The Criminalization of Dissent (Revisited)

Posted on July 4, 2023 by admin

Greetings from Thoughtcriminal 231Js1736/23!

That’s my official Thoughtcrime Case Number, which my attorney needs to reference in all our official correspondence with the New Normal Thoughtpolice. I think I’m going to silk-screen it on a T-shirt and wear it on my first day in Moabit Criminal Court, “the largest criminal court in Europe with 340 judges and 360 prosecutors.”

That’s right, the Berlin State Prosecutor’s office is pursuing its criminal investigation of me for allegedly “disseminating propaganda, the content of which is intended to further the aims of a former National Socialist organization,” which according to Germany’s Grundgesetz could send me to prison for up to three years.

My attorney wrote to them and politely explained how ridiculous their investigation is and why they should summarily drop the charges, but New Normal Germany has a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to Thoughtcrime, especially Thoughtcrime involving any kind of Covid-denying propaganda.

The “propaganda” in question is these two Tweets.

Which, OK, I just disseminated them again, so there’s another three years in prison. Or, I don’t know, maybe it’s six years in prison, i.e., three years for each separate count of Thoughtcrime.

I wrote those Tweets in German, so let me translate.

The one on the left reads, “The masks are ideological-conformity symbols. That is all they are. That is all they have ever been. Stop acting like they have ever been anything else, or get used to wearing them.” The hashtag translates as “Masks are not a benign measure.”

The one on the right is a quote by Karl Lauterbach, the Minister of Health of Germany, tweeted by Die Welt, a national newspaper. It reads “The masks always send out a signal.” And, yes, Karl, that’s exactly the point I was making.

The image is from the cover art of my book The Rise of the New Normal Reich: Consent Factory Essays, Vol. III (2020-2021), which was banned in Germany by Amazon, Inc. two days after I tweeted the above Tweets. (It appears to also be banned for sale in German bookstores, but I don’t have confirmation of that.)

My attorney just received the screenshots of these Tweets from the Berlin State Prosecutor a few days ago. Up to then, we didn’t know what they were, and we couldn’t find them, because they have been censored by Twitter, presumably on the orders of the German Thoughtpolice. We knew they featured the cover art of my book, because the Prosecutor’s office described it, but we didn’t know about the “Covid denial.”

So, essentially, I’m facing criminal charges, and being threatened with who knows how many years in prison, or thousands of Eurodollars in fines, for (a) stating what has now been widely acknowledged, and what was generally understood by every serious epidemiologist until the Spring of 2020, namely, that mask-mandates do not work, and thus are nothing but symbolic measures designed to generate and enforce mass obedience, and (b) insulting the Minister of Health of Germany, who happens to be a fanatical serial liar who is directly responsible for the serious injury and death of … well, we’ll never know how many people.

Neither of which are actual crimes. Not even in the Federal Republic of Germany.

The pretext for the charges I am facing is the swastika behind the mask, which, as I noted in a recent essay, is a play on the international bestseller, The Rise and Fall of The Third Reich, by William Shirer, which you can buy in any bookshop in Berlin.

Incidentally, my book has also been a bestseller, at least on Amazon (in countries where it’s not banned) and Barnes & Noble, but I’ve still got a little ways to go before I get to Shirer territory.

So, there you are … those are my Thoughtcrimes.

I’ve been writing about the “New Normal” as a new form of totalitarianism for several years now. I wrote about it in one of my essays, The Criminalization of Dissent, in May of 2021. Some of my colleagues rolled their eyes. They thought I was being hyperbolic again. I wasn’t. This is what I meant. It is literally the criminalization of dissent.

I wasn’t the only one covering the story of the criminalization of dissent in Germany. The New York Times reported on it in April of 2021 …

“The country’s domestic intelligence agency says it will create a new department to deal with extremism among conspiracy theorists.” (German Intelligence Puts Coronavirus Deniers Under Surveillance)

As did Aljazeera …

“For intelligence officers to be legally allowed to start observing parts of the anti-lockdown movement, Germany’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) had to create an entirely new category of groups because the ‘Querdenkers’ do not fit neatly into the existing classifications of right-wing or left-wing. The new category is for groups suspected of being ‘anti-democratic and/or delegitimizing the state in a way that endangers security.’ The designation allows intelligence officers to gather data about individuals and their activities, and could in a further step include shadowing people and tapping their communications.” (German Spy Agency to Monitor Some Anti-Lockdown Protesters)

I was not a member of the “Querdenker” movement, or any other movement for that matter, but I doubt that makes any difference to the BfV or the Berlin State Prosecutor. Anyone even vaguely prominent who spoke out against the “Corona measures” is fair game for threats and prosecution. The beneficent-sounding Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, or BfV, is basically Germany’s FBI. It’s now two years after the above stories were published, and they are still on the hunt for “Covid deniers,” “conspiracy theorists,” and other such persons suspected of “delegitimizing the state” … whatever that Orwellian language means.

Of course, it doesn’t matter what it means. It means whatever they say it means. That’s what it means. It means it doesn’t mean anything, and they do not have to pretend it means anything. It means, “Shut the fuck up. Get in line. Do what we tell you. Say what we tell you. Think what we tell you. Or we will fucking get you. We will make up some charges and prosecute you. We will censor you into Internet oblivion. We will shut off your fucking bank account. We’ll send the IRS to your house. We’ll ruin your career. We’ll hurt your family. We will extradite you to the USA and lock you up in Supermax prison for 175 fucking years.”

How am I doing? Do I sound hyperbolic?

And, no, of course I’m not just talking about Germany. The criminalization of dissent is being rolled out everywhere. Ireland is just the latest of dozens of countries all throughout the West that are criminalizing so-called “hate speech.” The specifics are different but the message is the same, “Watch what you say, or we will prosecute you, or otherwise seriously fuck you up.”

Oh, and also, I should probably mention, my lawyer advised me not to republish those Tweets. He completely understands where I am coming from, but it is his job to look out for me and to try his best to … you know, keep me out of German prison, which I’m not making easy for him.

Now, I want to be very clear about this. I have no desire to go to German prison. I am about to turn 62 years old. I’m not at all interested in tossing anyone’s salad or having my salad tossed by anyone, especially not a pumped-up, tattooed member of some local Turkish drug gang, or an actual German neo-Nazi, but I’m not going to be intimidated into shutting up or toning my act down to placate the New Normal Thoughtpolice.

The thing is, I don’t respond well to bullies. I feel a particular antipathy toward them. I’m not very fond of liars either. And totalitarians … there’s another group of people I don’t like. I am not ashamed to admit my bias against such people. I wish them ill. I am sorry about whatever vicissitudes of fortune or experience turned them into lying, bullying, totalitarian creeps, but they can suck foul wind out of my ass if they think I am going to bow down to them. They can do what they want to me. They have that power. They can silence me for a while if they want. But they cannot make me silence myself.

And they cannot make me pretend to respect them.

The Germans are real big on respecting authority. So am I. But authority is earned. It does not stem from a title or a uniform. It stems from knowledge, experience, integrity, and honorable behavior, not from brute force. Fascists, totalitarians, and the like do not deserve our respect. They deserve our scorn. They deserve our derision. I have plenty of it for them.

Also, there are the kids to think about. I don’t have any, but other people do. What kind of an example are we setting for the kids if we start censoring (or “sensitivity-editing”) ourselves every time some fascist bully threatens to put us in jail if we don’t? A lot of the young people are already pretty pussified as it is these days. I’m certainly not a tough guy or anything, but sometimes, in life, you have to fight, and it doesn’t really matter if you get your ass kicked.

Oh, and, if you’re contemplating writing to me and telling me to “get the hell out of Germany” or inquiring as to why I haven’t “gotten the hell out of Germany,” please do not do that. I am extremely tired of hearing it. Instead, just wire a high six-figure sum into the Swiss account I will be setting up shortly, and, I promise you, I’ll get the hell out of Germany, and send you a postcard from an undisclosed location somewhere in the Ionian Sea.

In the meantime, I’ll definitely keep you posted on Case 231Js1736/23, and maybe I’ll go ahead and do up that T-shirt. Wait, what am I thinking? This is New Normal Berlin! I could find a VC, round up some 20-year-old, transgender, Ayahuasca-guzzling tech bros (or “tech persons with penises” or whatever the proper “non-harmful” nomenclature is at the moment), and start up some type of totally Bitcoined bespoke Thoughtcriminal T-shirt business!

The way things are going, I’ll probably make a killing … or at least I’ll be able to cover my legal costs, which, after that last little gratuitous outburst, Lord knows what kind of new charges I’ll be facing!

CJ Hopkins is a reader-supported p

The Criminalization of Dissent (Revisited)

CJ HOPKINSJUL 3

Greetings from Thoughtcriminal 231Js1736/23!

The “propaganda” in question is these two Tweets.

Which, OK, I just disseminated them again, so there’s another three years in prison. Or, I don’t know, maybe it’s six years in prison, i.e., three years for each separate count of Thoughtcrime.

I wrote those Tweets in German, so let me translate.

Neither of which are actual crimes. Not even in the Federal Republic of Germany.

So, there you are … those are my Thoughtcrimes.

I wasn’t the only one covering the story of the criminalization of dissent in Germany. The New York Times reported on it in April of 2021 …

“The country’s domestic intelligence agency says it will create a new department to deal with extremism among conspiracy theorists.” (German Intelligence Puts Coronavirus Deniers Under Surveillance)

As did Aljazeera …

“For intelligence officers to be legally allowed to start observing parts of the anti-lockdown movement, Germany’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) had to create an entirely new category of groups because the ‘Querdenkers’ do not fit neatly into the existing classifications of right-wing or left-wing. The new category is for groups suspected of being ‘anti-democratic and/or delegitimizing the state in a way that endangers security.’ The designation allows intelligence officers to gather data about individuals and their activities, and could in a further step include shadowing people and tapping their communications.” (German Spy Agency to Monitor Some Anti-Lockdown Protesters)

How am I doing? Do I sound hyperbolic?

And they cannot make me pretend to respect them.

CJ Hopkins is a reader-supported p

Transgenderism as a PC ideology: Denying Nature

Posted on July 3, 2023 by admin

Transgenderism as a PC ideology: Denying Nature

July 3, 2023/ by Richard Knight

Introduction

Transgenderism can be seen as a politically correct ideology along with feminism, anti-racism and the others. The main things it has in common with them are a hatred and denial of nature and an impertinent urge to overcome it.

Feminism against nature

Feminists’ hatred and denial of nature are seen in their refusal to accept that the sexes are simply different. On the contrary, they say, they are essentially the same. Anything a man can do, a woman can, and so on. They back this up not by pointing to facts but with a taboo against saying the opposite. Like the exponents of every politically correct ideology, they have a special attack word for dissenters. In fact, they have two. Should you have the temerity to ignore the taboo, you will be called a sexist or a misogynist.

For some reason these techniques persuade many that what feminists say is true. Equally importantly, they silence those who are not persuaded, leaving feminists a clear field.

With no dissent to be heard, feminists proceed to ask why the sexes are in different circumstances. Why are women rarely found in leadership positions, they wonder, when the idea that men are more likely to compete for such positions and more suited to them is just a myth? Men must be keeping women down.

Feminists reason that to undo this injustice society must be reshaped to look as it would have done had they been correct, with women in half of all leadership positions. If the principle of equal treatment must be disregarded to achieve this, so be it. Thus, having denied nature, they seek to overcome it, or to give the appearance of having overcome it, at no matter what cost to society.

But then, having filled half the leadership positions in a certain field with women, they ask themselves why they should stop there. Why leave the other half to the oppressor? So they carry on, resulting in a fact such as that in 2018 almost every top position concerning the British police was occupied by a woman. This included London’s senior officer (Cressida Dick), the Director General of the National Crime Agency (Lynne Owens), the head of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (Sarah Thornton), the chair of the College of Policing (Shirley Pearce), the president of the Police Superintendents Association (Irene Curtis) and the chair of the Independent Police Complaints Commission (Anne Owers).[1]

About the only exceptions were the chief constables outside London, of whom by 2020 still only two out of 46 were female. Yet just eighteen months later there were fifteen female chief constables.[2] It is surprising even that as many as thirteen chief constables retired in so short a period. For them all to have been succeeded by women was proof indeed that women can not only do anything men can do but are likely to be able to do it considerably better. Or perhaps it just proved that if no man is on the shortlist, a woman will get the job.

Anti-racism against nature

Anti-racism proceeds just like feminism except that this time it is the races that are supposedly the same. The doctrine of essential racial equality might not appear to be true, but we must assent to it for it too is protected by a taboo. Point to a difference between the races, however evident, and anti-racism’s attack word will be attached to you: you will be called a racist. Again, with any dissent from its basic proposition stifled, we are asked to explain the fact that the races are in different circumstances, the only available explanation being that Whites have been oppressing Blacks. And again, the solution is not the removal of the discrimination but its reversal. Blacks must be favoured over Whites.

Thus feminism and anti-racism use the same playbook. They both employ the idea of essential equality to deny nature before seeking to reshape it to fit their Procrustean bed. Is it too tall? Chop its feet off! Too short? Put it on the rack!

Transgenderism against nature

That transgenderism hates nature and refuses to submit to it is obvious. It finds the most basic fact of life — that nature makes us male or female — too much to bear. What if I didn’t want to be male? Did nature think of that? It is time it learned that if I choose to become a woman I will jolly well do it.

How? Well, first I am going to adopt a philosophy that tells me that whatever I say is true: the philosophy of word magic. I will call myself a woman, which will make me one. Just in case, I will then embark on a lifelong course of cross-sex hormones and undergo innumerable surgical procedures that will make me resemble a woman or at least make me look a lot more like one than I do now.

What is more, I will get my medical insurance to pay for all this on the basis that my dissatisfaction with my sex is a psychiatric condition. At the same time, I will insist that I have no psychiatric condition but am simply an example of normal human variation. Then everyone will see that I am as much a woman as any woman and that there is nothing wrong with me. It was nature that got it wrong. As I might put it: “I was born with the wrong genitals. … I had a birth defect that I got sorted with surgery and medication”.[3] How incompetent of nature to give me that birth defect! How wrong nature was if it didn’t think I could get it sorted with surgery and medication! It must be feeling pretty silly now.

Punishments for thinkers

No politically correct ideology can tolerate considered thought, as we see in the case of transgenderism in some events from the last few years. In 2019 the contract of a woman named Maya Forstater was not renewed after she tweeted that “transgender women” were men.[4] When she contested what was in effect her sacking, the judge ruled against her, finding that her opinion was not compatible with human dignity.[5]

In the midst of this, J.K. Rowling spoke up for her, saying that biological sex existed. For this she received a “barrage of criticism”, yet she refused to apologise, said the news outlet RT in wonderment.[6] Six months later she mocked an NGO for using the phrase “people who menstruate”, asking whether there had not once been a single word for such people, which she seemed to remember had begun with “w”. This brought another “avalanche” of denunciation down on her, with someone tweeting that her words were “causing unimaginable pain”. Well, of course they were! How can a transgender person be expected to encounter a cryptic reference to the word “woman” without suffering unimaginable pain? Another commenter called J.K. Rowling a hate-filled weirdo.

In October 2021 Cambridge University’s Students Union issued a guide to spotting “Terfs”, these being feminists who think that there are two sexes and that one cannot switch from one to the other.[7] Predictably, the guide indulged in projection, referring to “Terf ideology” as though it were the views of Terfs that were ideological rather than its own. It stated that Terfs had a “deep hatred for trans women”, when it was the guide that was spreading hatred, of Terfs. It alleged that Terfs had links to the far right, when there is nothing political about their position, in contrast to the far-left position of the guide.[8]

The same week, activists at Sussex University launched a campaign to get a philosophy professor fired. Kathleen Stock had asked whether a person’s gender identity could have more social significance than their sex and had doubted whether men should be allowed in women’s changing rooms. Students put up posters saying “IT’S NOT A DEBATE. IT’S NOT FEMINISM. … IT’S JUST TRANSPHOBIA … FIRE KATHLEEN STOCK.” She received death threats and was advised not to go on campus without bodyguards. Her union offered her no support but expressed “solidarity” with “trans and nonbinary communities”. Two weeks later she resigned.

What was noticeable about her defenders was their feebleness. The commentator Paul Embery said that she had merely defended the principle of biological sex and women’s right to single-sex spaces. Women’s concerns about having men in their changing rooms were perfectly legitimate. Transgender activists were trying to get everyone to take their view, he said. But biological sex is not a principle to which one might adhere or not; it is a basic fact of life, and women’s right to women-only changing rooms should be beyond dispute. Instead of saying that transgender activists were trying to get others to take their view, as though it were a view that could deserve respect, Paul Embery should have said that they were trying to get people to affirm a lie.[9] A philosopher named Arif Ahmed stated that Kathleen Stock’s persecution was making it impossible for “one side of a very important public policy debate” to speak. Apparently we had reached the point where the efforts of men to get into women’s changing rooms counted as a contribution to an important debate.

Transgender language rules

No PC ideology can leave the language alone, for unless interfered with, it has a way of reflecting reality. A previous article gave some examples of linguistic engineering aimed at abolishing sex–related words and the associated concepts with them. To give a few more examples, in 2023 Oxfam published an Inclusive Language Guide that illustrated its “commitment to gender justice”, defined as “full equality between women and men (including trans men and women) as well as non-binary people”.[10]

According to the guide, we must not speak of husbands or wives but must call them partners or spouses, nor must we use the words “mother” or “father”, which would assume “the adoption of gendered roles by transgender parents”. We must be aware that patriarchal systems perpetuate sexist and hierarchical power relations and legitimise “discrimination against and exclusion of women and gender non-conforming people”. Moreover, we must be aware that the word “people” itself, although it might not seem to specify a sex, can still express a bias because “in the context of a world based on patriarchal systems, ‘people’ is often misunderstood as only referring to men”. If we must talk about “people”, therefore, we should do it in a way that makes the word “as inclusive as possible”.

When it comes to personal pronouns, the guide tells us not to assume that it is correct to “describe someone as ‘he’ or ‘she’ based on their name or physical appearance”. The person might prefer to be called “they” or “ze”.

Like the British Medical Association (referred to in the previous article), Oxfam advises against using the term “expectant mother”. Not only does the expression “reinforce gender stereotypes”; the woman might not wish to continue her pregnancy. It does allow that pregnant people are women, however, although if we stress this fact we might be excluding “gender non-binary, trans men, or gender non-conforming people”.

The words “transgendered” and “transsexual” must be avoided in case someone referred to in this way doesn’t like it. “In a society that upholds the human rights to equality, freedom of expression, privacy and self-determination, we must respect how people wish to be referred to.” We must take an approach that “actively includes transgender people”. Ideally, “a trans-inclusive approach will identify the ways that trans people are specifically impacted by discrimination”. Presumably, then, rather than calling transgender people transgender, we should call them victims of discrimination in various ways that we will proceed to specify, who might be mistakenly referred to as transgender by the unenlightened.

Transgenderism against science

From the postmodern philosophy that gives it its belief in word magic, transgenderism also gets its belief in the priority of subjectivity over objectivity. But since it exists in a society that values science, it must do as other politically correct ideologies do and pretend that its dogmas are scientific, as when claiming that the evidence “strongly suggests” that gender identity is “usually established … by the age of two to three”;[11] that “the expression of transgender identity … is a healthy, appropriate and typical aspect of human development”;[12] or that “From a medical perspective, the appropriate determinant of sex is gender identity”. The last comment was made by a professor at Duke University School of Medicine, who meant that the best way for a doctor to establish a person’s sex is by asking them. “It is counter to medical science”, she continued, “to use chromosomes, hormones, internal reproductive organs, external genitalia, or secondary sex characteristics to override gender identity for purposes of classifying someone as male or female”.[13]

Of course, deception itself is characteristic of political correctness, on which subject it might be worth pointing out that a politically correct statement is necessarily untrue. This is because true statements, meaning empirically correct ones, can look after themselves. Only statements that are empirically incorrect need to be made correct politically.

Transgenderism and childism

A little-mentioned ideology of political correctness is childism, which transgenderism does not so much resemble as incorporate. Childism inverts the natural order by transferring the authority of adults to children, as seen one day in 1998 when BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour looked at the question of what to do with the children in the summer holidays. It didn’t ask parents for their ideas but asked a panel of children. Already in the 1970s Kahlil Gibran’s book The Prophet (1923) was popular, mainly for its advice to parents: “You may strive to be like [your children], but seek not to make them like you”. This gave rise to the idea that adults have more to learn from children than children have to learn from adults.

The children’s author Cressida Cowell expressed her childism when she wrote in 2020 that children “are the most creative people in the world”, raising the question of why Pope Julius II commissioned Michelangelo to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel when he could have got a better result by commissioning a child. Cressida Cowell hoped that children’s “magical powers of creativity, intelligence and empathy” would make them “come up with solutions to the political and scientific challenges facing the world” — not as adults, mark you, when they would have lost their magical powers, but now, as children.

But childism had reached its apogee the year before, when an assembly of world leaders asked a child to tell them what to do. This was at the United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York, which Greta Thunberg, aged sixteen, was invited to address. Rising to her role as leader of leaders, the pigtailed adolescent expressed her advice by asking her audience how they dared to do this or that.

The natural complement of treating children like adults is to treat adults like children. This is the essence of “dumbing down”, which first appeared in the 1990s. Many adults responded by starting not only to talk and think like children but also to dress like them, going about in track suits that resembled romper suits. The infantilisation of adults has continued ever since.

Transgenderism incorporates childism by telling teachers not to talk to transgender children but to listen to them, and not to lead them but to follow. Thus in 2014, East Sussex County Council Children’s Services issued the following guidance to teachers: “Listen to the [transgender] child … and wherever possible follow their lead and preferences”.[14] Similarly, an American campaigning organisation says that “the most important thing we can do is listen to what our [transgender] children are telling us”.[15] Adults should learn from children, thinks Diane Ehrensaft, director of mental health at the Child and Adolescent Gender Center at Benioff Children’s Hospital at the University of California, San Francisco. Children are “our best teachers”.[16] The logical conclusion of this will see groups of grown-ups filing into the classroom to be instructed by infants wearing mortarboards.

Transgenderism requires doctors to accept not only a transgender child’s self-diagnosis but also its prescribed course of treatment. Medical professionals do as they are told for fear of their patients declaring themselves unsatisfied with the service they have received or accusing them of “transphobia”.[17]

Conclusion

If one views political correctness as a collection of ideologies, then transgenderism is just one of these. All tend to the destruction of our societies and culture; most pit themselves against nature. This suggests that their originators are conducting a war against God, for to say that something is as it is by nature is only to say that that is the way God made it. The rebels’ chosen battlefield is the West, where political correctness is mainly found. White people are their particular enemies on earth. If they can defeat us here, they will take themselves to have defeated God. At least, that is one way of looking at the situation.

[1] The Director of Public Prosecutions was also a woman: Alison Saunders, who was found to have been suppressing evidence of men’s innocence in rape cases.

[2] History Debunked, July 8th 2021, “Women in command; female leaders in the police and army”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1i6pBj6dYMw. Including Wales, after another six months there were 19 out 49 (Telegraph, Jan. 9th 2023, “Record 40 per cent of chief constables are now women amid anti-misogyny drive”, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/01/09/record-40-per-cent-chief-constables-now-women-amid-anti-misogyny/).

[3] This was a man calling himself Bethany Black in conversation with Helen Lewis (New Statesman, Sept. 13th 2013, “What makes you a man or a woman anyway?” https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/feminism/2013/09/battle-over-gender-what-makes-you-man-or-woman-anyway).

[4] Maya Forstater made her comments, not while at work, during a discussion of possible reforms to the Gender Recognition Act.

[5] Her appeal, heard in 2021, found that her position was “worthy of respect in a democratic society”.

[6] RT. Jun 7th 2020. “‘There used to be a word for people who menstruate’: JK Rowling gets denounced as transphobe AGAIN”. https://www.rt.com/news/491077-rowling-trans-women-row/.

[7] Telegraph, Oct. 13th 2021, “Cambridge University ‘Terf-spotting’ guide condemned as a ‘witch-finder’s charter’”, reproduced at https://ovarit.com/o/GenderCritical/45570/cambridge-university-terf-spotting-guide-condemned-as-a-witch-finders-charter.

[8] MailOnline, “Cambridge Students’ Union publishes pro-trans guide claiming that being a woman is not just down to ‘biological sex’ — and accuses feminists opposing such views as being linked to ‘far right’”, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10087849/Cambridge-SU-publishes-pro-trans-guide-claiming-woman-not-just-biological-sex.html.

[9] GB News, Oct. 17th 2021, “Kathleen Stock: Paul Embery says abuse of academic after alleged ‘transphobic’ remark is ‘appalling’”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WY4b1atncaY.

[10] For an overview of the guide, see Oxfam, March 2023, “Inclusive Language Guide”, https://policy-practice.oxfam.org/resources/inclusive-language-guide-621487/. For the guide itself see https://oxfamilibrary.openrepository.com/bitstream/handle/10546/621487/tk-inclusive-language-guide-130323-en.pdf?sequence=4.

[11] Ryan T. Anderson, 2019 (2018), When Harry Became Sally, New York: Encounter Books. 2019, ibid., pp. 32-33.

[12] Ryan Anderson 2019, ibid., p. 38.

[13] Ryan Anderson 2019, ibid., p. 30.

[14] East Sussex County Council Children’s Services, Oct. 2014, “Trans* Inclusion Schools Toolkit”, https://czone.eastsussex.gov.uk/media/2480/trans-toolkit.pdf (file no longer there).

[15] PFLAG, quoted by Ryan Anderson 2019, op. cit., p. 35.

[16] Quoted by Ryan Anderson 2019, ibid., pp 35-36.

[17] The Heritage Foundation, March 28th 2019, “The Medical Harms of Hormonal and Surgical Interventions for Gender Dysphoric Children”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnP_WoeNuwA.

U.S. Supreme Court Hands Unanimous First Amendment Win to Christian Postal Worker

Posted on July 3, 2023 by admin

U.S. Supreme Court Hands Unanimous First Amendment Win to Christian Postal Worker

By Eric Lendrum June 30, 2023

On the same day as the Supreme Court’s historic affirmative action decision, the high court also made a unanimous ruling on a major case involving freedom of religion in government service.

As reported by Fox News, the case involved U.S. Postal Service employee Gerald Groff, a Christian man in Pennsylvania who was ordered to continue working on Sundays, even though he considers Sunday to be the day of rest as per Biblical tradition. When he refused to work, he was ultimately forced to resign.

In its unanimous 9-0 ruling, the court determined this to be a violation of his First Amendment right to freedom of religion. In the process, the court overturned a precedent set in 1977, in the case Trans World Airlines v. Hardison, which declared that employers could deny such religious accommodations if they determined that such a decision would result in a “more than a de minimis cost” on the employer.

Groff’s attorney Aaron Streett successfully argued for the elimination of the “de minimis” requirement, saying that the high court should instead consider approaching the question from the perspective of Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which requires employers to make religious accommodations for their employees, unless this would somehow lead to an “undue hardship” for the employer.Ringing Ears? When Tinnitus Won’t Stop, Do This Immediately!Urologist: Plenty of Men With An Enlarged Prostate Do Not Know About This Simple Solution

“The government believes undue hardship arises whenever there is lost efficiency, weekly payment of premium wages, or denial of a coworker’s shift preference,” said Streett during the oral arguments. “Thus, under the government’s test, a diabetic employee could receive snack breaks under the ADA but not prayer breaks under Title VII, for that might cause lost efficiency.”

In his opinion, Justice Samuel Alito agreed with Streett’s assertions that the prior “de minimis” standard had resulted in lower courts abusing the precedent to rule against religious objections, and that the new “undue hardship” standard would be fairer to those making First Amendment complaints against employers.

“To be sure, as the Solicitor General notes, some lower courts have understood that the protection for religious adherents is greater than ‘more than … de minimus‘ might suggest when read in isolation,” said Justice Alito. “But a bevy of diverse religious organizations has told this Court that the de minimus test has blessed the denial of even minor accommodation in many cases, making it harder for members of minority faiths to enter the job market.”about:blankReport Adabout:blankReport Ad

The Postal Service issued a statement affirming that it would obey the court’s ruling: “We agree with the Supreme Court’s clarification, which accepts the arguments we made before the Court, and which is fully consistent with the standard we apply when seeking to accommodate the sincerely held religious beliefs, observances, and practices of our employees.”

The Rampaging LGBTQ Rights Smashing Tyranny: Michigan House passes bill that could make using wrong pronouns a felony, fineable up to $10,000

Posted on July 2, 2023 by admin

MichiganPublished June 30, 2023 1:39pm EDT

Michigan House passes bill that could make using wrong pronouns a felony, fineable up to $10,000

Under the new bill, ‘intimidating’ an individual in regards to their gender identity can result in prison time or a $10,000 fine

By Timothy H.J. Nerozzi | Fox News

https://static.foxnews.com/static/orion/html/video/iframe/vod.html?v=20230628164627#uid=fnc-embed-1&url=www.foxnews.com%2Fpolitics%2Fmichigan-house-passes-bill-using-wrong-pronouns-felony-fineable-10000

Fox News Flash top headlines for June 30

Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what’s clicking on Foxnews.com.

A recently passed bill in Michigan could make it a felony to intimidate someone by intentionally using the wrong gender pronouns, according to some legal experts.

Michigan’s state House of Representatives has passed bill HB 4474, a piece of legislation that criminalizes causing someone to feel threatened by words.

Under the new bill, offenders are “guilty of a felony punishable by imprisonment for not more than 5 years, or by a fine of not more than $10,000.”

MICHIGAN LAWMAKERS APPROVE LEGISLATION BANNING CONVERSION THERAPY FOR MINORS

Front of Michigan State Capitol Building

Michigan’s state House of Representatives has passed a bill that could make it a felony to use someone’s preferred pronouns in a way that “intimidates” them. (Google Maps)

“‘Intimidate’ means a willful course of conduct involving repeated or continuing harassment of another individual that would cause a reasonable individual to feel terrorized, frightened, or threatened, and that actually causes the victim to feel terrorized, frightened, or threatened,” the bill reads.

The bill specifically addresses “sexual orientation” and “gender identity or expression” as protected classes.

According to the bill, “‘Gender identity or expression’ means having or being perceived as having a gender-related self-identity or expression whether or not associated with an individual’s assigned sex at birth.”

Critics are accusing the bill of violating the First Amendment.

“Make no mistake about it. Those advocating for this legislation will wield these policies as a weapon capable of destroying conservative expression or viewpoints grounded in the sacred,” Distinguished Professor Emeritus William Wagner told media outlet The Daily Wire.

MICHIGAN LAWMAKERS WORKING QUICKLY TO PASS BIPARTISAN STATE BUDGET BEFORE BEGINNING OF JULY

“The state of Michigan is now explicitly allowing the gender delusion issue to be used as a ‘protected class.’ This opens up numerous issues when it comes to the courts and the continued weaponization of the system against conservatives,” State Rep. Angela Rigas said of the bill.

She continued, “We saw similar concerns when they wanted to pass blocks on ‘conversion’ therapy. It seems Dems want to be in the business of telling people how to think.”

The bill was passed by the Democrat-controlled state House in a 59-50 vote. It now moves to the Michigan State Senate for consideration.

If approved by the state senate, it will be sent for approval to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who is expected to sign it.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer delivers her State of the State address to a joint session of the House and Senate at the state Capitol in Lansing. (AP Photo/Al Goldis, file)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Michigan lawmakers gave final approval to legislation banning “conversion therapy” for minors as Democrats in the state continue to advance a pro-LGBTQ+ agenda in their first months in power.

The legislation would prohibit mental health professionals from trying to convert youths who are LGBTQ+ to heterosexuality and traditional gender expectations.

HAPPY DOMINION DAY, 2023

Posted on July 2, 2023 by admin

Thoughts on Dominion Day, 2023 — Gordon S. Watson

Posted on July 1, 2023 by admin

Thoughts on Dominion Day, 2023 — Gordon S. Watson

to > my friends at the Legislature.

I won’t be down there, tomorrow Saturday July first

I presume that there will be many many folks all over the lawn of the Legislature so our message would get lost in the crowd.

Now three years to the day when I first attended a gathering of dissident voices there, by no means am I discouraged from witnessing

We know that it took the perpetrators years, to manufacture the myth of the SARs2Covid19 thing, secretly. What’s coming out is irrefutable hard evidence proving that it most certainly was a crime against humanity. My own calling – and that of my friends who have the Gift of Government, is – to tell the truth.

The major breakthrough lately, is the Grievance Board of the Canadian Armed Forces ruling that the way forces personnel were mistreated during the Covid HOAX, was gross violation of Charter/ civil rights. Immediately thereafter that declaration a lawsuit was originated in Federal Court with 300 Claimants versus His Majesty the King / the federal gov’t. It will take years to grind along, with some individuals settling out of Court. Doesn’t matter. Good news, is the Plaintiffs have already declared they WILL NOT sign a non-disclosure agreement.
the mills of the gods grind slow, but they grind exceeding fine

At issue in the case, is : evidence of harms caused by the Quackzeens. Even though Victoria BC has a large military presence, you didn’t read that in the Timely=Colonic newspaper, though, did you? ! Which is why our presence at the Gates of the City / the Legislature is precious. Asserting our rights to freedom of Speech, particularly, the Press, and to association, with hard copy form via DRUTHERS newspaper which is the Free Press The People’s Friend the Tyrant’s Foe. The internet is transient glimmers on a crystal ball or computer screen. Hard copy lasts

Gordon Watson
Metchosin British Columbia

Happy Dominion Day!

Posted on July 1, 2023 by admin

Happy Dominion Day!

Dear Canada Firster:

Happy Dominion Day.

Isn’t it Canada Day, you might ask? Well, as part of the social re-engineering of our country, Parliament did proclaim July 1 – Canada’s national founding date – as Canada Day. This was part of Pierre Trudeau’s revolutionary mischief as his immigration and multiculturalism policies sought to remake the European country of our founding into a Third World mix-up. He set in place policies – loyally followed by Tory Brian Mulroney and Liberals Jean Chretien, and Paul , and worst of all, Mr. 500,000 mostly Third World immigrants, Mr. Canada has no dominant culture Justin Trudeau– which will bring about the replacement and gradual ethnic cleansing of the European founder-settler people of this country.

Dominion Day, first proclaimed a holiday in 1879 by Governor General Lord Monck highlighted a term in Canada’s motto “a mari usque ad mare” – a line from the Psalms 72:8: “Dominion from sea unto sea.”

The sentiment is enthusiastic and positive, suggesting the coming of age and sovereignty of a new nation. The European founder/settlers – the British, the French, the Germans, the UELs from the U.S., the Russians, the Icelanders, the Ukrainians, the Italians and others – were developing, expanding and claiming this land, taking Dominion (power and control) from sea to sea.

This is a dynamic vision of Canada, one we shall not abandon. This is OUR Canada, the real Canada.

Paul Fromm

Director

Canada First

Happy Dominion Day!

Thursday, June 30, 2005

Iceland celebrates Proclamation of the Republic Day on June 17. Ireland has St. Patrick’s Day three months earlier. Germany has Unity Day on Oct. 3. Our American friends, of course, have Independence Day July 4. Several monarchies celebrate their sovereigns’ birthdays. All these national holidays, and many more, have some flavour of the national experience, the national past, the national origins.

So, too, did Canada’s Dominion Day holiday each July 1. But in 1982 the Trudeau Liberals, in a wanton act of historical vandalism, changed the name – which had been good enough from 1867 until then – to the vapid Canada Day, a name more reminiscent of Bay Days than of anything in Canadian history.

“The provinces of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick shall form and be One Dominion under the Name of Canada,” said the British North America Act of 1867.

A “dominion” was self-governing, but for some residual lawyers’ technicalities. Until about 1950, the term “the Dominions” referred respectfully to self-governing Commonwealth countries that drew their institutions from British models.

Trudeau never explained the change of name; perhaps he felt his own changes to the constitution eclipsed the original accomplishment of 1867.

“Dominion” is not a French word but the term “Fete de la Confederation” was perfectly suitable.

The old name, in both languages, could even be a modest teaching tool to help young people, immigrants and those who never learned it in school, understand that Canada is the way it is today in large part because of decisions made in the past.

It’s time for Ottawa to reverse the pointless and damaging decision to abandon “Dominion Day.” It’s time to get back to our roots. Happy Dominion Day!

Video: Christian Heritage Party Leader interviews Political Prisoner Bill Whatcott and Mr. Hoogland update

Posted on July 1, 2023 by admin

Video: Christian Heritage Party Leader interviews Political Prisoner Bill Whatcott and Mr. Hoogland update

https://youtube.com/watch?v=GqENs3xeUBg%3Fversion%3D3%26rel%3D1%26showsearch%3D0%26showinfo%3D1%26iv_load_policy%3D1%26fs%3D1%26hl%3Den%26autohide%3D2%26wmode%3Dtransparent

Dear Friends,

Rod Taylor and I just did an interview together and I am quite happy with it. We discuss King vs Whatcott as it pertains to freedom for Christians to speak to the moral and political issues of the day. We also talk about how I became an activist for the cause of Christ and my life as a criminal before coming to Christ. We also talk about how the Canadian judicial system responded when I was an actual criminal, hijacking buses, committing robberies, etc…. and how it responds today to non-violent speech and “thought crimes.”

Update on Rob Hoogland: Praise the Lord! Canada Post walked back from terminating their reliable 20 year plus employee over a Facebook Post he made on the company page criticizing their promotion of homosexuality and transvestite pride.

Seeing as Mr. Hoogland is returning to his job Tuesday, I closed the fundraiser I made for him and sent the money I raised ($100) to help him a little bit with groceries for the couple weeks he spent suspended without pay. One other friend notified me he sent some cash directly to Rob to also help him out. Kudos to that friend for being kind enough to help a man of no social stature, for no other reason than to be an unconditional blessing to a guy in need. It is sad that there is fear in Canada of incurring punishment or job loss for helping Christian/conservative causes and individuals.

I pray this video edifies you and thank you those who chipped in a little to help Rob out and those who prayed for him during his time of need.

In Christ’s Service, Bill Whatcott

Sound of Freedom movie in Penticton July 3 and 5! Rallies, CANADA Day Convoy, Save Our Supplement

Posted on July 1, 2023 by admin

Penticton 4 Freedom Weekly Newsletter

WHAT’S IN THIS ISSUE:

– Rallies and local events

– Updates on events this past week

– July 1st Canada Day Rally Kelowna Stuart Park.

– Sound of Freedom – Penticton Landmark Theaters

– Saturday, July 15th International Truth Day here at the One-Eyed Budgie/Truth Centre.

– Geoengineering July 29th Kelowna 10 am – 5 pm

– National Citizens Inquiry- This is Canada

– Action needed – Bill C-47 Is Now Law

– Global Walkout START PREPARING FOR DIGITAL CURRENCY CONTROL-GRAB Step 24

– Vaccine Mandate Act

– Freedom Rising Newsletter – Issue#50 – Canada is Dying”

– Druthers The June edition is online and now available at our rallies! Donations are always appreciated.

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In case you missed events this past week …

Penticton4Freedom Event June 25

Laureen, Shar, Derrick, Alex, Amadeo and I talked to a lot of people along the Lakeshore last Sunday and handed out Bill 36 materials and newly-printed Penticton4Freedom “business cards” announcing our weekly meetings at Lakawanna Park. While some people just waved us off, the majority of those who at least made eye contact, did stop to learn what it was all about, and most of them were grateful for the materials. We met some individuals who are already on our email list, a lot from other cities here for the weekend events and added another 4 new names to our email list, with promises from several to drop by our rallies on Sundays. We all agreed we’d like to do this again. Way more people than we expected ARE awake, even though they may not have access to all the resources we have each week at our fingertips.

Thanks go out to Gina for the P4F, David Lindsay for the CLEAR, and Wayne (A4C; and VCC) for their informative emails; plus A4C, Freedom Rising, CHA (Canada Health Alliance), BC Solidarity and many individuals who take the time to email us with event announcements and important initiatives.

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WATCH ESPECIALLY FOR THE UPCOMING FILM “SOUND OF FREEDOM” IN PENTICTON, KELOWNA AND WEST KELOWNA LANDMARK THEATRES ON MONDAY, JULY 3 AND WEDNESDAY, JULY 5. DETAILS BELOW. BE THERE OR BE MISSING OUT ON A CANNES FILM SELECTION EXTRAORDINAIRE.

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FAMILY FREEDOM EVENTS – Penticton4Freedom – every Sunday 1 to 3 p.m.

Now being held at Lakawanna Park during the summer months

Please arrive early (12:30) to help set up the canopy and the tables, and to invite passers-by to join us.

Moving to Lakawanna Park for the summer gives our events a more family-friend name and environment as part of reaching out to the community around us. Lots of families at the beach. Lots of folks are out strolling.

Laureen’s table important information and a petition to end BCs Bill 36.

Elsie’s table with Druthers and Crazy Times newspapers, Vaccine Choice Canada handouts and other important materials for parents and curious others.

Local speakers always, and Surprise Guest Speakers frequently!

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We welcome musical entertainers, and volunteers to manage a Kid’s Corner and help at information tables.

· Canada Day events in Kelowna this weekend will be huge. Lots of people passing by. Great outreach time.

· A time when our flags really mean something to Canadians.

· Bring appropriate signage. We are still fighting to maintain our rights to peaceful assembly in public parks.

PENTICTON CONVOY DETAILS

· Derrick will be leaving early with his truck and travelling billboard trailer to have time to find parking.

· ALL OTHERS, please meet at Main & Warren at 10:00 a.m. to park your vehicles and if desired, carpool with others.

· We leave at 10:20 sharp, to allow for Canada Day traffic, then meet up with the Resistance convoy in

West Kelowna at 525 Hwy 97 S (Tim Hortons & Landmark Theatre parking lot)

· P4F sponsored Canada flags, buttons, scarves, pinwheels, magnetic car decals, bumper stickers and other items

will be available at Main & Warren, and in West Kelowna, if time is left before we head for Stuart Park from there.

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BE THERE! BRING FRIENDS. PAY IT FORWARD.

Penticton Landmark Theaters

July 3^rd 2:50pm and July 5^th 6:15pm

#2MillionFor2Million

With your help, we have the incredible opportunity to help Sound of Freedom reach audiences worldwide.

By securing your tickets now, more theaters will open up across the country. This means that the film will have the power to reach a wider audience and spread awareness and inspire action on an even larger scale.

You can get tickets now and Pay it Forward to send others to see Sound of Freedom.

Share this with your friends and family. Together, let’s strive for 2 million presale tickets, symbolizing our commitment to the 2 million trafficked children around the world. #2MillionFor2Million

Based on a true story, Sound of Freedom immerses you in the heroic actions of one man that shines a light on even the darkest of places. At the heart of this powerful film is a hero, a federal agent, who embarks on a dangerous mission to save a young boy’s captive sister after rescuing him from ruthless child traffickers. Driven by compassion and determination, he quits his job and journeys deep into the Colombian jungle, risking his life to free her from a fate worse than death.

Check out the trailer and other communities showings HERE

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International Truth Day – July 15, 2023

Saturday, July 15^th Once again we will be hosting International Truth Day here at the One Eyed Budgie/Truth Centre.

As many of you on this mailing list are well outside of our geographical area and likely not able to attend, I would encourage you all to host your own Truth Day gathering no matter how small it may be… it is the intent and energy that will carry across the land.

For those able to attend it will be as the previous gatherings:

– potluck event beginning in mid-afternoon and going until the crowd winds down,

– bring lawn chairs for yourselves,

– byob if required.

Prizes again for the oldest, youngest, furthest travelled, and the winners of the horseshoe tournament.

We hope you can make it and have safe travels.

In Love & Light,

Dave & Susan

The Truth Centre

2649 Highway 3,

Keremeos, B.C.

250-499-7198

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For those who wish to pay cash, we will have cash ticket order forms at each Sunday Penticton4Freedom rally. Tickets are $40 each.

We can then e-transfer for those orders online and make sure your ticket is available at a subsequent rally or at the door.

There will be a convoy from Penticton for this event.

July 29th Kelowna – GeoEngineeringFreeCanada Event

10AM – 5PM PST (DOORS 9:30AM)

Geoengineering Free Canada is putting on the biggest event ever.

WE ARE THRILLED! We found the most amazing expert speakers talking about the TRUTH about Geoengineering. (More speakers TBA).

Join us for a day filled with information, entertainment and food.

Tickets are on sale now at either Eventbrite, BuyMeACoffee, e-transfer GFCEvents@proton.me or certainly cash.

NOTE: If you plan on coming out and do not wish to do the electronic ticket purchase kindly let us know in advance so we can better plan on the amount of food we need to order for you.

Please fill out the CASH REGISTRATION form

Your speakers:

Nikki Florio: beeheroic.com

Reinette Senum: GenSeven.org former mayor and governor candidate in California US

Dr. Ross Anderson: Naturopathic Doctor

Prof. Magda Havas: expert witness at the NCI Hearing in Saskatoon and environmental toxicologist

ACTIONS OF THE WEEK

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WORTH A LOOK Vaccine Mandate Act Second Reading C278 – Prevention of Government imposed Vaccination Mandates Act (19:57) WATCH

The Persecution of Roman Catholic Bishop Strickland is a Warning to the Orthodox

Posted on July 1, 2023 by admin

The Persecution of Roman Catholic Bishop Strickland is a Warning to the Orthodox

June 29, 2023 American Life, Culture War, Ecumenism, Fordham Orthodox Christian Studies Center, Greek Archdiocese, Leftist Infiltration of the Orthodox Church, LGBTQ+, Roman Catholic Church, War in Ukraine

Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas is one of the most popular Roman bishops on the Internet. His Twitter following alone is over 128K. On his Twitter timeline, he has been hard on Pope Francis, increasingly so as of late. Strickland even questioned the Pope’s fidelity to the Christian Faith in a May 12 Tweet, “I believe Pope Francis is the Pope but it is time for me to say that I reject his program of undermining the Deposit of Faith. Follow Jesus.” In orthodox (traditional) Roman Catholic circles, he is often referred to as “America’s Bishop”. Bishop Strickland recently had the temerity to travel to Los Angeles and lead a protest rally against the Dodgers for honoring the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, an anti-Catholic drag group, at the team’s annual “Pride Night” game.

For Pope Francis, that seems to have been the last straw. The Vatican has now opened an investigation into Bishop Strickland starting with a multi-day “apostolic visitation”. https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=OrthodoxReflec1&dnt=true&embedId=twitter-widget-

The “visitation” was conducted by Bishop Dennis Sullivan of Camden, New Jersey, and former Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tucson, Arizona. Kicanas is a well-known liberal, with ties to pro-homosexual groups, a past linked to clerical sex abuse, and a soft spot for abortion. As head of Catholic Relief Services, Kicanas was caught funding major pro-abortion groups, such as Population Services International, a marketer of abortion drugs in the developing world.

What does Kicanas being one of the men sent to investigate Bishop Joseph Strickland mean to you? For many traditionally-minded people, that fact alone eliminates any question as to where the Papacy stands on the moral issues of our day.

One traditionalist Catholic posted this online, “This move by the Vatican means not one moral activist bishop is safe. The good bishops will be deposed or silenced, and the evil bishops will rule unopposed.”

The fruits of centralization of power are, yet again, quite bitter for the Roman Catholic faithful. What will happen to Bishop Joseph Strickland? Whatever the Pope decides. Who can do anything about it? No one. What will his supporters do if the Pope throws him in the dustbin, or so loads him with sanctions as to make him ineffective? They can leave the RC (Orthodoxy is a good choice) or they can talk themselves into continuing as Roman Catholics through various coping mechanisms. After all, if you can bemoan Pope Francis’ various innovations against the Deposit of the Faith, yet still believe that your salvation depends on being in communion with him, then your brain is already elastic enough to stretch around pretty much anything.

As currently structured, what is happening to Bishop Joseph Strickland is not possible within the Orthodox Church. Bishop Strickland is not being investigated by his local synod of Roman Catholic Bishops for credible accusations of an actual crime, heresy, or a misuse of his office. Rather, his investigation was ordered by a remote, unaccountable, supreme pontiff who can officially be judged by no one.

Nothing like the Papacy exists within Orthodoxy. There is no “universal bishop”, though there are efforts underway to create one. Despite those efforts, however, the Orthodox Church is still organized into local synods which govern themselves. The Patriarch of Romania cannot investigate and discipline a Serbian Bishop. The Patriarch of Serbia cannot investigate and depose a Russian bishop. The same demarcation occurs between “jurisdictions” in the West. The Orthodox Church in America synod (which is self-governing) cannot investigate and depose a bishop in the Antiochian Archdiocese, for example.

There are some quirks to this system of decentralized authority. In some Orthodox jurisdictions in the West, the local bishops don’t really function as a true synod. Under such conditions, a foreign synod or hierarch could take unilateral action against an Orthodox bishop or priest subject to their jurisdiction. This has happened before, most recently in the Greek Archdiocese. These cases can sometimes be quite unjust, leaving local Orthodox Christians scratching their heads and venting their frustrations at being controlled by a remote, “old world” hierarchy. Such situations, however, are the exception within Orthodoxy and not the norm.

God is perfect. The Church is God’s Kingdom. But it is run by all-too fallible men who are themselves patients in a hospital for sinners. Among the hierarchy and clergy, as long as this world endures, there will be scandals, mistakes, pernicious outside influences, and even outright infidelity to the Faith Once Delivered to the Saints. However, the decentralized structure of the Orthodox Church works to keep such issues contained. Conciliarity, among bishops and independent Churches, restrains innovation and usually keeps bad hierarchs in one place from expanding their evil elsewhere.

One of the best examples of how Orthodoxy’s decentralization prevents innovation was written by Rabbi David Fox Sandmel in the context of evaluating Jewish – Orthodox relations. Many Jews object to Orthodox Holy Week hymns concerning the 1st Century Jews and their responsibility for the Crucifixion. Rabbi Sandmel feels the same, and has a vested interest in those hymns changing. However, he is honest about how difficult changing anything in the Orthodox Church can be. In the quote below, look at how he contrasts the difficulty of changing hymnography within the Orthodox Church with how easily similar hymns were changed in the Roman Catholic Church:

For Jews engaging with Orthodox Christians, it is important to remember that the first rule of interreligious dialogue is allowing “others” to define themselves. That means being especially attentive to the ways in Orthodox Christians differ from the Western churches with which Jews are most familiar. It requires understanding, inter alia, not only theological differences, but also the “ecosystem” of the Orthodox Church, autocephaly and how decisions are made, and the role of the patriarchs. While Pope John XXIII could order a change in the Good Friday liturgy, that is simply not how it works in Orthodoxy. Expecting Orthodox Christians to behave like Roman Catholics would not be a constructive strategy.

Thank you Rabbi, well stated. The Orthodox Church has a fundamentally different mindset than the Roman Church, and that has kept our Orthodox Faith pure over the last two millennia. No one can shove changes down our throats, though more than one Robber Council / Patriarch / Emperor has tried. No one has the power, the way Francis does, to conduct a “reign of terror” against faithful bishops on a global scale.

Good for us that Our Lord left us a Church so suited to preserving the Faith. However, before we Orthodox pat ourselves on the back too much, we need to remember something very important. There are powerful subversives within the Orthodox Church trying to transform her along modernist, globalist lines. They are well-funded and often occupy positions of authority within the Church.

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Their primary tactic has been to subvert the Church quietly from within. The subversives use their connection to funding and power to publish heretical research (which is often presented as just “asking questions” or “seeking dialogue”), secure teaching positions for themselves and their followers (particularly in the training of future priests), present themselves as “official Orthodox voices” for media consumption, and align themselves with various governments around the world. We covered many of the most noted subversives in this article, and detailed some of their major funding sources here. As with Transgenderism in society at-large, this assault on Orthodoxy is a top-down revolution, though one largely (up until recently) conducted within the form.

Such a “long march through the institutions” has been very effective for Progressives in many areas (academia, government, major corporations, foundations, non-profits, etc.) Orthodoxy, however, has proven much more difficult to co-opt from within. That darned decentralized nature makes it tough to spread heresy quickly. Further, Orthodoxy is currently being overrun with converts who are fleeing the wreckage “Progressive” Christianity has made of other Christian bodies. They have seen what happens when a “church” embraces the LGBTQ+ agenda, female ordination, feminism, and Woke politics. Many of these refugees feel that the Orthodox Church is their last haven of True Faith on this Earth. They are in no mood to quietly abide her ruination. https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=OrthodoxReflec1&dnt=true&embedId=twitter-widget-

So gains for the subversives are uneven, reversible, and hard won. Meanwhile, Pope Francis is building the ecumenist, progressive Church they dream of. The Catholic traditionalists are marginalized. The Latin Mass is on the road to being fully banned. Even a solidly orthodox, popular Catholic bishop such as Strickland is not safe from the wrath of the Progressive Vicar of Christ. Orthodox “Progressives” see what centralized power can do to make all their dreams come true, and they want in. https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=OrthodoxReflec1&dnt=true&embedId=twitter-widget-

The centralized power they have in mind is, of course, the Patriarchate of Constantinople. A longstanding US National Security asset, Patriarch Bartholomew is the “Wokest” of all the major Orthodox hierarchs. He has almost no native Orthodox population in Turkey to govern directly as a bishop. Most of his flock is actually in the so-called Greek “diaspora” outside of Greece and Turkey. Even giving Patriarch Bartholomew every benefit of the doubt, he presides over a Patriarchate whose numbers are easily dwarfed by the Russian Church. Though he is a darling of the US ruling elites, rich Greeks, and nostalgic Hellenists, most Orthodox Christians globally pay him very little attention.

How can you turn this Patriarch, who is oppressed in his Muslim home country and ignored by much of the Orthodox world, into an Orthodox “Pope” with the power to make the Progressive agenda a reality? One way is to simply keep asserting power, particularly in ways that benefit the Global Elite. By its interpretation of Canon 28 of Chalcedon in the 1920’s, Constantinople claims jurisdiction over all areas outside the canonically defined territories of other Orthodox Churches. This claim includes the entire Western hemisphere, Oceania, the United Kingdom, Western Europe, Northeast Asia, and Southeast Asia. Until now, few non-Greeks have taken those grandiose claims seriously.

Food for thought – what if secular governments in those areas, for mutual benefit, decide to partner with Constantinople the way Ukraine and some others already have? Just because traditionalist Orthodox Christians do not want to be ruled from Constantinople, does not mean our governments don’t have other ideas. After all, growing Orthodox Churches espousing “traditional morality” can be a headache for globalist-minded regimes, and the Patriarchate of Constantinople has proven to be a most reliable partner in opposing such regressive, outdated notions.

As most are doubtlessly aware, Patriarch Bartholomew asserted the right to create a new “Orthodox Church” on the territory of Ukraine. Even though the Ukrainian Orthodox Church was self-governing, and recognized by the entire Orthodox world as legitimate, Patriarch Bartholomew (in concert with the US and former Ukrainian President Poroshenko) saw fit to legitimize a motley crew of schismatics and imposters as the “official” Orthodox Church in Ukraine. Thus he set the stage for the ongoing persecution of the actual canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, with the goal of eliminating it entirely.

The heretics in Ukraine may eventually succeed in destroying the UOC. It is amazing how state-sanctioned violence can transform a society, especially when nominally Orthodox Christians are willing to be enthusiastic participants. Regardless of the eventual outcome, however, many Saints and Martyrs will be revealed during this persecution. A reminder to Orthodox Christians in the US, the persecution happening in Ukraine is funded by the same government you somehow expect to protect your religious liberty at home.

Further, many supporters of Patriarch Bartholomew in the West are Progressives. Whether religious or secular, Progressives naturally incline towards allying with authority to crush their ideological opposition. Just as they backed government COVID policies that closed churches, these same people would welcome government investigations into Orthodox parishes to root out what they see as white supremacy, racism, homophobia, transphobia, Christian nationalism, female oppression, etc. “Orthodox” Progressives are already openly discussing collaboration with law enforcement against those whom they view as enemies within the Church. As a sensible precaution, you might want to brush up on what is left of your right to remain silent.

The close cooperation between the Patriarchate of Constantinople and Western governments is a matter that should concern all of us. The Patriarchate is represented in the United States in the person of Archbishop Elpidophoros. The Archbishop was recently honored to be a guest speaker at the National Intelligence University. How common do you think it is for a Successor to the Apostles to give a talk to current and future spies? How does one earn such a privilege? What potential dangers does this close alliance between Church and State hold for the rest of us?

According to Patriarch Bartholomew, he alone has the right to grant or rescind autocephaly (self-governing status). He also has the right to hear appeals from clergy anywhere in the world, and to rule on those appeals. What he says goes, as recently evidenced by Patriarch Bartholomew restoring five deposed Orthodox priests in Lithuania. The restored priests were never under the Patriarch’s jurisdiction. But not to worry, as the move was in concert with the Lithuanian government and was just a slap against the evil Russian Orthodox Church. It’s not like this case furthers a bad precedent or anything.

His All Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew seems to recognize no limits on his power. His supporters are constantly putting him forward as the man who can solve all Orthodoxy’s problems, even those of a long-standing nature. As presented by them, none of this is new or novel, just the “Holy Great Church of Christ” exercising its long recognized prerogatives. Sort of like the Papacy in the 11th Century, one would suppose. https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=OrthodoxReflec1&dnt=true&embedId=twitter-widget-3&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1673345936318246918&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Forthodoxreflections.com%2Fthe-persecution-of-roman-catholic-bishop-strickland-is-a-warning-to-the-orthodox%2F&sessionId=ac646768c9c94064d3c1916966d8666e2944a418&theme=light&widgetsVersion=aaf4084522e3a%3A1674595607486&width=550px

In the United States, Archbishop Elpidophoros, head of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese in America, is a huge fan of ecclesiastical power. In fact, it was Archbishop Elpidophoros who first applied the term “first without equals” to the Patriarch of Constantinople in a response to the Russian Church (excerpts below):

In the long history of the Church, the presiding hierarch of the universal Church was the bishop of Rome. After Eucharistic communion with Rome was broken, canonically the presiding hierarch of the Orthodox Church is the archbishop of Constantinople. In the case of the archbishop of Constantinople, we observe the unique concomitance of all three levels of primacy, namely the local (as Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome), the regional (as Patriarch), and the universal or worldwide (as Ecumenical Patriarch). This threefold primacy translates into specific privileges, such as the right of appeal and the right to grant or remove autocephaly (examples of the latter are the Archdioceses-Patriarchates of Ochrid, Pec and Turnavo, etc.), a privilege that the Ecumenical Patriarch exercised even in cases of some modern Patriarchates, not yet validated by decisions of the Ecumenical Councils, the first of which is that of Moscow.
If we are going to talk about the source of a primacy, then the source of such primacy is the very person of the Archbishop of Constantinople, who precisely as bishop is one “among equals,” but as Archbishop of Constantinople, and thus as Ecumenical Patriarch is the first without equals (primus sine paribus).

Since writing that, Archbishop Elpidophoros has continuously trampled on traditional Orthodox moral teaching while relentlessly pushing for greater power for Constantinople. As a recent example of doing both, Archbishop Elpidophoros celebrated the name day of Patriarch Bartholomew at an Episcopalian parish in Manhattan. Named for the Apostle St. Bartholomew, the parish is explicitly pro-LGTBQ. All the participants in the Great Vespers on June 10, 2023 had to pass under the “Progressive Pride Flag” that hangs over the church. The church’s website also features pictures of the Holy Cross blasphemously adorned with the rainbow flag and the letters “LGBTQ” replacing the sign, “Jesus of Nazareth The King of the Jews.”

LGBTQ Flag adorning St. Bart’s during the Orthodox Great Vespers offered by Archbishop Elpidophoros

The choice of venue, and the overt signaling of support for LGBTQ, were not new for Elpidophoros. He has done that before. What was new was this quote delivered during his sermon, “The Ecumenical Patriarch is a spiritual father for all people, whether they realize it or not.” According to Archbishop Elpidophoros, the Patriarch of Constantinople has no equals, has seemingly limitless power, and is the spiritual father of the entire world – Orthodox and non-Orthodox alike. The parallels with the Papacy are more than a little striking. https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=OrthodoxReflec1&dnt=true&embedId=twitter-widget-4&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1672829118847815680&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Forthodoxreflections.com%2Fthe-persecution-of-roman-catholic-bishop-strickland-is-a-warning-to-the-orthodox%2F&sessionId=ac646768c9c94064d3c1916966d8666e2944a418&theme=light&widgetsVersion=aaf4084522e3a%3A1674595607486&width=550px

Despite the best efforts of the pro-Constantinople subversives, and the assistance of Western national security and governing apparatuses, the “assert power” strategy is having only limited success. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church has stubbornly refused to go gently into that good night. The “official” Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) can seize parishes, but they mostly remain padlocked afterwards for lack of attendance. Aside from a few Orthodox Churches (Greece, Alexandria, Crete), the vast majority of the Orthodox world continues to vocally support Metropolitan Onuphry and his UOC.

In the US, many Orthodox jurisdictions are reporting massive growth. Not the Greek Archdiocese, however. Among inquirers, a general sense has emerged that the GOA should be avoided. Such a perception is only going to grow with each cringe-worthy action undertaken by Archbishop Elpidophoros. Neither are the other Western jurisdictions, nor the vast majority of autocephalous Churches around the world, seemingly all that interested in submitting to the supposed universal jurisdiction of “New Rome”.

So what are cranky, impatient Progressives to do? Well, one option is schism. You can’t take over the entire Church, so maybe you can carve out your own kingdom to rule? The way to schism seems open as there is already a split between Constantinople and the largest Orthodox Church in the world, Russia, over Ukraine. This is a golden opportunity that has not gone unnoticed. The Roman Catholic sharks are already circling, hoping to take advantage of the situation:

The historic marginalization of Russian Orthodoxy removes the principal obstacle to greater Catholic-Orthodox rapprochement. Because Moscow is the populous center of Orthodoxy, it is fair to view Catholic-Orthodox relations as a whole through that relationship. Yet that perspective gives a false reading.
The ecumenical upshot was that if reconciliation with Orthodoxy had to go through Moscow, then reconciliation would not proceed. And due to the sheer size of Russian Orthodoxy, the other Orthodox patriarchs were reluctant to move significantly on their own.
There is a great ecumenical prize that might be within reach — a joint date for the celebration of Easter, the high point of the liturgical year.
In recent years, favorable noises have been made about that possibility from both Vatican and Orthodox officials. Notably, Bartholomew himself indicated the possibility in November, perhaps in time for the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea in 2025.
That possibility had been thought near-impossible because of a lack of unity among the Orthodox. But now it is quite possible to imagine Constantinople and other patriarchates moving ahead without Russia. Indeed, some Orthodox Christians in Ukraine moved their celebration of Christmas this year from Jan. 7 to Dec. 25 — precisely to indicate a break with Moscow.
The Moscow patriarchate revealed in 2022 what it has been for a long time — an instrument of Russian state power masquerading as historic heir to Rome and Constantinople. Bartholomew has called them out.
Francis, after much delay, seems to have reluctantly accepted that view. That leaves both of them newly free to pursue unity together without the anchor of Moscow dragging behind them. The very dark cloud of the war against Ukraine may have an ecumenical silver lining.

A full-blown break with Russia could free Constantinople to do all the things Progressives dream of (reunite with Rome, bless same-sex marriages, ordain women, possibly suppress annoying jurisdictions that are “too Russian”, unite with other religious bodies, change the date of Pascha, etc.) Best of all, the break with Russia could be camouflaged as a reaction to Russia’s war in Ukraine. After all, you aren’t severing communion with an historical Orthodox Church. Rather you are valiantly breaking with a dastardly “instrument of Russian state power masquerading as historic heir to Rome and Constantinople.”

Clearly the Roman Catholics see potential here. But are there really Orthodox Christians who support a full-blown schism as a route to getting their preferred “reforms”? Most definitely there are, and they are not shy about saying so.

Carrie Frederick Frost is a professor of theology and religion, who is also the Chair of St. Phoebe Center for the Deaconess, and the author of Church of Our Granddaughters. In her article for Public Orthodoxy Let’s Make History: Ordain Deaconesses in the Orthodox Church Today, she actually called for a schism, if necessary, to get what she wants:

Sometimes I hear the idea that ordaining deaconesses “would cause schism,” or “the time is not right.” We need to face the fact that the Orthodox Church is already in schism over women and their roles in the church. We are bleeding away younger generations (and some older ones, too) because it is both incomprehensible and entirely unacceptable (to both men and women) to stay in a church community that, despite the Orthodox Church’s own convictions and history, only honors the gifts of men in ordained ministry. Furthermore, fear of schism or division ought not be a yardstick for considering change in the Church. If the Orthodox Church changes its practices regarding women out of fidelity to its understanding of the truth, any possibility of division should not be a concern. Finally, if we wait for when the time is “right,” when everything in the Orthodox world is calm and ordered, we will never do anything.

Schism within Orthodoxy is a very, very serious thing. For Frost, the consequences are worth it if the result is a Church that can put women at the altar in vestments. Frost is not just some fringe radical. She is within the mainstream of Orthodox academia in the West. The Order of St. Andrew, big fundraisers for the Patriarch of Constantinople, are sponsoring a series of panels for Frost’s organization to push the idea of deaconesses. Frost will be featured prominently. https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=OrthodoxReflec1&dnt=true&embedId=twitter-widget-5&features=eyJ0ZndfdGltZWxpbmVfbGlzdCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOltdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2ZvbGxvd2VyX2NvdW50X3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9iYWNrZW5kIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19yZWZzcmNfc2Vzc2lvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZm9zbnJfc29mdF9pbnRlcnZlbnRpb25zX2VuYWJsZWQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X21peGVkX21lZGlhXzE1ODk3Ijp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRyZWF0bWVudCIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3Nob3dfYmlyZHdhdGNoX3Bpdm90c19lbmFibGVkIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19kdXBsaWNhdGVfc2NyaWJlc190b19zZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdXNlX3Byb2ZpbGVfaW1hZ2Vfc2hhcGVfZW5hYmxlZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdmlkZW9faGxzX2R5bmFtaWNfbWFuaWZlc3RzXzE1MDgyIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRydWVfYml0cmF0ZSIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfbGVnYWN5X3RpbWVsaW5lX3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9mcm9udGVuZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9fQ%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1671873283682185216&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Forthodoxreflections.com%2Fthe-persecution-of-roman-catholic-bishop-strickland-is-a-warning-to-the-orthodox%2F&sessionId=ac646768c9c94064d3c1916966d8666e2944a418&theme=light&widgetsVersion=aaf4084522e3a%3A1674595607486&width=550px

Does anyone think that the “official” academic and “Greek” Orthodox worlds are unaware that she openly called for schism? Of course they are aware. They approve of it. She is only one example. Many others among the Archons, academics, Greek Orthodox priests, church administrators, and others have expressed the same sentiments. For them, the Russian Church (potentially other Orthodox Churches as well, if necessary) must be jettisoned so that Orthodoxy can “move forward” and “embrace modernity”.

Of course, while Frost and her St. Phoebe center claim that female ordination will stop at the diaconate, other “Orthodox” academics connected to the Ecumenical Patriarch, such as Aristotle Papanikolaou, Co-Director of the Orthodox Christian Studies Center at Fordham University, are open about their desire to see women fully ordained to the priesthood. https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=OrthodoxReflec1&dnt=true&embedId=twitter-widget-6&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1672253399901904896&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Forthodoxreflections.com%2Fthe-persecution-of-roman-catholic-bishop-strickland-is-a-warning-to-the-orthodox%2F&sessionId=ac646768c9c94064d3c1916966d8666e2944a418&theme=light&widgetsVersion=aaf4084522e3a%3A1674595607486&width=550px

Who knows? After decades of laying a good foundation, you might actually get the Orthodox world to buy off on deaconesses. Women priests, however? That will never fly within global Orthodoxy. To go that far, you have to isolate a part of the Orthodox Church and impose such things there. If that isolated part is working in union with Rome, all the better. An added bonus would be partnership with political authority allowing the “modern Orthodox Church” to suppress the “traditionalist” Orthodox bodies as being traitorous agents of “Russian soft power”. You can ask the Ukrainian Orthodox Church how that works.

So what should we do about all this? I have absolutely no idea. At this point, we need to be aware that many people who come in the Name of the Lord are wolves in sheep’s clothing. The uncertainty of it all should call us to more sincere repentance and prayer. We should also be asking pointed questions of our leaders, while we continue to shine a light on those trying to subvert the Faith. Ultimately, if the Church is to overcome all this, our bishops will require the same kind of courage shown by Metropolitan Onuphry in Ukraine. May he be our example in how to stand steadfastly for the Faith – with a smile on our lips and Christ in our hearts.

Nicholas – member of the Western Rite Vicariate, a part of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese in America

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