No, the Jerusalem Cross is not a symbol of white supremacy or Nazism.

Under normal circumstances, this statement is self-evident. Everyone — literally everyone — knows the cross is first and foremost a Christian symbol. But these aren’t normal circumstances.

‘Deus Vult’ and the Jerusalem cross are uniquely Christian media with over 1,000 years of use among Christians.

In the days following Pete Hegseth’s defense secretary nomination, bad-faith critics have attacked Hegseth for two specifically Christian tattoos on his body.

The first, on his right bicep, is a tattoo of the words, “Deus Vult,” which in ecclesiastical Latin means “God wills it.” The second tattoo, located on his chest, is of the Jerusalem cross.

The Jerusalem cross is a large cross surrounded by four smaller crosses in each of the “quadrants” created by the larger cross. Some believe the five crosses represent the wounds Jesus Christ suffered on the cross while others believe the large cross represents Christ and the smaller four crosses represent the four Gospel authors. Still others believe the symbol represents the gospel message spreading to the four corners of the world.

A Jerusalem cross on the cover of a copy of the Book of Common Prayer.Image source: Chris Enloe/Blaze Media

It is important to remember that “Deus Vult” and the Jerusalem cross are uniquely Christian media with over 1,000 years of use among Christians.

And yet, Hegseth’s critics — or, more broadly, critics of President-elect Donald Trump, conservatives, and Christians — are now trying to associate “Deus Vult” and the Jerusalem cross with so-called Christian nationalism, the Christian “far right,” white supremacy, and Nazism.

The absurdity of the accusations reached a hysterical climax on social media over the weekend.

A man named Matthew Stokes went viral when he promised to pay $5 to “any standard evangelical over the age of 40” if they could prove to him that “the Jerusalem cross was a normal symbol of their faith upbringing.”

— (@)

It turns out that Stokes has a lot of money to disburse because his post went viral when thousands of people did exactly what he requested.

The end result is that Stokes proved the exact opposite outcome than the one he intended: The responses that his post generated proved the Jerusalem cross is not only a normal Christian symbol but that it’s an ecumenical one too.

Presbyterians use it. Publishers use it. Catholics use it. Lutherans use it. Communion wafers are imprinted with it. Coptic Christians use it. Episcopalians and Anglicans use it. It’s used in jewelry. The Greek Orthodox use it. Vestments use it.

The Jerusalem cross is clearly a ubiquitous symbol among Christians of all churches and denominations. Attempts to tarnish it as a symbol of racism or Nazism not only fail, but they’re actually an attack against all well-meaning Christians who display their faith allegiance through symbols like the Jerusalem cross.

The attacks, as Vice President-elect JD Vance said, are “disgusting anti-Christian bigotry.”

Christians are not Nazis. Christians are not white supremacists. Christians are not racist.

Fortunately, the “anti-Christian bigotry” that Vance identified will no longer exist within the Defense Department under Hegseth’s leadership.

“They can target me — I don’t give a damn — but this type of targeting of Christians, conservatives, patriots and everyday Americans will stop on DAY ONE at DJT’s DoD,” Hegseth promised.

​Pete hegseth, Christianity, Jerusalem cross, Christians, Faith 

There’s something about firing an AR-15 on full auto that puts a big smile on your face.

At least it does for my colleague, Helen Roy. It’s also addictive, apparently; no sooner has she emptied the entire magazine into the target than she asks, “Is that all?”

‘A lot of the ladies that do come on a regular basis call it “lead therapy,” because while you’re out there, you’re going to feel all this energy hitting you, and then you just want more of it.’

Behind her, David Prince laughs knowingly. A tall, grandfatherly former CPA, Mr. Prince (as everybody calls him) owns the spacious and immaculate Eagle Gun Range, where we’ve just spent the last few hours getting a crash course in how to shoot.

Beaming next to him with almost maternal pride is Helen’s instructor, Anna Thomasson. She — along with her husband, Bryan Wertz — has been kind enough to spend the afternoon giving us a highly condensed version of the extensive firearms training she offers women through her company, Dallas-based Aim True.

Matt Himes

Although Thomasson grew up around firearms, she was always more observer than participant. “My family is very traditional,” the petite Texan explains. “My dad is ‘boys shoot guns and girls stay in the kitchen.’”

That changed in 2015, when Thomasson was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her husband, Bryan Wertz, was a lifelong avid shooter; during her recovery he suggested she join him at the range as a way to spend time together while getting outside and getting some sun.

Thomasson found she enjoyed it. And not only that — learning to handle a firearm seemed to restore some of the inner strength sapped by her medical ordeal. “I got the feeling I could be confident in the world again,” she says.

She never looked back, taking course after course and honing her skills. She formed Aim True in 2017 as way to teach firearm self-defense to other women. She also organized the “ladies-only” training group Diamonds and Derringers.

Like Thomasson, Helen has always been comfortable around guns. Her father and her older brother (military veteran and active military, respectively) both enjoy shooting, as does her husband. While she’s often joined them at the range and has fired off a few shots of her own on occasion, she’s never gotten much, if any, formal training. She’s here to rectify that. Helen tells Thomasson she should consider her a beginner.

Gun-shy

We start in a tidy, well-lit classroom tucked away near Eagle Gun Range’s front desk. When I ask how they met, Wertz and Thomasson smile as they describe their courtship, more or less finishing each other’s sentences.

There’s an ease between them that automatically puts us at ease, and it sets the tone for the hours to come. As Thomasson runs the training, Wertz sits to the side, doing work on a computer, every so often interjecting to expand or emphasize a point Anna makes.

Thomasson begins by explaining what’s different about firearms training for women.

To begin with, says Thomasson, many of her students are motivated by a newfound sense of vulnerability.

“I have a lot of clients coming to me when they’ve had a divorce, or they’ve lost their spouse, or they’ve had a break-in at their home,” she says. “They’ve never wanted to hold a gun before, they’ve never had any interest in it, and now a situation has dictated that this is something [they] have to do.”

Matt Himes

According to Wertz, this reluctance tends to make women who do show up for the course very diligent students.

“We always say that a man feels like he was born to stick a gun in his pants and walk around with it,” says Wertz. A woman, on the other hand, “says I really want to know about this gun and I want to make sure that I don’t hurt someone with it, that someone doesn’t hurt me with it, that I really understand all aspects of it and how to use it and be confident.”

When that confidence finally comes, it’s often a revelation, says Thomasson. “Sometimes they have an emotional reaction to shooting the first time. And sometimes it just goes straight into, oh my gosh, I am going to be able to take care of myself and I don’t have to rely on anybody else.”

Pick a holster

When it comes to buying a gun, Thomasson likes to start with an often overlooked question: Can you find a holster for it? “My clients go to Highland Park Village, get a really pretty gun, and I say, ‘And you can leave it on your bedside table because there’s no holster to fit it,’” says Thomasson.

Unless you’re planning to use your gun exclusively out in the country, Thomasson recommends a concealed-carry holster, typically worn inside the waistband.

Choosing the right gun

“Our hands are different from men’s,” notes Thomasson. “They’re usually a little bit smaller.”

That doesn’t necessarily mean you want a smaller gun, but rather a “grip size that we can actually reach the trigger on.”

Ultimately, says Thomasson, how a gun fits your hand can come down to personal preference. She likens choosing a gun to buying shoes. “I can’t buy you a pair of shoes and say, ‘Love these shoes. You should wear them.’ But [I can] teach you the aspects of the gun and what you should be looking for.”

Sometimes bigger is easier

One common misconception Thomasson encounters is the assumption that a smaller gun will always be easier to shoot.

“This is our mindset as women. We think the bigger the gun, the harder it is to control, and the smaller the gun, the easier it is to control.”

Thomasson recalls a recent exchange with a client.

“[A woman] in her 70s called and she said, ‘I’m about five foot tall and I don’t have much strength. I have a really big gun, a 9mm, and I think I want to sell it and have you teach me how to use a smaller gun.’”

Thomasson quickly got her to reconsider. “I talked to her about the recoil … and the weight of that bigger gun taking some of that recoil away from your hands and your shoulders. Whereas a smaller gun doesn’t have the weight to [absorb] that recoil … and it ends up hitting you harder.”

For Thomasson, this is an essential part of the training she offers: “learn[ing] how to figure out what kind of gun is going to suit you best for your hand strength … [and] your situation.”

Loading the magazine

Thomasson leads us over to a table on which she’s placed a Glock semiautomatic pistol with a special slide for training as well as a pile of inert dummy rounds — in this case, spent Simunition blank cartridges. She begins by teaching Helen to load the magazine, which she recommends bracing against the tabletop.

Laughing at how surprisingly difficult she finds it, Helen says, “You know what, this is very important. How do you do gun stuff and maintain a manicure?”

Thomasson has anticipated the question. “You know there’s always a girl way and a boy way,” she says, fetching a small device from a nearby shelf and handing it to Helen. It’s called an UpLULA, and before long it significantly increases Helen’s efficiency.

Trigger warning

Matt Himes

Now that the gun is loaded, it’s time to pick it up. But first Thomasson imparts a basic principle of gun safety: “[You] don’t ever want to touch the trigger until [you’re] ready to touch the trigger.”

“This gun is developed to be comfortable in your hand when your finger is on the trigger,” explains Thomasson. “So that’s the way that your hand is going to want to pick this up.”

To avoid this, says Thomasson, we have to force ourselves to rest our finger on the frame as we grab the rest of the gun with our hand.

Thomasson points to the fleshy webbing between Helen’s index finger and thumb. “When you pick this gun up … I want you to see how high you can get this part of your hand up here,” she says, indicating the curved little overhang separating the top of the grip from the rest of the pistol.

Helen does, which gives Thomasson the chance to point out an important physiological difference between men and women. “Now if I had one of the boys pick this up, then all of the meat [between his thumb and index finger] would be squished up at the top. But females don’t have that kind of muscular development in that part of our hand.”

It’s a difference that can often be overlooked, says Thomasson. “A male instructor will tell the female you need a higher grip, you need a stronger grip. And the lady says, ‘This is all the grip I’ve got. I don’t have any more hand.’”

It’s something neither of us have ever thought about, apparently. “It’s almost as if men and women are different,” marvels Helen with mock incredulity. She examines my hand and compares it to hers.

“I do have that space,” she says, smiling brightly. “Confirmed woman!”

“Confirmed woman!”Matt Himes

When it comes to finding a properly fitting gun, Thomasson says it’s all about how your finger reaches the trigger. You want to have it close enough that you comfortably pull it back, without it being so close that your finger wraps around to the other side.

Proper stance

After teaching Helen how to complete the grip with the placement of her non-shooting hand, as well as how to use the pistol’s metal sight, Thomasson talks proper stance.

“Did you notice that you leaned back?” she asks Helen. “The minute you picked up that gun, you got away from it.”

Thomasson says this is an unconscious expression of fear — “we think the gun is going to go off and cause a big bang and we’re already scared of it.” This is precisely what her training seeks to overcome.

Lead therapy

After Thomasson advises Helen on the proper stance, it’s time to dry fire — that is, “shoot” the gun without any live ammunition. We all know it’s loaded with inert rounds, but as Helen aims, the tension in the room builds, and when the hammer makes its quiet little “click,” there’s a tangible sense of release.

Helen lets out a deep exhale and smiles. She looks a little flushed.

“What went through your mind?” asks Thomasson gently.

“Something about having bullets in the gun made me a little nervous,” says Helen. “It’s weird, there’s so much psychological stuff built up around guns. And I have shot guns before, but …”

“Because you loaded this and you made that action happen,” says Thomasson. She puts her hand on Helen’s shoulder. “How are you doing?”

“I’m good. It’s kind of powerful, though. Do women often have an emotional reaction when they shoot?”

“I would say 75% of the females that I have, the first shot they go into tears. We put the gun down and we step back and we hug and we talk about it for five or ten minutes. A lot of the ladies that do come on a regular basis call it ‘lead therapy,’ because while you’re out there, you’re going to feel all this energy hitting you, and then you just want more of it.”

Get a grip

At this point Bryan chimes in to emphasize the power of a good grip.

“So a lot of times, ladies will ask Anna, you know, should I have a gun because I’m tiny and a man will take it from me?”

He demonstrates by trying to pull the gun out of Helen’s hands. He can’t. “I’m just not going to get it from you before you could use your blaster.”

He then addresses how to hold the gun before you’re ready to point and shoot; for example, if you’re preparing to defend yourself against what could be an intruder in your house. In this case, says Wertz, its best to hold the gun pointed down toward the floor.

He demonstrates on Helen. If she holds her gun above her head, pointed toward the ceiling, it’s easy for him to keep her from bringing the gun level.

Wertz then shows what happens if he grabs Helen’s gun when it’s pointed to the floor. “If you kneel, then what am I giving you? I’m giving you the perfect first shot.”

Home on the range

David Prince is old enough to have had an entire career before this one, but he radiates boyish enthusiasm when he talks about Eagle Gun Range.

He opened it in 2012, after noticing that there hadn’t been a range built in the Dallas area for 30 years.

“My wife’s inspiration is my perspiration,” he jokes. After building a fence and a rock garden, among other projects, they decided to think bigger. “Let us build a gun range. … I can do that.”

“We wanted someplace [that was] really family-friendly,” Prince says. “Especially friendly to the mothers and the women, because stereotypically, women and guns don’t mix. … We wanted a place for them to come and feel safe.”

A big component of Eagle Gun Range’s family-friendly atmosphere is its state-of-the-art air filtration system, which removes the contaminants produced by firearm discharge. “It’s cleaner in the range than it is outside,” says Prince.

It’s clear that he’s proud of what he’s created. “Our mission statement says it all: to have a place that’s safe and fun to shoot.”

And it’s not that he’s pandering to the ladies, either.

“Indoor shooting is a great co-ed sport,” he says. “Women outshoot guys all the time. Women are great shooters. It’s a fun sport. It doesn’t take massive muscles. You can do it and compete against each other, and it’s a fun thing, especially for families. Kids get to shoot against the parents. It’s something the whole family can enjoy.”

Shots fired

Now it’s time for Helen to put her classroom training into practice.

We head to the private bay Prince has graciously arranged for us, and Thomasson introduces Helen to the first gun she’ll be shooting. It’s a Glock 9mm, the same as the practice gun she used. Only this one, of course, shoots real bullets.

Matt Himes

Helen loads the magazine, sorts out her grip, and gets into her stance. She aligns her sights at the paper target, then finds the trigger. She takes a deep breath and very slowly pulls it back.

Bang. We all exhale. Helen smiles. “There we go. That was fun.”

It was a decent shot, hitting the human silhouette just above the bull’s-eye over the chest. Helen fires off another. This one still hits the target, but a little wide. Thomasson reminds her to take it slow.

“When you pull it really fast, you kind of jerk the gun down, and then that’s when you end up with shots that are not in the target. Not that, if you were defending yourself, it still wouldn’t hurt the person. But if we want to get that perfect shot, [we need] control of the trigger.”

Thomasson then has Helen shoot the same cartridge in a smaller gun: a subcompact Glock in turquoise. This gun’s grip is significantly thinner and shorter than the previous one; Helen’s pinky just barely wraps around the bottom.

When she shoots, the kick is powerful enough that her left hand slips off a little. Helen also notices that because the gun’s size allows her finger to wrap all the way around the trigger, it has a tendency to pull to the right when shooting.

It’s all a vivid demonstration of Thomasson’s earlier point about women and gun size. “[They] say shrink it and pink it and that’s how you sell it to a woman,” says Wertz. “Well, that’s no good because then it’s just a pink gun and it’s tiny.”

As an alternative, Thomasson shows us the Walther PDP F-Series, a full-size 9mm pistol designed for shooters with smaller hands. To get the gun’s ergonomics and fit just right, Walther consulted with expert female shooters, including Olympian Gabby Franco.

‘Smith and Wesson … and me’

Noting that the training so far has used Austrian and German pistols, I ask Wertz about the American gun industry.

“When we get into rifles, bolt-action rifles, semiautomatic rifles, carbines, we win,” says Wertz, “but the Europeans kind of have a hold on the striker-fired market. The polymer lower, steel upper type gun like Glock, Sig, H&K, Walther, all really great handgun manufacturing companies.”

Wertz is quick to add that Smith & Wesson does make an excellent striker-fired pistol that many competitors use.

Of course, the iconic American brand has other claims to fame. “Smith & Wesson makes a better revolver than anybody in the world,” says Wertz. “And then if you want a 1911-style, old kind of World War II Heritage American pistol, nobody makes them better than we do.”

In this latter category, Wertz singles out Florence, Texas-based Staccato. “Anna’s got a Staccato that she carries a lot, and they make a better gun than than just about anybody else.”

‘It’s gonna get sporty’

Matt Himes

According to Prince, Helen is something of a natural. He pulls her target and examines it with admiration. “This is extremely good shooting. She’s at five yards, but she shot with several firearms, not having any practice rounds.”

Helen does equally well on the AR-15 rifle Prince offers her; in fact, she finds it to be her favorite firearm of the day. “I feel so much more confident with [the AR-15] than the smaller ones,” she says, when asked if she’d rather have it or a pistol for self-defense.

Wertz says that despite the media’s relentless propaganda about “assault rifles,” this is a common reaction from women after they shoot an AR-15. “You can see how accurate you were with very little effort and without having any training.”

Then it’s time to try the rife on full auto. Prince is thorough and professional as he coaches Helen on what to expect; at the same time, you can tell he can’t wait for her to let it rip. “It’s just natural — when you first squeeze the trigger, you’re going to let it rattle off about five rounds. You’re going to let go. We’re going to reload. Squeeze. Turn around and smile.”

Just before Helen pulls the trigger, Wertz smiles. “It’s gonna get sporty.”

Matt Himes

To watch some of Helen’s training with Aim True at Eagle Gun Range, check out the video below.

For more information about Aim True and the wide variety of firearms and emergency preparedness training it offers, see here.

To learn more about Eagle Gun Range or to explore its online store, go here.

​Lifestyle, Interview, Profile, Guns, Firearms training, Eagle gun range, Anna thomasson, Bryan wertz, David prince, Aim true, Helen roy, Matt himes, 2nd amendment, Provisions 

Kamala Harris’ campaign took a nosedive toward the end, and upon closer look, her wasteful spending may have played a major role — as the vice president reportedly burned through $1.5 billion within just 15 weeks.

“She was able to spend $1.5 billion in 15 weeks with no assets. Really impressive,” Stu Burguiere of “Stu Does America” comments.

“Her cash-rich campaign spared no expense as it hunted for voters — paying for an avalanche of advertising, social-media influencers, a for-hire door-knocking operation, thousands of staff, pricey rallies, a splashy Oprah town hall, celebrity concerts, and even drone shows,” Shane Goldmacher wrote in an article for the New York Times, adding, “It was a spree that averaged roughly $100 million per week.”

The Harris campaign’s biggest expense was advertising, spending most of a whopping $600 million on producing and buying media. $2.5 million was directed toward three digital agencies that specialize in working with online influencers.

Harris’ Oprah town hall cost the campaign close to $2.5 million as well, which Oprah attempted to explain away through the cost of setup.

“Oprah does have a bit of an argument here. First of all, she wasn’t just taking in a million dollars herself, it was going to this production company, and these events do cost a lot of money,” Stu says. “You could say, ‘OK, well, shouldn’t she just give that to her for free if she supported Kamala so much?’”

“You’d think so, but because of what Democrats want from campaign finance reform, there are campaign finance laws that say you can’t basically donate a bunch of free stuff and say that’s not a donation,” he continues.

However, there is one problem.

“In their own attempt at a defense here, they seemingly reveal a crime though because they say the $1,000,000 undercounts the cost of the event, the full cost, which ran closer to $2,500,000,” he explains. “So if in the bookkeeping they say it’s a million dollars but it actually costs $2,500,000, and Oprah ate the $1,500,000, that’s actually campaign finance violation. It’s a crime.”

“So in their attempt to try to win the press war, they may have actually committed a crime,” he adds.

Want more from Stu?

To enjoy more of Stu’s lethal wit, wisdom, and mockery, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​Sharing, Video phone, Camera phone, Upload, Free, Video, Youtube.com, Stu does america, Stu burguiere, The blaze, Blazetv, Blaze news, Blaze podcasts, Blaze media, Blaze podcast network, Kamala harris campaign, Kamala harris campaign spending, Oprah kamala, Presidential election 2024, Election 2024, Donald trump, Donald trump victory 

Employees of an Indiana Planet Fitness gym were shocked to discover the dead body of a 39-year-old man inside of a tanning bed after he first got inside three days previously.

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said officers were called to the gym at Hardegen Street on Nov. 11 just before 8:30 a.m. on a report of a body found. The Marion County Coroner’s Office said the body belonged to Derek Sink.

There was a foul smell inside the building that worsened as she approached the tanning rooms.

“We were deeply saddened by the passing of one of our members, and the franchise owner is working with the local authorities in their investigation,” read part of a statement from a spokesperson for the gym. “We are working closely with our local franchisee to ensure they are upholding those brand protocols.”

The man’s aunt told WTHR-TV that he was wearing an ankle monitor that led police to conclude that he had not left the gym when he got inside the tanning bed on Friday, Nov. 8.

A woman who had been at the gym before police arrived said there was a foul smell inside the building that worsened as she approached the tanning rooms.

Sink’s mother, Karen Wetzel, told People magazine that he had gone to the gym with his girlfriend and his daughter but that they had left him to go shopping and couldn’t find him when they returned. She also said that he had struggled with a drug addiction and that a syringe was found with his body. She believed a toxicology report might find fentanyl in his system.

“I’m just trying to keep myself together until this funeral is done, and then I’ll have my fall-apart,” the grieving mother said.

In a similar story from August, the body of a woman was found dead at her work desk at the Wells Fargo corporate office in Tempe, Arizona. The 60-year-old’s body was at the desk over the weekend and was discovered after her boss emailed her and she didn’t respond. Police said no foul play was suspected.

Officials later said she died from “sudden cardiac death in the setting of myocardial fibrosis.”

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​Man found dead planet fitness, Planet fitness dead man, Man found dead tanning bed, Death tanning bed, Politics 

Donald Trump has selected John Ratcliffe to lead the Central Intelligence Agency. Ratcliffe’s experience as a member of Congress overseeing the intelligence community and later as director of national intelligence highlighted his readiness to confront the CIA’s abuses of power during the Russia investigation. However, leading the CIA requires more than a strong director; it demands a capable team to implement meaningful reforms.

Drawing on my 19 years of service in the CIA under four presidents and eight directors, I offer insights into how the next director can navigate and reform the entrenched bureaucratic structures often called the “deep state.”

The goal should not be merely to dismantle the deep state but to establish an environment where transparency, accountability, and integrity are the new norms.

History shows that even the most skilled directors can become figureheads without solid backing. When John A. McCone succeeded Allen Dulles in the 1960s, Dulles’ personnel retained control of the agency, keeping McCone in the dark about key activities. More recently, John Brennan’s influence persisted within the CIA under Mike Pompeo’s leadership. Gina Haspel, who served as Pompeo’s deputy and later as director, continued Brennan’s legacy through his surrogates. Brennan had handpicked and groomed Haspel, who reportedly played a key role in assembling the Steele dossier.

To effect real change, the new director must secure organizational support, beginning with the deputy director. The deputy director will play a critical role in complementing Ratcliffe’s vision and overcoming bureaucratic inertia. This position must focus on managing the agency’s operations effectively rather than allowing career civil servants to dictate their will to the director. Appointing the right deputy director is essential for achieving meaningful reform.

Many people don’t realize how much of the CIA director and deputy director’s time is consumed by protocol duties. They manage communications and meetings with foreign dignitaries and advise the president and key administration officials on complex intelligence issues. As a result, career CIA staff — sometimes called the “Defenders of the Bureaucracy” — often handle much of the operational management.

This makes the role of chief operating officer, the agency’s No. 3 official, particularly vital. The COO oversees daily operations and serves as the critical link between the CIA’s leadership and its operational staff. A COO aligned with the director’s goals can dramatically improve the director’s ability to implement policy changes. The new director must ensure that the COO and deputy director manage the agency in line with the director’s reforms, rather than allowing career bureaucrats to control the COO, deputy, and director, as was the case with McCone and Pompeo.

Other key appointments include stakeholders often overlooked, such as the heads of the Office of Congressional Affairs and the Office of Public Affairs. Congressional Affairs plays a critical role in shaping perceptions and securing support in Congress. Without a trusted ally here, bureaucrats could undermine the director’s agenda through legislative channels. Similarly, the Office of Public Affairs influences public and media narratives about the CIA. Exercising control over this office can prevent leaks intended to discredit or pressure the director into serving bureaucratic interests rather than pursuing meaningful reform.

And we must not forget the Office of General Counsel. Past abuses in this office, especially in handling personnel and whistleblower issues, highlight the urgent need for legal alignment with the director’s reforms. The OGC’s litigation division has been a stalwart defender of the bureaucracy, seeking to crush whistleblowers, making it nearly impossible to foster an agency culture of accountability that aims to stop abuses of power.

The task at hand is immense. The CIA’s internal culture and the broader intelligence community’s dynamics resist change. History offers cautionary tales, such as the tenure of former Director Porter Goss, who faced intense internal opposition. His efforts to implement reforms were undermined by leaks that ultimately embarrassed his leadership and curtailed his time in office. Any incoming director must know that he could suffer the same fate as the entrenched career bureaucrats who will resist change.

As Ratcliffe or any successor assumes the director’s office, he must be prepared for a battle against the internal saboteurs and the inertia and resistance within. The support system around a new director will determine his success in leading the CIA and truly reforming it. The goal should not be merely to dismantle the deep state but to establish an environment where transparency, accountability, and integrity are the new norms, ensuring that the agency serves its true purpose of safeguarding national security without overstepping its bounds.

Ratcliffe faces a daunting journey that will test his resolve like never before. However, with the right team and strategy, he has the potential to redefine CIA leadership in the 21st century. By fostering a culture of accountability and transparency, Ratcliffe can help the CIA return to its original purpose, free from abuses of power and bureaucratic overreach.

​Cia, John ratcliffe, Intelligence community, Intelligence agencies, Reform, Donald trump, Deep state, Opinion & analysis 

A New Hampshire high school teacher was arrested after being caught in an underage sex trafficking sting operation, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Four other men from New Hampshire and Massachusetts were caught in the operation.

‘It is our reasonable belief the defendant was negotiating for sex with a minor while he was at work at school.’

Homeland Security agent Lori Robinson said in an affidavit that they posted a fake advertisement Thursday on an online commercial sex site, and when interested customers contacted them, they were told to meet at a hotel.

One of those who allegedly responded and went to the motel expecting sex with a 12-year-old female victim was 46-year-old Stacey Ray Lancaster. He is a teacher at Manchester’s West High School, where he oversees the ROTC program.

Lancaster allegedly texted in response to the ad, asking, “Can you send me there pictures? Also is cash ok? It be ready around 3:15.”

“It is our reasonable belief the defendant was negotiating for sex with a minor while he was at work at school,” said assistant U.S. attorney Matthew Vicinanzo at a hearing about Lancaster.

Charging documents said that Lancaster allegedly met with an undercover officer in the parking lot of the hotel and directed her to touch him in a sexual manner in order to confirm that she wasn’t a law enforcement official. He also touched her in a sexual manner.

He was charged with attempted sex trafficking of a minor.

The school said he was placed on administrative leave, and students were offered counseling over the arrest.

Lancaster reportedly has two minor children by his ex-wife, who lives in Bahrain, and also has two minor stepchildren from his current wife.

Magistrate Judge Andrea K. Johnstone cleared him to be released for home detention at his mother’s house. Johnstone ordered that he stay off of social media, surrender his passport, and avoid unsupervised contact with children as conditions to the release.

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​New hampshire sex trafficking, Teacher sex trafficking, Sex trafficking sting, Homeland security sex trafficking, Crime 

The National Football League, which has been derisively nicknamed the “No Fun League” by critics, issued a surprising edict about football players celebrating touchdowns with the “Trump dance.”

NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy told Front Office Sports that the league had “no issue” with the “Donald Dance.” Fox News Digital confirmed the statement with the league.

“It’s up to the networks to cover them as they see fit,” he added, referring to television coverage.

Many believed the NFL would ban the dance after it fined San Francisco 49ers player Nick Bosa $11,255 for wearing a pro-Trump cap while crashing an on-air interview after a Sunday Night Football game in October. Bosa appeared to violate the league’s rules against displaying personal messages or political messages on game day.

However, the NFL rules only prohibit excessive celebrations and those which include sexually suggestive actions or those suggesting violent actions.

Since President-elect Donald Trump’s astounding victory in the presidential election, other players have jumped on the Trump train by employing the popular Donald Dance.

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers danced it after scoring a touchdown against the Miami Dolphins, though his team later lost 34 to 19. The team posted a clip of the dance to its social media account where it garnered 415k views.

Members of the U.S. Men’s National Team did the Donald Dance during a CONCACAF Nations League match against Jamaica. They went on to win 4-2 in St. Louis, Missouri.

UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones also did the dance after thanking Trump at UFC 309 in Madison Square Garden.

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Like the United States under the Biden regime, Europe has opened its borders, allowing floods of anti-Semitic jihadists to infiltrate the cities and terrorize its Jewish civilians.

Mark Levin calls this mass migration “the second Muslim crusades.” However, he clarifies that he’s referring to “the jihadis, not normal migration,” which he wholeheartedly supports.

As a result of the open-border policies, some of the smaller European countries have lost control of the anti-Semitic migrants due to the sheer number of them. Unsurprisingly, this has resulted in an uptick in riots and attacks on Jewish people.

Never has this been more evident than when riled up pro-Palestine protesters attacked Jewish soccer fans in Amsterdam earlier this month. The skirmish ended with five people hospitalized and dozens arrested by Dutch authorities.

Authorities reported that “it’s not clear who started the violence,” but Levin says that that’s rubbish.

“It’s not clear who started it? There’s an entire report on it, and the entire report says this was organized weeks before that soccer game,” he says, adding that “this is the game” Europe’s Palestinians play.

Their claims that they “were provoked” tend to form the mainstream narrative, but Levin knows the truth: “They’re not provoked — not to stab people, not to brutalize people, beat them while they’re on the ground, not to throw them in rivers.”

This “hunting down Jews who go to a soccer game” was “planned a long time ago,” he reiterates.

One person in Europe, however, is thankfully speaking the truth. His name is Bruno Retailleau, and he’s the minister of the Interior of France.

On November 12 during a session of questions to the government at the National Assembly, Retailleau delivered a speech about Europe’s rampant anti-Semitism — a speech Levin calls “fantastic.”

To hear it, watch the clip above.

Want more from Mark Levin?

To enjoy more of “the Great One” — Mark Levin as you’ve never seen him before — subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

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Something extraordinary happened in the 2024 election. Conservatives, independents, and even former Democrats rose up and delivered a historic rebuke to the far left. The electoral map didn’t show a mere victory for Donald Trump — it was a political bloodbath. Moreover, for the first time in decades, Republicans are poised to take control of nearly every level of government.

This election was an unmistakable message from voters: America is sick, and we demand a cure.

Institutions meant to safeguard our liberties have become vectors for corruption, collusion, and control.

But before we can tackle the disease, we must diagnose it. What, exactly, is the mandate voters handed to Trump and the GOP? What is the problem that we demand they fix?

The answer is as clear as it is uncomfortable: The United States as we knew it no longer exists. Our freedoms — our sovereignty — have been systematically eroded by forces intent on transforming America into something unrecognizable.

Two of Donald Trump’s first promises as president-elect spoke directly to this. He vowed to eliminate the deep state and end censorship. The fact that these issues even need to be addressed shows how far we’ve strayed.

These proposed changes from the Trump administration are promising, but Trump cannot do this alone. The corruption afflicting this country is systemic. It’s a cancer that has spread through every organ of the body politic, from unelected bureaucrats in Washington to powerful corporations and media conglomerates. This rot has metastasized, just as it did in Europe under Fabian socialism and cultural Marxism. It must be excised.

But how did we get here? The left didn’t stumble into control of our institutions by accident. Its dominance over the media, universities, and culture was the result of a decades-long operation to manufacture consent.

The strategy is laid out plainly in a book by leftist thinker Noam Chomsky: “Manufacturing Consent.” Chomsky wasn’t wrong in his analysis — he was just dead wrong in his prescription. Over the decades, the left co-opted his blueprint to manipulate public opinion, consolidate power, and push its progressive agenda.

The proof is in the state of America today. Look at how the media has been consolidated. In the 1980s, 90% of American media was controlled by over 50 companies. Today, six massive conglomerates control the vast majority of what we read, watch, and hear.

They control the flow of information, shaping narratives to keep the public in the dark. They decide what is “normal” and what is “fringe.” They’ve convinced generations of Americans to accept obvious falsehoods as truth.

This media-industrial complex works hand in glove with the government and elite institutions. It has labeled anyone who questions its authority as a “conspiracy theorist” or “extremist,” all while cozying up to Big Tech and using censorship as a tool to silence dissent.

Donald Trump has promised to sign an executive order on day one banning federal agencies from colluding to censor Americans. He plans to fire bureaucrats who’ve participated in these unconstitutional practices and roll back the protections that allow tech giants to act as unaccountable gatekeepers.

But this is only the beginning.

The cancer runs deeper than just Big Tech or biased news outlets. It extends to the very systems meant to serve and protect us. Government agencies like HHS, NIH, and FDA now prioritize profits for Big Pharma and Big Food over the health of Americans. The military-industrial complex wages endless wars without congressional approval — in our name but without our consent. Institutions meant to safeguard our liberties have become vectors for corruption, collusion, and control.

Every organ of our national body has been infected. And the first step in curing this disease is restoring the free flow of information — our eyes and ears.

Without independent media, without honest debate, the cancer will keep coming back. That’s why I call on this incoming administration to prioritize breaking up media monopolies, ending corporate-government partnerships, and empowering alternative platforms.

The stakes couldn’t be higher. We must act now or risk losing the republic altogether. The American people have made their mandate clear: We demand accountability, transparency, and freedom.

It’s time to clean house.

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​2024 presidential election, Donald trump, Landslide, Deep state, Big tech censorship, Big tech, Mandate, Big pharma, Big ag, Big government, Opinion & analysis 

MSNBC’s audience has “dropped by half in the last ten days,” and now it’s probably going to drop even more when viewers learn what two of the network’s top hosts did last week.

Joe Scarborough of “Morning Joe” and his co-host and wife, Mika Brzezinski, traveled to Mar-a-Lago for a “personal sit-down with the president-elect” — the man they’ve been calling Hitler for years.

What could possibly inspire such a strange meeting?

Glenn Beck and Stu Burguiere discuss the possibilities.

According to Scarborough and Brzezinski, they met with Trump in an effort to “restart communications.”

“We have been as clear as we know how in expressing our deep concerns about President Trump’s actions and words in the coarsening of the public debate,” Brzezinski said on yesterday’s show. “But for nearly 80 million Americans, election denialism, public trials, and January 6 were not as important as the issues that moved them to send Donald Trump back to the White House with their vote.”

“Joe and I realized it’s time to do something different,” she added.

“Something different” apparently meant consorting with the fascist enemy who they’ve sworn repeatedly will destroy this country.

Stu proposes an idea: Perhaps they’ve realized the only “rational human thing to do” is to acknowledge that despite pushing the “Donald Trump is a fascist” narrative, the majority of Americans still “voted for him.” Maybe the meeting was their effort to “try and understand” the other side.

Glenn isn’t as optimistic.

They’re “just desperate to hold on,” he says, pointing out that MSNBC is currently up for sale. They’re just “desperate to not lose [their] gig.”

“But why would that help you?” asks Stu.

“There’s only two options here: One is the host you love is meeting with Hitler. The other option is they’ve been lying to you the entire time. Why would you ever watch that show again in either circumstance?” he wonders.

“It will [hurt viewership],” Glenn agrees, “but you are trying to inject logic into this.”

“Is it possible they actually really do believe their rhetoric this whole time, and they think Trump is actually going to pull them off the air and so they’re trying to get on his good side to prevent that?” Stu then asks.

“No,” says Glenn. “We honestly thought if we lost, our time would be marked,” but “I never would have gone, ‘You know, I need to see Kamala.”’

“But you’re not a horrible human being, so you’re not understanding their situation exactly,” says Stu.

To hear more of Glenn and Stu’s commentary and get Trump’s comments on his meeting with Joe and Mika, watch the clip above.

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