The Bishop v. The President
President Trump, Vice President Vance, and their families attended one of many inaugural traditions yesterday – a prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral. The cathedral is part of the Episcopal Church, and the Right Reverend Mariann Budde, the bishop of Washington, delivered the sermon.
Sadly, the Episcopal Church, like a number of mainline Protestant denominations, has gone far left, supporting open borders, abortion on demand, and every demand of the LGBTQ movement. And it was evident from the bishop’s woke rant.
Budde is obviously an anti-Trump, anti-orthodoxy, and I would argue anti-Christian bishop. The president gets no mercy from the media or his political opponents. By God’s grace he survived assassination attempts.
But she used the nonpartisan prayer service to demand that President Trump demonstrate mercy for transgender rights and rights for illegal migrants.
I can find no evidence that Bishop Budde has preached sermons asking for mercy for the victims of criminal illegal aliens. Where is her mercy for American workers of all races whose wages are undercut by illegal aliens?
Mercy for the transgender movement? How about mercy for the little children whose bodies are being mutilated in the name of a sick, anti-God ideology?
Of course, Bishop Budde immediately became a hero to the left. She was on CNN last night. She’ll probably have a book deal by the end of the day. And all this praise is being showered on her by people who regularly lecture us about the separation of church and state.
When Mother Teresa looked at Bill Clinton during a prayer breakfast to make a pro-life point, she came under incredible fire. That wasn’t even in a church, and her comments were completely in character, given her life’s work.
Budde didn’t quote Bible verses because there aren’t any supporting transgenderism. You won’t find verses supporting lawbreaking either. By the way, bishop, mercy comes after justice.
The hypocrites here are not conservatives. We would love it if more pastors would teach the Bible. Preborn children get no mercy at all. A million of them die every year. But Bishop Budde is worried about accommodating the minuscule number of people who are deeply confused about their own gender.
God was everywhere in the Capitol Rotunda during Donald Trump’s inauguration. From the prayers of Cardinal Dolan, Reverend Graham, and Rabbi Berman to the fresco on the ceiling of George Washington ascending to heaven and the hymns that were sung. But the next day, Trump goes to a church service, and it’s pretty clear that God was not in the pulpit at the National Cathedral. The president was right to demand an apology to the American people from the bishop and the Episcopal Church.
Common Sense Returns
There are many good things happening in Washington, D.C., right now! The Trump/Vance administration is wasting no time draining the Swamp and bringing a desperately needed infusion of common sense to the nation’s capital.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio sent a memo to all State Department employees making it clear that the department’s focus is changing dramatically. Rubio instructed the State Department to end any “activities that facilitate or encourage” illegal immigration.
In addition, resettlement programs have been suspended. Enhanced vetting has been ordered for individuals coming from “nations with identified security risks.” And all foreign aid programs have been suspended for a 90-day review to ensure compliance with the Trump administration’s priorities.
Rubio also told our overseas diplomats that the days of American diplomacy pushing “cultural causes that are divisive at home and deeply unpopular abroad” are over.
What is he referring to? The Biden administration flew LGBTQ flags outside our embassies in nations where such practices are “deeply unpopular.” That was the face of America Biden was presenting around the world. Rubio declared that only the United States flag will be flown outside our embassies.
The Biden administration had been sanctioning individual Orthodox Jews in Israel who believe they have a God-given right to live in Judea and Samaria. Our addled former president and his neo-Marxist team had the hubris to financially punish conservative Jews because they were living in the land of Christ and of Abraham. Those sanctions are have now been revoked.
On a related matter, Rep. Elise Stefanik, Trump’s nominee to be ambassador to the United Nations, said in her confirmation hearing yesterday that she was motivated to take the U.N. post to fight “the antisemitic rot within the United Nations.” She also reaffirmed Israel’s “biblical right” to Judea and Samaria.
President Trump also ordered all federal workers to return to their offices. Of course, there will be widespread civil disobedience to that order, as many federal employees have gotten accustomed to working from home since the pandemic. That disobedience is expected, and the resulting “wave of voluntary terminations” is welcomed.
The Office of Personnel Management has ordered all government agencies to terminate their DEI programs and begin efforts to shut down their DEI offices as of close of business today. DEI employees are being put on a paid administrative leave effectively immediately, while plans for a “reduction-in-force action” are developed.
On immigration issues, Trump fired several top immigration court officials and shut down Joe Biden’s CBP One app. This app allowed illegal aliens still in their home countries to book flights directly into the United States. More than 1,400 people a day were entering the United States through this app, which included virtually no vetting.
Border Czar Tom Homan told Fox & Friends this morning that in the last 24 hours, only 766 migrants were apprehended at the southern border. Under Joe Biden, as many as 10,000 illegal aliens were crossing the border every day.
The Trump Effect is real!
Democrat Delays
Senate Democrats are doing everything they can to obstruct the Trump administration. Their latest tactic involves slowing down the confirmation process by demanding 30 hours of debate for each nominee.
There are 15 cabinet secretaries and many other positions that require Senate confirmation. The way the Senate operates, it could take months to get through them all.
By the time Barack Obama took the oath of office in 2009, six of his cabinet secretaries had been confirmed because Republicans didn’t play these kinds of stupid games. But so far, only one of Trump’s cabinet secretaries has been confirmed.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune is threatening to keep the Senate in session seven days a week, if necessary. DO IT!
If Democrats keep doing this, Republicans better do it the next time there is a Democrat president. They must stop playing by one set of rules that disadvantages them while Democrats play by whatever set of rules they want.
Only In America
There are all kinds of stunning pictures and videos from Monday’s inauguration of former presidents, Supreme Court justices, and leading religious figures, all standing together in the Capitol Rotunda.
When J.D. Vance was taking the oath of office, there was a tiny lady in red, standing there next to Justice Brett Kavanaugh. She looked like she couldn’t be more than five feet tall. Who is she? She is Beverly Aikins, the vice president’s mother.
She raised two children but struggled with addiction. She sent her children to be raised by their grandmother, and Vance spent summers in my home state of Kentucky. J.D. Vance had a troubled childhood. But he is the epitome of the American Dream.
He graduated high school, joined the military, and attended the best colleges on a military scholarship. He was elected to the United States Senate. And on Monday, Beverly Aikins stood there, 10 years free of alcoholism, watching her son being sworn in as vice president of the United States.
Only in America.