NBA player Jonathan Isaac touts faith as the reason he stood during league-wide BLM protests: 'The love of Jesus Christ is what is ultimately going to heal this world'



Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac garnered widespread attention and scrutiny in 2020 when he chose to stand for the national anthem before games — even as every other member of his team knelt while wearing Black Lives Matter T-shirts.

For Isaac, an outspoken Christian, to kneel would be to throw support behind a movement that could not ultimately heal the nation's growing racial divide, or any other fundamental human problem, for that matter. The only thing that can do that is the love of Jesus Christ as displayed in his death and resurrection.

That's the message Isaac has been sharing again this week ahead of the launch of his new book, "Why I Stand," published by Daily Wire Books.

In several promotional media appearances this week, Isaac has sought to encourage others to seek answers for their pain and source the strength to stand through the gospel message.

Speaking on Saturday at the ReAwaken America Tour, Isaac said recalled how his faith motivated him to take a different approach amid immense pressure to kneel in support of Black Lives Matter.

"Around the time, that George Floyd had tragically died ... I tried my best to see it in the right way," Isaac told the crowd at the conference in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. "I didn't view it as an African-American. I didn’t view it as a conservative. I didn’t view it as a liberal. I tried my best to combat the message from a Christian perspective. I tried to see it the way Christ would see it."

"What I didn’t want to do in that moment was join into a fight by kneeling for the National Anthem. Obviously, the fight between black and white, the fight between right and left, and everything that was going on. I wanted to view it in the way that Christ would," he continued.

Orlando Magic Player Jonathan Isaac said he didn\u2019t want to kneel because he \u201cdidn\u2019t view [the death of George Floyd] as an African-American\u201d and views kneeling as a \u201cfight \u2026between Black and white\u201d and \u201cright and left.\u201dpic.twitter.com/WUq3jWbKkY
— PatriotTakes \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@PatriotTakes \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8) 1652566972

He went on to say: "Around that time, my pastor had preached a message. The message was about when Jesus was about to be taken by the Roman Guard, and Peter lunged forward and chopped off the man's ear, and Jesus stopped him, and he said, 'Those that live by the sword, will die by the sword.' And, ultimately that Jesus had a greater plan. So, I decided to stand. It wasn't entirely about the flag. It was just that moment of saying, 'I believe that the love of Jesus Christ is what is ultimately going to heal this world because it is what has healed me.'"

The NBA player similarly told Fox News host Will Cain this week that "the love of Jesus Christ and the gospel" is the "greatest message and antidote" for the problems the world is facing.

Then, in an interview with the Daily Wire ahead of his book's release, Isaac explained that "to kneel and wear a Black Lives Matter T-shirt don't go hand in hand with the support of black lives."

What gives a man the strength to stand alone in the face of immense pressure?\n\n"Why I Stand" by @JJudahIsaac will be available TOMORROW! In the meantime, you can pre-order your copy here: https://amzn.to/3Li2oN3\u00a0pic.twitter.com/oioQzEZWKF
— DW Books (@DW Books) 1652712403

Isaac, who has also rankled many on the left over his refusal to get the COVID-19 vaccine, also articulated how his faith in Jesus has freed him to stand firm in the face of cultural pressure.

A summary of "Why I Stand" on Amazon describes the book as the telling of Isaac's "discovery that no matter your level of confidence today, God’s strength will develop in your weakness" and "that courage is found in trusting that God is greater than your fears."

In a statement responding to Isaac's most recent public comments, the Orlando Magic said, "Jonathan is a thoughtful young man with tremendous faith who has done great work in the community and is using his platform to express his voice."

Liberals ridiculed for having a meltdown because Ron DeSantis used family photos from the same photoshoot on different holidays: 'Another absurd 'gotcha' that falls flat on its face'



As the profile of Gov. Ron DeSantis has grown – mostly from bucking the pandemic restrictions that other governors have enforced – Democrat politicians, the corporate media, and liberals have targeted the Florida governor, even for taking his wife to cancer treatment. In what may be the most egregious and flimsy attack on the Republican governor yet, liberals attempted to dunk on DeSantis for using photos from the same photoshoot of their family on two different holidays. The frivolous affront backfired spectacularly.

Patriot Takes is a self-described "organization built to take on and expose the far-right disinformation machine" that pleads for donations to "allow our researchers to stay vigilant and monitor far-right platforms."

On Sunday, the Patriot Takes Twitter account attacked DeSantis for the crime of his wife posting multiple family photos from the same photoshoot on different holidays to social media.

"Ron DeSantis’ family is wearing the exact same clothes in both their Christmas and New Year Instagram posts," the account tweeted on Sunday.

The account beholden to Democrats called DeSantis a "phony" for "recycling the same family shoot photos for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years."

Ron DeSantis\u2019 family is wearing the exact same clothes in both their Christmas and New Year Instagram posts.pic.twitter.com/pctLYqnOKD
— PatriotTakes \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@PatriotTakes \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8) 1641161478

Unfortunately for Patriot Takes, their attack on DeSantis didn't go the way they had anticipated and blew up in their face. The account was widely panned on social media by conservatives and liberals alike for the bizarre attempt to discredit the Florida governor for sharing multiple photos of his family. Many claimed that the Twitter account suffers from "DeSantis Derangement Syndrome" for concocting the cockamamie attempt at controversy.

Florida Republican vice chairman Christian Ziegler remarked on how difficult it is to get small children to dress up and smile for a photoshoot, "PHOTOGATE HAS COMMENCED. Btw - You clearly don’t have 3 kids under 5. My wife and I will be lucky to get 1 photo of all of them looking at camera, let alone with smilies, ALL YEAR."

Fox News editor Emily Zanotti echoed that sentiment, "You try and get good pictures with dressed up toddlers and you’ll understand why you make the most out of one good photo shoot."

Danielle Butcher – executive vice president of the American Conservation Coalition – quipped, "So they did a family photo session and liked more than one of the photos?? The horror."

Brian Riedl – a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute – pointed out, "Ron DeSantis is by no means immune to legitimate criticism, but he continues to attract the most over-the-top, clownish critics. Every 2-3 days there is another absurd 'gotcha' that falls flat on its face."

Conservative commentator Matt Walsh teased, "Wow. This is horrifying. You mean to tell me that the DeSantis family took multiple photos during a photoshoot? This is unheard of. You have uncovered one of the great political scandals of all time. I am stunned."

Attorney A.G. Hamilton sarcastically wrote, "You really got him now! They did a family photo shoot and keep using photos for it for different holiday occasions. Not sure how he will ever recover."

Caleb Hull joked, "Ron DeSantis will never recover from this."

Political strategist Michael Caputo blasted Patriot Takes, "You know why our family took our Christmas Card 2020 photo in September? Because I had cancer and we knew I’d look like hell in a month. These people are idiots and ghouls."

One commentator brought up that Casey DeSantis is currently battling breast cancer, "Maybe they banked some photos because future first-lady Casey DeSantis is undergoing chemotherapy. Did that cross your mind?"

Abigail Marone – press secretary for Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) – opined, "You know DeSantis must be doing something right when the liberals are freaking out that he *checks notes* posted 2 pictures in the same outfit."

MSNBC columnist Eric Michael Garcia tweeted, "C’Mon. If all the things to hit him on, that sounds ridiculous. Families take tons of family photos in advance."

Another person jested, "You're only supposed to wear clothes once and then throw them in an incinerator."

USA Today contributor Daniel Darling advised, "If you care this much about a politician, left, right, or center, it might be time to re evaluate. New Years is as good a time as any."

Several commenters noted that President Joe Biden posted a photo taken on the 4th of July on New Year's Day and Hillary Clinton posted an old photo on New Year's Eve.

In 2022, we\u2019re going to keep building a better America. Happy New Year!pic.twitter.com/RWAayKDwJH
— Joe Biden (@Joe Biden) 1641060361
Looking ahead to 2022. Wishing you a happy, healthy, and fabulous New Year.pic.twitter.com/eAuCATnoVW
— Hillary Clinton (@Hillary Clinton) 1640965192


OAN cuts away from Lin Wood after his speech goes wildly off the rails, endorses QAnon, and predicts death of Trump's opponents



Former Trump attorney Lin Wood delivered remarks during a weekend conference regarding the QAnon conspiracy and death to Trump opponents, prompting One America News to cut away from the coverage.

What are the details?

During his appearance at the weekend's Health and Freedom Conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Wood made what some perceived as a QAnon hand gesture.

According to Mediaite, "After speaking about his four divorces (and how that's less than King David) Wood revealed how God forgave him and how, when the time comes, that He's ready and you've been learning, God would save all those in attendance too."

"Then he paused briefly and told the crowd 'now catch this next move,' before saying, 'He's going to rebirth you into the spirit world and create exactly the person that He intended you to be,' while drawing the letter 'Q' with his finger," the outlet added.

The gesture was not to be mistaken, according to Mediaite, as Wood went on to explain "There's your Q."

His remarks drew a standing ovation, and prompted him to continue.

"That is Q. What does that Q mean? Don't you ever give up hope on this country," he said.

From Newsweek:

Wood spoke about people worshiping Satan and said "millions" of children had disappeared around the world.

The QAnon conspiracy theory posits that there is an international cabal of Satanists who abduct children and its members include prominent businessmen and politicians.

The former Trump attorney also insisted that former President Donald Trump is still in power in the United States, and won the 2020 presidential election.

"He won the presidency and he is the person that we the people selected," Wood said, according to Newsweek. "Donald J. Trump is still the president of the United States of America. He is your president."

Around this time, OAN cut away from coverage of his remarks, Mediaite reported.

Elsewhere, Wood said that Trump critics should be placed in front of a firing squad and executed for "committing acts against humanity."

He said, "Every lie will be revealed! They are killing our children, send them to jail. Put them in front of the firing squad. They are committing acts against humanity. The penalty for an act against humanity is death. Take them out!"

The event, which "drew thousands of attendees from around the nation," according to the outlet, also featured speakers including Gen. Michael Flynn.

PatriotTakes tweeted video featuring a portion of Wood's remarks, which you can watch below.

“Every lie will be revealed. They are killing our children, send them to jail. Put them in front of the firing squa… https://t.co/5bdTuOKhdd
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@PatriotTakes 🇺🇸)1618737119.0