'This isn't 1984, but 2024': Court finds British Army veteran guilty over silent prayer for his dead son



British Army veteran Adam Smith-Connor of Southampton traveled to the English county of Dorset in 2022 to silently pray near an abortion clinic for his son Jacob and "for other babies who have lost their lives to abortion, for their grieving families, and for abortion clinic staff."

A pair of officers then accosted the grieving 51-year-old father and notified him that in his silence, he had breached a Public Spaces Protection Order. Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole Council subsequently charged and slapped Smith-Connor with a hefty fine, which the veteran challenged.

Bournemouth Magistrates' Court ultimately found Smith-Connor guilty on Wednesday, claiming his prayer amounted to "disapproval of abortion."

The faith-based freedom advocacy group Alliance Defending Freedom International, which represented Smith-Connor, indicated that Smith-Connor was sentenced to a conditional discharge and ordered to pay prosecution costs amounting to nearly $12,000.

The condition of his discharge is that he must refrain from similar behavior for the next two years. He will have a criminal record regardless.

'Thoughtcrimes are now being prosecuted in the U.K.'

In response to the ruling, Smith-Connor said, "Today, the court has decided that certain thoughts — silent thoughts — can be illegal in the United Kingdom. That cannot be right. All I did was pray to God, in the privacy of my own mind — and yet I stand convicted as a criminal?"

"I served for 20 years in the army reserves, including a tour in Afghanistan, to protect the fundamental freedoms that this country is built upon," continued Smith-Connor. "I continue that spirit of service as a health care professional and church volunteer. It troubles me greatly to see our freedoms eroded to the extent that thoughtcrimes are now being prosecuted in the U.K."

Smith-Connor said in an ADF International testimonial last year that "22 years ago, I drove an ex-girlfriend to a facility where I paid for her to have an abortion. Many years later, I came to realize what I had done, and it has been a source of great grief to me in my life."

"I now pray for my son and to God for forgiveness," added Smith-Connor.

Blaze News previously reported that the penitent approached a British Pregnancy Advisor Service abattoir on Nov. 24, 2022, to pray for his son. He did so positioned behind a tree with his back turned to the clinic.

The BPAS is the top provider of abortions in the U.K. and boasts on its website that one in three British women will "have an abortion by the time they are 45 years old."

Standing nearby the BPAS clinic, Smith-Connor slightly bowed his head, clasped his hands, and prayed. This caught the attention of law enforcement.

Footage of the incident shows a male and female officer press the Christian father about his intentions.

'I'm sorry for your loss. But ultimately, I have to go along with the guidelines.'

"What is the nature of my prayer? I'm praying for my son," Smith-Connor tells the officers.

The female officer states that there is "a clause within the Public Space Protection Order around prayer and around disapproval around the activities at the clinic here."

In areas where Public Spaces Protection Orders are in effect, the "Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act" prohibits protest, "namely engaging in an act of approval/disapproval or attempted act of approval/disapproval, with respect to issues related to abortion services, by any means. This includes but is not limited to graphic, verbal or written means, prayer or counselling."

Anyone found in violation will face "an unlimited fine."

In the footage, Smith-Connor admits to the officers that he was indeed praying for his slaughtered son, and the officer replies, "I'm sorry for your loss. But ultimately, I have to go along with the guidelines of the Public Space Protection Order, to say that we are in the belief that therefore you are in breach of clause 4a, which says about prayer, and also acts of disapproval around the activities at the clinic."

GBNews presenter and former parliamentarian Miriam Cates said in a statement, "This isn't 1984, but 2024 — nobody should be on trial for the mere thoughts they hold in their mind."

"It's outrageous that the local council are pouring taxpayer funding into prosecuting a thoughtcrime, at a time where resources are stretched thin," continued Cates. "Buffer zone regulation are disproportionately wide, leaving innocent people vulnerable to prosecution merely for offering help, or simply holding their own beliefs."

'To offer a prayer silently in the depths of your heart cannot be an offense.'

"It is disgraceful that in Britain in 2024 someone can be put on trial for praying silently in his head," said Edward Leigh, a member of Parliament and incumbent father of the House. "Unfortunately we have seen repeated cases of free speech under threat in the U.K. when it comes to the expression of Christian beliefs."

Isabel Vaughan Spruce was similarly charged with violating a PSPO near an abortion clinic in Kings Norton, Birmingham.

In January, a Christian singer was accosted in London for daring to sing gospel music "outside of church grounds." The backlash over the incident ultimately prompted Metropolitan Police to issue an apology.

"To offer a prayer silently in the depths of your heart cannot be an offense," continued Leigh. "The government must clarify urgently that freedom of thought is protected as a basic human right."

Britain is set to further curb speech rights around abortion clinics later this month.

Whereas there are presently five councils across the U.K. with censorship zones around abortion clinics — officially referred to as "buffer zones" around abortion clinics — the government is imposing 492-foot censorship zones around every abortion clinic around the isles on Oct. 31. Inside these zones, it will be illegal "to do anything that intentionally or recklessly influences someone’s decision to use abortion services, obstructs them, or causes harassment or distress to someone using or working at these premises."

Andrew Tettenborn, professor of law at Swansea Law School, noted in the Spectator (U.K.):

Smith-Connor's case was in some ways unusual, since he actually admitted to the police officers that approached him that he was praying for his dead son. But what if it had been different? Many people, thus approached by officialdom in a public place and interrogated as to their private thoughts, would have an entirely creditable Englishman's instinct to tell the official concerned in no uncertain terms to mind his own business. Would this protect them? Possibly. One fears not, though. The lack of an admission may make it more difficult to get a conviction, but might still allow an officer to arrest that person.

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Chinese communists ramp up 'sinicization' campaign, removing remaining Christian symbols



The atheistic communist regime in China has long sought to crush or, at the very least, control Christianity within its borders.

According to a new report from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, the communist campaign to forcibly eradicate "religious elements considered contradictory to the CCP's political and policy agenda" is ramping up under dictator Xi Jinping.

Although the report reveals much about the regime, it also signals a great deal about the Chinese people's perseverance and enduring faith. After all, the regime's desperation now is the result of its failure these past 75 years to crush the faith of Chinese Christians with torture, murder, propaganda, and imprisonment.

Captive to the Marxist notion that religion is an "opiate of the masses," the communist Chinese regime began taking over churches and temples in the 1950s; deporting missionaries; and closely monitoring religious groups.

Pew Research noted that during the Cultural Revolution, dictator Mao Zedong sought to eliminate religion outright, banning all religious activities, viciously persecuting religious personnel, and, in many cases, slaughtering Christian clerics and laypeople. While the regime drew blood and flattened churches, the faithful went underground.

'The government has implemented the coercive "sinicization of religion" policy, which has fundamentally transformed China's religious environment.'

While there was a relative easing of restrictions in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the regime has continued to subject Chinese Christians of all denominations to harassment, torture, detentions, and executions.

Breaking bodies hasn't worked, so the regime is trying harder now to break the Chinese Christian's mind.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom's noted in its September report:

Under Xi Jinping's rule as the paramount leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the government has implemented the coercive "sinicization of religion" policy, which has fundamentally transformed China's religious environment. Sinicization, or the complete subordination of religious groups to the CCP's political agenda and Marxist vision for religion, has become the core driving principle of the government's management of religious affairs.

The report highlighted the regime's "Sinicization Work Plans," including for Protestants and Catholics, "emphasize patriotism, loyalty to the CCP and China's political system, and conformity of religious doctrines, sermons, rituals, and architectural styles of places of worship with the CCP's ideological requirements."

Authorities have reportedly ordered the removal of all crosses from all known churches and for images of Jesus Christ or the Virgin Mary to be replaced with pictures of Xi Jingping. The regime also requires the display of CCP slogans over the entrances of churches. Religious texts have been censored or removed altogether.

Homilies are censored. Surveillance cameras installed on altars surveil all church happenings.

Blaze News previously reported that to ensure state atheism takes, people under the age of 18 are also barred from participating in religious ceremonies.

'Tens of millions of Christians have opted not to join these organizations.'

These sinicization plans appear to be primarily targeting the "official" churches and associations, such as the Protestant Three-Self Patriotic Movement, the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, and the China Christian Council, which are all under the thumb of the regime. Meanwhile, the unregulated, underground churches continue to resist the regulation of the state.

According to the report, "while the state-controlled Christian religious organizations have pushed and enforced the state's restrictions on religion, tens of millions of Christians have opted not to join these organizations and instead worship independently."

Underground Catholics, for instance, "view the Vatican as the sole legitimator of spiritual authority, which the CCP views as a threat," and reject the CCP-aligned bishops installed without the Vatican's consultation and approval. Leaders in the underground Catholic church are often "disappeared."

"Independent house church Protestants face similar repression for not joining the [Protestant Three-Self Patriotic Movement], with the government detaining, arresting, and incarcerating independent Protestant leaders and laypersons," said the report.

A 2011 Pew Forum report indicated that the number of Christians, including Protestants and Catholics, exceeded 67 million. The Economist similarly indicated in 2020 that official numbers aren't reflective of the reality; that Chinese Christians and Muslims together outnumber the membership of the communist party (92 million).

According to the Christian persecution watchdog Open Doors, there are now an estimated 96.7 million Christians in China.

Open Doors indicated that the persecution level in China is "very high," ranking it as the 19th-worst offender worldwide. Freedom House, meanwhile, ranks China as "not free," giving it a score of 9 out of 100, with 100 being the most free when compared with other countries.

In its annual report, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom recommended that the U.S. government re-designate China as a "country of particular concern" for "engaging in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom." The watchdog further recommending imposing sanctions targeting those Chinese officials and entities responsible for such freedom violations.

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Court rules Trudeau's use of martial law to crush peaceful trucker protest was 'unjustified' and unlawful



A Canadian federal court ruled Tuesday that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's use of martial law in 2022 to crush the peaceful trucker protests "was not justified." Justice Richard Mosley noted further that "the decision to issue the Proclamation was unreasonable and led to infringement of Charter rights."

While a poll indicated last month that a supermajority of Canadians already wanted Trudeau to resign, he now faces additional pressure to step down. However, his deputy — who recently smirked as a reporter was bashed and arrested by police for asking her questions — indicated the Liberal regime will continue to defend its actions and appeal the ruling.

Meanwhile, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh and his socialist party are attempting to retroactively qualify their support for the Emergencies Act invocation, suggesting they had championed it "reluctantly."

What's the background?

The trucker protests, dubbed the Freedom Convoy by organizers, kicked off in early 2022 in response to the Canadian government's draconian COVID-19 vaccine mandates and travel restrictions, which greatly impacted the livelihoods of those whose jobs required them to leave the house.

A massive convoy comprising Canadian flag-adorned trucks and other vehicles drove across the country, cheered on by massive crowds at various stops along the way, until it ultimately reached Ottawa, the nation's capital.

In Ottawa, multitudes of citizens crewed outside their Parliament, calling on the Liberal regime to drop some of its pandemic protocols, which even one of the authors of Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms said were unconstitutional.

The protests took on the atmosphere of a winter festival, complete with bounce castles, saunas, musical performances, dancing, and speeches. Crime dropped in the Canadian capital during this so-called occupation, and demonstrators periodically shoveled the sidewalks.

— (@)

Not all were keen on the protests, however. Affluent residents in the government city claimed they were left traumatized by the sight of Canadian flags and the sound of honking, according to CTV News.

While Trudeau had not intervened in previous political protests — such as those staged by BLM or Idle No More activists — and had not taken similar action in 2020 when anti-pipeline activists blockaded Canadian rail lines, paralyzing the country, the peaceful trucker protests were evidently too much for him to bear.

Martial law

With the approval of his Cabinet and the support of Singh's New Democratic Party, Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act from Feb. 17 to 23, 2023. At the time of the declaration, there were still around 500 trucks remaining in Ottawa.

"These illegal blockades are hurting Canadians, and they need to stop," said Trudeau.

The Emergencies Act is a revised version of Canada's former War Measures Act, which can be invoked in national emergencies that "seriously threate[n] the ability of the Government of Canada to preserve the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of Canada."

Police seized fuel from the truckers in subzero conditions, towed 115 trucks, and arrested hundreds of protesters. The Liberal regime also discussed deploying German Leopard battle tanks against protesters; froze 257 bank accounts; and altogether clamped down on public criticism of government overreach.

Trudeau was condemned by members of the Conservative Party and civil rights organizations, as well as by foreign dignitaries.

An internal Department of Public Safety report later revealed there was no evidence of violence committed by Freedom Convoy protesters in Ottawa; that "the majority of the events have been peaceful"; and that the "disruption to government activities is so far minor."

In late 2022, Trudeau told the Public Order Emergency Commission what allegedly made the Freedom Convoy unusual was that the protesters expressed a "certain level of frustration" that was "very concerning."

— (@)

'Unjustified'

Siding with civil liberties groups in his Tuesday ruling, Justice Mosley indicated that while economically impactful, the Freedom Convoy protests neither threatened national security nor warranted martial law.

"I have concluded that the decision to issue the Proclamation [of the Emergencies Act] does not bear the hallmarks of reasonableness – justification, transparency and intelligibility – and was not justified," wrote Mosley.

The court also found that the Trudeau regime had not exhausted other available, less extreme legal options to tackle what it perceived as a threat.

"Due to its nature and to the broad powers it grants the Federal Executive, the Emergencies Act is a tool of last resort," wrote Mosley. "The GIC cannot invoke the Emergencies Act because it is convenient, or because it may work better than other tools at their disposal or available to the provinces."

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association, one of the groups that challenged the Liberal regime, said in a statement, "Emergency is not in the eye of the beholder. Emergency powers are necessary in extreme circumstances, but they are also dangerous to democracy. They should be used sparingly and carefully."

"They cannot be used even to address a massive and disruptive demonstration if that could have been dealt with through regular policing and laws," continued the CCLA. "The Federal Court agreed that this threshold was not met."

Canadian Constitution Foundation executive director Joanna Baron, who also challenged the use of the act, said, "The invocation of the Emergencies Act is one of the worst examples of government overreach during the pandemic and we are very pleased to see Justice Mosley recognize that Charter rights were breached and that Cabinet must follow the law and only use the Act as a tool of last resort."

Liberals unrepentant amidst resignation calls

While Trudeau dodged questions from reporters after the ruling, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland indicated the Liberal regime is unrepentant and will appeal the ruling, reported the National Post.

"The public safety of Canadians was under threat; our national security, which includes our national economic security, was under threat," said Freeland. "I was convinced at the time. It was the right thing to do. It was the necessary thing to do."

— (@)

Cosmin Dzsurdzsa of True North intimated the appeal might be well received, given that two-thirds of the 15 Federal Court of Appeal judges were Liberal appointees.

Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre — poised to beat Trudeau in the next election should the Liberal fail to resign — said Trudeau "broke the highest law in the land with the Emergencies Act. He cause the crisis by dividing people. Then he violated Charter rights to illegally suppress citizens."

Former Conservative Party Leader Andrew Scheer stressed that "Trudeau must now answer for his reckless abandonment of the law and the most basic freedoms of all Canadians."

Scheer said in another message, "Never again let Trudeau give a lecture about Charter rights."

Maxime Bernier, head of the People's Party of Canada, reiterated that the Liberal government is a "tyrannical regime," adding in a subsequent tweet that the decision by the Liberal government was "absolutely horrendous, violent, abusive and unnecessary."

Ezra Levant, the publisher of Rebel News, suggested that in "any healthy democracy he'd resign."

Jay Bhattacharya, professor at the Stanford School of Medicine and co-author of the "Great Barrington Declaration," wrote, "In light of the Federal Court ruling that the Canadian government violated the basic civil rights of its citizens by invoking the Emergencies Act, Justin Trudeau should resign and there should be a new election."

Dr. Jordan Peterson wrote, "If the government violates its own constitution in what way is it still the government? A dead serious question @JustinTrudeau[.] Looks like it's high time for you to hit the road, Jack."

Trudeau presently has a disapproval rating of 64% according to the Angus Reid Institute. An Ipsos poll last month indicated that 69% of Canadians think Trudeau should step down.

Trudeau appears to be in hiding, as he has no public events scheduled for Wednesday.

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Police arrest reporter after he asked Trudeau's deputy about the Canadian regime's failure to call out terrorism



Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps shot down a Ukrainian commercial airliner on Jan. 8, 2020, killing 176 people, including 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents. On the anniversary of the fatal attack Monday, a Canadian reporter dared to ask Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's second-in-command why the Liberal government has so far failed to designate the IRGC a terrorist organization.

Instead of an answer, the reporter received handcuffs.

David Menzies is a reporter with Rebel News, one of the few media outfits in Canada that does not receive funding from the Trudeau government. Trudeau and his Liberal Party have long been antagonistic toward Rebel News, denying the outfit accreditation to cover political debates; accusing its reporters of spreading vaccine misinformation; and suggesting it was increasing polarization in the country amidst draconian COVID lockdowns.

Unfazed by his alleged assault by Trudeau's bodyguards in 2021, Menzies peacefully approached Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland in a Toronto suburb Monday and asked the former journalist, "Ms. Freeland, how come the IRGC is not a terrorist group?"

Freeland, unaccustomed to a confrontational media, refused to respond and kept walking. However, Menzies kept pace with the Liberal parliamentarian, asking, "Why is your government supporting Islamo-nationalism?"

Menzies found himself having to circumnavigate a metal post but was confronted on the other side by another obstacle: a federal RCMP officer. Without identifying himself as a law enforcement official, the plainclothes officer prevented Menzies' progress down the public sidewalk.

Menzies responded to his brutal treatment off-camera, saying, "Excuse me, what are you doing?"

The RCMP officer can be seen in footage of the incident gripping the reporter, then slamming him against a bus-stop billboard.

"You're under arrest for assault," says the officer, as he roughs up the reporter and puts Menzies' hands behind his back.

Freeland, smiling, walks away

"How am I under arrest?" asks a bewildered Menzies. "You bumped into me. You bumped — I was just scrumming. I've got my credentials here and you just bumped into me."

The reporter asked for the officer's name and badge number, but the RCMP officer refused to answer. Instead, the officer told him, "You're under arrest for assaulting a police officer."

As multiple York Regional Police officers were later carting away the nonviolent reporter, Menzies told his cameraman, "Welcome to blackface's Canada," alluding to Trudeau's apparent affinity for dressing up in blackface on numerous occasions. "This is what they do to journalists. I was merely scrumming minister Freeland and a RCMP officer blocked me. And, evidently, this is now a trumped-up charge of assault, folks."

Days earlier, Toronto police took a different approach to anti-Israeli extremists who were blockading a Jewish facility. Rather than roughing them up, police officers ferried over coffees for the blockaders.

"I didn't come here to cause any trouble. I came here to do my job. And now I'm handcuffed," Menzies said on his way to the back of a police cruiser. "Meanwhile, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is not a terrorist organization? Is not a terrorist organization?! And these Liberals have the audacity to show up at a vigil for a plane in which almost 200 people were killed. 57 Canadians, one unborn child, by the way."

— (@)

Andrew Lawton, president of the not-for-profit Independent Press Gallery of Canada, said in a statement, "Police are there to uphold the law and public safety, not to prevent politicians from being asked questions by journalists who the government will not permit to ask questions in official settings."

"The Independent Press Gallery calls on police, particularly those tasked with protecting elected officials, to cease the practice of arresting working journalists who are not posing a threat to public safety or breaking the law," added Lawton.

Lawton later confirmed that Menzies was ultimately released without charges.

Ezra Levant, the publisher of Rebel New, vowed to sue the RCMP, Freeland, and the York Regional Police on Menzies' behalf for false arrest, false imprisonment, malicious prosecution, and assault.

Pierre Poilievre, the leader of the Conservative Party now poised to unseat Trudeau in the next federal election, wrote, "This is the state of freedom of the press. In Canada. In 2024. After 8 years of Trudeau."

Jay Bhattacharya, professor at the Stanford School of Medicine and co-author of the "Great Barrington Declaration," noted on X, "Freeland and Trudeau froze the bank accounts of protestors, threw pastors in jail for holding church, and violated the basic civil rights of unvaccinated Canadians. Now, her police gin up excuses to arrest journalists they don't like. This Canadian government is a disgrace."

Bhattacharya failed to mention how the Trudeau government also discussed possibly using German-made Leopard 2 tanks, designed to engage Russian heavy armor in battle, against the peaceful trucker protesters.

While unwilling to recognize those responsible for the downing of Flight PS752 as terrorists — as the U.S. has since April 15, 2019 — Trudeau nevertheless turned up Monday at the vigil for their victims, reported the National Post.

Trudeau floated the idea of a terrorist designation, but did not commit, saying, "We know there is more to do to hold the regime to account and we will continue our work, including continuing to look for ways to responsibly list the IRGC as a terrorist organization."

According to the U.S. State Department, the IRGC "has been directly involved in terrorist plotting; its support for terrorism is foundational and institutional, and it has killed U.S. citizens. It is also responsible for taking hostages and wrongfully detaining numerous U.S. persons, several of whom remain in captivity in Iran today."

In addition to plotting a foiled terrorist attack on American soil in 2011, the IRGC was found liable for the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing, which killed 19 Americans.

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Biden says Trump threatens electoral 'right to choose' after Biden official's group gets Trump taken off ballot in Colorado



A Biden official's Democrat-aligned group successfully got President Joe Biden's top rival removed from the ballot in Colorado ahead of the 2024 election. The 81-year-old president wasted no time justifying this limit on voter choice, regurgitating familiar alarmist rhetoric Wednesday night about former President Donald Trump posing a threat to democracy.

Biden's remarks were not well received.

The geriatric president has since been accused of "gaslighting," fascism, and hypocrisy over his projection of anti-democratic sentiments onto his now-verboten political opponent — an opponent who has been leading in the polls in several critical swing states

Projection

Biden took to X Wednesday to share an apparent justification for Trump's disqualification in Colorado.

"Trump poses many threats to our country: The right to choose, civil rights, voting rights, and America's standing in the world," wrote the president, whose disapproval rating is 58% according to the latest Quinnipiac poll.

"But the greatest threat he poses is to our democracy," continued Biden. "If we lose that, we lose everything."

— (@)

Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton wrote on X, "Biden tries to justify abusing Trump's civil rights and rigging the election through political prosecutions and kangaroo court proceedings. Our Republic is tottering because of Biden's abuses."

Blaze TV host Mark Levin noted, "The Biden campaign is well underway: dehumanize Trump by using the fascist/Marxist tactic of dehumanizing your opponent and repeating the big lie that Trump is Hitler, block Trump from ballot access in blue states while claiming it is he who opposed democracy, drain Trump of personal and campaign resources through civil and criminal lawsuits aka lawfare, keep Trump in court after court to prevent him from running a proper campaign, ultimately convict him of some phony crime and sentence him to prison."

Mollie Hemingway, editor in chief at the Federalist, responded, "Disgusting rhetoric from the president, showing his complete support for his administration's authoritarian attack on Republicans, and his support for other Democrat Party attacks on the republic."

"The greatest threat to democracy is the person tied or leading me in current polls," wrote Stephen Miller, contributing editor at the Spectator.

While Biden has been hyping this supposed threat for well over a year, Trump now appears to be recycling the accusation.

During a speech Saturday in New Hampshire, Trump said, "It's no wonder Biden and the far-left lunatics are desperate to stop us by any means necessary. They're willing to violate the U.S. Constitution at levels never seen before in order to win. They will do anything to win. They'll do whatever they have, whatever they can. And remember, this: Joe Biden is a threat to democracy. He's a threat."

Following Biden's Wednesday accusation, Trump responded on Truth Social, writing, "CROOKED JOE BIDEN IS A THREAT TO DEMOCRACY!!"

While both candidates have issued the same accusation, the big anti-democratic maneuver this week was actully the handiwork of an outfit run by an official in Biden's administration.

Biden official helps eliminate choice

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington is a partisan activist group that touts itself as a government watchdog. It was optimized as an attack dog for the Democratic Party by Media Matters founder David Brock ahead of the 2016 election.

The current president and CEO of CREW is Noah Bookbinder. CREW, under Bookbinder's leadership, brought the case in Colorado against Trump. Beyond CREW's partisan nature, there is a direct link between the anti-democratic maneuver in Colorado and the Biden administration.

The Daily Caller highlighted how Bookbinder has served as a member of the Department of Homeland Security's Homeland Security Advisory Council since March 2022. The group has met multiple times, including in September 2023, taking up issues ranging from so-called "disinformation" to innovation.

Bookbinder formerly served as a trial attorney for the Department of Justice's public integrity section and as chief counsel for criminal justice for the Senate Judiciary Committee. Federal Election Commission records show he repeatedly dumped cash into Democratic causes, especially former President Barack Obama's re-election campaign.

DHS Secretary Mayorkas telegraphed the importance of Bookbinder's appointment in a March 17, 2022, statement, noting he and the 32 other appointees "have agreed to serve our country as members of the Homeland Security Advisory Council at a critically important time not only for the nation, but also for the world."

The HSAC "leverages the experience, expertise, and national and global connections of the HSAC membership to provide [Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas] real-time, real-world and independent advice to support decision-making across the spectrum of homeland security operations," according the DHS site.

Following the ruling by the Colorado Supreme Court, which is entirely composed of Democratic appointees, Bookbinder said the decision his outfit helped secure was "not only historic and justified, but is necessary to protect the future of democracy in our country."

"Our Constitution clearly states that those who violate their oath by attacking our democracy are barred from serving in government," added Bookbinder.

Like Biden, it appears Bookbinder figures democracy's best hopes are anti-democratic measures.

The Daily Caller indicated that neither the DHS nor CREW responded to requests for comment.

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Emails reveal that Biden White House pressured Facebook to censor vaccine memes, Tucker Carlson videos: 'Worse than anyone could ever have thought'



Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) provided new damning insights into the lengths to which the Biden White House has gone to suppress speech and views online that it has found undesirable or threatening.

The internal Facebook documents shared to Twitter Thursday were obtained via subpoena by the House Judiciary Committee, which Jordan chairs. They reveal Facebook and Instagram censored content online following "unconstitutional pressure from the Biden White House."

Among the damning documents was an April 2021 email circulated by a Facebook employee, ostensibly on behalf of company CEO Mark Zuckerberg and then-COO Sheryl Sandberg.

The email stated, "We are seeking your guidance on whether to take more aggressive action against certain vaccine discouraging content. We are facing continued pressure from external stakeholders, including the White House and the press, to remove more COVID-19 vaccine discouraging content."

The email specifies that the Biden White House took issue with a "vaccine discouraging humorous meme," which it told the social media company to delete.

The verboten meme in question used the "Pointing Rick Dalton" template, borrowing a still from the 2019 film "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood," where Leonardo DiCaprio's character points out something on television.

This meme, which the Biden White House wanted erased from the platform, was captioned, "10 years from now you will be watching TV and hear .... 'Did you or a loved one take the covid vaccine? You may be entitled ...'" and apparently shared over 385,000 times.

— (@)

Jordan noted that another April 2021 email sent by former British politician and Facebook president of global affairs Nick Clegg had captured the Biden administration's apoplexy over the company's tardiness in censoring this meme.

Clegg told his team that Andy Slavitt, who served as a senior adviser to Biden and helped steer COVID-19 policy, "was outraged — not too strong a word to describe his reaction — that we did not remove this post which was third most highly ranked post in the data set we sent to him."

Slavitt, who stepped down in June 2021, was the Biden official who enraged many Americans after telling them they "could have all done a little bit better" and sacrificed more during the pandemic, reported the New York Post.

Despite his company's apparent censorious reflex, Clegg indicated he "countered" the Biden administration's demands, suggesting that "removing content like that would represent a significant incursion into traditional boundaries of free expression in the US."

However, Clegg noted that Slavitt "replied that the post was directly comparing Covid vaccines to asbestos poisoning in a way which demonstrably inhibits confidence in Covid vaccines amongst those the Biden Administration is trying to reach."

Memes related to vaccines were not the only information the Biden administration was actively downplaying at the time.

TheBlaze previously reported that emails recently obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request revealed the Biden administration knew as early as January 2021 — one month after the Food and Drug Administration first granted emergency use authorization for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines — that there were "breakthrough" infections despite COVID-19 vaccination. The administration indicated otherwise and imposed mandates anyway.

The Biden administration apparently wasn't just intolerant of humorous memes but also of the free press.

Jordan noted that internal documents also revealed that the Biden White House pressured Facebook to censor a video from former Fox News host Tucker Carlson. The company appeared willing to at least meet the regime halfway.

One document marked "confidential treatment requested[,] not for distribution" contains talking points apparently drafted for Clegg to "appease the Biden White House," according to Jordan.

The document states that if Slavitt asks "How was this [Tucker Carlson] post not violative?" Clegg could answer, "While we remove content that explicitly directs people not to get the vaccine, as well as content that contains explicit misrepresentations about vaccines, we reviewed this content in detail and it does not violate those policies."

Despite this acknowledgment that Carlson had not violated the platform's policies, the talking points note that his content was nevertheless being suppressed.

"The video is receiving 50% demotion for seven days as it is in the queue to be fact checked," said the document.

Following Biden's July 2021 accusation that Facebook was "killing people" by carrying so-called COVID misinformation, a Facebook document from Aug. 2, 2021, indicates the company got to work brainstorming new rules and policies to impose on users "to be more aggressive against Covid and vaccine misinformation," admitting that "this is stemming from the continued criticism of our approach from the US administration."

Jordan concluded from these and other documents that "the Biden Admin abused its powers to coerce Facebook into censoring Americans, preventing free and open discourse on issues of critical public importance."

Facebook spokesman Andy Stone confirmed to Forbes that the company had provided these documents to the House Judiciary Committee.

This late bout of cooperation appears to have been what temporarily dissuaded Jordan from calling a vote to hold Zuckerberg in contempt of Congress after he had allegedly evaded a congressional subpoena.

Stone indicated the company "will continue to comply, as we have thus far, with good faith requests from the committee."

The New York Post reported that in the wake of these insights into the Biden White House's apparent clampdown on American free speech, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre defended the apparent censorship campaign, saying, "We have promoted responsible actions to protect public health, safety and security when confronted by challenges like a deadly pandemic and foreign attacks on our elections."

Jean-Pierre added, "We have consistently made clear that we believe social media companies have a critical responsibility to take account of the effects of their platforms that they have on the American people."

Investigative journalist Glenn Greenwald tweeted, "Dem spent years denying there is a system of the US Security State and WH to coerce Big Tech to censor political content they disliked, calling those of us who denounced it 'conspiracy theorists.' Now the evidence is dispositive - more here - so now they explicitly defend it."

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Biden's top Democratic rival going into the 2024 presidential primary, said, "These new documents obtained under Congressional subpoena show the shocking extent of Biden White House's contempt for the First Amendment."

Twitter CEO Elon Musk wrote, "Extremely concerning!"

Tom Fitton, the president of Judicial Watch, suggested the documents reveal "impeachable censorship violations of our civil rights by Joe Biden."

The Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government tweeted, "It was worse than anyone could ever have thought."

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Canadian cop punished for giving $50 to Freedom Convoy, forced to perform 80 hours of unpaid labor



A Canadian police officer has been persecuted and prosecuted for having dared to donate $36.66 USD of his own money to the Freedom Convoy.

Windsor Police Service Const. Michael Brisco learned on May 18 that, following his discreditable conduct conviction under the Police Services Act, he must now work 80 hours for free as a penalty for his private expenditure, which evidently upset the sensitivities of the state, reported CTV News.

Brisco, a 15-year veteran on the force with no previous history of disciplinary actions, reportedly made the donation on Feb. 7, 2022, after he was suspended for refusing to provide papers evidencing compliance with vaccine requirements, reported the Windsor Star.

The constable admitted to posting this message along with his donation: "Thank you fellow Canadians for fighting for freedom at the base of Sauron’s Tower. The world is watching … and we see Trudeau’s true colours."

Brisco intended to send the fruit of his labor to the organizers of the Freedom Convoy, a movement drawing support from across the country that peacefully protested the Trudeau government's apparent contravention of Canadian mobility rights and imposition of strict COVID restrictions. However, according to Brisco's defense lawyer, Shane Miles, the money hadn't even made it to the protest organizers because the Trudeau government had the dissenters' online accounts frozen.

In addition to freezing bank accounts and online transactions, the Trudeau government implemented martial law, thereby squelching the rash of populist dissent. It was later revealed that members of his liberal cabinet had mulled over whether to deploy German-made Leopard 2 tanks, designed to engage Russian heavy armor in battle, against the protesters.

Since Brisco was reportedly unapologetic for attempting to support the cause of freedom — having proudly stated, "I'm ready to accept whatever penalty you wish to give me" — lawyers for the Windsor police stressed their preference that the constable perform 140 hours of unpaid labor.

That number was shaved down to 80 hours.

"Constable Brisco betrayed the trust of his fellow officers, the community and the Windsor Police Service (WPS)," said Morris Elbers, the Ontario Provincial Police superintendent who adjudicated the constable's case. "The donation which was made was in total opposition to the hardworking police officers from across the province who worked day and night to keep the peace in Ottawa and Windsor specifically and elsewhere in this country."

"The discreditable conduct displayed by this officer has caused damage to the reputation of this organization," added Elbers.

It is unclear whether Elbers feels the beatings of unarmed, peaceful Freedom Convoy protesters or the theft of truckers' gasoline amid frigid temperatures similarly did reputational damage to the force.

Elbers further suggested that "as a police officer there comes a time when you must take the political issues out of your head when you are making decisions."

It appears not all causes and protests are made equal in the eyes of the Windsor police.

Former Windsor Police Chief Pam Mizuno lavished BLM identitarians with praise in 2020, stating, "The demonstrations that we had in our city were awesome events to attend, really showing how wonderful our community is to have those demonstrations and it is a difficult conversation," reported iHeartRadio.

There appear to be no reports of officers donating to BLM or being punished for doing so.

Windsor Police also accommodated Indian protesters with the Idle No More movement who blockaded the Ambassador Bridge to Detroit in 2014. Martial law was not then declared.

Miles underscored, "This isn’t an officer who used force that was excessive. This isn’t an officer who treated the public poorly. ... This is an officer who donated $50."

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We Must Be Willing to Suffer for Our Faith

We Must Be Willing to Suffer for Our Faith