and contacting people."

Silver-medal rat hole

Prior to the pandemic, Los Angeles was already facing a rat problem.

A year after a rat-linked typhus outbreak, former San Diego mayor and prospective gubernatorial candidate Carl DeMaio sounded the alarm in 2019, saying, "California is being overrun by rodents – and without immediate emergency action by state and local government, we face significant economic costs and risk a public health crisis."

DeMaio cited a report by his group, Reform California, which claimed the problem was "directly related to the elimination of effective rodent control methods and a spike in the homeless population."

The city, which has lost recourse to another effective rat poison on account of Gov. Gavin Newsom's latest ban, has only seen its vermin problem worsen since.

Packs of rats have been filmed parading around in broad daylight. They have invaded schools, closing at least one. Earlier this month, merchants along Olvera Street indicated their livelihoods were at risk on account of infestations.

"Part of the problem here is there is such a bureaucracy the way the city operates," Edward Flores, owner of Juanita's Cafe, told KTLA-TV. "There doesn’t seem to be any staffers here that are tasked with gathering them up."

According to Flores, the homeless encampments littered throughout the city are full of human waste and food, feeding the problem.

KNBC-TV reported that this year, 75,518 homeless people were counted in Los Angeles County.

Bronze-medal rat hole

New York City, which dropped one spot, has claimed some recent success in addressing its rat problem, citing a sizeable drop in 311 calls about rat activity in July across the city. The drop appears to have been a relatively easy feat, given that the city set a record for rodent sightings in 2022.

"New Yorkers may not know this about me — but I hate rats," said Mayor Eric Adams. "It's still early, but these numbers show what we're doing is working and that we are moving in the right direction. Every food scrap that we keep out of the trash and every black bag that we keep off the street is a meal that we’re taking out of a hungry rodent's stomach. It takes all of us to win the war on rats, so I encourage New Yorkers to keep composting, keep putting your trash in containers, and I hope to see you out there at one of our 'Anti-Rat Community Days of Action.'"

The city has taken various steps to crush the rodent uprising. For instance, in June, Adams announced a new rule requiring restaurants and other food-related businesses to use trash cans with lids, hoping to cut down on the mountains of exposed garbage that had long been feeding armies of rats.

Adams' call to action comes in the wake of the pandemic, during which rodent sightings skyrocketed.

The problem persisted well into this year, such that so-called rat tourism has taken off.

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Biden has now told THREE radically different versions of THIS story



Joe Biden isn’t exactly known for his sharpness. He regularly stumbles over his words, misspeaks, and butchers well-known information.

However, this blunder might be his worst yet.

He loves to tell the story of the infamous “gay kiss,” and based on how many times this story has radically changed, he either has severe dementia, or he’s just virtue-signaling to the woke crowd.

Pat Gray plays the first clip of Biden telling his story.

He opens by saying that when he was fifteen, he “wanted to work in the projects as a lifeguard,” and so one day his dad “dropped [him] off … to go get an application.”

“As I got out of the car,” he recounts, “two men … kissed one another, and I had never seen that before.”

Luckily, his father took the spectacle as an opportunity to impart some wisdom to young “Joey.”

“It’s simple, Joey – they love one another,” his father said.

Not a bad story, if it didn’t totally change, that is.

“In 2014, he offered another version,” Jeff Fisher tells Pat. “He told the New York Times … that his sons looked up at him quizzically after seeing two men headed off to work kiss each other, and he said, ‘They love each other, honey.”’

“So he turned himself into [the father]” in this version, says Jeffy.

But the last adaptation of the story is arguably the best. To hear rendition #3 of “The Gay Kiss,” watch the clip below.


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Reclaim the rainbow from the Alphabet Mafia



On June 16, the Los Angeles Dodgers hosted “Pride Night” — and many baseball fans were not happy about it, despite “Pride Night” being an annual tradition.

Why?

Outrage was centered around the fact that the organization invited the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, an anti-Catholic hate group made up of drag queens who dress up as Catholic nuns.

This original backlash led to the Dodgers uninviting the group, however, they quickly reinvited and apologized to the group after facing even more backlash from LGBTQ+ activists.

In a team statement, the Dodgers said, “We have asked the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to take their place on the field at our 10th annual LGBTQ+ Pride Night on June 16th.”

“We are pleased to share that they have agreed to receive the gratitude of our collective communities for the lifesaving work that they have done tirelessly for decades,” the statement continued.

The group received the Community Hero award before the Dodgers’ home game against the San Francisco Giants.

Jason Whitlock, like many other sports fans, was not pleased.

Whitlock teamed up with rapper Bryson Gray, "Fearless" contributor Shemeka Michelle, and gospel artist Jimmy Level to take matters into their own hands.

The group got to work and wrote a song called “Reclaim the Rainbow” — which rap fans, Catholics, and conservatives alike are absolutely loving.

The rap is designed to help people take the rainbow back from the Alphabet Mafia and remind America that those colors are about God's promise — not man's pride.

The track has been topping the iTunes charts since its release. By June 18, it hit #1 in Hip Hop/Rap and #6 overall — and it continues to skyrocket to the top.

As of June 19, the song made its way to #3 overall.

Bryson Gray is thrilled with the song's success, tweeting, “I told y’all… God will win.”


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Report: Wind energy proves an unstable alternative as massive turbines continue falling over



The wind power initiatives championed by the Biden administration have been associated with various ecological harms. However, some of the gargantuan wind turbines that have been erected across the United States are reportedly falling over before having an opportunity to inflict a full lifetime of damage.

According to a recent Bloomberg report, wind turbines have been malfunctioning across the U.S. and Europe. The problems signaling the supposed energy alternative's instability range from component breakdowns to total collapses.

For instance, in January, a wind turbine owned by NextEra Energy Resources in Dodge County, Wisconsin, buckled and fell.

WISN-TV reported that the blades and a top portion of the 400-foot structure crashed to the ground, shaking a nearby home.

Mark Dietrich, whose father owns the property cratered by the green-energy shrapnel, said, "That's a lot of weight coming down at one time."

NextEra Energy Resources said in a statement, "We believe this was an isolated incident as turbine malfunctions are rare."

Only this was not an isolated incident, and similar collapses no longer appear to be rarities.

In December, a turbine that once supplied a modicum of energy to the Northport Leelanu Township Water Treatment plant in Michigan spun out of control. The wind it proved unable to harness threw it to the ground.

Bloomberg noted that another turbine, which had once stood taller than the Statue of Liberty, had not been in operation for more than a year when in June it collapsed 90 miles northwest of Oklahoma City.

The same make of turbine collapsed in Colorado a few days later. As in the case of the Wisconsin collapse, it was owned by NextEra Energy.

In August, a massive wind turbine collapsed at the Traverse Wind Energy Center, again in Oklahoma. The New York Post indicated that the massive General Electric turbine "folded as if it was made of cardboard," seen here:

Watch: Oklahoma Wind Turbine No Match For Mother Nature youtu.be

Europe has observed similar failures, including the September 2021 collapse of a 784-foot turbine in Germany and another mammoth turbine in Lithuania in March 2022. These turbines are supposed to last 20 to 30 years.

In addition to scarring the land and threatening onlookers with falling debris, Bloomberg suggested that this trend of turbine collapses may make for more expensive insurance policies, amounting to a possible setback for the transition off reliable oil and gas.

Fraser McLachlan is chief executive of the London-based GCube Underwriting Ltd., which insures approximately $3.5 billion in wind assets in dozens of countries. McLachlan told Bloomberg, "We’re seeing these failures happening in a shorter time frame on the newer turbines, and that’s quite concerning."

If this trend continues, McLachlan indicated insurance premiums may skyrocket.

Between potential insurance hikes and supply chain squeezes, wind energy companies are growing increasingly concerned about profitability as well as the tenability of wind farm developments.

The cost of repairs only compounds the problem. General Electric reportedly had to spend $500 million in Q3 2022 to pay down warranty costs and repairs on its turbines.

GE is not the only wind energy company in the industry taking a hit. The other two top players, Vestas and Siemens Gamesa, are similarly suffering collapses.

Popular Mechanics reported that part of the problem is the race to produce bigger turbines with longer blades, some of which are longer than a football field. While 300-foot blades may capture more energy, they're also scaling up the problems that can occur and the damage that can be inflicted when they fail.

While manufacturers and climate alarmists may find this trend of collapsing wind turbines alarming, sea life and birds near the wrecks might enjoy the fleeting respite.

TheBlaze previously reported on a peer-reviewed study published in the Springer Nature Journal Communications Earth & Environment, which revealed that the negative effects of wind farms are "substantial."

The study indicated that "the ongoing offshore wind farm developments can have a substantial impact on the structuring of coastal marine ecosystems on basin scales."

Wind farms generate "an increase in sediment carbon in deeper areas of the southern North Sea ... and decreased dissolved oxygen inside an area with already low oxygen concentration."

The resultant changes in nutrient concentration could start "a cause-effect chain that translates into changes in primary production and effectively alters the food chain."

These changes might culminate in "severe" consequences affecting fish and seabird species, marine fauna, and other aspects of the environment that green activists purportedly care about.

A 2019 report from the international law firm White & Case indicated that wind farms in U.S. waters "have the potential to impact a wide range of marine life, including scallops, quahogs, clams, finfish, marine mammals and sea turtles."

Fishermen, legislators, and marine activists have recently called for an investigation into whether offshore wind farms are to blame for the recent string of whale deaths along the New Jersey-New York coast.

Extra to sea creatures, TheBlaze previously reported that turbines in the U.S. were shredding so many eagles that the Biden administration ended up having to propose a new permitting program whereby wind companies could get away with slaughtering them by the hundreds or thousands to dodge legal trouble.

The British Trust for Ornithology issued a report in 2019 noting a "reduction in annual adult [bird] survival of up to 5% following the construction of an offshore wind farm."

According to the U.S. Wind Turbine Database, there are at least 72,669 turbines in the United States with a total rated capacity of 138,386 megawatts.

As the turbines are retired or collapse prematurely over the next 20 years, the U.S. will be left with an estimated 720,000 tons of unrecyclable blade material to dispose of.

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17-year-old Wyoming basketball player dies suddenly after 'freakish medical situation'



A 17-year-old Wyoming basketball player died suddenly after a medical event, according to local reports.

Max Sorenson died unexpectedly at his home in Gillette on Dec. 26. He was pronounced dead at Campbell County Memorial Hospital.

Campbell County Coroner Paul Wallem told the Cowboy State Daily that the teen's sudden death would not be investigated as a suicide, homicide, or caused by the use of illegal drugs.

An autopsy of the junior high school student was being conducted in Rapid City, South Dakota.

Wallem said preliminary findings show that Sorenson suddenly died from peritonitis.

The Mayo Clinic explains that peritonitis "happens when the thin layer of tissue inside the abdomen becomes inflamed." Peritonitis can be caused by infection by bacteria – typically when someone has liver disease or kidney disease. Other health conditions that cause peritonitis are liver cirrhosis, appendicitis, stomach ulcers, diverticulitis (inflammation of pouches in the digestive tract), Crohn's disease, and pancreatitis. Peritonitis can also be caused by a "rupture, inside an organ in the abdomen."

Wallem told the Cowboy State Daily, "We are assuming it’s (from) an injury related to a sporting event."

The coroner said he is "focusing on the injury in the sporting event as the cause of peritonitis," but added that if the determination isn't supported by medical evidence, then "we will continue to look at other answers."

Wallen said that additional tests by a forensic pathologist were being conducted.

Sorenson's obituary said the 17-year-old died "due to complications from injuries sustained playing basketball."

"Max had an incredible work ethic and was very disciplined. His focus was evidenced by his achievements at school, on the basketball court, at church and in his social activities," the obituary read. "Even more important than those successes were his welcoming smile, kind eyes, curly locks and loving personality, which made friendship with him easy and comfortable and was felt by everyone."

His parents said he was a "smart, hard-working student, he maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA." Max also played golf, and was a wakesurfer and wakeboarder.

"Max loved his savior and the gospel of Jesus Christ. He attended early-morning seminary and served as the bishop’s first assistant in his Gillette ward as well as other leadership positions in the church," his parents said.

"Max loved basketball and in particular he loved his teammates, coaches, and the chance to travel to various locations to play," the obituary continued. "He was a member of the varsity basketball team at Thunder Basin High School and looked forward to helping the Bolts to a repeat Wyoming state championship in 2023."

Sorenson was a 6'3" guard weighing 175 lbs. who played on the Thunder Basin High School basketball team.

The Thunder Basin boys basketball team paid tribute to the teen who tragically died.

Thunder Basin High School basketball coach Rory Williams said, "I'm not going to remember Max as the basketball player. I'm going to remember Max as the kindest young man I’ve ever been around. He was just so genuine, authentic; his personality was contagious."

Williams said Sorenson's sudden death was a "freakish medical situation."

During the recent Hoop City Classic basketball tournament, the Thunder Basin High School boys basketball team honored Sorenson by wearing his #3 jersey. The Harrisburg High School boys basketball team also paid tribute to Max by wearing Sorenson's #3.

\u201cWe would like to send our thoughts and prayers to the Thunder Basin basketball team who are playing with heavy hearts after the sudden passing of Max Sorenson\u201d
— Hoop City Classic (@Hoop City Classic) 1672268636


\u201cClass act by @HarrisburgBBB honoring Thunder Basin\u2019s Max Sorenson before its game with @DeLaSalleMBB at #HoopCityClassic22 @sanford_complex\u201d
— Hoop City Classic (@Hoop City Classic) 1672354102

NATO and China showcase their latest killer drones, turning page on autonomous ground warfare



October was a big month for ground-based killer drones. The Royal Netherlands Army announced on Oct. 14 that it had begun armed robot trials, deploying four armed and unmanned tanks to Lithuania. China similarly showcased defense contractor Kestrel's "combat dog" system in an Oct. 3 video demonstrating the unmanned ground vehicle's carriage by aerial drone and ability to run with a light machine gun.

While UGVs are presently an unreliable supplement to flesh-and-blood ground forces, their development and growing capabilities may signal their future adoption as soulless substitutes.

A new breed of dog

A social media account affiliated with Chinese defense contractor Kestrel released a video earlier this month of an unmanned aerial vehicle dropping off a robotic four-legged dog equipped with what WarZone reported was possibly a Chinese QBB-97 light machine gun, capable of firing 650 rounds per minute.

\u201cBlood-Wing, a Chinese defense contractor, demonstrates drone-deploying an armed robodog.\n\nThe Future is Now.\u201d
— Lia Wong (@Lia Wong) 1664871123

A translation of the post in which the video first appeared on the Chinese micro-blog site Weibo said, "War dogs descending from the sky ... Red Wing forward heavy-duty drones deliver combat robot dogs, which can be directly inserted ... behind the enemy to launch a surprise attack."

The post also suggested that the UGV could "be placed on the rooftops and work with troops on the ground to ambush enemies inside buildings."

A longer version of the demonstration shows the Chinese UGV climbing stairs and performing simulated ground operations with human companions.

Kestrel Defense Blood-Wing | Military promotional video #3 youtu.be

The same Chinese defense firm also released a video revealing the doglike UGV's ability to carry a loitering munitions launcher.

\u201cChina\u2019s Kestrel Defense demonstrates a robo-dog that carries a loitering munitions launcher. Welcome to your next war tech... https://t.co/4FNUBqy2F2\u201d
— Samuel Bendett (@Samuel Bendett) 1661033547

Unmanned tanks

Armored UGVs are not unprecedented, but have historically been grossly ineffective.

Russia, for instance, deployed its semi-autonomous Uran-9 tanks in Syria in 2016, which proved to be more trouble than they were worth. The technology is, however, improving.

Janes reported that the Royal Netherlands Army became the first Western military to start operational trials with UGVs.

Lt. Col. Sjoerd Mevissen explained that the four Tracked Hybrid Modular Infantry Systems tanks that were deployed with the Netherlands' 13th Light Brigade to Lithuania last month "have been handed over for experimental use in an operational unit in a military-relevant environment."

"These are not simply tests on a training ground," said Mevissen. "We are under the direct eyes and ears of the Russians, and as such in a semi-operational environment.

The THeMIS tank's various capabilities are showcased in this video:

THeMIS UGV with the PROTECTOR RWS youtu.be

General Dynamics announced on Oct. 4 that it would be unveiling the AbramsX, a modified version of the Abrams battle tank. Although it will not be a fully unmanned vehicle, General Dynamics indicated that it will have a "reduced crew size and AI-enabled lethality, survivability, mobility, manned/unmanned teaming ... and autonomous capabilities."

Remote-controlled terrors

Killer drones have long been a feature of modern combat. Unmanned aerial vehicles have been on the scene since the 1990s. The Guardian reported that one of their first impactful deployments was in the 1999 Kosovo war, when they were used to identify hidden Serbian positions.

Slate reported that in January 2001, the U.S. armed a Predator drone for the first time, equipping it with a laser-seeker and a Hellfire air-to-ground missile. Several months later, after the Sept. 11 terror attacks, the U.S. recorded its first drone kill when, on Nov. 14, 2001, a Predator-launched Hellfire missile obliterated al Qaeda's Mohammed Atef and six of his terrorist allies.

Drones have been shown to be capable of hitting hard and airborne targets as well.

The first UAV air-to-air kill was recorded in 2017, when a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone shot down another with an infrared guided air-to-air missile, but by then drones were already ubiquitous.

This year, hundreds of lightweight U.S. Switchblades have been deployed in Ukraine, where they have been used to strike small targets.

This is the Power of the Switchblade Drone That Is So Scary! youtu.be

Janes indicated that by 2030, over 80,000 surveillance drones and nearly 2,000 attack drones will have been purchased. A 2019 estimate indicated that the biggest purchaser of combat drones over the next decade would be the United States, with over 1,000 prospective purchases. China was a distant second, looking to acquire only 68 drones.

With tensions rising between the U.S. and both China and Russia, as well as smaller international conflicts, those estimates may prove conservative.

Actual journalist questions viral '10-year-old rape victim denied abortion' story — and she brings RECEIPTS



A disturbing story about a 10-year-old girl in Ohio, a rape victim who had to travel to the neighboring state of Indiana to get an abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, has recently gone viral.

While the corporate media and pro-abortionists jumped all over the opportunity to use this horrific alleged crime as a political weapon against pro-life politicians, such as South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem (R), a few actual journalists raised questions. PJ Media’s Megan Fox said the alleged story gave her "serious pause for a number of reasons," so she dug up some interesting information, which she shared in the following (very long) Twitter thread:


\u201cThe story about a 10 yr old pregnant girl who had to go from Ohio to IN for an abortion gives me serious pause for a number of reasons. There are many red flags.\ud83d\udea9I'm going to detail them here.\u201d
— Megan Fox (@Megan Fox) 1657054914
\u201c\ud83d\udea9 #1. A pregnant 10 year old is evidence of a heinous crime against a child but in every article (and there are SO MANY) thre is no mention of criminal investigation, no police involvement, not even a town where this allegedly occurred.\u201d
— Megan Fox (@Megan Fox) 1657054914
\u201c\ud83d\udea9 #2 An unnamed alleged "child abuse" doctor called Dr. Caitlyn Bernard (an abortionist in Indiana) to ask for help. But any doctor who knows of abuse would be required to also call law enforcement. There should be a criminal investigation going involving Ohio DFS and police.\u201d
— Megan Fox (@Megan Fox) 1657054914
\u201c\ud83d\udea9 #3 which maybe should be #1 The TIMING of this horrific story is too on the nose. Roe v. Wade was just overturned. The media is desperate for stories to push the pro-abortion narrative, stoke fear, anger, and division. They love this.\u201d
— Megan Fox (@Megan Fox) 1657054914
\u201c\ud83d\udea9 #4 The article first published in the Indy Star, a local Ohio paper's site but in record time was picked up by huge international press. On the 2nd, The Hill and Newsweek had it and by the 3rd, The Guardian had it, and by the 4th it was on TMZ, reaching all the kids.\u201d
— Megan Fox (@Megan Fox) 1657054914
\u201cI heard about it from a teenager at a 4th party and a red flag went off big-time. If the kids have heard about it it was placed where they will see it intentionally. Fake news is always sold to the young'ns because they will swallow it the fastest. https://t.co/URgBsDgXa5\u201d
— Megan Fox (@Megan Fox) 1657054914
\u201c\ud83d\udea9 #5 It was immediately used as a political weapon against Republican Governor Kristi Noem and will be used against other pro-life politicians to make them answer this possibly hypothetical or made-up scenario to win political hit points.\u201d
— Megan Fox (@Megan Fox) 1657054914
\u201c\ud83d\udea9 #6 #DrCaitlynBernard, the only source, is an abortionist and has been in the NYT participating in an anti-Trump hit piece and is clearly an activist. She has a stake in preserving abortion, it literally pays her bills. https://t.co/fdQJFxQNgO\u201d
— Megan Fox (@Megan Fox) 1657054914
\u201c\ud83d\udea9 #7 There's no way to verify Bernard's claim. She has doctor patient confidentiality. No one can FOIA her. The media won't ask any questions and even if they did she wouldn't answer. There is no proof that this 10-year-old even exists and yet the media ran with it full tilt.\u201d
— Megan Fox (@Megan Fox) 1657054914
\u201c\ud83d\udea9 #8 Jennifer Rubin used this to batter conservatives, her former colleagues, in the Washington Post. This further gives me serious doubts about the veracity of the story. Rubin is a notorious tool for the left using this story to harm pro-lifers https://t.co/y6hJ7dF2ti.\u201d
— Megan Fox (@Megan Fox) 1657054914
\u201c\ud83d\udea9 #9 Why don't any of them care about the crime committed against the child? Lawmakers in OH should demand an investigation into who raped this child. They are the only ones who can get information through DFS and help the girl seek justice for the crime, if it happened. Did it?\u201d
— Megan Fox (@Megan Fox) 1657054914
\u201c\ud83d\udea9 #10, #DrCaitlynBernard got a call from another doctor asking for help for a horribly abused child and her first instinct was to call the media. That should make you all stop and think for a minute. What's really going on here?\u201d
— Megan Fox (@Megan Fox) 1657054916
\u201cHere's what the spread over time through media looks like according to the first two pages of a Google search. I'm going to do other search terms. But this story had legs. Is that an accident that it got maximum coverage?\u201d
— Megan Fox (@Megan Fox) 1657054917
\u201cHere she is again #CaitlinBernard in June interviewed by PBS, crying. Predicting doom...the very thing she's now claiming. How is she in contact with so much media? https://t.co/ev5cFoKY8R\u201d
— Megan Fox (@Megan Fox) 1657054918
\u201cThe big question now is why was it the @indystar that reported this exclusively of all local OH news stations (CBS, ABC, NBC) that didn't? According to star site, they are owned by Gannet Co., a huge media company. But Gannet's site doesn't list them. So is this still accurate?\u201d
— Megan Fox (@Megan Fox) 1657054919
\u201cAnd here's #DrCaitlinBernard again! More media coverage in June before this alleged incident where she is predicting doom. She's a serious abortion activist https://t.co/EXQutniDfb\u201d
— Megan Fox (@Megan Fox) 1657054919
\u201cAnd AGAIN! On June 30th in YET ANOTHER publication! This woman sure gets around. WTHR this time. https://t.co/Yx7PjfzArT\u201d
— Megan Fox (@Megan Fox) 1657054920
\u201cBy the time I'm done it's going to be harder to find news outlets #DrCaitlinBernard is NOT in. Here she is in Politico on June 19th.\u201d
— Megan Fox (@Megan Fox) 1657054920
\u201cAnd here she is again July 5th in The Republic. https://t.co/zj3yLUvzpM\u201d
— Megan Fox (@Megan Fox) 1657054921
\u201cHere's #DrCaitlinBernard encouraging women to give themselves abortions. No, really. In the Herald Bulletin on July 5. How does she have time to do abortions between media hits? https://t.co/7rF2C3qIBx\u201d
— Megan Fox (@Megan Fox) 1657054922
\u201cHere's an updated graph on the related media featuring #DrCaitlinBernard and this story or "women are going to die" because of Roe stories she was involved in. Still going. This is going to be a big spreadsheet by the time I'm done\u201d
— Megan Fox (@Megan Fox) 1657054922
\u201c#DrCaitlinBernard is also the plaintiff in a case to fight the abortion restrictions in the 2nd trimester https://t.co/cbZkAHnEGX\u201d
— Megan Fox (@Megan Fox) 1657056654
\u201cThis is the law #DrCaitlinBernard is suing over. She wants to tear second trimester babies limb from limb. The ACLU is helping her do this. This is from her lawsuit\u201d
— Megan Fox (@Megan Fox) 1657057174
\u201c#CaitlinBernard sued to stop a law in IN that would outlaw dismemberment abortions in the 2nd trimester and won. Now that Roe is overturned the state is asking to have that injunction lifted. Naturally, Bernard is spitting nails. https://t.co/wXXHTCWHbV\u201d
— Megan Fox (@Megan Fox) 1657059938
\u201cHere is #DrCaitlinBernard again on July 1 but this time instead of encouraging self-abortions, she now says they're "risky" and is blaming Republicans for them. See above where she said self-abortions are an option for women though, contradicting herself. https://t.co/Oubqm4hMDt\u201d
— Megan Fox (@Megan Fox) 1657060125
\u201cI think this is all of the news stories from this one claim by #DrCaitlinBernard. Notice that there are no local Ohio stations reporting. Just IndyStar. But from that one article all of these outlets ran with it. I have questions.\u201d
— Megan Fox (@Megan Fox) 1657065199
\u201cNot even Snopes can confirm this story. They want to, but they can't. #DrCaitlinBernard doesn't return anyone's calls. I wonder why that is? https://t.co/6StA75K8tx\u201d
— Megan Fox (@Megan Fox) 1657065352
\u201cHere's my press inquiry to the editor of the @indystar which I don't think he will respond to, but it's worth a shot. What kind of vetting happened here?\u201d
— Megan Fox (@Megan Fox) 1657065722

On the latest episode of "Relatable," BlazeTV host Allie Beth Stuckey also had more than a few questions about the "suspicious" viral story about a pregnant 10-year-old rape victim in Ohio who needs an abortion. She went over all the red flags with this story that have some questioning whether it's even true.

Watch the video below. Can't watch? Download the podcast here.


Today we're covering a few stories going around the news, starting with viral allegations that there is a pregnant 10-year-old girl in Ohio who needs an abor...

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